I don’t know how many of you guys were this big into movies that you know who Stan Winston is (or was), but the guy was instrumental in practical effects for so many movies. He won Oscars for Aliens, Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park. Wow. He also did all the robot effects in A.I., a polarizing movie to be sure, but even the biggest critics of the movie itself could agree that the practical effects in that movie were fuckin’ awesome.
Edward Scissorhands. Predator. The original Terminator. Monster Squad. And most recently, Iron Man.
It’s easy to dismiss effects, and even someone like him, who isn’t exactly a household name, but I’ve known his name since I was 12, and it’s no question that his work defined a big part of my childhood. You could call him our generation’s Ray Harryhausen.
I don’t know what else to say. I’ll miss his incredible work.