It’s taken decades, but it finally feels as if mainstream American moviegoers are warming to the fact that animation can be used for something other than entertaining the kiddies. Thank Saturday-morning cartoons, Walt Disney’s hang-up with fairy tales, or that “waskally wabbit” Bugs Bunny, but the fact is that somewhere along the line we stopped taking the art form seriously, dismissing it as a container for all things juvenile rather than embracing it as a creative means of exploring adult issues and themes. Shane Acker’s exciting, inventive feature debut is a film that addresses some pretty weighty issues — the collapse of humanity and the importance of questioning authority, among other things — but does so in an intelligent, entertaining manner that proves we need not “shut off our brains” to be entertained.
If Sam Raimi directed a film for Hammer Studios, odds are it would look and feel a lot like director Glenn McQuaid’s impressive feature directorial debut, I Sell the Dead. A Creepshow-flavored, period horror comedy with comic-book style to spare, it’s a rare treat that serves up laughs and chills in equal measure, and manages the rare feat of cramming just about every genre imaginable into its brisk 85 minutes, without ever feeling bloated or overbearing. From the playful score to eerie, brumous nightscapes (fog juice alone appears to have comprised half of the film’s budget), I Sell the Dead always entertains and never takes itself too seriously. Fast-paced, funny, and featuring solid performances by a talented cast, it’s the kind of rare gem that isn’t likely to come to a theater near you (if you live outside of New York or Los Angeles), but could well gain a cult following down the road thanks to positive word of mouth.
There might not be a more dependable name in all of Hollywood than Pixar, and their tenth animated feature, Up, continues the studio’s remarkable hot streak.
As is usually the case, the premise is elegantly simple: in order to fulfill a promise to his dearly departed adventure-loving wife, senior citizen Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) flies to South America by hitching thousands of helium balloons to the house they built together. As silly as that may sound, director Pete Docter captures the audience’s heart right from the beginning, thanks to an opening ten minutes that encapsulate the happy, decades-long marriage Carl shared with his dear Ellie. Following the duo from their first meeting as children who idolized the same superstar adventurer, to their tragic inability to have children, to their final moments together, this sweet, nearly dialogue-free sequence stands as arguably the most poignant in Pixar history — right alongside WALL-E’s spacewalk, and Jessie’s abandonment in Toy Story 2. It’s a remarkably emotional way to start things off, but it sets the audience up for all the amazing things that follow precisely because you never question why Carl acts on his obsession.
Once upon a time, there was a literary fantasy adventure film with an imaginative premise and a fine cast, unfortunately, the dreaded curse of a meandering plot besieged the entire second act, making the intriguing setup and exciting finale all for naught. There were flying monkeys, a Minotaur, and even Helen Mirren on a unicorn, but even that marvelous sight wasn’t enough to save the plot from becoming tiresome as our harried group of heroes attempted to defeat an otherworldly evil by accomplishing the thrilling act of… locating a lost book.
The Star Wars theatrical experience gets a sloppy kick in the ribs with the arrival of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – a sub-par 3-episode arch from Lucasfilm’s upcoming lackluster animated series of the same name. Undeservedly pushed to the big screen to cash in a quick buck, the computer generated kiddie flick is exactly what fandom has been dreading and the youngest of their kin are sure to eat up – an annoying and utterly boring version of the prequel universe, all presented with an idiot panache that only an 8-year old could appreciate. Make no mistake; this is a far cry from the vibrant and exciting days of Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky’s time with the material. This take on The Clone Wars adapts more of a WB Kids attitude as it relays the untold days of Anakin Skywalker’s obnoxious preteen padawan, as bland politics force ridiculous plotlines such as the Jedi’s helping Jabba the Hutt find his farting tadpole kid, Stinky. Yes, it has really come to that.
The lighthearted, FX-laden Mummy franchise continues in this flawed yet breezy installment that stays true to the series’ mix of humor, expensive eye candy, and wild action spectacle. Much is new in this third outing, as can be seen in its locale (China), its villain (Jet Li), as well as a 20-year old grown-up son character (Luke Ford) and two new leading ladies (Maria Bello and Michelle Yeoh) – never mind a different helmer at the wheel (Rob Cohen). The changes affect the film dramatically, from the director who’s a bit uncomfortable with camp sensibilities to the others who strive to find their own footing in a vehicle not designed for their strengths. The end result is a bit underwhelming, but it is not as if the series was high art to begin with. While not as fresh as the first film - and nowhere near as gonzo as the second – The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor at least strives to continue the vibe that its predecessors created. As far as audiences go, much will depend on what kind of expectations and critical eye they bring with them when they see it. If there is one thing that is for sure though, it’s that, like it or not, the Mummy series is back.
A scientist and his nephew travel to Iceland to explore some unusual seismic activity, and instead stumble into the adventure of a lifetime in this family-friendly summer blockbuster that has the distinction of being the first full-length, live action feature shot in digital 3-D. The result is a harmless tale of family bonding that isn’t too intense for the youngsters, but still feels rather generic, despite a few memorable action set pieces and some truly dazzling 3-D effects. Compare it to something like vintage Spielberg and you’re bound to be disappointed, but take it as a typical summer blockbuster with the added benefit of being presented in 3-D and odds are good that the kids will be happy and you’ll at least walk out of the theater feeling as if you’ve gotten your money’s worth.
A majestic tale of heroism and revenge; a soulful story of heartbreak and friendship; and a heartfelt love letter to the nameless, thankless souls who risk their lives to make cinema truly spectacular, Tarsem Signh’s long-awaited follow-up to The Cell manages to be many things at once, while never feeling as if it’s overreaching its scope.
According to a recent post on Boing Boing, Dublin, California moviegoer Adrian McCarthy noticed a curious sign at the Hacienda Crossing Regal Cinema indicating what may be a disturbing new trend in the ongoing war against movie piracy. McCarthy claims that management posted a notice informing patrons purchasing tickets for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls that portions of the film had been intentionally silenced, and that the theater manager had no control over the situation. Eagle-eyed multiplex patrons have no doubt noticed the so-called “cap code” system of watermarking film prints (“cap code” consists of a series of red dots that appear in a frame at certain intervals) that has grown popular amongst the studios over the last few years, but could this be the next step in combating piracy?
It was only a matter of time before Paramount mined the original Indiana Jones trilogy for another DVD release — so what better time than right before the hotly anticipated fourth entry to rekindle the Jones fire that burns in so many movie-lovers’ hearts. But what about the box sets from five years ago? Do the new versions trump those or is this purely a double-dip issue? The answer is much like a Jones adventure in that it’s more complicated than what you know and in the end, will take much soul searching in order to evaluate how much this prize really means to each buyer. Thankfully, AMG is here to help. After the jump, we’ll spill the dirt on the new discs and let you know if this leap of faith a wise buy or one that’ll melt your face when all is said and done.
Ahh, nothing like some new Drew Struzan goodness to start off the week. Feast your eyes on the final Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull one sheet, brought to you by one of the industry’s best and brightest illustrators.
The artwork was unveiled at USA Today this morning and looks to be one of the hottest Internet news stories of the day.
As far as its quality goes, Struzan once again delivers a solid design, with major emphasis on the extraterrestrial influence as can be seen in the glowing crystal skull, though the illustration is a bit less graphic than expected — with less of the artist’s patented outlining on display. Other than that — love that Marion smile, as well as the return of the jungle theme once equated with the series’ art before the dusty settings of The Last Crusade.
After the jump, enjoy a bigger version of the new ad art, along with a refresh of the already released teaser poster.
Well here it is — the Jones trailer the world has been waiting for. And how hot is it? Smokin’ says us. As far as scorecards go, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s action looks huge — with lots of Indy swinging, whipping, running and dishin’ out quips as only he can. Spielberg also serves up an iconic silhouette shot (which he references in the official site’s latest video on Jones’ trusted fedora) and goes lengths to remind audiences that this aging action star still has a whole lot of fight in him. Oh yes, and for all of you scared of a certain young actor screwing things up — the good news is that Shia LaBeouf is hardly in the 1:45-minute trailer, though curiously, so is Karen Allen. One thing is for sure, there are plenty more surprises left in this sucker. In a day and age when Hollywood spoils everything online before a film even is released, it’s good to know that one of the most anticipated flicks of all time still has some guarded tricks up its sleeve. The countdown has begun — let May 22nd not come fast enough!
UPDATE 2/15/8: For anyone that was wondering just what the heck was going on with Ray Winstone’s CG waistline at the 57-second mark, Ain’t It Cool did some digging and stumbled upon some E.T. rerelease-styled computer trickery. It seems that the filmmakers might’ve been forced by the MPAA to erase out a group of soldiers that were pointing guns at our favorite fearless archeologist and his new British buddy. If that’s not bad enough, an American flag was also added into U.S. teaser as well. Photographic proof can be found at the link, along with a path leading to the International trailer.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets makes no attempt to disguise its sources. Like its predecessor, this outing functions as kind of a low-rent variation on the Indiana Jones films, and bears the distinct high-gloss production stamp of Jerry Bruckheimer. This is the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy, and gives us virtually nothing substantial to take away from it. And yet, on a completely sophomoric, mechanical level (and even at an excessive 123 minutes) the film feels aggressively enjoyable. It’s an undemanding, carnivalesque thrill-ride that whisks the audience off on a high-flown string of adventures, with a host of urban legends that seem pulled straight from brazen adolescent fantasies.
Get those fedoras out and those whips-a-crackin’ – the kind people at the Indiana Jones official site have finally released a true-to-form, Drew Struzan teaser poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Struzan is, of course, the artist whose work has graced everything from The Thing to Big Trouble in Little China, but it’s his collaborations with the great bearded one, George Lucas, that has truly cemented his place in mega movie history.
This new slice of hotness recalls the Temple of Doom teaser image, where Indy rocks a three foot machete the size of Short Round – except this time, we get no cleaver, just the standard whip and a closed fist, which will no doubt be socking the faces of those new Russian villains come May 22nd.
After the jump, enjoy a bigger version of the new ad art, along with a tasty gallery of past Struzan glory gone by.
It’s taken decades, but it finally feels as if mainstream American moviegoers are warming to the fact that animation can be used for something other than entertaining the kiddies. Thank Saturday-morning cartoons, Walt Disney’s hang-up with fairy tales, or that “waskally wabbit” Bugs Bunny, but the fact is that somewhere along the line we stopped taking the art form seriously, dismissing it as a container for all things juvenile rather than embracing it as a creative means of exploring adult issues and themes. Shane Acker’s exciting, inventive feature debut is a film that addresses some pretty weighty issues — the collapse of humanity and the importance of questioning authority, among other things — but does so in an intelligent, entertaining manner that proves we need not “shut off our brains” to be entertained.
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