Paramount Pictures Lines Up Licensees for Summer 2015's "Monster Trucks"

Paramount Animation Revs up “MONSTER TRUCKS” with Spin Master Toy Deal

Summer 2015 New Movie Franchise Gaining Traction with Licensees at Expo in Las Vegas

HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Paramount Licensing is headed down the road of a major consumer products launch for next summer’s “MONSTER TRUCKS” movie, based on Paramount’s original idea, with today’s announcement of a master toy license deal with toy innovators Spin Master.

“The partnership to develop toys around Monster Trucks is a match made in toy heaven!”

This marks the first licensee partnership publicly announced in support of the high-octane family film “MONSTER TRUCKS,” from Paramount Animation, set for release on May 29, 2015. The live action film, utilizing state of the art CGI animation, is based on an original concept. Produced by Mary Parent, directed by Chris Wedge, with a screenplay by Matthew Robinson and Glenn Berger & Jonathan Aibel and Derek Connolly, the movie stars Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Barry Pepper, Amy Ryan, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Holt McCallany and Thomas Lennon, and is currently in production in Vancouver, B.C.

To roll the movie into the toy aisle of retailers, Paramount has partnered with leading toy manufacturer, Spin Master Ltd., to serve as the global master toy licensee for the franchise. Spin Master, having recently won multiple Toy of the Year Awards from the Toy Industry Association, will develop an extensive line up of vehicle-based products that will launch alongside the film.

“Spin Master is known for their innovation,” said LeeAnne Stables, President of Consumer Products and head of Paramount’s Marketing Partnerships. “They are the ideal partner to bring the incredible abilities of our Monster Trucks to life with fun, must-have toys consumers have never seen before. This line will be a major presence at retail and a cornerstone of our licensing program across all major categories.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Paramount on such an exciting, adrenaline-packed movie which has great toyetic appeal,” said Craig Sims, Vice President of Global Licensing and Business Development for Spin Master. “The partnership to develop toys around Monster Trucks is a match made in toy heaven!” added Krista DiBerardino, Chief Marketing Officer for Spin Master.

Paramount will be providing current and potential partners a closer look at the new franchise at Licensing Expo. Interested parties can stop by booth #S141.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB) (NASDAQ:VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Spin Master Ltd.
A multi-category children's entertainment company, Spin Master has been designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing consumer products for children around the world since 1994 and is recognized as a global growth leader within the toy industry. Spin Master is best known for such popular brands as boy's action phenomena and 2009-2010 Boy's Toy of the Year winner Bakugan Battle Brawlers™, and award-winning brands Air Hogs®, Aquadoodle™, Spin Master Games™ including the popular Hedbanz™, Tech Deck™, Zoobles™ and SpyGear™. The company has also marked an entry into children's media with the launch of Spin Master Entertainment, a subsidiary focusing on the design, development and production of television and other media properties. Spin Master employs over 900 people with offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Munich, and Milan. For additional information please visit: www.spinmaster.com.

Review: "Thank You for Smoking" is Too Glib (Happy B'day, Aaron Eckhart)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 229 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Running time:  93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some sexual content
DIRECTOR:  Jason Reitman
WRITERS:  Jason Reitman (based upon the novel by Christopher Buckley)
PRODUCER:  David O. Sacks
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  James Whitaker (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Dana E. Glauberman
COMPOSER:  Rolfe Kent
Golden Globes nominee

COMEDY with elements of drama

Starring:  Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Sam Elliot, Katie Holmes, David Koechner, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, J.K. Simmons, and Robert Duvall, Kim Dickens, Adam Brody, and Todd Louiso

The subject of this movie review is Thank You for Smoking, a 2005 satirical comedy written for the screen and directed by Jason Reitman.  The film is based on the 1994 novel, Thank You for Smoking, by author Christopher Buckley.  Thank You for Smoking the movie follows the tobacco industry’s chief spokesman as he spins and disseminates information on behalf of cigarettes, while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son.

As Vice-President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies, Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is the main lobbyist and primary spin doctor for Big Tobacco.  Naylor is on a mission to make the country forget the dangers and health risks of smoking cigarettes.  However, his mission gets tougher with health advocates and the opportunistic Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre (William H. Macy) determined to put a new poison label (in the form of an image of the skull & bones) on cigarette packs.  Naylor goes on the PR offensive with a strategy to get big Hollywood actors to smoke on screen, as the movie stars of yesteryear did in the Golden Age of Hollywood movies.  Nick enlists, Jeff Megall (Rob Lowe), a Hollywood super-agent, to help him get smoking on screen again.

However, Nicky’s newfound notoriety does not go unnoticed by Big Tobacco’s head honcho, The Captain (Robert Duvall), who gives his blessing to Nick’s Hollywood plan.  Nick’s activities also get the attention of a beautiful, young investigative reporter, Heather Halloway (Katie Holmes), who is willing to use her body to get Nick to tell her his secrets.  Even with a busy schedule, Nick still finds time to hold forth with two comrades – two other lobbyists for industries also facing public backlash: Polly Bailey (Maria Bello) of the alcohol industry and Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner) of the gun industry.  Together, the three of them are the Merchants of Death or M.O.D. Squad.  Nick’s also a father, and he’s trying to remain a role model to his young, impressionable son, Joey Naylor (Cameron Bright), who thinks his dad is a god, but Nick’s ex-wife, Jill Naylor (Kim Dickens), isn’t sure a tobacco lobbyist is the best dad material.

Jason Reitman, the son of famed comedy director, Ivan Reitman (Animal House, Ghostbusters), has a more cerebral approach to film comedy than his father, and that’s clearly evident in the clever, offhand satire, Thank You for Smoking, which Reitman adapted from the novel by Christopher Buckley.  The film comes across as a savage satire of the tobacco industry, but Reitman directs the film with such elegance that Thank You for Smoking sometimes comes across as glib and soulless.  In his attempt to impale Big Tobacco, and also throw sand in the face of shallow Hollywood, opportunistic big media, and shameless Congress, Reitman’s movie ends up gabby and has no real villains.  This is a satire that comes across as if it’s teasing its targets rather than criticizing them.

While Thank You for Smoking holds up the characters and subject matter for detached scrutiny, the cast isn’t afraid to get down and dirty.  The actors take delight in revealing the characters for all their oily selfishness.  They’re all out for their own interests, and what little guilt they feel merely adds a light pungent flavor to the characters.  The best performance is delivered, of course, by Aaron Eckhart as the film’s protagonist/quasi-villain, Nick Naylor.  A character actor who can play an amazing range of lead characters, Eckhart gives Thank You for Smoking its gift of gab.  Eckhart’s screen chemistry with Cameron Bright, the young actor who plays Nick’s son, Joey, is supernaturally real.  It’s like a real father and son duo.

Eckhart humanizes Naylor, and makes the viewer like him and want to engage him.  Thank You for Smoking is well-written and well-directed (considering the inexperience of the director), and the technical aspects are pretty good.  But it’s Aaron Eckhart who makes Thank You for Smoking something more than just another satirical film essay.  He makes it memorable.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, November 06, 2006

NOTES:
2007 Golden Globes:  2 nominations:  “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Aaron Eckhart)

Updated:  Wednesday, March 12, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

Review: Aaron Eckhart Lights it Up in "Thank You for Smoking"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 229 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some sexual content
DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman
WRITER: Jason Reitman (based upon the novel by Christopher Buckley)
PRODUCER: David O. Sacks
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jason Whitaker (director of photography)
EDITOR: Dana E. Glauberman
Golden Globes nominee

COMEDY with elements of drama

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Sam Elliot, Katie Holmes, David Koechner, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, J.K. Simmons, and Robert Duvall, Kim Dickens, Adam Brody, and Todd Louiso

As Vice-President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies, Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is the main lobbyist and primary spin doctor for Big Tobacco. Naylor is on a mission to make the country forget the dangers and health risks of smoking cigarettes. However, his mission gets tougher with health advocates and the opportunistic Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre (William H. Macy) determined to put a new poison label (in the form of an image of the skull & bones) on cigarette packs. Naylor goes on the PR offensive with a strategy to get big Hollywood actors to smoke on screen, as the movie stars of yesteryear did in the Golden Age of Hollywood movies. Nick enlists, Jeff Megall (Rob Lowe), a Hollywood super-agent, to help him get smoking on screen again.

However, Nicky’s newfound notoriety does not go unnoticed by Big Tobacco’s head honcho, The Captain (Robert Duvall), who gives his blessing to Nick’s Hollywood plan. Nick’s activities also get the attention of a beautiful, young investigative reporter, Heather Halloway (Katie Holmes), who is willing to use her body to get Nick to tell her his secrets. Even with a busy schedule, Nick still finds time to hold forth with two comrades – two other lobbyists for industries also facing public backlash: Polly Bailey (Maria Bello) of the alcohol industry and Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner) of the gun industry. Together, the three of them are the Merchants of Death or M.O.D. Squad. Nick’s also a father, and he’s trying to remain a role model to his young, impressionable son, Joey Naylor (Cameron Bright), who thinks his dad is a god, but Nick’s ex-wife, Jill Naylor (Kim Dickens), isn’t sure a tobacco lobbyist is the best dad material.

Jason Reitman, the son of famed comedy director, Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), has a more cerebral approach to film comedy than his father, and that’s clearly evident in the clever, offhand satire, Thank You for Smoking, which Reitman adapted from the novel by Christopher Buckley. The film comes across as a savage satire of the tobacco industry, but Reitman directs the film with such elegance that Thank You for Smoking sometimes comes across as glib and soulless. In his attempt to impale Big Tobacco, and also throw sand in the face of shallow Hollywood, opportunistic big media, and shameless Congress, Reitman’s movie ends up gabby and has no real villains. This is a satire that comes across as if it’s teasing its targets rather than criticizing them.

While Thank You for Smoking holds up the characters and subject matter for detached scrutiny, the cast isn’t afraid to get down and dirty. The actors take delight in revealing the characters for all their oily selfishness. They’re all out for their own interests, and what little guilt they feel merely adds a light pungent flavor to the characters. The best performance is delivered, of course, by Aaron Eckhart as the film’s protagonist/quasi-villain, Nick Naylor. A character actor who can play an amazing range of lead characters, Eckhart gives Thank You for Smoking its gift of gab. Eckhart’s screen chemistry with Cameron Bright, the young actor who plays Nick’s son, Joey, is supernaturally real. It’s like a real father and son duo.

Eckhart humanizes Naylor, and makes the viewer like him and want to engage him. Thank You for Smoking is well-written and well-directed (considering the inexperience of the director), and the technical aspects are pretty good. But it’s Aaron Eckhart who makes Thank You for Smoking something more than just another satirical film essay. He makes it memorable.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, November 06, 2006

NOTES:
2007 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Aaron Eckhart)

--------------------------------

The Invention of Lying Tells the Truth

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Invention of Lying (2009)
Running time: 99 minutes
MPAA – PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference
WRITERS/DIRECTORS: Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson
PRODUCERS: Ricky Gervais, Dan Lin, Lynda Obst, and Oly Obst
CINEMATOGRAHER: Tim Suhrstedt (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Chris Gill

COMEDY/ROMANCE

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K. Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Tina Fey

Last fall, Ricky Gervais made his directorial debut with the film, The Invention of Lying, co-directed with Matthew Robinson. The film is about a man who discovers lying in a world where everyone tells the truth – even the brutal truth. Those who saw the trailers (commercials) for this film may not realize that advertising for The Invention of Lying leaves out one important fact.

The Invention of Lying is not about lying; it is about religion.

The film takes place in an alternate reality where lying and even the concept of the lie do not even exist. People are always telling the truth, and everyone: politicians, advertisers, the man and woman on the street, neighbors, coworkers, employers, and even the person you’re dating speaks the truth and nothing but the truth. Such honesty does not come with a thought of the consequences. Seeing this, even in a movie, is pretty shocking. For instance, it is never cool to hear a coworker just flatly state how much she hates you and is glad to hear that you will be fired. Such blunt truth is the norm in this world.

Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a down-on-his-luck loser. A failed screenwriter, Mark knows that he is about to be fired, and so do all his coworkers and colleagues. Mark also goes out on an arranged date with a perky young woman named Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner), who is brutally honest about her feelings for him. She thinks Mark is nice, but she doesn’t want to have children with a fat man who has a stubby nose.

When his life totally falls apart, Mark reaches the point of desperation when he suddenly says something that simply is not, and thus, he gives birth to the lie. Mark invents the ability to say things that are not true, and, as the only person in the world who can lie, he uses lying to make himself rich. When one of his lies spreads, the entire world starts to hang on Mark’s every word, even his beloved Anna.

Lying isn’t the only thing Mark Bellison’s world is missing. People have no concept of heaven, faith, or God. When Mark creates “the man in the sky,” people believe him because they don’t know he is lying, nor would they even understand the concept of lying. Ultimately, Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson use The Invention of Lying to make a few suggestions to the viewer. First, people should do the things that make them happy and not go along with the status quo if it makes them miserable. Also, a person shouldn’t wait to be told what to do, nor should others, even a divine other, make decisions for him.

The Invention of Lying is a great idea, even a wicked idea, but as the film goes on, Gervais and Robinson favor romance over the sharp social criticism about truth and about religion. This is a love story set in a parable and satire, and while the filmmakers handle both well, The Invention of Lying does lack a tangible antagonist. Much of the dramatic conflict is internal – Mark Bellison’s good side versus his selfish, greedy, petty nature. The script never really takes advantage of conflict outside of the lead character: Mark versus his job, society, and his rivals.

Still, this film is surprisingly radical, and the filmmakers mine much of the premise’s richness. Ricky Gervais is, as always, a brilliant, funny man, with a great sense of humor when it comes to poking fun at people and society. Jennifer Garner is surprisingly spry, (although she is a good comic actress), and her performance is pitch perfect for this story. I can forgive The Invention of Lying for its eventual transformation into a conventional romantic comedy, because for most of its hour and a half of story, this movie’s wit is startling. In a landscape of safe, conventional movies, that is worth a lot.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

---------------------