There was big news on The Hobbit films last Monday. The films have release dates and titles(!). Here, is the official press release from Warner Bros. Pictures:
"THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY" AND "THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN"
TITLES ANNOUNCED FOR PETER JACKSON'S EPIC TWO-FILM ADAPTATION OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S TIMELESS CLASSIC THE HOBBIT
FIRST FILM SLATED TO OPEN ON DECEMBER 14, 2012 AND SECOND FILM TO BE RELEASED ON DECEMBER 13, 2013
Burbank CA, May 30, 2011 — New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM have announced the titles and release dates for filmmaker Peter Jackson's two-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit. The first film, titled "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," will be released on December 14, 2012. The second film, titled "The Hobbit: There and Back Again," is slated for release the following year, on December 13, 2013.
Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." The adventure of "The Hobbit" follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
Under Jackson's direction, both movies are being shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and Martin Freeman, who just won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the BBC series "Sherlock," takes on the central role of Bilbo Baggins. Also reprising their roles from "The Lord of the Rings" movies are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The ensemble cast also includes (in alphabetical order) Richard Armitage, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O'Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas, and Aidan Turner.
The screenplays for "The Hobbit" films are by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson. Jackson is also producing the films, together with Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham. The executive producers are Ken Kamins and Zane Weiner, with Philippa Boyens serving as co-producer.
"The Hobbit" films are productions of New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing being handled by MGM.
ABOUT NEW LINE CINEMA:
New Line Cinema continues to be one of the most successful independent film companies. For more than 40 years, its mission has been to produce innovative, popular, profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line produced the Oscar®-winning "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which is a landmark in the history of film franchises. New Line Cinema is a division of Warner Bros.
ABOUT PETER JACKSON/WINGNUT FILMS:
Peter Jackson is one of the world's most successful filmmakers. His monumental achievement co-writing, co-producing and directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy (with fellow Academy Award winners and frequent collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) earned a total of 30 Academy Award nominations and 17 Academy Awards. Jackson and Walsh received their first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for their acclaimed film Heavenly Creatures. Jackson, through his New Zealand-based Wingnut Films banner, also was responsible for the globally successful 2005 remake of King Kong which earned over $500 million worldwide and 3 Academy Awards. Jackson most recently directed the Academy Award nominated The Lovely Bones; an adaptation of the acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, which to date has earned nearly $100 million worldwide; and produced the global sensation, District 9, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. He is also developing a trilogy of films with Steven Spielberg based on Tintin, the world renowned comic book series by Herge. In 2010 he received a Knighthood for his services to film.
ABOUT METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit http://www.mgm.com/.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Review: "X-Men: First Class" is at the Top of the Class
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Running time: 132 minutes (2 hours, 12 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn
WRITERS: Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz and Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn; from a story by Sheldon Turner and Bryan Singer
PRODUCERS: Gregory Goodman, Simon Kinberg, and Lauren Shuler Donner, and Bryan Singer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Mathieson (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Eddie Hamilton and Lee Smith
COMPOSER: Henry Jackman
SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Till, Zoe Kravitz, Edi Gathegi, Oliver Platt, Alex Gonzalez, and Jason Flemyng
X-Men: First Class is a superhero movie and the fifth movie in the X-Men film franchise, following X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). X-Men: First Class is a combination prequel to the first film and partial reboot of the franchise, but whatever is it, First Class currently stands as the best film in the X-Men series.
Most of First Class is set in 1962. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) are the men who would take the names Professor X and Magneto, respectively. Both are young men and also mutants discovering the extent of their powers, as they embark on their respective missions in life. A telepath with mind control powers, Xavier has recently received his doctorate from Oxford University, and he wants to find more mutants like himself who have special powers. He has lived with one of them, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), since he was a child.
Meanwhile, Lensherr, who is a Holocaust survivor and mutant that can manipulate magnetism, hunts and kills Nazi and German war criminals. One of his targets is Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a mutant with tremendous powers. Now, a scientist and leader of a mysterious group known as the Hellfire Club, Shaw has launched a plot to start a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
After Lensherr makes a failed attempt on Shaw’s life, Xavier brings Lensherr into the CIA’s “Division X” facility. There, Xavier and Lensherr recruit young mutants they will train to stop Shaw, but both men see the world differently. As they race to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known, a rift grows between Xavier and Lensherr, one that threatens everything and maybe every human on the planet.
X-Men: First Class is everything good about the franchise: the mutant vs. mutant conflict, man vs. mutant conflict, the struggle against prejudice and bigotry, the action and intrigue, and the themes of family and brotherhood. But in this film, it is all presented in a more audacious and confident manner. There are a lot of things happening in this movie, and the story presents most of it awfully quickly. Director Matthew Vaughn guides it all with such brisk, efficient storytelling that makes most of it clear, clever, and engaging.
First Class is also a summer movie with something to say. With its Cold War setting, Cuban Missile Crisis sub-plot, and allusions to the Civil Rights movement, this movie places the plight of the mutants within a real world context. The film remains, however, cool and intense, even being sometimes playful about its dead serious elements. First Class’ last act does turn a little too much towards action movie mayhem and away from the emotional motivations, but in the end, this X-Men movie plays for keeps. These mutants want to do the right thing, but what is the right thing, the film asks? And what do you do when the people you are trying to protect and save want to kill you?
All the performances here have a youthful energy, and James McAvoy as Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Lensherr have great chemistry together. Fassbender is Oscar-nomination worthy as Lensherr/Magneto. X-Men: First Class is not just good; it is also one of the best superhero movies ever and, so far, the year’s best film.
9 of 10
A+
Saturday, June 04, 2011
----------------------------
Mary J. Blige Pens and Records Song for "The Help"
Super-Star Mary J. Blige Records Original Song for DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media’s “The Help”
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Pictures and Geffen Records announced today that multiple Grammy® Award–winning recording artist Mary J. Blige wrote and recorded an original song for the soundtrack of DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media’s THE HELP, a film based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, opening in theaters August 12, 2011. “The Help” soundtrack - music from the Motion picture, will feature the original song from Mary J. Blige “The Living Proof.” The soundtrack, from Interscope Records, will be available Tuesday, July 26 at select Starbucks locations.
The song, “The Living Proof,” was written and recorded by Blige especially for THE HELP after she saw a screening of the film, which takes place in 1960s-era Mississippi and chronicles the journey of three very different women who come together and embark on a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. “The beautiful thing about these women is that they were very smart,” says Blige. “They chose to walk in love and forgiveness.”
The film really celebrates the courage to inspire change, “To speak to so many women with this song means a lot to me,” says Blige. “I wanted to be involved with this film, because I think we need to encourage each other more, we are here to tell a story.”
Blige has received 9 Grammy® Awards and four American Music Awards as well as recorded eight multi-platinum albums. Mary J. Blige has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and her next album "My Life Too....The Journey Continues" will be released Sept 20, 2011.
ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Based on one of the most talked about books in years and a #1 New York Times best-selling phenomenon, “The Help” stars Emma Stone (“Easy A”) as Skeeter, Academy Award®–nominated Viola Davis (“Doubt”) as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny—three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed—even if it means bringing everyone in town face-to-face with the changing times. Deeply moving, filled with poignancy, humor and hope, “The Help” is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change.
From DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media, “The Help” is directed by Tate Taylor and produced by Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, with screenplay by Tate Taylor. “The Help” releases in theaters August 12, 2011.
THE HELP Mary J Blige VNR is also available at http://www.epk.tv/
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Pictures and Geffen Records announced today that multiple Grammy® Award–winning recording artist Mary J. Blige wrote and recorded an original song for the soundtrack of DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media’s THE HELP, a film based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, opening in theaters August 12, 2011. “The Help” soundtrack - music from the Motion picture, will feature the original song from Mary J. Blige “The Living Proof.” The soundtrack, from Interscope Records, will be available Tuesday, July 26 at select Starbucks locations.
The song, “The Living Proof,” was written and recorded by Blige especially for THE HELP after she saw a screening of the film, which takes place in 1960s-era Mississippi and chronicles the journey of three very different women who come together and embark on a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. “The beautiful thing about these women is that they were very smart,” says Blige. “They chose to walk in love and forgiveness.”
The film really celebrates the courage to inspire change, “To speak to so many women with this song means a lot to me,” says Blige. “I wanted to be involved with this film, because I think we need to encourage each other more, we are here to tell a story.”
Blige has received 9 Grammy® Awards and four American Music Awards as well as recorded eight multi-platinum albums. Mary J. Blige has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and her next album "My Life Too....The Journey Continues" will be released Sept 20, 2011.
ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Based on one of the most talked about books in years and a #1 New York Times best-selling phenomenon, “The Help” stars Emma Stone (“Easy A”) as Skeeter, Academy Award®–nominated Viola Davis (“Doubt”) as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny—three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed—even if it means bringing everyone in town face-to-face with the changing times. Deeply moving, filled with poignancy, humor and hope, “The Help” is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change.
From DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media, “The Help” is directed by Tate Taylor and produced by Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, with screenplay by Tate Taylor. “The Help” releases in theaters August 12, 2011.
THE HELP Mary J Blige VNR is also available at http://www.epk.tv/
So Long Matt Dillon: James Arnes 1923-2011
James Arness, best known for his role as Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running Western television series, Gunsmoke, died at the age of 88 on Friday (June 3, 2011). I did not know that the actor Peter Graves was his brother.
I remember watching Gunsmoke with my late grandmother, and I still watch reruns whenever and wherever I can find them. I'm at a loss to describe what he meant to me, so I hope you can settle for this IMDb obituary. Rest in peace, Marshal.
I remember watching Gunsmoke with my late grandmother, and I still watch reruns whenever and wherever I can find them. I'm at a loss to describe what he meant to me, so I hope you can settle for this IMDb obituary. Rest in peace, Marshal.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Review: Matthew Vaughn Makes Magic Out of "Stardust"
Stardust (2007)
Running time: 128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for fantasy violence and some risqué humor
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn
WRITERS: Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn (based upon the novel written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess)
PRODUCERS: Matthew Vaughn, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Michael Dreyer, and Neil Gaiman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Davis
EDITOR: Jon Harris
FANTASY/ADVENTURE/DRAMA/ROMANCE
Starring: Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Sienna Miller, Ricky Gervais, Jason Flemyng, Rupert Everett, Peter O’Toole, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro and Ian McKellen (voice), Kate Magowan, Melanie Hill, Mark Strong, Henry Cavill, Ben Barnes, and Dexter Fletcher
Matthew Vaughn, the acclaimed director of Layer Cake, adds one more eclectic film to his young filmography, the late Summer 2007 film, Stardust, an adaptation of the novel written by Neil Gaiman (American Gods) and illustrated by Charles Vess. Although Stardust proved to be excellent late summer, counter-programming to the normal empty big budget fare that crowds movie theatres during the warm months, it failed to catch on with American audiences. That’s sad, really.
Young Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) lives in the sleepy English village of Wall, which is named for the cobblestone wall that has for eons kept the villagers safe from the supernatural parallel universe that lies just on the other side of the wall – the fantastical realm of Stormhold. One evening, Tristan makes a promise to the prettiest girl in the village, Victoria (Sienna Miller), whose heart he hopes to win, when the two spy a star falling from the sky and landing on the other side of the wall. Tristan pledges to Victoria that he will bring back the star for her hand in marriage.
Crossing the forbidden wall, Tristan makes his way to the star’s crash site only to discover that the star is different from what he expected. It is a spirited young woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes), injured by her tumble from the heavenly firmament. However, before he can get Yvaine back to his home, Tristan must protect her from the chilling witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), who wants to murder Yvaine and use the star’s heart to achieve eternal youth and beauty. With the help of an eccentric pirate, Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), Tristan and Yvaine evade the clutches of Lamia and anyone who wants to harm her, but in his adventure through Stormhold, Tristan may finally discover the secrets of his own past.
There are no elements in Stardust that can be described as “great,” except for Michelle Pfeiffer’s truly inspired performance as Lamia, but when all the components are brought together, they make a film that is an exceptional screen fantasy. Matthew Vaughn brings together all the elements: odd components from the original story and peculiar screenplay adaptation; the eccentric performances, and the knotty, but imaginative production work of his creative crew (cinematography, production design, score, etc.), all of which create a convincing fantasy world. It’s a world that the more audiences buy into the setting; the more they are willing to vicariously experience Tristan and Yvaine’s adventure.
As for the performances, the aforementioned Ms. Pfeiffer really stands out as Lamia. Her performance is one of those charming displays of acting that critics describe as delicious, and if that’s the case, Pfeiffer prepares a feast. She’s wicked with an extra dose of wickedness, but her evil is so luminous and Pfeiffer looks so good that Lamia is like a beautiful poison thing.
The rest of the cast is good. Claire Danes and Charlie Cox don’t exactly burn up the screen as the star-crossed pair, but they work in the context of the film. It’s much the same with Robert De Niro’s performance. De Niro’s Captain Shakespeare works best when paired with Dexter Fletcher’s Skinny Pirate. It’s all a matter of the right ingredients coming together at the right time in the right place. Perhaps, that’s the best way to explain why Stardust works – it’s all about chemistry.
7 of 10
A-
Friday, October 12, 2007
-----------------------
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Reborn Anime Streaming on VIZ Anime and Hulu
Gun-Toting Infant Mafia Hitman Grooms A Shy Middle School Student To Take Over An Organized Crime Syndicate In Animated Series Based On Popular Manga Comic
VIZ Media has announced that it will begin streaming the animated comedy-action series REBORN starting today on VIZAnime.com, the company’s own premier website for free anime, as well as the streaming content provider HULU (http://www.hulu.com/).
The series (rated TV-14) will be presented uncut and subtitled and will debut with the first five episodes available immediately. Five new installments will be uploaded each week. The REBORN anime series is licensed for U.S. distribution by VIZ Media from TV Tokyo and AniTV.
REBORN’s main protagonist is Tsuna, a timid junior high student who is failure at school, sports, and his social life. But everything around Tsuna completely changes when a fedora wearing, gun-toting baby named Reborn, who claims to be an Italian hit man from Vongola family, shows up! Reborn was sent to groom Tsuna for his future life as a mafia boss of the family!
VIZ Media is the official North American publisher of the REBORN manga (graphic novel) series, written and illustrated by Akira Amano. The series (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens), which continues to be a top-seller in Japan, is published in North America by VIZ Media under the company’s Shonen Jump Advanced imprint.
Review: Matthew Vaughn, Daniel Craig Deliver in Tasty "Layer Cake"
Layer Cake (2004)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
Running time: 104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong brutal violence, sexuality, nudity, pervasive language and drug use
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn
WRITER: J.J. Connolly (based upon his novel)
PRODUCERS: Adam Bohling, David Reid, and Matthew Vaughn
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Davis (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jon Harris
2005 BAFTA Award nominee
CRIME/DRAMA/THRILLER
Starring: Daniel Craig, Colm Meaney, George Harris, Kenneth Cranham, Jamie Forman, Francis Magee, Sienna Miller, Tom Hardy, Sally Hawkins, and Michael Gambon
An unnamed British drug dealer (Daniel Craig) is looking to get out of the drug business, and he’s looking for one last big score to take him into retirement. Well dressed and polite, he is the consummate professional who has made a fortune trading in cocaine and ecstasy, while keeping his own hands clean, but the neat distance is about to come to an end.
Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham), the drug kingpin to whom he answers, has two last jobs for him – tie up the loose ends involving a stash of stolen ecstasy pills and also find the missing daughter of Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon), an old associate of Jimmy’s. However, Jimmy isn’t being entirely straight with our unnamed protagonist. The original owners of the gargantuan ecstasy cargo, ex-Serb paramilitary, are coming after Jimmy because he’s an associate of, Duke (Jamie Forman), the thief that stole the pills. Now, our suave drug dealer must rely on two associates, Morty (George Harris) and Gene (Colm Meaney), to help him out, but even they might not be able to help him when the Serbian hit man, Dragan (Dragan Micanovic), comes looking for him.
Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake is one of the more stylish British gangster films of the past decade. What sets it apart is Daniel Craig’s neat professional as drug dealer, which basically makes someone many consider a parasite, quite attractive. Vaughn (who received a 2005 BAFTA Award nomination for the "Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer") weaves a brilliant tapestry from J.J. Connolly’s screenplay, balancing intricate plotlines and a multitude of conflicting characters and motivations, at least until the end. Some viewers will need a scorecard to keep up with all the players and multiple loose ends that Vaughn ties up before delivering an ending that’s just got to go.
Other than that, Layer Cake is a brilliant crime film that blends style with gangster violence. On top of what seems like a simple story about a hood trying to exit the life of being a hood is a story about the cutthroat world of making money, where everybody is out to get his own. Those who demand the most – whether it is loyalty, respect, or money – are actually the least loyal, disdainful of others, and the greediest. It’s also nice that Vaughn smartly reminds the viewer that even the well to do can be scumbags.
8 of 10
A
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
NOTES:
2005 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer” (Matthew Vaughn-director)
Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)