"Rise of the Guardians" Character Poster: The Easter Bunny

Rise of the Guardians (which has had at least three name changes) is a 3D computer animated film from DreamWorks Animation and is scheduled to be released November 21, 2012.  The film is based on the book, The Guardians of Childhood by William Joyce, who is the film's co-director (and a recent Oscar winner).

Hugh Jackman is providing the voice for this character who is named E. Aster Bunnymund AKA the Easter Bunny.

Pixar's Marty Baumann is a Guest at 2012 Baltimore Comic-Con

Baltimore Comic-Con Welcomes Pixar's Marty Baumann in 2012

The Baltimore Comic-Con is proud to announce the addition of Pixar's Marty Baumann as a guest at this year's show, taking place September 8-9, 2012 at the Baltimore Convention Center in downtown Baltimore.

Marty Baumann is an artist at Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures, an illustrator, graphic artist and production designer on such films as Toy Story 3, Cars 2, Mater's Tall Tales, Planes, and many others. He also helped develop theme park installations, toy packaging, and Pixar corporate branding.

Beyond Pixar, Marty has rendered illustrations and developed characters for toy manufacturers, magazines and newspapers, illustrated children's books, created logos, info-graphics, Web sites, broadcast promotions, and presentation art for Hasbro, McDonald's, HarperCollins, Chronicle Books, National Geographic, Scholastic Books, Universal Studios, Weekly Reader, Nickelodeon, and many others.

Recent Marty has worked on projects including the Carsland pavilion at Disneyland, a redesign of the classic game Monopoly, and a redesign of the Cheetos mascot, Chester the Cheetah.

Marty has created "Robot Rodeo," a portfolio of recent work, especially for the Baltimore Comic-Con.

"Marty is such a great guest, and brings a great pedigree to the show," said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. "I'm so pleased to be able to provide access to such a talent to our guests. Marty was also a guest at the first Baltimore Comic-Con so it's great to have him back!"

Tickets
Tickets are now on sale at baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets. Please see the website for information about General Admission tickets for Saturday and Sunday, as well as Single-Day admission for both days; Stan Lee VIP Experience Tickets for Saturday only; and tickets for photo and autograph sessions with Stan Lee for Saturday only.

With Stan Lee returning as Guest of Honor this year, tickets are sure to sell fast, so please visit baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets for more information about our VIP packages and to purchase your tickets online!

In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 8-9, 2012. Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, September 8th.

Contact Information
Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:
press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution
promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications
registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations
harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com - for the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet
general@baltimorecomiccon.com - for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries


About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 13th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 8-9, 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/.

About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 7 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit http://www.harveyawards.org/.

Review: Fine Actors Kick "Coriolanus" Up a Notch

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 51 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Coriolanus (2011)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.K.
Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)
MPAA – R for some bloody violence
DIRECTOR: Ralph Fiennes
WRITER: John Logan (based on the play Coriolanus by William Shakespeare)
PRODUCERS: Ralph Fiennes, John Logan, Gabrielle Tana, Julia Taylor-Stanley, and Colin Vaines
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Barry Ackroyd
EDITOR: Nicolas Gaster
COMPOSER: Ilan Eshkeri
BAFTA nominee

DRAMA/WAR

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain, John Cani, Paul Jesson, James Nesbitt, Dragan Micanovic, and Harry Fenn

The subject of this movie review is Coriolanus, a 2011 military drama starring Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler. The film is based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Coriolanus, which was based on the story of a legendary Roman general. The film is Fiennes’ directorial debut and is the story of a banished Roman hero who joins Rome’s enemy to take his revenge on the city.

Coriolanus is set in “a place calling itself Rome” (but the movie was filmed in Serbia). General Caius Martius (Ralph Fiennes) leads the forces of Rome to victory against Volsces and the leader of its forces, Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler). Martius should be the hero of Rome, beloved by all, but the citizens of Rome are hungry. He may be a great soldier, but Martius despises the people for whom he supposedly fights. Martius is elected as a consul to the Roman Senate, but his inflexible self-belief and extreme views present an opportunity for his enemies. Before long, Martius finds that some of his friends have turned to enemies, but some of his enemies may become his friends.

Throughout my schooling, teachers told me that Shakespeare’s work was timeless, and Coriolanus certainly has contemporary parallels. Caius Martius’ story is a familiar one. He is the proud warrior who saves the state, but who is despised by the citizenry and politicians. The politicians wish to exploit him and have little or no use for him otherwise. Those politicians also loath that he fought when they did not – either because they could not or chose not to.

As a director, Fiennes makes smart choices, including having the accomplished John Logan as his screenwriter. He also surrounds himself with a strong supporting cast; Brian Cox as Menenius and Venessa Redgrave as Volumnia (Martius’ mother) are just plain great. Fiennes’ inexperience as a director, however, shows in some scenes, especially those that make up the first hour of the film. This first half of Coriolanus drifts and the use of Shakespeare’s dialogue seems out of place in the film’s modern Eastern European setting.

The second half of the film is strong and passionate, and that’s where Fiennes’ talents show. He knows great performances and first-rate acting, and he gets that from his cast. Fiennes lets Gerard Butler do what he does best – smolder. Coriolanus is not the best film adaptation of Shakespeare, but the good acting and the subject matter make it one worth watching in these times.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2012 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer” (Ralph Fiennes-director)

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

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"Tiger & Bunny" English Voice Cast at Anime Expo 2012

VIZ MEDIA WELCOMES TIGER & BUNNY JAPANESE PRODUCER AND ENGLISH VOICE CAST FOR ANIME EXPO 2012

Producer Masayuki Ozaki and Top English Voice Actors Including Yuri Lowenthal, Patrick Seitz and Others Join

VIZ Media for Panel Discussion on the Hit Anime Action Series

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, marks its highly anticipated return to Anime Expo® 2012 with the announcement that it will welcome special show personal appearances by the Japanese Producer along with several top American voice actors from the hit anime action series, TIGER & BUNNY.

Anime Expo is the nation’s largest anime convention and will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA from June 29th to July 2nd. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 1401. Information on Anime Expo is available at: http://www.anime-expo.org/.

VIZ Media will welcome TIGER & BUNNY Producer Masayuki Ozaki as its exclusive guest for a very special panel discussion to be held on Saturday, June 30th, 12PM to 1:30PM in Room LP1. Masayuki Ozaki began his anime career in 2004 at Sunrise, Inc., where he was a planning manager for Mobile Suit Z Gundam. He went on to play an important role in producing anime features including Dinosaur King, INUYASHA: THE FINAL ACT (distributed by VIZ Media), and Gintama: The Movie. In addition to producing anime, Mr. Ozaki produces a variety of live music events, musicals and other areas of show business.

VIZ Media will augment the TIGER & BUNNY fun at the Saturday panel discussion by also welcoming the talented voice actors that brought the characters to life for North American fans. VIZ Media plans to release the TIGER & BUNNY series on Blu-ray and DVD in 2013. Anime Expo attendees won’t want to miss the opportunity to meet and question the English cast members in attendance, including:

•Laura Bailey (Dragon Kid)
•John Eric Bentley (Fire Emblem)
•Yuri Lowenthal (Barnaby Brooks Jr. / Bunny)
•Tara Platt (Agnes)
•Patrick Seitz (Sky High)
•Travis Willingham (Rock Bison)

Also on Saturday, catch Mr. Ozaki and the TIGER & BUNNY voice actors at the South Hall Autograph Area at 3:30pm, where fans will have the opportunity to meet everyone at an in-booth signing session.

TIGER & BUNNY (rated TV-14) is set in Stern Bild, a metropolitan city where superheroes called NEXT help to maintain peace. Sporting sponsor logos on their suits, these heroes work to solve cases and save people’s lives in order to earn Hero Points, while also helping to improve the public image of their corporate sponsors. Their activities are documented and broadcast by the popular show “HERO TV,” in which each superhero strives to become the “King of Heroes” of the year.

One such hero is Wild Tiger (real name Kotetsu T. Kaburagi), a veteran superhero who relies on his years of experience and instincts to fight crime. Though obligated to work for his boss’s best interest, Kotetsu follows his own code of honor and is even willing to cause destruction to public property for the sake of protecting the lives of his fellow citizens. Over time, he has grudgingly earned the nickname “Crusher for Justice.” Now, Kotetsu suddenly finds himself forced to team up with rookie hero Barnaby Brooks Jr.

For more information on TIGER & BUNNY and other animated titles from VIZ Media please visit http://www.vizanime.com/.

The Artist Fafi Creates Limited Edition "Katy Perry: Part of Me" Poster

Katy Perry and the artist known as "Fafi" have teamed up to produce the poster you see above this text for her new documentary and concert movie Katy Perry: Part of Me.  Apparently, fans who sign up for early screenings of the movie will receive this limited edition poster when they attend. The movie will reportedly screen in 100 locations around the United States and Canada before its full release date, July 5, 2012.

For more information, visit www.katyperrypartofme.com/Sneak.  On his website, Perez Hilton posted that by putting the hash tag, #KP3D Movie Sneak, in your tweets, you will get an alert about signing up for screenings of the Katy Perry movie.

New Images from "Katy Perry: Part of Me" - Katy Eats!

Katy Perry does a pizza chow down.

Katy Perry live and in candy-coated living color.

http://www.katyperrypartofme.com/sneak

"Cloud Atlas" Set for October 2012 with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry

Warner Bros. Pictures Sets October 26, 2012 for Domestic Release of “Cloud Atlas”

Studio Also Acquires Distribution Rights for Major International Markets

Oscar® Winners Tom Hanks and Halle Berry Lead an International All-Star Cast

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures has officially slated the epic “Cloud Atlas,” from acclaimed filmmakers Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski, for domestic release on October 26, 2012. In addition, the Studio has acquired rights for the film in the major markets of the UK, France, Spain, Australia, and Japan, with plans to release it in those territories in early 2013. The joint announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Fellman stated, “Audiences who have seen an early screening of ‘Cloud Atlas’ have been elated by its powerful and inspiring story, as well as its breathtaking visuals. An October release in North America is the perfect window to showcase this epic film.”

Kwan Vandenberg said, “We are proud to be distributing this remarkable motion picture in a number of key markets. We look forward to working with these visionary filmmakers and the other international distribution partners to bring ‘Cloud Atlas’ to moviegoers around the world.”

Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks (“Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump”) and Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”) lead a stellar international cast that includes Oscar® winner Jim Broadbent (“Iris”), Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Zhou Xun and Keith David, with Oscar® winner Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) and Hugh Grant. Each member of the ensemble appears in multiple roles as the stories move through time.

“Cloud Atlas” explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

The film is written for the screen and directed by Lana Wachowski & Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski. The Wachowskis previously teamed as writers/directors of the groundbreaking “Matrix” trilogy, which earned more than $1.6 billion, combined, at the worldwide box office. Tom Tykwer won an Independent Spirit Award and earned a BAFTA Award nomination as the director/writer of “Run Lola Run,” and more recently directed the award-winning thriller “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.”

Based on the celebrated best-selling novel by David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas” is produced by two-time Oscar® nominee Grant Hill (“The Thin Red Line,” “The Tree of Life”), three-time BAFTA Award nominee Stefan Arndt (“The White Ribbon,” “Goodbye Lenin!,” “Run Lola Run”), Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski. Philip Lee, Uwe Schott and Wilson Qiu serve as executive producers, with Peter Lam, Tony Teo and Alexander van Duelmen co-producing, and Gigi Oeri as associate producer.

“Cloud Atlas” will be released in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland by X-Filme-Verleih; in China by Dreams of the Dragon Pictures; in Hong Kong by Media Asia Group; in Singapore and Malaysia by Ascension Pictures; in Korea by Bloomage Company; in Taiwan by Long Shong Group; in Russia and Eastern Europe by A Company; and in other territories through Focus Features International.

cloudatlasmovie.com