Sunday, May 31, 2009

Overture Gets Clooney’s ‘Goat’

Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges also star in
Grant Heslov-directed satire


(Beverly Hills, CA) May 18, 2009– Overture Films announced today its acquisition of The Men Who Stare at Goats. The Smokehouse production stars Oscar®-winner George Clooney (Syriana) and is directed by Oscar®-nominee Grant Heslov (producer and co-writer of Good Night,and Good Luck.). The comedy ensemble is rounded out by Golden Globe®-nominee Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge!), Oscar®-winner Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, The Usual Suspects) and Oscar®-nominee Jeff Bridges (The Contender). ‘Goats’ is produced by Clooney, Heslov and Paul Lister. Barbara A. Hall serves as executive producer.

Based on true events described in Jon Ronson’s 2004 book of the same title, ‘Goats’ involves a down-on-his-luck reporter (McGregor) who gets more than he bargains for when he meets a special forces agent (Clooney) who reveals the existence of a secret, psychic military unit whose goal is to use paranormal powers to end war as we know it.

“George chooses the most unique and thought-provoking projects of any leading actor today and ‘Goats’ is no exception,” said Overture CEO Chris McGurk and COO Danny Rosett. “It is no surprise that the tremendous ensemble Grant assembled for this picture has resulted in a hilarious and intelligent film that we think will captivate audiences.”

Clooney and Heslov’s Smokehouse began principal photography on the project in October 2008 and wrapped in January 2009. Winchester Capital co-financed the film with BBC Films contributing to the financing of development. Creative Artists Agency packaged the film and brokered the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.

Screenwriter Peter Straughan (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People) adapted the story from Ronson’s novel.

Overture Films currently has the Big Beach Films specialty hit Sunshine Cleaning in theaters, starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin. It will next release Sundance award-winner Paper Heart, starring Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera, on August 7.

CORALINE on DVD/Blu-ray

From the Director of The Nightmare Before Christmas Comes an Astonishing, Fun and Suspenseful Adventure in Eye-Popping 3-D Unlike Anything You’ve Seen Before! CORALINE Available for a Limited Time Only on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD featuring 2-D and 3-D Versions of the Movie, Four pairs of 3-D glasses, plus a Digital Copy of the Film coming July 21st, 2009 From Universal Studios Home Entertainment

“A Magical Tale. A Remarkable Feat of Imagination!”
– Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times




Universal City, California, May 26, 2009 – From the visionary imagination of filmmaker Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and based on the award-winning novel by Newbery Medal winner Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book, Sandman) comes the remarkable handmade, stop-motion animated feature film Coraline, available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def combo pack, 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD and single disc DVD July 21st, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. While all editions feature both the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and four pairs of 3-D glasses, the Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD also include a digital copy of the movie, as well as an astounding array of bonus features that take you inside the intricate hand-crafted world of this incredibly unique film. The Blu-ray™ Hi-Def combo pack also includes a standard definition DVD of the film, as well as even more bonus features, including additional filmmaker interviews and behind-the-scenes exclusives within Universal’s U-Control and BD-LiveTM features.

An instant classic that will captivate audiences, Coraline, the first feature film from Portland Oregon-based animation studio LAIKA, is the first stop-motion animated feature originally produced in stereoscopic 3-D. A startlingly original tale, Coraline’s vibrant flights of fantasy will keep kids and adults enthralled as it underlines one of life’s most essential truths: be careful what you wish for.

Coraline’s stellar voice cast includes Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds), Teri Hatcher (“Desperate Housewives”), John Hodgman (“The Daily Show”), Ian McShane (“Deadwood”) and Keith David (Crash), with an enchanting musical score by Bruno Coulais (Winged Migration, The Chorus). Henry Selick is one of the leading directors working in animation today. He directed the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas, which has achieved classic status and the remastered 3-D version is bringing Selick a whole new generation of fans. Selick is also the director of James and the Giant Peach, which won the top prize for animated feature at the Annecy Film Festival, and Monkeybone. He also created the celebrated animation sequences for Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Coraline is based on Neil Gaiman’s book, a New York Times and international bestseller and enormous critical success. Among its many honors are: the British Science Fiction Award, the Hugo, the Nebula, the Bram Stoker and the Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla awards. Preorder close is June 2, 2009. Coraline on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def is priced at $39.98 SRP. The 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD is priced at $34.98 SRP and the single disc DVD is priced at $29.98 SRP.

CRITICS ADORE CORALINE
Coraline mesmerized and delighted critics across America with its wondrous and thrilling story and visually stunning stop-motion animation. Leonard Maltin of Entertainment Tonight proclaims Coraline is “the best 3-D movie I’ve ever seen!” It is “a magical tale…a remarkable feat of imagination,” according to Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times. Claudia Puig of USA Today calls it “a visual marvel,” while Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly calls the film “a thrilling stop-motion adventure!” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says the film is simply “dazzling!” Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle awards it “5 stars! Beautiful!” “Frame by frame, Coraline is a treat,” adds David Edelstein of New York Magazine.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF:

· U-CONTROL ON 2-D FEATURE – Universal’s exclusive signature feature allows viewers to delve into the making of the film with the click of the remote without ever leaving the movie. Through picture-in-picture, fans can enhance their understanding of how the movie was made by viewing tours of the sets, animatics and behind-the-scenes moments, including voiceover sessions.
· CREEPY CORALINE – Director and screenwriter Henry Selick and Coraline author Neil Gaiman take fans deeper into the darker intricacies of Coraline’s alternative worlds.
· BD-LIVETM – Fans can access exclusive online and interactive features through their Internet connected Blu-rayTM player, including:
· MY SCENES SHARING – Show your BD-LiveTM friends your favorite scenes from the film.
· THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HENRY – In this feature, director Henry Selick discusses his approach to the film adaptation of the award-winning book and what he loves about Coraline.

BONUS FEATURES AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF
& THE 2-DISC COLLECTOR’S EDITION DVD:

· DELETED SCENES
· THE MAKING OF CORALINE – Director and screenwriter Henry Selick hosts this behind the scenes feature about how this hand-crafted, stop-motion animated film was made.
· VOICING THE CHARACTERS – Coraline’s acclaimed cast and filmmaker Henry Selick talk about their experiences working on the film, including defining the perfect voice for their characters.
· DIGITAL COPY OF CORALINE – Transfer the included digital copy to your iPod, Mac or PC and experience Coraline anywhere, anytime!

BONUS FEATURES AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF,
2-DISC COLLECTOR’S EDITION DVD & SINGLE DISC DVD:

· FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR HENRY SELICK & COMPOSER BRUNO COULAIS

SYNOPSIS
11-year-old Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) has just moved with her parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) to a new home in Oregon. With no friends and her parents distracted by work, the feisty and adventurous Coraline sets out to find some excitement in her isolated new environment. She is befriended—or, as she sees it, pestered—by a local boy close to her age, Wybie Lovat (Robert Bailey Jr.) and visits her older neighbors, eccentric British actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible (Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French) as well as the arguably even more eccentric Russian, Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane). Just as she’s beginning to think her new home is utterly uninteresting, she uncovers a secret door which leads to a parallel existence much like her own life—but much better. The adults, including the solicitous Other Mother (also voiced by Teri Hatcher) welcome her warmly. And Coraline gets far more attention there—even from the mysterious Cat (Keith David). She begins to think that this Other World might be where she truly belongs. But when her wondrously off-kilter, fantastical visit turns dangerous, Coraline must summon all her resourcefulness, determination and courage to get back home—and save her real family.

H2 First Look Poster

PIRANHA 3D

Dimension Films is pleased to confirm that Jessica Szohr – best know for her role on “Gossip Girl” – has joined (previously announced) cast members Elisabeth Shue, Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames, Adam Scott and Dina Meyer in the upcoming film PIRANHA 3D and
EW.com breaks the news that Jerry O’Connell has joined the cast.

NEW MOON teaser poster

Thursday, May 7, 2009

STAR TREK STAFF REVIEW

WARNING: THIS REVIEW IS FULL OF SPOILERS!

Do you ever wonder what the MOVEMENT crew does in our offices all day? We e-mail each other our scathing or rapturous opinions and debate about the latest and greatest dorkiest things. So to solidify our righteous place in the hall of greekdom I decided to publish, with his permission, the e-mail back and forth between MOVEMENT senior staff writer Craig Harvey and my self, publisher Max Michaels about the new STAR TREK film.

CRAIG: "The really sad thing was I wanted soooo much to like this film. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The script was WEAK. I am really tired of time travel in movies. It messes up the continuity with stuff like this. The villain was LAME. Ok, here I am some guy named Nero with tribal tattoo's and an eerie starship that looks like something out of Babylon 5 (the Shadows) and when he came through the BH and did battle with the Kelvin, apparently had to wait 20 years for Spock to come through due to some strange relativistic time effect. So what did they do for 20 years ?!? Play chess and get to know each other better? You can't tell me that no one else tried looking for this immense giant ship lurking around the galaxy, unless they went into hibernation or some crap. I mean the Kelvin reported it and nobody came and looked for it? There was also some really dumb science fiction like Spock creates a black hole that pulls Nero's ship and his through into the past... Hello! Black holes destroy things. (See what it did to Vulcan) How would they survive it? Because at the end of the film, Nero's ship gets destroyed being pulled in. WTF? Dumb. If it had been a wormhole that would have been more logical. Also, if the Enterprise couldn't escape the black hole's gravity at the end, then exploding the warp core would have done nothing either, the energy released would have been sucked into the black hole with the Enterprise in tow. Oh, and transporting someone across light-years of space into a Star Ship at warp speed?? Come on. That pushes even my sense of disbelief. However, I did like Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Those characters were really dead on. The effects were great. Some of the back story was very cool."

MAX: "The plot def leaves a lot to be desired. A LOT ... ok .... it leaves everything to be desired ... like a another plot all together. Its really nothing new for STAR TREK. It reminded me of NEMESIS and FIRST CONTACT combined. Really predictable and typical for the franchise. But the characters were SO well done. Simon Pegg stole the show as Scotty. And Bones was the best! Spocks back history ... that was the real point of the movie and I think JJ did a great job where it most need to be done. And compared side by side to every Star Trek before, its the best of the bunch behind WRATH."

CRAIG: "Yes, Bones was definitely great. However, stuff like dropping Kirk off on an ice planet, where Spock just happens to be marooned and Scotty just happens to be there on a starbase. Give me a break! Yes, I know they needed Kirk running from the giant CGI monsters and be saved by future Spock, which is really dumb as the likelihood of him being there was a gazillion to one, but young Spock would have confined Kirk to the brig, not dropped out of warp and eject him off the ship in an escape pod. I did like the first half of the film, but the second really was disappointing. I wish they had tried to re-create the old look of the Enterprise (the bridge looked like the inside of an Apple store, all white, bright and shiny. Ugh!) and just done a classic film with the new actors and a better story."

MAX: "OK, more likely Scotty would have been on that planet then Spock, but since there is time travel involved, perhaps future Spock knew the planet that Kirk would have fallen on because his past self had already done it ... and .... yeah ... um ... of course its totally preposterous! Everything about STAR TREK is impossible or improbable, but its still damn cool. Ever since Flash Gordon rocketed through space, propelled by what appears to be a 4th of July Sparkler, space adventures have depended on us to suspend our cynicism and get lost in the enjoyment of a band of dashing heroes, cool space battles, and sexy aliens. I need to go to the movies sometimes just for the mindless escape and with this film I think we can agree it delivers just that."

And Craig gets the last word...

CRAIG: "True, the Scotty thing is very logical. But, Spock couldn't have known, because it never really happened in the original timeline. By going back, things changed. I hate time travel crap. Just give me a good hard sci-fi film, with ships, battles,  a good plot and cool characters then it would have been great. Time travel screws everything up. Star Trek originally came up with plausible and theoretical science ideas that have inspired real scientists to work on the idea of future possibilities. Ie: Warp Drive, etc.... But now some idiot throws out stupid ideas cause they sound neat. They even had Nasa advisors on planetary science and imagery, but they missed all this other stuff??? Oh, and that ship Spock came in sounded and looked like something out of the latest Star Wars trilogy. Like some sort of flying bug. WTF? So yes, I know this is science fiction (but it's not Star Wars where anything goes) and most people will overlook these issues for a fun, escapist ride but I expected more from JJ Abrams."

STAR TREK in Theaters May 8th 2009