Monday, June 27, 2011

TRANSFORMERS


DARK OF THE MOON
Paramount Pictures


I have to say, I really expected the third installment of this toy-to-comic-film franchise to be the worst yet, but damned if it isn't the better of both its predecessors. Dark of the Moon launches by weaving a conspiracy theorists wet dream connecting the moon landing to the disaster at Chernobyl and mankind's secret history with these robots in disguise. With the main characters fully vetted in the first two films there were thankfully less annoying, campy, pointless, human involved moments that cluttered those up, to make way for two and half hours packed full of of robot smashing awesomeness. There are still of course the obligatory funny moments with Sam's (Shia LaBeouf) mom and dad, his rocky relation ship with yet another supermodel girlfriend (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) and playing the hero/victim of the world-won't-listen-but-I'm-always-right plot set up. There were delightful performances by John Malkovich and Frances McDormand (Fargo/Burn After Reading), an awkward and overly acted cameo by Ken Jeong (The Hangover/Role Models), and a voice characterization by Leonard Nimoy that sounds exactly like an angry Leonard Nimoy (note the reference with the Star Trek clip, it'll be funny afterward). But what really makes this an entertaining film for a huge geek like myself is director Michael Bay finally unleashing a lot more explosions and building shredding mechanistic mayhem that we've all be waiting for since the first one. Scene after scene is filled with slow-motion metal crunching robot face-smashing. The Decepticons are more razor edged and blood thirsty and unlike in the earlier films, this time we see plenty of human casualties, and by casualties I mean people being blasted to bits with bones and ash left behind in unexpected detail. Even the kill-them-all battle cry by the normally zen like Optimus Prime was an eyebrow raiser. And Shockwave ... oh Shockwave and his shredding mechanical DUNE-like worm. Just wonderful. Worth it in the theater and in 3-D to boot! It was so good I was yelling out the window all the way home at semi-trucks and sports cars that they weren't fooling anyone.

- Max/MOVEMENTsouth

MODEST MOUSE’S ISAAC BROCK COMPOSING QUEENS OF COUNTRY SCORE


Lizzy Caplan as Jolene Gillis on the set of Queens of Country

LOS ANGELES, June 27 – Isaac Brock, Modest Mouse front man and songwriter, will compose the score for the upcoming feature film Queens of Country.

Ryan Page and Christopher Pomerenke, the writing and directing team behind the film, are best known for their music documentaries including Blood Into Wine, The Heart Is A Drum Machine and Moog. The pair have placed an equal amount of importance on the scores to their films with both The Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd (The Heart Is A Drum Machine) and Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer (Blood Into Wine) having contributed to their films.

Queens of Country stars Lizzy Caplan (Party Down, Mean Girls) and Ron Livingston (Band of Brothers, Office Space) with supporting actors Joe Lo Truglio (Superbad, Pineapple Express) and Maynard James Keenan (Tool, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle). The film centers on Caplan’s character Jolene and a lost iPod, which the obsessed country music fan is convinced belongs to her soul mate. Jolene quickly finds herself in a hilarious adventure of mistaken identities, line dancing competitions, time machines and doppelgangers.

Post-production recently wrapped on the film with an eye towards a 2012 release for both the film and score.

www.twinklecashcompany.com

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

SUPER 8


Not much about SUPER 8 will surprise movie going audiences this Friday. A Spielbergian mix of Goonies meets E.T. with an unimaginative J.J. Abrams touch that likens the film to more of a CLOVERFIELD prequel than a work all its own. The best parts of the this messy cliché are the brilliant troupe of kid actors who haphazardly become a part of something much larger than themselves. Their Stand-By-Me-ish friendship, strained by tragedy and phenomena beyond their comprehension, doesn't waiver focus from their personal adolescent hardships and ill fated feelings which threaten to tear their small world apart. Meanwhile, their actual world is being torn apart by a menacing presence embattled by a pursuing army sent to deal with it.

It's Spielberg enough to enjoy in the theatre, but J.J. Abrams enough to wait for video, or maybe a limited edition release on SUPER 8 film.

2 1/2 of 5

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN-PART 1

Friday, June 3, 2011

“TITANIC” TO BE RE-RELEASED IN 3D

PARAMOUNT PICTURES, TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX AND LIGHTSTORM ENTERTAINMENT TO SET SAIL AGAIN WITH JAMES CAMERON’S OSCARÒ-WINNING “TITANIC” WITH A WORLDWIDE 3D RE-RELEASE ON APRIL 6, 2012

Movie’s Re-Release to Coincide With the Centennial of the Ship’s Sailing


HOLLYWOOD, CA - Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment jointly announced today that James Cameron’s “TITANIC” will be re-released worldwide on April 6, 2012.

The release, which marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail (April 10th), will present the film in 3D for the first time ever.

Written, directed and produced by Cameron, “TITANIC” is the second highest grossing movie of all time. It is one of only three films to have received a record 11 Academy AwardsÒ including Best Picture and Best Director; and launched the careers of stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Called “A spectacular demonstration of what modern technology can contribute to dramatic storytelling” by Variety upon its release in 1997, the long in the works 3D conversion is being overseen by Cameron and his Lightstorm producing partner Jon Landau who produced the hit movie.

Said Cameron, "There's a whole generation that's never seen ‘TITANIC’ as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen. And this will be ‘TITANIC’ as you've never seen it before, digitally re-mastered at 4K and painstakingly converted to 3D. With the emotional power intact and the images more powerful than ever, this will be an epic experience for fans and newcomers alike."

“This new presentation of Paramount’s top-grossing film is particularly special because 2012 is the 100th anniversary of our studio. Paramount has had the pleasure of introducing audiences to some of the all-time classics of cinema during that century of moviemaking and we cannot think of a better way to mark the occasion than with this re-release of ‘Titanic’,” said Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures.

Commented Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairmen and CEOs, Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman: “Our 30-plus year relationship with Jim Cameron and Lightstorm has been enormously rewarding, from ‘Aliens’ to ‘Avatar’, and the global phenomenon of ‘Titanic’ remains one of the greatest sources of pride in our history. We are pleased to allow a new generation of audiences to experience the film in its brilliant digital restoration in 3D.”

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 1

The tease piece for MTV Movie Awards:

SUPER 8 - NEW CLIP & STILL



TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON NEW FEATURETTE!