Monday, May 20, 2013

MICHAEL BAY AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES ANNOUNCE THE CASTING OF CHINESE ACTRESS LI BINGBING IN THE EAGERLY AWAITED ‘TRANSFORMERS 4’

HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 20, 2013) – Michael Bay and Paramount Pictures jointly announced today that Chinese actress Li Bingbing (“RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION”) has been cast in the eagerly awaited “TRANSFORMERS 4.” The actress joins Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz and Sophia Myles in the fourth installment in the hit series of movies based on the best-selling Hasbro toyline. Paramount Pictures will release the film on June 27th, 2014.

“I am excited to have Li Bingbing join our cast and to be shooting portions of the movie in her native China. I have always aspired to work with the best actors and this cast is especially exciting now with the addition of Li,” said Michael Bay.

Li’s recent hits in China include the Tsui Hark-directed “Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame” and “1911.” She has already begun to cross over into American films, most recently co-starring in the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed “Resident Evil: Retribution,” and before that “Snow Flower And The Secret Fan” and “Forbidden Kingdom.”  She was recently named Variety's "Asian Star of the Year" which was celebrated in Los Angeles last month. 

“I am thrilled to get to work with Michael Bay. ‘Transformers’ has influenced generations in China and the movie franchise has a massive fan base. I am very happy to be able to join this international production. Thank you Paramount for the invitation! Looking forward to it!” said Li Bingbing.

Paramount, China Movie Channel and Jiaflix Enterprises announced this past April a Cooperation Agreement regarding the production of “Transformers 4” in China. Under the agreement, China Movie Channel, under the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT), will cooperate with Paramount in broad-based support of the production of the film in China.  “Transformers 4” is expected to be released in China on or about June 27, 2014. The parties also intend to cooperate in a number of other areas related to “Transformers 4,” including the selection of filming sites within China, theatrical promotion, and possible post-production activities in China as well as casting of Chinese actors and actresses in the film.

This agreement represents the first time that China Movie Channel will work with a western studio in the production of a major motion picture.

“We are delighted to see Ms. Li Bingbing being selected for a major role in ‘Transformers 4,’ a very successful global film franchise,” said Yan Xiaoming, Chairman of China Movie Channel.  “Ms. Li is an excellent and famous Chinese actress with many fans in China. She has had many successful projects with China Movie Channel and M1905.com in the past. We wish her every success in ‘Transformers 4’ and with the worldwide audience that will enjoy her great talent.”

Said Sid Ganis, Chairman of Jiaflix, “Li Bingbing is an enormously talented Chinese artist who is fast becoming a worldwide movie star and is a great addition to a stellar cast.”

Shooting this summer in multiple locations in the U.S. and China, the film is directed by Bay and re-unites the filmmaking team from the hit franchise, including producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy & Tom DeSanto and Ian Bryce; and executive producers Steven Spielberg, Bay, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian. “TRANSFORMERS 4” is written by Ehren Kruger, based on Hasbro’s Transformers™ Action Figures.

The third, and most recent installment of the franchise, “TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON,” is the fifth highest global grossing film of all time with $1.124 billion dollars of worldwide box office success.  The “TRANSFORMERS” movies are among the most popular films ever released in China, and Michael Bay is among the most popular directors with Chinese audiences. “TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON,” released theatrically in 2011, grossed $165 million in China and more than $1.1 billion worldwide.

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES



 With the 70's behind him, San Diego's top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), returns to the news desk in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues."  Also back for more are Ron’s co-anchor and wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weather man Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), man on the street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) - All of whom won’t make it easy to stay classy…while taking New York's first 24-hour news channel by storm.

Release:  December 20th, 2013
This film is not yet rated
“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” is a Paramount Pictures Release

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

IMAX® THEATRES ACROSS THE COUNTRY SELL OUT FOR “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS”

OPENING MOVES UP A DAY TO THURSDAY, MAY 16TH
HOLLYWOOD (May 7, 2013) – IMAX® theatres are reporting sell-outs of its special “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” sneak peek shows on Wednesday, May 15th, with showings in Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego and Minneapolis now at capacity.  Interest continues to be strong at other IMAX locations across the country, which are offering fans the opportunity to be the first to see the film at 8:00 p.m. that evening.  In response, Paramount Pictures has moved the film’s Friday, May 17th release up a day to May 16th.

Tickets are available on the film’s first-of-its-kind movie App, a technology that allows users to delve deeper into the Star Trek universe, and can also be accessed via IMAX.com or through Fandango.com, Movietickets.com, as well as other ticketing platforms and at theatre box offices.  While supplies last, all 8:00 p.m. IMAX fan sneak attendees will receive a limited-edition IMAX FANFIX™ “Star Trek” Gallery 1988 movie print by Mark Englert.

The IMAX release of “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” will feature approximately 30 minutes of footage filmed with the extremely high-resolution IMAX® cameras. These specific sequences, which will expand to fill more of the screen exclusively in IMAX, will deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for moviegoers.

Paramount’s “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS,” based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry, is written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof and directed by J.J. Abrams.  Abrams is producing with Bryan Burk through Bad Robot Productions, along with Lindelof, Kurtzman and Orci.  Jeffrey Chernov and Skydance Productions’ David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake are the executive producers.

“STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” opens in theaters everywhere May 16th, 2013.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

IRON MEH 3


Marvel/Disney






*** WARNING: SPOILERS! ***

I never thought I'd have to type this statement. I joked about it, but was never serious. But, here goes: I hated Iron Man 3.

Let me preface this by saying I've been a giant fan of the Marvel films to now, and am a huge comic fan. This film was Marvel's first stumble in their universe. There were only a few ways to ruin what was surprisingly one of the best comic book to movie conversions, and they made sure to check every single way off of the list. The film was bloated with one liners (one every now and again is OK, but after every line is a bit much), contained unneeded plot twists, too many villains and so much CGI that the action scenes were confusing and scattered (a la Transformers).

This film was the first under the helm of Shane Black, writer of The Last Boyscout, the Lethal Weapon Series and writer and director of the majorly overlooked Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The script came off like Lethal Weapon in mech suits. The loose cannon hero that blows up a bit too much, but gets results. His black sidekick that is a bit more rooted, more trained and acts as the voice of reason. The wife that feels that she's losing her husband to his job. The villain turned snitch used purely for comedic effect. The huge climactic shoot out in a ship yard. All of this sound familiar?

The film starts great, and in the first 30 minutes I was enjoying it. The Mandarin was a great take on a Bin Ladden style terrorist hijacking the US's airwaves and publicly executing CEOs, with the world watching in terror. Unfortunately, this entire story thread falls apart for comedic laughs, as we realize that the true villain is Guy Pearce's over the top Aldrich Killian, a scientist who was spurned by Stark in Stark's younger, cockier years. He now has Extremis, an army of mutant soldiers that can radiate volcanic heat and shoot fire. If the last part reads like X-Men rejects, then, well, you get the drift.

There's a ton of side plots that are pulled out for seemingly no reason. Tony's PTSD brought on by the climax of The Avengers (and really, the only tie to any of the other Marvel films). His teaming up with a young science minded fatherless boy which does absolutely nothing. The unneeded Mandarin joke. And the suits, dear God, the suits. There is a seemingly unlimited supply of super suits now at Stark's disposal, which can now be ran by Jarvis, Stark's sentient AI butler. The first few scenes are fun, but get to be almost a cheap plot hole filler for action sequences. That, and a way for Marvel/Disney to churn out an extra 10 to 20 action figures. Also, don't bother hanging out for the post credits scene. It establishes nothing, previews nothing, and reveals nothing. It's just a vehicle to fit a few more one liners into a film already overstuffed with them. Top all of that with highly underused and flat 3D, and well, you can see why I was irritated.

The ending makes this seem like its the end of the road for the Iron Man franchise, and one can only hope. This film takes a great comic book to film series and makes it a by the book summer blockbuster. With the film to film declining quality in the series, I shudder to think what a fourth film would be like. This is possibly the worst time to hit a misstep in the franchise, with what might be DC's strongest film about to hit theaters (the Zack Snyder/Christopher Nolan Man of Steel) . Marvel's first film in their Phase 2 line doesn't start with an explosion, but with a meh.

RATING: 4/10

by 
Drew Love  
for MOVEMENT MAGAZINE