Action-Packed Animated Series Max Steel™ Premieres Monday, March 25, at 4PM (ET/PT)
TV’s Newest Turbo-Charged Superhero Debuts With 26-Episode Series on Disney XD
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) brings its latest action hero property to boys across the country with Max Steel™, a new CGI animated TV series premiering on Monday, March 25 at 4 p.m. (ET/PT) on Disney XD. The Max Steel animated series follows the life and times of a teenage boy named Maxwell McGrath™ and his out-of-this-world alien companion, Steel, as they overcome trials and tribulations, demonstrating teamwork and perseverance along the way.
“It’s the perfect time to introduce kids to a modern day tech superhero they can relate to,” said Matt Petersen, vice president of North America boys marketing, Mattel. "Max Steel is an exciting CGI-animated series that focuses on humor, friendship and teamwork with a positive message that empowers kids to unlock their greatest potential.”
Get to Know Max Steel:
The Max Steel CGI animated TV series revolves around the story of 16 year-old student Maxwell McGrath, and his alien friend Steel. Both are faced with the challenge of conquering their super strengths and powers — Max learning to manage his Turbo energy and Steel possessing alien intellect. When they ultralink together, Steel helps Max unlock a power so great they can take on the universe. As Max balances his double life of normal teenager by day, and world-saver by night, he learns the value of trust, and right versus wrong — enlisting the help of close friends along the way. Viewers of the animated TV series will witness laughter and friendship as Max and Steel discover the importance of their collaboration in their action-packed adventures.
The TV series is the cornerstone of an entire multi-platform action-adventure entertainment franchise from Mattel and is co-produced by FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment — a worldwide leader in the family entertainment business. Max Steel also has a dynamic web destination, featuring interactive gameplay, videos and character engagement.
Max Steel fans are being introduced to the series through a cinematic trailer in a breakthrough mix of live action and animation directed by acclaimed director, Stephen Sommers (The Mummy). The groundbreaking trailer has already begun airing on Disney Channel and Disney XD.
Following its Latin America, Canada and now U.S. TV debut, the Max Steel animated TV series will roll out in more than 100 territories globally in major markets including, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Hong Kong, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Turkey.
About Max Steel
Developed by Mattel, Inc., Max Steel is an immersive franchise that brings a positive and relatable superhero to kids, supported by a captivating storyline and compelling multi-platform content for today’s tech-forward kid. Featuring an animated superhero series, Max Steel draws upon turbo-charged teamwork, laughter and friendship to help kids overcome life’s obstacles — from the everyday, to the out-of-this-world. With worldwide distribution partners, the franchise launches include content and a robust portfolio spanning toys, digital platforms and consumer products. For more information, visit www.maxsteel.com.
About FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia is one of the leading creators, producers and distributors of television entertainment brands in the world. FremantleMedia is part of RTL Group, the leading European entertainment network, which is in turn 92 percent owned by the international media company Bertelsmann. FremantleMedia is responsible for many of the world’s highest rated prime time entertainment, drama, serial drama, factual entertainment and kids & family programming, with market leading capabilities that extend from content creation to licensing, digital and branded entertainment, gaming and home entertainment. The FremantleMedia Group (which includes FremantleMedia North America, UFA, FremantleMedia UK, FremantleMedia Australia, Ludia, @radical.media and Original Productions, among others) has one of the most comprehensive global networks with operations in 22 countries, creating over 9,200 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 300 individual titles. The company also distributes more than 20,000 hours of content in over 150 countries. FremantleMedia has some of the world’s most sought after and long running formats in its catalogue, and globally produces such programmes as: Idols (co-produced with 19 Productions in the US), Hole In The Wall, Got Talent (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), The X Factor (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), Take Me Out, Family Feud, The Price is Right, Farmer Wants A Wife, Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten, and Neighbours. www.fremantlemedia.com
About FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment
FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment was founded in 2009 and has quickly become a worldwide leader in the family entertainment business. With 15 titles in production in collaboration with top producers on four continents, FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment is already one of the most prolific independent producers and distributors of content in the sector today. Its growing portfolio of content spans across four key genres: preschool, kids comedy, action/adventure and tween/teen fare. FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment is bringing to networks around the world innovative and exciting shows for television and new media platforms that feature live-action, 2D animation, CGI, stop-motion, puppetry and real-time animation with programming targeting demographics ranging in scope from preschool through high school.
*Max Steel emerging as No. 1 Boys Brand in Latin America (Nielsen 2011)
Showing posts with label Stephen Sommers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephen Sommers. Show all posts
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Saturday, October 27, 2012
"The Mummy" Always Worth Unwrapping
The Mummy (1999)
Running time: 125 minutes (2 hours, 5 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for pervasive adventure violence and some partial nudity
DIRECTOR: Stephen Sommers
WRITERS: Stephen Sommers, from a screenstory by Lloyd Fonvielle, Kevin Jarre, and Stephen Somers
PRODUCERS: Sean Daniel and James Jacks
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adrian Biddle (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Bob Ducsay
COMPOSER: Jerry Goldsmith
Academy Award nominee
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY/HORROR
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J O’Connor, Oded Fehr, Jonathan Hyde, Erick Avari, Bernard Fox, Stephen Dunham, Corey Johnson, Tuc Watkins, Aharon Ipalé, and Patricia Velasquez
The subject of this movie review is The Mummy, a 1999 fantasy/adventure film from director Stephen Sommers. The film is a loose remake of the 1932 film, The Mummy, starring the great Boris Karloff, and is also the first of a three-film set.
In 1923, Richard “Rick” O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) a French Foreign Legion soldier, leads a librarian, Evelyn “Evie” Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), and her wayward brother, Jonathan (John Hannah,) to the legendary ancient Egyptian City of the Dead, Hamunaptra, on a treasure hunt/archeological dig. Pursued by a group of American adventurers and assorted ruffians, our heroes become part of bungling gang that resurrects Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), a cursed Egyptian priest out to wreak havoc on the world. When Imhotep sees Evie for the first time, he decides to use her as the human sacrifice to free his love mummified lover, Anck–Su–Namum (Patricia Velazquez), from the Underworld.
Part of Universal Pictures plan to remake its classic “Universal Monster” movies as high tech updates, The Mummy, the new version of the 1932 classic, shocked Universal with its 40 million dollar opening weekend (tests and previews screenings had suggest about 25 million). With its combinations of eye-popping effects, occasional chills, and good action sequences, The Mummy (which received an Oscar nomination for “Best Sound”) is an excellent example of a movie as great entertainment – cinematic fast food that delivers on audience expectations.
Director Stephen Sommers had directed two Disney films, Tom and Huck and the live action version of The Jungle Book and the funky 1998 sci-fi/horror B-movie, Deep Rising. They may have been indications of his skill to weave effective entertainment, but the Mummy is the big payoff.
The hyped up action scenes deliver every time; not one of them is awkward or off of pace. From the opening battle scene at the ruins of Hamunaptra to the fight aboard the boat, from the giant wall of sand with the imprint of Imhotep’s face to the final fight scene, it’s the perfect movie with which to sit back and enjoy.
There is a fine cast of supporting characters. Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay, leader of the Medjai, a group that watches over Imhotep’s tomb, is handsome, dashing, and mysterious. Kevin J O’Connor’s Beni Gabor is the perfect comic relief (a nice bookend to John Hannah’s Jonathan), but he also makes a nasty villain. It’s quite entertaining to watch the three Americans: Mr. Henderson (Stephen Dunham), Mr. Daniels (Corey Johnson), and Mr. Burns (Tuc Watkins) in their cat and mouse game with Imhotep as the Mummy absorbs their “organs and fluids” to regenerate his own body.
The Mummy is also a fun and spooky horror show with enough scary scenes to match the action. What reminds of Raiders of the Lost Ark is the quite moments of character and intimacy between Rick and Evie. Sommers can’t make Fraser and Ms. Weisz as convincing as Steven Spielberg made Harrison Ford and Karen Allen, but it’s good enough. No one here seems to pretend to greatness, but they seemed determined to please the studio and their potential audience with a hit film and they did.
Here, the issues are commerce and craft rather than art, and the craftsmanship is so good that we may very well return to this gem time and again. As goofy and throw away as it might all seem to be, The Mummy is fun stuff, pure cinematic magic.
7 of 10
B+
NOTES:
2000 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Sound” (Leslie Shatz, Chris Carpenter, Rick Kline, and Chris Munro)
2000 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (John Andrew Berton Jr., Daniel Jeannette, Ben Snow, and Chris Corbould)
-------------------------
Friday, October 26, 2012
"The Mummy Returns" with the Same Old Fun
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for adventure action and violence
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Stephen Sommers
PRODUCERS: Sean Daniel and James Jacks
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adrian Biddle
EDITOR: Ray Bushey III, Bob Ducsay, and Kelly Matsumoto
COMPOSER: Alan Silvestri
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY/HORROR
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, The Rock, Freddie Boath, Patricia Velasquez, and Shaun Parkes
The subject of this movie reviews is The Mummy Returns, a 2001 adventure and fantasy film from director Stephen Sommers. It is a direct sequel to the 1999 film, The Mummy.
It is 1933, ten years after the events of the 1999 film, The Mummy. The British Museum Curator (Alun Armstrong) has shipped the mummified body of the first film’s villain, Lord Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), to England. He and his partner, Meela Nais, a girl who is the reincarnated body of Imhotep’s ancient love, Anck-su-namun (Patricia Velazquez) have plans to resurrect the Mummy to conquer the world. They’ve set their sights on the army of Anubis; combined with Imhotep’s power and Anubis’s forces, they can rule the world. However, the army belongs to the Scorpion King (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), who Imhotep must defeat to control Anubis monstrous legions.
Standing in the way of the Mummy, his conspirators, and the Scorpion King, is the gang from the first movie. American adventurer Richard “Rick” O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) is married to Evelyn “Evie” Carnahan-O’Connell (Rachel Weisz). The have a 9 year old son Alexander “Alex” O’Connell (Freddie Boath), and Evie’s brother John Carnahan (John Hannah) is still around and up to no good. When the villains attack the O’Connell’s palatial London estate and Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr) arrives in time for the home invasion, the gang is all set to return to the sands of Egypt to save the world from the forces of darkness. And there is some weird reincarnation and avatar plot elements to boot added to the mixture.
Directed by Stephen Sommers, the director and co-writer of the first film, The Mummy Returns is more of a fantasy/adventure with elements of horror than its predecessor, which was equal parts horror, fantasy, and adventure. The first winked and nodded at Raiders of the Lost Ark, but Returns is Raiders-lite, much more sugar coated than Raiders or The Mummy.
The effects are not so much dazzling as they are neat. In the first film, Imhotep raised a gigantic wall of sand with his visage on the face of the sand wall; in this film, he does the same trick with a wall of water. Both are impressive, but the second one seems more paint by number, simply because it’s done to repeat the sand trick of the first film. It’s one of many SFX shots meant to up the ante of the first movie. In the jaded world of popcorn cinema, the audience has seen so much that the makers of bam-socko movies have to always top what’s come before.
The acting is over the top, but quite functional; they know what they’re supposed to do and no actor lets his artistic ego get in the way of making thoughtless fun. And this movie is indeed fun, if not a little too long. The Mummy Returns careens madly across the screen like a ball in a pinball machine. Whereas the first was more coherent and a little scarier, this one is a thrill ride designed to have the feel of video game or a cat and mouse chase.
Sommers does his job quite well; like his cast, he doesn’t intrude artistically on the need for mindless entertainment. His gift is his ability to steer this bucking bronco of a movie. I don’t know if he can use the camera with any panache or creative skill, but he can make an above average, sit-back-and-be-entertained film that is neither too dumb nor too smart, to leave a bad aftertaste in the mouth, or any after taste for that matter – a good home video rental.
5 of 10
B-
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Third Time Not Quite the Charm with "The Mummy: Dragon Emperor"
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Running time: 112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for adventure action and violence
DIRECTOR: Rob Cohen
WRITERS: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar
PRODUCERS: Sean Daniel, Bob Ducsay, James Jacks, and Stephen Sommers
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Simon Duggan
EDITOR: Kelly Matsumoto and Joel Negron
COMPOSER: Randy Edelman
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY/HORROR
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh, Luke Ford, Isabella Leong, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Russell Wong, Liam Cunningham, Jessey Meng, and David Calder
The subject of this movie review is The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a 2008 fantasy adventure film from director Rob Cohen. It is a sequel to The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001) and is based upon John L. Balderston’s 1932 screenplay and Stephen Sommers’ 2001 screenplay. Tomb of the Dragon Emperor moves from the Egyptian setting of the first two films to China, and is set some 13 years after the events depicted in The Mummy Returns.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens in ancient China and tells the story of Han (Jet Li), a brutal and tyrannical warlord. He unites the various kingdoms of China to form a single empire, and he also orders the construction of the Great Wall of China. Han becomes the Dragon Emperor, a master of the five elements (fire, water, earth, metal, and wood). His quest for immortality leads to the downfall of him and his empire.
In 1946, Alexander Rupert “Alex” O’Connell (Luke Ford) discovers The Dragon Emperor’s tomb in the Ningxia Province of China. His parents, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn Carnahan O’Connell (Maria Bello), aren’t exactly pleased to find their son engaged in the kind of archeology that got them into so much trouble in Egypt. The family doesn’t have much time to fight, though. The rogue General Yang (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) has hatched a conspiracy to resurrect the Dragon Emperor.
Now, Rick, Evey, and Alex, with Evey’s brother, Jonathan Carnahan (John Hannah), reluctantly following, must stop the Dragon Emperor from gaining immortality. Their allies include the mysterious mother-daughter tandem of Zi Yuan (Michelle Yeoh) and Lin (Isabella Leong) and also the drunken pilot, Mad Dog Maguire (Liam Cunningham). Can this group stop the Dragon Emperor and his Terracotta Army?
I am a big fan of Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy films, but I had only a passing interest in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor when it was first released back in 2008. I wanted the franchise to stick with its Egyptian themes, not move to China. I have watched bit and pieces of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor on television, but was not really interested in seeing the entire movie. I finally rented a copy so that I could watch it in its entirety in order to review it, and I only want to review it so that I can post it as a set with the first two films.
That said, I enjoyed The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. It’s ridiculous and frivolous and played entirely for fun, which is a bit different from the first film. The Mummy, for all its Raiders of the Lost Ark leanings, was something of a horror movie. Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is more like The Mummy Returns – a family affair. This is a fantasy adventure about a cast of characters that are family in one form or another, and this is for family viewing even with the profanity, mild sexual innuendo, and gunplay.
Yes, I did have problems with Maria Bello playing Evelyn Carnahan O’Connell. After all, my “Evey” is still Rachel Weisz. I eventually stopped thinking about the change, watched the movie, and accepted Bello, who is a good actress. I have watched The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, in parts or whole, countless times, and the first film is one of my all-time favorite movies. I won’t take The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor to heart in that manner. It is harmless entertainment, and because it is a way to see favorite characters again, it’s worth seeing… now and again.
5 of 10
C+
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Scorpion King 3 Due Early Next Year
Press release:
FROM THE PRODUCERS OF “THE MUMMY” COMES AN ALL-NEW Action-Packed ADVENTURE
THE SCORPION KING 3 BEGINS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THAILAND
Ron Perlman, Victor Webster and Billy Zane Star in the Newest, Action-Filled Fantasy Epic Exclusive to Universal’s DVD Originals™ Line
Universal City, California, December 2, 2010– A legendary hero returns to fight his most fearsome adversary as an all-new adventure unfolds in The Scorpion King 3, now shooting in Thailand. Steeped in intrigue, sorcery and romance and featuring more of the spectacular action, mindboggling stunts and astonishing plot twists that have made The Scorpion King franchise an outstanding addition to Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s groundbreaking DVD Originals™ line, The Scorpion King 3 is slated for release on DVD in early 2012.
Picking up where The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior left off, The Scorpion King 3 continues the story of Mathayus, now the deposed leader of an ancient desert empire, as he faces the most terrifying challenge of his life. The film, which began shooting on October 29 in and around Bangkok, introduces an all new cast featuring Victor Webster (“Melrose Place,” Surrogates) as Mathayus; Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy,” Hellboy 1 and 2) as Horus, the powerful King of Egypt; Billy Zane (“Samantha Who?,” Titanic) as the conniving King Talus; UFC star Kimbo Slice as Zulu Kondo; Bostin Christopher as Mathayus’ comrade-in-arms Olaf (Unbreakable); WWE champion Dave Bautista as Agromael; Selina Lo (28 Weeks Later) as Tsukai; Krystal Vee (Streetfighter: The Legend of Chin-Li) as the beautiful princess Silda and Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith) as the ill-fated King Ramusan.
“The Scorpion King 3 raises the bar for DVD Originals, encompassing the most stunning action, visual effects and production values to date, including a cast of over 400 warriors and elephants,” said Glenn Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Home Entertainment Productions. “The Scorpion King saga, with its compelling characters, engaging storyline and non-stop action, is a perfect complement to Universal’s hugely popular and successful DVD Originals offerings.”
The Scorpion King 3 is directed by Roel Reine (Death Race 2). Leslie Belzberg (Crazy Heart) is the producer along with executive producers Stephen Sommers, Sean Daniel, Jim Jacks and Kevin Misher. The film’s production team includes director of photography Roel Reine, production designers Kuladee ‘Gai’ Suchatanun and Patrix ‘Pae’ Meesaiyaat and editors Radu Ion and Matthew Friedman.
As The Scorpion King 3 begins, Mathayus has lost his beloved queen and been driven from his former kingdom by a virulent plague. Now, an assassin for hire, Mathayus is dispatched by Horus, the King of Egypt, to protect his ally King Ramusan from imminent attack. In return for his services, he is promised Ramusan’s daughter Silda in marriage, as well as the legendary Eye of the Gods medallion, which imparts supernatural powers to its wearer. But to collect the reward, he will have to first rescue the princess, who is being held captive by Talus, the scheming brother of Horus. Mathayus agrees to the perilous mission, but the evil that lies in wait for him will challenge even his cunning and strength in a staggering test of courage unlike any he has faced before.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and Entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.
FROM THE PRODUCERS OF “THE MUMMY” COMES AN ALL-NEW Action-Packed ADVENTURE
THE SCORPION KING 3 BEGINS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THAILAND
Ron Perlman, Victor Webster and Billy Zane Star in the Newest, Action-Filled Fantasy Epic Exclusive to Universal’s DVD Originals™ Line
Universal City, California, December 2, 2010– A legendary hero returns to fight his most fearsome adversary as an all-new adventure unfolds in The Scorpion King 3, now shooting in Thailand. Steeped in intrigue, sorcery and romance and featuring more of the spectacular action, mindboggling stunts and astonishing plot twists that have made The Scorpion King franchise an outstanding addition to Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s groundbreaking DVD Originals™ line, The Scorpion King 3 is slated for release on DVD in early 2012.
Picking up where The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior left off, The Scorpion King 3 continues the story of Mathayus, now the deposed leader of an ancient desert empire, as he faces the most terrifying challenge of his life. The film, which began shooting on October 29 in and around Bangkok, introduces an all new cast featuring Victor Webster (“Melrose Place,” Surrogates) as Mathayus; Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy,” Hellboy 1 and 2) as Horus, the powerful King of Egypt; Billy Zane (“Samantha Who?,” Titanic) as the conniving King Talus; UFC star Kimbo Slice as Zulu Kondo; Bostin Christopher as Mathayus’ comrade-in-arms Olaf (Unbreakable); WWE champion Dave Bautista as Agromael; Selina Lo (28 Weeks Later) as Tsukai; Krystal Vee (Streetfighter: The Legend of Chin-Li) as the beautiful princess Silda and Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith) as the ill-fated King Ramusan.
“The Scorpion King 3 raises the bar for DVD Originals, encompassing the most stunning action, visual effects and production values to date, including a cast of over 400 warriors and elephants,” said Glenn Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Home Entertainment Productions. “The Scorpion King saga, with its compelling characters, engaging storyline and non-stop action, is a perfect complement to Universal’s hugely popular and successful DVD Originals offerings.”
The Scorpion King 3 is directed by Roel Reine (Death Race 2). Leslie Belzberg (Crazy Heart) is the producer along with executive producers Stephen Sommers, Sean Daniel, Jim Jacks and Kevin Misher. The film’s production team includes director of photography Roel Reine, production designers Kuladee ‘Gai’ Suchatanun and Patrix ‘Pae’ Meesaiyaat and editors Radu Ion and Matthew Friedman.
As The Scorpion King 3 begins, Mathayus has lost his beloved queen and been driven from his former kingdom by a virulent plague. Now, an assassin for hire, Mathayus is dispatched by Horus, the King of Egypt, to protect his ally King Ramusan from imminent attack. In return for his services, he is promised Ramusan’s daughter Silda in marriage, as well as the legendary Eye of the Gods medallion, which imparts supernatural powers to its wearer. But to collect the reward, he will have to first rescue the princess, who is being held captive by Talus, the scheming brother of Horus. Mathayus agrees to the perilous mission, but the evil that lies in wait for him will challenge even his cunning and strength in a staggering test of courage unlike any he has faced before.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and Entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.
The Scorpion King Does the Conan Thing
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux
The Scorpion King (2002)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and some sensuality
DIRECTOR: Chuck Russell
WRITERS: Stephen Sommers, David Hayter, and William Osborne, based upon a story by Jonathan Hales and Stephen Sommers
PRODUCERS: Sean Daniel, James Jacks, Kevin Misher, and Stephen Sommers
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John R. Leonetti
EDITORS: Greg Parsons and Michael Tronick
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY
Starring: The Rock, Steven Brand, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Peter Facinelli, and Sherri Howard
A group of beleaguered chieftains hire an assassin named Mathayus (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) to kill Cassandra the Sorceress (Kelly Hu), the soothsayer of the chieftains’ mortal enemy Memnon (Steven Brand). Along the way, Mathayus and Cassandra come to a mutual understanding, and a rival of Mathayus, Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan) joins their cause. All Mathayus has to do is defeat Memnon to bring peace to the region.
Directed by Chuck Russell (The Mask, Eraser), The Scorpion King is a spin-off from The Mummy 2, in which The Rock played The Scorpion King as a resurrected villain. Russell keeps the energy high, and turns his film into a wall-to-wall chase and rescue, hard-core fight movie. Russell wisely plays up to The Rock’s skills as a professional wrestler with the World Wrestling Federation. Nary a dull moment, King is a pumped up, more visceral version of Conan the Barbarian.
The acting is, of course, not great, but it perfectly serves the purpose of the movie. Despite a few lapses, The Rock is very entertaining and convincing as Mathayus, and since he does all his own stunts, he lends credibility to his portrayal. When he puts up his dukes or lifts a weapon, you can feel the energy level of the film soar.
The supporting cast is also good. Brand drips menace as the evil Memnon, an intensity he maintains throughout the film. Kelly Hu as the Sorceress is sexy, mysterious, and is more than a female tag along. As Balthazar, Duncan adds an air of credibility to the acting in the film.
As exciting as it is, The Scorpion King is also quite funny. It makes no pretensions; it is a good time, popcorn flick that is quite well made. It delivers by maintaining the action, humor, and excitement. It is one of those movies that is true to the good time it promises to be. It is a good time at the movies, and it will bear repeated viewings on home video.
6 of 10
B
The Scorpion King (2002)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and some sensuality
DIRECTOR: Chuck Russell
WRITERS: Stephen Sommers, David Hayter, and William Osborne, based upon a story by Jonathan Hales and Stephen Sommers
PRODUCERS: Sean Daniel, James Jacks, Kevin Misher, and Stephen Sommers
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John R. Leonetti
EDITORS: Greg Parsons and Michael Tronick
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY
Starring: The Rock, Steven Brand, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Peter Facinelli, and Sherri Howard
A group of beleaguered chieftains hire an assassin named Mathayus (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) to kill Cassandra the Sorceress (Kelly Hu), the soothsayer of the chieftains’ mortal enemy Memnon (Steven Brand). Along the way, Mathayus and Cassandra come to a mutual understanding, and a rival of Mathayus, Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan) joins their cause. All Mathayus has to do is defeat Memnon to bring peace to the region.
Directed by Chuck Russell (The Mask, Eraser), The Scorpion King is a spin-off from The Mummy 2, in which The Rock played The Scorpion King as a resurrected villain. Russell keeps the energy high, and turns his film into a wall-to-wall chase and rescue, hard-core fight movie. Russell wisely plays up to The Rock’s skills as a professional wrestler with the World Wrestling Federation. Nary a dull moment, King is a pumped up, more visceral version of Conan the Barbarian.
The acting is, of course, not great, but it perfectly serves the purpose of the movie. Despite a few lapses, The Rock is very entertaining and convincing as Mathayus, and since he does all his own stunts, he lends credibility to his portrayal. When he puts up his dukes or lifts a weapon, you can feel the energy level of the film soar.
The supporting cast is also good. Brand drips menace as the evil Memnon, an intensity he maintains throughout the film. Kelly Hu as the Sorceress is sexy, mysterious, and is more than a female tag along. As Balthazar, Duncan adds an air of credibility to the acting in the film.
As exciting as it is, The Scorpion King is also quite funny. It makes no pretensions; it is a good time, popcorn flick that is quite well made. It delivers by maintaining the action, humor, and excitement. It is one of those movies that is true to the good time it promises to be. It is a good time at the movies, and it will bear repeated viewings on home video.
6 of 10
B
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Review: "Van Helsing" is a Loud Misfire (Happy B'day, Hugh Jackman)
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 69 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux
Van Helsing (2004)
Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for nonstop creature action violence and frightening images, and for sensuality
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Stephen Sommers
PRODUCERS: Bob Ducsay and Stephen Sommers
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Allen Daviau
EDITORS: Bob Ducsay, Kelly Matsumoto, and Jim May
COMPOSER: Alan Silvestri
HORROR/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Shuler Hensley, Elena Anaya, Will Kemp, Kevin J. O’Connor, Samuel West, Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fisher
The film Van Helsing is set in the late 19th Century. Count Vladislaus Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) plots to use Frankenstein’s Monster (Shuler Hensley) to bring his brood of thousands of baby vampires (incubating in eggs) to life. The sole surviving member of the Valerious Family, Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), has pledged to stop Dracula. Before the last Valerious dies, he or she must kill the Count because that is the only way the family’s souls will ever know salvation. If that wasn’t pressure enough for the valiant Anna, her brother has been transformed into a werewolf who serves Dracula.
Enter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman), a no-nonsense warrior with no time for a pretty woman fighting monsters, but Van Helsing and Anna are soon bound by combat. Dracula, however, has a surprise for the famed monster hunter; he knows Van Helsing’s first name, plus, a whole lot more, and he’s offering Van Helsing peace of mind and his memories back, if only he’ll join the Count.
Stephen Sommers, who made his rep when he remade The Mummy into a successful franchise in 1999 and 2001, is a master of making thrilling, high grade, high tech, low brow monster movies. When he uses his favorite ingredients of special effects and CGI in the correct amounts, his films are quite fun, as is the aforementioned, The Mummy. When he just piles it on, the film is nothing more than a really cheesy creature flick, like the old black and white kind in which the monster is so painfully, obviously a man in a poorly made rubber suit. The creature in Sommer’s Deep Rising, an entertaining B-movie, was what has become the modern day rubber suit – overdone CGI that screams out that it’s fake.
Van Helsing falls in the cheesy category. It’s too much, too over the top, and too damn loud. More reliant on SFX than on plot or story, the film isn’t a motion picture, but it is a 3-D animated proposal for theme park rides and video games. The plot is a ludicrous excuse to get Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and a werewolf together. Van Helsing isn’t entirely awful. It does have some good moments, but when it comes down to it, the film is more annoying than fun. It’s spectacular and spectacularly dull.
I was sadly surprised that minutes into Van Helsing I realized that the film was going to be two things: ponderous and shrill. And it’s so swollen with CGI and other SFX, that it’s an embarrassment of riches – like a French nobleman too clueless to realize that maybe he should play down his wealth in front of the club-wielding mob.
Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing isn’t nearly as interesting as his Wolverine from the X-Men movies, and Kate Beckinsale is lost in a giant fright wig and too-tight clothing. Richard Roxburgh’s cool Dracula is also wasted on this poor film.
3 of 10
C-
Van Helsing (2004)
Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for nonstop creature action violence and frightening images, and for sensuality
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Stephen Sommers
PRODUCERS: Bob Ducsay and Stephen Sommers
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Allen Daviau
EDITORS: Bob Ducsay, Kelly Matsumoto, and Jim May
COMPOSER: Alan Silvestri
HORROR/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Shuler Hensley, Elena Anaya, Will Kemp, Kevin J. O’Connor, Samuel West, Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fisher
The film Van Helsing is set in the late 19th Century. Count Vladislaus Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) plots to use Frankenstein’s Monster (Shuler Hensley) to bring his brood of thousands of baby vampires (incubating in eggs) to life. The sole surviving member of the Valerious Family, Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), has pledged to stop Dracula. Before the last Valerious dies, he or she must kill the Count because that is the only way the family’s souls will ever know salvation. If that wasn’t pressure enough for the valiant Anna, her brother has been transformed into a werewolf who serves Dracula.
Enter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman), a no-nonsense warrior with no time for a pretty woman fighting monsters, but Van Helsing and Anna are soon bound by combat. Dracula, however, has a surprise for the famed monster hunter; he knows Van Helsing’s first name, plus, a whole lot more, and he’s offering Van Helsing peace of mind and his memories back, if only he’ll join the Count.
Stephen Sommers, who made his rep when he remade The Mummy into a successful franchise in 1999 and 2001, is a master of making thrilling, high grade, high tech, low brow monster movies. When he uses his favorite ingredients of special effects and CGI in the correct amounts, his films are quite fun, as is the aforementioned, The Mummy. When he just piles it on, the film is nothing more than a really cheesy creature flick, like the old black and white kind in which the monster is so painfully, obviously a man in a poorly made rubber suit. The creature in Sommer’s Deep Rising, an entertaining B-movie, was what has become the modern day rubber suit – overdone CGI that screams out that it’s fake.
Van Helsing falls in the cheesy category. It’s too much, too over the top, and too damn loud. More reliant on SFX than on plot or story, the film isn’t a motion picture, but it is a 3-D animated proposal for theme park rides and video games. The plot is a ludicrous excuse to get Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and a werewolf together. Van Helsing isn’t entirely awful. It does have some good moments, but when it comes down to it, the film is more annoying than fun. It’s spectacular and spectacularly dull.
I was sadly surprised that minutes into Van Helsing I realized that the film was going to be two things: ponderous and shrill. And it’s so swollen with CGI and other SFX, that it’s an embarrassment of riches – like a French nobleman too clueless to realize that maybe he should play down his wealth in front of the club-wielding mob.
Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing isn’t nearly as interesting as his Wolverine from the X-Men movies, and Kate Beckinsale is lost in a giant fright wig and too-tight clothing. Richard Roxburgh’s cool Dracula is also wasted on this poor film.
3 of 10
C-
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