Six Visions of Hell in Upcoming "Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic"

From EA and Starz Media:

New Film Roman release brings together six animation studios' visions of hell...


What is hell?

Throughout the years, artists have tried to answer that question and through their eyes, we've been able to match images to a "place" that we hope to never see for ourselves.

Two new interpretations of hell are about to be introduced, both based on one of the most classic: Dante's Inferno. A video game named after Dante Alighieri's 14th Century epic poem, is being released by EA on February 9 simultaneously with Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, from top animation studio Film Roman (part of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" producer Starz Media). Both follow Dante as he literally takes a journey to hell and back, visiting the nine circles of the inferno in order to save his true love, Beatrice, who has been taken from him by the devil.

Film Roman, a studio known for it's work animating Fox’s The Simpsons and Cartoon Network’s Marvel Superhero Squad (in addition Hellboy Animated and a prequel film in conjunction with EA's 2008 hit game Dead Space), brought together some of the top anime/animation talent in the world to create the film. Different studios including Production IG (Kill Bill animated sequence), Dongwoo (Batman: Gotham Knight), Manglobe (Ergo Proxy, Samurai Champloo), JM Animation (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) in fact contributed their visions of the nine circles of hell - Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery - and the end result is amazing.

By employing a range of animation studios steeped in the anime tradition, Film Roman and EA created a completely unique vision of this epic, with each circle of hell having a distinct look and tone. While this gives it a modern twist, the feature still stays true to the original elements of the poem. To highlight the feature’s unique artistic signature, the Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic DVD and Blu-ray™ - being released February 9 by Starz Media company Anchor Bay - boasts six limited edition customized covers specially created by the six participating animation studios.

Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic is sure to delight all gamers and fan boys as well, but voice-over work by Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Victoria Tennant (Legend of the Mummy), Vanessa Branch (Pirates of the Caribbean), and Graham McTavish (Prison Break) as Dante, give this production extra dramatic depth and the literary source material makes this a project that will appeal to an unusually broad range of adult audiences. [END]

Review: "At World's End" Excellent Conclusion to Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 03 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
Running time: 168 minutes (2 hours, 48 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images
DIRECTOR: Gore Verbinski
WRITERS: Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio; based upon characters created by Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert, and Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio and based upon the Walt Disney theme park attraction
PRODUCER: Jerry Bruckheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dariusz Wolski (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Stephen Rivkin and Craig Wood
Academy Award nominee

ACTION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Naomie Harris, Chow Yun-Fat, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Cook, Kevin McNally, Stellan Skarsgård, and Keith Richards

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is an extravagant, entertaining, and exciting finish to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, which hit a bump with the middle segment, the hugely boring, excessive, and gaudy CGI lump, Dead Man’s Chest.

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with the resurrected Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the surreal and mind-bending afterlife trap that is Davy Jones' locker. The trio strikes a deal with the Chinese Pirate lord, Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), for a map to guide them to Davy Jones’ locker.

Meanwhile, Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Trading Company has control of the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman, and its captain, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Doing Beckett’s bidding, Jones and the Dutchman wreak havoc across the Seven Seas, destroying all pirate vessels and helping Beckett achieve his dream of ending piracy.

To save their way of life, Barbossa calls for a truly rare event, a meeting of the Brethren Court, a council the gathers the nine pirate lords of the Seven Seas. Treachery, however, abounds. Both Jack Sparrow and Will Turner secretly plot behind their colleagues’ backs – Sparrow to rid himself of his debt to Davy Jones and Turner to free his father “Bootstrap” Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgård) from the Dutchman. All must ultimately choose a side in a final, titanic battle, as their lives, fortunes, and the entire future of the freedom-loving pirate way, hangs in the balance.

Amusing and exciting: I can say that about Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, but I certainly couldn’t say that about its predecessor, Dead Man’s Chest (2006). Whereas Dead Man’s Chest was painfully boring, exceedingly dull, and came across a mere filler material between the beginning and end of this story, At World’s End is showy (with costumes and production design that is so lavish it would give the Bourbons pause), amusing (a delightfully spry comedy for such a big budget production), and exciting (a whirlwind adventure that seems to span the seven seas, told in storytelling that is brisk and efficient).

Like they did in the original film, director Gore Verbinski and his stunt and special effects crew blended live action and CGI with such ease that the viewer might have a hard time separating solid realism from the magical un-real of Hollywood FX. In overseeing such an impressive blend of live action stunts and CGI wizardry (perhaps the best union of the two ever put on screen at that time), Verbinksi’s work was worthy of an Oscar nomination (which it didn’t get).

Verbinski’s success in directing this movie was also evident in the performances of his cast. Johnny Deep made Jack Sparrow a richer more dramatic character, and not just caricature fit for no more than merchandising. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley brought a touch of romantic drama to their characters’ storyline, and in their own way, transformed At World’s End from merely a summer blockbuster into an old-fashioned romantic adventure right out of the 19th century.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards: 2 nominations for “Best Achievement in Makeup” (Ve Neill, Martin Samuel) and “Best Achievement in Visual Effect” (John Knoll, Hal T. Hickel, Charlie Gibson, John Frazier)


2008 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination for “Best Special Visual Effects” (John Knoll, Hal T. Hickel, Charlie Gibson, John Frazier)

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Walt Disney Offers Fun Facts from "Alice in Wonderland"

Walt Disney's ALICE IN WONDERLAND Fun Facts

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walt Disney Pictures:

THE BIG PICTURE
DIVINE DIGS – Director Tim Burton’s London office was once owned by Arthur Rackham, a famous English book illustrator who created the iconic color plates for the 1907 edition of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

THE QUESTION IS WHO ARE YOU? – Lewis Carroll is actually a pen name for Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a lecturer in mathematics at Christchurch University in Oxford, England.

WONDERLAND, NO UNDERLAND — Underland is the same fantastical land that Alice visited as a child, but—according to screenwriter Linda Woolverton—she misheard the word “Underland” and thought they said “Wonderland.” Woolverton says Underland is a part of the Earth, lying somewhere far beneath our world. It’s come upon hard times since the malevolent Red Queen took over the throne, but is a truly wonderful land, which might explain why the girl who mistook it for Wonderland has been called upon to help return it to its glory.

ALMOST ALICE — “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” sparked two music CDs, including the motion-picture soundtrack, featuring an extraordinary score by composer Danny Elfman, and “Almost Alice,” a 16-song companion compilation featuring the film’s end credit track “Alice,” written and performed by Avril Lavigne, plus songs from artists who were inspired by the film, including All American Rejects, 3OH!3, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Franz Ferdinand and Shinedown. The album’s title, “Almost Alice,” comes from a line in the film. All of Underland has been awaiting Alice’s return since she first visited as a child, but when she does come back, nobody—including Alice—believes she’s the right Alice, the confident and feisty Alice they once knew. Eventually, the wise caterpillar tells her she’s Almost Alice.

CHARACTER-ISTICS
DEPP’S DESIGNS — Actor Johnny Depp goes through ample preparation for each of his roles and preparing to play the Mad Hatter was no different. Long before production began, the actor began doing watercolor paintings of what the Mad Hatter might look like, discovering later that his vision was quite similar to director Tim Burton’s.

MAD HATTER MOOD RING — The Mad Hatter suffers from mercury poisoning, a common and unfortunate condition of many hatters of the time who used the chemical regularly for their craft. Depp and Burton elevated this Hatter’s madness by literally showcasing the character’s many mad mood swings in his makeup and wardrobe, creating a virtual human mood ring.

CHANGES — Mia Wasikowska, who plays Alice, is five feet four inches in real life but Alice changes size throughout the course of her adventures in Wonderland, ranging from six inches to two feet to eight-and-a-half feet, to a maximum of 20 feet tall. The production worked hard to use practical methods rather than special effects and often it was a case of putting Alice on an apple box to make her taller than everyone else.

DRINK ME — The potion Alice drinks to shrink is called Pishsolver. The cake she eats to grow is called Upelkuchen.

SWEET AND SOUR — Actress Anne Hathaway, who portrays the White Queen in “ALICE IN WONDERLAND,” decided that her representation of the character wouldn’t be completely vanilla. The White Queen comes from the same gene pool as the evil Red Queen, after all, so Hathaway envisioned a “punk rock vegan pacifist” and was inspired by Blondie, Greta Garbo, Dan Flavin and Norma Desmond.

FUTTER-WHAT? — Futterwacken is the term used to describe the Underlanders’ dance of unbridled joy. Composer Danny Elfman was stumped when it came to creating the music for the dance. He wrote four different pieces for the director, each fun, unique and, as Elfman says, “pushing the bounds of what could be acceptable.”

TWO TWEEDLES — Actor Matt Lucas was tapped to play both Tweedles, rotund twin brothers who constantly disagree with each other and whose confusing chatter makes little sense to anyone but themselves. Lucas, however, was unable to play Tweedledee and Tweedledum at the same time (for some reason). Actor Ethan Cohen was called on to portray Dum to Lucas’ Dee (or vice versa) during filming, but will never actually appear on screen.

BANDERSNATCH? — This disgusting, drooling, foul-smelling creature has a big filthy body and the squashed, teeth-baring face of a rabid bulldog. The creature leaves Alice with a rather painful reminder of the Red Queen’s horrible reign.

BEHIND THE SCENES
MEASURING UP — Costume designer Colleen Atwood had her work cut out for her when it came to creating the costumes for Mia Wasikowska’s ever-changing Alice. The character wears a variety of different garments, including one purportedly made from the Red Queen’s curtains and even armor. Atwood had to find fabric in different scales, and construct costumes for Mia that would help illustrate her size changes.

ON WITH HIS HEAD — Crispin Glover portrays Stayne, the Knave of Hearts, in the film, but only his head appears on screen. The body of the character, who’s seven-and-a-half feet tall, is computer generated. On set, Glover wore a green suit and a pair of stilts to make him taller. His face was fully made up for the role (complete with an eye patch and scar). For the final film, Stayne’s entire costume, body and even his cape are CGI. Only his face is real.

ON WITH HER FACE — Helena Bonham Carter endured three hours of makeup each morning to transform into the fiery Red Queen. With the help of makeup pro Vallie O’Reilly, the actress was decked out in white powder, lots of blue eye shadow, painted eyebrows and perfect, heart-shaped bow-mouth lips. The special effects team enlarged Bonham Carter’s head in post production, creating the final look for the big-headed Queen.

SOLE SURPRISE — Costume designer Colleen Atwood added a red heart to the soles of the Red Queen’s shoes, visible when the pampered royal places her feet on a live pig-turned-footrest.

STILT TROUBLE — After Crispin Glover, who spent much of his time on stilts during production, twisted his ankle filming one particular scene, he was often followed on set by stuntmen all dressed in green who were there solely to catch him in case he fell again.

CARROT CAPPERS —Tim Burton wanted the animal characters in Wonderland to appear real rather than cartoony. So before creating the White Rabbit, animators spent a day at a rabbit shelter for abandoned rabbits, observing the animals and shooting photo reference footage to ensure they captured the nuances of rabbits chewing and wriggling their noses.

TECHNICAL TIDBITS
2D to 3D — Director Tim Burton decided to shoot the film in 2D and convert it later to 3D. The director was so impressed with the results of the conversion of his film “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to 3D, he opted to go a similar route for “Alice.”

SUPER SFX SUPERVISOR — Tim Burton turned to legendary special effects guru Ken Ralston and Sony Imageworks to create the wondrous world of Wonderland and its inhabitants. Ralston (whose credits include the original “Star Wars,” as well as “Forrest Gump” and “The Polar Express”) and his team completed more than 2,500 visual effects shots in total. While the team used a combination of live action, animation and a host of other effects techniques, motion capture technology was not tapped for the film.

IN THE GREEN — To represent the digital characters on set, the production used either cardboard cut outs, full-size models or else resorted to men in green with eyes stuck to various parts of the anatomy to help the actors with their eyelines and to give them something real to react to.

HAIR-RAISING — When the animators were looking at reference photography of real caterpillars, they noticed they had hair on them. So Absolem the Caterpillar was treated to his very own CG fuzz.

THE REAL STUFF — Very few real sets were built for Wonderland. In fact, only three versions of the Round Hall (where Alice ends up after falling down the rabbit hole) and the Red Queen’s dungeon were practical sets. The rest were created digitally.

EYES HAVE IT — The Mad Hatter’s eyes were slightly enlarged making them between 10 and 15 percent bigger than Johnny Depp’s own.

HIT THE NET — When the animators began to design the Dodo, their first port of call for reference was Google Image Search, followed by London’s Natural History Museum.

BIG HEAD — A special 4K hi-def camera called a Dulsa with 4,000 lines of resolution was used to shoot Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen to enable her head to be blown up to twice its size in post-production without losing any image quality. [END]

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Walt Disney Announces Fan Concert Event to Promote "Alice in Wonderland"

“ALICE IN WONDERLAND” Preps for Great Big Ultimate Fan Event


“How is it you’re being so great big?” ~ Tweedledee to Alice—she’s eaten far too much cake and grown to enormous heights

WALT DISNEY PICTURES AND BUENA VISTA RECORDS JOIN FORCES WITH HOT TOPIC, KIIS-FM, MYSPACE AND MUSICAL ARTISTS FROM “ALMOST ALICE” FOR ULTIMATE FAN EVENT FEB. 19, 2010, AT HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND CENTER

Film Stars, Filmmakers and Artists 3OH!3, Metro Station, Family Force 5, Kerli and Never Shout Never on Concert Roster; Entire Event to be Streamed Live on MySpace

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Records join forces with Hot Topic, KIIS-FM, MySpace and musical artists from the upcoming album “Almost Alice” for a great big ultimate fan event celebrating this Spring’s most anticipated 3D motion picture “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” The star-studded concert event kicks off at 5 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2010, at the Hollywood & Highland Center’s Central Courtyard. Featuring five musical acts, a visit from director Tim Burton to introduce select members of the “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” cast, plus opportunities to win prizes, including a sneak peek of actual film footage, the ultimate fan event will be streamed live on MySpace at www.myspace.com/wonderland.

The event’s featured artists will do a short set, including their song from “Almost Alice.” Artists/songs include 3OH!3 (“Follow Me Down”), Metro Station (“Where’s My Angel”), Family Force 5 (“Topsy Turvy”), Kerli (“Tea Party”), and Never Shout Never (“Sea What We Seas”).

Available March 2, 2010, “Almost Alice” is a 16-song compilation featuring the film’s end credit track “Alice,” written and performed by Avril Lavigne, plus songs from artists including All American Rejects, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Franz Ferdinand and Shinedown. Hot Topic’s exclusive expanded version includes three bonus tracks. The album is a companion to the film’s soundtrack, which features the score by composer Danny Elfman.

Hot Topic’s Hollywood locale (3rd level of Hollywood & Highland Center) has been transformed to a mad version of Wonderland even the Hatter would enjoy. Hot Topic hosts the event and features exclusive “ALICE IN WONDERLAND”-themed products now available at Hot Topic stores nationwide and online. Beginning Monday, February 8, the first 250 customers who purchase any 3OH!3 t-shirt and preorder the “Almost Alice” CD will receive a wristband that will grant access to a special meet-and-greet with the band 3OH!3, entry into the concert’s preferred viewing pit and admission into the special 3D sneak peek of footage from the film at the El Capitan Theatre after the concert event.

KIIS-FM, 104.3 MyFM and 98.7 FM will give away VIP preferred viewing pit wristbands to listeners between now and event day. Additional VIP tickets will be given away via MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. VIP attendees will be treated to a special 3D sneak peek of footage from the film at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre immediately following the event.

Fans are encouraged to dress up in costumes inspired by characters from “ALICE IN WONDERLAND.” Costumes will be judged on site by Academy Award®-winner Colleen Atwood, costume designer for the film. Winners will be invited to attend the special sneak peek at the El Capitan.

KIIS-FM’s Manny on the Streets will be the on-stage host for the event. Quddus from MySpace and theQside.com, Roslynn Cobarrubias from MySpace Music and Philip DeFranco from YouTube will be on hand as backstage hosts, interviewing key players along the way.

MySpace will host the exclusive live stream of the event at www.myspace.com/wonderland, powered by Ustream. Viewers around the world can experience the event first-hand, see exclusive backstage interviews with talent and interact by posting comments and questions to the page. Ustream’s embeddable streaming player will extend the experience to additional sites, including Facebook, HotTopic.com and more.

ABOUT THE MOVIE
From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. JOHNNY DEPP stars as the Mad Hatter and MIA WASIKOWSKA as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes ANNE HATHAWAY, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and CRISPIN GLOVER. The screenplay is by Linda Woolverton.

Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s beloved “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass” (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, ALICE IN WONDERLAND comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D on March 5, 2010 (U.S. theaters).

Website: Disney.com/wonderland

Mobile: Disney.com/wonderland

Become a friend on MySpace (launching soon!) www.myspace.com/wonderland

Become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/AliceInWonderland

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ImportantDate


ABOUT BUENA VISTA RECORDS
Buena Vista Records and Walt Disney Records are part of the Disney Music Group. Disney Music Group encompasses all of the Walt Disney Company’s recorded music and music publishing operations, including Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records (and its imprints Buena Vista Records, Disney Sound and Disney Pearl), Lyric Street Records, Buena Vista Concerts and Walt Disney Music Publishing.

ABOUT HOT TOPIC
Hot Topic, Inc. is a mall and web based specialty retailer operating the Hot Topic concept. Hot Topic offers music/pop culture-licensed and music/pop culture-influenced apparel, accessories, music and gift items for young men and women principally between the ages of 12 and 22. As of January 2, 2010, the company operated 681 Hot Topic stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and Internet store www.hottopic.com.

ABOUT KIIS-FM
102.7 KIIS-FM is LA’s #1 Hit Music Station and the home of the “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest” morning show weekdays from 5–10 a.m.

ABOUT MYSPACE
MySpace is a technology company connecting people through personal expression, content, and culture. MySpace empowers its global community to experience the Internet through a social lens by integrating personal profiles, photos, videos, mobile, messaging, games, and the world’s largest music community. MySpace is a division of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). For more information please visit http://www.myspace.com/pressroom.

ABOUT HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND
Situated in one of the country’s most densely populated markets, Hollywood & Highland Center attracts over 15 million visitors per year. At this one-of-a-kind, high profile destination, the best in retail, fine dining and unique entertainment venues come together with the vibrant world of today’s Hollywood. Featuring the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the world renowned Kodak Theatre, the center is a hot spot for locals as well as a “must see” destination for international visitors. The center features over 60 top retailers, nine of L.A.’s finest restaurants, Grauman’s Chinese 6 Theatres, two popular nightclubs and Lucky Strike Lanes, a high tech and trendy bowling alley/nightclub. Embodying luxury at its finest, Hollywood’s elegantly chic and state-of-the-art Spa Luce is located at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa. Just steps away from Hollywood & Highland Center on Hollywood Boulevard, additional retail and entertainment outlets including Tesco’s Fresh & Easy neighborhood market; Zara; Madame Tussauds Hollywood wax museum; hot fashion retailer, H&M and American Apparel enhance the convenient and enjoyable experience of the world-famous venue. [END]

New Image from "The Last Airbender" (Negromancer News Bits and Bites Extra)

Apparently, Paramount Pictures will air a trailer for The Last Airbender (directed by M. Night Shyalaman and based upon the Nickelodeon cartoon series, Avatar: The Last Airbender) during the Super Bowl telecast, Sunday, February 7th.

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DreamWorks Casting Call for New Hugh Jackman Film, "Real Steel"

Casting Call for Lead Role in Upcoming “Real Steel” Movie Starring Hugh Jackman

DreamWorks Studios Looking for Young Male Actor (Age 10 - 14)

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios has launched a nationwide casting search to fill a lead role in its upcoming movie “Real Steel,” it was announced today by DreamWorks Studios.

Actors interested in the role have two ways to audition. Beginning immediately, individuals can submit a videotaped audition through www.realsteelcasting.com. Complete instructions are available on the website.

Additionally, two open call auditions will be held starting on Sunday, February 14, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois and then on Saturday, February 20, 2010 in New York, New York. No acting experience is necessary for interested actors, nor are they required to prepare anything for the audition.

Role to be cast is ‘Max’: Male, 10-14 years old. He's a street-smart, tough, charming kid with a hard, untrusting outer shell which hides a warm enthusiastic spirit beneath. He is a complicated, strong-willed and resourceful boy.

Details on the open call auditions are as follows:
CHICAGO
Sunday, February 14, 2010
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Chicago Academy of the Arts
1010 W Chicago Street
Chicago, IL 60642-5490
(Parking behind building)

NEW YORK
Saturday, February 20, 2010
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Shetler Studios
244 West 54th Street
12th Floor
New York, NY 10019-5515

Complete details on the auditions are available at www.realsteelcasting.com. All videotape submissions will become the property of DreamWorks Studios and will not be returned.

The new sport of robot-boxing is the backdrop for the sports drama “Real Steel” about a former boxer (Hugh Jackman) who gets one last shot at the title when he teams up with his long-lost son (‘Max’) to train a unique robot for the upcoming Real Steel World Championship. Film is being directed by Shawn Levy (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM) and produced by Don Murphy, Susan Montford and Shawn Levy. Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Josh McLaglen, and Mary McLaglen are all executive producing. John Gatins has written the script.

About DreamWorks Studios:
DreamWorks Studios (www.dreamworksstudios.com) is a motion picture company led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The new company is a continuation of DreamWorks Studios which was formed in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. The company expects to put into production 5 to 6 films per year that will be distributed by The Walt Disney Studios.

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.

Review: "Grindhouse" a Two-Fisted Double Dose

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 72 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Grindhouse (2007)
Running time: 192 minutes
MPAA – R for strong graphic bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, some sexuality, nudity, and drug use
CINEMATOGRAPHERS/WRITERS/DIRECTORS: Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror, and fake trailer segment “Machete”) and Quentin Tarantino (Death Proof)
PRODUCERS: Elizabeth Avellan, Robert Rodriguez, Erica Steinberg, and Quentin Tarantino
EDITORS: Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror) and Sally Menke (Death Proof)

ACTION/HORROR/SCI-FI/THRILLER

Starring: (Planet Terror) Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Michael Biehn, Naveen Andrews, Josh Brolin, Jeff Fahey, Stacy Ferguson, Nicky Katt, Michael Parks, Quentin Tarantino, and Bruce Willis; (Death Proof) Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, Zoe Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Sydney Tamiia Portier, Vanessa Ferlito, Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, Jonathan Loughran, Eli Roth, and Quentin Tarantino

Directors Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, Sin City) and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) present two-full length movies in their horror double feature, Grindhouse. The film is an ode to theatrical double and triple features shown at grindhouse theatres (called such because these theatres would grind out one movie after another). Most of the films shown at grind houses were exploitation films involving sex, violence, crime, sci-fi/horror, or race (blaxploitation). Rodriguez and Tarantino’s Grindhouse also includes four fake trailer segments for non-existent movies – an homage to how grindhouse theatres would show many trailers for upcoming films between double features.

The first feature is Rodriguez’s zombie horror flick, Planet Terror, in which a small Texas town finds itself inundated by fellow townsfolk who have mutated into flesh-hungry zombies. A mysterious trucker named Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) and a go-go dancer named Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), who had her right leg ripped off by zombies, join forces to fight the monstrous invasion. Wray eventually replaces Cherry’s missing leg with an automatic rifle, and the pair lead an group of accidental warriors in a bid to stop Lt. Muldoon (Bruce Willis), a rogue military officer, from making the all-ready dire situation worse.

The second feature film is Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, in which Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), a scar-faced rebel-type, stalks college-age beauties in a small Texas town. Popular DJ, Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Portier) and her pals Shanna (Jordan Ladd) and Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito) don’t know that a killer has his eyes on them. Stuntman Mike is really a murderer, who uses his muscle car as his weapon. Stuntman Mike, however, eventually meets his match when he attacks a trio of women who work as film crewmembers. On the back roads of Tennessee, Stuntman Mike engages in a duel to the death with Kim (Tracie Thoms), Zoe (Zoe Bell, a real life stuntwoman), and Abernathy (Rosario Dawson).

Although I never experienced grindhouse theatres, I am somewhat familiar with exploitation films. In fact, I’ve seen enough of those to know that well before Grindhouse, Rodriguez and Tarantino’s films were capturing the vibe of 1970’s exploitation cinema.

With the sound dropping out or fading, a scratchy picture, bad splicing, etc., Rodriguez’s Planet Terror looks like a movie played from a print that’s been dragged across the country. Besides that, it’s a damn fine sci-fi/horror movie – certainly on par with Rodriguez’s late 90’s teen horror flick, The Faculty, although not quite as good as From Dusk ‘til Dawn. It’s one of the best zombie films to come around since Resident Evil kick-started this horror sub-genre back to life in 2002.

Planet Terror is a hoary old beast of a movie, created by modern movie science, but formed and shaped with an eye on the excesses of 70’s cinema. It’s violence and gore is a work of art and a labor of love. Plus, it’s damn funny when you get down to it, with a mixture of social satire (especially the fake trailer segment “Machete,”) and movie parody with a touch of irony.

Tarantino’s Death Proof is the better of the two films, but not by much. It was born from Tarantino’s love for late 60’s/early 70’s car chase films like Bullitt and Vanishing Point. Whereas Rodriguez showed his love for exploitation movies by making one that looks like an exploitation flick, Tarantino borrows from those films and makes something that is both technically and artistically superior. It’s like Steven Spielberg directing a slasher horror movie.

As is usual with Tarantino films, the dialogue is good, but, here, the action sequences with the cars make Death Proof. In fact, that first car crash is unforgettable – a stroke of genius on Tarantino’s part for the way he executed it. Tarantino insisted that there by no CGI for the car chase sequences in Death Proof, yet the first car crash and the long chase sequence that ends the film are breathtaking and far scarier than even the cool CGI-enhanced chases in films like The Matrix Reloaded and Bad Boys II.

Ultimately Grindhouse is a gift to people who obsess about movies from two guys who obsess about movies and movie making. I left the theatre thinking that I owed them something more than just the cost of a ticket for the joy they gave me.

8 of 10
A

NOTES: The creators of three of the four fake trailer segments are as follows:
Writer/Producer/Director: Eli Roth (fake trailer segment “Thanksgiving)
Writer/Director: Edgar Wright (fake trailer segment “Don’t”)
Writer/Director: Rob Zombie (fake trailer segment “Werewolf Women of the S.S.”)
Writer: Jeff Rendell (“Thanksgiving”)
Producers: Daniel S. Frisch and Gabriel Roth (“Thanksgiving”)

Saturday, May 05, 2007

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