Press release:
FILMMAKING TEAM IN PLACE FOR JUSTIN BIEBER FEATURE FILM DEBUT FROM
Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, Insurge PiCTURES and Island Def Jam Music Group
HOLLYWOOD, CA (August 11, 2010) –Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, Insurge Pictures and Island Def Jam Music Group have jointly announced that director Jon M. Chu (“Step-Up 2: The Streets,” “Step-Up 3D,” The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers,) and the Magical Elves producing team of Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth (Project Runway, Top Chef) will join forces to direct and produce superstar-recording artist Justin Bieber’s feature film debut.
Scooter Braun, Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman LA Reid, and Grammy winning singer Usher will produce the currently untitled film that will give fans around the world an exclusive VIP backstage pass into the life of Justin Bieber. Paramount Pictures will release the movie in the U.S. on Valentine’s weekend 2011 under the newly created Insurge Pictures label.
“Jon, Jane and Dan are creatively the exact right combination, with each of them bringing a unique and fresh perspective to a movie that will give Justin’s fans an exciting and never-before-seen look into his life and career” said Paramount Film Group President Adam Goodman.
“When I was approached about doing Justin’s film, I jumped at the opportunity to tell a story with honesty and heart. Most people don’t know that his is a true underdog story, and I hope to tell it in a compelling, genuine way, using all source materials available to convey his tale of becoming an icon for this digital age. This is the story of a new voice continuing the tradition of musicians that defined their generation,” said Director Jon M. Chu.
“To be able to tell the story of Justin’s unique and revolutionary path to stardom in our first studio feature is an incredible opportunity for us,” said Magical Elves partners Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth.
USC alum Chu has been at the helm of several hugely successful projects, including the sequel and latest installment of the popular “Step Up” dance franchise, and the #1 ranked original Hulu web-series The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (The LXD) from Paramount Digital Entertainment.
Since its formation in the summer of 2001, Magical Elves has produced hit shows for NBC, Bravo, HBO, Showtime and Oxygen networks as well as produced the cult documentary “Air Guitar Nation”. Creators of some of the most watched reality TV in the last decade, Jane and Dan currently have four shows on the air including Bravo’s Top Chef and Work of Art, Showtime’s The Real L Word and Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off.
An Island Def Jam Music Group artist, Bieber is represented by manager Scooter Braun, Nick Styne at CAA and Aaron Rosenberg and Sean Marks at Myman Greenspan Fineman Fox & Light LLP. His first full studio release, My World 2.0, was released in March 2010 and has since achieved huge success; debuting at number one and certified platinum in less than two months of release in the United States, the album remained number 1 on the charts for four-weeks. He has sold over 5 million albums worldwide to date.
ABOUT PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.
About Island Def Jam Music Group
The Island Def Jam Music Group is home to a diverse and unparalleled family of artists - from today's icons to tomorrow's rising stars - and is recognized as one of the most successful labels in the industry. It is comprised of Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, and Mercury Records. The roster boasts an array of talented artists including Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, The Killers, Bon Jovi, Ne-Yo, Young Jeezy, The–Dream, Fabolous, Melissa Etheridge, NAS, Chrisette Michele, Ludacris, Rick Ross, Duffy and more.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Edgar Wright Did Action in Comic "Hot Fuzz"
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Running time: 121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minutes)
MPAA - R for violent content including some graphic images, and language
DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright
WRITERS: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
PRODUCERS: Nira Park, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jess Hall (DoP)
EDITOR: Chris Dickens
COMEDY/CRIME/ACTION/MYSTERY
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Timothy Dalton, Martin Freeman, Paul Freeman, Bill Nighy, Lucy Punch, Anne Reid, Bill Whitelaw, Stuart Wilson, and Edward Woodward
The director/co-writer (Edgar Wright), co-writer/star (Simon Pegg), and co-star/sidekick (Nick Frost) of Shaun of the Dead return in Hot Fuzz, a send up of America cop movies, with a British twist.
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg), the finest police officer in London, has an arrest record 400% higher than any other officer on the force. Because that makes everyone else look bad, Angel's superiors transfer him to the sleepy, seemingly crime-free village of Sandford. There, he is partnered with the well-meaning but overeager police officer PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), who is also the son of Sandford’s amiable police chief, Inspector Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent).
Danny is a huge action movie fan and craves the kind of action he sees in his beloved American action movies – two of his favorites being Bad Boys II and Point Break. Danny is hoping that his new big-city partner might just be a real-life “bad boy,” and that Nick Angel will help him experience the life of gunfights and car chases for which he's longed. While Nick is dismissing Danny's childish fantasies, a series of grisly accidents rocks the village, convincing Nick that Sandford is not the peaceful paradise it at first seems. As the mystery deepens, Nick may be able to make Danny's dreams of explosive, high-octane, car-chasing, gun-fighting, all-out action a reality, but it may come at a high cost for both men.
As comedies go, Hot Fuzz is a pretty special movie, primarily because, outside of comic horror movies, this is one of the few instances that a film uses graphic violence and gore in a way that is so clever and hilarious. In fact, Hot Fuzz is a beautiful send up of the American high octane action flick, and the film is so disarming. It’s not just disarmingly funny, but the entire thing is beguiling in the way droll British humor and dry wit can be. Yet, Hot Fuzz is as relentless funny and subtly manic as any joke-a-minute American gross-out comedy.
Simon Pegg is terrific as the tightly wound professional police service officer, and Nick Frost is brilliant as the sweetly naïve Butterman. They are, however, just the tip of the iceberg in a film made of superb and witty supporting performances constructed from a good script and directing that, for the most part, hits the right notes. The film falters here and there and has several noticeable extended dry stretches, but at its heart, Hot Fuzz is delicious lunacy and outrageousness in the service of a good cause – comedy.
7 of 10
A-
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Bleach Movies on Adult Swim Tomorrow Night
Two Full Length Movies Based On Popular Anime And Manga Series To Air This Month
VIZ Media has announced special encore presentations of two BLEACH animated feature films – BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY and BLEACH THE MOVIE 2: THE DIAMOND DUST REBELLION (both rated ‘T’ for Teens) – on Saturday, August 14th on Adult Swim. Check local times for availability and airtimes (http://www.adultswim.com/shows/bleach/index.html).
Based on the wildly popular animated series and best-selling BLEACH manga series, created by Tite Kubo (both distributed and published in North America by VIZ Media, and rated ‘T’ for Teens), BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY begins as unidentified beings known as “Blanks” start popping up. They are soon followed by a Soul Reaper named Senna who makes them disappear. Puzzled by these unknown beings and the even more mysterious girl, Ichigo and Rukia set out to learn more, but uncover an evil plot when a menacing clan tries to kidnap Senna. Banished from the Soul Society long ago, the clan’s leader has sent sending the World of the Living and the Soul Society on a collision course, and Senna seems to be the key to his diabolical plot for revenge. Can Ichigo and his fellow Soul Reapers save the two worlds from annihilation?
BLEACH THE MOVIE 2: THE DIAMOND DUST REBELLION continues the action-packed adventures of Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki. After the treasured Ouin is stolen, Toshiro Hitsugaya disappears and becomes suspected of treason. When the Soul Society calls for his capture and execution, Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki vows to prove Hitsugaya's innocence. Will the secret of the Ouin and Captain Hitsugaya's motives be revealed before his honor, his life, and the Soul Society are destroyed?
The BLEACH manga and animated series follows the adventures of Ichigo, a 15-year old student with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow — a malevolent lost soul – Ichigo encounters Rukia, a Soul Reaper, and inadvertently absorbs her powers. Now, he’s dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping tortured souls find peace.
BLEACH animation can be viewed on Adult Swim and also through a variety of web-based video download and streaming outlets that have partnered with VIZ Media, including iTunes, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, Amazon, and HULU. To view subtitled BLEACH animated episodes for free online anytime, please visit VIZAnime.com.
More information on BLEACH is available at http://www.bleach.viz.com/.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Review: Rob Corddry Rocks "Hot Tub Time Machine"
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong crude and sexual content, nudity, drug use and pervasive language
DIRECTOR: Steve Pink
WRITERS: Josh Heald, Sean Anders, and John Morris; from a story by Josh Heald
PRODUCERS: John Cusack, Grace Loh, Matt Moore, and John Morris
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jack Green (director of photography)
EDITORS: George Folsey Jr. and James Thomas
COMPOSER: Christophe Beck
COMEDY/SCI-FI
Starring: John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke, Sebastian Stan, Lyndsy Fonseca, Collette Wolfe, Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase, Lizzy Caplan, Aliu Oyofo, Jake Rose, Brook Bennett, and Kellee Stewart
Hot Tub Time Machine is a raunchy, time-traveling comedy that opened in theatres this past March. The film has a ridiculous premise, but it sure is funny.
The movie presents a group of best friends have become bored with their adult lives and who have now mostly drifted apart. The self-absorbed Adam (John Cusack) has just been dumped by his girlfriend, and now his only companion is his nephew, Jacob (Clark Duke), his sister’s son who is obsessed with video games. Lou (Rob Corddry) is the party guy and an alcoholic abandoned by family and friends. Nick Webber-Agnew (Craig Robinson) was once Nick Webber, a young guy who dreamed of making it in the music business. Now, he has a dead-end job at a dog spa, and his wife Courtney Agnew-Webber (Kellee Stewart) controls his every move.
After Lou has an accident-that-looks-like-a-suicide-attempt, Adam and Nick (with Jacob tagging along) take him to Kodiak Valley Ski Resort, the scene of many memorable weekends when they were young. The resort has fallen on hard times, and the only thing worth enjoying is the ski resort hot tub. After a night of drinking, however, the men wake up to discover that they are now in the year 1986 because they fell asleep in the hot tub time machine. Adam, Lou, and Nick have a chance to relive this pivotal moment in their lives, but changing even the slightest thing could mean disaster for everybody.
One of the things that stand out about Hot Tub Time Machine is how surprisingly good the ensemble cast is. Craig Robinson, with his deadpan delivery, wit, and comic timing, is as good as any other comic actor working in movies and television today. But the best here is Rob Corddry. As Lou, he’s a beast – a freaking, free-spirited beast of comedy and belly laughs. Playing Lou requires Corddry to bare his ass and to also bare his soul at the most inappropriate times, which Corddry does with ease.
The screenwriters of Hot Tub Time Machine mix different movie genres and formulas to create the movie. Hot Tub Time Machine is part arrested-development movie, like Old School, which finds 30-something men rediscovering their college-age years with mixed results. It is a time when they could drink and carouse without having to worry about adult responsibilities like holding a job, supporting a family, and paying bills. Like Wedding Crashers or The Hangover, this is also very guy-centric, with women acting merely as objects by which the guys can validate, redeem, or sexually relieve themselves.
Hot Tub Time Machine is also like those raunchy, teen sex comedies of the 1980s, and particularly resembles the 1984 ski comedy, Hot Dog…The Movie. Hot Tub presents a scenario in which the lead characters can alter the past via time travel – a familiar movie chestnut used in comedies like Groundhog Day and 13 Going on 30.
What makes Hot Tub Time Machine different is that Adam, Lou, Nick, and Jacob are not transformed into brand new, shiny good guys by the end of this film. They practically remain the same self-absorbed losers looking for self-gratification. In Old School, after regressing to immaturity and sewing their no-longer-wild oats, the guys go back to being upright citizens by movie’s end. Here, the guys don’t “grow up;” they just get lucky.
Hot Tub Time Machine is all over the place and there isn’t much of a story. Still, it proudly puts its lovable losers through an obstacle course of vulgar antics, and the result is a movie that will make you laugh and howl. The title, Hot Tub Time Machine, alone promises crude, offensive humor, and thank heavens that it delivers.
6 of 10
B
Thursday, August 12, 2010
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Drew Barrymore's "Going the Distance" Gets New Release Date
"GOING THE DISTANCE" MOVES TO SEPTEMBER 3rd
BURBANK, CA, AUGUST 12, 2010 - Warner Bros. Pictures is pushing the opening of the new comedy "Going the Distance" back one week, to September 3, 2010, it was announced today by Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution.
In making the announcement, Fellman stated, "Moving to the Labor Day weekend not only allows us to take advantage of the long holiday weekend, but gives us some distance from the other female-driven films releasing in August. Additionally, we have an opportunity to build more awareness and word-of-mouth for a movie we believe has strong appeal for a broad audience."
"Going the Distance" stars Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis and Christina Applegate. Barrymore plays Erin, whose wry wit and unfiltered frankness charm newly single Garrett (Justin Long) over beer, bar trivia and breakfast the next morning. Their chemistry sparks a full-fledged summer fling, but neither expects it to last once Erin heads home to San Francisco and Garrett stays behind for his job in New York City. But when six weeks of romping through the city inadvertently become meaningful, neither is sure they want it to end. But despite the opposite coasts, the couple just might have found something like love, and with the help of a lot of texting, sexting and late-night phone calls, they might actually go the distance.
Academy Award®-nominated documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein ("On the Ropes") directed "Going the Distance," which marks her feature film directorial debut. The film was produced by Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot and Garrett Grant from a screenplay by Geoff LaTulippe. Dave Neustadter, Richard Brener and Michael Disco served as executive producers.
New Line Cinema presents an Offspring Entertainment production, "Going the Distance." The film is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The movie is rated R by the MPAA for sexual content including dialogue, language throughout, some drug use and brief nudity.
http://www.going-the-distance.com/
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Simpsons Movie Brings the Groove Back - Sort of
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Running time: 87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for irreverent humor throughout
DIRECTOR: David Silverman
WRITERS: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder, and Jon Vitti; and consulting writers: Joel Cohen, John Frink, Tim Long, and Michael Price
PRODUCERS: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Richard Sakai, and Mike Scully
EDITOR: John Carnochan
BAFTA Award nominee
ANIMATION/COMEDY/ACTION/ADVENTURE
Starring: (voices) Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria, Marcia Wallace, Tress MacNeille, Pamela Hayden, Albert Brooks, and Tom Hanks
The Simpsons Movie is the long-awaited and long-promised big screen version of “The Simpsons,” the FOX television network’s long-running animated series (which has finished its 21st broadcast season as of this writing). The movie is not bad at all, and it is fun to see creator Matt Groening’s animated clan in a feature-length film. In fact, while it’s not great, it is certainly funnier and spicier than the TV series has been in recent years. Still, one would think that after a reported 158 rewrites of the screenplay, the film would have been funnier than it is.
The film begins with Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith) leading a charge to get Springfield Lake cleaned. Her father, Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta), however, does something that makes the lake highly toxic, which allows a conniving government official, Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks), to have a dome lowered over the entire city. Homer Simpson is used to alienating people, but the level of animosity he inspires after polluting the lake and inadvertently causing the city to be isolated is off the charts.
The residents of Springfield become a mob, and the Simpsons are forced to flee and take refuge in Alaska. Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner), however, is determined to return to her home, and that leads to a series of events that may finally force the best out of Homer. Meanwhile, Bart (Nancy Cartwright) had found a new father figure in neighbor Ned Flanders (Harry Shearer).
The Simpsons Movie was never going to be as bad as some thought it could be. There is just too much talent behind the franchise. Still, this movie may not be as good as some would want it to be. The first 30 minutes are quite good, full of the sparkling wit, sass, and bite that made the series so popular in the 1990s. The middle of the film (the Alaska segment) is woefully soft, and at times the narrative feels as if it is stuck in muddy hole. The last act turns the film sassy and funny again, with “The Simpsons’” own mixture of the intelligent and the moronic coming back into play.
The Simpsons Movie finishes off with a bang and may actually leave the viewer with a brief feeling of wanting more; at times, some moments of the film will cause hard laugher. Its candy-colored animation (much of it augmented by CGI) it true to the distinctive visual style of creator Matt Groening. In the pantheon of the best Simpson stories, The Simpsons Movie has a well-deserved place, even if that place isn’t as special as others.
6 of 10
B
NOTES:
2008 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Film” (David Silverman)
2008 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Film”
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Death Note Films Coming to Blu-Ray
Highly Anticipated Double-Feature Release Is Based On Popular Manga And Anime Series And Includes Death Note, Death Note II: The Last Name Feature Films And Bonus Disc
VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, will debut the Blu-ray Death Note Collection
on August 24th, 2010. The 3-disc set includes 2 feature films – Death Note and Death Note II: the Last name – as well as a bonus disc containing more than two hours of all new behind-the-scenes footage. Both films feature Japanese audio with English subtitles as well as an English dubbed dialogue track. MSRP for the Death Note Collection is $39.98 U.S. / $57.99 CAN.To celebrate the new release, VIZ Pictures will hold a special screening of both films at VIZ Cinema, located inside NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco’s Japantown (1746 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115) on Saturday, September 4th. Death Note plays at 12:00 noon and Death Note II screens at 2:30pm. Special combo tickets are available for $35.00 and include passes for the screenings, the Blu-ray release and a poster. Regular combo tickets are $15.00 for tickets for both shows (no Blu-ray or poster), while general admission for one screening is $10.00. Tickets and information are available at www.vizcinema.com.
As a special offer to U.S. and Canadian Death Note fans, VIZ Pictures will award three lucky winners posters for Death Note and Death Note II along with an autograph from one of the three lead actors – Tatsuya Fujiwara (who played Light), Erika Toda (Misa) and actor Kenichi Matusyama (L/Ryuzaki), one of the most promising actors in Japan, who can also be seen in films such as NANA (2006), Linda Linda Linda (2005) and Detroit Metal City (2008). The campaign runs until September 24th. For more details about the campaign, visit www.viz-pictures.com.
“Death Note is an intense psychological crime thriller and we’re very proud to debut both films in a special new collection on Blu-ray,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures. “Death Note established a new benchmark for Japanese anime, manga, and film and we invite domestic fans to savor all the tension and imaginative supernatural drama of this exciting new release from VIZ Pictures!”
Death Note is a battle of wits based on the acclaimed manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata (published in North America by VIZ Media, rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens). Law student Light is upset with the justice system and when he finds the Death Note dropped by a Shinigami death god, he vows to rid the world of evil. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies. As criminals all over the world begin to perish mysteriously, a world-renowned detective known only as ‘L’ is put on the case to stop this serial killer that the public calls ‘Kira.” The battle between Light and L continues in Death Note II: the Last name as Light joins the investigation team. L suspects Light of being Kira while Light attempts to learn L’s real name. Time becomes even more crucial with the appearance of a second Kira. Whose name will be the last written in the Death Note?
For more information on Death Note or other VIZ Pictures titles, please visit http://www.viz-pictures.com/.
About VIZ Pictures, Inc.:
Based in San Francisco, California, VIZ Pictures, Inc. licenses and distributes selective Japanese live-action films and DVDs, with focus on Japanese "kawaii (cute) and cool" pop culture. VIZ Pictures strives to offer the most entertaining motion pictures straight from the "Kingdom of Pop" for audiences of all ages, especially the manga and anime generation, in North America. Some titles include DEATH NOTE, 20TH CENTURY BOYS, and TRAIN MAN: DENSHA OTOKO. VIZ Pictures is also the producer of NEW PEOPLE, a part of the J-Pop Center Project, a unique entertainment destination bringing Japanese pop culture through film, art, fashion, and retail products. For more information please visit www.viz-pictures.com or www.newpeopleworld.com.
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