Documentary "No End in Sight" is Simply Brilliant

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 139 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

No End in Sight (2007)
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – no rated
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Charles Ferguson
PRODUCERS: Jennie Amias, Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs, and Jessie Vogelson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Antonio Rossi
EDITORS: Chad Beck and Cindy Lee
Academy Award nominee

DOCUMENTARY – Politics, Iraq War

Starring: Campbell Scott (narrator), Chris Allbritton, Richard Armitage, Amazia Baram, Ambassador Barbara Bodine, Gerald Burke, Gen. Jay Garner, Col. Paul Hughes, George Packer, Paul Pillar, Nir Rosen Walter Slocombe, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson with Seth Moulton, Hugo Gonzales, and David Yancey

No End in Sight is the acclaimed documentary from award-winning documentary filmmaker (and former Brookings Institution fellow) Charles Ferguson. No End in Sight examines the decisions that led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March of 2003 but mostly focuses on the handling of the subsequent occupation as managed by the administration of President George W. Bush. The film, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival (where it won the “Special Jury Prize for Documentaries”), features exclusive interviews with central players in the planning and execution of the invasion. Using these interviews, Ferguson also offers a detailed analysis of the American occupation of Iraq through most of 2006.

Masterfully edited and tightly composed as a narrative, No End in Sight provides a broad view of the poor planning and general incompetence in managing post-invasion Iraq. The film also reveals the Bush administration’s ignorance about Iraq and the high-level arrogance that in turn resulted in poor decision making early in the occupation of Iraq. Charles H. Ferguson, a political scientist and software entrepreneur, pulls no punches as he chronicles the twists and turns the Bush administration took to lead American down the path to war, but rather than merely acting as a Bush-hater, Ferguson wants to make us mad. Arrogance, mishandling, GOP cronyism, willful ignorance, etc. cost the United States dearly in Iraq. Ferguson’s argument is that the early days of the occupation should and could have gone much better that it did, but the early mistakes essentially made the occupation of Iraq, over the long run, a disaster for the U.S., if not outright dooming the occupation to failure. The film seems to say, “We should be mad because it should have gone better.”

No End in Sight doesn’t necessarily take sides. Was the 2003 invasion of Iraq right or wrong? Ferguson avoids that question, for the most part. Instead, he focuses on how U.S. success in Iraq was lost from the beginning, and that’s damning enough.

9 of 10
A+

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Documentary, Features” (Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs)

"Detroit Metal City" Arriving on DVD in November

THE MOST DIOBOLOCAL HEAVY METAL SINGER FROM JAPAN IS UNLEASHED ON THE U.S. IN HILARIOUS COMEDY DETROIT METAL CITY NEW ON DVD FROM VIZ PICTURES

Film Based On A Popular Manga Series And Features Appearances By Gene Simmons Of KISS And Marty Friedman Of MEGADETH

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the DVD release on November 9th of Detroit Metal City. The live-action comedy, directed by Toshio Lee and based on the popular manga comic created by Kiminori Wakasugi, is presented in Japanese with English subtitles and will carry an MSRP of $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN.

To celebrate the release, VIZ Pictures has scheduled a special one-night-only screening of Detroit Metal City at 7:15pm on Tuesday, November 4th at VIZ Cinema, located inside NEW PEOPLE in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown (1746 Post St., San Francisco CA 94115).

Deluxe tickets to the screening are $25.00 and include a pass to the film, a copy of the new DVD, a poster and stickers, and entry into a raffle for several fun DETROIT METAL CITY premiums. Prizes will be awarded and attendees are invited to also enjoy complementary beverages before the show. Regular admission tickets are $10.00 (for film only). Please visit www.viz-pictures.com or www.vizcinema.com for complete details.

Detroit Metal City takes the zany rock antics inspired by films like Spinal Tap to hilarious new extremes in this story, based on a popular manga comic created by Kiminori Wakasugi that has sold more than 4.5 million copies in Japan (and published in North America by VIZ Media). It features notable appearances by Gene Simmons from the legendary band, KISS, and Marty Friedman of Megadeth, and stars Kenichi Matsuyama, one of the most adored actors in Japan today and known widely for his role as 'L' in the Death Note films (also available from VIZ Pictures).

“Detroit Metal City is a delightfully funny film that is a must-see for any rock fan,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures. “Actor Kenichi Matsuyama brings the character of Johannes Krauser II to life in an inventive slapstick performance takes hints from Jim Carrey, Johnny Rotten and Alice Cooper. We look forward to audiences discovering this hilarious comedy that shows how fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when you’re the most diabolical, foul – and popular – heavy metal singer in Japan.”

In the film, Soichi Negishi (played by Kenichi Matsuyama) is a sweet and shy young man who dreams of becoming a trendy singer songwriter. But for some reason, he is forced into joining the devil worshiping death metal band “Detroit Metal City” (DMC). In full stage make-up and costume, he transforms into Johannes Krauser II the vulgar-mouthed lead vocalist of the band. But he must keep this a secret from his crush, Yuri Aikawa, who despises death metal. What would she think if she found out? But against Negishi’s will, DMC rises to stardom. Things get even more complicated when the legendary king of death metal, Jack IL Dark (played by Gene Simmons), challenges DMC to a duel in the film’s climatic finale. What will be the fate of innocent Negishi as he climbs to the top of the death metal world?

For more information on Detroit Metal City 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 http://www.newpeopleworld.com/.

Review: "Vanity Fair" is a Good Old Fashioned Costume Melodrama (Happy B'day, Mira Nair)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Vanity Fair (2004)
Running time: 137 minutes (2 hours, 17 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sensuality/partial nudity and a brief violent image
DIRECTOR: Mira Nair
WRITERS: Matthew Faulk and Mark Skeet and Julian Fellowes (based upon the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray)
PRODUCERS: Janette Day, Lydia Dean Pilcher, and Donna Gigliotti
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Declan Quinn
EDITOR: Allyson C. Johnson

DRAMA with elements of romance

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, James Purefoy, Romola Garai, Tony Maudsley, Rhys Ifans, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Bob Hoskins, Douglas Hodge, Meg Wynn Owen, Natasha Little, Eileen Atkins, Jim Broadbent, Robert Pattinson, and Gabriel Byrne

Born into the lower class, Rebecca “Becky” Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) becomes a relentless social climber in London society, circa 1820. She ascends the social ladder with her friend, Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai), who is from a noble, but broke family. Becky begins as a governess before marrying a financially challenged nobleman, Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy), who is also a gambler. She eventually discovers herself to be as vain and as foolish as anyone born of noble blood.

I love costume dramas, especially English films of this type, so I was bound to be a sucker for director Mira Nair’s Vanity Fair, the film adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s massive 19-century novel. I’ve never read the novel, but I could still see that something was amiss. Reese Witherspoon seems ill cast as Thackeray’s cunning anti-heroine. Her accent is shoddy, her acting range is limited, and she’s just playing her Legally Blonde character in an English costume drama. Luckily, the camera loves her, and she has a charming film personality, even when she’s wrong for a part.

Vanity Fair also swings back and forth between being riveting and tepid, although Ms. Nair injects some exotic charm in it via Indian culture in the form of music, dance, costume, and bit players. What turns the film to its better half is that Ms. Nair and her primary screenwriter, Oscar winner, Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), are able to wring poignancy out of the British stiff upper lip by emphasizing the disastrous consequences of human vanity and pride, mostly resulting from class prejudice. The theme seems to be that the personal cost of pride to the characters in terms of lost love and lost loved ones who departed (either through death or personal exile) before reconciliation is too high. In this the film rings true.

Vanity Fair is also a gorgeous period film filled with lavish sets and sumptuous costumes. Even the examples of poverty in the film and the portrayal of the filthy London streets seem authentic. The film’s visual flair more than makes up for its shaky moments, and while Vanity Fair isn’t as good as classic Merchant Ivory films like A Room with a View and Howard’s End, this classic of British literature, adapted with a hint of Indian spice, will sate the appetite for good old costume drama.

7 of 10
B+

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Review: "Mississippi Masala" A Dish That Ages Well (Happy B'day, Mira Nair)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 (of 2001) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mississippi Masala (1991/1992)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Mira Nair
WRITER: Sooni Taraporevala
PRODUCERS: Mira Nair and Michael Nozik
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Edward Lachman
EDITOR: Roberto Silvi
Image Award winner

DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore, Charles Dutton, Jon Seneca, Ranjit Chowdhry, Tico Wells, and Yvette Hawkins

When Edi Amin takes power in Uganda in 1972, Jay (Roshan Seth), a Ugandan of Indian descent takes his wife Kinnu (Sharmila Tagore) and daughter Mina (Sarita Choudhury) into exile. They eventually arrive in Greenwood, Mississippi and some time passes.

In the early Nineties, Mina falls in love with Demetrius Williams (Denzel Washington), a black man who runs a small carpet cleaning business with his brother Tyrone (Charles S. Dutton). What follows is the story of the difficult time that Mina and Demetrius’s families have dealing with the mixed relationship. At the same time, Jay longs for his homeland of Kampala, Uganda and pursues a lawsuit through a post-Amin government to regain the property he lost when Amin expelled Asians and non-black Africans from Uganda.

In Mississippi Masala, director Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!) weaves a passionate, literate affair that slowly draws the viewer from a Uganda of rich, vibrant colors to a Greenwood, MS of heavy, earthy tones. She allows her prodigiously talented cast to do their thing, and they certainly take to it.

Washington is, as expected, very good. He is a sullen, cheeky fellow who quickly becomes smitten with the beautiful Mina after initially using her to spite his ex. Ms. Choudhury, who is sadly rarely seen in movies, possesses a face rich in its display of emotions. However, behind the husky, dark brown face is a mysterious pool of thoughts and feelings that one must brave to completely enjoy the experience of viewing her acting gifts.

Roshan Seth (Gandhi, A Passage to India) as Mina’s father Ray is also good; he is subtle even when he must be angry and passionate. The viewer can feel his pain and longing for his homeland. He is the bridge in the present from the past to the future, and he is the emotional center of the film. So good is he, that you will feel that you have to cry along with him when he cries, and you will struggle with him as he finds his way when he is lost.

A soundtrack that covers Hindu music, African songs, and the delta blues and soul flows through this film like a gentle breeze. It is a wonderful accompaniment to Taraporevala’s novel like script, which deals with its characters as if the film was a novel and had all the time in the world. It is only a slight problem that there are too many good characters. Taraporevala created such wonderful characters rich in back story, and he only has time to give us a small taste of most of them.

Taraporevala and Nair also make not too subtle comments on race and ethnicity. White folks are only minor characters in the film. They mar their brief appearances with their ignorance and racism. Even the poorest, trashiest whites in the film take on an air of superiority to any non-white they meet in the film. At one point, a loan manager at a local bank lectures Demetrius and Tyrone on how far hard work has gotten him, the loan officer, when it is clear that he hasn’t worked a hard day in his life, and. If he has, he has probably never known the struggle and disappointment that Demetrius and his brother have faced.

The “masala” of the title is an Indian dish composed of colorful spices, and the multi-national, multi-ethnic cast is just like that. The small servings that we get of most of them are indeed spicy and leave us longing for more.

This film only gets better with age, and leaves you always wanting more. One of the best films of its time, it is worth repeated viewings. Mississippi Masala is a thinking person’s film with an eye on telling a story to which anyone can relate – love so strong that no opposing forces are strong enough to dispose of it.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1994 Image Awards: 1 win: “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture” (Denzel Washington)

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65 Countries Submit Entries for 2010 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar

It is almost upon us - that time of year when the movie awards season cranks up - as this press release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences attests:

65 Countries Enter Race for 2010 Foreign Language Film Oscar®

Beverly Hills, CA (October 13, 2010) — Sixty-five countries, including first-time entrants Ethiopia and Greenland, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards®.

The 2010 submissions are:

Albania, “East, West, East,” Gjergj Xhuvani, director;

Algeria, “Hors la Loi” (“Outside the Law”), Rachid Bouchareb, director;

Argentina, “Carancho,” Pablo Trapero, director;

Austria, “La Pivellina,” Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, directors;

Azerbaijan, “The Precinct,” Ilgar Safat, director;

Bangladesh, “Third Person Singular Number,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;

Belgium, “Illegal,” Olivier Masset-Depasse, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Circus Columbia,” Danis Tanovic, director;

Brazil, “Lula, the Son of Brazil,” Fabio Barreto, director;

Bulgaria, “Eastern Plays,” Kamen Kalev, director;

Canada, “Incendies,” Denis Villeneuve, director;

Chile, “The Life of Fish,” Matias Bize, director;

China, “Aftershock,” Feng Xiaogang, director;

Colombia, “Crab Trap,” Oscar Ruiz Navia, director;

Costa Rica, “Of Love and Other Demons,” Hilda Hidalgo, director;

Croatia, “The Blacks,” Goran Devic and Zvonimir Juric, directors;

Czech Republic, “Kawasaki’s Rose,” Jan Hrebejk, director;

Denmark, “In a Better World,” Susanne Bier, director;

Egypt, “Messages from the Sea,” Daoud Abdel Sayed, director;

Estonia, “The Temptation of St. Tony,” Veiko Ounpuu, director;

Ethiopia, “The Athlete,” Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew, directors;

Finland, “Steam of Life,” Joonas Berghall and Mika Hotakainen, directors;

France, “Of Gods and Men,” Xavier Beauvois, director;

Georgia, “Street Days,” Levan Koguashvili, director;

Germany, “When We Leave,” Feo Aladag, director;

Greece, “Dogtooth,” Yorgos Lanthimos, director;

Greenland, “Nuummioq,” Otto Rosing and Torben Bech, directors;

Hong Kong, “Echoes of the Rainbow,” Alex Law, director;

Hungary, “Bibliotheque Pascal,” Szabolcs Hajdu, director;

Iceland, “Mamma Gogo,” Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, director;

India, “Peepli [Live],” Anusha Rizvi, director;

Indonesia, “How Funny (Our Country Is),” Deddy Mizwar, director;

Iran, “Farewell Baghdad,” Mehdi Naderi, director;

Iraq, “Son of Babylon,” Mohamed Al-Daradji, director;

Israel, “The Human Resources Manager,” Eran Riklis, director;

Italy, “La Prima Cosa Bella” (“The First Beautiful Thing”), Paolo Virzi, director;

Japan, “Confessions,” Tetsuya Nakashima, director;

Kazakhstan, “Strayed,” Akan Satayev, director;

Korea, “A Barefoot Dream,” Tae-kyun Kim, director;

Kyrgyzstan, “The Light Thief,” Aktan Arym Kubat, director;

Latvia, “Hong Kong Confidential,” Maris Martinsons, director;

Macedonia, “Mothers,” Milcho Manchevski, director;

Mexico, “Biutiful,” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director;

Netherlands, “Tirza,” Rudolf van den Berg, director;

Nicaragua, “La Yuma,” Florence Jaugey, director;

Norway, “The Angel,” Margreth Olin, director;

Peru, “Undertow” (“Contracorriente”), Javier Fuentes-Leon, director;

Philippines, “Noy,” Dondon S. Santos and Rodel Nacianceno, directors;

Poland, “All That I Love,” Jacek Borcuch, director;

Portugal, “To Die Like a Man,” Joao Pedro Rodrigues, director;

Puerto Rico, “Miente” (“Lie”), Rafael Mercado, director;

Romania, “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle,” Florin Serban, director;

Russia, “The Edge,” Alexey Uchitel, director;

Serbia, “Besa,” Srdjan Karanovic, director;

Slovakia, “Hranica” (“The Border”), Jaroslav Vojtek, director;

Slovenia, “9:06,” Igor Sterk, director;

South Africa, “Life, above All,” Oliver Schmitz, director;

Spain, “Tambien la Lluvia” (“Even the Rain”), Iciar Bollain, director;

Sweden, “Simple Simon,” Andreas Ohman, director;

Switzerland, “La Petite Chambre,” Stephanie Chuat and Veronique Reymond, directors;

Taiwan, “Monga,” Chen-zer Niu, director;

Thailand, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” Apichatpong Weerasethakul, director;

Turkey, “Bal” (“Honey”), Semih Kaplanoglu, director;

Uruguay, “La Vida Util,” Federico Veiroj, director;

Venezuela, “Hermano,” Marcel Rasquin, director.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide. [END]

Review: "Hostel" is Trash Cinema with Imagination

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Hostel (2005)
Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R for brutal scenes of torture and violence, strong sexual content, language, and drug use
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Eli Roth
PRODUCERS: Chris Briggs, Mike Fleiss, and Eli Roth
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Milan Chadima with Shane Daly (additional photography)
EDITOR: George Folsey, Jr.

HORROR

Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jana Kaderabkova, Jan Vlasák, and Jennifer Lim

Two American college students, Josh (Derek Richardson) and Paxton (Jay Hernandez), on the verge of grad and law school respectively, take a tour of Europe hoping to make the kind of wild memories they can vividly recall while doing the serious business of being grown up. With, Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson), a European friend they meet in Barcelona, they travel to the Netherlands where they hear of a town in Slovakia where the women are horny for American men because all their own men were killed in one of the various civil wars that began after the fall of the Soviet Empire. Josh, Paxton, and Oli make the trip and find a hostel (a college dormitory style hotel for young people, which is usually supervised) in an out-of-the-way Slovakian town that is indeed stocked with European women hot for American men. However, there is something dark, brutal, and very ugly just beneath the surface of the easy sex.

Many film fans considered Eli Roth’s horror film, Cabin Fever, to be problematic, but they believed that it showed much promise for Roth’s future as a director of horror films. That promise is supposed to be met in Roth’s new horror film, Hostel. As far as I’m concerned Cabin Fever had problems, but was one of the best and truest horror films in the last decade. Hostel is actually a step back.

The film is gallows schlock, the kind of gory film a frat boy would make. In fact, the two American lead characters are not only spoiled college students, but are also the kind of dumb Americans who think every backwoods, exotic, international locale is just another place to score girls and indulge in super hedonistic behavior. The only thing that makes them sympathetic is that they are Americans, and since we can see their doom coming from ten miles away (while they apparently can’t see it a few feet in front of them), we can be sympathetic because we as Americans wouldn’t want to be trapped in a strange foreign place with no cavalry, let alone an American embassy, there to save us.

The film, like even the worst horror movies, at least succeeds in creating creepy atmosphere and a fine impending sense of doom that pervades the film’s first half hour. The film features nine foreign languages, none with subtitles – a record for an American film without subtitles, and that actually adds a nice touch to the film’s surreal and strange mood. However, the narrative itself is dull, and the gore shamelessly gruesome and overdone; it makes Rob Zombie’s flicks look mainstream. Hostel is also somewhat misogynistic. Women in this film are either flesh pots into which the Americans can insert their genitalia, or they’re skanky Euro-whores screwing, drugging, and lying men to their dooms – kind of like a heifer leading the bulls into the slaughter pens.

The film does have a redeeming quality – the last act, in particularly the last twenty minutes. At that point Hostel transforms itself from pornographic gore into a brilliant European chase flick. It’s taut, edge-of-the-seat pace is filled with moments of comic horror, just enough to make you laugh off the tension. Still, that’s not enough to make Hostel more than a DVD rental.

5 of 10
C+

Saturday, January 07, 2006

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How to Train Your Dragon the TV Series Arriving in 2012

Cartoon Network Soars With Worldwide Broadcast Rights To DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon Television Series

Groundbreaking CG Animated Weekly Series to Premiere in 2012

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cartoon Network announced today that DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: DWA) critically acclaimed feature film, How To Train Your Dragon, will be coming to the network as a weekly series in both domestic and international regions beginning in 2012. A success with audiences and critics alike, this epic adventure-comedy about a young Viking and his unlikely friendship with a dragon has grossed nearly $500 million at the worldwide box office to date and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 15, 2010.

“Great characters and captivating story telling along with state of the art animation is what we love giving our audience,” said Stuart Snyder, President/COO of Turner’s Animation, Young Adults & Kids Business. “The How To Train Your Dragon weekly series definitely falls into that category of giving our viewers around the globe something they can’t find anywhere else on television and DreamWorks Animation is a proven leader in taking this art form to the next level. We are ecstatic to be bringing this project to our network and working with everyone at DreamWorks Animation.”

“How To Train Your Dragon has already captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world and we are thrilled to join together with Cartoon Network to expand on this amazing movie in a television series of its own,” commented Ann Daly, COO of DreamWorks Animation. “It is incredibly exciting to be able to bring viewers deeper into the world of dragons and tell new stories each week inspired by our characters from the film.”

DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon, based on the book by Cressida Cowell, rolls fire-breathing action, epic adventure and laughs into a captivating and original story. Hiccup is a young Viking who defies tradition when he befriends one of his deadliest foes — a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. Together, the unlikely heroes must fight against all odds to save both of their worlds.

In the How To Train Your Dragon television series on Cartoon Network, the characters and worlds originally created for the big screen will be explored and further developed in a number of exciting ways that will be revealed over time. TV audiences will be taken on original, new adventures with Hiccup and Toothless every week.

Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in more than 97 million U.S. homes and 166 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for youth and families. Nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET, PT), Cartoon Network U.S. shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animated and live-action series for young adults 18-34. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

DreamWorks Animation creates high-quality entertainment, including CG animated feature films, television specials and series, live entertainment properties and online virtual worlds, meant for audiences around the world. The Company has world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced filmmaking technology and techniques. DreamWorks Animation has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by FORTUNE® Magazine for two consecutive years. In 2010, DreamWorks Animation ranks #6 on the list. All of DreamWorks Animation’s feature films are now being produced in 3D. The Company has theatrically released a total of 20 animated feature films, including the franchise properties of Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon. DreamWorks Animation’s next feature film is Megamind, scheduled to be released in 3D on November 5, 2010.