New "Rise of the Guardians" Poster Revealed

Here is a new poster from DreamWorks Animation's latest 3D computer-animated flick, Rise of the Guardians (to be distributed by Paramount Pictures).  Due November 21, 2012, the film stars the voice acting talents of Chris Pine, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, and Dakota Goyo.

Ken Burns' "The Central Park Five" Closes Montreal Black Film Fest

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE to close the 8th Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF)

The heart-wrenching film, The Central Park Five, will close the 8thannual Montreal International Black Film Festival on September 30, as a Quebec Premiere. THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE, which was also selected last May for the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival this fall, was directed by Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns, who have said that the film represents "the untold story of one of New York City's most horrible crimes."

"It is an honour to have this film make its Quebec debut at the MIBFF. We always close the festival with a hard-hitting film, and THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE is undoubtedly a film that will send chills down your spine, take you to the depths of human evil and change the way you think," stated Fabienne Colas, President-Founder of the Festival.

In 1989, five Black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were arrested and later convicted of raping a white woman in New York City's Central Park. They spent between six and thirteen years in prison before a serial rapist confessed that he alone had committed the crime, leading to their convictions being overturned. Set against a backdrop of a decaying city beset by violence and racial tension, the film tells the story of this horrific crime, the rush to judgment by the police, a media clamoring for sensational stories and an outraged public, and the five lives upended by this miscarriage of justice.

"This tragedy reminds us how much we struggle to come to terms with America's original sin, which is race. One only needs to look at the history books to understand that, unfortunately, the Central Park Five are not unique in American history," said Ken Burns. "This case is a lens through which we can understand the on-going fault-line of race in America. These young men were convicted long before the trial, by a city blinded by fear and, equally, freighted by race. They were convicted because it was all too easy for people to see them as violent criminals simply because of the color of their skin." said Sarah Burns, who also wrote The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of a City Wilding (Knopf, 2011). "Ultimately The Central Park Five is about human dignity. It is about five young men who lose their youth but maintain their dignity in the face of a horrific and unimaginable situation." said David McMahon.

The 8th annual MIBFF will take place from September 19 to 30, 2012, and is presented by Global Montreal.

ABOUT THE MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL BLACK FILM FESTIVAL (MIBFF)
Presented by Global Montreal, the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) was created in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, anon-profit organization dedicated to promoting Cinema, Art and Culture. The mission of the MIBFF is to stimulate the development of the independent film industry and to showcase more films on the realities of Blacks from around the world. The Festival wants to promote a different kind of cinema, cinema that hails from here and from abroad and that does not necessarily have the opportunity to grace the big screen, groundbreaking cinema that moves us, that raises awareness and that takes us all by surprise! The MIBFF wants to deal with issues and present works that raise questions, that provoke, that make us smile, that leave us perplexed, that shock us... A fresh new look at black cinema from the four corners of the globe.

Review: "The Cabin in the Woods" Mixes New Ideas with Tired Cliches

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 75 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity
DIRECTOR: Drew Goddard
WRITERS: Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard
PRODUCER: Joss Whedon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Deming (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Lisa Lassek
COMPOSER: David Julyan

HORROR/COMEDY with elements of an action film

Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian White, Amy Acker, Tim DeZarn, Tim Lenk, and Sigourney Weaver

The Cabin in the Woods is a 2012 comedy horror film directed and co-written by Drew Goddard and produced and co-written by Joss Whedon. Whedon and Goddard worked together on Whedon’s television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel. The film focuses on five friends who visit a remote cabin in the woods where they get more than the fun they bargained for.

Dana Polk (Kristen Connolly), Curt Vaughan (Chris Hemsworth), Jules Louden (Anna Hutchison), Marty Mikalski (Fran Kranz), and the new guy, Holden McCrea (Jesse Williams), decide to take a break from school. The group travels to a remote area where there is a cabin owned by Curt’s cousin. They like the cabin’s rustic décor, but are surprised to find that the cellar is full of weird and bizarre odds and ends. They don’t know that their visit to the cabin in the woods has initiated something horrifying.

The Cabin in the Woods was filmed and completed back in 2009, but its release was delayed by the financial troubles of MGM. Lionsgate purchased the film and gave it a wide release in April 2012. I mention that the film is a little over three-years-old because Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard apparently wrote The Cabin in the Woods’ screenplay as a response to the “torture porn” horror film genre.

This kind of scary movie has been popular for the past several years, although its popularity seems to have peaked about three or four years ago. The genre’s most famous examples would be the Hostel and Saw film franchises. Torture porn isn’t the big horror movie thing anymore because it was surpassed by something new. Now, it’s demonic possession movies, especially films featuring possessed white girls. In the real world, white girls get snatched up by strangers. In the movie world, demons snatch their asses.

Anyway, as is to be expected of anything from two of the big Buffy/Angel guys, The Cabin in the Woods is fun and funny, and it also has a clever concept. However, the film never really seems to reach its potential; it’s as if Whedon and Goddard came up with an idea that deserved something bigger than what they planned for it. It is almost a good slasher movie; not quite developed enough to be a supernatural evil movie; and a slight misfire as a strange science fiction and H.P. Lovecraft-type weird horror movie.

Still, The Cabin in the Woods is funny, strange, and clever enough to be a welcome change for horror movie fans. Maybe, the film is such a novelty that its tricks could not work a second time, but for the most part, they work this first time.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

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Paramount Helps You Make Your Own "Paranormal Activity"

Paramount Pictures and Ptch App Give Fans the Ability to Create Paranormal Activity Styled Multimedia Vignettes

Users Can Now Add Filters, Images and Sounds Inspired from Paranormal Activity to Create their Own Found Footage Videos to Share with Friends

Fans Can Share Paranormal Activity Inspired Videos for a Chance to Win Tickets to See Paranormal Activity 4 Before it Opens

Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., has teamed up with iPhone app Ptch (pronounced “pitch”) to give fans of the upcoming Paranormal Activity 4 an exciting new way to interact with the popular horror franchise. Starting today, Ptch app users will have the ability to integrate filters, sounds, clips and images from all four Paranormal Activity movies into their own videos and share them with friends on Ptch, Facebook, Twitter and email. This unique promotion with Ptch is the first time fans are able to add the films’ terrifying style into their own videos using Ptch. Paranormal Activity 4 opens in theaters nationwide on October 19, 2012.

Starting today, fans that create and share their own Paranormal Activity inspired vignettes could win tickets to be among the first to see Paranormal Activity 4 in their local theater, as well as, other movie merchandise. Winners will be chosen from a variety of categories including Most Popular (i.e. most shares, likes and views), Scariest, Most Realistic, and Most Tense. The contest will be open to U.S. residents ages 17 and older and will run until October 10, 2012. For full details and restrictions, see Official Rules (http://www.paranormalmovie.com/ptch/). No purchase necessary.

“Ptch was designed to empower the creative storyteller in everyone”, said Ed Leonard, CEO of Ptch. “I’m super excited to see what Paranormal Activity fans create using our new Paranormal Activity style that captures the fun and intensity of the films, and delivers it to user’s photos and videos.”

Launched in July 2012 and born out of DreamWorks Animation, Ptch’s iPhone app platform allows users to quickly and easily compose multimedia mash-ups up to 60 seconds in length using photos, videos and music from their iPhones and social feeds. The Paranormal Activity style gives users the ability to create found footage inspired vignettes with their iPhone camera through exclusive filters, creepy sounds and bone-chilling images into their Ptches. The Paranormal Activity style automatically recognizes if clips and images are shot in the daytime or at night, and integrates the appropriate filter. The style seamlessly integrates the jump cuts, graininess, and terrifying images from the film franchise, into users' Ptches, to create frighteningly textured vignettes from their photos and videos. These ptches can be easily shared with friends on Ptch and other social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The app also provides links for users to purchase films from the Paranormal Activity franchise.

The Ptch app is available for iPhone 4, 4S and 5 devices, as well as the iPod and iPad, and is free to download now in the Apple App Store.

About Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, ParamountVantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, ParamountHome Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Ptch
Ptch is the new iPhone app that lets you easily create and share personalized multimedia compositions using the video, photos, and music from your mobile device and social feeds. Making and sharing Ptches is fun, fast and social. Based in Glendale, California, Ptch is privately held and backed by DreamWorks Animation. (www.ptch.com) (@officialPtch)

Review: "Surf's Up" Has Impressive Animation

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 136 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Surf’s Up (2007) – computer animation
Running time: 85 minutes (1 hour, 25 minutes)
MPAA – PG for mild language and some rude humor
DIRECTORS: Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
WRITERS: Don Rhymer and Ash Brannon and Chris Buck and Christopher Jenkins; from a story by Christopher Jenkins and Christian Darren with Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse
PRODUCER: Christopher Jenkins
EDITORS: Ivan Bilancio and Nancy Frazen
Academy Award nominee

ANIMATION/COMEDY/SPORTS with elements of drama

Starring: (voices) Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, James Woods, Diedrich Bader, Mario Cantone, Brian Posehn, and Dana Belben

The subject of this movie review is Surf’s Up, a 2007 computer-animated film directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck. The film is a mock documentary or “mockumentary” (with This is Spinal Tap being the most famous example). It was one of three 2007 films to receive best animated feature Oscar nominations (a category Ratatouille won).

A documentary film crew follows a young penguin who loves to surf in Surf’s Up, the computer-animated film from Sony Pictures Animation (Open Season) which takes the notion that penguins invented surfing.

Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf) is not like the other penguins in Shiverpool, Antarctica. He’d rather surf than process fish all day. Opportunity arrives when he talks his way into the Big Z Memorial Surf-Off, an international surf tournament named in memory of Cody’s idol, the legendary surfing penguin, Zeke “Big Z” Topanga.

When Cody arrives on Pen Gu Island, he realizes that he doesn’t really fit in very well because he is a small wave surfer in a big wave event. He quickly earns the ire of a mouthy surfing promoter, a hedgehog named Reggie Belafonte (James Woods), and the 9-time reigning champion, the utterly arrogant penguin Tank “The Shredder” Evans (Diedrich Bader). Cody does manage to make a fast friend in Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), a surfing rooster from Michigan, and also attract the attention of sexy lifeguard, Lani Aliikai (Zooey Deschanel). However, it’s when he meets the mysterious Geek (Jeff Bridges), a reclusive penguin who lives on the other side of the island that Cody learns there is more to discover in surfing than just how to win a tournament.

Although on the surface it resembles leftovers from the Oscar-winning computer-animated hit, Happy Feet (2006), Surf’s Up is actually a good film on its own. It is an entertaining comedy that not only has some really cool surfing scenes, but also has a nice message about friendship. Shia LaBeouf and Jeff Bridges have excellent chemistry, which may be due to the fact that the voice actors recorded their dialogue together in one room – a rarity in feature film animation. As the burnt-out, but wise teacher, Geek, and his stubborn pupil, Cody, Bridges and LaBeouf respectively add solid dramatic weight and traction to the characters’ relationship with their voice performances. Each actor brings both gentle sarcasm and humor to their roles, but they both know when to add a somber touch when the story calls for it.

As for the rest of the cast: Jon Heder manages to seem fresh, although even here he is pretty much playing the same kind of goofy dude part he’s been repeatedly playing for the last three years. Zooey Deschanel is always a nice presence – somehow managing to add a touch of sweetness to any film in which she appears. James Woods is shrill and his character, Reggie Belafonte, is way more annoying than he needs to be.

The aforementioned surfing scenes are surprisingly good – a testament to how supernaturally skilled these programmers, software guys, and animators who make computer-animated films are. That they make the surfing look so good with penguins on the surf boards adds to the amazement.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, November 10, 2007

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards: 1nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Ash Brannon and Chris Buck)

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"Open Season" is a Good Buddy Comedy

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux


Open Season (2006)
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some rude humor, mild action, and brief language
DIRECTORS: Roger Allers and Jill Culton with Anthony Stacchi
WRITERS: Steve Bencich & Ron J. Friedman and Nat Maudlin; from a screen story by Jill Culton and Anthony Stacchi; from an original story by Steve Moore and John Carls
PRODUCER: Michelle Murdocca
EDITORS: Ken Solomon and Pam Ziegenhagen

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY and ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: (voices) Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Debra Messing, Billy Connolly, Jon Favreau, Patrick Warburton, Gordon Tootoosis, Jane Krakowski, Georgia Engel, and Cody Cameron

Open Season is Sony Pictures Animation’s first computer-animated (or 3D animation) feature film. This fish-out-water, reluctant buddy movie is a likeable story, but the animation is truly the star here.

Boog (Martin Lawrence), a domesticated grizzly bear, lives the good life in the tranquil town of Timberline with his kindhearted surrogate mother, Beth (Debra Messing), who rescued Boog when he was a cub. One day, Boog rescues Eliot (Ashton Kutcher), a mule deer with one antler missing, from the clutches of Shaw (Gary Sinise), the local law breaking, fanatical hunter. Eliot follows Boog home to his cushy digs where he lives with Beth, but this reluctant new friendship lands Boog in a lot of trouble. Before he knows it, Boog is left out in the wild, completely unprepared to live in the real world. Suddenly Boog and Eliot are forced into a partnership, and they have to survive the start of open season or they and all the forest animals may end up mounted on some hunter’s wall.

With 2006 being a busy year for 3D animated films, Open Season stands out for two reasons. First, the voice performances are very good, in particular Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, and Gary Sinise. Lawrence mixes gruff charm, a slight ego, and a genial self-effacing attitude that makes Boog come across as a sort of everyman who is simply looking to enjoy his comfy life without making too many waves. Kutcher’s Eliot is the classic manic funnyman who is always in trouble and manages to drag an unsuspecting stranger down with him. Sinise’s Shaw is a great comic villain, and he gives a fine performance by making his recognizable voice unrecognizable.

The animation is very good, and immediately had my attention. The character motion is fluid, and the movement of objects within the sets (car chases, floods, battle scenes, etc.) is spectacular. Sony Pictures Animation manages to duplicate the “squash and stretch” effect (think classic Looney Tunes and MGM cartoon shorts) of DreamWorks’ Madagascar with the kind of lush colors Pixar delivers in films like Finding Nemo and Cars. The characters are rubbery and flexible, and that adds to the comedy, especially in big action scenes (like the “dam break” and the battle between the forest animals and hunters). Open Season’s color palette perfectly recreates a lush autumn forest and the comforting earth tones of the great outdoors.

Open Season makes the buddy action comedy seem new by setting it as a delightful animal fable with lots of sassy banter and gentle innuendo. The animation captures the eye because it imitates the best of earlier 3D cartoon features, but also manages to be its own new thing. The characters are endearing, and Boog and Eliot make an excellent animation comedy pair, but this beautiful animation with its idiosyncratic visual style is something to remember.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Wil Wheaton Joins Wizard World Austin's Star Trek TNG Reunion

'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' 'Stand By Me' Star Wil Wheaton Added To Wizard World Austin Comic Con Lineup

Eighth Cast Member To Join 25-Year 'TNG' Reunion At Austin Convention Center, October 26-28

Wil Wheaton, who starred as a teenager in the classic coming-of-age film Stand By Me in 1986 and a year later earned an important role in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” will appear at next month's Wizard World Austin Comic Con. Wheaton joins seven other “TNG” cast members in a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the start of the landmark series, Oct. 26-28 at the Austin Convention Center.

Wheaton portrayed Wesley Crusher, son of Dr. Beverly Crusher (played by Gates McFadden) in the show. Other fellow “TNG” cast members scheduled for Austin include Patrick Stewart (Capt. Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Lieutenant Worf), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi) and Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data).

Wheaton is also known for popular roles as Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers (1991) and portraying himself on the series “The Big Bang Theory.” He is an avid blogger, with frequent postings at Wil Wheaton Dot Net and WWdN: In Exile.

In addition to Wheaton and the rest of the “TNG” crew, top celebrities scheduled to attend include Eliza Dushku (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” True Lies), WWE® Superstar CM Punk®, Dean Cain (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” “90210”), Anthony Michael Hall (Sixteen Candles, Weird Science), Michael Rooker (“The Walking Dead,” Cliffhanger) and the Boondock Saints trio of Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery and David Della Rocco, among others.

Wizard World Austin Comic Con, produced by Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD.PK), will bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Admission is free for kids 10 and under, and Sunday, Oct. 28, is “Kids Day,” with an array of programming specially designed for children.

For more on the 2012 Wizard World Austin Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-tx.html.


About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

***** SAVE THE 2012-13 DATES *****
September 28-30, 2012 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con
October 26-28, 2012 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con
November 30 - December 2, 2012 – Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con
February 22-24, 2013 – Wizard World Portland Comic Con
May 30 - June 2, 2013 – Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con
August 8-11, 2013 – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con