I got an email from a Paramount Pictures press rep with this headline:
"MICHAEL BAY ANNOUNCES MARK WAHLBERG WILL BE THE NEW LEAD IN TRANSFORMERS 4!"
Apparently, there is more information at www.MichaelBay.com.
I'd lost interest in the Transformers film franchise, but I'm back in because I loves me some Wahlberg.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
"Man of Steel" to Get the 3D Treatment
“Man of Steel” to Soar into Theaters Next Summer in 3D
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that director Zack Snyder’s upcoming action adventure “Man of Steel” will be presented in 3D in select theaters, as well as in 2D and IMAX®, so fans of the iconic superhero will be able to experience the much-anticipated movie in their format of choice.
Snyder stated, “The film is going to be a visually exciting experience in all formats: 2D, 3D and IMAX. Anticipating how audiences today embrace 3D, we designed and photographed the movie in a way that would allow ‘Man of Steel’ to captivate those movie goers, while respecting fans who prefer a more traditional cinematic experience. We’ve taken great measures to ensure the film and the story come first, and 3D is meant as an enhancement.”
The film stars Henry Cavill in the role of Superman/Clark Kent, alongside three-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams (“The Fighter”), Oscar® nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”), Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves”), Oscar® nominee Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”), Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”), Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, Harry Lennix, Michael Kelly, Richard Shiff, and Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).
“Man of Steel” is produced by Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer, from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment. Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters are the film’s executive producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, “Man of Steel.” The film is slated for release on June 14, 2013 and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
www.manofsteel.com
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that director Zack Snyder’s upcoming action adventure “Man of Steel” will be presented in 3D in select theaters, as well as in 2D and IMAX®, so fans of the iconic superhero will be able to experience the much-anticipated movie in their format of choice.
Snyder stated, “The film is going to be a visually exciting experience in all formats: 2D, 3D and IMAX. Anticipating how audiences today embrace 3D, we designed and photographed the movie in a way that would allow ‘Man of Steel’ to captivate those movie goers, while respecting fans who prefer a more traditional cinematic experience. We’ve taken great measures to ensure the film and the story come first, and 3D is meant as an enhancement.”
The film stars Henry Cavill in the role of Superman/Clark Kent, alongside three-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams (“The Fighter”), Oscar® nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”), Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves”), Oscar® nominee Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”), Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”), Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, Harry Lennix, Michael Kelly, Richard Shiff, and Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).
“Man of Steel” is produced by Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer, from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment. Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters are the film’s executive producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, “Man of Steel.” The film is slated for release on June 14, 2013 and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
www.manofsteel.com
Review: Likeable Characters Make "The OH in Ohio" (Happy B'day, Parker Posey)
The OH in Ohio (2006)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – R for sexual content, language, and some drug content
DIRECTOR: Billy Kent
WRITERS: Adam Wierzbianski; from a story by Sarah Bird, Billy Kent, and Adam Wierzbianski
PRODUCERS: Miranda Bailey, Francey Grace, and Amy Salko Robertson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ramsey Nickell (director of photography)
EDITORS: Paul Bertino and Michael R. Miller
COMPOSER: Bruno Coon
COMEDY with elements of romance
Starring: Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, Mischa Barton, Miranda Bailey, Liza Minnelli, Keith David, Tim Russ, and Danny DeVito
The subject of this movie review is The OH in Ohio, a 2006 indie comedy from director Billy Kent. The film stars Parker Posey and Paul Rudd as a couple whose problems with the orgasm causes them marital strife.
Pricilla Chase (Parker Posey) has fashioned the perfect life for herself. She married her high school sweetheart, biology teacher Jack Chase (Paul Rudd), and she’s a high-powered advertising executive. Pricilla, however, has left something out of her life – her orgasm, and Jack claims that her inability to have an orgasm has ruined their marriage. While Jack goes off rediscovering his manhood with a smart young coed, Kristen Taylor (Mischa Barton), Pricilla sets off to discover self-pleasure and along the way falls for the unlikeliest lover, Wayne the Pool Guy (Danny DeVito).
The OH in Ohio is an entertaining indie film, one of those that appeals to a much wider audience than the small one that had a chance to see it during a limited theatrical run and film festival showings. Although the script is funny, the strength of the picture comes from the ability of the actors to make the most of their parts – another trait of indie flicks. Each actor takes his or her part, regardless of size, and gives it some zing and zest so that the character engages the viewer and sticks in his mind throughout the movie, even if the character only appears on screen once or twice.
Credit goes to director Billy Kent for allowing his actors to make use of their ability to take characters off the written page and embellish them. Although the leads are good, Mischa Barton as Kristen Taylor and Keith David as Coach Popovitch (hilariously blunt and randy) sparkle in support of the leads. The OH in Ohio is what many indie films are – movies defined by their quirky characters (think Little Miss Sunshine), and this is a movie for people who love characters.
6 of 10
B
Monday, January 15, 2007
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012
2012 BronzeLens Film Festival Opens Nov. 8th in Atlanta
BronzeLens 2012 to Screen 50 Feature Films, Narrative Fiction, Documentaries and Shorts November 8th-11th at Georgia Pacific Center, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, World of Coca-Cola, Morehouse School of Medicine and Georgia Power Auditorium
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Filmmakers representing the United States, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe comprise the more than 50 films to be screened for BronzeLens 2012. Now in its third year, the BronzeLens Film Festival (BronzeLens) continues to be one the nation’s most anticipated film festival events. The festival takes place November 8-11, 2012 and will offer content for filmmakers, industry professionals, students and the general public. Attendees may choose from a variety of BronzeLens expert signature panels, workshops, domestic and international film screenings and get a taste of unique southern hospitality.
BronzeLens Festival Highlights
Legendary casting director and producer Reuben Cannon will host “The Producers Roundtable” a groundbreaking session that brings together high-level entertainment executives to share their strategies for producing successful film and television projects. Award-winning author and playwright Pearl Cleage will discuss her newest project in “From Novel to Screen: The Pearl Cleage Film Project.” And, NAACP Image Award winning producer Roger Bobb will conduct a new workshop “Creating Comedy Shows with Roger Bobb.”
This year, the Women Superstars Luncheon, which has become a BronzeLens favorite for local corporations as a means of exposing employees and clients to the BronzeLens experience, will take place on Friday, November 9, 2012 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel. Accomplished women of color in the film and television industry S. Epatha Merkerson, Stephanie Allain, Kathie Fong Yoneda, Deborah Riley Draper and Emayatzy Corinealdi will be honored at this signature event. This year at the BronzeLens Awards on Saturday, November 10, 2012, the best of the festival filmmakers in their perspective categories will be honored. Legendary film, television and theater director Kenny Leon will receive the BronzeLens Trailblazer Award and television producer/director Roger Bobb will receive the BronzeLens Film Advocate Award. Cinema and Social Justice Sunday, which takes place on Sunday, November 11, 2012, will be produced in conjunction with Center for Civil and Human Rights remains a unique and critical component of the festival.
A total of nine international films will be screened at the BronzeLens Film Festival (BronzeLens) November 8th and 10th. Film selections represent works from South Africa, Namibia, Trinidad, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, The Gambia, Senegal and France/Martinique. Also, for the second year as a key international film component BronzeLens re-joins France Atlanta in collaboration to present films from the Francophone world at what is titled “France-Atlanta at the BronzeLens Film Festival.”
BronzeLens Panels and Films at a Glance
All BronzeLens onsite registration November 8-10, 2012 from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm will take place at the Festival’s headquarters hotel, the magnificent Atlanta Marriott Marquis. All juried screenings are shown at the Georgia Pacific Auditorium, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Morehouse College Sale Hall, Morehouse School of Medicine and Georgia Power Auditorium.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Panels at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis
•Opening Plenary: Production in Georgia : Status Report
•Real Time Opportunities in Financing Film Production featuring Wade Bradley, Founder/CEO of Media Society
•Distribution Options for the Indie Filmmaker
•Creating in the Digital Age
•Kathie Fong Yoneida: Getting your Script to The Screen
Films screened concurrently at Georgia Pacific Center:
Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964, directed by Alvelyn Sanders, Second Time Around, directed by Jessica M. Young, Color Outside the Lines, directed by Artemus Jenkins and Probable Cause
Opening Night Feature Film 8:00 pm at the World of Coca Cola
Otelo Burning, Directed by Sara Blecher http://youtu.be/gek4b3x0TTQ
Awards and highlights include, 13 nominations at the African Movie Academy Awards (more than any other film)- winner Best Cinematography and Best Child Actor, 16th Annual Busan International Film Festival (Korea), Drama Award-24th Annual One World Media Awards in London, 2011 Durban International Film Festival-Official Selection & Opening Night Film, BFI London International Film Festival, 2011 Dubai International Film Festival, Lille Film Festival France-Official Selection,
Cinenerma BC Brazil-Official Selection, US Debut, at Seattle International Film Festival- Official Selection & Nominated Golden Needle Award, Special Screening at American Black Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival
Friday, November 9, 2012
•How to Pitch Your Film to the Media sponsored by the African American Film Critics Association
•Think Global: International Opportunities For Entertainment Projects
•From Novel to Screen : The Pearl Cleage Film Project: Pearl Cleage and Ayoka Chenzira
All Shorts, All Day Films screened concurrently at Georgia Pacific Center
Feeding Freedom, Sweet Auburn, The Last/First Kiss, Their Eyes Were Watching Gummy Bears, What About Us?, 4-1-9, The Bluest Note, Aide de Camp, State of Mind, The Voice, The Christmas Tree, The Collegians, Bunny, Barbasol, In This Corner, and Keeper of the Flame
Friday Night Feature Film at Georgia Pacific Center
8:00 pm
The Contradictions of Fair Hope, directed by S. Epatha Merkerson and Rockell Metcalf
The Contradictions of Fair Hope is narrated by Whoopi Goldberg with music by Christian McBride. The film has received the following awards: Philadelphia Independent Film Festival- Best Documentary, Newark Black Film Festival-Paul Robeson Best Documentary, Festival International Du Film Panafricain-Dikalo Award Best Documentary, San Diego Black Film Festival-Best Documentary and Roxbury International Film Festival-Henry Hampton Award
Saturday, November 10, 2012 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis
•Bus Tour of Movie Locations in the ATL / Limited Seating
•Reuben Cannon and The Producer’s Roundtable
•Producer’s Luncheon
•Commercial Production Workshop on Film and Advertising: The Madison and Vine Intersection, presented by Georgia Lottery Corp.
•Music for Film.TV, Gaming: From Scoring to Licensing
•Creating Comedy Shows with Roger Bobb
International Films Day Screenings at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis
My Beautiful Nightmare (Namibia), The Merikins (Trinidad), On Our land, Being Garifuna in Honduras (Honduras), Hibana (Dominican Republic), Kunta Kinteh: Coming Home without Shackles (The Gambia), Elza (Guadeloupe) and Inside Story (South Africa)
Morehouse College, Sale Hall
Tey, starring Saul Williams (Senegal)
Film Screenings at Georgia Pacific Center
Still Standing, Homecoming, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty and 30 Degree Couleur (Martinique)
Roundtable on African and Caribbean Cinema sponsored by France-Atlanta 2012 at Georgia Pacific Center
2012 BronzeLens Awards: Ray Charles Performing Arts Center on the campus of Morehouse College at 8:00 pm
This is the awards ceremony is for the BronzeLens films selected for the International, Shorts, Features and Documentary and Best of Festival categories.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Studio 11 Films historic premiere of The 11Eleven11 Project™Films, Location Georgia Public Broadcasting at 11:00 am
BronzeLens will screen the films of this prestigious groundbreaking and revolutionary filmmaker's program for aspiring and emergent writers, directors and producers. The ambitious and aggressive training program ended its first season by successfully completing the 11 Short Films it promised in record time under at times adverse conditions. Celebrity mentors LisaRaye McCoy and Carl Payne will debut their directorial skill on films like The Promise and Rhythm at the festival. In addition to McCoy and Payne, other mentors included Miguel A. Nunez, Jr., Rockmond Dunbar, Terri J. Vaughn, Leon, Tatyana Ali, Christopher Pearman and Tommy Ford. Immediately after the screening, Studio 11 Films will host its’ “Premiere Party” where guests who will have an opportunity to meet and greet the filmmakers and their casts.
Cinema and Social Justice Sunday, co-sponsored by the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Location Morehouse School of Medicine at 2:00 pm
The Savoy King: Chick Webb and the Music that Changed America and WITNESS: SOUTH SUDAN, presented by HBO Documentary Films
Closing Night Film, Location Georgia Power Auditorium at 7:00 pm
Echo at 11 Oak Drive, Directed/Written by Crystle Clear Roberson and Produced by Dianne Ashford of Symmetry Entertainment
Echo at 11 Oak Drive' was filmed on location in Atlanta GA. Trailer Music by Rico Wade of Organized Noize. Starring Rockmond Dunbar and Adam Fristoe, Quynh Thi Le, Eric Mendenhall, TJ Hassan, Shayla Love, Shannon Mayers, Danielle Patrick, Rico Ball. Edited by Deanna Nowell of The Edit Factor. Cinematography by Ross Sebek.
About the BronzeLens Film Festival
Founded in 2009, The BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta, Georgia is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing national and worldwide attention to Atlanta as a center for film and film production for people of color. Its mission is twofold: to promote Atlanta as the new film Mecca for people of color; and to showcase films and provide networking opportunities that will develop the next generation of filmmakers. Since its inception the BronzeLens Film Festival has evolved as one of the most comprehensive film festivals for filmmakers of color in the United States. Visit www.bronzelensfilmfestival.com for more information regarding the BronzeLens Film Festival and for registration information.
Sponsors of the BronzeLens Film Festival are Coca-Cola Company, Georgia Lottery Corp., Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, Turner, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Panavision, Delta Air Lines, HBO Documentary Films, The Levy Group, Georgia Pacific, Macys, AT& T, Morehouse College, France Atlanta 2012, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, The Sai Sai Group, Inc., White Oak Restaurant, Organix Food Lounge Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, MHR International, Movie Magic and Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Media Partners Include: 11Alive/WXIA-TV, Atlanta DAYBOOK, Modern Luxury and Oz Magazine
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Tickets On Sale Wed. Nov. 7th
The Journey Begins… Advance Tickets for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” go on Sale on Wednesday, November 7, at 12:00pm Eastern Time in the U.S. and Canada
“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy Extended Cut Marathon Coming to U.S. Theaters December 8-9
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Moviegoers who are eagerly anticipating the December 14 release of the epic fantasy adventure “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will be able to secure their seats over a month in advance when tickets go on sale, online and in theaters across North America, at 12:00pm Eastern Time, on Wednesday, November 7.
The film, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), is the first in Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated trilogy adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Being released domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, all three films in “The Hobbit” Trilogy tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
As part of the celebration, moviegoers will have the opportunity to re-experience Middle-earth in big screen marathons of “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy in their Extended Cut editions on Saturday, December 8, and Sunday, December 9. Tickets for these all-day events will also go on sale, online and in theaters throughout the U.S., at noon Eastern time on Wednesday, November 7.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who joins the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The international ensemble cast of the trilogy also includes (in alphabetical order) Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner.
The screenplay for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.
Under Jackson’s direction, “The Hobbit” Trilogy has been shot in 3D 48 frames-per-second and will be released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D), other 3D formats, IMAX and 2D. Production has taken place at Jackson's own facilities in Miramar, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.
Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew were director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. The film is edited by Jabez Olssen. The costumes were designed by Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor and Bob Buck.
Taylor also oversaw the design and production of weaponry, armor and prosthetics, which were once again being made by the award-winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital took on the visual effects for the films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production is taking place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and the second and third films of the trilogy are productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will be released in the U.S. on December 14, 2012, with the second film, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” releasing December 13, 2013, and the third film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” slated for July 18, 2014.
www.thehobbit.com
“The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy Extended Cut Marathon Coming to U.S. Theaters December 8-9
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Moviegoers who are eagerly anticipating the December 14 release of the epic fantasy adventure “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will be able to secure their seats over a month in advance when tickets go on sale, online and in theaters across North America, at 12:00pm Eastern Time, on Wednesday, November 7.
The film, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), is the first in Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated trilogy adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Being released domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, all three films in “The Hobbit” Trilogy tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
As part of the celebration, moviegoers will have the opportunity to re-experience Middle-earth in big screen marathons of “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy in their Extended Cut editions on Saturday, December 8, and Sunday, December 9. Tickets for these all-day events will also go on sale, online and in theaters throughout the U.S., at noon Eastern time on Wednesday, November 7.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who joins the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The international ensemble cast of the trilogy also includes (in alphabetical order) Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner.
The screenplay for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.
Under Jackson’s direction, “The Hobbit” Trilogy has been shot in 3D 48 frames-per-second and will be released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D), other 3D formats, IMAX and 2D. Production has taken place at Jackson's own facilities in Miramar, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.
Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew were director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. The film is edited by Jabez Olssen. The costumes were designed by Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor and Bob Buck.
Taylor also oversaw the design and production of weaponry, armor and prosthetics, which were once again being made by the award-winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital took on the visual effects for the films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production is taking place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and the second and third films of the trilogy are productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will be released in the U.S. on December 14, 2012, with the second film, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” releasing December 13, 2013, and the third film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” slated for July 18, 2014.
www.thehobbit.com
Review: Hawke, Fishburne Carry "Assault on Precinct 13" Remake (Happy B'day, Ethan Hawke)
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and language throughout, and for some drug content
DIRECTOR: Jean-François Richet
WRITER: James DeMonaco (based upon an earlier screenplay by John Carpenter)
PRODUCERS: Pascal Caucheteux, Jeffrey Silver, and Stephane Sperry
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Gantz
EDITOR: Bill Pankow
COMPOSER: Graeme Revell
ACTION/THRILLER/CRIME (GANGSTER)
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, John Leguizamo, Drea de Matteo, Gabriel Byrne, Brian Dennehy, Jeffrey “Ja Rule” Atkins, Mario Bello, Aisha Hinds, Matt Craven, Dorian Harewood
Assault on Precinct 13, the 2005 remake of the 1976 John Carpenter film, may lack the social commentary of the original, but it is a very entertaining action thriller that doesn’t try to break new ground in the tale of cops and criminals who must temporarily unite for their mutual survival. This new Assault on Precinct 13 is a by-the-books Hollywood effort that doesn’t throw any curve balls and sticks close to the original. The only thing the filmmakers wanted to go out on a limb for was to feature lots of gunshot wounds and even more kill shots to human heads. This is true R-rated action, and the film is proud of it. The actual assault on the precinct is full of sound and fury and smoke and blood – perfect for people who like the Lethal Weapon and Die Hard franchises.
Precinct 13 is a soon-to-close police station, and its last day, New Year’s Eve, is a snowy one. Stuck with the duty of closing the station one last time is Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), who eight months earlier saw a drug bust go really bad and his two partners gunned down. He’s reluctant to be out on the street again, or so says his sexy therapist, Dr. Alex Sabian (Maria Bello). However, Jake is forced to again confront a heavy-duty assignment when a prison bus carrying four prisoners is forced by the intensifying snow storm to make a stop at Precinct 13. One of his new charges is the infamous Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), recently taken into custody after killing a cop.
All Roenick has with him at the precinct is a skeleton crew, which consists of Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo), a secretary, and Jasper O’Shea (Brian Dennehy), a copy on the verge of retiring, and none of them know that Bishop was in league with a band of dirty cops, who recently turned on him. They don’t want Bishop to live long enough to reveal their corruption, so they launch an assault on Precinct 13 to kill Bishop, and they don’t want any witnesses surviving. Now, Jake, Jasper, Iris, and Dr. Sabian must join forces with Bishop and the three other criminals: Beck (John Leguizamo), Smiley (Ja Rule), and Anna (Aisha Hinds), if they want to see sunrise.
In the original film, the audience knew next to nothing about the cast, and even less about the gang laying siege to the isolated precinct. The new screenplay gives us plenty about Jake Roenick, ostensibly the hero, including his (self-perceived) professional failures, so that we might root for him to overcome his personal challenges and demons and rise to the occasion. In the end, nothing about any character here rings true. The selling point of this tale is that a tiny band of good guys and some criminals, who look good compared to the ones trying to kill them, are seemingly cut off from civilization and from help and they’re facing a large band of relentless foes with numbers and weapons on their side. If the movie can get us to picture ourselves with the outgunned, the filmmakers have won half the battle, which the makers of Assault on Precinct 13 did. However, they only win a little of the rest of the battle, just enough to win the war, but win ugly.
Laurence Fishburne is a dashing movie star with plenty of charisma, enough to make up for the fact that he doesn’t have matinee looks. His presence wins every frame that he’s in here, but that hampers the film because the usually good Ethan Hawke doesn’t seem up to the challenge of matching Fishburne. Hawke’s performance is either flat or shrill, with only a few moments of truth (to which I desperately clung). It’s best to view this film the way one might the original. Don’t think about the characters; focus on the plot (which conceptually has more holes in it than the precinct after the assault), and still more on the setting. They’re the winning combination that overcomes hamstrung characters and pick-up-a-paycheck acting.
6 of 10
B
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Original "Assault on Precinct 13" Still Surprises
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
COMPOSER/WRITER/DIRECTOR: John Carpenter
PRODUCER: J.S. Kaplan
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Douglas Knapp
EDITOR: John T. Chance (John Carpenter)
ACTION/THRILLER with elements of crime
Starring: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Martin West, Tony Burton, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Loomis, and Kim Richards
John Carpenter’s second feature film, Assault on Precinct 13, has been called a cult classic; in fact, it’s also a favorite of director Quentin Tarantino. Early in the film, police ambush and kill six gang members, so other gang members make a blood pact to strike back at the police. After a grieving father kills one of those gang members for the murder of his young daughter, the gangsters track him to division 13 of precinct 9, a nearly abandoned police station that is in the process of being closed. More gang members join the initial group of thugs, and they lay siege to the station on its last night of operation. After the first two assaults on the station, one police officer, a dispatcher, and two convicts have to find a way to survive the gang onslaught in a building without power and phone, until someone comes to rescue them from what seems like an endless number of killers. But is anyone coming to help them?
Combining elements of Rio Bravo and Night of the Living Dead (1968), Assault on Precinct 13 is a unique and riveting crime thriller. Except for the sounds of the gun battles, the film is strangely quiet. The dialogue is never screamed, although the characters do yell on occasion. Carpenter only intermittently uses his ominous and somber score (which features a synthesizer), and the soundtrack is free on songs and radio tracks, whereas few current action movies are released without a soundtrack full of songs by popular rock, metal, and/or hip hop acts. This film is simultaneously dream-like and apocalyptic, a nightmare in which it seems that the end is a foregone conclusion for a small group of protagonists, no matter how much they might deserve to have someone save them.
The acting is stiff and often forced, but Carpenter wisely gets performances based on attitude in which the actors understand the importance of atmosphere and what they do serves the interests of the film rather than the art of their performance. The script also doesn’t have one, single antagonist, so the film lacks a good villain. While the gang members are good adversaries, they need a face – one character that personifies the bad guys.
As usual, Carpenter’s film includes subtle social satire and commentary covering everything from the breakdown of institutions, the inadequacy of social and municipal services, and the lack of professional accountability to urban decay, lawlessness, and incompetence. Assault on Precinct 13 is a brilliant, dark, and distinctively American film that stands the test of time because it was born of a time in American culture when people felt change was coming too fast and life was becoming too coarse. Thus, Assault on Precinct 13 will always touch a nerve.
8 of 10
A
June 5, 2005
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