VIZ Media Announces "Road to Ninja - Naruto the Movie" on Blu-ray/DVD

VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS THE NORTH AMERICAN HOME MEDIA RELEASE OF ROAD TO NINJA – NARUTO THE MOVIE

“For My Friends And Family, I’ll Risk My Life For This Mission!”

VIZ Media gives anime fans across North America the opportunity to add the sixth and latest feature film of the massively popular NARURTO SHIPPUDEN saga to their personal collections as it announces the release of ROAD TO NINJA – NARUTO THE MOVIE on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and DVD on November 25th.

The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack is a 2-disc set and will carry an MSRP of $29.99 U.S. / $37.48 CAN. The DVD edition of ROAD TO NINJA is a single-disc release that will carry an MSRP of $19.98 U.S. / $34.98 CAN.

A variety of bonus features will also make ROAD TO NINJA of special interest to NARUTO SHIPPUDEN fans. These include the original Japanese theatrical trailers, broadcast commercials, and promotional videos offered on both the DVD and Blu-ray editions. The Blu-ray edition features crisp 1080p High Definition video and also includes a special bonus art gallery. The Blu-ray edition contains DTS-HD audio, also with English and Japanese dialogue options and English subtitles. DVD audio selections include English 5.1 as well as Japanese 2.0 dialogue options, with English subtitles.

In ROAD TO NINJA – NARUTO THE MOVIE, long ago, a mysterious masked shinobi unleashed the Nine-Tailed Fox onto the Village Hidden in the Leaves to spread chaos and destruction. But the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife Kushina Uzumaki sealed the Tailed Beast into their newborn son, Naruto, to save the village, foiling the shinobi’s plan.

Years later, Naruto and his friends succeed in driving away the infamous Akatsuki, who have mysteriously returned from the dead. Upon returning to the village, the young shinobi are praised by their families for completing a dangerous mission. Reminded of how alone he is, Naruto begins to wonder what it’s like to have parents, when a strange masked figure appears before him – the same masked shinobi responsible for the death of his parents!

VIZ Media also invites NARUTO fans to catch the exciting adventures of the world’s most popular ninja in manga (graphic novel) format (rated ‘T’ for Teens), available in-print and also digitally from VIZManga.com, the VIZ Manga App, and from a host of partner platforms. Fans can further dive into all of the previous NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN feature films on DVD or Blu-ray, and also catch anime series episodes and select films on Neon Alley, VIZ Media’s FREE media streaming platform, including brand new, subtitled episodes simulcast with Japan!

In the NARUTO manga and animated series, Naruto Uzumaki wants to be the best ninja in the land. He's done well so far, but Naruto knows he must train harder than ever and leaves his village for intense exercises that will push him to his limits. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN begins two and a half years later, when Naruto returns to find that everyone has been promoted up the ninja ranks – except him. Sakura’s a medic ninja, Gaara’s advanced to Kazekage, and Kakashi…well he remains the same. But pride isn’t necessarily becoming of a ninja, especially when Naruto realizes that Sasuke never returned from his search for Orochimaru. Plus, the mysterious Akatsuki organization is still an ever-present danger. As Naruto finds out more about the Akatsuki’s goals, he realizes that nothing in his universe is as it seems. Naruto is finding that he’s older, but will he also prove wiser and stronger?

Additional information on NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN is available at www.Naruto.com.

For more information on manga titles available from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

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2014 British Independent Film Award Nominations Announced - Complete List

In 1998, Raindance created the British Independent Film Awards to celebrate merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking.  The awards also honor new talent and promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.

On Monday, November 3, 2014, the nominations for the 17th Annual Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced in London, at St Martins Lane.  London actor, Jared Harris, presented the nominations.  The winners will be announced at the 17th awards ceremony on Sunday, December 7, 2014 at the Old Billingsgate in London.

The 2014/17th Annual Moët British Independent Film Awards nominees:

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM -Sponsored by Moët & Chandon
'71
Calvary
Mr Turner
Pride
The Imitation Game

BEST DIRECTOR - Sponsored by AllCity & Intermission
John Michael McDonagh – Calvary
Lenny Abrahamson – Frank
Matthew Warchus – Pride
Mike Leigh – Mr Turner
Yann Demange  – '71

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR] - Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
Daniel Wolfe, Matthew Wolfe – Catch Me Daddy
Hong Khaou – Lilting
Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard – 20,000 Days on Earth
Morgan Matthews – X+Y
Yann Demange –  '71

BEST SCREENPLAY - Sponsored by BBC Films
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Gregory Burke  – '71
John Michael McDonagh – Calvary
Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan – Frank
Stephen Beresford – Pride

BEST ACTRESS - Sponsored by M.A.C Cosmetics
Alicia Vikander – Testament of Youth
Cheng Pei Pei – Lilting
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Belle
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed – Catch Me Daddy

BEST ACTOR - Sponsored by Movado
Asa Butterfield  – X+Y
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Brendan Gleeson – Calvary
Jack O'Connell – '71
Timothy Spall – Mr Turner

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Dorothy Atkinson – Mr Turner
Imelda Staunton – Pride
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Frank
Sally Hawkins – X+Y
Sienna Guillory – The Goob

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Sponsored by St Martins Lane
Andrew Scott – Pride
Ben Schnetzer – Pride
Michael Fassbender – Frank
Rafe Spall – X+Y
Sean Harris – ‘71

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Ben Schnetzer – Pride
Cara Delevingne – The Face of An Angel
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Belle
Liam Walpole – The Goob
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed – Catch Me Daddy

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
'71
20,000 Days on Earth
Catch Me Daddy
Lilting
The Goob

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Chris Wyatt - Editing - '71
Dick Pope - Cinematography - Mr Turner
Robbie Ryan - Cinematography - Catch Me Daddy
Stephen Rennicks - Music – Frank
Tat Radcliffe - Cinematography - '71

BEST DOCUMENTARY
20,000 Days on Earth
Next Goal Wins
Night Will Fall
The Possibilities Are Endless
Virunga

BEST BRITISH SHORT
Crocodile
Emotional Fusebox
Keeping Up With The Joneses
Slap
The Kármán Line

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Blue Ruin
Boyhood
Fruitvale Station
Ida
The Badadook

THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Flim: The Movie...
Gregor
Luna
Keeping Rosy
The Beat Beneath My Feet

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)
To Be Announced

THE VARIETY AWARD
To Be Announced

THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Announced at the Moët British Independent Film Awards on Sunday 7th December


For further information on MBIFA, visit www.bifa.org.uk

For further information on Moët & Chandon, visit http://moet.com

For further information on Raindance, visit www.raindance.org

Negromancer News Bit and Bites for November 1 to November 8, 2014 - Update #20

NEWS:

From YahooTV:  Update on another "Walking Dead" lawsuit.  Screen Rant has articles about Frank Darabont's firing From the show and his lawsuit.

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From YahooMovies:  Ernie Hudson on his bittersweet memories of the original Ghostbusters.

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From DemocracyNow:  More on CITIZENFOUR.

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From VanityFair:  How Laura Poitras shot her buzzed-about doc, CITIZENFOUR, on the down low.

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From YahooMovies:   Channing Tatum apparently in Quentin Tarantino's next film, "The Hateful Eight."

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From YahooMovies:  "Toy Story 4" announced for June 6, 2017, directed by the incomparable John Lasseter.

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From YahooMovies:  Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg team for "The Six Billion Dollar Man," an update of the cult TV show, "The Six Million Dollar Man."  The movie may skew closer to the 1972 novel, Cyborg, which inspired "The Six Million Dollar Man."

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From YahooCelebrity:  Keira Knightley poses topless in a protest.

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From THR:  Christian Bale is reportedly out of director Danny Boyle's Steve Jops biopic.

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From TheWrap:   When the final numbers came in, Ouija won the October 31 to November 2, 2014 box office with a tally of $10.7 million.  Nightcrawler finished second with $10.4 million.

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From YahooCelebrity:  Angie Harmon and her husband, former NFL player, Jason Sehorn, are separating.

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From THR:  According to early estimates, the films, Ouija and Nightcrawler, have tied for the top spot at the October 31st to November 2nd, 2014 weekend box office, each with an estimated $10.9 million.

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From YahooMovies:  The late Paul Walker is featured prominently in the new Furious 7 trailer.


COMICS:  Movies and News:

From TheWrap:  Jared Leto as the Joker in Suicide Squad.

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From CinemaBlend:  "Ant-Man" is important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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From CinemaBlend:  Could the classic graphic novel, Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa, be the source material for 2016's Doctor Strange film?

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From CinemaBlend:  Some of "Ant-Man" could take place in the past.

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From YahooGames:  Marvel has released a teaser for "X-Men '92."  Does that mean the FOX Saturday morning "X-Men" animated television series is returning?  Unlikely.  More likely, this means that there will be a comic book based on the TV series which debuted in 1992.


STAR WARS:

From YahooMovies:  Star Wars Episode 7 has a name, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

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From the Examiner:  "Star Wars Episode 7" recently had a wrap party and R2-D2 was there looking battered.

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From YahooCelebrity:  There was a "wrap" (the end of "principal photography") party for Star Wars Episode 7.

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From CinemaBlend:  What did the cast and crew of Star Wars Episode 7 get as a parting gift?

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From NPR:  An interview and feature on Episode 7 actor, Adam Driver.


REVIEWS:

From TheVillageVoice:  Stephanie Zacharek on Interstellar.

20 Films Compete for "Best Animated Feature Film" Oscar Nominations to Be Announced January 15, 2015

20 Animated Features Submitted for 2014 Oscar Race

LOS ANGELES, CA – Twenty features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 87th Academy Awards.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

“Big Hero 6”
“The Book of Life”
“The Boxtrolls”
“Cheatin’”
“Giovanni’s Island”
“Henry & Me”
“The Hero of Color City”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart”
“Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return”
“The Lego Movie”
“Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants”
“Mr. Peabody & Sherman”
“Penguins of Madagascar”
“The Pirate Fairy”
“Planes: Fire & Rescue”
“Rio 2”
“Rocks in My Pockets”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.  At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Warner Bros. Obtains Max Joseph's "We Are Your Friends"

Warner Bros. Pictures to Release “We Are Your Friends”

Max Joseph directed the Working Title and Studiocanal production starring Zac Efron, Emily Ratajkowski and Wes Bentley

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that it has obtained the domestic distribution rights for Max Joseph’s (MTV’s “Catfish: The TV Show”) feature film directorial debut, “We Are Your Friends.” The film, from Working Title Films and Studiocanal, stars Zac Efron (“Neighbors”), Emily Ratajkowski (“Gone Girl”) and Wes Bentley (“Interstellar,” “The Hunger Games”). The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    “The breadth and depth of our slate allows us to proudly bring features from every genre, scope and scale to our audiences, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to usher in Max Joseph’s fresh, raw image of a love story set in today’s modern-day music scene.”

“We Are Your Friends” is about what it takes to find your voice. Set in the world of electronic music and Hollywood nightlife, an aspiring 23-year-old DJ named Cole (Efron) spends his days scheming with his childhood friends and his nights working on the one track that will set the world on fire. All of this changes when he meets a charismatic but damaged older DJ named James (Bentley), who takes him under his wing. Things get complicated, however, when Cole starts falling for James’ much younger girlfriend, Sophie (Ratajkowski). With Cole’s forbidden relationship intensifying and his friendships unraveling, he must choose between love, loyalty, and the future he is destined for.

In making the announcement, Silverman stated, “We are so thrilled to finally be in business with Working Title, and know this is the beginning of a great relationship. The same can be said for Max, a wonderful new voice who will, hopefully, make many movies here. It is also thrilling to have our dear friend Zac back, as well as Emily, who will appear in ‘Entourage,’ and Wes, who is so wonderful in ‘Interstellar.’”

Kroll added, “The breadth and depth of our slate allows us to proudly bring features from every genre, scope and scale to our audiences, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to usher in Max Joseph’s fresh, raw image of a love story set in today’s modern-day music scene.”

“I couldn't be happier to have Warner Bros releasing my first feature film,” director Joseph said. “Having their passion and expertise behind ‘We Are Your Friends’ is a dream come true.”

Joseph directs from a screenplay he wrote with Meaghan Oppenheimer, from a story by Richard Silverman. The producers are Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Liza Chasin, with Silverman executive producing and Johanna Byer serving as co-producer. Randall Poster (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Divergent,” “Spring Breakers”) is the film’s music supervisor.

“We Are Your Friends” will be distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. Studiocanal, who financed the film, is handling international sales and will be distributing in France, UK, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

About Working Title Films
Founded in 1983, Working Title Films has been co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner since 1992. The pair has produced more than 100 feature films which have amassed over $5 billion worldwide. Their films have won 9 Academy Awards®, and earned over 50 Academy Award® nominations, and won 24 BAFTAs, garnering over 100 BAFTA nominations.

About Studiocanal
Studiocanal is a subsidiary of the Canal+ Group. It is one of Europe’s leading companies in the market for co-production, acquisition, distribution and sales of international feature films and TV series. Studiocanal is the only studio operating simultaneously in the three main European territories—France, the United Kingdom and Germany—as well as in Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, Studiocanal owns one of the most important libraries in the world, with more than 5,000 international titles.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg Unite for "Daddy's Home"

FERRELL AND WAHLBERG TO STAR IN “DADDY’S HOME” FOR PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND RED GRANITE IN ASSOCIATION WITH GARY SANCHEZ

Paramount Pictures and Red Granite Pictures in association with Gary Sanchez Productions announced today that Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are set to star in “DADDY’S HOME.” Red Granite Pictures will co-produce and co-finance the film, which Paramount Pictures will distribute worldwide. The film is expected to begin shooting later this year.

Sean Anders (“HORRIBLE BOSSES 2,” “THAT’S MY BOY”) will direct the screenplay written by Brian Burns (“Blue Bloods,” “Entourage”), with revision by Anders and John Morris (“HORRIBLE BOSSES 2,” “DUMB AND DUMBER TO”), Chris Henchy (“THE CAMPAIGN,” “THE OTHER GUYS”), Adam McKay (“ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEDGEND CONTINUES,” “THE CAMPAIGN”) and Etan Cohen (“MEN IN BLACK 3,” “TROPIC THUNDER”).

Morris will produce with Ferrell, Henchy and McKay through their Gary Sanchez Productions banner (“TAMMY,” “GET HARD”). The executive producers are Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland and David Koplan (“DUMB AND DUMBER TO,” “THE WOLF OF WALL STREET”) from Red Granite Pictures along with Kevin Messick (“ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES,” “THE OTHER GUYS”) and Jessica Elbaum (“ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES”) of Gary Sanchez, Sean Anders and Diana Pokorny (“HORRIBLE BOSSES” 1 & 2, “THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE”).

Adam Goodman, President of Paramount Film Group said, “Will and Mark are the absolute perfect on-screen duo to take on this hilarious project. With Anders at the helm, and our partners Red Granite on-board, we are thrilled this movie is getting underway.”

Riza Aziz, Co-Chairman of Red Granite Pictures adds, “We're particularly excited not only to reunite with the wonderful Paramount team but to collaborate again with the comical genius of Sean Anders and John Morris, who we had the pleasure of working with on Dumb and Dumber To. And we are thrilled to partner with Will, Mark and Gary Sanchez. We look forward to an inspiring, hilarious adventure.”

“DADDY’S HOME” follows a mild-mannered radio executive (Ferrell) who strives to become the best stepdad to his wife’s two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling and freeloading real father (Wahlberg) arrives, forcing him to compete for the affection of the kids.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), 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, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Red Granite Pictures
Red Granite Pictures is an American film finance, development, production, and distribution company, co-founded by Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland in 2010. Aziz and McFarland serve as co-Chairmen and producing partners. Randy Hermann serves as CFO, David Boyle serves as Business Affairs and Production Legal, David Koplan serves as President of Production, while Danny Dimbort and Christian Mercuri serve as co-Presidents of the distribution arm, Red Granite International. The company was formed in 2010 but formally announced its executive team in May 2011 at the Cannes Film Festival. Red Granite has developed, produced, and structured financing for a slate of films representing more than $400 million in revenue.

Red Granite Pictures made its debut with Friends with Kids, a romantic comedy written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt. Friends with Kids stars Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, and Megan Fox. Following Friends with Kids, Red Granite Pictures executive-produced and handled foreign distribution for the dramatic thriller Out of the Furnace starring Christian Bale, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, and Casey Affleck and directed by Scott Cooper. Out of the Furnace was released on December 6, 2013 by Relativity Media.

Red Granite Pictures next released the highly anticipated film The Wolf of Wall Street on December 25, 2013. The Wolf of Wall Street was directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Jon Favreau and Rob Reiner. The Wolf of Wall Street is based on the memoir of the same name by Jordan Belfort. The Wolf of Wall Street has achieved tremendous box office success and critical acclaim - including a Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy for star Leonardo DiCaprio and five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Best Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Terry Winters).

Following The Wolf of Wall Street, Red Granite Pictures Produced Horns and Dumb and Dumber To. Horns, a supernatural thriller starring Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Heather Graham and directed by Alex Aja is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Joe Hill. Horns will be released October 31, 2014 by Dimension-RADiUS. Dumb and Dumber To is an American buddy comedy film co-written and directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. It is a sequel to the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber. The film stars Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Laurie Holden, Rob Riggle and Kathleen Turner. Dumb and Dumber To will be released on November 14, 2014 by Universal Pictures.

Red Granite’s development slate for 2015 includes The Brigands of Rattleborge and The General. The Brigands of Rattleborge, blacklist’s number 1 script of 2006, is a western revenge story and The General is a gritty look at the story of George Washington.

Review: "Maleficent" is Not Just Another Hollywood Fantasy Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 48 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Maleficent (2014)
Running time:  97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
Rating:  MPAA – PG for sequences of fantasy action and violence, including frightening images
DIRECTOR:  Robert Stromberg
WRITER:  Linda Woolverton (based on the screenplay, Sleeping Beauty, by Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, and Milt Banta; and the story adaptation by Erdman Penner; based on the story “La Belle au bois dormant” by Charles Perrault)
PRODUCER:  Joe Roth
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dean Semler (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Chris Lebenzon and Richard Pearson
COMPOSER:  James Newton Howard

FANTASY/ACTION/DRAMA with elements of adventure

Starring:  Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Sam Riley, Brenton Thwaites, Kenneth Cranham, Isobelle Molloy, and Ella Purnell

Maleficent is a 2014 fantasy and action film from director Robert Stromberg and writer Linda Woolverton.  Released by Walt Disney Pictures and produced by Joe Roth, the film re-imagines Walt Disney's 1959 animated feature film, Sleeping Beauty, and focuses on the point of view of Maleficent, the villain in Sleeping Beauty and a classic Disney villain.  In Maleficent the movie, a vengeful fairy curses an infant princess and becomes fascinated with the child as she grows up.

Maleficent is set in a land where there are two kingdoms, the Moors, the magical realm of the faeries, and a human kingdom that borders it.  An ambitious human monarch, King Henry (Kenneth Cranham), covets the Moors, but finds his efforts to conquer it stymied by Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), the queen fairy.

Stefan (Sharlto Copley), a human who has known Maleficent since they both were children, believes that he has a solution to the conflict between the humans and the denizens of the Moors.  However, this solution leads Maleficent to place a curse on Aurora, an infant human princess.  Years later, Maleficent discovers that Aurora (Elle Fanning) may be the only one who can restore peace and hope to the troubled land.

One the books that I have had in my possession for the longest time is the 1980 edition of The Classic Fairy Tales by the husband-and-wife folklorists team, Ioan and Peter Opie.  The book contains some of the best-known fairy tales in the English language, including “Sleeping Beauty” (as “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”).  The emphasis of The Classic Fairy Tales is on the earliest English publications of stories like “Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” rather than reprinting, as the text on the back cover declares, later “prettified” versions of those classic fairy tales.

Maleficent is certainly pretty, even gorgeous.  The costumes, clothing, head-wraps, and jewelry that Angelina Jolie dons as Maleficent can be described as “classic couture.”  The production design is lavish and simply beautiful; in fact, the director of Maleficent, Robert Stromberg, is an Oscar-winning production designer for how work on Avatar (2009) and Alice in Wonderland (2010).  The creature design and CGI on the fairies of the Moors and on the dragon in the final battle have qualities that make them both tangible and magical; they're quite lovely.

However, Maleficent is not prettified.  It is not the prettiness and beauty or the baroque wonderland that is the Moors that make Maleficent a unique and splendid film.  The thematic richness that digs beneath the pretty and simplified surface of classic fairy tales makes Maleficent something that is rare in modern film – a fairy tale that is an allegory about the complexities of the human condition.  Linda Woolverton composes a screenplay that offers a feminist reinterpretation of Sleeping Beauty, and the result is Maleficent.  This is a film that does not portray women as princesses waiting for the prince-hero or knight-hero who will save them and then, marry them happily-ever-after.  This film is about women, but it portrays them with complexity and subtly in depicting their relationships with other women, with the world, and with themselves.

That is not to say that this movie does not kick-ass.  The battle scenes in Maleficent are far more exciting and visually interesting, even striking, than all those fantasy movies that desperately tried to copy Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films.  Somehow, the man versus magical creature battles in Maleficent manage to seem fresh and new.

I do have some complaints about Maleficent.  Much of the first half-hour of this film lacks a sense of direction and is stiff.  [Perhaps, that is why writer/director John Lee Hancock assisted on the re-shoots of the opening scenes.]  The pixie trio and Stefan are under-realized characters, exemplifying the character missteps that keep this film from being a truly exceptional fantasy masterpiece.

Overall, however, I like this movie a lot.  Angelina Jolie proves her star power and talent, because this movie could not exist without her playing the lead.  Maleficent is not a Disney classic, but I think it will be memorable, because it is a distinctive dark fantasy film, where as so many other American epic fantasy films seem as if they come from the same bag of stale cookies.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, October 31, 2014


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