Review: "The Great Beauty" is" La grande bellezza"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of this review was first posted on Patreon.]

The Great Beauty (2013)
La grande bellezza – original title
Country: Italy/France
Running time:  141 minutes (2 hours, 21 minutes)
Not rated by the MPAA
DIRECTOR:  Paolo Sorrentino
WRITERS:  Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello; from a story by Paolo Sorrentino
PRODUCERS:  Francesca Cima and Nicola Giuliano
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Luca Bigazzi
EDITOR:  Cristiano Travagl
COMPOSER:  Lele Marchitelli
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring:  Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Pamela Villoresi, Galatea Ranzi, Franco Graziosi, Giorgio Pasotti, Sonia Gessner, Luca Marinelli, Serena Grandi, Vernon Dobtcheff, Giovanna Vignola, Isabella Ferrari, and Giusi Merli

La grande bellezza (The Great Beauty) is a 2013 drama from director Paolo Sorrentino.  The Great Beauty is an Italian and French co-production, and as a representative of Italy, it won the Oscar for “Best Foreign Language Film of the Year” for the year 2013.  The film was released to U.S. theaters in 2014.  The Great Beauty follows a writer through timeless and beautiful Rome as he takes stock of his life after he receives a shock from the past.

The Great Beauty focuses on Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo), a journalist and socialite living in Rome.  He has lived a lavish life in Rome since he moved to the city as a 26-year-old.  Once upon a time, Jep wrote an acclaimed and well-received novel, The Human Apparatus.  While people awaited a second novel, Jep lived a comfortable life of writing about about celebrities and of throwing parties for celebrities and socialites in his fancy luxury apartment.

After his 65th birthday, Jep receives some shocking news about an old girlfriend.  He walks through the side of Rome that is a timeless landscape of absurd beauty and exquisite antiquity.  He reflects on his life and the sense that he is unfulfilled, as he encounters various characters.

The Great Beauty is indeed a great beauty.  The audience follows Jep Gambardella through parts of Rome that are tourist destinations or are either museums or sections of palatial estates.  I could recommend The Great Beauty for the absurd beauty of the film's settings and locales, alone.

As for the film's narrative:  it would be too easy to say that the specter of death hangs over the film.  The theme of growing old permeates the film, and also most of the characters seem to be yearning for more of something in their lives, even if more of what they want is bad for them.  Their lives are emotionally and spiritually empty.  I think the idea is that Jep has drifted through the last four decades of his life without realizing that he needs to establish roots.

I think that The Great Beauty encourages people to realize that beauty comes in fits and flashes between long stretches of what is ugly and banal in life; don't chase the superficial prettiness could be a tag line for the movie.  Still, the parties depicted in this film look pretty good, and the apartments and houses are just lovely.  I enjoyed Jep Gambardella's journey, although it meanders at times, but once again, the beauty in The Great Beauty is just so... beautiful.  This visual splendor alone makes this a truly exceptional film.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, July 31, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Foreign Language Film of the Year” (Italy)

2014 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Foreign Language Film” (Italy)

2014 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Film not in the English Language” (Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, and Francesca Cima)

2013 Cannes Film Festival:  1 nomination: “Palme d'Or: (Paolo Sorrentino)

"50 Cent" Signs Exclusive Deal with Starz

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and G Unit Film & Television, Inc. Ink Exclusive Premium Television Overall Deal with Starz

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starz today announced it has signed STARZ Original series “Power” Executive Producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson to an exclusive overall deal. Under the two-year exclusive premium television pact with G Unit Film & Television, Inc., Jackson will develop new projects for the network and continue as executive producer on “Power.”

    “Curtis is a wonderful hands-on producer and actor on ‘Power’ and we look forward to expanding his roles behind-the-camera with Starz over the next two years”

“Starz has been the perfect partner to make 'Power' the success that it is and I am looking forward to developing many more record-breaking series with them,” says Jackson.

“Curtis is a wonderful hands-on producer and actor on ‘Power’ and we look forward to expanding his roles behind-the-camera with Starz over the next two years,” said Carmi Zlotnik, managing director of Starz.

Production on the third season of “Power,” the New York-based drama, began earlier this month at the series’ home base at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. A 10-episode run has been ordered for season three. Creator, Executive Producer and Showrunner Courtney Kemp Agboh returned to the helm alongside Executive Producers Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Mark Canton, Randall Emmett and Gary Lennon.

“Power” season two averaged more than 6.8 million viewers per episode, tracking favorably to be the most highly watched-season ever for a STARZ Original series.* The “Power” second season finale set a new, STARZ series record for its episode premiere viewership performance (2.39M viewers Live+3) on Saturday, August 15 at 9PM ET/PT, besting the previous week’s record-setting audience (2.29M for episode 209).**

”Power” airs in more than 175 countries/territories worldwide. Starz retains all global distribution and home entertainment rights to the series.

Jackson is represented by APA and attorneys Stephen Savva and Eric Feig.

Born Curtis James Jackson III, Jackson (“50 Cent”) is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor and actor from Queens, New York. He rose to fame with the release of his 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin', which has sold more than 8 million copies. The GRAMMY Award® winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and has been awarded numerous accolades including: 13 Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards, to name a few. He was ranked as the No. 1 rap artist and most successful Hot 100 Artist of the 2000s by Billboard Magazine, as well as that decade's sixth-best artist and fourth top male artist.

Jackson has also carved out a successful and acclaimed career as an actor and producer. He recently starred in "Spy" with Melissa McCarthy and Jude Law and "Southpaw" with Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams, directed by Antoine Fuqua. In 2005, Jackson founded the production company, G-Unit Films and Television, producing a wide variety of content across various platforms.

About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of June 30, 2015, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56.8 million subscribers, including 23.5 million at STARZ, and 33.3 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.

*Sources: Linear results: Nielsen NPower P2+ Live+7 (000s). On Demand results: Rentrak On Demand Essentials. STARZ internal estimates. Subject to further qualifications available upon request.

**Source: Nielsen NPower, Live +3 P2+ (000s), August 15 & August 8, 2015

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Robert Downey, Jr. Shares His Thoughts on "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

[The following interview and Q&A was provided by Walt Disney Studios]

AN INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT DOWNEY JR. FOR THE IN-HOME RELEASE OF MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Marvel Studios unleashes the next global phenomenon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Good intentions wreak havoc when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unwittingly creates Ultron (James Spader), a terrifying A.I. monster who vows to achieve “world peace” via mass extinction. Now, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – must reassemble to defeat Ultron and save mankind.

With the Blu-ray, Digital HD and DVD of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron about to be released, we talk to Robert Downey Jr. – who plays Tony Stark/Iron Man in the movie – to discover his thoughts on the action-packed adventure…

What do you hope the audience gains from watching Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron? 

DOWNEY, JR.: I hope people say ‘Wow’ after they see this film. When you have a big movie like this, there are big expectations. I hope that audiences feel as good about this as they did when they came and saw the third Iron Man. And the same as they did when they saw the most recent Captain America and Thor. This movie is incredibly fun and thoughtful – and it has great themes. There is also a whole bunch of new characters and it really raises the bar. That’s when I know it has my seal of approval.

Where is Tony Stark when Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron opens? And how would you describe his relationship with The Avengers now?

DOWNEY, JR.: When the movie starts, Tony is hosting The Avengers in his tower in New York. He’s working on a system that will make it so The Avengers don’t have to do what they’ve been doing all along, which purportedly should be the end game.

Captain America appears to be the leader of The Avengers in Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Is Tony Stark happy about that? 

DOWNEY, JR.: There are really only two relationships in Tony’s life that he’s been willing to assume a lower status. One is with Pepper Potts, obviously. And the other is with Captain America.

Why did he decide to let Captain America take charge? 

DOWNEY, JR.: Tony believes whoever does the job best should probably do that job. And while Tony brings a lot to the table, Captain America has the most experience. No one’s more battle seasoned than Captain America.

Why does Tony Stark care for The Avengers so much in the movie? In the past, he has been a pretty selfish guy…  

DOWNEY, JR.: By having them all together, he feels like it allows him to still be the engineer and the mechanic who wants to help them all do things a little bit better. It’s like buying a football team and then wanting to redo their uniforms and give them better equipment and make them stronger, faster and safer on the field.

Tony Stark spent a lot of money upgrading Stark Tower to become The Avengers Tower in the new movie. Where does he get all this money?

DOWNEY, JR.: I don’t know of anyone in the history of any Super Hero franchise who seems never to run out of money! Tony’s footing the bill and he can swing it, obviously. Pepper has taken over the business largely, so everything’s going to be a little more stable than when daddy was just writing checks.

What was it like to wander around the set of the Avengers Tower? 

DOWNEY, JR.: When I walked onto the set for the first time, I said, ‘Wow, this is really impressive.” But then, as we went along, somehow it wasn’t factored in what would happen when all of the candy glass from the action sequences got ground into the floor.

Did it become difficult to walk around the set? 

DOWNEY, JR.: It basically became a futuristic ice rink that was almost impossible to navigate. The floors looked so beautiful, but they were so slippery that it added unforeseen amount of excitement and danger to walking three steps. It also made everyone a much better dancer.

Every Marvel movie brings something new and different to its audience. What does Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron bring to the world this time?

DOWNEY, JR.: Having new people in the cast is great. We now have Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. We have Paul Bettany, who’s been the voice of Jarvis all along, but now he gets to do something new with a character named Vision. And I think James Spader was a brilliant piece of casting for Ultron.

What’s it like to work with James Spader? 

DOWNEY, JR.: There are a lot of full circles going on with this movie. Probably the most personal one is James Spader. He was the first person I saw when I came to Los Angeles and he really took me under his wing. He’s just a couple years older than me, but I think it was a very inspired casting choice [to have him in the movie]. Not just because he’s on everyone’s lips and minds again, but he really is a bit of an American treasure. I’ve certainly borrowed from his style more than a few times over the years.

What was it like to have Paul Bettany on the set of the movie this time? 

DOWNEY, JR.: Another great full circle moment in this film is Paul Bettany coming in as Vision. Paul’s been essentially with me from the beginning and it was so nice to actually get him on set instead of at the premieres. He’s an amazing actor and it’s a fantastic character.

What made you perfect for the role of Tony Stark? And how did you create the character in the first place?

DOWNEY, JR.: It was just this perfect storm of feeling like I could create the character within the guidelines of what he was always supposed to be. I always thought he was so cool when I read the comic books. I thought, ‘Let’s just keep it human and make sure there’s enough wit in there so people don’t think he’s a stiff. If I do that, it will work out alright.’

How excited were you to return to the Marvel universe with another Avengers movie?

DOWNEY, JR.: I read Joss Whedon’s script and I said, “I think this is great.” Kevin Feige [the president of Marvel Studios] said, “You never say that. You can’t mean that.” I said, “Yeah, I think it’s great. Let’s go shoot it.”

What did you like about the script? 

DOWNEY, JR.: What I loved about this script was the further development of the complexities of the relationship between all The Avengers. I loved that Thor has a beef with me and then eventually has to give in and say I’m right. Joss created some great new situations for Tony to be in. So, rather than digging my heels and trying to rewrite every scene – to make them even better – I just showed up, and it turned out great.

What is it about the dynamic between you and Joss Whedon that works so well? 

DOWNEY, JR.: It’s a respect. Every director-actor relationship is so different. Joss is really in control and he likes to have authorship over things. For me, it was about being a little more receptive. In some ways, it makes the job easier because he has it figured out already. It’s been great.

END

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One-Punch Man Anime Premieres October 4th on Hulu and VIZ.com

VIZ MEDIA PREMIERES ONE-PUNCH MAN ANIME ACTION SERIES SIMULCAST

New Anime Series By Studio MADHOUSE About A Superhero With A Knockout Punch Streams On The Same Day As Japanese Broadcast Premiere – Catch Episode 1 On October 4th!

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, invites audiences to catch the knuckle-busting premiere of the ONE-PUNCH MAN anime simulcast – this Sunday, October 4th, 2015.

Presented with English subtitles on the same day as its Japanese network broadcast premiere, Episode 1 introduces an action-packed story about an average-guy-turned-superhero who packs a knockout punch. New episodes of the series will debut each Sunday. ONE-PUNCH MAN will be available to U.S. audiences on-demand on VIZ.com and Hulu.

ONE-PUNCH MAN is based on the bestselling manga series (also published by VIZ Media; rated ‘T for Teens), created by writer ONE and artist Yusuke Murata. The anime series was animated by the renowned Japanese studio, Madhouse, and helmed by famed anime director, Shingo Natsume, (Space Dandy, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos), and features character designs by Chikashi Kubota (From the New World, Robotics:notes).

In ONE-PUNCH MAN, Saitama is a hero who only became a hero for fun. After three years of “special” training, though, he’s become so strong that he’s practically invincible. In fact, he’s too strong—even his mightiest opponents are taken out with a single punch, and it turns out that being devastatingly powerful is actually kind of a bore. With his passion for being a hero lost along with his hair, yet still faced with new enemies every day, how much longer can he keep it going?

“ONE-PUNCH MAN is one of the most highly anticipated anime shows of 2015 and we are very excited to add the hard hitting new action adventure to our roster and launch the series to domestic as well as international fans on the same day as broadcast premiere in Japan,” says Brian Ige, VIZ Media Vice President Animation. “The bestselling manga series has established a fervent and fast growing fan base for ONE-PUNCH MAN and we look forward to awareness spreading to legions of new fans with the launch of the anime series. Catch the butt-kicking first episode this weekend!”

Manga creator ONE began ONE-PUNCH MAN as a web comic, which quickly went viral and garnered over 10 million hits. Japanese manga publisher (and VIZ Media parent company) Shueisha eventually secured the publishing rights to the series which has sold more than 4.5 million copies to-date. In addition to ONE-PUNCH MAN, ONE writes and draws the series Mob Psycho 100 and Makai no Ossan.

Yusuke Murata is a highly acclaimed and skilled manga artist best known for his work on the football series, EYESHIELD 21 (also published in North America by VIZ Media). In 1995, Murata won the prestigious 122nd Hop Step Award for his series, Partner, and placed second in 1998 in the semi-annual Akatsuka Awards for Samui Hanashi.

Neon Alley is VIZ Media’s consolidated online destination for FREE streaming anime content in the U.S. with over 3,700 subtitled and English dubbed episodes and movies from more than 32 series! Neon Alley also reaches an expansive on-demand U.S.-based audience on Hulu, which enables viewers to watch shows anytime, anywhere across devices including Xbox One, PlayStation®4 (PS4™), Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and mobile devices. A full list of Hulu -enabled devices can be found at http://www.hulu.com/plus/devices.

For more information on ONE-PUNCH MAN or other anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com/opm/.

Additional information on Neon Alley is available at: www.NeonAlley.com and http://blog.neonalley.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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Chris Hemsworth Talks "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

[The following interview and Q&A was provided by Walt Disney Studios]

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS HEMSWORTH FOR THE IN-HOME RELEASE OF MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Marvel Studios unleashes the next global phenomenon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Good intentions wreak havoc when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unwittingly creates Ultron (James Spader), a terrifying A.I. monster who vows to achieve “world peace” via mass extinction. Now, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – must reassemble to defeat Ultron and save mankind.

With the Blu-ray ™, Digital HD and DVD of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron about to be released, we talk to actor Chris Hemsworth– who plays Thor in the movie – to discover his thoughts on the action-packed adventure…

What’s new about your characters in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron? 

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: In Age Of Ultron, we see a more grounded, earthly version of Thor than we have in the past. It is nice because there are a few more opportunities to showcase some humor and see him in some casual gear instead of the red cape and armor.

How does it feel to portray a different version of the character compared to the Thor we’ve seen in previous movies?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: I wanted to get back to the fun he had in the first film. I wanted to make him a little more grounded. I wanted to humanize him a bit. It’s very easy for these characters to become un-relatable and exist off in the stratosphere – but this was about making him more human. You can see this in one of the first scenes where the rest of The Avengers are trying to pick up his hammer in casual clothes. You think, ‘What do these guys do when they’re not saving the world?’ Well, now you know. That was fun for me. Any time we got to do things like that and to play around, that was the best part for me.

What’s Thor’s role in The Avengers in the new movie? 

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: He’s a central part of the team now and there’s certainly a unity that they’ve all formed now as a group. They are solid. Thor sees the bigger picture of the current conflict that’s going on. There’s the initial battle, which they’re all involved in, but Thor uses his Asgardian knowledge and starts to tap into some otherworldly possibilities and threats that he thinks are coming.

What was it like to welcome new cast members to the superhero cast?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: Joking aside, they were awesome. It was cool to have new people on set. You almost get too comfortable when you know everyone’s rhythms – but then a few new people are thrown in the mix and it gets disrupted in the best way. That’s why I think people love this film even more so than the first one. I love the new additions.

Ultron [played by James Spader] is another new character introduced in Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron. How would you describe the character? 

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: The character of Ultron was one of the first times on any film where I had really no idea what that character was going to look like and how that performance was going to be played out. But the first time I saw James [Spader] perform in character, it just all made sense. The writing is all very tricky in terms of his speech cadences and rhythms. He also has sarcasm and irony to him, yet is highly intelligent. It’s a beautiful mix.

What was it like to have James Spader on the set?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: I remember the first time he came on set, too. He did this big monologue and when he was done we all applauded and forgot our lines because we were so captivated by what he was doing.

How would you describe the look of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron? 

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: We’ve gone to far more locations than we’ve ever been to before and we’ve covered more ground than ever before, so aesthetically it’s going to be a mash-up of a whole lot of different locations and styles and images. Everything has been dialed up. Even the complexity of the story has gone deeper. We’ve seen all these characters evolve in the individual films, but to see them come together a second time is pretty exciting.

The start of the movie sees the superheroes working together in The Avengers Tower. What was the set like for those scenes?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: The Avengers Tower was an incredible set. In fact, it was one of the most impressive sets I’ve ever been on. It’s Tony Stark’s house, so it had to be big, high-tech and flashy – and it was. It was also the first set that the entire group shot on together, so it was nice to be in that kind of setting to shoot the party scene there and all of us be together and catch up.

Who were your favorite superheroes when you were growing up?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: Superman was probably the only film like that I had seen when I was growing up. It’s the one that sticks out for me. Iron Man hadn’t been created yet, or Captain America, or Hulk, or Black Widow, or Vision.

END

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About This Movie: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" HD, Blu-ray, DVD Release

“Epic in every sense of the word” -  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON AVAILABLE ON 3D BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK, BLU-RAY, DVD, DIGITAL SD AND ON-DEMAND October 2, 2015

Includes Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes, Making-of Featurettes, Gag Reel and Audio Commentary

Marvel Studios reunites Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the unprecedented movie event, Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Iconic heroes are forced to reassemble and face their most intimidating enemy yet – ULTRON.  Pushed to the brink of their physical and emotional limits, the team must recruit both new heroes and familiar allies to face an escalating danger that threatens the entire planet.

SYNOPSIS:    Marvel Studios unleashes the next global phenomenon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Good intentions wreak havoc when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unwittingly creates Ultron (James Spader), a terrifying A.I. monster who vows to achieve “world peace” via mass extinction. Now, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)—alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) —must reassemble to defeat Ultron and save mankind… if they can! This action-packed adventure is a must-own, mind-blowing blast!

CAST:    Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man (Marvel’s The Avengers, Marvel’s Iron Man), Chris Hemsworth as Thor (Marvel’s Thor, Marvel’s The Avengers), Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk (Marvel’s The Avengers, Shutter Island), Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America (Marvel’s The Avengers, Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger), Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Lost in Translation, Marvel’s The Avengers),
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye (The Hurt Locker, Marvel’s The Avengers), James Spader as Ultron (TV’s The Blacklist, Lincoln), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained) as Nick Fury

PRODUCER:    Kevin Feige, p.g.a. (Marvel’s The Avengers, Marvel’s Iron Man)

WRITER / DIRECTOR:    Joss Whedon (Marvel’s The Avengers, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D)

COMPOSERS:    Danny Elfman (TV’s The Simpsons, Corpse Bride), Brian Tyler (Marvel’s Iron Man 3, Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World)


RELEASE DATES:    September 8, 2015 for Digital 3D and Digital HD
October 2, 2015 for Digital SD, 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack (3D Blu-ray+Single Disc Blu-ray+Digital Copy), Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand

PRODUCTS:    Digital HD/SD, Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA), 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand

BONUS:    Digital HD*, Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA), 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray
Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
Making-of Featurettes
Gag Reel
Audio Commentary
*Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer   

DVD:
Making-of Featurette

FEATURE RUN TIME:    Approximately 141 min.

RATINGS:        PG-13 in U.S.; PG in CE; G in CF

ASPECT RATIO:    Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray & DVD = 1080p High Definition / 2.40:1

AUDIO:                                Blu-ray 3D & Blu-ray 2D = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, French-Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Latin Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital
DVD = English/Latin Spanish/French Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital 

LANGUAGES:        U.S.: English & Spanish
            Canada: English, French

SUBTITLES:        English, French & Spanish

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook    Avengers: https://www.facebook.com/avengers
        Marvel: https://www.facebook.com/Marvel
        Iron Man: https://www.facebook.com/IronMan
         Captain America: https://www.facebook.com/CaptainAmerica
        Thor: https://www.facebook.com/Thor
        Hulk: https://www.facebook.com/Hulk
        Disney Movies Anywhere: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyMoviesAnywhere

Twitter    @Avengers: https://twitter.com/Avengers
         @Marvel: https://twitter.com/Marvel
        @Iron_Man: https://twitter.com/Iron_Man
        @CaptainAmerica: https://twitter.com/CaptainAmerica
         @ThorMovies: https://twitter.com/ThorMovies
        @DisneyAnywhere: https://twitter.com/DisneyAnywhere

Tumblr    Marvel: http://marvelentertainment.tumblr.com
        DMA: http://disneymoviesanywhere.tumblr.com

Instagram    https://instagram.com/marvel/
        https://instagram.com/therealagentm

YouTube    https://www.youtube.com/user/MARVEL


ABOUT DISNEY MOVIES ANYWHERE (DMA):
Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) is an engaging and family-friendly cloud-based digital movie service that makes it simple to buy your favorite Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies once and watch them anywhere.  With DMA you can explore Disney’s library of over 400 eligible digital movies, discover hours of new and exclusive short-form content, and watch your digital movies from the comfort of the living room or across multiple mobile devices.   In addition, you can redeem Digital Copy codes found in Disney, Pixar and Marvel Blu-rays and DVDs, as well as earn Disney Movie Rewards points with every digital purchase.  Sign up and access Disney Movies Anywhere for free on DisneyMoviesAnywhere.com and through the Disney Movies Anywhere iOS and Android apps. Users can then simply connect their iTunes, Google Play and/or VUDU at VUDU.com/DMA accounts to begin enjoying their Disney, Pixar, and Marvel digital movie collections across platforms and devices.

About Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron”
Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk and Chris Evans as Captain America. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a., Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Patricia Whitcher, Stan Lee and Jon Favreau served as executive producers. Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” opened in U.S. theaters on May 1, 2015.

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy-five years.  Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.  For more information visit marvel.com.  © 2015 MARVEL

ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS:
For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

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"The Conjuring 2" Begins Shooting in Los Angeles

James Wan Begins Shooting New Line Cinema’s Highly Anticipated “The Conjuring 2”

“The Conjuring” stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reunite with Wan for another chilling chapter from the Warren case files

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography has begun in Los Angeles on New Line Cinema’s “The Conjuring 2,” with James Wan (“Furious 7”) once again at the helm, following the record-breaking success of “The Conjuring.” The supernatural thriller brings to the screen another real case from the files of renowned demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren.

Reprising their roles, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (“Up In the Air,” TV’s “Bates Motel”) and Patrick Wilson (the “Insidious” films), star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, who, in one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.

The film follows the phenomenal worldwide reception of Wan’s “The Conjuring,” which marked the largest opening ever for an original horror movie. The film went on to make more than $319 million worldwide and still remains the second highest grossing original horror movie of all time, second only to “The Exorcist.”

Rounding out the cast are Frances O’Connor (TV’s “The Missing”) as the single mom, with Madison Wolfe (TV’s “Zoo”) and newcomers Lauren Esposito, Patrick McAuley and Benjamin Haigh as her children; Maria Doyle Kennedy (TV’s “Orphan Black”); Simon Delaney (TV’s “Roy”); Franka Potente (TV’s “The Bridge”); and Simon McBurney (“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation”).

In addition to directing the film, Wan wrote the screenplay with Carey Hayes & Chad Hayes, and David Leslie Johnson.

Peter Safran, Wan and Rob Cowan, who previously collaborated on “The Conjuring,” are producing.

Collaborating with Wan behind-the-scenes is Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (“Forrest Gump,” “42”). Reuniting with the director from “The Conjuring” are production designer Julie Berghoff, editor Kirk Morri, costume designer Kristin Burke, and composer Joseph Bishara.

Scheduled for release on June 10, 2016, “The Conjuring 2” is a New Line Cinema presentation and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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