Disney has just officially announced that
No more information is known, but I'll keep you updated.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
Showing posts with label Summer Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Movies. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
'Pirates 4' Gets an Official Release Date
Monday, October 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Day One of D23 and Other News
With the D23 Expo underway, as well as the Disney Studio always wheelin' and dealin', I've got a lot of news for you. Right here, right now:
- This first piece of news is Disney-related, but not D23-related. Guillermo Del Toro, one of my favorite writer/directors of such films as Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, has opened up an animation studio. This studio is known as "Disney's Double Dare You!". That's right: Disney's. One of Hollywood's best obscure/creepy filmmakers has opened an animation company within the walls of Disney Studios. The studio will be under the watch of Dick Cook and (hooray!) John Lasseter. Del Toro is very busy with his current slate of upcoming films, but will direct for DDDY (Disney's Double Dare You!) in the future. The current project at DDDY is Trollhunters, written (but not directed) by Guillermo who is also producing. So what should we expect from this new studio? Will the films be truly creepy, or just Coraline creepy? Will they appeal to kids, or to adults? I don't know...
- The Associated Press is reporting that 'Pirates 4' is officially official. It has a real title: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," and Johnny Depp is, of course, its star. The film will be released in 2011. I can't wait! Although I am not a huge fan of the 2nd and 3rd 'Pirate' films, I do love the character of Jack Sparrow.
- The D23 Expo is going on right now! To see what happened on day one, I'd recommend you check out the following links:
- WDWNewsToday; Some stuff from the CarsLand room, and, mostly, the Disney Legends ceremony.
- Disney and More: The really great-looking Imagineering Legends session.
- Cinematical has an article about Tron at the D23 Expo, as well as a huge gallery of pictures from it.
- The LA Times documents both days of the expo thus far, but mainly the stars that showed up, which include John Travolta, Johnny Depp, and Tim Burton. (The OC Register has a similar article.)
- Jim Hill discusses an upcoming D23 presentation which will showcase what The Muppets ( I sure do love those little guys) will be up to in the next couple of years.
There is even more Disney news out there. Upcoming Pixar is reporting that Cars 2 is going to be a "Hitchcockian Spy Thriller." Their source is Mr. Lasseter who is quoted to have said:
Mater, who we know from the series of cartoon shorts Mater’s Tall Tales (more on that in our blog in a minute) is prone to exaggeration, gets involved in a "Hitchcockian" case of mistaken identity, saves the life of a British secret agent called Finn McMissile (who looks a heck of a lot like an Aston Martin) and becomes embroiled in a huge spy thriller. Only no-one believes him.And, finally, here is the newest trailer for the upcoming Disney film, The Princess and the Frog. This movie keeps looking better and better:
That's all the news for now, but stay posted since we still have more Expo news headin' your way.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Pixar's Box Office Goes 'Up' [UPDATED]
Not surprisingly, Up is doing wonderfully at the box office. It has already made $21.4 million at the Friday box office, making it Walt Disney Pictures' second best ever opening day for an animated feature (WALL-E still holds number one with just a few million more than Up).
Looking at this makes it almost guaranteed that Up will be the box office champ for this weekend, and may even beat WALL-E's $63.1 million opening weekend. Great! Go Up!
Stay up-to-date on Up's current box office numbers with the Box Office Mojo widget on the right.
Update: Over the weekend, Up easily beat every other movie in theaters, and also beat WALL-E with a cool $68.2 million. This puts Up in 3rd place when it comes to Pixar's opening weekend box offices; it is beat by The Incredibles ($70.4) and Finding Nemo ($70.2).
Way to go Up!!
'Toy Story 3' Teaser
If you haven't seen Up yet, I recommend you see it right away. Although I think that the 2D showing is better since the vibrant colors don't get diluted by dark glasses, if you go to a 3D showing, you get to see the new trailer for Toy Story 3!!
Or, if you would like to go to the much better 2D showing, but still see the trailer, watch it right here:
Visit the official Toy Story 3 website which has just gone live. The film will be released in (ugh) Disney Digital 3D on June 18, 2010. I can't wait! I love both Toy Story and its sequel, and I am sure that I will also love the third.
Only a year and 18 days...
Friday, May 29, 2009
Today is the Day for 'Up'!
Well, we're finally here. Pixar's tenth film is now in theaters. After an exciting press release announcing the title through more rumors and leaked art, an opening at Cannes and merchandising releases, we finally get to see the movie! So, what are you waiting for? Go out and see Up!
Oh, you wanna read more about it first?
Then, first, read my review of Up. It is a comprehensive review of the wonderful film Up, and the somewhat disappointing short Partly Cloudy.
Next, read all about the interesting technologies Pixar had to invent inorder to animate 10,000 balloons in Up (which look spectacular, by the way).
After that, feel free to read all about Jordan, the little boy who does a great job voicing Russell. Also, you might wanna check out Rotten Tomatoes where Up has a 98%! (I'd have given it a 100%, but at least its in the upper nineties.)
Then, why not read some more reviews from tons of different news sites?
NY Daily News
Newark Star-Ledger
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Cinema Blend
Washington Post
LA Times
Seattle Times
E! Online
Miami Herald
Rolling Stone
USA Today
Slate
Philadelphia Inquirer
Boston Globe
MSNBC
New York Magazine
What? You can't possibly want more Up, can you? Oh, fine. Then read this on Apple's game website. It is all about the Up video game with a bunch of screenshots and info.
If you still want more Up, why not download the absolutely perfect soundtrack by Michael Giacchino?
Now, if you still need more Up, I can't help you. All you can do now is hop in the car, and drive over to the closest movie theater. And enjoy the beautiful, hilarious, and sad film made by the best animation studio on the planet: Pixar.
(Reviews compiled by The Pixar Blog)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
My Review of Up (and Partly Cloudy)
Pixar has done it again! I just saw Up, and it was great. The film was colorful, funny, bittersweet, and entertaining. The characters were wonderfully crafted; you can't help but love the character of Carl from the very beginning, Russell is energetic and funny, Muntz is a decent villain, and Dug the Dog is hilarious and lovable. The movie definitely stayed true to Walt Disney's famous saying (and what I think is John Lasseter's favorite saying): "For every laugh there should be a tear".
(Starting here, beware of minor spoilers. If you want to avoid the spoilers or read a slightly less lengthy version of my review, just read the bold statements).
The film opens with an old-fashioned news reel (The Incredibles, anyone?) showing the history of Charles Muntz to the excitement of an 8-year-old Carl who is a fan of the famous explorer. The heart-warming begins when we meet Ellie, another Muntz-fanatic. My favorite sequence of the movie is the silent (except for Giacchino's beautiful and brilliant score) montage of Carl and Ellie's life, showing their marriage, their fixing of the house, their discovery that they will be unable to have children, the promise of Carl to fulfill Ellie's dream of moving to South America, and ultimately the death of Ellie. That sequence is definitely my favorite out of any movie I've ever seen. It is the epitome of film-making and storytelling. It was funny, sad, heartfelt, perfectly scored, and managed to fit a lifetime of emotion and character development into a very short amount of time. Simply beautiful. This sequence was packed so full of humor, sadness, and heart, that it was totally staggering.
The character of Carl was my favorite; the staggering transformations he goes through as a person are truly life-changing for me and I am sure they for the audience. His character development was flawless. But, let me start with Carl's appearance. His shock of white hair, square head and glasses, classic bowtie, snappy suit and suspenders, and shirt height make him the epitome of old guys. He looks grumpy, but, after getting to know him, you realize that he just looks sad and pessimistic after his heart-breaking life experiences. His constant repetition of calling his house "Ellie", looking through her Adventure Book, and repeating the phrase "I cross my heart" (which is what he did on several occasions to Ellie when promising they'd move to Paradise Falls in South America one day) brings a tear to your eye every single time one of these events happen, and they happen about every 5 or 10 minutes in Up. His lovable grumpiness and constant reminder to the audience of his grief makes him a fantastically complex and endearing character which the audience roots for every step of the way.
Russell is the over-excited, typical 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer who accidentally gets taken with Carl on his wild adventure. He is very funny with his constant nagging, his bragging of and apparent lack of Wilderness Explorer skills, and his attitudes which drastically contrast with those of Carl. Russell's back story also makes him a very lovable character that you find yourself cheering for throughout the movie. Even though Russell, at first, seems to be annoying, he then becomes adorable and sympathetic when you discover the lack of decent parents, and the heartbreak that he has felt at such a young age. Russell is the most relatable character, especially to kids, and he is very likable.
The villain of the film, Charles Muntz, is the weakest character if you ask me. His motivations are slightly vague and aren't completely solid, but he is still a decent character. He is not even a villain compared to Sid or Randall, Hopper or Syndrome, but he is a sufficient device used by the plot of Up. I like villains to be more evil, but he was only a minor villain compared to Carl's and Russell's other problems they had in their lives before meeting the old explorer (who would be, what, 97 years old?). Charles Muntz is more of one obstacle out of many than a true villain, but is still an effective character of Up.
The incidental characters of Up are some of my favorite that have come out of Pixar (but they still haven't managed to top Rex, Heimlich, or Mater yet). Dug the dog is utterly hysterical. He is one of the many, many dogs of Muntz, but he is the underdog, if you will (no pun untended). He is bullied by the other dogs and is too weak to be a decent henchman (er, dog) of Muntz compared to the rottweilers and bulldogs, but he is so unbelievably lovable! He joins the side of Carl and Russell after they are much nicer to him than Muntz had ever been. All of the dogs in Up, can speak using collars given to them by Charles. One of the interesting things about their ability to talk, is that their mouths don't move when they speak, which is a very intriguing thing to watch after being so used to seeing mouths move when they speak. The fact that the dogs can speak, however, is the funniest part of the whole movie. Alpha, Gamma, and Beta are also very entertaining, especially when the toughest dog's (Alpha's) voice malfunctions and gets very high-pitched. Pixar just gets the attitudes of dogs so perfectly by making them talk very formally, but about squirrels and fetching balls and snacks. all very excitedly. The humor related to the dogs and what they say is truly genius; I hardly find myself laughing out loud while watching films, but Up provided me with laugh after laugh after laugh, mostly due to Muntz's unconventional, fumbling, slobbery minions.
Kevin the Bird was also a great character. He was the 'MacGuffin' of the film (or, rather, the object that everybody was after). But his uncanny likeness to a real bird was amazing, and I think that the colorful bird, Kevin, who couldn't speak at all, had more character development devoted to it than any character that has come out of DreamWorks Animation.
One of the most astounding components of Up was its animation. The animation of Up was exquisite and completely gorgeous. From the realistic wetness of balloons in a rainstorm, to the vibrant colors of a house in the sky, Up's animation was jaw-dropping. Seeing the thousands of colorful balloons was especially visually wonderful; the balloons move and act extremely realistically. I also really like the animation of Carl since he walks exactly like elderly folks do. Also, the animation of Kevin reminded me a lot of the Road Runner from classic Looney Tunes, which isn't a bad thing at all. The animation of Up is another triumph for the brilliant folks at Pixar who keep getting better and better behind their computers and their sketchpads.
The music of Up is outstanding and timeless. Giacchino's score adds more dimension to the film than plastic glasses could ever hope to. The music of Up was absolutely beautiful. I particularly love the music of the first sequence of the film during the montage of Carl and Ellie's life, which is then continued in different octaves and ways for the rest of the movie, reminding you of Carl's past happiness and current heartache. Michael Giacchino's score of Up is my favorite from any Pixar movie so far (although I think I may like the song during the credits of Monsters, Inc., 'I Wouldn't have Nothin' If I Didn't Have You', and Randy Newman's score for Toy Story a teensy bit more).
My favorite aspect of Up is the total and complete character transformation of both Carl and Russell. At the beginning of the film, Carl is bitter, resentful, pessimistic, lacking somebody to love and care for, and preoccupied with thoughts of the past; he just won't let Ellie go. Russell is unsure of himself, bumbling, and lacking a father figure in his life. At the end of the film, however, the adventure of our heroes has drastically changed their situations and attitudes. Carl is confident, happy, optimistic, and has found a son in Russell; he has let go of Ellie, not to mean he doesn't care for her anymore, he just doesn't let his grief for her take his entire being over for the rest of his days. Russell is also more confident and happy, he has found a father figure in Carl (with whom he does things he did with his father, like count cars outside of the ice cream shop, who isn't there for Russell anymore).
Although I feel that Muntz's falling to his death was a little bit cliche, as was ending with the house perched next to Paradise Falls, I believe that these images did fit the overall themes and ideas presented throughout Up, so I suppose they were appropriate, but not completely necessary. The house sitting on the cliff at the end was predictable, but was also very nice and sentimental now that I think about it; it lets you leave the theater with one last tear lingering in your eye.
Up is yet another masterpiece to come out of Emeryville. It is full of action, adventure, heartache, romance, humor galore, stunning animation, tremendous characters, a flawless score, and, most of all, a great story. Up is exactly what you'd expect from Emeryville, tons of laughs and tons of tears, and even more. It is easily my second favorite film to come out of Pixar, my first being Monsters, Inc. I urge you not to take this new golden age of animation for granted. Yes, Pixar is wonderful and has a 10 film streak going, but I have noticed that almost everybody (including me) is beginning to expect the best from Pixar. And, even though they deliver for every single film, I still don't think we should expect so much from them, and take their glorious films for granted. Feel lucky, as I do, that we get to see their perfect films.
But then, there's Partly Cloudy. I only have one thing to say about Pixar's latest short: Worst Pixar Short Ever. Sure, it was funny, it had a decent premise (in a world where clouds create babies of every creature, our main character is the cloud that gets stuck making the vicious and harmful animals), but there was no story. The whole short was simply set-up. Partly Cloudy opens by visually describing the way that this version of the world works by showing the storks who deliver the babies and the clouds who create them, and then they introduce our lonely cloud and show the kinds of animals he gets stuck creating. Then it ends. It just ends right there! All conflict with hardly any resolution. It doesn't have anything near the satisfying or ironic endings of Knick Knack, For the Birds, or Geri's Game. The scenes where our main cloud creates the animals and gives them to his gawky partner-stork are hilarious, but you don't care about any of the characters! Like I said, all of Partly Cloudy was set-up: no story arch, and only character development. Partly Cloudy was basically a film that only showed you this disgruntled cloud inadvertently harming his stork-friend. Especially after the gloriously great short of last year, Presto, I am very disappointed with Partly Cloudy. It seemed more like a preview, or the first half of a short, but it certainly didn't have enough of anything (except maybe humor) to support itself as a 'film'. Partly Cloudy, sadly, was a major letdown. I really tried to like it, and I even discussed it with a bunch of other Pixar fanatics, but we all came to the same, disappointing conclusion: gorgeous animation, great premise, hilarious gags, but just not enough to make it a satisfying short. In fact, and I am sorry to say this, but Partly Cloudy is the very first thing to come out of Pixar Animation Studios that I haven't given a 10 out of 10 and been absolutely exstatic about; very disappointing.
Update: I have just gone to a showing of several student films, some of which were animated shorts. And, I have to tell you, I have a newfound appreciation for and all of Pixar. I think that I was a little bit harsh on Pixar's newest short since I was simply comparing it to Pixar's past shorts, all of which were absolutely fantastic. Partly Cloudy is still Pixar's worst short ever, but it is also one of the best animated short films out there if you excluse all of Pixar's other short films. And, once again, if you feel you're taking Pixar for granted, just go to the student film festival I went to . . . Anyways, Partly Cloudy was still disappointing since I was expecting so much from Pixar, but, if you see it with average expectations, you shouldn't be too disappointed. (Just pretend that DreamWorks made it, that'll help you to think it is better than I do.)
But don't start marching on Emeryville just yet, the greatness of Up certainly made up for its inadequate short film, and I cannot wait to see the sure-to-be-outstanding 11th feature to come out of Pixar: Toy Story 3.
As you may have guessed, I give Up the same rating as all of the other Pixar films: 10 out of 10.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Inside Up: Kevin the Undiscovered Species
Another 'Inside Up' video has just been released. (Watch it now on Disney.com). It quickly describes the premise of Up, but then moves on to describe one character in particular: Kevin the Bird. His animation is very unique due to the way he walks, his vibrant colors, and his numerous (and hilarious) antics involving Russell and Carl and Chocolate. The video also goes on to describe the rather humorous fact that Russell named the bird Kevin, not knowing it was a female! The video has some great interviews from the crew of Up, coming out May 29 of this year!
'Inside Up: Unlikely Heroes'
Here is a pretty short featurette about Up. It has some good tidbits from the movie, as well as talk from Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, and John Lasseter. Enjoy:
Monday, March 16, 2009
'Transformers 3' Gets Official
Briefly: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen comes out on June 24 of this year, but Paramount and Dreamworks have already made the three-quel for this successful film franchise official.
They haven't released anything about the movie other than the fact that the tentative release date is July 1, 2011. This isn't the official release date; they are mire likely just claiming their usual Independence Day slot so that no other blockbusters get scheduled around the same time.
No word yet on whether or not Shia LeBeouf, Megan Fox, or Michael Bay are returning for the three-quel
Source: Variety
Friday, March 6, 2009
Brand New 'Up' Trailer!
Here it is, a brand new, and presumably the last-to-be-released Up trailer. It contains very, very exciting new footage of Dug the Dog speaking (in multiple languages, which is hilarious), the villain of the film, more of their epic balloon journey, and much, much more. The movie is directed by Pete Docter and will be released on May 29. Enjoy!
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Ultimate Guide to 2009 Movies
Now that the Oscars have come to a close, we can now turn our gaze from the movies of 2008 to the movies of this year: 2009. Here is a complete list, in chronological order, of all movies being released this year. The guide features trailers, movie posters, release dates, plot synopses, and my prospective ratings of these movies:
I'd like to start this post off with the clip shows directly after the Oscars showing the movies of 2009 (to the new song by Beck which is a cover of an old Bob Dylan song):
MARCH:
Probably the most anticipated movie of this year, Watchmen will be released in only a few weeks on March 6. It is based on the very popular novel of the same name by Alan Moore. The plot, as stated by IMDb.com: When an ex-superhero is murdered, a vigilante named Rorschach begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion.
Hopefully the movie will do justice to the great graphic novel. Here's the trailer:
I think that this will be a great movie full of excitement, mystery, and romance, therefore I'll give it a 9.5 out of 10. I hope that it won't disappoint.
A remake of the original, live action Disney movie Escape to Witch Mountain, Race to Witch Mountain looks like it has potential. It has a star-studded cast (which doesn't really mean anything) of AnnaSophia Robb and Dwayne Johnson. The plot, as given by IMDb.com: A UFO expert enlists the help of a cabbie to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans. Here's the trailer:
I don't think that this movie will manage to be better than the original, but it shouldn't be too bad. I give this movie, for now, a 7 out of 10.
The next film being released by DreamWorks Animation is Monsters vs. Aliens, a film that utilizes all of the cheap animation gimmicks of the decade: a star-studded cast, cheap parodies and jokes that won't be funny in a few years, shallow characters, and, finally, 3D. I don't think that a star-studded cast adds anything to a movie, cheap parodies and jokes are simply stupid and worthless, and 3D adds nothing to a movie, and I believe that it is just a fad and will be gone in about 5 years or so. Here's the trailer:
Due to these silly gimmicks that, as you can tell, I have immense hostility towards, I give this movie a 4 out of 10.
APRIL:
Crank: High Voltage will be a very stupid, nonsensical, and awesome movie. It will have tons of plot holes, but will also be an exciting and fun action movie. You don't watch this kind of movie for plot or character development; you watch it to get your adrenaline pumping and to be entertained by car crashes and bullets being fired. Here's the exciting trailer:
Since it will make an entertaining, mindless action movie with Jason Statham, I will give it an 8 out of 10.
Robert Downey and Jamie Foxx sure won't disappoint in this movie which will be released on April 24. It should have a great story, and it seems like it has fantastic character development of both Downey's and Foxx's characters. I cannot wait to see this movie which has potential at next year's Oscars. Here is the trailer:
This movie will hopefully be a masterpiece of cinematic excellence, and, if not, it at least has Robert Downey Jr. in it. I'm giving it a 9 out of 10 for now.
MAY:
This should be a great performance by Hugh Jackman. I am excited to see this prequel to the successful X-men trilogy. Since Wolverine is my favorite character from the X-men series, I hope that this movie won't disappoint, and it doesn't look like it will. Here's the trailer:
Completely due to the "I'll cut your head off" segment in the trailer, I am giving this movie a 9 out of 10 for now.
I loved the first Night at the Museum. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams are some of my favorite actors. And since they, including Amy Adams and Hank Azaria, are starring in the new movie, it should be a great one. After looking over the above poster, I don't think you need too much more explanation. Here is the trailer:
Although the plot may not be the strongest, I think that this feel-good film will be a great one. I give it an 8 out of 10.
Pixar's next feature, Up, will not disappoint. I am sure that it will have wholesome and complete characters, awe-inspiring animation, and a heart-touching plot. There isn't much more to say other than it is a Pixar production, since Pixar has made a name for itself; a name that makes everyone think of quality in plot, characters and animation. Here's the trailer:
I cannot wait to see Pixar's next movie. It is sure to be another stunning production by the world's best animation studio. (To see a lot more about Up click here.) I give it a 10 out of 10 already.
JUNE:
Transformers was a great movie, and I don't think that the second installment will be any worse. It will still have car chases, mystery and romance embedded throughout, and therefore remain a great motion picture. Here is the exciting trailer:
I love this movie franchise already, so I will give this movie a 9 out of 10.
JULY:
One of the movies I am most excited for this year is Public Enemies. It will star Johnny Depp as criminal Dillinger and Christian Bale as the federal agent after him. There hasn't been much released about the movie, not even a poster or a trailer, but I am sure it will be entertaining to say the least. I am giving it a 9 out of 10 for now.
The previous 5 Harry Potter movies have done pretty well interpretting the fabulous books by J.K Rowling. I loves the book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and, as long as the film does the story justice and matches the greatness of the rest of the franchise, the movie should be a good one. Here's the trailer:
I'll give this one an 8 out of 10.
Everybody loves Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. They have never done a movie where they are both the leads, but I am excited to see it. Although it appears to have a sad premise (is the character development is done right), there should be some hilarious parts of the movie. And the fact that Judd Apatow is directing just makes me more confident that his will be a genuinely great movie. Here is the trailer for Funny People:
I'm gonna give this sure to be hilarious and heart-wrenching comedy/drama a 9.5 out of 10.
AUGUST:
This movie should be an interesting one. I already know that it will have a fantastic performance by Brad Pitt, as well as the rest of the cast. As given by IMDb.com, the plot is as follows: In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers. Here is the trailer:
It is worth noting that, interestingly, Mike Myers is going to be in the movie playing the role of General Ed Fenech. I'm going to, tentatively, give this film a 9 out of 10.
NOVEMBER:
This may be the most exciting release of 2009: Guy Ritchie's (one of my favorite directors') Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey, Jr., one of my favorite actors. This movie will be amazing. I can't even describe how perfect the mix of cast and crew are for this film; it will be a masterpiece. There isn't even a trailer or movie poster released yet, but I am sure this movie will be a hit. I give it a 10 out of 10.
Well, there are all of the major releases of 2009, with posters, ratings and trailers. I hope that now you are as excited for a year at the movies as I am!
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