Review: THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS

It's been a while since we've last seen a true-blue animated film that was more-or-less created in the painstakingly crafted stop-motion technique. Maybe it's just me, but when you look at one of these kinds of films and realize that each character model or set piece was physically made by the God-given human hand, the resulting illusion on screen becomes just as extraordinary and remarkable as any CGI-laden motion picture. We've seen an onslaught of computer-animated films recently, so it's nice to see that The Pirates! Band of Misfits - from the same creators of Chicken Run - are back at the ready to startle the eyes and the minds of average moviegoers with its visually stunning stop-motion antics.

Review: HUGO

So, Scorsese decided to direct a kid’s movie… when I first saw the trailer for Hugo I wasn’t quite sure what to think of this fact. It looked like a Spielberg movie, a big budget, techno-family epic, and in 3D!!! What was Marty, the Gangster Priest, the King of Gritty, the man with more four-letter words in his movies than an entire season of South Park combined doing? Was he back on coke perhaps? Amazingly the result was a film very different from any of his previous films, and yet very much like them at the same time; this is not a children’s movie by Scorsese but a Scorsese movie for children.

Review: THE THREE MUSKETEERS

Boy, oh boy, oh boy! Is this my type of action swashbuckler? Oh yes it is! The newest adaptation of The Three Musketeers by Paul W. S. Anderson, the man behind the Resident Evil movies, incorporates so much swashbuckling, sword fighting, double agents, airships, plotting and plot turns, as well as 17^th century fashion, you might mistake it for a an all time classic… that is if it weren’t for the campy use of 3D, Mila Jovovich’s bad acting, modern slang being incorporated into the dialogue, and 75 million dollars worth of special effects.

Critics have been harsh. But they are missing the point. This is the Three Musketeers! AKA the original blockbuster! And like any serial written by Alexander Dumas you would know they are all about the swashbuckling, campy dialogue, and social mischief. And if he had a say on these matters, Dumas would insist in all the adaptations of his novels being filmed with the most candid use of 3D. So before you continue reading, do note that I am not being sarcastic here; I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation of The Three Musketeers, and can argue that it is as good as any other.

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas 3D

I'VE NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED FOR A 3D MOVIE.

TITANIC to re-release in 3D (2012)

Movie’s Re-Release to Coincide With the Centennial of the Ship’s Sailing 

 

HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 19, 2011) - Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment jointly announced today that James Cameron’s “TITANIC” will be re-released worldwide on April 6, 2012.

The release, which marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail (April 10th), will present the film in 3D for the first time ever.

Oh no... here we go again. Lucas plans to rerelease Star Wars in 3D.

You heard right. It is not like we didn't see it coming; George Lucas has milked the Star Wars franchise as much as it naturally could, and he is planning to continue way past the time the franchise turns dry. The films will be released in chronological order starting in February 2012 with Episode 1. The good news is the world ends that year, so we won't get to see our beloved trilogy bastardized once again.

The Great Gatsby.... in 3D

You still think 3D is just a fad. Think again.

Everyday, more and more, it seems more filmmakers are embracing 3D, including first rate directors like Martin Scorsese. A few weeks ago I saw Sanctum, a movie I thought to be the first to use 3D in a way that actually enhanced the experience. But here is news of an experiment that just might do it once again.

The Last Airbender New Trailer

Here is the new trailer for The Last Airbender. While I remain hopeful for the film to be amazing it is unfortunate that the studio has opted to release it in 3d. I really hope that the film is easily available in 2d, unlike the recent How To Train Your Dragon. One of the reasons I believe M. Night was a wonderful choice of director was that his work is generally free of visual gimmicks. Knowing that this is being released in 3d feels as if we are loosing one of the last classicist active directors working in Hollywood.

On the bright side there is a brief sight of Appa, a Fire Nation Lizard Mount, and Roku's dragon. They all look really good.

Enjoy:

Review: THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX

I have not seen an animated film like this in a long time.

Watching Despereaux is like watching an old fairy tale animated movie classic. There is a hero that is not yet a hero who goes on a quest becoming the hero he was always meant to be along the way. While this story has been told in almost every animated movie, Despereaux is different. They don't go for the jokes, pop culture gags, and fart humor. They tell a story and if a joke happens to come out of it then all the better. Finally, this gives an animated movie a full story, one we haven't heard or seen in a while.

Despereaux is the tale of a mouse with large ears who isn't afraid of anything. He lives in the Kingdom of Dor, which has always loved Soup and Rats (?). One day though, a rat ruined the soup, causing the death of the queen - and leading to both being banned from the kingdom. Years later (apparently - cause nobody ever seems to age) tiny Despereaux is set with the task of bringing all of these things back with the intent of being accepted into his community in the process.

This is not done with out flaws.

You never catch the name of any character besides Despereaux, there are a few too many plots happening at the same time, and the ending just seems to happen coincidentally - not for any real reason or chain of events. It just wraps up to nicely. Also there is a terribly overbearing Narrator - voiced by Sigourney Weaver, who chimes in literally every five minutes with a new moral to say - but then taking it back later so the next moral will make sense. It gets annoying fast.

However, the art is astounding. The backgrounds are some of the highest quality I have ever seen, and while the character animation and models are nothing special, they do have a certain charming aesthetic to them. Especially the rats, the leader of which looks so much like Anton Ego from Ratatouille, it is absurd.

Overall I enjoyed the movie a lot, but it could have been better. It certainly is a film that the whole family can enjoy though, and hopefully other studios take a tip from the key points of what made Despereaux good, and don't just gawk about what is missing.

Siggraph 2008 - New Information Revealed!

Another Siggraph has come and gone. For those who do not know, Siggraph is a convetion devoted to Film Technology, Animation, Special Effects, and other Film Media. This year it was held in Los Angeles, at the LA Convention Center. Many studios and effects houses were in attendance, including, Laika, LucasArts, Walt Disney Feature Animation, PIXAR, Image Movers Digital, Blue Sky, Autodesk, and many many more. Each had its own booth full of displays and demos, ready to show to the masses and line up some incredible stuff for the coming year.

Motion Capture technology is moving away from the little suits with balls on them, to suits with bend-proof metal straps that allow the user to capture motion to a computer with absolutely no cameras, and easily trackable data.




Robert Zemekis' "A Christmas Carol" looks absolutely fantastic. Many of the sets are more epic than Beowulf, and the graphics are even more astounding. Jim Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge, a crotchety old man who hate everything except money, as well as plays the three ghosts that help him change his life for the better. As more images are released, they will be posted here.



3D Stereoscopic projectors are the future of film. Or so I was told. Or so I was shown. Starting next year, 99% of animated films are going to be created in Stereoscopic 3d, meaning it will feel like you are in the movie. With a pair of open/close 3D glasses, films will take you into an immersive world where you are a player and not just a critic. It seems that this will soon roll over to normal film and then (hopefully the industry says) to home viewing, where you pop in a game to your PS4 or Blue Ray player and instantly are a part of what before you could only see. The projectors I was shown were dual-HD meaning that you can see HD in each eye and through each lens. Also, the 3d creates itself in a way that it does not require someone to throw something at the camera to show you the effect. With a projector like this, and a set of surround sound speakers, I think this may be the coolest idea for gaming and film viewing ever... at least, so far.

Disney had lots of people demoing drawing and showed many clips from Bolt, which has already been covered by this Blog. Russ Edwards (animator) came in and animated a scene for the upcoming "Princess and the Frog" (see previous post) and then Andreas Deja (animator), dropped by to draw some pictures, give a history lesson of his life, and sketch out the Character of "Mama Odie" who he is animating for "Princess and The Frog". Very exciting stuff indeed.

Andreas Deja draws a frame of 'Mama Odie' from the upcoming Disney flick "The Princess and the Frog". Read more about "The Princess and the Frog" in the previous devoted post.


Siggraph 2009 will be held in New Orleans. See You There!