I’ll admit to being a bit of a fanboy for Benedict Cumberbatch. This great bit of “time travel” promotion on behalf of The Fifth Estate at Buzzfeed tapped into the fan’s desire to see Cumberbatch have a juicy role in the Doctor Who universe, even… Read More »First Poster of The Fifth Estate, Distributed by Disney for Dreamworks
Disney’s box office calendar for the next few years has already been announced, but many projects lacked details. At D23 Expo we began to get some of the important details we’ve all been waiting for. Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, and Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, presented overviews of the upcoming Marvel Studios and Disney live action slates.
A recap of the presentation follows:
Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a., from a story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat and screenplay by Christopher L. Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery “ #83 in August, 1962. The film releases November 8, 2013.Read More »D23 Expo: Live Action Movies from Marvel and Disney
This just might be the greatest Disney movie poster ever. Seriously, doesn’t this just give you goosebumps (mousebumps)? Saving Mr. Banks opens December 2013. Photo
Disney’s The Lone Ranger rides into cinemas everywhere this weekend bringing a updated take on the classic TV show masked avenger to modern audiences. The film is a success and a failure to varying degrees. How much you feel of one or the other probably depends on your ability to just let go and have a good time. Although dark at times, the film isn’t meant to be taken too seriously and certainly pokes fun at some of the conventions we expect in a Lone Ranger story. Once you figure out who the villain is, and he reveals himself fairly early on, the pieces fall into place and the rest of the film is a can be enjoyed for what it is – well produced Hollywood fun.
Like Johnny Depp, I grew up watching reruns of the classic TV show edition of The Lone Ranger. The villains were inevitably corrupt businessmen and politicians or the standard mustache twirling dreamer up of evil plots. Tonto did his best to keep the outlaw lawman John Reid out of trouble and often swooped in for a well timed attack to save the masked avenger’s life. It was inspiring stuff to an 8 year old.
Sadly, I can’t recommend today’s 8-year olds watch this new edition of The Lone Ranger. The PG-13 rating is to be taken seriously for both violent scenes and fairly heavy subject matter.
Frankly, I don’t get why Disney is marketing The Lone Ranger to young kids with Halloween costumes, action figures, and the like. Was the part about cutting out and eating the still beating heart of one of the heroes not in the script when merchandise got their hands on it?
On the other hand, I recent sat through World War Z, a fairly graphic and bloody zombie attack movie, with a young kid right in front of me. He suffered no ill effect and was even suggesting dinner options on the way out of the theater (he must have had an iron stomach to go with his tolerance for horror and gore). But I digress.
Ostensibly about the journey John Reid takes to become The Lone Ranger, the movie actually dedicates more pages of the script to Tonto’s backstory. It makes sense since a large portion of the plot is driven by elements in Tonto’s life. The two start off as adversaries, but by the end of the film are ready to work together as a team to right the wrongs and bring the bad guys to justice.Read More »The Lone Ranger Rides Into Cinemas With Fun on its Mind
If you’re like me, you love to scour Pixar’s feature films in search of the Hidden Gems (aka Easter Eggs) the filmmakers sneak into each film: WALL•E’s explorations uncover a Mike Wazowski antenna ball and Eve scanned the Pizza Planet Truck, and in Up, the classic Luxo Jr. ball can be seen in the girl’s bedroom as Carl Fredricksen’s house flies by her window. If you’re looking for the hidden gems from Monsters University we have confirmation from Disney*Pixar right here in the form of these screen shots:
A113 – The School of Scaring classroom number is A113, which refers to the former classroom of John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton at CalArts. The number makes an appearance in every Pixar feature film.
Pizza Planet – The Pizza Planet truck is in the driveway of the JOX fraternity house when Mike is riding Archie the Scare Pig down Greek Row. The Pizza Planet truck, which first made an appearance in “Toy Story,” has made a cameo in nearly every Pixar feature film.Read More »Monster University Easter Eggs from Pixar
Mega Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who has been behind many of Disney’s most successful films of the last decade, received a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in a special ceremony today. The ceremony took place outside the El Capitan Theater and featured a nice speech… Read More »Mega Hollywood Producer Jerry Bruckheimer Gets Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
It sure looks like they’re having a lot of fun on the set of The Lone Ranger. The latest behind the scenes video focuses on Silver, the mythic horse for the story’s hero. Turns out they used four different horses on set, each suited to… Read More »Meet Silver, The Lone Ranger’s Horse in Latest Behind The Scenes Video
“Much Ado About Nothing”, directed, adapted and produced by Joss Whedon (director of “The Avengers” and now the unofficial Marvel God) was released last week (in a limited release and will be gaining theaters as its run progresses) to the tune of an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is a re-imagining of the classic Shakespeare romantic comedy set in modern times, though utilizing the same exact script, and was filmed in black and white, in Whedon’s home within a 12 day shooting period.
I had the opportunity to catch a screening of the film last night and I enjoyed it immensely. I am not a huge fan of Shakespeare, but I have always enjoyed Much Ado, though the last time I viewed the play was 4 years ago. The first scene of the film appeared and I was incredibly confused. To jump right into Shakespearean speak is always a daunting task, but by the 3rd scene, I was enthralled. The film had multiple laugh out loud moments and an incredible score that needs an Oscar nomination. It is a must-see film in my book.
This was a passion project of Whedon’s, a nice palate cleanser between huge superhero films. While watching, I couldn’t help but think, why can’t Disney do this anymore? Last year they released “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”, which was JUST what I wanted. Was the summer release date a good choice for a movie of that nature? Heck no, but it was a refreshing change of pace for Disney and I loved it.Read More »Joss Whedon takes a break from Big Budget…why can’t Disney do the same?