IMAX and and Universal Pictures today announced that Steven Spielberg’s epic JURASSIC PARK will return to the big screen with a one-week 3D engagement in IMAX® theatres worldwide simultaneous with the film’s wide release beginning April 5, 2013.
With his remastering of this epic film into a state-of-the-art 3D format, Steven Spielberg introduces the three-time Academy Award®-winning blockbuster to a new generation of moviegoers and allows longtime fans to experience the world he envisioned in a way that was unimaginable during the film’s original release. Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Attenborough, the film based on the novel by Michael Crichton is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen.
“Jurassic Park is the quintessential film for fans to experience in IMAX 3D,” said Nikki Rocco, President of Distribution, Universal Pictures. “Jurassic Park was groundbreaking when it was originally released, and The IMAX 3D Experience® will allow today’s audiences to become fully immersed in one of the most breathtaking epics Universal has ever released.”
“Steven Spielberg’s films resonate uniquely with audiences,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We’re thrilled to offer moviegoers an opportunity to see this fan favorite back on the big screen and transport them – for the first time through the power of The IMAX 3D Experience® – into the world of Jurassic Park.”
The IMAX release of Jurassic Park has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
Well, it looks like Hollywood’s marketers are pulling a bit of a fast one this holiday season (not quite a lump of coal in your stocking). Many news pieces and commercials are touting this as a new work from James Cameron (with many references to AVATAR) with direction by Andrew Adamson (of SHREK and NARNIA film fame). The two men are involved (lots of Cameron interviews are used in publicity TV-ready sound bites), but this film is almost a glorified “infomercial”. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WORLDS AWAY 3D is a “best of” the company’s Las Vegas house shows strung together with a fairly flimsy story/plot. As the film opens a wide-eyed young girl walks past the railroad tracks of her small town and enters a low-rent circus that’s setting up in a vacant field. She catches the eye of a handsome young man helping to set up the big top. Later a sad-faced clown gives the girl a flyer touting their main attraction, the Aerialist. In the main tent the girl recognizes him as the worker with whom she exchanged glances earlier. An accident occurs and both are plunged into a strange otherworldly dimension. The rest of the film concerns their efforts to re-unite while navigating through the odd settings and inhabitants.
And while they try to find each other they take time to watch all manner of gymnastics culled from all the Cirque shows. Skilled athletes perform gravity defying stunts on trampolines, intricate mechanical contraptions, and inclines. And in water. The first third includes lots of precision diving in pools and elevated glass tubs. All in unusual costuming that accents their straining, contorted muscles ( some of theses outfits veer almost into the fetish arena). Most of the music would be at home with a big sci-fi blockbuster while other tunes are from a top 40 jukebox. There’s a piece from the recently closed Elvis-themed show (with bouncing superheroes) and many classic Beatles songs from the Vegas “Love” show. James Cameron’s crew are able to zoom in on the performers and slow down some of the action to better present the grace of the acrobats. Unfortunately much of the immediacy (and danger) of the live show is lost in a cinema adaptation. Everything’s very colorful and should delight the youngest viewers (the preK set), while some of the preteens may get a tad squirmy, unless they have a penchant for performance and gymnastics. The 3D works best in the film’s opening scenes, but it’s not close to the wonder of HUGO or LIFE OF PI. If you can’t afford to go to one of their permanent shows or the traveling troupe, then this film should satisfy your curiosity about Cirque. But as a film this is more of a tossed together buffet than a banquet. Speaking of meals, you may be better off saving your money in order to hit Sin City, have a great Dinner, and attend, say, “Mystere” as your dessert. Now there’s an evening that’s truly worlds away!
TOP GUN, Paramount Pictures’ 1986 classic from director Tony Scott, producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Tom Cruise, takes off on a new adventure with an exclusive six-day 3D engagement in select IMAX® theatres beginning February 8, 2013. The film has been re-mastered for the IMAX® 3D release and subsequent debut on Blu-ray.
TOP GUN was re-mastered for the big screen from high-resolution original negative scans and painstakingly converted to 3D by Legend3D under the supervision of the film’s director, Tony Scott. Rendered in 3D, the film’s complex, long shots reveal extraordinary depth and clarity, allowing viewers to explore every detail of the action. From the spectacular aerial dogfights to the intense close-ups in the cockpits, each frame enables the audience to feel a part of the story.
The story of an elite group of pilots competing to be the best in their class and earn the title of “TOP GUN” captured the imagination of a generation and earned a worldwide box office of over $350 million upon its release. The film stars Tom Cruise as Maverick and Kelly McGillis as his civilian instructor. The film also stars Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan.
The “TOP GUN” Blu-ray 3D disc presents the film with pristine high definition picture and sparkling sound in spectacular 3D for the ultimate home viewing experience. The Blu-ray 2D includes the re-mastered film in high definition, along with a six-part documentary on the making of the movie, a behind-the-scenes featurette, interviews with Tom Cruise, commentary by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, co-screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr. and more. The two-disc set available for purchase also includes a digital copy of the film and will be enabled with UltraViolet technology.
From the big top to the big screen, Academy Award®-nominated director Andrew Adamson and visionary filmmaker James Cameron invite audiences on an all-new 3D adventure – CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WORLDS AWAY. Two young people journey through the astonishing and dreamlike worlds of Cirque du Soleil to find each other as audiences experience the immersive 3D technology that allows them to leap, soar, swim and dance with the performers.
For Cameron, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WORLDS AWAY “was a dream come true. I had been talking to them for some time about doing something in 3D because it’s never been done. How lucky to be working with the Cirque family, to have that talent create such an emotional performance for this film. Because their death-defying acts require such incredible skill and nerve, we felt it was so important to show the cabling, everything supporting that human ability.
“We were working with a different stage crew every four days. We did use the live shows and shot both during the live performances and on their dark days. It was cost effective to shoot during the live shows, but we did get the best stuff on dark days because we were able to come in from different angles. We dropped in with our 10 3D cameras and started shooting. But it’s a lot different than just standing back with a ring of cameras and shooting a live show. We were getting in there with the Steadicam, shooting close-ups — in their faces as close as possible — getting into the action because it’s much better for 3D. I lobbied for high camera positions so when you are shooting down you get that sense of vertigo. At times we were shooting from 50 to 100 feet in the air, and you feel the height of these amazing artists performing 90 feet above the floor. You also realize the jeopardy they are in all the time.
“The live experience of these shows is incredible. But in the movie theater, what we can give you is the experience of being right in the middle of a show where you will really get to see the detailed work that’s gone into the characters, the costumes and the choreography. There is pageantry to the live experience, but there is an intimacy to the 3D experience.”
One of the challenges for the filmmakers of Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away was that 3D involves more complicated cameras and technology and thus more time to set up the equipment. Prep also meant meeting strict safety parameters with underwater cameras (avoiding the lethal mix of electricity and water) and camera cranes (out of harm’s way of aerialists and flying objects.)
“There was a lot of hurry up and wait,” notes producer Martin Bolduc, “which is difficult for Cirque performers as their bodies are cooling off and they need a minimum of time to warm up their muscles after a certain period of inactivity.” Still, the shooting schedule was relatively short — 37 days over three time periods: October-November 2010 in Las Vegas, December 2011 in New Zealand and February 2011 again in Vegas. The only CGI used in the film are scenes in the desert when Mia and the Aerialist travel between the tents.
“Twice a day, five days a week the performers do their work,” says Cameron. “When we told them we would make a 3D film that would really capture their commitment to their art, I don’t think these artists really knew what to expect. They were a bit jaded because they do it day after day, year after year. But when it was over and they saw what they do through our eyes they were awestruck. It rejuvenated them.”
The drive to expand and constantly transform from the circus norm is what separates Cirque du Soleil from the pack. Always positioning itself as “nouveau cirque,” it remains theatrical, character-driven entertainment sans animals. From its humble roots on the streets in the early 1980s to an arty version of the big top to the showbiz behemoth it is today with 20 shows around the world, certain elements of the Cirque du Soleil experience will forever remain.
“You will always need your ‘wow,’ your tender moments, your humor,” says Cirque du Soleil owner and co-founder Guy Laliberté, much like the narrative of any great screenplay. But he reminds that Cirque’s conventions are all about hinting at the plot and teasing at the themes. It is there, he says, on the edge of imaginative interpretation that Cirque du Soleil invites audiences to suspend disbelief and step through the looking glass.
Composer Benoit Jutras wrote the score and transitional music between the Cirque shows used in the film. Barton had previously teamed with Adamson on the Shrek and Narnia films, but the director felt it important to have Jutras, who had written scores for some of the Cirque shows used, to adapt and refine some of that music specifically for Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away.
“The music was really the dialogue of this film,” says Jutras. “You see, Cirque du Soleil developed it as a language for its shows, to tell a story with the music and without words. It becomes the universal language.” It was an element that Cameron and Adamson wanted to retain for the film.
“When it came to inspiration for this film’s score,” Jutras continues, “it was about the passage through life and a young woman who falls in love, about how love makes you go through all of these emotions, the colors of love, so to speak. What I wanted to do with the opening act was to make it a very separate experience, to make it as little like Cirque as possible to show the contrast of the old circus and the worlds of Cirque du Soleil. In the final act, since it was part of KÀ, Stephen Barton used that show to inspire the music (of the final act).”
Unique in scope, this immersive experience melds acts from seven live Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas — “O,” KÀ, Mystère, Viva ELVIS, CRISS ANGEL Believe, Zumanity and The BeatlesLOVE —into a circus love story produced, written and directed by Academy Award® nominee Andrew Adamson (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). The film stars Cirque du Soleil strap aerialists Igor Zaripov (The Aerialist) and former artist Erica Kathleen Linz (Mia) as the young couple.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WORLDS AWAY will be in theaters December 21st. This Holiday Season, Cirque du Soleil brings their world to your city!
Giants! Beanstalks! Magic Beans! Ready for a epic adventure? Watch the Ian McKellen narrated, fantasy-filled trailer for director Bryan Singer’s JACK THE GIANT SLAYER.
JACK THE GIANT KILLER tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend – and gets the chance to become a legend himself.
A vast improvement over the teaser trailer we showed you last Decemberwhen the film was scheduled for a June 2012 release. I really like the tailor-made cast. Nicholas Hoult (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) as Jack, Eleanor Tomlinson as Princess Isabelle, Stanley Tucci (JULIE & JULIA) as the deceitful Lord Roderick, Ian McShane (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES) as the besieged King Brahmwell, Bill Nighy (HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS) as the giants’ leader General Fallon and Ewan McGregor (THE IMPOSSIBLE) as palace guard Elmont.
Singer reassembled some of the people he likes to work with best for this 3D movie. The screenplay comes from Singer’s long-time collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. The two previously worked on THE USUAL SUSPECTS and VALKYRIE, while the creative filmmaking team includes director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel (X-MEN, SUPERMAN RETURNS) and editor John Ottman (X2, SUPERMAN RETURNS).
Along with scribe McQuarrie, the screenplay is also by Darren Lemke (SHREK FOREVER AFTER) and Dan Studney, with a story by Darren Lemke & David Dobkin. I’m absolutely mad over the look of the film too – the production designer is Gavin Bocquet (STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH). Singer filmed his new take on the fairytale on location in and around London.
From Warner Bros Pictures, JACK THE GIANT KILLER stomps into theaters in RealD 3D and IMAX 3D on March 1st.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that director Zack Snyder’s upcoming action adventure MAN OF STEEL will be presented in 3D in select theaters, as well as in 2D and IMAX, so fans of the iconic superhero will be able to experience the much-anticipated movie in their format of choice.
Snyder stated, “The film is going to be a visually exciting experience in all formats: 2D, 3D and IMAX. Anticipating how audiences today embrace 3D, we designed and photographed the movie in a way that would allow ‘Man of Steel’ to captivate those movie goers, while respecting fans who prefer a more traditional cinematic experience. We’ve taken great measures to ensure the film and the story come first, and 3D is meant as an enhancement.”
The film stars Henry Cavill in the role of Superman/Clark Kent, alongside three-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams (“The Fighter”), Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”), Academy Award winner Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves”), Oscar nominee Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”), Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”), Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, Harry Lennix, Michael Kelly, Richard Shiff, and Academy Award winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).
MAN OF STEEL is produced by Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer, from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment. Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters are the film’s executive producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, MAN OF STEEL. The film is slated for release on June 14, 2013 and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
The forecast is sunny side up for Sony Pictures Animation as the studio has reassembled the all-star, comedy voice cast of the animated hit Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers, set for release in 3D on February 7, 2014. The first Cloudy film took in $243 million worldwide. The sequel is directed by Cody Cameron (whose story artist credits include Shrek, Madagascar, Surf’s Up and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) & Kris Pearn (head of story on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and story supervisor on Arthur Christmas) and produced by longtime Sony Pictures Animation producer Kirk Bodyfelt.
The lead voice cast from the first film returns, including Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live, Men In Black 3) as inventor Flint Lockwood; Anna Faris (Scary Movie, The House Bunny) as brainy weather girl Sam Sparks; James Caan (The Godfather, Elf) as Flint’s technophobic dad, Tim Lockwood; Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live, Hotel Transylvania) as Swallow Falls’ local celebrity “Baby” Brent; Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, The Smurfs) as Steve the gummy bear-loving monkey; and Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order, Miss Congeniality) as Sam’s mild mannered cameraman Manny. In addition, Terry Crews (The Expendables 2) joins the cast to take on the role of Earl, the town cop.
Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers picks up where Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballsleft off. Inventor Flint Lockwood’s genius is finally being recognized as he’s invited by his idol Chester V (Will Forte of Saturday Night Live) to join The Live Corp Company, where the best and brightest inventors in the world create technologies for the betterment of mankind. Chester’s right-hand-gal – and one of his greatest inventions – is Barb (Kristen Schaal of Toy Story 3 and 30 Rock), a highly evolved orangutan with a human brain, who is also devious, manipulative and likes to wear lipstick.
It’s always been Flint’s dream to be recognized as a great inventor, but everything changes when he discovers that his most infamous machine – which turns water into food – is still operating and is now creating mutant food beasts. With the fate of humanity in his hands, Flint and his friends must embark on a dangerously delicious mission, battling hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees, apple pie-thons, double bacon cheespiders and other food creatures to save the world… again!
Commenting on the announcement, Sony Pictures Digital Productions’ President Bob Osher, said, “Cloudy was a tremendous hit acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, and we’re thrilled to be bringing everyone back together for Cloudy 2.” Sony Pictures Animation’s President of Production Michelle Raimo Kouyate added, “Not only are we bringing the old gang back, we are introducing some hilarious new characters in a brand new adventure that matches the wit and freshness of the original. We have a great story and we love Cody and Kris’s take on the characters and material.”
Columbia Pictures presents a Sony Pictures Animation film, Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers. The film is directed by Cody Cameron & Kris Pearn, produced by Kirk Bodyfelt, and executive produced by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street directors Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Based upon characters from the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett, the screenplay is written by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldsteinand Erica Rivinoja.
For many years most of the movie going public has associated animation with the hand drawn features of Walt Disney, like FANTASIA and DUMBO. Younger audiences may think more of the computer-generated features started by Pixar with TOY STORY almost 20 years ago. But there’s another type of animation that’s occasionally used in features, stop-motion animation. Instead of drawing, the artists move a figure ( sometimes a puppet, sometimes clay ) one frame at a time to simulate motion. In Hollywood’s Golden age, this technique was used in the special effects department, first by Willis O’Brien with the original 1933 KING KONG and later by film wizard Ray Harryhausen with his Sinbad series and JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. Several foreign film makers used this method for short films along with George Pal producing the Puppettoons short series here for Paramount. TV entered with the Gumby shorts and later the Rankin/Bass company produced several popular holiday specials starting with ” Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Eventually RB branched out into feature motion pictures, most notably with MAD MONSTER PARTY. Certainly that film inspired Tim Burton’s hit ( with animator Henry Sellick ) THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS in 1993. Since then England’s Aardman Studio released a few features starting with CHICKEN RUN and Sellick followed up with JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH and CORALINE. Well, the studio that helped produce that last film, Laika Entertainament, has made PARANORMAN, which is another leap forward in the art of stop-motion feature animation. And it’s really, really funny.
The film’s title refers to Norman Babcock ( voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee ), a pre teen lad with Eraserhead-like hair who has an unusual gift, although sometimes he thinks it’s a curse. It’s not his vertical follicles. Seems he can see and talk to dead people. These spirits just aren’t ready to move on to the next level-they’ve got unfinished business, including Norman’s Grandma’ ( Elaine Stritch ). This causes no end of concern for Norman’s Mom and Dad ( Leslie Mann and Jeff Garlin ) and embarrassment for his older sister, cheerleader Courtney ( Anna Kendrick ). It’s not much better at school where he’s mercilessly picked on by Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse ), although Norman has an ally with chunky outcast Neil ( Tucker Albrizzi ). Their little New England town of Blythe Hollow is preparing for its tri-centennial when its forefathers tried and hanged a woman for witchcraft ( the standard old crone witch icon becomes the town mascot ). One day, outside the school, Norman is approached by his eccentric Uncle Prenderghast ( John Goodman ), who knows about the boy’s gift. He explains that unless Norman reads from a mystical book at the witch’s grave at sunset, her curse will make the dead rise and destroy the town. Can Norman, aided by Courtney, Alvin, Neil, and his jock older brother Mitch ( Casey Affleck ) thwart these supernatural forces ?
To say anything else might spoil the wonderful surprises in this inspired romp. I will say that this is a visual treat from the character design ( so expressive ) to the look of Blythe Hollow ( the witch adorned signage ). You’ll find yourself chuckling even before you hear the witty dialogue. The film begins with a hysterical tribute to low-budget late night TV horror flicks that puts us right in the proper ” spirit ‘ for the ensuing hijinks. Those include a clunky school pageant / play about the witch trial directed by an overbearing drama coach ( Alex Borstein ). A later sequence with Norman trying to retrieve the mystical book is superb slapstick that would make Buster Keaton proud. All this before the kids unite to stop the walking dead ( these klutzes are more the walking doofus ) like a junior Scooby Doo gang ( or better yet, THE MONSTER SQUAD ). The action and laughs never let up till the final face-off ( which may be just a tad too serious and confusing ). The last scenes may hammer home the films plea for tolerance of the different tooheavy a hand ( especially when a character’s orientation is revealed ). These are minor quibbles with what is one of this Summer’s very best films ( this has to be a Best Animated Feature Oscar nominee along with BRAVE and, perhaps, the upcoming FRANKENWEENIE ). Like many kid flicks, the adults may enjoy it for the subtle humor that may be over the heads of tykes. So is it okay for the little ones? The smallest may be skittish about the zombies, who look gnarly but are pretty benign ( no muching and noshing ). It all depends on the young individual. At seven I was monster crazy, with my room decorated almost like Norman’s ( another visual treat with posters, toys, toothbrushes, and slippers- I almost expected to see a copy of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine ). Oh, and the 3D works very well with these stop-motion marvels. So, if your kids can handle some mild scares, take them to movies and share a wild,spooky adventure with Norman and his gang. PARANORMAN is inspired cinema artistry and one of the year’s best comedies.
Here’s a big Summer release that’s generated a surprising amount of controversy. Usually the hot button films are released in the Fall or Winter to grab some buzz and capture a couple Oscar noms. But this popcorn flick has ignited heated debates among movie and comic book fans. The main question instigating message board dust-ups: Is it too soon to reboot the Spider-Man movie franchise? Well, it was eight years between BATMAN & ROBIN and BATMAN BEGINS. Four years passed between Brosnan’s last Bond, DIE ANOTHER DAY, and Craig’s first 007, CASINO ROYALE. Some fans think five years is way to soon for Spidey, but that’s the amount of time from Eric Bana as THE HULK to Edward Norton as THE INCREDIBLE HULK ( which is the version of the green guy that’s stealing scenes in MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS ). Director of the Spider-Man trilogy, Sam Raimi, took a pass on doing a fourth ( he, like most fans, found SPIDER-MAN 3 more than a bit lacking , so he didn’t want to rush a script ). With Raimi out, stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst took a pass. So for Sony Pictures it was ” Spider-Man Begin Again” ( almost the title of this new film ). Now the debate is moot. Director Marc Webb’s ( no kiddin’ with the last name! He also made 500 DAYS OF SUMMER ) THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN swings into theatres just in time for the big July Fourth holiday. Yup, the flick’s a done deal. The only thing to discuss now is this particular film’s merits. Does it stand ( or wall-crawl ) on its own?
Right off the bat ( no, his flick comes out July 20! ) we see Peter Parker in a new light. Actually he’s a young lad of eight when the film starts and he’s whisked away by his parents, Richard and Mary ( Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz ) to the home of his Uncle Ben ( Martin Sheen ) and Aunt May ( Sally Field ). Cut to Midtown high schooler Peter ( Andrew Garfield ), a science prodigy raised by Ben and May. Cleaning out the basement, he finds Richard’s old briefcase. Seems that Dad worked as a research scientist at the megalithic Oscorp company alongside Dr. Curt Conners ( Rhys Ifans ). Pete bluffs himself into an intern group at he company, but he’s almost given away by the group’s intern tour guide, Midtown’s other whiz-kid Gwen Stacy ( Emma Stone ). He wanders away from the group, speaks with Conners, and suffers an injury in one of the research rooms. Said injury has a profound effect on Peter who discovers that he has amazing powers. When tragedy strikes he uses these enhanced abilities ( along with a home-made suit and mask to hide his identity ) to fight evil as Spider-Man. Visiting the home of Conners, Peter innocently helps him unlock the key to accessing animal DNA ( the doc hopes to regenerate his lost arm like a reptile ). When the Oscorp higher-ups threaten to try his formula at a veteran’s hospital ( they’ve gotta’ make sure it works before the serum is given to their dying boss, the mysterious Norman Osborn ), Conners decides to be the test subject. Meanwhile major stuff’s happening to Pete aside from his crime-fighting gig. He begins a tentative romance with Gwen that’s complicated when he learns that her father is a police captain ( Denis Leary ) determined to arrest a certain wall-crawling vigilante. Soon all their lives converge when NYC is threatened with annihilation.
Another bit of controversy swirling about the film is the origin story and, yes, as I hinted previously, we get the origin story once more. Sure it’s been 10 years since the first Raimi film told it masterfully, but I believe it was needed for the start of this new franchise ( we’ll have to see if audiences respond positively to this flick, or it’ll be rebooted once more ), and it’s not a note for note rehash. Comic book purists may cry foul at the liberties taken with that classic tale from Amazing Fantasy #15, but it makes harder connections to the events portrayed in this new film. Peter’s destiny has a tighter link to his parents and to the shady deals at Oscorp. Hopefully this chain of events will provide an interesting conspiracy in follow-ups. This also keys into the darker aspect of the new film. Spidey is almost always operating during the night hours ( like that guy from Gotham City ). Danger lurks at every shadow, not only from criminals but from the law. While in the original trilogy the police gave the web-head a wink and a pass, here all officers are determined to bring him down by any means. This Big Apple isn’t the bright shiny place we’ve seen our hero bouncing from place to place before.
Another big beef is the film’s villain. Frankly I was pleased that the producers went with a single bad guy, even though Spidey has perhaps the best rouges gallery in comicdom ( sure the Joker’s the greatest comic book criminal ever, but after Catwoman, Clayface, and Two-Face the other Gothamites are kinda’ silly ). This was one of the main problems with the dismal SPIDER-NAN 3 which paired the Sandman and Venom ( this may harken back to the paired bad guys in BATMAN RETURNS ). Several comic fans don’t like the look of the Lizard. They may be more accustomed to the large snout that artist Todd MacFarlane drew, but this design is closer to that original Steve Ditko look. Also the film version is bulked up…considerably, almost to the point of being a scaly Hulk. Several times he grabs Spidey and flings him about like a rag doll. The Lizard’s a formidable foe, but the human element is what makes him tick. Like screen villains the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus, Conners wishes to benefit humanity, and he’s got a personal connection to Peter ( the connection to the Sandman seemed incredibly forced in 3 ). After their first couple of encounters Peter and Connors respect each other, so Peter struggles to stop the monster without killing the man inside. Ifans does a great variation of the classic Jekyll and Hyde character as a decent man forced to make a very bad decision. Although his face is surrounded by CGI scales ( I’ll bet a motion-capture suit was used ), Ifans brings a great deal of humanity to this ‘ beastie’.
Ifans is not the lone stand-out in this terrific supporting cast. Leary treads a fine line between being a committed law-enforcement officer and a sentimental father. His comic timing is put to great use in the Captain’s run-in with Pete ( particularly at a tense family dinner ). This blustery demeanor provides many welcome laughs and makes the character’s change of heart more poignant. Speaking of heart, Sheen and Fields have tons to spare as Peter’s adoptive parents. They’re a bit younger than Robertson and Harris from the Raimi films ( this helps with the opening sequence ), but have just as much warmth as the previous actors. Sheen even gives Pete a big ole’ dose of tough love that’s tempered with his considerable screen charm. Fields’s role is not as showy, but she really conveys the caring mother role when stunned by all the cuts and bruises adorning Pete’s face when he returns home after his night patrols. Now this is a couple that would raise a hero, super-powers or not.
Speaking of heroes, the movie soars or plummets based on the fella’ in the title role. And his love interest, to a great extent. Garfield’s Parker is very different from the previous screen incarnation. Before the bite, this Pete’s a bit of a rebel ( skateboarding in the school hallways! ) and pro-active. He even steps in to stop a bully ( and gets his skinny posterior handed to him ). This is a darker, conflicted Parker ( we can still see that sad-eyed child watching his folks dash into that rainy night ). After getting on the radar with terrific work in THE SOCIAL NETWORK, this is the film that will establish Garfield as a great movie star. While Maguire was a terrific nerdy Peter Parker from those early comics, Garfield is that wiseacre with a mask ( quick with a quip and an uppercut ) that we’ve loved all these years. And when he’s on the ground, there’s a very special lady ( played by a very special actress ) that makes his spirit soar. Stone can now add super-hero action flick to the list of film genres that she’s conquered. Her Gwen is smart ( pretty much Pete’s intellectual equal ), fiesty, funny, and so adorable in those outfits inspired by John Romita’s comic art designs. While Dunst’s Mary Jane wasn’t much interested in the pre-powers Pete, Gwen falls for that photo-takin’, science geek almost immediately ( or at least soon after that bullying incident ). Bryce Dallas Howard was brought into that murky SPIDER-MAN 3 as a younger threat to MJ, but in the comics Gwen was Pete’s first, pure true love. Garfield and Stone truly sizzle on screen ( Stone really inspires her co-stars to bring their A game), so it’s no big shock that they’re dating off set. The gamble to put the director of 500 DAYS OF SUMMER really paid off. Turns out Webb can do the big action stuff, but he truly excels at presenting the exhilaration of first love. The battles are great ( still can’t top the fights with Doc Ock in SPIDER-MAN 2 though ), but the romance is what makes this a superior Summer cinema spectacle ( pardon the Stan Lee-isms! )
So, is it worth seeing in 3D? Well it was shot in the format, so the swinging stuff works well along with the over-the-skyscapers shots. A big complaint from the first Spidey flick was that he bounced around like a video game character. Instead of relying too much on CGI, Webb tried to work more with stunt people to do the web-swinging live whenever possible. I’ve only a few problems with this re-telling. It seems the writers really went out of their way to present scenes where Spidey takes his mask off ( this was a sore point in Raimi’s trio ). I know it helps the audience connect with the actor ( his expressions aren’t hidden ), but it’s strange to see the character so often exposed. This does work well for a scene when a child his rescued by our hero. Now, about that outfit, the film-makers have taken that great Ditko design ( which Raimi adhered to pretty closely ) and made it way-too busy and intricate. Guess I’m too much of a purist, but I hate seeing blue on the fingers of the gloves! AArgrrr ( as they say in the funny books )! Do like how the mechanical wrist web-shooters ( no organic spinnerets! ) work with the suit. Oh, and the film could use a good 5 minute trim ( but wait for the mid-end credit bonus scene ). Aww, no more nit-pickin’! Like last Summer’s X MEN : FIRST CLASS, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN takes a comic book property that we all thought had exhausted its movie possibilities and returned it to cinematic glory. It doesn’t surpass MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS for super-hero movie spectacle, but it’s miles above SPIDER-MAN 3. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN proves that there’s still plenty of life ( and love ) left in that 50-year-old web-slingin’ wise guy. Really amazing, indeed!
Ada Wong (Li Bing Bing, LEFT) and Alice (Milla Jovovich) walk down the NY Street in these new photos from Screen Gems’ action horror RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION.
The wildly successful film franchise adaptation that has grossed nearly $700 million worldwide to the popular video game series, Resident Evil, returns in its highly anticipated fifth installment, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, in state-of-the art 3D.
The Umbrella Corporation’s deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race’s last and only hope, ALICE (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun.
The film stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Sienna Guillory, Kevin Durand, Shawn Roberts, Colin Salmon, Johann Urb, with Boris Kodjoe and Li Bing Bing. RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION will be in theaters September 14, 2012.
