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WAMG Takes A Glimpse Inside The World Of BIG HERO 6

BIG HERO 6, Disney’s all new animated film based off of the comic book series published by Marvel Comics, is set to release on November 7, 2014 but WAMG was lucky enough to get a sneak peek. A few weeks ago, I attended an early press day for the film where a small group of journalists were shown scenes from the film. While there, we also talked with Chris Williams (Director), Don Hall (Director), Jin Kim (Character Design Supervisor), Kyle Odermatt (Visual Effects Supervisor), Lorelay Bove (Visual Development Artist), Mark Henn (Lead 2D Animator), Michael Franceschi (Animation Supervisor), Michael Kaschalk (Head of Effects), Nathan Curtis (Effects Production Supervisor), Nathan Engelhardt (Animation Supervisor), Paul Briggs (Head of Story), Paul Felix (Production Designer), Robert L Baird (Screenplay By), Roy Conli (Producer), Shiyoon Kim (Lead Character Designer) and Zach Parrish (Head of Animation) about their role in bringing the story, characters and world of BIG HERO 6 to life.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios, the team behind “Frozen” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” comes “Big Hero 6,” an action-packed comedy-adventure about the special bond that develops between Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit), a plus-sized inflatable robot, and prodigy Hiro Hamada (voice of Ryan Potter). When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to Baymax and his close friends adrenaline junkie Go Go Tomago (voice of Jamie Chung), neatnik Wasabi (voice of Damon Wayans Jr.), chemistry whiz Honey Lemon (voice of Genesis Rodriguez) and fanboy Fred (voice of T.J. Miller). Determined to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called “Big Hero 6.

Producer Roy Conli says that family—the kind that you’re born with and the kind you find—is at the core of the movie. “It’s a powerful theme that audiences relate to,” says Conli. “The nuances of the relationships in deeply emotional films like ‘Bambi’ or ‘The Lion King’ are so interesting. There’s something about these stories that can really touch people.”

BIG HERO 6 is based off of the comic book series published by Marvel Comics. When I asked Directors Chris Williams and Don Hall about Marvel’s involvement in the film, Hall said “We call them friends of the court, you know. We got to be pretty good friend with Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb. Joe is sort of their Chief Creative Officer. And, you know, they came to screenings and they became part of our story trust and after the screenings they would give notes, just like any other story trust. They’d meet with the other directors, and they just kind of came into that group and again, as friends of the court. Nothing was ever directed. Every note, just like all of the notes given here, were given with the best intent.”

BIG HERO 6 focuses around Hiro, a brilliant young inventor with a bit of a slacking problem, and the friendship he develops with Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot initially designed as a Personal Healthcare Companion. Hiro stumbles upon Baymax by mistake, and when he discovers that he cannot shake the oversized caregiver, he decides to use him to his advantage. Somewhere along the way the two forge a friendship. (It wouldn’t be a Disney movie without friends!) One thing is for sure… Baymax is certain to steal the hearts of audiences.

To create this lovable, air filled sidekick the team looked at soft robotics. Fun fact: The simplistic design of Baymax’s face was inspired by the bottom of a bell the team saw on a trip to Japan. (You can’t stop staring at his head, can you?)

Disney has always been adamant on doing their homework. While talking to Kyle Odermatt, Michael Kaschalk, and Nathan Curtis about the film’s visual effects, they explained that the microbots in the film were grounded on research as well as the behavior of insects. Curtis explains “There were four components that the director had – that the microbots had to be, and one of those was that they are a robot. We always try to ground everything that we do in research so that it fits into the world that we are creating. So, we did a lot of microbot research – I mean robotic research. We talked to specialists. We also looked at cooperative behavior among insects, and here you see ants that are crawling over other ants that are making themselves into a bridge. We knew that that was a type of behavior that the microbots had to do, and so this was really inspirational footage.”

The movie is set in SanFransokyo, which is a combination of two very popular cities. “I thought about San Francisco,” says Hall, “which is cool, but I thought ‘What if it was San Francisco mashed up with Tokyo.’ It felt more interesting as a setting—more playful and exotic. It was something we could create. And the visual possibilities of those two cities—which are pretty different aesthetically—mashed together felt like a really cool place to set the story.”

Speaking of story, one thing that most people would never guess is that the first screenings of every Disney and/or Pixar movie are a bit painful for those involved. While speaking with Robert Baird and Paul Briggs, the two joked about watching some of our favorite films for the first time during production. Briggs began, “FROZEN was a terrible first screening. I was on it on the first screening, and I was like ‘I do not want to work on that movie. That is such a mess.’ Baird continued, “Trust me. Every movie in Pixar/Disney… disaster first screenings!” Of the 4-5 years spent making BIG HERO 6, 2-3 of those years were devoted entirely to story. “This is a dream come true, working on a comic book / action movie,” Briggs said “but this is so much more than that. This is about family, and this is about the people in your life. I’m proud of it. Honestly, I am.”

The footage screening left me excited for the final film. From the clips I saw, this film is going to be an emotional, funny, action-packed ride. I need more Baymax!

FOR MORE INFO:

Like BIG HERO 6 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyBigHero6

Visit the Website: http://www.disney.com/BigHero6

BIG HERO 6 opens in theaters everywhere on November 7

Lauren Bacall Lives! TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT Saturday Morning at The Hi-Pointe

“You know you don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and… blow!”

If Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (who died last month) occupy the same screen, you can safely expect fireworks! TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) was Bacall’s debut performance, the movie that introduced both audiences and Bogart {he would marry her the following year} to one of cinema’s most iconic beauties and to her erotically husky voice. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT is an interesting mixture of war-time adventure and hard-boiled film-noir, set on the island of Martinique under the Vichy regime, and Bogart’s Harry “Steve” Morgan is forced to navigate swathes of low-lifes and immoral authority figures.

Howard Hawks, one of Hollywood’s more versatile directors, was a considerable fan of author Ernest Hemingway, but didn’t think all too highly of his 1937 effort, “To Have and Have Not.” Taking it upon himself to improve the story, Hawks set his writers upon Hemingway’s “bunch of junk,” and created what is considered by some to be one of his best films. With its abundance of pistol-clad gangsters and Bogart’s legendary noble tough-guy, comparisons with other pulp film-noirs {such as THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)’ and Hawks’ own THE BIG SLEEP} are perfectly justified, as are the noticeable parallels with Michael Curtiz’S CASABLANCA (1942),’ with Its intriguing war-time tale of romance and loyalty, in addition to a suitably ambiguous ending that emphasizes the sheer uncertainty of warfare. A hilarious Walter Brennan provides the comedic relief as Eddie, a well-meaning but hopelessly addicted alcoholic who likes to ask people such inane queries as “was you ever bit by a dead bee?” Marcel Dalio, in a role that would ideally have suited Peter Lorre, is also good as Frenchy, the sincere owner of the local hotel with sympathies for the French Resistance.

Now you’ll have the chance to see TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT in all of its big screen glory when it screens this Saturday morning (September 13^th) at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO). The movie starts at 10:30am and admission is only $5.

The Hi-Pointe’s site can be found HERE

http://hi-pointetheatre.com/

Check out the TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT trailer:

The Puppet Master Brings GHOST IN THE SHELL to the Tivoli Midnights This Weekend

“As a sentient lifeform, I hereby demand political asylum!”

GHOST IN THE SHELL plays this weekend (September 12th and 13th) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.

Mamoru Oshii’s GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995) is one of the ultimate nerd movies. It’s science fiction anime aimed at smart audiences, and one that raised the bar for Japanese animation. Its complex story is set in a society where being a full-flesh human is no longer the norm. Is humanity losing its existence or is it loosely defined? Cyborgs are part human, part machine, and a continuation of a previously “whole” human entity. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a full-replacement cyborg in the national security division Section 9, is investigating a mysterious hacker who goes by the name “The Puppet Master.” It may be apparent throughout the film that many of its aspects and ideas have been borrowed for other films such as THE MATRIX (source code; plugging into the network) and INCEPTION (diving into another conscious).

Now lucky St. Louisans can experience GHOST ON THE SHELL when it plays on the big screen this weekend (August 12^th and 13^th) at the Tivoli as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight series.

The Tivoli’s located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO. Admission is a mere $8!

The Tivoli’s website can be found HERE

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/st.louis/tivolitheatre.htm

Here’s the Reel Late at the Tivoli Line-up for the next several weeks:

Sept. 19-20 DAZED AND CONFUSED

Sept. 26-27 THE ROOM

Oct. 3-4 PRINCESS MONONOKE – Sponsored by Star Clipper, with prizes!

Oct. 10-11 YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Oct. 17-18 CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST– Adults only!

Oct. 24-25 and Oct. 31-Nov. 1 ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW – All tickets $10 for ROCKY

Steve Coogan to Star In BOSWELL FOR THE DEFENCE

Highland Film Group announced today at the Toronto film festival that Academy-nominated, BAFTA Award-winning actor Steve Coogan (“Philomena”, “The Trip”) has signed on to play the title role of James Boswell in a feature film adaptation of acclaimed West End play, BOSWELL FOR THE DEFENCE.

Gregor Jordan (“Buffalo Soldiers”, “Ned Kelly”) will direct from a script by Patrick Edgeworth, who also wrote the play. Mark Pennell and Steve Chasman will produce. Armyan Bernstein (Beacon Pictures) will executive produce. The project is represented by Highland Film Group Internationally.

Production is set for 2015.

BOSWELL FOR THE DEFENCE tells the true story of how James Boswell (Coogan), in the twilight of his career and life, takes on an impossible case – to save the life of the convict Mary Bryant from the gallows. A case no one else wants or cares about. The tragi-comic Boswell is the most unlikely hero from the most unlikely quarter. But he manages to find his past brilliance long enough to save the day.

Commenting on the casting, producers Mark Pennell and Steve Chasman said: “Whether it be ‘Lincoln’ or ‘Thatcher’, bringing a historical figure to life is always a challenge, but Steve’s (Coogan) extraordinary ability to blend humour and pathos make him the perfect artist to bring such a complex character like Boswell to the screen. We are excited to see him make this role his own.”

Coogan is repped by CAA and Independent Talent Group.

Highland Film Group is also releasing the Brett Ratner produced teen-action comedy BARELY LETHAL starring Hailee Steinfeld, Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Alba; JACKIE & RYAN starring Katherine Heigl and Ben Barnes which premiered at the 2014 Venice International Film Festival; and THE TRUST starring Nicolas Cage and Jack Huston.

Oscar-Winner Michael Douglas & Orlando Bloom Join Noomi Rapace In Michael Apted’s UNLOCKED

Academy Award Winner Michael Douglas (Ant-Man, The Reach, Behind the Candelabra, Wall Street) and Orlando Bloom (The Hobbit franchise; the Lord of the Rings franchise; the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) will join star Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Child 44, Prometheus) in UNLOCKED, with Lorenzo DiBonaventura (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Salt, Red, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) producing alongside Georgina Townsley and Erik Howsam.

Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s BLOOM will handle international sales on the new thriller directed by Michael Apted (The World Is Not Enough, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and based on a screenplay by Peter O’Brien.

Silver Reel (Under The Skin, The Railway Man, The Host) will finance and produce alongside DiBonaventura. BLOOM is introducing the film to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival.

With principal photography beginning on November 3, UNLOCKED tells the story of a CIA interrogator (Rapace) who unwittingly provides information to terrorists and then must race against the clock to stop a biological warfare attack on London.

© 2014 Getty Images | Image courtesy gettyimages.com

Silver Reel’s recent portfolio encompasses dramas like Jonathan Glazers Under The Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Teplitzkys The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, A Hologram For The King helmed by Tom Twyker with the lead played by Tom Hanks as well as genre films like Solace, a psychological thriller starring Anthony Hopkins.

Last week, BLOOM boarded director Shane Black’s detective thriller THE NICE GUYS starring Academy Award Winner Russell Crowe and Academy Award Nominee Ryan Gosling, which the company introduced to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival. They are currently in production on two-time Academy Award Nominee Gus Van Sant’s The SEA OF TREES starring Academy Award Winner Matthew McConaughey and Academy Award Nominees Ken Watanabe and Naomi Watts.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & LUCY Winners At This Weekend’s Box Office (Sept 7)

Here’s a look at the box office estimates for the weekend of September 7, 2014.

According to Rentrak’s Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian:

LUCY ascends to the top of the worldwide chart earning $27.5 million from 55 territories bringing its global total to $313.4 million.

Disney/Marvel’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY adds another $21.7 million from 70 markets, its new worldwide cume is quickly approaching $600 million ($586.2) in only 6 weeks of release.

20th Century Fox’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 has reached the $600 million ($607.1) plateau and Paramount’s TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES crossed the $300 million milestone ($300.3) over the weekend.”

Opening next weekend (Sept. 12) in cinemas – Warner Bros. Pictures’ DOLPHIN TALE 2, Screen Gems’ NO GOOD DEED, starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, and Fox Searchlight Pictures’ THE DROP starring Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini.

The top 12 worldwide weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, are below.

1. Lucy – Multiple – $27.5M
2. Guardians Of The Galaxy – Disney – $21.7M
3. Expendables 3, The – Multiple – $18.8M
4. Hercules – Paramount – $17.4M
5. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, The – 20th Century Fox – $17.1M
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Paramount – $15.2M
7. Into The Storm – Warner Bros. – $13.1M
8. If I Stay – Warner Bros. – $10.4M
9. Let’s Be Cops – 20th Century Fox – $9.5M
10. Tazza: The High Rollers 2 – Lotte – $8.0M
11. But Always – Multiple – $7.2M
12. Deliver Us From Evil – Sony – $6.9M

The top 12 domestic weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, are below.

1. Guardians Of The Galaxy – Disney – $10.2M
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Paramount – $6.5M
3. If I Stay – Warner Bros. – $5.8M
4. Let’s Be Cops – 20th Century Fox – $5.4M
5. November Man, The – Relativity Media – $4.2M
6. As Above, So Below – Universal – $3.7M
7. When The Game Stands Tall – Sony – $3.7M
8. Giver, The – The Weinstein Company – $3.6M
9. Hundred-Foot Journey, The – Disney – $3.2M
10. Lucy – Universal – $1.9M
11. Identical, The – Freestyle Releasing – $1.9M
12. Expendables 3, The – Lionsgate – $1.8M

Full details regarding the global domestic and international box office results are listed in the table below.

©2014 Rentrak

THE EQUALIZER Latest Featurettes – Stars Denzel Washington

Hitting theaters in three weeks, Sony Pictures has released a new featurette for director Antoine Fuqua’s THE EQUALIZER starring Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz and Oscar-winner Melissa Leo.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 7), the featurette includes scenes of this action packed movie along with behind-the-scenes interviews with Washington, the stunt coordinator Keith Woulard and producer Jason Blumenthal.

Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him to lead a quiet life in peace. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her.

Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

For director Antoine Fuqua – who re-teams with Washington after directing the actor to his Oscar-winning performance in TRAINING DAY – McCall shares some of the archetypical heroic traits that have been passed down. “I saw this movie as a throwback, like the westerns that Sergio Leone made,” he explains. “There’s an antihero, in a struggle, reluctant and ashamed to pick up his gun… but when he gets a chance to help other people, he does. He uses his skills for that.”

THE EQUALIZER will be in theaters on September 26th.

equalizerthemovie.com

Kevin Smith Debuts First Clip From TUSK Via Twitter

TUSK, the film that was green-lit on Twitter, debuts its first scary clip on Twitter. TUSK will have its World Premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival tomorrow, Saturday, September 6.

Check out the clip from director Kevin Smith’s movie.

A chilling horror tale about the perils of storytelling, TUSK follows a brash American podcaster as he braves the Canadian wilds to interview an old man with an incredible past—only to discover the man’s dark secret involves a walrus.

Written and directed by Kevin Smith, TUSK stars Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Michael Parks and Genesis Rodriguez

Watch the trailer here: http://youtu.be/BCQJnOn0ru0

TUSK opens in theaters September 19.

For more info:
www.TuskTheMovie.com
www.Facebook.com/TuskTheMovie
www.Instagram/TuskTheMovie
@TuskTheMovie #WalrusYes

Bill Murray And Melissa McCarthy Star in New ST. VINCENT Clip

The singular Bill Murray teams with first-time director/screenwriter Ted Melfi for ST. VINCENT, the story of a young boy who develops an unusual friendship with the cantankerous old guy next door.

Watch Murray and Melissa McCarthy in a clip from the film which is having its North American premiere today (Sept 5) at the Toronto Film Festival.

Maggie (Melissa McCarthy), a single mother, moves into a new home in Brooklyn with her 12-year old son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Forced to work long hours, she has no choice but to leave Oliver in the care of their new neighbor, Vincent (Bill Murray), a retired curmudgeon with a penchant for alcohol and gambling. An odd friendship soon blossoms between the improbable pair. Together with a pregnant stripper named Daka (Naomi Watts), Vincent brings Oliver along on all the stops that make up his daily routine – the race track, a strip club, and the local dive bar. Vincent helps Oliver grow to become a man, while Oliver begins to see in Vincent something that no one else is able to: a misunderstood man with a good heart.

Also starring Chris O’Dowd and Terrence Howard, ST. VINCENT is written, directed and produced by Ted Melfi, in his feature theatrical film debut.

Watch the trailer HERE.

The roots of the story of ST. VINCENT were inspired by a life-altering moment in writer/director/producer Ted Melfi’s own life. When his older brother passed away at the age of thirty-eight seven years ago, he went to the funeral and realized his eleven year-old niece had nowhere to go. Melfi and his wife quickly decided to adopt her and move her from a small, rural town in Tennessee to where they lived in Sherman Oaks, California.

Once enrolled in Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Melfi’s niece received a homework assignment with the following prompt: Find the Catholic saint that inspires you, and find someone in your real life that mimics the qualities of that saint. She picked St. William of Rochester, who is the Patron Saint of Adopted Children, and selected Melfi as the match. A very moved Melfi realized that it was the perfect idea for a movie. Instead of characters like himself and his niece though, he wanted to use an old curmudgeonly guy who’d lost his will to live and a young boy. Bill Murray seemed to be perfect for the role.

Recalls the filmmaker: “That’s the genesis of the story: this young boy moves in next to this cantankerous alcoholic played by Bill Murray, and they become best friends. This little adopted eleven year-old boy makes Bill Murray the saint in his assignment, and they both change each other’s lives. That’s how this whole project started – from a homework assignment.”

From Weinstein Films, ST. VINCENT opens in theaters October 24th.

Saban Films Acquires Taylor Lautner’s TRACERS

Saban Films announced today that it has acquired the North American distribution rights to the action thriller TRACERS starring Taylor Lautner (The Twilight Saga, Abduction) and Marie Avgeropoulos (50/50, The CW’s The 100).

TRACERS reteams Lautner with Twilight producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill Entertainment who are producing alongside D. Scott Lumpkin.

The fast-paced action thriller follows New York City bicycle messenger, Cam (Lautner) who is the hottest thing on two wheels, but is in debt to an organized crime gang. When he crashes his bike into a sexy stranger, Nikki (Avgeropoulos), Cam is immediately seduced by her and the thrill of the high-stakes world of parkour.

Saban Films, launched just prior to Cannes, acquired THE HOMESMAN, starring Academy Award winners Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank. The film had its world premiere in competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and Saban Films will release stateside with Roadside Attractions on November 7th.

BIG HERO 6 opens in theaters everywhere on November 7

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