We Are Movie Geeks

THE TRIP TO ITALY – The Review

As the Summer winds down to a precious few last days, many folks wait until the season’s last hurrah, the Labor Day holiday, to finally “get outta’ Dodge”. If you can’t find the time or funds perhaps you can head to the theatre and watch someone else hit the trail. A few weeks ago movie goers watched two men of a certain mature age head off for adventure in Iceland in LAND HO in an improvisational pseudo-documentary. Well, now two seasoned comedy pros who scored with a similar flick a few years back have returned to vacation once more. Now I’m not talking about a re-discovered, unearthed from the film vaults Hope and Crosby road picture. No sir, this is the return of a more recent comedy team: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, and unlike most teams they take turns being the straight man. Four years ago director Michael Winterbottom (A MIGHTY HEART) followed them around Britain as they ate fabulous meals, stayed in plush hotels, viewed the gorgeous countryside, and engaged in hilarious comedic riffs for a celebrated BBC-TV show which was edited down to the raucous travelogue, THE TRIP. So, where do they journey for this new outing? Pack your bags, appetites, and funny bones as Steve and Rob embark on THE TRIP TO ITALY.

As this entry begins Steve Coogan gets a call from his old pal Rob Brydon. Seems that the Observer was so pleased with their articles from four years ago, they want to send the guys to Italy. Since Coogan’s latest TV series didn’t get renewed, he’s ready for a change of scenery. Soon they’re driving through the countryside in a rented Mini-Cooper, which inspires another round of dueling Michael Caine impressions at the first of six luxury restaurants, along with other comedic flights of fancy. For one meal they must board a plush sailcraft run by two lovely English-speaking hostesses. As the trip continues we learn that much of the dynamic from the first film has changed. At the end of the evenings the newly sober Coogan rushes to his laptop for video-chat bonding with his sixteen year-old son Joe (Timothy Leach), who seems to be constantly clashing with Coogan’s ex-wife. Brydon is the focus of much of the tension this time as his idyllic marriage appears to be straining at the seams despite their recent addition, an adorable daughter. While he faces temptation, Rob also braces for a possible career change as he prepares to audition for a high-profile American feature film. But as the two men deal with problems back home, they must keep going and endure the delicious meals and sublime sights and sounds of Italy. Oh, the humanity…

The film works because of the easy rapport and affection between the two British comic stars. But this is not merely a rehash of what worked so well in the previous outing (one of their topics is the disappointment factor in sequels, much as with this Summer’s 22 JUMP STREET). This film version of Coogan (similar to actors playing themselves in shows such in TV shows like “Extras” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) references some of the tabloid stories about him and so “Trip Steve” eases up on the booze and skirt-chasing. He’s turning into a more responsible adult especially in his exchanges with Leach as that rare teenager that really likes hanging with Dad. But there’s still a touch of the earlier arrogant Steve as his jealousy flares at the thought of Rob bagging a major movie gig. The big surprise here is the change in the often annoyingly affable Brydon (who acknowledges his “nice guy” rep in a great riff). He’s still too eager to please and quick with a celeb mimic (his Hugh Grant is stunning), but here we get that’s it often masks his insecurities and relationship problems. He’s about to enter the higher show biz echelons like Steve, and it worries him. That and the fact that this nice guy is engaging in some not-so-nice behaviors. I’m making this sound like heavy drama, but really the laughs are as long and frequent as the first flick, particularly when Steve calls out Rob on some iffy bits of mimicry (really what’s up with his Christian Bale?). Happily Steve’s nurturing agent/rep Emma played again by Claire Keelan joins them with her own big life change. Oh, and the dishes (not just pasta!) look mouth-watering with several shots of the busy kitchen crew crafting their art (really great presentations). Plus the Italian scenery at the beach, overlooking the hills, and inside the city (Steve steering his lil’ Cooper through those busy Rome streets is a true nail-biter!) should cause a big spike in tourism. Once more director/writer Winterbottom has given us another superb comedy travelogue with two of the screen’s funniest duos. Leave the passport at home and be sure and grab a ticket for THE TRIP TO ITALY.

4 Out of 5

THE TRIP TO ITALY screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

LIFE OF CRIME – The Review

A little over a year ago, the entertainment world mourned the passing of prolific author Elmore Leonard, a writer well-known in both literature and motion picture circles. His earliest works were in the Western genre and beginning in the late 1950’s many were filmed (his short story 3:10 TO YUMA was made twice!). In the next decade Leonard switched genres and soon became known as one of the great creators of gritty crime thrillers. And Hollywood scooped these up for the screen, perhaps more so than the “oaters”. In the 90’s many celebrated young directors discovered his work and several critical (if not always box office) hits were released. 1998 saw Steven Soderbergh’s take on OUT OF SIGHT following Quentin Tarantino’s spin on “Rum Punch” titled JACKIE BROWN the previous year. Both films even shared a Leonard character, Michael Keaton as ATF agent Ray Nicholette. This weekend sees a new adaptation of Leonard’s story “The Switch” featuring the criminal gang from JB. And it’s a prequel, set way, way back in 1978 (“Rum” was set in 1992 while JB was contemporary). Plus it’s not the crew that QT assembled: Samuel L Jackson as Ordell, Robert DeNiro as Louis, and Bridget Fonda as Melanie. For this earlier job, director/screenwriter Daniel Schechter brings together a new trio embarking on a LIFE OF CRME.

Small time Detroit crooks Ordell Robbie (Yaslin Bey AKA rapper/poet Mos Def) and Louis Gara (John Hawkes) somehow get wind of the secret bank account of crooked real estate developer Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins). How can they get their mitts on that dough? Why, they’ll kidnap his wife Mickey (Jennifer Aniston). When Frank’s out of town with their teenage son, the boys will snatch her and keep her at the home of their weapons dealer (and collector of WWII artifacts) pal, Richard Monk (Mark Boone, Junior). But things get complicated. Frank sends his son off to relatives, while he shacks up at the Bahamas condo of his mistress Melanie Ralston (Isla Fisher). Once Ordell and Louis contact Frank to demand a million bucks ransom, they realize that he doesn’t really care about getting his missus back. How can they put the squeeze on Frank and avoid the cops? And what happens when Louis develops sympathy for the lonely Mrs. D?

The film’s main draw in the poster and trailers is Aniston as the neglected society wife. Unfortunately the role is so underwritten that she never gets a chance to flex her considerable comedic skills (or her dramatic ones for that matter). In her initial scenes, Mickey is in full victim mode. Sure,she’s got a great place, but much of her time is spent cowering from her spiteful spouse. Soon, she’s terrified by her captors, but somehow finds the ordeal liberating, eventually regaining her voice and speaking her mind until an absurd come-around before the final fade-out. Most of her better moments are shared with Hawkes who is able to bring some dignity to his role. His Louis may be the brains of the operation as opposed to the dimwit played by DeNiro in JACKIE. He’s determined and scrappy, unafraid to stand up to goons twice his size, even clashing with his partner Ordell. The two usually have a nice, easy rapport although often Bey plays Ordell too laid back, losing some of the tension in certain scenes that need some extra energy. It also diffuses some of the sexual chemistry that should spark between him and Fisher’s Melanie. She brings a nice sexy pixie quality to the feisty gold digger that could’ve been the standard kept bimbo. This gives the scenes of her dismissing the telephone ransom demands an extra punch. It’s tough to get what her character sees in the loathsome Frank (besides the financial stuff, of course). Robbins plays him as an irredeemable, obnoxious bully who almost telegraphs his evil intentions with smirks and eye rolls. This buffoon doesn’t seem to be much of a challenge for the Oscar-winner. Also unchallenged is the talented Will Forte saddled with the role of a hangdog, married friend of Frank eager for an affair with Mickey. After his superb work in NEBRASKA last year, this doofus is a definite step back. It’s still a step up from the repugnant, gun-loving bigot played by Boone. The fact that Ordell and Gara can work with this neo-Nazi cartoon is too much of a stretch.

Director/screenwriter never maintains a consistent rhythm to the story which wants to be a wacky hi-jinks caper farce. Ordell and Louis Gara are never the lovable lowlifes that the film wishes us to embrace (look at them in those funny rubber Halloween masks, aren’t they adorable?). This flick just reminds us of how superior their 1997 debut from Tarantino was. And for funny foul-up comedy kidnappings it pales before FARGO and the very similar RUTHLESS PEOPLE from 1986 which had the energy and tone this new entry in the “I don’t want her, you can keep her” sub-genre of crime comedies sorely lacks. Plus the often sudden brutal violence and gore subvert many gags. Perhaps the decision to set the film in 1978 was an attempt to inject some kitsch nostalgia, but after last year’s masterful recreation of 1979 by David O Russell for AMERICAN HUSTLE, this feels half-hearted at best (and the hairstyles, make-up, and fashions foisted on Anniston seem too severe compared to Fisher). Oh, and once again, the smoking is way overdone (hey, the ads were banned from TV then, so people knew!) to the point of nausea. LIFE OF CRIME is a bland attempt at a stylized wacky low-rent romp. And the fact that it wastes such a talented cast in an unspired adaptation of the great Mr. Leonard, well that’s the real crime.

2 Out of 5

LIFE OF CRIME screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at the STL Cinemas at the Chase Park Plaza

Interview – WAMG Talks To HOUDINI Composer John Debney

On September 1 & 2, the two-night scripted miniseries HOUDINI follows the epic tales of Harry Houdini as he emerges as America’s first bonafide world-renowned superstar.

Starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody as The Great Harry Houdini, Kristen Connolly and Evan Jones, the scripted four-hour event chronicles Houdini’s extraordinary life as he finds fame while defying death with his incredible stunts and illusions.

His ability to escape from handcuffs, strait-jackets and water tanks is legendary – breaking the shackles of his past proved more challenging. HISTORY’s Houdini follows the world-renowned master of escape’s transformation from immigrant into the world’s first superstar. Driven, disciplined and actively chasing the American Dream, Houdini constantly pushed his physical limits to accomplish feats of strength that amazed audiences in an age of spectacle. And though they saw what he wanted them to see, his reality was more elusive than his escapes.

Houdini is based on the book Houdini: A Mind in Chains: A Psychoanalytic Portrait by Bernard C. Meyer, M.D., and written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Nicholas Meyer (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Best Adapted Screenplay, 1976) and directed by Uli Edel, who directed the Academy Award-nominated film The Baader Meinhof Complex (Best Foreign Language Film, 2008).

Oscar nominee John Debney (Passion of the Christ, Iron Man 2), scored the History Channel’s upcoming mini-series.

In HOUDINI, Debney has created a contemporary soundscape and during our recent phone conversation, he talked about the score for the mini-series, what led him to be a composer, as well as his scores for the upcoming SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS movie and Jon Favreau’s reimagining of JUNGLE BOOK.

WAMG: How would you describe the ‘Houdini’ score?

John Debney: I would best describe it as a contemporary take on magic and everything that is magic. There’s an electric quality to it. We used an electronic score to give the idea that this is the turn of the century, electric age. The aggressive music has some gypsy like qualities, hence the solo violin, so I’d say it’s an electronic gypsy-style score.

WAMG: What other types of instruments did you incorporate into this electronic score?

JD: We used a lot of string instruments like zithers and dulcimers. We used accordions. We used a lot of instruments that might give you the flavor of the period while encasing it in a very uber-contemporary sound.

WAMG: When were you brought onto the project and did you visit the set to get a feel for the movie?

JD: I was brought on late into the process by a producer who I worked with before. I saw a rough cut of the film and I discussed with the director (Uli Edel) what type of score should this thing be.

I really didn’t want to do a period piece score – I wanted to do something outside the box. Something you might not expect when you think of Houdini. The idea of a techno, electronic, metal-infused score was interesting to everybody. Lo and behold, when you start experimenting you never know what kind of sound is going to work for a movie. Weirdly enough, the more aggressive some of this music got, the cooler attitude we gave Houdini.

It gestated through experimentation and the score developed from there. We knew we wanted to integrate the gypsy sounds also in the background and it formed that way.

WAMG: It’s very edgy and when most people think Houdini, the first thought is of Tony Curtis in the 1953 movie, along with period piece music. This film is anything but.

JD: That’s exactly what I wanted to create and something that would raise a few eyebrows. It might surprise people in the sense that this type of score would usually be seen in a modern movie setting. It’s from a very elegant age and it was fun to conceive of a score that you wouldn’t normally think would go with something like this.

WAMG: When did you first know you wanted to compose film scores?

JD: I’ve been a musician my whole life. I started playing guitar when I was five or six. I did the whole band thing out here in Southern California when I was a teenager. I would bet somewhere in the high school years, I started to think about how cool music was with visuals. It grew out of that and when I went to college, I studied music. The rest sort of came after that.

I gravitated toward the visual medium because of my background. My dad worked at Walt Disney Studio for forty years, so it was certainly in my blood. I was a musician first and then fell in love with the idea of music against film.

WAMG: Speaking of Disney, it was just announced that you’ll be writing the score for Jon Favreau’s adaptation of JUNGLE BOOK.

JD: It’s very cool and I’m very thankful that Jon asked me back to the party. We’ve done three movies together (ELF, ZATHURA, IRON MAN 2), so this was a wonderful reunion. I was actually a kid when the first Jungle Book was shot and I knew the kid of the animator who did the voice of Mowgli. This new film is very close to home and touches my heartstrings to be a part of something so iconic. Now they’re going to reimagine it and I’m thrilled.

WAMG: Did you find yourself wanting to revisit the original animated film? When you hear any of the classic songs, you know its JUNGLE BOOK.

JD: You do know! I did go back and listen. I’m in the early stages of working on the score, using the similar instruments. Bass flutes and alto flutes and exotic sounds. It’s going to be very interesting and will certainly be a different score than the first one. Without spoiling anything, there might be a tip of the hat to a couple of those wonderful songs from that film.

WAMG: In 2014 you’ve done DRAFT DAY and have STONEHEARST ASYLUM as well as the new SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS movie coming out. With all the other past films that you’ve written music for, do you like to go between the various themes – does it become any easier the more you write?

JD: That’s a great question. I actually do. Some artists like to stay on familiar ground and I don’t. I love to switch it up. As a musician, I always feel that I can do something better the second time… or the third time as it were. I love it. It gets my juices flowing to go from a big football movie like DRAFT DAY with an electronic orchestra to what is a very traditional thriller score in STONEHEARST ASYLUM with a love story in there. After recording that in London with a lot of great musicians, I came back here to work on SPONGEBOB with Hawaiian guitars and orchestras with bassoons. It’s a lot of fun and I love wearing the different hats. It helps me to keep it fresh.

WAMG: For fans of Spongebob, will they hear some of the TV themes when the movie is released next year?

JD: Oh yes, they’ll be very happy. We’re blatantly bringing everyone back to it. There will be some very familiar sounds and then there will be some very big and different sounds. I don’t want to spoil it. It will be a lot of fun and a tip of the hat to some 80’s synthesized music – we’re having a ball with it.

WAMG: Your HOUDINI score has so much music that it needed two volumes.

JD: There’s a ton of music. You can imagine two hours each night, there’s wall to wall music. It’s a tremendous amount, so the record company did a very cool thing (Lakeshore Records) to conceive of having a Volume One and a Volume Two. Even the artwork is interesting – it works in conjunction with itself.

The HOUDINI album is available now for download and the CD will be available on September 30.

DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM: http://bit.ly/HoudiniOSTV2
WATCH HOUDINI starring Adrien Brody – premieres 9/1 on HISTORY: http://www.history.com/houdini

SNOWPIERCER Coming To Blu-ray / DVD October 21

Anchor Bay Entertainment and RADiUS are proud to announce the home entertainment release of the post-apocalyptic thriller, SNOWPIERCER. Chris Evans leads the all-star cast of Song Kang Ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, John Hurt, and Ed Harris. Visionary director Bong Joon Ho’s “enormously ambitious and visually stunning,” (Scott Foundas, Variety) film has been widely praised as “a superb masterpiece of science fiction” (MTV). RADiUS released the film theatrically on June 27, 2014. A box office success, the film has amassed $4.4 million to date, making it one of the top ten highest grossing independent films of the year. The sci-fi epic, hailed as “a singular and breathtaking cinematic experience,” (TwitchFilm.com) will be available on Blu-ray™ and DVD October 21, 2014.

Read Jim Batts review HERE

After a failed global-warming experiment, a post-apocalyptic Ice Age has killed off nearly all life on the planet. All that remains of humanity are the lucky few survivors that boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe, powered by a sacred perpetual-motion engine. A class system has evolved aboard the train, fiercely dividing its population—but a revolution is brewing. The lower-class passengers in the tail section stage an uprising, moving car-by-car up toward the front of the train, where the train’s creator and absolute authority resides in splendor. But unexpected circumstances lie in wait for humanity’s tenacious survivors…

SNOWPIERCER has a running time of 126 minutes and is rated R for violence, language and drug content. Blu-Ray™ and DVD special features include a Critics’ Commentary hosted by Scott Weinberg and a second disc jam-packed with special features comprised of The Birth of Snowpiercer, The Characters, Animated Prologue, Concept Art Galleries, Chris Evans & Tilda Swinton on Snowpiercer, The Train Brought to Life: Behind the Scenes of a Special Screening, and TRANSPERCENEIGE: From the Blank Page to the Black Screen.

For more information on the film, please visit TheSacredEngine.com

Jean-Claude Carrière, Hayao Miyazaki, Maureen O’Hara & Harry Belafonte To Receive 2014 Governors Awards

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (August 26) to present Honorary Awards to Jean-Claude Carrière, Hayao Miyazaki and Maureen O’Hara, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Harry Belafonte.

All four awards will be presented at the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 8, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center.

“The Governors Awards allow us to reflect upon not the year in film, but the achievements of a lifetime,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “We’re absolutely thrilled to honor these outstanding members of our global filmmaking community and look forward to celebrating with them in November.”

Carrière, who began his career as a novelist, was introduced to screenwriting by French comedian and filmmaker Pierre Étaix, with whom he shared an Oscar for the live action short subject “Heureux Anniversaire (Happy Anniversary)” in 1962. He received two more nominations during his nearly two-decade collaboration with director Luis Buñuel, for the screenplays for “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and “That Obscure Object of Desire.” Carrière also has collaborated notably with such directors as Volker Schlöndorff (“The Tin Drum”), Jean-Luc Godard (“Every Man for Himself”) and Andrzej Wajda (“Danton”). He earned a fourth Oscar nomination for “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” with director Philip Kaufman.

Miyazaki is an artist, writer, director, producer and three-time Oscar nominee in the Animated Feature Film category, winning in 2002 for “Spirited Away.” His other nominations were for “Howl’s Moving Castle” in 2005 and “The Wind Rises” last year. Miyazaki gained an enormous following in his native Japan for such features as “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” “Laputa: Castle in the Sky,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” before breaking out internationally in the late 1990s with “Princess Mononoke.” He is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, a renowned animation studio based in Tokyo.

O’Hara, a native of Dublin, Ireland, came to Hollywood in 1939 to star opposite Charles Laughton in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” She went on to appear in a wide range of feature films, including the swashbucklers “The Black Swan” and “Sinbad the Sailor,” the dramas “This Land Is Mine” and “A Woman’s Secret,” the family classics “Miracle on 34th Street” and “The Parent Trap,” the spy comedy “Our Man in Havana” and numerous Westerns. She was a favorite of director John Ford, who cast her in five of his films, including “How Green Was My Valley,” “Rio Grande” and “The Quiet Man.”

An actor, producer, singer and lifelong activist, Belafonte began performing in theaters and nightclubs in and around Harlem, where he was born. From the beginning of his film career, he chose projects that shed needed light on racism and inequality, including “Carmen Jones,” “Odds against Tomorrow” and “The World, the Flesh and the Devil.” He was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, marching and organizing alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. and often funding initiatives with his entertainment income. Belafonte was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1987 and currently serves on the boards of the Advancement Project and the Institute for Policy Studies. His work on behalf of children, education, famine relief, AIDS awareness and civil rights has taken him all over the world.

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

THE DAMNED – The Review

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. It was a dark and stormy night. Five travelers on a remote mountain road get caught in a flash flood and their car runs off the road. Even though they were warned not to take the road they are on by local law enforcement. Some are slightly injured; the only building for miles around is a strangely isolated, forebodingly huge house high on a hill.

Wait, it gets better. The old man who appears to be the only inhabitant does not want them to come in the house; they beg and plead since some in their group are injured. The bearded old man reluctantly lets them in to give them shelter, but orders them not to go anywhere in the building but the lobby. The building is an inn but nobody has signed the register since 1978 you see.

Naturally the American (Peter Facinelli, the Twilight franchise), his English fiance’ (Sophia Myles ) his daughter (Nathalie Ramos), the daughter’s boyfriend and a television journalist (Carolina Guerra) all do what characters in a horror movie have to do in order for it work; go where they were told not to, do what they were told not to and then suffer horrible consequences.

And in what has become a new cliché’ for horror films, there is no cell phone reception at this lonesome place, and no land lines either.

To be fair THE DAMNED (originally titled Gallows Hill) does bring some fresh air to some well worn horror movie situations. For starters the movie is set in Columbia and well over half the dialog is in Spanish. All the actors are on top of the material and there are several jump out of your seat moments and some truly creepy ideas.

THE DAMNED goes in unexpected directions and I can respect that in any film. When the visitors go into the basement of the house (dark of course and only one flashlight) they discover a little girl locked in a boarded up closet. We immediately suspect that we’re in torture porn territory and we couldn’t be more wrong.

The little girl, named Anna Maria, is not at all what she appears to be, and naturally, as it must, all hell breaks loose and there is much carnage, mayhem and spilling of blood. All of the actors literally throw themselves into the spirit of the thing. The ladies in particular come up with some bizarre body language and movements, creepy looking stuff that must have been inspired by the Japanese horror films like Pulse and Ringu.

THE DAMNED is well worth a look if you love horror movies, other movie geeks may not be so generous.

THE DAMNED is available on VOD now and in select theaters August 29.

Watch it on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-damned/id894432607

“Jigsaw” Coming Back To Theaters for 10th Anniversary Weeklong Showings of SAW

This Halloween, Lionsgate will celebrate the 1oth anniversary of the theatrical release of SAW, the film that kicked off the most successful horror franchise in history, by bringing it back to theaters nationwide for one week only.

The film will open on Friday, October 31, with select screenings beginning Thursday night, October 30th. The seven SAW films grossed $874 million at the box office worldwide and were hailed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Most Successful Horror Franchise” of all time.

“The launch of SAW was a signature event in Lionsgate’s history, establishing our first franchise and paving the way for our growth into a global studio,” said Lionsgate President of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Jason Constantine. “We are excited for our fans to revisit the twisted magic that first blew their minds on Halloween 2004.”

“As part of SAW’s 10th anniversary, we’re thrilled to give new fans and audiences the opportunity to experience this film on the big screen for the very first time,” added SAW’s producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg.

SAW was the first collaboration for co-creators James Wan, who directed the film, and Leigh Whannell, who wrote the screenplay. Together, they also created the successful INSIDIOUS franchise, and Wan has gone on to direct such high-profile films as THE CONJURING and the upcoming FAST & FURIOUS 7.

Directed by Wan from a script penned by Whannell, SAW is a psychological thriller focusing on two men, Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Gordon (Cary Elwes), who wake up in a secure lair of a serial killer, with a dead body lying between them. The killer, nicknamed “Jigsaw,” leaves them tape recorded messages with details of how to make it out alive. The only way for one man to make it out alive is to do the unthinkable. The two men desperately try to find a way out, while also trying to figure out who’s behind their kidnapping.

The film, which was released over Halloween weekend on October 29, 2004, was produced by Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules, and Mark Burg.

Meet “Winston” In New Photos From Disney Animation Studios’ FEAST

Check out the two photos from FEAST, a new short from first-time director Patrick Osborne (head of animation, “Paperman”) and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

FEAST is the story of one man’s love life as seen through the eyes of his best friend and dog, Winston, and revealed bite by bite through the meals they share.

The film is from the producer of 2012’s Oscar-winning short “Paperman,” Kristina Reed.

Osborne, who joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2008 as an animator on BOLT, took part in the Studio’s Spark program—which invites artists to explore their own unique ideas in a month-long project that is presented to the Studio team. His experimental short “Pet” was a hit among his fellow Disney artists. Osborne, whose credits Disney’s 2010 feature TANGLED and 2012’s Oscar-winning short PAPERMAN, for which he served as head of animation, was later tapped as co-head of animation for the upcoming feature BIG HERO 6. But his plans changed when he pitched the idea for FEAST as part of WDAS’ new shorts program—the project was greenlit with Osborne as director.

The short opens on Nov. 7, 2014, in front of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ BIG HERO 6.

For more information, like on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DisneyAnimation, and follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DisneyAnimation.

Magnet Releasing Acquires Worldwide Rights to SATANIC

The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing announced today that they have acquired worldwide rights to SATANIC, a new supernatural teen-horror film currently in script stage.

SATANIC will be the feature film debut of director Jeff Hunt, a veteran television director with experience on shows such as Fringe, Hawaii 5-0, CSI, Nikita, Person of Interest and Dark Blue. Anthony Jawinski (Kristy, Vanishing on 7th Street) wrote the screenplay.

SATANIC follows a van full of young, college-aged coeds who are visiting old Satanic Panic-era sites in Los Angeles. They end up following the creepy owner of an occult store home, only to find themselves saving a suspicious girl from an apparent human sacrifice. Only this “victim” turns out to be much more than dangerous then the cult from which she escaped.

SATANIC is a co-production with MarVista Entertainment (MarVista) and Circle of Confusion, producers of The Walking Dead.

Christina Rogers from Magnolia Pictures International will be repping SATANIC at the Toronto Film Festival next month. International rights are available.

Michael Moran from MarVista and Lawrence Mattis at Circle of Confusion serve as producers. Executive producing are Stephen Emery at Circle of Confusion, Fernando Szew at MarVista and Anthony Jawinski.

“SATANIC is an exciting, creepy script, and we’re very pleased to be partnering with the teams at MarVista and Circle of Confusion,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles.

“This is the kind of fun smart genre project that audiences love,” said Circle partner Lawrence Mattis. “It warns you that just beneath the surface, the world might not be as safe and sane as you imagine.”

The deal was negotiated for Magnolia by VP of Acquisitions Peter Van Steemburg and Head of Business Affairs and Production Chris Matson, with Lawrence Mattis at Circle of Confusion and Stephanie Slack, SVP, Acquisitions & Co-Productions at MarVista.

Win Run-Of-Engagement Passes To See FORREST GUMP in IMAX in St. Louis

Paramount Pictures is celebrating the 20th anniversary of FORREST GUMP with an exclusive one-week IMAX release and WAMG is giving away run-of-engagement passes to see the movie.

Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field), he leads anything but a restricted life. Whether dominating on the gridiron as a college football star,
fighting in Vietnam or captaining a shrimp boat, Forrest inspires people with his childlike optimism. But the one person Forrest cares about most may be the most difficult to save — his childhood love, the sweet but troubled Jenny (Robin Wright).

From director Robert Zemeckis, the film opens September 5, 2014 exclusively in IMAX® Theaters for one week.

This is a limited engagement and will only be running Friday, September 5 through Thursday September 11.

Local St. Louis area readers are invited to win run-of-engagement passes.

The ROEs, good at AMC Theaters, are valid Monday, Sept 8 -Thursday, Sept. 11 ONLY.

Answer the following:

FORREST GUMP won how many Academy Awards?
What object is present at the opening and conclusion of the film?
What university does Forrest attend and what college football team did he play against?

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THE DAMNED is available on VOD now and in select theaters August 29.

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