We Are Movie Geeks All things movies… as noted by geeks.

October 11, 2011

WAMG At The JURASSIC PARK ULTIMATE TRILOGY (BD) Special Effects Press Day

In celebration of the the JURASSIC PARK ULTIMATE TRILOGY being released on Blu-Ray and DVD, WAMG was invited to a special effects press day. Melissa (that would be me) from WAMG sat down with Ariana Richards, who plays Lex Murphy in JURASSIC PARK and THE LOST WORLD : JURASSIC PARK, and three of the top special effects professionals in the world, Dennis Muren,  Phil Tippett, and John Rosengrant to talk about their experiences working on the film. Muren, Tippett, and Rosengrant worked on the special effects of the films, create things such as the giant tyrannosaurus rex! Pretty neat, huh?

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg, the Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy is one of the most successful film franchises in worldwide box-office history. On a remote tropical island, an amazing living theme park becomes a game of survival for humans foolhardy enough to set foot on it. Meticulously recreated dinosaurs spring to astonishing life as the film’s breathtaking special effects and thrilling action sequences keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Each chapter of the history-making saga delivers even more action and spectacular visual effects than its predecessor, as nature’s ultimate killing machines once again rule the earth. Almost 20 years after its inception, the Jurassic Park Trilogy remains an unmatched cinematic experience.

First, here is my interview with Ariana Richards, who plays Lex Murphy. Enjoy!

Ariana is now a successful artist. Check out some of her paintings, and other works at http://www.galleryariana.com/

Next, I got the chance to sit down with Dennis Muren of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Phil Tippett of Tippett Sudios, and John Rosengrant of Legacy Effects (Formerly Stan Winsten Studios). Check it out:

SYNOPSIS:

JURASSIC PARK

A multimillionaire (Richard Attenborough) unveils a new theme park where visitors can observe dinosaurs cloned using advanced DNA technology. But when an employee tampers with the security system, the dinosaurs escape, forcing the visitors to fight for their survival. Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern star in this thrilling, action-packed blockbuster from acclaimed director Steven Spielberg and based on the novel by Michael Crichton.

THE LOST WORLD : JURASSIC PARK

Four years after Jurassic Park’s genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) by revealing that Hammond has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove (Julianne Moore) and a wildlife videographer (Vince Vaughn) join an expedition to document the lethal lizards’ natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.

JURASSIC PARK III

In need of funds for research, Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) accepts a large sum of money to accompany Paul and Amanda Kirby (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) on an aerial tour of the infamous Isla Sorna. It isn’t long before all hell breaks loose and the stranded wayfarers must fight for survival as a host of new — and even more deadly — dinosaurs try to make snacks of them. Laura Dern, Michael Jeter, Alessandro Nivola and Trevor Morgan co-star.

The wait is finally over to experience one of the most anticipated motion-picture trilogies of all time like never before when JURASSIC PARK, THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK and JURASSIC PARK III debut as a trilogy set on Blu-ray™ October 25, 2011 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

October 6, 2011

WAMG At The REAL STEEL Junket

Hey there, all you fancy kids! Melissa here. Yesterday, I had the chance to sit down with some of the people behind Dreamworks Pictures’ REAL STEEL, starring Hugh Jackman.

REAL STEEL is a gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, starring Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

My day was filled with roundtables, which you will find below. The first was with screenplay writer John Gatins, producers Don Murphy and Susan Montford. They talked about the inspiration behind the film, and using new technology on set.
REAL STEEL ROUNDTABLE WITH DON MURPHY, SUSAN MONTFORD & JOHN GATINS

My second roundtable of the day was with Director Shawn Levy. During our session, he talked about being compared to other directors, THE HARDY MEN, and whether or not there will be a sequel to REAL STEEL. He is quite a charismatic guy!

REAL STEEL ROUNDTABLE WITH SHAWN LEVY

Sugar Ray Leonard… What more can I say? This man is a legend. He spoke to us about teaching Hugh Jackman how to box on camera, and why he thinks boxing movies have such an impact on audiences.

REAL STEEL ROUNDTABLE WITH SUGAR RAY LEONARD

It is hard not to like Anthony Mackie… not that I tried! Mackie plays Finn in the film. It was apparent during this roundtable that he is very well read. I had no idea that he is such a history buff. It’s quite impressive. He also has a snarky comedic presence, which is something that I always appreciate.

REAL STEEL ROUNDTABLE WITH ANTHONY MACKIE

These next two are visual. Hugh Jackman, who plays Charlie Kenton, has quite the presence when he walks in the room. Not an overwhelming presence, but more of a kindness. He was extremely polite and engaging. Jackman spoke with us about shooting a film that his family could enjoy, Wolverine, and LES MISÉRABLES.

Oh, and I might have had my picture taken with him…

The final event of the day was getting to speak with John Rosengrant and Erik Nash about the special effects of the film. John Rosengrant was the animatronic supervisor for the film. He talked about designing the boxing robots in the film. The coolest part was that when we walked into the room, Atom and Noisy Boy, two of the bots, were set up in the room! All 8 feet of them! It was incredible to see the actual animatronics up close. Then Erik Nash, the visual effects supervisor, took us through a brief presentation on how they developed the fight scenes. Technology has come a long way!

What a fun day! Thanks for reading guys. Until next time…
Stay Fancy,
Melissa

Make sure you check out REAL STEEL in theaters OCTOBER 7th

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