Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie

Tim Burton’s latest stop-motion feature Frankenweenie echoes quirky motifs from his most beloved pictures and reinstates Burton as the weird genius of Goth.

Filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, Frankenweenie is a humorous, dark and visually impressive animation.

Fans of Tim Burton have long awaited the feature length version of the film. The short version was released at the beginning of his career in 1984 and was a live action film.

This time, Burton tells the Frankenweenie story in his trademark gothic animation style.

The film’s central character is Victor, an aspiring scientist who loves his dog Sparky. They live in the strange town of New Holland.

Victor is a bright, creative and care-free boy, and Sparky is his loyal and innocent companion. Together, they are an unstoppable duo.

But one day, during a game of baseball, Sparky chases a fly ball and unintentionally runs in front of a speeding car. He is killed, and Victor is devastated.

Mr Ryzkuski, an influential and misunderstood science teacher, inspires Victor to bring his best friend back to life by harnessing the power of electricity from one of thunder storms that frequently hit New Holland.

Victor’s experiment is a success, but he must hide his hewn-sewn creation because the people of the town “won’t understand”.

But Victor’s fellow students – particularly the meddling Edgar – eventually learn about Sparky and their interference has monstrous consequences.

Frankenweenie is an excellent film, full of Tim Burton’s odd humour and unique, dark visuals. Presenting the picture third dimensionally was questionable, with some scenes being made a little clunky and awkward visually.

Nevertheless, artsy fans and children alike will enjoy this eccentric homage to Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein.

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas

To promote the film’s October 26 release, Warner Bros. has debuted two new TV ads for Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski's Cloud Atlas.

Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Xun Zhou, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant, Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

The Impossible

The Impossible

Following the domestic trailer released in August a new international trailer and poster from The Impossible have landed online.

Summit Entertainment’s disaster drama The Impossible, based on a true story, stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as parents of a family torn apart by the deadly tsunami that hit Southeast Asia in 2004.

Last month, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to mostly positive reviews, but has attracted some criticism for being overly manipulative.

However, talented Spanish helmer J. A. Bayona’s (The Orphanage) graphic nature of effects were noticeable along with his use of a new 3-D sound technology, so the crashing and fast flowing water sequences can be almost felt throughout the entire theater; not to mention that Watts and McGregor pull off incredibly emotional and physical scenes.

Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking forward to a few days in tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their Christmas festivities the night before, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. As Maria freezes in fear, a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward her. Based on a true story, THE IMPOSSIBLE is the unforgettable account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. But the true-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria and her family encounter during the darkest hours of their lives. Both epic and intimate, devastating and uplifting, THE IMPOSSIBLE is a journey to the core of the human heart.

Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher

Here’s the second trailer for director Christopher McQuarrie’s Jack Reacher. The film features Tom Cruise in a non-hero role. Could be good, one of Cruise’s best work was in Magnolia. Very much NOT a here role as well.

Jack Reacher is based on the book by Lee Child and scripted by McQuarrie. The film also stars Robert Duvall, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, and David Oyelowo.

Official Film Synopsis:

When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: “Get Jack Reacher!” So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep. The film hits theaters December 21st.

Cold War

Cold War

The Hong Kong action film Cold War, starring Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka Fai, will open the 17th Busan International Film Festival.

Plot:

In Asia’s safest city, the police have long been untouchable. Approaching midnight in Hong Kong, police headquarters receives an anonymous call: a fully-loaded police van carrying the force’s most advanced equipment and five highly-trained officers has disappeared off the grid. The hijackers possess direct knowledge of police procedures. They’re already steps ahead. The police must meet a list of demands to ensure the hostages’ release, including the delivery of a large ransom. Any delay will cost lives. The clock has begun to tick.

trailer movie

 Skyfall 007

US celebrity writer Perez Hilton was also positive about the track, tweeting:

"Goddess Adele Graces Us With Her Beautiful Vocals In Skyfall Snippet!"

Daily Telegraph music critic Neil McCormick wrote that Adele "manages to imbue this filmic torch song with something of her own, a sense of personality and heart."

Meanwhile, according to the Mirror the song has been welcomed as a "classic" by 007 fans ahead of its full preview on Friday.

Ajay Chowdhury, from the James Bond International Fan Club, told the Mirror: "There are three types of Bond song – one is bold, brassy and sexy like Goldfinger, another is reflective and mournful like You Only Live Twice, and the third is anthemic and adventurous like Live And Let Die."

He went on to say: "Adele's song is very definitely reflective and mournful. Co-written by her and Paul Epworth, with an arrangement by Epworth and JAC Redford, this 50th anniversary theme is Bondian but very Adele too."

New York based entertainment website Vulture alsp gave the track a positive write-up: "It's got shades of Shirley Bassey, which is to say it's sexy, cinematic, and relies on some very dramatic strings."

The song, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London with a 77-piece orchestra, will get its first full play on the singer's website at 0.07am on Friday.

The reactions to Adele's Skyfall theme contrast the lukewarm responses to the previous two Bond themes, Chris Cornell's You Know My Name, from Casino Royale, and Jack White and Alicia Keys' duet Another Way To Die, from Quantum Of Solace.

Adele's theme is the first to carry the same name as the film since Madonna's Die Another Day in 2002.

The 23rd Bond film, Skyfall, is due for release on October 26 in the UK.

iron man 3

iron man 3

After being on pause for over a month and a half, Marvel’s Iron Man 3 is back shooting — with no apparent interruption to its planned release next May.

Principal photography was halted Aug. 16 when Robert Downey Jr. hurt himself while performing a minor stunt. Downey’s rep says the injury was to his ankle, and after taking off several weeks to recuperate, he’s now back on his feet.

Filming has resumed in south Florida, where a replica of the Malibu, Calif., seafood restaurant Neptune’s Net was recreated for a sequence in the movie, which has been revealed in some snapshots from onlookers. The actual restaurant is a popular seaside hangout for surfers and bikers, which accounts for all the choppers in this photo of Iron Man and the character believed to be Don Cheadle’s Rhodey, a.k.a. War Machine, sporting red, white, and blue armor similar to the comic book character Iron Patriot.

Or … are we looking at a guest appearance by Chris Evans’ Captain America, trying out some old Iron Man armor with a yankee doodle paint job? (Just a random theory.)

Stark’s cliffside home in the Iron Man movies seems to be in Malibu, so maybe they decided to grab a bite at Neptune’s Net in lieu of shawarma.

The image also captures a clean look at the new Iron Man armor, which is programmed to remotely clamp onto Tony Stark’s body, similar to the storyline in the comic book seriesExtremis, Warren Ellis and Adi Granov 2005-2006 tale in which Stark is injected with a serum that fuses his body to the control system for his armor.

Although it may seem hard to believe that such a long delay in shooting would not cause a similar postponement in the release date, Marvel reps insist the May 3 debut for Iron Man 3remains on track. Although the studio wouldn’t comment to explain, it’s fairly easy for special effects work to continue on a movie like this even if on-set filming gets postponed.

The delay due to Downey’s injury could very likely lead to some late nights down the road for director Shane Black and his post-production team as they put the finishing touches on the movie, but apparently won’t cause a big enough disturbance for the studio to consider pushing back from that prime, start-of-summer date on the calendar.