Following its debut at Comic Con, Lionsgate’s released a new totally wacko clip from the upcoming action film, Dredd. And one look at the new clip confirms this isn’t Sylvester Stallone’s Judge Dredd but instead is a bloodier, crazier sci-fi film.
Starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, and Lena Headey, Dredd‘s heading to theaters on September 21, 2012.
The Plot:
The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One- a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge – a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of “Slo-Mo” experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.
During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture- a 200 story vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan’s inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound’s control center and wages a dirty, vicious war against the Judges that proves she will stop at nothing to protect her empire. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must confront the odds and engage in the relentless battle for their survival.
In Goats, Ellis (Graham Phillips) is the most adult member of his eccentric family at 15 years old. His mom (Vera Farmiga) is a New Age hippie that spends all of her time working on self-help rituals with her hustler boyfriend (Justin Kirk). His dad (Ty Burrell) left home years ago and is more focused on his new wife (Keri Russell) and family. And then there’s Goat Man (David Duchovny), the goat-herding sage who has lived in their pool house since Ellis was a child, teaching him the meaning of stability, commitment, and expanding one’s mind.
When Ellis decides to leave Tucson to go to the same East Coast prep school that his father went to, he easily assimilates to his new environment – even gaining the attention of a local girl (Dakota Johnson). But as he re?connects with his estranged father, he finds Goat Man’s influence and his life out West thrown into stark contrast.
Based on Mark Jude Poirier’s best-selling novel, director Christopher Neil’s hilarious and poignant film is a witty reversal of the coming of age formula, a beautifully honest portrayal of life with its rough edges, awkward moments, and non-endings.
“My mother once told me that bad news was only good news in disguise.” “Was this just before she abandoned you?!” “Yes, it was.” That’s Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) trying to put a positive spin on his and his friends’ bleak situation and Diego the Saber Tooth Tiger (Dennis Leary) pointing out the irony as they – along with Manny the Mammoth (Ray Romano) and Sid’s newly found Grandma (Wanda Sykes) – sail the high seas on board an adrift iceberg in the animated adventure, Ice Age: Continental Drift.
The prehistoric squirrel Scrat unknowingly helps cause the continents to crack and separate while chasing the ever elusive acorn. Scrat’s obsession and the subsequent crack cause Manny, Sid, Diego, and Sid’s Granny to be separated from Ellie (Queen Latifah) and Manny’s daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer). They’re lost on the open ocean and must try to find a way back home. In their struggle to find a current which will lead them home, Manny and his friends come across a band of dangerous pirates who are determined to force Manny, Sid, and Diego to either become part of their crew or walk the plank.
Funny and cute, Ice Age: Continental Drift is a big improvement over the third film in the series but not as good as the first two. Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Dennis Leary once again do a great job bringing Manny, Sid and Diego to life for their fourth adventure, and they know exactly how to play these goofy, likable characters. One big improvement from the third film is that Sid is now back to being a loyal, likable goof the way he was in the first two films and not the irritating, incredibly stupid and uncharacteristically selfish Sloth the writers made him in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur.
Wanda Sykes is effective bringing the old, crabby, and at times senile Grandma to life but only adds a few solid laughs to the adventure and ultimately comes up short of becoming a character the audience will care about. Jennifer Lopez is adequate as the voice of Shira, the female Saber Tooth Tiger who can’t help watching her prisoner Diego with a gleam in her eye. But she doesn’t really convey any personality for the audience to invest in. Shira’s a shallow, empty female version of a young Diego from the first film.
Once again creating most of the laugh-out-loud moments in the film, along with the funniest slapstick, is Scrat – the adventuresome, obsessed, prehistoric squirrel who is forever chasing the ever unobtainable acorn throughout the movie. He’s still the absolute best, most entertaining character about the film franchise who, as always, opens the movie up and closes the film out right before the credits.
The film still uses the computer animation that it always has, which is solid. However, this time it is in needless 3D, which adds zero to the action on screen. There is no need to waste an extra three to five dollars for the annoying glasses.
Exciting and full of laughs, Ice Age: Continental Drift is a worthy addition to the film series and will have the audience both young and old rooting for Manny, Sid and Diego to find their way back home and for poor struggling Scrat to hopefully, finally catch his beloved acorn.
GRADE: C
Ice Age: Continental Drift hits theaters on July 13, 2012 and is rated PG for mild rude humor and action/peril.
Graphic novel fans rejoice – Neil Gaiman is revisiting the world of The Sandman 25 years after the critically acclaimed graphic novel’s release. The announcement was made at the San Diego Comic Con, with Gaiman appearing via video to confirm the news.
According to Vertigo Executive Editor Karen Berger, Gaiman will be teaming up with artist JH Williams III (Batwoman) for the new series. The new The Sandman mini-series will be released by Vertigo in 2013.
Making the announcement, Gaiman stated, “When I finished writing The Sandman, there was one tale still untold. The story of what had happened to Morpheus to allow him to be so easily captured in The Sandman #1, and why he was returned from far away, exhausted beyond imagining, and dressed for war. It was a story that we discussed telling for Sandman‘s 20th anniversary… but the time got away from us. And now, with Sandman‘s 25th anniversary year coming up, I’m delighted, and nervous, that that story is finally going to be told.”
“There’s nothing like a Neil Gaiman story,” said Berger, “and there’s nothing like having Neil back home on The Sandman, his dark, soulful, literary epic that transformed comics and continues to captivate countless new readers year after year. Working with him again, and with JH Williams, the extraordinary and groundbreaking artist, is truly the stuff dreams are made of.”
Details on The Sandman [Courtesy of Vertigo]:
With more than 7 million copies sold in nine different languages, Gaiman’s multi-volume magnum opus The Sandman features literature’s most dysfunctional family—Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, Destruction, Destiny and Dream. The critically acclaimed Vertigo fantasy series transformed the landscape of comics, helping to usher in an era of more compelling and sophisticated storytelling. Combining mythology and literature in an epic story, it is one of the most popular, groundbreaking, bestselling and award-winning comic books of the last twenty-five years. It has garnered nineteen Eisner and six Harvey Awards, and is the only comic book to win the World Fantasy Award. The original series ran 75 issues and has been collected in ten Volumes, five Absolute Editions (plus Absolute DEATH) and is now being collected in The Annotated Sandman. Other Sandman related titles include Sandman: Endless Nights, Sandman: The Dream Hunters, and Sandman Mystery Theatre.
Zombie Survival Machine At Comic-Con - Photo by Hyundai Motor America
It’s best to be safe instead of sorry, so everyone should rush out and get one of these special Zombie Survival Machines. Or not.
Comic-Con attendees were treated to a look at a special customized Hyundai Elantra Coupe Zombie Survival Machine designed by a man who knows a thing or two about the creatures, The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. What makes it so special? Here’s the list of modifications, some of which would be really helpful in just making it through rush hour traffic:
-a front-end custom zombie plow with spikes
-armored window coverings
-a roof hatch to allow passengers to fend off attacking walkers
-a trunk full of electric and pneumatic weaponry
-front and back end floodlights
-spiked all-terrain/rally type tires
-a CB radio system
“Working with Hyundai on this Zombie Survival Machine was a total blast and I am excited to share this stunning vehicle with all the fans,” said Kirkman.
“Our custom Elantra Coupe Zombie Survival Machine is the ultimate car for The Walking Dead fans and anyone who wants to survive a zombie invasion,” said Steve Shannon, vice president of Marketing, Hyundai Motor America. “We are excited for fans to come and experience the Elantra Coupe and GT in a unique, post-apocalyptic way.”
Quvenzhane Wallis as "Hushpuppy" and Dwight Henry as "Wink" on the set of BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD. Photo By: Mary Cybulski
Set on the unprotected side of the levees in Louisiana, an ad-hoc town named The Bathtub is the setting for director/co-writer Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild. Its residents are well below the poverty line and get by with nerve, resourcefulness, and a strong sense of community. The story is centered on 6-year-old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) and her father Wink (Dwight Henry); the manner in which they live and how they and the people around them cope with a storm that floods the area.
From the opening frame, as the handheld camerawork and grainy cinematography reveal, this is a deeply intimate and personal tale. The narrative is something of a lyrical poem; for while there is a basic plot structure the messages of the film are multi-layered and range in scope from Hushpuppy’s accelerated coming-of-age to the socio-economic realities of the region to global warming. In short, this is not a film you duck into for light escapism.
However, it saddens me that making such a statement is more often than not seen as a turnoff. Sure, there’s a valid need for entertainment for entertainment’s sake but experiencing a fresh viewpoint on subjects that create discussion and understanding shouldn’t be seen as a chore; there’s room for both, and this film just happens to be the latter.
Before one even attempts to dissect the overall impact of this work, what is readily evident are the mesmerizing and powerful performances of the actors. Everyone feels authentic, and there’s a good reason for that, they’re not trained actors. There’s a pseudo-documentary-like atmosphere permeating the project, resulting from the film’s aesthetic and the raw approach of its subjects. It’s captivating, and at times heartbreaking, to watch Hushpuppy manage her feelings about having no mother, being left to her own devices for long stretches in what could most aptly be described as a wilderness, and coping with that environment with wide-eyed innocence and the imagination of a child just beginning to grasp a bigger sense of the world. Scenes between her and her father are one part moving and one part harrowing, as his parenting style at times seems sink or swim.
Adding to the rare nature of the movie is that it’s told from the perspective of this little girl. It taints the emotional understanding of adult matters and provides a framework to see things in an entirely different light than what one might expect. There’s an almost magical realism to certain events as Hushpuppy still has that childlike wonder but is on the verge of hitting the age of reason. Clearly, not everything she perceives as real is actually happening, but there’s an innate truth to the emotion being exhibited.
All of this gushing isn’t to say things are perfect. The heavy-handedness of the global warming message feels a bit disjointed from the rest of the story, especially when showing stock footage of glaciers breaking apart. Also, to no great surprise in a project of this nature, the pacing is often very slow and feels like the filmmakers were stretching to ensure the movie was an acceptable feature-length (if you are so inclined, you can also watch Zeitlin’s short film Glory at Sea which is a precursor to the feature).
However, if you want to experience a film with the most unique perspective of the year, look no further than Beasts of the Southern Wild. There’s a freshness to the project that is invigorating, and the actors deliver performances that feel real, probably due to not having the trained acting tricks many of us have become so used to seeing.
There’s no surprise this has been wowing the festival circuit, and although most independent films work just as fine, if not better, in the home market, there’s something to being in a dark theater with a large screen that very much helps this experience. Keep that in mind if this film has been/is now on your radar and remember that amidst all the summer blockbusters, this won’t likely be in theaters too long in your area so plan accordingly.
GRADE: B+
Beasts of the Southern Wild is rated PG-13 for thematic material including child imperilment, some disturbing images, language and brief sensuality.
Was this a shock? No. The rumors of a judge leaving American Idol have been flying since the end of last season. However, pretty much everyone assumed the judge announcing their departure first would be Jennifer Lopez, but rock star Steven Tyler’s beat her to the punch.
While contract negotiations are ongoing with J-Lo, Tyler has declared he’s ready to concentrate on Aerosmith again and won’t be around for the next AI.
Fox released these official statements on Tyler’s departure:
“After some long…hard…thoughts…I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit,” said Tyler. “I strayed from my first love, AEROSMITH, and I’m back – but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band. The next few years are going to be dedicated to kicking some serious ass – the ultimate in auditory takeover…On Nov. 6, we are unleashing our new album, Music from Another Dimension on the Earth, Moon, Mars, and way beyond the stars…IDOL was over-the-top fun, and I loved every minute of it…Now it’s time to bring Rock Back. ERMAHGERD.”
“It’s been a tremendous honor to have Steven – one of the most prolific artists in the world – on American Idol for the past two seasons,” said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “He’s been a terrific judge, a true friend and great mentor to everyone involved with the show, and we know he’ll continue to be a huge inspiration to IDOL hopefuls for years to come. We are very sad that Steven has chosen to focus more on his music, but we always knew when we hired a rock ’n’ roll legend, he would go back to the music. We all wish him all the best and would love to have him back on the show anytime.”
“Steven Tyler is a real ‘Idol,’ a rock legend. If you had told me 10 years ago he would be a judge on American Idol, I would have thought it impossible,” stated IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “The fact that this became a reality and we had the pleasure of him gracing our stage for two seasons makes me very proud. I completely understand his desire to get back to his life as the singer in America’s greatest-ever rock band. American Idol will miss him!”
Universal Studios’ newest ride, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, is based on the blockbuster animated film Despicable Me and features the weird yellow ‘Minions’ as the central characters. With voices from the film’s stars including Steve Carell (Gru), Dana Gaier (Edith), and Elsie Fisher (Agnes), park visitors take off on a ride through the world inhabited by the sort of cute little guys with the bizarre voices.
Watch a behind the scenes video featuring the voice cast as well as a brief look at what’s in store on the new Minion ride.
It was Tim Burton’s love of and appreciation for classic horror films that inspired him to create the 3-D black and white stop-motion film Frankenweenie. And as a special homage to those films that helped make Burton the filmmaker he is today, Disney’s showing off this brand new trailer which debuted at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Enjoy!
Frankenweenie opens in theaters on October 5, 2012.
The Plot:
From creative genius Tim Burton comes Frankenweenie, a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.
Stand Up To Cancer returns for the third year on Friday, September 7th at 8pm on all the major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) and cable, commercial-free. The celebrity-filled fundraising event helps build public support for groundbreaking translational research “accelerating the delivery of new therapies to patients, getting them from the ‘bench to the bedside’ as quickly as possible. SU2C brings together scientists from different disciplines across various institutions to collaborate.”
Executive Producer Gwyneth Paltrow said, “This broadcast has become a global call-to-action for all those touched by cancer. Like so many people, I know what it’s like to lose a family member to this disease, and I’m honored to stand up in my father’s memory.”
“We set out to convince the public that this is a moment of great promise in cancer research, and that each and every person can play a role in helping the scientists who are working so hard to end this terrible disease,” said Stand Up To Cancer Executive Leadership Council Member Katie Couric. “Only four years into our work, we are delighted with the results. Our SU2C Dream Teams of scientists have made important strides, all for the benefit of patients, and we are excited to share that progress through the show.”
The first Stand Up To Cancer broadcast event took place on September 5, 2008 followed on September 10, 2010 by broadcast #2. Thus far, SU2C has raised more than $180 million for cancer research.
Graphic novel fans rejoice – Neil Gaiman is revisiting the world of The Sandman 25 years after the critically acclaimed graphic novel’s release. The announcement was made at the San Diego Comic Con, with Gaiman appearing via video to confirm the news. 
