Twilight: New Moon

"Twilight" was easily one of the passing years' worst films, but it at least it's offered the Movie Geek set something we haven't had in awhile: A bona-fide mass-media punching bag. It's such a completely awful film franchise - bad story, worse script, awful dialogue, bad acting, bad direction all bound up in the selling of a cringe-inducingly campy Harlequin love story. It's like everything worth hating in modern film (hell, modern FICITON) all rolled into one entity and magnified. The only question was whether or not the REST of the series would continue being as much fun to slap around. Well, here's the "New Moon" trailer...

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD


...which reveals that this time around the world's lamest execuses for Vampires will be challenged by the world's lamest excuses for Werewolves.

CUTAWAYS

Here’s a quick clip from Star Pilot a.k.a. 2+5: Missione Hydra (1966) in which director Pietro Francisci teaches us the fine art of body language. See if you can guess who amongst this merry gathering will cause trouble later in the film and who will become fluent in the universal language of looove.

So, how’d you do? Not too hard to figure out, huh? I think it’s fair to say that the director of Star Pilot wasn’t exactly aiming for subtlety in this scene. Ah, but it’s only funny because it’s so true, right? Even in the Old Testament itself, at least according to Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, you can find five examples of the kind of googly eyed love at first sight moment like we see in this clip; Adam and Eve, Rebecca and Isaac, Jacob and Rachel, David and Avigail, & David and Bathsheba. Now, I think I might argue a little with the good Rabbi over including David as I’m not quite sure what he was feeling was “love” the first time he saw these women, especially the buck naked Bathsheba. Oh, I’m sure he felt “something” alright. But love? I guess I’m just a skeptic. Still, even if you toss those out, that still leaves us with a few good Biblical examples of love at first sight.

Good examples or not, though, Rabbi Ginsburgh advises us to approach these stories with caution. “One should not expect to be struck with an intense feeling of predestination when he first meets his predestined spouse.” he notes. “As a rule, the couple's love experience grows and develops as they nurture it together throughout their lives. Nonetheless, every rule has its exceptions, and thus we find these examples in the Torah of the intense experience known as love at first sight… Every exception tells us something about the rule that we would not otherwise have known. In our case, the exceptional experience of love at first sight is a graphic manifestation of the intensity and romance that developing love does eventually achieve as well. The converse is also true: if the experience of love at first sight is real, it will eventually achieve the stability and rootedness of developing love. Instances of love at first sight are thus instructive even for the majority of couples, who do not experience such intensity at the start of their relationship. Rather than feeling that their love is somehow deficient or unromantic, they should view examples of love at first sight as enlightening portents of the intensity into which their love should -- and hopefully will -- develop.”

Sounds like someone’s been reading their Catechism. Okay, maybe not, what with him being Jewish and all, but hey, we’ve always said that “when she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People, "the first to hear the Word of God." So, it should be no surprise to find that the Catechism agrees with the Rabbi’s assessment that whether it starts off as a slow boil or as a blazing fire, a good marriage always leads to growth. "From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament."

So with all that going for them, maybe Bellsy & Luisa and Phena & Whatshisname actually do have a good chance at being more than just four space ships passing in the night. Now, if they can just keep that spark going so that twenty years from now, after a few kids and careers and interplanetary crises and such, when they’re sitting across the space breakfast table from one another and look up into each other’s eyes.. the camera will still zoom in just like it did in the beginning. That would be sweet.

New THE FINAL DESTINATION Poster On The Interwebs

Jim here. There is a new THE FINAL DESTINATION (formally FINAL DESTINATION: DEATH TRIP) poster on the net (UGO). I like the tagline a fair bit: "Rest in pieces" and the imagery itself is definitely eye catching, but still I think something is missing from it.

The feeling I get from this poster is definitely a gimmicky 3D feel and seeing as though this is a 3D horror movie we can expect some of this taking place. Not too much I hope. I thought MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D did a good job of balancing it out despite the constant temptation to use it.

Very interested in seeing another live action horror in 3D - and my feeling is this could be the best one yet due to the proven franchise nature of the series. But if it isn't I will not hesitate to deep six it.

James Cameron Q & A Podcast from Aliens / The Abyss Event!

Michael here. I had almost given up on getting into Friday night's Aliens / The Abyss (in 70 mm) double feature with James Cameron at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. The event had sold out over five weeks ago. When I arrived at the theater, I was among a bunch of people looking for someone to sell them a ticket.

Anyway, I got lucky and had the awesome experience of seeing Aliens and The Abyss projected in startlingly vivid 70 mm. Between movies, Cameron talked with the audience about his past films, Avatar, 3D, The Dark Knight, the Simulcam and more.

Listen below for 43 minutes of Q & A with James Cameron!

A few highlights:

1. Cameron said we would see our first glimpse of Avatar "very soon." His tone of voice seemed to be hinting that we would, in fact, be seeing something very soon.

2. The 2D and 3D versions of Avatar will have different aspect ratios. The 3D version will be the full 16 x 9 ratio in which the movie was shot (Cameron explains how the extra screen height benefits 3D). A 2D cinemascope ratio version will be extracted from this 16 x 9 footage for 2D theatrical exhibition and 3D exhibition on screens which can't handle 16 x 9.

3. On Avatar: "It's great to be back in the saddle making a movie- and making a movie that I know - win, lose, or draw, whether it's a good film or not, I know there's going to be images in this film we're making right now that are going to Blow. People. Away...They'll be like, 'what the f#ck?"...cause we say that when we see the shots coming back from WETA Digital. They sent us a shot last week, and I said, 'this is ridiculous!' So, I don't know if it's gonna add up to be a great film, but I already feel proud that there's some cool stuff in it."

Watch Ubisoft's E3 Press Conference Live - Will Avatar Game be Revealed?

UPDATE: Michael here.  Reader Adam Loncar pointed me to an Ubisoft press release promising "special guests that are certain to thrill attendees and web viewers."  It would certainly be awesome if Cameron showed up to help show off the Avatar game.  More as I get it!

Michael here.  Ubisoft is holding their E3 press conference on Monday at 5:00 PM, PST, and you can watch it as it happens via Ubisoft's official live stream.

Will the Avatar game be shown? MCV is reporting that it will be unveiled at E3.  The site reportedly spoke to Ubisoft's European Executive Director Alain Corre, who told them that “People will be dreaming about Avatar after seeing it at E3. People will have never witnessed anything like it before. This is an investment in technology we will be able to put into our future products.”

Referring to 3D technology, Corre said “This is a brand new visual approach to gaming and movies.  Hopefully, it will capture everyone’s attention. We know not all the gamers will be able to own that technology. But we’ll be able to get it to many of them. This 3D aspect will one day become must-have."

So far MCV seems to be the only source reporting that Ubisoft will be revealing their 3D technology - and the Avatar game - at E3.  I am unfamiliar with the site, so I cannot personally vouch for their credibility.  However, I do think there is a solid chance that we will see something from the game at the press conference.  

Stay tuned to MarketSaw for more on Ubisoft's E3 plans as we learn more!

"Escape To The Movies"

This is pretty cool.

"The Escapist" has offered me my own imprint for awhile, under the banner of "Escape To The Movies with MovieBob." I even have theme music... wow.

Innaugural review for the new show is "Up," which you should really go see right the hell now.




Big thanks to friends, fans, readers and everyone who's been supportive. This is just awesome.

Toy Story 3 Teaser Online!

Jim here. Have a look at this new Toy Story 3 teaser that the folks at Disney/Pixar have made available for us! It is great to see these characters back in action - truly. I forgot how well Woody and Buzz interact together. Should look amazing in 3D!!

Date Set For Tintin: December 23, 2011

Jim here. TINTIN has a date with you - December 23, 2011 for the first installment from Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg entitled THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN. Paramount is the distributor for US, Canada, Australia, Asia, UK and all other English speaking countries with Sony handling mainland Europe, Latin America and India.

From THR: "Jamie Bell stars as the globetrotting young reporter Tintin, who faces off against the nefarious Red Rackham, played by Daniel Craig. Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook co-star."

Well this one is obviously going to be a worldwide phenomenon! TINTIN is beloved in Europe and with two of the best in the business creating this world for us, we are going to be in for a special treat. There is NO doubt that the sequels will happen.

Like Surfing? Experience It Without Getting Wet In 3D

San Diego-based multi-media production studio PassmoreLab, in conjunction with on-location entertainment company Lucid Dreams 3D, has begun principal photography on a new educational 3D surfing film called Physics of Surfing, available to science centers and museums later this year.

It’s science meets surfing in this truly exceptional educational project. Shown in the crystal clear beauty of high-definition 3D, audiences everywhere will be thrilled and amazed as they follow two professional female surfers to gorgeous locations around the world - including Hawaii's breathtaking North Shore and renowned surf spots along the California coast - exploring surfing's deep influence on modern culture while experiencing Mother Nature’s magificent power in the creation of our ocean’s waves.

Shot using PassmoreLabʼs proprietary 3D rigs, stereo synthesis conversion, and RED cameras in spectacular digital high definition, Physics of Surfing is an exciting addition to the rich history of surf cinema. Gorgeous scenery and incredible surfing action are the orders of the day as the surfers’ grace and athleticism illustrate principles of physics, culture and history.

“The digital 3D science adventure is something we take seriously and do quite well,” said Greg Passmore, President of PassmoreLab. “On this film, the audience will be transfixed in a completely immersive 3D surfing experience, and learn a thing or two along the way.”

Pro Surfers Julie Cox and Kyla Langen, the two featured surfers in the film, are both longtime surfing competitors and aficionados. Cox, a talented longboarder who also works for the California Surf Museum, has competed in contests around the globe - winning California coalition events and consistently placing in the top 10 of international events held in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. On the other hand, Langen's radical, aggressive style is pure excitement. She's surfed professionally in over twenty countries and works with the Cousteau Foundation's CELP program as a youth instructor. Both women are also surf coaches and share an intense affection for the sea.

“Julie's lyrical, flowing surf style is a joy to behold. Her empathy for the ocean is truly inspiring,” said Executive Producer James Humann of Lucid Dreams 3D. “While Kyla’s style is like listening to rock 'n' roll - daring, brash, reckless – and her love of the ocean is completely infectious.”

Unlike other surfing documentaries, Physics of Surfing is a 35-minute educational film that uncovers the physical science of ocean waves and the art of surfing. In this captivating presentation, the filmmakers explore how energy moves through water, building and combining its force, traveling thousands of miles over the course of weeks until the ocean floor underneath disrupts the wave’s formation and causes it to pitch up and collapse. The film also investigates the science behind various surfing styles and how surfers instinctively address such notions of gravity and buoyancy while using the energy of motion to ride waves.

Further, the film looks at how the modern technology of surfboard design affects a board’s performance on the wave. Audiences will experience the exhilaration of surfing while learning how surfers play with nature's purest form of energy and power.

The musical legacy of surfing is a rich and exciting element of surf culture and Physics of Surfing honors this with a truly inspired soundtrack. Produced by Dusty Watson, it includes tracks from instrumental surf-rock mainstays Slacktone and previously unreleased material by Southern California's legendary skate-punk band Agent Orange (Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4). Since the late 70s, Agent Orange has had an enormous influence on the skate-punk/surf-rock scene and Slacktone are widely regarded as the greatest exponents of the genre. Rounding out the musical lineup is punk supergroup Osaka Popstar - the standard bearers of old-school punk in the 21st century - featuring members of the Ramones, the Misfits, and Black Flag.

Physics of Surfing, a beautiful, high definition 3D celebration of surf, science, and music, will be available for distribution to science centers and museums everywhere by December 2009.

About PassmoreLab
PassmoreLab is a San Diego-based multi-media production studio that specializes in 3D production and 2D to 3D content conversion. The studio custom-designs and builds its own RED camera 3D rigs for both conventional and rugged film productions, shooting everything from feature films, television and science documentaries, to underwater diving, extreme sports and cave exploration.

State-of-the-art facilities include a full 3D production studio, video/film post-production, optical development lab, and a software development environment. Production includes 2D, 3D, high dynamic range time lapse, stereoscopic microscopy and cutting-edge simulation technologies for real time SFX. PassmoreLab’s proprietary technology for 2D to 3D video and film conversion is unmatched in the industry, in both turnaround times and conversion costs.

PassmoreLab has additional offices in Russia and the Philippines. For more information, visit www.passmorelab.com.

About Lucid Dreams3D
LD3D was formed to express 3D technology and art for on-location entertainment, music videos, cinema and marketing/advertising. Founder James Humann, an intellectual property lawyer, formerly served as Senior Director of Business Affairs at Hard Rock International. Because of its combination of art, science and law, LD3D helps clients develop technology, produce content and protect assets. For more information, visit www.luciddreams3d.com.

In Related News: Steve Glum Has Joined PassmoreLab

Steve Glum has joined PassmoreLab as the head of Branding and Distribution. Mr. Glum comes from Ripley Entertainmenet where he served as VP of Marketing & Branding.
“PassmoreLab is an extremely innovative 2D & 3D company, and matches perfectly with my style of brand-building and forward distribution,” says Glum. “The content is amazing and they certainly have plenty of it. The opportunities to distribute our titles to television, wireless, theatres, science centers and the attractions worlds, both in the 2D and 3D environments, are just endless.”

While at Ripley Entertainment Inc., Glum led international brand development, consumer marketing strategy, and creative services. He also led the 3D conversion of the archived Ripley’s vault footage catalog, spearheaded new openings in Times Square and Piccadilly Circus, and has produced all television creative for the company since 2005.

Greg Passmore, President of PassmoreLab, stated that Glum's focus will be on helping PassmoreLab with brand awareness and furthering the company's expansion into television, the location-based entertainment market, and building on the company's long history of film production and simulators. "Steve will be a great asset to our team at PassmoreLab," said Passmore. "His experience and abilities are a perfect fit for our company and our goals for the future."

"Steve's branding experience will help carry our message into today's traditional and alternative venues to allow our content and technology to educate, entertain, and amaze," said Passmore. "Whether it is television, a theater, museum, thrill ride, or planetarium, PassmoreLab delivers an experience that merges technology and art."

IAAPA awarded Glum two International Marketing Excellence Awards at its Brass Ring Awards in 2008. Glum's work in the industry has also been recognized by the Ontario Tourism Awards for best online strategy in 2007 and by Advertising Age magazine.

Glum has also held positions with House of Blues and The Walt Disney Company. He earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Stetson University and completed the IAAPA Institute for Executive Education program from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

PassmoreLab is a sponsor of MarketSaw

EXAMINER #2: 'Star Trek' stands out amongst May blockbusters

As much as I’d like to believe that I’m not a total fanboy… I totally am. So you can imagine how I spent the first four months of2009 -- drooling over the month of May, when not one or two, not three or four, but five major franchises would be waging battle at the box office over the first four weeks alone; "Wolverine," "Star Trek," "Angels and Demons," "Terminator Salvation" and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." And that doesn’t even take into account this weekend, the last of the month, which all the other studios conceded to Pixar’s “Up” except for Universal, which in a savvy bit of counter-programming, releases Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me to Hell,” a goofy horror movie that's aimed at a very different, equally loyal albeit smaller audience.
What’s ironic about “DMTH” is that it’ll be the first film Raimi has directed for his genre label, Ghost House Pictures, and the first Ghost House release that won’t open at #1. That said, “DMTH” has good buzz so despite my initial doubts about the project, I’ll be at the ArcLight at midnight on Thursday to judge for myself.
May also featured two indies about brothers, although they (the brothers and the movies) couldn’t be more different. The first, “Rudo y Cursi,” from Carlos Cuaron, Alfonso’s brother, stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna as rival soccer stars. Get over the fear of subtitles and go see it while you still can because it’s one of the ten best films I’ve seen so far this year!
The other, “The Brothers Bloom,” is a con-man movie from Rian Johnson, who also wrote and directed the overrated high school noir mockery “Brick.” “Bloom” stars a pair of Oscar winners (Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz), an Oscar nominee (Rinko Kikuchi who steals the film with her mute performance), and Mark Ruffalo, who should’ve been nominated for an Oscar by now. Unfortunately, all the acting talent in the world can’t save Johnson’s lifeless script, which is as phony as the schemes The Brothers Bloom concoct. I’ll spare the film any further commentary but needless to say, I wasn’t a fan. Johnson clearly has talent but his style is all over the place and he’d be well served by directing someone else’s screenplay for a change. I don’t understand the press love he’s been getting.
But back to the blockbuster box office behemoths. The summer movie season officially kicked off with Fox’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” followed by J.J. Abrams’ reboot of “Star Trek” for Paramount, followed by Sony and Ron Howard’s “Angels and Demons,” which had only six days before Warner Bros. unleashed the hell that is McG’s “Terminator Salvation” into theaters. Meanwhile, Ben Stiller took another paycheck role in Fox’s “Night at the Museum 2: Battle For the Smithsonian,” but I haven’t seen that sequel so I can’t bash it, although it doesn’t really belong in the conversation since it’s aimed at a much younger demographic than the other four films.
Now, going into May, judging strictly by the trailers, I was super stoked to see “Star Trek” and “T4.” I had supreme faith in Abrams and very little faith in McG, but then again, I grew up on James Cameron’s “Terminator” films and I’d never been a “Star Trek” kind of guy. I loved the “T4” trailer’s use of Nine Inch Nails’ “The Day the World Went Away,” but I suspected it was making the movie look more awesome than it really was. The “Star Trek” trailer looked equally awesome and obviously, like something I’d never seen before. Abrams and his young cast sold me on a new universe, where as “T4” sold me on a world I’d heard a lot about over the course of three movies, and couldn’t wait to see for myself.
Elsewhere, despite the production problems and online piracy, I thought “Wolverine” looked pretty cool, if a bit cheap, while the “Angels and Demons” trailer seemed to reveal that director Howard didn’t really fix any of “DaVinci’s” considerable problems, chief amongst them, the lazy casting of Tom Hanks, who looked absolutely miserable running around Rome.
As it turned out, “Star Trek” was the best movie by far, and even it had its script problems. You can read my full review for the Colorado Springs Independent here. None of the other three turned out very good, namely because of bad scripts that were compromised by the Writers Strike. I’d have to say that “Wolverine” was my next favorite of the four, if only because it resembled fun. Sure, it paled in comparison to its predecessors (yes, all of them, even Brett Ratner’s “X3”), but it wasn’t nearly the trainwreck I was expecting and the opening credits were great. Liev Schreiber and Danny Huston are two of my favorite character actors but “Wolverine” was missing a villain like the “X-Men” series’ Ian McKellan, whose sinister presence was also missing from the “DaVinci Code” sequel “Angels and Demons,” which had a couple of decent moments but felt shockingly flat considering the solid source material. I’ve read three of Dan Brown’s books and his writing is quite cinematic, as though it would lend itself perfectly to adaptation for the bigscreen. But both “DaVinci” and “A&D” were undeniably clunky and that’s inexcusable from a director of Howard’s caliber. Hanks was never a good fit for this series, and yet, if he couldn’t make it work, who the hell else could?
Which brings us to the relentlessly grim and joyless “Terminator Salvation,” which McG should be downright embarrassed about. The screenplay felt like a cruel joke, and while credited scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris will be held primarily responsible, it deserves to be noted that A-Listers Jonathan Nolan (Oscar-nominated writer of “Memento,” “The Dark Knight” and “The Prestige”), Simon Kinberg (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “X3,” “Jumper” and “Sherlock Holmes”) and Paul Haggis (Academy Award-winning writer of “Crash,” “Casino Royale,” “Million Dollar Baby” and “Walker, Texas Ranger”) all had a hand in shaping the script. The performances in “T4” were all cringe-worthy and borderline laughable with the exception of Anton Yelchin’s take on Kyle Reese. It was a tough Stateside debut for future “Avatar” star Sam Worthington, whose Australian accent snuck in and out of the movie along with Christian Bale’s angry Welsh inflection. As for the supporting cast, Common and Helena Bonham Carter were truly awful, while Bryce Dallas Howard and Jadagrace had no characters to play. The wham-bam action was decent but free of any kind of suspense (it’s been rumored that McG left his 2nd Unit to handle the action so he could focus on the “performances”) and the entire movie felt devoid of fun, failing to do anything new with the series.
Hollywood is batting 1-4 in my blockbuster book so far this summer, but hey, look on the bright side: There’s a new Pixar movie coming out on Friday! And for the crazy handful of you who might not be down with “Up” allow me to suggest a more “adult” theatrical experience, Steven Soderbergh’s low-fi drama “The Girlfriend Experience,” which stars (former?) porn star Sasha Grey as a high-priced Manhattan call girl. Grey makes an impressive mainstream debut and there’s actually very little sex or nudity in the film, which begs saying that it’s still worth seeing, guys! “The Girlfriend Experience” is also available to watch On Demand in the privacy of your own home for $9.99, a great bargain considering the absurd cost of movie tickets and concessions today.
As for June, the film I’m most excited about is Todd Phillips’ comedy “The Hangover,” starring the motley crue of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifiankis, a mysterious baby, Mike Tyson and his tiger. I’m also looking forward to Tony Scott’s remake of the 70s classic “The Taking of Pelham 123,” starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta; a bigscreen imagining of “Land of the Lost” with Will Ferrell and Danny McBride; the new Francis Ford Coppola film “Tetro” starring the always-interesting Vincent Gallo; the final cut of Harold Ramis’ biblical comedy “Year One,” which was produced by Judd Apatow and stars Jack Black and Michael Cera; Michael Bay’s bigger, louder “Transformers” sequel and the Woody Allen comedy “Whatever Works,” starring Larry David. There’s also another comedy from an Oscar-winning filmmaker that opens June 5 in limited release that we’ll take a look at next week. Until then…

Original Link: http://www.examiner.com/x-10725-Movie-Awards-Examiner~y2009m5d28-Star-Trek-stands-out-amongst-May-blockbusters

Dreamworks Animation: We Are About To Get Totally Immersed In Awesome 3D Projects

Jim here. Got some great news for all you Dreamworks Animation fans out there - they have announced their 3D lineup of movies coming up! Moreover, they have shifted to a schedule of 5 movies every 2 years. The new schedule will make room for 1 or 2 sequels a year plus an original. ALL in 3D of course. The future is here baby!

Let's get into them:

2010:
OOBERMIND (Formally MASTERMIND) - voice casting of Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey. RDJ's character discovers life isn't as it should be once he kills off his nemesis, Metro Man. The pic is from Ben Stiller's shingle Red Hour Films and is slated for a November 5, 2010 release.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER (Formally SHREK GOES FOURTH) - Instant bonanza. Note to self - Gotta get some DWA stock...

An update on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON tells us that it is "Set in the world of Vikings and dragons, it centers on an awkward teen who befriends an injured dragon."

2011:
KUNG FU PANDA: THE KABOOM OF DOOM - The anticipated sequel to the original blockbuster last year is set for release on June 3, 2011. Jennifer Yuh directs. Melissa Cobb produces.

THE GUARDIANS - From a as yet unpublished book series by author William Joyce (MEET THE ROBINSONS). The story brings together MAJOR children's heros as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost and the Sandman — to defend the world from a Bogeyman-like villain. Jeff Lynch directs. "...The figures have been 'somewhat renamed and massively reimagined' by Joyce, who has supplied each of the figures with a fresh backstory and is collaborating closely on the film." Look for this one on November 4, 2011.

2012:
PUSS IN BOOTS - Is a prequel to SHREK 2 (where PIB is introduced to the franchise) with Chris Miller (SHREK 3) directing. March 30, 2012 is the slated date. Not much need to be said about this one, other than back up the Brinks truck...

MADAGASCAR 3 - The zoo creatures go on a European tour through a traveling circus. Eric Darnell directs.

The third DWA movie is slated for November 12, 2012 and may come from one of three options: THE CROODS (caveman comedy), TRUCKERS (miniature creatures living in a department store) or SUPER SECRET GHOST PROJECT (asks what ghosts think of humans).

Personally, I believe THE CROODS will easily win this one out - although ALL THREE are currently in production. Why? One name - JOHN CLEESE. Genius. Period. He co-writes this as well as lends his voice. The original name for this project was CROOD AWAKENING and tells a story of about a big man in a small village called Crood. His position as Leader of the Hunt is threatened by the arrival of a prehistoric genius who comes up with revolutionary new inventions, such as fire... Oh and the Governator himself is said to be lending his voice too - makes for a great caveman personna don't you think?

What an awesome lineup! Really looking forward to PIB and THE CROODS. As their technology and 3D expertise widens - I expect to be wowed with each and every release. No pressure though guys... :-)

Source: Variety

Want To See What The Whole Power Suit Might Look Like? New Official AVATAR Concept Art! Aircraft! WARNING: SPOILERS!!

**SAME DAY UPDATE: Have heard from @mordecaidesign (Twitter) and Tom Powell (see comments) that they are sure that the first image is from Dylan Cole. Appears they are both correct. There is conjecture that the second one is by James Clyne Ryan Church. Looking for confirmation.

Jim here. Another breaking AVATAR story from the best place to be for all things James Cameron.

**SPOILER ALERT** - If you want a pristine viewing experience of AVATAR, it is best to stop reading NOW.

One of my readers (Thanks G.L.!) just sent these huge pieces of AVATAR material to my attention and due to the sensitive nature of the content I made sure it was ok with Fox before releasing it - it is THAT good!

This is official, concept art from the forthcoming book The Art of Avatar: James Cameron's Epic Adventure (which I have on preorder) which has 100 120 full color concept images in it as well as interviews! Better get your hands on this AVATAR book and others!

Click on these for the higher resolution images!!

Fox says run with it - it got approved through the right channels soooooo... take a good look at the whole darn Power Suit!! Please keep in mind that these photos are concept only and may not make it totally into the final AVATAR movie but you can clearly see how my Power Suit's photo fits into the concept drawing! Right down to the ammunition hanging down on the unit's side.

And a stunning new look at AVATAR's futuristic helicopters! WHOA. What do you make of those? For those of you who have read more about AVATAR, this is probably not a AEROSPATIALE SA-2 SAMSON as they only are armed with a door gun and are mainly used for operational movement on Pandora. However if you look in the background of the Power Suit, it looks like the downed aircraft behind it is a Samson! The second photo clearly shows much more heavy weaponry - missiles for example. So it could very well be an AH-19 SCORPION gunship or a C-21 DRAGON gunship which are over 100 feet long and looks like a "giant predatory insect, with multiple canopies at the front for pilots and gunners." (quote from original scriptment). Further the names may have very well changed from the scriptment, but you get the idea.

And ummm... is that a BANSHEERAY chasing the Gunship? Or a LEONOPTERYX? With someone riding it?? :-) I believe this concept art may be more driven by the mechanical design of the machinery than the creature design that Neville Page (who is also designing the prehistoric piranha's in Alexandre Aja's PIRANHA 3-D!) and others has worked on, so it is hard to say if the Leonopteryx (If that is what it is) will wind up looking like this or not. We do know that they can be ridden from the scriptment. But - DAMN - awesome creatures! We also know that originally the Leonopteryx (several times larger than a Bansheeray) does attack Samsons as they think they are enemies. Can't say more as it may have not even made it into the final movie, but let's just say these scenes are going to blow our minds!

This movie is going to kick some serious butt guys. What we have here is typical, knock your socks off James Cameron designs woven into a precise storyline.

So thus begins the ramp up to the release of AVATAR! It has been a long time coming, but let's start right here! I will get confirmation on exactly what that aircraft is shortly from my sources - stay tuned for updates! And as always, keep it on MarketSaw for the latest and greatest breaking 3D news.

What do you think of these designs - and Pandora's exotic landscape?? Is that what Pandora will look like?

NEWS FLASH: LUNATIC LOSES AGAIN, CELEBRATES MORAL VICTORY!

The winners of the  2009 Cannonball Awards have been announced and as we predicted.. we didn’t win squat! But with 2% of the vote for Best Visual Treat, 8% of the vote for Best Hifreakinlarious Blog, and a whopping 13% of the vote for Best Under Appreciated Blog, The B-Movie Catechism claims complete and total moral victory!!! I mean, come on, a blog that is currently in the midst of reveling in the cinematic jewel that is Gymkata manages to place in the top five? That’s a monster win, my friends, a monster win!

Still, I suppose we should congratulate those blogs who actually got more votes than us in their respective categories, although surely their first place finishes must be hollow and meaningless next to the supreme moral victory that is ours.

First up is the award for Best Visual Treat which goes to Holy Cards for Inspiration. Micki runs an excellent site over there, although some (and by some I mean me) might think that since her site promotes EVERYBODY IN HEAVEN, it’s conceivable that some friends in high places might have influenced the vote just a bit. (I myself tried to appeal to Simon Templar, “The Saint”, but apparently fictional TV rip offs of James Bond don’t have the same pull as real people living in the presence of God.)

And then there’s Margaret, a.k.a. Minnesota's Mom, who garnered enough popularity to win the award for not being popular enough (eh, we’re Catholics, we eat paradoxes for breakfast) and take home the cup for Best Under Appreciated Blog. Again, another excellent site, although some (and by some I mean me) might question the strategy of scheduling the birth of your child to coincide with the final week of voting. She’s posting photos from the hospital room fro crying out loud. (I myself was going to post some baby photos, but anyone whose seen It’s Alive knows they probably wouldn’t have gotten the same reaction.)

And last, but not least, is the award for Best Hifreakinlarious Blog which goes to our pal LarryD over at Acts of Apostasy. Larry is a frequent commenter around these parts, so we don’t want to rag on him too hard… although… there are some (and by some I mean me and Matthew Archbold and Red Cardigan and so on and so forth) who felt it was best to pull for Larry to win this one because, well, what else does he really have going for him? (I myself was going to campaign just as hard to win this category, but considering I’m in the middle of writing a review of Gymkata, I figured my dignity was in enough danger.)

So our hearty congratulations to these fine champions, as well as the winners in all of the other categories. We only hope that their measly first place trophies are compensation enough when compared to the massive moral victory which is ours and ours alone.

Facepalm: The Movie

Today is a really, really great day for ANYONE currently producing, about to produce or considering the production of a feature film in any of the myriad "geek" genres. Today, as of right now, they can officially rest easy about the increasingly semi-meaningful outrages of hard-to-please "fanboys"...

...because today, as of right now, there is NOTHING that any of them can do in regards to their projects that can POSSIBLY piss the "fanboy" set off more than this: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i666afabc28491e6a5d5861d83ae30855

"Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Movie." Not the movie of the show, or even a continuation. A remake/reboot of the original movie. New characters, new actors, and almost-certainly no Joss Whedon. Have at it, folks...

Exclusive First Look: AVATAR Heavy Equipment Spy Shot!!!

Jim here. Ok guys - I know what you are thinking: Is this spy shot real or fake? (Click to enlarge) THIS IS REAL and here is why...

You are looking at the first glimpse of a piece of heavy equipment from AVATAR. I know what it is but I want to test your knowledge of the movie! What is it?? :-) Read below for some incentive to tell me what it is!

So where did I get this from? My best AVATAR source, that's where. This is guaranteed GOLD. I will never give a guarantee unless I am absolutely certain that this is the real deal. It is. And I guarantee it. I have learned a lot from the past week or so about trusting first time sources - you don't, no matter how good they look and how well you can verify them. So you have to be careful. This photo comes from a TRUSTED source that provided me with the first look at the Na'vi from Pandora. So ENJOY!!

We were all getting tired of the fake stuff circulating around lately and to be honest with you - I still am getting this stuff a few times a week. Some of it looks damn good - but as always I check with my trusted sources to verify and well, most of them don't make the cut. Getting photos like this one today from a great source makes it all worthwhile though!!

Just as good as a poster don't you think? :-) Half decent resolution and it looks darn mean!! Let's see who can come up with the name of this piece of equipment in AVATAR first in the comments section below... Then let's talk about it... :-)

So it is payback time for all you loyal MarketSaw readers! Another AVATAR photo to revel in. And it looks awesome! Damn I'm stoked for this movie!! Keep it on MarketSaw for the best coverage guys!

Star Trek

CUTAWAYS

Some folks on YouTube keep begging for more Pandemonium (Give us our DVD release already MGM!), and since I never get tired of the movie, here’s another clip.

B-fans out there might recognize David McCharen, the guy playing the chicken patient, as he popped up in a number of early 80s releases doing his bird shtick before moving into voice work. Given my tastes in entertainment, it should be no surprise that Mr. McCharen is one of the first things that came to mind the other day after I began listening to the LibriVox recording of Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton and heard the following passage.

“To the insane man his insanity is quite prosaic, because it is quite true. A man who thinks himself a chicken is to himself as ordinary as a chicken. A man who thinks he is a bit of glass is to himself as dull as a bit of glass. It is the homogeneity of his mind which makes him dull, and which makes him mad. It is only because we see the irony of his idea that we think him even amusing; it is only because he does not see the irony of his idea that he is put in Hanwell [Asylum] at all. In short, oddities only strike ordinary people. Oddities do not strike odd people. This is why ordinary people have a much more exciting time; while odd people are always complaining of the dullness of life…

If the madman could for an instant become careless, he would become sane. Every one who has had the misfortune to talk with people in the heart or on the edge of mental disorder, knows that their most sinister quality is a horrible clarity of detail; a connecting of one thing with another in a map more elaborate than a maze. If you argue with a madman, it is extremely probable that you will get the worst of it; for in many ways his mind moves all the quicker for not being delayed by the things that go with good judgment. He is not hampered by a sense of humour or by charity, or by the dumb certainties of experience. He is the more logical for losing certain sane affections. Indeed, the common phrase for insanity is in this respect a misleading one. The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.”

Chesterton, being the smart fella he is, expounds on this argument to savage the philosophies of materialists, pantheists, and best of all, those who “believe in themselves”. (Incredible. Was “just believe in yourself” already a mantra in Chesterton’s time?) Anyway, feel free to check out what more G. K. has to say about madmen in the Librivox link above, or you can read it here.

Oh, and on the off chance that any materialists, pantheists, or anyone who just believes in themselves happens to have stumbled across our dark corner of the internet here, well, we don’t want you to feel too slighted, so here’s a little song just for you.

Fox OFFICIALLY Kills AVATAR Trailer In Front Of TRANSFORMERS 2

Jim here. I have gotten OFFICIAL word from Fox that the AVATAR trailer will absolutely NOT play in front of TRANFORMERS 2. All previous communications had left the door open to the possibility.

I asked for an unconditional "NO" and I got it from a Fox rep. Therefore we are back to the drawing board as far as knowing when a trailer will be out.

Perhaps moreover, we have at least several disgruntled sources who are not impressed with the revelation. When I came back to them with the contents of this new post today, believe me - some were LIVID. Some were expecting this - others not. This much is certain though - there was an internal deadline to meet for trailer development for TF2. Now... not so much.

There is more than meets the eye here, but I am not going to go into details as the bigger picture is we need to get a trailer out and/or ensure AVATAR is a kick-butt product. We all want to see a great trailer come out and everyone is under a lot of pressure at Fox.

The finished product is going to be spectacular and well worth the wait - on this we cannot be more clear. AVATAR is an industry defining project.

I would easily give up ALL trailers, posters and promos of AVATAR to get the best possible product come December. You know what I mean? I think you do... So take that into consideration guys - you know who you are - the work you guys are doing will be more than entertainment - its history in the making. We are all rooting for you.

Terminator Salvation @ The Escapist

Major website inexplicably continues to give me a platform:

Great Move: Broadway Is Going The 3D Way

Jim here. There is a new show in town - direct from Broadway. A new company known as Fugobi is actively working with 10 Broadway shows to shoot their productions in 3D for distribution to movie theaters. The theatrical versions will be shown in limited runs.

Fugobi has not announced which shows are the focus of these runs as of yet. However, the amNewYork article lists the producers name, Marcus Cheong - it doesn't take a genius to figure out his ANGELS THE MUSICAL will be one of them. "ANGELS tells the epic story of the ancient war between the Angels and Lucifer’s fallen minions."

I have been advocating 3D events for quite some time now - glad to see it happening on Broadway. I would go one step further though by showing opening nights in live 3D and charge double or triple for that show. Then keep showing the recording of that event for a 1 or 2 week window at normal rates.

3D Broadway shows should open up a whole new revenue stream for these productions and improve awareness of the timeless industry in New York City.

Source: amNewYork

Na'vi Hoax Deleted: New AVATAR Material Will Be Thoroughly Vetted

Wow I am disappointed in the new sources that have been sending in material (to say the least)! Well you know what? I don't need any new sources quite frankly. So with all new pending material coming in (and I get the stuff practically weekly) it will be considered garbage until totally cleared by all I know.

The only material I will post from this moment on without hesitation will be from my trusted sources. Sorry - but that is the way that cookie crumbles. We had a good thing going, but - like a really bad virus - there are a few swine out there.

And this is a clean site for the most part. Anyone coming in here and leaving comments using profanity or slinging mud will be banned. Period.

Thank you Debbie for the sane comment and for linking directly to the image (which is gorgeously done I might add).

Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL Update: Cannes Interview - Photos - Concept Art! And More ALICE!

Jim here. Got wind of a great video of Jim Carrey and Robert Zemeckis' stage discussion of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Cannes, through my friend Graham Fortin of Movieset. These guys do a great job. Check out the clip below!

Isn't Jim Carrey a likeable guy? Just watching his discussion here underscores what a treasure he is. Hope the kid never dies inside you man!

Oh and ANOTHER great Zemeckis interview right here. I hate it when embedding is disabled! :-(

Further 3D news: The Russian site Filmz.ru (via /film) has landed what seems to be authentic concept art from ALICE IN WONDERLAND. It appears real due to the uncanny resemblence to an actual film capture of Alice approaching a large outside door. I have a couple of shots embedded here, but click through to see the rest.

I have said all along that A CHRISTMAS CAROL is going to surprise people and be one of the best of 2009. I think they are firing on all cylinders here. I hope the early clip of ACC was just a working reel - as it seemed very out of place. I believe that once we are immersed into the Dickens classic through Zemeckis' eyes, we will all be haunted by lingering thoughts of how great the movie is! :-)

And sure I harbor some concerns over the conversion of ALICE IN WONDERLAND from 2D to 3D, I think the project is going to be wild! I hope I am convinced that 3D conversion is viable for first run movies through this project.

Avatar Team Hiring + More Trailer Updates

Michael here.  Any VFX industry readers who would like to contribute to the most bleeding-edge film project ever may be interested in this job notice, posted yesterday on the 2-Pop forums.  

It makes sense that they are still hiring.  With a project like Avatar, work will continue on tweaking the incredible world Cameron has created until he gets every character, creature, alien tree, cloud, and blade of grass photoreal and animated like you are standing there underneath Pandora's twin suns.

This is why we haven't yet seen a trailer or still from the film.  Cameron wants every shot that is seen in a potential trailer to be absolutely, 100% representative of the final product.  So when will we see the trailer?

According to a Fox representative I spoke to today, "no trailer placement is confirmed at this time" and "we are nowhere near to having a final one."  The rep also told us that "nothing is 100%" as to when we will get our first look at the film, although she did state that Comic-Con is still the most likely place for our first looks.  Whether she was only referring to our first looks at a trailer or footage, or first looks at a poster or other marketing material wasn't made clear.  I still think there's a good shot that we will see a poster well before the trailer, especially given what Fox Co-Chairman Jim Gianopulos told me at ShoWest.

This does not rule out Transformers 2 (and a 3D version in front of Ice Age 3 a week later) being the place we will see the first trailer, or the place where Fox would ideally like to debut it.  Fox itself just doesn't know for sure yet - it all depends on when Cameron gets the shots he wants up to his standards.  Multiple trustworthy sources (not the source of the fake trailer canister, by the way) have said that at one point at least - and maybe currently - the plan was for Transformers 2.  Whether or not Fox makes that date is still up in the air.

Multiple people at Fox (including Gianopulos) and others elsewhere in the production have reiterated the unprecedented effort and time that this type of world building requires.  So they are still in the thick of things as far as finishing the movie goes, and will be right up to December.

Here is the job listing:

Pandora Films (LLC) is seeking an Assistant Production Coordinators for work in the Virtual Lab and VFX Departments on James Cameron’s Avatar

Description:

Our project makes heavy use of motion capture as a means to creating performances and creatures for an immersive, 3D theatrical feature. We are looking for self-motivated, experienced VFX asst. coordinators for our VFX production crew in assisting the production team realize the strong creative vision of our director.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

You will be interfacing directly with the VFX vendors, managing information interchange between them and the VFX production, Editorial and IT departments. Duties include: note-taking during Director reviews, scheduling and coordinating review and meeting times, ensuring timely and complete delivery of needed work elements and assets to various VFX vendors, tracking shot and sequence progress through the vendors’ facilities, and a demonstrated aptitude for professional and accurate reporting.

Minimum Qualifications and Abilities:

Though not required, a four-year degree from an accredited college or university is preferred. Previous experience in the feature film or visual effects industry is required. Candidate will need to have demonstrated ability to interact well with VFX vendors, in-house departments and production staff, be detail-oriented and proactive, organize production information, take direction well and be willing to learn about cutting-edge technologies and pipeline processes.Previous facility-side experience and/or a high degree of familiarity with contemporary digital work process and pipelines are a huge plus.

Please submit resume to:

avatarhiring@lightstormla.com

AVATAR Grabbing IMAX Screen Time - 3 Months Worth

Jim here. IMAX is staking out a 3 MONTH run for AVATAR on their screens! That is an aggressive stance that certainly means something. I mean, you can't run a company that screens movies without knowing how to program them. There is obviously going to be some HUGE demand for AVATAR in 3D and because there are relatively few IMAX screens, the end result is long periods of sellouts for IMAX.

Personally, I will be seeing AVATAR in at least RealD and IMAX and plan on taking it in many times. Heck I saw THE MATRIX back to back - loved it so much I turned around and bought another ticket. I expect that to happen with AVATAR. Potentially a three screener day? LOL.

AVATAR Trailer Is In Front Of TRANSFORMERS 2!

Ok - these pics are NOT authentic. I have a number of sources and they all have now contacted me except for one (far off time zone) and they all say NO. I am tempted to remove them, but heck why not leave it up so you can see the lengths at which people will go to create some excitement around AVATAR. I left the last batch up too so why not.

**SAME DAY UPDATE #2: Trusted source number 2 backs up TRANSFORMERS 2 as the AVATAR trailer winner too. The pics? Fake. I am just about ready to pull them.

**SAME DAY UPDATE: Trusted source number 1 backs up the TRANSFORMERS 2 information but can't believe that is the titling for the movie. Another good point made by a reader is that why a 3D trailer version in front of a 2D movie? Unless they are showing this trailer on digital screens that will show both. It is very possible. Audiences would need 3D glasses for only the trailer obviously. Still waiting on further confirmation from other sources.

Jim here. Guys! I think this is it! I just got word from a source of mine in Europe - Can't say how he got it, but here are some photos of the Trailer disks and the trailer titling!!

Man that titling looks awesome! lol - I can't believe I am thrilled with just seeing titling - but there it is lol. We are finally going to see the AVATAR trailer and it is in front of TRANSFORMERS 2. I have heard that from multiple sources and while it seems that TERMINATOR: SALVATION was in the running, TRANSFORMERS 2 won out.

The length for Trailer A appears to be 2 minutes 41 seconds and this copy is a DTS 3D version.

I have been duped in the past by someone with what seemed to be hard drives of AVATAR trailers, but this I believe to be authentic. I am also checking my other sources for verification but in the meantime - take a look! :-)

SHORT FEATURE: ATHLETES’ WIVES GONE WILD

While doing a little research for the upcoming review of Gymkata (Tell me, what sane person researches Gymkata?), I got curious about whatever happened to the movie’s star, Kurt Thomas. Turns out that after being inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Kurt and his wife opened up the successful Kurt Thomas Gymnastics Training Center in Texas. Good for him. Other athletes… well, their private lives haven’t gone as well.

A couple of thoughts come to mind after watching this video.

One: If, like myself, you had no idea who Anna Benson was before seeing this, and you feel compelled to Google her… might I suggest leaving Safe Search on.

Two: This illustrates yet another reason Protestants should have held onto those deuterocanonical books. I’d venture a guess that these guys would have really benefited from a heaping dose of Sirach before walking down the aisle. “An evil wife is an ox yoke which chafes; taking hold of her is like grasping a scorpion. There is great anger when a wife is drunken; she will not hide her shame. A wife's harlotry shows in her lustful eyes, and she is known by her eyelids… [however] A wife's charm delights her husband, and her skill puts fat on his bones. A silent wife is a gift of the Lord, and there is nothing so precious as a disciplined soul. A modest wife adds charm to charm, and no balance can weigh the value of a chaste soul. Like the sun rising in the heights of the Lord, so is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home. Like the shining lamp on the holy lampstand, so is a beautiful face on a stately figure. Like pillars of gold on a base of silver, so are beautiful feet with a steadfast heart.”

Now, not to worry, ladies, while Sirach is definitely considered an inspired book, stuff like the being silent isn’t necessarily to be taken literally in every instance. And that being the case, it’s probably not a good idea for all you guys out there to keep pointing out such verses to your wife or girlfriend. (Trust me, I learned this firsthand as a teenager.) It’s like the introduction to the Book of Sirach in The Catholic Youth Bible says, “In interpreting Sirach, you must take special care not to conclude that women are the source of most of men’s troubles!” Good advice. Still, is it just me, or does the use of the word “most” make it seem like the editors are implying “some”?

STEP UP 3-D UPDATE

Jim here. A movie that I have been getting a LOT of email about from readers is STEP UP 3-D - mainly from dancers who wanted to audition and seek their stardom through it. Well to those that made it - congratulations. To those that haven't, sorry but shooting has begun. We will see some new faces in the movie with Sharni Vinson and Rick Malambri being added as new talent.

I first knew it was shooting when I received a tweet from a guy whose office overlooks SU3D's street level set in New York City. By the time he got my return tweet, the shooting had stopped and apparently it was only a one day shoot (Twitter is only real time if it is read in real time lol). He promises pics if it gets back to that location, but I doubt they will be returning to the same spot.

The movie is about the dancers going to Paris for a big dance competition, but Moose misses his flight - which leads him to enter an underground dance competition in the French city.

STEP UP 3-D is slated for an August 6, 2010 release.

Partial Source: Anthony Jones

Edgar Allan Poe's THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER in 3D!!

Jim here. One of my favorite short stories I read during my childhood years was THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER. It is damn morbid. I also remember listening to a LP recording (with an actor of course!) of someone waking up after being buried alive in a box. Not a pleasant recording to say the least and certainly gets your mind racing. I say the odds are good that the screenwriter, Gian Marco Masoni has kept that in!

Green Knight Ventures will produce the 3D project entitled THE USHERS while Stephen Kay directs. The talent includes Claire Forlani, Dougray Scott and Rufus Sewell.

From THR: "Ushers" will look at a grown brother and sister who have lived in the same Martha's Vineyard house for a long time but begin to feel trapped there, and who then bring in a real-estate broker to help them resolve their crisis.

Now if this movie also included running zombies I might just have to close my eyes once in awhile... Thank you Matt for the heads up on this one!