Hancock Saves the Day

Columbia Pictures to Pay Off Mortgage of One Deserving Family, Grand Prize Winner Will Receive Mortgage Pay Off

CULVER CITY, CA, June 24, 2008 - In keeping with the spirit of their upcoming film Hancock, Columbia Pictures is launching a contest to pay off a family’s home mortgage.

Hancock’s Helping Hand Mortgage payoff contest was inspired by the film. Hancock is a misunderstood superhero who is encouraged to improve his public image when he meets a good-hearted public relations executive.

Columbia Pictures will pay off the mortgage debt of one deserving family, with a grand prize worth up to $360,000. To enter and find the official contest rules, log on to www.Hancockmovie.com. Entrants will write a 200 word essay explaining why they are deserving of the grand prize. The program begins immediately and runs through July 6.

Hancock, the action-comedy from Columbia Pictures, opens in theatres everywhere July 2, 2008, with special advance screenings beginning nationwide at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, July 1.

About Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures, part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

I was browsing thru Cartoon Brew today and learned that Shine Studios, the creative design studio that produced the Kung Fu Panda 2D end credit sequence in collaboration with James Baxter Animation, posted the full sequence online in high quality Quicktime.

Whoa that’s a long sentence.

Description:
“Michael Riley, Shine’s creative director, composed images of traditional Chinese landscapes, calligraphy and 2D character animation set in a 3D landscape all choreographed to the classic Carl Douglas song “Kung Fu Fighting”; remixed by Cee-Lo Green, accompanied by Jack Black. Riley’s concept included reprising the film’s main characters in original cell animations by finding them hidden in a gigantic Chinese calligraphy character.
(Thanks, David Netherly)

Anyway, watch it, love it, and go see Kung Fu Panda. Right. Now.

By the way, have I mentioned how much I loved Kung Fu Panda? Cool animation and artwork, great action/fight scenes, hilarious… it’s just plain awesome. Don’t see the Incredible Hulk, it’s boring and typical - only towards the end do we get some interesting battles between two big monsters. If you see anything this weekend, see M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening”. If not, see Kung Fu Panda. :)

Kung Fu Panda chop-socks onto screens this weekend, and I’m already excited to see it again. Dreamworks’ latest animated film has big laughs, action-packed, kung fu choreography, and not to mention a big lovable panda bear named Po as the just-believe-in-yourself hero on a journey of self-discovery.

The manic Jack Black (Nacho Libre, School of Rock) lends both his voice and kooky mannerisms to Po, a panda who daydreams of being a kung fu fighter while slinging noodles at his dad’s noodle shop somewhere in an ancient China where talking, anthropomorphic animals once roamed.

Here the rambunctious Po is frustrated that his life has settled in the family business. His mind occupied with the local heroes, the kung fu-fighting Furious Five, Po dreams of being something greater than his food-loving lazy self.

Meanwhile, an announcement is made from atop the mountain where the Jade Palace stands: the time has come to choose the great Dragon Warrior whom, according to legend, will defeat a great foe and bring peace and harmony to the people. While everyone, including Po, is certain that one among the Furious Five will be chosen, Po unwittingly stumbles into the festivities and is seemingly chosen as the next Dragon Warrior by the wise old Yoda-like Master Oogway.

When questioned about this seemingly accidental choice, the sage Oogway smiles contently and explains, “There are no accidents.” Po is immediately thrown into training, much to the dismay and doubt of the Five and their teacher, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). Resentful of this big black-and-white addition to their training grounds, the Furious Five (sparsely voiced by Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu, and Jackie Chan) live up to their name by shunning Po and hoping he’ll give up training after the first day. But Po’s determined, and he doesn’t quit.

This is part of the overall “just believe” mantra of Panda. Po must overcome the self-imposed insecurities, harness an inner force, and discover that in his greatest weakness, he can be the strongest. Yes, yes, a familiar underdog tale, but positive and entertaining nonetheless.

However, keep in mind that the movie’s message, mostly explained through Master Oogway’s bits of wisdom and advice, are definitely flavored with an eastern, Matrix-y “there is no spoon” seasoning. If you were to take Panda’s pseudo-philosophy to its fullest metaphysical extent, it seemingly promotes an atheistic, there-is-nothing-but-you humanism. I know, I know. Its just a movie. Or is it? Can it ever be just a movie?

I’m digressing now, but take the moral with a bit of salt and it can become a hearty discussion starter with friends and family.

Moving on, let me make it clear: I loved this movie. I admit, I am a bit biased coming from a background in cartooning with an appreciation for the art of animation and its storytelling possibilities. I do prefer 2D “flat” animation like the oldskool Disney films, but I also enjoy 3D animation, and Panda is a supreme example of why I love cartoons. From the awesome 2D intro to the 3D animation to the storybook art in the end credits, Kung Fu Panda is a delight to watch.

It’s the story that matters the most anyway, and the packaging is the entertainment value of plot points, drama, laughs, visual flair, and so on. Kung Fu Panda may not do anything new in regards to animation, but who cares? I’m not looking for the next great technology when I see a movie; I just want to see an entertaining film with a good story. In this case, we’ve got both. And whether or not you’ve seen this underdog story a million times before, Kung Fu Panda is a fresh and satisfying retelling.

Not to mention the film is full of vibrant color and amazingly detailed Chinese landscapes thanks to some kung-fu inspired art direction. We’re also treated to sprawling, frenetic fight scenes throughout, brilliantly choreographed and taking advantage of the animated medium. This combination of eye candy and action-packed kung fu fighting provides some memorable scenes like a heart-pumping face-off between the Furious Five and the big villain, Tai Lung; a clever little battle over some dumplings between Po and Master Shifu using only chopsticks is sure to have you cheering for Po.

By the way, Kung Fu Panda is promoted as a kids movie, but please don’t stay home because of that. It’s great entertainment for all ages. Besides the kid in all of us has to play once in a while, right?

Take your friends, your family, kids, neighbors, even strangers – this panda will have you coming back for seconds.

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• Read the review on HollywoodJesus.com
• Read what critic, Roger Ebert, has to say about Kung Fu Panda
• See what RottenTomatoes is saying (hint: they love it!)

Indy is back and fans won’t be disappointed

I can only hope that when I’m 65, I can still leap off moving cars, dodge bullets, take a punch to the jaw, crack a whip, swing in to dropkick the bad guys, and still keep my hat on while saving an ancient treasure from the clutches of evildoers. Okay, so none of that will probably ever happen with me, but Harrison Ford makes it look so easy – he even does his own stunts!

That’s right, folks, The Fedora is back. Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones returns in the new film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, the fourth installment in a franchise that began 27 years ago with “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. The Indiana Jones movies are the ultimate adventure stories from two of American cinema’s most creative minds, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

It’s the 1950’s and Indy is still teaching archaeology at a university while tracking down ancient artifacts on the side. This time, he’s gotten himself involved in a Soviet plot within the jungles of South America to uncover the secret behind a mysterious artifact known as the Crystal Skull.

Spielberg and Lucas mix in references to the first three films, much to the glee of Indy geeks like me. The trademark tongue-in-cheek humor, the prolonged fistfights, the impossibly complex chases involving missiles, monkeys, sword fights, and screaming ethnic stereotypes (in this case, the Russians) to the tune of the famous John Williams score – it’s all there.

Speaking of tradition, Spielberg, who directs all four Indy films, publicly stated that he intended to stick with the original style of the first three films when he directed “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. Notorious for refusing to go digital, he said that he preferred to stay true to the tradition of the older films, which may seem slower-paced to newer audiences. I’d say he definitely took a risk by staying old skool, but he pulls it off wonderfully. Spielberg is an awesome visual storyteller and he can still make Harrison Ford look good while punching a guy’s lights out. So much so that you end up appreciating the original movies even more and impulsively buying the trilogy box set at the nearest Borders for 20% off. Well, okay, so that’s just me.

The summer blockbuster wave continues with an epic and entertaining action-drama of warring mythical creatures and humans in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” — the second film in The Chronicles of Narnia franchise, based on the hugely popular and classic books by C.S. Lewis.

If you’ve not seen the first Chronicles film, here’s a brief rundown of what’s going on: In a grand moral tale of sacrifice and good versus evil, the first movie installment of The Chronicles of Narnia series, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (2005), introduces us to the Pevensie siblings and the land of Narnia, where animals and humans live and converse in harmony. With the help of the great lion, Aslan, they free Narnia from the clutches of the White Witch who had oppressed the land with a perpetual state of winter.

By doing this, the siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, fulfill ancient prophecy, becoming the rightful kings and queens of Narnia. They rule the kingdom for many years before they are sent back to the ‘real world’ set in London during World War II.

“Prince Caspian” picks the story up a year later in the ho-hum of real life and school, where Peter’s picking fights, Edmund backs him up, Susan, the responsible motherly sister, tries to make peace, while Lucy, the youngest, holds on to the hope that one day they’ll return to Narnia. And of course, one morning while waiting for the train to school, they are suddenly transported back.

When they arrive in Narnia, they discover that 1,300 years have passed since they left, and the land is overrun by the human country of Telmar.

“Prince Caspian” starts off running, literally, as it’s title character escapes the plotting of his uncle, General Miraz, who seeks control of the Telmarine kingdom through his newborn son and the murder of Prince Caspian.

While on the run, Caspian unwittingly summons the Pevensie kids, the Narnian kings and queens of old. Together, with the help of the almost-extinct Narnians, they must battle the evil Miraz and restore harmony between Narnia and Telmar.

One of the central themes of Caspian is pride, power, and the downfall they can bring. Prince Caspian and Peter as High King bicker and cannot share power, and grow impatient waiting for a sign or help from the missing Aslan. Peter is also unwilling to listen to counsel. As a result, the Narnians don’t do well in the ultimate battle for survival, the crux of it all resting on a one-on-one duel between Peter and Miraz. After a few instances of defeat and retreat, Peter challenges Miraz to a duel to win the battle and stop the bloodshed among both sides. While neither side seems to do well, Lucy, who still has the pure faith of a child, simply believes in the goodness of the wise and benevolent lion, Aslan, and that he can intervene.

Director Andrew Adamson paces the film steadily with drama and anticipation leading up to the great stand-off between the two warring kingdoms. The movie is a bit slower-paced than an average family movie, but the moral depth, action, and great characters keep it moving and alive. Of course, much of the credit for this is due to C.S. Lewis’ source material, but props go out to the filmmakers as well.

Like a tamer version of “The Lord of the Rings” movies, the story and characters are rich and involving yet uncomplicated. The visuals of the film are wonderful, blending the live action with fanciful creatures like minotaurs, centaurs, talking badgers, and sword-wielding mice (check out Eddie Izzard-voiced Reepicheep).

I enjoyed “Prince Caspian”; it is a film for all ages. It’s PG-rating is appropriate in that there may be material in the film that will go above the heads of younger children, and some scenes may be a bit intense. This movie has both a great story and entertainment value, with depth that raises good discussion topics for both young and old. Pride, faith, humility, war, peace, corruption of power, and the consequences of our actions.

Perhaps “Caspian” isn’t as enthralling as “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, but keep in mind that the latter is the most popular and beloved book of the series, so naturally, the first film may be the most cherished. The two movies are different, and “Caspian” takes place 1,300 years later, so maybe it’s unfair to compare the two. In any case, I think both fans and newbies will enjoy “Prince Caspian”. Even my friend with whom I attended the screening loved it and found it interesting even though he’d not seen the first film. So go see “Caspian” and make sure you rent or buy “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (preferably before), and get lost in the magical land of Narnia.

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I’ve started contributing reviews to HollywoodJesus.com, check out this review on their site.

Studio Acquires Distribution Rights In North America, U.K., Australia, New Zealand

All-Star Cast Include Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Oscar® Winner Ellen Burstyn, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Scott Glenn, Ioan Gruffud

Set For Release October 17, 2008

SANTA MONICA, CA (May 8, 2008) – LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, announced today that in a deal with Omnilab Media it has acquired North American distribution rights from QED International to W, a biopic about President George W. Bush directed by Academy Award® winner Oliver Stone (WORLD TRADE CENTER, PLATOON, WALL STREET) from a screenplay by Stanley Weiser (WALL STREET). Lionsgate will also distribute W in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. The announcement was made today by Lionsgate President of Theatrical Films Tom Ortenberg.

W stars Josh Brolin (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) as George W. Bush, Elizabeth Banks (SEABISCUIT) as Laura Bush, James Cromwell (THE QUEEN) as George Herbert Walker Bush, Academy Award® winner Ellen Burstyn (REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) as Barbara Bush, Thandie Newton (CRASH) as Condoleezza Rice, Jeffrey Wright (SYRIANA) as Colin Powell, Scott Glenn (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM) as Donald Rumsfeld, and Ioan Gruffud (FANTASTIC FOUR) as Tony Blair. The film’s producers are Moritz Borman, Jon Kilik and Bill Block.

W begins production on May 12th in Louisiana. Lionsgate is releasing the film on October 17, 2008.

“It’s an honor to be in business with Oliver Stone, a brilliant and consistently adventurous filmmaker,” said Ortenberg. “With W, he again demonstrates his creative vitality and genius for speaking to our times.”

“W is in the most innovative hands with Lionsgate and Omnilab Media. With the backdrop of the election this fall, W will be an event picture that will be eagerly anticipated. Oliver Stone, Moritz Borman and myself could not be more excited about Lionsgate leading the charge this October.”

Christopher Mapp said, “We had a great experience with Lionsgate on THE BANK JOB, and we are delighted to reunite with them as we continue our strategy in investing in quality films that are made by innovative and unique storytellers.”

Said Stone, “The impact of George W. Bush’s presidency will be felt for many years to come. Despite a meteoric, almost illogical rise to power, and a tremendous influence on the world, we don’t really know much about Mr. Bush beyond the controlled images we’ve been allowed to see on TV. This movie’s taking a bold stab at looking behind that curtain. I’m real pleased that Liongate has the independence necessary to bring this provocative story to an American audience.”

Financing the film alongside QED are Omnilab Media, led by Christopher Mapp, David Whealy and Matthew Street; China-based Emperor Group, led by Albert Yeung and Feron Lau; Condor Films, led by Thomas Sterchi; and Global Entertainment Group, led by Johnny Hon, Adam Palin and Teresa Cheung.

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Ortenberg, Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President Legal & Business Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, and Zygi Kamsa, Chief Executive Officer Lionsgate UK; for Omnilab Media by Managing Director Christopher Mapp, Executive Director Matthew Street and Executive Producer David Whealy; and for QED International by Bill Block, Chief Executive Officer, and Paul Hanson, Chief Operating Officer.

SYNOPSIS
Whether you love him or hate him, there is no question that George W. Bush is one of the most controversial public figures in recent memory. In an unprecedented undertaking, acclaimed director Oliver Stone is bringing the life of our 43rd President to the big screen as only he can. W takes viewers through Bush’s eventful life — his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith, and of course the critical days leading up to Bush’s decision to invade Iraq.

ABOUT QED INTERNATIONAL
QED is a Beverly Hills based independent film company that represents theatrical motion picture projects for sales and distribution in the worldwide marketplace. The company also acquires, develops, finances and produces its own motion pictures, either independently or in partnership with major studios, talent, and key foreign distributors.

QED Managing Partners include CEO, Bill Block; Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales & Distribution, Kimberly Fox; Chief Operating Officer, Paul Hanson; and Vice President of Production, Elliot Ferwerda.

ABOUT OMNILAB MEDIA
Omnilab Media is an Australian and New Zealand based globally focused vertically integrated entertainment company involved in the production, visual effects, post production and financing of a diverse range of film and television properties. Amongst the funding deals recently concluded by Omnilab Media are THE BANK JOB (Charles Roven, Roger Donaldson, Jason Statham), and THE MESSENGER (Mark Gordon, Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster). Omnilab Media has also created a new digital film company with Kennedy Miller Mitchell to use groundbreaking digital storytelling, animation and visual effects. This will include HAPPY FEET 2, BABE 3 & MAD MAX 4 and a range of other blue-chip properties in development.

Christopher Mapp is Managing Director, Matthew Street Executive Director and David Whealy Executive Producer. www.omnilab.com.

ABOUT EMPEROR MOTION PICTURES
Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) is the visual entertainment division of Emperor Group, a long-established Hong Kong corporation. The company produces feature films, TV series and other programming aimed at three distinct markets: local, Asian and international. It works within a broad range of genres, languages and budgets, with the sole connecting factor being its demand for quality. EMP is also developing its own videogame division to take advantage of the latest advances in home entertainment technology. The company also operates its own management company, which creates and executes career strategies for some of Asia’s hottest talents.

ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning the 2005 Best Picture Academy Award® for CRASH, and the Company is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of nearly 12,000 motion picture titles and television episodes is a valuable source of recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.

www.lionsgate.com

The first of a few highly-anticipated blockbuster movies this year, “Iron Man” delivers us from the evil of recent months’ movie slump. Yes it’s another superhero movie based on an old Marvel comic character of the same name, but it’s an action-adventure worth seeing.

I was never interested in the “Iron Man” comics, but by the end of this movie I became a fan right alongside all the grown men suspended in adolescence decked out in “Iron Man” masks and tees surrounding me in the movie theatre.

The talented Robert Downey Jr. (”Zodiac”) plays the brilliant, wealthy, and witty Tony Stark, a poster-boy for the future of technology by day, Hollywood playboy by night (like a modern-day Howard Hughes, minus the extreme OCD).

I’ve always thought of Downey Jr. as a stellar actor, even physically delving into characters like Tony Stark down to the mannerisms, glances and posture. It’s so fun to watch him that I almost wanted to see more scenes with him as Stark than as Iron Man.

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Stark’s billion-dollar weapons manufacturing company, Stark Industries, is rolling in the dough from U.S. government contracts, but one day while on a new weapon demonstration in the deserts of Afghanistan, Stark is kidnapped. While in captivity he is forced to build a new weapon in exchange for freedom.

“Iron Man” follows Stark through a mini moral conflict where he turns from being a frivolous indifferent genius to a pacifistic and remorseful guy who feels bad for creating such massive weapons of destruction. Rather than simply sitting back and questioning, Stark takes action and builds an armored super-suit to escape and begin his mission to give back to the world his products have so damaged. But don’t worry, the filmmakers don’t get too politically or morally heavy in such a breezy action film.

Director Jon Favreau, whose previous works include the wonderfully funny “Elf” and family-fun adventure “Zathura”, carefully paces the story and shows off more of his talent this time around with a fun blend of action, drama and wit.

“Iron Man” has everything you need for a pre-summer flick – thrills, laughs, great cast, good story, and stuff that goes ‘boom’. Towards the end it gets a little Hollywood-cheesy, but overall the movie is an awesome ride. Go see it, and I think you’ll agree: “Iron Man” is solid gold.

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Have you seen Iron Man? What’d you think?

I happened to be watching a bit of American Idol last night in some free time, and I saw the new “Hancock” trailer. My reaction was mixed. While I think it’s a cool premise, I have never been comfortable with “supersuits” in movies. I am not a big comic fan, but I always wanted superheroes in movies to wear similar suits to the ones they wore in the comics or cartoons that made them so popular. The ‘cool black rubber/leather’ suits just look dorky sometimes. But whatever, it’s just fantasy.

Watch “Hancock” Teaser Trailer

My mixed reaction also has to do with the fact that a classmate in college made his senior film project with a Hancock-ish character. The short movie was a hiliarious mockumentary on superheroes and a competition among them. I loved his story, and that Hancock character, played by another classmate, Eric Bachman, was funny and sad at the same time. He even had the same scruffy beard, beanie, and drunken stagger as Hancock. Sigh. It shows how even when you have unique ideas, you gotta act quickly before people with too much money run with it. I have to ask him for a copy and we gotta get it up on the web pronto.

Back to Hancock…. I’m looking forward to the movie, and I like Will Smith. Other than a few qualms with Will Smith’s acting quirks (that he does more “surface” acting rather than internalizing the character sometimes), I think it’s another cool choice for him. It seems that there is some ’seriousness’ to the story, adding a bit of drama regarding responsibility in superhero shenanigans.

I think some of the shots and graphics in the trailer look a little cheesy, but maybe it’ll change in the theatrical release. i don’t like cheesy fart jokes, and it looks like there’ll at least be one instance of Hancock blasting off using a super-fart.

Watch another trailer here.

Here are some thoughts from fellow online movie-folks:
Alex Billington’s Rant on Hancock at FirstShowing.net
Mike’s Hancock Trailer Thoughts at IHeartMovies

What do you think?

There is humorous use of “manipulative” footage throughout the film which will anger a lotta folks. But from a ‘film criticism’ perspective, it seems as though the filmmakers exaggerated the use of the stock footage almost as a parody to Michael Moore’s documentaries. If you pay attention enough, the footage is only visually and humorously emphasizing the point already stated before it.

I liked it though. And because I know a bit about the subject I liked the presentation. It was intellectual and humorous at times and a decent introduction. Stein gets a lot of big names in there too — like Guillermo Gonzalez, William Dembski, and Richard Dawkins among others. He even got Richard Dawkins (professed atheist and author of numerous books including “The God Delusion”) to state that there could be intelligence involved in human origins. In a way, he almost did something similar to what Michael Moore did with Charlton Heston in “Bowling for Columbine”. It’s not as drastic and incriminating perhaps, but still a nice point toward the end of the film.

I’ve read from science and film communities online that they’re calling the movie another “Manufactroversy” like other contemporary agenda-based documentaries — eh. It was 9th in the box office this weekend, and has pretty good numbers for a ‘political documentary’. Other than the publicity campaign, I think a bigger success is dependent on word-of-mouth.

This isn’t a movie review, just my thoughts :) To read a pretty good, intelligent review of the film, see William Mayer’s Expelled review.

I recommend the movie, regardless of your political/scientific knowledge or lack thereof.

The new title for 20th Century Fox’s anticipated X-Files film was released today. The film title is “The X-Files: I Want to Believe”.

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIVE in theatres July 25!

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE
Supernatural thriller
Director: Chris Carter
Screenplay by: Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz, based on “The X-Files” created by Chris Carter
Producers: Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz
Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson

In grand “X-Files” manner, the as yet untitled film’s storyline is being kept under wraps. This much can be revealed: It is a stand-alone story in the tradition of some of the show’s most acclaimed and beloved episodes, and takes the complicated relationship between Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) in unexpected directions. Mulder continues his unshakable quest for the truth, and Scully, the passionate, ferociously intelligent physician, remains inextricably tied to Mulder’s pursuits.