To the Nines

Posted on August 7, 2009 at 8:00 am

Is it because we’re in a year that ends with a nine that there are so many “nine” movies coming out?
There’s “Cloud 9,” a German film about a long-married woman who has an affair. Next is “District 9,” about an extraterrestrial race confined to a ghetto-like environment on Earth, opening August 14.
Then there is “9” (the number) produced by Tim Burton, an animated film about a post-apocalyptic world in which the humans must fight the machines. 9 is the name of the main character, voiced by Elijah Wood. It opens (of course) on Sept, 9 — 09/09/09.
And then there is “Nine” (the word for the number), based on the Broadway musical of that name, which is itself based on a semi-autobiographical Fellini film called “8 1/2.” Directed by Rob Marshall of “Chicago,” it is a big, splashy, star-filled musical about a distracted director (Daniel Day-Lewis) and the women in his life, including his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his mother (Sophia Loren), and his star (Nicole Kidman). Also starring Fergie, Kate Hudson, and Judi Dench, this is a blockbuster Thanksgiving release.
Everybody straight now?

Trailer: Fantasic Mr. Fox

Posted on August 2, 2009 at 8:00 am

This movie, opening in November, looks wonderfully cool. Owen Wilson, George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Anjelica Houston, and Bill Murray star in this animated film based on a book by Roald Dahl, author of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and directed by Wes Anderson

Mr. and Mrs. Fox live an idyllic home life with their son Ash and visiting young nephew Kristopherson. But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr. Fox’s wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community. Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil Farmers — Boggis, Bunce and Bean — who are determined to capture Mr. Fox at any cost.

‘New Moon’ Update from Director Chris Weitz

Posted on July 18, 2009 at 3:59 pm

Lucky Jen Yamato of Rotten Tomatoes got to interview the director of “New Moon,” Chris Weitz, taking over from Catherine Hardwicke. Some highlights:

“Our aim was to make look like what it says they look like in the book, and not to be too fancy about it,” Weitz explained. “You know, it was very important to Stephenie that, for instance, the werewolves transform very quickly and that they look like wolves, that we not have this kind of magical, Lon Chaney-esque long transformations, and I think the reason behind that is to give a sense of their reality.”

“I think that was important for the Volturi as well; they’re not levitating above the ground, they’re not surrounded by mystical auras, they are creatures who actually exist and they’re very specific, they’re very stylish, they’re very elegant, they’re very dangerous. Essentially, it’s really faithful to the book.”

***

“I suppose…my favorite scene, because it is the high point of the movie, when Bella goes to try to stop Edward from killing himself. We had a thousand extras in this medieval town square in a hill town in Tuscany, in the most beautiful country on earth, and it was such an extraordinary opportunity to get to work there. It was also kind of surreal, because every Twilight fan who could make it from all over continental Europe and further, had gone by hook or by crook to Montepulciano and booked a hotel room — sometimes at the very hotel which the cast and crew were staying.”

Check out the full review for much more!

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‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ Clip and App on iTunes

Posted on July 9, 2009 at 12:00 pm

I’m very excited about the new Harry Potter movie, opening next Wednesday and already setting records in ticket sales. Want an early peek? Making its worldwide debut today is an exclusive podcast titled “Being Me Has Its Privileges,” from the upcoming theatrical release, hosted by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger. In their continuing search for the retrieval and destruction of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, Dumbledore takes Harry on a dangerous venture into an unknown cave where he believes they will find one of the dark objects. Because of the perilous nature of the journey, Dumbledore makes Harry promise that he will do whatever it takes to save himself – no matter what.
Also debuting today is an all-new “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” app that is available for free on the Apple App Store at www.itunes.com/appstore/. Fans can interact with an authentic recreation of Dumbledore’s Pensieve – a device that allows them to view memories by unlocking Memory Vials to explore the vast assortment of official film content that appears in the Pensieve including: videos, posters, character information; and much more. . They can insert themselves and their friends into a Wanted Poster or the Daily Prophet by using the iPhone camera or uploading a photo from their album on to an iPod touch.
Additionally available is a special Harry Potter Retrospective clip, which gives fans a chance to relive the magic of years one through five.

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‘The Answer Man’ — Trailer

Posted on July 5, 2009 at 3:48 pm

This looks great!

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