Toy Story 3 (Coming in 2010)

Posted on June 22, 2009 at 8:00 am

Oh, boy!

Pixar’s First Live Action Movie

Posted on June 14, 2009 at 8:59 am

After ten blockbuster movies that transformed the world of animation, Pixar has announced its first live action film, based on the outer-space series by “Tarzan” author Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Adventures of John Carter on Mars. It will star Taylor Kitsch of “Friday Night Lights” and Lynn Collins, a brilliantly talented actress I have admired since she played Portia in the Al Pacino “A Merchant of Venice.” John Carter is a Civil War Veteran who gets caught up in a war on Mars. The script is by Andrew Staunton, who also wrote “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story 2,” and “A Bug’s Life,” and Michael Chabon of “Wonder Boys” and “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” and Staunton is also set to direct. Doesn’t that sound magnificent!

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Michael Moore’s Next Movie

Posted on June 12, 2009 at 9:20 pm

Michael Moore has taken on General Motors, the Bush administration, and insurance companies. What’s next? A very timely film on corporate corruption, due to be released this fall. Since it relates to both of my interests and both of my careers, I am doubly interested.
So I was glad to get a bit of a peek tonight when Moore premiered in select locations a cheeky trailer asking the audience to help out the disadvantaged by giving money to the ushers. Then a line of fresh-faced young people marched in with collection cans and t-shirts that said “Save Our CEOs.” The audience hooted and applauded.

Moore’s take on the current economic mess should be infuriating and entertaining. I am really looking forward to it.

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Disney’s Coming Releases

Posted on June 11, 2009 at 8:00 am

I was very lucky this week to have a special private briefing about some of what Disney has coming up in the next few months. The newly remastered Diamond edition of “Snow White” is a marvel, with all kinds of splendid extras about the history of the film and games and other goodies. One of the most fun is a quiz that will tell you which Disney Princess you most resemble. If your Blu-Ray is connected to the internet, you can even get a phone call from your special princess. I loved hearing about the upcoming “Princess and the Frog,” which looks and sounds like it will be one of Disney’s best.
And two words about what is sure to be a big hit this holiday season: “Santa Buddies!”

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First Shots from ‘New Moon’

Posted on May 28, 2009 at 8:00 am

Check out Entertainment Weekly’s gallery of shots from the set of “New Moon.” They say that even though Edward does not play much of a role in the book, fans have been assured that the popular Robert Pattinson will play a significant role in the film.
But this film is where we — and Bella — really get to know Jacob, played by Taylor Lautner, who put on 25 pounds of muscle for the role. I interviewed Taylor four years ago when he appeared in The Adventures of SharkBoy and LavaGirl in 3-D, written and directed by Robert Rodriguez (the “Spy Kids” series). At that time Lautner had already won three junior world karate championships. You can see in the interview the qualities that made it possible for him to persuade the producers that he could convince an audience that he had grown up as quickly as Jacob does in the book.

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