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1-20 of 84 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
New Trailer for How To Train Your Dragon
29 December 2009 4:40 PM, PST
| Collider.com
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According to this new trailer for How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks Animation has a proud tradition of quality filmmaking that dates all the way back to…2001. I do find it a bit amusing since it recalls Disney trailers that do the same thing except they can reach all the way back to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar are their three highest-grossing franchises so it makes sense that they would sell How to Train Your Dragon as the continuation of films that appeal to families and make lots and lots of money.
Unfortunately, the trailer doesn’t sell the film nearly as well as the previous one and relies far too heavily on Mr. Movie Voice. You want to tell me the touching story between a Viking boy (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and his dragon? Then show me. The dragon is clearly
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- Matt Goldberg
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The ten best animated films of 2009
26 December 2009 3:21 PM, PST
| blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
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True, the once neglected art of animation has undergone a rebirth in both artistry and popularity. Yet having escaped one blind alley, it seems headed into another one: The dumbing-down of stories out of preference for meaningless nonstop action. Classic animated features were models of three-act stories: Recall "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" or "The Lion King." The characters were embedded in stories that made sense and involved making decisions based on values. Now too many stories end in brain-numbing battles, often starring heroes the age of the younger audience members. Here is no food for growth and for the imagination, just brainless kinetic behavior.
The year saw more animated films intended instead for adults, and a film like "Waltz with Bashir" used the freedom of the form to show matters unthinkable in a live action feature. Several of these films were true crossovers, truly freed from the demographic vise.
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- Roger Ebert
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FusedFilm’s Favorite 9 Animated Films of All Time!
23 December 2009 12:08 PM, PST
| FusedFilm
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So its been awhile since we have done an animated top ten or favorites list, in fact I think we have only done one since we have been in existence. Throughout cinematic history there has been many animated films from so many walks of life harping on different genres and different tones from children’s tales to more adult tastes. I have decided to take a look at what I consider the top 9 animated films of all time. I think it is safe to say that Walt Disney/Pixar are the standard and have been the standard for animation for sometime. However films like 9, Ponyo and other international forms of animation like Waltz With Bashir, are quickly hitting the mainstream and capturing the attention of moviegoers everywhere. New Media and Social Media are helping these lesser animated jaunts get noticed by many more people also its becoming more increasingly favored in film festivals like Sundance.
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- Kevin Coll
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‘The Princess and The Frog’: Soundtrack Review
22 December 2009 5:04 PM, PST
| Atomic Popcorn
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I was part of the lucky generation of moviegoers that were privy to some of the biggest Disney hits. One of the first movies I remember seeing in the theater was The Little Mermaid, and from that point on I was hooked on Disney movies. Even at 22 years old, I’m still a sucker for anything Disney. Thus, I was really excited about the release of Disney’s newest film, The Princess and the Frog.
There was a lot about The Princess and the Frog that had me enthused about the movie’s release. First off, I’ve always been–and probably always will be–a much bigger fan of the classic 2D style of animation than the CGI animation with which Hollywood has decided to bombard us in recent years.
Don’t get me wrong, I think CGI animation can have an awesome cinematic effect, and since the release
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- Carly
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question of the day: Is this the greatest year ever for animated films?
18 December 2009 6:36 AM, PST
| www.flickfilosopher.com
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Peter Hartlaub at SFGate’s The Poop -- a baby blog, not a movie blog -- recently asked raised an intriguing possibility:
[T]his may be the greatest year for animated feature films of all time. One could make make a strong argument for 1937 with the seminal "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1940 with "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia" or 1999 with "The Iron Giant," "Toy Story 2" and "South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut." But I know there hasn't been a year filled with so many great animated films.
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- MaryAnn Johanson
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Cameron is recrowned King of the World
17 December 2009 5:24 PM, PST
| blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
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The thing about James Cameron is, he can get his mind around a project the size of "Avatar" and keep his cool. If it requires the development of untested technology, he takes the time to work on it. If he wants to create aliens human enough to be sexy and yet keep them out of the Uncanny Valley, he test-drives them. If it costs $250 million, as reported, or $350 million, as rumored, you reflect: That's a lot of money, but after seeing the movie I guess I saw most of it up there on the screen.
It became a favorite sport in some Hollywood circles, and even among critics not a million miles distant from myself, to publicly doubt Cameron's claims. He took ten years, starting with a story he began writing years before that? He was determined to film in 3-D, but no 3-D was good enough, so he had
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- Roger Ebert
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Top Ten 2-D Animation Films
17 December 2009 7:29 AM, PST
| FilmShaft.com
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Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (see Alex’s review here ) heralds a return to the 2D hand drawn animation of yesteryear.
To celebrate the revival of an old art form we’re offering ten of the finest traditional animations for your delectation. This list represents our personal favourites so don’t be upset if your own doesn’t appear or go ahead and be upset, just keep it to yourself.
What are you favourite 2-D animations? Leave us a comment, suggestion, etc.
The Emperor’s New Groove (Mark Dindal, 2000)
A spoilt Emperor plans to bulldoze a village and replace it with a water park. He’s then transformed into a llama and gets to spend some time with the subjects he plans to displace in this neglected gem from 2000. Pixar’s success had put a ball and chain around Disney’s early nineties revival and dropped it down a well.
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- Ed Whitfield
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Should 'Avatar' Be Considered for Best Animated Oscar?
14 December 2009 9:56 AM, PST
| Rope of Silicon
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Zoe Saldana in Avatar
Photo: 20th Century Fox
I'm not going to ask why Avatar isn't on the Academy's short list for Best Animated Oscar because the answer to that question is obvious... it wasn't submitted. Perhaps that's just the problem though. Why not? And don't go jumping to a quick decision. Let me give you a little food for thought. I might be able to make a case that will have you considering it much more than you may think.
First off, let's look at a few details to help the discussion along. Here are four of the 20 films that were submitted for consideration in the Best Animated Feature Film category:
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Disney's A Christmas Carol
Monsters vs. Aliens
Up
Keep those films in the back of your mind for a second while I ask (and try to answer) a few questions you may
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- Brad Brevet
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Christmas Blu-ray roundup
11 December 2009 4:08 PM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
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The prices plummeted this year, so Blu-ray players are likely to be under plenty of Christmas trees. Phelim O'Neill advises what to play on them
Blockbusters
Jj Abrams's rebooted Star Trek (Paramount) was not only the sole moment of unbridled fun in this year's blockbuster season but the best, full bells and whistles Blu-ray issue, too. With its sparkling HD visuals (not a given for Blu-ray), vibrant soundtrack and exhaustive supplementary material, it's ideal for showing to anyone who dares ask, "Why all the fuss about Blu-ray?"
Documentary
Let's not forget the educational importance of Blu-ray. Actually, let's do, as the picture quality on series like David Attenborough's Planet Earth and Life (BBC) is so gobsmackingly pristine that the senses are too overloaded to take in any useful information. Better to go for slightly lower-fi stuff, documentaries where the pictures do all the talking
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- Phelim O'Neill
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The Princess and the Frog Review — John’s Take
10 December 2009 5:11 AM, PST
| ReelLoop.com
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Disney’s animated films have always had a curious way of reflecting the time period they were produced in. The thought is rather obvious, but struck me last week as I revisited 1977’s The Rescuers. The film seems to have come from the darkest decade in the Mouse’s history: within the opening credits, a bottle containing an Sos note drifts out to sea over a song declaring its own loneliness and desperation. The tale of two mice rescuing a little girl from an abusive hell-hag is drawn in a sketchy and spastic style that reflects its subject material greatly — it’s unique in its vicious nature, as dark as Bambi’s classic scenes are chalked up to be.
Thirty-two years later, times have certainly changed. The Princess and the Frog, the first classically hand-drawn animated film since President Obama’s step into the limelight, reflects a sense of sterling
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- John Cooper
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DVD review: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo-Choo Express
7 December 2009 8:11 PM, PST
| ReelLoop.com
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It’s amazing that after 80 years, Mickey Mouse and company are still able to retain that patented Disney family fun. In the latest DVD edition from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo-Choo Express, Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy and the rest of them are back just in time for winter.
Professor Ludwig von Drake has invented snow that doesn’t melt, but what good is this snow if it can’t be played with during the blistering heat of summer? Soon our Disney gang hops aboard a train, put together through educational interaction with its viewers, in order to retrieve the snow from atop Mistletoe Mountain. Like most edu-tainment tales, travels are not easy and our troupe encounters obstacles on their way to the mountain top: pigs in the way, a wheel coming off the train and puzzles to solve. But have no fear; Mickey and the younglings watching the program finally reach their destination.
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- Erik Buckman
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The Princess and The Frog Interviews
30 November 2009 8:00 PM, PST
| MoviesOnline.ca
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MoviesOnline sat down with executive producer John Lasseter, directors Ron Clements and John Musker, and composer Randy Newman to talk about their new film, “The Princess and The Frog.” The film is a return to the timeless world of hand-drawn animation at Disney from the revered team who created “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” and features music by Oscar-winning composer Randy Newman.
“The Princess and The Frog” is an ageless fairy tale, but with a fresh twist that combines everything we look for in great stories: comedy, adventure, music – and most of all, the kind of heart that always sets Disney animation apart. In this telling of the story, the girl still kisses a frog, but the result is quite different. It’s only one of dozens of surprises in this mix of wacky humor, thrills, melody and emotion. The film features Disney’s newest princess, its next great fairy
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Page 2
26 November 2009 4:00 AM, PST
| Slash Film
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Page 2 is a compilation of stories and news tidbits, which for whatever reason, didn’t make the front page of /Film. After the jump we’ve included 36 different items, fun images, videos, casting tidbits, articles of interest and more. It’s like a mystery grab bag of movie web related goodness.
We Love You So has found some great Where The Wild Things Are graffiti mural in Los Angeles.
What happens when Deadpool meets The Smurfs? [confined]
AMC lists the top 14 fake movies from real movies.
Artist Prudence Staite recreated a number iconic scenes from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs using 14 different varieties of apples.
So I Married an Axe Murderer is now available for free stream on Hulu.
Iron Man 2 graces the January 2010 issue of Empire magazine.
We've featured Olly Moss' art on /Film in previous editions of Cool Stuff. Here is his awesome poster for A Life Well Wasted.
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- Peter Sciretta
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This Week on DVD: Funny People, Angels & Demons, Gomorrah
24 November 2009 9:48 AM, PST
| FilmJunk
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Tom Hanks is back as the almighty all-knowing symbologist Robert Langdon this week as Ron Howard's Angels & Demons hits DVD and Blu-ray, along with Judd Apatow's underperforming Funny People and the Robert Rodriguez family adventure flick Shorts. Also this week, Criterion releases the acclaimed mafia film Gomorrah, Uwe Boll's Far Cry video game adaptation goes direct to DVD, and Spike Lee's Kobe Bryant doc Kobe: Doin' Work finally hits stores. On Blu-ray we have Fred Dekker's The Monster Squad, Jackie Chan's New Police Story, and the first season of The Sopranos. What will you be renting or buying this week?
Angels & Demons [1] (DVD, Blu-ray [2])
Four Christmases [3] (DVD, Blu-ray [4])
Funny People [5] (DVD, Blu-ray [6])
Shorts [7] (DVD, Blu-ray [8])
Gomorrah: Criterion Collection [9] (DVD, Blu-ray [10])
The Golden Age of Television: Criterion Collection [11]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs [12]
Far Cry [13]
Three Monkeys [14]
Santa Buddies [15] (DVD, Blu-ray [16])
Taking Chances [17]
National
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- Sean
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Movieweb's 2009 Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide!
24 November 2009 5:51 AM, PST
| MovieWeb
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Listen up hi-def humbugs and Blu-ray Scrooges! This is the year you'll not just want, but need, to buy a new hi-def plasma screen and a shiny black Blu-ray player for Christmas (and/or whatever other holiday you choose to celebrate with lavish gifts). Why? Because this technology has reached its performance plateau. And it is finally at a reasonable price most of us can afford. Not only that, it serves as the one prefect gift the entire family can enjoy together. With more Blu-ray titles being released right now than ever before, there simply couldn't be a better time to dive head first into this leading technological platform.
But wait! There's one thing you don't want to overlook after all that exciting new equipment has been unwrapped. Without a stack of Blu-ray discs strategically placed in each family member's stocking with care, your gorgeous new HD flat screen becomes a delectable serving tray,
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This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: November 24, 2009
24 November 2009 1:32 AM, PST
| Rope of Silicon
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DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed
Gomorrah (Criterion Collection)
I just published my review of this one and the film certainly holds up to repeat viewings and left an even greater impression on me than it did when I wrote my "B" review last year. The presentation is great and there is a wealth of supplementary material that can be a bit taxing, but, if taken in slowly, will open your eyes even wider. If you are interested check out my review here and you can read the included Chuck Stevens's essay "Gomorrah: Terminal Beach" available right here.
Angels and Demons
Nope, wasn't about to request this one for review. I watched it once and once was enough for me. You can read my "C+" review if you need further explanation as to my thoughts on this film, but I don't ever intend to revisit it,
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- Brad Brevet
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6 Movie Clips and a Featurette from Walt Disney’s The Princess And The Frog
18 November 2009 11:45 PM, PST
| Collider.com
| See recent Collider.com news
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“‘The Princess and the Frog’ is a return to the timeless world of hand-drawn animation at Disney. It’s an ageless fairy tale, but with a fresh twist that combines everything we look for in great stories: comedy, adventure, music-and most of all, the kind of heart that always sets Disney animation apart.”
~ John Lasseter, Executive Producer and Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Opening on November 25th, in limited release, is Walt Disney’s return to 2D animation, The Princess and the Frog. After years of focusing on computer animation, The House That Walt Built is returning to its roots and I couldn’t be more excited. While I don’t know if The Princess and the Frog is going to be a classic like Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast, I know there is a place for traditional animation alongside what Pixar does so brilliantly with computers.
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- Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub
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Here's Why Roger Corman Deserves That Honorary Oscar
18 November 2009 10:33 AM, PST
| Cinematical
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In 1939 the Academy gave an honorary Oscar to Edgar Bergen for creating a funny puppet. Some people may have thought that was silly. They also may have found it silly that a strange little "cartoon" called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs earned itself an honorary Oscar. The legendary Bob Hope was given a fistful of honorary Oscars over the course of his amazing career ... and I don't remember anyone calling Bob Hope a brilliant actor or influential filmmaker.
In other words, these "honorary" awards that are handed out by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) can be given for any old reason they feel like -- and I for one am thrilled that they've decided to give one to Roger Corman this year. My illustrious colleague Eric Snider clearly doesn't feel the same way, and I'm here to tell Eric he's dead wrong. Wonderfully funny and a snappy dresser,
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- Scott Weinberg
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Here's Why Roger Corman Desrves That Honorary Oscar
18 November 2009 10:33 AM, PST
| Cinematical
| See recent Cinematical news
»
In 1939 the Academy gave an honorary Oscar to Edgar Bergen for creating a funny puppet. Some people may have thought that was silly. They also may have found it silly that a strange little "cartoon" called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs earned itself an honorary Oscar. The legendary Bob Hope was given a fistful of honorary Oscars over the course of his amazing career ... and I don't remember anyone calling Bob Hope a brilliant actor or influential filmmaker.
In other words, these "honorary" awards that are handed out by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) can be given for any old reason they feel like -- and I for one am thrilled that they've decided to give one to Roger Corman this year. My illustrious colleague Eric Snider clearly doesn't feel the same way, and I'm here to tell Eric he's dead wrong. Wonderfully funny and a snappy dresser,
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- Scott Weinberg
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Mickey Mouse Moving Back to Disney Forefront
3 November 2009 4:30 AM, PST
| Atomic Popcorn
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I don’t think it’s going too far out on a limb to say that this is one of the most interesting marketing moves I’ve heard in a long time:
The Mouse House will reintroduce its famous mascot in “Epic Mickey,” a videogame due late next year that will revive several of the character’s key personality traits that have been dulled or forgotten since his introduction in the late 1920s.
Be honest now. When someone says “Disney,” what’s the first thing that pops into your head? In some regard or another, Mickey Mouse is likely to be associated with Disney. However, what does anyone really know about Mickey anymore?
If you’re like me, you simply think of Mickey Mouse as the squeaky voiced mouse with gloved hands and shorts with large buttons on them. I’m fairly sure that Mickey is supposed to be a pretty good guy,
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- Carly
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