This Week’s New Comics: March 20, 2013
This week’s list of new comics in stores is sponsored by Manhattan Comics and Comixology. Buy new comics now!
(more…)
Author: ComicMix Staff
Soderbergh’s “Last” Film, Side Effects, Due on Disc in May
Universal City, California – From Academy Award®-winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Contagion) comes this suspenseful tale of intrigue starring Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street), Academy Award® nominees Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network) and Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Anna Karenina), and Academy Award® winner Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, Ocean’s Twelve).Side Effects will be available on Digital Download on May 7, 2013 as well as Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on May 21, 2013 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
After her husband (Tatum) is released from prison for insider trading, Emily (Mara) begins suffering from terrifying anxiety and turns to psychiatrist Dr. Banks (Law) for help. But when Banks prescribes an experimental drug for her, the side effects have chilling and deadly consequences. Full of unexpected twists, Side Effects is the sexy psychological thriller that critics are calling “wildly unpredictable!” (Marlow Stern, Newsweek).
The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack allows fans to watch Side Effects anytime, anywhere on the device of their choice. It includes a Blu-ray™ disc, a DVD, a Digital Copy and UltraViolet™ for the ultimate, complete viewing experience.
• Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound.
• DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing the movie in more places, both at home and while away.
• Digital Copy provides fans with a choice of digital options to watch on devices such as iPhone®, iPad®, Android™, computers and more.
• UltraViolet™ is a revolutionary new way for fans to collect their moves and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States and Canada.
BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY™ and DVD):
• ALIZA WEBSITE EXPERIENCE
• BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF SIDE EFFECTS
• ABLIXA COMMERCIAL – the fictional drug portrayed in the film
• INTENIN COMMERCIAL
CAST AND FILMMAKERS:
Cast: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, Vinessa Shaw and Ann Dowd
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: Scott Z. Burns
Casting by: Carmen Cuba, c.s.a.
Executive Producers: James D. Stern, Michael Polaire and Douglas E. Hansen
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Gregory Jacobs and Scott Z. Burns
Co-Producers: A. Sasha Bardey and Elena de Leonardis
Director of Photography: Peter Andrews
Production Designer: Howard Cummings
Editor: Mary Ann Bernard
Costume Designer: Susan Lyall
Music by: Thomas Newman
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK:
Street Date: May 21, 2013
Copyright: 2013 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Number: 61123859
Running time: 1 Hour, 47 Minutes
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen
Rating: Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD:
Street Date: May 21, 2013
Copyright: 2013 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Number: 61123858
Running time: 1 Hour, 47 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Scaling Hobbits, Dwarves and Elves
Warner Home Video has provided us with a nifty infographic in advance of next week’s release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Here are the official details.
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of three films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The second film will be The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins. Also reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings movies are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; and Andy Serkis as Gollum.
Extras Include
New Zealand: Home of Middle Earth
Video Blogs
- Start of Production
- Location Scouting
- Shooting Block One
- Filming in 3D
- Locations Part 1
- Locations Part 2
- Stone St. Studios Tour
- Wrap of Principal Photography
- Post-production Overview
- Wellington World Premiere
Theatrical Trailers
- Dwarves
- Letter Opener
- Bilbo Contract
- Gandalf Wagers
- Gollum Paths
Game Trailer
- The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-Earth
- Guardians of Middle-Earth
- Lego The Lord of the Rings
Feature Comments: UltraViolet lets you build a digital collection so you can instantly stream and download your movies to compatible devices, including computers, tablets, smartphones, game consoles and IP-connected TVs and Blu-ray players. This UltraViolet copy is a standard definition digital copy of the main feature. UltraViolet service providers may charge for continued cloud access, but no additional charge for continued access to content once downloaded. Consumer must reside in the U.S. and register for a retailer account and an UltraViolet account. Must be 18 years or older to create UltraViolet account.
This Week’s New Comics: March 13, 2013
This week’s list of new comics in stores is sponsored by Manhattan Comics and Comixology. Buy new comics now!
(more…)
Hugh Jackman Talks Being a Guardian
Paramount Home Video’s release of Rise of the Guardians arrives in stores on Tuesday, in time for the Easter Basket season. Here’s a clip of Hugh Jackman talking about his character and a behind-the-scenes look at how The Easter Bunny was developed for the film.
For those unfamiliar with the animated feature, which posits a world where icons are real, here’s a clip of Jackman’s Easter Bunny and the trailer.
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar Now a Paramount/Warner Co-Production
While we await confirmation that Christopher Nolan will be the new DC Film Universe guru and what that will actually mean, he is hard at work on his next film. Today, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. issued the following joint press release:
HOLLYWOOD, CA (March 8, 2013) – Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures jointly announced today that writer/director Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR will be co-produced and distributed by the two studios, with Paramount Pictures handling Domestic distribution and Warner Bros. Pictures distributing the film Internationally. INTERSTELLAR will be released beginning November 7, 2014, in theaters and IMAX®.
Directed and written by Academy Award-nominee Nolan (INCEPTION, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES), INTERSTELLAR is based on a script by Jonathan Nolan. The film will be produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan of Syncopy Films and Obst of Lynda Obst Productions. Kip Thorne will executive produce. The film will depict a heroic interstellar voyage to the furthest reaches of our scientific understanding.
Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures said, “As a filmmaker and storyteller, Chris has continuously entertained the world with his extraordinary and unparalleled talents. I am pleased beyond measure to welcome him to the Paramount Pictures family. Partnering with Chris, Emma, Lynda and Warner Bros. to release this original idea next November is the perfect way to start the Thanksgiving and holiday movie season for audiences around the world.”
Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said, “Christopher Nolan is truly one of the great auteurs working in film today, and we’re extremely proud of our successful and ongoing collaboration with him and Emma Thomas. We are excited to be teaming with Paramount, and look forward to working with the Nolans, and producer Lynda Obst, on this extraordinary new project.”
This Week’s New Comics: March 6, 2013
This week’s list of new comics in stores is sponsored by Manhattan Comics and Comixology. Buy new comics now!
(more…)
Catch the new Iron Man 3 Trailer
For those who can’t wait to see it on the big screen with Oz the Great and Powerful this weekend, Disney has released the new Iron Man 3 trailer online.
Marvel’s Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley,Marvel’s Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce & Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of Tales of Suspense” #39 in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with The Invincible Iron Man #1 in May of 1968.
Genre: Action-adventure
U.S. Release date: May 3, 2013
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley
Director: Shane Black
Producer: Kevin Feige
Executive Producers: Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Dan Mintz
Screenplay by: Drew Pearce & Shane Black
Enter the Dragon gets 40th Anniversary Edition
Every now and then you can tell someone is special. Every now and then you know just when something becomes an event, a trend-setter. That’s exactly who Bruce Lee was and his Enter the Dragon remains. All marital arts films are measured against this one and now Warner Home Video is giving us a 40th anniversary edition. Here are the details:
Burbank, Calif., March 4, 2013 â Enter the Dragon, one of martial arts icon Bruce LeeâÂÂs last films, will debut June 11 on Blu-ray⢠in the Enter the Dragon 40th Anniversary Ultimate CollectorâÂÂs Edition giftset from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The film, which helped bring interest in the Asian martial arts genre to mainstream Western cinema, has been re-mastered for its 40th anniversary, and will now feature new bonus materials, such as the featurette, No Way as Way, on the legacy of Bruce Lee, plus other featurettes and commentary. Memorabilia — which includes collectible art cards, lenticular card and an embroidered patch –are also part of the giftset.
Bruce Lee was an incredible athlete and mixed martial artist who, despite making a limited number of movies during his short life, became a charismatic megastar and left a permanent mark on cinema and popular culture. Even Time Magazine agreed. They included Lee in the âÂÂ100 Most Important People of the 20th centuryâ issue (Heroes and Icons 1999*).àEnter the Dragon continues to resonate with todayâÂÂs audiences. It was a major theatrical hit 40 years ago, grossing approximately $25 million domestically â the equivalent of almost $180 million in todayâÂÂs box-office. Enter the Dragon has sold more than 450,000 units on DVD and Blu-ray since 2004. In 2004, Enter the Dragon was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It also received a 95% positive rating on the criticsâ review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
Lee was born in San Francisco on November 27, 1940. As a young boy in Hong Kong, he acted in some 20 films there and first became known in the U.S. in 1966 for his role as sidekick Kato in TVâÂÂs âÂÂThe Green Hornet.â He also appeared in TV shows like âÂÂIronsideâ and âÂÂLongstreet,â with his most notable American role coming in the 1969 movie, Marlowe, starring James Garner. Returning to Hong Kong, Lee starred in a number of successful films for Raymond ChowâÂÂs Golden Harvest Productions and soon became a superstar in China. His enormous overseas success ultimately reached Hollywood and the attention of filmmaker Fred Weintraub and Warner Bros., who produced Enter the Dragon and tapped the actor to star. Lee died suddenly in Hong Kong, at the age of 32, of a cerebral edema. That was on July 20, 1973, less than a month before the filmâÂÂs August 17 U.S. premiere. Posthumously, Enter the Dragon rocketed him to international superstardom.
Enter the Dragon producer Fred Weintraub, who also wrote the book Bruce Lee, Woodstock, and Me said: âÂÂIf fans want to hail Bruce as the greatest and most influential martial artist who ever lived, youâÂÂll get no argument from me. He was a shining star who streaked across the night sky of our collective awareness in a flash of white hot unsustainable intensity only to burn up in the atmosphere of fame, wealth, and worldwide adulation. Watching him again (this time even better on Blu-ray), you can see why he became the first international superstar from a third world country.
The plot of the Enter the Dragon revolves around outstanding martial arts student Lee (Bruce Lee), who is recruited by an intelligence agency and then uncovers the evil Han’s (Kien Shih) white slavery and drug trafficking ring located on a secret island fortress. Along with martial arts champions Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly), Lee infiltrates the stronghold and enters HanâÂÂs brutal tournament. Lee and his partners fuse skills in Karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, T’ai chi ch’uan and Hapkido, in a now classic fight-to-the-death epic battle, all staged by Lee himself.
Bruce Lee, John Saxon, and Ahna Capri star in Enter the Dragon, which co-stars Bob Wall, and Shih Kien and introduces Jim Kelly. Music is by Lalo Schifrin. Written by Michael Allen, the film was produced by Fred Weintraub and Paul Heller in association with Raymond Chow. Robert Clouse directed.
Special Features:
- Commentary by producer Paul Heller
- New Featurette No Way As Way
- New Featurette The Return to HanâÂÂs Island
- New Featurette Wing Chun: The Art that Introduced Kung Fu to Bruce Lee
- Interview Gallery featuring LeeâÂÂs wife, Linda Lee Caldwell
- Vintage pieces
- Backyard Workout with Bruce Lee
- Curse of the Dragon
- Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon
- Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon
- Personal Profile Bruce Lee: In His Own Words
- ÃÂ Five trailers
- Seven TV spots
ENTER THE DRAGON 40TH ANNIVERSARY BLU-RAY DISC⢠AND DVD
Street Date: June 11, 2013
Order Due Date: May 17, 2013
Run Time: 98 minutes
Rating: R
Pricing: $49.99 SRP
Catalog# / UPC: 1000351089 / 883929285693
Â
Note: All enhanced content and memorabilia listed above is subject to change.
From The Muppets to Richard Parker, Animated Animals in Film
It’s been a very good week for Ang Lee and novelist Yann Martel. Lee, of course, won the Best Director Oscar for The Life of Pi, adapting Martel’s magical novel. The film itself was warmly received, earning it admiration from the Academy. The film is being released by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on March 12.
Based on the acclaimed best-selling novel from Yann Martel that has been published in 40 languages, and brought to life by visionary Academy Award winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), this magical adventure of hope, wonder, survival, and the power of the human spirit has been celebrated by critics all over the world.
Much was made of the animals brought to life through digital legerdemain but the film was far from the first to bring artificial animals to the screen, dating all the way back to Windsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur. In more recent times, puppetry was the way to go, pioneered in numerous ways. The first commercially successful film to use puppets, of course, was from Jim Henson.
THE MUPPETS
The first Muppet movie came to our screens in 1979 and these lovable characters were created without the use of CGI. Each Muppet character was carved out of various types of foam, and then covered with fleece, fur, or other felt-like material. Muppets represented a multitude of species including animals, humans and aliens. Even in this modern age, when interacting with Muppets, children still tend to act as though the Muppets were living creatures, even when they can see the puppeteers.
STAR WARS
The original Star Wars trilogy contained over 100 alien animals spanning a multitude of planets without using CGI. The first film in this epic saga provided audiences with a multitude of film-firsts, including the first ever animated 3D wireframe graphic. Star Wars: A New Hope was made with a relatively small budget by today’s standards and many of the animals and aliens looked surprisingly familiar, check out the very Wolfman-like alien from the iconic Mos Eisley Cantina scene below. This character was changed using CGI for the special edition re-release in 1997.
LABRYNTH
Blink and you will miss the first use of a realistic CGI animal in a feature film. The 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth showed off a flying digital owl in the opening credits. The opening sequence of Labyrinth was created by animators Laryy Yaeger and Bill Kroyer and won its animators the NCGA Best Computer Animation award of 1986.
JURASSIC PARK
Lucasfilm’s ILM division provided the Oscar-winning visual effects wizardry in this classic film. The studio used CGI along with animatronics and stop-motion miniatures to create the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. The iconic first glimpse of those Brachiosauri was voted in the top 30 most magical moments in film by Empire magazine and broke new ground in CGI animation of animals on the big screen.
RISE OF PLANET OF THE APES
The latest addition to the Planet of the Apes franchise did not use a single real-life ape during filming. Working with WETA Digital the studio created lifelike apes through revolutionary motion-capture technology and visual effects. The film highlights the journey of an ape named Caesar, a fully CGI creation realized through a brilliant motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis, who used body suits and cameras to create the realistic movement we see in the film. This is the same technology Serkis used to play Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
LIFE OF PI
Ang Lee’s award winning adaptation Life of Pi relied on the use of CGI to create the Bengal tiger “Richard Parker” which shares the lifeboat with Pi. This was a tough task and so Lee brought in James Cameron and his team from the blockbuster Avatar to make sure that the CGI was the best it could be. To put this into context, the production team employed 15 artists to work only on Richard Parker’s fur, combing and placing all 10 million hairs on the tiger’s body to create the beautiful creature pacing across the screen.
