Author: Robert Greenberger

Nicholas Cage Teaches ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’

  • News
  • November 27, 2010

Nicholas Cage is an incredibly gifted actor who continues to display his passion for genre works by appearing countless adventure films. This past summer he was the mentor in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and is next seen in January’s Season of the Witch. In this interview, courtesy of Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Cage talks about last summer’s film, coming out on DVD Tuesday.

Question: How did you get involved with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice? Nicholas Cage: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice began with my desire to play a magician in a movie. I played a magician of sorts in a movie called Next, which is when I became fascinated with ancient mythologies and philosophies from England. I loved the subject, so I had a conversation with Todd Garner – the producer of Next – and I said to him, “Boy, I’d really like to play a sorcerer from the times of King Arthur.” The very next day he said to me, “Nic, I’ve got it. Why don’t we create a movie around the sorcerer’s apprentice from the Fantasia movie?” It was perfect.

Question: How important was it to transform your look for your role in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice?

Nicholas Cage: Actors often change their looks for roles and I’m certainly part of that school of thought. In fact, I want to transform myself every time I get a new role. I’ll wear wigs, I’ll wear nosepieces, I’ll wear green contact lenses… I’ll do whatever I need to do to create a character. That’s what acting’s all about. That’s the fun of it.


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Win an ‘I am Legend’ Digital Download

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  • November 27, 2010

Warner Bros’ adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel I am Legend helped sustain Will Smith’s star power. Now the movie is coming to phones and digital notepads everywhere.  The movie comes to iTunes for the first time ever with Bonus Content including behind the scenes footage and interviews with the star himself:  
Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague — The Infected — lurk in the shadows… watching Neville’s every move… waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered… and quickly running out of time.

To win a digital download of the movie with extras, all you have to do is tell us what makes YOU a legend. The most creative answer, as solely judged by the ComicMix braintrust, to arrive by 11:59 p.m. November 30 will be chosen. 

Jay Baruchel Talks Playing ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’

  • News
  • November 26, 2010

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was one of those summer movies that didn’t generate the buzz Walt Disney had hoped for but it did have its fans and for those who may have missed it, the movie comes to DVD on Tuesday. Actor Jay Baruchel played the title role and in an interview supplied by Walt Disney Home Entertainment, he reviews his work on the film.Question: How does it feel to be involved with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice ?

Jay Baruchel: It’s a great honor to be part of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, but it’s also very stressful because Fantasia is cherished and beloved by so many people around the world. The sorcerer’s apprentice sequence of Fantasia is one of the most iconic and important sequences in film history, so I didn’t want to screw this up. If you were going to create a retrospective of great film moments, I think the Fantasia sequence would be up there alongside Cary Grant being chased by the crop duster in North By Northwest. It has been exhilarating to get the chance to do something so important to so many people, but there’s a lot of weight on our shoulders and I didn’t want to get it wrong.

Question: How do you deal with the stress of working on such an iconic project?

Jay Baruchel: There are two possible outcomes. You can either let the stress get the best of you and wilt in the face of adversity, or you can let the stress push you to work harder than you’ve ever worked before. The only other time in my career where I felt a similar weight on my shoulders was when I got to work for Clint Eastwood. It was tough. There’s a great sports analogy that comes to mind when I think about this. If you get drafted into the NHL and you get to play on the same line with the guys that made you want to start playing hockey in the first place, are you going to mess up under the pressure? Or are you going to show everyone the reason why you are standing there next to these amazing athletes? I had to bring my A-game to this project. I wanted to prove to everyone that they made the right decision in hiring me.

Question: What was your highlight to the filming of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice?

Jay Baruchel: Shooting plasma bolts out of my hands has been a lifelong ambition of mine. Ever since I played Street Fighter II when I was a kid, I’ve been waiting to shoot energy out of my hands. For years, nothing happened. My hands finally get to work in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

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Review: ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’

Let me start by telling you right off that I enjoyed watching [[[Scott Pilgrim vs.the World]]] because it was a visual delight with an appealing collection of performers. As other reviewers have noted, this film was the best feature to adapt the video game playing experience to the screen. Universal Pictures gets credit for giving the production crew the freedom to play with everything from their opening titles through the graphics and sound effects.

The movie, despite an aggressive and pervasive marketing campaign, crashed and burned in August and the answer to that disconnect may well be in the story and characters. At its core, Scott Pilgrim is a love story or a series of love stories but you are left to wonder what the attraction is.

Scott (Michael Cera) is a 22 year old slacker with no apparent profession, about to be tossed from the dingy apartment he shares with his best pal, the very gay Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin). Whenever he’s not aimlessly wandering about, he plays bass in the band Sex Bob-omb and is said to have gone through numerous girlfriends during his high school years but it’s been a year since his last major breakup. To compensate, he’s been chastely dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a 17 year old high school student.  That is, until he spots the pink-haired Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) at a party.

Before even exchanging a hello, he has learned that the pretty girl has a powerful and somewhat awe-inspiring reputation. But here she is, living in Toronto and seemingly employed as a delivery person. He falls for her and she seems to blithely accept this and then comes the price to be paid for dating this woman. Scott must defeat Ramona’s seven deadly exes which forms the spine of the film set against a Battle of the Bands competition.

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Will Friedle chats about his time in the Batcave

  • News
  • November 25, 2010

batmanbeyond1-3252388The popular voiceover actor took time last week to speak about his days as the new Caped Crusader in preparation for this week’s release of Batman Beyond: The Complete Series, a nine-disc limited edition DVD set that presents nearly 20 hours of animated action spread over 52 episodes, as well as including all-new bonus featurettes and a 24-page, 8”x 12” collectible booklet.

Batman Beyond: The Complete Series centers on Terry McGinnis, an ordinary teenager … until his father is mysteriously murdered. Suspecting foul play at his father’s company, Wayne/Powers Corporation, Terry meets Bruce Wayne and learns of a secret identity hidden for decades. Now too old to don the cape and cowl as Batman, Wayne refuses to help – so Terry does what any brash young kid would do: steal the Bat-suit and take matters into his own hands! Vowing to avenge his father’s death, Terry dons the high-tech suit tricked out with jetpacks, a supersensitive microphone and even camouflage capabilities in search of his father’s assassin.
The all-star production team was headed by executive producer Jean MacCurdy and producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami and Paul Dini. Writers on the series included Burnett and Dini, as well as Stan Berkowitz, Bob Goodman, Rich Fogel, Hilary Bader and John McCann.

Friedle made his mark in live-action television and film from the time
he turned 10, starring in hit series like Boy Meets World and Don’t Just
Sit There. He gradually shifted his attention to voiceover work, taking
the lead in Batman Beyond and co-starring in Disney’s Kim Possible to
name but a few. Today, he primarily stays behind the microphone, voicing
such notable roles as Doyle on The Secret Saturdays and Blue Beetle on
Batman: The Brave and the Bold.Will Friedle took a futuristic
Dark Knight in altogether new directions as the voice of Terry McGinnis
in Warner Bros. Animation’s breakthrough 1999 series Batman Beyond.

QUESTION: When you think back on all those Batman Beyond sessions, what are your favorite memories of recording the series?WILL FRIEDLE: This sounds like a cheesy answer, but working with Andrea (Romano) is just the greatest experience. Every week you go in and it’s amazing and fun. You just never knew who the guest cast would be. My favorite was  recording Return of the Joker. Sitting between Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill for five days was pretty incredible. I learned more about being a voiceover actor in those five days than I did in the five months before that. Just watching the two of them work – how Mark got so into the character, completely losing himself in that role. And then there’s Kevin with that deep, booming voice, always sitting with his back straight and working perfectly with the microphone. It was an education.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite Batman Beyond episode?

WILL FRIEDLE: There was an episode called “Out of the Past” where it’s Bruce Wayne’s birthday and as a birthday present Terry takes Bruce to see a new play, “Batman: The Musical.” So there’s Bruce sitting in the audience, watching these people in costume jumping on stage, singing about the Dark Knight, and Terry’s right behind him humming the songs. And Bruce just hates it. Seeing Bruce Wayne watching “Batman: The Musical” was pretty funny.

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Review: ‘Batman Beyond the Complete Series’

batman-beyond-complete-series1-4554306I admit to being leery when Warner Animation announced their plans to follow the  amazing [[[Batman the Animated Adventures]]] with a next generation hero called [[[Batman Beyond]]]. After all, it was a clear departure from the source material and there was no knowing how this would work.

As it turns out, there was little to fear. The series, which ran from January 1999 through December 2001, honored the past and showed us a future Gotham City that still needed a Dark Knight. Rather than just add wrinkles and gray hair to all the familiar figures, things have changed. Dick Grayson seems to be gone, Alfred and Jim Gordon are dead with Barbara Gordon now the police commissioner. And sitting in the gloom of Wayne Mansion is a still-angry, infirm Bruce Wayne.

He knows there’s work to be done and in time, targets teenager Terry McGuinness as his successor. The youth has just lost his father to violence and Wayne’s appeal sounds logical so he signs on to don a high-tech cowl, sans cape. With Wayne barking orders in his ear, Terry is the new Batman, instilling fear in the hearts of 21st century criminals.

The series lasted a strong 52 episodes plus spawned a direct-to-video film and the character wound up on other series such as [[[Static Shock]]] and was given an epilogue in episodes of [[[Justice League Unlimited]]]. There was even the tangentially-related spinoff [[[The Zeta Project]]].

Obviously the brain trust that included Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Dwayne McDuffie, and Glen Murakami rose to the occasion, taking everything they learned from their previous efforts and poured it into this series. The future was recognizable with sleeker architecture that cast new shadows on the city’s streets. The miniaturization and sophistication of the gear was not stretching the imagination and the new sorts of threats owe a nod to the rogues of the past but were fresh menaces.

Today, Warner Home Video has released the long–awaited [[[Batman Beyond the Complete Series]]] in a nifty box set. You get all three seasons of the series and the original extras plus a bonus disc. Tucked within the box is a nice 24-page booklet with character and set designs and some glimpses into the process. The box is slipped inside a plastic wrap that approximates animation cels and makes this a lovely package, perfect for the holiday season.

The episodes look great on DVD and the stories hold up after all these years.

There are three new featurettes all running about five minutes each, which looks back at the show’s origins and the thinking that went into the series’ design and architecture. You don’t learn a lot that’s new but the creators’ affection for Terry and his world is clear. There is also the 75th anniversary documentary [[[Secret Origin]]], which is nice but it would have been nicer to have the episodes and movie that Terry’s Batman appeared in, making this a real complete set.

Fox Prepares Plethora of Holiday Gift Items Plus a Major Sale

  • News
  • November 22, 2010

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has made their list and are checking it twice to prepare DVD gift sets for every conceivable taste and special interest. We’ll be exploring some of those options when ComicMix launches its Holiday Gift Guide in the coming days.

With Black Friday imminent, we want to tip you off that FoxConnect is having a Black Friday Sale that runs from November 22nd to December 5th.  Savvy shoppers can save up to 70% off on favorite Movies and TV shows on Blu-ray and DVD – Some favorites for as little as $4 for select titles!

The new release we’re most looking forward to is the studio’s 75ht Anniversary Gift Set, coming December 7. Check out the formal release:Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment paints the town diamond white with the release of the TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX 75TH ANNIVERSARY GIFT SET, a 75-film, three-volume set, highlighting a remarkable, rich and unparalleled heritage of classic films, Academy Award® winners and box office smashes.  Debuting on DVD December 7, each volume covers 25 years of the studio’s legacy along with an exclusive hard cover companion book highlighting the historic significance of Fox’s 75th anniversary featuring legendary stars, compelling stories, timeless music and unforgettable images.

The massive DVD set features a variety of genres and some of the finest films of all time from South Pacific to Star Wars, Alien to Avatar and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to The Devil Wears Prada.  Among its 46 Academy Award®-winning features, the collection highlights seven Best Picture winners including the DVD debut of Cavalcade, How Green Was My Valley, All About Eve, The Sound of Music, Patton, The French Connection, and Slumdog Millionaire.

Just in time for the holiday season, the TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX 75TH ANNIVERSARY GIFT SET will be available for the suggested retail price of $499.98 U.S.

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Win a Digital Download of Tim Burton’s ‘Willy Wonka’

  • News
  • November 21, 2010

Tim Burton’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory arrives exclusively for Download on iTunes for the first time with Bonus Content. The extra content Includes interviews with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. For the curious you can check out a preview here.

The film, adapting Roald Dhal’s marvelous novel, starred Johnny Depp and was a visual delight which we here at ComicMix highly recommend.

Thanks to Warner Digital, we have a free digital download to give away. Since this is Thanksgiving week, please tell us what you are most thankful for. The entry that moves us to laugh, sagely nod in agreement or wipe away a tear will be declared the winner. You have until 11:59 on Wednesday November 24 to tell us. One entry per e-mail address and the judgment of ComicMix is final.

Win a BBC America Gift Set!

  • News
  • November 20, 2010

Great Gifts with a British Accent!

This Holiday season, discover the perfect holiday gift from BBC films and TV series to unique British collectibles now available at the BBC America Shop.
For him find TV favorites on DVD like Dr. Who, Top Gear; for her find holiday collectibles for the home; and for the kids animated favorites, music, books and more.

Plus this holiday season WIN $1,000 (two $500 Gift Cards for you and a friend) redeemable toward purchases on the BBC America Shop with the annual Holiday Sweepstakes.

ComicMix readers now have a chance to win a BBC Gift Set!

All we’d like you to do is name your favorite BBC America series and why. We’ll judge the responses and select the winning entry. One submission per e-mail address and all entries must be posted in the comments section here no later than 11:59 pm. November 23.

‘Warehouse 13’ Opens its Doors for Dynamite Entertainment

  • News
  • November 19, 2010

While no creative talent has been named, we think this is a pretty cool announcement.

November 18, 2010, Runnemede, NJ – Dynamite Entertainment has signed a comprehensive license agreement with NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group for comic books based on Syfy’s hit dramedy series, Warehouse 13. Warehouse 13 premiered on July 7, 2009 on Syfy as the most successful series in Syfy’s history and will return for a 3rd season in the Summer of 2011. A holiday-themed episode will air next month.

“We’re very excited to be working with our friends at Dynamite Entertainment, again,” said Chris Lucero, Director of Global Licensing, NBC Universal Television Consumer Products Group.  “With Dynamite’s stable of thrilling storytellers and talented artists, we’re confident that Warehouse 13 will stand side-by-side with some of the best comics in the industry today.”

“It is a fantastic opportunity for Dynamite to bring a popular TV Show such as Warehouse 13 to the comics market,” said Dynamite President Nick Barrucci.  “Dynamite’s Warehouse 13 comic books will be an excellent companion to the TV Show, and I am excited for fans to see what we have up our sleeves!”

Warehouse 13 follows two Secret Service agents who find themselves abruptly transferred to a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and preternatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse’s caretaker Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek) charges Agents Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the Warehouse itself. Allison Scagliotti plays Claudia, Artie’s apprentice.

Warehouse 13 is produced for Syfy by Universal Cable Productions. Jack Kenny (The Book of Daniel) is Executive Producer and Showrunner.

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