The story of Romeo and Juliet is one that will probably remain an inspiration for filmmakers until the end of time. Tarsem Singh Dhandwar also tries his hand in the classic, through a story, though, that goes into a completely different direction and is actually inspired by real events that happened 30 years ago.
Jassi is screening at Red Sea Film Festival
After an intro that could be perceived as a wink to the Bard, with a Hindi narrator beginning the story under the sound of music, we are transferred to Punjab, 30 years ago, where Mithu, an illiterate rickshaw driver is competing in Kabaddi. In the audience is Jassi, an Indian Canadian 19-year-old girl, who is immediately smitten by the protagonist of the match. Their romance progresses subtly, but the surprising thing is that the one who truly pursues it is actually Jassi, with the shy Mithu essentially being carried into his own feelings.
Jassi is screening at Red Sea Film Festival
After an intro that could be perceived as a wink to the Bard, with a Hindi narrator beginning the story under the sound of music, we are transferred to Punjab, 30 years ago, where Mithu, an illiterate rickshaw driver is competing in Kabaddi. In the audience is Jassi, an Indian Canadian 19-year-old girl, who is immediately smitten by the protagonist of the match. Their romance progresses subtly, but the surprising thing is that the one who truly pursues it is actually Jassi, with the shy Mithu essentially being carried into his own feelings.
- 12/3/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Cinema has been a little duller for the eight-year absence of Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, the Indian-born auteur whose flamboyant formal style carried over from the music video realm into a distinctively sensuous strain of mainstream fantasy filmmaking — halted by the relative disappointment of 2015’s lackluster Ryan Reynolds vehicle “Self/less.” That makes Singh Dhandwar’s return with “Dear Jassi” something of an event, even before considering the film’s surprising expansion of his repertoire: Leaving behind Hollywood, genre cinema and his trademark maximalist mise-en-scène for his first film made in his homeland, the director keeps things simple but stately in this fact-based tale of young, star-crossed love in India’s Punjab region.
The result is sometimes slack but incrementally powerful, marked by a palpable sense of renewed purpose on the part of its helmer. Singh Dhandwar claims the true story of Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, a young Indian-Canadian woman murdered by...
The result is sometimes slack but incrementally powerful, marked by a palpable sense of renewed purpose on the part of its helmer. Singh Dhandwar claims the true story of Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, a young Indian-Canadian woman murdered by...
- 10/16/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Dear Jassi arrives with echoes of Madonna’s 1989 hit “Dear Jessie” and its sugary promise of pink elephants and lemonade, but none of that turns out to be forthcoming in Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s beautiful and brutal sixth feature. Instead, we have perhaps the most disturbing bait-and-switch since George Sluizer’s original iteration of The Vanishing, a Punjabi Juliet-meets-Romeo story that’s much harsher that any so-far-filmed version of West Side Story and a whole lot funnier. This dissonance takes a while to reveal itself, but when it does, the shock is visceral. The fact that almost everything is true is the killer blow, and the shockwave of that reverberates through the poignant final credits, a static shot that forces the audience, or maybe just simply dares them, to think about what they’ve just seen.
Immigrant stories have been big in 2023, but the troubling core of Dear Jassi is actually an emigrant story,...
Immigrant stories have been big in 2023, but the troubling core of Dear Jassi is actually an emigrant story,...
- 10/9/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s “Dear Jassi” starts with a declaration: This is a love story. Sikh singer Kanwar Grewal proclaims this directly to the audience while sitting in the lush fields of Punjab, visibly moved already by the the events about to be depicted. Over the next 132 minutes, Dhandwar weaves the stirring, tragic, and true journey of Jassi (Pavia Sidhu) and Mithu (Yugam Sood).
Jaswinder “Jassi” Kaur and Sukhwinder Singh “Mithu” Sidhu met in Punjab in the 1990s, where they quickly fell in love. “Dear Jassi” chronicles their courtship from that first serendipitous meeting and through years of love letters, phone calls, and a secret marriage. Dhandwar and his cinematographic collaborator Brendan Galvin instantly immerse viewers in the story, told through long takes and slow, steady panning that captures the stillness of rural India — and how love and hate can shake that peace to its very roots.
Sidhu and Sood...
Jaswinder “Jassi” Kaur and Sukhwinder Singh “Mithu” Sidhu met in Punjab in the 1990s, where they quickly fell in love. “Dear Jassi” chronicles their courtship from that first serendipitous meeting and through years of love letters, phone calls, and a secret marriage. Dhandwar and his cinematographic collaborator Brendan Galvin instantly immerse viewers in the story, told through long takes and slow, steady panning that captures the stillness of rural India — and how love and hate can shake that peace to its very roots.
Sidhu and Sood...
- 9/11/2023
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
“The Cell” director Tarsem Singh is making his global comeback with his first Indian film, “Dear Jassi,” based on a true story with plot details being kept under wraps.
Singh made his name with visually dazzling fantasy films like “The Cell,” “Immortals” and “Mirror, Mirror” but has been mostly out of action since helming the single 10-episode season of NBC’s “Emerald City” in 2017. “Dear Jassi” will be his first feature since “Self/Less” in 2015.
“It’s my passion project,” Singh said of “Dear Jassi.” “I believe this is the right time for the world to see it. Such a strong story needs to be told.”
Singh said the synergy behind the film’s production made it possible.
“I had a great set of producers partnering with me on this film,” he said.
Postproduction is underway in Montreal after the film was shot in Punjab, India. The crew consists of a...
Singh made his name with visually dazzling fantasy films like “The Cell,” “Immortals” and “Mirror, Mirror” but has been mostly out of action since helming the single 10-episode season of NBC’s “Emerald City” in 2017. “Dear Jassi” will be his first feature since “Self/Less” in 2015.
“It’s my passion project,” Singh said of “Dear Jassi.” “I believe this is the right time for the world to see it. Such a strong story needs to be told.”
Singh said the synergy behind the film’s production made it possible.
“I had a great set of producers partnering with me on this film,” he said.
Postproduction is underway in Montreal after the film was shot in Punjab, India. The crew consists of a...
- 1/31/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Here’s some cool new movie news! The acclaimed Hollywood director, Tarsem Singh, of films like The Cell (Jennifer Lopez), The Fall (Lee Pace), Immortals, Mirror Mirror (Julia Roberts) and Self/Less recently shot his first film in India. The exciting project is produced by T-Series (Bhushan Kumar), Wakaoo Films, Creative Strokes Group (Sanjay Grover) and Tarsem Singh.
Titled Dear Jassi, and the director says, “It’s my passion project. And I believe this is the right time for the world to see it. Such a strong story needs to be told.”
Based on a true story, the movie has been shot by the celebrated Hollywood cinematographer Brendan Galvin. It has been scripted by Amit Rai (writer and director of Oh My God 2). The film’s crew consists of an eclectic mix of top Indian and international names with the post-production happening in Montreal, Canada.
Tarsem believes it was the correct...
Titled Dear Jassi, and the director says, “It’s my passion project. And I believe this is the right time for the world to see it. Such a strong story needs to be told.”
Based on a true story, the movie has been shot by the celebrated Hollywood cinematographer Brendan Galvin. It has been scripted by Amit Rai (writer and director of Oh My God 2). The film’s crew consists of an eclectic mix of top Indian and international names with the post-production happening in Montreal, Canada.
Tarsem believes it was the correct...
- 1/31/2023
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
In what can be termed as one of the most landmark cinematic achievements in recent times, the much acclaimed and celebrated Hollywood director, Tarsem Singh, recently shot his first film in India.
This is the first feature film that Tarsem has shot in India. Some of his most notable movies in Hollywood include The Cell (Jennifer Lopez), The Fall (Lee Pace), Immortals, Mirror Mirror (Julia Roberts) and Self/Less.
Other than feature films, Tarsem is globally renowned for his award-winning ad films and music videos featuring the world’s topmost brands and artistes like Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga, Deep Forest, R.E.M and Enrique Iglesias amongst others.
Based on a true story, the movie has been shot by the celebrated Hollywood cinematographer Brendan Galvin.
The film is produced by T-Series (Bhushan Kumar), Wakaoo Films, Creative Strokes Group (Sanjay Grover) and Tarsem Singh.
It has been scripted by Amit Rai (writer...
This is the first feature film that Tarsem has shot in India. Some of his most notable movies in Hollywood include The Cell (Jennifer Lopez), The Fall (Lee Pace), Immortals, Mirror Mirror (Julia Roberts) and Self/Less.
Other than feature films, Tarsem is globally renowned for his award-winning ad films and music videos featuring the world’s topmost brands and artistes like Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga, Deep Forest, R.E.M and Enrique Iglesias amongst others.
Based on a true story, the movie has been shot by the celebrated Hollywood cinematographer Brendan Galvin.
The film is produced by T-Series (Bhushan Kumar), Wakaoo Films, Creative Strokes Group (Sanjay Grover) and Tarsem Singh.
It has been scripted by Amit Rai (writer...
- 1/31/2023
- by Pooja Tiwari
- GlamSham
“The Cell” director Tarsem Singh is making a comeback to feature films with “Dear Jassi,” his first Indian project.
The film has completed a 50-day schedule in Punjab, northern India and is heading to Canada for a two-week shoot. Post-production will take place in Montreal.
Plot details are under wraps save that it is based on a true story. Cast details have also not been revealed at this time.
The film is written by Amit Rai (“Oh My God 2”).
“It’s my passion project and I believe this is the right time for the world to see it,” Singh said. “Such a strong story needs to be told.”
Singh made his feature directorial debut with Oscar-nominated film “The Cell” (2000), starring Jennifer Lopez. He went on to direct Berlin winner “The Fall” (2006), starring Lee Pace; “Immortals” (2011), featuring Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke and John Hurt; Oscar-nominated “Mirror Mirror” (2012) with Julia Roberts and...
The film has completed a 50-day schedule in Punjab, northern India and is heading to Canada for a two-week shoot. Post-production will take place in Montreal.
Plot details are under wraps save that it is based on a true story. Cast details have also not been revealed at this time.
The film is written by Amit Rai (“Oh My God 2”).
“It’s my passion project and I believe this is the right time for the world to see it,” Singh said. “Such a strong story needs to be told.”
Singh made his feature directorial debut with Oscar-nominated film “The Cell” (2000), starring Jennifer Lopez. He went on to direct Berlin winner “The Fall” (2006), starring Lee Pace; “Immortals” (2011), featuring Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke and John Hurt; Oscar-nominated “Mirror Mirror” (2012) with Julia Roberts and...
- 1/31/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
You have to watch these hilarious and clever new videos featuring Russell Crowe as he promotes Solstice Studios’ Unhinged. As this is the first movie to open in theaters since the quarantine, these light, funny vids are the perfect way to get moviegoers to see film.
Directed by Derrick Borte and co-starring Caren Pistorius, this edge of your seat thriller takes something we’ve all experienced – road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion.
See it only in theaters This Friday, August 21st.
Click here for tickets.
Academy Award winner Russell Crowe stars in Unhinged, a timely psychological thriller that explores the fragile balance of a society pushed to the edge, taking something we’ve all experienced- road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late to work when she has an altercation at a traffic light with a stranger (Crowe) whose life has left him feeling powerless and invisible.
Directed by Derrick Borte and co-starring Caren Pistorius, this edge of your seat thriller takes something we’ve all experienced – road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion.
See it only in theaters This Friday, August 21st.
Click here for tickets.
Academy Award winner Russell Crowe stars in Unhinged, a timely psychological thriller that explores the fragile balance of a society pushed to the edge, taking something we’ve all experienced- road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late to work when she has an altercation at a traffic light with a stranger (Crowe) whose life has left him feeling powerless and invisible.
- 8/19/2020
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Its time to leave the house and hit the road, because movie theaters are open!”
Solstice Studios’ Unhinged, starring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, will be releasing nationally on Friday, August 21st across the United States.
Wamg is giving away Unhinged Fandango Gift Cards good for 2 so you can see it in theaters!
In The Comments Section Below, Tell US Your Favorite Russell Crowe Movie And The Name Of The Character He Played In The Film.
Leave you answer, name and email address.
No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents only. Only one per household.
Unhinged marks the first new studio film to open with a wide release since the Covid-19 shutdown nearly five months ago, and we are confident that the edge-of-your-seat thriller will remind you what you’ve missed about seeing movies on the big screen.
Exhibition partners around the nation have gone to extensive lengths to...
Solstice Studios’ Unhinged, starring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, will be releasing nationally on Friday, August 21st across the United States.
Wamg is giving away Unhinged Fandango Gift Cards good for 2 so you can see it in theaters!
In The Comments Section Below, Tell US Your Favorite Russell Crowe Movie And The Name Of The Character He Played In The Film.
Leave you answer, name and email address.
No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents only. Only one per household.
Unhinged marks the first new studio film to open with a wide release since the Covid-19 shutdown nearly five months ago, and we are confident that the edge-of-your-seat thriller will remind you what you’ve missed about seeing movies on the big screen.
Exhibition partners around the nation have gone to extensive lengths to...
- 8/18/2020
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The montage at the end of “Rambo: Last Blood” — snippets from all the “Rambo” films stretching back four decades — turns out to be a scrapbook browse of action-trope quaintness, when all a “Rambo” movie ever really needed was a loving camera hold on a sweat-slick, buff, and snarling Sylvester Stallone armed to the teeth or surrounded by explosions.
There was death, sure, but mostly posturing, and it’s worth remembering that scarred ex-Green Beret John Rambo wasn’t a serial killer in “First Blood”; he just did his guerrilla maneuvers, hurt a lot of mean cops, and blew things up. But when Stallone reached Medicare age, 2008’s “Rambo” (the fourth) sacrificed roided-out preening and younger man’s athletics for wall-to-wall butchery and a body count in the hundreds.
That vogue for ultraviolence (facilitated by CGI splatter tech) continues with “Rambo: Last Blood,” a title of hoped-for finality which spends more...
There was death, sure, but mostly posturing, and it’s worth remembering that scarred ex-Green Beret John Rambo wasn’t a serial killer in “First Blood”; he just did his guerrilla maneuvers, hurt a lot of mean cops, and blew things up. But when Stallone reached Medicare age, 2008’s “Rambo” (the fourth) sacrificed roided-out preening and younger man’s athletics for wall-to-wall butchery and a body count in the hundreds.
That vogue for ultraviolence (facilitated by CGI splatter tech) continues with “Rambo: Last Blood,” a title of hoped-for finality which spends more...
- 9/19/2019
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
Immortals is a flagrantly artificial, insanely violent film. 'Insanely' violent because minutes at a time pass where the frame is filled with nothing but graphically split bodies and crushingly brutal combat, with no point beyond the arresting visual of digital viscera in slow motion. But the director of Immortals, Tarsem, who also made The Cell and The Fall, is talented at fooling us into thinking that looking cool is good enough, and so I drank in the gory violence like spring water at an oasis. The movie is as dumb as it is gory and pretty. It is, on one hand, imaginative enough to present a creepy and ugly reworking of the myth of the Minotaur. But on the other it is so blind to all but the self-indulgence of beautiful design that all concerns are subverted to the cause of presenting weird and beautiful things. It sets up potentially provocative conflicts,...
- 11/11/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
If you're a fan of uber-bloody action film or consider yourself visual effects fetishist, Immortals -- the latest theatrical release from stylemaster Tarsem Singh -- won't disappoint. On the contrary, if you're looking for a film which successfully shows the scope of Greek mythology in a discernible story line filled with interesting characters you may not be too pleased. Immortals is pure, unadulterated eye candy. The film contains some of the best augmented reality effects I've ever seen, let alone this year. Director Tarsem Singh (the Cell) successfully blends the vivid aesthetics brought together by director of photography Brendan Galvin (Behind Enemy Lines) and production designer Tom Foden with a surprising score by composer Trevor Morris to make a roller coaster ride for the...
- 11/11/2011
- by Pietro Filipponi
- The Daily BLAM!
Filming on Relativity Media’s comedy action-adventure Untitled Snow White will begin on Monday, June 20, 2011, under the stylish direction of Tarsem Singh (Immortals, The Cell).
In Relativity’s Untitled Snow White starring Oscar-winner Julia Roberts and breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side), an evil Queen (Roberts) steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess (Collins) enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the object of their affection, Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.
Rounding out the cast are: Mare Winningham (Brothers) as Baker Margaret, Michael Lerner (Elf) as Baron, Robert Emms (War Horse) as Renbock, and Mark Povinelli (Water for Elephants...
In Relativity’s Untitled Snow White starring Oscar-winner Julia Roberts and breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side), an evil Queen (Roberts) steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess (Collins) enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the object of their affection, Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.
Rounding out the cast are: Mare Winningham (Brothers) as Baker Margaret, Michael Lerner (Elf) as Baron, Robert Emms (War Horse) as Renbock, and Mark Povinelli (Water for Elephants...
- 6/16/2011
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
Roberts, Collins, Hammer & Lane Star
(Beverly Hills, CA) June 15, 2011 . Filming on Relativity Media.s comedy action-adventure Untitled Snow White will begin on Monday, June 20, 2011, under the stylish direction of Tarsem Singh (Immortals, The Cell).
In Relativity’s Untitled Snow White starring Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts and breakout star Lilly Collins (The Blind Side), an evil Queen (Roberts) steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess (Collins) enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the object of their affection, Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.
Rounding out the cast are: Mare Winningham (Brothers) as Baker Margaret, Michael Lerner (Elf) as Baron, Robert Emms (War Horse) as Renbock,...
(Beverly Hills, CA) June 15, 2011 . Filming on Relativity Media.s comedy action-adventure Untitled Snow White will begin on Monday, June 20, 2011, under the stylish direction of Tarsem Singh (Immortals, The Cell).
In Relativity’s Untitled Snow White starring Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts and breakout star Lilly Collins (The Blind Side), an evil Queen (Roberts) steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess (Collins) enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the object of their affection, Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.
Rounding out the cast are: Mare Winningham (Brothers) as Baker Margaret, Michael Lerner (Elf) as Baron, Robert Emms (War Horse) as Renbock,...
- 6/15/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Generally, such news is not the sort of thing I find worth mentioning, but despite even the inclusion of Julia Roberts (because I am no sort of fan of hers), I find myself bizarrely excited for this project. The day-to-day news release of yet another cast member became something of a joke among film bloggers, but that doesn't mean it isn't an interesting cast that was being reported.
However, dodging a lot of people's interest (an piquing mine) is the fact that Tarsem Singh is directing. Not that people aren't mentioning it, naturally, but few seem especially moved by his name the way I am. They perhaps don't have quite the love for The Fall that I do, but I'm looking forward to anything he's attached to, even Immortals, which might ordinarily manage little, if any, interest from me.
Also, the thing is apparently billing itself as a "comedy action-adventure,...
However, dodging a lot of people's interest (an piquing mine) is the fact that Tarsem Singh is directing. Not that people aren't mentioning it, naturally, but few seem especially moved by his name the way I am. They perhaps don't have quite the love for The Fall that I do, but I'm looking forward to anything he's attached to, even Immortals, which might ordinarily manage little, if any, interest from me.
Also, the thing is apparently billing itself as a "comedy action-adventure,...
- 6/15/2011
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Filming on Relativity Media’s comedy action-adventure Untitled Snow White will begin on Monday, June 20, 2011, under the stylish direction of Tarsem Singh (Immortals, The Cell).In Relativity's Untitled Snow White starring Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts and breakout star Lilly Collins (The Blind Side), an evil Queen (Roberts) steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess (Collins) enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the object of their affection, Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.Rounding out the cast are: Mare Winningham (Brothers) as Baker Margaret, Michael Lerner (Elf) as Baron and Mark Povinelli (Water for Elephants), Jordan Prentice (Harold & Kumar Go to...
- 6/15/2011
- LRMonline.com
LONDON -- It looked like a dubious enterprise trying to turn a clunky 1960s television puppet show about a family of daredevils and their fantastic vehicles and equipment into a live-action movie.
Thunderbirds was a cult hit in the United Kingdom, but its stilted action and quaintly old-fashioned derring-do didn't help it travel far. Full marks, then, to director Jonathan Frakes and his crew for coming up with a piece of whiz-bang children's entertainment that could appeal to the family market far and wide.
Smartly written by William Osborne and Michael McCullers, Thunderbirds expertly targets kids. Yet parents won't be entirely bored if they have any nostalgia for Saturday matinee serials and early TV adventure shows.
Thunderbirds may be the prettiest movie all year, rendered in high style and brilliant colors. The combined efforts of production designer John Beard, costumer Marit Allen and cinematographer Brendan Galvin give the film instant impact with gorgeous sets and locations.
International Rescue is run by billionaire Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and his sons, who man a space station in order to monitor events on Earth. That way, they're ready to ride their jet-propelled vehicles and always-applicable machinery to save people and property threatened by anything from earthquake to flood to typhoon.
When the space station goes mysteriously haywire with only one of the sons, John (Lex Shrapnel), on board, the rest of the family naturally rockets to the rescue. Of course, it's a ploy to get the Tracys away from their paradise island headquarters.
A villain known only as the Hood (Ben Kingsley) and his cohorts smoothly take over at HQ so they can use the splendid array of supertoys to rob the world's banks and ruin the Tracys' reputation.
Little does the Hood know, however, that one Tracy has eluded him. That is young Alan Brady Corbett), who with his nerdy pal Fermat (Soren Fulton) and their island buddy Tintin Vanessa Anne Hudgens) know just what to do to save the day. This is the kind of kids' adventure in which the young heroes may be daydreaming dunces in school but have an innate ability to handle ultra-complex vehicles and machine tools when it comes to saving the world.
While the Hood goes about doing his best to keep the Tracy family in outer space as he steals their vehicles to break into the Bank of London, the three kids take on his cohorts in adventures that make full use of the island's vistas.
Also on hand to help the good guys is the glamorous and fearless Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, who even in puppet form set male adolescent pulses racing in the '60s. Here she is mischievously brought to life by the beautiful Sophia Myles. Pretty in pink, Lady Penelope is a fluffy juvenile version of Mrs. Peel from The Avengers, and with her estimable manservant Parker (Ron Cook) makes a formidable ally for the International Rescue team.
The kids are all appealing, and Paxton clearly knows what is required, delivering a flawlessly deadpan performance as papa Tracy. Kingsley, too, spurns the temptation to chew the scenery and uses the lightest of touches for his villainy. Former "ER" star Anthony Edwards makes an appearance, having fun in a goofy kind of way as Brains, the Tracys' boffin.
THUNDERBIRDS
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and StudioCanal present a Working Title production
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Screenwriters: William Osborne, Michael McCullers
Story: Peter Hewitt, William Osborne
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Mark Huffam
Executive producers: Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin
Director of photography: Brendan Galvin
Production designer: John Beard
Editor: Martin Walsh
Costume designer: Marit Allen
Composer: Hans Zimmer. Cast: Jeff Tracy: Bill Paxton
Brains: Anthony Edwards
Lady Penelope: Sophia Myles
Parker: Ron Cook
The Hood: Ben Kingsley
Alan Tracy: Brady Corbet
Fermat: Soren Fulton
Tintin: Vanessa Anne Hudgens
John Tracy: Lex Shrapnel
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 87 minutes...
Thunderbirds was a cult hit in the United Kingdom, but its stilted action and quaintly old-fashioned derring-do didn't help it travel far. Full marks, then, to director Jonathan Frakes and his crew for coming up with a piece of whiz-bang children's entertainment that could appeal to the family market far and wide.
Smartly written by William Osborne and Michael McCullers, Thunderbirds expertly targets kids. Yet parents won't be entirely bored if they have any nostalgia for Saturday matinee serials and early TV adventure shows.
Thunderbirds may be the prettiest movie all year, rendered in high style and brilliant colors. The combined efforts of production designer John Beard, costumer Marit Allen and cinematographer Brendan Galvin give the film instant impact with gorgeous sets and locations.
International Rescue is run by billionaire Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and his sons, who man a space station in order to monitor events on Earth. That way, they're ready to ride their jet-propelled vehicles and always-applicable machinery to save people and property threatened by anything from earthquake to flood to typhoon.
When the space station goes mysteriously haywire with only one of the sons, John (Lex Shrapnel), on board, the rest of the family naturally rockets to the rescue. Of course, it's a ploy to get the Tracys away from their paradise island headquarters.
A villain known only as the Hood (Ben Kingsley) and his cohorts smoothly take over at HQ so they can use the splendid array of supertoys to rob the world's banks and ruin the Tracys' reputation.
Little does the Hood know, however, that one Tracy has eluded him. That is young Alan Brady Corbett), who with his nerdy pal Fermat (Soren Fulton) and their island buddy Tintin Vanessa Anne Hudgens) know just what to do to save the day. This is the kind of kids' adventure in which the young heroes may be daydreaming dunces in school but have an innate ability to handle ultra-complex vehicles and machine tools when it comes to saving the world.
While the Hood goes about doing his best to keep the Tracy family in outer space as he steals their vehicles to break into the Bank of London, the three kids take on his cohorts in adventures that make full use of the island's vistas.
Also on hand to help the good guys is the glamorous and fearless Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, who even in puppet form set male adolescent pulses racing in the '60s. Here she is mischievously brought to life by the beautiful Sophia Myles. Pretty in pink, Lady Penelope is a fluffy juvenile version of Mrs. Peel from The Avengers, and with her estimable manservant Parker (Ron Cook) makes a formidable ally for the International Rescue team.
The kids are all appealing, and Paxton clearly knows what is required, delivering a flawlessly deadpan performance as papa Tracy. Kingsley, too, spurns the temptation to chew the scenery and uses the lightest of touches for his villainy. Former "ER" star Anthony Edwards makes an appearance, having fun in a goofy kind of way as Brains, the Tracys' boffin.
THUNDERBIRDS
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and StudioCanal present a Working Title production
Credits:
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Screenwriters: William Osborne, Michael McCullers
Story: Peter Hewitt, William Osborne
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Mark Huffam
Executive producers: Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin
Director of photography: Brendan Galvin
Production designer: John Beard
Editor: Martin Walsh
Costume designer: Marit Allen
Composer: Hans Zimmer. Cast: Jeff Tracy: Bill Paxton
Brains: Anthony Edwards
Lady Penelope: Sophia Myles
Parker: Ron Cook
The Hood: Ben Kingsley
Alan Tracy: Brady Corbet
Fermat: Soren Fulton
Tintin: Vanessa Anne Hudgens
John Tracy: Lex Shrapnel
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 87 minutes...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.