Illumination Entertainment is an animation studio that sort of came out of nowhere. Led by founder and producer Chris Meledandri, the studio jumped at the scene with "Despicable Me," which remains a rather fun family movie with a cool concept (created by "Klaus" director Sergio Pablos). It also gave the world the phenomenon that is the Minions — whether that's good or bad is up to the reader to decide.
In just 17 years, the studio has found a formula that it's honed to produce some of the highest-grossing animated movies of all time, with quite the high batting average thanks to their focus on hit songs and broad humor. After the enormous success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," Illumination took a hard left turn and gave us a movie that's unlike any it had done before — "Migration."
Featuring a script by "The White Lotus" creator Mike White and directed by...
In just 17 years, the studio has found a formula that it's honed to produce some of the highest-grossing animated movies of all time, with quite the high batting average thanks to their focus on hit songs and broad humor. After the enormous success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," Illumination took a hard left turn and gave us a movie that's unlike any it had done before — "Migration."
Featuring a script by "The White Lotus" creator Mike White and directed by...
- 1/22/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The Anaconda episode of The Black Sheep was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Ryan Cultrera, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
I’ll be the first to admit my mistakes. When I made that Alligator 2 defense, and no, doing that video is not the mistake I’m referring to, I mentioned that the giant monster movie had become somewhat of a lost art, particularly in the ’90s. Then I ended up rewatching Anaconda (watch it Here) and realized I had totally forgotten about it. That’s because it got lost in the likes of Deep Blue Sea and Lake Placid. Both those movies seem to have longer lasting impacts. Deep Blue Sea has that great surprise kill and Lake Placid has, well, it has Betty White. There are others, too. The Relic is a gory fun time, Bats isn...
I’ll be the first to admit my mistakes. When I made that Alligator 2 defense, and no, doing that video is not the mistake I’m referring to, I mentioned that the giant monster movie had become somewhat of a lost art, particularly in the ’90s. Then I ended up rewatching Anaconda (watch it Here) and realized I had totally forgotten about it. That’s because it got lost in the likes of Deep Blue Sea and Lake Placid. Both those movies seem to have longer lasting impacts. Deep Blue Sea has that great surprise kill and Lake Placid has, well, it has Betty White. There are others, too. The Relic is a gory fun time, Bats isn...
- 6/15/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Don Bluth is one of those directors whose films I find inseparable from my memories of childhood. Just as Disney Animation was hitting a low point in the 1980s, Bluth was churning out animated classics like "The Secret of Nimh," "An American Tail," and "The Land Before Time." These are daring movies full of darkness and whimsy, marrying gorgeous hand-drawn imagery with stories about animal abuse, the plight of Russian-Jewish immigrants traveling to 19th-century America, and the beginning of the end of the age of dinosaurs. His next film after those three, 1989's "All Dogs Go to Heaven," is a parable about no less a topic than the meaning of existence.
Bluth's output mellowed as he struggled to compete with Disney's animation renaissance, yet he held onto his underlying weirdness for as long as he could. He started off the '90s directing strange animated musicals like "Rock-a-Doodle" (a movie...
Bluth's output mellowed as he struggled to compete with Disney's animation renaissance, yet he held onto his underlying weirdness for as long as he could. He started off the '90s directing strange animated musicals like "Rock-a-Doodle" (a movie...
- 8/30/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Director Don Bluth began his career working on several productions for Disney's animation department, notably as animation director on "The Rescuers" and on "Pete's Dragon," but also as a character animator on films like "Robin Hood" (1973) and "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too." It was when he was working on the 1981 flick "The Fox and the Hound" that Bluth's career at Disney began to sour. Arguing with the Disney brass as to how to train new animators, and who should retain artistic control on a project, Bluth ended up quitting the studio...
The post How Disney Successfully Prevented Anastasia's Success appeared first on /Film.
The post How Disney Successfully Prevented Anastasia's Success appeared first on /Film.
- 3/3/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Continuing our series of writers standing up for loathed films is a defense of an unusual, risk-taking animation from 2000
Earth explodes into smithereens within the first few minutes of Don Bluth and Gary Goldman’s animated sci-fi adventure Titan Ae. Erroneously targeted at young audiences, since it features the near annihilation of the human species as its inciting incident, as well as other mature elements, the film raised some eyebrows upon its release in 2000. The directors were making something distinct, a departure from the dominance of Disney fables during the 90s but right before other studios, such as Blue Sky and DreamWorks, found success with more satirical storytelling throughout the early noughties. Bluth’s career, in particular, had been unconventional and based on reinvention. With Titan, that artistic approach reached its riskiest, most pattern-defying form.
Related: Hear me out: why Confessions of a Shopaholic isn’t a bad movie
Continue reading.
Earth explodes into smithereens within the first few minutes of Don Bluth and Gary Goldman’s animated sci-fi adventure Titan Ae. Erroneously targeted at young audiences, since it features the near annihilation of the human species as its inciting incident, as well as other mature elements, the film raised some eyebrows upon its release in 2000. The directors were making something distinct, a departure from the dominance of Disney fables during the 90s but right before other studios, such as Blue Sky and DreamWorks, found success with more satirical storytelling throughout the early noughties. Bluth’s career, in particular, had been unconventional and based on reinvention. With Titan, that artistic approach reached its riskiest, most pattern-defying form.
Related: Hear me out: why Confessions of a Shopaholic isn’t a bad movie
Continue reading.
- 6/28/2021
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Guardian - Film News
If you play video games, you’ve more than likely heard of a company called Secretlab. Secretlab makes (supposedly) the highest quality gaming chairs on the market and many Twitch streamers and YouTube content creators use their products, including: DrLupo, JoshOG, Forsen, KittyPlays, xMinks, Nightblue3, and many more. With all of these famous content creators in support of the Secretlab Titan, it’s bound to be a good product, right? Well, Secretlab was kind enough to send me one of their Titan 2020 units at no cost to try out for myself, and I’ve got a few things to say about it.
The Secretlab Titan 2020 Doesn’t Feel like Sitting on a Cloud, it’s Way Better...
The Secretlab Titan 2020 Doesn’t Feel like Sitting on a Cloud, it’s Way Better...
- 5/20/2021
- by Ben Hestad
- TVovermind.com
This article contains major spoilers for Invincible season 1 and potential spoilers for Invincible season 2, based on the comic.
The finale of Invincible season 1 was one of the most exhilarating bits of superhero storytelling in some time.
The genre is no stranger to the “son must confront his evil father” plotline, but rarely has any depiction of superhero action felt so visceral or terrifying. Mark Grayson’s struggle (and ultimate failure) to stop his Viltrumite father Nolan led to nearly 20 uninterrupted minutes of super-powered carnage. Hell, Omni-Man literally held his son’s body against a train to use as a cudgel against innocent citizens!
That’s gonna take a minute to get over. But once we have, it’s time to get prepared for the future of Invincible. Amazon has already renewed the show for seasons 2 and 3 so somehow, someway there’s going to be life after Mark v. Nolan. When future seasons come,...
The finale of Invincible season 1 was one of the most exhilarating bits of superhero storytelling in some time.
The genre is no stranger to the “son must confront his evil father” plotline, but rarely has any depiction of superhero action felt so visceral or terrifying. Mark Grayson’s struggle (and ultimate failure) to stop his Viltrumite father Nolan led to nearly 20 uninterrupted minutes of super-powered carnage. Hell, Omni-Man literally held his son’s body against a train to use as a cudgel against innocent citizens!
That’s gonna take a minute to get over. But once we have, it’s time to get prepared for the future of Invincible. Amazon has already renewed the show for seasons 2 and 3 so somehow, someway there’s going to be life after Mark v. Nolan. When future seasons come,...
- 5/3/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir | Written by Eric Pearson, Max Borenstein | Directed by Adam Wingard
Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse franchise reaches its apex with this titanic battle between two classic movie monsters. Directed by Adam Wingard, Godzilla vs. Kong delivers mightily on the epic title bout whose groundwork was laid in the three previous MonsterVerse movies: Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
The plot is essentially just the title of the film, but there are a number of human characters milling about too. Chief amongst these are “Kong Whisperer” Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and discredited geologist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård), who mount an expedition deep underground to Hollow Earth, hoping to provide Kong with a safe haven after he’s targeted by a newly-resurfaced Godzilla (who doesn’t like...
Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse franchise reaches its apex with this titanic battle between two classic movie monsters. Directed by Adam Wingard, Godzilla vs. Kong delivers mightily on the epic title bout whose groundwork was laid in the three previous MonsterVerse movies: Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
The plot is essentially just the title of the film, but there are a number of human characters milling about too. Chief amongst these are “Kong Whisperer” Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and discredited geologist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård), who mount an expedition deep underground to Hollow Earth, hoping to provide Kong with a safe haven after he’s targeted by a newly-resurfaced Godzilla (who doesn’t like...
- 4/2/2021
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
There are plenty of movie universes or shared universes out there at the minute. From Marvel’s juggernaut franchise to Sony’s unusual Spider-Verse hopes, to DC’s ever unfurling extended universe. But one of my personal favourites is by far Legendary’s MonsterVerse, starting in 2014 with Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, onto Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ Kong: Skull Island and then to Michael Dougherty’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, every entry has been its own wonderful take on the kaiju film and gone from a mankind’s view of Titan destruction, to a monster melee action film, to a biblical epic in ancient monster war, but in Adam Winged’s Godzilla vs. Kong we may just have a film closer to Toho studios’ mad and meaningful spirit than any Western monster movie has ever achieved before.
This film sees Godzilla and Kong brought together in battle, when Godzilla unexpectedly starts turning violent and nobody knows why.
This film sees Godzilla and Kong brought together in battle, when Godzilla unexpectedly starts turning violent and nobody knows why.
- 4/1/2021
- by Jack Bottomley
- The Cultural Post
Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse isn’t messing around: Seven years and four films in, the franchise is already delivering the sort of massive battle royale that might take other series decades to create. Adam Wingard’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” takes two of cinema’s most beloved overgrown villains and pits them against each other in
There’s already a mishmash appeal to the MonsterVerse, which has hopped and skipped through directors, characters, and time periods to deliver a series that makes sense, sorta, at least if you don’t look at it too hard. Wingard approaches such messy material with a hearty sense of respect and an eye for what really makes this thing work. From Gareth Edwards’ “Godzilla” (the elegant one) to Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ “Kong: Skull Island” (the fun one) and even Michael Dougherty’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (the bad one), “Godzilla vs. Kong” fuses and tweaks...
There’s already a mishmash appeal to the MonsterVerse, which has hopped and skipped through directors, characters, and time periods to deliver a series that makes sense, sorta, at least if you don’t look at it too hard. Wingard approaches such messy material with a hearty sense of respect and an eye for what really makes this thing work. From Gareth Edwards’ “Godzilla” (the elegant one) to Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ “Kong: Skull Island” (the fun one) and even Michael Dougherty’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (the bad one), “Godzilla vs. Kong” fuses and tweaks...
- 3/29/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
These Attack on Titan reviews contain spoilers.
Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 14: Savagery
“You know what I hate the most in the world? People who aren’t free. They’re no more than cattle.”
”I wanted to talk with you guys…”
Those were the ominous words that Eren shared with his old comrades and new enemies at the end of Attack on Titan’s previous episode. This anime regularly features an exceptional amount of destruction courtesy of deadly powers and brutal battles, but this season’s development of Eren Jaeger is so substantial that seven words can be even more terrifying than dozens of strikes.
So, they talk. Nearly a third of this episode is talk as Eren calmly dresses down his best friends and every second of it is emotionally explosive. Floch takes over the Survey Corps with fellow Jaegerists and he talks to them to sway the masses and inspire a revolution.
Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 14: Savagery
“You know what I hate the most in the world? People who aren’t free. They’re no more than cattle.”
”I wanted to talk with you guys…”
Those were the ominous words that Eren shared with his old comrades and new enemies at the end of Attack on Titan’s previous episode. This anime regularly features an exceptional amount of destruction courtesy of deadly powers and brutal battles, but this season’s development of Eren Jaeger is so substantial that seven words can be even more terrifying than dozens of strikes.
So, they talk. Nearly a third of this episode is talk as Eren calmly dresses down his best friends and every second of it is emotionally explosive. Floch takes over the Survey Corps with fellow Jaegerists and he talks to them to sway the masses and inspire a revolution.
- 3/21/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Closing out another busy week of E3 replacement events is EA Play 2020, Electronic Arts’ annual games showcase that will hash out the publisher’s current-gen and next-gen plans for the rest of the year and into 2021. Expect to see EA’s sports portfolio at the show, especially Madden NFL 21 and FIFA 21, as well as some new Aaa games.
Could we see a new Battlefield title? Dice doesn’t seem to have anything else on its docket now that the studio has completed the content releases for Star Wars Battlefront II has ended. Some fans will also undoubtedly be looking for some Apex Legends news. The online battle royale game from Respawn Entertainment made a big splash when it was released last February. Could now be the time to announce a sequel or the next “chapter” in the game? Introduce more parkour, Titanfall spinoff! Actually, we will also accept a new Titanfall game!
Could we see a new Battlefield title? Dice doesn’t seem to have anything else on its docket now that the studio has completed the content releases for Star Wars Battlefront II has ended. Some fans will also undoubtedly be looking for some Apex Legends news. The online battle royale game from Respawn Entertainment made a big splash when it was released last February. Could now be the time to announce a sequel or the next “chapter” in the game? Introduce more parkour, Titanfall spinoff! Actually, we will also accept a new Titanfall game!
- 6/18/2020
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Archstone Entertainment will launch world sales on superhero indie film The Hyperions at the upcoming Cannes virtual market.
Writer-director Jon McDonald’s previously announced action-comedy sees Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) star as Professor Ruckus Mandelbaum who in 1960 invents the ‘Titan badge’, which gives humans superpowers. He creates an unusual family of superheroes who rise to fame and prestige. But over time the family fractures. By 1979, however, two of the original superheroes go to extraordinary lengths to get their Titan badges back.
Rounding out the cast as Mandelbaum’s superhero students are Penelope Mitchell (Hellboy), Tanner Buchanan (Designated Survivor), Elaine Tan (Tully), and Alphonso McAuley (Walk Of Shame).
The completed pic was produced by American Millimetre’s Jon McDonald, Justin Bell Productions’ Justin Bell and ReKon Productions’ Jon Michael Kondrath. Physical production was handled by ReKon Productions.
The deal was brokered by ReKon’s Lisha Yakub on behalf of the filmmakers,...
Writer-director Jon McDonald’s previously announced action-comedy sees Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) star as Professor Ruckus Mandelbaum who in 1960 invents the ‘Titan badge’, which gives humans superpowers. He creates an unusual family of superheroes who rise to fame and prestige. But over time the family fractures. By 1979, however, two of the original superheroes go to extraordinary lengths to get their Titan badges back.
Rounding out the cast as Mandelbaum’s superhero students are Penelope Mitchell (Hellboy), Tanner Buchanan (Designated Survivor), Elaine Tan (Tully), and Alphonso McAuley (Walk Of Shame).
The completed pic was produced by American Millimetre’s Jon McDonald, Justin Bell Productions’ Justin Bell and ReKon Productions’ Jon Michael Kondrath. Physical production was handled by ReKon Productions.
The deal was brokered by ReKon’s Lisha Yakub on behalf of the filmmakers,...
- 6/18/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The goal of The Titan Games, according to its producer, creator, and host, Dwayne Johnson, is to give people from all walks of life the chance to shine. For the show’s contestants, that means battling it out in an athletic competition. But Johnson says it goes much deeper than that — he says the team [...]
The post Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Titan’ Spirit Isn’t Limited To Show’s Contestants appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Titan’ Spirit Isn’t Limited To Show’s Contestants appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 6/15/2020
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
There’s something inherently remarkable about the field of animation: that, with just a paper and pen, one can use infinite imagination to create a world unbound by physical restrictions. Of course, in today’s age it goes far beyond those simple tools of creation, but it remains the rare patience-requisite medium in which a director’s vision can be perfected over years until applying that final, necessary touch.
With Pixar’s 17th feature arriving in theaters, we’ve set out to reflect on the millennium thus far in animation and those films that have most excelled. In picking our 50 favorite titles, we looked to all corners of the world, from teams as big as thousands down to a sole animator. The result is a wide-ranging selection, proving that even if some animation styles aren’t as prevalent, the best examples find their way to the top.
To note: we only stuck with feature-length animations of 60 minutes or longer — sorry, World of Tomorrow, and even Pixar’s stunning Piper — and to make room for a few more titles, our definition of “the 21st century” stretched to include 2000. We also stuck with films that don’t feature any live-action (for the most part) and that have been released in the U.S. thus far, so The Red Turtle and Phantom Boy will get their due on a later date. Check out our top 50 below and let us know your favorites in the comments.
50. The Lego Movie (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)
Admit it: When The Lego Movie was announced, you did not expect it to wind up any best-of-the-year lists. But, against all odds, Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s first smash hit of 2014 is an unadulterated pleasure. This bold, original film has a wildly clever script (by the directors) with a message of creativity that made it a glorious surprise. It is also well-cast: Lego is the first movie to fully make use of Chris Pratt’s essential sweetness, and offered Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman their freshest parts in years. It is not often that a “kids” film entertains adults as much as their children, but The Lego Movie is far more than a piece of entertainment for the young ones. What could have been a headache-inducing, cynical creation is instead a pop treat. Everything is, indeed, awesome. – Christopher Schobert
49. 5 Centimetres per Second (Makoto Shinkai)
Makoto Shinkai’s emotional tour de force is the embodiment of the Japanese term “mono no aware,” which describes a wistful awareness of life’s transience. In the way its characters are haunted by bygone moments in the face of a vast and shapeless future, 5 Centimetres per Second could function as a spiritual companion to the oeuvre of Wong Kar-wai, but whereas Wong’s lovelorn protagonists are stuck in the past, Shinkai’s move forward, steadily, in a state of melancholic acceptance. Time is itself a character here, a fact brought to our attention by shots of clocks, the evolution of technology alongside the characters’ aging, and scenes where narrative stakes ensure that the passing of each second is palpably felt. And yet it is precisely the ephemerality of these seconds that lends them elevated significance —fittingly, the film’s animation is breathtakingly detailed and tactile, allowing us to identify with the characters by having us inhabit each, vivid moment before it vanishes. – Jonah Jeng
48. The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg)
Leave it to Steven Spielberg to eke more thrills out of an animated feature than most directors could with every live-action tool at their disposal. The Adventures of Tintin is colored and paced like a child’s fantastical imagining of how Hergé’s comics might play in motion, and the extent to which viewers buy it depends largely on their willingness to give themselves over to narrative and technical flights of fancy. Me? Four-and-a-half years later, I’m still waiting for a follow-up with bated breath. – Nick Newman
47. Titan A.E. (Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and Art Vitello)
It’s the movie that took down Don Bluth, netted Fox a $100 million loss, and starred the young voices of Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore. From a script by Joss Whedon, John August, and Ben Edlund, Titan A.E. is a swashbuckle-y tale with stirring visuals and moments of sheer originality that now feels like a more-accomplished precursor to something such as Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’re going to go down, this is an impressive picture to sink with. – Dan Mecca
46. Metropolis (Rintaro)
Metropolis has more than a little in common with the apocalyptic orgy of violence of 1988 anime touchstone Akira, as the story follows the tragic inevitability of mans’ relationship with overwhelming power. But Rintaro’s Metropolis — which is based on Osama Tezuka’s manga and Fritz Lang’s canonical film — is also a story of overwhelming kindness in its central relationship between Kenichi, a well-intentioned and naïve child, and Tima, a cyborg capable of immense destruction. Distinguished by its washed-out watercolor character designs and its inventive cast of characters, Metropolis is a distinctly lighter take on the characteristically dreary dystopia genre. – Michael Snydel
45. Song of the Sea (Tomm Moore)
Animation has never shied away from grief. It’s the bedrock of everything from Grave of the Fireflies to the majority of Pixar’s filmography, but it’s rarely been as unbearably beautiful as in 2014’s unfairly overlooked Song of the Sea. Animated with a mythic tableau style, steeped in Celtic folklore, and filled with a cast of characters worthy of Hayao Miyazaki, Tomm Moore’s work is the rare heartwarming family film that knows it doesn’t need to compromise genuine emotion with fake-outs or Hollywood endings. – Michael Snydel
44. The Secret World of Arrietty (Hiromasa Yonebayashi)
While much of Studio Ghibli’s popularity focuses on the adored writer-director Hayao Miyazaki, some works from other directors deserve equal praise. One of them — which, yes, cheats a bit because Miyazaki scripted it — is The Secret World of Arrietty by first-time helmer Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The film follows a little boy’s fascination with the Borrowers — small humans that live in our world — and weaves the story of him and his family with Arrietty, one of the Borrowers. There are intensely dramatic moments as the Borrowers are constantly striving to survive amidst this world of luxury and easy life that the larger humans enjoy. Much like some of the best of Ghibli’s work, the film works on multiple levels and layers and thus becomes one of the studio’s most beautiful, enjoyable, and enduring works. – Bill Graham
43. ParaNorman (Chris Butler and Sam Fell)
A story of bullies and the bullied, Laika Studios’ second stop-motion film, ParaNorman, was unfortunately overshadowed by their astounding previous effort, Coraline. But time has been kind, and ParaNorman feels ahead of its time in both the exploration of darker themes (witch hunts, child murder, bigotry) and its juxtaposition of a Puritan New England ghost story and a vividly supernatural present. Buoyed by Jon Brion’s characteristically thoughtful score and an inventive reconfiguration of horror movie iconography, ParaNorman is a coming-of-age story that recognizes that even the “bad guys” have their reasons. – Michael Snydel
42. Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit (Nick Park and Steve Box)
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit, Aardman Animation’s second feature collaboration with DreamWorks, brings Nick Park‘s brilliant claymation series about an absentminded inventor and his mute canine companion to the big screen. Working as humane pest removal specialists, Wallace and Gromit have hatched a plan to brainwash every hungry rabbit in town to dislike vegetables, preventing Gromit’s prized melon from being ruthlessly devoured. But the experiment backfires and the Were-Rabbit, a monstrous beast with an unquenchable appetite for veggies, is unleashed on the lush gardens of Tottington Holl. On par with the most uproarious shorts of Park’s career (working this time out with co-director Steve Box), the film slyly evokes fond memories of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in never treating its goofy leads as seriously as its surprisingly effective scares. It’s a shame that Park has announced the titular duo are likely retired, due to the failing health of voice actor Peter Sallis. Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit is a light-hearted and whimsically clever gem that also works as a charming introduction to the horror genre for young cinema-lovers. – Tony Hinds
41. Lilo & Stitch (Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois)
What other film can pull off starting with an all-out sci-fi adventure and transition into a heartful ode to culture and family? Before they delivered an even more impactful variation on a similar sort of creature-human bond with How to Train Your Dragon, Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois created this touching tale. Featuring a return to watercolor-painted backgrounds for Disney, as well as a reliance on 2D animation, it’s one of the company’s last in this era to have that long-missed tangibility. As often repeated in the film, “Family means nobody gets left behind,” and, by the end credits, you’ll feel like you’ve added a few new members to your own. – Jordan Raup
Continue >>...
With Pixar’s 17th feature arriving in theaters, we’ve set out to reflect on the millennium thus far in animation and those films that have most excelled. In picking our 50 favorite titles, we looked to all corners of the world, from teams as big as thousands down to a sole animator. The result is a wide-ranging selection, proving that even if some animation styles aren’t as prevalent, the best examples find their way to the top.
To note: we only stuck with feature-length animations of 60 minutes or longer — sorry, World of Tomorrow, and even Pixar’s stunning Piper — and to make room for a few more titles, our definition of “the 21st century” stretched to include 2000. We also stuck with films that don’t feature any live-action (for the most part) and that have been released in the U.S. thus far, so The Red Turtle and Phantom Boy will get their due on a later date. Check out our top 50 below and let us know your favorites in the comments.
50. The Lego Movie (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)
Admit it: When The Lego Movie was announced, you did not expect it to wind up any best-of-the-year lists. But, against all odds, Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s first smash hit of 2014 is an unadulterated pleasure. This bold, original film has a wildly clever script (by the directors) with a message of creativity that made it a glorious surprise. It is also well-cast: Lego is the first movie to fully make use of Chris Pratt’s essential sweetness, and offered Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman their freshest parts in years. It is not often that a “kids” film entertains adults as much as their children, but The Lego Movie is far more than a piece of entertainment for the young ones. What could have been a headache-inducing, cynical creation is instead a pop treat. Everything is, indeed, awesome. – Christopher Schobert
49. 5 Centimetres per Second (Makoto Shinkai)
Makoto Shinkai’s emotional tour de force is the embodiment of the Japanese term “mono no aware,” which describes a wistful awareness of life’s transience. In the way its characters are haunted by bygone moments in the face of a vast and shapeless future, 5 Centimetres per Second could function as a spiritual companion to the oeuvre of Wong Kar-wai, but whereas Wong’s lovelorn protagonists are stuck in the past, Shinkai’s move forward, steadily, in a state of melancholic acceptance. Time is itself a character here, a fact brought to our attention by shots of clocks, the evolution of technology alongside the characters’ aging, and scenes where narrative stakes ensure that the passing of each second is palpably felt. And yet it is precisely the ephemerality of these seconds that lends them elevated significance —fittingly, the film’s animation is breathtakingly detailed and tactile, allowing us to identify with the characters by having us inhabit each, vivid moment before it vanishes. – Jonah Jeng
48. The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg)
Leave it to Steven Spielberg to eke more thrills out of an animated feature than most directors could with every live-action tool at their disposal. The Adventures of Tintin is colored and paced like a child’s fantastical imagining of how Hergé’s comics might play in motion, and the extent to which viewers buy it depends largely on their willingness to give themselves over to narrative and technical flights of fancy. Me? Four-and-a-half years later, I’m still waiting for a follow-up with bated breath. – Nick Newman
47. Titan A.E. (Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and Art Vitello)
It’s the movie that took down Don Bluth, netted Fox a $100 million loss, and starred the young voices of Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore. From a script by Joss Whedon, John August, and Ben Edlund, Titan A.E. is a swashbuckle-y tale with stirring visuals and moments of sheer originality that now feels like a more-accomplished precursor to something such as Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’re going to go down, this is an impressive picture to sink with. – Dan Mecca
46. Metropolis (Rintaro)
Metropolis has more than a little in common with the apocalyptic orgy of violence of 1988 anime touchstone Akira, as the story follows the tragic inevitability of mans’ relationship with overwhelming power. But Rintaro’s Metropolis — which is based on Osama Tezuka’s manga and Fritz Lang’s canonical film — is also a story of overwhelming kindness in its central relationship between Kenichi, a well-intentioned and naïve child, and Tima, a cyborg capable of immense destruction. Distinguished by its washed-out watercolor character designs and its inventive cast of characters, Metropolis is a distinctly lighter take on the characteristically dreary dystopia genre. – Michael Snydel
45. Song of the Sea (Tomm Moore)
Animation has never shied away from grief. It’s the bedrock of everything from Grave of the Fireflies to the majority of Pixar’s filmography, but it’s rarely been as unbearably beautiful as in 2014’s unfairly overlooked Song of the Sea. Animated with a mythic tableau style, steeped in Celtic folklore, and filled with a cast of characters worthy of Hayao Miyazaki, Tomm Moore’s work is the rare heartwarming family film that knows it doesn’t need to compromise genuine emotion with fake-outs or Hollywood endings. – Michael Snydel
44. The Secret World of Arrietty (Hiromasa Yonebayashi)
While much of Studio Ghibli’s popularity focuses on the adored writer-director Hayao Miyazaki, some works from other directors deserve equal praise. One of them — which, yes, cheats a bit because Miyazaki scripted it — is The Secret World of Arrietty by first-time helmer Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The film follows a little boy’s fascination with the Borrowers — small humans that live in our world — and weaves the story of him and his family with Arrietty, one of the Borrowers. There are intensely dramatic moments as the Borrowers are constantly striving to survive amidst this world of luxury and easy life that the larger humans enjoy. Much like some of the best of Ghibli’s work, the film works on multiple levels and layers and thus becomes one of the studio’s most beautiful, enjoyable, and enduring works. – Bill Graham
43. ParaNorman (Chris Butler and Sam Fell)
A story of bullies and the bullied, Laika Studios’ second stop-motion film, ParaNorman, was unfortunately overshadowed by their astounding previous effort, Coraline. But time has been kind, and ParaNorman feels ahead of its time in both the exploration of darker themes (witch hunts, child murder, bigotry) and its juxtaposition of a Puritan New England ghost story and a vividly supernatural present. Buoyed by Jon Brion’s characteristically thoughtful score and an inventive reconfiguration of horror movie iconography, ParaNorman is a coming-of-age story that recognizes that even the “bad guys” have their reasons. – Michael Snydel
42. Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit (Nick Park and Steve Box)
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit, Aardman Animation’s second feature collaboration with DreamWorks, brings Nick Park‘s brilliant claymation series about an absentminded inventor and his mute canine companion to the big screen. Working as humane pest removal specialists, Wallace and Gromit have hatched a plan to brainwash every hungry rabbit in town to dislike vegetables, preventing Gromit’s prized melon from being ruthlessly devoured. But the experiment backfires and the Were-Rabbit, a monstrous beast with an unquenchable appetite for veggies, is unleashed on the lush gardens of Tottington Holl. On par with the most uproarious shorts of Park’s career (working this time out with co-director Steve Box), the film slyly evokes fond memories of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in never treating its goofy leads as seriously as its surprisingly effective scares. It’s a shame that Park has announced the titular duo are likely retired, due to the failing health of voice actor Peter Sallis. Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit is a light-hearted and whimsically clever gem that also works as a charming introduction to the horror genre for young cinema-lovers. – Tony Hinds
41. Lilo & Stitch (Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois)
What other film can pull off starting with an all-out sci-fi adventure and transition into a heartful ode to culture and family? Before they delivered an even more impactful variation on a similar sort of creature-human bond with How to Train Your Dragon, Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois created this touching tale. Featuring a return to watercolor-painted backgrounds for Disney, as well as a reliance on 2D animation, it’s one of the company’s last in this era to have that long-missed tangibility. As often repeated in the film, “Family means nobody gets left behind,” and, by the end credits, you’ll feel like you’ve added a few new members to your own. – Jordan Raup
Continue >>...
- 6/16/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
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From Flushed Away and Hunchback to Titan A.E. and Sky High - the family movies that don't get the love they deserve...
When I sit through a film such as Zootropolis, Rango, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph, Eddie The Eagle or Coraline, I can’t help but be thankful somebody has bothered. As a parent as well as a movie lover, I’ve grown to really dislike family movies that just turn up to act as a surrogate babysitter for 90 minutes, with no intention of becoming anybody’s favourite film. The films I'm going to talk about are the family movies therefore that I think both try and do something a bit more, yet continue to fly under many people's radar.
A bonus mention before we get going, and number 26 in the list, much to my surprise: Alvin & The Chipmunks 4. I was expecting next to zero from it, courtesy...
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From Flushed Away and Hunchback to Titan A.E. and Sky High - the family movies that don't get the love they deserve...
When I sit through a film such as Zootropolis, Rango, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph, Eddie The Eagle or Coraline, I can’t help but be thankful somebody has bothered. As a parent as well as a movie lover, I’ve grown to really dislike family movies that just turn up to act as a surrogate babysitter for 90 minutes, with no intention of becoming anybody’s favourite film. The films I'm going to talk about are the family movies therefore that I think both try and do something a bit more, yet continue to fly under many people's radar.
A bonus mention before we get going, and number 26 in the list, much to my surprise: Alvin & The Chipmunks 4. I was expecting next to zero from it, courtesy...
- 5/26/2016
- Den of Geek
Ray guns! Space armadas! Storm troopers! Toei's manga became a pricey 3-D animated motion capture epic just three years ago, but was denied a release stateside. This collector's disc set gives us rude 'n' raucous space battles, along with a pirate's bounty of original Japanese extras. Don't worry, the 3-D visuals are excellent. Harlock: Space Pirate 3-D 3-D + 2-D Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 2013 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 115 (Japanese) 111 (International) min. / Kyaputen Harokku / Ship Date January 19, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 34.95 Original Music Tetsuya Takahashi Written by Harutoshi Fukui, Kiyoto Tareuchi from the manga by Leiji Matsuimoto Produced by Joseph Chou, Yoshi Ikezawa, Rei Kudo (Toei Animation) Directed by Shinji Aramaki
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Suppose they had a space war and nobody came? Toei Animation's 3-D extravaganza Harlock: Space Pirate 3-D was prepped and primed to take the world by storm, but like too many foreign super-productions it didn't even get a U.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Suppose they had a space war and nobody came? Toei Animation's 3-D extravaganza Harlock: Space Pirate 3-D was prepped and primed to take the world by storm, but like too many foreign super-productions it didn't even get a U.
- 2/6/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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Joss Whedon has been chatting about how he dealt with the reaction to last year's Avengers: Age Of Ultron...
This story contains fruity language.
We've not heard too much from Joss Whedon since the release of last spring's Avengers: Age Of Ultron. The movie grossed over $1.3bn at the global box office, although met middling reviews, and earned nowhere near the acclaim of Whedon's initial Avengers picture.
Whedon was fairly open about the fact that he'd had to battle with Marvel over the movie, and he's since - as planned - moved away from the studio. And in a new Q&A he's conducted with the Oxford Union, he's talked more about the last year or two of his life.
"I sort of had my finger in all of the films in the second phase", he said, "but then I just had to concentrate only on Ultron,...
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Joss Whedon has been chatting about how he dealt with the reaction to last year's Avengers: Age Of Ultron...
This story contains fruity language.
We've not heard too much from Joss Whedon since the release of last spring's Avengers: Age Of Ultron. The movie grossed over $1.3bn at the global box office, although met middling reviews, and earned nowhere near the acclaim of Whedon's initial Avengers picture.
Whedon was fairly open about the fact that he'd had to battle with Marvel over the movie, and he's since - as planned - moved away from the studio. And in a new Q&A he's conducted with the Oxford Union, he's talked more about the last year or two of his life.
"I sort of had my finger in all of the films in the second phase", he said, "but then I just had to concentrate only on Ultron,...
- 1/5/2016
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
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Don Bluth and Gary Goldman just moved one step closer to making a Dragon's Lair movie...
Don Bluth and Gary Goldman may well have got another movie off the ground, with the news that their Indiegogo appeal to bring videogame Dragon's Lair to the big screen has hit its funding target. That said, it's still the first step in a fairly lengthy adventure.
The crowdfunding appeal launched just over two weeks ago, and still has over a month left. However, over $260,000 is in the pot already, and that's going to be spent to put together a teaser presentation. Said presentation will then be used to pitch the film to investors, as the pair need $70m to actually get the film made. Which is a little beyond the reach of a crowdfunding campaign.
Bluth and Goldman have worked on films such as All Dogs Go To Heaven, Thumbelina,...
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Don Bluth and Gary Goldman just moved one step closer to making a Dragon's Lair movie...
Don Bluth and Gary Goldman may well have got another movie off the ground, with the news that their Indiegogo appeal to bring videogame Dragon's Lair to the big screen has hit its funding target. That said, it's still the first step in a fairly lengthy adventure.
The crowdfunding appeal launched just over two weeks ago, and still has over a month left. However, over $260,000 is in the pot already, and that's going to be spent to put together a teaser presentation. Said presentation will then be used to pitch the film to investors, as the pair need $70m to actually get the film made. Which is a little beyond the reach of a crowdfunding campaign.
Bluth and Goldman have worked on films such as All Dogs Go To Heaven, Thumbelina,...
- 12/16/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Ridley Scott's film version of The Martian, adapted by Drew Goddard from the book by Andy Weir, is now upon us, and it boasts an impressive cast, including Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Pena, and more. While the supporting cast are excellent performers, this article will focus on Matt Damon, who plays the lead role.
(Sadly, The Martian is not about DC's Martian Manhunter, aka J'onn J'onzz, the noble, telepathic, shape-shifting member of the Justice League. If it were, Matt Damon would be cast against type—as he always is—but is chameleonic enough as an actor to be able to pull it off anyway—as he always does. A more obvious casting choice would be someone like Blair Underwood (The Event, Marvel's Agents of Shield), who exudes both gravitas and humanity.)
While one might assume that The Martian will be the first time we've seen Jason Bourne in space,...
(Sadly, The Martian is not about DC's Martian Manhunter, aka J'onn J'onzz, the noble, telepathic, shape-shifting member of the Justice League. If it were, Matt Damon would be cast against type—as he always is—but is chameleonic enough as an actor to be able to pull it off anyway—as he always does. A more obvious casting choice would be someone like Blair Underwood (The Event, Marvel's Agents of Shield), who exudes both gravitas and humanity.)
While one might assume that The Martian will be the first time we've seen Jason Bourne in space,...
- 10/1/2015
- Shadowlocked
Mr Joss Whedon has unveiled his new project - Twist - a comic book that promises to be a bit like a 'Victorian, female Batman'...
Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, geek overlord Joss Whedon has unveiled his next project - a comic book called Twist.
This follows a number of rumours about what the writer/director would get up to after Avengers: Age Of Ultron. When we chatted to him a few months ago, he said it'd be 'nice to flex a different muscle' to big budget superhero movie-making.
Returning to comic book writing certainly fits that criteria, and his new project Twist sounds very Joss Whedon-y indeed. Apparently, the six-issue series - which is being published by Dark Horse Comics - will answer the pressing question "why isn’t there a Victorian, female Batman?"
This is the first cover, which appeared online following the announcement of the series.
Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, geek overlord Joss Whedon has unveiled his next project - a comic book called Twist.
This follows a number of rumours about what the writer/director would get up to after Avengers: Age Of Ultron. When we chatted to him a few months ago, he said it'd be 'nice to flex a different muscle' to big budget superhero movie-making.
Returning to comic book writing certainly fits that criteria, and his new project Twist sounds very Joss Whedon-y indeed. Apparently, the six-issue series - which is being published by Dark Horse Comics - will answer the pressing question "why isn’t there a Victorian, female Batman?"
This is the first cover, which appeared online following the announcement of the series.
- 7/13/2015
- by rleane
- Den of Geek
Ahead of its two part season finale, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. wraps up its Age Of Ultron connections and reshuffles the deck…
This review contains spoilers for this episode and Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
2.20 Scars
If there’s one truth that Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has proved in recent weeks, it’s that at some stage, we’ll have to stop referring to its stronger episodes as rare highlights and instead admit that Marvel flagship show has actually become an all-round entertaining show in its own right.
This revelation occurred to me while watching Scars, the sort-of penultimate season 2 episode before next week’s two-part finale. As with any show, there are a few niggles in the episode (Ward’s reappearance seemed a little shoehorned-in during an episode that had stronger focuses elsewhere) but there was so much to like, which indicates that season 2 as a whole could well go down as...
This review contains spoilers for this episode and Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
2.20 Scars
If there’s one truth that Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has proved in recent weeks, it’s that at some stage, we’ll have to stop referring to its stronger episodes as rare highlights and instead admit that Marvel flagship show has actually become an all-round entertaining show in its own right.
This revelation occurred to me while watching Scars, the sort-of penultimate season 2 episode before next week’s two-part finale. As with any show, there are a few niggles in the episode (Ward’s reappearance seemed a little shoehorned-in during an episode that had stronger focuses elsewhere) but there was so much to like, which indicates that season 2 as a whole could well go down as...
- 5/6/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron is raking in box office millions right now, but its ending wasn’t always set in stone…
Contains spoilers for Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Avengers: Age Of Ultron, then. It's a divisive chapter of the Marvel cinematic universe among critics, but nonetheless a box office behemoth which is well on its way to toppling the hefty total of the previous instalment in the superhero team-up franchise, The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble, if you rather, which you probably don’t).
Unlike most Marvel Studios films, Age Of Ultron didn’t have an end-of-credits sting (“we just didn’t have anything we loved” writer director Joss Whedon told us), but it did have a mid-credits Thanos tease and a memorable end to the film itself.
In case you need reminding: the pre-credits stage of the film concluded with Black Widow and Captain America recruiting a...
Contains spoilers for Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Avengers: Age Of Ultron, then. It's a divisive chapter of the Marvel cinematic universe among critics, but nonetheless a box office behemoth which is well on its way to toppling the hefty total of the previous instalment in the superhero team-up franchise, The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble, if you rather, which you probably don’t).
Unlike most Marvel Studios films, Age Of Ultron didn’t have an end-of-credits sting (“we just didn’t have anything we loved” writer director Joss Whedon told us), but it did have a mid-credits Thanos tease and a memorable end to the film itself.
In case you need reminding: the pre-credits stage of the film concluded with Black Widow and Captain America recruiting a...
- 5/5/2015
- by rleane
- Den of Geek
Following on from last week's episode, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is advertising its direct links to the Avengers in these new trailers...
In the UK, many of us have seen Avengers: Age Of Ultron already. In the USA, though, the film comes out on Friday the 1st of May.
As such, last week's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode teased elements of Joss Whedon's superhero crossover spectacular, while tomorrow's episode The Dirty Half Dozen is set to make the connections very overt indeed.
There are no spoilers for the film here, we'd argue, so have a look at these clips if you fancy a tease of how things are going to connect...
And here's another...
The Dirty Half Dozen airs tomorrow night (Tuesday the 28th of April) in America.
Marvel Youtube
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TV News Rob Leane Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D....
In the UK, many of us have seen Avengers: Age Of Ultron already. In the USA, though, the film comes out on Friday the 1st of May.
As such, last week's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode teased elements of Joss Whedon's superhero crossover spectacular, while tomorrow's episode The Dirty Half Dozen is set to make the connections very overt indeed.
There are no spoilers for the film here, we'd argue, so have a look at these clips if you fancy a tease of how things are going to connect...
And here's another...
The Dirty Half Dozen airs tomorrow night (Tuesday the 28th of April) in America.
Marvel Youtube
Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
TV News Rob Leane Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D....
- 4/27/2015
- by rleane
- Den of Geek
Joss Whedon admits his wish to do a Batman film, and reveals why he's unlikely to get a job directing a DC movie...
Avengers: Age Of Ultron is the second Marvel movie that Joss Whedon has directed, and it's also going to be the last one for a while. Joe and Anthony Russo are taking the helm for Avengers: Infinity War Parts One and Two, and Whedon's next directorial project is some way from being known, by the sounds of it.
But could it be a DC project? Whedon at one stage was developing a Wonder Woman movie of course, So would he still fancy a go at a DC movie project? "Sure, I'd be like, 'I have all these joke ideas'. And they'd be like 'no, we don't do that here'", he joked to IGN.
"I desperately wanted to do a Batman film – who doesn’t? And I wanted to do Wonder Woman.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron is the second Marvel movie that Joss Whedon has directed, and it's also going to be the last one for a while. Joe and Anthony Russo are taking the helm for Avengers: Infinity War Parts One and Two, and Whedon's next directorial project is some way from being known, by the sounds of it.
But could it be a DC project? Whedon at one stage was developing a Wonder Woman movie of course, So would he still fancy a go at a DC movie project? "Sure, I'd be like, 'I have all these joke ideas'. And they'd be like 'no, we don't do that here'", he joked to IGN.
"I desperately wanted to do a Batman film – who doesn’t? And I wanted to do Wonder Woman.
- 4/27/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Spoilers: we've gone through Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age Of Ultron and tried to answer the many questions it raises....
This article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Age Of Ultron
If Avengers: Age of Ultron is anything, it's dense. It has to spin out of films, spin films out of itself, and tell its own story with a cast of seven heroes and three villains. There's a lot going on, and not everyone will have caught all of it. If you've seen Avengers: Age of Ultron and find yourself confused about any part of it, we've tried to answer the questions you might have about it. Be careful if you haven't seen the film, though – spoilers obviously abound!
1. What's Wakanda?
Visited by Ultron and later the Avengers, Wakanda is a fictional African state which is also the home (and kingdom of) of the Black Panther. Located in northeast Africa, it...
This article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Age Of Ultron
If Avengers: Age of Ultron is anything, it's dense. It has to spin out of films, spin films out of itself, and tell its own story with a cast of seven heroes and three villains. There's a lot going on, and not everyone will have caught all of it. If you've seen Avengers: Age of Ultron and find yourself confused about any part of it, we've tried to answer the questions you might have about it. Be careful if you haven't seen the film, though – spoilers obviously abound!
1. What's Wakanda?
Visited by Ultron and later the Avengers, Wakanda is a fictional African state which is also the home (and kingdom of) of the Black Panther. Located in northeast Africa, it...
- 4/23/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Joss Whedon chats to us about Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Jason Statham, what he's up to next, and more...
Joss Whedon: assembler of Avengers, slayer of vampires, houser of dolls, vlogger of Doctor Horrible, and now, um, ageist of Ultron. To be fair, Joss Whedon is geek royalty, and needs no introduction. So hopefully, he won’t mind that we gave him such a naff one.
We got to chat with the man himself at the Avengers: Age Of Ultron press event, and here’s what happened...
From what we’ve heard about this one, it sounds like you had to trim down a lot in the editing room. Was there any particular favourite scene you wish you could have saved?
Well, there was more shirtless Thor. The DVD extras are going to be enormously popular. But no, for me, it’s really a couple of little exchanges that...
Joss Whedon: assembler of Avengers, slayer of vampires, houser of dolls, vlogger of Doctor Horrible, and now, um, ageist of Ultron. To be fair, Joss Whedon is geek royalty, and needs no introduction. So hopefully, he won’t mind that we gave him such a naff one.
We got to chat with the man himself at the Avengers: Age Of Ultron press event, and here’s what happened...
From what we’ve heard about this one, it sounds like you had to trim down a lot in the editing room. Was there any particular favourite scene you wish you could have saved?
Well, there was more shirtless Thor. The DVD extras are going to be enormously popular. But no, for me, it’s really a couple of little exchanges that...
- 4/22/2015
- by rleane
- Den of Geek
We’ve reviewed every summer movie season since 1980 to find out which are the best, and which are the worst. Last week we posted our picks for the worst, and here we post our picks for the best.
2015 and 2016 may just be the most overthetop summer movie seasons yet. It seems like nearly every movie slated for a summer 2015 or 2016 release is heavily anticipated. Because of these impending summers of movie awesomeness, we’ve decided to take a look back at summer movie seasons of years past. The idea of the summer movie season is currently in full swing, but it didn’t catch on immediately. Hollywood had to do its fair share of experimenting to determine what types of films would be most successful. As a result, some summer movie seasons have been better than others. We’ve reviewed them all for you and ranked them from worst to best.
2015 and 2016 may just be the most overthetop summer movie seasons yet. It seems like nearly every movie slated for a summer 2015 or 2016 release is heavily anticipated. Because of these impending summers of movie awesomeness, we’ve decided to take a look back at summer movie seasons of years past. The idea of the summer movie season is currently in full swing, but it didn’t catch on immediately. Hollywood had to do its fair share of experimenting to determine what types of films would be most successful. As a result, some summer movie seasons have been better than others. We’ve reviewed them all for you and ranked them from worst to best.
- 9/15/2014
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 6 Feb 2014 - 06:08
Our series of lists devoted to underappreciated films brings us to the year 2007, and another 25 overlooked gems...
For some reason, the number three was a common factor in several blockbuster movies of 2007. The third film in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series (At World's End) dominated the box office, Spider-Man 3 marked Sam Raimi's last entry as director in the series, while Mike Myers went for a hat trick of hits with Shrek The Third.
I Am Legend was the third and most financially successful attempt to bring Richard Matheson's classic novel to the big screen, Rush Hour 3 marked Jackie Chan's last action pairing with Chris Tucker, while Zack Snyder's musky sword-swinger 300 was notable for having the number three in the title.
Iffy attempts at numerology aside, 2007 was also a superb for year for movies in general - particularly underappreciated ones,...
Our series of lists devoted to underappreciated films brings us to the year 2007, and another 25 overlooked gems...
For some reason, the number three was a common factor in several blockbuster movies of 2007. The third film in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series (At World's End) dominated the box office, Spider-Man 3 marked Sam Raimi's last entry as director in the series, while Mike Myers went for a hat trick of hits with Shrek The Third.
I Am Legend was the third and most financially successful attempt to bring Richard Matheson's classic novel to the big screen, Rush Hour 3 marked Jackie Chan's last action pairing with Chris Tucker, while Zack Snyder's musky sword-swinger 300 was notable for having the number three in the title.
Iffy attempts at numerology aside, 2007 was also a superb for year for movies in general - particularly underappreciated ones,...
- 2/4/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 28 Nov 2013 - 06:04
Our series of lists devoted to underappreciated films brings us to the year 2000, and another 25 overlooked gems...
The new millennium brought with it an eclectic range of hit films. Hong Kong action director John Woo brought us Mission: Impossible II, the most profitable film of the year at the box office. Ridley Scott enjoyed one of the biggest critical and financial successes of his career with Gladiator, while Robert Zemeckis created a memorable drama with Tom Hanks and a ball named Wilson in Cast Away.
From a comic book movie standpoint, 2000 was also a key year. X-Men not only established a successful film franchise which is still going, with X-Men: Days Of Future Past out next year, but also headed up a wave of big-budget Marvel adaptations which shows no sign of slowing down.
As ever, we've travelled far outside the...
Our series of lists devoted to underappreciated films brings us to the year 2000, and another 25 overlooked gems...
The new millennium brought with it an eclectic range of hit films. Hong Kong action director John Woo brought us Mission: Impossible II, the most profitable film of the year at the box office. Ridley Scott enjoyed one of the biggest critical and financial successes of his career with Gladiator, while Robert Zemeckis created a memorable drama with Tom Hanks and a ball named Wilson in Cast Away.
From a comic book movie standpoint, 2000 was also a key year. X-Men not only established a successful film franchise which is still going, with X-Men: Days Of Future Past out next year, but also headed up a wave of big-budget Marvel adaptations which shows no sign of slowing down.
As ever, we've travelled far outside the...
- 11/27/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Chris Meledandri felt terrible after losing $100 million making 2000's underperforming sci-fi animated title Titan A.E. "That failure was the price of admission for the rest of my career," admits the founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind one of the year’s biggest successes, Despicable Me 2, which is poised to clear $900 million worldwide. "Looking back, I don’t know if it was a blessing or a curse that I didn’t get fired," he said, speaking Saturday at the Visual Effects Society's annual summit at the W Hollywood. "It was very painful and very lonely. [Colleagues]
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read more...
- 10/26/2013
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"I don't know what my calling is, but I want to be here for a bigger reason. I strive to be like the greatest people who have ever lived." –Will Smith
Greetings from the apocalypse! It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock n' roll, but if you're Will Smith's kid it ain't that long. The thoroughly Thetan-free father-son gods among us will be exemplars of human perfection on screen this weekend, but that doesn't mean you have to give them your money. There's plenty to see, do, touch, taste, smell, snort and vomit with the fully stocked weekend of entertainment I have lined up for ya, kiddos.
Friday, May 31
Pow! In Theaters
M. Night Shyamalan hasn't exactly been an audience's best friend for the last, oh, decade or so, which is why the studio wasn't generous in name-dropping him as director of "After Earth." Indeed,...
Greetings from the apocalypse! It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock n' roll, but if you're Will Smith's kid it ain't that long. The thoroughly Thetan-free father-son gods among us will be exemplars of human perfection on screen this weekend, but that doesn't mean you have to give them your money. There's plenty to see, do, touch, taste, smell, snort and vomit with the fully stocked weekend of entertainment I have lined up for ya, kiddos.
Friday, May 31
Pow! In Theaters
M. Night Shyamalan hasn't exactly been an audience's best friend for the last, oh, decade or so, which is why the studio wasn't generous in name-dropping him as director of "After Earth." Indeed,...
- 5/31/2013
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
To be fair, Guillermo del Toro actually has more than one animated project in the works as we speak - from what I understand, every Tuesday he goes to Dreamworks Animation and consults with them on their projects, and has his own original pieces in the works as well. But Book Of Life is something different, something separate, that he's working on in conjunction with Fox Animation Studios (The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Titan A.E., Anastasia). Originally titled Day Of The Dead...
- 12/13/2012
- by Alejandro Stepenberg
- JoBlo.com
Lionsgate is apparently in final negotiations to pick up R.J. Palacio's best seller Wonder with John August adapting for the bigscreen. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing via Mandeville Films, reports Variety. Wonder tells of Auggie, ten-year-old boy with a facial deformity that prevented him from attending a mainstream school. Now, starting fifth grade at a new school, he battles to convince schoolmates that he's like them, despite his appearance. The story explores bullying and is told from various points of view. Lionsgate had no comment as the deal hasn't closed as yet. August has previously written screenplays for films like Titan A.E., Charlie's Angels, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Johnny Depp starrer Dark Shadows as well as the recent Tim Burton animation Frankenweenie.
- 11/27/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Lionsgate is apparently in final negotiations to pick up R.J. Palacio's best seller Wonder with John August adapting for the bigscreen. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing via Mandeville Films, reports Variety. Wonder tells of Auggie, ten-year-old boy with a facial deformity that prevented him from attending a mainstream school. Now, starting fifth grade at a new school, he battles to convince schoolmates that he's like them, despite his appearance. The story explores bullying and is told from various points of view. Lionsgate had no comment as the deal hasn't closed as yet. August has previously written screenplays for films like Titan A.E., Charlie's Angels, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Johnny Depp starrer Dark Shadows as well as the recent Tim Burton animation Frankenweenie.
- 11/27/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Maybe that sequel will happen after all. Very clever, Universal. First, you announce that "Snow White and the Huntsman" is tracking a bit weak, possibly in the low 30s. Then, there's a "leak" that you've backtracked on a sequel since getting David Koepp to pen a follow-up. And now, with reports that 'Huntsman' may have actually connected with the young males they were trying to entice, registering a $55 million opening, there's great rejoicing for the film, particularly in the wake of the absolutely pathetic "Battleship" returns.
There are a couple of narratives here, most of them involving Universal dodging a major bullet. One, obviously, is a victory over the opposing Snow White film, with "Mirror Mirror" only collecting $63 million domestic, a number 'Huntsman' should reach by midweek. Another is a big debut for a film with three relatively untested leads, all of whom see their profiles raised considerably. Following "Thor" and "The Avengers,...
There are a couple of narratives here, most of them involving Universal dodging a major bullet. One, obviously, is a victory over the opposing Snow White film, with "Mirror Mirror" only collecting $63 million domestic, a number 'Huntsman' should reach by midweek. Another is a big debut for a film with three relatively untested leads, all of whom see their profiles raised considerably. Following "Thor" and "The Avengers,...
- 6/3/2012
- by Gabe Toro
- The Playlist
Fox Animation has had a bit of a bumpy ride, with neither of the animated movies it made in its first go around (Anastasia, Titan A.E.) doing particularly good business. After being closed down in the summer of 2000, the success of Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs inspired Fox to let the studio have another go and under the sort-of-new name 20th Century Fox Animation. Fantastic Mr. Fox then proved to be a genuine hit for the studio, both critically and commercially, and as part of its...
- 5/1/2012
- by Alejandro Stepenberg
- JoBlo.com
Even if you haven't heard of Joss Whedon, you've likely heard of his work. The same man behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly" also wrote the screenplays for "Toy Story," "Titan A.E.," "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" and "Alien: Resurrection," wrote, directed and funded "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" out of his own pocket, co-wrote the darkly hilarious movie "The Cabin in the Woods" and did a run on the comic book series "Astonishing X-Men."
Because of his previous work, Whedon was uniquely qualified to write and direct "Marvel's The Avengers." Even though Marvel really wanted him at the helm of their ambitious project, it took some convincing to get him to accept. Apparently Whedon wasn’t too impressed with the initial script that "X-Men: The Last Stand" writer, Zak Penn, showed him.
"They showed me a script and I said, ‘I don't see a movie here,'" Whedon told The...
Because of his previous work, Whedon was uniquely qualified to write and direct "Marvel's The Avengers." Even though Marvel really wanted him at the helm of their ambitious project, it took some convincing to get him to accept. Apparently Whedon wasn’t too impressed with the initial script that "X-Men: The Last Stand" writer, Zak Penn, showed him.
"They showed me a script and I said, ‘I don't see a movie here,'" Whedon told The...
- 4/27/2012
- by Terri Schwartz
- MTV Splash Page
Joss Whedon is about to have a very good week. The writer/director/producer has, until recently, been best known for his work on television: he turned his poorly-received screenwriting debut "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" into one of the most beloved cult series of all times (which itself got a long-running spin-off, "Angel"), and followed it up with the short-lived but passionately followed sci-fi Western "Firefly," a show that lasted a single season, but managed to get its own cinematic sequel, "Serenity," which marked Whedon's big-screen directorial debut.
Until now, "Serenity" has been the director's best-known entry into the movies, but that's all about to change. He wrote and produced the inspired, raucous horror flick "The Cabin In The Woods," which hits theaters on Friday, and tonight sees the world premiere of "The Avengers," the Marvel superhero team-up movie that is one of the most keenly anticipated films of the year,...
Until now, "Serenity" has been the director's best-known entry into the movies, but that's all about to change. He wrote and produced the inspired, raucous horror flick "The Cabin In The Woods," which hits theaters on Friday, and tonight sees the world premiere of "The Avengers," the Marvel superhero team-up movie that is one of the most keenly anticipated films of the year,...
- 4/11/2012
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently streaming on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to Safe House, The Vow, & Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D.
Facing off against the Galactic Empire in theaters this weekend are two ill-matched secret agents and a pair of lovers more beautiful than lucky. But if this isn’t enough to satisfying your thirst for action, adventure and romance, you’re in luck as we’ve got some choice titles that are Now Streaming.
Ryan Reynolds is a desk-bound secret agent thrown into the fray when a disgraced ex-operative (Denzel Washington) barges into his safe house, throwing his whole world into free-for-all. Vera Farmiga co-stars.
Craving crime thrillers?
Blitz (2011) Jason Stratham stars as a furious cop who channels his overdrive aggression into tracking down a grisly serial killer.
Facing off against the Galactic Empire in theaters this weekend are two ill-matched secret agents and a pair of lovers more beautiful than lucky. But if this isn’t enough to satisfying your thirst for action, adventure and romance, you’re in luck as we’ve got some choice titles that are Now Streaming.
Ryan Reynolds is a desk-bound secret agent thrown into the fray when a disgraced ex-operative (Denzel Washington) barges into his safe house, throwing his whole world into free-for-all. Vera Farmiga co-stars.
Craving crime thrillers?
Blitz (2011) Jason Stratham stars as a furious cop who channels his overdrive aggression into tracking down a grisly serial killer.
- 2/9/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Filed under: Movie News
Zoe Kravitz, from one famous father to another? Apparently! Lenny's daughter is in talks to join Will and Jaden Smith in the M. Night Shyamalan blockbusters '1000 A.E.' -- which, as far as Moviefone HQ knows, has nothing to do with 'Titan A.E.' THR reports Kravitz and Sophie Okonedo are negotiating to play members of the Smith's onscreen family: Kravitz as Will's daughter, Sophie as his wife.
Continue Reading...
Zoe Kravitz, from one famous father to another? Apparently! Lenny's daughter is in talks to join Will and Jaden Smith in the M. Night Shyamalan blockbusters '1000 A.E.' -- which, as far as Moviefone HQ knows, has nothing to do with 'Titan A.E.' THR reports Kravitz and Sophie Okonedo are negotiating to play members of the Smith's onscreen family: Kravitz as Will's daughter, Sophie as his wife.
Continue Reading...
- 12/6/2011
- by Christopher Rosen
- Moviefone
Zoe Kravitz: From Mutant to Post-Apocalyptic Space Explorer.
The "X-Men: First Class" beauty is looking to expand her horizons as she's in talks to join M. Night Shyamalan's new sci-fi adventure, "After Earth," according to Heat Vision.
"After Earth" (previously titled "One Thousand A.E.," but it's probably not a good idea to have a title that reminds anyone of "Titan A.E."), follows the plight of a father and son (Will Smith and his real-life offspring, Jaden Smith) after they crash-land on planet Earth over one thousand years after it's been deemed inhospitable.
Kravitz would be playing the role of the elder Smith's daughter/the younger Smith's sister, with "Doctor Who" star Sophie Okenado also in talks to play the wife/mom.
Zoe Kravitz most recently appeared as winged stripper Angel Salvadore in "X-Men: First Class" and has a recurring role on Showtime's "Californication." She's set to begin filming the...
The "X-Men: First Class" beauty is looking to expand her horizons as she's in talks to join M. Night Shyamalan's new sci-fi adventure, "After Earth," according to Heat Vision.
"After Earth" (previously titled "One Thousand A.E.," but it's probably not a good idea to have a title that reminds anyone of "Titan A.E."), follows the plight of a father and son (Will Smith and his real-life offspring, Jaden Smith) after they crash-land on planet Earth over one thousand years after it's been deemed inhospitable.
Kravitz would be playing the role of the elder Smith's daughter/the younger Smith's sister, with "Doctor Who" star Sophie Okenado also in talks to play the wife/mom.
Zoe Kravitz most recently appeared as winged stripper Angel Salvadore in "X-Men: First Class" and has a recurring role on Showtime's "Californication." She's set to begin filming the...
- 12/6/2011
- by Bryan Enk
- NextMovie
The Fine Brothers have released a new episode of their entertaining "Spoiler" series. This time they bring us 50 Animated Movie Spoilers in 3 Minutes. Check out the video below and tell us what you think! Just a reminder they do these videos in only one take, which is pretty impressive.
Movies Spoiled in this episode:
Toy Story, Toy Story 2, a bug's life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Cars 2, Ratatouille, Wall-e, The Hobbit, Fluppy Dogs, The Flight of Dragoms, GI Joe: The Movie, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, The Land Before Time, The Care Bears Movie, The Care Bears Movie II, Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Rango, Rock A Doodle, All Dogs Go to Heaven, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, An American Tail, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Anastasia, Thumbelina, The Pebble and the Penguin, Titan A.E., Gnomeo & Juliet, Rio,...
Movies Spoiled in this episode:
Toy Story, Toy Story 2, a bug's life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Cars 2, Ratatouille, Wall-e, The Hobbit, Fluppy Dogs, The Flight of Dragoms, GI Joe: The Movie, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, The Land Before Time, The Care Bears Movie, The Care Bears Movie II, Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Rango, Rock A Doodle, All Dogs Go to Heaven, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, An American Tail, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Anastasia, Thumbelina, The Pebble and the Penguin, Titan A.E., Gnomeo & Juliet, Rio,...
- 9/15/2011
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
[1] The endearingly geeky, impressively fast-talking Fine Brothers are at it again. The same guys who managed to sum up nearly five decades of Doctor Who [2] in six minutes and every single Best Picture winner through 2009 [3] in five minutes have now released "50 Animated Spoilers in 3 Minutes." (Spoiler alert: They actually make it in two minutes and thirty seconds. But I guess "50 Animated Spoilers in 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds" just doesn't have the same ring to it.) The Fines don't discriminate when it comes to ruining endings -- the video touches upon everything from enduring childhood classics like An American Tail and adult-oriented favorites like South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut to long-forgotten endeavors like Fluppy Dogs. Watch the video after the jump. If you're wondering why no Disney classics were included in "50 Animated Spoilers," it's because the Fine Brothers have already put out a whole other video containing "50 Disney Spoilers in 3 Minutes.
- 9/14/2011
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
KidsPickFlicks founder and CEO Cole the Kid Critic turns 17 today. With eight years of experience delivering film criticism and analysis from a kid's perspective, Cole identifies three overlooked or forgotten movies that you've just gotta see.
Titan A.E. (2000)
"Titan A.E., a futuristic story about humans involved in deep-space travel A.E. ("after earth, was a favorite of mine growing up. This, today, is still the most beautiful film I've ever seen. It was made at the height of 2D animation; it's also why I believe 2D animation is superior to 3D. Titan A.E. wasn't successful at the box office but it's found a following over the years.
How to Murder Your Wife (1965)
"You probably haven't heard of this and its title sounds a little off-putting but trust me, it's funny. That's not something you can say about most half-century old comedies. It's about a guy who impulsively marries a beautiful Italian woman he just met,...
Titan A.E. (2000)
"Titan A.E., a futuristic story about humans involved in deep-space travel A.E. ("after earth, was a favorite of mine growing up. This, today, is still the most beautiful film I've ever seen. It was made at the height of 2D animation; it's also why I believe 2D animation is superior to 3D. Titan A.E. wasn't successful at the box office but it's found a following over the years.
How to Murder Your Wife (1965)
"You probably haven't heard of this and its title sounds a little off-putting but trust me, it's funny. That's not something you can say about most half-century old comedies. It's about a guy who impulsively marries a beautiful Italian woman he just met,...
- 9/6/2011
- by tara@kidspickflicks.com (Tara the Mom)
- kidspickflicks
This morning I read all 3,040 words of "Angel by the Numbers" an essay by Dan Kerns, who started on Joss Whedon's vampire series Angel as Best Boy and worked his way up to Gaffer. I discovered the article through Whedonesque and I heartily recommend it. During the reading I consumed ½ a cup of coffee (I've successfully narrowed down my daily consumption to 2 cups!), ignored the urge to pee twice, and thought of 4 other television shows: my beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which sits comfortable at #1 of my all time favorite tv shows), one-of-a-kind Firefly, fascinating but uneven Dollhouse, and the non-Whedon series Dexter because "Darla" (Julie Benz) was mentioned and I just watched the first three episodes of Season 5 and it's just not the same without her... (and maybe it's the kind of repetitive series that should've wrapped with Season 4?)
Buffy, Angel and Faith.
Before I move on to work on 4 pending articles,...
Buffy, Angel and Faith.
Before I move on to work on 4 pending articles,...
- 8/26/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Rapper was also hit with felony possession of an assault weapon charge, following alleged altercation in June.
By Gil Kaufman
Tone Loc
Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images
"Wild Thing" rapper Tone Loc was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday, where the 45-year-old Mc (born Anthony Smith) pleaded not guilty to felony possession of an assault weapon and domestic violence charges.
Loc was arrested last month for suspicion of felony domestic violence following an alleged altercation with the mother of one of his children.
According to TMZ, police found an unregistered military-grade assault rifle, a semi-automatic Colt Ar-15 Sporter, during their investigation into the incident on June 18. He is slated to return to court in the case on July 28.
Last December, Loc was arrested for DUI, but his manager told TMZ that his client does not drink and it was a seizure that caused him to drive erratically.
Best known...
By Gil Kaufman
Tone Loc
Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images
"Wild Thing" rapper Tone Loc was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday, where the 45-year-old Mc (born Anthony Smith) pleaded not guilty to felony possession of an assault weapon and domestic violence charges.
Loc was arrested last month for suspicion of felony domestic violence following an alleged altercation with the mother of one of his children.
According to TMZ, police found an unregistered military-grade assault rifle, a semi-automatic Colt Ar-15 Sporter, during their investigation into the incident on June 18. He is slated to return to court in the case on July 28.
Last December, Loc was arrested for DUI, but his manager told TMZ that his client does not drink and it was a seizure that caused him to drive erratically.
Best known...
- 7/15/2011
- MTV Music News
'Funky Cold Medina' Mc released on bail after alleged altercation with a woman on Saturday.
By Gil Kaufman
Tone Loc
Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images
Rapper Tone Loc was arrested on Saturday afternoon for suspicion of felony domestic violence, following an alleged physical altercation with the mother of one of his children.
The 45-year-old Los Angeles Mc (born Anthony Terrell Smith), best known for his late 1980s rap hits "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina," was arrested around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday at an apartment complex in Burbank, California, according to TMZ.
At press time, it was reported that the sometime actor had posted the $50,000 bail and was released from jail after three hours. Police did not reveal who the alleged victim in the incident was.
Best known for his gravelly voice and laid-back attitude, Loc's two best-selling singles came from his 1989 debut, Loc-ed After Dark, which was followed...
By Gil Kaufman
Tone Loc
Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images
Rapper Tone Loc was arrested on Saturday afternoon for suspicion of felony domestic violence, following an alleged physical altercation with the mother of one of his children.
The 45-year-old Los Angeles Mc (born Anthony Terrell Smith), best known for his late 1980s rap hits "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina," was arrested around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday at an apartment complex in Burbank, California, according to TMZ.
At press time, it was reported that the sometime actor had posted the $50,000 bail and was released from jail after three hours. Police did not reveal who the alleged victim in the incident was.
Best known for his gravelly voice and laid-back attitude, Loc's two best-selling singles came from his 1989 debut, Loc-ed After Dark, which was followed...
- 6/20/2011
- MTV Music News
Stop me if you’ve heard this all before. In the world of big screen animation, there’s Pixar and there’s everybody else. There’s something special about those Toy tale telling animators from Emeryville, something that indicates up front that each of their films has the potential to be a deeply emotional experience for an audience of any age. This review is not about one of those kinds of movies, nor is it about Pixar. It’s about Blue Sky Studios and their new film Rio. But it’s important to note the difference that Pixar films have up front, because the desire to compare and contrast is unavoidable. And it’s that emotional element that could be the only differentiator between this, Blue Sky’s best effort to date, and the industry’s gold standard. In fact, not only is the emotional element the key differentiator between Rio and films like Wall-e or Up...
- 4/16/2011
- by Neil Miller
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
One of the most famous voices in hip-hop celebrates a birthday today, as Tone Loc (born Anthony Smith) turns 45 years old today. Though he hasn't released an album since 1991 (that would be Cool Hand Loc, his second and final collection), Loc remains a staple of classic hop-hop conversations thanks to "Wild Thing" (which featured an uncredited sample of the guitar riff from Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin'") and "Funky Cold Medina."
Loc grew up in Los Angeles and found a friend and collaborator in Young Mc (who co-wrote both of Loc's big hits). The popularity of "Wild Thing" was a cultural event when it hit it big in 1988 (it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100), as it was a key song that bridged the gap between rock and hip-hop. It also introduced the world to Loc's exquisite voice, which is a sweet, easy-going rasp of an instrument. But though his music lives on,...
Loc grew up in Los Angeles and found a friend and collaborator in Young Mc (who co-wrote both of Loc's big hits). The popularity of "Wild Thing" was a cultural event when it hit it big in 1988 (it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100), as it was a key song that bridged the gap between rock and hip-hop. It also introduced the world to Loc's exquisite voice, which is a sweet, easy-going rasp of an instrument. But though his music lives on,...
- 3/3/2011
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
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