MOVIES:
- The Lunchbox
- Non-Stop
- Repentance
- Son of God
- Stalingrad
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
F3PR: Dan Harkins to receive 2014 NATO Marquee Award at CinemaCon
HARKINS THEATRES’ DAN HARKINS TO RECEIVE
2014 NATO MARQUEE AWARD AT CINEMACON®
"As both a leader and innovator in the theater industry and his local community, Dan Harkins has blazed a passionate trail for others to follow. His enthusiasm and dedication to enhancing the movie-going experience for audiences across the Southwest is highly regarded throughout the motion picture theater industry", noted Neuhauser. "Dan's service to NATO and his fellow exhibitors is highly commendable and exemplary and we are thrilled to present this award to him at CinemaCon 2014."
When Harkins was 21 and a junior at Arizona State University, his father, Red Harkins, passed away leaving Dan at the helm of Harkins Theatres, now the largest privately owned circuit in the United States. Raised in a movie theatre and having worked every job from janitor to doorman to projectionist Harkins set about building on his father’s legacy. During the last few decades, he has done just that, dedicating himself to two goals: expanding the Harkins’ business and enhancing the movie-going experience. An industry trailblazer known for thinking outside the box Harkins has built a reputation as a leader and innovator, both in the theatre industry and the local community. Under his leadership, Harkins Theatres has become known for its superior guest service, innovative programming, state-of-the-art projection and sound systems, plush Ultimate Rocker® love-seats, neon lobbies, and signature gourmet concession stands all while continuing to set a new standard for charitable giving throughout their community. With over 400 screens and still growing, Harkins has guided Harkins Theatres to become a 21st century masterpiece that would make Red proud.
Harkins has served on the NATO Board since 1986 and has been a member of NATO's Executive Board since 2009. Harkins has also served as NATO's Treasurer for two terms (2006 – 2009). Harkins was a founding member and officer of the Arizona Theatre Owners Association, formed in 1978, and served as the organization's President and Secretary for several terms. Harkins Theaters is Arizona's longest running movie theater chain and the nation's largest independent exhibition company. In addition, Harkins Theatres is the nation's fifth largest circuit (measured by box office) operating upwards of 440 screens. Harkins’ involvement with NATO also includes serving on NATO’s Investment and Strategic Planning Committees. Since 1974, Harkins has received over 120 awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and recently the Show 'E' Award at the 2012 ShowEast Convention. Additionally, Harkins has the distinction of being an unprecedented three time winner of the National Showman of the Year award.
About CinemaCon
CinemaCon will attract upwards of 5,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry -- from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas -- all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.
CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its tradeshow partners. CinemaCon is also delighted to have as its official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, one of the industry’s greatest and highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies. Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.
About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 30,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 57 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.
The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
F3PR: Andy Serkis to receive CinemaCon Vanguard Award
ANDY SERKIS TO RECEIVE
“CINEMACON® VANGUARD AWARD”
20TH CENTURY FOX TO RELEASE
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES ON JULY 11, 2014
"Simply put, Andy Serkis is a genius in our magical world of the movies. When it comes to 'performance capture' he has no equal and has pioneered an art form that has changed the world of acting," noted Neuhauser. "While he may in his own way be Hollywood's best kept secret, legions of fans around the world have been captivated and mesmerized by Andy in having created such memorable characters as King Kong, Gollum and of course, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise. CinemaCon couldn't be more ecstatic than to honor him with the 'CinemaCon Vanguard Award.'"
Serkis will star in the 20th Century Fox release Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, in theaters everywhere on July 11, 2014. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is about a growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar who are threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species. The film also stars Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smith-McPhee, Enrique Murciano and Kirk Acevedo. The film is directed by Matt Reeves.
Award-winning actor Andy Serkis’ work can be seen in a range of memorable roles on the big screen, small screen and onstage. On the big screen he is best known for his performance as Gollum in the Academy Award®-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a role in which Serkis won an Empire Award for. Additional feature film work includes; King Kong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a performance that earned him a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, The Adventures of Tintin, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, The Prestige, and The Cottage. On the small screen, Serkis has appeared in the BBC miniseries Little Dorrit, which garnered him a 2009 Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor, starred as Albert Einstein in the BBC/HBO production of Einstein and Eddington, and potrayed Ian Brady in HBO’s Longford, where his performance earned him a Golden Globe and BAFTA TV Award nomination. As an accomplished stage actor, he has received acclaim for his work on the stage for his performances in Othello, Cabaret, and King Lear, to name a few. In addition, Serkis served as 2nd Unit Director on The Hobbit trilogy and helmed the award winning Heavenly Sword™ for PLAYSTATION® 3 and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West for Namco Bandai Games. In October 2012, Serkis announced the acquisition of two projects that will be produced by his London based performance capture studio, The Imaginarium: The Bone Season, and Animal Farm, which Serkis will direct. In addition, he wrote and directed a short film called Snake, starring his wife, Lorraine Ashbourne and Rupert Graves.
About CinemaCon
CinemaCon will attract upwards of 5,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry -- from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas -- all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.
CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its tradeshow partners. CinemaCon is also delighted to have as its official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, one of the industry’s greatest and highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies. Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.
About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 30,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 57 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.
The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!
Monday, February 24, 2014
Movie Music Monday: Looking ahead to The Hunchback of Notre Dame, looking back to Der Glöckner von Notre Dame
It's only taken 15 years since it was first officially brought to a live theatre--and 18 since the film hit cinemas--but Disney's most undervalued modern animated masterworks, 1996's The Hunchback of Notre Dame is finally making its belated bow on an American stage later this year, beginning Sunday, October 26, at the La Jolla Playhouse near San Diego, California. Even the most devoted of cinephiles may be baffled at my opening statement, for aside from the most ardent of Hunchback devotees, not even too many Disney fans are aware of Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, the highly acclaimed and very successful live adaptation that was produced in Germany from 1999 to 2002. The Mouse clearly had high hopes for Hunchback to become its third Broadway production following the blockbuster stage translations of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, for a theatre in Berlin was built expressly to house the production, whose book and direction was by multi-Tony-winner James Lapine, best known for his collaborations with Stephen Sondheim.
But for all the outward votes of confidence, the '99 stage incarnation of Hunchback seemed to be suffering from oddly dragging feet by the studio, most obviously in premiering way out of town--and thus mostly off the American entertainment radar--across the Atlantic. A few reasons were speculated as to exactly why. While the film was a financial success, it was not nearly as huge a one, in terms of both box office and pop culture zeitgeist, as its immediate predecessors The Lion King and even Pocahontas. But perhaps the biggest reason was, ironically, that for which the original film mostly earned its plaudits. The wide critical acclaim for Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's ultimately Oscar-nominated score and the film as a whole zeroed in on its gritty, Gothic qualities that threatened to earn the film a then-animation-kiss-of-death PG rating (which the existing film would surely receive today). Lapine, most famous for his and Sondheim's dark, revisionist fairy tale mash-up Into the Woods (ironically enough, set for a much-belated film adaptation to be released at the end of the year from Disney), amped up those qualities even more so in his adaptation, with our outcast bellringer hero Quasimodo more of a stunted, awkward type; the comic relief trio of gargoyles more explicitly figments of his lonely imagination; and, most infamously, reworked the film's sanitized (though still poignant) ending to a much grimmer one more in line with the original Victor Hugo novel. But like many tearjerking stage sensations before it, such as another little Hugo-based show by the name of Les Misérables, this didn't matter to audiences, whose world-travelling word of mouth drove the show to a three-year run, an unprecedented duration for a live production in Germany. Despite all this, no concrete plans were ever set into motion for the show to make its way back home to the States, and as the years passed, with Disney giving the stage adaptation treatment for Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, and even the notorious live action flop Newsies, it seemed like those hoping for a proper English language Hunchback production would have to content themselves with the excellent German cast recording and a number of complete video recordings of varying quality, which only confirmed how spectacular it was in terms of production value and emotional impact, not to mention the Broadway-ready grandeur and power of that Menken/Schwartz score.
The Hunchback that will be premiering in La Jolla will be a different one than that which wowed Berlin audiences. Lapine is gone both as director and librettist, with Peter Parnell writing the new book and helming duties taken over by Scott Schwartz, son of Stephen; thus, Lapine's ambitious, and technically demanding, staging featuring hydraulic cubes and image projections, is also gone. Der Glöckner already featured some new Menken/Schwartz compositions in addition to most of the film's score (the late number "Court of Miracles" was replaced for the stage), but word is that the pair have wrote even more new songs for the American premiere, so what numbers from both the film and Der Glöckner is very much in question. So bearing in mind that while Hunchback will finally see its day on the U.S. stage, and the Der Glöckner incarnation is more or less completely dead, below is a reel of mostly unsubtitled musical numbers from that terrific production, including the complete ending--whose operatic emotional wallop one hopes the new production is able to match with its finale.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is scheduled to make its U.S. premiere engagement at the La Jolla Playhouse October 26 through December 7. For more information, visit the website.
The Movie Report wants to attend and cover all your live stage productions! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!
Friday, February 21, 2014
The Movie Report #756, February 21, 2014
MOVIES:
- Gunday (Outlaws)
- In Secret
- Omar
- Pompeii
- 3 Days to Kill
The Movie Report wants to attend and cover all your film events and press junkets! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Táta Vega & Merry Clayton bring you closer than 20 Feet from Stardom
From its rapturously received premiere at 2013's Sundance Film Festival to its highly successful and unusually lengthy run in cinemas that began in summer and stretched well into the fall and winter months--all the more unusual and impressive considering it was a day-and-date video-on-demand release--Morgan Neville's rousing and poignant celebration of backup singers, 20 Feet from Stardom has been the odds-on favorite to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In the time since its anticipated nomination for Oscar indeed became a reality the morning of January 16, the awards campaign team for the Radius-TWC release have far from coasted, aggressively keeping up the momentum with various television and other media appearances for a number of its legendary--and, for a longtime, unsung (bad pun intended)--subjects. With final voting period now under way, Radius-TWC is going into the home stretch of awards season with full force, firing a dual-pronged salvo this past Monday, February 17, beginning with the early morning release a new featurette on the film, below.
But the real fun came a few hours later that night, at Herb Alpert's Vibrato Jazz Grill in the Beverly Crest/Bel Air area of Los Angeles. Director Neville himself hosted a very intimate, private meet-and-greet and mini-concert featuring two of the film's prominent subjects, Táta Vega and Merry Clayton. They only performed three songs each, but the energy and heart, to say nothing of the sheer vocal range and power, they displayed was enough to more than equal a full-length concert in a large arena. The entire program can be seen below; apologies for the less than ideal audio and camera work from my phone.
20 Feet from Stardom is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment.
(Special thanks to Costa Communications and Radius-TWC)
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
F3PR: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg to receive CinemaCon Comedy Filmmakers of the Year Award
SETH ROGEN & EVAN GOLDBERG TO RECEIVE
“CINEMACON® COMEDY FILMMAKERS OF THE YEAR AWARD”
UNIVERSAL PICTURES’ NEIGHBORS
ARRIVES IN THEATERS ON MAY 9, 2014
"As writers, producers and directors, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have teamed up to bring audiences around the world some of the most outrageously, insanely funny comedies in recent years. Just take this past summer's box-office smash This Is the End. Do I need to say more?", noted Neuhauser. “When these two team up, hilarity and box-office success ensue. CinemaCon could not be more thrilled to honor these two talented filmmakers with its 2014 Comedy Filmmakers of the Year Award."
Rogen and Goldberg team up next as producers of Universal Pictures’ Neighbors, coming to theatres on May 9, 2014. Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne lead the cast of the comedy about a young couple suffering from arrested development who are forced to live next to a fraternity house after the birth of their newborn baby. Neighbors is directed by Nick Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek) and also produced by James Weaver.
On October 10, 2014, Columbia Pictures will release their latest collaboration, The Interview. Dave Skylark (James Franco) is king of the celebrity interview and host of the hit nighttime talk show Skylark Tonight. The brain behind Dave’s empire is his producer and best friend, Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen). Unfulfilled, Aaron yearns to do meaningful work. He scores the chance of a lifetime when he secures an interview for Dave with Kim Jong-Un, the mysterious and ruthless dictator of a nuclear-armed North Korea. As Dave and Aaron prepare to leave for North Korea, they are approached by the CIA and asked to assassinate Kim. They accept the mission, becoming two of the least qualified men ever to assassinate – or interview – the most dangerous man on earth.
Growing up together in Vancouver, Canada, Rogen and Goldberg wrote their first screenplay, Superbad, at only 15. Released in the summer of 2007, to critical and commercial success, they followed it up with the release of the action-comedy Pineapple Express, which they co-wrote and executive produced.
In 2011, Rogen and Goldberg formed Point Grey Pictures (PGP) to produce edgy and smart comedy feature projects. Under this banner, they produced that year’s 50/50, as well as their directorial debut, 2013’s This Is the End. Neighbors is PGP’s latest production.
In addition, Rogen and Goldberg produced The Guilt Trip, and served as executive producers on Judd Apatow’s films Knocked Up and Funny People, and wrote and executive produced The Green Hornet. On the small screen, Goldberg and Rogen have penned an episode of The Simpsons and served as writers on Sacha Baron Cohen’s Da Ali G Show.
About CinemaCon
CinemaCon will attract upwards of 5,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry -- from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas -- all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.
CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its tradeshow partners. CinemaCon is also delighted to have as its official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, one of the industry’s greatest and highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies. Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.
About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 30,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 57 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.
The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
F3PR: America gears up for the 15th IIFA Weekend & Awards 2014 in Tampa Bay
AMERICA GEARS UP FOR THE 15th
IIFA WEEKEND & AWARDS 2014 IN TAMPA BAY
Saif Ali Khan to host the
IIFA Magic of the Movies & Technical Awards
Tata Motors IIFA Awards performers to include
Hrithik Roshan, Madhuri Dixit Nene,
Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh and others...
Actors Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Bipasha Basu and music director Pritam were on hand to announce the details of the Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend. Leading the delegation from Tampa were Mayor of Tampa Bay – Bob Buckhorn, Hillsborough County Commissioner – Al Higginbotham and Santiago Corrada, President and Chief Executive Officer of Visit Tampa Bay and the IIFA hosts from Tampa Bay, Dr. Kiran Patel and Dr. (Mrs.) Pallavi Patel.
The 15th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend in April 2014 is set to include multiple star-studded events including the IIFA Rocks (a fashion and music spectacular), the IIFA Magic of the Movies & Technical Awards, and the crown jewel Tata Motors IIFA Awards.
The Tata Motors IIFA Awards will be hosted by Shahid Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar. The first set of star performers at the Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend include Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha, Bipasha Basu, Pritam and Vir Das among others. The performances would be choreographed by the internationally-renowned Shiamak Davar. More stars would be announced in the next few weeks.
The sale of tickets for the Tata Motors IIFA Awards has been brisk with more than 15000 tickets being already sold without any announcement of performing stars. The response from the audience is phenomenal and the Indian contingent is looking forward to the first-ever IIFA Celebrations in America.
Business events include the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum which focuses on business opportunities across the two geographies, the Global Leadership Honours and a Media and Entertainment Strategy Summit led by Ernst & Young and FICCI’s Entertainment division.
The FICCI IIFA Global Business Forum will take place over two days (24th & 25th April) at the Tampa Convention Center. Hosted by the University of South Florida College of Business, the business forum will be addressed by several leading visionaries and business leaders including Indian IT visionary, founder and Executive Chairman of Infosys, Mr. Narayan Murthy and FICCI President Siddharth Birla. The business forum’s verticals will focus on renewable energy, pharma, healthcare & life sciences, tourism, IT and cyber security, infrastructure, education and higher education.
For the first time this year, the IIFA EXPO comprising a B2C showcase of businesses from India and US would be on view. The focus areas are property, wellness and tranquility, jewelry, banking, tourism, bridal wear, clothing, handicrafts and artifacts.
Additional unique events include an IIFA Masterclass with an international actor and IIFA Stomp which is a celebration by the Tampa Bay community to welcome IIFA on April 23rd - a unique celebration of Indian music, dance and cuisine in the Curtis Hixon Waterfont Park in Tampa. This open for general public event, will feature popular DJs led by Ravi Drums and Akbar Sami.
Long time friend & supporter of IIFA, International Actor, Anil Kapoor said “There is nothing as unique as Bollywood, and Tampa is in for a treat this year! The IIFAs are a great platform for us to showcase our work to the world. This April, IIFA will bring the magic of Indian Cinema to America.”
Speaking on her years in the US, Madhuri Dixit Nene said, “Very few know that I lived in Florida for a while. I have been to Tampa Bay and I can tell you honestly it is a beautiful city and the people there are warm and welcoming. Thank you for hosting us. We are gonna rock.”
Saif Ali Khan commented saying, “It’s always amazing to give our Indian and international audience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness one of the finest celebrations of Indian culture and cinema. IIFA is really going to rock this year!”
Mr. Ranjit Yadav, President, Passenger Vehicles, Tata Motors said, “After an exciting debut last year, Tata Motors is again joining hands with IIFA to delight their global audiences. With our newly showcased, next-generation cars – the Zest and the Bolt, at the recent Auto Expo 2014, we also have some new emerging superstars to add to the excitement. Engineered for global markets, through global teams across India, UK and Korea, these cars will set new standards in their respective segments just like the IIFA Awards. These cars are a true representation of our Horizonext philosophy, with best-in-class offerings and will showcase the Next in Design, Performance and Infotainment. We will bring many more such exciting best-in-class offerings and we hope to receive your support in our journey, in the Future”.
Kareena Kapoor Khan said, “There is a great pride when representing your country and the Indian film industry, and IIFA makes that possible for all us. I am excited to reach out to our fans and Indian Cinema aficionados in the USA and across the world. I’m sure IIFA 2014 is going to be a phenomenal success as it ventures into USA.”
Mr. Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft International & IIFA said, “In our 15th year, IIFA continues to build bridges through cinema across communities throughout the world. We are determined to bring the magic and magnitude of Indian culture as Tampa Bay is set to witness the spectacle that is Indian cinema, when IIFA comes to the US, this April.”
Bipasha Basu said, “Over the years, I have been privileged to have been a part of and performed at several IIFAs and have watched them grow from strength to strength. It is commendable that IIFA continues to be a magnificent celebration of Indian Cinema and IIFA’s efforts to promote Indian Cinema on a global scale are really praiseworthy. As an ambassador of Cinema, I whole-heartedly support this noble endeavor and will continue to do so. It would be fun to be in North America this year, because with a huge number of Bollywood fans in the country, it will only be a remarkable celebration.”
At the onset of IIFA 2014, Videocon announced the launch of Videocon 4K 4 IIFA Facebook contest where the users can participate, play and win a chance to experience IIFA in Tampa Bay, US. Mr. Anirudh Dhoot – Director, Videocon Group stated, “In our 6th year of successful association, Videocon d2h along with IIFA, shares a similar outlook of promoting excellence in entertainment. The focus of both IIFA and Videocon d2h is adding variety and value in its entertainment quotient. Videocon d2h which is now Asia’s Most Promising DTH brand strives to provide the best viewing experience in Asli HD through its DTH services and now reaches more than 10 million homes. We provide a very good platform for IIFA as well to reach out to this discerning audience.”
Gaurav Banerjee, General Manager, Star Plus said, “We are proud to partner Wizcraft for over the last ten years in the biggest celebration of Indian Cinema with the IIFA weekend. This year with Tampa Bay as the host, a fantastic line up of talent and support from the industry, we promise to create a blockbuster evening reaching IIFA to millions of households worldwide through Star Plus.”
Having travelled to some phenomenal destinations across the globe over the last 15 years, IIFA has graced the shores of the UK, Europe, Middle East, South East Asia, South Africa, Sri Lanka Amsterdam and Canada. Fans and enthusiasts of Indian Cinema from around the world can expect to see their favorite stars descend into Tampa, Florida during the weekend and witness Indian Cinema’s most glorious event unfold for the first time in America. With world-class infrastructure and facilities and having hosted a myriad of international concerts, events and the Super Bowl four times, Tampa Bay is the ideal choice for the 15th IIFA celebrations.
The Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend is presented by Videocon D2H and the Tata Motors IIFA Awards is presented by Tata Motors. The IIFA Weekend &Awards will be broadcast globally on Star Plus, for the 10th year running.
About IIFA (International Indian Film Academy)
Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy. Also, the IIFA Awards is India’s biggest media event. With a viewership of almost 800 million, it is among the world’s most-watched annual entertainment events. From a one night celebration in 2000 at the Millennium Dome, London, the last thirteen years have seen the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) movement grow into a cine-packed weekend of film-festivals, workshops, exhibitions, film-showcases, global business forums and sporting events, all of which climax into the highlight of the Weekend, the IIFA Awards. www.iifa.com
Friday, February 14, 2014
The Movie Report #755, February 14, 2014
MOVIES:
- About Last Night
- Endless Love
- Hasee Toh Phasee (She Smiles, She's Snared)
- RoboCop
- Winter's Tale
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Gavin Hood, Moises Arias & crew share the Ender's Game experience
While the film as a whole was met with mixed reaction from critics and audiences during during its theatrical release this past November, one aspect of Gavin Hood's screen adaptation of the celebrated science fiction novel Ender's Game much-deserved universal praise for the highly impressive technical work done to bring Orson Scott Card's futuristic outer space vision to life. As it turns out, the digital and physical work and imagination was even more extensive and intensive than one could plainly see in the finished product--as revealed in a special behind-the-scenes experience held by Lionsgate at Digital Domain's Los Angeles studios and offices on Tuesday, January 28.
Before any visual effects could be created, the actual settings in which they take place needed to built from the ground up--or, in this film's particular case, "computer-up," as production designer Ben Procter illustrated with a walk-through of the design development of the film's most stunning and heavily-used setting, the outer space, zero gravity battle room where the film's young military cadets engage in many an exciting combat training sequence. Once Hood and Procter decided on the room's striking spherical design, much work was still yet to come, with as much if not more time going into the fine detailing of entryways, doors, windows, surfaces, and the "stars" that the cadets would hide behind and hold onto during the war games.
While practical sets--or, rather, portions of practical sets, considering the size of the locations--were indeed built in studio facilities, many of Procter's designed remained in the virtual soundstage to be taken to the next level by pre-viz supervisor Scott Meadows and visual effects supervisor Matt Butler. On first, uninformed view of the film, one can easily see how extensive digital effects made the zero-gravity battle room sequences such a standout, with the bodies moving with almost balletic, yet entirely physically plausible, grace. But just how extensive the effects work was came as a bit of a revelation. While the actors indeed shot the sequences in full costume while suspended by wires and various other rigs on green screen soundstages to simulate the physical context, most of the footage was not used in the finished product, and most certainly not any motion/performance capture. So finicky were Hood, Meadows, and Butler on capturing the true physics of objects in a zero gravity environment that the only visuals from this footage used were the actors' faces, with their entire bodies being digitally created along with the sets in order to show a more accurate depiction of how objects move in a completely gravity-free environment--which makes the work they did even more astounding. A look inside the digital design of the film's worlds is offered in this behind-the-scenes featurette included on Lionsgate Home Entertainment's DVD and Blu-ray of the film:
The "experience" portion of the day came next, with live demonstrations taking place in Digital Domain's studio space. While performance capture was not used for those battle room sequences, the technique was used for the "mind game" scenes in the film, and Hood presided over a live demonstration of how the "virtual camera" not only captures an actor's movements and facial expressions while rendering an incomplete but still fairly detailed live rendering of the digital character in its also-created environment. The day was rounded out by stunt coordinator Kurt Lott and the film's co-star Moises Arias (as bullying cadet Bonzo) demonstrating one of the physical implements used during the shooting of those zero gravity sequences, the so-called "lollipop" rig.
Ender's Game is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
(special thanks to mPRm and Lionsgate)
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