Sucker Punch has a whole lotta everything going on, and I do mean everything. To its credit, the gritty and gorgeous CG mess in front of your eyes should make everyone in the theater smile, even if they don’t really know why or what’s going on. This film has it all and Snyder’s style is there in spades. But it does lack a depth that made his previous film Watchmen so compelling. Granted Zack Snyder didn’t write the Watchmen graphic novel so the level of expectation can’t be that comparable in terms of story. But Sucker Punch tells a tale as odd/mixed as a child taking out his toys and playing with…
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"Miyazaki Madness" Championship Round [POLLS CLOSED]
Well Ghibli fans, it all comes down to this!! The last three weeks have seen some heartbreaking losses as the polls have yielded some surprising upsets. But more importantly we have a finals round that really gives a great cross section of diversity of the films from Studio Ghibli. I asked for a tournament to give us “The Greatest Miyazaki/Takahata/Ghibli Film” and I think we’re gonna get it. So funny that the two films vying for the title are one of Ghibli’s most fantastic and fun films pitted against one of their most realistic and emotional films. There’s really not a true loser in the entire tournament. Further, this was all done to celebtrate…
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Sweet Trailer…’Captain America: The First Avenger’
It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here! Well gang, if you liked the Super Bowl spot for Captain America: The First Avenger and all the sweet images that have been coming down the pike, today you’re in for a treat. This is the OFFICIAL trailer to the film and I have to say that this, looks, GOOOOD! No more words, just enjoy! Maybe it’s just me but I think this has WIN all over it. This is Joe Johnston’s second film focusing on WWII and 1930’s America since he hit a home run with his last comic book adaptation The Rocketeer. Also, this kind of reminds me of how successful…
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Off the Shelf…'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'
In Hayao Miyazaki‘s 1984 epic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind we find our titular heroine on a quest to save what’s left of a post-apocalyptic world from being destroyed as it was hundreds of years earlier. A true product of the 80’s (see: The Dark Crystal, Dune, Conan, etc) Nausicaä carves a nice place in the fantasy genre, but more importantly it is a bit of an anomaly in the Ghibli resume. Not only will you find giant monsters, bizarre plants and animals, prophecies and a host of fantastic elements but even Nausicaä herself is the type of character seldom seen in Ghibli films. You could argue that Nausicaä…
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"Miyazaki Madness" Third Round – The Final Four! [POLLS CLOSED]
Well friends, the second round of “Miyazaki Madness” has closed and we now have only 4 challengers left. In the Elite 8 round we had to say goodbye to fan favorite Princess Mononoke, the short but sweet The Cat Returns, the criminally overlooked Whisper of the Heart and one of my newfound favorites Castle in the Sky. Tis a sad day but you can’t have a tournament without breaking some eggs, err hearts, right? So with that we enter the semi-final round of the the tournament. That leaves us with the Final Four slugging it out in search of the title of Greatest Miyazaki/Takahata/Studio Ghibli film. Can’t say as I could have forseen this…
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Anomalous Material Presents: Desert Island CD Blog-A-Thon
Last year, Andy of Fandango Groovers spearheaded the amazingly sucessful and infectious Desert Island DVD blog event. This year Castor from the bodacious Anomalous Material has decided to one up our fellow Brit with an event of equal magnitude. What’s that you ask? Well this time around, our desert island get away will be void of a DVD/BD player and widescreen TV. Instead, those creature comforts will be replaced with a comfy chair, super noise reducing headphones and 12 music tracks of our choosing but the catch is that they all be from movies. Man, selecting these songs is actually the tougher question. Sure I could answer what movies I’d watch…
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Ohhh, Look…'Cars 2' Vintage Grand Prix Posters
Looks like we’re nearing the end of the Pixar marketing campaign but they seem to have save some of the best for last. That said, here’s some awesome looking Grand Prix posters for locations in Cars 2 and I’m just a sucker for this type of artwork. They speak for themselves and really capture that vintage feel of old racing advertisements from the 1950’s. Anyway I’ll keep this post short but check out this slick looking canvas below (click the image for a hi-rez version). This should be the last bit of Cars 2 promo stuff we’ll post because if you aren’t as psyched as we are by now then…
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Japanese Cinema Blogathon – Off the Shelf…'Howl's Moving Castle'
Following on the heels of the Oscar Winning Spirited Away, comes another breathtaking adventure from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki’s films are known for placing a female protagonist in a very out-of-her-element situation. Moreover it’s a story of a strong willed woman/girl finding their inner strength and what it takes to believe in herself. Howl’s Moving Castle doesn’t exactly fit within that template but this similar story is more about said protagonist, Sophie, inspiring those around her with her positive attitude and determination. That’s another common storyline in Ghibli films. Castle tells the story of Sophie, a plain as they come young woman finding contentment in a world filled…
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Awesome 'Sucker Punch' Animated Comic
Zack Snyder has been making hit after hit after hit in Hollywood. His artistic style and his hi-octane level of film make him appeal to a such a wide range of film fans. So before he dazzles us with the upcoming Superman film he offers us a delectable nugget of visual awesomeness in the form of one Sucker Punch. So, like a kid at Christmas I eagerly await his upcoming film that looks to be saturated with so much style and eye candy it’ll make your head spin. To help get more people on board, here is a neat looking animated short/tie-in to Sucker Punch called “The Trenches”. Light on…
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Ohhh, Look…’On Stranger Tides’ Featurette and Images
This May we’ll see the return of “witty Jack” on another swashbuckling adventure, this time to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. On Stranger marks the 4th time Johnny Depp has played the iconic Jack Sparrow and there are rumors that we’ll get 2 more afterwards. Have a look at this featurette, new poster/character photos and get ready for some fun… Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth when a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz) forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob…