Someone made this video compilation to show the incredible moments in the history of movie visual effects to a classroom full of fifth graders. The movies included in the video clip are:-
* 1900 - The Enchanted Drawing * 1903 - The Great Train Robbery * 1923 - The Ten Commandments (Silent) * 1927 - Sunrise * 1933 - King Kong * 1939 - The Wizard of Oz * 1940 - The Thief of Baghdad * 1954 - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea * 1956 - Forbidden Planet * 1963 - Jason and the Argonauts * 1964 - Mary Poppins * 1977 - Star Wars * 1982 - Tron * 1985 - Back to the Future * 1988 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit * 1989 - The Abyss * 1991 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day * 1992 - The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles * 1993 - Jurassic Park * 2004 - Spider-Man 2 * 2005 - King Kong * 2006 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest * 2007 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End * 2007 - The Golden Compass * 2008 - The Spiderwick Chronicles * 2008 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Yahoo! Movies has released the teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan's "Inception". The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger and Michael Caine.
Not much is known about the plot of the movie except that it is a science fiction film which Warner Bros. described as "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind".
"Inception" is scheduled for release in the US on July 16, 2010.
At last, the trailer for James Cameron's science fiction epic "Avatar" is finally here! The trailer was actually released last Thursday but I was too busy to post it here. Anyway, the trailer looks stunning and I can't wait for the movie to be released. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez.
Jake Sully, a former Marine who was paralyzed from the waist down in combat is selected to participate in the Avatar program, which will give him a healthy body. Jake travels to Pandora, a distant planet and home to a humanoid race called the Na’vi. Standing three meters tall, with tails and sparkling blue skin, the Na’vi live in harmony with their unspoiled world. As humans encroach deeper into Pandora's forests in search of valuable minerals, the Na’vi unleash their formidable warrior abilities to defend their threatened existence.
"Avatar" is scheduled for release on December 18, 2009.
Director: Neill Blomkamp Cast: Sharlto Copley, William Allen Young, Robert Hobbs, Jason Cope
I managed to catch "District 9" last weekend and I absolutely loved it. The film puts a new twist to the alien invasion genre and is definitely a breath of fresh air that puts all the recent mindless big budget blockbusters to shame.
Twenty years ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, an alien spaceship suddenly appeared. A large group of sick and malnourished aliens were discovered in the alien ship and they were eventually housed in a temporary camp called District 9. Twenty years later in the present day, District 9 has an alien population of 1.8 million. The human residents of Johannesburg can no longer tolerate the aliens, and demand for them to be relocated. Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is assigned to head an operation to evict and relocate the aliens to "District 10", a new camp located 240 km from Johannesburg. During the eviction process, Wikus is exposed to a dark liquid and slowly mutates into an alien. Hunted by the humans and out of options, he must find help from the species he previously disregard.
The film is a reference to the apartheid policy enforced by the South African government between 1960's and early 1980's when residential areas were segregated by means of forced eviction. During that period, hundreds of thousands of people were evicted from their homes just because of their skin colour. "District 9" carries a message of not to disregard others until we walk a mile in their shoes. Deep stuff.
The visual effects in the film are brilliant as the CGI blends seamlessly with the real. The scene with the alien ship hovering above Johannesburg during sunset is simply breathtaking. Another scene worth mentioning is the one with Wikus in a mechanised battle suit, which is totally bad-ass.
Overall, "District 9" is an intelligent science fiction film which shows us the negativity of human flaws and teaches us racial (species?) tolerance. This film is destined to be a cult classic. Please Mr. Blomkamp, bring on "District 10".
The trailer for the upcoming horror film "The Wolfman" is now online. The remake of the 1941 classic is directed by Joe Johnston and stars Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Geraldine Chaplin.
Benicio del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, a nobleman who returns to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father (Anthony Hopkins) , Talbot sets out to find his brother... and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.
"The Wolfman" is scheduled for release in the US on February 10, 2010.
A press conference was held in Foshan last week to mark the commencement of the production of "Ip Man 2". The press conference was attended by producer Raymond Wong, director Wilson Yip, martial arts star Donnie Yen and cast members.
"Ip Man 2" will pick up where its predecessor left off with Ip Man (Donnie Yen) leaving Foshan and relocating to Hong Kong in 1949. The story will follow Ip Man’s early years in Hong Kong where he sets up his own school to teach Wing Chun. His disciples will be portrayed by Huang Xiao Ming, Shi Xiao Long, To Yu Hang and 10-year-old Jiang Dai Yan. Jiang Dai Yan will play a young Bruce Lee.
Sammo Hung, the martial arts choreographer of the first film, will be stepping in front of the camera for the sequel as a 'Hung Gar' style master who develops a rivalry with Ip Man. 'Hung Gar' is a southern Chinese martial art whose most famous practitioner was folk hero Wong Fei Hung.
The sequel to the award-winning "Ip Man" will be shot in Shanghai and is due for release next summer.
The red band trailer for Scott Stewart's "Legion" has been unleashed upon us and it looks pretty damn awesome. The film stars Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Durand, Charles S. Dutton, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson and Adrianne Palicki.
When God is finally tired of mankind's bullshits, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Our only hope lies with the archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) who leads a group of strangers to protect a woman who is pregnant with Christ in his second coming.
"Legion" is scheduled for release in the US on January 22, 2010.
The full theatrical trailer for "Astro Boy" is now online. The film is directed by David Bowers (Flushed Away) and features the voices of Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Eugene Levy, Nathan Lane and Matt Lucas.
"Astro Boy" tells the story of a powerful robot boy created by a scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Our hero journeys to find acceptance in the human world, and ultimately discovers true friendship as he uses his incredible powers to help others and save Metro City from destruction. The film is based on the Japanese manga series by Osamu Tezuka, who is often reputed as the "god of manga" in Japan.
"Astro Boy" is scheduled for release in the US on October 23, 2009.
The first trailer for Terry Gilliam's fantasy film, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is finally released and it is visually stunning. The film stars Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Tom Waits, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Verne Troyer.
After Heath Ledger's sudden death, actors Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law were cast to replace him, portraying transformed versions of his character traveling through a magical realm.
Here's the film's synopsis:
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary 'Imaginarium', a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. Long ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr Nick, in which he won immortality. Many centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his first-born reached its 16th birthday he or she would become the property of Mr Nick. Valentina is now rapidly approaching this 'coming of age' milestone and Dr Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls. Enlisting a series of wild, comical and compelling characters in his journey, Dr Parnassus promises his daughter's hand in marriage to the man that helps him win. In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr Parnassus must fight to save his daughter in a never-ending landscape of surreal obstacles - and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all...
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is expected to be released in the US on Christmas Day, 2009.
Columbia Pictures has confirmed that Taiwanese star Jay Chouhas been cast as Kato in Michel Gondry's upcoming movie version of "The Green Hornet". Stephen Chow was originally attached to the role but left the film last month to pursue other projects.
"It's an overwhelming experience to take on a role made famous by Bruce Lee. I won't try to be Bruce Lee's Kato -- I will try to bring my own interpretation to the part." Chou said in a statement.
"The Green Hornet" first originated as a radio series on WXYZ (a local Detroit station) from 1936 to 1952. ABC then adapted "The Green Hornet" to television on 1966. The television series starred Van Williams as The Green Hornet and introduced martial arts master Bruce Lee to American audiences as Kato.
"The Green Hornet" is set for release summer 2010.
The second trailer for Spike Jonze's "Where The Wild Things Are" has appeared online. I totally love the song in the trailer. In case you're wondering, the song is 'Wake Up' by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. The film is an adaptation of the children's book by Maurice Sendak's and will feature a combination of live action, suitmation, animatronics and CGI.
The film concerns the imaginary adventures of a disobedient young boy named Max, who is being sent to his room without supper. He then creates an imaginary forest inhabited by large creatures, who crown him their ruler.
"Where The Wild Things Are" is scheduled for release in the US on October 16, 2009 and in Malaysia on November 19, 2009.
Director: Derek Yee Cast: Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, Naoto Takenaka, Xu Jinglei, Fan Bingbing, Masaya Kato
"Shinjuku Incident" has been much publicised as Jackie Chan's first venture into dramatic acting. The film will not feature any of Chan’s trademark screen action/comedy but instead focuses mostly on the dramatic story.
Chan plays Steelhead, a Chinese farmer who enters Japan illegally in search of his girlfriend Xiu Xiu (Xu Jinglei). Steelhead meets up with his friend, Jie (Daniel Wu) in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo and works odd jobs to earn money. Steelhead then gets involved with a local yakuza leader, Eguchi (Masaya Kato) and rises to power to become the first Chinese to hold a position in the yakuza. This angers the other members of the criminal organisation as they despised the Chinese. In the end, they plot to bring down Eguchi and Steelhead.
"Shinjuku Incident" is a combination of immigrant drama and gangster thriller. The film shows the audience that life as an illegal immigrant in Japan isn’t easy - they are discriminated by the Japanese, struggles to earn money by working odd jobs and have to run whenever the cops show up. The film also briefly explores the world of the Japanese yakuza organisation. Overall, Derek Yee did a good job in balancing between the two genres.
So, how is Jackie Chan's performance in his first dramatic role? Well, he isn't a bad actor and although he tries very hard, he doesn't seem believable as the character Steelhead. While watching this film, it's hard for me to see him as someone who can't fight at all. There are moments in the film when Steelhead gets involved in fights and I secretly hope that he will kick some serious ass. Sadly, that never happened. Maybe it's just me but I feel that casting Jackie Chan as Steelhead is very distracting to the film itself. I wonder how the film will turn out if Steelhead is played by a different actor (Andy Lau perhaps?) instead.
In short, "Shinjuku Incident" is entertaining and sometimes violent but those who are familiar with Jackie Chan's legendary screen persona will have a hard time accepting his against-type portrayal of the film's lead character.
The full theatrical trailer for Teddy Chen's "Bodyguards and Assassins" (十月围城) is now online. The film features an all-star cast including Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Li Yuchun, Wang Xueqi, Hu Jun, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Eric Tsang, Fan Bingbing and Zhou Yun.
The story is a fictional account of an assassination attempt on Chinese revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat-sen when he visited Hong Kong on October 1905 and the efforts of a group of martial artists to protect him.
"Bodyguards and Assassins" is scheduled for release in Hong Kong on December 18, 2009.
Two new posters for the film "The Storm Warriors" (風雲II) has been unveiled recently in Hong Kong. One is a regular version while the other is a hand painted version, re-created by Ma Wing-Shing, the illustrator and writer of the 'Fung Wan' comic books. Check out the two posters below. Sweet!
Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok return to the highly anticipated sequel to 1998's "The Storm Riders" as Whispering Wind and Striding Cloud respectively. The film also stars Simon Yam, Charlene Choi and Nicholas Tse.
"The Storm Warriors" is adapted from the "Fung Wan" comicbook series created by Ma Wing-Shing. The film will focus on two of the most popular story arcs in the comicbook series - 'Japanese Invasion' and 'Death Battle'.
"The Storm Warriors" is expected to be released in Hong Kong on December 17, 2009.
The official trailer for Wes Anderson's animated film "Fantastic Mr. Fox" has been released onto the net. The animation in the trailer looks old school, as if it was made in the ’70s/'80s since the film uses stop motion animation instead of computer animation.
The film is based on Roald Dahl's book of the same name and features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Jarvis Cocker, Owen Wilson and Willem Dafoe.
The story is about Mr. Fox and his family who live under a hill, along with Badger, Rabbit, and Weasel. Every night, Mr. Fox steals a meal from one of the three crooked farmers - Boggis, Bunce and Bean. The farmers are tired of this and band together to kill Mr. Fox.
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is scheduled for release in the US on November 13, 2009 and in Malaysia on November 19, 2009.
Marvel has teamed up with Japanese animation studio Madhouse to create four anime series, and the first two have been confirmed to be based on Wolverine and Iron Man. All the four anime series are to be set in an alternate universe where the comic book characters and their origins will be re-imagined.
The teaser trailers for Wolverine and Iron Man look awesome and I hope the other two anime series will be based on Spider-Man and Daredevil. Fingers crossed!!
The four planned anime series are scheduled to air in 2010 on Animax, Japan's anime satellite TV network.
