First Look: Where The Wild Things Are Game
There was a depression rolling through the Film Savior headquarters. Almost an entire week has gone by with no new WTWTA updates. But look what fell into our laps…the first look at the video game!
We got the chance to sample this game back in June at E3. Although a bit underwhelming, this game will be great for kids. The basic premise of the game is the user gets to don Max’s wolf suit as he arrives at Wild Things island on his boat. The young boy battles terrible creatures, befriends the mythological Wild Things, and eventually becomes king of the island in the course of his adventure. All is not well, however, as Max is soon burdened with the duty of leading the Wild Things to safety of their island which is doomed for destruction.
The game is releasing for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and the DS in October.
50 Greatest Film Trailers?
When things are slow at the Film Savior headquarters, we always resort to watching as many film trailers as our eyes can handle. You can imagine the joy we had when finding this list on IFC: The 50 Greatest Trailers of All Time. Yes, many are debatable, but most are enjoyable nonetheless.
There are a few that really standout. The job of a trailer is simple. Get the audience excited about a certain film, but DO NOT give away the entire storyline (which most trailers do).
Examples of some of the more intriguing ones are: Little Children, Magnolia, Schindler’s List, and Citizen Kane.
Review: (500) Days of Summer
(500) Days of Summer
Directed by Marc Webb
Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael Weber
Release date (limited): July 17th, 2009
FS Verdict: Skip the nerdy wizard in glasses, support this great film! Highly recommended.
As you may have noticed here at Film Savior, there are a few movies that we have a ton of hope for. We read the script, follow their every casting choice, virtually go in the trenches when filming, and analyze the marketing campaign. (500) Days of Summer is the first release of our 7 “obsessions” in 2009. Luckily, it lived up to the hype and did not disappoint. One for one!
I feel bad whenever a film like this comes around. It’s trying to tell a story in a unique and original way. But everyone feels the need to find a label to stamp on it. Quirky. Indie. Romantic Comedy. (500) Days of Summer is none of these things. And all of these things. Which is one of many reasons that I highly recommend it. It has the sarcasm and wit of Woody Allen’s Manhattan and Annie Hall while invoking the warmth and fun of a Cameron Crowe film.
“I think the key is for me to figure out what went wrong. Do you ever do this? Go back and think about all the things you did together. Everything that happened. Replay it over again in your mind, looking for the first sign of trouble.” — Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
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First Look: Iron Man 2
Here is your first look at Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and a glamour shot of Rob D. Jr, Mickey Rourke, and Scarlett below. Pretty ho hum if you ask us. We’re assuming the Black Widow will pout throughout the film and hook up with married/taken men. Isn’t that what all of Scarlett Johansson’s characters do? Let’s hope the first trailer is more interesting than these “exclusive” photos from Entertainment Weekly.
Disney’s 1983 Animation Test for WTWTA
To give you a better idea of how long studios have been trying to make Where The Wild Things Are, we have included a rare video that shows Disney’s animation test back in 1983 when they owned the movie rights. The animator of this is none other than John Lasseter who was testing the new technology of CGI. In case you don’t know who Lasseter is, he went on to become the head of Pixar and director of Toy Story 1, Toy Story 2, and Cars. So it wasn’t such a bad thing that this didn’t go through. Notice how ahead of the times this animation really looks. 1983 animated films were not able to show characters this fully formed. Pretty amazing how long the vision of this classic book to film has taken.
Pop Art/Cult Film Gallery in Los Angeles
If you live in Los Angeles or plan on visiting in the next month, we have a treat for you. July 16th – August 8, there will be a Pop Art Gallery which features over 100 artists that pay tribute to classic cult films. You’ll find funky artwork for everything from Donnie Darko to The Warriors. A few examples that we loved are below, but check out the site for more examples and further info. Hopefully we’ll see you there!
http://crazy4cult.com/
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Win a Trip to Inglorious Basterds Premiere
The Weinstein Company has partnered with /Film to send you to the UK premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS on July 23rd. One lucky winner will receive the INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS UK Premiere prize package, which includes:
- Two Round Trip tickets to London to attend the INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Premiere
- Two night hotel accommodations
- $500 worth of spending money for the trip
The contest will close on July 16th at 11:59pm, and a winner will be selected the following day, July 17th. For complete contest details, please go to: http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/07/09/win-a-trip-to-the-uk-premiere-of-inglourious-basterds/.
Don’t say Film Savior never did anything for you!
Enjoy the Show, Kids — WTWTA Gets PG Rating
So there you have it. After 2 years of debate whether Spike Jonze made this film “too frightening” for children (the apparent target audience for Where the Wild Things Are), the ratings board has given the latest version of the film a PG rating. Please try and catch your breath after this earth shattering breaking news.
Brothers Trailer
Brothers
Release Date: December 4, 2009
There have been a ton of films lately with the word “Brothers” in it: Jonas Brothers 3-D, Step Brothers, Four Brothers, The Brothers, The Brothers Bloom, Brothers from Another Mutha etc. No wonder this remake directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tobey Maguire fell under our radar.
After watching this trailer, we are definetely intrigued.
The films revolves around “a young man comforts his older brother’s wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.” Synopsis is bland, but we feel that the film will be powerful.
Smurfs Movie Smurfing Up
Now what the smurf is this about?! We’ve been hearing rumblings about a “live action” Smurf movie for quite some time. And we’ve been really excited at the thought of it. We just didn’t really think it could be pulled off because, well, it’s The Smurfs.
Low and behold, the studios smurfed up and have hired Raja Gosnell to direct the live action/animated hybrid film. Did you ask who Raja Gosnell is? Funny you should ask. Let us give you his Earth shattering resume:
- Home Alone 3 (yes, the only bad one of the three)
- Never Been Kissed (OK, this is acceptable)
- Big Momma’s House (see our Welcome to Film Savior section…sigh)
- Scooby Doo 1 & 2 (no comment)
- Beverly Hills Chihuahua (not sure how we missed this one)
Odds are heavily in the favor of smurfing this one up. Our beloved Smurfs, ruined by a hack. The only thing left to wonder…who will play Gargamel? Christopher Walken? Paul Giamatti?
Inglorious Basterds Soundtrack — Aug 18th
Whether you love him, hate him, obsess over him (ahem), there is no denying one thing about Quentin Tarantino films. They all come with a killer soundtrack. The soundtrack will release on August 18th ahead of the film release. Nothing has been made official, but it is expected to include David Bowie, Billy Preston (keyboardist to little known bands The Beatles and The Rolling Stones), Ennico Morricone (our favorite film composer), and many others.
Notice the old school artwork on the below picture. Much more subtle and intriguing than the film posters that have been released.
The release of a new QT soundtrack is an event in itself, so act accordingly.
New “Funny People” Trailer – Redband Version
Here is a look at the new Redband trailer for Funny People. You need to put in a date of birth that places you over 18.
We’ve been looking forward to “the third film from Judd Apatow” since its original premise announcement. Apatow has been consistently directing inspiring comedic work and has managed to find a heart within the vulgarity of it all. Seth Rogan looks as if he’s finally playing something besides an animal for once. And there are too many cameos to name here. The RZA plays Seth Rogan’s co-worker and friend. What’s not to like about that?!
The early trailers were underwhelming, but this one seemed much more inspired. Either way, it has to be better than Transformers 2, right?
Release Date: July 31st, 2009