Tagged: Disney

Review: ‘I Am Number Four’

A young boy from another world is raised on in the mid-west to use his special abilities for the good of all. He struggles to fit in at high school, constantly hiding his true nature under the watchful eye of his mentor. After Smallville, one would have thought the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar would have been comfortable with the subject matter much as Marti Noxon could have used her experiences from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to add some snark and fun to the high school life. Instead, the three combined to pen a middling, ineffective script adaptation of [[[I Am Number Four]]]. The movie, made for just under $60 million earned barely $90 million worldwide and extinguished much hope of a film series to follow the projected six book franchise. Now out from Walt Disney Home Entertainment, the movie is so incredibly devoid of personality and charm, it feels instead that it was constructed by the numbers.

Nine infants were smuggled off the war-torn world of Lorien and brought to Earth to be raised in anonymity by their watchers, er, guardians. Each were descended from a line of powerful inhabitants and born with gifts that would manifest at some time during adolescence. Until they were ready to return and free Lorien from the marauding Mogadorians, they lived apart. A squad (or more, it’s never clear) of Mogadorians are on Earth, hunting the nine. As each one is found and killed, the others are made painfully aware as a tattoo on their legs burns to life. Number Four is a teen living with Henri, who is obsessed with figuring out where the others are and banding them together before more are lost.

Four, or John, refuses to just live in hiding and insists on attending high school, this time in Paradise, Ohio. He tries to fit in but of course, that’s when his special abilities flare to life, and make him a target for the Mogadorians. John falls for Sarah, complicating things, as her ex-boyfriend has it in for the newcomer while the Mogadorians come to town. (more…)

Glee’s Dianna Agron Woos Number Four

Dianna Agron has been television’s perpetual high school cheerleader, attending classes with Veronica Mars or dissing Clarie on Heroes. Now a junior at William McKinley High, she has achieved national fame on Glee. Argon can be bitchy or catty or flirty but can be incredibly symapthetic when she lets her guard down as seen on the small screen. Her work in DreamWork’s I am Number Four, out on video next week, puts her on a path for a screen career. Here, she answers some questions courtesy of Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Was it fun to leave the Glee gang behind for some big-screen action with your new movie, I Am Number Four?

It was a lot of fun to try something new, but I knew I was going back to Glee after we finished filming I Am Number Four. It was only a brief change for me, but it was great to step into a whole new world.

When did you discover that you clicked so well with your co-star, Alex Pettyfer?

When I was cast on I Am Number Four, I hadn’t met Alex. I had dinner with the movie’s director, D.J. Caruso, a couple of nights before our first table read with the big studio executives and that’s when D.J. said to me, “Perhaps you should meet Alex before the table read?” I thought that was a really good idea.

Alex has described you as an actress with an old-school movie star quality. How does that make you feel?

That’s very nice of him. It’s pretty hard to accept that compliment because I grew up watching and loving old-school actresses like Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Katharine Hepburn. They were always effortless to watch, but I’m growing and trying to challenge myself to get to that place. If I do get to where they are it would be amazing. That’s my goal.

Your character in the new movie is very romantic. Are you similar in real life?

I think so. I really love the character of Sarah because there are a lot of similarities to how I was at school. Sarah loves photography, and so do I. I really started to get into it at school. I have about 10 cameras now and they all have different purposes.

What else do you like to get up to in your spare time?

I love cooking. In fact, my favorite thing to do on a weekend is to have friends over and cook dinner. We’ll sit around, talk and play board games. I love doing things like that, although I also love to be outside and travel. I have such wanderlust. I try to go somewhere new for every vacation and there are so many places that I have yet to visit.

Are you into Twitter and the internet?

Computers are not a huge part of my life. I write, so I use a computer daily for that – but I’m not a big web surfer. I surf the internet every now and then, but it’s not like a two-hour a day, three-hour a day obsession of mine. (more…)

A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of I am Number Four

A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of I am Number Four

Walt Disney is releasing I am Number Four on Blu-ray & DVD this coming May 24th. The adaptation of the acclaimed young adult novel kind of came and went in February so you may have missed it. In anticipation of the home video release, we have been provided with a slideshow for your entertainment.

Behind-the-Scenes Slideshow

‘Human Target’ cancelled, ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Locke & Key’ not picked up for TV

This has not been a good week for comics on TV.

On Tuesday, Fox announced that it was canceling [[[Human Target]]] (starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earl Haley and based on the DC Comics character created by Len Wein, Carmine Infantino, and Dick Giordano) after two seasons, and also declined to pick up Locke & Key, the pilot from Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (the minds behind Fringe and the Star Trek reboot) based on the IDW comic from Joe Hill.

Now word has come from Deadline Hollywood that NBC will not be picking up [[[Wonder Woman]]], the series that would have been produced by David E. Kelley and starred Adrianne Palacki as the amazing Amazon.

Between these developments, and Smallville ending its decade long run tonight, we are suddenly going from a lot of comics adaptations in broadcast prime time to none at all for the first time since 1996– and that was when Sabrina the Teenage Witch first aired.

Right now, all eyes are on whether Disney’s fabled corporate synergy will mean sister companies Marvel and ABC will go ahead with a new version of Hulk with Guillermo del Toro and David Eick, and/or AKA Jessica Jones with Melissa Rosenberg– or whether they’ll be shunted to ABC Family or some such solution.

Review: The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Vol. 1 & 2

I wish I could put my finger on exactly why Marvel’s animated efforts leave me cold. Time and again the vocal casting, character design or animation displays cheap production values and they are far from entertaining. The latest such offering is [[[The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes]]], which has been airing on Disney XD and is now available in two DVDs released this week by parent company Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

The cartoons are based more on the feature film reality than the comic book source material the films were based on, but there’s enough material borrowed from the comics it feels like a mixed bag. We start with a cocky Tony Stark who chases Hydra for stealing Stark Industries technology, which was actually taken from S.H.I.E.L.D. Meantime, it’s a world of countless super-villains, captured somehow and locked away in one of four unique facilities – the Vault, the Cube, the Big House, and the Raft.

But it’s a world without the Avengers. Iron Man is the only established hero, while the Hulk is on the run, and Ant-Man and the Wasp focus entirely on scientific research, preferring to keep Nick Fury at arm’s length. Then there’s Thor, who loves Earth but doesn’t seem overly engaged with its super-villains. Meanwhile, in Africa, T’Challa has just assumed the Black Panther mantle and wants revenge against, Klaw, who was instrumental in his father’s death.

Beyond the Hydra conspiracy, Bruce Banner worries that General Thunderbolt Ross and maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. want to build their own army of Hulks. Then there’s Kang the Conqueror who blames Captain America for somehow destroying his timeline and wants to alter a sequence of events.

That’s about par for comic book storytelling but everything feels incredibly disjointed. Maybe that has something to do with its origins, with the show actually conceived as a 20-part microseries of animated tales that debuted online then became edited into 22-minute episodes for cable. Mimicking the 2012 feature film, now in production, the team is composed of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp with tons of other heroes working solo or for S.H.I.E.L.D. including Black Widow and Hawkeye (also because of the film series). (more…)

Heavenly Heroes - Supergirl, Mary Marvel, Dark Supergirl

Weekend Window Closing Wrap Up: April 22, 2010

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  • April 22, 2011

Heavenly Heroes - Supergirl, Mary Marvel, Dark SupergirlClosing windows on my computer so you can open them on yours:

Ugh– and I still have dozens of tabs open. But this should do for a start.

The Incredibles

Given how much fun is present in animating super-heroics, it’s interesting to note that feature film makers eschewed delving into the genre. Maybe they were scared off by the iconic Fleischer Studio Superman shorts from the 1940s or were disdainful of the subject matter. We got the first taste of what could be with the wonderful and underrated [[[Iron Giant]]]. It’s little surprise, then, that its director, Brad Bird would produce the first feature animated film to focus on super-heroics with the marvelous Pixar production [[[The Incredibles]]].

In 115 glorious minutes, Bird and company wonderfully honored the tropes of herodom while telling a strong story about good versus evil and more importantly, about family. Much has been written about the Parr family resembling the Fantastic Four, but the number is about all they have in common. Instead, we’re looking a far better version of No Ordinary Family that is filled with lovely touches among the characters.

You’ve got Bob Parr, forced into retirement, going slowly to pot, and itching to resume his heroic activities. He does so, aided by his best friend Lucius “Frozone” Best, defying his loving wife Helen, who has become the pliable homemaker. Their powerful children Violet and Dash have hidden their powers while dealing with the deadly rigors of high school. Slowly, though, events pull the Parrs back into their outfits and are all that stand between the nasty Syndrome and annihilation. But there are things like seductive beauties, fashion designed Edna Mode and a track meet that all play a part of the action. And watching from the sidelines is young infant Jack-Jack, whose powers, if they exist, have yet to manifest themselves as we meet the neighbors.

The script, from Bird, clearly shows its affection for the comics that were the source material, but there’s more than a little James Bond in the mix as seen in the set designs and score. There are tons of nods to the core geek audience but plenty of visual humor and knowing family bits of business to keep the movie accessible to young and old alike. Pixar once more carefully tread the fine line between making a purely kids’ movie and a genuine, well-executed family event.

Walt Disney Home Entertainment has finally given us The Incredibles in Blu-ray today and the package is a full one with two Blu-ray discs, a standard DVD version plus the digital copy. As one might expect, the digital transfer is a four-color wonder to behold and the action-packed story looks great in high definition. Just as cool is the sound which features the stirring, emblematic score by Michael Giacchino. (more…)

2011 Eisner Award nominations announced

2011 Eisner Award nominations announced

  • News
  • April 8, 2011

201104071920.jpgThe 2011 Eisner Award nominations have just been announced.

Heading the 2011 nominees with five nominations is Return of the Dapper Men, a fantasy hardcover by writer Jim McCann and artist Janet Lee and published by Archaia, with nominations for Best Publication for Teens, Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer, Best Artist, and Best Publication Design. Two comics series have four nominations: Morning Glories by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma (published by Shadowline/Image) and Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (published by IDW). A variety of titles have received three nominations, including the manga Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys (VIZ Media), John Layman and Rob Guillory’s series Chew (Image), Daniel Clowes’s graphic novel Wilson (Drawn & Quarterly), and Mike Mignola’s Hellboy titles (Dark Horse).

The creator with the most nominations is Mignola with five (including cover artist), followed by Spencer and Hill, each with four. Several creators received three nominations: McCann & Lee, Rodriquez, Urasawa, and Clowes, plus writer Ian Boothy (for Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book and other Bongo titles) and cartoonist Jimmy Gownley (for Best Publication for Kids plus coloring and lettering on his Amelia Rules! series). 15 creators have two nominations each, a new record.

Ballots with this year’s nominees will be going out in mid-April to comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers. A downloadable .pdf of the ballot will also be available online, and a special website has been set up for online voting. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 22 at Comic-Con International.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

(more…)

Review: ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’

It’s fascinating to see the enduring appeal of C.S. Lewis’ [[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]] at a time when people poo-poo the heavy-handed religious imagery and pales in comparison to the far richer world of Middle Earth as envisioned by Lewis’ friend J.R.R. Tolkien. The films based on both series have their fans and detractors and the success of Tolkien’s trilogy paved the way for the long-overdue big budget adaptation of Narnia.

Unfortunately, Walden Media, which has been spearheading these films, has decided to aim squarely for the religious and family audiences, which has led to a look of cheapness and familiarity that has robbed the three films to date of their specialness.

Walt Disney bailed on the series after the so-so reception and box office to Prince Caspian, which many involved felt may have strayed from their targets. 20th Century Fox stepped up and is now the studio behind the franchise and last fall released [[[The Voyage of the Dawn Traeder]]]. That film is coming to DVD on Tuesday in a variety of formats including the Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy or component parts. The standard DVD was sent out for review and you will have to decide for yourself if you want the more involved versions.

Picking up three years after the last film, we find Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) packed off to stay with family, including their annoying younger cousin Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter). They long to be in America with Susan and Peter and their parent and chafe at being the youngest, notably Lucy who is on the cusp of womanhood, yearning to be pretty and attractive to the older boys in town.

As has happened before, circumstances in the land of Narnia require their attention and they are summoned through a painting of a boat at sea hanging in their dingy quarters. Eustace, of course, comes along complaining all the way. It’s mildly amusing that he continues to journal about his adventure without acknowledging that any of this is real until he inevitably accepts the situation and embraces it. But first, he has to be turned into a fire-breathing dragon.

The story hews fairly close to the third book in the series but it has a look of cheapness about it, notably the CGI dragon and some of the visual effects. The acting is adequate but none of the leads are given much of anything to do. The thin script by an army of writers provides little substance to the characters so we just move from situation to situation in a quest story to assemble seven swords and lay them at Aslan’s table.

Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) remains the comforting deus ex machina Christ figure, a part that is emphasized in the final 15 minutes as we see the barrier between Narnia and Aslan’s lands where the dead reside. Lucy and Edmund, he says, have completed their role and yet what did they really do? It was Eustace who braved the fires of Mount Doom– I mean the less imaginatively named Dark Island.  Frankly, much of the Narnia material pales in comparison, from story to character to film adaptation.

This most decidedly family fare and keep that in mind when deciding to see the film or not. While the Blu-ray disc comes loaded with extras, all you will find on the standard DVD are a commentary and a handful of deleted scenes, none of which were missed.

Rob Granito Writes And Draws Own Biography For Bluewater

  • News
  • April 1, 2011

Rob Granito, internationally known artist and illustrator, will write and draw his own biography comic for Bluewater Productions.

“In the past two weeks, Granito’s name and work have been on everyone’s lips,” mused Bluewater president Darren Davis. “He might be the most famous comic artist of the year. We expect ‘Fame: Rob Granito’ to be a one-of -a-kind experience.”

Granito has worked for over 15 years in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic art. His name has been attached to major projects for companies such as Warner Brothers, DC and Marvel Comics, Disney, MTV, and VH1, where he has worked on comics, graphic novels, trading cards, animation, as well as book, CD, magazine, and novel covers.

Rob’s recent work has been on “Iron Man 2” for Marvel, “Spider-man Archives” and “X-Men” for Upper Deck, “Marvel Masterpieces” for Ritten House, and the Playbill for the Broadway musical and posters for the 25th and the 27th Anniversary celebration of “A Christmas Story”.

Never being one to ride on past successes, Rob is currently hard at work on projects for Noel “Lois Lane” Neill, and Olympic snowboarding sensation Ross Powers, a CD project for music innovators Midnight Syndicate, the soon to be released USPS Comic Strip stamps, and a project for a few classic comic strip/cartoon.

Some of Rob’s past work includes cel work on the Animated Batman Superman Adventures, X-Men and Spider-man to name a few.

Rob is also in negotiations for a project involving the Boxing Hall of Fame, a children’s book for Scholastic, a project with comic/television icon “The Incredible Hulk”, and a truly exciting charity project for the NHL’s N.Y. Rangers: Garden of Dreams.

The standard 32-page issue retails for $3.99. It will be available through local comic book stores . The special collector’s edition (which will feature over forty pages and the alternative covers), will retail for $7.99.  will be available through several online venues including Amazon.com (and Amazon UK) and the Barnes and Noble and Borders.

About Bluewater Productions

Bluewater Productions Inc. is one of the top independent production studios of comic books, young adult books and graphic novels. Its extensive catalog of titles includes the bestsellers “10th Muse” and “The Legend of Isis” ”Bluewater publishes comic books in partnership with entertainment icon William Shatner (“TekWar Chronicles”), legendary filmmaker Ray Harryhausen (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sinbad: Rogue of Mars,” “Jason and the Argonauts,” et al) and celebrated actor Vincent Price (“Vincent Price Presents”). Additionally, Bluewater publishes a highly successful line of biographical comics under the titles “Female Force” and “Political Power.”

Bluewater aims to unite cutting-edge art and engaging stories produced by its stable of the publishing industry’s top artists and writers.

For more information, visit www.bluewaterprod.com. We’d link to robgranito.com but it seems to have been taken down for copyright violation.

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