Posts Tagged ‘release date’
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We’re creeping into that time of year when there are less and less high-profile movies to write about. So I struggled a little bit with today’s comic.
I’ve been told by some that I should make a more concentrated effort to talk about movies that aren’t some big, dumb blockbuster or over hyped sequel. But in the back of my mind, I fear that if I don’t make fun of stuff people have at least a peripheral knowledge of, I’m going to have a lot of frustrated readers scratching their heads saying “Huh?”
I mean, even if you don’t go to the movies that often, odds are you’re going to get the joke I make about Alvin and The Chipmunks before the joke I make for The Diving Bell and The Butterfly – know what I mean?
That said, the joke I made about a movie (I assume?) not everyone has seen – Juno – kind of straddles the line between making fun of the film and making fun of our experience in real life.
Seriously – I feel like I’ve been hearing about Juno for months. And it was pissing me off. Great articles about the film and its performances being Oscar worthy. All this talk about screenwriter Diablo Cody… and I can’t see it! It makes me feel lame.
Of course, it didn’t help that my partners-in-crime, Joe Dunn and Gordon McAlpin from The Triple Feature live in major metropolitan areas. I mentioned that I still hadn’t seen Juno during last week’s broadcast. “Seriously?” said Joe. “I’ve seen it, like, three times.”
If I were Charlie Brown, you’d see that little black squiggly line of frustration over my head right now.
I can’t be the only one experiencing this frustration. Look at this FAQ for Juno over at IMDB (man, that’s a lot of acronyms). It lists the release date for the film and the first seven paragraphs are about it’s release in the US.
It opened December 5 in New York and Los Angeles, then Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Dallas/Ft. Worth, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Portland, and Toronto on December 14. On December 21, it adds 17 cities and is running in a total of 200 theaters. By Christmas it expands to 1,000 theaters. Finally, on January 4, it expands nationwide.
I *hate* it when studios do this. Basically they sneak the movie in big cities so it can be eligible for the Oscars before the end of the year deadline. Then, in an effort to stay topical and ahead of the competition, entertainment journalists start covering the film, doing reviews and interviews. Now that the hype is in place and I’m ready to see it, I can’t and it leaves me with the worst case of cinematic blue balls. QUIT TEASING ME, ALREADY!
That said, I finally got to see the movie on Saturday and I enjoyed it a lot. My only complaint? Not enough Michael Cera! That kid has the market cornered on awkward sweetness. Beyond that, I think the movie does a great job of telling it’s story and putting the spotlight on Ellen Page in another great performance. There seem to be so few female characters in film with a wit like Juno’s, so it’s refreshing to see something like that on screen. All of the supporting performances feel authentic, especially those of Juno’s understanding parents (played by J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney).
I don’t know if the film is quite the Oscar contender that some critics have built it up to be. In some ways, the film didn’t meet the high expectations I walked in with. But I’m sure that’s mostly the effect of hype. I’d love to see this movie again and I’m sure when it comes out on DVD in a few months, I’m going to buy it and treasure it like the unique jewel that it is. See it if it’s in your town. I mean, it should be by now, right?
One last note – I want to encourage everyone to call in LIVE during our broadcast of The Triple Feature tonight at 9:00 PM CST. Tonight, Joe, Gordon and I will be doing our much-anticipated Top 5 of 2007 show and we want as many listeners as possible to call in and keep us honest! Will our picks be completely off base or right on the money? Do they jive with your picks for the year’s best? Call in and let us know!
Again, the show starts at 9:00 PM CST and we WILL be taking your calls. So be sure to dial us in! See you there!
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Uh oh, guys. Look what’s being released on October 20!
As much as I ragged on the theatrical release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I’m actually kind of excited to see it on DVD. I think there’s a better chance of me kind of understanding the action on a smaller screen. At least, that was my experience with the original Transformers. I hated it in the theater, but it’s fun to watch at home. I just skip chapters to the scenes with all the robots. Takes about 15 minutes.
Here’s a list of all the bonus features available on the two-disc special edition, plus features exclusive to the Blu-ray edition:
Disc 1:
- Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Disc 2:
- The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen—This multi-chapter documentary chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew:
- Seeds of Vengeance – Development and Design—After the overwhelming success of 2007’s Transformers how do the filmmakers top themselves for the sequel?
- Domestic Destruction – Production: United States—Michael Bay believes in going big: Big action and big explosions. Cast and crew are pushed to the limit as they traverse the U.S. from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.
- Joint Operations – Production: Military—No other filmmaker in the world enjoys the kind of military access and cooperation Michael Bay has. Here we see just how efficient our armed forces are and the awe and respect shown by the cast.
- Wonders of the World – Production: Middle East—You can’t really reproduce Egypt anywhere but Egypt so off we go to Giza and Luxor.
- Start Making Sense – Editing—In order to turn over the massive amount of film as quickly as possible to VFX, four editors work tirelessly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film.
- Under the Gun – Visual Effects—Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM’s total render farm capacity.
- Running the Gauntlet – Post-Production and Release—Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timin and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres.
- A Day with Bay: Tokyo—An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan tor the world premiere of the biggest film of the year.
- 25 Years of TRANSFORMERS—Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro’s most successful and popular franchises.
- NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film.
- Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto—A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film’s most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.
- Extended Scenes
- Music Video: Linkin Park’s “New Divide”
BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE:
- The ALLSPARK Experiment—Viewers get their chance to unleash the power of the recently recovered ALLSPARK shard on Earth vehicles. Begin by selecting and customizing a vehicle with a selection of parts and accessories. Then apply the ALLSPARK to this creation and watch what happens. Applying the ALLSPARK to certain custom combinations enables four new robot characters with special powers. If viewers discover all four, they unlock a fifth vehicle, which reveals a top secret message about the future of the TRANSFORMERS movie franchise.
- NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—A database of some of the TRANSFORMERS characters that appear in the new film, offering users access to each robot’s confidential file including:
- Innovative 3D spin galleries of each robot
- A timeline for each TRANSFORMERS character charting its origins, back story and design evolution from toys to animated series to comics and finally feature films
- Giant Effing Movie—A very personal look at the making of the movie.
- The Matrix of Marketing—An archive of the film’s promotional media including trailers, posters and television spots.
Despite my problems with the movie, I’m looking forward to the Blu-ray release. No matter what your opinion might be about the story, characterization or editing – the technical aspect of this film was a Herculian effort and I’m very interested in learning more about the behind-the-scenes details.
So mark your calendars for October 20!
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