This is one of the strangest things I found out recently: Shirley Manson is fronting an advertisement campaign for Oliver Peoples Eyewear. What’s strange about it is that I don’t think I have ever seen her wear glasses, and the other funny thing is that her co-star in the campaign is Elijah Wood…..yes, the hobbit from Lord of the Rings. It makes me wonder what happened at the advertisement agency when they came up with the idea for it…..they couldn’t have been sober? The campaign  pictures look good by the way:

The pictures are shot by photographer Autumn de Wilde. Both stills and short films will be part of the campaign that will debut in November, while the collection itself won’t be available until February 2010.

From www.gradientmagazine.com

Oxford Murders – Teorema di un delitto è un film thriller del 2008 adattamento cinematografico dell’omonimo romanzo del matematico e scrittore argentino Elijah Wood.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Álex de la Iglesia | Elijah Wood | John Hurt | Leonor Watling

Since this college semester is coming to a close in a few weeks, I’ve decided to post my current Top 10 films list for a two part blog, giving reasons and a video showing a clip from each film.  Now, I won’t go and call myself the best film critic by any stretch of word and there are still plenty of movies I have yet to see.  But I figure there’s no harm in constantly updating your list and for a good while, this has been what the top has looked like.  So here it is, part one:

10. Forrest Gump

This is definitely a clear contender for a most popular film list; and with good reason.  Many scenes, characters and lines have been mentioned, quoted and spoofed countless times, but this is all the more reason it’s such a great movie.  Sure, we’ve all seen it only a billion and a half times already, but it never loses its charm.  Although Forrest might not be the brightest apple on the tree, he’s one of the most naturally good at-heart.  A big part of what makes this such an easy film to follow is how Forrest’s adventures and, at times, struggles are a fair representation of what many common Americans go through.  The film has recently been criticized for having a constrained view on some of these moments but this is more a misconception than anything.  What Forrest deals with and notices are intended to be passed off from his view, which is as neutral and unbiased as you can possibly get.  Some might think the film struggles with its message(s), which it doesn’t but this is only more reason the film relates so easily to us (multiple messages and some not being so clear at first).

“What’s my destiny, Mama?”

“You’re gonna have to figure that out yourself.  Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”

9. Stand By Me

I’ve become a fairly big fan of Stephen King in the past couple years.  I feel that he’s (mostly) offered some of the best stories out there, whether they detail strong characters or have striking scenarios, he’s almost never left me underwhelmed.  And despite how much I might praise his other works; I think the story that hits home the most for me is the film adaptation of Stand By Me.  The plot is very basic and gives us little more than the little journey that our four main characters go through.  But this simplicity gives the film a lot of room to detail the characters and we definitely get a strong dose of that, namely from Gordie and Chris.  The relationship between all four characters feels natural and realistic, with great agreements and sometimes bitter arguments sprouting out.  Anyone who’s seen the film unedited knows that it doesn’t try to sugarcoat anything but you’re not getting morbid or depressing images either.  It’s a kind of film that can easily to speak to anyone because of it cleverly maintaining a mid-ground mood.

“**** writing, I don’t want to be a writer.  It’s stupid.  It’s a stupid waste of time.”

“That’s your dad talking.”

“Bull****”

“Bull true.  I know how your dad feels about you.  He doesn’t give a **** about you, Denny was the one he cared about and don’t try to tell me different.  You’re just a kid, Gordie.”

“Oh, gee!  Thanks, Dad!”

“Wish the hell I was your Dad.  You wouldn’t be goin’ around talkin’ about takin’ these stupid shop courses if I was.  It’s like God gave you something, man, all those stories you can make up.  And He said, ‘This is what I got for ya, kid.  Try not to lose it.’  Kids lose everything unless there’s someone there to look out for them.  And if your parents are too ****ed up to do it, then maybe I should.”

8. Letters from Iwo Jima

This might sound blasphemous to some, but I’m pretty late to the Clint Eastwood party.  In fact, this and Flags of Our Fathers were my introduction to his work.  But as we all know Mr. Eastwood has seldom missed the mark and he definitely did a great job with Flags of Our Fathers.  Then there’s Letters from Iwo Jima, which trumps its American sibling in every conceivable way.  Despite telling the tale from the Japanese point of view, this film actually hits home harder than Flags of Our Fathers.  Giving us an idea of what the conditions were (probably) like for the Japanese soldiers who worked, fought and died on Iwo Jima is one of the film’s strongest aspects.  And it’s carried out throughout the entire runtime with pure excellence, giving us strong performances from the entire cast (especially Ken Watanabe) and dramatic moments matched by a solemnly peaceful score.  War has taken many forms and become the inspiration for a wide variety of films-this is one that gets my utmost recommendation for even the remotely curious.

“If our children can live safely for one more day it would be worth the one more day we defend this island.”

7. The War

Don’t be confused, this isn’t that forgettable film featuring Jason Statham and Jet Li.  Instead, this is a picture from 1994 staring Kevin Costner and a young Elijah Wood playing part of a dirt poor family in 1970.  I will say I’m definitely biased towards this film mostly because it hasn’t gotten much recognition and has thus become more of a cult favorite.  The synopsis doesn’t sound terribly interesting on paper and the happy-happy-joy-joy DVD cover indicates a very bland film.  However, this is a movie that, like most of the films on my Top 10 list, hit close to him simply for its characters.  The relationships are mostly believable and the acting is solid all around.  This leads to a real shame about the film: only two (three if you count Lucas Black) of the actors made it.  Many of the supporting characters were filled by people who looked like they had plenty of potential yet only Wood and Costner hit it big.  A number of messages are told throughout the film and although they aren’t emphasized quite to the extent of, say, Forrest Gump, it helps keep the film from feeling like it’s preaching.  I’m sure most who are reading this haven’t seen the film and likely won’t find it at their local video store.  But I highly urge even buying it since it can very easily grow on you and a number of scenes contribute to give it plenty of re-watch value.

“I hope you know them’s the kids who just beat me up.”

“I know who they are, son.”

“Then why’d you give them Ma and Lidia’s cotton candy?”

6. Schindler’s List

Of all the films on my Top 10 list, this is the one that I can never bring myself to watching multiple times.  I’ve only seen the movie one time, but that single viewing alone leaves such a mark on you that it’s almost impossible to forget the details.  This is a very different film for Spielberg which turns out to be a wonderful shift and only makes me wonder why he hasn’t done more dramas.  On the flip side, part of what helps Schindler’s List work so well is that we haven’t gotten very many films that even come close to hitting the serious mark it has.  Those who haven’t seen it should be aware that this is a very unapologetic viewing which, given the subject matter, is very important.  What’s best is that we get this inspired tale of a single setting in the Holocaust and it never loses the tight grip in the three hour runtime.  Schindler’s List very clearly deserved its Best Picture win at the Oscars for a number of reasons, including how unrelenting, convincing and absorbing it is.

“I could have got more out.  I could have got more.  I don’t know.  If I’d just…I could have got more.”

“Oskar, there are eleven hundred people who are alive because of you.  Look at them.”

“If I’d made more money…I threw away so much money.  You have no idea.  If I’d just…”

“There will be generations because of what you did.”

“I didn’t do enough!”

“You did so much.”

“This car.  Goeth would have bought this car.  Why did I keep the car?  Ten people right there.  Ten people.  Ten more people.”

“This pin.  Two people.  This is gold.  Two more people.  He would have given me two for it, at least one.  One more person.  A person, Stern.  For this.  I could have got one more person…and I didn’t!  And I…I didn’t!”

Com um roteiro espetacular e atuações fantásticas, o filme mostra as lembranças que um homem pensa que quer esquecer

Por Rodrigo Gianesi

Você apagaria alguém e qualquer coisa que você viveu ao lado dessa pessoa de sua memória? O filme Brilho Eterno de uma Mente sem Lembranças explora essa pergunta. Joel (Jim Carrey) e Clementine (Kate Winslet) formam um casal de pessoas que não têm nada em comum, algo normal em vários filmes de romance. Porém, a abordagem deste filme dirigido por Michel Gondry é completamente diferente e intrigante.

Joel é tímido e metódico, enquanto Clementine é extrovertida, diferente e completamente impulsiva. Essa sua última característica a leva a, após terminar seu relacionamento com Joel, procurar a Lacuna INC., uma clínica que oferece um tratamento peculiar: apagar pessoas da mente de outras. Ao descobrir que sua ex-namorada o apagou de sua memória, Joel vê o mundo desabar, e, em um momento de desespero, procura o mesmo tratamento. Durante o procedimento, no qual os técnicos vasculham o cérebro do paciente apagando memória por memória, Joel vê todos os momentos em que passou ao lado de sua namorada, se arrepende de sua escolha e tenta voltar atrás, se escondendo em lugares remotos de suas lembranças.

Filme conta com grande elenco, com Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst e Elijah Wood

Em mais um roteiro alucinante de Charlie Kaufman (que escreveu também Quero Ser John Malkovich), o filme vai e volta no tempo através das lembranças de Joel com interpretações fantásticas, não só dos protagonistas Jim Carrey (que provou, mais uma vez, que não é apenas um ótimo comediante, mas um ator excelente e versátil) e Kate Winslet, mas também boas atuações de todos os atores que compõem esse ótimo elenco, que conta com Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst e Elijah Wood.

Brilho Eterno de uma Mente sem Lembranças é uma história linda que mostra que, não importa o que você faça, você não pode esquecer um amor. Ao ver o filme me lembro de uma frase de Nelson Rodrigues: “Todo amor é eterno. Se acabou, não era amor”.

Antes de responder a pergunta feita no começo deste texto, assista ao filme, e você perceberá que, não importa quão dolorosa tenha sido a separação, um amor nunca deve ser esquecido.

Brilho Eterno de uma Mente sem Lembranças (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind): 2004, EUA. Direção: Michel Gondry. Elenco: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood. Roteiro: Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth. Duração: 108 minutos.

Notas:

Rodrigo Gianesi [10] Ronnie Romanini [10] Paulo do Valle [9.5]

Nossa média: [9.8]

MAGIA, ESPADA Y FANTASÍA (VI)

La segunda parte de la monumental adaptación a la pantalla de la obra de J.R.R. Tolkien por Peter Jackson y su equipo da comienzo en el punto en que la Comunidad del Anillo se disuelve: Frodo y Sam siguen su camino hacia Mordor, Merry y Pipin han caído prisioneros de los orcos de Sauron, y Aragorn, Legolas y Gimli, dejando a los pequeños portadores del anillo que encuentren su propio destino, van tras los cautivos para liberarlos, mientras Sauron y su aliado Saruman siguen acumulando fuerzas con las que aplastar a las razas libres de la Tierra Media, desunidas y parapetadas tras sus débiles defensas…

Tras el impactante efecto sorpresa de la primera entrega, Las dos torres ofrece más de lo mismo (pero peor) en la forma, aunque empieza la decadencia en cuanto al fondo. Como dijimos en su momento en esta misma sección, a medida que la trilogía avanza, sus grandes virtudes se van poco a poco diluyendo y los pequeños inconvenientes del primer capítulo, minimizados ante la grandiosidad del conjunto, van creciendo hasta poco a poco adueñarse de este puente hacia la conclusión. El problema, precisamente, es la entrega incondicional a la espectacularidad de las formas y el paulatino descuido de unas, ya de por sí, demasiado elementales, lineales, esquemáticas cuestiones de fondo (personajes, psicología, motivaciones, reacciones ante los hechos…) siguiendo, obviamente, las pautas marcadas por Tolkien pero haciendo que la película, exactamente igual que su antecesora y su continuación, dependa en exclusiva de los conocimientos previos del espectador sobre la obra literaria a fin de que pueda entender la lógica de acontecimientos y personajes, sin que se trate de un producto cinematográfico autónomo. A ello no es ajena la introducción de las grandes batallas y de las escenas de acción propias de la historia en las que la entrega a la espectacularidad es total, y en las que se desvirtúan algunos logros de la primera parte. Por ejemplo, donde hay un ingente esfuerzo por utilizar el maquillaje y la caracterización para la construcción de las diversas criaturas “no humanas” y de ambientación y dirección artística para los espacios, comienza a haber demasiada labor de computadora a fin de recrear enormes ejércitos en movimiento, espacios abiertos o decorados en los que transcurran los combates, auténticamente de videojuego por más espectaculares que sean, y también en el momento de provocar un buen número de efectos de la violencia sobre individuos y objetos. La batalla principal es tan grandiosa como artificiosa, con algún que otro guiño que supera lo humorístico para adentrarse en lo ridículo, completamente fuera del tono general de la historia, y las múltiples y complejas tramas paralelas que como un mosaico van salpicando la narración y cambiando el punto de interés y de tensión a cada momento, unidas a la excesiva duración del film, hacen que el ritmo vaya desde la lentitud más extrema al servicio del crecimiento de una tensión no siempre lograda (porque hay que entender que al igual que se depende del libro para presuponer aspectos de los personajes el espectador ya conoce el desenlace de los hechos sobre los que se pretende cargar emoción) hasta la vertiginosa sucesión de acontecimientos acelerados que siembran la película de altibajos y lagunas de emoción.

El problema es que la ingenuidad y expectación del discurso de la primera parte se torna aquí en una oda a las imágenes animadas desprovistas de discurso de cualquier tipo o, lo que es peor, intentando alcanzar la sublimidad de ciertos mensajes a través de la mera repetición de frases y situaciones pretendidamente trascendentes y decisivas (cuando, insistimos, el lector de Tolkien, espectador a quien va dirigida la película, no como intención, pero sí como construcción, ya sabe qué va a pasar y qué no) pero que, a través de ese culto a lo entendido como modernidad e innovación visuales, son en el fondo de una emotividad vacía, de una emoción nula, sin una aventura real, sin un riesgo o un peligro que realmente cruce al otro lado de la pantalla, sin unos personajes vivos por los que podamos sentir una empatía que vaya más allá de lo que los personajes dicen representar, sin llegar a sentir algo por los personajes en sí.

La película acumula historias que transcurren de manera paralela pero no por ello gana en solidez, muy al contrario, es una forma de perder pulso, de deshilvanar un puzzle que en la primera entrega había quedado ensamblado de manera aceptable. Se vuelve facilona, vulgar, reiterativa, simple y lineal, por más que visualmente pretenda todo lo contrario, resultar majestuosa, abigarrada, rica, espectacular; busca enganchar por la belleza y el impacto de imágenes grandilocuentes, olvidándose de atraparnos por el cariz de los acontecimientos que cuenta, y es ahí donde, a pesar de que engancha y obliga a seguirla, apuesta por explotar los elementos más pobres y simplones del lenguaje cinematográfico y busca convencer a través de algo, en el fondo, tan fácil como es apabullar, embaucar por aplastamiento.

Habiendo alcanzado así la trilogía la cúspide de lo que podía ofrecer, buena parte de esta segunda entrega y toda la tercera parte son un lento caer hacia la superficialidad en el discurso y el tributo a las formas animadas por ordenador en detrimento de la historia misma, al metraje excesivo en la creencia de que la mejor adaptación es la que cuenta todo (ya dijo Voltaire que el secreto de aburrir consiste en decirlo todo), de que a más, siempre es mejor. Y el cine nos ha dado gran cantidad de muestras, seguramente las mejores, de que lo mejor suele ser siempre lo contrario.

High school student Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) spots something strange with his telescope as he stargazes near the local observatory. Marcus Wolf discovers it’s a comet, but he is killed in a car accident before he can alert anyone. Fast-forward a year, and the government has decided it must destroy the comet so it does not collide with the Earth. They have a very ambitious and ludicrous plan to land on the comet and detonate it; retired astronaut Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall) is scouted to lead the mission because he landed on the moon once, so he has the best chance of landing on the comet, dammit! There are other various story arcs and characters in the film. Leo lives with his parents and has a crush on Sarah (Leelee Sobieski), the girl-next-door. Leo becomes a minor celebrity once the President (Morgan Freeman) breaks the news to the nation – they have named the comet Wolf-Biederman. Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) plays an ambitious journalist who has a meteoric (pun intended) rise in the industry because she sort-of uncovered the story. She becomes lead anchor on the story. Her arc also revolves around her relationships with her mother (Vanessa Redgrave) and her father (Maximillian Schell), who has recently remarried to a woman only 2 years older than his daughter.

The beginning of the film is really slow moving, with too much time dedicated to convenient character drama. When I think back to more successful disaster films like The Day After Tomorrow, which jumps right into the disaster in the opening act, Deep Impact seems positively frustrating in comparison. The idea of the disaster is introduced in the early scenes, but it then moves away from this to focus on the blissfully unaware characters. The troubled relationship between Tea Leoni and her father is particularly drawn-out, although I did like the ultimate pay-off in that story arc. Elijah Wood and Leelee Sobieski are both good in their roles, and I think we most connect with these characters. Morgan Freeman plays the President with his usual resonant voice.

Obviously the most interesting part begins when the comet actually hits (the scenes in outer space were supposed to be thrilling but are quite preposterous). The real entertainment value of Deep Impact lies in the excitement and horror as we see well-known cities and landmarks destroyed by something out of our control. As a young girl the image of that giant tidal wave, in conjunction with Titanic, made me quite fearful of water! Even though the special effects might be a little bit dated, they are nonetheless spectacular. These kinds of movies are interesting because they spark a few paranoid questions – Could this ever happen? What would we do? Would I survive? Who really cares?

Deep Impact is a true film of the 90s, a time when disaster films were very much in vogue. It’s not great by any standards but it is pure entertainment, and you may just be on the edge of your seat in the final act. Not bad to watch on a quiet night in.

My rating:

“Too many guys think I’m a concept, or I complete them, or I’m gonna make them alive. But I’m just a fucked-up girl who’s lookin’ for my own peace of mind; don’t assign me yours.” ~~Clementine Kruczynski

If it’s true that the course of love doesn’t run smooth, it’s also true that our memories of that trip don’t follow a timeline. In the beginning, there are the obvious landmarks: the first meeting, a tentative investigation; the first conversation; the first kiss. But once affection sours, time goes full Cuisinart on those recollections, scrambling them so hopelessly we couldn’t reorganize them if we tried.

Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) experience this reality not once but again and again in Michel Gondry’s tender and achingly beautiful ”Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” a film with a script that mimics the curious effects of time upon our memories of lost love. Here, the end and the beginning bleed together, and they also cloud the way we see everything in the middle because the boundary lines are loose and fuzzy. Charlie Kaufman, who penned the knotty script, seems intent on drawing us in by providing all the answers and letting us ferret out the equation.

What’s so wonderfully original and mesmerizing about “Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind” is that Joel and Clementine are in the exact same position we are. Both find themselves in an odd situation with the facts of the present, yet they have no idea how they got there. And it takes quite some time before we figure out how they did, either. Since their story can’t quite be told in a linear fashion, let’s start somewhere in the muddy middle: On an uncharacteristic whim, timid loner Joel skips work and hops a train to Montauk. The ride back leads him to meet Clementine, a chatty free spirit with unruly blue hair (“I apply my personality in a paste,” she offers brightly) who’s sure she’s met Joel before. There’s an unexpected connection that threatens to become more, and that’s when everything goes pear-shaped: Seems Joel and Clem not only know each other, they used to be lovers. The reason neither remembers this has to do with Lacuna, Inc., an odd little business run by Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) that specializes in erasing painful memories.

Additional stories funnel into ”Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” involving Patrick (Elijah Wood) and Stan (the invaluable Mark Ruffalo), Lacuna’s memory-vanquishing technicians, and Mary (Kirsten Dunst), Mierzwiak’s receptionist. Their lives intersect with Joel’s because they’re charged with erasing Clementine from his mind, and all three are so wrapped up in their own strange realities that they don’t realize Joel wants to stop the procedure right in the middle of it. Not that his protests matter, really; he’s hidden too far in his own mind to be heard. This makes his anguish all the more wrenching, for who hasn’t let heartbreak lead to a bad choice screaming to be taken back?

There are, perhaps, no appropriate words to describe what Carrey and Winslet bring to this bittersweet examination of love. The kooky plot requires them to anchor their characters in reality, make them human enough for us to suffer their hurts and feel their joy. Carrey quiets himself enormously to play Joel, a lonely man who guards his heart closely. Winslet’s more open but no less touching as Clementine, a woman whose flightiness covers a deep core of insecurity and self-awareness. Together, with their stirring chemistry, they make Joel and Clementine’s love story one of the greatest ever told. 

Worry not, though, that “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is some kind of repackaged epic romance with a comedic twist. Elements of the universal exist, certainly, but with Gondry behind the camera this is love story that feels almost shockingly intimate. We catch glimpses of under-the-cover confessions, lazy afternoon strolls, early dinners uncomfortable in their cold silence — the things no one ever sees. All the shots are so gorgeously lensed, so precisely placed and edited, that what we have is a story told in scattered Polaroids. And sometimes it’s the snapshots, creased and smudged with fingerprints, we keep closest to our hearts.

It was a while back that I first mention Paul Scheuring’s The Experiment. It is a remake of Oliver Hirschbiegels Das Experiment, which centered on a group of ordinary men recruited to take on the roles of guards and prisoners as part of a research study and examined how the effects of assigned roles, power and control affected the participants. Bloody Disgusting got hold of the first photos from the film.

It’s looking good and doesn’t Forest Whitaker look young.

Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Elijah Wood, Cam Gigandet, Clifton Collins Jr and Maggie Grace

2/5

Directed by: Shane Acker

Starring: Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly and Elijah Wood

It is amazing what one name can do.  In a town like Hollywood successes are often made simply by riding in the back seat of someone else’s career.  As the name gets bigger, well so does the expectation and when the name is as big as Tim Burton’s, those expectations have to met each and every time.  Flashing the name Tim Burton, who produced the film, here and there may have attracted our attention for a little while, but the basic frame of 9 is so insubstantial that it fails to carry us with it much further than the opening credits.

Based on a 2005 short film of the same name, 9 tells the story of a small rag doll man who comes to life and finds himself one of several similar creations who are struggling to defeat a machine which has been stealing souls.  The usual story really; post apocalyptic world, six inch rag doll fighting a twenty foot machine, set in the ruins of our destructive civilisation, with a few all American home truths thrown in for good measure.  Given the advantages of modern day graphics, with a century of cinematic history to learn from and build upon and a respectable cast of actors on the bill, you could be forgiven for asking why it is that picking up your bible and turning to David and Goliath is more entertaining than a ten pound trip to your local cinema.

The first issue at hand is the atrocious screenplay written by Pamela Pettler.  Stilted, stale, heavy handed, overly emotive, tired, lifeless … the list goes on.  Secondly, what may seem on paper to be a talented bunch of acclaimed screen actors manifests as a string of lack lustre voice performances that fail to match the sometimes explosive and climactic nature of the action on screen.  The real crux of the problem, though, is a catastrophic identity struggle.  With a trailer promising edgy, dynamic action and imaginative futuristic technology, director Shane Acker actually serves up a batch of sentimental, recycled scenarios in a film which is more ‘Bambi meets Stand By Me’ than it is ‘Transformers meets I Am Legend.’

Fortunately there are a few minor points of interest.  The animated characterisation of the little rag people is at times quite beautiful.  The subtle differences in design between the faces, bodies and the materials used to make them up provide a welcome distraction from the bizarre drivel surrounding them.  Also, to be fair, there are a handful of sequences which manage to excite, not least of all an attack from a mechanic pterodactyl like creature.  However, by the time 9 finally draws to a close there is little that can be said in its favour.  If you are looking for something to watch with your seven year old son, go for it.  Otherwise, may I suggest turning to 1 Samuel: 17 with a big wooly jumper and a Cup-a-Soup?

“9 – A Salvação”, a fantasia épica e pós-apocalíptica do diretor Shane Acker, é, na verdade, a versão longa-metragem de seu curta homônimo, indicado ao Oscar em 2005. O roteiro dessa é de Pamela Pettler, que também escreveu o ótimo “Casa Monstro”. Completando o time de estrelas por trás das câmeras, a produção ficou a cargo de Timur Bekmambetov – diretor de “O Procurado” – e ninguém menos que Tim Burton. A participação de Burton em “9 – A Salvação” gerou um imenso ‘buzz’ em torno do filme, o que acabou sendo um forte chamariz para os expectadores nas salas de cinema mundo afora. Dublando a animação, temos figuras igualmente conhecidas como Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connely, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau e Crispin Glover.

Ta bom pra você? Até estaria, mas o filme – para o nosso deleite – não se sustenta só através desses nomes famosos. O mérito dessa animação é a combinação de 3 elementos preciosos: o estilo visual peculiar de Burton, as sequências de ação de Bekmambetov e a história idealizada por Acker. A síntese disso tudo é uma produção cinemaográfica imperdível, inteligente e cativante. Mas não se engane com o aspecto amigável do protagonista 9 e seus amigos; eles são simbólicos, assim como quase tudo no filme. Estamos diante de uma animação totalmente voltada para o público adulto. Toda a ambientação catastófrica, as referências claras ao nazismo, a brutalidade de algumas sequências e até um cadáver (sim, um cadáver!!!) em ‘cena’ corroboram esse aspecto.

Quando 9 desperta, ele se encontra em um mundo pós-apocalíptico onde não há mais humanos. Explorando esse cenário cataclísmico, descobre uma pequena comunidade de outros como ele, se refugiando de assustadoras máquinas que perambulam pela Terra em meio à extinção de todo o resto de vida. 9 convence o grupo de que esconder-se não adiantará por muito tempo. Para sobreviver, eles precisariam tomar a ofensiva da situação e ir em busca de respostas, e entender por que as máquinas querem destruí-los. É então que eles aprendem que o futuro da civilização pode depender somente deles.

No entanto, em meio a todo esse caos e destruição, ao longo de “9 – A Salvação”, nos vemos sumariamente envolvidos, tamanho o carisma dos 9 pequeninos bonecos de pano. Cada um com características bem específicas, estereótipos, que foram muito bem explorados nos cartazes de divulgação que você pode conferir na galeria ao final desse post. O aspecto gráfico é outro ponto alto. A tecnologia de animação de que os estúdios dispões hoje em dia, permitiram a criação de um ambiente igualmente belo e estéril. E nele, se desenrolam envolventes cenas de ação, com pitadas de heroísmo e humor. Assista-o em uma boa sala de projeção ou em seu home theater fodástico e se delicie com a riqueza de efeitos sonoros, satisfação garantida!

O Ogro recomenda e, assim que sair em dvd, esse é um filme certo de estar em uma estante aqui da Caverna! Se liga no trailer:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

A new era in animated storytelling begins on 9.9.09. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch) join forces to produce wunderkind director Shane Acker’s distinctively original and thrilling tale. 9 stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer and Crispin Glover and features the music of Danny Elfman.

When 9 (The Lord of the Ring’s Elijah Wood) first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they’ll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them. –© Focus Features

… Och varför E.W är just Super-Rad? well, click here!

The New Zealand Hobbits Are Back!

With pre- production on The Hobbit which is the prequel to the Lord of the Rings movies, Matamata is in the limelight again, where the village of Hobbiton set was made.

Well now you can go and visit the site and follow in the paths of your Hollywood Icons, names such as director Peter Jackson, Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen), Frodo (Elijah Wood), Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) and Sam (Sean Astin).

When Peter Jackson spotted the Alexander Farm during an aerial search of the North Island for the best possible locations to film The Lord of The Rings, the site commenced construction in 1999 to create the Hobbiton Movie Set

Thirty-seven hobbit holes were created made out of wood and polystyrene.

Now that all the film crew and movie stars have long gone it’s now your turn to re live the experience and loose yourself in the realm of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings world.

Flights to New Zealand have never been more affordable

SPECIAL DEAL to NEW ZEALAND, From only $798* per person

Ex Los Angeles/San Fransisco.
SALE ENDS: 18 Nov 09 TRAVEL COMMENCING: 01 May – 08 Jun 10, 22 Feb – 13 Apr 10

*Includes fuel surcharge. Excludes Government fees and taxes of up to $90 USD, depending on routing, which encompasses the Passenger Facility Charge of $4.50 and the September 11 Security Fee of $2.50 USD per person per enplanement in the USA to a maximum of $10.00 USD. Taxes are subject to currency exchange fluctuation and may vary from the estimated taxes shown. Other terms & conditions apply.

Whilst I impatiently wait for my Christmas pre-order of Pandorum, I thought I should review the highly anticipated ‘9‘, directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton. Which subsequently brings me to my first point. Many people thought that this was a direct piece of work from Burton, meaning they thought he was directing. Unfortunately that isn’t the case and as a result, many individuals were slightly disappointed by the film primarily due to the shoes which Acker, never in fact had to fill.

It is fair to admit, however that Acker did an amazing job considering ‘9‘ is his first feature-length film in which he played the role of director. Acker, who may be known for his CG animation in ‘Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King‘, took the role on head first and came out with some surprising results. Astonishingly, something that no one truly appreciated was the script, although to be fair, it was not that entirely illustrious and because of that, the actors voices weren’t really appreciated also. On the other hand, 9 proved positive amongst critics for it’s CGI.

The plot, whilst fairly original, lies within a post-apocalyptic world where the only questionable living things are a series of 9, doll-like creatures who are referred to only by number. It’s safe to say that this has hardly be attempted before, with a pretty impressive execution at that, but despite all this, I found the way the film was made less favourable. For a start, even though I severely enjoyed the trailer for ‘9′ I didn’t expect the quality of the CGI of the characters to be as it was. The landscapes and lighting on the other hand, were genius with an impressive amount of detail. After re-watching the film it appeared that the simplified CGI wasn’t so much as a bad thing as it was good, not being constantly distracted from the character profiles, or plot line, or the film score allowed me to focus especially on those things. Whether this was intended or not, I was still moved by the 79 minutes of film.

As I already mentioned the film score, I can say that it is uniquely poignant and similarly nonchalant, as if the score doesn’t need to live up to the film, as if in fact, the other way around. In some ways it’s similar to ‘‘The Dark Knight’s‘ score, in my mind, but during the actions scenes, it’s some of the better compilations I have ever heard; if you can comprehend a mixture of the awesomesauce of ‘Star Wars‘ and some random epic film with an equally representative epic score, then you’ll have a measurement of what I’m referring to. Kudos to Danny Elfman who pulls off yet another amazing soundtrack, only on the action part however, Deborah Lurie was brought in for the more orchestral sounds and her luscious work pulls you in from the start. Admittedly, it did take me re-watches to fully appreciate the entire score, as I do with many of the films I review, I re-watch them to focus on different aspects of its creation. Quality over quantity, right? Overall the film was rather good, however if you’re looking for a Tim Burton experience, this isn’t it.

No, Frodo, for the last time: you can NOT just toss it down a storm drain.
Awwww, man!  I hate this quest!

(Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood)

Picture by: dunno source Caption by: EWAdams via Advanced Lol Builder

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9 (Estados Unidos 2.009, 83 Minutos, Ciencia Ficción)
Dirección: Shane Acker.
Guión: Pamela Pettler.
Voces: Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover.
Fotografía: Animación.
Música: Deborah Lurie.

Valoración: 6/10

Sinopsis: 9 despierta en un mundo post-apocalíptico arrasado por una gran guerra. La humanidad ha perecido y 9 intenta sobrevivir entre las ruinas. Allí conoce a un grupo de seres como él. Todos ellos viven aterrados por la presencia de la Gran Máquina, un complejo ingenio capaz de construir otras máquinas. Cuando uno de los suyos es capturado, 9 decide rescatarlo, aunque eso signifique entrar en el territorio de la Gran Máquina.

Crítica: Libros, tebeos, filmes clásicos, ideas llevadas antaño por malos caminos, juguetes, redes sociales y juegos de mesa. Se adapta de todo. Pero ahora, además de adaptar se alarga, recogiendo historias cortas y convirtiéndolas en largos por obra y gracia del capitalismo o de vaya usted a saber qué impulsos artísticos. En teoría, buena idea ante la grave carencia de las mismas. Lo malo, en la práctica, es que más que alargar se estira. Tanto en ocasiones que la cuerda termina por romperse, como en el refrán, y otras también, siguiendo con el refranero, sin importar esa catástrofe hasta que el saco acabe por reventar. Número 9 fue antes corto de los buenos y mediáticos, tanto que recibió una candidatura al Oscar donde llamó la atención de Tim Burton y Timur Bekmambetov. Ambos nombres no imponen su estilo ni inspiran a Shane Acker (aunque parezca que algo del primero hay en la cinta) sino que simplemente se rascan el bolsillo para convertir el corto en largo. El “lo hago por amor al arte” en un intento de buen negocio. 9 luce un diseño original, que sin ser rompedor ni excesivamente extraño, sí es cautivador, con una historia entretenida, a medio camino entre la aventura post-apocalíptica y el drama, mezclado con la sempiterna crítica al totalitarismo y la ambición humana. 9 ni es innovadora, ni rompedora, ni distinta, pero sí muy digna y divertida, con un buen fondo y algunos grandes momentos, pero gigantescos vacíos de guión y de ritmo, convirtiendo en lastre insalvable esos minutos de relleno, demasiado intrascendentes respecto a la buena idea que inspiró el corto y que precisamente por su formato, tenía esa calidad. Ya se sabe, que lo bueno si breve…

Estreno en España: Próximamente.

Un film del 2010, regia di Paul Scheuring, con Cam Gigandet / Elijah Wood / Adrien Brody / Forest Whitaker. Prodotto da ()

Drammatico / Thriller

Un gruppo di uomini viene sottoposto a un esperimento. Gli individui, divisi tra detenuti e guardie cacerarie, vengono osservati per registrare le loro mutazioni comportamentali in seguito alla prolungata prigionia.

Un film del 2010, regia di Paul Scheuring, con Cam Gigandet / Elijah Wood / Adrien Brody / Forest Whitaker. Prodotto da ()

Drammatico / Thriller

Un gruppo di uomini viene sottoposto a un esperimento. Gli individui, divisi tra detenuti e guardie cacerarie, vengono osservati per registrare le loro mutazioni comportamentali in seguito alla prolungata prigionia.