Full Length Astro Boy in the Big Screen

At last the long wait is over Astro Boy fanatics for this coming October 23, 2009 watch and be amazed by the full length animated 3d movie presented by Warner Bros.

Set in futuristic Metro City, 'Astro Boy' is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive 'blue' energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly.

Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way. Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it takes to be a hero.

500 Days of Summer: A Movie Review

Perhaps what I appreciate most about 500 Days of Summer is that it doesn't try too hard, which it very easily could have considering its fractured style of story-telling. As a result, it won't be looked at as quirky or even indie as much as it will simply be referred to as a good film. First time feature director Marc Webb has chosen a witty and down-to-earth romantic dramedy as his debut and he does it without stereotypes or catchphrases, and as a result it earns my respect.

The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom and Zooey Deschanel as Summer. Tom dreams of being an architect, but is stuck writing for a greeting card company, which does little for his career but makes good use of his belief in true love, a belief that comes into play as Summer is hired as a secretary. However, Summer's outlook on life couldn't be any further from Tom's. She is more of a live-in-the-moment kind of girl and the idea of settling down just isn't in the cards. Of course, this doesn't stop the two from forming a 500 day relationship that ends with Summer breaking up with Tom followed by Tom's efforts to get her back. The best part, I can tell you all of this and not spoil a single moment of the film… Like I said, unconventional.

From the outset, we are told 500 Days of Summer is "not a love story" as it is pieced together using a variety of the 500 days of Tom and Summer's relationship showing you when and where things went wrong and never in linear order, but don't assume there isn't a method to the madness. Comedic blends into dramatic which blends into heartache as all the courtship trappings are on display and anyone that has ever been in a relationship is likely to find a connection.

As soon as the film began my first concern was the non-linear storytelling would be used to such an extent it would become annoying and gimmicky. Fortunately, Webb has whittled this feature down to a compact 95 minutes making sure the audience is concentrated on what is going on in the story and not feeling interrupted by the next bit of time travel, but I really think another 5-10 minutes and it would have unraveled. Luckily, solid editing, acting and directing keeps this one moving at a brisk pace all while dealing with the problems everyone faces and does it with characters we can relate to.

Neither Joseph Gordon-Levitt nor Zooey Deschanel would be considered A-list actors, but there is no denying they are two well-liked (and possibly adored) actors by the movie-going community. I would even go so far as to say those that watch these two on a regular basis will find themselves cheering for both sides in this story, even though your heart leans more toward Tom and his plight. But the great thing is you aren't rooting against either side.

Off the top of my head I couldn't think of a better pair to pull this story off as they both bring a level of humanity to the film grounding it in reality. Deschanel's unique look is definitely not the sultry female Hollywood most often falls for, but when she's in a film your attention immediately goes to her wide eyes and delicate voice. So much so, she even made Jim Carrey's Yes Man a decent watch last year. And while Gordon-Levitt isn't an A-lister (yet), he is on the cusp, and the best thing about him is he has done it without sucking at Hollywood's teet in an effort to get a leg up.

Levitt may be starring as the Cobra Commander in the upcoming Paramount toy commercial G.I. Joe, but it will be films such as the 2005 cult favorite Brick, Kimberley Peirce's Stop-Loss and 500 Days of Summer that will keep his career kicking, and people are taking notice. Next up for Levitt is a role in Christopher Nolan's Inception, while he recently finished filming Hesher with Natalie Portman. 500 Days of Summer looks to be the jumping-off point in what is likely to be a major career and a well deserved on at that.

If I were to find fault in this film they would be a few nitpicks that keep it from being a stand-up-and-applaud kind of film, but that isn't to say it isn't worthy of praise. We need more films like 500 Days of Summer and we need more stars like Deschanel and Levitt. Without relying on typical romantic comedy scenarios, 500 Days is a film that comes off as effortless. A lot of work must have gone into bouncing the story of Tom and Summer around while making sure it never derailed, but you can't tell. Whether we are watching Tom suffer through his dead-end job or singing with animated song birds, it is all engaging, entertaining and original — three descriptors rarely used with movies nowadays.

17 Again; A Family Movie

At 17 Mike O'Donell was on top of the world; he was the star of his high school basketball team, and was a shoo in for a college scholarship. And is dating his soul mate, Scarlett. But on what's suppose to be his big game wherein college scouts are checking him out, Scarlett reveals that she's pregnant. Mike decides to leave the game and asks Scarlett to marry him which she does. During their marriage, Mike could only whine about the life he lost because he married her. So she throws him out. And when he loses his job, he returns to the only place he's happy at - his old high school. And while looking at his high school photo, a janitor asks him if he wishes he could be 17 again and he says yes. One night while driving he sees the janitor on a bridge and apparently jumps in and he goes after him. When he returns to his friend, Ned's house, where he has been staying, he sees that he is 17 again. He decides to take this opportunity to get the life he lost.

I had watched the movie giving it a " Two Thumbs Up " vote because of the core family values that it has. Unlike most family movies I have seen this was by far the best family movie I have ever seen.

Zac Efron's acting has evolved in this movie giving life to Mikes character in a unique never before seen of him kind of way. The twist and turns of this movie are the main reason why this movie has a high family value core to it. All in all the movie is fantastic and a must see for all.

DC Gearing Up To Take On Marvel With A Ton Of Reenergized Projects

In the comics universe, where characters are endlessly reborn and reoutfitted, a motto from the 1980s -- "DC Comics is on the move" -- could just as well apply to the current, hyperactive state of the publisher as it relates to Hollywood.

A year after "The Dark Knight" became a worldwide phenomenon, there are more DC Comics adaptations in the works than at any other point since the company was acquired by Warner Bros. in 1969.

Among the projects on front burners:

-- "The Losers," an action-adventure drama starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans, begins principal photography this week in Puerto Rico.

-- "Jonah Hex," a supernatural Western starring Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and John Malkovich, recently wrapped production in Louisiana.

-- "The Green Lantern," Warners' next big superhero tentpole, is set to star Ryan Reynolds after a long search.

-- Fox has picked up the TV series "Human Target," starring Mark Valley, for the fall.

-- And, in a rare example of a film project that has ventured off the Warners reservation, DC has set up "Red," a spy thriller to star Bruce Willis, at Summit.

"One of the things that has differentiated us for most of the last 20 years is the depth of our library and the depth of the creative material that we've put out and the opportunities that creates for other media," DC Comics president Paul Levitz said.Still, when "Dark Knight" invaded theaters last summer, critics of DC and Warners complained there didn't appear to be a grand strategy in place to exploit DC properties.

In contrast, DC arch-rival Marvel moved quickly in the wake of its successful "Iron Man" to stake out a series of release dates for a slew of movies, branding them as part of one big Marvel universe leading to "The Avengers," which arrives in 2012.

But DC and Warners have taken a different approach, arguing that DC has a wider breadth of books than other comics companies. They insist their situation isn't comparable to Marvel, which already has licensed out to other studios a number of its biggest titles: Spider-Man is housed at Sony, and X-Men and Fantastic Four are at Fox.

With fewer marquee superheroes, Marvel works like an animation studio: It only develops select projects and makes most of what it develops, while DC is managing a much larger portfolio.

Still, in the wake of "Dark Knight," DC and Warners have made strategic moves in the superhero realm, including centralizing the way DC's titles and characters are developed. In the past, Warners optioned a property, paying DC a fee comparable to what a property could command on the open market. But while the projects ostensibly were being developed under one roof, many were spread out over a host of producers, each with different visions for how to approach each adaptation.

To bring competing approaches into sync, Levitz and DC's Los Angeles-based film exec Gregory Noveck have overseen a reorganization of the development slate. While Warners execs still drive the creative side, DC now has more input, making it an actual participant in the shaping of material.

"The creative process is by and large a true partnership," Noveck said. "They'll ask us a ton of questions, and we'll give a ton of answers. We will talk back and forth. We'll discuss writers and talent, but ultimately it's their decision."

This past fall, Warners quietly hired three of DC's biggest writers -- Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman -- to act as consultants and writers for its superhero line of movies. The move involved taking back the reins on projects being handled by such producers as Charles Roven ("The Flash") and Akiva Goldsman ("Teen Titans").

Some agents and scribes grumbled about being forced to work with the consultants, never mind that Johns started his career as a assistant to "Superman" director Richard Donner or that Wolfman has worked in animation since the 1980's.

The moves have begun to pay off. Johns worked up a new treatment for a "Flash" script, being written by Dan Mazeau; Johns will act in a producer capacity on the project, which has not attached a director.

The projects Morrison and Wolfman are working on are in the early stages at Warners, whose execs declined to comment.

The process involves one writer taking point, though the trio do collaborate on projects, reading one another's materials while hashing out a story that will be at once accessible to nonfans yet still adhere to each character's long history. The writers also work in tandem with producers, writers and the Warners execs overseeing the projects, showing them treatments and providing notes on scripts.

Meanwhile, other superhero projects are moving forward at Warners.

The studio is taking pitches on sci-fi hero Adam Strange and the underwater-breathing hero "Aquaman," to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way shingle.

Also in the pipeline: "Bizarro Superman" being written by "Galaxy Quest" scribes David Howard and Robert Gordon; a sequel to "Constantine," with Goldsman and Erwin Stoff producing; two concurrent Green Arrow projects, an origin story and a prison-set one titled "Super Max"; and "Shazam," which was set up at New Line but has moved to Warners, with Pete Segal attached to direct.

Unsung in the lineup is Warners' line of straight-to-DVD animated movies released via Warner Premiere. "Green Lantern: First Flight," the latest entry, will premiere at this week's Comic-Con and has a July 28 street date.

These movies, produced on budgets in the $3.5 million range, apparently overperformed their targets. "First Flight" is the fifth straight-to-DVD title, with "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" in production for a Sept. 29 release.

In the home entertainmentarena, DC has overshadowed Marvel, with 2007's "Superman-Doomsday" generating $9.4 million in revenue and last year's "Batman: Gotham Knight," taking advantage of the tidal wave of support for the Christopher Nolan movie, generating $8 million, according to tracking site The-Numbers.com. "Wonder Woman," released in March, already has chalked up $4.4 million. Marvel's top seller, "Ultimate Avengers 2," has pulled in $7.7 million.

Not that all the stars in the DC firmament are aligned yet.

Warners and DC still haven't figured out how to translate "Wonder Woman" to the big screen. In part, that failure reflects the difficulties DC has had turning out a popular Wonder Women comic. Morrison, during a recent Q&A with Clive Barker at Los Angeles' Meltdown Comics, admitted he didn't have a complete handle on the character when he was writing the comic "Final Crisis."

Also, ever since Bryan Singer's 2006's "Superman Returns," a new Superman has been in limbo.

"Our hope is to develop a Superman property and to try again," Warner Bros. Entertainment president Alan Horn said in April. "What hurt us is that the reviews and so on for the Superman movie did not get the kind of critical acclaim that Batman got, and we have other issues with Superman that concern us."

On the Batman front, a sequel to "Dark Knight" also is quite a way off. Nolan is open to doing a third installment, but his next movie is "Inception," an original script he penned and is shooting for Warners.

All that has put a damper on any movie about the Justice League, whose roster includes the above-mentioned heroes as well as myriad others including Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter. DC would like to present some of the main heroes in their own movies before they are brought together for one big outing, so "League" currently is inactive.

On top of that, there could be another change in how Warners approaches the DC characters, with studio chiefs debating whether to put the operation under one super-exec.

To bring the next generation of superheroes to the screen, DC and Warners might yet have to unleash their own super powers.

Half-Blood Prince a Movie Review

Fans have been clamoring for the latest trip to Hogwarts since the film release date was moved from a November 2008 release to July of this year. Warner Brothers felt if the date was postponed, there would be a greater opportunity to cash in on the monstrous fan base without going head to head with last year’s blockbuster, “The Dark Knight,” or the hugely popular “Twilight.”

The wait is over, and not only is “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” here, but there will be two more movies following this one to give the final book its proper treatment. This is the strongest film franchise from top to bottom because as these movies come out they get better and that is a rare thing.

In this installment, the students are 16 years old and starting their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school is no longer a place of safety for Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) as he still is struggling after his battle with Lord Voldemort.

Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) enlists his friend and former college Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) who holds one of the keys in his memory to battling the Dark Lord.

The ever eerie presence of Voldemort looms over the school as he assembles a group of evil cohorts to carry out his evil intentions. This includes the always jealous and sneaky Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) who becomes a participant in a sinister mission he must carry out for Lord Voldemort.

“The Half Blood Prince” is the best so far in this exceptional film franchise that gets better as it goes along. This is due to the great subject matter they have to work off of the amazing book series by J.K. Rowling.

I believe one of the things taken for granted is the chemistry and talents of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson who have grown into these characters beautifully and have developed into really good actors. The fact that these young actors have stayed together for all six films, and that they will be in the forthcoming seventh and eighth installments, has been critical to the franchise’s success.

The great Alan Rickman slices and dices his way through all of his scenes as Professor Snape with amazing skill and timing leaving the audience captivated whenever he is on screen. By playing the role of Snape and the unforgettable Hans Gruber in the first “Die Hard” flick, Rickman has helped to create two of the greatest villains in movie history.

As for the rest of the cast, Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) and Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) are all excellent as usual. Gambon who took over for the late Richard Harris has really come into his own playing Dumbledore, a character who in this installment is a much bigger part of the story.

Director David Yates fully realizes the world of Harry Potter and has made the two best films in the series with this installment and “Order of the Phoenix.” This film is satisfying as you see the way these kids have grown up and going through not only the pains of growing up, but falling in love as well. There is comedy, sadness, love, anger, teen angst, sadness and uncertainty. The movie, much like the book itself, lures the audience into making an emotional investment because you care about these characters.

The sets and the overall look of this movie, along with the special effects, are all fantastic. All of the Potter films are great to look at, but this one is the best so far. It is a beautiful, stunning feast for the eyes. The opening bridge scene is scary, realistic and brilliantly orchestrated, kicking off the movie in memorable fashion.

The first 10 minutes of this new Potter movie’s opening scene were filmed in IMAX 3-D, but because of the horrible “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” having been contracted until the end of July, fans will have to wait a little longer to see the 3D version.

One of the cool things about the Potter films is how they bring generations of fans together like no other movie franchise ever has. The films are a great mixture of magical storytelling, memorable characters, and state-of-the-art special effects.

“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” is one of only a few memorable films in an otherwise stagnant summer movie season and what a breath of fresh air it is.