When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND LEGENDARY PICTURES PACIFIC RIM
In 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX on July 12
(Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures)
Director: Guillermo del Toro Writers: Screenplay by Travis Beacham and Guillermo del Toro
Story by Travis Beacham Producers: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Guillermo del Toro, Mary Parent Executive Producers: Callum Greene
Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky,
Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Brad William Henke, Diego Klattenhoff
Just announced, on August 6, Disney will release The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood and Oliver and Company on Blu-Ray Combo Packs! See info for each film below.
Disney proudly presents the 50th anniversary edition of a spellbinding and beloved animated classic. Conjure up magical family fun with the humor, adventure and Academy Award®-nominated music (Best Score – Adaptation or Treatment, 1963) of The Sword In The Stone – now on Blu-ray Combo Pack for the first time ever!
Take an amazing journey with a young orphan named “Wart” and the extraordinary wizard Merlin. According to legend, only someone with the purest character and inner strength can pull the enchanted sword from the stone and claim the throne of England. Armed with newfound confidence and the power of friendship, Wart discovers his destiny and learns the best magic is the kind you find inside yourself!
Voice Cast includes: Sebastian Cabot (The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) as Sir Ector, Karl Swenson (The Birds, Judgment at Nuremberg) as Merlin, Rickie Sorensen (Tarzan and the Trappers, Tarzan’s Fight for Life) as Wart, Junius Matthews (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too) as Archimedes, Martha Wentworth (101 Dalmatians, The Stranger) as Madam Mim, Norman Alden (The Transformers: The Movie, Back to the Future) as Sir Kay, and Alan Napier (Marnie, Batman) as Sir Pellinor
To commemorate its 40th anniversary, Disney proudly presents the unforgettable animated classic Robin Hood on Blu-ray for the first time ever. Experience all the fun, thrills and celebrated music (Academy Award® Nominated Music for Best Original Song “Love” in 1973) of this legendary adventure with perfect picture and sound!
Join Robin Hood, his trusted companion Little John and his hilarious band of Merry Men as they outfox greedy Prince John to save the good people of Nottingham. Dashing from one daring deed to the next, Robin won’t rest until he wins the hand of Maid Marian and restores King Richard to the throne. One of Disney’s most beloved movies is even better on Blu-ray Combo Pack!
Voice Cast includes: Brian Bedford (Nixon, Grand Prix) as Robin Hood; Phil Harris (Aristocats, The Jungle Book) as Little John; Andy Devine (Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) as Friar Tuck; Monica Evans (The Odd Couple, Aristocats) as Maid Marian; Terry Thomas (It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Abominable Dr. Phibes) as Sir Hiss and Roger Miller (Into the Wild, Broke Back Mountain) as Allan-a-Dale
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of a Disney classic with the stunning Blu-ray debut of Oliver And Company, featuring perfect picture and sound. Relive this charming animated adventure, packed with excitement, fun and unforgettable songs by Billy Joel, Bette Midler and Huey Lewis.
In the heart of New York City, Oliver, a mischievous orphaned kitten, is befriended by Dodger, a carefree pooch and his ragtag family of misfit mutts. Life gets even better for Oliver when he is adopted by a lonely little girl named Jenny. But when tough guy Sykes and his Doberman sidekicks try to keep Jenny and Oliver apart, the spirited kitten and his newfound friends discover the meaning of courage and find a home where they truly belong.
Voice Cast includes: Joey Lawrence (Summer Rental, Urban Legends: Final Cut) as Oliver, Billy Joel (Hangover Part II, 13 Going on 30) as Dodger, Cheech Marin (The Lion King, Grindhouse) as Tito, Richard Mulligan (Little Big Man, Trail of the Pink Panther) as Einstein, Roscoe Lee Browne (Treasure Planet, Babe) as Francis, Dom DeLuise (All Dogs Go to Heaven, History of the World: Part I) as Fagin, Natalie Gregory (Alice in Wonderland, Wait Until Spring) as Jenny, Bette Midler (Fantasia/2000, Beaches) as Georgette
A star studded dramedy indie that has already hit Video-On-Demand and digital copy that will be opening in LA May 17th and other select cities May 24th. If you haven’t heard of this film, I definitely recommend checking out the trailer.
Julianne Moore, Nathan Lane, Michael Angarano, Greg Kinnear and Lily Collins star in this official selection of the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. The English Teacher revolves around Linda Sinclair (Julianne Moore), a lonely home body of a teacher who has been looking for someone to fulfill her life only to find it in the most unconventional way. Linda runs into former student Jason Sherwood (Michael Angarano) who has returned to Kingston, Penn. after failing to make a name for himself as a writer on Broadway.
After Linda reads his unproduced play, she decides that she can bring it to fruition at Kingston High School with the help of past Broadway hopeful school drama teacher Carl Kapinas (Nathan Lane). Who better? It is Jason’s painful past that has Linda falling into lust for her former student that gets herself into trouble with the students, the school, and jeopardizes the integrity of the play. Everything becomes a disaster when she begins to blame Jason’s father Dr. Tom Sherwood (Greg Kinnear) for influencing Jason’s loss of passion for writing and pushing him to go to law school. Linda has to be careful though to not get herself mixed with a false reality.
Okay, the plot may actually not seem that exciting nor comical, but first time feature film director Craig Zisk (director of over 50 series including The Big C, Nurse Jackie, Entourage, The Office, Alias, Smash, Parks and Recreation, Shameless and Nip/Tuck along with executive producer of many others) does a profound job creating a very comical yet powerful go-home-happy film. Nonetheless it’s Julianne Moore’s phenomenal performance that really makes this film something special.
Linda is an average English teacher that doesn’t tend to wear a lot of makeup and wears overly large glasses (a bit much perhaps, but fits her) who is a bit socially awkward, but isn’t afraid of men. She goes on many dates, however all the men are “losers” one way or another. Director Zisk actually does a clever thing by “writing” her thoughts of the guys on the screen in a red handwritten font to look like she is grading each man. Most of these men are cameos in a quick montage of dates so the audience gets a quick glimpse into what her life out of the school is like.
You can tell that she wants something a little more with her life and finds her opportunity with her former student. Nathan Lane’s character Kapinas (mistakenly referred to as Ka-Penis often in the film) is a true wishful thinker that is tired of doing the same school plays year after year. Jason’s play is his chance to do something creative and different. This is where Nathan gets to shine as that unsuccessful flamboyant former thespian that is itching to create something unique.
It is during rehearsals of the play when the chaos ensues and Moore’s character gets herself into sticky situations where she doesn’t always make the soundest decisions. The pace of the story is perfect and everything seems to flow well. You really start to feel for her character when she gets herself into trouble and, in most cases, I believe the audience will see they could make the same choices if they were in her shoes.
This movie has so many little areas and subplots that I cannot simple explain each direction the movie heads toward, but I can point out that every side story adds so much depth to what may have originally seemed like a standard story.
The English Teacher turns into a delightful dynamic movie that many will find themselves growing closer with the characters hoping for that perfect resolution even with no hope in sight. For once this is a romantic dramedy that doesn’t lose interest in the outcome of the conflicts and leaves the audience pondering what on Earth could be the best way to end this film. The movie finds a little twist in the tale leaving course of the direction it was headed and into one that may appear less possible, which in reality may be the one that is most realistic. I guess this depends in the world in which you live though.
I found myself deeply invested in Linda and wanting her to make right. By the end The English Teacher I actually felt quite satisfied with a giant grin on my face. It was one of those pleasantly surprising movies that I didn’t expect to be left with such a feeling of… happiness. Perhaps some of that came from it just being well made film.
One of the most schizophrenic films I’ve seen in a long time, 33 Postcards is not only a hackneyed melodrama, but an underdeveloped crime thriller as well. It was bad enough when I thought the film was an eye-rolling story about a young Chinese orphan, Mei Mei (or Little Sister), on a field-trip to Sydney, Australia, seeking out her sponsor, Dean Randall (Guy Pearce). She believes that he is a park ranger of some sort, and will rescue her from her life in China. At this point, the film was cheesy and overly sentimental, but I understood what they were going for. By the time she discovers that Dean is actually in prison for murder, and then gets caught up in Dean’s brothers car theft ring, the film just goes completely off the rails.
It’s truly surprising to see an accomplished actor such as Pearce in a role such as this, one in which he is visibly un-invested. He practically sleepwalks through the film, with no exploration of the light or darkness that must be within him. Zhu Lin, who plays Mei Mei, brings the only sign of life to the film with a performance that begs for a better movie. Her desperation throughout feels genuine, and I was able to slightly invest myself in her character through her performance.
With the exception of some beautiful scenic shots of Australia, there is no artistry to the film at all. The directing is pedestrian, providing the shots needed to tell the story and nothing more. The highest compliment I can pay to the production is that it is competent. There is no passion behind any of this, and there doesn’t appear to be any desire to escalate the material beyond the bare minimum.
As the story progresses and the stakes get higher, the film appears more and more desperate to entertain. There is nothing here we haven’t seen before, but the different pieces of the film all seem so isolated from each other, it’s like watching several movies edited together into one. There is a loose thread of a story connecting everything, but it becomes very difficult to form any sort of emotional investment when the story won’t stay focused on any one idea. Overall, 33 Postcards will leave no lasting impression and serve as simply a footnote on Guy Pearce’s filmography.
Watch this new video from Disney’s PLANES which features music by the film composer, Mark Mancina.
From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters on Aug. 9, 2013. For more information, check out Disney.com/Planes, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyPlanes and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures.
Watch this funny video video with Arnold Schwarzenegger as he pumps you for the first ever YouTube Comedy Week!
YouTube Comedy Week will showcase the best of comedy with live events, video premieres and creative collaborations from the world’s funniest people. From May 19-25, YouTube Comedy Week will bring together the biggest names in comedy on YouTube and beyond to create a one of a kind experience for comedy fans. Check it out at www.youtube.com/comedyweek
Disney Interactive is providing an in-depth look into the Pirates of the Caribbean Play Set within Disney Infinity through an all new set of character images, action screenshots and a gameplay trailer featuring both Play Set and Toy Box modes. Pirates of the Caribbean will be part of the title’s starter pack that is launching on August 18, along with The Incredibles and Monsters University.
[popup-slideshow id=8831 text=”Click here to see screen shots from the game!“]
Within the Pirates of the Caribbean play set, gamers can take on the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones as they set sail to new lands in search of adventure and gold. Key highlights include:
· Combat and Customization: Players will be able to explore new lands while battling via water and land to become the king of the sea. Additionally, players can customize their ship, by choosing everything from the overall décor of the vessel to the cannons on board.
· Play Set: The Pirates of the Caribbean play set adds its own specialized game play mechanics and pieces to the Disney Infinity world such as unique weaponry that when activated in Toy Box mode allows players to create all-new combat challenges, build and customize worlds and much more.
· Toy Box mode: The pirate trio of Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones are able to interact with all of the previously revealed Disney Infinity characters from The Incredibles, Monsters University and Cars to create new and exciting adventures on the high seas and beyond.
Disney Infinity is an all-new video game initiative starring the beloved characters from Walt Disney and Pixar Studios’ most popular franchises. Players can place real-world toy versions of their favorite Disney characters onto a device called the Infinity Base and transport them into the virtual game worlds of Monsters University, the Incredibles, Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as into a giant Toy Box.
Some exciting news from our friends at D23. Here is the full press-release:
D23: The Official Disney Fan Club and the Walt Disney Archives are proud to announce the return of the “Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives” exhibit to the D23 Expo. During the D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center, August 9 – 11, 2013, this all-new exhibit curated specifically for the D23 Expo 2013 will feature: the 50th anniversary of Mary Poppins, ABC’s hit television series Once Upon A Time, and a look at the longstanding connection between Disney and L. Frank Baum’s beloved series of books about the land of Oz.
“Treasures” will showcase a selection of crown jewels from the Walt Disney Archives Collection, many of which will be displayed publicly for the first time by the Archives. As the 50th anniversary of Mary Poppins approaches, the Archives will be presenting a wide array of pieces from the Academy Award®-winning 1964 film including concept art and matte paintings, Mary and Bert’s carousel horses, the snow globe from the “Feed the Birds” sequence, costumes worn by many of the central characters and the recently acquired carpet bag, which Mary carries with her when she arrives at the Banks’ household. Also part of the exhibit will be the Fan Art Gallery, themed to Mary Poppins. D23 Members were invited to submit their work as part of the D23 Expo Fan Art Contest, and the winners’ colorful creations will be displayed in this year’s gallery.
On the heels of the global success of Oz The Great and Powerful, the Archives is proud to assemble artifacts illustrating Disney’s long association with L. Frank Baum’s Oz books. Highlights include a costume from 1957’s “Rainbow Road to Oz”—a segment from The Fourth Anniversary Show, which celebrated Walt’s four years on television, starring many of the Mickey Mouse Club’s Mouseketeers—as well as concept art from unrealized attractions and Disney Studio productions. Also featured are props and costume pieces from 1985’s Return to Oz including the Tik-Tok puppet, “Powder of Life” tin, and Dorothy’s costume and slippers. And, of course, there will be an assortment of costumes from this year’s Oz The Great and Powerful.
Now finishing its second hit season, Once Upon A Time has become a huge hit among Disney fans for its ability to remain true to many of Disney’s classic stories while expanding their worlds with a modern twist. The Archives is honored to be presenting a selection of elegantly designed costumes from the show.
The D23 Expo 2013 will also feature the Disney Legends Awards—a tradition that pays tribute to the talented men and women who have made indelible contributions to the Disney legacy; the return of the D23 Expo Dream Store, featuring a wide selection of unique merchandise; an expanded Collectors Forum, where Disney fans can buy, sell and trade Disney collectibles, memorabilia and merchandise—and this year’s Forum will also include the worlds of Marvel and Star Wars—plus amazing live events, special celebrity appearances, panels and presentations and unique experiences from every corner of Disney, from upcoming feature film and television sneak peeks to what’s new and what’s next from our theme parks around the world.
From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Big Hero 6,” an action comedy adventure about brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who finds himself in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. With the help of his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—Hiro joins forces with a reluctant team of first-time crime fighters on a mission to save their city. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action and all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the CG-animated “Big Hero 6” hits theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014.
BRIDGE TO SAN FRANSOKYO – Concept art showcases an iconic bridge and treasured landmark of the high-tech, fast-paced city of San Fransokyo, the setting for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ action comedy adventure “Big Hero 6”— in theaters on November 7, 2014.
SAN FRANSOKYO AT NIGHT – Pictured in concept art, the high-tech city of San Fransokyo is home to brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada and his team of first-time crime fighters in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ action comedy adventure “Big Hero 6”—in theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014.
You have read correctly. FLASHDANCE the 1983 cult classic has been adapted for the stage and is now playing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Not only has the stage production brought back the Academy Award winning songs with such hits as “Flashdance – What a Feeling”, “Maniac”, “Gloria” and “Manhunt”, but has also created 16 brand new songs! If you’re feeling a little nostalgic toward the 80’s and just can’t stop belting out “WHAT A FEELING!!” in the shower, then sing some more ‘cause your favorite defining soundtrack of 80’s is now live on stage.
Oh, you’re not one of the millions that have fallen in love with the movie? It’s okay, me neither. FLASHDANCE surprisingly appeals to all walks of life. The reason is simple; FLASHDANCE is a very common and appealing story that many of us have related to for decades. Yes, 3 decades, because heck, even though this is a story we have all heard before, it is a story from 1983 after all.
FLASHDANCE, in case you’re not familiar with $150 million grossing pop culture hit, is the story of Alex Owens, JILLIAN MUELLER (Memphis, American Idiot, and Bye Bye Birdie), who is an inspiring dancer that is trapped as a Pittsburgh steel mill welder by day and a risqué bar dancer at night. Trying to fulfill her dreams of getting into Shippley Academy Dance School she becomes faced with a romance with her boss at the steel mill. Alex will have to understand the meaning of love and that it can ignite her passion to go the distance.
Her boss Nick Hurley is played by MATTHEW HYDZIK and is a Pittsburgh native that is thrilled to be part of the world premiere tour of FLASHDANCE – THE MUSICAL. Matthew has last been seen on Broadway in West Side Story and Grease, as well as national tours of Rent, Fame and Grease. Needless to say, he was phenomenal and had a very strong voice. Unfortunately, the amazing voices fall flat quickly after him.
It was of course great to hear classics such as “Gloria” and “Maniac” in which you can’t do too wrong with, however the arrangement of “Gloria” seemed a bit slow and the audience is forced hearing this catching tune several times in other rearrangements. “Maniac” comes to play during the all too famous sexy wet hair striptease that you have most likely seen one way or another. The scene was undoubtedly astonishing and well produced.
KLARA ZIEGLEROVA completes the challenging job of scenic design, which was one of the true highlights of the show. The stage production has to be flashy to compliment the fantastic footwork as the backdrops utilize many clever projectors headed by PETER NIGRINI. These aren’t just giant videos or graphics in the back. In fact there are many well-disguised screens and creative projector elements that quickly start to blend with the real elements and props on stage. Remember this show must go from a steel mill, to strip clubs, to house sets, and even the iconic audition room from “What a Feeling”. In order to create these quite different styled sets, ZIEGLEROVA had to be a little abstract. It works well and appears to be quite complicated.
With using all of this new tech, it was tough for the stage production to feel more organic, which is fine however it kind of took away from that classic 80’s feel you may be searching for. Many may actually like this aspect to the show as it actually feels quite modern. This however may actually be a slight problem in the show to some. The fans of the movie will be attending FLASHDANCE to get that 80’s vibe and feeling of living in the past; that youthfulness that they miss from a time they either grew up in or lived their most important years.
I was actually hoping that FLASHDANCE was going to live off the success of another cult-classic movie turned stage production, XANADU. That’s right I’m talking about the disco-skating horrible 80’s movie. That show actually poked fun at itself as that team knew they couldn’t take themselves seriously. Oh sure, that film is a far cry from FLASHDANCE , but still contains some of the ridiculousness of the 80’s. You do indeed have some of the ugly fashion, classic songs from the decade, and a few nods to the past. Sadly, much of the costume design could fly in today’s world and there are hardly any jokes toward the decade. Alex’s hair was thankfully not as big as in the movie.
This root “feeling” one inherits while watching the movie is also lost with the new songs orchestrated for FLASHDANCE – THE MUSICAL. The new songs are definitely refreshing and contain that ever-so-popular key chain all pop songs from the 80’s felt necessary. However, it turns into a mix of rather WICKED-like music mixed with cherished songs from the movie that create a hodge-podge of nods from the past to a whole new type of show.
FLASHDANCE is yet still a fun-filled sexy musical that has the makings of a successful entertaining night on the town. The show is paced well sprinkled with sexy dance numbers here and there with dramatic, emotion evoking songs along with some silly numbers that will surely get you smiling. The vocals are kind of rough or down right odd in places, which could have worked well if they didn’t take the show so seriously. Instead we get some silly songs in the midst of over dramatic quarrels that seem a bit over-the-top.
Gloria (Alex’s best friend from the bar dancing world) played by KELLY FELTHOUS is a bit of the comedic relief, but just reminds me of Galinda from WICKED with the same characteristics, vocal tone, and singing pitch. Her boyfriend Jimmy, DAVID R. GORDON, has some comedic lines that just fall flat. His delivery is fine, but the script just didn’t have it for any of the laughs. GORDON has a couple of songs that appear a bit jarring compared to the rest of the musical. This may have been written that way, but I couldn’t help but feel the audience squirm when this totally different style of singing popped into the show out of nowhere. He would definitely be great in a hipster rock band, but I didn’t find its place in FLASHDANCE.
The show as a whole is fun and energetic with lots of sensual pulsating dancing. I still enjoyed myself and would still recommend anyone that is a fan of the movie to still see how it was portrayed on stage. For those of you that aren’t too familiar with the movie itself, it’s still worth a gander and can make for an excellent date night. I might even tip toe around the idea of it being mostly family friendly. Well, mid-teens and up, but those teenagers may feel a little strange next to their parents during some near revealing dance numbers.
As did the movie, the whole show depends on that climatic audition. I can’t say much, but if you are familiar with the scene, it’s tough for the stage production to capture the emotion that is seen with multiple camera angles and close-ups. Director and choreographer SERGIO TRUJILLO puts his own spin and flair to the original scene. You’ll be the judge if it works or not.
FLASHDANCE – THE MUSICAL is now playing a Segerstrom Center for the Arts until May 19th, 2013.
Single tickets start at $20 and are available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787.
