Monday, December 27, 2010

Lilo & Stitch Review















Lilo & Stitch


Release Date: 19th September 2002 Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures (presents)
Walt Disney Feature Animation

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/
Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: G

Runtime: 85 minutes


Budget: $80,000,000

Box Office Gross: $273,144,151 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
A young Hawaiian girl gets more than she bargained for when she adopts a new "pet" named Stitch, who, unbeknownst to her, is a wild genetic experiment from another planet. Despite Stitch's initial intentions, the two bond and become a formidable team in fending off alien bounty hunters, a mad scientist, Dr. Jumba Jookiba and Agent Pleakley.


Voice Cast
Daviegh Chase – Lilo
Chris Sanders – Stitch
Tia Carrere – Nani
David Ogden Stiers – Dr. Jumba Jookiba
Kevin McDonald – Agent Pleakley
Ving Rhames – Cobra Bubbles
Zoe Caldwell – Grand Councilwoman
Jason Scott Lee – David Kawena
Kevin Michael Richardson – Captain Gantu
Miranda Paige Walls Mertle Edmonds
Kunewa Mook Hula Teacher
Susan Hegarty Rescue Lady

Crew
Based on an Idea/Writer/
Character Designer/
Director – Chris Sanders
Writer/Director – Dean DeBlois
Story Supervisors – Ed Gombert and Chris Williams
Additional Story Supervisors – Roger Allers and John Sanford
Producer – Clark Spencer
Production Designer – Paul A. Felix
Art Director – Ric Sluiter
Artistic Coordinator Jeff Dutton
Character Designer – Buck Lewis
Character Designer/Supervising
Animator: "Cobra Bubbles" Byron Howard
Visual Development Supervisors –
Jim Martin, Sue C. Nichols and
Marcelo Vignali
Layout Supervisor – Arden Chan
Background Supervisor – Robert E. Stanton
Supervising Animator: "Lilo" Andreas Deja
Supervising Animator: "Stitch" Alex Kupershmidt
Supervising Animator: "Nani" Stephane Sainte-Foi
Supervising Animator: "Pleakley" and
"David Kawena" Ruben A. Aquino
Supervising Animator: "Jumba" Bolhem Bouchiba
Lead Animator: "Grand Councilwoman" –
James Young Jackson
Lead Animator: "Captain Gantu" – Theodore Ty
Lead Animator: "Hula Teacher"/Animator:
"Cobra Bubbles" – Dominic M. Carola
Lead Animator: "Hula Dancers" – Mark Henn
Clean-Up Supervisors/Lead Key Clean-Up
Animators: "Miscellaneous" – Philip S. Boyd
and Christine Lawrence Finney
Computer Animation Supervisor – Eric Guaglione
Digital Animation Supervisor – Rob Bekuhrs
Visual Effects Supervisor – Joseph Gilland
Editor – Darren T. Holmes
Consulting Editor – Michael Kelly
Associate Editor – Eric Dapkewicz
Sound Designer/Supervisor/Supervising Sound
Editor (Uncredited)/Re-Recording Mixer
Christopher Boyes
Supervising Sound Editor – Frank E. Eulner
Sound Effects Editors – Scott Guitteau,
Al Nelson and Christopher Scarabosio
Foley Mixer – Tony Eckert
Foley Artists – Dennie Thorpe and
Jana Vance
Re-Recording Mixers – Mel Metcalfe,
Terry Porter and Dean A. Zupancic
Music Production Supervisor – Tom MacDougall
Music – Alan Silvestri
Executive Music Producer – Chris Montan
Choir Arranger/Composer: "Hawaiian Coaster
Ride"/Performer: "He Mele No Lilo" and
"Hawaiian Coaster Ride" Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu
Conductor: Kamehameha Schools Children's
Chorus Lynell K. Bright
Producer/Performer: "Burning Love"  
Wynonna Judd


Awards

2003 Academy Awards
Best Animated Feature – Chris Sanders (Nominated)


Review
LILO & STITCH may have been a great Disney animated classic, but it's certainly not the last. This film was funny and managed to create some heartwarming themes. The story explores family issues and shows its message of true friendship. I praise its terrific watercolour backgrounds, good classic songs from Elvis Presley and quirky hand-drawn animation. The music score by Alan Silvestri is also a remarkable aspect of this movie, which fits the scenes and creates a mood of sorrow with some of the emotional drama.

LILO & STITCH is Disney's only 2D animated feature to have succeeded at the box office in the early 2000s, where other movies had failed. For many of you who have enjoyed LILO & STITCH, try the directors' next film, How to Train Your Dragonas this feature raised the benchmark for animation.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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Thursday, December 23, 2010

Dumb & Dumber Review











Dumb & Dumber


Release Date: 16th March 1995 Australia


Production Companies
New Line Cinema (presents)
Motion Picture Corporation
of America (MPCA) (in
association with)

Distribution
Roadshow Films


Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 107 minutes


Budget: $17,000,000

Box Office Gross: $247,290,327 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Two simple-minded pals,
Lloyd and Harry, go on
a road trip to Aspen to
return a briefcase full of
money to its supposed
owner, a beautiful woman
named Mary Swanson,
with whom Lloyd has a
crush. Little does Lloyd
know about Mary that
she has a husband who
was kidnapped and is
trying to find him. This
pair of morons go on
endless hijinks. All the
while, they get followed
by the crooks and the FBI.


Cast
Jim Carrey – Lloyd Christmas
Jeff Daniels – Harry Dunne
Lauren Holly – Mary Swanson
Charles Rocket – Nicholas Andre
Mike Starr – Joe ''Mental'' Mentalino
Karen Duffy – J.P. Shay
Cam Neely – Sea Bass
Victoria Rowell – Beth Jordan
Brad Lockerman – Bobby Swanson
Connie Sawyer Elderly Lady
Hank Brandt Karl Swanson
Teri Garr Helen Swanson
Brady Bluhm Billy
Felton Perry Detective Dale
Joe Baker Barnard
Harland Williams State Trooper
Fred Stoller Anxious Man at Phone
Lin Shaye Mrs. Neugeboren

Crew
Writer/Director – Peter Farrelly
Writer/Co-Producer/Director
(Uncredited) – Bobby Farrelly
Writer – Bennett Yellin
Script Supervisor Martin Kitrosser
Associate Producer/Assistant: Mr Wessler
Ellen Dumouchel
Associate Producers – Chad Oman
and Bradley Jenkel
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager/
Second Unit Director Gerald T. Olson
Executive Producer – Aaron Meyerson
Producers – Brad Kevoy and Charles B. Wessler
Producer/Assistant Director: Second Unit
Steven Stabler
Co-Producer/Production Supervisor
Tracie Graham-Rice
Co-Producer – Bradley Thomas
Production Designer Sydney J. Bartholomew Jr.
Art Director – Arian Jay Vetter
Set Decorator – Bradford Johnson
Costume Designer Mary Zophres
Special Makeup Effects Matthew W. Mungle
Director of Photography – Mark Irwin
First Assistant Director – J.B. Rogers
Location Manager Garrett Grant
Stunt Coordinator Rick Barker
Special Effects Coordinator Frank Ceglia
Editor – Christopher Greenbury
Supervising Sound Editor – Craig Clark
Sound Designer – Tim Gedemer
Sound Effects Editors – David Farmer,
Ann Scibelli, Ricardo Broadus and
George Nemzer
Re-Recording Mixers – William Freesh,
Tim Philben and Tony Sereno
Music – Todd Rundgren
Music Supervisor – Dawn Soler


Review
As a kid, I only watched the animated TV spinoff of DUMB & DUMBER on Cartoon Network and didn't watch the film until I was finally old enough. DUMB & DUMBER is a terrifically hilarious movie that mixes toilet humour and slapstick comedy. I have high praise for the performances of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, and I liked the hilarious dialogue and chemistry they put in this film. The funniest moments include the dead parakeet incident, Lloyd having to pee in the empty beer bottles and when the cop on the motorcycle subsequently drinks it. Another memorable scene is when Harry is on the broken toilet and has a severe case of flatulence.

DUMB & DUMBER is the best Jim Carrey movie I've ever watched and is now one of my favourites. Everyone will laugh at this film by the time they're watching it when they see the duo's outrageous and funnier antics.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

Monday, December 20, 2010

Tron Review











Tron


Release Date: 3rd December 1982 Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Productions
Lisberger/Kushner

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: G

Runtime: 96 minutes


Budget: $17,000,000

Box Office Gross: $50,000,525 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
A young computer genius named Kevin Flynn tries to hack into the mainframe of ENCOM, where he searches for evidence that the video games he wrote got stolen by a senior executive of ENCOM, Ed Dillinger. Unfortunately, Dillinger's Master Control Program (MCP) zaps Flynn into the digital world where computer programs are the alter-egos of the people who created them and sentenced him to die within the game. With the help of an electronic security program named Tron, Flynn escapes and has to help Tron defeat the MCP before he can go back to the "real" world.


Cast
Jeff Bridges – Kevin Flynn/Clu
Bruce Boxleitner – Alan Bradley/Tron
David Warner – Ed
Dillinger/Sark/Master
Control Program (Voice)
(Uncredited)
Cindy Morgan – Lora Baines/
Yori
Barnard Hughes – Dr.
Walter Gibbs/Dumont
Dan Shor – Ram/Popcorn
Co-Worker
Peter Jurasik – Crom
Stuart Thomas – Peter/
Sark's Lieutenant
Craig Chudy – Warrior #1
Vince Deadrick –
Warrior #2
Sam Schatz – Expert Disc
Warrior
Jackson Botswick – Head
Guard
David S. Cass Sr. – Factory
Guard
Gerald Berns – Guard #1
Bob Neill – Guard #2
Ted White – Guard #3
Mark Stewart – Guard #4
Michael Sax – Guard #5
Tony Brubaker – Guard #6
Charlie Pirceni – Tank Commander
Pierre Vuilleumier – Tank
Gunner #1
Erik Cord – Tank Gunner #2
Loyd Catlett – Conscript #1/Video Game Cowboy
Michael Dudikoff – Conscript #2
Richard Bruce Friedman –
Video Game Player
Rick Beck – Boy in Video
Game Arcade
Jon Kenworthy – Boy in
Video Game Arcade

Crew
Story/Writer/Director/Visual
Effects Concepts – Steven Lisberger
Story – Bonnie MacBird
Associate Producer/Visual Effects Supervisor –
Harrison Ellenshaw
Executive Producer – Ron Miller
Producer – Donald Kushner
Technical Advisor – Sam Schatz (Uncredited)
Production Designer – Dean Edward Mitzner
Pre-Production Concepts Roger Allers,
Chris Lane and Peter Mueller
Pre-Production Concepts/Production
Storyboards/Effects Animator – John Norton
Conceptual Artist: Electronic World – Syd Mead
Conceptual Artist/Design: Electronic World –
Jean 'Moebius' Giraud
Conceptual Artist: Electronic World/
Background Designer – Peter Loyd
Production Storyboards Andy Gaskill
Production Storyboards/Computer Image
Choreography Bill Kroyer and Jerry Rees
Electronic Conceptual Design/Computer/
Visual Effects Supervisor – Richard Taylor
Art Directors John B. Mansbridge and 
Al Roelofs
Set Decorator – Roger M. Shook
Costume Design – Eloise Jenssen and
Rosanna Norton
Makeup Supervisor – Robert J. Schiffer
Director of Photography – Bruce Logan
Camera Operators – Gregg Heschong,
Rexford L. Metz and Ronald M. Vargas Sr.
First Assistant Camera – Jamie Anderson,
Horace Jordan, Lynn Tomes and Michael D. Weldon
Stunt Coordinator Richard E. Butler
Effects Technical Supervisor John Scheele
Effects Unit Managers – David V. Lester
and Stephen McEveety
Technology Concepts: MAGI Synthavision –
Phil Mittleman
Scene Creation Concepts: MAGI Synthavision –
Larry Elin
Scene Programmers: MAGI Synthavision –
Chris Wedge and Nancy Hunter Campi
Design Supervisor: Robert Abel & Associates –
Kenny Mirman
Systems Programmers: Robert Abel &
Associates – Frank Vitz, Bill Kovacs,
Richard Baily and Tim McGovern
Systems Supervisor: Robert Abel & Associates –
Robert Abel
Computer Production Supervisor: Digital
Effects Inc. – Jeffrey Kleiser
Photographic Process Lab Supervisors 
Art Cruickshank and Peter Anderson
Opticals – Bob Broughton
Matte Production Supervisor – Arnie Wong
Sound Effects Design & Synthesis – Frank Serafine
Sound Design/Music Supervisor – Michael Fremer
Sound Department Supervisor – Robert Hathaway
Supervising Sound Editor – Gordon Ecker Jr.
Re-Recording Mixers - Bob, Lee &
Michael Minkler
Film Editor – Jeff Gourson
Music – Wendy Carlos
Songs – Journey


Awards

1983 Academy Awards
Best Costume Design Eloise Jenssen
and Rosanna Norton (Nominated)
Best Sound Michael, Bob & Lee Minkler
and James LaRue (Nominated)


Review
TRON is an iconic, dazzling, imaginatively conceived movie filled with terrific state-of-the-art (though now dated) CGI visuals. It is one of my favourite movies ever and is the cornerstone of computer animation. Because of this, the film inspired countless filmmakers and animators to explore computer-generated imagery. One of my favourite scenes in the movie is the Light Cycle battle, which has become iconic in film history. It has a brilliant cast of Jeff Bridges, Cindy Morgan, Bruce Boxleitner and David Warner, all of whom are engaging.

TRON is a true classic and a must-see for anyone interested in the history of computer-generated animation and this film. If you have seen this movie and have liked it, you will enjoy its sequel, Tron: Legacy. Did I mention that the Disney studio is planning a third Tron movie? This film should be exciting for all Tron fans.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

The Transformers: The Movie Review











The Transformers: The Movie


Release Date: 26th December 1986 – Australia


Production Companies
Sunbow Productions
Marvel Productions
Hasbro


Genre: Animation/Family/
Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 85 minutes


Budget: $6,000,000

Box Office Gross: $5,860,601 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
In 2005, the Decepticons were in control of the planet of Cybertron, while the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, tried desperately to reclaim their home. What neither side expect is an even worse threat, which is Unicron, a devourer of worlds! Can the Autobots find the Chosen One and destroy Unicron in time before they lose everything?


Voice Cast
Peter Cullen – Optimus Prime/Ironhide
Judd Nelson – Hot Rod/
Rodimus Prime
Robert Stack – Ultra Magnus
Neil Ross – Springer/Slag/
Bonecrusher/Hook
Susan Blu – Arcee
Lionel Stander – Kup
John Moschitta Jr. – Blurr
David Mendenhall – Daniel Witwicky
Buster Jones – Blaster
Paul Eiding – Perceptor
Gregg Berger – Grimlock
Scatman Crothers – Jazz
Casey Kazem – Cliffjumper
Dan Gilvezan – Bumblebee
Eric Idle – Wreck-Gar
Norman Alden – Kranix
Frank Welker – Megatron/
Soundwave/Wheelie/Frenzy/
Rumble
Leonard Nimoy – Galvatron
Chris Latta – Starscream
Corey Burton – Brawn/
Shockwave/Spike Witwicky
Stan Jones – Scourge
Roger C. Carmel – Cyclonus/
Quintesson Leader
Regis Cordic – Quintesson Judge
Arthur Burghardt – Devastator
Orson Welles – Unicron
Victor Caroli Narrator

Crew
Co-Producer/Director – Nelson Shin
Writer – Ron Friedman
Story Consultant  Flint Dille
Associate Story Consultants – Douglas Booth and Roger Slifer
Executive Producers –
Margaret Loesch and Lee Gunther
Producers – Jules Bacal and Tom Griffith
Supervising Producer Jay Bacal
Voice Director Wally Burr
Original Concept Designer  Floro Dery
Production Manager/Animator Director –
Gerald Moeller
Background Art Directors – Robert Schaefer,
Takao Sawada and Dario Campanile
Supervising Animation Director – Kozo Moroshita
Animation Directors – John Freeman,
Bob Matz, Norm McCabe and Margaret Nichols
Supervising Film Editor Steven C. Brown
Film Editor  David Hankins
Supervising Sound Effects Editor – Brian Courcer
Re-Recording Mixers – Peter Reale,
Bill Thiederman and Howard Wilmarth
Music Score/Score Arranger and Producer –
Vince DiCola
Performers: Songs – Stan Bush,
Lion, "Weird Al" Yankovic, N.R.G. and
Kick Axe (Spectre General)


Review
The animated movie adaptation of my favourite animated series, Transformers, was thought to be the only film in the franchise until 2007. That same year the live-action movie by director Michael Bay was released, followed by its sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, in 2009. The soundtrack includes excellent songs from various artists such as "Weird Al" Yankovic and Stan Bush and terrific voice acting with some well-known celebrity actors such as Leonard Nimoy from Star Trek and the great Orson Welles (in his last performance as the planet devouring transformer Unicron). The animation was decent, and the movie has a hard-hitting emotional moment that we Transformer fans remember.

It remains a worthy addition to the Transformers series, but if you prefer live-action, the first two Michael Bay movies will suit you better.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie