Saturday, June 25, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2 Review













Kung Fu Panda 2


Release Date: 23rd June 2011 - Australia


Production Companies
DreamWorks Animation

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/
Comedy

Rating:
PG

Runtime:
90 minutes


Budget: $150,000,000

Box Office Gross: $665,692,281 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
When a new enemy emerges, he plans to use a new unstoppable weapon, leading
to his conquest of China
and ending kung fu.
Po and the Furious Five
must travel across China
to thwart his attempt and
have him extinguished.
But how will Po ever
prevent a weapon that
could destroy kung fu?
He must look deeper
into his past and unravel
the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he succeed in unlocking the strength he needs to master.


Voice Cast
Jack Black - Po
Angelina Jolie - Tigress
Gary Oldman - Lord Shen
Jackie Chan - Monkey
Seth Rogen - Mantis
Lucy Liu - Viper
David Cross - Crane
Dustin Hoffman - Master Shifu
James Hong - Mr. Ping
Michelle Yeoh - Soothsayer
Danny McBride - Wolf Boss
Dennis Haysbert - Master Storming Ox
Jean-Claude Van Damme -
Master Croc
Victor Garber - Master Thundering Rhino

Crew
Director - Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Based on Characters - Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (Uncredited)
Writers/Co-Producers - Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
Associate Producer - Chris Sanders
Executive Producer/
Creative Consultant - Guillermo del Toro
Producer - Melissa Cobb
Co-Producer - Suzanne Buirgy
Production Designer - Raymond Zibach
Art Director - Tang Kheng Heng
Character Designer - Nicolas Marlet
Head of Story - Philip Craven
Story Artist/Animation Supervisor/Animator:
2D Sequence Production/Choreographer:
Kung Fu - Rodolphe Guenoden
Head of Layout - Damon O'Beirne
Production Manager - Jeff Hermann
Head of Character Animation - Dan Wagner
Animation Supervisors - Marek Kochout,
David Pate and William Salazar
Animation Supervisor/Animator: 2D Sequence
Production - Philippe Brun
Effects Supervisor - Li-Ming 'Lawrence' Lee
Visual Effects Supervisor - Alex Parkinson
Global Leads - Jonathan Gibbs,
Jin Liou, Phil 'Captain 3D' McNally and
Jason Reisig
Head of Lighting - Dave Walvoord
Lighting Supervisors - Igor Lodeiro,
Aaron Smith, M. Scott McKee, Pablo Valle,
Michael Necci, Liang-Yuan Wang and
Marc Jason Scott
Supervising Character Technical Directors -
Martin Costello and Kevin Oochs
Technical Director - Serge Sretschinsky
Final Layout Supervisor - Richard Shiba
Surfacing Supervisor - Wes Burian
Stereo Consultant - Willem Drees
Editors - Maryann Brandon and
Clare De Chenu
Associate Editors - Mark Hester and
Anna Solorio-Catalano
Supervising Sound Editors - Ethan Van der Ryn
and Erik Aadahl
Sound Effects Field Recordist - John P. Fasal
Re-Recording Mixers - Andy Nelson
and James Bolt
Music - Hans Zimmer and John Powell
Composers: Additional Music - Lorne Balfe,
Dominic Lewis and Paul Mounsey
Scoring Mixer - Alan Meyerson


Review
Not only was KUNG FU PANDA 2 more awesome and funnier than the first movie (click here), but it also has a darker tone and a plot much deeper than the original. This continuation boasts excellent characterisation with other aspects that proved to be positive, including better animation and more well-choreographed action sequences. Alongside Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, and others are the new additions to the voice cast, such as Gary Oldman, who did a fantastic job of voicing Lord Shen. However, his character is compared to Ian McShane's Tai Lung in the predecessor and is more intimidating than the former. I can't believe all this time that I knew that the goose, Mr. Ping, is not Po's dad. I laughed at the scene when Po says, "My fist hungers for justice!" and then his stomach growls, "That was my... fist."

KUNG FU PANDA 2 proves to be exciting in 3D when it delivers an immersive experience for fans. It was an entertaining, if not a more action-oriented animated sequel.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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Monday, June 20, 2011

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Review
















Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade


Release Date:
8th June 1989 - Australia


Production Companies
Paramount Pictures (presents)
Lucasfilm Ltd.

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Action/Adventure

Rating: PG

Runtime: 127 minutes


Budget: $48,000,000

Box Office Gross: $474,171,806 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
In 1938, Indiana Jones successfully retrieves the Cross of Coronado that, in his youth, was foiled by robbers, which he attempted to recover 26 years ago. Indy gets approached by a wealthy businessman, Walter Donovan, who informs him of his father's disappearance. He also offers to find the Holy Grail and his father, who has searched for it throughout his life.

Unfortunately for Indy, rescuing his dad ends with discovering the Nazis
want to find the missing
Grail in their quest for world
domination. Can Jones and
his father stop the Nazis
and retrieve the artefact
before they are willing to
get their hands on it?


Cast
Harrison Ford - Dr. Indiana
Jones
Sean Connery - Professor
Henry Jones
Denholm Elliott - Dr. Marcus
Brody
Alison Doody - Dr. Elsa
Schneider
John Rhys-Davies - Sallah
Julian Glover - Walter Donovan
River Phoenix - Indiana Jones
(aged 13)
Michael Byrne - Colonel Ernst
Vogel
Kevork Malikyan - Kazim
Robert Eddison - The Grail
Knight
Alex Hyde-White - Young Henry Jones
Paul Maxwell - Panama Hat
Richard Young - Fedora
Alexei Sayle - Sultan
Isla Blair - Mrs. Donovan (Cameo)
Vernon Dobtcheff - Butler
J.J. Hardy - Herman
Bradley Gregg - Roscoe
Jeff O'Haco - Half Breed
Vince Deadrick Sr. - Rough Rider
Marc Miles - Sheriff
Ted Grossman - Deputy Sheriff
Tim Hiser - Young Panama Hat
Larry Sanders - Scout Master
Pat Roach - Gestapo
Michael Sheard - Adolf Hitler (Uncredited)
Ronald Lacey - Gestapo (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Director - Steven Spielberg
Characters/Story/Executive Producer -
George Lucas
Characters - Philip Kaufman
Story - Menno Meyjes
Screenplay - Jeffrey Boam
Executive Producer/Second Unit Director -
Frank Marshall
Producer - Robert Watts
Production Executive: USA - Kathleen Kennedy
Casting Directors - Maggie Cartier,
Mike Fenton, Valorie Massalas and Judy Taylor
Animal Trainers: USA - Boone Narr
and Paul 'Sled' Reynolds
Production Designer - Elliott Scott
Production Illustrators - David Jones
and Ed Verreaux
Supervising Art Director - Fred Hole
Art Director - Stephen Scott
Art Director: Spain - Benjamin Fernandez
Set Decorator - Peter Howitt
Property Master - Barry Wilkinson
Armourer - Simon Artheton
Costume Designers - Joanna Johnston
and Anthony Powell
Makeup Supervisor - Peter Robb-King
Makeup Effects Supervisor: ILM - Stephan Dupuis
Chef Makeup Artist: Prosthetics - Nick Dudman
Chief Hairdresser - Colin Jamison
Director of Photography - Douglas Slocombe
Director of Photography: Second Unit, USA -
Rexford L. Metz
Additional Photography - Paul Beeson
Additional Photography: USA - Robert M. Stevens
Camera Operators - Mike Roberts and David Worley
Camera Operator: USA - Norman G. Langley
Camera Operators: Second Unit -
Derek V. Browne and Wally Byatt
Second Assistant Cameramen - Graham Hall and
Clive Mackey
Panaglide Operator: USA - Raymond Stella
Panaglide Assistant: USA - Clyde E. Bryan
Production Supervisor: UK - Patricia Carr
Production Manager: UK - Roy Button
Production Managers: USA - Joan Bradshaw
and Ian Bryce
Production Coordinator: USA - Lata Ryan
First Assistant Director: UK - David Tomblin
Second Assistant Directors: UK - Lee Clearly
and Patrick Kinney
Second Unit Director - Michael D. Moore
Stunt Coordinator - Vic Armstrong
Helicopter Pilot - Marc Wolff
Special Effects Supervisor: USA - Michael Lantieri
Mechanical Effects Supervisor - George Gibbs
Visual Effects Supervisor - Michael J. McAlister
Visual Effects Art Director: ILM - Steve Beck
Camera Operators: ILM - Peter Daulton,
Kim Marks, Pat Sweeney and Pat Turner
Animation Supervisor: ILM - Wes Takahashi
Editor - Michael Kahn
Associate Editor - Colin Wilson
Assistant Editors - Patrick Crane,
Andrew MacRitchie, Nick Moore,
Carin-Anne Strohmaier and Robert Frazen
(Uncredited)
Sound Design/Re-Recording Mixer - Ben Burtt
Supervising Sound Editor - Richard Hymns
Dialogue Editors - Karen Spangenberg,
Michael Silvers and Gloria D'Alessandro
Sound Effects Editors - Sandina Balio-Lape,
Teresa Eckton, Ken Fischer and David E. Stone
Assistant Sound Editors - Ewa Sztompke,
Bob Marty, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle,
E. Larry Oatfield, E. Jeane Putnam and
Kris Handwerk Wiskes
Sound Mixer: USA - Willie D. Burton
Re-Recording Mixers - Shawn Murphy
and Gary Summers
Foley Artists - Marnie Moore and
Dennie Thorpe
Music - John Williams
Music Editor - Kenneth Wannberg


Awards

1990 Academy Awards
Best Sound Editing - Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns (Won)
----------------------
Best Sound - Ben Burtt, Gary Summers,
Shawn Murphy and Tony Dawe (Nominated)
Best Original Score - John Williams (Nominated)


Review
Considered the second-best movie in the series, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE had a great story. The father-son relationship between the Joneses, Indiana and Henry, is heartwarming, and the Holy Grail is similar to the Monty Python movie. Coincidentally, this is the first movie that introduced me to Indiana Jones. I enjoyed the action and the humour with the performances of (James Bond actor) Sean Connery as Indiana's estranged father and River Phoenix as young Indiana. Two notable scenes include young Indy jumping on the rooftops of train cabins and falling into one, and to his shock, he finds a collection of vicious snakes. And the motorcycle chase scene is when Indy and his father, Henry, escape from the Nazis.

It was the last Indiana Jones movie until 2008's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Overall, this is a must-see film. There have been talks of the fifth instalment of Indiana Jones.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Kung Fu Panda Review













Kung Fu Panda


Release Date: 26th June 2008 – Australia


Production Companies
DreamWorks Animation

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/
Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 92 minutes


Budget: $130,000,000

Box Office Gross: $632,083,197 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Po, a lazy rotund panda, is a huge fan of Kung Fu and works daily in his father's noodle shop when he accidentally gets chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Po becomes a novice of Kung Fu and has trouble fitting in the Jade Palace, especially with his idolised heroes, The Furious Five and their
master, Shifu. He must
embrace his destiny
and learn the skills to
safeguard China from the
dreaded snow leopard Tai
Lung, who will stop at
nothing to exact his
vengeance. Will Po find
the confidence to defeat
Tai Lung and become the
greatest Kung Fu master
he was supposed to be?


Cast
Jack Black – Po
Dustin Hoffman – Master Shifu
Angelina Jolie – Tigress
Ian McShane – Tai Lung
Seth Rogen – Mantis
Lucy Liu – Viper
David Cross – Crane
Randall Duk Kim – Master Oogway
James Hong – Mr. Ping
Dan Fogler – Zeng
Michael Clarke Duncan – Commander Vachir
Jackie Chan – Monkey
Wayne Knight – Gang Boss
Kyle Gass – KG Shaw
JR Reed – JR Shaw
Laura Kightlinger – Awed Ninja
Tanya Haden – Smitten Bunny
Stephen Kearin – Gong Pig/Grateful Bunny
Mark Osborne – Pig Patron (Cameo)
John Stevenson – Rhino Guard (Cameo)
Melissa Cobb – Bunny Mom (Cameo)
Emily Burns – Bunny Fan 1
Stephanie Harvey – Bunny Fan 2
Riley Osborne – Baby Tai Lung

Crew
Directors – John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
Story – Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris
Screenplay/Co-Producers –
Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
Associate Producer – Kristina Reed
Executive Producer – Bill Damaschke
Producers – Melissa Cobb and
Lorne Orleans (IMAX Version)
Production Designer – Raymond Zibach
Art Director – Tang Kheng Heng
Character Designer – Nicholas Marlet
Additional Character Designers – Buck Lewis,
Carlos Grangel, Olivier Malric and Tony Siruno
Additional Character Designer/
Story Artist – Devin Crane
Head of Story/Director: Dream Sequence/
Supervisor: Action Sequences – Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Creative Consultant: Story – Mike Mitchell
Story Artist/Supervisor: Action Sequences –
Simon Wells
Production Supervisor – Rene Harnois Jr.,
Production Supervisor: Animation/Story –
Daniela Mazzucato
Production Supervisor: Lightning –
Maude Lewis
Production Supervisor: Paint Fix – Robyn Mesher
Senior Production Manager – Susan Slagle Rogers
Production Managers – Mary Bills and
Jeff Hermann
Head of Character Animation – Dan Wagner
Animation Supervisors – Philippe Le Brun,
Jason Reisig and William Salazar
Animation Supervisor/Story Artist/
Choreographer: Kung Fu – Rodolphe Guenoden
Animation Supervisor/Story Artist –
Alessandro Carloni
Animation Director: Dream Sequence –
James Baxter
Surviving Character Technical Director –
Nathan Loofbourrow
Lighting Supervisors – Dave Walvoord,
Mark Fattibene, Betsy Nofsinger,
Aaron Smith and Pablo Valle
Surfacing Supervisor – Wes Burian
Head of Layout – Yong Duk Jhun
Character Effects/Crowds/Effects Supervisor –
Alex Parkinson
Visual Effects Supervisor – Markus Manninen
Stereoscopic Production  Phil 'Captain 3D'
McNally
Editor – Clare De Chenu
Additional Editors – Mary Blee
and John K. Carr
Associate Editors – C.K. Horness and
William J. Caparella
Sound Designers/Supervising Sound Editors –
Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
Sound Mixers – Andy Nelson and Anna Behlmer
Music – John Powell and Hans Zimmer
Composers: Additional Music – Henry Jackman
and James McKee Smith
Score Mixer – Alan Meyerson
Additional Recordists – Shawn Murphy,
Jeff Biggers and Slamm Andrews


Awards

2009 Academy Awards
Best Animated Feature – John Stevenson and Mark Osborne (Nominated)


Review
KUNG FU PANDA is an action-filled and hilarious CGI animated movie that was completely awesome. It has everything, including its faithfulness to the Chinese culture, humour, visual style and the all-star voice cast of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie and others. The most important aspects of this movie are the kung fu action and the life lessons.

The other animation studios, such as Pixar and Blue Sky Studios, do not have the secret mix that makes DreamWorks an ultimate competitor in computer animation. This animated film is my second favourite from DreamWorks, with How to Train Your Dragon at number #1. If you saw the first film, you should check out the sequel Kung Fu Panda 2.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Review












Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen


Release Date: 24th June 2009 - Australia


Production Companies
Dreamworks SKG (presents)
Paramount Pictures (presents)
Hasbro (in association with)
Di Bonaventura Pictures
Amblin Entertainment (Uncredited)
Platinum Dunes (Uncredited)

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 149 minutes
                144 minutes 
                (DVD)


Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $836,303,693 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
While in his first year of college, Sam Witwicky discovers the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. He must accept his destiny and aid Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in their fight against the Decepticons as they become more powerful than ever with a plan to destroy our world.


Cast

Humans
Shia LaBeouf - Sam
Witwicky
Megan Fox - Mikaela Banes
John Turturro - Seymour
Simmons
Ramon Rodriguez - Leo Spitz
Josh Duhamel - U.S. Army
Major William Lennox
Tyrese Gibson - USAF Master Sergeant Robert Epps
Kevin Dunn - Ron Witwicky
Julie White - Judy Witwicky
John Benjamin Hickey -
Theodore Galloway
Matthew Marsden - Special Air Service Forces
Andrew Howard - Special Air Service Forces
Michael Papajohn - Cal 
Glenn Morshower - General Morshower
Isabel Lucas - Alice
Deep Roy - Egyptian Guard
Rainn Wilson - Professor
Colan (Cameo)

Autobots
Peter Cullen - Optimus Prime (Voice)
Mark Ryan - Jetfire (Voice)
Tom Kenny - Skids (Voice)
Reno Wilson - Mudflap (Voice)
Jess Harnell - Ironhide (Voice)
Robert Foxworth - Ratchet (Voice)
Grey DeLisle - Arcee/
Chromia/Elita One (Voices)
Andre Sogliuzzo - Sideswipe (Voice)
Michael York - Prime #1 (Voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson -
Prime #2 (Voice)
Robin Atkin Downes - Prime #3 (Voice)

Decepticons
Tony Todd - The Fallen (Voice)
Hugo Weaving - Megatron (Voice)
Charles Adler - Starscream (Voice)
Frank Welker - Soundwave/
Reedman/Devastator (Voices)
Tom Kenny - Wheelie (Voice)
John Di Crosta - Doctor (Voice)
Calvin Wimmer - Wheelbot (Voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson - Skipjack (Voice)


Crew

Executive Producer/Director - Michael Bay
Writers - Ehren Kruger,
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Associate Producers - Matthew Cohan
and Michelle McGonagle
Associate Producer/First Assistant Director -
K.C. Hodenfield
Executive Producers - Steven Spielberg,
Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian
Producers - Ian Bryce, Tom DeSanto,
Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Don Murphy
Co-Producer/Production Manager - Allegra Clegg
Co-Producer/Second Unit Director (Uncredited)/
Stunt Coordinator - Kenny Bates
Casting Director - Denise Chaiman
Military Advisor - Harry Humphries
Production Designer - Nigel Phelps
Conceptual Designers - Ryan Church,
Steve Jung, Ryan Meinerding, Josh Nizzi
and Paul Ozzimo
Supervising Art Director - John Billington
Art Directors - Julian Ashby, Sean Haworth,
Naaman Marshall and Ben Procter
Art Director: East Coast/Desert Southwest
Units - Lauren E. Polizzi
Assistant Art Directors - Page Buckner,
Martha Johnston and Robert W. Joseph
Assistant Art Directors: East Coast/
Desert Southwest Units - Iain McFayden
and A. Todd Holland
Set Decorator - Jennifer Williams
Property Master - Andrew Petrotta
Costume Designer - Deborah Lynn Scott
Costume Supervisor - Lisa Lovaas
Department Head Makeup Artist - Edouard F. Henriques
Director of Photography - Ben Seresin
"A" Camera/Steadicam Operator - Jacques Joffret
"B" Camera Operator - Philippe Carr-Forester
Pursuit Camera Operator - Brooks P. Guyer
Aerial Director of Photography - David B. Nowell
Production Supervisor - Daren Hicks
Key Location Manager - Ilt Jones
Location Manager - Jonathan Hook
First Assistant Directors - Bruce Moriarty
Second Assistant Directors - Chris Castaldi
and Hope Garrison
Second Assistant Directors: East Coast/
Desert Southwest Units - Steve Battaglia,
and Jeff Okabayashi
Second Second Assistant Director - Marvin Williams
Second Unit Director (Uncredited)/Visual Effects
Supervisor - Scott Farrar
Aerial Coordinator/Pilot - Alan D. Purwin
Aerial Coordinator/Pilot: Egypt/Jordan/
Paris Units - Frédéric North
Transportation Coordinator - Randy Peters
Additional Stunt Coordinator - Bob Brown
Co-Stunt Coordinator - Troy Robinson
Special Effects Supervisor John Frazier
Special Effects Coordinator - Jim Schwalm
Special Effects Coordinator: East Coast/
Desert Southwest Units - Bruno Van Zeebroeck
Animatronics Supervisors: KNB EFX Group -
Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger
Mechanical Supervisor: KNB EFX Group -
Wayne Toth
Visual Effects Supervisor: Asylum -
Nathan McGuiness
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor -
Richard Kidd (Uncredited)
Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -
Matthew E. Butler
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Jeff White
Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Wayne Billheimer
Visual Effects Producer: Asylum - Elizabeth Hitt
Visual Effects Producer: Digital Domain -
Julian Levi
Visual Effects Art Directors: ILM - Alex Jaeger
and Yanick Dusseault
Digital Production Supervisor: ILM - Jason Smith
Animation Supervisor: ILM - Scott Benza
Animation Supervisor: Digital Domain - Dan Taylor
Associate Animation Supervisor: ILM - Rick O'Connor
CG Supervisor: Digital Domain - Paul George Palop
Pre-Visualization Supervisor - Steve Yamamoto
Digital Artist Supervisors: ILM - Richard Bluff,
Dave Fogler, Steve Sauers, Timothy Brakensiek,
Ben O'Brien, Amy Shepard and Terry Chostner
Lead Digital Artists: ILM - Steve Braggs,
Neil Herzinger, Kaori Ogino, Thomas Fejes,
Robert Hoffmeister, Anthony Rispoli,
Rene Garcia, Polly Ing, Nigel Sumner,
Willi Geiger, François Lambert,
Meghan Thornton, Bryant Griffin, David Marsh,
Jeff Wozniak, John Hansen, Tory Mercer and
Scott Younkin
Compositing Supervisor: Digital Domain -
Lou Pecora
Visual Effects Plate Supervisor: Digital
Domain - Kelly Port
Film Editors - Roger Barton, Tom Muldoon,
Joel Negron and Paul Rubell
Additional Editor - Glen Scantlebury
Associate Editor - Calvin Wimmer
Supervising Sound Editors - Erik Aadahl
and Ethan Van der Ryan
Re-Recording Mixers - Greg P. Russell
and Gary Summers
Additional Recording Mixer - Greg Orloff
Foley Artists - John Roesch and
Alyson Dee Moore
Music - Steve Jablonsky
Composer: Additional Music - Lorne Balfe
Additional Music Arrangements -
Matthew Margeson, John Sponsler and
Tom Gire
Ambient Music Design - Clay Duncan,
Howard Scarr and Andrew Kawczynski
Music Programmers - Ryeland Alison
and Jay Flood
Writer/Performer: "New Divide" - Linkin Park
Music Consultant - Bob Badami
Music Recordist & Mixer - Alan Meyerson


Awards

2010 Academy Awards
Best Sound Mixing - Greg P. Russell,
Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson (Nominated)


Review
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN has terrific action and CGI effects from Industrial Light & Magic and has more good Transformers. The plot and characterizations lacked energy, weakening the entire movie to the point where it's gotten cheesy. It's because of the writers' strike, which led to the crew trying to complete the sequel as best they could. This instalment ended up widely savaged by many critics who weren't too fond of how it was loud, illogical and childish.

The five things that were not quite right in this film include too much adult comedy, the other Transformers, such as the Arcee triplets, which were undeveloped, and the Fallen being an uninteresting and unnecessary replacement for our favourite Decepticon leader, Megatron, Devastator's two wrecking balls that looked like a private body part, and last but not least, the Autobot twins, Skids and Mudflap. I found the latter to be annoyingly racist stereotypes as they both sound and act like two rapping African-American teenagers.

I'm glad the original G1 actor Frank Welker has returned to voice the Decepticon, Soundwave and Hugo Weaving is still voicing the Decepticon leader, Megatron.

To me and the other fans of the Transformers franchise, REVENGE OF THE FALLEN is not as enjoyable as the first movie (click here), but it would have been better if it had less crude humour. And the twins weren't there in the first place.

Star rating: (3/5) Average

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Monday, June 6, 2011

Men in Black Review













Men in Black


Release Date: 11th September 1997 - Australia


Production Companies
Amblin Entertainment
Columbia Pictures
MacDonald/Parkes Productions

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 98 minutes


Budget: $90,000,000

Box Office Gross: $589,390,539 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
James Edwards, a brash NYPD detective, gets recruited by a federal agent named K to join a top-secret agency called the Men in Black that controls and observes any alien activity on Earth and serves as his new partner, Agent J. The two agents must stop an intergalactic terrorist from hatching his twisted scheme before Earth gets destroyed.


Cast
Tommy Lee Jones - Kevin
Brown/Agent K
Will Smith - James Darrell
Edwards III/Agent J
Vincent D'Onofrio - Edgar
the Bug
Linda Fiorentino - Dr. Laurel
Weaver/Agent L
Rip Torn - Chief Zed
Tony Shalhoub - Jack Jeebs
Siobhan Fallon Hogan - Beatrice
Mike Nussbam - Gentle
Rosenberg the Arquillian
Jeweler
Carel Struycken - Arquillian
Sergio Calderon - Jose
Fredric Lehne - INS Agent Janus
Richard Hamilton - Dee
Tim Blaney - Frank the Pug
(Voice)
David Cross - Newton the
Morgue Attendant
Keith Campbell - Perp
John Alexander - Mikey
Norma Jean Groh - Mrs. Edelson
Ken Thorley - Zap-Em Man
Patrick Breen - Mr. Redgick
Becky Ann Baker - Mrs. Redgick
Sean Whalen - Passport Officer
Harsh Nayyar - News Vendor
Michael Willis - Cop in Morgue
Willie C. Carpenter - Police Inspector
Michael Goldfinger - NYPD Sergeant
Brad Abrell - Worm Guy (Voice)
Thom Fountain - Worm Guy (Voice)
Carl J. Johnson - Worm Guy (Voice)
Drew Massey - Worm Guy (Voice)
Sylvester Stallone - Alien on TV
Monitor (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Danny DeVito - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
George Lucas - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Dionne Warwick - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Anthony Robbins - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Al Roker - Alien on TV Monitor (Cameo)
(Uncredited)
Isaac Mizrahin - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Barry Sonnenfeld - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Chloe Sonnenfeld - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Steven Spielberg - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Director - Barry Sonnenfeld
Based on the Malibu Comic - Lowell Cunningham
Screen Story/Screenplay - Ed Solomon
Executive Producer - Steven Spielberg
Producers - Laurie MacDonald
and Walter F. Parkes
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Graham Place
Casting Directors - David Rubin
and Debra Zane
Production Designer - Bo Welch
Illustrators - James Carson,
Matt Codd, Ricardo F. Delgado,
Tim Flattery and Jacques Rey
Art Director - Tom Duffield
Art Director: New York - Chris Shriver
Set Decorator - Cheryl Carasik
Property Master - Doug Harlocker
Costume Designer - Mary E. Vogt
Alien Makeup Effects/Special Makeup
Effects Artist - Rick Baker
Special Makeup Effects - David LeRoy Anderson
Director of Photography - Donald Peterman
Director of Photography: Main Title (Uncredited)/
Second Unit - Keith Peterman
Director of Photography: Second Unit,
New York - David M. Dunlap
Camera Operator - Stephen St. John
Camera Operators: New York - Florian Ballhaus
and Michael Caracciolo
First Assistant Director - John Cameron
First Assistant Directors: Second Unit -
Cara Giallanza and Chris Soldo
Second Unit Director/Visual Effects Supervisor -
Eric Brevig
Stunt Coordinator - Brian Smrz
Stunt Coordinator: Second Unit - Gregg Smrz
Special Effects Coordinator - Peter M. Chesney
Special Effects Supervisor - Kyle Ross Collinsworth
Animatronic Performance Supervisor -
Tony Urbano
Practical Effects/Pyro Supervisor: Saucer Crash
Miniature and Blue Screen Unit - Geoff Heron
Visual Effects Supervisor: End Sequence -
Scott Farrar
Visual Effects Producer: End Sequence -
Denise Ream
Visual Effects Art Director: ILM -
David Nakabayashi
Digital Effects Supervisors: ILM -
John Andrew Berton Jr., Carl N. Frederick
and Robert Marinic
Digital Effects Supervisors: End Sequence -
Patrick T. Myers and Ellen Poon
Digital Effects Sequence Supervisor: ILM -
Gerald Gutschmidt
Animation Supervisor - Rob Coleman
Computer Graphics Producer: VisionArt -
Joshua D. Rose
Digital Modeller Supervisor: ILM - Geoff Campbell
Creature Designers: ILM - Benton Jew
and Derek Thompson
Conceptual and Animatic Artists: ILM -
Jonathan Harb, Louis Katz and Jules Mann
Supervising Model Maker: Saucer Crash
Miniature and Blue Screen Unit - Steve Gawley
Chief Model Makers: Saucer Crash
Miniature and Blue Screen Unit - Rodney Morgan,
Lorne Peterson and Christopher Reed
Stage Manager: Saucer Crash Minature and Blue
Screen Unit - Edward Hirsh
Motion Control Director of Photography:
Miniature Tunnel Unit - Martin Rosenberg
Director of Photography: Miniature Tunnel Unit -
Pat Sweeney
Additional Visual Effects: VCE - Peter Kuran
Film Editor - Jim Miller
Sound Effects Designer - Eugene Gearty
Sound Designers/Mixers: Alien Languages -
Van Ling and Chuck Michael
Re-Recording Mixer/Supervising Sound Editor -
Skip Lievsay
Re-Recording Mixers - Lee Dichter
and Michael Barry
Foley Artist - Marko A. Contanzo
Music - Danny Elfman
Writer/Performer/Co-Producer (Song:
"Men in Black") - Will Smith
Music Recordist and Mixer - Shawn Murphy


Awards

1998 Academy Awards
Best Makeup - Rick Baker and
David LeRoy Anderson (Won)
----------------------
Best Art Direction - Bo Welch and Cheryl Carasik
(Nominated)
Best Original Score - Danny Elfman (Nominated)


Review
Unlike many other science fiction movies, MEN IN BLACK is intelligent in its story and hilarious. The film is full of wit and is similar to Ghostbusters. Barry Sonnefeld has directed a comic book adaptation that no other filmmaker has ever done. MEN IN BLACK has all the aspects, including the terrific action scenes, Rick Baker's alien makeup designs and splendid visuals. I liked the acting pair of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Their performances solidify the movie with perfect chemistry. The music score by Danny Elfman is fascinating and fits the tone of the feature. The funny scenes include when Agent K delivers a squid baby from the wife of a taxi driver. Another funny bit is a quote, "Oh, I'm sorry. Was that your auntie? Then that must be your uncle over there!" said K after he squished a bug that ticks off that giant cockroach.

It has been a flesh-dropping, slimy action-comedy movie made exclusively for the entire sci-fi geek community. BREAKING NEWS!! I just announced that the third Men in Black film is now in cinemas in 2D and 3D. And it features new actors like Josh Brolin and Jermaine Clement.

Star rating:
(5/5) Best Movie Ever

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