Tower Heist Review

Tower Heist


Release Date: 26th December 2011 - Australia


Production Companies
Universal Pictures

Imagine Entertainment
Relativity Media (in association with)
Rat Entertainment

Dentsu (presented in association with)

Distribution
Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Crime/Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 100 minutes

Budget: $85,000,000

Box Office Gross:

$152,930,623 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Josh Kovacs, a Queens
native, has managed one of
New York City's most
lavish, secure residences
for the past ten years. With
his keen eye, he notices
no mistake. In the poshest

suite at the top of Josh's

building, Wall Street

tycoon Arthur Shaw is under

house arrest for stealing $2

billion from his investors.

investors. Who is most

affected by his fraud? The

tower staffers were the ones

whose pensions he supervised.

As Arthur's escape from

justice nears, Josh enlists

Slide, a petty crook, to

plan the nearly impossible:

stealing what they believe

is hidden in Arthur's

guarded condo. These

amateur robbers know

the building better than

anyone, despite their

inexperience. They had

been scouting the place for

for years, but they didn't

know it.

Cast

Ben Stiller - Josh Kovaks

Eddie Murphy - Slide

Casey Affleck - Charlie

Alan Alda - Arthur Shaw
Matthew Broderick - Mr. Fitzhugh
Stephen McKinley Henderson - Lester
Judd Hirsch - Mr. Simon
Tea Leoni - Special Agent Claire Denham
Michael Pena - Enrique Dev'Reaux
Gabourey Sidibe - Odessa
Nina Arianda - Miss Iovenko
Marcia Jean Kurtz - Rose
Juan Carlos Hernandez - Manuel
Harry O'Reilly - Special Agent Dansk
Peter Van Wagner - Marty Klein Esq.
Zeljko Ivanek - Director Mazin

Lynne Rossetto Kasper - Radio 

Host (Voice)

Annika Pergament - NASDAQ News Reporter (Voice)

Clem Cheung - Kwan

Robert Downey Sr. - Judge Ramos

Max Russell Pratts - Kid in Lobby

Nathan Malnik - Kid in Lobby

Spencer Malnik - Kid in Lobby

Jarod Malnik - Kid in Lobby

Julie Vilanova - Kid in Lobby

Cynthia Patsos - Kid in Lobby

Kate Upton - Mr. Hightower's Mistress

Marilyn Kim - Mrs. Jin

Judianny Compres - Rita

Omar Nicodemo - Tower Security

Dylan Ratigan - News Reporter

Allie Woods Jr. - Mr. Newhouse

Johnny Tran - Huang

Monika Plocienniczak - TV News Reporter

James Colby - Special Agent Huggins

Edward Noone - Special Agent

Frank Pesce - Riker's Prison Guard

Annie Park - Girl in Mall

Christina Jacquelyn Calph - Victoria's Secret Saleswoman

Kevin Pariseau - Swarovski Jewellery Salesman

Desmin Borges - Modell's Sneaker Salesman

Jessica Szohr - Sasha

Brian Distance - Tower Security Officer

Village - Tower Security Officer

Les Papp II - Tower Security Officer

Michael Stratton - Tower Security Officer

Chris Rivaro - Doorman

Craig Castaldo - Radioman

Heavy D - Court House Guard

Veronika Korvin - Maid

Robert Clohessy - Parade Cop

Jan Owen - Mrs. Cronan

Lucky Park - Lucy the Dog

Robert Christian - Arresting Special Agent

Mark Phillip Patrick - Arresting Special Agent

Paul Hickert - Arresting Special Agent

Kelvin Davis - Arresting Special Agent

Christopher Breslin - Arresting Special Agent

Ty Jones - Shaw's Prison Guard

Ted Lochwyn - Shaw's Prison Guard

Madison Knopp - Charlie and Sasha's Baby

Troy Hall - Delivery Man

Julie T. Pham - Huang's Wife

Bojun Wang - Huang's Son

Juanita Howard - Mr. Newhouse's Wife

Bob Roseman - Josh's Prison Guard

Crew
Director - Brett Ratner
Based on Concept - Eric Ehrenhaus
Story - Adam Cooper and Bill Collage
Story/Screenplay - Ted Griffin
Screenplay - Jeff Nathanson

Unit Production Manager/Executive Producer -

Bill Carraro
Executive Producer - Karen Kehela Sherwood
Producers - Eddie Murphy, Brian Grazer

and Kim Roth
Production Designer - Kristi Zea

Art Director - Nicholas Lundy

Set Decorator - Diane Lederman

Costume Designer - Sarah Edwards

Makeup Department Head - John Cagilone Jr.  
Director of Photography - Dante Spinotti

Unit Production Manager - Carla Raij

First Assistant Director - James M. Freitag

Second Assistant Director - Tudor Jones
Second Unit Director/Stunt Player - G.A. Aguilar
Stunt Coordinator - Jery Hewitt
Special Effects Coordinator - Steven Kirshoff

Visual Effects Supervisor - Mark Russell
Visual Effects Producer - Ginger Theisen
Visual Effects Consultants - Michael L. Fink

and Adam Howard
Editor - Mark Helfrich

Supervising Sound Editor - Warren Shaw

Production Sound Mixer - Tod A. Maitland

Re-Recording Mixers - Michael Minkler

and Andrii Trifonov

Supervising Foley Artist - Gary A. Hecker  
Music - Christophe Beck

Review

2011 ended the holiday season on a high note with the fun, ordinary caper comedy TOWER HEIST. I finally set aside some time to indulge in this comedy. I'm not going to lie. I did my hopes up. It certainly wasn't as clever and elaborate as other heist movies. The storyline is exhausting and has become overused, probably because the writers were running out of ideas. However, some aspects of the film are appealing, particularly certain comedy scenes. One such scene involves a hotel maid ramming a trolley into a security agent, knocking him out cold. Unfortunately, the amusing scenes are too few and far between. Another flaw is its slow pacing. It moves too slowly, which can make it boring.

TOWER HEIST boasts a stellar cast. Comedy film buffs will be happy to see some of their favourite comedic actors. The cast delivers commendable performances, especially Eddie Murphy, who is universally "hilarious" in anything he does. Director Brett Ratner is well known for his action and comedy films, which he executes with skill and flair. However, he's lost his touch.

The problem with TOWER HEIST is that it's not memorable. I can't remember any particularly memorable scenes, except for a few. I wouldn't be motivated to watch it again. If you like heist movies, Ocean's Eleven is the mother of this sub-genre.

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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Finding Dory Review

Finding Dory


Release Date: 16th June 2016 - Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures
Pixar Animation Studios

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/

Comedy/Adventure

Rating: G

Runtime: 103 minutes


Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,028,570,942 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

After Nemo is found and safely returned home, a year passes, and the forgetful but friendly blue tang fish, Dory, begins to have a flashback of her past. She sets off on an adventure with her friends to look for her long-lost family. Her quest continues when she is brought to the Marine Life Institute and meets some new friends.


Voice Cast
Albert Brooks - Marlin

Ellen DeGeneres - Dory
Sloane Murray - Baby Dory
Hayden Rolence - Nemo
Ed O'Neill - Hank
Diane Keaton - Jenny
Eugene Levy - Charlie
Kaitlin Olson - Destiny
Ty Burrell - Bailey
Idris Elba - Fluke
Dominic West - Rudder
Bob Peterson - Mr. Ray/

Additional Voices
Andrew Stanton - Crush/

Additional Voices
Bennett Dammann - Squirt
Bill Hader - Fish Husband
Kate McKinnon - Fish Wife
Angus MacLane - Sunfish

'Charlie Back-and-Forth'/

Additional Voices

Sigourney Weaver - Herself
Alexander Gould - Passenger Carl (Cameo)/Additional Voices

John Ratzenberger - Bill
Torbin Xan Bullock - Gerald/

Additional Voices

Willem Dafoe - Gil (Cameo)

Brad Garrett - Bloat (Cameo)

Allison Janney - Peach (Cameo)

Austin Pendleton - Gurgle (Cameo)

Stephen Root - Bubbles (Cameo)
Vicki Lewis - Deb (Cameo)

Jerome Ranft - Jacques (Cameo)
Lucia Geddes - Tween Dory

Crew
Original Story/Screenplay/
Director - Andrew Stanton
Co-Director/Additional Story Material -

Angus MacLane
Screenplay - Victoria Strouse
Additional Screenplay Material - Bob Peterson

Executive Producer - John Lasseter
Producer - Lindsey Collins
Production Designer - Steve Pilcher
Character Art Director - Jason Deamer

Sets Art Director - Don Shank

Additional Shading Art Director - Bert Berry

Story Supervisor - Maxwell Bruce IV

Character Supervisor - Jeremie Talbot

Character Modelling & Articulation Lead -

Mark Piretti
Supervising Animators - David DeDan and
Michael Stocker
Directing Animators - Robb Denovan
and Michal Makarewicz
Director of Photography: Camera -

Jeremy Lasky
Director of Photography: Lighting -

Ian Megibben

Visual Consultant - Sharon Calahan

Stereoscopic Supervisor - Bob Whitehill
Film Editor - Axel Geddes

Second Film Editors - Torbin Xan Bullock,

Robert Grahamjones and Sarah K. Reimers

Additional Editors - Nicholas C. Smith,

Serena Warner, Steve Bloom and

John Bryant (Uncredited)

Sound Designer - Tim Nielsen

Supervising Sound Editor - Steve Slanec

Sound Effects Editors - Jack Whittaker,

Jon Borland and Ken Fischer

Re-Recording Mixers - Nathan Nance

and Michael Semanick

Foley Artists - John Roesch and

Shelley Roden
Music - Thomas Newman

Executive Music Producer - Chris Montan

Music Supervisor - Tom MacDougall

Review

In 2015, Inside Out proved that the fledgling company Pixar was back on track to produce high-quality animated features with meaningful plots and colourful characters. However, after the less-than-successful The Good Dinosaur, it wasn't over in 2016, when Pixar released a sequel that isn't part of the Toy Story series. FINDING DORY  revolves around the iconic but goofy and forgetful fish character from the original Finding Nemo, who embarks on a discovery to reunite with her long-lost family. It may seem like an attempt to shoehorn a breakout character to be the main protagonist, as it has happened before with that hick tow-truck Mater in Cars 2. I'm just glad these animators have learned their lesson. However, the story is much less meaningful compared to the first instalment. It still manages to create an emotional journey about reuniting with family.

I remember Ellen DeGeneres' voice as Dory in Finding Nemo as highly energetic. She continues to be the same character while portraying softer tones for dramatic scenes. Actor/comedic veteran Ed O'Neill plays an unfriendly octopus, Hank, with a big chip on his tentacle.

This picture may not win over a few bitterly disappointed fans who have grown up with the title character and its predecessor. I look forward to rewatching it on Blu-ray as it is one to add to the collection. I'm still not a big fan of FINDING DORY and Nemo, but it's a must-see film. It has been an intriguing review from RadDingo.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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Independence Day: Resurgence Review

Independence Day: Resurgence

Release Date: 23rd June 2016 - Australia

Production Companies

Centropolis Entertainment

TSG Entertainment

20th Century Fox Film Corporation

Distribution

20th Century Fox Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 129 minutes

Budget: $165,000,000

Box Office Gross:

$389,681,935 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Twenty years after the alien invasion of Earth had almost destroyed its inhabitants, the world merged the recovered alien technology with human technology. And its nations have collaborated on an immense space defence program to defend the planet from another alien attack. But nothing could prepare them for the new

threat of extraterrestrial

invaders, as their

mothership was twice

the size of the last one

they'd destroyed. This

time, a few brave men and

women must band together

to save the world, but

will they have enough

firepower to take down

the invaders, or will this

battle prove to be a

different story? Will the

aliens take over and wipe out humanity before all hope is lost?

Cast

Liam Hemsworth - Jake Morrison

Jeff Goldblum - David Levinson

Jessie T. Usher - Dylan Hiller

Bill Pullman - Thomas J. Whitmore

Maika Monroe - Patricia Whitmore

Sela Ward - President Lamford

William Fichtner - General Adams

Judd Hirsch - Julius Levinson

Patrick St. Esprit - Secretary of Defense Tanner

Brent Spiner - Dr. Brackish Okun

Vivica A. Fox - Jasmine Hiller

Angelababy - Rain Lao

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Catherine Marceaux

Deobia Oparei - Dikembe Umbutu

Nicolas Wright - Floyd Rosenberg

Travis Tope - Charlie Miller

Chin Han - Commander Jiang

Gbenga Akinnagbe - Agent Travis

Robert Loggia - General Grey

John Storey - Dr. Isaacs

Joey King - Sam

Jenna Purdy - Sphere (Voice)

Garrett Wareing - Bobby

Hays Wellford - Felix

Mckenna Grace - Daisy

James A. Woods - Lt. Ritter

Robert Neary - Captain McQuaide

Joshua Mikel - Armand

Joel Virgel - Jaques

Arturo del Puerto - Bordeaux

Travis Hammer - Jeffrey Fineman

Lance Lim - Camper Kevin

Zeb Sanders - Camper Henry

Donovan Tyee Smith - Camper Marcus

Crew

Based on Characters/

Story/Writer/Producer/

Director - Roland Emmerich

Based on Characters/Story/

Writer/Producer - Dean Devlin

Story/Screenplay - Nicolas Wright and James A. Woods

Screenplay - James Vanderbilt and Carter Blanchard (Uncredited)

Executive Producer - Ute Emmerich

Executive Producers/Unit

Production Managers - Larry

J. Franco and Carsten H.W. Lorenz

Producer/Music - Harald Kloser

Co-Producer/Visual Effects

Supervisor - Volker Engel

Co-Producer/First Assistant Director - K.C. Hodenfield

Co-Producer - Marco Shepherd

Casting - John Papsidera

Production Designer - Barry Chusid

Conceptual Artwork/Concept Illustrator -

Johannes Mücke

Concept Illustrators - Daren Dochterman,

Mark Yang, Fausto DeMartini, Steve Burg,

Jim Carson and Christian Scheurer

Concept Illustrator/Visual Effects

Art Director - Michael Maher

Production Illustrator - Sean Hargreaves

Vehicle Art Director - Ron Mendell

Supervising Art Director - Patrick M. Sullivan Jr.

Art Directors - Caty Maxey, Christa Munro,

Eric Sundahl and Clint Wallace

Creature Designer - Patrick Tatopoulos

Set Decorator - Jay Hart

Assistant Set Decorator - Kevin Krupp

Property Master - Brad Einhorn

Costume Designer - Lisy Christl

Director of Photography - Markus Forderer

Additional Photography - Robby Baumgartner

Stunt Coordinator - John Stoneham Jr.

Special Effects Coordinator - David Greene

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital -

Joe Letteri

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite -

Holger Voss

Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital - Matt Aitken

Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Sue Rowe

Visual Effects Supervisors: Scanline VFX -

Bryan Grill and Mohsen Mousavi

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor - Douglas Smith

Additional Visual Effects Supervisors: Cinesite -

Christian Nickel, Eamonn Butler,

Etienne Daigle and Stephanie Paris

Visual Effects Producers - Marc Weigert,

Terry Cloutiax and Katharina Salinger

Visual Effects Producer: Scanline VFX - Robert E. Evans

Visual Effects Producer: Digital Domain - Steve Won

Global Head of VFX: MPC - Greg Butler

Digital Effects Supervisor: Cinesite - Aymeric Perceval

Animation Supervisor - Conrad Murrey

Animation Supervisor: Weta Digital - David Clayton

Animation Supervisor: MPC - Matt Kowaliszyn

Animation Supervisor: Image Engine -

Jason Snyman

Supervisors: Digital Domain - Dean Broadland,

Jan Philip Cramer, Michael Melchorre

and Hanzhi Tang

Film Editor - Adam Wolfe

Additional Editors - David Brenner,

Joe Hutshing and Mitchell J. Glaser

Re-Recording Mixer/Sound Designer/

Supervising Sound Editor - Paul N.J. Ottosson

Re-Recording Mixer - Michael Minkler

Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker and

Michael Broomberg

Music - Thomas Wanker

Review

In 1996, the first Independence Day movie had a massive impact on audiences. It featured the money shot of the alien spaceship destroying the White House. History is about to repeat with the latest sequel produced as a visual extravaganza, but it is dumber and huger than the original blockbuster. I wasn't sure INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE would succeed without Will Smith returning as one of the original's main leads. This new movie would have been heavier on nostalgia if Smith had reprised his role, but unfortunately, he was too expensive for the sequel. With Smith's absence, his character is no longer essential to the storyline. RESURGENCE is still colourful and fully action-driven, but more is needed to compensate for the unwarranted aspects, such as the uninteresting new characters and awkward pacing.

Fans will miss Will Smith's presence but are thankful for the return of Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, whose roles stayed the same for twenty years. Even Brent Spiner had a blast returning as the eccentric, mad scientist Dr Okun and had more screen time than in the first. The new actor, Liam Hemsworth, has tried to outdo Will Smith, but his role is a cliché and a carbon copy of that character.

The 90s are still over, but RESURGENCE isn't only trying to relive its past. It is trying to evolve into the modern era, where VFX technology has undergone significant changes. Unfortunately, the film's scriptwriting hasn't improved, as evidenced. That's why I thought RESURGENCE was an average sequel.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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Trivia Questions

Hi, this is Rad Dingo here! I've just posted two film trivia questionnaire polls on the sidebar. It is supposed to challenge your knowledge about different films. I'll welcome everyone to give it a go.

It will only take five to ten minutes of your time. The questions start out being easy and get more advanced towards the end. The questions are all multiple-choice. I challenge you to try to answer all these questions without cheating. Prove to yourself that you are a true movie fanatic.

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WarGames: The Dead Code Review

WarGames: The Dead Code

Release Date: 17th December 2008 - 

Australia (Direct to Video)

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Genre: Thriller

Rating: M

Runtime: 96 minutes

Plot Summary

Hacking into a secure

network of online games

known as R.I.P.L.E.Y.,

Will Farmer stumbles

onto a national defence

system created to track

down fleeing terrorist

groups and becomes

Ripley's next target! His

hometown was in the

crosshairs of an automated

military response, his

identity compromised,

and his family and friends

endangered. Will's only

hope of clearing his name

is to beat Ripley. But it is

a race against time to stop

Ripley from triggering

Armageddon as the game

escalates to the next level!

Cast

Matt Lanter - Will Farmer

Amanda Walsh - Annie D'Mateo

Colm Feore - T. Kenneth Hassert/

Joshua (Voice)

Chuck Shamata - Bill Carter

Maxim Roy - Tina Rashe

Nicolas Wright - Dennis Nichols

Gary Reineke - Stephen Falken

Susan Glover - Gail Farmer

Trevor Hayes - Agent Aaron Scott

Claudia Ferri - Agent Bolton

Vlasta Vrana - Ivan Prokosh

Ricky Mabe - Newman (DNI Tech)

Claudio Black - R.I.P.L.E.Y. (Voice)

Russell Yuen - David Chen

Robert Hidgen - Mr. Baron

John Maclaren - Norman Paget

John Koensgen - Martin Cavanaugh

Alberto Delburgo - Sayid Massude

Lucinda Davis - Joleen Dupree

Neil Napier - Teacher

Matthew Raudsepp - Doug Maltz

Danny Blanco Hall - The Groom

Alain Gauthier - Internet Cafe Guy

David Schaap - General Stradler

Jean-Robert Bourdage - Hot Dog Vendor

Crew
Director - Stuart Gillard
Based on Characters - Lawrence Lasker

and Walter F. Parkes
Story - Rob Kerchner
Story/Screenplay - Randall Badat
Executive Producers - Hudson Hickman,

Sara Berrisford and Craig Roessler
Producer - Irene Litinsky

Casting Directors - Andrea Kenyon,

Paul Weber and Randi Wells
Production Designer - Guy Lalande

Art Director - Réal Proulx

Costume Designer - Claire Nadon
Director of Photography - Bruce Chun

Special Effects Supervisor - Louis Craig

Special Effects Coordinators - Denis Lavigne

and Pierre 'Bill' Rivard

Visual Effects Supervisors - Alexandre LaFortune

and Mario Rachiele
Editor - Robin Russell

Supervising Sound Editor - Mark Friedgen

Sound Designer - Richard Steele

Re-Recording Mixers - Terry O'Bright

and Keith Rogers
Music - John Van Tongeren

Review

I've always disliked the idea of horrendous, low-budget, straight-to-DVD sequels, like the one for the classic movie WarGames. THE DEAD CODE premiered twenty-five years after the original film, but none of the actors wants to return in this atrociously bad instalment. Neither Matthew Broderick nor Ally Sheedy will be making their cameo appearances in this cash-grab. It was a needless attempt to turn WarGames into an ongoing series, with each movie intended to be more thrilling and complex than the original classic. The storyline was a retread of the original WarGames, but felt confused and rushed in execution.

Matt Lanter and Amanda Walsh are the lead actors in the redundant sequel. However, neither of them displays any acting skills for this kind of movie. Even the mundane, second-rate direction could not save the film. Their two performances weren't the best and are most likely the worst in history.

THE DEAD CODE is a sequel nobody wants, and it has to get booted out of the franchise. None of you cinema-goers will ever want to watch this one, as THE DEAD CODE is enough to drop your IQ points by thirty. So stay tuned for the following review, folks!

Star rating: (3/10) Disappointing

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Freddie as F.R.O.7 Review

Freddie as F.R.O.7 


Release Date: 28th August 1992 - USA


Production Companies
Hollywood Road Films
J&M Entertainment
Motion Picture Investments
Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment


Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 93 minutes


Box Office Gross: $1,119,368 (USA)


Plot Summary
The story about a man-
sized frog named Prince
Frederic who is turned
into a frog by his wicked
aunt Messina and hired
by British Intelligence
to solve the mysterious
disappearances of some
of Britian's greatest
monuments. Several
hundred years later,
Freddie is now living in
modern-day Paris -- a
six-foot-tall amphibian
with moniker Secret
Agent F.R.O.7. Messina,
too, is still around
causing mischief, joining
forces with an arch-villain
named El Supremo in a
scheme to shrink Big
Ben. Freddie, alerted to
Messina's nefarious plans,
gathers his fellow agents
Daffers and Scottie
together, planning to
hide out in Big Ben and
surprise the evil doers
when they are set to
strike at the much-loved
British landmark. (Source - IMDb)


Voice Cast
Adrian Della Touche - Narrator
Ben Kingsley - Freddie
Edmund Kingsley - Young Freddie

Jenny Agutter - Daffers

John Sessions - Scotty/

Additional Voices

Brian Blessed - El Supremo

Nigel Hawthorne - Brigadier G

Billie Whitelaw - Messina

Phyllis Logan - Nessie

Sir Michael Hordern - King

Jonathan Pryce - Trilby

Prunella Scales - Queen/Additional Voices

Victor Maddern - Old Gentleman Raven

Crew

Script/Lyrics: Evil Mainya and Shy Girl/
Producer/Director - Jon Acevski 

Script - David Ashton
Producer - Norman Priggen
Art Director - Paul Shardlow
Cinematography - Rex Neville
Storyboard Director - Denis Rich
Animation Director - Tony Guy
Character Designer/Sequence Director -
Richard Fawdry
Sequence Directors - Roberto Casale,
Bill Hajee and Alain Maindron
Head of Paint and Trace - Lucy Ash
Film Editors - Mick Manning and 

Alex Rayment
Music/Songs - David Dunda and 

Rick Wentworth


Review
It is a fact that the director of this film created a British animated film which is actually inspired by stories that he used to tell his son about a young prince who gets turned into a frog and becomes a spy. This turns into a very strange movie for those who haven't seen it. I sought to critique 'FREDDIE AS F.R.O.7' years ago when I wanted to watch it again on YouTube after having read its history. The movie earned a dismal profit at the box office and became the third lowest grossing animation of all time. This film failed to achieve the director's vision of creating an animated musical fairy tale and instead was let down with characters that just didn't belong there like the Loch Ness monster. 'FREDDIE AS F.R.O.7' came across as a Disney knock-off to try and take away Disney's spotlight during the Katzenberg era of 1989 to 1994.

The film's narrative is incomprehensible and the songs that include the famed musical talents of Grace Jones, Boy George, ASIA and others confuses people of which kind of film this really is. Where some parts of the film has its roots in musical where characters are signing. Other parts contradict this and instead have background music. This just seems very disorganised and misleading. I've paid my attention to the animation which is sometimes inconsistent but rather pleasant and the wonderful voice work of Ben Kingsley and Brian Blessed who are brilliant and over-the-top in their main characters.

I will not punish myself to sit through this movie again despite regretfully watching it a few times on YouTube. Indeed, even the edited version in America with James Earl Jones' narration does nothing to redeem this movie of its flaws. If I were you, I would give this one a miss.

Star rating: (4/10) Below Average

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit Review

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Release Date: 24th November 1988 - Australia

Production Companies

Touchstone Pictures (presents)

Amblin Entertainment

Silver Screen Partners III (in association with)

Walt Disney Feature Animation (Uncredited)

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Comedy/Mystery

Rating: PG

Runtime: 104 minutes


Budget: $58,000,000

Box Office Gross: $351,500,000 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
In 1947, Eddie Valiant, a Toon-hating detective, must solve the murder of Marvin Acme, owner of Acme Corporation and Toontown and prove the innocence of cartoon star Roger Rabbit, the prime suspect in this heinous crime. They must learn to watch out for the sinister Judge Doom, who will stop at nothing to bring Roger to justice.

Cast

Bob Hoskins - Eddie Valiant

Christopher Lloyd - Judge Doom
Joanna Cassidy - Dolores
Stubby Kaye - Marvin Acme
Alan Tilvern - R. K. Maroon
Richard LeParmentier - Lt. Santino

Betsy Brantley - Jessica's Performance Model

Joel Silver - Raoul (Director)

Paul Springer - Augie

Richard Ridings - Angelo

Mike Edmonds - Stretch

Morgan Deare - Editor

Voice Cast

Charles Fleischer - Roger Rabbit/Benny the Cab/

Greasy/Psycho

Kathleen Turner - Jessica Rabbit (Uncredited)

David L. Lander - Smart Ass

Fred Newman - Stupid
Lou Hirsch - Baby Herman

Mae Questel - Betty Boop

Mel Blanc - Bugs Bunny/Daffy

Duck/Tweety Bird/Sylvester/

Porky Pig
Joe Alaskey - Yosemite Sam/Foghorn Leghorn

Wayne Allwine - Mickey Mouse

Tony Anselmo - Donald Duck

Russi Taylor - Birds/Minnie Mouse

Bill Farmer - Goofy (Uncredited)
Tony Pope - Goofy/Wolf
April Winchell - Mrs. Herman
Frank Sinatra - The Singing Sword (archive sound)
Frank Welker - Dumbo
June Foray - Wheezy/Lena Hyena
Richard Williams - Droopy

Pat Buttram - Bullet #1

Jim Cummings - Bullet #2

Jim Galland - Bullet #3

Less Perkins - Mr. Toad

Peter Westy - Pinocchio

Cherry Davis - Woody Woodpecker

Mary T. Radford - Hippo

Morgan Deare - Gorilla

Crew

Director - Robert Zemeckis
Based on the Novel "Who Censored Roger

Rabbit?" - Gary K. Wolf

Screenplay - Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman

Associate Producers - Don Hahn and

Steve Starkey

Executive Producers - Steven Spielberg

and Kathleen Kennedy
Producer/Second Unit Director: UK -

Frank Marshall
Producer - Robert Watts

Casting Director: UK - Priscilla John

Production Designers - Elliot Scott
and Roger Cain

Production Illustrators: USA - Martin A. Kline

and David Russell
Concept Designer - Michael Peraza Jr.

Art Director: UK - Stephen Scott

Location Art Director: UK - Keith Pain

Draughtsmen: UK - Richard Holland

and Peter Russell

Storyboard Artists: UK - Michael White and

Syd Cain

Storysketch: Animation - Joe Ranft,

Mark Kausler, Hans Bacher and

Harald Siepermann

Layout - Roy Naisbitt

Layout: Additional Animation -

William H. Frake III and Dave Dunnet

Set Decorator: UK - Peter Howitt

Set Decorator: USA - Robert R. Benton

Property Master: UK - Barry Wilkinson
Costume Designer - Joanna Johnston

Assistant Costume Designer - Graham Churchyard

Makeup Artist: UK - Peter Robb-King

Chief Makeup Artist: Second Unit, UK -

Lois Burwell

Hair Stylist: UK - Colin Jamison
Director of Photography - Dean Cundey

Additional Photography: Second Unit, UK -

Paul Beeson

Director of Photography: Second Unit, USA -

Gregg Heschong

Camera Operators: UK - Raymond Stella

and David Worley

Camera Operator: Second Unit, USA -

James L. Bryan

First Assistant Camera: USA - Clyde E. Bryan

and Stephen Tate

Production Manager: UK - Patricia Carr

Unit Production Manager: USA - Jack Frost Sanders

First Assistant Director: UK - Michael Murray

First Assistant Director: USA - David McGiffert

First Assistant Director: Second Unit, USA -

Marty P. Ewing

Second Assistant Director: UK - Chris Brock

Third Assistant Director: UK - Peter Heslop

Location Manager: UK - Philip Kohler

Second Unit Director: UK - Ian Sharp

Second Unit Director: USA - Max Kleven

Stunt Arranger - Peter Diamond

Chief Puppeteer: UK - David Alan Barclay

Director of Animation - Richard Williams

Supervising Animator: "Roger Rabbit" -

Andreas Deja
Supervising Animators - Russell Hall,
Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells

Chief Executive and Supervising Animator:
Additional Animation - Dale Baer

Animation Consultants - Stan Green,
Chuck Jones and Walt Stanchfield

Animation Effects Supervisor - Chris Knott

Animated Effects Supervisor: Additional

Animation - Don Paul

Animation Camera Supervisor -

John Leatherbarrow

Mechanical Effects Supervisor - George Gibbs
Special Effects Supervisor: USA -

Michael Lantieri
Visual Effects Supervisor - Ken Ralston

Optical Photography Supervisor - Ed Jones

Visual Effects Camera Operator - Scott Farrar

Supervising Model Maker - Steve Gawley

Assistant Director/Unit Production Manager:

ILM - Ian Bryce

Matte and Roto Supervisor - Annie Elvin

Animation Supervisor - Wes Takahashi

Stop-Motion Animator - Tom St. Amand

Film Editor - Arthur Schmidt

Animation Editor - Nick Fletcher

Associate Editors: UK - Peter Lonsdale

and Colin Wilson

Assistant Editors: UK - Carin-Anne Strohmaier,

Andrew MacRitchie and Lynne Bailey Smith

Supervising Sound Editors - Charles L. Campbell

and Louis L. Edemann

Re-Recording Mixers - Robert Knudson,

John Boyd, Don Digirolamo and Jim Fitzpatrick

Foley Artists - Ellen Heuer and John Roesch

Foley Recordist - Greg Orloff

Music - Alan Silvestri

Awards

1989 Academy Awards
Best Film Editing - Arthur Schmidt (Won)
Best Sound Effects Editing - Charles L. Campbell
and Louis L. Edemann (Won)
Best Visual Effects - Ken Ralston,

Richard Williams, Ed Jones and George Gibbs (Won)

Special Achievement Award - Richard Williams (Won)
-----------------------
Best Cinematography - Dean Cundey (Nominated)
Best Art Direction - Elliot Scott and Peter Howitt (Nominated)
Best Sound - Robert Knudson, John Boyd,

Don Digirolamo and Tony Dawe (Nominated)

Review

It has been several years since WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT was shown on television and VHS. It seemed like an adult-oriented, edgy, live-action/animation fantasy-comedy that mistakenly became a family movie, despite its intended audience. It pays tribute to noir films and classic Golden Age of Animation cartoons. Director Robert Zemeckis, animator Richard Williams, and filmmaker Steven Spielberg filmed and animated it in two cinematic components, then combined them into a single film that blends live-action and animation.

Many years in the making, ROGER RABBIT's effects have aged well, and so has the story, rich in laughter and mystery. The movie contains cartoon characters. Some were from the original novel, while others came from copyright holders, including Warner Bros. and Disney, the film's production company. Many people will recognise these characters, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck.

The cast was well-suited to their roles, including the late Bob Hoskins, who plays the gruff, bigoted human detective Eddie Valiant. Christopher Lloyd plays the sharp, sinister, cold-hearted Judge Doom. Kathleen Turner is hardly recognisable as Roger Rabbit's seductive, beautiful wife, Jessica.

Though I haven't seen ROGER RABBIT for a long time, I remember it fondly. It's an excellent movie that surely entertains, excites, and brings joy to people of all ages.

Star rating: (9/10) Excellent Movie

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