The Dark Crystal Review

The Dark Crystal


Release Date: 22nd April 1983 - Australia


Production Companies
Incorporated Television Company (ITC) (presents)

Henson Organisation
Henson Associates (HA)

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Fantasy/Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 93 minutes


Budget: $25,000,000

Box Office Gross: $44,625,778 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary

In another world from another time, in the age of wonder, ravaged by the tyrannical race of the Skeksis. Now, a young orphaned Gelfing named Jen must end the Skeksis' power and restore balance by using a shard that would heal the Dark Crystal.


Performers
Jim Henson - Jen/SkekSo the Emperor
Kathryn Mullen - Jen/Kira
Frank Oz - Aughra/SkekSil
the Chamberlain/The Podlings

Jerry Nelson - SkekZok the Ritual Master

Kiran Shah - The Body of Jen, Kira and Aughra
Dave Goelz - SkekUng the
Garthim Master/Fizzgig
Steve Whitmire - SkekTek the Scientist
Brian Muehl - UrZah the

Ritual Guardian/UrSu the

Master/SkekEktt the Ornamentalist

Bob Payne - SkekOk the Scroll Keeper
Louise Gold - SkekAyuk the Gourmand
Mike Quinn - SkekNa the Slave Master
Tim Rose - SkekShod the Treasurer
David Greenway - Urlm/
Healer

Voice Cast
Stephen Garlick - Jen
Lisa Maxwell - Kira
Billie Whitelaw - Aughra
Percy Edwards - Fizzgig
Barry Dennen - SkekSkil the Chamberlain/Podling
Michael Kilgariff - SkekUng the Garthim Master
Sean Barrett - UrZah the Ritual Guardian

Jerry Nelson - SkekSo the Emperor
John Baddeley - SkekOk the Scroll Keeper
Thick Wilson - SkekAyuk the Gourmand
David Buck - SkekNa the Slave Master
Charles Collingwood - SkekShod the Treasurer
Joseph O'Conor - Narrator/Unglm


Crew
Story/Producer/Director - Jim Henson
Director - Frank Oz
Screenplay - David Odell

Associate Producer: Henson Organisation -
Duncan Kenworthy

Associate Producer - Bruce Sharman

Executive Producers - David Lazer
and Lew Grade

Assistant to Executive Producer - Martin G. Baker

Producer/Second Unit Director - Gary Kurtz
Conceptual/Creature/Costume Designer -
Brian Froud
Production Designer - Harry Lange

Supervising Art Director - Charles Bishop

Art Directors - Brian & Terry Ackland-Snow

and Malcolm Stone

Assistant Art Directors - Richard Dawking,

Fred Evans and Katharina Kubrick

Sketch Artists - Michael G. Ploog,

Denis Rich and Bill Stallion

Draftsmen - Michael Boone, Roger Bowles,

Reg Bream, Richard Holland, Don Dossett,

Jim Morahan and Alan Ross

Set Decorator - Peter Young
Direcror of Photography - Oswald Morris

Operating Cameraman - Derek V. Browne

Production Manager - Philip Kohler

First Assistant Director - Dusty Symonds

Second Assistant Director - Christopher Newman

Assistant Director: Second Unit - Vincent Winter

Choreography & Mime Training - Jean-Pierre Amiel

Creative Supervisor: Creature Development/
Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisor:

"Mystics", "Podlings" and "Slaves" - Sherry Amott

Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisor:
"Gelfing" - Wendy Midener

Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisor:
"Skeksis", "Aughra" and "Urseks" - Lyle Conway

Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisor:
"Skeksis" - Sarah Bradpiece

Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisor:
"Garthim" - Fred Nihda

Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisor:
"Fizzgig" - Rollin Krewson

Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisor:
"Landstriders" - Valerie Charlton

Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisor:
"Mystics" - Tim Clarke

Creature Design and Fabrication Supervisors:
"Environmental Creatures" - Tim Miller and

John Coppinger

Special Mechanical Design - Bob Baldwin,

Tad Krzanowski and John Stephenson

Mechanical Effects Supervisor: Production

Effects Unit - Ian Wingrove

Wire Effects: Production Effects Unit -

Robert Harman

Special Visual Effects/Director: Miniature Effects

Unit - Brian Smithies
Special Visual Effects - Roy Field

Director of Photography: Miniature Effects Unit -

Paul Wilson

Camera Operator: Miniature Effects Unit -

John Morgan

Camera Assistants: Miniature Effects Unit -

Johanna Abey and Jonathan Taylor

Scenic Matte Paintings: ILM - Christopher Evans

and Michael Pangrazio

Scenic Matte Photography: ILM - Neil Krepela

Scenic Matte Photography Assistant: ILM -

Craig Barron

Film Editor - Ralph Kemplen

Special Sound Effects Creator - Ben Burtt

Production Sound - Peter Sutton,

Robert Taylor and Don Wortham

Re-Recording - Bill Rowe

Foley Editor - Campbell Askew
Music/Synthesised Electronic Sounds -

Trevor Jones


Review
THE DARK CRYSTAL takes on a dark and mysterious atmosphere of a fantasy world that doesn't include human characters with unique puppetry and a simple plot that makes it the most imaginative picture, thanks to Muppet maker Jim Henson. When the film came out, critics misunderstood it as they were unkind to its darker and more dramatic tone in contrast to the whimsical and lighthearted feel of Henson's previous movies that featured the Muppets. Nowadays, it has a cult following and gained a positive critical re-evaluation. It's packed with everything, including beautiful landscapes, interesting characters like the Mystics and the evil Skeksis, and a powerful music score by Trevor Jones. What makes it more interesting is Brian Froud's design of the characters, which brought them to life.

For an unforgettable classic like THE DARK CRYSTAL, I loved it because it was an epic fantasy film that contained a spirit of significance. It is enjoyable for fans of Henson's work.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

Back to Home

Hotel Transylvania Review

Hotel Transylvania


Release Date: 20th September 2012 - Australia


Production Companies
Columbia Pictures (presents)
Sony Pictures Animation

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/

Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 105 minutes


Budget: $85,000,000

Box Office Gross: $358,375,603 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Running a large resort for monsters in Transylvania far away from human civilisation, Dracula invites his fellow

ghouls to celebrate the 118th birthday of his daughter,

Mavis. One day, the party is

about to commence when a

human named Jonathan

stumbles into the resort

and is head over heels for

Mavis. Not wanting his

daughter to fall in love

with a mortal, Dracula

must try to keep her away

from Jonathan and the guests from his secret.

Voice Cast
Adam Sandler - Dracula
Selena Gomez - Mavis
Andy Samberg - Jonathan
Kevin James - Frankenstein
CeeLo Green - Murray
Steve Buscemi - Wayne
Molly Shannon - Wanda
David Spade - Griffin the
Invisible Man
Fran Drescher - Eunice
Jon Lovitz - Quasimodo
Sadie Sandler - Young Mavis/Winnie
Jackie Sandler - Martha
Chris Parnell - Mr. Fly
Rob Riggle - Skeleton Husband
Brian George - Suit of Armor
Luenell - Shrunken Heads

Crew
Director - Genndy Tartakovsky
Story - Todd Durham and Dan
& Kevin Hageman
Screenplay - Peter Baynham
Screenplay/Executive Producer -
Robert Smigel

Executive Producers - Adam Sandler
and Allen Covert
Producer - Michelle Murdocca
Co-Producer - Lydia Bottegoni
Production Designer - Marcelo Vignali

Art Directors - Ron Lukas and

Noelle Triaureau
Character Designers - Carter Goodrich,
Carlos Grangel, Cathy Jones, Craig Kellman
Luis Grané, Annette Marnat and Pete Oswald

Head of Story - Kaan Kalyon

Senior Animation Supervisor - James Crossley
Supervising Animators - Joshua Beveridge,

Matthew Cowie, Bill Haller,

Sebastian Kapijimpanga, Jeff Panko,

Brian D. Scott and Kevin Webb
Head of Layout - James C.J. Williams

Layout Supervisor - John Clark

Visual Effects Supervisor - Daniel Kramer

CG Supervisors - Danny Dimian,

Michael Ford, Matt Hausman,

Karl Edward Herbst, Rodrigo Ibanez,

Michael Lasker and Daniel Lobl

3D Stereoscopic Supervisor - Von Williams

Editor - Catherine Apple

Associate Editor - Mark Yeager

Supervising Sound Editors - Geoffrey G. Rubay

and Jason George

Sound Designer - John Pospisil

Sound Effects Editors - John Dunn

and Jon Johnson

Re-Recording Mixers - Michael Semanick

and Tom Myers

Additional Re-Recording Mixer -

Jeffrey J. Haboush

Foley Artists - Sarah Monat

and Robin Harlan
Music - Mark Mothersbaugh

Music Supervisor - Liza Richardson

Score Mixer - John Kurlander


Review
I have seen a few animated series that Genndy Tartakovsky created for Cartoon Network, like Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory, the first Clone Wars series, and Sym Bionic Titan. I knew he would direct a movie. But after failed attempts, he finally got his wish. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA has the most laughter, but I didn't get some jokes. One thing that I want to check on is the voice acting. I'll start with Selena Gomez, who's not as bad as Miley Cyrus, but I'm glad she replaced her for the role of Mavis. I knew Adam Sandler would act so over-the-top as Dracula, but he does tend to go dramatic in a few scenes. One thing I find interesting about TRANSYLVANIA is the use of the word 'racist', which was unheard of in an animated kids' movie.

Sure, it was Tartakovsky's first film that he had done. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA is a spooky and entertaining feature, but make sure you see it on the big screen.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

Back to Home

Iron Man 2 Review

Iron Man 2 


Release Date: 29th April 2010 - Australia


Production Companies
Paramount Pictures (presents)
Marvel Entertainment (presents)
Marvel Studios
Fairview Entertainment (in
association with)

Distribution

Paramount Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 125 minutes


Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $623,933,331

(Worldwide)

Plot Summary

With the world now aware 

of his dual life as the 

armored superhero Iron  

Man, billionaire 
inventor Tony Stark  

faces pressure from the 

government, the press, 

and the public to share 

his technology with the 

military. Unwilling to let go of 

his invention, Stark, along 

with Pepper Potts, and James 

"Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, 

must forge new alliances -- 

and confront powerful enemies. 

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. - Tony
Stark/Iron Man

Gwyneth Paltrow - Virginia

"Pepper" Potts

Don Cheadle - Lt. Colonel 

James "Rhodey" Rhodes

Scarlett Johansson - Natalie

Rushman/Natasha Romanoff

Sam Rockwell - Justin Hammer

Mickey Rourke - Ivan Vanko

Samuel L. Jackson - Nick Fury

Garry Shandling - Senator Stern

Jon Favreau - Happy Hogan

Paul Bettany - JARVIS (Voice)

Clark Gregg - Agent Phil
Coulson
John Slattery - Howard Stark
Leslie Bibb - Christine Everhart
Yevgeni Lazarev - Anton Vanko
Kate Marshal - U.S. Marshal
Stan Lee - Himself (Cameo)

Crew

Executive Producer/Director -

Jon Favreau

Based on Characters/
Executive Producer - Stan Lee

Based on Characters - Don

Heck, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby

Screenplay - Justin Theroux
Executive Producers - Louis D'Esposito, Susan Downey, Alan Fine, David Maisel and Denis L. Stewart

Producer - Kevin Feige
Co-Producers - Victoria Alonso & Jeremy Latcham
Casting Directors - Sarah Finn &
Randi Hiller

Production Designer - J. Michael Riva
Supervising Art Director - David F. Klassen
Art Directors - Page Buckner,
Michael E. Goldman & Suzan Wexler
Set Decorator - Lauri Gaffin

Costume Designer - Mary Zophres

Director of Photography - Matthew Libatique
Director of Photography: Second Unit/
Second Unit Director - Jonathan Taylor

Second Unit Director/Visual Effects Supervisor -
Janek Sirrs
Stunt Coordinator - Thomas Robinson Harper
Fight Coordinator  Jonathan Eusebio
Special Effects Supervisor - Bruce Allan Donnellan
Special Effects Coordinator - Daniel Sudick

Visual Effects Supervisors - Andrew Hellen & 

Ged Wright

Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Ben Snow
Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Wayne Billheimer
Visual Effects Art Director - Aaron McBride 

Visual Effects Art Director: ILM - Alex Jaeger
Physical Suit Effects Supervisor - Shane Mahan
Digital Supervisor - Mike Sanders

Digital Supervisor: Hydraulx - Joshua Cordes Animation Supervisor: ILM - Marc Chu
Head of Animation: Double Negative - Eamonn Butler 

Film Editors - Dan Lebental &

Richard Pearson
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor/
Re-Recording Mixer - Christopher Boyes

Music Supervisor - Dave Jordan

Music - John Debney


Awards

2011 Academy Awards
Best Visual Effects - Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright
& Daniel Sudick (Nominated)

Review

'IRON MAN 2' wasn't quite as good as the first 'Iron Man' movie, but the sequel did have a lot of fun and contained more popcorn action and impressive visuals that will blow the audience. It's a shame Terence Howard got replaced by Don Cheadle for the role of Lt. Colonel James Rhodes a.k.a. War Machine. The things that I might want to talk about is the main villain played by Mickey Rourke. Might I say that Mickey done an outstanding job of playing the villain, and it would be without uncertainty to say his character Ivan Vanko is in fact a very interesting foe who uses those electric whips. At the after-credits scene on the first hit, Samuel Jackson was already cast by actor/director Jon Favreau to portray as Nick Fury. It's the start of his nine-year contract and the character he plays got into a supporting lead instead of a featured cameo presence.

This film is also complimented with two songs of the Aussie rock band AC/DC and I would confess I'm not a huge fan of AC/DC but for this film I have to say was very fitting.

While not compared to the first instalment, 'IRON MAN 2' was a very worthy sequel and I think it does offer the Marvel fans some valuable entertainment.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

Back to Home

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Review

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted


Release Date: 6th September 2012 - Australia


Production Companies
DreamWorks Animation

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia 


Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 93 minutes


Budget: $145,000,000

Box Office Gross: $746,921,274
(Worldwide)



Plot Summary
Alex, Marty, Gloria and
Melman are still fighting
to get home to their
beloved Big Apple.
Their journey takes
them through Europe
where they find the
perfect cover: a
traveling circus


Voice Cast
Ben Stiller - Alex
Chris Rock - Marty
David Schwimmer - Melman
Jada-Pinkett Smith - Gloria
Sacha Baron Cohen - King Julien
Tom McGrath - Skipper/First Policeman
Chris Miller - Kowalski
Christopher Knights - Private
John DiMaggio - Rico
Bryan Cranston - Vitaly
Martin Short - Stefano
Jessica Chastain - Gia
Cedric the Entertainer - Maurice
Andy Ritcher - Mort
Frances McDormand -
Captain Chantel DuBois
Frank Welker - Sonya the Bear

Crew
Based on Characters/
Screenplay/Director -
Eric Darnell
Based on Characters/
Director - Tom McGrath
Director - Conrad Vernon
Based on Characters - Mark Burton & Billy Frolick (Uncredited)
Screenplay - Noah Baumbach
Collaborating Writer - Marc Hyman
Producers - Mireille Sora & Mark Swift
Head of Story - Robert Koo
Production Designer - Kendal Cronkhite
Art Director - Shannon Jeffries 
Character Designers - Craig Kellman
& Andy Gialk (Uncredited)
Head of Character Animation - Rex Grignon
Animation Supervisors - Riyad C.M.,
Nideep Varghese & Marek Kochout (Uncredited)
Animation Supervisor/Supervising Animator -
Carlos Fernandez Puertolas
Supervising Animators - Cassidy Curtis,
Mark Donald, Morgan Kelly, Bryce McGovern,
Jason Ryan & David Torres
Supervising Animator/Character Lead Animator:
Penguins - Jason Spencer Galsworthy
Head of Layout - Nol L. Meyer
Director of Photography Consultant - Guillermo Navarro
Head of Lighting - Laura Grieve 
Head of Effects - Dagan Potter 
Visual Effects Supervisors - Mahesh Ramasubramanian
& Vanitha Rangaraju
Character Technical Director Supervisor - Sandy Kao
Stereoscopic Supervisor - Phil 'Captain 3D' McNally
Film Editor - Nick Fletcher
Music - Hans Zimmer
Composers: Additional Music - Lorne Balfe
& Junkie XL
Additional Music Arrangers/Composers - Stephen Hilton
& Jasha Klebe


Review
Greetings, this is Film Guru Lad here, I'm sorry that I didn't review 'Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa', but it's still in the works, well here's 'EUROPE'S MOST WANTED'. I am..... well-amazed that this third sequel has turned out to be dazzling. It still has the good characters and voice acting by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen, I found it very humorous with lots of laughs and great computer animation. I really enjoyed the circus act scene that has the glow in the dark features, plus usage of a song by Katy Perry.

One question, is 'EUROPE'S MOST WANTED' better than the last sequel? I thought so and it's a must-see for viewers including families and children.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

Back to Home

Stormbreaker Review

Stormbreaker


Release Date: 21st September 2006 - Australia


Production Companies
Samuelson Productions
Isle of Man Film
The Weinstein Company
VIP 4 Medienfonds
Moving Picture Company (MPC)
Rising Star Entertainment

Distribution
Roadshow Distribution


Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 90 minutes


Budget: £40,000,000

Box Office Gross: $23,937,870 
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Alex Rider is a regular
teenager who lives
a somewhat mundane
life with his guardian
and uncle, Ian Rider.
Uncle Ian is a boring
bank manager type -
or so it seems - until
he dies under mysterious
circumstances.

Alex soon learns that his
uncle was actually a super
-cool spy for Britain's secret
intelligence service, MI6 and
now they want him as his
replacement! Unbeknownst
to Alex, all those hobbies
that Uncle Ian encouraged
him to develop, have actually
prepared him for a career in
espionage. His skills in
languages, scuba diving,
mountaineering and martial
arts, mean that he has all the
attributes of the perfect spy!

Armed with special gadgets
from MI6, Alex is excused
from school and sent out to
battle some seriously bad
dudes who are about to
discover that he's no child:
he's a lethal weapon!


Cast
Alex Pettyfer - Alex Rider
Mickey Rourke - Darrius Sayle
Alicia Silverstone - Jack Starbright
Bill Nighy - Alan Blunt
Sophie Okonedo - Mrs. Jones
Damian Lewis - Yassen Gregorvich
Missi Pyle - Nadia Vole
Stephen Fry - Smithers
Sarah Bolger - Sabina Pleasure
Andy Serkis - Mr. Grin
Ashley Walters - Wolf
Alex Barrett - Gary
Jimmy Carr - John Crawford
Martin Herdman - Slater
Morgan Walters - Harry
Jamie Kenna - Fox
Kolade Agboke - Eagle
Dave Legeno - Bear
Ewan McGregor - Ian Rider
Robbie Coltrane - The Prime Minister
Jimmy Carr - John Crawford

Crew
Director - Geoffrey Sax
Based on Novel/Screenplay/
Executive Producer - Anthony Horowitz
Executive Producers - Hilary Dugdale,
Nigel Green and Andreas Schmid
Producers - Steve Christian, Andreas Grosch &
Marc and Peter Samuelson
Production Designer - Ricky Eyres
Art Directors - John Fenner,
Alan Gilmore & Michael Kelm
Costume Designer - John Bloomfield
Cinematography - Chris Seager
Stunt Supervisor - Paul Heasman
Stunt Coordinators - Des Hills &
Lee Sheward
Special Effects Supervisor - Chris Dunn
Visual Effects Supervisors - Tom Debenham &
Rudi Holzapfel
Visual Effects Supervisor: Double Negative -
Richard Briscoe
Film Editor - Andrew MacRitchie
Music - Alan Parker


Review
'STORMBREAKER' is a bit like Harry Potter and James Bond, but really an attempt to get teenagers into the spy-fiction genre. The movie's gadgets are interesting such as the Nintendo DS and the actors did a good job of playing their roles especially Mickey Rourke and newcomer Alex Pettyfer. Its such a shame that Ewan McGregor's character got killed off too early and we didn't get to see more of him.

'STORMBREAKER' had plenty of amazing action which I think some of it and is a really good spy movie. I'm so sorry that it got flopped that cancelled all the sequels to the film.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

Back to Home

Madagascar Review

Madagascar


Release Date: 16th June 2005 - Australia


Production Companies
DreamWorks Animation (presents)
Pacific Data Images (PDI)

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/

Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 86 minutes


Budget: $78,000,000

Box Office Gross: $542,063,846 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
They enjoyed their lives of captivity at New York's Central Park Zoo as Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo are its main stars. Every day, the adoring public sees them, and the animals are in the lap of luxury with good meals and comfort. Unfortunately for Marty, he longs to roam free from living in the open

space and into the

African landscapes.

When a group of

penguins help him

flee the zoo, he gets more

than he expected. It leads

his friends to go after him.

Unfortunately, they find

themselves rounded up

and packed in crates,

which takes them into

their wild adventure.


Voice Cast
Ben Stiller - Alex the Lion
Chris Rock - Marty the Zebra
David Schwimmer - Melman
the Giraffe
Jada Pinkett-Smith - Gloria
the Hippo
Sacha Baron Cohen - King
Julien
Cedric the Entertainer - Maurice
Andy Ritcher - Mort
Tom McGrath - Skipper/

Fossa/Panicky Man on Subway
Chris Miller - Kowalski
John DiMaggio - Rico
Christopher Knights - Private
Conrad Vernon - Mason

Eric Darnell - Zoo Announcer/Lemur #1/

Fossa/Subway Car Announcer

David Cowgill - Police Horse

Steve Apostolina - Police Officer

Elias Gabrielli - Old Lady

Devika Parikh - News Reporter

David P. Smith - Spider/Lemur #2

Cody Cameron - Willie

Bob Saget - Zoo Animal

Crew
Writers/Directors - Eric Darnell
and Tom McGrath
Writers - Mark Burton and Billy Frolick
Producer - Mireille Soria
Co-Producer - Teresa Cheng

Creative Consultants - Peter Mehlman,

Conrad Vernon, Ted Tally and Karey Kirkpatrick

Lead Story Artists - Mei Jing,

Robert Koo and Catherine Yuh Rader
Production Designer - Kendal Cronkhite
Art Director - Shannon Jeffries

Additional Art Director - Alexandre Puvillans
Lead Character Designer - Craig Kellman

Character Designers - Buck Lewis
and Nicolas Marlet
Additional Character Designer - Carlos Grangel

Head of Production - Jane Hartwell

Production Managers - Maryann Garger,

Patty Kaku and Kerry Shea

Head of Character Animation - Rex Grignon
Senior Supervising Animator - Denis Couchon
Supervising Animators - Paul Chung,
Donnachada Daly and Trey Thomas
Additional Supervising Animators -

James Baxter and Dan Wagner

Head of Layout - Ewan Johnson

Visual Effects Supervisor - Philippe Gluckman

Head of Effects - Scott Singer

Effects Leads - David Allen,

Jonathan Gibbs, Matt Baer, Rick Glumac,

Juan J. Buhler, David Augustus Hart,

Alain De Hoe and Mahesh Ramasubramanlan

Character Technical Direction Supervisors -
Robert Vogt and Milana Huang

Additional Character Supervisor - Lucia Modesto

Lighting CG Supervisors - Philippe Denis,

Erik Mattson, Annmarie Koenig, Janet Rentel,

Milton E. Rodriguez-Rios and Pablo Valle
Editors - H. Lee Peterson and Clare De Chenu

Associate Editor - Mark A. Hester

Additional Editors - Edie Bielman,

Sim Evan-Jones, Vicki Hiatt and

Marcus Taylor

Supervising Sound Editor - Richard L. Anderson

Sound Mixers - Anna Behlmer,

James Bolt and Andy Nelson

Music - Hans Zimmer

Score Recordist - Geoff Foster

Score Mixers - Al Clay and Alan Meyerson


Review
MADAGASCAR had good characters like those penguins and the story, but some humour, including the jokes, is either a hit or miss. Complemented the film is good-quality computer animation and brilliant voice talents from Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen.

I'm no fan of the series, but the first MADAGASCAR film is way better than the other CGI movie from Disney, The Wild, and it has a great sign. I can't wait to review the third sequel, Europe's Most Wanted, and I hope it meets the fans' expectations.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

Back to Home

The King and I (1999) Review

The King and I


Release Date: 17th June 1999 - Australia


Production Companies
Morgan Creek Productions
Rankin/Bass Productions (in association with)
Nest Family Entertainment (in association with)
Rich Animation Studios

Distribution
Roadshow Distribution


Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 87 minutes


Budget: $25,000,000

Box Office Gross: $130,098,664
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary
The story follows a young
Englishwoman who

travels to the Siam to 

become the King's royal 

schoolteacher in 1862.
A clash of cultures
occurs when the strong-
minded Anna Leonowens
brings a different way of
thinking to the King of
Siam and the many children
in the royal academy.


Voice Cast
Miranda Richardson - Anna
Leonowens
Christiane Noll - Anna
Leonowens (singing voice)
Martin Vidnovic - King of Siam
Ian Richardson - Kralahome
Darrell Hammond - Master Little
Allen D. Hon - Prince Chulalongkorn
David Burnham - Prince
Chulalongkorn (singing voice)
Armi Arabe - Tuptim
Tracy Venner Warren - Tuptim (singing voice)

Adam Wylie - Louis Leonowens
Sean Smith - Sir Edward Ramsay
James Fuji - First Wife
Kenny Baker - Captain Orton
Ed Trotta - Sir Edward's Captain
Tony Pope - Burmese Emissary
Alexandra Lai - Princess Ying
Katherine Lai - Princess Naomi

Crew
Director - Richard Rich
Based on Book "Anna and the King of Siam" - Margaret Landon (Uncredited)
Based on Musical "The King and I"/Lyrics -
Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on Musical "The King and I"/Songs -
Richard Rodgers
Concieved and Adapted for Animation/
Producer - Arthur Rankin Jr.
Screenplay/Producer - Peter Bakalian
Screenplay - Jacqueline Feather &
David Seidler
Additional Dialogue - Brian Nissen
Executive Producers - Gary Barber &
Robert Mandell 
Producer - James G. Robinson
Choreographer - Lee Martino
Background Designer/Supervisor - Donald Towns
Film Editors - Joe Campana &
Paul Murphy
Conductor/Music Arranger/
Orchestrator - William Kidd 


Review
Frankly, the animated version of 'THE KING AND I' is quite an abomination and to me is an absolute dishonour to the original Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and the 1956 film. The producers of this adaptation have turned it into a Disney animated movie by adding three animal sidekicks, changing the minor character of Kralahome into an evil villain, altering the story-line, a happy ending, et cetera. The film's 2D animation is not-so great and some of the voice acting is just decent, but the CGI parts are ultimately badly rendered.

The makers of this wretched picture should have picked 'The Sound of Music' instead of 'THE KING AND I'. Taking a classic musical from Rodgers and Hammerstein like 'THE KING AND I' and attempting to reinvent in a animated film is possible but doomed. This movie treats the original like a big fat joke. My advice is for many people who have watched the old classic with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr should stay well away from this animated interpretation.

Star rating: (2/5) Bad Movie

Back to Home

Finding Nemo 3D Review

Finding Nemo 3D


Release Date: 30th August 2012 - Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures (presents)
Pixar Animation Studios

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion
Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/

Adventure/Comedy

Rating: G

Runtime: 100 minutes


Box Office Gross: $91,844,526 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
After his young son Nemo gets snatched by a deep-sea diver and taken to an aquarium of a dentist's office, it's up to his father, a worrisome clownfish named Marlin, to go out on an adventure and find him and is accompanied by a forgetful blue tang fish, Dory.

They encounter vegetarian sharks, jellyfish, surfer turtles and more in the middle of their journey.

Will Marlin be able to find the

courage and rescue his son?

Voice Cast
Albert Brooks - Marlin

Ellen DeGeneres - Dory

Alexander Gould - Nemo

Willem Dafoe - Gill

Brad Garrett - Bloat

Allison Janney - Peach

Austin Pendleton - Gurgle

Stephen Root - Bubbles
Vicki Lewis - Deb/Flo

Joe Ranft - Jacques

Geoffrey Rush - Nigel

John Ratzenberger - School of Moonfish

Andrew Stanton - Crush/

Additional Voices
Elizabeth Perkins - Coral
Nicholas Bird - Squirt

Bob Peterson - Mr. Ray/

Additional Voices

Barry Humphries - Bruce

Eric Bana - Anchor

Bruce Spence - Chum

Bill Hunter - Dentist

LuLu Ebeling - Darla

Jordan Ranft - Tad
Erica Beck - Pearl
Erik Per Sullivan - Sheldon

Rove McManus - Additional Voices (Cameo)

Crew

Original Story/Screenplay/

Director - Andrew Stanton

Supervising Editor/Co-Director -
Lee Unkrich

Screenplay - Bob Peterson
and David Reynolds

Associate Producer - Jinko Gotoh

Executive Producer - John Lasseter

Producer - Graham Walters

Production Designer - Ralph Eggleston
Art Director: Characters - Ricky Nierva

Art Director: Shading - Robin Cooper

Art Directors: Environments - Anthony Christov

and Randy Berrett

Character Designer - Dan Lee

Additional Character Designer - Jason Deamer

Story Supervisors - Ronnie Del Carmen,

Dan Jeup and Jason Katz

Production Supervisor - Marcia Jones

Directors of Photography - Sharon Calahan,
Jeremy Lasky and Jerrica Cleland (Uncredited)

Camera Supervisor - Louis Rivera

Production Supervisor - Marcia Gwendolyn Jones

Production Manager - Lindsey Collins
Supervising Animator - Dylan Brown

Directing Animators - Alan Barillaro

and Mark A. Walsh

Supervising Technical Director - Oren Jacob

Technical Development Lead - William Reeves

Computer Graphics Supervisors: Ocean Unit -

Lisa Forssell and Danielle Feinberg

Computer Graphics Supervisor: Reef Unit -

David Eisenmann

Computer Graphics Supervisor: Sharks/

Sydney Unit - Steve May

Stereoscopic Supervisor: 3D Version -

Bob Whitehill

Film Editor - David Ian Salter

Second Film Editors - Kevin Nolting,

Katherine Ringgold and Stan Webb

First Assistant Editor - Axel Geddes
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor/
Re-Recording Mixer: Skywalker Sound -
Gary Rydstrom

Supervising Sound Editor: Skywalker Sound -

Michael Silvers

Sound Effects Editors: Skywalker Sound -

Teresa Eckton and Shannon Mills

Re-Recording Mixer: Skywalker Sound -

Gary Summers

Foley Editor - Al Nelson

Foley Artists - Dennie Thorpe and Jana Vance

Music - Thomas Newman

Executive Music Producer - Chris Montan

Music Production Supervisor - Tom MacDougall

Review
While FINDING NEMO was not one of my all-time favourite animated movies, the 3D version is beautiful and still as great as ever. The story and humour still live up, and nothing has changed in the movie.

Those who have already watched the 2D version of this classic (click here) and others who haven't will look forward to seeing it. Let me know your comments about the film.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

Back to Home

The Fast and the Furious Review

The Fast and the Furious

Release Date: 20th September 2001 - Australia

Production Companies
Universal Pictures (presents)
Original Film

Mediastream Film GmbH & Co. Productions KG

Ardustry Entertainment

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 102 minutes

Budget: $38,000,000

Box Office Gross: $207,517,509 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Brian O'Conner is a cop who goes undercover in a street-racing circuit. He is looking to take down a hijacking ring but must decide his loyalties when he befriends a street racer, Dominic Toretto and

his crew, who are among

the suspects.


Cast

Vin Diesel - Dominic Toretto

Paul Walker - Brian O'Conner
Michelle Rodriguez - Leticia
"Letty" Ortiz

Jordana Brewster - Mia Toretto

Rick Yune - Johnny Tran
Chad Lindberg - Jesse
Johnny Strong - Leon

Matt Schulze - Vince
Ted Levine - Sgt. Tanner
Ja Rule - Edwin
Vyto Ruginis - Harry
Thom Barry - Agent Bilkins
Stanton Rutledge - Muse
Noel Gugliemi - Hector
R.J. de Vera - Danny Yamato
Beau Holden - Ted Gassner
Reggie Lee - Lance Nguyen
David Douglas - Raster Racer
Monica Tamayo - Monica
Megan Baker - Gimel

Neal H. Moritz - Ferrari Driver (Cameo)

Crew

Director - Rob Cohen
From a Magazine Article
"Racer X"/Technical Consultant - Ken Li

Screen Story/Screenplay -

Gary Scott Thompson

Screenplay - Erik Bergquist

and David Ayer

Associate Producer - Creighton Bellinger

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Doug Claybourne

Executive Producer - John Pogue

Producer - Neal H. Moritz

Casting Director - Ronna Kress

Import Car Consultants - Craig Lieberman

and RJ De Vera

Production Designer - Waldemar Kalinowski

Art Director - Kevin Kavanaugh

Set Decorator - Florence Fellman

Costume Designer - Sanja Milkovic Hays

Director of Photography - Ericson Core

Director of Photography: Second Unit -

Jonathan Taylor

"A" Camera/Steadicam Operator - J. Michael Muro

Location Managers - Debbie Laub

and Bob Craft

First Assistant Director - George Parra

Second Assistant Director - Lars P. Winther

Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -

Mic Rodgers
Special Effects Supervisor - Robert Simokovic
Special Effects Coordinator - Matt Sweeney
Visual Effects Supervisor - Mike Wassel

Special Visual Effects - Syd Dutton

and Bill Taylor

Visual Effects Supervisor: Hammerhead

Productions - Thad Beier

Visual Effects Consultant: Illusion Arts -

Lori J. Nelson

Executive Producer: Hammerhead

Productions - Daniel Chuba

Editors - Peter Honess and Dallas Puett

First Assistant Editors - Brett Carroll

Avid Assistant Editor - Steve Moe

Assistant Editors - Andy Cohen,

Peter Ettinger, Jonathan Lucas and

Staci Pontius

Sound Design and Supervision - Bruce Stambler

and Jay Nierenberg

Sound Design - Tim Walston and

Charles Deenen

Re-Recording Mixers - Michael Casper

and Daniel J. Leahy

Music - BT

Music Supervisors - Gary Jones

and Happy Walters

Additional Music Supervision - Kathy Nelson

Music Consultant - Dave Jordan

Review
An excellent start to an action movie series, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS has a gritty and slick look that its director, Rob Cohen, pulled off with a hybrid of fascinating camera angles and style. But Fast & Furious 5 is the best and the fastest of all the films. The film delivers a bonanza of mean cars, incredible music, stunt driving and plenty of action to pump up the adrenaline, not to mention the A-list cast of Paul Walker, Vinny Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, who have shown charisma in their performances.

Need I say more? It has all the qualities required for your speed-racing action movie craving. Those who enjoy this film may have to check out the sixth instalment.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

Back to Home