Grown Ups Review

Grown Ups

Release Date: 24th June 2010 - Australia

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures (presents)

Happy Madison Productions

Relativity Media (in association with)

Distribution

Sony Pictures Releasing Australia

Genre: Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 102 minutes

Budget: $80,000,000

Box Office Gross: $271,457,301 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Five friends reunite when they drag their families to their high school basketball coach's funeral and to spend the weekend at the lake house, where they used to hang out.

Cast

Adam Sandler - Lenny "Hollywood" Feder
Salma Hayek - Roxanne Chase-Feder

Jake Goldberg - Greg Feder

Cameron Boyce - Keithie Feder

Alexys Nycole Sanchez - Becky Feder

Kevin James - Eric Lamonsoff

Maria Bello - Sally Lamonsoff

Ada-Nicole Sanger - Donna Lamonsoff
Frank & Morgan Gingerich -

Bean Lamonsoff

Chris Rock - Kurt McKenzie

Maya Rudolph - Deanne McKenzie

Nadji Jeter - Andre McKenzie

China Anne McClain - Charlotte McKenzie

Ebony Jo-Ann - Mama Ronzoni

Rob Schneider - Rob Hillard

Joyce Van Patten - Gloria Hillard

Madison Riley - Jasmine Hillard

Jamie Chung - Amber Hillard

Ashley Loren - Bridget Hillard

David Spade - Marcus "Higgy" Higgins

Blake Clark - Coach

Colin Quinn - Dickie Bailey

Steve Buscemi - Wiley

Di Quon - Rita

Norm McDonald - Geezer

Jonathan Loughran - Robideaux

Kevin Grady - Muzby (Cameo)

Richie Minervini - Tardio

Jackie Sandler - Tardio's Wife (Cameo)

Sadie Sandler - Tardio's Daughter (Cameo)

Sunny Sandler - Tardio's Daughter (Cameo)

Dennis Dugan - Referee (Cameo)

Lisa M. Francis - Bailey's Wife

Berkeley Holman - Bailey's Son

Michael Cavaleri - Young Lenny Feder

Andrew Bayard - Young Eric Lamonsoff

Jameel McGill - Young Kurt McKenzie

Kyle Brooks - Young Marcus Higgins

Joshua Matz - Young Rob Hillard

J.D. Donaruma - Higgins' Father (Cameo)

Alec Musser - Water Park Stud

Henriette Mantel - Waitress

Hunter Silva - Young Bailey

Christopher Borger - Young Malcolm

Connor Panzner - Young Robideaux

Jeremy Weaver - Young Muzby

Daniel Cohen - Young Tardio

Tim Herlihy - Pastor (Cameo)

Crew

Director - Dennis Dugan

Writer/Producer - Adam Sandler

Writer - Fred Wolf

Executive Producers - Barry Bernardi,

Allen Covert, Tim Herlihy and Steve Koren

Producer - Jack Giarraputo

Co-Producer/Additional Music Supervisor -

Kevin Grady

Casting Directors - Roger Mussenden

and Jeremy Rich

Sports Coordinator - Mark Robert Ellis

Production Designer - Perry Andelin Blake

Art Director - Alan Au

Set Decorator - Claire Kaufman

Property Master - Timothy S. Wiles

Costume Designer - Ellen Luther

Director of Photography - Theo van de Sande

Stunt Coordinator - Scott Rogers

Special Effects Coordinator - Allen Hall

Special Effects Technician - John Ruggieri

Editor - Tom Costain

Supervising Sound Editors - Elmo Weber

and Frank Gaeta

Re-Recording Mixers - Tateum Kohut

and Greg Orloff

Music - Rupert-Gregson Williams

Music Supervisors - Michael Dilbeck

and Brooks Arthur

Score Mixer - Alan Meyerson

Review
GROWN UPS is a fantastic movie, packed with some laughs, scene after scene. It features comedic actors such as Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Adam Sandler. The famous crew is well known for their films under Sandler's production company, Happy Madison, and I heard most people hated GROWN UPS because Sandler and his friends conceived it as a poor excuse for a buddy comedy while on vacation. I assumed it was a comedic version of The Expendables because all the comedy stars got together for this movie.

Sandler and his acting cohorts have decent chemistry. To our delight, Steve Buscemi makes an extended cameo and is another collaborator of Sandler's in some of his films. The two amusing scenes include the little girl who wants to get wasted on chocolate and the muscle man at the water park who speaks in a funny voice.

GROWN UPS may not be like the other Adam Sandler movies or comparable to Happy Gilmore, but this has been his work for some time and is my favourite.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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In Memory of Ralph McQuarrie (1929-2012)

Ralph McQuarrie (1929-2012)

Hey, this is Film Guru Lad here! I have some sad news for Star Wars fans. Ralph McQuarrie, who created concept illustrations for the original "Star Wars" trilogy and designed Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2, Boba Fett, and Chewbacca, passed away at 82.

He was born in Gary, Indiana, US, and moved to California during the '60s. Ralph worked as a technical illustrator for Boeing. He also designed film posters and other artwork. In 1975, George Lucas commissioned Ralph to illustrate the scenes and characters for the first "Star Wars" movie, "A New Hope." It led to two sequels, "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." McQuarrie also created concept art for other movies, including "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "Cocoon" (for which he won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects). He also did the concept illustration for the original "Battlestar Galactica" television series. He retired from conceptual design, and his artwork is exhibited or available on his official website (www.ralphmcquarrie.com).

 

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Vuk: The Little Fox Review

Vuk: The Little Fox


Release Date: 10th December 1981 - Hungary

Production Companies

Pannonia Filmstudio
Hal Roach Studios (English Dub) (Presents)
Robert Halmi, Inc. (English Dub)

Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 76 minutes


Budget: $7,000,000

Box Office Gross: $17,162,193 (Hungary)

Plot Summary
A young fox named Vuk (Vic in the English Version) has wandered far from his parents' den and into the forest alone. He was orphaned when his entire family went missing. Later, he would realise that a hunter was responsible for their deaths. Fortunately, his wise uncle Karak took him in, and under his guidance, Vuk learned his ways and became the forest's cleverest, most intelligent fox.

Voice Cast: English Version

Corinne Orr - Young Vuk
Steven R. Weber - Adult Vuk

John Bellucci - Kug/Narrator

Anne Costello - Iny/Additional Voices

William Kiehl - Karak
Lucy Martin - Foxy
Peter Newman - Hunter

Crew

Screenplay/Character Designer/Director - Attila Dargay

Writer/Director/Producer: English Adaptation - Denise Sickinger
Writer: English Adaptation -
George Gonneau

Based on the Novel - István Fekete

Screenplay/Production Leader - István Imre

Screenplay - Ede Tarbay

Cinematography - Irén Henrik

Film Editors - Janos Czipauer

and Magda Hap

Sound Engineer - Péter Bársony

Music - Péter Wolf


Review
I had no idea that VUK: THE LITTLE FOX existed when I discovered this Hungarian animated feature on YouTube. I'm surprised VUK came out the same year as Disney's The Fox and the Hound, another fox cartoon, though they have no similarities. VUK's animation was anime-like, but had its own unique style. Another aspect that makes this Hungarian movie stand out is its story. It is full of sad and funny moments. These scenes include the titular character discovering his family is missing and the two drunk geese.

Unfortunately, VUK is hard to track down. It is a foreign film, but for those eager to watch it, it's available elsewhere online.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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Hugo Review

Hugo


Release Date: 12th January 2012 - Australia


Production Companies
Paramount Pictures (present)
GK Films (present)
Infinitum Nihil

Dean Street Productions (in association with)

Future Capital Partners (in association with)

Screen Capital International (in association with)

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia


Genre: Family/Adventure/

Drama

Rating: PG

Runtime: 126 minutes


Budget: $150,000,000

Box Office Gross: $193,188,769 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
In 1931, an orphan boy named Hugo lived in the walls of a Paris train station. He enjoyed tending the railway clocks while struggling to survive and avoid the bumbling Railway Inspector. He became embroiled in a mystery involving an automaton his deceased father had left him.


Cast
Asa Butterfield - Hugo Cabret
Ben Kingsley - Papa Georges
Chloë Grace Moretz - Isabelle
Sacha Baron Cohen - Inspector Gustave
Ray Winstone - Uncle Claude
Jude Law - Hugo's Father
Christopher Lee - Monsieur

Labisse
Helen McCrory - Mama Jeanne
Michael Stuhlbarg - René Tabard
Emily Mortimer - Lisette
Frances de la Tour - Madame Émile
Richard Griffiths - Monsieur Frick

Kevin Eldon - Policeman

Gulliver McGrath - Young Tabard

Shaun Alyward - Street Kid

Emil Lager - Django Reinhardt

Angus Barnett - Theatre Manager

Edmund Kingsley - Technician

Max Wrottesley - Train Engineer

Marco Aponte - Train Engineer Assistant

Ed Sanders - Young Tabard's Brother

Ben Addis - Salvador Dali

Robert Gill - James Joyce

Martin Scorsese - Photographer (Cameo)

(Uncredited)

Michael Pitt - Projectionist (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Brian Selznick - Party Guest (Cameo)

(Uncredited)

Crew
Producer/Director - Martin Scorsese
Based on the Book "The Invention of Hugo

Cabret" - Brian Selznick

Screenplay - John Logan

Executive Producers - David Crockett,

Barbara De Fina, Christi Dembrowski

and Emma Tillinger Koskoff

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Georgia Kacandes

Executive Producer (Uncredited)/Unit

Production Manager - Charles Newrith

Producers - Johnny Depp,
Tim Headington and Graham King

Casting Director: Australia - Christine King

Animal Trainers - Matilda de Cagny

and Agni Horak

Train Consultant - Clive Lamming 

Production Designer - Dante Ferretti

Supervising Art Director - David Warren

Art Directors - Martin Foley, Christian Huband,

Rod McLean, Stuart Rose, Luca Tranchino,

Dimitri Capuani (Uncredited) and Steve Carter

(Uncredited)

Art Department/Model Lead: New Deal

Studios - Patrick Dunn-Baker (Uncredited)

Artist/Automaton Maker - Thomas Kuntz 

Set Decorator - Francesca Lo Schiavo

Property Master - David Balfour
Costume Designer - Sandy Powell

Makeup Designer - Morag Ross

Makeup and Hair Designer: Ben Kingsley -

Ann Buchanan

Hair Designer - Jan Archibald
Director of Photography - Robert Richardson

"B" Camera/Steadicam Operator - Larry McConkey

First Assistant "A" Camera - Gregor Tavenner

Unit Production Manager - Angus More Gordon

Production Coordinator - Hannah Goodwin

Co-Second Assistant Directors - Tom Brewster

and Fraser Fennell-Ball

Second Unit Director/Director of Photography/

Visual Effects Supervisor - Robert Legato

Stunt Coordinator - Doug Coleman

Assistant Stunt Coordinator - Richard Bradshaw

Special Effects Supervisor - Joss Williams

Special Effects Coordinator/Buyer -

Andrea Williams
Visual Effects Supervisor - Ben Grossman

Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - John Knoll

Visual Effects Supervisor: New Deal Studios -

Matthew Gratzner

Visual Effects Producers - Karen M. Murphy,

Pam Hammarlund (Uncredited) and Lucy Killick

(Uncredited)

Visual Effects Editors - Javier Marcheselli

and Kosta Saric
Digital Effects Supervisor - Alex Henning

Digital Set Designer: New Deal Studios -

Forest P. Fischer (Uncredited)

3D Stereographer - Demetri Portelli

Editor - Thelma Schoonmaker

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer/

Effects Editor - Eugene Gearty

Supervising Sound/Dialogue Editor -

Phillip Stockton

Production Sound Mixer - John Midgley

Re-Recording Mixer - Tom Fleischman

Foley Recording Engineer - George A. Lara

Foley Artist - Marko A. Contanzo
Music - Howard Shore

Music Supervisor - Randall Poster

Music Coordinator - Karen Elliott

Awards

2012 Academy Awards
Best Art Direction - Dante Ferretti
and Francesca Lo Schiavo (Won)
Best Cinematography - Robert Richardson (Won)
Best Sound Editing - Phillip Stockton
and Eugene Gearty (Won)
Best Sound Mixing - Tom Fleischman

and John Midgley (Won)
Best Visual Effects - Rob Legato, Joss Williams,
Ben Grossman and Alex Henning (Won)
-------------------
Best Costume Design - Sandy Powell (Nominated)
Best Director - Martin Scorsese (Nominated)
Best Film Editing - Thelma Schoonmaker (Nominated)
Best Picture (Nominated)
Best Adapted Screenplay - John Logan (Nominated)


Review
Director Martin Scorsese made HUGO a mechanical masterpiece, with not a dull moment. I didn't know the movie was an ode to silent classics, and it led us to experience the magic of cinema. I find this moving family flick very enthralling. The acting was truly incredible. I applaud Ben Kingsley, who does an excellent job portraying a character hailed as a pioneer of early cinema. We won't guess who that name was. I must comment on the young, up-and-coming actor Asa Butterfield. His innocent looks suit him well in the title role. I can't forget that Sacha Baron Cohen had a lovely time as the clumsy train inspector.

A terrific and impressive picture for all ages, HUGO is a must-see in 3D. Many of you, like me, will be disappointed that HUGO didn't win an Academy Award for Best Picture (which went to the silent movie The Artist). I'm adding HUGO to my list of favourite movies. Now, you won't miss it.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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100th Review!! The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant


Release Date: 6th April 2000 - Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)
Warner Bros. Feature Animation

Distribution
Roadshow Films


Genre: Animation/Family/

Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 86 minutes


Budget: $48,000,000

Box Office Gross: $31,333,917 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
A giant robot emerges from the horizon, having fallen from the sky and crashed into Earth's orbit, where a young boy named Hogarth Hughes finds it. Now that Hogarth has found a new, large friend, he must keep its presence a secret from everyone else, especially when a government agent is sent to find it and may order the U.S. military to strike the metallic creature down.

Voice Cast
Eli Marienthal - Hogarth Hughes
Jennifer Aniston - Annie Hughes
Harry Connick Jr. - Dean McCoppin
Vin Diesel - The Iron Giant
Christopher McDonald - Kent Mansley
John Mahoney - General Rogard
M. Emmet Walsh - Earl Stutz
James Gammon - Foreman Marv Loach/

Floyd Turbeaux
Cloris Leachman - Mrs Tensedge

Frank Thomas - Additional Voices (Cameo)

Ollie Johnston - Additional Voices (Cameo)

Crew
Screen Story/Animator (Uncredited)/

Screenplay/Director - Brad Bird

Based on the Book "The Iron Man"/

Consultant - Ted Hughes
Screenplay - Tim McCanlies and

Brent Forrester (Uncredited)
Creator: The Spirit - Will Eisner
Creators: Superman - Jerry Siegel

and Joe Shuster

Associate Producer - John Walker
Executive Producer - Pete Townshend
Producers - Allison Abbate and Des McAnuff

Production Designer/Designer: Iron Giant -

Mark Whiting
Character Designer/Head of Animation/

Supervising Animator/Visual Development

Artist - Tony Fucile

Character Designer/Additional Story/

Visual Development Artist - Teddy Newton
Designer: Iron Giant/Supervising Animator/
Storyboard Artist - Steve Markowski

Designers: Iron Giant - Hiroki Itokazi

and Joe Johnston

Art Director - Alan Bodner
Artistic Coordinator - Scott F. Johnston

Story Department Head - Jeffrey Lynch

Storyboard Artist/Supervising Animator -

Dean Wellins

Storyboard Artists - Viki Anderson,

Kevin O'Brien, Piet Kroon and Fergal Reilly

Storyboard Artist/Workbook Designer -

Mark Andrews

Layout/Workbook Department Head -

William H. Frake

Scene Planning Department Head - Steven Wilzbach

Background Department Head - Dennis Venizelos

Supervising Animator: "Hogarth" - Richard Bazley

Supervising Animators - Stephan Franck,

Greg Manwaring, Mike Nguyen,

Wendy Perdue and Chris Suave

Editor - Darren T. Holmes
Supervising Sound Editor (Uncredited)/
Sound Designer - Randy Thom

Sound Design Assistant/Assistant Sound

Editor (Uncredited) - Andrea Gard

Supervising Sound Editor - Dennis Leonard

Supervising Dialogue Editor - Curt Schulkey

Sound Effects Editor - Beau Borders

Production Sound - Gregory E. Gerlich

Foley Artists - Dennie Thorpe and Jana Vance

Foley Mixer - Tony Eckert

Re-Recording Mixers - Kevin E. Carpenter

and Gregory H. Watkins
Music - Michael Kamen


Review
Hello everyone. Welcome to my 100th review. This movie will bring you and your family together. THE IRON GIANT tells a story about a young boy who befriends a giant robot. It is the directorial debut of Pixar veteran Brad Bird. When the film came out in late 1999, it bombed badly at the box office because Warner Bros. didn't bother advertising it as they were sceptical. A year later, it gained new life as a cult classic through its home video release and holiday marathons on Cartoon Network. Needless to say, THE IRON GIANT deserved better from critics and audiences than it did at its initial release.

This 2D animated sci-fi picture never looked marvellous, which boldly matched its 1950s Cold War setting, when communism was a hot-button issue. However, its messages of Cold War paranoia and anti-war sentiment resonate.

The hand-drawn animation meshed well with the computer-generated imagery, and the film's title character looked terrific in CGI. In particular, the scene where he transforms into one deadly machine after the military ticks him off. I didn't know action star Vin Diesel voiced the same giant robot. It is an exceptional role for him, and I like how he distorts his deep, gravelly, masculine voice for the character.

THE IRON GIANT is the most fun, touching, and heart-wrenching movie I've ever seen. It is also a great 2D-animated feature that appeals to children and adults alike, thanks to its mature themes and moral lessons. I recommend this film to fans of sci-fi animation and Brad Bird's films.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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Winners of the 84th Academy Awards

Hey, this is Film Guru Lad here, for those
who missed the 84th Academy Awards,
here are the winners.


Best Picture
The Artist

Best Director
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

Best Actor
Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Best Actress
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Best Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer - The Help

Best Animated Film
Rango

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

Best Original Screenplay
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen

Art Direction
Hugo - Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Set Decoration:
Francesca Lo Schiavo

Cinematography
Hugo - Robert Richardson

Costume Design
The Artist - Mark Bridges

Best Documentary Feature
Undefeated 

Best Documentary Short
Saving Face 

Best Film Editing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall

Best Foreign Language Film
A Separation - Iran

Best Makeup
The Iron Lady - Mark Coulier & J. Roy Helland


Best Original Score
The Artist - Ludovic Bource

Best Original Song
"Man or Muppet" - The Muppets, Music & Lyric by Bret McKenzie

Best Animated Short
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore -
William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg

Best Live Action Short Film
The Shore - Terry George & Oorlagh George

Best Sound Editing
Hugo - Phillip Stockton & Eugene Gearty

Best Sound Mixing
Hugo - Tom Fleischman & John Midgley

Best Visual Effects
Hugo - Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman & Alex Henning

Academy Honorary Award
James Earl Jones
Dick Smith
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Oprah Winfrey


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Journey to the Center of the Earth Review

Journey to the Center of the Earth


Release Date: 25th September 2008 - Australia


Production Companies
New Line Cinema (presents)
Walden Media (presents)
Journey Films (Uncredited)

Distribution
Roadshow Distribution


Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG

Runtime: 93 minutes

Budget: $60,000,000

Box Office Gross: $241,995,151
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Professor Trevor Anderson
receives his teenage

nephew Sean Anderson.
He will spend ten days
with his uncle while
his mother, Elizabeth,
prepares to move to Canada.
She gives a box to Trevor 

that belonged to his
missing brother, Max,
and Trevor finds a book
with references to the last
journey of his brother. He
decides to follow the steps of
Max with Sean and they 

travel to Iceland, where they 

meet the guide Hannah 

Ásgeirsson. While climbing 

a mountain, there is a 

thunderstorm and they 

protect themselves in a
cave. However, a lightining
collapses the entrance and the
trio is trapped in the cave. They
seek an exit and falls in a hole,
discovering a lost world in the
center of the Earth.


Cast
Brendan Fraser - Trevor Anderson
Josh Hutcherson - Sean Anderson
Anita Briem - Hannah Asgeirsson
Seth Meyers - Professor Alan Kitzens
Jean Michel Pare - Max Anderson
Jane Wheeler - Elizabeth Anderson
Giancarlo Caltabiano - Leonard
Garth Gilker - Sigurbjorn Asgeirsson
Frank Fontaine - Old Man
Kaniethtiio Horn - Gum Chewing Girl

Crew
Director - Eric Brevig
Based on Novel - Jules Verne

Screenplay - Michael D. Weiss,

Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin
Executive Producers - Toby Emmerich,
Brendan Fraser & Tripp Vinson
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
W. Mark McNair

Producers - Beau Flynn & Charlotte Higgins
Co-Producers - Cale Boyter, Michael Disco,
Douglas Jones, Alex Schwartz,
Mylan Stepanovich & Evan Turner

Production Designer - David Sandefur
Supervising Art Director - Michele Laliberte
Art Directors - Jean Kazemirchuk &
Real Proulx
Costume Designer - Mario Davignon

Cinematography - Chuck Shuman
Second Unit Director - David Dozoretz
Stunt Coordinator - Marc Desourdy
Stunt Coordinator/Double - Patrick Kerton
Special Effects Director/Coordinator - Ryal Cosgrove
Special Effects Supervisor/Coordinator: Motion -
Martin St-Antoine

Visual Effects Supervisor - Christopher Townsend

Visual Effects Supervisors: Hybride - Thierry Delattre,
Mathieu Dupuis & Richard Martin
Animation Supervisor/Lead Character Animator:
Meteor Studios - Aaron Gilman
Film Editors - Steven Rosenblum, Paul
Martin Smith & Dirk Westervelt

Music - Andrew Lockington


Review
Some people may see 'JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH' as a decent adventure movie, but I think it is really an exciting picture worth-watching. Oddly enough, it really has good special effects and the 3D aspect contributes to the visual display of this film. There are even some moments of the movie where the 3D conversion enhanced scenes of certain peril and fun. This then marks the directorial debut of Eric Brevig who previously worked on the vfx for numerous films, he is more than able to direct a live action film that has the feel of a 4D attraction. The acting of Brendan Fraser is typecast, but it suits him in a different movie that isn't part of 'The Mummy' trilogy.

For me and the people who have read Jules Verne, this is considered to be not bad for a modern film adaptation of the novel. If you watched the first movie, you'll have to check out my review of the sequel 'Journey 2' which does not feature either Brendan Fraser and Anita Briem, but it only has Josh Hutcherson and the new actors Dwayne Johnson and Michael Caine. Which I might add, the former done a superb job in replacing Brendan, they both brought a continuous humour to the screen which keeps you on the edge of your seat with laughter.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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