The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot Review

The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot


Release Date: 17th September 1998 - Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Feature Animation


Genre: Animation/Family/

Fantasy

Rating: G

Runtime: 86 minutes


Budget: $40,000,000

Box Office Gross: $38,172,500 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Kayley is a young teenage girl who dreams of becoming a knight like his father. When the evil knight Ruber steals the sword Excalibur from King Arthur, Kayley goes on an adventure with the help of a blind hermit named Garrett to retrieve the sword. And to stop Ruber from taking over Camelot. All the while, they pair up with a talking two-headed dragon named Devon and Cornwall, who help them in their journey.


Voice Cast
Jessalyn Gilsig - Kayley
Andrea Corr - Kayley (singing voice)
Sarah Freeman - Young Kayley
Cary Elwes - Garrett
Bryan White - Garrett

(singing voice)

Gary Oldman - Ruber
Eric Idle - Devon

Don Rickles - Cornwall
Jane Seymour - Juliana
Celine Dion - Juliana (singing

voice)
Pierce Brosnan - King Arthur
Steve Perry - King Arthur

(singing voice)
Bronson Pinchot - The Griffin
Jaleel White - Bladebeak
Gabriel Byrne - Sir Lionel
John Gielgud - Merlin
Frank Welker - Ayden

Crew
Director - Frederik Du Chau
Based on the Novel "The King's Damosel" - Vera Chapman
Screenplay - Kirk De Micco, William Schifrin, Jacqueline Feather and David Seidler
Producer - Dalisa Cohen

Creative Consultant - Mike Ockrent
Production Designer - Steve Pilcher

Art Directors - Carol Kieffer Police and J. Michael Spooner

Head of Story - Bruce Morris

Storyboard Artist/Lead Animator: "Bladebeak

and Minions" - Stephan Franck

Head of Layout and Workbook -

William H. Drake
Head of Layout - Jeff Purves
Layout Supervisor: United States -

Brendan Houghton

Layout & Background Supervisor: A-Film -

Matthias Lechner

Production Managers - Igor Khait and

Patrick J. Love

Choreographer - Kenny Ortega

Scene Planning Supervisor - Steven Wilzbach

Head of Background - Brian Sebern
Background Supervisor: United Kingdom -

Ray Rankine
Background Supervisor: United States -

Jeff Richards

Lead Animator: "Kayley" - Athanassios Vakalis

Lead Animator: "Juliana" - Cynthia Overman

Lead Animator: "Garrett" - Chrystal Klabunde

Lead Animator: "Ruber" - Alexander Williams

Lead Animator: "Devon and Cornwall" -

Dan Wagner

Lead Animator: "Ayden" - Mike Nguyen

Lead Animators - Lennie K. Graves and

Alyson Hamilton

Supervising Animator: United Kingdom -

Russell Hall

Animation Supervisor: A-Film - Jesper Møller
Animation Consultant - Stan Green

Head of Effects - Michel Gagne

Editor - Stanford C. Allen

Associate Editors - Darren T. Holmes and

Richard L. McCullough

Supervising Sound Editors - Alan Robert Murray

and David M. Horton
Sound Designers - Christopher Boyes

and Tom Meyers

Sound Effects Editors - Bub Asman,

Adam Johnston, Andy Kopetsky and

Bill Manger

ADR Supervisor - Curt Schulkey

Re-Recording Mixers - David Campbell,

John Reitz and Gregg Rudloff

Foley Walkers - John Roesch and

David Lee Fein
Songs & Lyrics - David Foster and
Carole Bayer Sager
Music - Patrick Doyle


Awards

1999 Academy Awards
Best Music, Original Song "The Prayer" -

Carol Bayer Sager, David Foster,

Tony Renis and Alberto Testa (Nominated)


Review
The animated feature THE MAGIC SWORD: QUEST FOR CAMELOT was okay, but it's an attempt by Warner Bros to do non-Disney animated musicals. Aside from their Looney Tunes, Warner Bros isn't known for their animated features (except The Iron Giant), but this one is a Disney rip-off. Readers might think it's funny how I often mention that Warner and Disney have been competing with each other since the Golden Age of Animation. But when comparing this failed effort to Disney's many masterpieces, you can see why I make the comparison.

Because it has forgettable songs (minus one), a few pop culture references, and sidekicks like that two-headed dragon Devon and Cornwall, there is a fair amount to QUEST FOR CAMELOT. Devon and Cornwall are nothing more than wasted comic relief. What makes it worse is a few plot inconsistencies, but there are some redeeming qualities, like the blind character voiced by Cary Elwes and the falcon Ayden.

THE MAGIC SWORD was pretentious and mediocre but could have been better if there were a few songs, no attempts at comic relief, and no movie references. All these steps would have made this movie different and impressive.

Star rating: (3/5) Average

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Atlantis: The Lost Empire Review

Atlantis: The Lost Empire


Release Date: 20th September 2001 - Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Feature Animation

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion
Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family/

Sci-Fi/Adventure

Rating: PG

Runtime: 96 minutes


Budget: $120,000,000

Box Office Gross: $186,053,725 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Ridiculed for his entire life for wanting to find the lost city of Atlantis, a young linguist named Milo Thatch becomes part of the expedition financed by a wealthy benefactor, an old friend of his late grandfather. Milo receives an ancient journal that contains clues to its hidden location, along with a group of intrepid explorers led by Commander Rourke and a submarine that takes him to the bottom of the ocean amidst peril and danger. When they finally discover Atlantis, a sinister plot is revealed. Milo has to save Atlantis from its imminent destruction.


Voice Cast
Michael J. Fox - Milo James
Thatch
Cree Summer - Kidagakash
"Kida" Nedakh
James Garner - Commander
Lyle Tiberius Rourke
Corey Burton - Gaetan "Mole" Molière
Claudia Christian - Lieutenant Helga Katrina Sinclair
John Mahoney - Preston B.
Whitmore
Phil Morris - Dr. Joshua
Strongbear Sweet
Leonard Nimoy - Kashekim
Nedakh
Don Novello - Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini
Jacqueline Obradors - Audrey Rocio Ramirez
Florence Stanley - Wilhelmina Bertha Packard
David Ogden Stiers - Fenton P. Harcourt
Jim Varney - Jebidiah Allerdyce "Cookie"
Farnsworth

Crew
Story/Directors - Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale
Story - Joss Whedon and Bryce & Jackie Zabel
Story/Screenplay - Tab Murphy
Additional Screenplay Material - David Reynolds

Associate Producer - Kendra Haaland
Producer - Don Hahn

Developer: Atlantean Language - Marc Okrand

Production Designers - Matt Codd,

Ricardo F. Delgado, James J. Martin

and Mike Mignola

Casting Directors - Ruth Lambert

and Mary Hildago

Art Director - David Goetz

Artistic Coordinator - Christopher Jenkins

Assistant Artistic Coordinator - Kirk Bodyfelt

Character Designer/Visual Development/
Artistic Supervisor: Background - Lisa Keene
Character Designer/Visual Development/
Supervising Animator "Atlantean King" -

Michael Cedeno
Character Designer/Visual Development/
Supervising Animator: "Audrey" -

Anne Marie Bardwell

Artistic Supervisor: Story - John Sanford

Artistic Supervisor: Layout - Ed Ghertner

Scene Planning Supervisor - Thomas Baker

Production Manager - Igor Khait

Supervising Animator: "Milo" - John Pomeroy
Supervising Animator: "Kida" - Randy Haycock
Supervising Animator: "Rourke" - Michael Surrey
Supervising Animator: "Helga" - Yoshimichi Tamura
Supervising Animator: "Dr. Sweet" - Ron Husband
Supervising Animator: "Vinny" - Russ Edmonds
Supervising Animator: "Molière" - Anthony de Rosa
Supervising Animator: "Preston Whitmore" and

"Cookie" - Shawn Keller
Supervising Animator: "Leviathan" -

Mike 'Moe' Merell
Supervising Animator: "Mrs. Packard" and

"Mr. Harcourt" - David Pruiksama

Artistic Supervisor: Clean-Up/Lead Key

Clean-Up Animator: "Miscellaneous" - Marshall Toomey

Artistic Supervisor: Visual Effects - Marlon West

Artistic Supervisor: Computer Graphics Imagery -

Kiran Bhakta Joshi

Editor - Ellen Keneshea

Associate Editor/Supervising Sound

Editor - John K. Carr
Sound Designer/Supervisor/Re-Recording

Mixer - Gary Rydstrom

Assistant Sound Designer - Shannon Mills

ADR/Supervising Sound Editor -

Michael Silvers

Re-Recording Mixer - Gary Rydstrom

Foley Artists - Jana Vance and Dennie Thorpe

Foley Mixer - Tony Eckert

Music/Orchestrator/Score Producer -

James Newton Howard

Executive Music Producer - Chris Montan

Music Production Manager - Tom MacDougall

Electronic Score Producer - James T. Hill

Score Recordist - Shawn Murphy

Review

In the 1990s, Disney experienced a successful Renaissance period, marked by huge successes such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. By the time the '90s were over, audiences had grown so tired of the studio churning out every animated musical with the same formula that they instinctively dismissed others of their surprisingly good movies as Disney rip-offs. Disney had become stale and worn out for an increasingly demanding and cynical audience. Some people say that the mid-range quality of Disney's output began with Pocahontas or the box office bomb that was Treasure Planet, which I've already reviewed. Then there's ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE, caught between the end of Disney's Renaissance and the beginning of its early-2000s box office slump. You've got to admit that Disney tried to break away from what they'd done before.

I read on Wikipedia that some people accuse ATLANTIS of being a rip-off of the movie Stargate, though the two have nothing to do with each other. The film is similar to James Cameron's Avatar. It does not mean that the directors copied that movie. That particular feature was in development at the time. I would say that Avatar ripped off ATLANTIS because of its similar plotline, despite the eight-year gap between the two films. While a bold attempt by Disney to do a non-musical animated movie, ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE recaptures the look of the adventure stories of Jules Verne and is mixed with an Indiana Jones feel. Given this unusual combination, the film holds tremendous potential and excitement.

Never mind the plot holes, which are minor drawbacks. The picture has many strengths: Mike Mignola's involvement in the outstanding design, humour, great visuals, spectacular action, brilliant animation, the incredible voice cast of Michael J. Fox, Don Novello, James Garner, and the late Jim Varney, and the magnificent music score by James Newton Howard. It had memorable moments, including the Leviathan, the Crystal Chamber, and the climax.

Not quite as successful as expected, the film still has its audience and has recently become a cult favourite. Unlike Treasure Planet, I'm glad ATLANTIS didn't kill off the 2D animation genre. It's not just an underrated animated film. It is, in fact, my second favourite Disney movie, and it's a real treat for animation and Disney fans alike.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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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
Director 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 first 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 with the Muppets. It has a cult following and has 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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