News

Trailer for CG Animated Short THE MOUSE THAT SOARED

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:15:11 -0500

Directed by veteran animator Kyle Bell, The Mouse That Soared is a six minute CG animated short produce from mostly the crew that worked at Laika Entertainment, the studio behind Coraline and Moongirl. The trailer is only 30 seconds long, yet very concise.

Step right up and behold the harrowing and hair-raising aerial adventures of a flying circus mouse! Witness the rise of our orphan foundling as he learns valuable lessons in life and flight from two well-intentioned adoptive songbirds! Fasten your safety belts as our little faux-feathered hero reflects on his unlikely beginnings on his flight path to becoming a coveted circus sensation! Come one, come all to this high-flying tale of overcoming adversity and beating near-impossible odds!

Check out the official site to view the concept art. You'll find the trailer embedded below.

Poster Alert! Gremlins, Alien LA Exclusives!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:57:14 -0500

The peeps over at Mondotees.com are hosting a show in LA tonight at Gallery 1988 and are releasing a few prints as LA Exclusive.

The prints that are going to get people all hot and bothered are for Gremlins by newcomer Rhys Cooper and another Alien poster by Ken Taylor. Those who got his Alien Egg poster released a few months back will have to get their hands on this beauty.

Appearing at the show tonight are three artists who will be on hand, doing artwork and shoot the shit. Skinner will be selling his Medusa head print which he printed in 40 copies and hand colored each one.

Kevin Tong will release his Alamo Drafthouse love letter, where various people and characters are watching a certain movie. He will also have a blank version where he will draw which ever movie scene you want in there.

Then Harry Diaz will be there silk screening his new movie themed T-Shirts.

The Event will take place at Gallery 1988, 7020 Melrose Ave, from 7-10 pm tonight only. So if you are in the area get your asses down there and snatch up these sweet deals.

Check out these sweet posters below in the gallery section.

Making-of Video for CG Animated Short MEET MELINE

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:40:25 -0500

Back in late March, a trailer for Sebastien Laban & Virginie Goyons' animated short Meet Meline caught my eye and I became immediately captivated by its charm and magical wonder while leaving me wanting to see how the story develops when the little girl finds the mysterious creature. Although the full short is not available online yet unfortunately, a 12-minutes making-of featurette has been unveiled today that contains some behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with the director on the story/characters/environments and an in-depth view on the process of completing the short. I can only imagine the road to getting the project off the ground is long and arduous but its also clear that alot of heart and passion was put into it. A definite must-see for any aspiring animators wanting to learn how to start their own short film.

You'll find the making-of video and the trailer embedded below.

Test Footage From Argentine Sci-Fi EL ETERNAUTA

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:38:25 -0500

Without a doubt the largest and most anticipated science fiction film ever produced in South America, there are rumors of dischord circling the film adaptation of Hector German Oesterheld's El Eternauta. There is recent chatter that original director Lucrecia Martel - always something of an odd fit, really - is off the project but I don't expect that a change of directors will be enough to derail this alien invasion tale. And, really, if Martel is gone the directors should be hopping on the next flight to Uruguay to sign Panic Attack director Federico Alvarez.

But I digress. El Eternauta is a sprawling tale that begins with aliens sending a toxic snowfall onto humanity, a devastating attack followed up by their unleashing of bizarre, remotely mind controlled creatures to mop up the survivors. Survivors, who, thanks to the damage wrought on the environment, can now only venture out doors in specially constructed bio-hazard suits. And though the film is far from complete earlier this year a reel of test footage was prepared to demonstrate how it could be executed. The effects are obviously not complete - the texturing and shading need work - but still are quite impressive for test work. Check out the reel below.

DougTenNapel Says GO SUKASHI!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:43 -0500

New from Doug TenNapel - still best known as the creator of Earthworm Jim, though his credits go well beyond that at this stage of his career - and Shoko Nakagawa is Go Sukashi! An English language masked hero web series produced by TenNapel and based on characters from Nakagawa's Sukashikashipan-Man manga the results are so exciting that they've left Nakagawa ready to go and eat one million pieces of the bread! That's power! Episode one lurks below!

First Images From Sergei Bodrov And Guka Omarova's YAKUZA'S DAUGHTER!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:04:23 -0500

Earlier this month Twitch brought you word that Japanese action star Tak Sakaguchi had flown off to the Ukraine where he was hard at work as both an actor and action choreographer in a new film by Sergei Bodrov and Guka Omarova - a duo whose last foray into Japanese casting led to the impeccable Mongol, with Tadanobu Asano cast as Genghis Khan.

At the time we had very little to tell you other than that the film was happening but, hot on the heels of a press conference in Russia earlier today, we've got more now. Produced by Russian production giant CTB, the film is titled Yakuza's Daughter. Bodrov and Omorova are co-directing, Bodrov and Sergei Selyanov (Bimmer, The Sword Bearer, Morphia) producing,and Night Watch / Day Watch DoP Sergey Trofimov manning the camera.

But beyond the names we've also got the first ten images from the film in the gallery below. No Sakaguchi yet - though we've been told shots of the Versus star will follow soon - but they give a good look at the feel of the film, which is clearly an action comedy. We've been promised a translated version of the Russian press release soon, so keep watching for more details soon!

The NORWEGIAN NINJA Strikes From Beneath The Sea!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:13:29 -0500

No, sadly, there is not yet any official footage available from Thomas Malling's upcoming Norwegian Ninja, though when that comes you can rest assured you'll find it here. What there is, however, is one fantastic piece of artwork for the picture created by Norwegian concept artist and illustrator John S. Jamtli. Jamtli did some extra work on the film and inspired by his bit he came up with an amazing bit of work that you'll find in the gallery below. Would a graphic novel be too much to ask for?

Secret Agent vs Pigeon in CG Animated Short PIGEON: IMPOSSIBLE

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:30:24 -0500

What do you get when you cross a secret agent carrying a hi-tech briefcase and a pigeon? Find out what happens in the CG animated short Pigeon: Impossible from director Lucas Martell. The full version has now officially arrived on Youtube in glorious HD after hitting the festival circuit while racking up multiple of awards in the process. Here's how the press release described it:

Pigeon: Impossible is the tale of Walter, a rookie secret agent faced with a problem seldom covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets trapped inside your multi-million dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase.

The film took nearly 5 years to complete and is the first attempt at animation by writer/director Lucas Martell: "When the project started, it was mostly an excuse to learn 3D animation, but by the end of the project I had spent so much time reworking and polishing the story that I just wanted people to laugh."

The end-result is a hilarious 6-minute romp through the streets of Washington D.C. as our hero fights to save himself, and the world from the chaos reigned down by a hungry pigeon. Breathtaking visuals and a sweeping soundtrack showcase the work of nearly one-hundred talented artists and musicians, and the film stands as a testament to what can be accomplished by a team of dedicated volunteers working for the love of their craft.

Also check out the official site to see a gallery of stills and a series of behind-the-scenes video diary on the making of the short. You''ll find the short embedded below.

First Images Arrive From Satoshi Kon's THE DREAMING MACHINE (YUME MIRU KIKAI)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:29:23 -0500

Though there is still minimal plot information available for Paprika director Satoshi Kon's new kid-friendly science fiction animated feature The Dreaming Machine the official website and blog have just been updated with the first images released from the film. Kon in kid-friendly mode is an interesting thing ... there are elements of the design work that are clearly familiar to fans of his work but all of it run through a slightly different filter. I love the look of this and simply can't wait to see it in motion.

Fatih Akin Finds His Comic Timing With SOUL KITCHEN

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:56:31 -0500

Turko-German director Fatih Akin must surely be one of the most diverse talents currently working in Germany. He blew our minds with the hard edged, cathartic drama of Head On before moving on to the fabulous music doc Crossing the Bridge and now returns to the kind of light comedy where he began his career with Soul Kitchen. Find me another director with three more different films packed so tightly into their resume and I'll eat my shirt. Here's how the Toronto International Film Festival described Akin's latest when it screened there:

Zinos Kazantzakis (Adam Bousdoukos) runs Soul Kitchen, a vast warehouse diner where the food might be spectacularly bad, but it's edible. Regulars show up every day to chow down on bland lumps of carbs washed down by cheap beer. Beats sitting at home.
Zinos seems to have a knack for bad luck, but he's used to it. His girlfriend flies off to China for an extended stay. His brother (Moritz Bleibtreu) finally gets out of jail and drags all of Hamburg's trouble into the restaurant. Then the sour-faced tax collector shows up. What would happen if Zinos went looking for the city's biggest rock-star chef (the ferocious Birol Ünel from Head-On) in a bid to save his restaurant and shake things up?
Akin sets his story in motion and lets the players dance, fuelled by a sweet, thumping soundtrack of great soul music. The chef whips up wonders from the most humble ingredients, shocking the regulars and seducing a whole new clientele. And once he slips some Peruvian tree-bark aphrodisiac into the dessert, everything changes. A full-on bacchanalian party breaks out, and that tax collector turns out to be a lot more flexible with receipts than she first appeared.
Soul Kitchen is casually cool and loads of fun to watch. By the time the inimitable Udo Kier shows up, villainously chomping on dinner mints, you know this movie's heart is in the right place. Backside, too.

The first trailer for this one has just arrived, check it out below.

Do Not Shoot Tony Leung With An Arrow. You'll Only Make Him Angry.

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:49:14 -0500

With John Woo's epic Red Cliff starting its theatrical run yesterday the fine people at Magnet Releasing have released an extended battle clip from the film that demonstrates why aim is important if you're going to go shooting arrows at Tony Leung. Check it out below!

Mamma Gogo trailer

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:47:35 -0500

A trailer for Fridrik Thor Fridriksson's new film, Mamma Gogo, has hit the web, unfortunately un subtitled for all you out there.

It seems that Fridrik is returning to a subject that got him an Oscar nomination a few years back and at the same time riffing on his own career.

The story is about a director who has just released a new film, Children of Nature, the same title as Fridrik's own Oscar bait, but the film is a complete bomb and the director is on the verge of bankruptcy. While this is going on his elderly mother is showing signs of Alzheimer's but refuses to be put up in a home.

I'm guessing Fridrik is referring to how his own film didn't get any attention over here until it got the Oscar nod and then all of a sudden Icelanders love it, which is something we tend to do over here, we need foreigners to like our stuff first before we do, like Sigur Ros and Bjork.

The trailer is embedded below.

Amazing First Images From Koen Mortier's 22ND OF MAY!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:23:16 -0500

Good news for fans of Ex Drummer and director Koen Mortier! Today is the final shooting day on Mortier's sophomore feature, the terrorism-themed 22nd of May, which means a look at some footage cannot be far off. But footage or no, director of photography Nicolas Karakatsanis has posted a generous collection of shots from the set on his personal blog and these are flat out stunning. There are more to be found over here but I've gathered a collection of my favorites below.

... While everything around him is burning, Sam tries his best to help. He drags a woman outside against her will. She is screaming, struggling to get back inside to save her child. But Sam is already back on the scene, trying to rescue other victims, all of them just as helpless as he is. They are strewn over the floor, covered in blood, their clothes shredded to pieces, feeling utterly lost. As their cries turn into screams, Sam is overpowered by fear and panic. First there was the shock, then the realization of what happened. Without thinking, he starts to run, turning his back to the apocalyptic scene. He flees, running along the streets of a city that once felt as familiar as a friend, but now seems more like a dark monster ...

Official Poster Art And A Still From Colm McCarthy's OUTCAST

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:03 -0500

Easily one of the most impressive things I saw in the American Film Market was the sales promo for Colm McCarthy's dark Irish fantasy thriller Outcast. A surprisingly realistic spin on the folklore of the sidhe - the Irish fairy people - this is dark stuff indeed and very compelling. Here's the synopsis:

When Mary and her teenage son, Fergal, move to yet another new home, it soon becomes clear that they live their lives on the run, hiding from someone or something, terrified of being found. Trying to avoid making new friends or connections wherever they go, Fergal finds himself caught between the affections of his beautiful and feisty neighbour and his fiercely protective mother who will stop at nothing to protect her precious son. Mary has strict rules which govern Fergal's life without which chaos and terror threaten to ensue. Their hunter is Cathal, a dangerous and terrifying man, intent on tracking down and killing Mary and Fergal. What's more, he is using a form of dark magic to find them. Mary's only defense is to use the same ancient form of magic to protect her son. But how long will it be before Cathal manages to outsmart her? When the local residents begin to be brutally murdered by an unknown life force, the sense of fear escalates. Is Cathal the beast responsible for the killings? Or is it the beast that he is trying to destroy?

Though the trailer cannot be shared publicly yet - rights clearance issues - we do have the first official poster art for the picture along with an image of the would-be killer Cathal below.

French poster and trailer for THE WOLFMAN

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:50:10 -0500

If you are like me and are obsessed with lycanthropes, then you are indeed very much looking forward to the upcoming release of THE WOLFMAN. Great cast, decent script, let's just hope director Joe Johnston delivers the goods.