Category: Films

Weta News: July 2009

from Weta:

Hey Weta fans,
July — how on earth did that come around so fast? Comic-Con looms 22-26 July — a crazy busy time of the year for popculture and collectibles. We have been announcing all sorts of goodies over the last few weeks, and the most exciting so far is The Art of John Howe — Sculptures from Middle-earth, which we are hugely proud of. Get yourself a book signed by Alan Lee, who managed to sign a limited number of his Lord of the Rings Sketchbook when he had a book signing event at the Weta Cave recently. And believe you me — there will be plenty more very shortly! Enjoy!

In the News:
The Art of John Howe — Sculptures from Middle-earth

More News:
Celeb spotting at the Weta Cave?
Happy winner of signed art books in Hawaii
Weta Cast Episode X now live!
Guillermo del Toro booksigning huge success
Lots of media at the Weta Cave

Comic-Con Updates:
Comic Con Update – Pacific Disaster
Comic Con Exclusive: The Texas Rose
Unique signed books available at Comic Con
Dr. Grordbort’s Art Book — First Edition

New Product in the Shop:
Lord of the Rings Sketchbook — Signed by Alan Lee
Alan Lee, the Oscar-winning conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, discusses his approach to depicting Tolkien’s imaginary world. The book presents more than 150 of Lee’s celebrated illustrations to show how his imagery for both the illustrated Lord of the Rings and the films progressed from concept to finished art. In addition, the book contains 20 full-color plates and numerous examples of the conceptual art produced for Peter Jackson’s film adaptation. Alan signed a limited number of these for us at his recent book signing at the Weta Cave. Get your copy now!

Hot Tip — Want to listen to the Weta Cast? Don’t know how?
A podcast, like the Weta Cast, is like a recorded radio program stored on our website. All you need to listen to it is your PC and a pair of headphones or speakers. If you can get sound from your PC, you should be able to listen to the Weta Cast. And it’s completely FREE! Here’s a quick link to the page where all the episodes can be downloaded. Just click on the one you’re after — if all is well, it will start downloading and you can just click the Play button. The podcasts have “(mp3)” in their names. There are also PDF files with Show Notes (photos, links and more information) about these episodes. These will open with your default PDF viewer, like Acrobat. If you try it and like it, you can also subscribe to Weta Cast updates. Good luck!

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop

Authors@Google: Seth Grahame-Smith

Author Seth Grahame-Smith visits Google’s Santa Monica, CA office to discuss his book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This event took place on May 15, 2009, as part of the Authors@Google series.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Note: A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies film is now in development!

Buffy vs Edward (Twilight Remixed)

In this remixed narrative, Edward Cullen from the Twilight series meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s an example of transformative storytelling serving as a pro-feminist visual critique of Edward’s character and generally creepy behavior. Seen through Buffy’s eyes, some of the more sexist gender roles and patriarchal Hollywood themes embedded in the Twilight saga are exposed — in hilarious ways.

Jonathan McIntosh (Team Buffy)
rebelliouspixels.com

Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods Final Cut

from MGM:

Experience the Birth of a Series That Saved the World… the Way It Was Meant to Be

Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods Final Cut

Re-Mastered and Re-Imagined, Emmy Nominated* Feature Length Pilot Blasts onto DVD July 21 from MGM Home Entertainment

The thrilling feature-length pilot of television’s longest running Sci-Fi series, Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods debuts the way it was meant to be seen, as a re-mastered, re-cut and re-imagined Final Cut DVD July 21 from MGM Home Entertainment. Taking after the author’s vision of the pilot, visual effects have been enhanced, the soundtrack has been updated to include an entirely original score, and the new final cut features a more self-contained storyline. Picking up the story nearly a year after the original 1994 Stargate film, Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods follows Air Force Colonel Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson, MacGyver) and Major Sam Carter (Amanda Tapping, Sanctuary) as they join an outstanding Stargate team on a mission to the planet Abydos in order to defeat a band of warriors led by their nemesis Ra. With the threat of the brutal Gou’ald hanging over the entire galaxy, the team must succeed in order to stop General Hammond (Don S. Davis, Stargate: Continuum) from unleashing his own ominous solution. The only television series ever to receive the United States Air Force Seal of Approval, Stargate SG-1 has earned 22 Leo Award nominations — including nine wins — eight Emmy nominations, four Saturn Awards and two Gemini Awards during its landmark run. Featuring a stellar ensemble cast that includes fan favorites Michael Shanks (Stargate: Universe) and Christopher Judge (Stargate: Continuum), this ultimate realization of the series’ iconic launch includes exclusive all-new bonus features as well as a masterful fine-tuning from series Executive Producer Brad Wright. Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods will be available for $26.98 U.S. / $37.98 Canada.

*1998: Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series, Stargate: SG-1

Synopsis:
Re-mastered. Re-cut. Re-imagined… Remarkable! The thrilling pilot episode of television’s longest running Sci-Fi series is available to own on DVD. With exclusive special features and masterful fine-tuning from series Executive Producer Brad Wright, Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods Final Cut is the ultimate realization of the series’ iconic launch. Written by Jonathan Glassner & Brad Wright. Directed by Mario Azzopardi.

Jack O’Neill and Sam Carter join a formidable Stargate team on a mission to Abydos to defeat fierce warriors led by the vicious Ra. With the threat of the brutal Gou’ald hanging over the galaxy, the team must succeed — or General Hammond will unleash an apocalyptic solution!

DVD Specs:
Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods DVD release is presented in widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Bonus features include:

  • Commentary from Co-Writer and Executive Producer Brad Wright and Richard Dean Anderson
  • “Back to the Beginning” featurette

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries, is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Domestic Networks LLC, MGM Distribution Co, MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Worldwide Digital Media, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 120 countries. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit mgm.com.

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets — from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce — throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

Stargate: Children of the Gods
DVD Price: $26.98 U.S. / $37.98 Canada
Street Date: July 21, 2009
Running Time: 90 minutes
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish
Closed Captioned: Yes

Bridget Regan Fans Hope to Bring Some “Wonder” into Her Life

Artist Phil Jimenez portrays the many incarnations of Wonder Woman since her creation in 1941
Artist Phil Jimenez portrays the many incarnations of Wonder Woman since her creation in 1941

The Wonder Woman film has been languishing without a star for too long (Joss Whedon penned a script years ago but it was reportedly “thrown out” despite industry acclaim). Still in early development with a planned 2011 release date, one actress after another has been rumored to be attached to the film without any official confirmation. With the rest of the Justice League making (big and small) screen appearances in recent years, now would be the perfect time for the third corner of the DC Holy Trinity (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) to make her appearance. So, why hasn’t she? According to a Justice League movie site and IMDb both the Justice League and Wonder Woman films are slated for a 2011 release, set to battle against Marvel‘s The Avengers for moviegoers’ attention. While The Avengers has been pushed back to 2012, it’s still very much a happening thing. So where is DC? Where is our JLA and our WW?

One rumored problem was the lead actress. Megan Fox broke fans’ hearts when, hot off her Transformers success, she dissed the Amazonian princess as a “lame superhero”. Then Jessica Biel (Blade: Trinity) carefully avoided stepping on toes by saying that if the script and the character development was right she’d be “into that kind of thing” but then declined anyway. Australian fashion model turned actress Megan Gale was also “confirmed” by several websites as attached to the role, but in the year and a half since that announcement nothing else has been whispered. So, what’s the problem?

Diana Prince has gone through a lot of changes over the decades. Having been almost continuously in print since her creation in 1941, she’s run the gambit of personas. She’s really toughened up over the last two decades, though, shedding the campy image that dominated the 70s and 80s, due largely to the JLA cartoons. She kicks butt with the best of them now, so whoever gets the role of the Amazon Princess needs to be able to lay down some serious justice.

In reviewing the female action heroes (and actresses who played them in recent years), one unbelievable waif of a girl after another is presented. Wonder Woman needs to be just that — a Woman. A real-life, honest-to-goodness adult woman who has curves and charm, not just some stick-like Hollywood hottie. While actresses such as Mila Jovovich and Jennifer Garner are very believable action heroes, neither would be a good match for Wonder Woman. Talented movie chameleon Charlize Theron might be able to pull it off because she seems to magically become whoever she wants to be, but would she be interested in a role that could lead to sequels?

There is one actress who comes to mind who has both the curves and kicks. In the syndicated action fantasy series Legend of the Seeker, star Bridget Regan has proven that she has the acting and karate chops, as well as the beauty, to pull off the role of Amazon Princess Diana.

The right woman for the job? Bridget Regan's fans seem to think she's perfect for the role.
The right woman for the job? Bridget Regan's fans seem to think she's perfect for the role.

Each week, in her role as Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell, we watch Bridget as she kicks, punches and stabs the bad guys, sometimes even from horseback. She’s believable doing it because she really is doing it. She reported in a recent interview that the New Zealand stuntmen encourage her to hit or kick them as hard as she can, and she certainly seems to enjoy herself doing it. She’s gorgeous, talented, looks great in a corset, and can pull off a roundhouse and look mean doing it. On top of her fighting skills and great looks, she’s got charm. One minute she’s casting a glare that could freeze you in your tracks and the next she’s flashing a smile that melts your heart. Fans are so certain that she’s a perfect fit for the role of Wonder Woman, they’ve started a petition at Petition Spot to try to help get her an invitation to audition for the role. The latest rumors are that producers are getting serious about it, and Wonder Woman is supposed to get fast-tracked. Perhaps casting Bridget Regan in the role will be a boon for the production considering how popular Legend of the Seeker is at the moment. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather see in the role right now so I’m totally rooting for her. Go sign the petition and spread the word.

Good luck, Bridget!

Vote for Dave and Tom’s “Star Wars: The Fate of the Duel” at Atom’s Star Wars Fan Film Awards

Every year, Lucasfilm and Atom.com partner to bring you the very best of fan-made Star Wars films. While judges carefully select the winners for categories such as Best Make-up, Best Parody, Best Special Effects and other technical based attributes, the fans have an opportunity to pick their favorites. The Audience Choice Award voting begins on July 1 at Atom.com. This year, one of my favorites has been entered in the contest, Dave and Tom‘s Star Wars: The Fate of the Duel. If you haven’t already seen it, or you just can’t get enough of it (like me), make sure you watch and vote!

Star Wars The Fate of The Duel Letterbox Version

New Weta Sculpture Range

from Weta:

Hey Weta fans,

A short but very exciting update today!

John Howe and Weta announce The Art of John Howe — Sculptures from Middle-earth.

Podcast Episode X is here — listen to John Howe talk about the sculptures and get the latest updates around Comic Con.

Enjoy!

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop

G4 and Lucasfilm Present the First-Ever Televised Panel in San Diego Comic-Con History

from StarWars.com:

Hosted by G4’s Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira, the Two-Hour Special Will Premiere on G4 Saturday, July 25 at 2pm ET/PT

Lucasfilm Ltd. and G4 are joining forces for a milestone in San Diego Comic-Con International’s 40-year history — the first-ever, exclusive television broadcast of a presentation from the massive pop culture convention. The Star Wars Spectacular! will air Saturday July 25th at 2:00pm ET/PT only on G4, and will feature never-before-seen footage, breaking news, surprise announcements, guest stars and more. In addition, G4 will present three hours of live coverage from the Comic-Con floor, beginning at 4:00pm ET/PT.

Traditionally, details surrounding Lucasfilm’s primary panel presentation are closely guarded secrets, with only 6,500 lucky on-site fans allowed access to the wealth of coveted information from a galaxy far, far away. But this year, G4 — the network that delivers all of the latest and greatest news on comic books, games, technology and pop culture — is offering TV viewers the one-of-a-kind opportunity to share the excitement with an exclusive broadcast of the panel. G4’s Attack of the Show hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn will join Lucasfilm’s Steve Sansweet and a galaxy of guests from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and beyond — including supervising director Dave Filoni, and voice talent from the show — to provide an insider look at the Star Wars universe, with never-before-seen footage and a LIVE table read of an exclusive new Clone Wars script.

In addition, fans are invited to participate in the panel itself by submitting Clone Wars questions through a special G4 micro-site. Questions will be answered during the live presentation by Dave Filoni and other Clone Wars creatives!

2009’s Comic-Con International also marks another Lucasfilm milestone — the launch of the all-new Star Wars Stories Project. Fans of the Saga will have the unique opportunity to become a part of the Star Wars universe by contributing to Lucasfilm’s own historical archive. Soliciting movie memories and nostalgia, the Star Wars Stories Project invites fans to share their own tales of fandom through video testimonials. In addition to online submissions, fans will have the opportunity to record their stories at Lucasfilm’s pavilion on the Comic-Con floor.

Fans are invited to upload their fan stories at g4tv.com/comiccon.

“Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen” in Theaters Today

It doesn’t start until tomorrow in my neck of the woods, but I’ll be there bright and early tomorrow. If you’re like me and can’t make it today, you can check out the official website at transformersmovie.com to help tide yourself over until then. There are games, videos, wallpapers, buddy icons and lots of other goodies to transform your desktop.

A First Look at M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender”

I admit I still watch cartoons. I can blame it on being a mother who was concerned with what her children were watching when they were little but we all know that’s not the truth. I believe that a well-told story is as ageless as it is timeless. That’s why movies and books from before we were born still have an impact on us today. Times change, customs change, but people don’t change. There’s always a struggle to do what is right and good, no matter what era you grew up in. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a classic good versus evil tale of a young man who is the last of his kind and possibly the last hope for mankind. Drawing heavily from several Asian cultures and blending them with Western culture, Avatar has created a unique world and mythology of its own.

The people of this world are divided into four nations, with one of each of the elements as the central focus of their culture. Each generation someone (called an Avatar) is born empowered with one of the four elements — Earth, Water, Fire and Air — and through their influence, balance and peace is kept between nations. But the balance has been broken and the Fire Nation threatens to conquer all. As Avatar of Air, Aang and his companions Katara and Sokka must fight to restore the balance and stop the Fire Nation before it’s too late.

Some people might object to the watered down philosophies presented in Avatar: The Last Airbender but while the elements of Taoism, Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies are present in the show, they are uniquely blended and presented as part of the culture of this fantasy world and not as indoctrination for your children. What your children might learn from Avatar is that there are consequences to your actions, including how we treat our environment and resources and each other (Avatar won a 2009 Peabody Award for its “unusually complex characters and healthy respect for the consequences of warfare”).

Avatar: The Last Airbender was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons, from 2005 through 2008. Avatar’s animation style blended traditional anime with Western animation to create a unique animated experience. Each week over one million viewers of all ages watched Avatar. It won several awards during its run and garnered praise from viewers and critics alike. Alas, all good stories come to an end, and when Avatar: The Last Airbender’s end came in July 2008, over 5.6 million viewers tuned in for the two-hour series finale.

The appeal of this series wasn’t lost on M. Night Shyamalan. He took on the mantle of directing the film adaptation, titled The Last Airbender. Tentatively a trilogy, The Last Airbender is currently filming with a slated release in 2010, and is penned, along with Shyamalan, by the series creators DiMartino and Konietzko. Other encouraging names attached to production are Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy as producers (the team that brought us such films as Indiana Jones, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Sixth Sense, Arachnophobia, Back to the Future, The Goonies, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and roughly six dozen more) and special effects by Industrial Light & Magic. The teaser trailer for the film was just posted and I was so excited after watching it that I’m ready to dash over to Amazon.com to buy the DVD box set (my son and I missed the last half of the third season and series finale as we spent the summer camping). I am really looking forward to this coming out. It looks amazing and, with the team that’s working on it, I can’t imagine it being anything less then great.

Check out these other related links:
The Last Airbender on IMDb
The Last Airbender YouTube Channel
Avatar: The Last Airbender Nickelodeon Website
Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 1 Collection DVD
Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 2 Collection DVD
Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 3 Collection DVD

Star Wars Action Figures and Chipmunks

from Chris McVeigh:

Star Wars spills into the chipmunk universe!

The critters you see in these pics are wild chipmunks that live in my folk’s backyard. Using a few simple techniques, I was able to get them to socialize with us on a regular basis (and certain chipmunks would even come to the yard when I whistled.) Each of them were quite comical and very easy to get along with, as you can probably tell from these pictures.

And in case there is any doubt, I want to assure you that these pictures are real and not clever composites made in Photoshop. Chipmunks can be very easy to get along with, once you’ve taken the time to befriend them. 😀

Chris’ Flickr Photostreams:
flickr.com/photos/powerpig/
flickr.com/photos/powerpigsetups/

Follow Chris on Twitter: ActionFigured

Featured Articles at StarWars.com:
Chipmunk Trooper Whisperer (October 14, 2008)
Chewie Meets Chipmunk (May 6, 2009)

Article at Telegraph.co.uk:
Star Wars figures and chipmunks by Chris McVeigh

MovieQuest, the new ElfQuest Movie Page

from ElfQuest:

At long last, today I tackled a project I’ve been putting off (it seems) forever. And that is, gathering up every news item and posting I could find, wherever they might lurk on the Elfquest.com site, and putting them all into chronological order on one page.

Why?

Because people have been asking (begging, pleading, hounding) for news about the EQ movie project ever since we first announced its first incarnation in 1981. Now, with the option at Warner Bros. and the development further than it’s ever been, I realized that many people STILL aren’t nearly aware of the long path the elves have been on, getting to the big screen. All the puzzle pieces of information have been on the Elfquest site, but some have been in “news”, some in “editorials,” and others scattered who knows where.

Now they are all in one place, from oldest to newest. Which also makes it easy to update the one page whenever we DO have something to add!

The reformatted page is here:
http://elfquest.com/news/Movie3.html
and is also accessible from the home page by simply clicking on the “EQ Got Movie!” image top and center.

Shade and sweet organization,
Richard Pini AKA Elfpop