Friday Morning Videos: MINNIE THE MOOCHER

1 comment October 30th, 2009

I posted this clip over at my own, non-work related pop culture blog, so I apologize if you’ve seen it before, but I wanted to post it here at the Movie Man too, because it’s just a great mix of fun nostalgia, wild animation, wonderful music and a strange sense of oddness that makes it just right for Halloween.

Plus, where else do you get to see Cab Calloway as a ghostly, moonwalking walrus?

The Problem with The Princesses

4 comments October 28th, 2009

As the father of a four-year-old girl, I’ve seen my share of Disney princess movies over the past couple of years (and I know I’ll be seeing many more in the years to come). As anyone who’s sat through multiple viewings of SNOW WHITE, SLEEPING BEAUTY and CINDERELLA can confirm, these are some of the absolute worst role models for girls (of any age) in the history of cinema. (Especially CINDERELLA — don’t get me started on CINDERELLA!)

Now, courtesy of a link at Cinematical, someone has condensed the disturbing side of Disney’s moneymaking ladies in one handy image…

OK, maybe the author/artist is simplifying things a tad, but it’s tough to argue with the basics. Thankfully, recent Disney movies have improved things a bit. POCAHONTAS, while undeniably a Disney babe, stands tough to her beliefs and defies both her dad and the European invaders. MULAN is even better, defying Chinese law and convention to fight for her family’s honor and her country. In neither movie do the beauty of the women drive the plot, as in previous efforts, and marriage is not the goal, thank Walt.

Disney’s upcoming movie, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, will be its first animated feature to star an African-American character. Let’s hope she’s a step forward in other ways, too.

New trailer for THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Add comment October 14th, 2009

Amid all the hubbub about what happened between director Wes Anderson and his crew, a new trailer for his animated movie has been released, and to no one’s surprise, it looks great. This version showcases more of Anderson’s personality, which seems to be coming across loud and clear even though the actors are animated.

Wes Anderson speaks

1 comment October 13th, 2009

From Jeffrey Well’s Hollywood Elsewhere blog, here’s a brand-new interview with director Wes Anderson discussing his film, THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX. Among the topics covered — Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, King Kong, noise from boats, and, of course, those reported troubles on the set  …

“Movies are hard to make,” Anderson says, “and sometimes, you know, you’re making people do things that are the last thing they want to do and the last way they want to do it.”

 

Wild times with MR. FOX

4 comments October 12th, 2009

All was not smooth sailing on the set of Wes Anderson’s new movie, THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX –  and that’s putting it mildly.

According to an article in the L.A. Times by Chris Lee, Anderson spent most of the shooting time of the animated film in Paris while the film was actually, well, filmed, across the water in London. What’s worse, the crew says Anderson’s lack of knowledge about the process of stop-motion animation made things even more difficult…

“Honestly? Yeah. He has made our lives miserable,” the film’s director of animation, Mark Gustafson, said during a break in shooting. He gave a weary chuckle. “I probably shouldn’t say that.”

Lee’s article is fascinating precisely because people seem to be saying a lot of things they “probably shouldn’t say.” Read the whole thing here.

(All this trouble has nothing to do with the quality of the movie, of course. Two of the most troubled sets in the history of moviemaking resulted in two all-time classics: THE GODFATHER and JAWS.

I’m back — and I have a movie recommendation!

1 comment October 5th, 2009

As you might have noticed, the postings here at Movie Man Central have been sparse (i.e. nonexistent) in the past week, mostly due to the fact that I’ve been on vacation. But I have returned, and I have a bit of movie advice for you…

 

Go see CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS! Don’t worry if you don’t have kids, or that the premise sounds ridiculous, or that it’s not a Pixar film. None of that matters. It’s one of the funniest, most surprising, most purely satisfying films I’ve seen all year. It’s loaded with thrills, chills, jokes (though thankfully almost none tied to current pop culture), amazing visuals and just the right amount of heart. It’s also a great example of solid screenwriting, making the effort to put various elements in place early on that pay off (usually in a big, funny way) later in the film. (I’m thinking of the cat viral video, the spray-on shoes and, especially, the communication device).

 Seriously, go see this movie.

On a related note, I finally watched SHARK TALE this weekend when, believe me, I had no other choice. It was even worse than I had feared. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have a lot to answer for. A lot.

Just when we needed them most!

Add comment September 3rd, 2009

We haven’t heard from this pair of cultural critics in a while, but Beavis and Butt-head have returned just in time to bring us a review (sort of) of the new movie EXTRACT, which opens this weekend and just happens to be written and directed by Mike Judge, the same guy who created the troubled teens (and provides both their voices).

As you’ll see, they haven’t changed a bit. Take that as a warning, if you must.

When Dali met Disney

3 comments August 19th, 2009

Back in 1946, surrealist painter Salvador Dali and animation legend Walt Disney started to collaborate on a cartoon. DESTINO was designed to take advantage of Dali’s distinctive painting style (you know — melting clocks, floating eyeballs, etc.) and give it actual movement thanks to the vast resources of the Disney Studios. Trouble is, it was never finished.

Until 2003, that is, when Disney’s nephew Roy discovered the film. (This is, of course, long after both Dali and Disney were dead.) Using the studio’s animation department (and new technology), Roy oversaw the completion of the film. It was nominated for an Oscar in 2003, shown at a Dali exhibit in 2007 and was supposed to be released on home video in 2008.

So far, however, it’s still AWOL. According to a Disney press release, it’s supposed to arrive next year, packaged with a documentary about the Disney-Dali collaboration. It’ll definitely be worth keeping an eye out for, but in the meantime, here’s a peek — thanks to the magic of You Tube…

THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX trailer

2 comments July 30th, 2009

Today must be the day for eagerly anticipated trailers of movies by my favorite directors. Earlier, I posted the preview of the Coen Brothers’ A SERIOUS MAN, and now here’s the preview for Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated epic, THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX…

I really like the low-tech, storybook feel of the thing. It’s a refreshing change from all the slicker-than-slick computer animated films out there. (In a few scenes, I think I can detect the fur moving from the animators touching it, ala the original KING KONG.) And George Clooney seems to have a voice made for animation — it has just the right bigger-than-life feeling.

What do you think?

Finally! A glimpse of ‘The Fantastic Mr. Fox’

1 comment July 16th, 2009

Cinematical.com has the first images from Wes Anderson’s upcoming film, THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX. And here they are…

 

 

The film is based on a book by Roald Dahl (CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY) and features the voices of Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Anderson vets Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston and Bill Murray. It’s set to hit theaters November 13.

I have no idea what this movie will be like — I mean, no idea — but judging by the background in the top photo, the sets will have the same wonderfully obsessive quality as the other films on Anderson’s resume.