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Do We Need Another Version of A Christmas Carol?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:30:18 -0700

Charles Dickens's 19th-century classic, A Christmas Carol, has been adapted to film in many different forms over the years. The long list includes Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Scrooged starring Bill Murray, and most recently the Matthew McConaughey/Jennifer Garner romantic comedy (loose) version of the story, among others.

Now we have a first look at another Disney production of the holiday story starring Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge (he also plays the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come). Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it looks like a straight-up telling of the tale using some cool technology. As visually impressive as this movie looks, though, are you interested in seeing another version of A Christmas Carol?

Image courtesy of Disney

Buzz News Roundup, 12/10

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:27:05 -0800

The Amazing Race is getting a 13th season, Variety says.
Cary Elwes (a.k.a. Westley in The Princess Bride) has joined the cast of Robert Zemeckis' digital 3-D version of A Christmas Carol, writes ComingSoon.
Stanley Tucci will join Amy Adams and Meryl Streep in the Julia Child movie Julie and Julia, Variety reports.
VH1 has a whole bunch of new reality shows in the pipeline, writes The Hollywood Reporter, including one in which contestants act out the sins of telenovelas and a female version of The White Rapper Show called Miss Rap Supreme.
Paste brings word that free download of Radiohead's In Rainbows expires today.
USA Today reports on the bizarre news that CBS and the New England Patriots are opening a restaurant together.
According to the AP, Led Zeppelin is taking the stage tonight in London for the first time since 1980.

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Beowulf: See It in 3-D or Not at All

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:27:27 -0800

"I. Am. BEOWULF!" roars a computer-generated (and significantly enhanced) Ray Winstone over and over and over again. The animated epic story of Beowulf is impressive from a visual standpoint - it really is like living inside a video game - though story-wise it's empty and forgettable. But if nothing else, you will absolutely remember who. Is. Beowulf.

I managed to see Beowulf in an IMAX theater, donning some giant, goofy 3-D glasses. In this way, the movie is spectacular. You'll be splattered with blood, threatened with sharp spears, and nearly dropped into the sharp-toothed mouths of terrifying beasts. It is, quite simply, amazing. I completely understand Robert Zemeckis' desire to bring this story to life via animation. Using (and improving upon) the motion-capture technology he tried with The Polar Express, the humans look as real as possible (more or less) while still existing in a mystical land alongside monsters, mermaids and water serpents.

Overall, it's a cool idea. In execution, it's enjoyable enough, though I'm not sure I would have liked it half as much if I were not watching it on an IMAX screen in 3-D. However, having said that I agree with the complaint of a fellow reviewer that if you turn your face even the slightest bit, the 3-D image is skewed and unpleasant to look at. Sitting in the same position with my head frozen in place for two hours and watching a 3-D movie left me with neck pains as well as a headache. For more about the pros and cons of this movie, read more

As cool as Beowulf looks, it succeeds visually at the expense of interesting storytelling. Winstone voices the great warrior himself, though his "onscreen" self is a far cry from the doughy man we've watched in things like Sexy Beast. In a handsome war hero's body, Beowulf is our protagonist who arrives in Hrothgar's kingdom with his entourage. As Beowulf consistently reminds everyone, he's here to "kill your moanstah," the horrifyingly disgusting creature named Grendel (Crispin Glover) who terrorizes Hrothgar's people. In a laughable scene, Beowulf insists on fighting the monster in the nude, his manhood expertly hidden by various "coincidental" objects in a scene that mirrors the hide-the-pickle scene from Austin Powers.

There are moments like these that provide some much-needed levity, though there are many other moments that unintentionally generate laughter, like the "shot" of Grendel's Mother's (Angelina Jolie) stiletto heel-shaped feet (not shoes, feet). Indeed, this movie seriously pushes that PG-13 rating to the max. Just because it's animation doesn't make Grendel's Mother's buxom body any less near-nude.

Anyway, Beowulf fights Grendel and succeeds, only to then have to answer to Grendel's Mother. Once he meets her, he is seduced by her womanly charms (as she literally melts his sword in some not-so-subtle imagery) along with the promise of kingly glory. Herein lies the moral, I guess, of the movie (though not necessarily the literary work on which it's based): hubris and pride will doom the greatest of warriors.

The actors are quite good in this arena, with John Malkovich particularly standing out as the darkly complicated Unferth, though despite how close these animated figures have come to approximating human beings, there's an emptiness to them that still seems creepy. Their bodies have a strange weightlessness, and they often remind me of the human characters in the Shrek movies. Also, at times Angelina Jolie's character somehow looks worse than she does in real life (and I'm talking about scenes in which she is supposed to be stunning), which seems preposterous given that she is already unbelievably beautiful.

Bottom line: It's visually neat, if not a bit of an assault on the senses, but I sincerely hope this isn't our "future of filmmaking" as the promos for this movie keep promising.

Images courtesy of Paramount

First Look: Beowulf

BuzzSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:29:28 -0700

Speaking of Comic-Con, apparently there was a screening of 20-minutes from Robert Zemeckis' computer-generated version of the epic tale Beowulf, starring Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins, among others. MTV's movie blogger was there, and reported this:

"This is the oldest story in the English language," [Neil] Gaiman told the crowd of press and VIPs. "And it’s told with the most modern technology available," [Roger] Avary finished.

After a few hundred people strapped on their 3-D glasses, the verdict was in. While scenes featuring Anthony Hopkins and a near-nude Angelina Jolie are astonishingly photo real, the fantasy epic still occasionally suffers the "Dead Eyes" look of Robert Zemeckis’ Polar Express.

The flick, which costs $1 million per minute, is aiming for a PG-13 take on the tale we were all forced to read in high school. "That was my reason for doing this," grinned Avary. "I wanted to make it easier or future generations."

Well, for us poor hacks slaving away at work instead of chatting up Neil Gaiman at Comic-Con, at least we can check out the trailer for Beowulf, which hits theaters November 16. As was sometimes the case with Zemeckis' Polar Express, I find it eerie to see well-known actors portrayed in not-quite-reality, but I'm still supremely excited to see this movie in 3-D. To see the CG-tastic trailer, read more

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Link Time! 7/24

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:30:41 -0700

Spider-Pig mania has hit the t-shirt industry. Thank you, Popwatch, for bringing this to my attention!
Stereogum gets the scoop on Rihanna's umbrella line for Totes.
Fab is so excited: America's Next Top Model has been renewed until 2010!
SuperheroHype has an exclusive interview with "Heroes" creator Tim Kring.
Earvolution christens the top 10 bands that never really existed; check out who beat Spinal Tap.
Cinematical points out that director Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol will be like a Back to the Future reunion.
GiggleSugar finds what may be the weirdest song ever. Seriously, you have to hear this.
TV Squad cracks me up with the news that the BET show "Hot Ghetto Mess" has changed its name to "We Got to Do Better." Heh.

Beowulf: The Movie

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:05:13 -0700

You may have heard about this project of Robert Zemeckis' (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump) to turn the epic poem Beowulf into an animated movie which, it was recently announced, will be screened in IMAX theaters. The movie's official website is up and running (though it basically just features dancing flames, dramatic music and a cast list), and now a Dutch website has posted photos of the posters for the movie, including the one above. The posters aren't groundbreaking, but they have piqued my curiosity in this project.

Namely, I wonder who, exactly, is going to see this? It's animated like many children's movies are, though I've never scanned my memory for works of literature to make into children's movies and gone, "Oh, I know! Beowulf!" Yet are adults interested enough in the story - even an adaptation written by Neil Gaiman - to see a classic piece of literature made into a CGI movie on an IMAX screen?

I must say, however, that the cast of actors voicing the characters is quite impressive:

Angelina Jolie as Grendel's Mother
Crispin Glover as Grendel
Anthony Hopkins as King Hrothgar
Robin Wright Penn as Queen Wealhtheow
John Malkovich as Unferth
Alison Lohman as Ursula
and Ray Winstone, who I don't know, as Beowulf

What do you think? Come November 16 will you be checking out Beowulf?

Disney's A Christmas Carol: A Fun New Spin on an Old Favorite

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 -0800

Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol is, quite literally, a tale as old as time. Hollywood has already turned the novel into countless films, so how do you keep it fresh to entertain old and young audiences alike? You give them a pair of 3-D glasses.

I was a bit skeptical about Disney's newest remake of the flick, even with the super stylized animation and all-star cast behind the voices. But once you put on those glasses, you'll be oohing and aahing right along with the kids, making the film a fun ride. It doesn't tug on the heartstrings the way other versions can, but it's not devoid of emotion either. To see what I mean, just read more.

Robert Zemeckis brings the story we already know and love; old Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Jim Carrey) defines miserly and crotchety, spending his days counting his pennies and bitterly snapping at those around him. On one particularly Christmas Eve, he his haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley. Sporting chains and a ghastly demeanor, Marley warns Scrooge that he will suffer the same miserable fate if he doesn't take heed of three spirits who will visit him over the course of the night.

The film stays very true to Dickens's short novel, borrowing much of the text straight from the book and incorporating some of the darker elements that I hadn't seen before in versions designed for kids. That said, I still feel like some of the scenes waver on the side of being too scary. Marley's introduction with the chains is frightening but funny, whereas the progression of the ghost of Christmas present to the ghost of Christmas future (complete with full decay from giant to skeleton) probably would have given me nightmares when I was younger.

The special effects are all you could want and more; the 3-D pulls you right in, carrying you along with Scrooge as he flies overhead in his nightgown (and later spits in your face). You're in the midst of Victorian England at Christmas time, from the snowstorms to the festive music. It's dazzling - until you hit the emotional stuff.

The tale is one with a great big heart, but the actors can only go so far using their voices alone. In the most sentimental scenes, I found myself just wishing I could see the big name actors (which includes Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Robin Wright Penn) gazing into each other's eyes pointedly. Instead, it feels a bit like watching two mannequins standing face to face. Still, you're never bored for long, and there's always another thrill waiting at every turn.

In the end, Disney accomplishes its goal, producing a film that looks amazing and will entertain kids and adults alike. It may not be the best version of the tale to date, but it will leave you feeling plenty merry on your way out of the theater.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures