Rainn Wilson

Blu-Ray, TV Review: ‘The Office’ Never Better With Amazing Blu-Ray, Season Premiere

BrianTT — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:22:27 -0600

CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray release of the fifth season of “The Office” is a thing of beauty. It is one of the best comedy on Blu-Ray releases to date, not only because the show has arguably never been better but because everything about the season set has been crafted with the fan’s best interests in mind. After you watch the very funny season premiere tonight, go back and pick up a must-own Blu-Ray set.

Television Rating: 4.5/5.0

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

I’m a huge “30 Rock” fan but going back over the best of the fifth season of “The Office” on Blu-Ray and watching the sixth season premiere, it’s definitely a close call as to which one has been more consistent in the last twelve months or so. There were SO many highlights in the fifth season of “The Office” that I don’t think the show has ever been better.

The Office
Photo credit: Universal

With great guest turns by Amy Ryan and Idris Elba book-ending the season, what I truly loved about the fifth season of “The Office” was the effort to turn the show away from being just “The Jim and Pam Story”. Of course, everyone’s favorite workplace love birds were still a major part of the show but Ed Helms, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak, and, honestly, the entire ensemble cast worked with better comic chemistry than ever before.

All of the arcs of season five including the Michael & Holly affair, the Angela/Andy/Dwight triangle, and the founding of The Michael Scott Paper Company worked perfectly and stand among the funniest plotlines in the history of the show.

It doesn’t hurt that the Universal Blu-Ray release of “The Office” is perfectly designed for comedy fans. Just the commentary tracks alone make it so. Every single episode includes a commentary track by writers, cast members, and directors, including a great one with Stephen Merchant, who discusses the differences between the original British show and this one on an episode he directed. “One-Liner Soundboard” allows viewers to string together one-liners and quotes from the show in a Soundboard to create their own character audio mix to be shared with friends via BD-Live.

Deleted scenes, a gag reel, promos, webisodes, “100 episodes, 100 moments,” and “Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presents The Office” round out a perfect collection of special features. The episodes themselves look even better than their original HD broadcast. It’s a flawless TV on Blu-Ray release.

The Office
Photo credit: Chris Haston/NBC

“Gossip,” the sixth season premiere of “The Office” does nothing to suggest that the perfection of season five is going to falter any time soon. It’s not as gut-busting as last year’s “Weight Loss” or the best of season five, but it is consistently clever and important to the arc of the show.

Last season ended with the revelation that Pam (Jenna Fischer) is pregnant and the sixth season opens with Jim (John Krasinski) and his baby mama trying to keep it a secret from a gossip-crazy office. Michael (Steve Carell) becomes obsessed with gossip after being the last one to know a few juicy office rumors and so he starts to invent a few of his own to share. In a hilarious twist, a few of the rumors that Michael makes up might even be right, including a tale about a bun in the oven and a guess that Andy (Ed Helms) might struggle with his heterosexuality.

A lot of sitcoms struggle by their sixth season, having pounded the same character tics and jokes for years. You start to get the feeling that even the writers don’t find their characters interesting any more. “The Office” shows no signs of such comedic exhaustion. With pitch-perfect writing and one of the best ensembles in the history of the form, we should consider ourselves lucky that “The Office” is not only as good right now as it’s ever been but arguably better.

The sixth season premiere of ‘The Office,’ which airs on NBC, stars Steve Carell, Ed Helms, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Oscar Nunez, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, B.J. Novak, and Ellie Kemper. The show was created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series returns on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 8PM CST.

‘The Office: Season Five’ is released by Universal Home Video. It was released on September 8th, 2009. It is not rated.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is Galaxies Away From its Predecessor

Ebeth — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:07:38 -0600

CHICAGO – There are often many reasons sequels should not be made. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is one of them. Seeking that “Allspark” exhilaration pumped into many of us from the original “Transformers,” moviegoers will flock to the sequel with anticipation.

Rating: 1.5/5.0

The first 20 minutes or so (skipping the ridiculous introduction) will feel like preparation for lift-off. Sam (Shia LaBeouf) and Bumblebee (voice by Mark Ryan) reappear in two familiar scenes, Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky (Kevin Dunn and Julie White) return with their well-executed bicker-banter and Mikaela (Megan Fox) remains with all the assets she brings to the screen.

Read Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” in our reviews section.

We’re introduced to our first three Decepticons and they’re all impressive. From a ferocious tiger-looking beast to a beautiful and all-too-eager temptress (Isabel Lucas), the Decepticons are assembling a vicious team.

Then, before the audience even leaves the ground, alarms sound, the foundation shakes and this invigorating shuttle ride is cancelled. The audience is herded into what feels like a two-hour Segway tour. We’re led where we don’t want to be and forced to wear goofy helmets of boredom. The plot is – sigh – difficult to piece out of this rubble.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” which stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Rainn Wilson, John Turturro, the voice of Hugo Weaving, the voice of Peter Cullen and Tyrese Gibson, opened everywhere on June 24, 2009. The film is rated “PG-13” for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material and brief drug material.

Read Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” in our reviews section.

Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox, left) and Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf, right) are once again caught up in a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
Photo credit: Jaimie Trueblood, DW Studios, Paramount Pictures

Read Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” in our reviews section.

Interview: ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar

PatrickMcD — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:20:11 -0600

CHICAGO – “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”, opening June 24th, is the second film in the series based on the Hasbro toy/cartoon. Scott Farrar, whose long career has roots in the first “Star Wars”, supervised all the complex visual effects.

HollywoodChicago.com spoke to Farrar, who gave a precise overview of the challenges and proven results in upping the ante from the first Transformers film.

The Human Element: Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf in ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’
Photo credit: ©2009 Paramount Pictures

HollywoodChicago.com: First things first for the geeks…What will be the most noticeable difference between the look of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen versus the first Transformers film?

Scott Farrar: The lighting is better, also the texturing on the robots and we’ve made big strides forward with more realism. There are sequences shot on IMAX so the resolution is 8 times higher than the first one, as far as how much render time is required for each frame of film.

There are close-ups of Optimus Prime that surprised us, when we would zoom in and say, ‘I can’t believe the quality and detail of the burnish on the metal.’

HC: For the uniformed, what are the distinct contrasts between a Visual Effects Supervisor and a Special Effects Supervisor?

SF: Special Effects, as handled by John Frazier, are physical effects, meaning if you need a car flipped it’s a cable that gets pulled. He does the pyro plants and the explosions, bullet hits, different mortar effects. Everything that is physical and arranged on the day is triggered by his team as the cameras roll.

The Visual Effects, which I handle, is essentially things that are not there on the day that I’m going to put in later. For example, a robot has to stand on mark ‘A’ and walk to mark ‘B’.

For that, I use what is called ‘low tech for high effect’, window washer poles with Production Assistants standing there. Then I might have a person walk from A to B, or have those poles extended to the proper height of the robot, because the camera operator needs to know what to look for, where to frame for a robot when they are looking through the camera. We can at least establish where a robot will be and how high he is.

I am there as a visual referee. I can imagine those robots much better than most, because that is what I’ve been doing for long time. It’s all imagination.

HC: Knowing that the essence of the Transformers are derived from a cartoon and a toy, how did your team maintain visually the innocence of the source while working in a real-world type of robotic look and power?

SF: Once you go from cartoon to photo real, a whole bunch of rules come into place. Some of the things that work in a cartoon just fly out the window when doing it in photo real. So many design decisions are made for you right off the bat.

They’ve got to look heavy, they’ve got to look like real metal and they’ve got to photograph as real. They have to look like car parts, and car finishes. When the camera gets up close, you’ll see the metal fleck paint with clear coat finish over the top of it with all the appropriate glints and gleams. That’s how exacting we got.

To compare changing the cartoon idea it’s like taking an oil painting and turning it into a photograph. Realism forces you to go that route.

HC: When creating realistic movement for something as subjective as a transforming robot, what man, animal or machine in real life did the effects team use to inspire that movement, and why did you think it works so well?

Transformers Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar
Photo credit: Industrial Light & Magic

SF: For inspiration we looked at Japanese anime, and our animators are very keen on this sort of thing. We do a lot of research before the project and we love seeing what has been done before, to see the ideas out there. In anime, there have been some fabulous transforming effects, very animal-like.

There also is this one animator from Japan on our team, Keiji Yamaguchi, who is an amazing ‘transformer’ guy. He can figure out the puzzle of transforming elements all by himself.

HC: Michael Bay is famous for his attention to a certain look and feel in his visual palette. How closely do you advise him on the approach to this palette during filming and what type of communication process with you is he most comfortable with?

SF: I’m one of the first people to start meeting with him once there is a script in place. As head of the visual effects team, I’m the first in and the last out. We finished the picture last week [two weeks before the release].

Everything we do starts with artwork. And Michael Bay is a fine artist and an excellent photographer in his own right. He is ultra strong visually and has an opinion about it.

For me, he guides us very quickly. He’s great about making decisions, and if he doesn’t know he tells us to figure it out and show him the result. And then he selects from that. For an artist like myself, it’s a very rewarding method.

HC: The term ‘green screen’ seems to be a catch-all word for a number of visual effects. What is your definition of green screen today based both on its evolution and its use as a tool in modern filmmaking?

SF: Green or blue screen is something you put behind an actor when you want to render in a different background, and then you bring the two elements together – the actor you film and the background put in later.

On the Michael Bay show, we use little of it if none at all. Essentially we use no green or blue screen whatsoever when shooting live action photography.

For a nighttime scene, for example, we have the actors and the real physical elements in place, like the truck before it transforms, with real set lighting. If you were to use blue or green screen, you get rid of all of the lighting, you wreck all the refraction and actor realism.

We fly by the seat of our pants with this technique. It’s dirty, live, with the flares right in the lens. And then we hope to heck we can match it later (laughs).

All the difficult articulate roto-animation is done around the hair, clothing and actors, whatever is required. It’s all hand work, but what it yields, with the lighting, is actually a much higher quality look.

HC: What type of coaching do live actors need the most when working against the “fill in the blanks” interaction with the yet-to-be-developed robot counterparts?

SF: I spend a lot of time with the actors when we’re doing all these set-ups. And Shia LaBeouf, he’s a great guy. He wants to know the bits and pieces of what I’ve got in mind.

I’m going to give you a trade secret. When I first met Shia, I told him when looking at the robot, whose face is 5 feet wide and 10 feet high, don’t just lock eye-to-eye, search around with your eyes around the robot’s face. And he really sells that. He is tremendous at it.

HC: I wanted to ask you a few career questions. “Artificial Intelligence: AI” was famously a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and the late Stanley Kubrick. What visual elements did you use to successfully conjure up a Kubrick feel through the lens and eye of Spielberg?

SF: That again goes back to artwork. There was this British fellow who had been working with Stanley, as the project had been in the cooker for awhile. So we had hundreds of storyboards the two had produced together. When Stanley passed away, we still had his artist on the production and basically we used a lot of their ideas.

HC: In your bio it states that when you were a freelance cameraman in Los Angeles in the mid 1970s, you were privileged to visit the visual effects set of the first Stars Wars movie. What do you remember most about that experience and how did it inspire your journey towards what you are doing now?

SF: I was working on this cheap sci-fi film in Canoga Park, about two miles away. I was doing frame-by-frame flight effects, with no playback, using tape markings in the hopes I was getting it right.

Their was a friend I knew from UCLA who was working on what was to become Star Wars. He asked me to come to the set, and I got to meet Dennis Muren [Miniature and Optical Effects] for the first time and I was stunned.

They had this technique called icebox, which was a method of recording moves and playing them back – radical technology in 1975. It was like a bolt of lightning from the sky. It was so cool I thought to myself, ‘I want to do this’.

You see a good idea and you think ‘that makes so much sense’.

‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ opens June 24th everywhere and features Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro, Ramon Rodriguez and Rainn Wilson, directed by Michael Bay.

Read our “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” film review.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 20 Passes to ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ Screening in Chicago

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:19:11 -0600

CHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 admit-one tickets to the one and only advance Chicago screening of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” starring Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf!

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” which opens on June 24, 2009, also stars Tyrese Gibson, Rainn Wilson, John Turturro, Hugo Weaving, Josh Duhamel, Isabel Lucas and Peter Cullen from director Michael Bay. We have 20 admit-one tickets for the Chicago screening of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” on June 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago.

To win your “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” ticket courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is be one of the first 20 people to submit a comment in this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The movie poster for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” with Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf.
Image credit: Paramount Pictures

Here is the synopsis for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”:

In the highly anticipated “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” following the smash-hit film “Transformers” in 2007, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) again joins with the Autobots against their sworn enemies: the Decepticons. Michael Bay directs from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

To secure your free “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” pass, you must be logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail is required to win this Hookup. Then, simply add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this simple question:

Is Transformers uber geeky or uber chic?

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film is simple: The first 20 people to comment below win! We will be in touch with the 20 winners to distribute your passes.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” with Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Rainn Wilson, John Turturro, Hugo Weaving, Josh Duhamel, Isabel Lucas and Peter Cullen from director Michael Bay opens nationwide on June 24, 2009.

Note: Due to the anticipated popularity of this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and the anticipated packed house at this screening, we reserve the right to pass on respondents who have won our Hookups in the past 90 days. This is a studio-mandated requirement for this Hookup.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Video: Teaser Trailer for ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ Game

BrianTT — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:29:11 -0600

CHICAGO – Activision recently released a teaser trailer for their movie tie-in, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” video game. What’s a good summer blockbuster without a video game tie-in? The Michael Bay-directed movie starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Hugo Weaving, Rainn Wilson, and Isabel Lucas opens on June 24th, 2009. The video game drops a day earlier on June 23rd, 2009. Check it out.

Watch more HollywoodChicago.com-hosted A&E videos.
Watch more movie videos on HollywoodChicago.com hosted elsewhere.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

DreamWorks’ ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ Has Great 3D Concept, But Falls Flat

BrianTT — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:12:17 -0600

Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Hasn’t Pixar proven that animation can be more than just concept and celebrity voice work? The problem with “Monsters vs. Aliens” is that the team behind it clearly prioritized nearly every element of the film over actual storytelling. It looks good, has some talented people behind the mic, and is visually engaging, but there’s nothing memorable about the script at all. The 3D may pop, but the story is flat.

Rob Letterman (writer/director of “Shark Tale”) and Conrad Vernon (director of “Shrek 2”) direct a script that took five writers to bring to the big screen and feels like it was haphazardly constructed like kids playing the story game on a playground. One kid starts the story and then another picks it up and so on and so on.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Monsters vs. Aliens” in our reviews section.

“Monsters vs. Aliens” pushes its 3D gimmick from the very beginning, opening with an asteroid belt designed to provoke oohs and aahs and moving into a sky watcher bouncing a rubber ball into the audience. Kids will be impressed. Adults will remember that 3D is just a trick, not an actualy storytelling device.

Through that asteroid belt, a giant space rock hurtles toward the Earth. The debris is headed right for the wedding of Susan (Reese Witherspoon) and Derek (Paul Rudd) and the poor bride gets slammed to the ground, slowly turning into Ginormica, the film’s variatoin on the 50-Foot Woman.

‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ stars the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland, and Paul Rudd. It was written by Maya Forbes, Wally Wolodarsky, Rob Letterman, Jonathan Aibel, and Glenn Berger and directed by Conrad Vernon & Rob Letterman. It opens on March 27th, 2009. It is rated PG.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Monsters vs. Aliens” review.

B.O.B.(Seth Rogen), The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie) introduce themselves to their new monster roommate.
Photo credit: Monsters vs. Aliens & © 2009 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Slideshow: 26-Image Gallery From ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ With Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen

BrianTT — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:29:40 -0600

CHICAGO – This 26-image slideshow contains the press images for Dreamworks’ “Monsters vs. Aliens,” starring Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland and Paul Rudd. Directed by Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon, the film opens on Friday, March 27th, 2009.

Synopsis: “When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. The military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the President is persuaded to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.”

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos credited to Monsters vs. Aliens & © 2009 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

MVA004: An invading alien robot pursues Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon)—a.k.a. Ginormica, having been clobbered with a meteor full of outer space gunk and growing to 49-feet-11-inches tall.
MVA009: Groom-to-be Derek Dietl (Paul Rudd) and fiancee Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) share a pre-nuptial moment.
MVA011: General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) convinces The President (Stephen Colbert) that his monster attack plan is more workable than launching nuclear weapons.
MVA015: Having been clobbered with a meteor full of outer space gunk and growing to 49-feet-11-inches tall, bride-to-be Susan Murphy, a.k.a. Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon), finds her guests fleeing in terror from her wedding.
MVA018: Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon) is introduced to The Missing Link (Will Arnett).
MVA019: B.O.B.(Seth Rogen), The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie) introduce themselves to their new monster roommate.
MVA022: The mysterious alien robot turns out to be very hostile indeed.
MVA029: Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon) evades the alien robot by donning taxicab skates.
MVA040: General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) advises Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon) on the way to battle the invading alien robot.
MVA043: The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon, right) en route to alien ground zero.
MVA045: The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon) chat before she is reunited with her family.
MVA051: The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Dr. Cockroach, Ph. D. (Hugh Laurie) and B.O.B.(Seth Rogen) are on their best behavior while meeting their fellow monster Susan/Ginormica’s parents.
MVA052: These Monsters—The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon), B.O.B.(Seth Rogen), Insectosaurus and Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie)—are defenders of the planet.
MVA064: Invading alien Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) during a rare moment of self-doubt.
MVA065: Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon) powers through the atmosphere.
MVA088: B.O.B.(Seth Rogen), The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie), and Ginormica (Reese
Witherspoon) head to a reunion with Susan/Ginormica’s family.
MVA090: Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are introduced to The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie) and B.O.B.(Seth Rogen) by their daughter, Susan (Reese Witherspoon), now known as Girnormica.
MVA091: B.O.B.(Seth Rogen) meets a hot little number in green at the Murphy family reunion.
MVA095: Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon) is treated to an alien diatribe courtesy of invading alien Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson).
MVA099: General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) shares his idea about how to defeat the alien force with the President (Stephen Colbert).
MVA106: Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie), chats with B.O.B.(Seth Rogen) en route to do battle with the alien robot.
MVA107: Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon) battles the alien robot on the Golden Gate Bridge.
MVA109: General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) receives a salute from conscripted Monster Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon) before the big battle.
MVA115: The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon), B.O.B.(Seth Rogen) and Dr. Cockroach, Ph. D. (Hugh Laurie) board the alien ship to battle the outer space threat.
KEYART1: Key Art 1.
MvA-1-Sht IMAX 3D: IMax Poster.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Preview For Michael Bay’s ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ With Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox

BrianTT — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:40:30 -0700

CHICAGO – The new preview for what is sure to be one of the biggest movies of 2009, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” debuted online this week and is featured below. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson. It is directed by Michael Bay.

The official word from our DreamWorks representative - “On June 24, Autobots and Decepticons face off in another earth-shattering battle in Michael Bay’s highly-anticipated sequel Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro.”

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” was written by Ehren Kruger, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The film stars Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf, Rainn Wilson, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Isabel Lucas and Tyrese Gibson. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is slated to open on June 24, 2009.

Read our news about the first screenshots and TV trailer for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”.
Read our feature about the Super Bowl movie commercials, including “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Rocker’ Hits a Few False Notes

BrianTT — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:21:35 -0700

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Rainn Wilson made the jump from supporting player on NBC’s “The Office” to leading comedy star in the so-so “The Rocker,” a film with a few inspired moments, some great cameos, and talented young actors, but the timing is a bit off with this routine. The Blu-Ray release goes a long way in redeeming the set list, but the entire show is still a little mediocre.

“The Rocker” is a frustrating comedy. Everything that works - Wilson’s fearless performance, great appearances from comedians like Jane Lynch, Will Arnett, Jeff Garlin, and Jason Sudeikis, likable young stars - is usually followed by something that just doesn’t click. There are some jokes in “The Rocker” that hit the floor with the thud of a bass drum. It may make a satisfying rental for some, but with the pedigree of the people involved, this super-band should have been better.

“A.D.D.” band members Amelia (Emma Stone, left), Curtis (Teddy Geiger) and Matt (Josh Gad) behold the splendor that is Fish.
Photo credit: George Kraychyk

Wilson plays Robert “Fish” Fishman, a drummer for the eighties hair band Vesuvius (which also features Will Arnett, Fred Armisen, and Bradley Cooper). The movie opens with a blistering set by the band, after which an exec offers them a breakthrough deal, but they have to axe Fish.

Photo credit: Fox

Twenty years later, in a world where grunge never killed hair metal, Vesuvius is the biggest band on the planet and Fish is working a desk job that he hates. He loses his job and is forced to move in with his sister (Jane Lynch), brother-in-law (Jeff Garlin), and musically-inclined nephew Matt (Josh Gad).

The young fellow happens to be in a band called A.D.D. with his friends (Emma Stone & Teddy Geiger), who reluctantly recruit Fish after their drummer gets grounded just before a prom gig.

Being back in the spotlight makes Fish think that he can turn A.D.D. into a mega-success and he tries to take the band on the road and reclaim the rock-god throne that he’s envied for twenty years. Of course, one of his band mate’s mother happens to be the super-cute Christina Applegate to give the movie a third act love story.

A little bit of “School of Rock,” a little bit of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” a few references to other man-child movies, and too much physical humor derail the awkward and often derivative script. But the cast is great. Wilson doesn’t hold back and you can’t do much better than Lynch, Garlin, Arnett, Armisen, Cooper, and Sudeikis in your back-up band. Even the young cast is excellent in roles much deeper than teen stars usually play.

The script may not work, but, unlike a lot of awful comedies, the cast make it out completely unscathed. If anything, “The Rocker” is more proof that even the most likable cast does not make a complete comedy. Just as in music, the lyrics matter as much as the person who’s singing them.

Newly-restored rock god Fish (Rainn Wilson) and band chaperon Kim (Christina Applegate) enjoy a rare moment of quiet.
Photo credit: George Kraychyk

The Fox Blu-Ray presentation for “The Rocker” is a great one with a nearly perfect 1080p transfer in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The colors are not too vibrant but the picture is always clear and the sound matches it with a great 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.

The last few Fox Blu-Ray releases have featured excellent technical presentations. They struggled a bit at the beginning with Blu-Ray, but appear to have turned it around. In general, Fox Blu-Ray still doesn’t stand up to the best of Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, or Sony when it comes to video and audio, but they’re getting closer.

And they have put together a completely comprehensive collection of special features for “The Rocker,” including two commentary tracks - one by director Peter Cattaneo and Wilson and one by Gad, Geiger, Stone, and Sudeikis - “MTV Panel,” internet podcasts, deleted scenes, a gag reel, Vesuvius gags, Matt gags, Pete Best interview, Vesuvius public service announcements, “Rainn Wilson Office Rocker,” “Behind the Band,” “Rock Tales,” “The Music,” “Rock Band with Fish Fishman,” and a music video for “I’m Not Bitter”. The film also comes with a digital copy so you can rock out on your portable device. Good luck with that.

Clearly, the Blu-Ray release for “The Rocker” is excellent. I wish I could say the same for the movie itself.

‘The Rocker’ is released by Fox Home Video and stars Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad, Emma Stone, Christina Applegate, Jeff Garlin, Jane Lynch, Teddy Geiger, Jason Sudeikis, Will Arnett, Fred Armisen, and Bradley Cooper. It was written by Maya Forbes & Wally Wolodarsky and directed by Peter Cattaneo. It was released on January 27th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Screenshots, Teaser Trailer Surface For Michael Bay Sequel ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’

BrianTT — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 11:41:33 -0700

CHICAGO – An unofficial “Transformers 2” blog broke the teaser trailer Sunday morning for the highly anticipated sequel “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” with an option to download it in high-definition and analysis of screenshots from the film starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Optimus Prime.

The teaser trailer for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” features shots of Ravage, Optimus Prime, Devastator, the Audi R8 robot and Starscream.

A “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” screenshot with Megan Fox from the official teaser trailer.
Photo credit: Movie Chronicles

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” was written by Ehren Kruger, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci. The film stars Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf, Rainn Wilson, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Isabel Lucas and Tyrese Gibson. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is slated to open on June 26, 2009. Check out the full trailer and the screenshots here.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com