PENDRAGON'S POST: 20th Century Fox

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

DVD NEWS: Get Morphed Into a Na'vi at The Grove in Honor of the DVD & Blu-ray Release of AVATAR!!

AVATAR INNOVATIVE DIGITAL EXHIBITION LAUNCHES
WITH HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE

Interactive Facial Recognition Technology Morphs Shoppers’ faces
into Na’vis in real time

WHAT:

To commemorate the launch of AVATAR on Blu-ray and DVD, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment in conjunction with the digital out-of-home company, Inwindow Outdoor will unveil an interactive digital exhibition.

The exhibition uses state-of-the-art facial recognition technology to morph shoppers’ faces in real time into the natives of Pandora, the Na’vi. The Avatar face-morphing exhibition is a large, freestanding structure that will encircle the main statute at The Grove.

WHEN:
Friday, April 16

WHERE:
The Grove, Los Angeles

MORE DETAIL:
The Avatar display is a 60’ x 10’ structure at The Grove and features three ‘morphing stations’ surrounded by vinyl and branded in Avatar themes. As mall shoppers approach the screens, facial recognition technology will hone in on their faces and transform them into Na’vi, the blue skinned species from the future made famous in the movie. Once the morph is complete, users can enter their email address via touch-screen so they can be sent the video of their transformation along with information on where to purchase the DVD. Read more...

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES AVATAR BLU-RAY DISC AND DVD
GLOBAL RELEASE DATES

Much-Anticipated Blu-ray and DVD Launch of James Cameron’s
History-Making Epic Begins April 22 -
Coinciding with the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today announced that it will launch director James Cameron’s history-making motion picture AVATAR on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on Thursday, April 22.

AVATAR on Blu-ray presents the ultimate high definition experience for home viewing audiences. Fans around the world will soon be able to discover every detail and relive every moment of James Cameron’s AVATAR in the comfort of their own home. Blu-ray is recognized for presenting optimal picture and sound, and now AVATAR’s masterful cinematography, art direction and visual effects will lend itself to awe-inspiring clarity when you become absorbed in the extraordinary all-encompassing experience in the living room.

Since its global theatrical release last December, AVATAR has continued to make motion picture history. Written by James Cameron and produced with his long-time collaborator Jon Landau, AVATAR stars Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi and Laz Alonso.

Oscarâ and Golden Globe® winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in over $2.6 billion in worldwide box office. Director James Cameron takes audiences to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. AVATAR delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature of the story.

AVATAR will be available on Blu-ray Disc and DVD everywhere in the United States and Canada on Earth Day, April 22. Please see below for additional release dates around the world:

FRANCE – April 21
BELGIUM – April 21
NETHERLANDS – April 21
SPAIN – April 21
CHINA – April 22
BRAZIL – April 22
RUSSIA – April 22
NORTH AMERICA – April 22
GERMANY – April 23
JAPAN – April 23
SWITZERLAND – April 23
MEXICO – April 23
UK – April 26
DENMARK – April 27
NORWAY – April 28
SWEDEN – April 28
NEW ZEALAND – April 28
AUSTRALIA – April 29
FINLAND – April 30
ITALY – May 6

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
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. Read more...

DVD REVIEW: Fantastic Mr. Fox (Fox)

What happens when you mix Wes Anderson, George Clooney, and Roald Dahl? Something wonderful. Fantastic Mr. Fox delivers a poignant story that is well-acted and handmade.

If you've seen any of Wes Anderson's other films, you know what to expect: quirky characters, a fun soundtrack, and a heartfelt story that is funny and sweet without being heavy-handed. This time he's adapting Roald Dahl's children's novel (Anderson and fellow indie scribe Noah Baumbach wrote the screenplay). If not for the stop-motion menagerie of forest creatures, I would have thought this was a Wes Anderson film. George Clooney's Mr. Fox reminds me of his work on O Brother, Where Art Thou, as a family man trying to live on the up and up. Felicity, his wife, is beautifully voiced by the multi-talented Meryl Streep. She plays Mrs. Fox as a savvy vixen who just wants her family to be happy and her husband to keep his promise to stop stealing chickens.

Anderson movie staples Bill Murray (Badger), Owen Wilson (Coach Skip), and Jason Schwartzman (Ash Fox) lend their voices to the film. Schwartzman shines as the Foxes' awkward son, who is always living in the shadow of his cousin Kristofferson. Ash is described throughout the film as different. He just wants to be an athlete. I am a huge fan of Schwartzman as an actor, a musician, and now as a fox.

The first thing you notice about this film is its beauty. As a fan of stop motion animation, I am always mesmerized by the painstaking detail and handmade look it entails. In one of the extras on the DVD about the animation, we learn that Wes Anderson took his inspiration from the original King Kong film. So much so, in fact, that Anderson wanted the fur on the creatures to "boil", or move from frame to frame. The humans in the film are beautiful as well, but the most impressive screen presence is with the animals and their underground world. I loved the autumnal color palette Anderson used--it set a warm tone for the film that complemented the story.

As with most animated films, there's an element of adventure, but again, it's very Wes Anderson action. Anderson's action usually begins with a lot of dialogue (see Bottle Rocket or The Royal Tenenbaums). And that makes it better. Sometimes when I watch an animated film, I can appreciate it for what it is (a kids' movie), but the story doesn't really grab me. This film made me laugh, almost made me cry, and made me wish it was a half-hour longer. Like Coraline or Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox had an adult element to it but is totally accessible to the kiddos. I think for younger children it would be more about seeing the cute animals, but for more mature kids (and kids at heart), this is a phenomenal movie experience. One of the things that made me laugh was Anderson's use of the word "cuss" in place of curse words (like "What the cuss was I thinking?" or "Are you cussing with me?").

This film is a definite buy for Anderson's fans, but it would be a bright spot in any film collection. Its depth and handmade look make it one of the best films of 2009 and one of the best animated films I've ever seen.

Stacey Rader
Review Editor
Read more...

DVD NEWS: AVATAR - on DVD & Blu-ray 4/22/10

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES AVATAR BLU-RAY DISC AND DVD
GLOBAL RELEASE DATES

DVD Review: FAMILY GUY: SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING DARK SIDE (Fox)

Recognizing they've found an audience, the people behind Family Guy have followed up on 2007's "Blue Harvest" send-up of "Star Wars - A New Hope" with "Something, Something, Something Dark Side."

This time, the parody of "The Empire Strikes Back" has been released on DVD first, with broadcast not planned until spring. Family Guy has taken this route before with the "Stewie Griffin - the Untold Story" and the series has fared so well on DVD that sales famously resurrected the canceled show.

"Something ... " follows the successful formula of "Blue Harvest" by sticking mostly to the source material, using the inconsistencies and impossible situations to take barbs at the George Lucas franchise. Because the writers are so familiar with and obviously fond of the Star Wars saga, even the most hard-core fans wouldn't be so offended to not laugh along at the notion of thinking it's a good idea to attach power lines to walls made of ice.

Although firmly set in the Star Wars universe, the characters also retain much of their personalities from the show and there are enough running gags/moments to remind you that is Family Guy after all.

I've soured a bit on Family Guy over the years - running gags get stale and you reach a limit of how much of always trying to outdo itself or shock the audience you can take. But, as with "Blue Harvest," creator Seth MacFarlane and his crew are at the top of their game. Two releases in, I'm excited about seeing the finale of the original trilogy in "We Have A Bad Feeling," a table read from which is included as one of the DVD's extras.

The feature runs 54 minutes, 38 seconds and there are two full-length extras, a commentary and a "Pop-Up Video"-style version with all sorts of Family Guy "factoids."

The full list of extras:

Commentary by executive producers Seth MacFarlane, Mark Hentemann and David A. Goodman, writer Kirker Butler, director Dominic Polcino and actor Seth Green.

Family Guy Fact-Ups (Pop Up-Video style)

(9:13) The Dark Side of Poster Art Featurette - making of painting/art

(6:39) Animatic with commentary by Dominic Polcino

(49:24) Table read of Acts 1 and 2

(2:25) Sneak preview table read of "Episode VI: We have a Bad Feeling about this table read"

The Collector's Edition Gift Set also includes a nice (although plastic rather than metal) Thermos-brand lunchbox featuring the Family Guy characters in their Star Wars personae.

Read more...

DVD News: FANTASTIC MR. FOX - on DVD & Blu-ray 3/23/10

GEORGE CLOONEY AND MERYL STREEP DIG THE LIFE FANTASTIC IN

DEBUTING AS A BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO PACK MARCH 23

Academy Award®-winning* Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney (Up In The Air) and Meryl Streep (It’s Complicated) lend their voices to the hilarious, heartwarming and dazzling stop-motion animated adventure from visionary director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenebaums) Fantastic Mr. Fox, arriving as a Blu-ray Disc/DVD Combo Pack and on DVD March 23 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. In there-imagined classic family tale, Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) live a happy home life with their eccentric son Ash (Jason Schwartzman: The Darjeeling Limited) and visiting nephew Kristopherson. That is until Mr. Fox slips into his sneaky, old ways and plots the greatest heist the animal world has ever seen. When mean old farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean join forces to surround Mr. Fox and his family, they don’t realize they are not dealing with any old fox – it’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and he has a fantastic master plan to save the day!

Based on the beloved best-selling book by Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Fantastic Mr. Fox is family fun at its finest. Anderson employs a colorful supporting cast to bring his eccentric characters to life including Bill Murray (Lost In Translation), Owen Wilson (Marley & Me) and Willem Dafoe (Spiderman triology). Packed with behind-the-scenes bonus features, including a special inside look at how stop-motion animation really works and much more, Fantastic Mr. Fox will be available as a Blu-ray Disc/DVD Combo Pack (Blu-ray, DVD and a Digital Copy**) for the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S. / $49.99 Canada and available on standard DVD for $29.98 U.S. / $43.48 Canada. Prebook is February 24.

Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Special Features: (Catalog # 2265755)
Disc One Blu-ray
• Making Mr. Fox Fantastic
o The Look Of Fantastic Mr. Fox
o >From Script To Screen
o The Puppet Makers
o Still Life (Puppet Animation)
o The Cast
o Bill And His Badger
• A Beginner’s Guide To Whack-Bat
• Fantastic Mr. Fox: The World Of Roald Dahl

Disc Two
• Fantastic Mr. Fox widescreen feature film (16x9 1.85:1)
• From Script to Screen
• Still Life (Puppet Animation)
• A Beginner’s Guide to Whack-Bat

Disc Three
• Digital Copy of Fantastic Mr. Fox (Blu-ray Disc exclusive)

Single Disc DVD Special Features: (Catalog # 2265568)
• Fantastic Mr. Fox widescreen feature film (16x9 1.85:1)
• From Script to Screen
• Still Life (Puppet Animation)
• A Beginner’s Guide to Whack-Bat

Read more...

DVD News: SIMPSONS: SEASON 20 TV SPOT

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Movie Review: Avatar (20th Century Fox)

Avatar is a contradiction, both stunningly new and yet full of familiar cliche. Ultimately, though, James Cameron has pushed the technology of film-making to an entirely new pinnacle. Viewed in IMAX 3-D, as I saw it, Avatar is simply unlike anything we've ever seen before. The best achievements of previous effects-driven films were to push us from an initial suspension of disbelief into an acceptance of a new and different world, despite the cracks in its facade. Avatar is, I believe, capable of taking even the most cynical viewer...me...and forcing us to accept the vision, because it is just too beautiful to ignore.

Let us dispel any doubt, first; there is nothing new in Avatar. All the "Dances with Thunder-Smurfs" or "Fern Gully in Space" jokes floating around out there in Geek circles are entirely apt. There is nothing new in this story. Nothing. Everything that you expect to happen is going to happen. As I was watching it, when Neytiri explains the role of the giant flying beast, the Toruk, in Na'vi society, I leaned over to my wife and said "I'll bet you five thousand dollars Jake flies one before the end of the film." Spoiler alert: don't take that bet.

And yet, despite the predictability of the story, despite the fact that I saw every single plot development coming, I loved every second I spent in that theater. Cameron brought a different world to life in a way no other director has, not even Peter Jackson. No, the film is not necessarily better than comparable epic films, not in the storytelling sense. But it is more vivid and more beautiful. The film's central dichotomy of nature vs. technology is simple, ham-fisted, and telegraphed from the opening act, yes. But once the film got to Pandora in all its bioluminescent glory I did not care. I just wanted to see more. The irony that this message was brought to the screen via specially developed technology does not, I think, concern the filmmakers.

If it weren't for the huge leap forward it represents, Avatar would be a sharply executed but thoroughly mediocre film. The only performance that really stood out to me was Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, who stole most every scene she was in. Sam Worthington's ascent to stardrom mystifies me; I find him forgettable and bland. Inoffensive, never bad, but I can't imagine anyone going to the movie to see a movie because Sam Worthington is in it, despite the fact that Hollywood seems bent on pushing him into star territory. Stephen Lang chews the scenery into a fine froth as the overdone Colonel Quaritch. Giovanni Ribisi puts on a thinly veiled parody of George W. Bush; he is not helped by dialogue that asks him to tell his PR people to "win hearts and minds" and his military to "fight terror with terror." If you want to see the allegory, it's there. It's there like a hammer blow to the forehead, really. It is hard to comment on the 'performance' of the actors vis a vis the motion capture of the Na'vi and Avatar-driver actors; Weaver's avatar looked and seemed like a Sigourney Weaver character, so that's probably a mark in its favor. But I did not feel a connection to the characters the way I did with Gollum; probably not a fair comparison there, or perhaps I just connect more easily to twisted, evil hobbit-like beings than I do tall, beautiful, graceful cat-people.

And at the risk of repeating myself, it doesn't matter. The unfathomable spectacle that Cameron has put on the screen quite simply deserves to be seen, if you care about film, if you care about science fiction, if you care about technology. Sure, the film leaves some questions unanswered; what exactly is at stake for the humans in their colonization of Pandora, for instance? And yes, just to drive the point home, you've seen, or read, or heard this story before. Even so, perhaps it would've been impossible to tell a new story using this method. Perhaps it had to be an old, familiar story for the reality of Pandora to creep up on us and take hold. And perhaps the level Avatar works best on is as a metaphor for watching movies. In our favorite movies, we recline in a dark, cool place and get to live another life for a few hours. Jake Sully does much the same thing, only he truly lives a different, more vibrant, more meaningful life. Avatar is going to change filmmaking; I thought that was a preposterous boast when on James Cameron's part, but it's true. Epic, 'event' movies will probably be judged on how they stack up against it, the way they were once measured against Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. If you are interested in big movies, see it, see it in a theater, in 3-D, in IMAX if possible. I did nothing but mock Cameron and the trailers when I saw them. Nobody could convince me that this movie was going to be as special or important as it was pretending to be. I scoffed. One hour of giant alien fauna and luminous flora, I was completely convinced. Cameron and Avatar have changed the game. Try to keep up.

Dan Ford
Staff Reviewer Read more...

DVD News: THE SIMPSONS: SEASON 20 - on DVD & Blu-ray 1/12/09

CELEBRATING ITS TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY THE SIMPSONS DELIVER A FRANCHISE FIRST: BLU-RAY!

America Toasts The Animated Family’s Two Decades Of Hysterical Hijinks And Their First Ever Blu-ray Release Arriving On January 12 From Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Collection Features Exclusive Hand-Drawn Menus From Creator Matt Groening

In January 1990 television history was made as households across the country were introduced to a one-of-a-kind family whose outrageous antics and wild behavior made them an institution of prime-time television and a pop culture staple over the next two-plus decades. Now, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment celebrates this historic milestone when “The Simpsons” Season 20 Blu-ray and DVD collection arrives January 12, marking the show’s first time ever in high-definition. Series creator Matt Groening has added his own special touch by drawing all-new menus for both the Blu-ray and DVD, creating another keepsake memento for “The Simpsons” fans. Highly collectible packaging will also include a character layout of Springfield’s most favorite characters sure to challenge the ultimate Simpsons fan to name them all.

A show that has remained culturally significant and hugely popular with audiences for over 20 years, the latest DVD collection features every outrageous episode from the 2008-09 season, including the family’s hilarious trip to Ireland, Homer and Ned’s turn as bounty hunters and Bart trading lives with a multi-millionaire lookalike of himself. The show’s impressive who’s who of guest stars continues with the likes of Denis Leary, Joe Montana, Marv Albert, Mark Cuban, Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, Ellen Page, Jodie Foster and Kelsey Grammer, returning for his 11th time as Bart’s nemesis, Sideshow Bob.

“The Simpsons” Season 20 includes a total of 21 hilarious episodes and features “The Twentieth Anniversary Special Sneak Peak” by Academy Award nominee Morgan Spurlock. Available in collectible packaging for a limited time only, the Blu-ray Disc will be available for a suggested retail price of $59.99 U.S. while the DVD will be available for $49.98 U.S. Prebook is December 16.

Blu-Ray Disc Content
Disc One:
o Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes
o Lost Verizon
o Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
o Treehouse of Horror XIX
o Dangerous Curves
o Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
o Mypods and Boomsticks
o The Burns and the Bees
o Lisa the Drama Queen
o Additional Bonus Features Include:
• “The Twentieth Anniversary Special Sneak Peak by Morgan Spurlock”

Disc Two:
o Take My Life, Please
o How The Test Was Won
o No Loan Again, Naturally
o Gone Maggie Gone
o In The Name of the Grandfather
o Wedding for Disaster
o Eeny Teeny Maya Moe
o The Good, The Sad and The Drugly
o Father Knows Worst
o Waverly Hills
o Four Great Women and a Manicure
o Coming to Homerica

DVD Content
Disc One:
o Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes
o Lost Verizon
o Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
o Treehouse of Horror XIX
o Dangerous Curves
o Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words

Disc Two:
o Mypods and Boomsticks
o The Burns and the Bees
o Lisa the Drama Queen
o Take My Life, Please
o How The Test Was Won

Disc Three:
o No Loan Again, Naturally
o Gone Maggie Gone
o In The Name of the Grandfather
o Wedding for Disaster
o Eeny Teeny Maya Moe

Disc Four:
o The Good, The Sad and The Drugly
o Father Knows Worst
o Waverly Hills
o Four Great Women and a Manicure
o Coming to Homerica
o Additional Bonus Features Include:
• “The Twentieth Anniversary Special Sneak Peak by Morgan Spurlock”

“THE SIMPSONS” SEASON TWENTY
Street Date: January 12, 2010
Screen Format: Fullscreen (All)
Audio: English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio / 5.1 Dolby Digital in Spanish & French (BD)
English 5.1 Dolby Surround / Stereo in Spanish & French (DVD)
Subtitles: English & Spanish (All)
U.S. Rating: NR
Running Time: 482 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes Read more...

DVD News: Retail Exclusive: Family Guy: Something Something Something Dark Side Gets Exclusive only at Best Buy on December 22nd!!

FAMILY GUY LIMITED EDITION MERCHANDISE GOES RETRO WITH COLLECTOR’S SET INSPIRED BY STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STIKES BACK

“Family Guy” fans and Star Wars aficionados alike, promise to have a very special holiday with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s limited edition “Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side” Blu-ray Disc Collector’s Set – only available at Best Buy. The farce is strong for fans with this exclusive set as it includes a new specially created Lucasfilm-approved lunchbox - based on the original 1980’s fan-favorite The Empire Strikes Back box and featuring the Griffin gang – Peter as Han Solo, Lois as Princess Leia, Chris as Luke Skywalker and Brian as Chewbacca. The set also comes with a t-shirt emblazoned with “Family Guy’s” ever-popular character Ernie the Giant Chicken as Boba Fett and a Blu-ray Disc of the new feature.

“’Family Guy’ and Star Wars are two franchises that continue to have fans with shared enthusiasm that is unrivaled. We wanted to create something special for them in honor of “Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side,” said Mary Daily, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

The “Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side” Blu-ray Disc Collector’s Set is available December 22, just in time for the holidays, exclusively at Best Buy.

The follow up to the Star Wars spoof Blue Harvest, the saga continues in “Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side.” Luke, Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca have evaded the dreaded Imperial Starfleet led by the cunning, conniving and curiously short evil lord Darth Vader (Stewie), setting up a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth. With the rebellion in trouble, young Skywalker must take the advice of his late, and rather lascivious, mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Herbert) and learn the ways of the “farce” under Jedi Master Yoda (Carl) to save the galaxy once and for all.

Read more...

DVD News: 'Family Guy' Cast Celebrates Blu-ray & the Holidays!

SETH MACFARLANE STRIKES BACK AND HOSTS THE WINTER SOIREE OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Cast Members Seth Green and Mike Henry Joined Guests Including Katee Sackhoff, Alyssa Milano, Bill Maher, Paris Hilton And More To Toast Exclusive Blu-ray Disc and DVD Release

A snowy Winter Wonderland affair with a Dark Side of its own, Seth MacFarlane rolled out the carpet for the “Family Guy” Something, Something, Something, Dark Side” Blu-ray Disc and DVD Premiere Party at his home in Los Angeles. Set against a Star Wars theme, a twinkling landscape of lanterns, candles, candy canes and gingerbread houses invited guests into a holiday escape, including a theater style orchestra led by Emmy Award-winning composer Ron Jones!

The follow up to the Star Wars spoof Blue Harvest, the saga continues in “Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side,” debuting exclusively on Blu-ray Disc and DVD December 22 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.