Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3 Movie Trailer
Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Captain America The First Avenger Video Trailer
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci. The film tells the story of Steve Rogers, a sickly man from Brooklyn who is transformed into super soldier Captain America to help the war effort. Captain America must also stop Red Skull, Adolf Hitler's ruthless head of weaponry and leader of a terrorist organization, who intends to use a mysterious tesseract energy-source for world domination.
Captain America: The First Avenger began as a concept in 1997, and was scheduled to be distributed by Artisan Entertainment. However, a lawsuit, not settled until September 2003, disrupted the project. After Marvel Studios received a grant from Merrill Lynch, the project was set up at Paramount Pictures. Directors Jon Favreau and Louis Leterrier were interested in directing the project before Johnston was approached in 2008. The principal characters were cast between March and June 2010. Production of Captain America: The First Avenger began in June 2010, and filming took place in London, Manchester and Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and Los Angeles in the United States. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
Captain America: The First Avenger premiered in Hollywood on July 19, 2011, and was released in the United States on July 22, 2011. The film became a critical success and has grossed $286.2 million worldwide as of August 2011.
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger began as a concept in 1997, and was scheduled to be distributed by Artisan Entertainment. However, a lawsuit, not settled until September 2003, disrupted the project. After Marvel Studios received a grant from Merrill Lynch, the project was set up at Paramount Pictures. Directors Jon Favreau and Louis Leterrier were interested in directing the project before Johnston was approached in 2008. The principal characters were cast between March and June 2010. Production of Captain America: The First Avenger began in June 2010, and filming took place in London, Manchester and Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and Los Angeles in the United States. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
Captain America: The First Avenger premiered in Hollywood on July 19, 2011, and was released in the United States on July 22, 2011. The film became a critical success and has grossed $286.2 million worldwide as of August 2011.
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America The First Avenger
Captain America The First Avenger
The Smurfs 2011 Movie Video Trailer & Free Pictures
The Smurfs is a 2011 American 3D family film based on The Smurfs comic book series created by Peyo and the 1980s animated TV series it spawned. It was directed by Raja Gosnell and stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Winters, Hank Azaria, Jayma Mays, and Sofía Vergara. It is the first CGI/live-action hybrid film to be produced by Sony Pictures Animation and in The Smurfs trilogy.[3] During early production the film was known as The Smurfs Movie.
After five years of negotiations, Jordan Kerner bought the rights in 2002 and was in development with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies until Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation obtained the film rights in 2008. Filming began in March 2010 in New York City.
After having the release date changed three times, Columbia Pictures released The Smurfs on July 29, 2011. Box office analysts initially predicted the film would tie with Cowboys & Aliens, but The Smurfs ultimately came in second grossing $35.6 million against Cowboys & Aliens's $36.4 million. The Smurfs received generally negative reviews from film critics but has been a box office success, and CinemaScore polls showed a positive score from audience voters.
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
2.1 Live action actors
2.2 Voice actors
3 Production
3.1 Development
3.2 Filming and animation
4 Release
4.1 Box office
5 Reception
6 Sequel
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
[edit] Plot
The film begins with the Smurfs getting ready for the Blue Moon Festival. In his home, Papa Smurf sees a vision of the Smurfs in cages, Clumsy Smurf holding a dragon wand, and Gargamel being powerful. He decides to suspend Clumsy from picking Smurf Roots, but Clumsy secretly does so anyway. However, Gargamel sees him and follows him into the village. The Smurfs all flee, and Clumsy runs into a forbidden cave. Papa, Smurfette, Grouchy, Brainy and Gutsy notice this and hurry after him. They find him at the edge of a cliff, and while trying to help him up, they are sucked into a giant vortex, leading to New York. Patrick and Grace, a married and expectant couple, befriend them and allow them to stay in their apartment.
Papa learns that he will be able to get them all home in a couple nights. But first, he must figure out the spell to do so. Patrick tells them that there is an old book store in the city, and they head there to get a spell book. After lots of searching, they find one of their own comic books, containing the spell. Gargamel hears where they are, so he sneaks into the book store and finds a dragon wand, which he then steals. He uses the dragon wand to abduct Papa. The Smurfs promise Papa that they won't try to save him. However, Clumsy stayed behind, so he plans a rescue, along with Patrick. The other Smurfs agree to help. Meanwhile, Gargamel is going to remove the "Smurf essence" from Papa and charge it into the dragon wand, which would make him more powerful than anything else in the world.
Patrick and the Smurfs battle Gargamel while Smurfette saves Papa. Also, Brainy reads the spell and opens up the portal, allowing him to go home and round up his friends. They, too, join the fight. Gargamel captures Papa again and throws him into the air, but Patrick catches him. Right before Gargamel can destroy them both, Gutsy knocks the dragon wand out of his hand. Clumsy tries to catch it, and Papa believes that he will fail, but, much to Papa's surprise, he manages to catch it. Without his dragon wand, Gargamel is powerless, and Papa destroys the wand once and for all, and the Smurfs all return home. A series of still images during the credits reveal that Patrick and Grace had a baby boy, and that they named him Blue, and Smurfs rebuilding their home, just like what humans have.
[edit] Cast
[edit] Live action actors
Neil Patrick Harris as Patrick Winslow
Jayma Mays as Grace Winslow
Hank Azaria as Gargamel, the arch-nemesis and antagonist of the Smurfs who plots to use the Smurfs as part of a spell which would turn lead into gold. As opposed to the television show where Gargamel's goal is use the Smurfs as the key ingredient in an alchemical formula to create gold, in the film he wants to capture them to serve as charms, "whose mystical essence will make his inept magic more powerful — and dangerous".[4] To look the part of Gargamel, Azaria wore a prosthetic nose, ears, buck teeth, eyebrows and a wig (to make the process easier, he shaved his head). The initial make-up test took three hours, but by mid-production the process took 90 minutes to complete. Azaria was transformed over 50 times and spent approximately 130 hours in the make-up chair.[5]
Sofía Vergara as Odile, an executive at a French cosmetics company who is the boss of Patrick Winslow
Tim Gunn as Henri, an Executive Assistant at a major cosmetics company
Joan Rivers, Liz Smith, Tom Colicchio, Olivia Palermo and Michael Musto make cameos in the film at a fictional Anjelou cosmetics product launch.[5]
[edit] Voice actors
Further information: List of The Smurfs characters
Perry (pictured in 2008) was chosen by the filmmakers before ever auditioning for the role.
Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf. Winters also provided the voice of Grandpa Smurf in the 1981 cartoon series.
Katy Perry as Smurfette. About gaining the voice role, Perry said: "They had done a blind test where they took certain voices from previous interviews and matched them with the character. They liked my voice without even knowing who it was, and when they found out it was me, they thought that would work out. My personality was just a plus!"[5]
Fred Armisen as Brainy Smurf
Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smurf, one of three Smurfs created specifically for the film and who is Scottish, wears a kilt, and has sideburns. The character is also described as the "action hero" of the film.[5]
Anton Yelchin as Clumsy Smurf. Yelchin commented on his character's personality change from the cartoons series saying, "I was familiar with Clumsy from the TV series, where he had that Southern twang. I went back and watched that, and then Raja, Jordan and I talked about it. We decided to make Clumsy a little simpler, a little sweeter. His voice is pitched higher than my normal speaking voice – it's full of joy, optimism, and enthusiasm for life. Clumsy isn't trying to mess anything up for anybody — he's just clumsy, and actually, he‘s tired of being clumsy".[5]
George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf. To prepare for his role of being "grouchy", Lopez did not drink coffee, made sure he had bad breath and picked the busiest time to get to the studio.[5]
Jeff Foxworthy as Handy Smurf
Paul Reubens as Jokey Smurf
Gary Basaraba as Hefty Smurf
John Oliver as Vanity Smurf
Kenan Thompson as Greedy Smurf
B. J. Novak as Baker Smurf
Joel McCrary as Farmer Smurf
Wolfgang Puck as Chef Smurf
John Kassir as Crazy Smurf, the second Smurf created specifically for the film
Tom Kane as Narrator Smurf, the third Smurf created specifically for the film
Frank Welker as Azrael, Gargamel's cat[6] Welker provided the voice of Hefty Smurf in the 1981 cartoon series. Four cats played the role of Azreal with some scenes being created with CGI by Tippett Studio. Animal trainer Larry Madrid had a "rare Burma cat" that was used to educe snarls from the other cats since they did not like him.[5]
[edit] Production
[edit] Development
In 1997, producer Jordan Kerner sent the first "of a series of letters" to The Smurfs' licensing agent Lafig Belgium expressing interest in making a feature film. It was not until 2002 after a draft of Kerner's film adaptation of Charlotte's Web was read by Peyo's heirs, that they accepted Kerner's offer. Peyo's daughter Véronique Culliford and family had wanted to make a Smurfs film for years and said that Kerner was the first person to pitch a film that shared their "vision and enthusiasm".[5] Kerner soon began developing the 3-D CGI feature film with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.[7][8] In 2006, Kerner said the film was planned to be a trilogy and would explain more of Gargamel's backstory. He stated, "We'll learn [more] about Gargamel and Smurf Soup and how all that began and what really goes on in that castle. What his backstory really was. There's an all-powerful wizard… there’s all sorts of things that get revealed as we go along".[7] Early animation footage was leaked on the internet in early 2008.[9] The filmmakers were allowed to create three new Smurfs for the film – Panicky, Crazy, and Gutsy.[5]
In June 2008, it was announced that Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation obtained the film rights from Lafig Belgium.[10] Kerner said the current project started with Sony during a conversation with the chairman-CEO Michael Lynton, who grew up watching The Smurfs in the Netherlands. Kerner explained, "He relished them as I do and suggested that it should be a live-action/CG film. Amy Pascal felt equally that there was potentially a series of films in the making".[8] Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third writers, David Stem and David Weiss wrote the screenplay along with Zookeeper writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn; Stem and Weiss also wrote the story. Raja Gosnell directed.[8][11] Quentin Tarantino was in talks to play Brainy Smurf.[12]
[edit] Filming and animation
On a budget of $110 million,[1] principal photography began in New York City on March 26, 2010.[13] In May, scenes were filmed in the SoHo of Manhattan.[14] That month, scenes were shot all night for five nights in a row at F.A.O. Schwartz toy store.[5] Production was temporarily halted after a worker fell 30 feet from a set at the toy store on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street; he later recovered in a hospital.[15] Other locations used for filming were Belvedere Castle, the Russian Tea Room, Rockefeller Center, and Brooklyn's Prospect Park.[5] A Belvedere Castle set was built as an exact replica of the real castle, but is two-thirds the actual size and has wooden grates as floors to create additional contrast. Gargamel's dungeon under Belvedere Castle, which included the "Smurfalator", was built on a soundstage. It took three months to build because some parts were hard to come by. Production eventually found the rare parts at garage sales, flea markets, on eBay and Craigslist.[5]
In order to help the Smurfs' animators during post-production, cinematographer Phil Meheux and his team would light up a scene where the Smurfs would be digitally added using 7 and one half-inch tall models to stand in during set-up and rehearsals. He explained, "We can then position the light so that it falls right. The actors know where the Smurf will be when it is animated later, so their eyelines will match. Then we can take out the model and shoot the scene, and they look quite real, fitting the real backing that we're giving them. It looks like they're part of the surroundings".[5] Also during the process the Imageworks visual effects team used a new camera system to precisely record the on-set lighting, so it could be applied later in the computer.[5] When time came to film a scene that would include actors and Smurfs, each Smurf was represented by a different colored dot and the actors had to remember which dot was which Smurf. The Smurf characters were created during post-production by 268 Sony Pictures Imageworks employees who spent around 358,000 hours animating. Character designer Allen Battino, a long time Kerner collaborator, was brought in to redesign the characters for CGI.[5]
[edit] Release
The film's North American theatrical release date was originally December 17, 2010, but it was pushed to July 29, 2011.[16] It was pushed back again to August 3, 2011.[17] On March 25, 2011, the release date was reverted back to July 29, 2011.[18] For marketing, Sony teamed up with marketing partners in the United States and Canada to promote the film with McDonald's Happy Meals and with Post Foods brand cereal with special blue-and-white cereal box.[1]
[edit] Box office
The Smurfs opened on approximately 5,300 screens at 3,395 locations,[19] with 2,042 locations being 3D-enabled theaters.[20] On July 28, 2011, Exhibitor Relations predicted The Smurfs would rank third its opening weekend with $24 million but analyst Jeff Bock added that the film "could be a dark horse and do better than expected".[21] That same day, John Young of Entertainment Weekly predicted a $32 million opening and a second place ranking behind Cowboys & Aliens. He also stated that the ticket service Fandango reported that the film was leading in ticket sales.[20] The Smurfs came in number one on Friday making an $13.2 million, ahead of Cowboys & Aliens $13 million.[22] According to Sony's research, 65% of Smurfs' audience was parents (40%) and their children under 12 years old (25%). Overall the audience breakdown was reported as 64% female and 55% age 25 years and older.[23]
Estimates later showed that Cowboys & Aliens and The Smurfs were tied at the number spot for the weekend with $36.2 million each.[24] However, actual figures showed Cowboys & Aliens won the weekend with $36.4 million just beating The Smurfs's $35.6 million. The Smurfs's opening was still stronger than anticipated since some box office analysts predicted that it would open below $30 million.[25] For its second weekend the film remained at number two with Rise of the Planet of the Apes taking Cowboys & Aliens's spot.[26] It made $20.7 million (41% being from 3D showings), a 42% decrease from it opening weekend.[27]
The Smurfs opened to $4.4 million from seven territories with Spain taking in $4 million of that total.[28] On its second weekend it expanded to 42 territories, taking first place in most of its markets and grossing $45.2 million. Among the markets the film opened in first place were Brazil ($6.65 million), France ($5.93 million), Mexico ($5.53 million) and Germany ($5.43 million).[29] As of August 15, 2011, the film has grossed $104.05 million in the United States and Canada, with $141.1 million in other markets, for a worldwide total of $245.15 million.[2]
Release date
(United States) Budget Box office revenue[2]
United States/Canada Other markets Worldwide
July 29, 2011 $110,000,000[1] $106,544,860 $141,100,000 $247,644,860
[edit] Reception
The film received generally negative reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 22% of 92 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 4 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states [that] "The Smurfs assembles an undeniably talented cast of voice actors and live-action stars -- then crushes them beneath a blue mound of lowest-common-denominator kiddie fare".[30] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 30 based on 22 reviews.[31] Despite mostly negative reviews from critics, CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was an A minus on an A plus to F scale and an "A" from audiences under the age of 18.[22]
Neil Patrick Harris was praised for his performance in a film with otherwise generally negative reviews.
Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D+ saying, "The Smurfs may be blue, but their movie is decidedly green, recycling discarded bits from other celluloid Happy Meals like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, and Hop into something half animated, half live action, and all careful studio calculation".[32] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a negative review saying, "This numbingly generic Smurf-out-of-water-tale is strictly for those who stand closer to three apples tall." Ending the review he said, "Having previously helmed two Scooby-Doos and a Beverly Hills Chihuahua, director Raja Gosnell could probably have done this one in his sleep, which is likely where all but the most attentive of caregivers will helplessly find themselves drifting."[33]
Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel gave it two out of four stars saying, "The good news about the big-screen 3D version of The Smurfs that's opening at your neighborhood multiplex is that it’s not the insipid and some say "socialist" Smurfs you remember from 1980s TV". He called the slapstick "very small-kid friendly" and considered the adult-friendly jokes "pretty mild stuff". He closed his review saying, "Yeah, the Smurfs are still sickeningly sweet and upbeat. But if you've got kids, it's not nearly as torturous to sit through as you might have feared".[34] Justin Chang of Variety described the film as "adorable and annoying, patently unnecessary yet kinda sweet" and calling it "a calculated commercial enterprise with little soul but an appreciable amount of heart". He said, "The script does wink knowingly in the direction of attentive adults".[35]
San Francisco Chronicle's Peter Hartlaub gave the film a mixed review. He said The Smurfs is a "rare movie where the worst parts are in the promos". He called Harris' performance an "honest effort in a thankless role" but said that Azaria as Gargamel "Hidden under prosthetics, [Hank Azaria] compensates for his lack of good lines and repulsive makeup by overacting". He closed his review saying, "Harris, mostly acting against Marshmallow Peep-sized animated creations, is convincing and likable throughout. No doubt he will poke fun at his participation in this film the next time he's hosting an awards show, but don't be fooled. It takes a good actor to save a bad movie".[36] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe criticized the CGI used on the cat, the use of 3D by calling it "needless" and Lopez's voice as Grouchy. He called the Smurf rap the worst part of the film. However, Burr echoed Harlaub's praise for Harris' performance by saying, "Harris manages to class up whatever he touches, even if the sight of him repeatedly hitting himself with an umbrella probably won't go on the career highlight reel". About Azaria, he said, "[Azaria] gets to put on a baldy wig and fake buck-teeth and overact as broadly as he can. A little of this goes a long way unless you're 6 years old, which is the point". He also added that Sofia Vergara "shares the screenplay's confusion as to what, exactly, she's doing here".[37]
USA Today's Scott Bowles enjoyed Azaria's performance calling him "the human standout" and saying "He and his distrusting cat, Azrael, steal scenes". He also called Jonathan Winters "wonderful" as Papa Smurf.[38] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times said Azaria was "quite funny". About the film's content, he said "Those grown-up winks, along with an array of New York locations, make The Smurfs a surprisingly tolerable film for adults. As for their children, well, who knows with kids? But at least the writers have cleverly built in enough Smurfology that today's youngsters will be able to get the basics of the blue universe".[39] Betsy Sharkey from the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review saying, "Director Raja Gosnell starts with the innocence but then loses his way in trying to pull off the hipster spin the script by J. David Stern, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick and David Ronn is shooting for." and "There are many good actors wasted as voices — Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen and Winters among them — and in the flesh, though the greatest disservice is to Azaria".[40]
[edit] Sequel
The Smurfs 2011
The Smurfs 2011
The Smurfs 2011
The Smurfs 2011
The Smurfs 2011
After five years of negotiations, Jordan Kerner bought the rights in 2002 and was in development with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies until Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation obtained the film rights in 2008. Filming began in March 2010 in New York City.
After having the release date changed three times, Columbia Pictures released The Smurfs on July 29, 2011. Box office analysts initially predicted the film would tie with Cowboys & Aliens, but The Smurfs ultimately came in second grossing $35.6 million against Cowboys & Aliens's $36.4 million. The Smurfs received generally negative reviews from film critics but has been a box office success, and CinemaScore polls showed a positive score from audience voters.
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
2.1 Live action actors
2.2 Voice actors
3 Production
3.1 Development
3.2 Filming and animation
4 Release
4.1 Box office
5 Reception
6 Sequel
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
[edit] Plot
The film begins with the Smurfs getting ready for the Blue Moon Festival. In his home, Papa Smurf sees a vision of the Smurfs in cages, Clumsy Smurf holding a dragon wand, and Gargamel being powerful. He decides to suspend Clumsy from picking Smurf Roots, but Clumsy secretly does so anyway. However, Gargamel sees him and follows him into the village. The Smurfs all flee, and Clumsy runs into a forbidden cave. Papa, Smurfette, Grouchy, Brainy and Gutsy notice this and hurry after him. They find him at the edge of a cliff, and while trying to help him up, they are sucked into a giant vortex, leading to New York. Patrick and Grace, a married and expectant couple, befriend them and allow them to stay in their apartment.
Papa learns that he will be able to get them all home in a couple nights. But first, he must figure out the spell to do so. Patrick tells them that there is an old book store in the city, and they head there to get a spell book. After lots of searching, they find one of their own comic books, containing the spell. Gargamel hears where they are, so he sneaks into the book store and finds a dragon wand, which he then steals. He uses the dragon wand to abduct Papa. The Smurfs promise Papa that they won't try to save him. However, Clumsy stayed behind, so he plans a rescue, along with Patrick. The other Smurfs agree to help. Meanwhile, Gargamel is going to remove the "Smurf essence" from Papa and charge it into the dragon wand, which would make him more powerful than anything else in the world.
Patrick and the Smurfs battle Gargamel while Smurfette saves Papa. Also, Brainy reads the spell and opens up the portal, allowing him to go home and round up his friends. They, too, join the fight. Gargamel captures Papa again and throws him into the air, but Patrick catches him. Right before Gargamel can destroy them both, Gutsy knocks the dragon wand out of his hand. Clumsy tries to catch it, and Papa believes that he will fail, but, much to Papa's surprise, he manages to catch it. Without his dragon wand, Gargamel is powerless, and Papa destroys the wand once and for all, and the Smurfs all return home. A series of still images during the credits reveal that Patrick and Grace had a baby boy, and that they named him Blue, and Smurfs rebuilding their home, just like what humans have.
[edit] Cast
[edit] Live action actors
Neil Patrick Harris as Patrick Winslow
Jayma Mays as Grace Winslow
Hank Azaria as Gargamel, the arch-nemesis and antagonist of the Smurfs who plots to use the Smurfs as part of a spell which would turn lead into gold. As opposed to the television show where Gargamel's goal is use the Smurfs as the key ingredient in an alchemical formula to create gold, in the film he wants to capture them to serve as charms, "whose mystical essence will make his inept magic more powerful — and dangerous".[4] To look the part of Gargamel, Azaria wore a prosthetic nose, ears, buck teeth, eyebrows and a wig (to make the process easier, he shaved his head). The initial make-up test took three hours, but by mid-production the process took 90 minutes to complete. Azaria was transformed over 50 times and spent approximately 130 hours in the make-up chair.[5]
Sofía Vergara as Odile, an executive at a French cosmetics company who is the boss of Patrick Winslow
Tim Gunn as Henri, an Executive Assistant at a major cosmetics company
Joan Rivers, Liz Smith, Tom Colicchio, Olivia Palermo and Michael Musto make cameos in the film at a fictional Anjelou cosmetics product launch.[5]
[edit] Voice actors
Further information: List of The Smurfs characters
Perry (pictured in 2008) was chosen by the filmmakers before ever auditioning for the role.
Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf. Winters also provided the voice of Grandpa Smurf in the 1981 cartoon series.
Katy Perry as Smurfette. About gaining the voice role, Perry said: "They had done a blind test where they took certain voices from previous interviews and matched them with the character. They liked my voice without even knowing who it was, and when they found out it was me, they thought that would work out. My personality was just a plus!"[5]
Fred Armisen as Brainy Smurf
Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smurf, one of three Smurfs created specifically for the film and who is Scottish, wears a kilt, and has sideburns. The character is also described as the "action hero" of the film.[5]
Anton Yelchin as Clumsy Smurf. Yelchin commented on his character's personality change from the cartoons series saying, "I was familiar with Clumsy from the TV series, where he had that Southern twang. I went back and watched that, and then Raja, Jordan and I talked about it. We decided to make Clumsy a little simpler, a little sweeter. His voice is pitched higher than my normal speaking voice – it's full of joy, optimism, and enthusiasm for life. Clumsy isn't trying to mess anything up for anybody — he's just clumsy, and actually, he‘s tired of being clumsy".[5]
George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf. To prepare for his role of being "grouchy", Lopez did not drink coffee, made sure he had bad breath and picked the busiest time to get to the studio.[5]
Jeff Foxworthy as Handy Smurf
Paul Reubens as Jokey Smurf
Gary Basaraba as Hefty Smurf
John Oliver as Vanity Smurf
Kenan Thompson as Greedy Smurf
B. J. Novak as Baker Smurf
Joel McCrary as Farmer Smurf
Wolfgang Puck as Chef Smurf
John Kassir as Crazy Smurf, the second Smurf created specifically for the film
Tom Kane as Narrator Smurf, the third Smurf created specifically for the film
Frank Welker as Azrael, Gargamel's cat[6] Welker provided the voice of Hefty Smurf in the 1981 cartoon series. Four cats played the role of Azreal with some scenes being created with CGI by Tippett Studio. Animal trainer Larry Madrid had a "rare Burma cat" that was used to educe snarls from the other cats since they did not like him.[5]
[edit] Production
[edit] Development
In 1997, producer Jordan Kerner sent the first "of a series of letters" to The Smurfs' licensing agent Lafig Belgium expressing interest in making a feature film. It was not until 2002 after a draft of Kerner's film adaptation of Charlotte's Web was read by Peyo's heirs, that they accepted Kerner's offer. Peyo's daughter Véronique Culliford and family had wanted to make a Smurfs film for years and said that Kerner was the first person to pitch a film that shared their "vision and enthusiasm".[5] Kerner soon began developing the 3-D CGI feature film with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.[7][8] In 2006, Kerner said the film was planned to be a trilogy and would explain more of Gargamel's backstory. He stated, "We'll learn [more] about Gargamel and Smurf Soup and how all that began and what really goes on in that castle. What his backstory really was. There's an all-powerful wizard… there’s all sorts of things that get revealed as we go along".[7] Early animation footage was leaked on the internet in early 2008.[9] The filmmakers were allowed to create three new Smurfs for the film – Panicky, Crazy, and Gutsy.[5]
In June 2008, it was announced that Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation obtained the film rights from Lafig Belgium.[10] Kerner said the current project started with Sony during a conversation with the chairman-CEO Michael Lynton, who grew up watching The Smurfs in the Netherlands. Kerner explained, "He relished them as I do and suggested that it should be a live-action/CG film. Amy Pascal felt equally that there was potentially a series of films in the making".[8] Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third writers, David Stem and David Weiss wrote the screenplay along with Zookeeper writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn; Stem and Weiss also wrote the story. Raja Gosnell directed.[8][11] Quentin Tarantino was in talks to play Brainy Smurf.[12]
[edit] Filming and animation
On a budget of $110 million,[1] principal photography began in New York City on March 26, 2010.[13] In May, scenes were filmed in the SoHo of Manhattan.[14] That month, scenes were shot all night for five nights in a row at F.A.O. Schwartz toy store.[5] Production was temporarily halted after a worker fell 30 feet from a set at the toy store on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street; he later recovered in a hospital.[15] Other locations used for filming were Belvedere Castle, the Russian Tea Room, Rockefeller Center, and Brooklyn's Prospect Park.[5] A Belvedere Castle set was built as an exact replica of the real castle, but is two-thirds the actual size and has wooden grates as floors to create additional contrast. Gargamel's dungeon under Belvedere Castle, which included the "Smurfalator", was built on a soundstage. It took three months to build because some parts were hard to come by. Production eventually found the rare parts at garage sales, flea markets, on eBay and Craigslist.[5]
In order to help the Smurfs' animators during post-production, cinematographer Phil Meheux and his team would light up a scene where the Smurfs would be digitally added using 7 and one half-inch tall models to stand in during set-up and rehearsals. He explained, "We can then position the light so that it falls right. The actors know where the Smurf will be when it is animated later, so their eyelines will match. Then we can take out the model and shoot the scene, and they look quite real, fitting the real backing that we're giving them. It looks like they're part of the surroundings".[5] Also during the process the Imageworks visual effects team used a new camera system to precisely record the on-set lighting, so it could be applied later in the computer.[5] When time came to film a scene that would include actors and Smurfs, each Smurf was represented by a different colored dot and the actors had to remember which dot was which Smurf. The Smurf characters were created during post-production by 268 Sony Pictures Imageworks employees who spent around 358,000 hours animating. Character designer Allen Battino, a long time Kerner collaborator, was brought in to redesign the characters for CGI.[5]
[edit] Release
The film's North American theatrical release date was originally December 17, 2010, but it was pushed to July 29, 2011.[16] It was pushed back again to August 3, 2011.[17] On March 25, 2011, the release date was reverted back to July 29, 2011.[18] For marketing, Sony teamed up with marketing partners in the United States and Canada to promote the film with McDonald's Happy Meals and with Post Foods brand cereal with special blue-and-white cereal box.[1]
[edit] Box office
The Smurfs opened on approximately 5,300 screens at 3,395 locations,[19] with 2,042 locations being 3D-enabled theaters.[20] On July 28, 2011, Exhibitor Relations predicted The Smurfs would rank third its opening weekend with $24 million but analyst Jeff Bock added that the film "could be a dark horse and do better than expected".[21] That same day, John Young of Entertainment Weekly predicted a $32 million opening and a second place ranking behind Cowboys & Aliens. He also stated that the ticket service Fandango reported that the film was leading in ticket sales.[20] The Smurfs came in number one on Friday making an $13.2 million, ahead of Cowboys & Aliens $13 million.[22] According to Sony's research, 65% of Smurfs' audience was parents (40%) and their children under 12 years old (25%). Overall the audience breakdown was reported as 64% female and 55% age 25 years and older.[23]
Estimates later showed that Cowboys & Aliens and The Smurfs were tied at the number spot for the weekend with $36.2 million each.[24] However, actual figures showed Cowboys & Aliens won the weekend with $36.4 million just beating The Smurfs's $35.6 million. The Smurfs's opening was still stronger than anticipated since some box office analysts predicted that it would open below $30 million.[25] For its second weekend the film remained at number two with Rise of the Planet of the Apes taking Cowboys & Aliens's spot.[26] It made $20.7 million (41% being from 3D showings), a 42% decrease from it opening weekend.[27]
The Smurfs opened to $4.4 million from seven territories with Spain taking in $4 million of that total.[28] On its second weekend it expanded to 42 territories, taking first place in most of its markets and grossing $45.2 million. Among the markets the film opened in first place were Brazil ($6.65 million), France ($5.93 million), Mexico ($5.53 million) and Germany ($5.43 million).[29] As of August 15, 2011, the film has grossed $104.05 million in the United States and Canada, with $141.1 million in other markets, for a worldwide total of $245.15 million.[2]
Release date
(United States) Budget Box office revenue[2]
United States/Canada Other markets Worldwide
July 29, 2011 $110,000,000[1] $106,544,860 $141,100,000 $247,644,860
[edit] Reception
The film received generally negative reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 22% of 92 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 4 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states [that] "The Smurfs assembles an undeniably talented cast of voice actors and live-action stars -- then crushes them beneath a blue mound of lowest-common-denominator kiddie fare".[30] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 30 based on 22 reviews.[31] Despite mostly negative reviews from critics, CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was an A minus on an A plus to F scale and an "A" from audiences under the age of 18.[22]
Neil Patrick Harris was praised for his performance in a film with otherwise generally negative reviews.
Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D+ saying, "The Smurfs may be blue, but their movie is decidedly green, recycling discarded bits from other celluloid Happy Meals like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, and Hop into something half animated, half live action, and all careful studio calculation".[32] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a negative review saying, "This numbingly generic Smurf-out-of-water-tale is strictly for those who stand closer to three apples tall." Ending the review he said, "Having previously helmed two Scooby-Doos and a Beverly Hills Chihuahua, director Raja Gosnell could probably have done this one in his sleep, which is likely where all but the most attentive of caregivers will helplessly find themselves drifting."[33]
Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel gave it two out of four stars saying, "The good news about the big-screen 3D version of The Smurfs that's opening at your neighborhood multiplex is that it’s not the insipid and some say "socialist" Smurfs you remember from 1980s TV". He called the slapstick "very small-kid friendly" and considered the adult-friendly jokes "pretty mild stuff". He closed his review saying, "Yeah, the Smurfs are still sickeningly sweet and upbeat. But if you've got kids, it's not nearly as torturous to sit through as you might have feared".[34] Justin Chang of Variety described the film as "adorable and annoying, patently unnecessary yet kinda sweet" and calling it "a calculated commercial enterprise with little soul but an appreciable amount of heart". He said, "The script does wink knowingly in the direction of attentive adults".[35]
San Francisco Chronicle's Peter Hartlaub gave the film a mixed review. He said The Smurfs is a "rare movie where the worst parts are in the promos". He called Harris' performance an "honest effort in a thankless role" but said that Azaria as Gargamel "Hidden under prosthetics, [Hank Azaria] compensates for his lack of good lines and repulsive makeup by overacting". He closed his review saying, "Harris, mostly acting against Marshmallow Peep-sized animated creations, is convincing and likable throughout. No doubt he will poke fun at his participation in this film the next time he's hosting an awards show, but don't be fooled. It takes a good actor to save a bad movie".[36] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe criticized the CGI used on the cat, the use of 3D by calling it "needless" and Lopez's voice as Grouchy. He called the Smurf rap the worst part of the film. However, Burr echoed Harlaub's praise for Harris' performance by saying, "Harris manages to class up whatever he touches, even if the sight of him repeatedly hitting himself with an umbrella probably won't go on the career highlight reel". About Azaria, he said, "[Azaria] gets to put on a baldy wig and fake buck-teeth and overact as broadly as he can. A little of this goes a long way unless you're 6 years old, which is the point". He also added that Sofia Vergara "shares the screenplay's confusion as to what, exactly, she's doing here".[37]
USA Today's Scott Bowles enjoyed Azaria's performance calling him "the human standout" and saying "He and his distrusting cat, Azrael, steal scenes". He also called Jonathan Winters "wonderful" as Papa Smurf.[38] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times said Azaria was "quite funny". About the film's content, he said "Those grown-up winks, along with an array of New York locations, make The Smurfs a surprisingly tolerable film for adults. As for their children, well, who knows with kids? But at least the writers have cleverly built in enough Smurfology that today's youngsters will be able to get the basics of the blue universe".[39] Betsy Sharkey from the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review saying, "Director Raja Gosnell starts with the innocence but then loses his way in trying to pull off the hipster spin the script by J. David Stern, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick and David Ronn is shooting for." and "There are many good actors wasted as voices — Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen and Winters among them — and in the flesh, though the greatest disservice is to Azaria".[40]
[edit] Sequel
The Smurfs 2011
The Smurfs 2011
The Smurfs 2011
The Smurfs 2011
The Smurfs 2011
Cowboys And Aliens No 1 Movie August 2011
Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western film starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film, directed by Jon Favreau, is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Cowboys & Aliens was released in the United States and Canada on July 29, 2011, and in other countries on ensuing weekends.
In 1873, New Mexico Territory, an unnamed loner (Daniel Craig) awakens in the desert injured, with no memory, and a strange metal band shackled to his wrist. He wanders into the small town of Absolution, where the local preacher, Meacham (Clancy Brown), treats his wound. After the stranger subdues Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano), who has been terrorizing the populace, Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine) recognizes him as Jake Lonergan, a wanted outlaw, and tries to arrest him. Jake nearly escapes, but a mysterious woman named Ella Swenson (Olivia Wilde) knocks him out.
Percy's father, Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), a rich and influential cattleman, arrives with his men and demands that Percy be released to him. He also wants Jake, who stole Dolarhyde's gold. During the standoff, alien spaceships begin attacking the town, and Percy, the sheriff, and many townsfolk are abducted. Jake shoots down one ship with a device concealed in his wrist band, ending the attack.
Dolarhyde, Ella, and some townsfolk form a posse to track an alien that may have ejected from the downed ship. Jake, meanwhile, travels to an abandoned cabin, and in a flashback, recalls returning there with the gold just before he and a woman, Alice, were abducted by the aliens. Jake returns to join the posse. During the night, the alien they were tracking appears and kills Meacham.
By the next morning, most of the posse has deserted, and the others are attacked by Jake's former gang. Jake, who stole the gang's loot after their last heist, attempts to retake control, but fails. As he and the others flee, the aliens begin attacking again and Ella is seized. Jake jumps aboard the ship and attacks the alien pilot, causing the ship to crash, but Ella is mortally wounded.
Chiricahua Apaches capture the posse, blaming them for the alien attacks. As Ella's body is dumped on a fire, she is fully resurrected. Ella is actually an alien who traveled to Earth to help resist the invaders after they destroyed her homeworld. The aliens, who have been abducting humans to perform experiments on, are also mining gold to power their machines. They are not invulnerable, however: Jake's gauntlet weapon can kill them, as well as stabbing and shooting, though the creatures are far stronger and more durable than humans and have superior weapons. Ella claims Jake holds the secret to the aliens' whereabouts and says they must stop them before they exterminate all life on the planet. After drinking the Indians' medicinal brew, Jake recalls that Alice died in an alien experiment, but he escaped, inadvertently stealing the alien weapon. He can also remember the aliens' hidden location.
Armed with this knowledge, the group, now led by Colonel Dolarhyde, prepares to attack the aliens' grounded mothership. Jake returns to his old gang and persuades them to join the fight. In a sneak attack, the humans breach the spaceship, forcing the aliens into a ground battle. Jake and Ella board the ship and free the captives, but Jake is captured. Dolarhyde rescues him and both men escape the ship after killing the alien leader. As the remaining aliens are taking off in their damaged craft, Ella sacrifices herself, destroying the ship using Jake's gauntlet.
Jake's memory partially returns, and some abducted townsfolk can recall their past, while others, including Percy Dolarhyde, cannot. Still a wanted man, Jake decides to leave; the sheriff and Dolarhyde say they will claim that he was killed. The citizens intend to rebuild the town with the expectation that the newly discovered gold mine will soon bring many new settlers.
[edit] Cast
The cast includes:
Daniel Craig as Jake Lonergan, a wanted outlaw with amnesia
Harrison Ford as Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde, a powerful and rich cattleman who controls the town of Absolution
Olivia Wilde as Ella Swenson, a mysterious traveler
Sam Rockwell as Doc, a saloon owner
Paul Dano as Percy Dolarhyde, Woodrow's trouble-making son
Clancy Brown as Meacham, a plain-spoken preacher
Keith Carradine as Sheriff John Taggart
Noah Ringer as Emmett Taggart, John Taggart's grandson
Adam Beach as Nat Colorado, Colonel Dolarhyde's right-hand man
Abigail Spencer as Alice, Jake's lost love
Ana de la Reguera as María, Doc's wife
Walton Goggins as Hunt, a bandit
Julio Cesar Cedillo as Bronc, a bandit
David O'Hara as Pat Dolan, Lonergan's former gang-member
Raoul Trujillo as Chiricahua Apache chief, Black Knife
Brendan Wayne as Deputy Lyle
[edit] Production
[edit] Development and casting
The project began development in 1997, when Universal Pictures and DreamWorks bought film rights to a concept pitched by Rosenberg, former president at Malibu Comics, which he described as a graphic novel in development. They hired Steve Oedekerk to write and direct the film, which Oedekerk planned to do after completing Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Rosenberg, who formed Platinum Studios to pursue adapting Cowboys & Aliens and other Malibu Comics properties into film and television, joined as a producer. By 1998, Oedekerk left the project to pursue a remake of the 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet with Jim Carrey.By 2004, the film rights were acquired by Columbia Pictures, who did not move the project beyond development.
In 2006, Rosenberg published Cowboys & Aliens as a graphic novel. In the following year, Universal and DreamWorks partnered again to adapt Cowboys & Aliens into a film.[8] In June 2008, Robert Downey, Jr. entered negotiations to star in the film as Zeke Jackson, a former Union Army gunslinger. While Downey, Jr. was making Iron Man 2, he told director Jon Favreau about Cowboys & Aliens. Favreau investigated the project, and in September 2009, he joined as director.Downey, Jr. left the project in January 2010, to star in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,and later in the month, Daniel Craig was hired to replace him.Favreau said Craig's portrayal as James Bond "brings a certain virtuosity".He also described Craig, "On the one hand, he's like this Jason Bourne type, a leading man who's also a lethal character, but on the other hand, he's also got a lot of humanity and vulnerability to him."
In April 2010, Harrison Ford was cast alongside Craig.[16] Favreau had cast Craig and Ford in the film because they were actors who suited the action-adventure roles so the characters would be less seen as comedic. The director compared Ford, in particular, with John Wayne in having "a sense of history" with the actor and the role.[14] Before Cowboys & Aliens, Ford's only Western film was The Frisco Kid in 1979.While Ford is well-known for playing Indiana Jones, the filmmakers wanted to avoid giving him a cowboy hat that would remind audiences too much of Jones. Writer Alex Kurtzman said, "We needed to make sure that—no pun intended—we tipped a hat to iconography of Harrison Ford and also presented the audience with a very different version."
Olivia Wilde was cast in one of the lead roles, and Favreau called Wilde's character the key to the film. Rockwell was also cast in a supporting role as Doc. The character was described as a large Mexican in the original script,but when Favreau and the writers learned of Rockwell's interest in the film, they reconceived and expanded the role. Favreau himself is known for appearing in his films, but for Cowboys & Aliens, he chose not to have a cameo because he thought it would affect the tone of the film.
When asked about how the film was developing, Rosenberg stated, "It's incredible. Sometimes it's like seeing exactly what was going through my head when I first had that spark in my head as a kid. Jon Favreau's bringing his own talent and vision with the adaptation, but at the same time it remains true to what I was really trying to get at in the original story."
Steven Spielberg, one of the film's executive producers, visited the director and the writers during pre-production to look over the script and the artwork. He provided Favreau with a collection of classic Western films.[] Spielberg also invited the director and the writers to a private screening of several Western films and provided live commentary on how to make one properly.The films included Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and Destry Rides Again.
[edit] Writing
In the film's period as a developing project under several studios, different versions of the screenplay were drafted by numerous screenwriters, beginning with Oedekerk. Other screenwriters involved included David Hayter, Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, Jeffrey Boam, Thompson Evans, and Chris Hauty. When Universal and DreamWorks re-partnered in 2007, they had hired Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus. In 2009, Ostby and Fergus were replaced by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Damon Lindelof.[23] Kurtzman and Orci watched and analyzed American Western films including The Searchers. Orci said, "The first draft was very kind of jokey and broad and then it went very serious. You kind of swing back and forth between the two extremes and the tone until you find the exact right point where a Western and a sci-fi movie can really shake hands without it seeming unnatural."[] "Imagine you're watching Unforgiven and then Aliens land," Orci explained.
Orci also said, "The comic has the themes of enemies uniting to fight a common enemy and has the setting of that specific time period, so we kept the inspiration from all of that. In terms of the specifics of the story and who these characters are, we wanted the audience to be surprised and to not feel like they've already seen everything if they were fans of the comic. So, while the themes and the setting and many of the elements are a great inspiration, the story is completely adapted and translated for live action." The aliens were loosely based on the Anunnaki gods of Zecharia Sitchin's interpretation of the Babylonian religion, who have a distinct interest in gold.
[edit] Filming
On June 30, 2010, principal photography for Cowboys & Aliens began[27] at Albuquerque Studios in New Mexico.[28] One of the filming locations was Plaza Blanca, "The White Place", where Western films like The Missing, 3:10 to Yuma, City Slickers, Young Guns and The Legend of the Lone Ranger had been filmed.[22] Sound stage work took place in Los Angeles, with additional location shooting at Randsburg, California. Filming finished on September 30.
A scene in which Craig's character rides a horse alongside a ravine and jumps down it onto a spacecraft emulated many scenes in American Western films where cowboys rode along a moving train and jumped on it. Favreau said the scene referenced the one in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones chases a truck and noted that a similar scene existed in the 1939 film Stagecoach, saying "We're constantly referencing back to our roots."
[edit] Design and effects
Scott Chambliss was hired as the production designer based on his work on Star Trek, produced by Orci and Kurtzman. The visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic, represented by Roger Guyett as the visual effects supervisor.[31] The film also features practical puppet aliens created by Legacy Effects, under the supervision of Shane Mahan.
Favreau noted that Cowboys & Aliens focused on a specific aspect of the alien genre which mostly revolved around the films of the eighties. "And although we have quite a bit of CG – I like the way they told stories before – before you could show everything with CG. And it was a real unveiling of the creature, little by little, and using lighting and camera work and music to make it a very subjective experience. And so we tried to preserve that here," he pointed out.
Cowboys & Aliens will not be shown in 3-D. When approached with the idea by DreamWorks, Favreau was not interested, stating that Westerns should be shot only on film (as opposed to being shot digitally, which is required for modern 3D technology),[33] and didn't want it to be converted after filming. "That would be like filming in black and white and colorizing it," he reasoned.
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
In 1873, New Mexico Territory, an unnamed loner (Daniel Craig) awakens in the desert injured, with no memory, and a strange metal band shackled to his wrist. He wanders into the small town of Absolution, where the local preacher, Meacham (Clancy Brown), treats his wound. After the stranger subdues Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano), who has been terrorizing the populace, Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine) recognizes him as Jake Lonergan, a wanted outlaw, and tries to arrest him. Jake nearly escapes, but a mysterious woman named Ella Swenson (Olivia Wilde) knocks him out.
Percy's father, Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), a rich and influential cattleman, arrives with his men and demands that Percy be released to him. He also wants Jake, who stole Dolarhyde's gold. During the standoff, alien spaceships begin attacking the town, and Percy, the sheriff, and many townsfolk are abducted. Jake shoots down one ship with a device concealed in his wrist band, ending the attack.
Dolarhyde, Ella, and some townsfolk form a posse to track an alien that may have ejected from the downed ship. Jake, meanwhile, travels to an abandoned cabin, and in a flashback, recalls returning there with the gold just before he and a woman, Alice, were abducted by the aliens. Jake returns to join the posse. During the night, the alien they were tracking appears and kills Meacham.
By the next morning, most of the posse has deserted, and the others are attacked by Jake's former gang. Jake, who stole the gang's loot after their last heist, attempts to retake control, but fails. As he and the others flee, the aliens begin attacking again and Ella is seized. Jake jumps aboard the ship and attacks the alien pilot, causing the ship to crash, but Ella is mortally wounded.
Chiricahua Apaches capture the posse, blaming them for the alien attacks. As Ella's body is dumped on a fire, she is fully resurrected. Ella is actually an alien who traveled to Earth to help resist the invaders after they destroyed her homeworld. The aliens, who have been abducting humans to perform experiments on, are also mining gold to power their machines. They are not invulnerable, however: Jake's gauntlet weapon can kill them, as well as stabbing and shooting, though the creatures are far stronger and more durable than humans and have superior weapons. Ella claims Jake holds the secret to the aliens' whereabouts and says they must stop them before they exterminate all life on the planet. After drinking the Indians' medicinal brew, Jake recalls that Alice died in an alien experiment, but he escaped, inadvertently stealing the alien weapon. He can also remember the aliens' hidden location.
Armed with this knowledge, the group, now led by Colonel Dolarhyde, prepares to attack the aliens' grounded mothership. Jake returns to his old gang and persuades them to join the fight. In a sneak attack, the humans breach the spaceship, forcing the aliens into a ground battle. Jake and Ella board the ship and free the captives, but Jake is captured. Dolarhyde rescues him and both men escape the ship after killing the alien leader. As the remaining aliens are taking off in their damaged craft, Ella sacrifices herself, destroying the ship using Jake's gauntlet.
Jake's memory partially returns, and some abducted townsfolk can recall their past, while others, including Percy Dolarhyde, cannot. Still a wanted man, Jake decides to leave; the sheriff and Dolarhyde say they will claim that he was killed. The citizens intend to rebuild the town with the expectation that the newly discovered gold mine will soon bring many new settlers.
[edit] Cast
The cast includes:
Daniel Craig as Jake Lonergan, a wanted outlaw with amnesia
Harrison Ford as Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde, a powerful and rich cattleman who controls the town of Absolution
Olivia Wilde as Ella Swenson, a mysterious traveler
Sam Rockwell as Doc, a saloon owner
Paul Dano as Percy Dolarhyde, Woodrow's trouble-making son
Clancy Brown as Meacham, a plain-spoken preacher
Keith Carradine as Sheriff John Taggart
Noah Ringer as Emmett Taggart, John Taggart's grandson
Adam Beach as Nat Colorado, Colonel Dolarhyde's right-hand man
Abigail Spencer as Alice, Jake's lost love
Ana de la Reguera as María, Doc's wife
Walton Goggins as Hunt, a bandit
Julio Cesar Cedillo as Bronc, a bandit
David O'Hara as Pat Dolan, Lonergan's former gang-member
Raoul Trujillo as Chiricahua Apache chief, Black Knife
Brendan Wayne as Deputy Lyle
[edit] Production
[edit] Development and casting
The project began development in 1997, when Universal Pictures and DreamWorks bought film rights to a concept pitched by Rosenberg, former president at Malibu Comics, which he described as a graphic novel in development. They hired Steve Oedekerk to write and direct the film, which Oedekerk planned to do after completing Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Rosenberg, who formed Platinum Studios to pursue adapting Cowboys & Aliens and other Malibu Comics properties into film and television, joined as a producer. By 1998, Oedekerk left the project to pursue a remake of the 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet with Jim Carrey.By 2004, the film rights were acquired by Columbia Pictures, who did not move the project beyond development.
In 2006, Rosenberg published Cowboys & Aliens as a graphic novel. In the following year, Universal and DreamWorks partnered again to adapt Cowboys & Aliens into a film.[8] In June 2008, Robert Downey, Jr. entered negotiations to star in the film as Zeke Jackson, a former Union Army gunslinger. While Downey, Jr. was making Iron Man 2, he told director Jon Favreau about Cowboys & Aliens. Favreau investigated the project, and in September 2009, he joined as director.Downey, Jr. left the project in January 2010, to star in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,and later in the month, Daniel Craig was hired to replace him.Favreau said Craig's portrayal as James Bond "brings a certain virtuosity".He also described Craig, "On the one hand, he's like this Jason Bourne type, a leading man who's also a lethal character, but on the other hand, he's also got a lot of humanity and vulnerability to him."
In April 2010, Harrison Ford was cast alongside Craig.[16] Favreau had cast Craig and Ford in the film because they were actors who suited the action-adventure roles so the characters would be less seen as comedic. The director compared Ford, in particular, with John Wayne in having "a sense of history" with the actor and the role.[14] Before Cowboys & Aliens, Ford's only Western film was The Frisco Kid in 1979.While Ford is well-known for playing Indiana Jones, the filmmakers wanted to avoid giving him a cowboy hat that would remind audiences too much of Jones. Writer Alex Kurtzman said, "We needed to make sure that—no pun intended—we tipped a hat to iconography of Harrison Ford and also presented the audience with a very different version."
Olivia Wilde was cast in one of the lead roles, and Favreau called Wilde's character the key to the film. Rockwell was also cast in a supporting role as Doc. The character was described as a large Mexican in the original script,but when Favreau and the writers learned of Rockwell's interest in the film, they reconceived and expanded the role. Favreau himself is known for appearing in his films, but for Cowboys & Aliens, he chose not to have a cameo because he thought it would affect the tone of the film.
When asked about how the film was developing, Rosenberg stated, "It's incredible. Sometimes it's like seeing exactly what was going through my head when I first had that spark in my head as a kid. Jon Favreau's bringing his own talent and vision with the adaptation, but at the same time it remains true to what I was really trying to get at in the original story."
Steven Spielberg, one of the film's executive producers, visited the director and the writers during pre-production to look over the script and the artwork. He provided Favreau with a collection of classic Western films.[] Spielberg also invited the director and the writers to a private screening of several Western films and provided live commentary on how to make one properly.The films included Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and Destry Rides Again.
[edit] Writing
In the film's period as a developing project under several studios, different versions of the screenplay were drafted by numerous screenwriters, beginning with Oedekerk. Other screenwriters involved included David Hayter, Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, Jeffrey Boam, Thompson Evans, and Chris Hauty. When Universal and DreamWorks re-partnered in 2007, they had hired Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus. In 2009, Ostby and Fergus were replaced by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Damon Lindelof.[23] Kurtzman and Orci watched and analyzed American Western films including The Searchers. Orci said, "The first draft was very kind of jokey and broad and then it went very serious. You kind of swing back and forth between the two extremes and the tone until you find the exact right point where a Western and a sci-fi movie can really shake hands without it seeming unnatural."[] "Imagine you're watching Unforgiven and then Aliens land," Orci explained.
Orci also said, "The comic has the themes of enemies uniting to fight a common enemy and has the setting of that specific time period, so we kept the inspiration from all of that. In terms of the specifics of the story and who these characters are, we wanted the audience to be surprised and to not feel like they've already seen everything if they were fans of the comic. So, while the themes and the setting and many of the elements are a great inspiration, the story is completely adapted and translated for live action." The aliens were loosely based on the Anunnaki gods of Zecharia Sitchin's interpretation of the Babylonian religion, who have a distinct interest in gold.
[edit] Filming
On June 30, 2010, principal photography for Cowboys & Aliens began[27] at Albuquerque Studios in New Mexico.[28] One of the filming locations was Plaza Blanca, "The White Place", where Western films like The Missing, 3:10 to Yuma, City Slickers, Young Guns and The Legend of the Lone Ranger had been filmed.[22] Sound stage work took place in Los Angeles, with additional location shooting at Randsburg, California. Filming finished on September 30.
A scene in which Craig's character rides a horse alongside a ravine and jumps down it onto a spacecraft emulated many scenes in American Western films where cowboys rode along a moving train and jumped on it. Favreau said the scene referenced the one in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones chases a truck and noted that a similar scene existed in the 1939 film Stagecoach, saying "We're constantly referencing back to our roots."
[edit] Design and effects
Scott Chambliss was hired as the production designer based on his work on Star Trek, produced by Orci and Kurtzman. The visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic, represented by Roger Guyett as the visual effects supervisor.[31] The film also features practical puppet aliens created by Legacy Effects, under the supervision of Shane Mahan.
Favreau noted that Cowboys & Aliens focused on a specific aspect of the alien genre which mostly revolved around the films of the eighties. "And although we have quite a bit of CG – I like the way they told stories before – before you could show everything with CG. And it was a real unveiling of the creature, little by little, and using lighting and camera work and music to make it a very subjective experience. And so we tried to preserve that here," he pointed out.
Cowboys & Aliens will not be shown in 3-D. When approached with the idea by DreamWorks, Favreau was not interested, stating that Westerns should be shot only on film (as opposed to being shot digitally, which is required for modern 3D technology),[33] and didn't want it to be converted after filming. "That would be like filming in black and white and colorizing it," he reasoned.
Here below the official movie posters of Cowboys and Aliens:
(Click on a poster to enlarge.)
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Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Cowboys And Aliens
Transformers 3 2011
Transformers 3
Transformers 3Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3Transformers 3
Transformers 3Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Transformers 3
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, wallpapers
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 official trailer
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, wallpaper, poster, still, hot |
The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemort's final horcruxes, but when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 official trailer
And other trailer of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Click here for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Trailer 2
The Film Begins with Deep in the Dark Woods, Lord Volemort Breaks Open dumbledore's Tomb and Steals the Elder Wand and Strikes the Main Titles (Used from Trailer)
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, wallpaper, poster, still, hot, Emma Watson |
After the funeral, Harry questions Griphook about the sword, with which he managed to escape. Harry needs Griphook to help him break into Gringotts bank, because he now thinks that another Horcrux is hidden in Bellatrix Lestranges vault. Griphook tells them he'll think about helping them and let them know when he decides.
Harry also questions the wandmaker, Ollivander, asking him if its possible to fix his broken wand. Ollivander cannot fix it. Ollivander does tell him, however, that Voldemort really is seeking the Elder Wand so he can evade death.
MOVIE stills from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Click here for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Trailer 2
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Emma Watson, wallpaper, poster, still, hot |
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, wallpaper, poster, still, hot |
Click here for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Trailer 2
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, wallpaper, poster, still, hot |
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, wallpaper, poster, still, hot |
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, wallpaper, poster, still, hot |
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, wallpaper, poster, still, hot |
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| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Emma Watson, kissing, wallpaper, poster, still, hot |
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