Virtue & Veritas

Avatar teaser coming soon...

2009-08-18T12:00:00.002-04:00

If you just can't wait for Jim Cameron's newest over hyped and overrated masterpiece some teaser footage comes out on Aug 21....enjoy... http://www.avatarmovie.com/

Tron Legacy Trailer....check it out

2009-07-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

HD Supreme

2009-07-21T15:43:00.001-04:00

The Todd Phillips Stamp...

2009-06-30T10:37:00.002-04:00

So this past weekend I went to see Todd Phillips new comedy The Hangover, featuring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifinakis, Ed Helms and bunch of hilarious supporting cast. Phillips, now after such films as Road Trip, Old School and Starsky and Hutch, has begun to make his stamp of film comedy. You can always tell when it is one of his gems. I would not put him in the company of Mel Brooks, but he is on his way to have a great portfolio of contemporary comedy. I think his success stems from not just his actors, but a well rounded script in each of his films. Above the hilarious antics, and great comedica acting he usually has in his films, the story lines are captivating because he is not affraid to take it further then you could imagine. Here is an interview with Phillips by maxim magazine...

Ray Harryhausen Produces 2012...

2009-06-29T10:33:00.003-04:00

Harryhausen, the grandfather of visual effects is producing Roland Emmerich's new film 2012. Where once creativity was the fuel behind filmmaking, Emmerich has taken the idea of the world on the pinnacle of destruction and has made it into a career for himself. I don't know about anyone else, but I am pretty tired of it. Yet these films make millions, why? Because when it all comes down to it, the film goer wants to be taken away from their everyday life and into a world of stunning imagery and fantastical and unbelievable drama.

Harryhausen, using claymation and determination started these amazing effects back in the 1940s which today captivate us film after film.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366063/

Oh I Can't Wait....

2009-06-29T10:30:00.001-04:00

Ashton Kutcher's new film about to hit screens, oh how I can't wait....oh wait, yes I can. Please save us from this crap. I would rather see another Final Destination film then this.

Fanboys for Rent...

2009-06-25T10:35:00.002-04:00

For all those Star Wars nuts out there, the movie that speaks to you has hit movie stores. Fanboys, the 1999 story of 4 friends on a quest to break into SkyWalker Ranch to steal the roughcut of Phantom Menace, will strike a positive nerve with all Star Wars fans around. Myself included. Here is the trailer...

Sherlock, Ritchie Style...

2009-06-01T19:21:00.002-04:00

Nine!

2009-05-21T08:51:00.001-04:00

Rob Marshall has taken a musical to the big screen yet again. He has teamed up with a host of big name actors, including Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench and Marion Cotillard. Here is a trailer, looks amazing...

Our Planet in Stunning HD

2009-04-22T11:23:00.004-04:00

2009 and 2010 will be remarkable years for documentaries focusing on our planet. Today on Earth Day, Disney Nature released EARTH, a documentary following three families of animals. Working with and alongside the BBC, they have combined amazing visuals with the natural beauty our planet holds. Disney is set to release their next documentary on Earth Day 2010, titled OCEANS. Take a look at the two trailers...

EARTH

OCEANS

Panasonic Enters the 3D Market with Style

2009-04-21T15:18:00.003-04:00

http://news.prnewswire.com/ViewContent.aspx?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/04-19-2009/0005008402&EDATE=

MOON > June 12

2009-04-21T09:52:00.006-04:00

Coming to limited theaters across North America on June 12, "MOON" is going to make everyone ask the question "If you met yourself, would you like yourself?". The film stars Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell, an astronaut on a solo moon mission for three years. Working alongside interactive computer GERTY, a blatant homage to Kubrick's HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, he battles the loneliness of complete solitude. It is not until later in the film when he discovers a body on the moon that the film's true conflict arrives. The body is his own...

Check out this interview with the film's director Duncan Jones, as well as Sam Rockwell for their insight into their project. Also check-out the trailer for a sneak peak.

A Tribute to Spike Jonze?

2009-04-20T15:16:00.000-04:00

Great short film....

2009-04-20T15:15:00.001-04:00

A Wild Interview with Spike Jonze...

2009-04-08T11:47:00.008-04:00

Spike Jonze discusses his vision for "Where the Wild Things Are" and his thought process for the film's unique look. As well as how his background allowed him to be more creative and free to explore new techniques.

Read the full interview here @ http://www.stumbleupon.com/toolbar/#topic=Movies&url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.aintitcool.com%252Fnode%252F39145

Going to be a Wild October

2009-03-23T13:47:00.020-04:00

Set to release on October 16th of this year, Where the Wild Things Are, a childrens book come-to-life, is being brought to audiences by director Spike Jonze. The much anticipated film, is just finishing the post-production stages before the big marketing blitz starts to hit theaters, television sets, and anywhere you can slap a poster.

Spike Jonze, who is not shy to projects such as these, directing such odd films as Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, did not find this creative process so easy. Without the brilliant writing of Charlie Kaufman inspiring Jonze, he and writer David Eggers decided to tackle this project on their own. Jonze faced much criticsm from the execs at Warner Bros. who were not aligning with his image for this film. It was rumoured back in Feb 2008 that they were considering pulling the plug, and having a new director step in. Producer Gary Goetzman responded, "We support Spike's vision. We're helping him make the vision he wants to make".

Its hard not to have faith in the guy, who has brought such great stories to life. Only time will tell, and for any those who loved the book as a child, you can be the judge in October.

Public Enemy #1

2009-03-05T15:04:00.006-05:00

John Dillinger hits the big screen this spring, and he is being represented by none other than Johnny Depp. Michael Mann has casted Depp as his leading gangster, with Christian Bale co-starring as Officer Melvin Purvis. Dillinger, a notorious bank robber of the 1920s and 30s, inspired many criminal minds alike during that time, and was one of the hardest criminals of his time to catch. Even when he was caught he was able to escape.

The film though is based Bryan Burrough's non-fiction book, Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34. He originally pitched the idea as a miniseries to HBO and was made an executive producer, along with Robert De Niro's Tribeca Films. Burrough was also asked to write the screenplay. However, he felt more comfortable writing it as a non-fiction book and spent two years working on it while the interest in the miniseries disappeared. Eventually HBO gave up on the miniseries and the rights were re-sold to production companies representing Michael Mann and Leonardo DiCaprio who was interested in playing John Dillinger. Burrough's met with all involved but then heard nothing for almost three years. DiCaprio eventually left the project to appear in a Martin Scorsese film.

In 2007 Michael Mann showed interest in the project once again, and eventually got Depp and Bale to sign on to the project. He also brought friend and writer Ronan Bennett into the picture to help write the screenplay. Burrough has read the film's screenplay and said, "it’s not 100 percent historically accurate. But it’s by far the closest thing to fact Hollywood has attempted, and for that I am both excited and quietly relieved".

The film debuts in North America on July 2nd, and looks nothing short of entertaining. Check it out...

Stealing Our Hearts

2009-02-27T13:57:00.015-05:00

Celebrated as one of the greatest films in Italian cinema, Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) is one film that everyone needs to see at least once. Vittorio di Sica has created a work of art that not only pulls on every emotional string a viewer has to offer, but also paints a stark reality of post-war Rome, bringing economic issues to the forefront of cinema. Set in 1948 Rome, the film follows Antonio and his son Bruno through the ups and downs, twists and turns, and moral collapse of a man desperately trying to feed his family. During a time where finding any kind of work was like finding gold, Antonio is thrilled at the rare job given to him to ride around Rome putting up movie posters. There is a catch though, he needs to provide his own bike to do so. After much deliberation and despair, he and his wife decide to sell their entire stock of bed linen to pay for a bike. Antonio is eager to get right to work and does so, but on his first day of work has his bike stolen. Antonio and his young son drop everything to venture on a desperate odyssey to find the man who stole his bike.

This film is not only a transparent window into the world during that time, but reveals a divide between the rich and the poor. The following clip shows Antonio and Bruno eating in a modest restaurant, and the societal divide between them and the others there. This film shows poverty's sting, and the moral collapse of man just trying to make it in a harsh world. Worth a watch!

Right on the Button

2009-02-27T09:09:00.010-05:00

Known for their innovation and cutting edge appraoch to filmmaking, pioneering director David Fincher and cinematographer Claudio Miranda have earned recognition, awards and several nominations for their newest film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. They did not hold back in using some new techniques and equipment for this film venture either. The special effects that allow Brad Pitt to age from a 90 year old man, into childhood, are second to none, and they were rewarded for this recently at the Oscars. But another factor needs attention here in the making of this epic story. The final layer of the camera that allows a film to look like a great film. The Lens.

Fincher and Miranda paired Zeiss DigiPrime and DigiZoom lenses with both the Viper and Sony F23 cameras. The best digital cinema cameras on the market. The Carl Zeiss 2/3” DigiPrime family features eleven lenses from 3.9mm to135mm. The DigiZooms are available in 6-24mm T1.9 and the 17-112mm T1.9 Telephoto. Kim Marks the camera operator for the film and recent nominee for the Operator of the Year Award from the Society of Operating Cameramen says, “The amazing flat field-of-view and lack of lens aberrations toward the wide end of the zoom made it possible for us to use many of the beautiful practical locations we had in New Orleans,” Marks goes on to say that “The fast speed of the lenses helped with huge night exteriors, and on the interiors, helped by limiting the depth-of-field -- creating the beautiful soft palate of color and texture David and Claudio desired.” Fincher and Miranda continue to lead the way in making Digital filmmaking a viable and beautiful solution to the expense and process of film.

Tarantino's Basterds

2009-02-23T19:36:00.015-05:00

Fresh off his Oscar nomination for his lead role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Brad Pitt has shifted gears from David Fincher to Quentin Tarantino. The two have teamed up for what is set to be one of this summers most successful films. Set to release in late August, Inglorious Bastards will take WWII to a new level of comedic criticism. Or will it? Although Tarantino is known for his originality and style, this film is in fact a remake. Although I am sure they are none in the same, the original film was directed by Italian filmmaker Enzo G. Castelleri in 1978, and was titled Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato (That Damned Armored Train) later changed to Inglorious Basterds when released in the US.

The original film has a premise that saw a group of American Soldiers in the process of being shipped to a military prison, when their convoy is struck by a German air attack. Five survive, and embark on a trek to reach the safety of neutral Switzerland. But along the way they end up volunteering for a mission to steal German military prototypes, with the help of the French underground. They have to do so without getting arrested by the French or the Germans.

Tarantino has decided to add a bit more purpose and passion for his soldiers, by creating a film from the perspective of Jewish-American soldiers. In this German occupied France, a young woman, Shosanna Dreyfus, witnesses the execution of her family, but is able to narrowly escape to Paris. Elsewhere, Lt. Aldo Raine (Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted attacks of retribution against the Third Reich, joining forces along the way to take down major leaders in the party. Fate, passion, and a single shared goal converge in this WWII film, of which I am sure will spare no blood. Here is a sneak peek...

Watching the Watchmen

2009-02-18T21:18:00.046-05:00

On March 6th, the much anticipated film Watchmen will hit screens across North America. The once twelve-issue comic, now complete graphic novel, was released in 1986 and 1987. Since its release the story had been tossed around Hollywood, but never made it past preliminary stages of production. Director Terry Gilliam was set to direct the film in the early 1990s for producer Joel Silver, but had the plug pulled on him just before production was approved. Gilliam had many issues with developing a producable script, and went on to say "I think it's going to be impossible to make as a film, unless you make it three and a half hours long, which most people aren't going to want". Try telling now director Zach Snyder that, who has completed the film at, well, just shy of three hours long according to sources. So what hit the cutting room floor?

While I have not had the pleasure of seeing the film yet, sources have said that the film has removed the Tales of the Black Freighter from the on-screen version. The plan right now is to release a seperate DVD animated version of the story a mere 5 days after the film hits the screens. The marketing machine is in full effect for this classic graphic novel, as you can already purchase condoms and mugs branded by the film (see here). The removing of the Black Freighter should help to shave off a small portion of the film, but coming in around three hours can only mean most other sections of the story have been preserved, or at least manipulated to be film friendly. Many rumours though are swirling that there is too much emphasis on the Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) and Dr. Manhatten (Billy Crudup), becuase of Snyder's love for special effects and using sex to attract an audience. This has shown to be the case in most trailers and adds for the film, but I hope Snyder has grown past that in order to do the story justice. After all, a novel grows legs solely on the basis of good story telling, and so should a film. But that is not always the case...