Three Trailers For The Super Bowl.

Here are three trailers that will appear during Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, February 7.  All three are films that I'm looking forward to, especially Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island", starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  Also getting prime air time Sunday are "Robin Hood" and "The Last Airbender".  Don't want to wait?  Or you're reading this post after Sunday and want to see them again?  Here they are:

  

SHUTTER ISLAND - From Oscar®-winning director Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island is the story of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the cost of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane. Opens February 19.

ROBIN HOOD - Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as Robin Hood, whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.  Opens May 14.

THE LAST AIRBENDER - Water. Earth. Fire. Air. In the old days, there was peace between the four nations of the world. The Avatar -- Master of all four elements -- kept peace between the the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Only the Avatar has the ability to Bend (manipulate) all four elements, but one day, he Vanished. Then the Fire Nation attacked, forcing a war on the other three nations for one hundred years. Now, for the good of the world, it's up to 12-year-old Aang (Noah Ringer), the new Avatar, to return peace and balance by putting an end to the war and mastering all four elements. Aang must accept his destiny by stopping the Fire Nation's war and defeating the Fire Lord for good.   Opens July 2.

Technorati Tags: shutter island,robin hood,the last airbender,russell crowe,m. night shyamalan,martin scorsese,ridley scott,leonardo dicaprio,super bowl,ads,XLIV,riesen2b

Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan Buddy Up In "Cop Out"

Here's The Red Band Trailer

 

Two longtime NYPD partners on the trail of a stolen, rare, mint-condition baseball card find themselves up against a merciless, memorabilia-obsessed gangster. Jimmy (Bruce Willis) is the veteran detective whose missing collectible is his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, and Paul (Tracy Morgan) is his "partner-against-crime" whose preoccupation with his wife's alleged infidelity makes it hard for him to keep his eye on the ball. 

The trailer looks better than the plot description sounds.

Cop Out opens in theaters on February 26.

Technorati Tags: warner bros,comedy,action,crime,redband,bruce willis,tracy morgan,seann william scott,adam brody,kevin pollak,rashida jones,riesen2b

Our Late Night Movie Feature: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

Technorati Tags: at war with the army,dean martin,jerry lewis,comedy,full-length movie,1950

At War With The Army

With Jerry Lewis' almost maniacal control over any material that features him in it, I was surprised to find out that the first movie collaboraiton between him and Dean Martin is in the public domain and is available at Archive.org.  Thought I would toss it up since it's always great to see Dean Martin in the movies and at that time Jerry Lewis was fresh and funny.

This is a fun WWII-era B&W movie, full of  Dean Martin along with Jerry Lewis and his ridiculous goofiness! Featuring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in their first collaboration.
Jerry is a hapless private and Dean is the bossy First Sergeant of a slipshod platoon at a stateside training base. Jerry and Dean were friends who grew up in the same neighborhood before Uncle Sam made GIs out of them. All of the stereotypical military comedy characters are present, including the loudmouth drill instructor, the conniving supply sergeant, the doting corporal and the bumbling, hen-pecked company commander.

Director: Hal Walker
Producer: Fred F. Finklehoffe, Abner J. Greshler
Production Company: Fred F. Finklehoffe Productions
Audio/Visual: sound, black & white

Sit back, relax, and prepare for some laughs!

"Kick Ass" International Red Band Trailer - Watch It Or Get Your "Ass Kicked".

 

"Kick Ass" is the one movie this year that I have been really anticipating to watch ever since the first teaser trailer came out.  Subsequent trailers and pics have just added fuel to the fire.

This international red band trailer is no exception.  A lot of new material in this trailer along with a lot of foul language.  The end of the trailer has a nice capper to it that may shock you or crack you up depending on whether or not you are a prude.

 

 

Technorati Tags: lionsgate,action,comedy,drama,aaron johnson,christopher mintz plasse,chloe moretz,clark duke,nicolas cage,mark strong,comicbook,international,redband,kick ass,release date,riesen2b

"The World Of Harry Potter Theme Park" Will Make It's Debut In Super Bowl Ad.

Making it's debut sometime this spring (no official opening date has yet been announced,  Universal Studios Orlando has been busy working on a sprawling 20-acre Harry Potter-themed attraction.

Meanwhile fans will be able to get a look at the theme park in an ad that will appear during the Super Bowl.  Of course if you don't feel like waiting that long, you can always watch it here.

Technorati Tags: wizarding world of harry potter,islands of adventure,universal studios orlando,theme park,super bowl ad,riesen2b

Listen to Simon Cowell's Star-Studded Haiti Single

Enlisting the vocals of numerous musical stars, Simon Cowell has rerecorded a modern classic for the benefit of distressed Haitians isn't exclusive to just one side of the Atlantic.  The song is "Everybody Hurts" by REM and the profits from the single goes to help the relief effort in Haiti.

The R.E.M. cover features Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Rod Stewart, Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Bublé, Susan Boyle, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Cheryl Cole,Leona Lewis, Mika and James Blunt, among other stars.

Technorati Tags: simon cowell,everybody hurts,rem,haiti relief,mariah carey,susan boyle,miley cyrus,riesen2b

"Avatar Continues Reign At Top Of Box Office.

Not even the return of Mel Gibson to the screen could put a dent in Avatar's reign as the box office champ. One more week at number one and it will be in a four way tie for sixth place for weeks in first place.   Avatar added another 30 million to it's coffers over the weekend, bringing it's domestic total to 594.5 million, just a tad shy of all time leader "Titanic", which grossed 600.9 million.  Avatar is expected to sink Titanic's record on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Newcomers "Edge of Darkness", with Gibson and "When in Rome" with Kristen Bell came in at a distant second and third.

According to Eonline.com there are two remarkable things about  Avatar's success:

1) the movie is playing like movies of this era are not supposed to play—roughly the same number of people make the pilgrimage to see it week in, week out; and, (2) even on Box Office Mojo's handy adjusted-for-inflation chart, it is the highest-grossing movie of the 2000s, and the sixth highest-grossing movie of the VHS/DVD era, which we're going to arbitrarily declare as anything released in 1982 or after.

The rundown of the weekend's top-grossing films, per estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Avatar, $30 million
2. Edge of Darkness, $17.1 million
3. When in Rome, $12.1 million
4. The Tooth Fairy, $10 million
5. The Book of Eli, $8.8 million
6. Legion, $6.8 million
7. The Lovely Bones, $4.7 million
8. Sherlock Holmes, $4.5 million
9. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, $4 million
10. It's Complicated, $3.7 million

Technorati Tags: weekend box office,avatar,edge of darkness,when in rome,mel gibson,kristen bell,riesen2b

"The Lion King" In Las Vegas Is A Must See.

I  suspect that many tourists to Las Vegas would not even consider going to what they think is a show for kids.  After all, isn't this just a play based on a Disney movie, and besides that, isn't the play just a second rate shortened version of the Broadway production that has cut corners to bring the show to a casino?

If that is what they think, they couldn't be more wrong.  "Disney's The Lion King", which has eight performances weekly at the incredible Mandalay Bay, is the only version of the show which is the full stage production of the original Broadway show in the world.  From the complex stage which constantly reshapes itself to the extravagant, beautiful costumes, to the elaborate puppets created by original Lion King director Julie Traynor (who also had a hand in the costume designs as well), and especially the top notch cast, The Lion King is one of the most elaborate productions, and certainly the most elaborate play to ever hit "The Entertainment Capital Of The World".  Perhaps most significant is the fact that the show is performed in it's entirety, unlike most plays in Vegas, which are usually shortened so that casino guests don't spend too much time away from the slot machines.

I had heard that this was a great show, but I wasn't sure exactly what it would be like.  I feared that it would be an abstract kind of performance based on the few photos I had seen of costumes and the people on stage.  I wasn't sure if I could get my mind around the actors working with puppets in their performances.  Boy, was I wrong. 

 

This is a show that children will certainly enjoy, but I think adults will enjoy even more.  I know I was absolutely floored, not only by the costumes, staging, special effects, lighting, and a full live orchestra (almost unheard of in Vegas these days), but found the story itself to be beautiful, touching, moving (yes, even though I knew he was going to be slain, I still got choked up when Mufasa, father of the young Simba, died at the hands of his brother, the villian Scar played on this night by understudy Rod Thomas, who if the chance should ever arise, could easily take on this role as a permanent star).   From the opening of the show, when a parade of imaginative animal puppets march down the aisles to the stage (better be sat by showtime or you miss out on an incredible opening number), including one huge elephant, to the bright happy finale, this is one incredible show. 

 

Throughout the show, from one scene to the next, I was dazzled by what I saw.  Of course without a story worth telling, that would mean nothing.  And without top notch performances by the actors and dancers the production would seem shallow.  Luckily, Disney has hired an incredible troupe of some of the finest stage performers they could find.

I could talk about the entire cast one by one because they were all exceptional.  However, there are two performances that really need to be spoken about.

 

The absolute best performance of the show comes from Buyi Zama as Rafiki.  It is an absolutely brilliant portrayal of the monkey with the strange language voiced in the movie by Robert Guillaume (TV's Benson).  This character in the play seems to be more of an ancient type of native African seer or mother of the earth rather than a monkey,  and she guides the show and Simba in his journey to the circle of life.  Her performance brings not only fits of laughter at times, but scenes that are totally moving, touching and definitely uplifting.  Ms. Zama's perfomance actually sent shivers up my spine and is to be commended.

A Behind The Scenes Look At The Lion King In Las Vegas.

 

The part of young Simba is played, depending on the performance by two very young actors, D. Asante' Ervin and Aubrey Omari Joseph.  While I'm sure they are both excellent performers (why else would they be cast?) on this night it was Ervin who portrayed young Simba, which is a very crucial role since he is a part of most of the scenes in the first act.  All I could think while watching him sing, dance, and act was, "Wow!  Does this kid have talent or what?"  I was totally captivated by Ervin, at no time thinking of him as just a child actor, but was totally convinced that he was a young lion growing up and learning about life.  If he sticks with it, Ervin is a name we will hear about years from now in whatever career he chooses.

 

Special mention should be noted for the performers in the roles of Timon, Pumbaa, and the three lead hyenas.  It must be difficult to control the puppets so that the audience is focusing on them, at the same time putting in spot-on performances both vocally and maneuverability as the characters in the film.  Their voices were so true to the film that at first I thought it was a recorded soundtrack until I paid attention to them and not the puppets and realized it was really them doing the speaking.

 

A great video that shows scenes from the Las Vegas Production of "The Lion King.

 

By the way, the movements of the ensemble and the puppeteers are so precise and amazing in how they replicate the way their animals move, that it takes you a second to not think at times that their are actual animals on the stage.  They are that good.

 

The new songs that have been added to the play expand on the storyline and fit perfectly with the show.  The song "He Lives In You" is both beautiful and elegant.

 

I have to hand it to Julie Traynor.  All of the awards and accolades she received for this production were well deserved.  I actually came to really like what she did after watching "Across The Universe", a film that features many of the great songs by The Beatles.  I love that film and have watched it many times.  If you haven't seen it, you really should buy or rent it and see how her creative juices flow.  The behind the scenes extras on the DVD really highlights her skills as a director and creator.

If you are planning a trip to Vegas, there are so many choices you can make if you are planning to see a show.  There are so many Cirque du Soleil shows in town you would almost think they own the city.  There are comedians, singers, and other plays, including a chopped down version of Phantom Of The Opera at the Venetian.  They are all heavily promoted and are good in their own way.

 

Disney's The Lion King however, is simply put, SPECTACULAR!  The production was nothing like I thought it would be, but so much more than I could have ever imagined it to be.  If you are coming to visit our modest little town, (ha!), or if you live here, you owe it to yourself to see the best show I have ever seen (and I've lived in Vegas for 20 years now) in Las Vegas.

 

The Lion King performs at 7:30 p.m. Monday thru Thursday and at 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  The theater is dark on Friday.  Tickets start at around 65 dollars.  The theater at Mandalay Bay is a terrific venue and there is not a bad seat in the house.  You can purchase your tickets online at the Mandalay Bay website by clicking here.

 

Technorati Tags: disney,the lion king,las vegas,mandalay bay,broadway musical,julie traynor,elton john,tim rice,mgm mirage,riesen2b,review,images