Well. This happened.
Honestly, I’m only bringing myself to share this because it actually made me laugh out loud and hate myself at the same time. What else on the Internet can do that?
Let’s all take a moment of silence and thank Pixar for choosing Peter Docter (not Michael Bay) to direct Up. Also, was that Linkin Park playing in the trailer? Well done MrStratman7 for making this.
I rarely delve into negative articles about avoiding movies. I usually like to talk about all of the things I love and find interesting about movies, both good and bad. And then movies like Lucy pop up.
The film, starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, is about a woman who is accidentally exposed to a street drug that allows her to “transcend” her brain’s normal limitations. This gives her incredible psychic powers that eventually progress to become capable of bending reality itself.
There are some cool things the movie has going for it. Scarlett Johansson is a fun actor. I won’t say she’s great, because I hesitated when I considered that (which is a sign that an actor probably isn’t that great).
I’ll say that I enjoy her performances for the most part, especially in Woody Allen movies. Seriously, have you seen Match Point?
Another positive for Lucy is that even though the film is yet another superhero movie coming out in a year crowded with superhero movies, it at least seems fresh because it’s a French film directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element). It’s not Marvel. It’s not DC.
But then we get to what the movie is actually about. And it’s terrible. For the millionth time in the history of pop culture, people are trying to tell us that we would gain superpowers if we could just gain access to 100% of our brain’s “potential,” but we’re cursed with only being able to use 10%.
Great TV shows and movies have gone down this road, including Fringe and Limitless. But before we get into it, here’s the trailer (in case you haven’t seen it yet or need a refresher):
The entire premise is a laughably dumb fallacy, and the trailer flaunts it, giving us progress reports of where the main character falls on the brain percentage scale. Johannson at one point actually says something along the lines of, “I just hit blah blah percent” like it’s her Twitter feed.
The worst offense of all? They dared to involve the great Morgan Freeman in this mess. Hearing him give a lecture in a college about this actually caused me emotional pain.
Because no, you don’t only use 10% of your brain. The weird thing is plenty of people know that this is a false concept, but it’s still purported like it’s true, anyway.
To be more accurate, you’re only using around 10% of your brain’s functions at any one time. It’s like how you don’t use the full capacity of all of your muscles at any one time. Because you don’t need to. Using 100% of your brain’s functions goes by another name: a seizure.
But not according to Lucy. It causes you to have wicket hand multiplication powers.
Plenty of people have given a pass to shows and movies that try to shove this misconception down our throats. I’m one of them. I still enjoyed Limitless, mostly because the movie didn’t base its entire story around the idea. Unlike Lucy, it was more about the main character. At least in the trailer.
And even though Limitless was a silly premise, we had a good time watching it.
Movies are about escapism, after all. They don’t have to be scientifically accurate in order for us to enjoy them. But I’m going to point out that there’s a line. When you have a movie that’s being this blatant about its flawed premise, I just can’t get behind it. I’m going to pass on Lucy.
Could I change my mind? Maybe if it looked like a better movie. Maybe if it wasn’t another superhero movie that would push me further to a state of mind in which I’m actually sick of this genre (which I really hope won’t happen).
To be clear, I don’t discourage anyone else from going out and enjoying this film. I’m sure it will make plenty of money and entertain millions. I just know I wouldn’t be one of them. I’d rather watch a movie about talking apes.
Thanks for reading! You can subscribe to this blog by email via the prompt on the sidebar. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@JonNegroni). I’ll follow you back if you say something witty and awesome.
Information and updates surrounding Pixar’s next big movie, Inside Out, have been so scarce, people have resorted to repackaging the same news about the film in an attempt to reassure us that yes, the movie is definitely happening (but not until 2015, unfortunately).
That all changed recently at the Annecy Film Festival, where director Pete Docter (Monster’s Inc, Wall-E, Up) finally opened up about the film.
Sadly, I didn’t have the chance to attend the festival myself, but I was still able to hear various reports and descriptions of the event via the folks who did attend.
Before we go further, it’s important for you to know the premise behind the movie for the sake of avoiding confusion. Simply put, Inside Out is a story that takes place within the mind of a 12-year-old girl named Riley.
We see Riley’s emotions personified within the “world” of her brain. Think Osmosis Jones, but without Bill Murray. Here is a rundown of the first five minutes of the film, described by one of the attendees for the event (via Pixartimes):
Then they showed us the first five minutes of the film – some was still animatic and some blocking, but the animation they have done is beautiful. It opens on Riley as a baby.
Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) is her first emotion. Joy seems happy on her own, but then Sadness (Phyllis Smith) appears. When Riley is being fed broccoli, Disgust (Mindy Kaling) appears. When her father threatens no dessert without eating her broccoli, Anger (Lewis Black) makes an appearance. Fear (Bill Hader) has a great introduction – she looks at a cable on the floor cautiously and then steps over – the comedic timing in that is better than I could explain.
We also see the emotions watching her first important memory appear. Memories can be called up for Riley to recall on a sort of projection in Headquarters. Then we see her growing up, and saw some of how her emotions cope with that. It’s very much a Pete Docter opening to the film.
I found myself completely empathizing with the situation, just like in Up and it caused me to get a bit teary. It’s another heartfelt opening which Docter is obviously really good at.
The story of the film is about how she experiences moving from the country to a smaller house in the city. Sadness tries to make her cry on her first day at the new school, but Joy tries to stop her. They fight and fall out of Headquarters into the depths of Riley’s consciousness (not quite sure if that’s the appropriate word?). The film explains how imagination and déjà vu work, along with other things the brain experiences. It’s not set in the brain – there’s no blood vessels or stuff like that, but the design has taken influence from how brains look.
As you can see, Inside Out is one of the boldest concepts ever taken on by Pixar, but it also looks like it could be the most personal and relatable for audiences to grab ahold of.
And as Peter Debruge put it in his article outlining the event on Variety, “Inside Out will forever change the way people think about the way people think.”
According to Pete Docter, the movie is based on a lot of his experiences watching his own daughter “grow up,” citing how preteens tend to become “moody and withdrawn” as they get older. “There is something that is lost when you grow up,” he says, and I can definitely see how people will connect with this theme.
Pete Docter also pointed out, “In truth, Riley is not our main character; she is our setting.”
The job of Riley’s emotions is to manage her experiences and turn them into memories (which look like “translucent bath-bubble balls” according to Debruge). One of the central conflicts to the story takes place between Joy and Sadness, as Joy as a hard time figuring out why Sadness even exists.
Joy and Sadness embark on a “road trip” throughout Riley’s mind, leaving Fear, Anger and Disgust to run Riley’s emotions. The road trip takes them through “Imagination Land,” which is an amusement park filled with everything Riley has ever daydreamed about.
Other locations in Riley’s mind include a movie studio where her nightmares are stored, a “Train of Thought” visualized by a real train and finally, the “Abstract Thought” zone.
As you can see, Inside Out is poised to be another Pixar film that challenges the way we view ourselves and the world around us, and I’m excited to watch the studio captivate audiences once again.
Of course, I can already note how the movie will fit within the Pixar universe as a whole in relation to my Pixar Theory. If you’ve read it, then you may recall how I believe imagination powers the toys of Toy Story and helps animals like Remy from Ratatouille become the greatest chef in Paris. With Inside Out, we’ll finally be able to see how it all really works.
“Inside Out” opens in theaters June 19, 2015!
Thanks for Reading! You can subscribe to this blog by email via the prompt on the sidebar. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@JonNegroni). I’ll follow you back if you say something witty and awesome.
Somehow, Disney decided to take one of the most obscure comic book franchises on the market and turn it into their next animated film.
Not only that, but Big Hero 6 is Disney’s first major attempt to adapt a Marvel comic book using their animation playbook. The trailer itself even advertises that the movie is “from the makers of Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph.”
As someone who is a huge fan of both superheroes and Disney, this is clearly a dream come true, but for those of you wondering just what the heck Big Hero 6 is, here’s a brief introduction that should get you pretty excited about this upcoming November release.
But first, here’s the trailer:
What you saw in the trailer is just a small part of the superhero team known as “Big Hero 6.” The character above is one of the main protagonists, Hiro Hamada, and the robot he is building is called Baymax.
The rest of Big Hero 6 will be introduced later on, and they’re a diverse bunch. Though we don’t have the full roster confirmed yet, we know that the team will consist of:
#1 Wasabi-No-Ginger: a highly skilled chef and swordsman who can materialize throwing knives (like Gambit, pretty much).
#2 Honey Lemon: a dimension-crossing woman with the ability to pull out almost anything from her purse.
#3 GoGo Tomago: once she utters her name, she can turn herself into a ball of energy that moves at incredible speed.
#4 Fredzilla: a tough guy who can transform into a Godzilla-like creature. He also has a major connection to S.H.I.E.L.D.
And then, of course, there’s Hiro and Baymax, who presumably make the 5th and 6th members of the team. Hiro is a 13-year-old prodigy who builds Baymax for a high school science project, not realizing that the synthetic behemoth would become his best friend and even father figure.
Aside from the interesting characters, the setting for Big Hero 6 is one of the most exciting aspects of the upcoming film. It takes place in San Fransokyo, a tonal combination of San Francisco and Tokyo. The rich themes borrow heavily from both Japanese and Western culture, making the world of Big Hero 6 stand out from other comic book offerings.
Speaking of comic books, you’ve no doubt noticed that this clearly takes place in the Marvel universe. In fact, two members of the team (in the comics) are actually from the X-Men universe, including Silver Samurai (the villain from The Wolverine) and Sunfire (a former X-Men). For legal reasons, they had to be left out of this film, at least until Fox allows Disney and Marvel to use X-Men characters.
As you can see, Disney is repurposing a lot of content from the original comic, and I’m expecting the final film to be a huge departure from what inspired it. It’s too early to know if that’s a good or a bad thing, but it’s for that reason I’m actually going to suggest that most of you go into this film without reading the comics.
Naturally, you should check them out if you’re curious and want to read a good story. All I’m saying is that if you want to look into them for the sake of knowing more about what the film is going to offer, than I suspect you may be disappointed, and the film may even be ruined for you.
You may also be wondering why Disney would choose this as their follow-up to last year’s massive hit, Frozen. Well, it’s not really complicated. First, Disney had no idea that Frozen would be the moneymaker that it was, and Big Hero 6 has been planned since way back in 2011.
If you’re waiting to see how Disney truly tries to replicate the success of Frozen, just wait about two more years. Until then, we’ll get to enjoy the risky projects they’ve already been working on, and I couldn’t be more excited for this one in particular.
Thanks for Reading! You can subscribe to this blog by email via the prompt on the sidebar. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@JonNegroni). I’ll follow you back if you say something witty and awesome.
It’s been a while since we got an update on Disney Pixar’s next big film, Inside Out. (Check out my last article about this movie here in case you don’t know what I’m referring to).
But Pixar has finally gotten around to updating their website with a synopsis of the film, which confirms a lot of what we knew already about the movie, along with some interesting new details. Read the synopsis below:
Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith).
The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city,
house and school.
And there you have it! Inside Out will arrive in theaters June 19, 2015. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as Pixar begins unleashing the first of its promotional material for the movie later this year.
Thanks for Reading! You can subscribe to this blog by email via the prompt on the sidebar. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@JonNegroni). I’ll follow you back if you say something witty and awesome.
Zorro, our favorite California crime-fighter from the 1800s is coming back in a big way (for the people!) Let’s talk about it.
The Mask of Zorro has always been my favorite adventure movie, even ahead of A Knight’s Tale. Speaking of Heath Ledger, this new reboot—that is actually happening—is planned to emulate a certain franchise the late (and great) Heath Ledger himself elevated: The Dark Knight.
That’s right, the new Zorro is planned to be leaner, grittier and emotional—er. I’m not really sure why.
Because amidst of all of the quasi-realistic adaptations of famous costumed crime-fighters, few have actually been well-received. Yes, Man of Steel was a hit financially, but the cultural significance of the Marvel movies proved to us that you don’t need gritty storytelling to tell a good story.
What worries me is that we’re losing the campy fun and swashbuckling adventure that made me (and many of you) fall in love with Zorro when we were kids. After watching Banderas don the mask twice, I became entranced with the old Zorro movies because it was a proper homage, but what will a “serious” reboot pay tribute to for the next generation?
But we don’t have to be overly negative. There are two primary possibilities: this will either be akin to Batman Begins or Man of Steel.
In other words, it’s either going to be good or just decent.
In the case of Batman Begins, the writers found a great way to shift the dramatic narrative associated with Batman, who is frequently portrayed as a serious character in a goofy world. To put it another way, we got the Batman we deserved.
Then they tried the same thing with Superman, which followed the same basic formula. It was liberal with the story arc, had beards and tried to be as intense as possible, but it didn’t work quite as well. We left theaters feeling underwhelmed, and I’m honestly not sure why.
And that’s my honest fear about what they’re planning to do for Zorro, a character I actually cherish above Superman and Batman (don’t yell at me).
Of course, this won’t be the only iteration of Zorro vying for our attention. You may have also heard about another movie coming out called Zorro Reborn, a sci-fi remix of the original character that plants the Fox in a post-apocalyptic world. I know, but let’s just give it a chance.
What do you think? To reboot or not to reboot? Let me know with a passive aggressive Tweet or comment.
Thanks for Reading! You can subscribe to this blog by email via the prompt on the sidebar. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@JonNegroni). I’ll follow you back if you say something witty and awesome.
Look, you guys know me pretty well at this point. You know that Spider-man is my favorite superhero ever, and I haven’t been pleased with a single Spidey film since Spider-man 2 seized my heart with mechanical tentacles.
I haven’t been looking forward to TASM2, despite how “action-packed” and “colorful” the trailers have promised it to be. I’ve seen this trickery before courtesy of Spider-man 3, and we all know how that turned out – too many villains and not enough Sam Raimi.
But I’ve decided to be almost optimistic for a minute upon the release of these new featurettes that are currently being shown in the pre-previews for Robocop. They actually show what TASM was lacking: someone who actually resembles Spider-man.
It’s not just about the funny quips and frenetic web-slinging. Spider-man only works as a character when you display his struggle with the price of being a hero. Naturally, the first featurette is titled “The Price Of Being A Hero,” and it addresses the concept pretty gracefully.
Let’s check it out first:
We see Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey’s budding relationship being strained by both Peter’s responsibilities and his promise to Gwen’s father. We’re also teased about Aunt May’s “secrets” concerning Peter’s parents (yeah yeah, we’ve all heard that before).
Oh, and Stacey points out that she’ll be going to London? How many problems does this guy have to deal with?
Well, the next featurette shies away from the drama in favor of the action. And it actually looks pretty good at the moment:
As you can see, we get a glimpse into some of the stunt work being done for the film. They claim that they’re cutting back on the CGI, but I’m skeptical considering they only really showed off one scene…
I will say, however, that the soundtrack here worked for me. It’s no Spider-man 2, but I guess we’ll have to make do.
Thanks for Reading! You can subscribe to this blog by email via the prompt on the sidebar. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@JonNegroni). I’ll follow you back if you say something witty and awesome.