Screen Rant » 9

Hollywood’s 10 Biggest Social Media Success Stories of 2009

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:00:00 +0000

The following post was contributed by guest writer by Jeffrey Appelbaum. Jeff is a managing director at Buzzpoint, a social media firm in Los Angeles that specializes in creative online strategies for entertainment and technology companies.

2009 was a record year for Hollywood at the box office. According to the Nielson Co., total box-office receipts from the U.S. and Canada tallied more than $10.6 billion, which is approximately an 8 percent increase over 2008’s record of $9.791 billion. Not too shabby for a down economy.

The year’s slate included not only the usual surplus of sequels and adaptations (Transformers, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, etc.), but some Cinderella stories that defied all financial expectations (The Hangover, Paranormal Activity). However, while 2009 will certainly be remembered as lucrative year at the box office, it’s also ...

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’9′ Movie Contest – Winners!

Vic Holtreman — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:30:26 +0000

Our contest is now closed and here are the six winners of our 9 giveaway – below are the winning captions for the image above. Thanks to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winners!

WINNER LIST:

Friday: Roxanne Briggs, Salt Lake City, Utah – “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” (Sorry Dan, your matching quote came in a few hours after Roxanne’s)
Saturday: Ken Robinson, Keyport, NJ – “Did we remember to turn off the oven.”
Sunday: John Yandall, Murfreesboro, TN – “My God… It’s full of stars.”
Monday: Carlos Guerra, Guatemala City, Guatemala – “Is that what a 10 looks like?”
Tuesday: Albert Ornelas, Newport Beach, CA – “That’s no moon – that’s a space station.”
Wednesday: Wesley Boutilier, Marietta, GA- “Oh no! Disney’s coming, I think they’re going to buy us!”

Well we haven’t run a giveaway in a ...

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’9′ Review

Vic Holtreman — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:06:03 +0000

Short Version: While not suitable for younger children, Shane Aker’s 9 draws you into its world effortlessly and is most definitely worth seeing.

Screen Rant reviews 9

There’s been a lot of buzz around the Shane Aker-directed, Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov-produced movie 9. The idea for a feature length 9 movie was sparked by a short film of the same name by writer-director Shane Aker.

The short film is really quite amazing (click on the link above to see it) and I was excited to hear a full length film would be made based on it. However when I saw the first trailer and there was dialog (the short film has none) I got a bit worried that it might not have the power of the original short film. While the addition of dialog does remove ...

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Shane Ackers ’9′: Final Prep Kit For The Movie

Kofi Outlaw — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:53:49 +0000

We here at Screen Rant have been anticipating the feature-length adaptation of Shane Acker’s ’9′ all year long, and tomorrow all of our gushing praise and free promotion will come to an end, as 9 debuts in theaters everywhere.

Why have we been championing this film for so long? Well, for a couple reasons really:

It’s the uniquely original creation of a uniquely original visionary (Acker).
Endorsements by both Tim Burton and Nightwatch director Timur Bekmambetov – two visionaries in their own right – who co-produced the film.
The fact that 9 is based on Acker’s awesome 2005 Oscar-nominated CGI short of the same name.
The film is rated PG-13, meaning it’s a CGI movie that’s more for adults than kids (Yay!).
The film looks like it could be the official good start to the Fall season (sorry Gamer).

Today I’ve ...

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4 New Hi-Res Images & A New Clip From ’9′ [Updated]

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:12:36 +0000

[UPDATE: We now have a new clip from '9']

Hey gang, it’s pretty late and I shouldn’t even be up doing this right now, but since I love you guys and I love this film, I thought I’d pass on four new gorgeous hi-res images from Shane Acker’s 9, the CGI animated film about a twisted dystopia where living rag dolls battle for survival against techno monsters. It was produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and will be hitting theaters next week on 9-9-09.

The images are great , so we thank Focus Features and the team behind 9 sending them our way (we’ve been championing this film for awhile now). I’m not going to say much more than that, it’s late, I gotta jet, so here are the images (the first ...

Click to continue reading 4 New Hi-Res Images & A New Clip From ’9′ [Updated]

’9′ Viral Contest: How Well Can You Draw?

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:42:41 +0000

9-9-09 is fast approaching and the last promos for Shane Acker’s ’9′ are being put into play…literally. We posted awhile back about the fun interactive viral site for 9, and the accompanying Facebook page for “The Scientist,” the man who creates the nine living rag dolls who are the main characters of the film (hence the title).

If you are a fan of 9 and haven’t checked out the film’s viral sites, you should absolutely do so because they fill you in on a lot of the backstory about how nine rag dolls came to be alive, and what their purpose is.

Now there is an added incentive to take the 9 experiment: you may just win yourself a sweet prize pack.

The contest is a “Chalkboard Challenge” – Basically, you draw the best ...

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’9′ Clip Picks Up Where Last One Left Off

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:26:01 +0000

We’ve been covering feature film adaptation of Shane Acker’s Oscar-nominated short film 9 for some time now, and even though the film is being co-produced by Tim Burton (Alice In Wonderland) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), it hasn’t been generating the kind of buzz I (for one) hoped it would.

So I keep trying.

9 did have a bit of presence (including a street team of lovely ladies) at this year’s Comic-Con, where attendees of the 9 panel were treated to new scenes from the film. A new clip has appeared online, and it is actually a continuation of a previous clip we posted, featuring lead characters of the film going up against a serpentine tech-monster.

At the end of the previous clip, the serpent monster had made off with one of our ...

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Comic-Con: Panel for Shane Acker’s 9 (With Wanted 2 Update)

Rob Keyes — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:12:58 +0000

After waiting in line for a big part of the afternoon, I was let in to Hall H as they were playing a big scene from the upcoming animated film, 9.

The scene featured a battle with one of robotic monsters and it looked pretty exciting. Without giving too much away, one of the characters may or may not live through that sequence.

Once the footage finished and lights came back on, time was spent talking with the guests on panel who included Shane Acker, the creator behind it all, producer Timur Bekmambetov, producer Tim Burton, and stars Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connelly.

Before the questions began, the host made the point that it’s “frightening, but it’s also adorable” which is a good way to describe the characters in the movie.

When discussing the designs of the ...

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2009 Comic-Con Preview: Shane Acker’s ’9′

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:02:24 +0000

One of the more highly-anticipated panels of the upcoming 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International is Shane Acker’s ’9′, a new CGI-animated film about a dystopian future where mankind has been eradicated by machines and only nine living rag dolls remain to protect life itself.

Many have been impressed with the visual splendor and creative imagination behind 9; the fact that the film is based on a Oscar-Nominated short film and has producer’s like Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) backing it is no small endorsement either. As a preview of what you can expect from 9 at the ‘Con this year, check out a few words from Tim Burton and some new stills from the film: Said Tim Burton in a recent interview with MTV News:

I just love the texture and stop-motion feel to ...

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Tim Burton To Premiere ‘Wonderland’ At Comic-Con

Ross Miller — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:01:21 +0000

Tim Burton has already been announced to appear at this year’s Comic-Con (for the first time in over 30 years) to promote his produced animated film, 9. However, that’s not the only thing Burton is there to promote – he’s also bringing with him the very first footage of his upcoming adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

Joy be for Tim Burton fans!

Not only is Alice in Wonderland to have its first footage shown at the Con, but it’s being described as a “semi-trailer.” What’s that, I hear you ask? Well, let’s let Mr. Burton himself explain:

“[It's] a kind of a semi-trailer… It’s where we’re at at the moment. There’s not a lot of footage to show.”

It’s understandable that Burton wouldn’t have a full trailer for Wonderland yet, considering the movie’s still a while away ...

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Latest (French) Trailer for ’9′ Is The Best Yet!

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:15:22 +0000

I’ve asked it before and I’ll ask again: since when did the international tailers for U.S. Movies get better than their domestic counterparts??? All the trailer-cutters out there in Hollywood should be worried: your overseas competition is pulling ahead!

Case in point: the French trailer for Shane Acker’s ‘9‘, which is being produced by Tim Burton. Thankfully it’s in English, because it’s the only trailer that actually explains the story! The domestic teaser and full trailer for ‘9‘ were both well done, however they really didn’t clue the uninitiated to what 9 is all about. If you’ve been wondering, check out the French trailer:Thanks to Allocine for posting this:

Now ...

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New Posters For G.I. Joe & Shane Acker’s 9

Rob Keyes — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:00:33 +0000

[Update: We've added the remaining 2 '9' posters to complete the set]

We posted up the posters numbered 7 and 8 for the upcoming adventure, titled 9, by Shane Acker (based on his Academy nominated short of the same name) earlier this weekend and now we have the rest of them to finish the series: posters numbered 1-6 and 9. In addition to that, we also have the newest poster from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra which features Rachel Nichols as Scarlett

We’ll start with the animated adventure, 9. The voice cast for the film includes the talent of Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Crispin Glover, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly and Elijah Wood as the protagonist, number 9 himself.

The posters for this movie that we’ve seen so ...

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Number 7 & Number 8 Posters for ’9′

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:18:50 +0000

[UPDATE: We now have a second character poster from '9']

Shane Acker’s ‘9‘ is one my most anticipated films of Fall 2009. The movie – about living rag dolls tasked with preserving life in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by machines – is easily one of the most uniquely original and visually captivating works I’ve seen in awhile.

Today we have a new promo poster for 9 that features the character of 8. If that sounds confusing, it’s only because you aren’t aware that the movie’s protagonists, the rag dolls, are all numbered 1-9 (duh). Number 8 is the “strong man” of the bunch – check out how badass he looks:

click for larger version

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New Clip from ’9′: Battle of the Flying Beast

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:17:23 +0000

A kind Screen Rant reader put us onto the latest clip from the upcoming Tim Burton / Shane Acker / Timur Bekmambetov CGI animated epic, 9, and I can say with all honesty that this is the best clip from the film that I’ve seen so far.

The last clip from 9 that we saw featured the movie’s living rag doll protagonists being ambushed by a chilling Frankentech monster. This latest clip features pretty much the same scenario, only with a different Frankentech beast and much more action. Check it out:

VIDEO REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF FOCUS FEATURES

The clip really succeeds in highlighting the world of the film, in which these little rag dolls are the sole keepers of life, stranded in a world that has been ...

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New Viral Site for ’9′ Offers Cool Features & Backstory

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:14:27 +0000

If you’re a Screen Rant regular then you know we’ve been cheerleading pretty hard for a new movie called 9, which is a CGI animated sci-fi fantasy about a group of living rag dolls (numbered 1-9) who hold the key to life in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by machines.

Well, 9 now has its own viral site, which offers a lot of background information on the world the story is set in, and what events led up to the “birth” of the rag dolls and their mission to protect life.The site is 9experiment.com and it was launched in conjunction with the facebook page for “The Scientist”, the…er, scientist who ultimately created the living rag doll characters of 9.

[WARNING THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE '9' VIRAL SITE!!!]

This viral site is pretty cool. It’s set up to look like ...

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Cool New Final Poster For ’9′

Vic Holtreman — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:51:20 +0000

We’ve got the final poster for the Tim Burton / Shane Acker animated film 9. This is looking like an interesting film (when isn’t a Tim Burton film at the very least interesting?), and it’ll be coming out after the big summer blockbuster rush (September 9th).

Check out the poster below.

Final poster for '9' (click for larger version)

You can also visit Facebook to visit a page set up to explain the backstory through the eyes of the scientist in the film: Facebook.com/9scientist. It’s a cool Facebook page, showing the development of the little fellas over time.

And if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, here’s the trailer:

[See post to watch ...

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New (Russian) Poster For Animated Movie ’9′

Ross Miller — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:10:32 +0000

So far, what we’ve seen from the upcoming rag-doll filled world of the movie 9 has inspired nothing but confidence and excitement about the project. It looks equal parts weird and wonderful, with gorgeous visuals and a very welcome darker tone than most animated movies today.

Today we have a new poster for the film, a striking and intriguing one that only makes me look forward to the movie even more. The poster is in Russian, but fear not as it doesn’t really matter – the number 9 is still the same, and we don’t need to speak a foreign lingo to appreciate the fantastic looking characters. The producer of 9, Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch and Daywatch), is Russian, so I guess we can count the poster being in Russian as very fitting .

Click to continue reading New (Russian) Poster For Animated Movie ’9′

Second Trailer for ’9′ Reveals More Plot Details

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:06:22 +0000

For months now we here at Screen Rant have been cheerleading for director/animator/designer Shane Acker’s 9, the story of a dystopian future in which little rag dolls imbued with “the spark of life” try to defend themselves against a horde of tech-creatures which have all but extinguished life on the planet.

Up until now the only things we’ve really known about the world of 9 have been largely inferred from the the Oscar-nominated 9 animated short film and the first trailer for 9 the movie – both of which lacked any real dialogue or exposition explaining what the hell was up with the rag dolls and freaky tech creatures. Well, now we have the second trailer for 9 (thanks to G4 TV) and it does a little bit to fill in those plot details. Check it out:

Click to continue reading Second Trailer for ’9′ Reveals More Plot Details

’9′: The Animated Short That Inspired The Movie

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:30:35 +0000

Back in 2005, director/animator/designer Shane Acker released a silent animated short film called “9″, about a living rag doll trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. It was a pretty visionary work, full of gorgeous imagery and creatures as creepy as they were original. Personally speaking, the film never made it onto my radar, and for that I can say I am genuinely sorry.

The good news is that in discovering 9 at this late juncture, I’m just in time for the feature-length adaptation which hits theaters this September, and is being produced by Tim Burton (Alice In Wonderland) and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov!

The full-length version of 9 will also be directed by creator Shane Acker. And, to give you an idea of what Mr. Acker is bringing to the world of animated ...

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Sick New Clip Puts ’9′ On The Radar

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:26:29 +0000

I’d be surprised if even 10 people reading this knew about 9, the upcoming feature film adaptation of Shane Acker’s animated short of the same name, which is being produced by Tim Burton (Alice In Wonderland), Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and Jim Lemley.

Thanks to the good tastes of Screen Rant contributor Ross Miller, we posted the first trailer for 9 back in January. The trailer didn’t grab that much attention, but those who did see it immediately fell under the a spell of wonder and anticipation for 9, a film that looks like an epic adventure acted out by a slum child’s homemade rag dolls.

In a second attempt to ramp up some excitement for 9, we have a brief clip from the film, an action scene where a troop of heroic rag dolls battle ...

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