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VES Awards 2012: The Winners List

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:31:53 +0000

We discuss visual effects a lot here on Screen Rant – what looks good, what looks bad, etc. – and so, we thought it only fitting to let our readers know about those films that were recognized at the 2012 Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards. The annual event recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.

With 2011 movies like Transformers 3, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Captain America, Hugo, and animated fare like Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss In Boots and Rango all sporting some impressive visual splendor, the big winners of the night were somewhat of a surprise – while others weren’t that surprising at all.

In what is sure to ...

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SR Underground Ep. 21: ’2012 Golden Globes’

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:45:19 +0000

The Screen Rant editorial team is back with episode twenty one of the Screen Rant Underground.

Join host Ben Kendrick as well as fellow SR editors Rob Keyes, Anthony Ocasio, and Kofi Outlaw as we chat about Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper movie Magic Mike, Captain America in The Avengers, as well as discuss the winners and losers from the 2012 Golden Globes.

Screen Rant Underground is available in the iTunes Music Store (where you can subscribe as well as download individual episodes) but if you’re not near your home computer, check out our twenty-first episode in the player below.

Also, Screen Rant Underground is an EXPLICIT podcast. We don’t go out of our way to say controversial things or use explicit language but it does happen – so use discretion when playing the podcast at work and around young, or ...

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2012 Golden Globe Awards: Winners List

Anthony Ocasio — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:31:09 +0000

A relatively subdued Ricky Gervais took the stage as host of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. In his second year as host, it appears that all of last year’s controversy surrounding Gervais’ hosting must have impacted the funnyman, as all of his jabs appeared a little too nice compared to what was said last year.

For much of the evening, Michael Hazanavicius’ black-and-white silent film homage, The Artist, swept the Golden Globes in the comedy category, coming out on top overall with three wins for Best Original Score, Best Actor and Best Picture. Over on the drama side, Alexander Payne’s The Descendants took home the most awards in the drama category with a Best Actor win for George Clooney and Best Picture.

Other notable wins in the film category were Meryl Streep ...

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2012 Golden Globe Nominations Announced

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:58:07 +0000

Much-ballyhooed (in a good and bad way) comedian Ricky Gervais will be back to host the Annual Golden Globes Ceremony for a third time in 2012, when the 69th annual iteration of the event takes place.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has officially announced its nominations for the 2012 Golden Globes show – and, just like any year, there are many obvious selections, a few surprises, and more than a handful of choices that are bound to rub moviegoers of all shades the wrong (or, in some cases, the right) way.

Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius’ black-and-white silent film homage, The Artist, led the way with six Globe nods total; co-writer/helmer Alexander Payne’s The Descendants and director Tate Taylor’s The Help were close behind. That heavily-praised dramedy and popular literary adaptation (respectively) managed to snag five nominations each, putting them one ahead of ...

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DVD/Blu-ray Breakdown: July 12, 2011

Mike Eisenberg — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:42:45 +0000

Some great titles hit DVD and Blu-ray this week. Nearly every genre is accounted for, which should leave at least one solid pick to add to your collection.

Every once in a while, a studio releases one of their more popular films on home video later in the week. This week, Rango and Arthur both hit shelves on Friday. But the rest of the notable titles will release on Tuesday as usual, including The Lincoln Lawyer, Insidious, Entourage and Robot Chicken.

Two other intriguing films that few got the chance to see in theaters will also be available on both DVD and Blu-ray – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives and Miral.

The following titles can be found on DVD and Blu-ray. Click on any image ...

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: April 3rd, 2011

Niall Browne — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:33:00 +0000

This week:

Russell Brand and James Marsden Hop to the top of the box office; Time Bandits and The Long Good Friday go from Handmade to remade films; Justin Beiber and Ashton Kutcher ask What Would Kenny Do?; Antoine Fuqua dusts off the shoulder pads for Dynasty (well, sort of) ; a new writer takes a bite at Piranha 3DD and Keira Knightley makes friends with Steve Carell for The End of the World.

Box Office

Hop topped the box office after grossing an estimated $38 million this weekend. The CGI/live action hybrid featuring X-Men’s James Marsden and the voice of Russell Brand quietly surpassed studio expectations despite mediocre reviews. Personally, I’m not a fan of this genre and can’t fathom why anybody would be interested in making this, although I am fully aware that family films can make serious money at the box office – despite their (often) poor ...

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: March 27th, 2011

Niall Browne — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 19:52:00 +0000

This week:

The box office sees a Wimpy Kid knock out Zack Snyder with a Sucker Punch; Johnny Depp is a Thin Man; Dennis Quaid joins Gerard Butler in Playing the Field; Liv Tyler kicks The Hobbit; Robert De Niro, Forest Whitaker, and Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson are Freelancers, and more!

Box Office

Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch received a… sucker punch on its release by Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. The family film should out gross Snyder’s latest fantasy flick by about $5 million. The $19 million debut of Sucker Punch is in line with Warner Bros’ (lowered) expectations. The film received mixed reviews (read ours here) and it looks like it might not connect with an audience for the long haul. Warner Bros. rolled a dice on this (much like they did with Chris Nolan’s Inception) and while it might not have ...

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: March 20th, 2011

Sandy Schaefer — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:58:12 +0000

This week:

This weekend’s box office is Limitless; Samuel L. Jackson is a not-so-good Samaritan; Taylor Swift will be protected by The Lorax; Tom Hanks is ready to take on A Captain’s Duty; Gore Verbinski is headed for The Brink; Sam Worthington finally gets the Drift; Sarah Jessica Parker and Marisa Tomei are Married and Cheating; and more.

Box Office

Limitless ended up being the winner at this weekend’s box office race, taking in an estimated $19 million from 2,756 theaters.

Director Neil Burger’s thought-provoking popcorn flick (read our review) exceeded early expectations and should help further cement star Bradley Cooper’s standing as a credible box office draw – when he’s not just getting up to Hangover related antics, that is.

Paramount’s Rango managed to snag second place again, thanks to the customary Saturday matinee bump that kid-friendly ...

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: March 13th, 2011

Niall Browne — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:19:52 +0000

This week:

If you go down to the woods today you’re in for a big surprise – an alien invasion with Battle: Los Angeles. These aliens might be seeing Red, but they aren’t from Mars; Bruckheimer & Bay are Cowboys; director Brad Furman has Intricate details; BP are in Deepwater; Vin Diesel and director David Twohy get Riddick-ulous; Tom Petty might be Free Fallin‘ but his daughter Adria won’t Suffocate and Ellen Barkin enters A. Mann’s World.

Box Office

Some say that love is a battlefield, but they just don’t follow the weekly box office. This weekend a major battle took place at the box office, and like any combat situation, there were some casualties. Three high profile new movies opened, but only one could be the winner. Battle: Los Angeles, Red Riding Hood and Mars Needs Moms all fought it out for the box office crown, but it was Battle: ...

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: March 6th, 2011

Niall Browne — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:01:49 +0000

This Week:

Johnny Depp’s Rango wrangles to the top of the box office, while Matt Damon makes a minor Adjustment; Kevin Spacey and David Fincher stack a House of Cards; Beware The Ides of March – in October; Tony and Ridley Scott speak Pigeon English; Joel Silver has A Line of Sight, It’s A. Mann’s World for Kelly Hu, Caitlin Crosby, Sandra Vergara and J.R. Bourne and more.

Johnny Depp’s Rango (read our review) topped the box office over the weekend. The ILM animated film, which reunited the A-list star with his Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski, grossed an estimated $38 million.

Matt Damon was in second place with The Adjustment Bureau (read our review). The Phillip K. Dick adaptation surpassed expectations and banked an estimated $21 million – the film was heavily marketed as Bourne meets Inception.

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‘Rango’ Review

Ben Kendrick — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:24:18 +0000

Screen Rant’s Ben Kendrick reviews Rango

Rango, the latest animated release from Nickelodeon Movies is also Gore Verbinski’s first film since concluding his Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy in 2007 with the underwhelming At World’s End. Through his work on the Pirates films, Verbinski earned positive buzz for his complicated, but still light-hearted, action set-pieces – as well as a reputation for (some misguided) attempts at simultaneously injecting darker themes and convoluted philosophical ideas into films that were intended as summer popcorn flicks.

Does Verbinski’s CGI animated feature Rango, about a thrill-seeking anthropomorphic chameleon in the prairie town of Dirt, play to the director’s strengths – or does the film juggle too many elements to offer people of all ages a meaningful story as well as a guilt-free action-comedy?

Read on…

As in Verbinski’s prior work, Rango the movie, ...

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‘Rango’ Soundtrack Review: Hans Zimmer Ventures West

Mike Eisenberg — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 22:59:56 +0000

Hans Zimmer is one of the film industry’s most prized composers today, but he doesn’t just score Hollywood blockbusters like Inception and Sherlock Holmes. He also spends much of his time creating music for animated films. The upcoming Gore Verbinski animated Western, Rango, will be the next film to feature Zimmer’s work.

Anti-Records was kind enough to give us an advance copy of the score, which also features original songs from Los Lobos and other artists. The soundtrack is a balanced mix of Zimmer’s Western-inspired score and Los Lobos’ comedic songs.

While some of Zimmer’s animated film work is somewhat forgettable (compared to his other work), Rango arguably features some of his best work – as of late. We’ll have to wait until next summer to hear what Zimmer cooks up for The Dark Knight Rises, but ...

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‘Rango’ Clips – Cartoon Antics In The Old West

Sandy Schaefer — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:32:28 +0000

Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy director Gore Verbinski reunited with Johnny Depp for the upcoming computer-animated feature Rango, and unlike most every other non-DreamWorks or Pixar toon that will hit theaters this year, it looks to be something both unique and memorable.

A couple of clips from the movie have been circling the Web recently, and both offer a taste of Rango‘s refreshingly off-beat humor – as well as its use of some genuinely amusing cartoonish physical comedy.

Depp provides the voice of Rango, a chameleon who longs to become a daredevil hero (and who kind of looks like the reptilian version of Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). When the domesticated lizard is unexpectedly stranded in the desert, he finds his way to a small Western town that is populated ...

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Super Bowl Movie Trailers – 2011

Rob Keyes — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:27:09 +0000

Super Bowl XLV has begun and while some place their bets on the epic Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers match-up, others find themselves more interested in the expensive commercial breaks, where the biggest and best car, beer and other advertisers premiere their most important (and most entertaining) television commercials of the year.

You can check out what we’ve already picked out as the best Super Bowl commercials of 2011, but we’re much more interested in the Super Bowl movie trailers. There are a plethora of major film TV spots to get excited about, and many have debuted online already. But we patiently (and anxiously) await the biggest ones of the event: Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, Super 8, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and more!

Here’s the list of all 2011 Super Bowl ...

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‘Rango’ & ‘Rio’ Super Bowl TV Spots

Rob Keyes — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 07:13:27 +0000

Everyone tunes in for the Super Bowl but it’s a wide known fact that many are more interested in the top-notch advertisements that play during the very profitable commercial breaks. Super Bowl XLV sees an astonishing number of TV spots dedicated to the biggest films of 2011 and several of them focus on the animated side of the business.

Two of the TV spots airing during the big game focus in on Paramount Pictures’ Rango and Twentieth Century Fox’s Rio.

Rango is written by John Logan and directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3) and stars Johnny Depp as the title character. Supporting cast members are voiced by Timothy Olyphant, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Bill Nighy, Alfred Molina and Ray Winstone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3aDgkM0l9U

Rio is written by Don Rhymer and ...

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‘Captain America’ Tops Super Bowl Movie Trailers List [Updated]

Paul Young — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:40:03 +0000

[Update: The Big Game is on - Watch the complete list of Super Bowl Movie Trailers!]

Whether you watch it for the football or for the commercials, the Super Bowl has become one of most watched events on TV, with over 100 million viewers tuning in last year.

The Super Bowl has become the premier event for companies to display new, clever and often funny ads unveiling their new and upcoming products. In recent years Hollywood too has seized the opportunity to put their movies in front of the very large audience at one time – which is like icing on cake for us dual football/movie fans…

The opportunity doesn’t come cheap either: each 30-second spot this year will run about $3 million – that’s a whopping $12 ...

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‘Rango’ Featurette – Check Out The Future Of Animated Films

Mike Eisenberg — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 20:53:31 +0000

The animation world is in the middle of multiple revolutions – the 3D boom, Pixar’s domination and enhanced motion-capture technology. Recently, the creative minds of animation gathered to usher in another idea – the natural acting experience. Rango is the latest animated feature to grab hold of the innovative style.

“The natural acting experience” is not an official term by any means. In fact, it’s somewhere in between motion capture and on-location recording. Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox was the last major animated film to take on the challenge. He shot the entire film on location to capture voice work and gather natural sounds of the environment that would later be created with stop-motion animation.

The idea involves putting an all-star cast into a stripped down version of the events that will eventually exist ...

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‘Rango’ Trailer #2 – Animation Meets The Old West

Kofi Outlaw — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:48:10 +0000

One of the more unusual animated films coming out next year is undoubtedly Paramount’s Rango, which re-teams of Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski with his “Captain Jack Sparrow,” Johnny Depp.

Today Paramount has released a new Rango trailer – one that gives us a detailed look at the unique characters and Old West-meets-animation hybrid that may just make for one of the most unexpectedly entertaining CGI animated features of recent years.

The first Rango trailer was a bit of a mystery, simply showing the titular character voiced by Depp (a Chameleon) fleeing for his life across the desert to escape being eaten by a hawk. That trailer was more about introducing the character design and geographical aesthetic of the film, while also highlighting Verbinski’s unique vision and Depp’s…er, animated performance, which utilizes the ...

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SR Pick [Video]: ‘Toon Grit’ – A ‘True Grit’ & ‘Rango’ Mashup

Rob Frappier — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:52:32 +0000

There’s nothing the Internet loves more than mashups (we’ve even put out some pretty cool ones ourselves), so it’s no surprise to see that someone has already jumped on the just-released trailer for the Coen Brothers’ True Grit.

This time, the mashup creator chose to match the dialogue and soundtrack from the True Grit trailer with the visuals from Gore Verbinski’s trailer for the animated film, Rango.

Setting the dark, dramatic tone of True Grit against the Western-inspired landscape of Rango makes sense, but while it’s an impressive effort, I think this mashup falls a bit short. I’m sure some folks will absolutely love it, but the big problem for me is in the character casting.

When you’re dealing with one movie for visuals and one movie for sound, you ...

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First Trailer for ‘Rango’ Starring Johnny Depp

Rob Frappier — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:21:44 +0000

The first trailer for the new Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Johnny Depp collaboration Rango hit the web today. The CGI animated film revolves around a pet chameleon named Rango (voiced by Depp) who winds up in the dangerous wild terrain of the Mojave desert.

My initial impression of Rango is strangely positive. It looks weird, but in a good kind of way. I can’t say the trailer itself is too original (How many kids movie trailers show the main character simply running around and crashing into things?) but there’s something there that piques my interest. Maybe it’s the sly Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference at the 1 minute 48 second mark.

Gore Verbinski has a strong talent for CGI spectacle, as evidenced by his work ...

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