This seems like such a bad idea…
If you want to see the new Superman movie Man of Steel on Thursday, June 13 (instead of its opening day of June 14), you have to buy tickets in store at a Wal*Mart.
I’m sure someone is making lots of money from this advertising deal, but for me, since I refuse to shop at Wal*Mart, it’s just one more reason on the list of why I don’t care about this movie.
There’s already a lot of concern in Hollywood about there being too many blockbusters planned for this summer, so I’m sure Warner is doing whatever they can to drive ticket sales, and they think teaming up with the nation’s biggest retailer is good for that. I know a lot’s riding on this movie for DC, but it just doesn’t look like a must-see for me. I want my superheroes to have humor and a sense of fun, not be so damned dark and depressing.
Shout! Factory is putting Heavy Traffic on Blu-ray on July 16. This animated film was Ralph Bakshi’s second feature, after Fritz the Cat. It doesn’t stray far, being the story of a New York cartoonist who lives with his parents while drawing images of the city.
Based on reviews, the movie is worth watching more for the animation techniques, which incorporate live-action sequences and film clips, than the dated-sounding story about urban life in that era and the struggles of being an artist, man.
To increase enthusiasm for Planes, opening August 9, Disney has released the following video highlighting the music by composer Mark Mancina. I love the classic sound of Americana and wide-open spaces, but I’m a little concerned by how plastic-y the vehicles look. At some points, they appear pasted onto the backgrounds, not integrated. I guess I need to remember that this isn’t a Pixar movie, just a follow-up to one. Some gorgeous global scenery, though.
The French movie adaptation of Jacques Tardi’s graphic novel series The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec has been announced for Blu-ray and DVD from Shout! Factory.
Set in 1912, the film was directed and produced by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and starred Louise Bourgoin. It will be available in the US on August 13 with English and French audio tracks and English subtitles. Bonus features announced so far include a making-of featurette, a music featurette, and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray comes with a DVD and digital copy.
Here’s the trailer, which makes her look kind of like a female Indiana Jones. Nifty!
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, billing itself as “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration”, will be held in Wisconsin July 29 – August 4. Previously “The Experimental Aircraft Association’s Fly-In Convention”, the event attracts over 500,000 aviation enthusiasts and 10,000 airplanes. Which makes it the perfect event at which to hold a special preview screening of the new Disney animated movie Planes.
In addition to running the film at the Fly-In Theater on Friday night, August 2 (one week before the movie opens in theaters nationwide), director Klay Hall will be present to discuss the making of the film. The Fly-In Theater is an outdoor facility with a five-story-high screen and full sound system that presents aviation and other action movies for AirVenture attendees.
That’s not the only movie-related event at the show. Remember the Rocketeer? Well, there’s a real-life version. Yves “Jetman” Rossy, the “world’s first jet-powered man”, will make his first public U.S. flights this summer at AirVenture.
Using a carbon-Kevlar jetwing with four engines, each of which capable of a 22-kilogram thrust, the Swiss aviator is able to propel himself through the sky at upward of 150 mph, controlled by a simple throttle in his hand. The rest of the controls are left to the human fuselage — Rossy himself — who simply uses his shoulders, body, and legs to steer, pitch, and descend.
With one successful superhero movie in theaters now, it’s still not too soon for Marvel to start promoting the next one. Here’s the first trailer for Thor: The Dark World, arriving in theaters November 8.
Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, with Natalie Portman apparently unfortunately used as a bargaining chip to pressure him. Tom Hiddleston as Loki is always fun, plus this sequel adds Christopher Eccleston and Zachary Levi to Kat Dennings and Jaimie Alexander (as the bad-ass Sif). In the film, per the official description, “Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos… but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.”
Of course, Hemsworth looks great in costume, whether fighting or at rest.
Meanwhile, Jane gets to visit his world, while Anthony Hopkins looks suitably Odin-like.
