Guillermo del Toro on the set of ‘Pinocchio’ (Photo Credit: Jason Schmidt/Netflix)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, a recent winner of the Best Animated Film at the Critics Choice Awards, tops the list of the 50th Annual Annie Awards nominees. Del Toro’s gorgeous stop-motion fairy tale earned nine nominations, including a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category along with Turning Red, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast, and Wendell & Wild.
“After two years of virtual awards, as much fun as they were, everyone is so eager to get back to a live, in-person event,” stated Frank Gladstone, the Annie Awards executive producer. “This is doubly true since this is the Annie Awards 50th year, our Golden Anniversary! We are returning to UCLA’s Royce Hall for an Annies with all the trimmings, and a few surprises. It is important for all of us to be together again,...
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, a recent winner of the Best Animated Film at the Critics Choice Awards, tops the list of the 50th Annual Annie Awards nominees. Del Toro’s gorgeous stop-motion fairy tale earned nine nominations, including a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category along with Turning Red, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast, and Wendell & Wild.
“After two years of virtual awards, as much fun as they were, everyone is so eager to get back to a live, in-person event,” stated Frank Gladstone, the Annie Awards executive producer. “This is doubly true since this is the Annie Awards 50th year, our Golden Anniversary! We are returning to UCLA’s Royce Hall for an Annies with all the trimmings, and a few surprises. It is important for all of us to be together again,...
- 1/17/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
The Blackcoat’s Daughter (Osgood Perkins)
Osgood Perkins’ debut feature, The Blackcoat’s Daughter – originally known as February at its premiere at Tiff last year – is a stylish exercise in dread, teasing out its slow-drip horrors with precision, and building a deliriously evil presence that hovers along the fringes. However, there’s a thin line between mystery and vagueness in storytelling, and it becomes difficult to decide where a...
The Blackcoat’s Daughter (Osgood Perkins)
Osgood Perkins’ debut feature, The Blackcoat’s Daughter – originally known as February at its premiere at Tiff last year – is a stylish exercise in dread, teasing out its slow-drip horrors with precision, and building a deliriously evil presence that hovers along the fringes. However, there’s a thin line between mystery and vagueness in storytelling, and it becomes difficult to decide where a...
- 3/31/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
“Rushmore” saved Jason Schwartzman. What did you ever do? Wes Anderson somehow manages to keep improving upon himself, with “Moonrise Kingdom” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” standing as highlights of an already distinguished filmography, but 1998’s “Rushmore” will always be in the conversation for the filmmaker’s best work. His brother Eric Chase Anderson made a short documentary about
Read More: ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ Making-Of Documentary: How the ‘Replacement Players’ Made an Enduring Classic
The project was born when Anderson asked his brother shoot the electronic press kit (Epk) for “Rushmore”; EPKs are usually quite brief, but Anderson had the idea to put something more substantial together by having his brother work on the project throughout the entire shoot. Eric narrates the short-form documentary, detailing how certain scenes were achieved and briefly speaking to his brother and Schwartzman, among others.
Read More: ‘Night of the Living Dead’:...
Read More: ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ Making-Of Documentary: How the ‘Replacement Players’ Made an Enduring Classic
The project was born when Anderson asked his brother shoot the electronic press kit (Epk) for “Rushmore”; EPKs are usually quite brief, but Anderson had the idea to put something more substantial together by having his brother work on the project throughout the entire shoot. Eric narrates the short-form documentary, detailing how certain scenes were achieved and briefly speaking to his brother and Schwartzman, among others.
Read More: ‘Night of the Living Dead’:...
- 9/18/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
How time flies. It might be hard to believe, but “Rushmore” —Wes Anderson’s sophomore feature, and Jason Schwartzman’s first ever screen credit— opened wide sixteen years ago last month. Thanks to a two-part, behind-the-scenes documentary, fans can revisit the making of the film. In the run-up to filming, Anderson asked his brother Eric Chase Anderson to make an electronic press kit for the film. Traditionally, the press crew is only on set for a few days, but Wes asked his brother to remain present for the duration of production. Eric’s sustained presence provided for some entertaining if not earth-shattering cinematic history. Much time is dedicated to the casting of Schwartzman in the role of Max Fischer. “Rushmore is his first movie, and he was discovered after an exhaustive casting search in England, Canada, and the United States,” says Eric Chase Anderson. During the second part of the doc,...
- 3/10/2015
- by Zach Hollwedel
- The Playlist
Director Wes Anderson’s newest The Grand Budapest Hotel, opens March 21st. The trailers trot out the usual Anderson calling cards: dry humor, beautiful shots, a killer soundtrack, and of course, Bill Murray Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson. So much seems borrowed from Anderson’s earlier films that he might as well be following a checklist but though the director has consistently divided audiences, his films have always won over his many loyal supporters.
The chefs at Tenacious Eats are big fans of Wes Anderson and they have christened the month of March “Westrospective – Wes Anderson Month” as part of their film series Movies for Foodies. This is a one-of-a-kind event where food is prepared and plated in front of you while you watch a film on the big screen. Tenacious Eats only works with locally produced food procured by them and hard-to-find ingredients imported from places that specialize in them.
The chefs at Tenacious Eats are big fans of Wes Anderson and they have christened the month of March “Westrospective – Wes Anderson Month” as part of their film series Movies for Foodies. This is a one-of-a-kind event where food is prepared and plated in front of you while you watch a film on the big screen. Tenacious Eats only works with locally produced food procured by them and hard-to-find ingredients imported from places that specialize in them.
- 2/20/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Roald Dahl's vulpine classic is transformed into an Ocean's Eleven-style heist caper. Weirdly, it works
Spoiler Alert: This blog is published ahead of a screening on Channel 4 on Sunday at 4.55pm. Do not read if you have not seen the film and don't want to know anything about it.
"My suicide mission has been cancelled. We're replacing it with a go-for-broke rescue mission" – Mr Fox
Roald Dahl and Wes Anderson are two sides of the same coin. Both of them delight in dark whimsy – a child drowning in chocolate here, a stop-motion shark that causes a middle-aged man to reassess his priorities there – but they go about demonstrating this in completely different ways. Anderson prizes order and precision above all else – but Dahl, typified by Quentin Blake's haywire illustrations, is the enemy of sterility.
So when Anderson decided to adapt Dahl's book Fantastic Mr Fox, questions...
Spoiler Alert: This blog is published ahead of a screening on Channel 4 on Sunday at 4.55pm. Do not read if you have not seen the film and don't want to know anything about it.
"My suicide mission has been cancelled. We're replacing it with a go-for-broke rescue mission" – Mr Fox
Roald Dahl and Wes Anderson are two sides of the same coin. Both of them delight in dark whimsy – a child drowning in chocolate here, a stop-motion shark that causes a middle-aged man to reassess his priorities there – but they go about demonstrating this in completely different ways. Anderson prizes order and precision above all else – but Dahl, typified by Quentin Blake's haywire illustrations, is the enemy of sterility.
So when Anderson decided to adapt Dahl's book Fantastic Mr Fox, questions...
- 6/28/2013
- by Stuart Heritage
- The Guardian - Film News
Since 1984, The Criterion Collection has been dedicated to compiling the greatest classic and contemporary films of all time and releasing them in pristine laser disc, DVD and now Blu-Ray editions loaded with extensive supplemental features, extensive essays from an assorted host of acclaimed film critics and, of course, the highest technical picture and audio standards available. Translation? They make the best… and most expensive… DVDs on the market.
All this month in stores and online, Barnes & Noble is offering every title in the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray at 50% off. Where to start? For all you aspiring film scholars out there, here's a list of 10 essential Criterion Collection discs, presented in chronological order. Take a look:
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
Directed by Jean Renoir
One of the greatest (and, initially, most controversial) films of all time, Renoir's The Rules of the Game was destroyed during World War II,...
All this month in stores and online, Barnes & Noble is offering every title in the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray at 50% off. Where to start? For all you aspiring film scholars out there, here's a list of 10 essential Criterion Collection discs, presented in chronological order. Take a look:
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
Directed by Jean Renoir
One of the greatest (and, initially, most controversial) films of all time, Renoir's The Rules of the Game was destroyed during World War II,...
- 7/24/2012
- by Brett Warner
- Celebsology
Since 1984, The Criterion Collection has been dedicated to compiling the greatest classic and contemporary films of all time and releasing them in pristine laser disc, DVD and now Blu-Ray editions loaded with extensive supplemental features, extensive essays from an assorted host of acclaimed film critics and, of course, the highest technical picture and audio standards available. Translation? They make the best… and most expensive… DVDs on the market.
All this month in stores and online, Barnes & Noble is offering every title in the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray at 50% off. Where to start? For all you aspiring film scholars out there, here's a list of 10 essential Criterion Collection discs, presented in chronological order. Take a look:
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
Directed by Jean Renoir
One of the greatest (and, initially, most controversial) films of all time, Renoir's The Rules of the Game was destroyed during World War II,...
All this month in stores and online, Barnes & Noble is offering every title in the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray at 50% off. Where to start? For all you aspiring film scholars out there, here's a list of 10 essential Criterion Collection discs, presented in chronological order. Take a look:
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
Directed by Jean Renoir
One of the greatest (and, initially, most controversial) films of all time, Renoir's The Rules of the Game was destroyed during World War II,...
- 7/24/2012
- by Brett Warner
- TVology
Since 1984, The Criterion Collection has been dedicated to compiling the greatest classic and contemporary films of all time and releasing them in pristine laser disc, DVD and now Blu-Ray editions loaded with extensive supplemental features, extensive essays from an assorted host of acclaimed film critics and, of course, the highest technical picture and audio standards available. Translation? They make the best… and most expensive… DVDs on the market.
All this month in stores and online, Barnes & Noble is offering every title in the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray at 50% off. Where to start? For all you aspiring film scholars out there, here's a list of 10 essential Criterion Collection discs, presented in chronological order. Take a look:
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
Directed by Jean Renoir
One of the greatest (and, initially, most controversial) films of all time, Renoir's The Rules of the Game was destroyed during World War II,...
All this month in stores and online, Barnes & Noble is offering every title in the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray at 50% off. Where to start? For all you aspiring film scholars out there, here's a list of 10 essential Criterion Collection discs, presented in chronological order. Take a look:
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
Directed by Jean Renoir
One of the greatest (and, initially, most controversial) films of all time, Renoir's The Rules of the Game was destroyed during World War II,...
- 7/24/2012
- by Brett Warner
- Filmology
Release Date: Nov. 22, 2011
Price: Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Jason Schwartzman works it out on the blackboard in Rushmore.
The 1998 sophomore film from Wes Anderson (following Bottle Rocket, his 1996 directorial debut), Rushmore is equal parts coming-of-age story, French New Wave homage, quirky drama and screwball comedy.
The movie tells the story of 10th grader Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman, TV’s Bored to Death), who’s Rushmore Academy’s most extracurricular student — and its least scholarly. He faces expulsion and enters into unlikely friendships with both a lovely first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer) and a melancholy self-made millionaire (Bill Murray, Get Low).
Set to a soundtrack of classic British Invasion tunes, Rushmore sets out to capture the pain and exuberance of adolescence, and it does a pretty good job of it.
Criterion’s Blu-ray edition contains a high-definition digital transfer of the director’s cut, supervised by director Anderson, with DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack.
Price: Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Jason Schwartzman works it out on the blackboard in Rushmore.
The 1998 sophomore film from Wes Anderson (following Bottle Rocket, his 1996 directorial debut), Rushmore is equal parts coming-of-age story, French New Wave homage, quirky drama and screwball comedy.
The movie tells the story of 10th grader Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman, TV’s Bored to Death), who’s Rushmore Academy’s most extracurricular student — and its least scholarly. He faces expulsion and enters into unlikely friendships with both a lovely first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer) and a melancholy self-made millionaire (Bill Murray, Get Low).
Set to a soundtrack of classic British Invasion tunes, Rushmore sets out to capture the pain and exuberance of adolescence, and it does a pretty good job of it.
Criterion’s Blu-ray edition contains a high-definition digital transfer of the director’s cut, supervised by director Anderson, with DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack.
- 8/18/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Welcome to the latest entry in our regular feature here at Blogomatic3000, where – in association with the folks at Sky Movies HD – we take a look at some of the films premiering on Sky Movies and Sky Box-Office this month.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Stars (the voices of): George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Eric Anderson | Written and Directed by Wes Anderson
A film that you can’t help come away from watching feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a truly brilliant movie directed by (my favourite director) Wes Anderson. Not being entirely faithful to the source material by Roald Dahl had me concerned when I first heard of the adaptation and the prospect of it being all in stop motion animation also had me panicking. However, thankfully it’s a beautifully crafted movie with enough laughs and a sprinkling of action and emotion...
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Stars (the voices of): George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Eric Anderson | Written and Directed by Wes Anderson
A film that you can’t help come away from watching feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a truly brilliant movie directed by (my favourite director) Wes Anderson. Not being entirely faithful to the source material by Roald Dahl had me concerned when I first heard of the adaptation and the prospect of it being all in stop motion animation also had me panicking. However, thankfully it’s a beautifully crafted movie with enough laughs and a sprinkling of action and emotion...
- 12/14/2010
- by Rob
- Nerdly
After the high voltage Playboy/Madame Bovary bash on Wednesday, I made a return to the House that Waris (temporarily) built under the Highline on Sunday evening for his closing event with Wes Anderson. The occasion was twofold: to celebrate the Criterion Collection's Special Edition DVD release of Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited (Waris himself plays a role both in the feature and in "Hotel Chevalier," the Natalie Portman short which precedes the film); and to enjoy the first-ever public showing of original artwork and select reproductions by Eric Chase Anderson (brother of Wes), who signed worked specifically for the special guests in attendance. The vibe was considerably more mellow than Wednesday's all night affair, but the crowd was no less impressive. Harvey Keitel, Cynthia Rowley, and Terence Koh were among the intimate group of boldfacers and industry types who...
- 10/19/2010
- by Melissa Berkelhammer
- Huffington Post
I've always loved the artwork of Wes Anderson's brother Eric Chase Anderson, who many of you might recognize as the production designer on The Royal Tenenbaums. Not only did he make all of the rooms in the Tenenbaum house look different and unique, but he created all the drawings and paintings credited to Richie Tenenbaum in the movie. He also created the fantastic cover artwork for the Criterion Collection editions of The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, as well as some of the inside art. Many people don't know this but with the Criterion Collection release of Bottle Rocket, the cover and menu art was created by Ian Dingman. A lot of people confuse the two artists as their artwork looks very much in the same style. This probably also explains why Wes has employed Dingman to create the cover artwork for his future...
- 8/11/2010
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
This October, Wes Anderson’s 2007 film, the Darjeeling Limited, will finally make it’s way into the Criterion Collection. This was a much anticipated release from the earliest days of it’s availability on DVD. As Anderson’s other live action works (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou) have all been made available as Criterion editions, many have wondered when the Darjeeling Limited with find it’s place.
When it was announced on July 15th, as has been the case recently, Criterion did not have final artwork ready to put alongside the release details on their website (see also: The Thin Red Line and Paths of Glory). When Criterion sent out their initial press notes for the October releases, they included a temporary piece of art, that was clearly not going to be used as it’s final product release artwork, due to...
When it was announced on July 15th, as has been the case recently, Criterion did not have final artwork ready to put alongside the release details on their website (see also: The Thin Red Line and Paths of Glory). When Criterion sent out their initial press notes for the October releases, they included a temporary piece of art, that was clearly not going to be used as it’s final product release artwork, due to...
- 8/10/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Welcome to the latest in our all-new regular feature here at Blogomatic3000, where – in association with the folks at Sky Movies HD – we take a look at some of the films premiering on Sky Movies and Sky Box-Office this month.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Stars (the voices of): George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wallace Wolodarsky, Eric Chase Anderson | Written and Directed by Wes Anderson
Based on the story by Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox is the story of one Mr. Fox who bites off more than he can chew when, after a 14 year hiatus, he returns to his farm raiding ways and crosses Boggis, Bunce and Bean, the meanest farmers in England. When they retaliate, Mr. Fox must help his community survive.
The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus
Stars: Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, Jude Law, Christopher Plummer, Colin Farrell | Written and Directed by Terry Gilliam
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus...
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Stars (the voices of): George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wallace Wolodarsky, Eric Chase Anderson | Written and Directed by Wes Anderson
Based on the story by Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox is the story of one Mr. Fox who bites off more than he can chew when, after a 14 year hiatus, he returns to his farm raiding ways and crosses Boggis, Bunce and Bean, the meanest farmers in England. When they retaliate, Mr. Fox must help his community survive.
The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus
Stars: Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, Jude Law, Christopher Plummer, Colin Farrell | Written and Directed by Terry Gilliam
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus...
- 4/15/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Up front, just know that I don’t consider The Royal Tenenbaum’s to be a masterpiece or even Wes Anderson’s best film. From the perspective that the quality of Anderson’s films declined sharply after Rushmore, which is terrific, Fantastic Mr. Fox seems like a glorious return to what made Anderson’s original style so endearing. The hipsters among us relish the small flourishes of style Anderson adds to his films; maybe a character wears a hat at all times, makes all his clothes out of duct tape, or something equally “hip”. Rushmore featured a balance of these pretentious sentiments while still managing to deliver a perfect blend of levity and melancholy. Between Rushmore and Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson’s style got bogged down in catering to that nuanced sensibility – but he went overboard. The film’s became little more than mediums for demonstrating how precocious he could be.
- 4/2/2010
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Chicago – It’s taken me longer than most film buffs to warm up to the cinema of Wes Anderson. He’s a designer at heart, and his obsessive eye for intricate visual detail makes the medium of animation an ideal one for him to inhabit. With an army of stop-motion wizards at his command, he has finally come into his own. And unlike Tim Burton, whose “Nightmare Before Christmas” was directed by Henry Selick, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is wholly the vision of one singular artist.
Anderson doesn’t even attempt to make his trademark style any more accessible to a young audience, despite the fact that he’s adapting a classic novel by Roald Dahl (who was far more than a children’s author). This may be the the first adaptation of Dahl’s work that doesn’t feel the need to use fish-eye lenses in order to exaggerate the eccentricity of his characters.
Anderson doesn’t even attempt to make his trademark style any more accessible to a young audience, despite the fact that he’s adapting a classic novel by Roald Dahl (who was far more than a children’s author). This may be the the first adaptation of Dahl’s work that doesn’t feel the need to use fish-eye lenses in order to exaggerate the eccentricity of his characters.
- 4/1/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Roald Dahl’s imagination is to be celebrated. His books never repeat themselves and offer readers a vivid variety of ideas and images, memorable characters and incredible situations. Thankfully, technology today allows the works to be adapted with an eye towards retaining as much of his creations as is possible. The latest such adaptation is Fantastic Mr. Fox, another stop-motion production.
Available this week through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, the fall 2009 movie is available in the combo package of Blu-ray, standard DVD and digital copy. Directed by Wes Anderson, making his first animated foray, the movie is a largely satisfying and entertaining production.
With an all-star vocal cast including George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, and Bill Murray it tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep), who live a poor but happy life with their eccentric son Ash (Schwartzman) and visiting nephew Kristopherson (Eric Chase Anderson). That is until Mr.
Available this week through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, the fall 2009 movie is available in the combo package of Blu-ray, standard DVD and digital copy. Directed by Wes Anderson, making his first animated foray, the movie is a largely satisfying and entertaining production.
With an all-star vocal cast including George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, and Bill Murray it tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep), who live a poor but happy life with their eccentric son Ash (Schwartzman) and visiting nephew Kristopherson (Eric Chase Anderson). That is until Mr.
- 3/27/2010
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
The movie Fantastic Mr. Fox is director Wes Anderson's first animated film, and Anderson's uniquely skewed sensibilities work well in the film's stop-action animated universe. From its snarky dialogue to its catchy vintage pop soundtrack, the film shares many Anderson hallmarks with the director's much-loved other films such as Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums.
Based on the Roald Dahl children's novel, Fantastic Mr. Fox -- now available on DVD and Blu-ray -- is not a complicated story. Mr. Fox (George Clooney), who has a penchant for daring squab thefts and other nocturnal adventures, promises to give up his reckless ways when his wife, Felicity (Meryl Streep), announces that she's pregnant. He keeps his promise for a couple of years, settling into a life of responsible parenthood with Mrs. Fox and their growing son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman).
All is mostly well until the Foxes move from their cozy den...
Based on the Roald Dahl children's novel, Fantastic Mr. Fox -- now available on DVD and Blu-ray -- is not a complicated story. Mr. Fox (George Clooney), who has a penchant for daring squab thefts and other nocturnal adventures, promises to give up his reckless ways when his wife, Felicity (Meryl Streep), announces that she's pregnant. He keeps his promise for a couple of years, settling into a life of responsible parenthood with Mrs. Fox and their growing son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman).
All is mostly well until the Foxes move from their cozy den...
- 3/25/2010
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
A review of Fantastic Mr Fox (directed by Wes Anderson, starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman, Michael Gambon, Jarvis Cocker, Wallace Wolodarsky and Eric Chase Anderson). Wes Anderson is back with a loose adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic; Fantastic Mr Fox. Although the first animated feature from Anderson, Fantastic Mr Fox employs a decidedly Anderson aesthetic. It uses a style he’s been honing on films such as Rushmore, The Royal Tenebaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and features his hallmark of sibling rivalry and flawed paternal figures which we’ve seen throughout his work.
- 3/1/2010
- by Mark Leach
- Pure Movies
Not to sound like a lazy freshman trying to coast through Introductory Composition and Rhetoric, but I think we should start this off by remembering that the original and primary definition of "fantastic" is not "excellent" but rather "based on fantasy ... conceived by unrestrained fancy." In that sense, the word could easily and accurately be applied to the works of writer-director Wes Anderson, whose filmography increasingly reads as a personal quest to place very human problems into very unhuman surroundings. With each film, he's grown more obsessed with exercising a kind of fetishistic control over the style, turning the movies into dioramas writ large. The best example of this was The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which dealt awkwardly with an estranged father and son amid an oceanic research vessel searching for an endangered shark. Anderson's periodic cuts away to the boat on a stage, with the fourth wall gone...
- 12/1/2009
- by Daniel Carlson
Fantastic Mr. Fox Directed by: Wes Anderson Written by: Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach (screenplay), Roald Dahl (book) Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe At the beginning of the decade, Wes Anderson was being praised as one of the most unique and talented emerging filmmakers in America. The Royal Tenenbaums was seen by many as his ultimate masterpiece, earning his only Academy Award nomination to date. However, since then, he has arguably become a victim of his own success. Surrounded by copycats and increasingly cynical audiences, he has struggled to break from the mold that he created for himself. Although I enjoyed both The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited a great deal, I can't deny that Wes Anderson's style was starting to feel more like a predictable checklist and less like the mark of an auteur. He was stuck in a rut,...
- 11/29/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
After a short scene in 2004’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou utilizing the stop motion animations of Henry Selick, filmmaker Wes Anderson aimed to combine the technique with his usual cleverness for a full-length narrative. Anderson’s first animated film and an adaptation of British author Roald Dahl’s beloved book is short of fantastic.
Fantastic Mr. Fox frolics somewhere in between Anderson’s signature style and a mainstream production, an awkward mix of dry humor and childlike whimsy that tiptoes the line between age groups. It’s not without its plucky delights, but the gags are scattered through a wholly self-indulgent farce.
Written with Life Aquatic co-writer Noah Baumbach, the eccentric tone and vibrant, artistic flourishes are characteristic Anderson, and it’s autumnal color scheme is a nice touch for the vintage look and indie feel.
The painstaking craftsmanship is to be appreciated. A crew assembled incredible sequences...
Fantastic Mr. Fox frolics somewhere in between Anderson’s signature style and a mainstream production, an awkward mix of dry humor and childlike whimsy that tiptoes the line between age groups. It’s not without its plucky delights, but the gags are scattered through a wholly self-indulgent farce.
Written with Life Aquatic co-writer Noah Baumbach, the eccentric tone and vibrant, artistic flourishes are characteristic Anderson, and it’s autumnal color scheme is a nice touch for the vintage look and indie feel.
The painstaking craftsmanship is to be appreciated. A crew assembled incredible sequences...
- 11/28/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
It’s rare to find a film like The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Generally, movies for children and movies for adults are very much divided. Those few that do bridge that boundary usually do so with age specific in-jokes like the Shrek movies, or a shared sense of wonder and sentimentality which Pixar does so well. But The Fantastic Mr. Fox is unique in that it brings together the subtle humor and neurotic characters that adults have come to expect from Wes Anderson with a fairly simple fox-versus-farmers plot and a playful visual style that will keep children entertained as well.
Mr. Fox (George Clooney), at the age of 7 non-fox-years old, is going through something of a mid-life crisis. Twelve fox-years after giving up the squab-stealing trade, Mr. Fox decides it’s time for one last big job stealing from Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, the three meanest nastiest farmers around. After...
Mr. Fox (George Clooney), at the age of 7 non-fox-years old, is going through something of a mid-life crisis. Twelve fox-years after giving up the squab-stealing trade, Mr. Fox decides it’s time for one last big job stealing from Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, the three meanest nastiest farmers around. After...
- 11/27/2009
- MoviesOnline.ca
2nd 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' movie trailer features more funny clips. Fox Searchlight Pictures is releasing their new animation feature film, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" in a nationwide release,this weekend. It features the voice of George Clooney and also stars : Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Jarvis Cocker. In "Fantastic Mr. Fox," George Clooney plays Mr. Fox and Meryl Streep plays Mrs Fox. They live in an idyllic home life with their son named Ash and nephew, Kristopherson. However, after 12 years, Mr. Fox's wild animal instincts take over once again,and he relapses back into his old ways. He starts stealing chickens and endangers his beloved family and the whole community.
- 11/25/2009
- by Chris
- OnTheFlix
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Bill Murray
Running Time: 1 hr 27 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: November 25, 2009
Plot: Based on the novel by Roald Dahl, and written for the screen by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach comes the tale of Mr. Fox (Clooney). He tried to change his ways, but still wants to steal chickens and his actions get all the animals in town in trouble, even his own family.
Who’S It For? This film has the rare chance to impress the parents and entertain the kids. If you’re a Wes Anderson fan, you won’t be disappointed. I cuss you not.
Expectations: Rushmore is my favorite Anderson film, and I figured added voice work by Clooney and Streep couldn’t possibly be a negative. Yeah, I was excited.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
George Clooney as Mr.
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Bill Murray
Running Time: 1 hr 27 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: November 25, 2009
Plot: Based on the novel by Roald Dahl, and written for the screen by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach comes the tale of Mr. Fox (Clooney). He tried to change his ways, but still wants to steal chickens and his actions get all the animals in town in trouble, even his own family.
Who’S It For? This film has the rare chance to impress the parents and entertain the kids. If you’re a Wes Anderson fan, you won’t be disappointed. I cuss you not.
Expectations: Rushmore is my favorite Anderson film, and I figured added voice work by Clooney and Streep couldn’t possibly be a negative. Yeah, I was excited.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
George Clooney as Mr.
- 11/25/2009
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
Fantastic Mr Fox is very mildly fantastic. That’s not a knock. The film is great, but it’s great in a subtle kind of way. It’s an understated comedy that can satisfy audiences both young and old. Adapted for the screen from Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book. He’s also the writer who concocted such great classic tales as Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and James And The Giant Peach, both of which have had their moments on screen as well.
The film also takes on the uniquely awkward and quirky dimensions that form within the mind of writer-director Wes Anderson. In case you have no idea who that is, Wes Anderson is the marvelous filmmaker who began with Bottle Rockets (some of you may still have puzzled looks on your faces) but went on to make Rushmore. There we go! That’s the big “Aha!
The film also takes on the uniquely awkward and quirky dimensions that form within the mind of writer-director Wes Anderson. In case you have no idea who that is, Wes Anderson is the marvelous filmmaker who began with Bottle Rockets (some of you may still have puzzled looks on your faces) but went on to make Rushmore. There we go! That’s the big “Aha!
- 11/25/2009
- by Travis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Did you know that Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl's book, "Fantastic Mr. Fox," features scenes of intense action and graphic violence. Well it does. As you'll see in this exclusive clip, featuring the Fox kids Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and Kris (Eric Anderson) as they deal with a bully. A bully who isn't all that he's cracked up to be, apparently.
Check out "Fantastic Mr. Fox" when it opens wide this weekend. Assuming of course you're not going to see "New Moon" another half-dozen times.
Check out "Fantastic Mr. Fox" when it opens wide this weekend. Assuming of course you're not going to see "New Moon" another half-dozen times.
- 11/23/2009
- by Adam Rosenberg
- MTV Movies Blog
When you're making an animated film, one of the big differences is that you can add scenes, change dialogue and re-write as you're going along because you only shoot a little bit of the movie each day. Mr. and Mrs. Fox "on set" shooting a scene in the supermarket. So, with Fantastic Mr. Fox, about half-way through the shoot, I had this idea for a scene between the two characters played by Jason Schwartzman and my brother, Eric Anderson. I thought one place to start was with something I grew up with: bunk beds. My initial sketches for how the scene in Ash's (Jason Schwartzman's character) bedroom would be shot and acted In this case, Jason Schwartzman's character does not allow the bunk beds to serve their usual purpose of sleeping two. So, his foreign cousin is forced to sleep underneath...
- 11/21/2009
- by Wes Anderson
- Huffington Post
Atomic Popcorn presents to Baltimore Wes Anderson’s upcoming animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, starring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. The animation on this film looks to be stunning and something that we haven’t seen the likes of before.
The screening will be on Tuesday, November 24th at 7:30pm at a local AMC Theater. Directed by Wes Anderson, Fantastic Mr. Fox opens in area theaters on Wednesday, November 25th!
Synopsis:
Fantastic Mr. Fox is visionary director Wes Anderson’s first animated film, utilizing classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children’s book by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach).
Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) live an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson). But after 12 years,...
The screening will be on Tuesday, November 24th at 7:30pm at a local AMC Theater. Directed by Wes Anderson, Fantastic Mr. Fox opens in area theaters on Wednesday, November 25th!
Synopsis:
Fantastic Mr. Fox is visionary director Wes Anderson’s first animated film, utilizing classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children’s book by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach).
Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) live an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson). But after 12 years,...
- 11/20/2009
- by Matthew
- Atomic Popcorn
Director: Wes Anderson Writer(s): Roald Dahl (book), Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach (screenplay) Starring: (voice) George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Jarvis Cocker, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Helen McCrory Once upon a time…we find Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) and Mrs. 'Felicity' Fox (voiced by Meryl Streep) as they prepare to raid a local farm. The heist (orchestrated beautifully to the Beach Boys’ “Heroes and Villains”) is successful – that is until Mr. Fox’s overconfidence causes him to trigger a trap and the two foxes find themselves caught in a cage. Felicity reveals that she is pregnant, and Mr. Fox promises to find much more respectable employment…if they survive! (They obviously do.) Two human years later (14 years in fox years)…Mr. Fox is now a respectable yet poor newspaper man; he and Felicity now have a grown son named Ash (voiced by Jason Schwartzman). The family lives,...
- 11/19/2009
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The Critics' Choice seal is a recognition given to new movies receiving a high Critics' Choice Ratings score in the weekly voting by the Broadcast Film Critics Association which I'm a proud member, yay!
If you're an Oscar fan, you may want to pay attention to the films receiving the Critics' Choice seal. It's a great barometer of the Academy Awards.
The latest films to receive the Critics' Choice seal are:
"Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' By Sapphire
Precious
Release Date November 5, 2009
MPAA Rating R
Directed By Lee Daniels
Starring Mo?Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, and introducing Gabourey Sidibe
Official Site http://www.weareallprecious.com/
Synopsis
Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home,...
If you're an Oscar fan, you may want to pay attention to the films receiving the Critics' Choice seal. It's a great barometer of the Academy Awards.
The latest films to receive the Critics' Choice seal are:
"Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' By Sapphire
Precious
Release Date November 5, 2009
MPAA Rating R
Directed By Lee Daniels
Starring Mo?Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, and introducing Gabourey Sidibe
Official Site http://www.weareallprecious.com/
Synopsis
Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home,...
- 11/17/2009
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
In director Wes Anderson's stop-motion animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox (read Vadim Rizov's "Film of the Week" review), 29-year-old actor Jason Schwartzman—who began his screen career working with Anderson as the overambitious teen hero of Rushmore, then co-starred in and co-wrote The Darjeeling Limited—lends his voice to the role of Ash. A runty young fox who longs for the attention and affection of his father Mr. Fox (George Clooney), Ash spends most of the story in a quiet jealous huff over his cousin Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson), who seems to be better than him in just about every sport—including the art of romance.
Sitting down with Schwartzman before Fantastic Mr. Fox's limited release, we discussed the film, familial competition, his hilarious new HBO series Bored to Death, his band Coconut Records (did we mention he was a musician before he was a thespian?), and a somewhat unusual vice.
Sitting down with Schwartzman before Fantastic Mr. Fox's limited release, we discussed the film, familial competition, his hilarious new HBO series Bored to Death, his band Coconut Records (did we mention he was a musician before he was a thespian?), and a somewhat unusual vice.
- 11/14/2009
- GreenCine Daily
George Clooney voices Mr. Fox in Fantastic Mr. Fox
Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures I have no idea how Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox will be received by general audiences, or if they will even show up to see it. I can guess, and say many audiences won't find the humor in it. I can also guess those same people will be annoyed as I sit next to them laughing and loving every minute of it. As a so-so fan of Wes Anderson's work I can tell you I think Bottle Rocket is outstanding and I don't share the same affection for Rushmore as many others do. In this respect, Fantastic Mr. Fox is more along the lines of Bottle Rocket than it is any of Anderson's other films and the stop motion animation ramps up the comedy even that much more.
Anderson's film is an adaptation of the...
Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures I have no idea how Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox will be received by general audiences, or if they will even show up to see it. I can guess, and say many audiences won't find the humor in it. I can also guess those same people will be annoyed as I sit next to them laughing and loving every minute of it. As a so-so fan of Wes Anderson's work I can tell you I think Bottle Rocket is outstanding and I don't share the same affection for Rushmore as many others do. In this respect, Fantastic Mr. Fox is more along the lines of Bottle Rocket than it is any of Anderson's other films and the stop motion animation ramps up the comedy even that much more.
Anderson's film is an adaptation of the...
- 11/13/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Zac Posen, Patricia Neal, Wes Anderson, Eric Anderson, and Ophelia Dahl. From PatrickMcMullan.com. “I’ve been spending a lot of time in France lately, however I think this is the Paris that I really consider my home,” said Wes Anderson at New York City's Paris theater before the Quintessentially-hosted screening of Fantastic Mr. Fox on Tuesday night. “I’m very excited to bring our movie back to New York.” Adults and children alike were excited for the stop-motion adaptation of the classic children's novel. “I don’t think I could have been a bigger fan of Roald Dahl. He was my favorite author when I was a kid,” said the director’s brother and voice of Kristofferson, Eric Anderson. “My favorites were probably his memoirs, which he wrote for kids. I love that he did that, and they were very powerful for me when I was a boy.” Artist Hugo Guinness,...
- 11/12/2009
- Vanity Fair
The new tools filmmaker Wes Anderson puts to use in his first animated film, a wonderful adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1970 children's book "Fantastic Mr. Fox" are miniature sets, hand-built models and stop-motion photography. The materials may be fresh to Anderson and appear somewhat revolutionary in the era of 3D digital animation from Pixar and DreamWorks. On the surface, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a quaint throwback to the stop-motion world of Gerry Anderson and his "Thunderbirds." What's fantastically fresh and irreverent are the ways Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach blend Dahl's magical storytelling with their American take on the English countryside and family themes drawn from past Anderson movies "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou." Finally, Anderson's childlike spirit finds the perfect canvas in "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and the result is a classic family adventure. Mr. and Mrs. Fox (voices of George Clooney and Meryl Streep...
- 11/12/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The more I see of Wes Anderson's upcoming stop-motion adventure "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," the more excited I get about the project, due in theaters Nov. 13, 2009.
USA Today recently debuted a bunch of new stills from the film, and you can check out some of them right here. For some more, go here (it's worth it).
Based on the book by Roald Dahl, the film centers on a clever fox (voiced by George Clooney) who tries to protect his family from a bunch of angry farmers.
"Fox" also features the voices of Meryl Streep, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Chase Anderson, Brian Cox, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.
USA Today recently debuted a bunch of new stills from the film, and you can check out some of them right here. For some more, go here (it's worth it).
Based on the book by Roald Dahl, the film centers on a clever fox (voiced by George Clooney) who tries to protect his family from a bunch of angry farmers.
"Fox" also features the voices of Meryl Streep, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Chase Anderson, Brian Cox, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.
- 7/26/2009
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
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