#SDCC San Diego Comic Con - Dreamworks Animation Panel

By Adam Ruhl

Dreamworks Animation premiered their new slate in Hall H Thursday morning. Footage was shown from Home and Madagascar. Here are the details and some of the shots we were able to get of the panels. (Note: more photos will be added to this article later today)

Home - A nomadic alien race takes over the earth. An outcast alien named 'Oh' (Jim Parsons) befriends a little girl (Rihanna) and is pursued by the evil capt smeck (Steve Martin) based on a book by Adam Rex. Looks really funny, kind of a softer version of Invader Zim.

B.O.O. - June 2015 - seems to a kind of ghostbusters story. No footage was shown. starring Bill Murray, Seth rogan

Penguins of Madagascar - thanksgiving - the penguins are back in their own adventure. starring John malcovich and Benedict Cumberbatch.

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This Machinima Paints Shrek in a Whole New Light #NSFW

Before watching this, please be warned this is of a graphic nature and is NOT intended for children.

 

My take on this short is that it was hilarious, very dark and twisted, but quite hilarious.  It's totally not what I was expected when I clicked on it, but gave me a huge laugh.

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Blu-ray Review: War Horse

War Horse
Written by: Lee Hall and Richard Curtis from the novel by Michael Morpurgo
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup and Jeremy Irvine

Special Features: Featurettes - War Horse: The Journey Home, An Extra's Point of View, A Filmmaking Journey, Editing & Scoring, The Sounds of War Horse, Through The Producer's Lens, War Hourse: The Look, and a Digital Copy of the film.

From the box:

From legendary director Steven Spielberg comes the epic adventure War Horse, a tale of incredible loyalty, hope and tenacity.  Based on the Tony award-winning Broadway play, and set against the sweeping canvas of World War I, this deeply heartfelt story begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and his young trainer Albert.  When they're forced apart by war, we follow Joey's extraordinary journey as he changes and inspires the lives of everyone he meets.  Filled with spectacularly rich visuals - and complete with Steven Spielberg's exclusive bonus documentary - War Horse is a "Genuine Movie Masterpiece" (Rex Reed - The New York Observer) and one of the most powerful and moving stories of friendship ever told.

I am a huge Spielberg fan, loyal readers and listeners of SHOW know this.  I have to admit I was a little weary of War Horse.  I can't put my finger on exactly why though.  For some reason, I just didn't know what to feel about it.  I was worried that maybe my loyalty to who I consider one of the greatest directors of all time was floundering?

Whatever it was, it has been put to rest (or to pasture as might be more appropriate) by War Horse.  Any doubts, gone because Steven Spielberg hasn't missed a step.  War Horse is a beautifully crafted, emotional and soaring film that I am extremely sorry for missing in the theaters.

I can't say how it compares to the Broadway version, but the film version is a tense, emotional journey of a horse that makes his way through the horrors and madness of World War 1.  At times intense and heart-wrenching, Spielberg has delivered a gorgeous film, both visually and emotionally, with a flawless cast and perfect directing.

The story follows Joey, a horse who is commandeered (is that an accurate word?) by the British army, as he makes his way from caretaker to caretaker, touching and changing lives along the way.  This is the only drawback to the film for me.  We don't get enough time with all of the characters.  Some of them we get enough to get a strong connection with so that we feel just what we're supposed to, but others (the brothers especially) we get precious little time with.   Despite this, every character makes an impact and through Joey we share their fears and pains and at times their joy.

The film is directed wonderfully, of course.  The shots are just beautiful.  I've heard some chatter of shots lifted from other films and for this I can't comment.  My film vocabulary might not be large enough to be able to point out certain shots and say that it's from another movie.  What I can say is that War Horse is beautiful to behold.

The blu-ray looks spectacular.  The last shot alone is worth the price of admission.  The colors are gorgeous and the sound is thick and enveloping.  Every thump of cannons and whip of gunfire is felt. 

The disc is jammed with featurettes, as well as the Spielberg documentary which I have not yet seen.  I do wish there was a little more variety to the bonus features but you do get all the info you can ask for about the film from the featurettes.

Overall, War Horse is a wonderful film that I can't recommend enough.  It's wonderfully acted, perfectly directed and again proves that Steven Spielberg is a master of his craft. 

I can't help but think that had I saw this movie in time, War Horse would have had a spot on my Top 10 of 2011.

War Horse is available now.

War Horse

Pop Culture Beast Rating

9/10

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Blu-ray Review: I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four
Written by:  Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Marti Noxon based on the book by Pittacus Lore
Directed by: DJ Caruso
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Tomothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Callan McAuliffe and Kevin Durand
Special Features: Deleted Scenes, Bloopers and "Becoming Number Six" - Follow actress Teresa Palmer as she masters her stunts, surprising everyone including herself.

From the box:

Three are dead.  Who is Number Four?  Fro,m director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia), producer Michael Bay (Transformers) and the writers of TV's Smallville comes this gripping action-packed thriller.  John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is an extraordinary teen masking his true identity to elude a deadly enemy sent to destroy him.  Living with his guardian (Timothy Olyphant) in the small town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life0changing events - his first love (Dianna Agron, TV's Glee), powerful new abilities and a secret connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.  Complete with deleted scenes an more, I Am Number For is an explosive, suspense-filled ride that will take you to the edge of your seat and beyond.

Word was that I Am Number Four was Twilight with aliens and to be honest I did get that vibe a bit when I saw the trailers.  Well it turns out not to be at all like Twlight.  Sure there is a bit of a love story but there is none of the overwrought emoting and gag worthy doe eyed stares that make one want to run for the nearest cliff.

I Am Number Four is, unlike the abysmal Twilight films, actually good.  It's downright fun.  The action is exciting, the acting is pretty good for the most part, only Dianna Agron seems a little wooden but I still like her.

Despite myself, I was taken in by the lore and the story.  It was far better than I had expected it to be based on the trailers.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Sure it isn't perfect but you can't help getting caught up in the characters.

The film looks great on blu-ray with the effects and explosions looking glorious.  The sound is very well done as well.  I had to keep lowering the volume so I didn't bother the neighbors.

Unfortunately, the disc is light on special features with a few deleted scenes, a blooper reel and a featurette featuring Teresa Palmer, who was pretty damn cool as Number Six.  She was a scene stealer for sure.

I don't know how the odds are for a sequel to I Am Number Four.  The book sequel, The Power of Six, comes out later this august, so I can only hope we see that on the big screen.

I really think this has the chance to be a pretty great franchise if the studio gets behind it and gives it a chance.  In a year of major disappointments like The Last Airbender, movies like I Am Number Four gives a little hope that it's not all bad.

I Am Number Four is available now.

I Am Number Four

Pop Culture Beast Rating

8/10

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DVD Review: Ghost Town

Ghost Town
Written By: David Koepp & John Kamps
Directed By: David Koepp
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni, & Billy Campbell

Ricky Gervais makes his leading man debut as Dr. Bertram Pinkus in Ghost Town, a somewhat romantic comedy about an extremely unlikable dentist who, after dying for seven minutes, can see ghosts. He finds himself helping ghost Greg Kinnear to break up the engagement of Kinnear's widow. Pinkus of course falls for the widow, played by Tea Leoni.

Ghost Town is a pretty formulaic movie. There aren't really any surprises (minus the F-bomb a couple of times) but it is saved from mediocrity by Ricky Gervais and Tea Leoni. Gervais in particular gives a hilarious performance. His performance turned a one note character into an extremely entertaining one. He took Pinkus from someone to hate into someone you care about with believability and laughs. Tea Leoni is equally as charming and I cannot understand why she doesn't work more. She is a great actress and is extremely likable in this. She has some great chemistry with Gervais, clearly enjoying her time acting along side him.


The cast is rounded out by Greg Kinnear and Billy Campbell, both who give good performances. I'd like to one day see something different from Kinnear. He always seems like the same character to me. I should mention SNL's Kristen Wiig's small part as Pinkus's surgeon. She is quite funny here. She is my favorite SNL cast member and it was a nice surprise to see her in this movie.

The story, like I said before, is pretty by the numbers. There is nothing too new here to point out. Ricky Gervais really carries the movie and makes it successful. It's not bad by any means and it makes for a fun couple hours to watch. Don't expect miracles here, but do expect a lot of laughs.

The DVD is a little light on special features. There is a commentary with director David Koepp and Ricky Gervais which I am sure is hysterical but I haven't heard it yet. There is also a great blooper reel showing off all of Gervais' screw ups and times he breaks down laughing. This is really funny as well.

Overall, Ghost Town is a charming, touching, and funny romantic comedy. It's certainly worth your time to watch it especially for fans of Ricky Gervais. It's well written and directed but for some reason falls short of being perfect.

Pick it up and enjoy a good laugh.

Ghost Town is available on DVD and Bluray now.

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