The film shot on location in Kentucky and now in post-production at Lipsync Studios in London.
Veteran Dutch filmmaker Ate De Jong’ Heart Strings, a romantic drama set in the world of US reality television, has been picked up by Los Angeles and Rome-based House of Film.
The film shot on location in Kentucky and now in post-production at Lipsync Studios in London.
It is produced by Mulholland Films and coproduced and co-written by Steven Gaydos.
The film’s theme song, Americana, co-written by the film’s star, Sam Varga and Nashville recording artist Kalie Shorr, has been recorded for...
Veteran Dutch filmmaker Ate De Jong’ Heart Strings, a romantic drama set in the world of US reality television, has been picked up by Los Angeles and Rome-based House of Film.
The film shot on location in Kentucky and now in post-production at Lipsync Studios in London.
It is produced by Mulholland Films and coproduced and co-written by Steven Gaydos.
The film’s theme song, Americana, co-written by the film’s star, Sam Varga and Nashville recording artist Kalie Shorr, has been recorded for...
- 5/18/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Joseph Baena and Ludovica Frasca have joined the cast of Josh Webber’s family holiday film Athena Saves Christmas, which is currently shooting in California’s Lake Arrowhead area for a late 2023 release.
Having started out in real estate and bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Baena is following in the footsteps of his father onto the big screen. Further upcoming credits include American Spark and Called To Duty.
Baena is repped by Penzi and Italian-born actress Frasca is with 3sixty.
They join previously announced cast members Cuba Gooding Jr, Paxton Kubitz, Kylie Marshall, Santiago Ramirez, Richard Portnow, Mars Callahan, Glenn Plummer and Kaitlyn Raymond.
The film follows Samuel (Kubitz) and his friends Vanessa (Marshall) and Alphonso (Ramirez) as well as his trusted dog Athena, who find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime as they take on a mob boss to save Christmas for their town.
Webber is directing...
Having started out in real estate and bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Baena is following in the footsteps of his father onto the big screen. Further upcoming credits include American Spark and Called To Duty.
Baena is repped by Penzi and Italian-born actress Frasca is with 3sixty.
They join previously announced cast members Cuba Gooding Jr, Paxton Kubitz, Kylie Marshall, Santiago Ramirez, Richard Portnow, Mars Callahan, Glenn Plummer and Kaitlyn Raymond.
The film follows Samuel (Kubitz) and his friends Vanessa (Marshall) and Alphonso (Ramirez) as well as his trusted dog Athena, who find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime as they take on a mob boss to save Christmas for their town.
Webber is directing...
- 3/31/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: After a production hiatus of a few years, filming is back underway on making-of documentary Too Hot To Handle: Remembering Ghostbusters II, which will feature interviews with Dan Aykroyd, the late Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, director and producer Ivan Reitman, producers Joe Medjuck and Michael C. Gross, and Ilm’s Dennis Muren.
The film will include a score from film and TV vet Randy Edelman who scored Ghostbusters II.
Too Hot To Handle: Remembering Ghostbusters II hails from UK brother and sister team, Anthony and Claire Bueno. It is a Bueno Production, produced by Claire Bueno, and executive-produced by Laurence Gornall of Unannounced Films.
Screen Media is theatrically re-releasing the same team’s Ghostbusters I making-of doc, Cleanin’ Up The Town (2019), on October 1.
The theatrical and VOD re-release will come shortly before Jason Reitman’s anticipated Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in November.
“Contrary to popular belief, Ghostbusters II...
The film will include a score from film and TV vet Randy Edelman who scored Ghostbusters II.
Too Hot To Handle: Remembering Ghostbusters II hails from UK brother and sister team, Anthony and Claire Bueno. It is a Bueno Production, produced by Claire Bueno, and executive-produced by Laurence Gornall of Unannounced Films.
Screen Media is theatrically re-releasing the same team’s Ghostbusters I making-of doc, Cleanin’ Up The Town (2019), on October 1.
The theatrical and VOD re-release will come shortly before Jason Reitman’s anticipated Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in November.
“Contrary to popular belief, Ghostbusters II...
- 9/27/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
On the short list of post- classic-era comedies I can see over and over again is this beautifully executed Bill Murray crime comedy, which he co-directed. The fact that its basically silly main joke is whining about New York City doesn’t keep it from being hilarious from one end to the other. When it comes time for a getaway to the airport, Manhattan might as well be an impenetrable maze, an island of doom. Geena Davis and Randy Quaid give excellent comedy support, while Jason Robards holds up the police dragnet end of the story. The disc has no special extras but Murray’s movie is as satisfying as ever.
Quick Change
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 88 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date April 27, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards, Bob Elliott, Brian McConnachie, Jamey Sheridan, Larry Joshua, Phil Hartman, Kathryn Grody, Tony Shalhoub,...
Quick Change
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 88 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date April 27, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards, Bob Elliott, Brian McConnachie, Jamey Sheridan, Larry Joshua, Phil Hartman, Kathryn Grody, Tony Shalhoub,...
- 4/27/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
John Carpenter’s “Halloween” music? A “Star Wars” compendium? It’s no shock to see these show up on a list of soundtrack label Varèse Sarabande’s historical 10 biggest selling albums. More surprising? Non-genre soundtracks like “Rudy” and “The Man from Snowy River,” which film music fans snatched up in numbers matching some of the more obvious fare. Here are the imprint’s 10 most popular releases from their first 40 years:
1. “Ghost”
Maurice Jarre, 1990
Varèse’s sole platinum album to date, selling an estimated 1.5 million units. Its inclusion of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” accounted for many of these sales.
2. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”
Brad Fiedel, 1991
Fiedel’s electronic score proved enduringly popular.
3. “The Star Wars Trilogy”
Varujan Kojian conducting Utah Symphony, 1983
One of several classic film-score recordings produced for Varèse by George Korngold with London orchestras.
4. “The Last of the Mohicans”
Joel McNeely conducting Royal Scottish National Orchestra, 2000
New recording...
1. “Ghost”
Maurice Jarre, 1990
Varèse’s sole platinum album to date, selling an estimated 1.5 million units. Its inclusion of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” accounted for many of these sales.
2. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”
Brad Fiedel, 1991
Fiedel’s electronic score proved enduringly popular.
3. “The Star Wars Trilogy”
Varujan Kojian conducting Utah Symphony, 1983
One of several classic film-score recordings produced for Varèse by George Korngold with London orchestras.
4. “The Last of the Mohicans”
Joel McNeely conducting Royal Scottish National Orchestra, 2000
New recording...
- 12/8/2018
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
A movie theme so iconic and over-the-top inspirational, Randy Edelman's theme to the 1996 film Dragonheart has appeared in numerous forms of media including trailers--real and fake, for other films. Taking a very large scene in scale and scope from Game of Thrones' Season 5, Episode 9, we gave over-dubbing a little music from the similarly themed movie starring CGI and the voice of Sean Connery a try. Boy, did it work. 1. Spoilers, duh. 2. Both the scene and the score are untouched once they "fade-in." ...
- 6/8/2015
- by Dick Schulz
- Hitfix
We have shared a number of cool 2011 film mashups on the site. Here is a trailer mashup from SleepySkunk that gives us a look back at the various films from the year, highlighting some of the intense action sequences. The music used in the mashup is Lords of Acid and Randy Edelman's To The Stars from the Dragon Heart soundtrack.
Here is a description of the video:
The year in movies has stood out for two reasons in my humble opinion. First, it was a year that started with a "Summer Blockbuster" (The Green Hornet) and ended with one (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol). Studios realized that audiences love car chases and explosions on the big screen as much as butter on their popcorn and every single month in 2011 granted us with a surprising share of intense action.
Second, it was a year of looking back and respecting the...
Here is a description of the video:
The year in movies has stood out for two reasons in my humble opinion. First, it was a year that started with a "Summer Blockbuster" (The Green Hornet) and ended with one (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol). Studios realized that audiences love car chases and explosions on the big screen as much as butter on their popcorn and every single month in 2011 granted us with a surprising share of intense action.
Second, it was a year of looking back and respecting the...
- 12/19/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Nettwerk Music Group is set to release the Symphony of Hope: The Haiti Project. The album will be released on October 4, 2011 and will be available digitally, as well as a On-Demand CD on Amazon (pre-order the CD here). The musical fundraising project was originally designed to help the people of Haiti in their desperate time of need. A year after the terrible earthquake which has destroyed the lives of thousands of Haitians, the need for assistance is even greater than ever. Symphony of Hope is a collaboration by 25 of today’s leading Oscar-, Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy-winning composers to benefit Haiti Earthquake Relief. The “Symphony of Hope” begins with an original Haitian melody, then each composer contributes an additional 8-32 bars of music to the piece and then passes it along to the next composer. Among the participating composers are Nathan Barr, Tyler Bates, Jeff Beal, Christophe Beck, Bruce Broughton,...
- 9/17/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
La-La Land Records has released a new soundtrack edition for the 1986 action adventure film The Golden Child. The 3 CD set includes both John Barry’s unused score and Michel Colombier’s score from the Paramount Pictures-produced movie. The soundtrack set marks the premiere release of Barry’s unused score. Also included are Barry’s unused song Dance A Little Closer performed by Randy Edelman, as well as the composer’s song Best Man in the World performed by Ann Wilson. The release is limited to 5000 copies. To order the 3-Disc collections and to listen to audio clips, visit La-La Land Records’ webpage. The Golden Child directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Eddie Murphy, Charlotte Lewis and Charles Dance centers on a private detective specializing in missing children who is charged with the task of finding a special child that dark forces want to eliminate.
Here’s the CD set...
Here’s the CD set...
- 7/15/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
Poor Anna has been waiting four years for her boyfriend Jeremy to pop the question. When he jets off to Ireland, Anna decides to take advantage of an age-old Irish tradition that allows a woman to propose to her beloved on February 29th. Leap Year. En route to Dublin, Anna, played by the charming Amy Adams, is met with an unexpected twist of fate that lands her on the opposite end of the Isle. It's then that she meets up with Declan, a handsome, rogue Innkeeper played by Matthew Goode, who is facing foreclosure on his inn the following morning. After being offered 500 euros by a wise local, a reluctant and cynical Declan agrees to transport Anna to Dublin. The two set off in Declan's not-so-new car, and begin a journey laden with comical mishaps, sarcastic banter, and subtle flirtations. As they get closer to Dublin, they too become closer,...
- 1/11/2010
- by jmaurer@corp.popstar.com (Jennifer Maurer)
- ScreenStar
"The Last of the Mohicans" written/directed by Michael "Miami Vice" Mann in 1992, is a historical feature set in 1757 during the French and Indian War, based on author James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel.
Cast includes Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe, with Russell Means, Wes Studi, Eric Schweig and Jodhi May.
The soundtrack, featuring music by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman, featured the haunting song "I Will Find You" by Clannad.
"Last Of The Mohicans" won an Academy Award for Best Sound.
Mann's film, like the novel is a romance, set against a turbulent era, with authentic wardobe and weaponry of the period.
"Last Of The Mohicans" opened in North America, September 25, 1992. By the end of its domestic run, the film earned $75,505,856.
Sneak Peek "Last Of The Mohicans"...
Cast includes Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe, with Russell Means, Wes Studi, Eric Schweig and Jodhi May.
The soundtrack, featuring music by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman, featured the haunting song "I Will Find You" by Clannad.
"Last Of The Mohicans" won an Academy Award for Best Sound.
Mann's film, like the novel is a romance, set against a turbulent era, with authentic wardobe and weaponry of the period.
"Last Of The Mohicans" opened in North America, September 25, 1992. By the end of its domestic run, the film earned $75,505,856.
Sneak Peek "Last Of The Mohicans"...
- 12/5/2009
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Randy Edelman returns to familiar territory – romantic comedy – as he is doing the score for Leap Year, a new film by British director Anand Tucker. The assignment of Edelman is somewhat surprising as Tucker has a long-standing working relationship with composer Barrington Pheloung, who wrote the music for Hilary and Jackie and most recently When Did You Last See Your Father? and Red Riding: 1983. The film is ...
- 10/19/2009
- by Mikael Carlsson
- MovieScore Magazine
The films of Michael Mann
Photo: Universal Pictures Ranking the Films of Michael Mann In advance of this Wednesday's release of Public Enemies I thought it was only fitting to take a look back at the films from director Michael Mann and see how they would sort themselves out in a quick ranking session and what a wild last few days it has been. On Thursday, last week, I saw Public Enemies, later that night I watched Manhunter, the next day I watched Thief and The Last of the Mohicans -- then the weekend arrived. In a matter of 48 hours I watched Heat, The Insider, Ali, Miami Vice and Collateral all in an attempt to make sure my mind was completely refreshed and ready to sort things out. You will notice I am only ranking nine films since I have never seen The Keep (1983) and it wasn't available through Netflix...
Photo: Universal Pictures Ranking the Films of Michael Mann In advance of this Wednesday's release of Public Enemies I thought it was only fitting to take a look back at the films from director Michael Mann and see how they would sort themselves out in a quick ranking session and what a wild last few days it has been. On Thursday, last week, I saw Public Enemies, later that night I watched Manhunter, the next day I watched Thief and The Last of the Mohicans -- then the weekend arrived. In a matter of 48 hours I watched Heat, The Insider, Ali, Miami Vice and Collateral all in an attempt to make sure my mind was completely refreshed and ready to sort things out. You will notice I am only ranking nine films since I have never seen The Keep (1983) and it wasn't available through Netflix...
- 6/29/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Morning Boxwishers and a cheeky pinch and a punch for the first of the month. It’s now December and there remains just a few weeks left to do your Christmas shopping. Yes, it’s a headache, but never fear as Boxwish gallantly leaps to your aid with our gift guides. Last week we brought you our guide to buying for a man, and later this week we’re unleashing some bargainous beauties for less than £10! Can’t say better than that. But if you’re looking for goodies in the form of tasty new DVDs you’re in luck as we rundown the pick of today’s home entertainment options.
If you see… Will Smith star as John Hancock, a drunken, out-of-control superhero whose public image is cleaned up by a helpful PR guru in the action blockbuster, Hancock.
Why Not Become a kickass crime fighter like Hancock by...
If you see… Will Smith star as John Hancock, a drunken, out-of-control superhero whose public image is cleaned up by a helpful PR guru in the action blockbuster, Hancock.
Why Not Become a kickass crime fighter like Hancock by...
- 12/1/2008
- Boxwish.com
This review was written for the theatrical release of "The Last Time". Destination Films
No one is quite who they seem to be in "The Last Time", a twisty drama set against the backdrop of the high-pressure advertising business.
But while Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser turn in a pair of sturdy performances, the film itself proves to be a harder sell, especially because it looks and sounds like Mamet but proves to be a flimsy knockoff.
Keaton's Ted is a foul-mouthed cynic who has been able to bully his way around New York's Bindview sales firm thanks to his status as the company's No. 1 sales guy.
Fraser's Jamie is an impossibly chipper, naive arrival from the Midwest whom Ted begrudgingly takes under his hard-edged tutelage.
Amber Valletta, meanwhile, is Belisa, ostensibly Ted's fiancee, though it's quite clear she's a woman who realizes the value of a better deal when she sees one.
It doesn't take too long for all three characters to shake off their prototypical shackles to reveal more intriguing shades, which is one of the pitfalls of writer-director Michael Caleo's con job of a script.
In order to move things along to conform to the dictates of the story's big-surprise ending, some of those character shifts transpire before the viewer has had a chance to at least think they've got a handle on the folks they're going to be spending time with for the next hour and a half.
Keaton and Fraser manage to navigate most of those sharp turns with conviction, but Valletta's portrayal of the problematic Belisa grapples with motivation issues every step of the way with little credible success.
Technical aspects are more convincing, with some nicely composed shots provided by cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt ("Office Space", "Grey's Anatomy") and a moody score by Randy Edelman that hints at the film's darker impulses.
No one is quite who they seem to be in "The Last Time", a twisty drama set against the backdrop of the high-pressure advertising business.
But while Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser turn in a pair of sturdy performances, the film itself proves to be a harder sell, especially because it looks and sounds like Mamet but proves to be a flimsy knockoff.
Keaton's Ted is a foul-mouthed cynic who has been able to bully his way around New York's Bindview sales firm thanks to his status as the company's No. 1 sales guy.
Fraser's Jamie is an impossibly chipper, naive arrival from the Midwest whom Ted begrudgingly takes under his hard-edged tutelage.
Amber Valletta, meanwhile, is Belisa, ostensibly Ted's fiancee, though it's quite clear she's a woman who realizes the value of a better deal when she sees one.
It doesn't take too long for all three characters to shake off their prototypical shackles to reveal more intriguing shades, which is one of the pitfalls of writer-director Michael Caleo's con job of a script.
In order to move things along to conform to the dictates of the story's big-surprise ending, some of those character shifts transpire before the viewer has had a chance to at least think they've got a handle on the folks they're going to be spending time with for the next hour and a half.
Keaton and Fraser manage to navigate most of those sharp turns with conviction, but Valletta's portrayal of the problematic Belisa grapples with motivation issues every step of the way with little credible success.
Technical aspects are more convincing, with some nicely composed shots provided by cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt ("Office Space", "Grey's Anatomy") and a moody score by Randy Edelman that hints at the film's darker impulses.
- 5/18/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Family audiences won't be disappointed by this feature-like Imax production based on the true story of Ruth Harkness, who in 1938 introduced the world to panda bears.
Destined to tumble around large-format venues for many moons, "China: The Panda Adventure" is nonetheless no great artistic leap forward and gives only glimpses of the potential for dynamic storytelling many have longed for in an Imax film.
Beginning with her arrival in China to collect the remains of her deceased husband, the story of Harkness (Maria Bello) is shortchanged for maximum exploitation of the locales. Playing a remarkably innocent and seemingly always smiling heroine who strives to prove her husband's claims that pandas are peaceful and friendly, Maria Bello ("Coyote Ugly") is far too contemporary in her approach and ultimately far from believable.
Even less convincing are Xia Yu as her husband's endlessly resourceful Chinese friend who helps Harkness travel to the Min Valley and Xander Berkeley as a heartless white hunter also in search of the giant panda. By river and on foot, with the help of women handlers at a crucial moment, Harkness undergoes a few unpleasant scares but mostly smiles her way into the stunningly beautiful mountain realm of the pandas.
Munching bamboo and otherwise proving hospitable, the pandas, including a mother and two cubs, are deservedly the stars of the production.
Unfortunately, the plot calls for Berkeley's de facto villain to race Harkness to the lair of the legendarily ferocious creatures. He shoots first, of course, but the film's poignant moments will upset only the most empathetic young viewers.
With a simplistic script and Randy Edelman's overblown orchestral score, "China" predictably satisfies only in terms of transporting one to the Min Valley. Like many an Imax travelogue in the past, it's essentially an unchallenging, thinly realized cinematic experience. The situation of the endangered pandas is the subject of an educational voice-over wrap-up during the end credits.
CHINA: THE PANDA ADVENTURE
Imax Corp.
Director: Robert M. Young
Screenwriter: Jeanne Rosenberg
Producers: Antoine Compin, Charis Horton
Executive producer: Andrew Gellis, John Wilcox
Director of photography: Reed Smoot
Editor: Jonathan Shaw
Music: Randy Edelman
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ruth Harkness: Maria Bello
Dakar: Xander Berkeley
Quentin Young: Xia Yu
Running time -- 48 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Destined to tumble around large-format venues for many moons, "China: The Panda Adventure" is nonetheless no great artistic leap forward and gives only glimpses of the potential for dynamic storytelling many have longed for in an Imax film.
Beginning with her arrival in China to collect the remains of her deceased husband, the story of Harkness (Maria Bello) is shortchanged for maximum exploitation of the locales. Playing a remarkably innocent and seemingly always smiling heroine who strives to prove her husband's claims that pandas are peaceful and friendly, Maria Bello ("Coyote Ugly") is far too contemporary in her approach and ultimately far from believable.
Even less convincing are Xia Yu as her husband's endlessly resourceful Chinese friend who helps Harkness travel to the Min Valley and Xander Berkeley as a heartless white hunter also in search of the giant panda. By river and on foot, with the help of women handlers at a crucial moment, Harkness undergoes a few unpleasant scares but mostly smiles her way into the stunningly beautiful mountain realm of the pandas.
Munching bamboo and otherwise proving hospitable, the pandas, including a mother and two cubs, are deservedly the stars of the production.
Unfortunately, the plot calls for Berkeley's de facto villain to race Harkness to the lair of the legendarily ferocious creatures. He shoots first, of course, but the film's poignant moments will upset only the most empathetic young viewers.
With a simplistic script and Randy Edelman's overblown orchestral score, "China" predictably satisfies only in terms of transporting one to the Min Valley. Like many an Imax travelogue in the past, it's essentially an unchallenging, thinly realized cinematic experience. The situation of the endangered pandas is the subject of an educational voice-over wrap-up during the end credits.
CHINA: THE PANDA ADVENTURE
Imax Corp.
Director: Robert M. Young
Screenwriter: Jeanne Rosenberg
Producers: Antoine Compin, Charis Horton
Executive producer: Andrew Gellis, John Wilcox
Director of photography: Reed Smoot
Editor: Jonathan Shaw
Music: Randy Edelman
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ruth Harkness: Maria Bello
Dakar: Xander Berkeley
Quentin Young: Xia Yu
Running time -- 48 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Family audiences won't be disappointed by this feature-like Imax production based on the true story of Ruth Harkness, who in 1938 introduced the world to panda bears.
Destined to tumble around large-format venues for many moons, "China: The Panda Adventure" is nonetheless no great artistic leap forward and gives only glimpses of the potential for dynamic storytelling many have longed for in an Imax film.
Beginning with her arrival in China to collect the remains of her deceased husband, the story of Harkness (Maria Bello) is shortchanged for maximum exploitation of the locales. Playing a remarkably innocent and seemingly always smiling heroine who strives to prove her husband's claims that pandas are peaceful and friendly, Maria Bello ("Coyote Ugly") is far too contemporary in her approach and ultimately far from believable.
Even less convincing are Xia Yu as her husband's endlessly resourceful Chinese friend who helps Harkness travel to the Min Valley and Xander Berkeley as a heartless white hunter also in search of the giant panda. By river and on foot, with the help of women handlers at a crucial moment, Harkness undergoes a few unpleasant scares but mostly smiles her way into the stunningly beautiful mountain realm of the pandas.
Munching bamboo and otherwise proving hospitable, the pandas, including a mother and two cubs, are deservedly the stars of the production.
Unfortunately, the plot calls for Berkeley's de facto villain to race Harkness to the lair of the legendarily ferocious creatures. He shoots first, of course, but the film's poignant moments will upset only the most empathetic young viewers.
With a simplistic script and Randy Edelman's overblown orchestral score, "China" predictably satisfies only in terms of transporting one to the Min Valley. Like many an Imax travelogue in the past, it's essentially an unchallenging, thinly realized cinematic experience. The situation of the endangered pandas is the subject of an educational voice-over wrap-up during the end credits.
CHINA: THE PANDA ADVENTURE
Imax Corp.
Director: Robert M. Young
Screenwriter: Jeanne Rosenberg
Producers: Antoine Compin, Charis Horton
Executive producer: Andrew Gellis, John Wilcox
Director of photography: Reed Smoot
Editor: Jonathan Shaw
Music: Randy Edelman
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ruth Harkness: Maria Bello
Dakar: Xander Berkeley
Quentin Young: Xia Yu
Running time -- 48 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Destined to tumble around large-format venues for many moons, "China: The Panda Adventure" is nonetheless no great artistic leap forward and gives only glimpses of the potential for dynamic storytelling many have longed for in an Imax film.
Beginning with her arrival in China to collect the remains of her deceased husband, the story of Harkness (Maria Bello) is shortchanged for maximum exploitation of the locales. Playing a remarkably innocent and seemingly always smiling heroine who strives to prove her husband's claims that pandas are peaceful and friendly, Maria Bello ("Coyote Ugly") is far too contemporary in her approach and ultimately far from believable.
Even less convincing are Xia Yu as her husband's endlessly resourceful Chinese friend who helps Harkness travel to the Min Valley and Xander Berkeley as a heartless white hunter also in search of the giant panda. By river and on foot, with the help of women handlers at a crucial moment, Harkness undergoes a few unpleasant scares but mostly smiles her way into the stunningly beautiful mountain realm of the pandas.
Munching bamboo and otherwise proving hospitable, the pandas, including a mother and two cubs, are deservedly the stars of the production.
Unfortunately, the plot calls for Berkeley's de facto villain to race Harkness to the lair of the legendarily ferocious creatures. He shoots first, of course, but the film's poignant moments will upset only the most empathetic young viewers.
With a simplistic script and Randy Edelman's overblown orchestral score, "China" predictably satisfies only in terms of transporting one to the Min Valley. Like many an Imax travelogue in the past, it's essentially an unchallenging, thinly realized cinematic experience. The situation of the endangered pandas is the subject of an educational voice-over wrap-up during the end credits.
CHINA: THE PANDA ADVENTURE
Imax Corp.
Director: Robert M. Young
Screenwriter: Jeanne Rosenberg
Producers: Antoine Compin, Charis Horton
Executive producer: Andrew Gellis, John Wilcox
Director of photography: Reed Smoot
Editor: Jonathan Shaw
Music: Randy Edelman
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ruth Harkness: Maria Bello
Dakar: Xander Berkeley
Quentin Young: Xia Yu
Running time -- 48 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/20/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the absence of any appreciable chemistry between its two leads, "Gone Fishin'" turns to demolishing everything from boats to hotels to one's appetite for comedies about dumb buddies, at least when the result is so rotten.
Dumped on an unsuspecting public after moving its release date a few times, the Hollywood Pictures' film is rancid bait for those who like lead characters with no discernible intelligence but with lots of mayhem-causing bad luck. The production itself was none too lucky, with the death of stunt performer Janet Wilder and the injury of four others in an accident during filming in December 1995.
A pair of dimwitted dads from New Jersey, played by Joe Pesci and Danny Glover, head to Florida for their annual fishing excursion, a traditional getaway that dates back several decades. Their wives plead with them not to get arrested or land in the hospital and make them promise to return in a few days in time for Thanksgiving.
With a banter that shows these morons to be kids posing as adults, the leads are so fixated on fishing that the loss of their boat, car and an encounter with a murderer fail to shake their resolve. They have an annoying habit of bumping into levers and flipping switches for the hell of it, leaving a path of destruction and not thinking twice about running away from a potential long prison term.
Alas, watching the film is akin to being incarcerated for a crime one did not commit. The leads are so flat and unfunny that one welcomes the presence of Rosanna Arquette and Lynn Whitfield as ladies-of-the-road who are trailing the aforementioned murderer, also notorious for wooing and then robbing elderly women.
But the screenplay as such is concerned only with flogging to death the comrades-in-disaster angle and setting up the next round of sometimes spectacular but rather unengaging physical humor. Trains, planes and alligators are tossed into the blender, along with some uninspired peripheral characters.
Director Christopher Cain is almost as inept at finding some sparks in the material as the leads are at fishing -- no easy task. Pesci and Glover cast about for automatic laughs, but even with nonexistent expectations, one is appalled at the lackluster efforts of everyone involved.
GONE FISHIN'
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Hollywood Pictures presents
in association with Caravan Pictures
A Roger Birnbaum production
A Christopher Cain film
Director Christopher Cain
Producers Roger Birnbaum,
Julie Bergman Sender
Writers Jill Mazursky Cody, Jeffrey Abrams
Director of photography Dean Semler
Production designer Lawrence Miller
Editor Jack Hostra
Costume designer Lizzy Gardiner
Music Randy Edelman
Casting Rick Montgomery, Dan Parada
Color/stereo
Cast:
Joe Joe Pesci
Gus Danny Glover
Rita Rosanna Arquette
Angie Lynn Whitfield
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Dumped on an unsuspecting public after moving its release date a few times, the Hollywood Pictures' film is rancid bait for those who like lead characters with no discernible intelligence but with lots of mayhem-causing bad luck. The production itself was none too lucky, with the death of stunt performer Janet Wilder and the injury of four others in an accident during filming in December 1995.
A pair of dimwitted dads from New Jersey, played by Joe Pesci and Danny Glover, head to Florida for their annual fishing excursion, a traditional getaway that dates back several decades. Their wives plead with them not to get arrested or land in the hospital and make them promise to return in a few days in time for Thanksgiving.
With a banter that shows these morons to be kids posing as adults, the leads are so fixated on fishing that the loss of their boat, car and an encounter with a murderer fail to shake their resolve. They have an annoying habit of bumping into levers and flipping switches for the hell of it, leaving a path of destruction and not thinking twice about running away from a potential long prison term.
Alas, watching the film is akin to being incarcerated for a crime one did not commit. The leads are so flat and unfunny that one welcomes the presence of Rosanna Arquette and Lynn Whitfield as ladies-of-the-road who are trailing the aforementioned murderer, also notorious for wooing and then robbing elderly women.
But the screenplay as such is concerned only with flogging to death the comrades-in-disaster angle and setting up the next round of sometimes spectacular but rather unengaging physical humor. Trains, planes and alligators are tossed into the blender, along with some uninspired peripheral characters.
Director Christopher Cain is almost as inept at finding some sparks in the material as the leads are at fishing -- no easy task. Pesci and Glover cast about for automatic laughs, but even with nonexistent expectations, one is appalled at the lackluster efforts of everyone involved.
GONE FISHIN'
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Hollywood Pictures presents
in association with Caravan Pictures
A Roger Birnbaum production
A Christopher Cain film
Director Christopher Cain
Producers Roger Birnbaum,
Julie Bergman Sender
Writers Jill Mazursky Cody, Jeffrey Abrams
Director of photography Dean Semler
Production designer Lawrence Miller
Editor Jack Hostra
Costume designer Lizzy Gardiner
Music Randy Edelman
Casting Rick Montgomery, Dan Parada
Color/stereo
Cast:
Joe Joe Pesci
Gus Danny Glover
Rita Rosanna Arquette
Angie Lynn Whitfield
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
"Daylight" is a horizontal "Towering Inferno", a sideways action-disaster movie set in New York's Holland Tunnel. Starring Syl-vester Stallone in his most appealing type of role, an ordinary Joe who selflessly charges in to the rescue, "Daylight" should see mountains of greenbacks at the end of its boxoffice tunnel. Positioned by itself as the lone big actioner of December, this highly charged, subterranean twister will have its strongest appeal among meat-and-potatoes Middle Americans.
In this shrewdly honed variation on the disaster formula, screenwriter Leslie Bohem has converged a prototypically diverse set of characters into the tunnel that connects New York and New Jersey. What sets off the story is an explosion, detonated by a caravan of trucks carrying toxic waste to New Jersey, presumably Tromaville. The destruction is instantaneous -- firestorms, raging waters, collapsing stone. It's as if the tunnel has turned into a fiery microwave.
Witness to this is a cab driver, Kit Latura (Stallone), who pulls up to the tunnel just as it explodes. Not surprisingly, Kit is no ordinary hack; in fact, he's the former head of Emergency Medical Services who, before he was fired in disgrace, made an impact study of the tunnel and how emergency operations should be conducted. Kit charges into action.
Smartly intercutting between the hellacious conditions inside the tunnel as a ragtag band of survivors struggle to get out and the chaos up top in the rescue headquarters, the story clips along faster than a lit fuse. Unfortunately, the survivors inside are a generally lackluster lot even by the standards of people headed toward New Jersey.
But it's Kit's unflinching bravery and courageous efforts that are the scenario's central, winning thrust. Indeed, Kit's heroics in getting inside the tunnel are monumental. Once inside, he must not only devise a way to get them out -- both ends of the tunnel are sealed by the debris -- but inspire them not to psychologically self-destruct.
Although there are no flying cows here, "Daylight" is jammed with ferocious natural horrors. All the elements of nature -- fire, water, stone -- bond in awful fury and director Rob Cohen has expertly harnessed them in this cinematic salvo and unleashed them in an acceleratingly exciting cadence. When the narrative slows to its obligatory character identifications and back stories, the dialogue tends to drivel, especially in exchanges between Kit and the female-of-action (Amy Brenneman). Fortunately, before things can get too soggy, there's always another explosion.
Undeniably, the brightest spots of "Daylight" are in the monstrous pyrotechnics and the subterranean, cliffhanger exploits of the not-so-ordinary Kit. Truly, Stallone shows his best stuff here, combining the sweet nature of a genuinely selfless man with the athleticism and bravery of a true hero. Among the supporting players, George Tyrell and Vanessa Bell Calloway are most sympathetic as a loving couple -- he in the tunnel, she in the control room.
Under Cohen's kinetic direction, the technical team has created a towering colossus. Praise goes to cinematographer David Eggby for the searing scopes and to composer Randy Edelman for the fittingly titanic music. As usual, the maestros at Industrial Light & Magic have conjured up stupendous visual effects. A key ingredient to the film's excitement and visceral power is the stunning sound design. The rumblings, the roarings, the ragings are magnificently captured by the skilled sound team.
DAYLIGHT
Universal Pictures
A Davis Entertainment/Joseph M. Singer production
A Rob Cohen film
Producers John Davis, Joseph M. Singer,
David T. Friendly
Director Rob Cohen
Screenwriter Leslie Bohem
Executive producer Raffaella De Laurentiis
Co-producer Hester Hargett
Director of photography David Eggby
Production designer Benjamin Fernandez
Editor Peter Amundson
Music Randy Edelman
Costume designers Thomas Casterline,
Isis Mussenden
Special effects supervisor Kit West
Visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar
Casting Margery Simkin
Supervising sound editors Richard L. Anderson, David A. Whittaker
Rerecording mixers Michael Casper,
Daniel J. Leahy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Kit Latura Sylvester Stallone
Madelyne Thompson Amy Brenneman
Roy Nord Viggo Mortensen
Frank Kraft Dan Hedaya
Steven Crighton Jay O. Sanders
Sarah Crighton Karen Young
Eleanor Trilling Claire Bloom
Grace Vanessa Bell Calloway
Mikey Renoly Santiago
Roger Trilling Colin Fox
Running time -- 109 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
In this shrewdly honed variation on the disaster formula, screenwriter Leslie Bohem has converged a prototypically diverse set of characters into the tunnel that connects New York and New Jersey. What sets off the story is an explosion, detonated by a caravan of trucks carrying toxic waste to New Jersey, presumably Tromaville. The destruction is instantaneous -- firestorms, raging waters, collapsing stone. It's as if the tunnel has turned into a fiery microwave.
Witness to this is a cab driver, Kit Latura (Stallone), who pulls up to the tunnel just as it explodes. Not surprisingly, Kit is no ordinary hack; in fact, he's the former head of Emergency Medical Services who, before he was fired in disgrace, made an impact study of the tunnel and how emergency operations should be conducted. Kit charges into action.
Smartly intercutting between the hellacious conditions inside the tunnel as a ragtag band of survivors struggle to get out and the chaos up top in the rescue headquarters, the story clips along faster than a lit fuse. Unfortunately, the survivors inside are a generally lackluster lot even by the standards of people headed toward New Jersey.
But it's Kit's unflinching bravery and courageous efforts that are the scenario's central, winning thrust. Indeed, Kit's heroics in getting inside the tunnel are monumental. Once inside, he must not only devise a way to get them out -- both ends of the tunnel are sealed by the debris -- but inspire them not to psychologically self-destruct.
Although there are no flying cows here, "Daylight" is jammed with ferocious natural horrors. All the elements of nature -- fire, water, stone -- bond in awful fury and director Rob Cohen has expertly harnessed them in this cinematic salvo and unleashed them in an acceleratingly exciting cadence. When the narrative slows to its obligatory character identifications and back stories, the dialogue tends to drivel, especially in exchanges between Kit and the female-of-action (Amy Brenneman). Fortunately, before things can get too soggy, there's always another explosion.
Undeniably, the brightest spots of "Daylight" are in the monstrous pyrotechnics and the subterranean, cliffhanger exploits of the not-so-ordinary Kit. Truly, Stallone shows his best stuff here, combining the sweet nature of a genuinely selfless man with the athleticism and bravery of a true hero. Among the supporting players, George Tyrell and Vanessa Bell Calloway are most sympathetic as a loving couple -- he in the tunnel, she in the control room.
Under Cohen's kinetic direction, the technical team has created a towering colossus. Praise goes to cinematographer David Eggby for the searing scopes and to composer Randy Edelman for the fittingly titanic music. As usual, the maestros at Industrial Light & Magic have conjured up stupendous visual effects. A key ingredient to the film's excitement and visceral power is the stunning sound design. The rumblings, the roarings, the ragings are magnificently captured by the skilled sound team.
DAYLIGHT
Universal Pictures
A Davis Entertainment/Joseph M. Singer production
A Rob Cohen film
Producers John Davis, Joseph M. Singer,
David T. Friendly
Director Rob Cohen
Screenwriter Leslie Bohem
Executive producer Raffaella De Laurentiis
Co-producer Hester Hargett
Director of photography David Eggby
Production designer Benjamin Fernandez
Editor Peter Amundson
Music Randy Edelman
Costume designers Thomas Casterline,
Isis Mussenden
Special effects supervisor Kit West
Visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar
Casting Margery Simkin
Supervising sound editors Richard L. Anderson, David A. Whittaker
Rerecording mixers Michael Casper,
Daniel J. Leahy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Kit Latura Sylvester Stallone
Madelyne Thompson Amy Brenneman
Roy Nord Viggo Mortensen
Frank Kraft Dan Hedaya
Steven Crighton Jay O. Sanders
Sarah Crighton Karen Young
Eleanor Trilling Claire Bloom
Grace Vanessa Bell Calloway
Mikey Renoly Santiago
Roger Trilling Colin Fox
Running time -- 109 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/2/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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