Richard Linklater on ‘Battle’ With Academy Over ‘Apollo 10 1/2': ‘If It’s Not Animated, What Is It?’
A version of this story about “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood” first appeared in the Awards Preview issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
The Academy made Richard Linklater play a waiting game with “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood,” the playful and vaguely autobiographical fantasy of Stanley, a kid recruited by NASA to go on a trial run to the Moon in advance of the far better-known Apollo 11 mission. Initially, the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch ruled that the film didn’t qualify as animation, with the Academy’s rules displaying a longstanding antipathy toward the use of rotoscoping and other techniques to animate on top of live-action performances. But in November, the branch reversed itself and made the film eligible.
“If it’s not animated, what is it?” Linklater said, laughing. “Their reasoning got more into the artistic-choice realm than the technical realm, you know?...
The Academy made Richard Linklater play a waiting game with “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood,” the playful and vaguely autobiographical fantasy of Stanley, a kid recruited by NASA to go on a trial run to the Moon in advance of the far better-known Apollo 11 mission. Initially, the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch ruled that the film didn’t qualify as animation, with the Academy’s rules displaying a longstanding antipathy toward the use of rotoscoping and other techniques to animate on top of live-action performances. But in November, the branch reversed itself and made the film eligible.
“If it’s not animated, what is it?” Linklater said, laughing. “Their reasoning got more into the artistic-choice realm than the technical realm, you know?...
- 1/11/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“This movie isn’t just any moment,” declares Richard Linklater about “Apollo 10 1/2 : A Space Age Childhood.” For our recent webchat he continues, “The Apollo trip is going to be talked about 500 to 1,000 years from now. The first time humanity left and landed on another planet (moon). That’s a huge milestone. It seemed worthy of examining from the viewpoint of a kid. Taking out the trash and playing with his buddies. To have a small story wrapped around such a monumental achievement seemed kind of fun.” Watch our exclusive interview above.
“Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood” is the Best Animated Feature Oscar contender which tells the story of the Apollo 11 moon landing from the perspective of fourth grader Stan in the suburbs of Houston in 1969. It is narrated by adult Stan (Jack Black) who offers reflections on life and the moon landing as well as an imaginative account...
“Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood” is the Best Animated Feature Oscar contender which tells the story of the Apollo 11 moon landing from the perspective of fourth grader Stan in the suburbs of Houston in 1969. It is narrated by adult Stan (Jack Black) who offers reflections on life and the moon landing as well as an imaginative account...
- 12/6/2022
- by Matt Noble
- Gold Derby
It looks like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided that rotoscoping is, in fact, a legitimate animation process. According to IndieWire, the organization has officially declared that Richard Linklater's "Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood" will be eligible to campaign for the Best Animated Feature category. It was one of three movies mentioned in a statement on movies that seemingly challenged the animation boards, standing alongside the stop-motion "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" and the hybrid documentary "Eternal Spring." The decision came after all three movies had to submit background materials that proved their determined worth as animated films.
"The Academy is committed to recognizing the innovations within our industry," the Academy wrote in their exclusive statement to IndieWire.
This might be a bit ironic to those who remember why "Apollo 10 ½" was originally disqualified in the first place. According to the Academy's original decision,...
"The Academy is committed to recognizing the innovations within our industry," the Academy wrote in their exclusive statement to IndieWire.
This might be a bit ironic to those who remember why "Apollo 10 ½" was originally disqualified in the first place. According to the Academy's original decision,...
- 11/10/2022
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
It's important to remember that animation is not a genre, but rather a medium. It's a medium that can take on so many different forms, from hand-drawn 2D and computer-animated 3D to stop-motion puppeteering. Nowadays, you can even splice together several still frames of paintings to create fluid, animated movement.
However, it seems like rotoscoping — or the process of drawing over live-action frames and animating them separately — is not considered an animation process. At least, it isn't according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' animation committee.
According to IndieWire, "Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood" director Richard Linklater was notified that his rotoscope animated movie was rejected from campaigning for Best Animated Feature Film for what the Academy considered "extensive use" of live-action footage. It also contends that any animation style that "could be mistaken for live-action" has to go through a thorough review by the committee.
However, it seems like rotoscoping — or the process of drawing over live-action frames and animating them separately — is not considered an animation process. At least, it isn't according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' animation committee.
According to IndieWire, "Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood" director Richard Linklater was notified that his rotoscope animated movie was rejected from campaigning for Best Animated Feature Film for what the Academy considered "extensive use" of live-action footage. It also contends that any animation style that "could be mistaken for live-action" has to go through a thorough review by the committee.
- 10/7/2022
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
Richard Linklater’s “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood” revisits the 1969 moon landing through the memories of a boy who imagines traveling there himself. It premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March and surfaced on Netflix the next month after a qualifying run. To depict the nostalgic journey at the center of the movie, Linklater utilized a complex blend of 2D animation styles and employed nearly 200 animators in Austin and Amsterdam over nearly two years.
However, in early July, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ animation committee rejected the Netflix-produced project for Oscar consideration in the category of Best Animated Feature Film.
In a letter from the committee explaining the decision, which was shared with IndieWire, the committee wrote that the Academy “does not feel that the techniques meet the definition of animation in the category rules” due to the “extensive use” of live-action footage.
While the...
However, in early July, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ animation committee rejected the Netflix-produced project for Oscar consideration in the category of Best Animated Feature Film.
In a letter from the committee explaining the decision, which was shared with IndieWire, the committee wrote that the Academy “does not feel that the techniques meet the definition of animation in the category rules” due to the “extensive use” of live-action footage.
While the...
- 10/7/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Director James Marsh is set to direct a new hybrid animated documentary feature for Submarine and Sandpaper Films.
“Oasis, Saving the Baghdad Zoo” (working title), is a feature-length animated documentary partly based on “Babylon’s Ark,” the book about a year-long rescue mission of animals abandoned across Baghdad by Saddam Hussein and his son Uday.
Billed as a 21st century Noah’s Ark, the film will show how a team of American soldiers, Iraqi zookeepers, and international volunteers tended to lions, camels, bears, exotic birds, monkeys, pigs and even an ocelot in the middle of a brutal war, risking their own lives in the process.
The zoo was first abandoned during 2003’s Battle of Baghdad, when Hussein’s troops battled the U.S. military. Amid the chaos and violence, a team of compassionate volunteers set out to find the zoo’s missing inhabitants, including a pride of lions tracked down...
“Oasis, Saving the Baghdad Zoo” (working title), is a feature-length animated documentary partly based on “Babylon’s Ark,” the book about a year-long rescue mission of animals abandoned across Baghdad by Saddam Hussein and his son Uday.
Billed as a 21st century Noah’s Ark, the film will show how a team of American soldiers, Iraqi zookeepers, and international volunteers tended to lions, camels, bears, exotic birds, monkeys, pigs and even an ocelot in the middle of a brutal war, risking their own lives in the process.
The zoo was first abandoned during 2003’s Battle of Baghdad, when Hussein’s troops battled the U.S. military. Amid the chaos and violence, a team of compassionate volunteers set out to find the zoo’s missing inhabitants, including a pride of lions tracked down...
- 6/21/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
“Apollo 10 1/2” (currently streaming on Netflix) is the latest time machine from Richard Linklater.
Instead of traveling to the immediate past (like “Boyhood”) or the 1970s (like “Dazed and Confused” or “Everybody Wants Some!!”), Linklater instead sets his sights on a suburb of Houston, Texas, in the late 1960s. The space race is heating up, the Apollo missions are about to begin, but there’s one problem – they built the space capsule a little too small. That’s when some NASA guys (Glen Powell and Zachary Levi) enlist a kid named Stan (Milo Coy) to be the actual first man, er, child, on the moon. Lovingly narrated by Jack Black, it’s just as much a catalogue of the time as it is a pint-sized space odyssey – everything from what was running on television to the way people drank their beers is lovingly detailed.
And what makes it even...
Instead of traveling to the immediate past (like “Boyhood”) or the 1970s (like “Dazed and Confused” or “Everybody Wants Some!!”), Linklater instead sets his sights on a suburb of Houston, Texas, in the late 1960s. The space race is heating up, the Apollo missions are about to begin, but there’s one problem – they built the space capsule a little too small. That’s when some NASA guys (Glen Powell and Zachary Levi) enlist a kid named Stan (Milo Coy) to be the actual first man, er, child, on the moon. Lovingly narrated by Jack Black, it’s just as much a catalogue of the time as it is a pint-sized space odyssey – everything from what was running on television to the way people drank their beers is lovingly detailed.
And what makes it even...
- 4/8/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
The Houston of “Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood,” premiering April 1 on Netflix, is both a loving depiction of the city as it once was and a vision of a place that never quite existed. Translating live-action elements into its animated scenes, the film, written and directed by Richard Linklater, explores the 1969 moon landing from the perspective of an ordinary kid, Stanley, played by Milo Coy, racing through vignette after vignette of life in the city with painstaking specificity. But the overall look is one of palpable nostalgia — that the viewer is watching Linklater’s wistful recollections of his own childhood.
“Memories can be deceiving,” says animation production designer Vincent Bisschop. “Certain parts can be crystal clear and other details get lost or twisted through the years.”
The majority of animation for “Apollo 10½” was done by the production company Submarine. According to Submarine co-founder and producer Femke Wolting, the...
“Memories can be deceiving,” says animation production designer Vincent Bisschop. “Certain parts can be crystal clear and other details get lost or twisted through the years.”
The majority of animation for “Apollo 10½” was done by the production company Submarine. According to Submarine co-founder and producer Femke Wolting, the...
- 4/5/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
It’s been more than two and a half years since Prime Video’s Undone debuted on the streamer, but for Alma Winograd-Diaz, time is merely relative.
In Season 2 of the genre-bending animated series (all eight episodes will be released on Friday, April 29), Alma realizes there are deeper mysteries in her family’s past. However, no one in her family is interested in digging into these uncomfortable truths — until she finally convinces Becca to help. As the sisters search for answers, they unravel a complex network of memories and motivations that have shaped who they are today.
More from TVLineUndone...
In Season 2 of the genre-bending animated series (all eight episodes will be released on Friday, April 29), Alma realizes there are deeper mysteries in her family’s past. However, no one in her family is interested in digging into these uncomfortable truths — until she finally convinces Becca to help. As the sisters search for answers, they unravel a complex network of memories and motivations that have shaped who they are today.
More from TVLineUndone...
- 4/2/2022
- by Nick Caruso
- TVLine.com
Growing up in the NASA hub of Houston, Richard Linklater remembers the pervasive impact the first moon landing had on his childhood. He fuses those memories with fantasy in his new movie, the animated “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood” (currently streaming on Netflix).
Linklater even likens it to a cinematic scrapbook: It’s both a nostalgic snapshot of the ordinary suburban childhood he experienced and the extraordinary scientific achievement he witnessed. In fact, he describes it as “A Portrait of a Free Range Childhood,” in which his alter ego, fourth grader Stan, fantasizes about making his own secret trip to the moon.
“Getting to do this was wonderful in a ‘You Are There’ realism,” Linklater said, referring to the Walter Cronkite-hosted educational TV series about American history. “It was a significant moment in time that will be remembered forever: when humans first left the atmosphere of their...
Linklater even likens it to a cinematic scrapbook: It’s both a nostalgic snapshot of the ordinary suburban childhood he experienced and the extraordinary scientific achievement he witnessed. In fact, he describes it as “A Portrait of a Free Range Childhood,” in which his alter ego, fourth grader Stan, fantasizes about making his own secret trip to the moon.
“Getting to do this was wonderful in a ‘You Are There’ realism,” Linklater said, referring to the Walter Cronkite-hosted educational TV series about American history. “It was a significant moment in time that will be remembered forever: when humans first left the atmosphere of their...
- 4/1/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
This review of “Apollo 10 1/2” was first published on March 13, after its screening at SXSW.
Richard Linklater digs into his own salad days for “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood,” an animated feature that fondly recalls the NASA moment in a way that’s more reminiscent of “Amarcord” or “Crooklyn” than of “First Man.”
As a kid who was born in 1960 and grew up in the suburbs of Houston, like the film’s young hero, Linklater had a front-row seat to the race to the moon. In this delightfully evocative exercise in nostalgia, he captures the way that children will remember historic events in the context of what else was on TV, which siblings got to sit on the couch, and how your favorite song made you feel.
The story here is ostensibly about young Stan (voiced by Milo Coy), a schoolboy recruited by NASA (because of his...
Richard Linklater digs into his own salad days for “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood,” an animated feature that fondly recalls the NASA moment in a way that’s more reminiscent of “Amarcord” or “Crooklyn” than of “First Man.”
As a kid who was born in 1960 and grew up in the suburbs of Houston, like the film’s young hero, Linklater had a front-row seat to the race to the moon. In this delightfully evocative exercise in nostalgia, he captures the way that children will remember historic events in the context of what else was on TV, which siblings got to sit on the couch, and how your favorite song made you feel.
The story here is ostensibly about young Stan (voiced by Milo Coy), a schoolboy recruited by NASA (because of his...
- 4/1/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
A South by Southwest panel today received the first glimpse of Season Two footage from Prime Video’s animated series Undone, which will premiere Friday, April 29.
From creators Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman), Undone is a half-hour animated dramedy that explores the elastic nature of reality through its central character, Alma (Rosa Salazar), a 28-year-old living in San Antonio, Texas alongside her mother Camila (Constance Marie) and sister Becca (Angelique Cabral).
After getting into a car accident and nearly dying, Alma finds she has a new relationship to time. She develops this new ability in order to find out the truth about her father Jacob’s (Bob Odenkirk) death.
In Season Two, Alma realizes there are deeper mysteries in her family’s past. However, no one in her family is interested in digging up uncomfortable truths with her—until she finally convinces her sister Becca to help her look.
From creators Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman), Undone is a half-hour animated dramedy that explores the elastic nature of reality through its central character, Alma (Rosa Salazar), a 28-year-old living in San Antonio, Texas alongside her mother Camila (Constance Marie) and sister Becca (Angelique Cabral).
After getting into a car accident and nearly dying, Alma finds she has a new relationship to time. She develops this new ability in order to find out the truth about her father Jacob’s (Bob Odenkirk) death.
In Season Two, Alma realizes there are deeper mysteries in her family’s past. However, no one in her family is interested in digging up uncomfortable truths with her—until she finally convinces her sister Becca to help her look.
- 3/12/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Prime Video’s genre-bending animated series, Undone, is set to release its second season in late April — more than two-and-a-half years after its freshman season debuted.
As announced during the show’s SXSW (South by Southwest) panel this weekend, all eight episodes of Undone Season 2 will be released on Friday, April 29, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
More from TVLineReacher Is First Prime Video Series to Top Nielsen's Streaming ChartMrs. Maisel Finale Recap: The Snowball Effect -- Plus, Grade Season 4Mrs. Maisel Says Goodbye to Jackie, Honors Brian Tarantina in Episode 3
From series creators Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg...
As announced during the show’s SXSW (South by Southwest) panel this weekend, all eight episodes of Undone Season 2 will be released on Friday, April 29, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
More from TVLineReacher Is First Prime Video Series to Top Nielsen's Streaming ChartMrs. Maisel Finale Recap: The Snowball Effect -- Plus, Grade Season 4Mrs. Maisel Says Goodbye to Jackie, Honors Brian Tarantina in Episode 3
From series creators Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg...
- 3/12/2022
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
The official trailer for writer/director Richard Linklater’s new film Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood has just been released, and you can take a look at it right here.
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two interwoven perspectives; the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and through the eyes of a kid growing up in Houston, Texas who fosters intergalactic dreams of his own. Taking inspiration from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater’s own life, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood is a snapshot of American life in the 1960s and the story is part coming of age, part societal commentary, and part out-of-this-world adventure.
“Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood” – Milo Coy as Stan. Cr: Netflix © 2022
Director, writer, and producer, Richard Linklater had the following to say about the film: “After...
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two interwoven perspectives; the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and through the eyes of a kid growing up in Houston, Texas who fosters intergalactic dreams of his own. Taking inspiration from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater’s own life, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood is a snapshot of American life in the 1960s and the story is part coming of age, part societal commentary, and part out-of-this-world adventure.
“Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood” – Milo Coy as Stan. Cr: Netflix © 2022
Director, writer, and producer, Richard Linklater had the following to say about the film: “After...
- 3/7/2022
- by Editor
- CinemaNerdz
Richard Linklater’s latest film “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood” poses the question: what if the first person to walk on the moon wasn’t Neil Armstrong but was actually a kid from Houston leading a mission called Apollo 10 1/2 in secret because NASA accidentally built the space shuttle too small?
That amusing fantasy and twist on American history though is just the set up for Linklater’s latest and arguably most personal film, which just released its first trailer Monday. It’s one in which he explores the reality of what life was like in Houston, Texas in 1969 just before the moon landing, all seen through the eyes of a kid who lived right next door to all of it.
“Apollo 10 1/2” is a collection of comedic vignettes that show how rapidly the world seemed to be changing for those living at the heart of the space race,...
That amusing fantasy and twist on American history though is just the set up for Linklater’s latest and arguably most personal film, which just released its first trailer Monday. It’s one in which he explores the reality of what life was like in Houston, Texas in 1969 just before the moon landing, all seen through the eyes of a kid who lived right next door to all of it.
“Apollo 10 1/2” is a collection of comedic vignettes that show how rapidly the world seemed to be changing for those living at the heart of the space race,...
- 3/7/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The SXSW Film Festival is returning to its in-person roots with a vengeance next month. After several years of going virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic, SXSW will be the year’s first major festival and conference event to return its focus to live festivities when it launches from March 11 to March 20. And with Wednesday’s reveal of its full film line-up, what a significant return that will be.
Previously, SXSW already announced the intriguing Everything Everywhere All at Once will be the opening night film. That A24 release looks to combine the recently popular sci-fi concept of “multiverse theory” with martial arts genre tropes as it follows Michelle Yeoh into parallel dimension madness. Now with the full line-up, we also know the Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe-starring The Lost City will also be making its world premiere at SXSW, as will the meta comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,...
Previously, SXSW already announced the intriguing Everything Everywhere All at Once will be the opening night film. That A24 release looks to combine the recently popular sci-fi concept of “multiverse theory” with martial arts genre tropes as it follows Michelle Yeoh into parallel dimension madness. Now with the full line-up, we also know the Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe-starring The Lost City will also be making its world premiere at SXSW, as will the meta comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,...
- 2/2/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
This year’s South by Southwest Film Festival, taking place March 11-20 in-person with select films available online, has unveiled its lineup. With 99 features, highlights include the world premieres of Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood (pictured above), Ti West’s X, Gillian Jacobs’ More Than Robots, Michael Tully’s Lover, Beloved, Jeff Baena’s Spin Me Round, the meta Nicolas Cage movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, The Lost City of D, and more.
“The last two years have been complicated, and full of uncharted new waters for all of us. While there’s been innovation in building community in isolation and figuring out how to pivot, we’ve intensely missed being able to gather together,” said Janet Pierson, VP, Director of Film. “For our 29th edition of SXSW Film Festival, we are thrilled to share a bounty of creative work to experience together,...
“The last two years have been complicated, and full of uncharted new waters for all of us. While there’s been innovation in building community in isolation and figuring out how to pivot, we’ve intensely missed being able to gather together,” said Janet Pierson, VP, Director of Film. “For our 29th edition of SXSW Film Festival, we are thrilled to share a bounty of creative work to experience together,...
- 2/2/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The lineup for 2022’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival is here, and it’s headlined by world premieres of Richard Linklater’s “Apollo SXSW: ‘Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood,” the meta Nicolas Cage comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” and the Sandra Bullock-Channing Tatum adventure comedy “The Lost City.”
Also set for the Austin, Texas, film festival are the world premieres of the third season of FX series “Atlanta,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova and Pete Davidson, and the previously announced “Everything Everywhere All at Once” from directing duo The Daniels, which will be the opening night film.
This year’s SXSW is returning to an in-person format for the first time since 2019, following the festival’s cancellation in 2020 and the fest going virtual for 2021. Every film on the lineup this year will have an in-person premiere, as well as additional in-person screenings and Q&As for most films,...
Also set for the Austin, Texas, film festival are the world premieres of the third season of FX series “Atlanta,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova and Pete Davidson, and the previously announced “Everything Everywhere All at Once” from directing duo The Daniels, which will be the opening night film.
This year’s SXSW is returning to an in-person format for the first time since 2019, following the festival’s cancellation in 2020 and the fest going virtual for 2021. Every film on the lineup this year will have an in-person premiere, as well as additional in-person screenings and Q&As for most films,...
- 2/2/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Submarine, the company behind Amazon’s animated drama Undone, has found its next animation drama project – an adaptation of Matt Haig’s sci-fi novel Echo Boy.
The company has optioned the book, which was published in 2014 by Corgi, will be developed as a hybrid of live action and animation.
Submarine co-founder Femke Wolting told Deadline that it is talking to a few writers before taking the project out to pitch.
Echo Boy is a murder mystery set in the future in a world of robots. It takes place in the year 2115, when the life of teenager Audrey Castle is shattered after her parents are murdered by a malfunctioning Echo — humanoid robots designed to assist with every aspect of daily life. However, when Audrey crosses paths with a thinking, feeling Echo prototype named Daniel, she is forced to grapple with her prejudices, fears, and the idea of what it means to be human.
The company has optioned the book, which was published in 2014 by Corgi, will be developed as a hybrid of live action and animation.
Submarine co-founder Femke Wolting told Deadline that it is talking to a few writers before taking the project out to pitch.
Echo Boy is a murder mystery set in the future in a world of robots. It takes place in the year 2115, when the life of teenager Audrey Castle is shattered after her parents are murdered by a malfunctioning Echo — humanoid robots designed to assist with every aspect of daily life. However, when Audrey crosses paths with a thinking, feeling Echo prototype named Daniel, she is forced to grapple with her prejudices, fears, and the idea of what it means to be human.
- 7/29/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix will release the next film from director Richard Linklater, his latest foray into animation called “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure” that stars Jack Black and Zachary Levi and documents the 1969 mission to the moon.
Linklater wrote and directed the film that his Detour FilmProductions will produce with Submarine, and like his films “Waking Life” or “A Scanner Darkly,” it’s a hybrid live-action and animated film the blends CGI imagery with live cinematography.
Linklater wrapped the live-action shoot this March in Austin, and the animation work will be completed at Minnow Mountain in Austin and Submarine in the Netherlands.
Also Read: Richard Linklater to Executive Produce Animal Rescue Docuseries for CBS All Access
“Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure” is set in Linklater’s childhood home of Houston, Texas and is set against the backdrop of the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon, which celebrates its 51st anniversary on Thursday.
Linklater wrote and directed the film that his Detour FilmProductions will produce with Submarine, and like his films “Waking Life” or “A Scanner Darkly,” it’s a hybrid live-action and animated film the blends CGI imagery with live cinematography.
Linklater wrapped the live-action shoot this March in Austin, and the animation work will be completed at Minnow Mountain in Austin and Submarine in the Netherlands.
Also Read: Richard Linklater to Executive Produce Animal Rescue Docuseries for CBS All Access
“Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure” is set in Linklater’s childhood home of Houston, Texas and is set against the backdrop of the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon, which celebrates its 51st anniversary on Thursday.
- 7/16/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Netflix nabbed Richard Linklater’s “Apollo 10½,” an animated film set against the backdrop of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
The project, announced Thursday, coincides with the 51st anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11.
“Apollo 10 1/2” is inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Houston. Linklater directed from his own script, which attempts to interweave the astronaut and mission control view along with an excited child’s perspective, living near Nasa, but mostly watching it on television. The film centers around a kid’s fantasy about being plucked from his average life in suburbia to secretly train for a covert mission to the moon. The cast includes Jack Black, Zachary Levi and Glen Powell.
“It struck me years ago that this was my film to make, from both a chronological and proximity level – I was there, going into 3rd grade,” Linklater said in a statement. “Our unique animation style allows both...
The project, announced Thursday, coincides with the 51st anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11.
“Apollo 10 1/2” is inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Houston. Linklater directed from his own script, which attempts to interweave the astronaut and mission control view along with an excited child’s perspective, living near Nasa, but mostly watching it on television. The film centers around a kid’s fantasy about being plucked from his average life in suburbia to secretly train for a covert mission to the moon. The cast includes Jack Black, Zachary Levi and Glen Powell.
“It struck me years ago that this was my film to make, from both a chronological and proximity level – I was there, going into 3rd grade,” Linklater said in a statement. “Our unique animation style allows both...
- 7/16/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Live-action shoot for innovative project to be followed by animation work in Texas, Netherlands.
Netflix has boarded Richard Linklater’s forthcoming animation/live action hybrid project Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure and will release the film worldwide as a Netflix original.
The streamer is also believed to be planning a qualifying theatrical run for the film, which is being produced by Linklater’s Detour FilmProductions and Dutch company Submarine.
Inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Texas, Apollo 10 ½ tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two perspectives: that of the astronauts and mission control...
Netflix has boarded Richard Linklater’s forthcoming animation/live action hybrid project Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure and will release the film worldwide as a Netflix original.
The streamer is also believed to be planning a qualifying theatrical run for the film, which is being produced by Linklater’s Detour FilmProductions and Dutch company Submarine.
Inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Texas, Apollo 10 ½ tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two perspectives: that of the astronauts and mission control...
- 7/16/2020
- by 31¦John Hazelton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Richard Linklater has a new animated movie in the works at Netflix, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure.
The movie, directed and written by Linklater, is set against the backdrop of the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon, which launched 51 years ago today, and is inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Houston, TX. The live action shoot wrapped in March in Austin, and the innovative hybrid of hand drawn and computer animated imagery will be completed at Minnow Mountain in Austin and Submarine in the Netherlands.
Linklater previously made the Rotoscope-animated-live action hybrid A Scanner Darkly in 2006 based on the Philip K. Dick novel and starring Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrelson. Another all-star ensemble, Apollo 10 1/2 will feature Jack Black, Zachary Levi, Glen Powell, Josh Wiggins, Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Sam Chipman, and Danielle Guilbot.
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age...
The movie, directed and written by Linklater, is set against the backdrop of the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon, which launched 51 years ago today, and is inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Houston, TX. The live action shoot wrapped in March in Austin, and the innovative hybrid of hand drawn and computer animated imagery will be completed at Minnow Mountain in Austin and Submarine in the Netherlands.
Linklater previously made the Rotoscope-animated-live action hybrid A Scanner Darkly in 2006 based on the Philip K. Dick novel and starring Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrelson. Another all-star ensemble, Apollo 10 1/2 will feature Jack Black, Zachary Levi, Glen Powell, Josh Wiggins, Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Sam Chipman, and Danielle Guilbot.
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age...
- 7/16/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon has renewed its rotoscope animation series Undone for a second season and inked an overall deal with co-creator Kate Purdy.
Undone follows the cosmic journey of a young woman named Alma (Rosa Salazar), who treks across time, space, and beyond to solve the mystery of her father’s death.
It is the first episodic television project to use rotoscoping animation, a technique that involves animators tracing over motion picture footage. It was used in A Scanner Darkly, the 2006 Keanu Reeves film based on the writings of Philip K. Dick.
Undone‘s first season has scored 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and will return to Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The show is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Tornante Productions.
Purdy, who co-created Undone with Raphael Bob-Waksberg, has signed an exclusive deal with Amazon. Details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Albert Cheng, co-head of television and COO at Amazon Studios,...
Undone follows the cosmic journey of a young woman named Alma (Rosa Salazar), who treks across time, space, and beyond to solve the mystery of her father’s death.
It is the first episodic television project to use rotoscoping animation, a technique that involves animators tracing over motion picture footage. It was used in A Scanner Darkly, the 2006 Keanu Reeves film based on the writings of Philip K. Dick.
Undone‘s first season has scored 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and will return to Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The show is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Tornante Productions.
Purdy, who co-created Undone with Raphael Bob-Waksberg, has signed an exclusive deal with Amazon. Details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Albert Cheng, co-head of television and COO at Amazon Studios,...
- 11/21/2019
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon has renewed the adult animated series “Undone” for a second season.
The news comes a couple months after season 1 dropped on the streamer, and Amazon Studios has also announced an overall deal with the show’s co-creator and executive producer Kate Purdy.
“Undone” is a half-hour dramedy that explores the elastic nature of reality through its central character, Alma, played by Rosa Salazar. After getting into a near fatal car accident, Alma discovers she has a new relationship with time and uses this ability to find out the truth about the death of her father. Season 1 also starred Bob Odenkirk, Angelique Cabral and Constance Marie.
“It’s been wonderful to share ‘Undone’ and have people watching become part of the experience as they interpret the show through their own perceptions of reality,” said creators and executive producers Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg. “We are thrilled Amazon Studios is giving us...
The news comes a couple months after season 1 dropped on the streamer, and Amazon Studios has also announced an overall deal with the show’s co-creator and executive producer Kate Purdy.
“Undone” is a half-hour dramedy that explores the elastic nature of reality through its central character, Alma, played by Rosa Salazar. After getting into a near fatal car accident, Alma discovers she has a new relationship with time and uses this ability to find out the truth about the death of her father. Season 1 also starred Bob Odenkirk, Angelique Cabral and Constance Marie.
“It’s been wonderful to share ‘Undone’ and have people watching become part of the experience as they interpret the show through their own perceptions of reality,” said creators and executive producers Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg. “We are thrilled Amazon Studios is giving us...
- 11/21/2019
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Studios has picked up a second season of the animated series “Undone.”
Co-created by “Bojack Horseman’s” Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy, “Undone” is a half-hour dramedy featuring “Alita: Battle Angel” star Rosa Salazar as a woman who discovers she has a new relationship with time after a near-fatal car accident and uses this ability to find out the truth about the death of her father. Angelique Cabral and Constance Marie also star.
Co-created by “Bojack Horseman’s” Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy, “Undone” is a half-hour dramedy featuring “Alita: Battle Angel” star Rosa Salazar as a woman who discovers she has a new relationship with time after a near-fatal car accident and uses this ability to find out the truth about the death of her father. Angelique Cabral and Constance Marie also star.
- 11/21/2019
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Spencer Mullen Oct 16, 2019
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, The Winds of Winter, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and more in today's daily Link Tank!
George R.R. Martin has admitted that he is anxious over the delays for The Winds of Winter.
"HBO’s Game of Thrones may be over, but A Song of Ice and Fire still has a ways to go. Author George R.R. Martin has been working on the series’ penultimate installment, The Winds of Winter, for nearly a decade now and the book is still nowhere to be seen. If you’ve been frustrated by the book’s constant delays, know that you’re not alone. Martin says he’s feeling just as anxious over the matter."
Read more at Inverse.
The honest trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home pokes fun of the smash hit superhero sequel.
"The Honest Trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home...
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, The Winds of Winter, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and more in today's daily Link Tank!
George R.R. Martin has admitted that he is anxious over the delays for The Winds of Winter.
"HBO’s Game of Thrones may be over, but A Song of Ice and Fire still has a ways to go. Author George R.R. Martin has been working on the series’ penultimate installment, The Winds of Winter, for nearly a decade now and the book is still nowhere to be seen. If you’ve been frustrated by the book’s constant delays, know that you’re not alone. Martin says he’s feeling just as anxious over the matter."
Read more at Inverse.
The honest trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home pokes fun of the smash hit superhero sequel.
"The Honest Trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home...
- 10/16/2019
- Den of Geek
When Kate Purdy wanted to tell a story about the nature of reality, she knew she wanted to play with perception and time, fade in and out of memories and give voice to visions that only her main character could see. And it wasn’t long before the executive producer and co-creator of Amazon’s new series, “Undone,” realized that only animation could make the kinds of leaps and bounds her story needed.
“In 2012, I had a nervous breakdown, and I was struggling with depression, and anxiety and I didn’t know what to do about it,” says Purdy, who wants the series, which debuts Sept. 13, to convey what she experienced. Executive produced by “BoJack Horseman” creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the show stars Rosa Salazar (“Alita: Battle Angel”) as Alma, a woman who discovers after an accident that she has an unusual relationship with time, which she uses to unravel the mystery of her dead father,...
“In 2012, I had a nervous breakdown, and I was struggling with depression, and anxiety and I didn’t know what to do about it,” says Purdy, who wants the series, which debuts Sept. 13, to convey what she experienced. Executive produced by “BoJack Horseman” creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the show stars Rosa Salazar (“Alita: Battle Angel”) as Alma, a woman who discovers after an accident that she has an unusual relationship with time, which she uses to unravel the mystery of her dead father,...
- 9/13/2019
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Studios has released the trailer for Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s rotoscope animation series “Undone,” which we’ve just learned is set to premiere on Sept. 13.
“Undone” is described by Amazon as a “groundbreaking and genre bending animated series about a young woman’s complex journey to unlock her past and solve the mystery of her father’s death.”
Here is the series description:
Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar) takes her mundane life one day at a time until a near fatal accident induces visions of her late-father, Jacob (Bob Odenkirk). Through these persistent visions he urges her to tap into a mysterious ability that allows her to travel through space and time with the hopes of preventing his untimely death. This quest challenges Alma’s relationships and brings into question her mental wellbeing with those closest to her.
Also Read: Jen Salke on Amazon's Secret Ratings: Sharing Numbers...
“Undone” is described by Amazon as a “groundbreaking and genre bending animated series about a young woman’s complex journey to unlock her past and solve the mystery of her father’s death.”
Here is the series description:
Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar) takes her mundane life one day at a time until a near fatal accident induces visions of her late-father, Jacob (Bob Odenkirk). Through these persistent visions he urges her to tap into a mysterious ability that allows her to travel through space and time with the hopes of preventing his untimely death. This quest challenges Alma’s relationships and brings into question her mental wellbeing with those closest to her.
Also Read: Jen Salke on Amazon's Secret Ratings: Sharing Numbers...
- 7/27/2019
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
TV has used rotoscope animation before, but never has it been used in every scene of an ongoing series — until now. Amazon’s upcoming half-hour drama/sci-fi/comedy hybrid “Undone” screened its first two episodes at Comic-Con Thursday afternoon, wowing a large crowd with the trippy story of a young woman investigating her past to solve the mystery of her father’s death.
Star Rosa Salazar took part in a panel discussion following the screening, alongside co-creators and executive producers Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and the “Alita: Battle Angel” actress said she “immediately connected” to the story — before she was even told her performance would go through rotoscope animation.
“I went in to audition for something else, and [casting director Linda Lamontagne] was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, great, great great’ and she opened a secret drawer in her desk and said, ‘This is why I brought you here,’” Salazar said. “She’s like,...
Star Rosa Salazar took part in a panel discussion following the screening, alongside co-creators and executive producers Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and the “Alita: Battle Angel” actress said she “immediately connected” to the story — before she was even told her performance would go through rotoscope animation.
“I went in to audition for something else, and [casting director Linda Lamontagne] was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, great, great great’ and she opened a secret drawer in her desk and said, ‘This is why I brought you here,’” Salazar said. “She’s like,...
- 7/19/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Richard Linklater is developing a film about the late comedian Bill Hicks that he will write and direct for Focus Features. Linklater will also produce the project along with Femke Wolfing and Tommy Pallotta.
A stand-up comedian, social satirist and musician who developed a cult following, Hicks died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32. He got his start doing comedy in Texas, where he became associated with the Texas Outlaw Comics group at the Comedy Workshop in Houston in the 1980s. Linklater, a Texas native, grew up loving his work.
Linklater’s next film, Where’d ...
A stand-up comedian, social satirist and musician who developed a cult following, Hicks died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32. He got his start doing comedy in Texas, where he became associated with the Texas Outlaw Comics group at the Comedy Workshop in Houston in the 1980s. Linklater, a Texas native, grew up loving his work.
Linklater’s next film, Where’d ...
- 10/24/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Richard Linklater is developing a film about the late comedian Bill Hicks that he will write and direct for Focus Features. Linklater will also produce the project along with Femke Wolfing and Tommy Pallotta.
A stand-up comedian, social satirist and musician who developed a cult following, Hicks died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32. He got his start doing comedy in Texas, where he became associated with the Texas Outlaw Comics group at the Comedy Workshop in Houston in the 1980s. Linklater, a Texas native, grew up loving his work.
Linklater’s next film, Where’d ...
A stand-up comedian, social satirist and musician who developed a cult following, Hicks died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32. He got his start doing comedy in Texas, where he became associated with the Texas Outlaw Comics group at the Comedy Workshop in Houston in the 1980s. Linklater, a Texas native, grew up loving his work.
Linklater’s next film, Where’d ...
- 10/24/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Top row: Nitzan Bartov, Charlotte Simpson, Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, Raqi Syed, Areito Echevarria Bottom row: Stephanie Dinkins, Sadé Dinkins, Shariffa Chelimo Ali, Yetunde Dada, Kevin Cornish, Seyward Darby Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute Sundance Institute has announced the six projects selected for the annual New Frontier Story Lab, which supports independent artists working at the cutting-edge convergence of film, art, media, live performance and technology.
The week-long New Frontier Story Lab includes story sessions, conversations about key artistic, design and technology issues and case study presentations from experts in multiple disciplines. Past participants include Roger Ross Williams, Josephine Decker, Silas Howard, Tracy Fullerton, Yung Jake, Chris Milk, Hasan Minhaj, Tommy Pallotta, Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Hank Willis Thomas, Jillian Mayer, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Navid and Vassiliki Khonsari, A Dandy Punk, Nicolas Peufaillit, and Yasmin Elayat.
The Lab takes place from 16-21 May at the Sundance Resort in Utah, under the guidance of...
The week-long New Frontier Story Lab includes story sessions, conversations about key artistic, design and technology issues and case study presentations from experts in multiple disciplines. Past participants include Roger Ross Williams, Josephine Decker, Silas Howard, Tracy Fullerton, Yung Jake, Chris Milk, Hasan Minhaj, Tommy Pallotta, Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Hank Willis Thomas, Jillian Mayer, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Navid and Vassiliki Khonsari, A Dandy Punk, Nicolas Peufaillit, and Yasmin Elayat.
The Lab takes place from 16-21 May at the Sundance Resort in Utah, under the guidance of...
- 5/1/2018
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
How long do we have until our robot overlords arrive, and how will they treat us once they're here? Tommy Pallotta and Femke Wolting muse on different scenarios in More Human than Human, a look at assorted developments in robotics and artificial intelligence. A mixed bag that feels like sitting down to skim a year's worth of magazine think-pieces on this sprawling subject, the doc couches journalism in pop-culture awareness and will play best to casual viewers on cable.
Co-directing but serving as our sole host onscreen and in voiceover, Pallotta (a castmember in Richard Linklater's Slacker who went on...
Co-directing but serving as our sole host onscreen and in voiceover, Pallotta (a castmember in Richard Linklater's Slacker who went on...
- 3/14/2018
- by John DeFore
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Canadian documentary festival Hot Docs has added 17 additional special presentations.
They include McQueen, Ian Bonhôte’s documentary about fashion designer Alexander McQueen, and Steve Loveridge’s Matanga / Maya / M.I.A., the Sundance world premiere about British rapper and record producer M.I.A. that has been picked up for the UK by Dogwoof.
Other highlights in the programme include Liz Garbus’s The Fourth Estate, a look into how The New York Times covered the first year of the Trump presidency, and Mercury 13, the story of Nasa’s first female astronaut training programme.
The full selection from Hot Docs,...
They include McQueen, Ian Bonhôte’s documentary about fashion designer Alexander McQueen, and Steve Loveridge’s Matanga / Maya / M.I.A., the Sundance world premiere about British rapper and record producer M.I.A. that has been picked up for the UK by Dogwoof.
Other highlights in the programme include Liz Garbus’s The Fourth Estate, a look into how The New York Times covered the first year of the Trump presidency, and Mercury 13, the story of Nasa’s first female astronaut training programme.
The full selection from Hot Docs,...
- 3/13/2018
- by Adam Weddle
- ScreenDaily
One of the ideas of More Human Than Human, directed by Tommy Pallotta and Femke Wolting, is to have a computer replace a filmmaker, asking participant questions and adjusting their camera movement to match the particular scene. To reveal what happens may just spoil the movie, but we’ll leave it at that. Pallotta–a frequent collaborator of Richard Linklater (who appears on screen to show enthusiasm for the filmmaker’s collaboration with scientists at Carnegie Mellon’s Studio for Creative Inquiry)–has a goal is to put documentary subjects at ease by removing the crew, like a high-tech, AI cross between Errol Morris’ Interrotron and StoryCorps app.
This is just one passage in a brisk documentary by Pallotta (often on camera) and Wolting (nowhere to be seen) who are fascinated by the psychological effects of technology. It’s hard not to think of the sitcom Taxi when a London...
This is just one passage in a brisk documentary by Pallotta (often on camera) and Wolting (nowhere to be seen) who are fascinated by the psychological effects of technology. It’s hard not to think of the sitcom Taxi when a London...
- 3/11/2018
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Sure, Waking Life is in some ways Linklater’s metaphysical remake of Slacker, exploding the Gen-x barriers thrown up around that landmark work and bringing it closer to a transcendent plane that he’s trying trying trying to reach, especially in this era, but never quite grasping. That’s what appeals to a lot of us about Linklater’s work, that it’s never quite there. His curiosity has to be bound by the physical demands of cinema. But this, this weird film, shot-on-digital and animated by rotoscope on computers, comes closest. Those formats mean it never really “existed” in any physical space. Produced at the dawn of the 21st century, it’s the perfect summation of a moment in time when thought and curiosity might be enough to carry civilization, when restless unease was the result of an economic boom and not certain doom, when the popular cinema could still be a little wily,...
- 7/13/2016
- by Scott Nye
- CriterionCast
Vic chats with Tommy Pallotta (A Scanner Darkly, Waking Life) about his phenomenal new movie The Last Hijack and gives an incredible insight into the animation process, Somali pirates and all things movies! Subscribe on iTunes – Click here (Click view in iTunes and the click Subscribe) If you’re already a subscriber, the latest episode is ready to download. iPhone / iPad Users– Click here to open your iTunes podcast app and click Subscribe! Stitcher Users Click here – iOS / Android This is our latest, epic, episode!
- 1/7/2016
- by noreply@blogger.com (Vic Barry)
- www.themoviebit.com
Read More: FilmBuff Nabs Innovative Somali Pirate Doc 'Last Hijack' Out of SXSW The Los Angeles chapter of StoryCode, the open-source, global community for cross-platform and immersive storytellers, will host a special evening with Tommy Pallotta and Femke Wolting, directors of "Last Hijack," on June 24 at a shared workspace in the Downtown area. Founded just last year, the Los Angeles chapter of the organization has been host to free, monthly talks given by innovative creators from across the community, including immersive opera director Yuval Sharon, virtual reality pioneer Nonny de la Pena and Yacht frontwoman and futurist Claire Evans. Each program is curated by Kel O'Neill, founder of StoryCode Los Angeles, who said the inspiration to screen "Last Hijack" stemmed from the way the project simultaneously straddles both familiar and groundbreaking territory. "Most people who know about indie film know Tommy's work on 'Waking Life' and 'Scanner.
- 6/18/2015
- by Shipra Harbola Gupta
- Indiewire
For some reason, we have seen an influx of films about Somali pirates lately, from last year’s Oscar-nominated hit Captain Phillips and the slow-burn Danish thriller A Hijacking, to the recent Somali-language drama Fishing Without Nets. Before this wave settles, there is still room for another terrific title: the documentary Last Hijack, a revealing and often riveting look into the central dilemma of one pirate’s life.
The film, directed by Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta, is a live-action non-fiction movie buoyed by sequences of rotoscoped animation. Much of the present-day action focuses around Mohamed, whose days of ransom collecting and living the high-octane thrill of a pirate may be close to over. Hanging out in Eyl, a Somali shantytown not far from the Indian Ocean, Mohamed is in debt. After many years of pirating, he has to figure out whether to return home to get married and raise...
The film, directed by Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta, is a live-action non-fiction movie buoyed by sequences of rotoscoped animation. Much of the present-day action focuses around Mohamed, whose days of ransom collecting and living the high-octane thrill of a pirate may be close to over. Hanging out in Eyl, a Somali shantytown not far from the Indian Ocean, Mohamed is in debt. After many years of pirating, he has to figure out whether to return home to get married and raise...
- 10/8/2014
- by Jordan Adler
- We Got This Covered
Plot: An examination of the world of piracy in Somalia through the eyes of a veteran pirate who tries to give up the life. Review: Last Hijack, from directors Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta is kind of like the flip side to Captain Phillips. While that movie did an admirable job depicting the desperate circumstances that have made piracy such a dangerous phenomenon in Somalia, Last Hijack goes even further, giving the pirates themselves a podium from which they can explain...
- 10/7/2014
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Last Hijack CineEuropa Reviewed for Shockya by Harvey Karten. Data-based on Rotten Tomatoes Grade: B Director: Femke Wolting, Tommy Pallotta Screenplay: Femke Wolting, Tommy Pallotta Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 9/10/14 Opens: October 10, 2014 In the Tom Hanks vehicle “Captain Phillips,” which deals with a hijacked ship, one of the criminals calls himself simply the interpreter. He insists that he has no respect for the pirates—that they are low-lifes and that the captain should correspond with the people back home in authority to get the pirates to free the men. This attitude—that piracy is a disrespectful profession—is reflected among the law-abiding families of Somalia, which today is the leading [ Read More ]
The post Last Hijack Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Last Hijack Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/6/2014
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
How many times have we seen this cliché? A charismatic criminal wants to finally go legit and build a family, but he has to pull one last job in order to make enough money to retire for life. After tightly wound thrillers like “A Hijacking” and “Captain Phillips”, which explored the Somali pirate issue from a Western perspective, we get “Last Hijack”, the story of Mohamed, a successful and ruthless Somali pirate, who has to leave his life of crime in order to get married but is enticed by that one last big job that keeps calling him. The big difference "Last Hijack "brings to this tired premise, however, is that Mohamed’s story is completely real. Easily one of the best documentaries of 2014, Tommy Pallotta and Femke Volting’s film explores the motivations, circumstances, fears and dreams of a real-life pirate in an admirably objective fashion, while also visualizing his thoughts via gorgeous,...
- 10/4/2014
- by Oktay Ege Kozak
- The Playlist
Access is always an issue with documentary, creating unique challenges in war zones or similar areas where filmmakers would be in physical danger or simply cannot go. The documentary Last Hijack, produced by Submarine Channel and directed by Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta, doesn’t just deal with these issues but makes them one of the film’s greatest strengths. In documenting piracy in Somalia, the filmmakers turned to techniques like animation — Pallotta produced both Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly — to show what could not be filmed, and then went one step further by creating an interactive documentary to accompany the traditional linear film. […]...
- 10/3/2014
- by Randy Astle
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Access is always an issue with documentary, creating unique challenges in war zones or similar areas where filmmakers would be in physical danger or simply cannot go. The documentary Last Hijack, produced by Submarine Channel and directed by Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta, doesn’t just deal with these issues but makes them one of the film’s greatest strengths. In documenting piracy in Somalia, the filmmakers turned to techniques like animation — Pallotta produced both Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly — to show what could not be filmed, and then went one step further by creating an interactive documentary to accompany the traditional linear film. […]...
- 10/3/2014
- by Randy Astle
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sadly, the singular element intended to differentiate this Somali pirate flick from the clutch of other Somali pirate flicks proves a bit of a bust: On occasion, Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta's observant, genre-smashing documentary feature takes wing into flights of animation, illustrating its subjects' dreams and fears — and events the filmmakers couldn't have captured. But despite their canny picture-book design, these sequences are often redundant, explicating inner dramas audiences will already have apprehended. Worse, the animated faces never look quite right — too stiff and too detailed, like everyone's wearing a transparent plastic mask. But the first flight is inspired. See balding pirate lifer Mohamed soar away from the sun-baked poverty of...
- 9/24/2014
- Village Voice
Seventeen days might seem like ample breathing room to take in all the tidily curated bounty of the 52nd New York Film Festival, but the sidebars alone are a bit overwhelming. Old Hollywood iconoclast Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve) will be celebrated with a 21-feature tribute, and the forward-thinking "Convergence" series of films and panels explores bold innovations in multi-platform interactivity. One captivating standout is Tommy Pallotta and Femke Wolting's Somali pirate experience Last Hijack, which blends documentary footage and otherworldly animation with a transmedia supplement. (Thank god the future isn't video games.)
Among the repertory revivals are a 30th-anniversary screening of the everlastingly quotable mock-rock-doc This Is Spin...
Among the repertory revivals are a 30th-anniversary screening of the everlastingly quotable mock-rock-doc This Is Spin...
- 9/24/2014
- Village Voice
Last year, Barkhad Abdi earned an Oscar nomination for playing a Somali pirate in “Captain Phillips.” Now, Mohamed Nura shows audiences the real thing in “Last Hijack.” A new documentary from directors Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta (a producer on Richard Linklater‘s “Waking Life” and “A Scanner Darkly”) enters the forbidden — and thriving — world of Somali pirates. Using animation, documentary footage, and re-enactments, the film explores their tactics and justifications, seeking to understand the issue from the perspective we rarely hear in the news media. The Filmbuff release will premiere at the New York Film Festival on Sept. 28, and then open in.
- 9/19/2014
- by Jordan Zakarin
- The Wrap
The Venice Film Festival has added two documentaries to its lineup, one on Peter Bogdanovich and the other on Arthur Penn. Also in today's news roundup: Tommy Pallotta and Femke Wolting's The Last Hijack is part of the first wave of the New York Film Festival's Convergence programming. Revisiting Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) and Krzysztof Kieślowski's The Double Life of Véronique (1991). And remembering Marilyn Burns, "the most resilient of the terrified road trippers in Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). » - David Hudson...
- 8/6/2014
- Fandor: Keyframe
The Venice Film Festival has added two documentaries to its lineup, one on Peter Bogdanovich and the other on Arthur Penn. Also in today's news roundup: Tommy Pallotta and Femke Wolting's The Last Hijack is part of the first wave of the New York Film Festival's Convergence programming. Revisiting Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) and Krzysztof Kieślowski's The Double Life of Véronique (1991). And remembering Marilyn Burns, "the most resilient of the terrified road trippers in Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). » - David Hudson...
- 8/6/2014
- Keyframe
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