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Trailer for CG Animated Short THE MOUSE THAT SOARED

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:15:11 -0500

Directed by veteran animator Kyle Bell, The Mouse That Soared is a six minute CG animated short with themes involving adoption, blended-families and nature vs. nurture. Its produce from the crew that worked at Laika Entertainment, the studio behind Coraline and Moongirl.

Step right up and behold the harrowing and hair-raising aerial adventures of a flying circus mouse! Witness the rise of our orphan foundling as he learns valuable lessons in life and flight from two well-intentioned adoptive songbirds! Fasten your safety belts as our little faux-feathered hero reflects on his unlikely beginnings on his flight path to becoming a coveted circus sensation! Come one, come all to this high-flying tale of overcoming adversity and beating near-impossible odds!

Check out the official site to view the concept art. You'll find the trailer embedded below.

Making-of Video for CG Animated Short MEET MELINE

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:40:25 -0500

Back in late March, a trailer for Sebastien Laban & Virginie Goyons' animated short Meet Meline caught my eye and I became immediately captivated by its charm and magical wonder while leaving me wanting to see how the story develops when the little girl finds the mysterious creature. Although the full short is not available online yet unfortunately, a 12-minutes making-of featurette has been unveiled today that contains some behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with the director on the story/characters/environments and an in-depth view on the process of completing the short. I can only imagine the road to getting the project off the ground is long and arduous but its also clear that alot of heart and passion was put into it. A definite must-see for any aspiring animators wanting to learn how to start their own short film.

You'll find the making-of video and the trailer embedded below.

Test Footage From Argentine Sci-Fi EL ETERNAUTA

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:38:25 -0500

Without a doubt the largest and most anticipated science fiction film ever produced in South America, there are rumors of dischord circling the film adaptation of Hector German Oesterheld's El Eternauta. There is recent chatter that original director Lucrecia Martel - always something of an odd fit, really - is off the project but I don't expect that a change of directors will be enough to derail this alien invasion tale. And, really, if Martel is gone the directors should be hopping on the next flight to Uruguay to sign Panic Attack director Federico Alvarez.

But I digress. El Eternauta is a sprawling tale that begins with aliens sending a toxic snowfall onto humanity, a devastating attack followed up by their unleashing of bizarre, remotely mind controlled creatures to mop up the survivors. Survivors, who, thanks to the damage wrought on the environment, can now only venture out doors in specially constructed bio-hazard suits. And though the film is far from complete earlier this year a reel of test footage was prepared to demonstrate how it could be executed. The effects are obviously not complete - the texturing and shading need work - but still are quite impressive for test work. Check out the reel below.

DougTenNapel Says GO SUKASHI!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:43 -0500

New from Doug TenNapel - still best known as the creator of Earthworm Jim, though his credits go well beyond that at this stage of his career - and Shoko Nakagawa is Go Sukashi! An English language masked hero web series produced by TenNapel and based on characters from Nakagawa's Sukashikashipan-Man manga the results are so exciting that they've left Nakagawa ready to go and eat one million pieces of the bread! That's power! Episode one lurks below!

Chandmani Sum review

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:36:32 -0500

Little bump as I included the trailer for your viewing pleasure.

Mongolia is faraway, barren and mostly unknown territory for us Westerners. Most of us know very little about it, except maybe a little trivia about Genghis Kahn. Rowan Lee Hartsuiker took the time to visit the place and document his findings, granting us a quick peek into a culture most of us didn't even know existed. The 30-minute documentary Chandiman Sum is the result.

I'm not much of a documentary fanatic myself. Not that I lack interest in the varied range of subjects (name it and there is probably of documentary on it), but I find the format very limiting. As part of the film medium it does very little with images and sound, making the audiovisual experience neglectable. On top of that most documentaries prove very manipulative and subjective, not exactly when I have in mind when watching badly shot images with little to no artistic direction. I know this is not the case for all documentaries, but unless proven wrong I consider them the exceptions to the rule.

Chandmani Sum is clearly one of those exceptions. Hartsuiker traveled to Mongolia and stayed there for 6 months in a tiny village, spending time on getting to know the people and their customs. His camera observes them in their everyday lives, but rather than simply capturing life in Mongolia, his documentary tries to convey his experience over there. For that, he is not shy to experiment with all means necessary.

Visually Chandmani Sum is a true beauty. Completely presented in a light blue monochrome color, only rarely allowing other colors to come through, the documentary gives a very unique look at the desolate countryside of Mongolia. Hartsuiker has a great eye and knows to capture some magnificent scenes, giving them a rather daunting and otherworldly feeling. In some scenes the editing reminded me of Aronofski's Pi, with very quick and sharp cuts, creating a streak of chaos within the quiet and barren landscapes.

The soundtrack is almost completely composed of Mongolian) vocal music, but plays mostly like illbient. It calls a dark and moody atmosphere, creating a perfect flow with the images. In several short sequences the performers are visible themselves, demonstrating their vocal skills which is actually quite impressive to see. On top of that layer of sound Hartsuiker provided a couple short monologues. Their muffled appearance, trying to become part of the soundtrack but ultimately failing as the brain is too conditioned to make out the words, is probably my only real issue with this film. Of course this is only a problem for those who understand the Dutch language.

Hartsuiker explained that his main goal was to give people an image of Mongolia they would remember. I can only speak for myself, but with his documentary he surely achieved his goal. In a rather ironic twist all extra stylistic additions help in creating a more believable view on the Mongolian people and their lives. On top of that, the film's a blast to watch and to listen to.

Chandmani Sum is not your everyday documentary. It presents reality in a stylized way but doesn't lose any of its incredibility. Hartsuiker succeeds in his mission, delivers a visually accomplished document with a superb soundtrack and transports you to a world not quite like ours. And the best part? It's entirely free (in a legal way), a quick look around the web will guide you to the source.

Secret Agent vs Pigeon in CG Animated Short PIGEON: IMPOSSIBLE

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:30:24 -0500

What do you get when you cross a secret agent carrying a hi-tech briefcase and a pigeon? Find out what happens in the CG animated short Pigeon: Impossible from director Lucas Martell. The full version has now officially arrived on Youtube in glorious HD after hitting the festival circuit while racking up multiple of awards in the process. Here's how the press release described it:

Pigeon: Impossible is the tale of Walter, a rookie secret agent faced with a problem seldom covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets trapped inside your multi-million dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase.

The film took nearly 5 years to complete and is the first attempt at animation by writer/director Lucas Martell: "When the project started, it was mostly an excuse to learn 3D animation, but by the end of the project I had spent so much time reworking and polishing the story that I just wanted people to laugh."

The end-result is a hilarious 6-minute romp through the streets of Washington D.C. as our hero fights to save himself, and the world from the chaos reigned down by a hungry pigeon. Breathtaking visuals and a sweeping soundtrack showcase the work of nearly one-hundred talented artists and musicians, and the film stands as a testament to what can be accomplished by a team of dedicated volunteers working for the love of their craft.

Also check out the official site to see a gallery of stills and a series of behind-the-scenes video diary on the making of the short. You''ll find the short embedded below.

Fatih Akin Finds His Comic Timing With SOUL KITCHEN

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:56:31 -0500

Turko-German director Fatih Akin must surely be one of the most diverse talents currently working in Germany. He blew our minds with the hard edged, cathartic drama of Head On before moving on to the fabulous music doc Crossing the Bridge and now returns to the kind of light comedy where he began his career with Soul Kitchen. Find me another director with three more different films packed so tightly into their resume and I'll eat my shirt. Here's how the Toronto International Film Festival described Akin's latest when it screened there:

Zinos Kazantzakis (Adam Bousdoukos) runs Soul Kitchen, a vast warehouse diner where the food might be spectacularly bad, but it's edible. Regulars show up every day to chow down on bland lumps of carbs washed down by cheap beer. Beats sitting at home.
Zinos seems to have a knack for bad luck, but he's used to it. His girlfriend flies off to China for an extended stay. His brother (Moritz Bleibtreu) finally gets out of jail and drags all of Hamburg's trouble into the restaurant. Then the sour-faced tax collector shows up. What would happen if Zinos went looking for the city's biggest rock-star chef (the ferocious Birol Ünel from Head-On) in a bid to save his restaurant and shake things up?
Akin sets his story in motion and lets the players dance, fuelled by a sweet, thumping soundtrack of great soul music. The chef whips up wonders from the most humble ingredients, shocking the regulars and seducing a whole new clientele. And once he slips some Peruvian tree-bark aphrodisiac into the dessert, everything changes. A full-on bacchanalian party breaks out, and that tax collector turns out to be a lot more flexible with receipts than she first appeared.
Soul Kitchen is casually cool and loads of fun to watch. By the time the inimitable Udo Kier shows up, villainously chomping on dinner mints, you know this movie's heart is in the right place. Backside, too.

The first trailer for this one has just arrived, check it out below.

Do Not Shoot Tony Leung With An Arrow. You'll Only Make Him Angry.

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:49:14 -0500

With John Woo's epic Red Cliff starting its theatrical run yesterday the fine people at Magnet Releasing have released an extended battle clip from the film that demonstrates why aim is important if you're going to go shooting arrows at Tony Leung. Check it out below!

Fresh TV Spot From The Spierig Brothers' DAYBREAKERS

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:35:26 -0500

The Spierig Brothers' sophomore effort - vampire action film Daybreakers - has been a long time coming but riding a glowing reception on the festival circuit a large scale release in the works. And that means trailers, witha fresh TV spot just hit, well in advance of the January release date. Check it out along with the trailer below!

Little Girl Flies South In Dutch Kids' Fantasy EEP!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:46:23 -0500

Can we continue this trend towards physical effects, please? Spike Jonze demonstrated rather well what can still be done with (dominantly) physical effects in his Where The Wild Things Are and now following along behind in a somewhat similar vein is Dutch / Belgian co-production Eep! from director Ellen Smit. It is the story of a couple who discover a young creature who appears to be a little girl with wings instead of arms. They decide to raise her as their own child but when the seasons change, the bird side comes out and it is time to fly away south ...

Currently scheduled for a February release, Smit's film has a wonderfully tangible approach to its effects, a certain clumsiness to the wings and flight that make them both so much more believable. Take a look at the first teaser below.

Universal finds their guy! Carl Rinsch to direct their '47 Ronin' film.

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:05:22 -0500

Noteworthy in the sense that we've only just been talking about a new chambara film being prepared in Japan.

Perhaps we didn't care or thought the idea was just too silly that it couldn't be true but almost a year ago it was announced that Keanu Reeves would be starring in an American take on the story of the 47 Ronin. [Insert picking ourselves up from the floor]

No sooner had we caught our breath then it was announced that the screenplay would be written by Chris Morgan. He wrote such sprawling epics as Cellular, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Wanted and Fast & Furious. But he silenced any doubters in an interview with cultural hot pot MTV, "It's this great, 'Gladiator'-esque, '300'-like big action movie with samurai and ninja," Morgan said. Although some "47 Ronin" enthusiasts have their doubts about the "Fast and Furious" scribe tackling the beloved Japanese tale, Morgan points to his long history as a "huge fan of samurai culture," which he backs up with extensive knowledge of the "Ronin" story. "'The 47 Ronin' is a true story that took place around 1700-1701," Morgan said. "It's a time in Japanese culture when it was all about [the] bushido [code] and honor, and putting internal things over external things -- swords that were made to be functional instead of ornamental, that kind of stuff." Yes. That kind of stuff.

And today it was announced that Universal has found their ~~patsy~~, ~~scapegoat~~, man to helm this great combination of film making intellectuals, Carl Rinsch. If you haven't heard of him do not worry. Carl is actually an amazingly competent commercial film maker whose resume I am quite fond of [examples after the break]. But what concerns me is that the kind of work he has done leans strongly towards futuristic themes and technology. At one point his name was floating around the Alien prequel, a film far more suited for his futuristic leaning I would say, but that's gone back to Ridley 'Zzzzzzzz' Scott.

Can he do it? Out of respect for Carl's work I hope he can.

From The Writer Of SEVERANCE: Can You Save GIRL NUMBER 9?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:52:40 -0500

We don't cover a lot of web series material here on Twitch because, honestly, most of them just aren't very good. But there are exceptions. And recent UK series Girl Number 9 is one of them. A serial killer thriller scripted by James Moran - who the observant among you will recognize from his work on Severance, Doctor Who and Torchwood - and starring Torchwood's Gareth David-Lloyd, it is available online now in six five minute installments and will soon be arriving on DVD as well. Check the trailer below!

Wowee! 'Fist of Dragon' 龍拳 trailer comes out of nowhere!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:25:19 -0500

The first trailer for Michael Chuah's upcoming action film Fist of Dragon hit the web late last week and I gotta say that is some fine old school HK action filmmaking going on there. Harkening back to the action films coming out of HK during the 80s and 90s the modestly budgeted film doesn't look to be shy of the action however.

You can find the trailer after the break. Also, be sure to read the article over at The Staronline for more back story to the production.

"Fist of Dragon" tells the story of Li, who comes to South East Asia by the request of his father to help out his uncle who has been facing financial difficulties. Li, upon arriving in the town, feels out of place due to the differences in cultures of the people here. When he discovers that his uncle has been facing many hardships posed by the local mobsters, Li decides to stay and to help his uncle and get rid of them. However, Li encounters resistance from the locals as Li's action brings the wrath of the triad and drags the whole town into turmoil. Moreover, his uncle's daughter, Lily is on the triad side, and their relationship is badly affected when the confrontation between the two groups reach its peak.

Stunning First Images From Thai Period Epic BANG RAJAN 2!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:31:08 -0500

Depending on your point of view Tanit Jitnukul's 2000 period epic Bang Rajan - co-written by a young Kongkiat Komesiri in his pre-Art of the Devil days - either came just moments too soon to ride the wave of Thai success in the worldwide market or blazed the trail for the films that would follow soon after. The story of badly outnumbered villagers standing up to a much larger and much stronger military force turned many heads and won many fans but, with no market yet established for Thai films, ultimately failed to make much of a dent commercially outside of Thailand.

Inside Thailand, though, it was a very different story and now, nine years later, a sequel is deep into production. Backed by the increasingly internationally minded Phranakorn Film - one of Thailand's largest producers and distributors - they appear to be going the full out epic route for the sequel and, judging by the freshly released teaser and first images, this is looking to be one gorgeous piece of eye candy.

The teaser, which you'll find below, is unfortunately low resolution - though we're working on getting a bigger version, so expect that soon - but boasts an impressive visual style, which obviously seems to take some cues from the 300 style of film making. The stills released on the Phranakorn site, however, are both very impressive and very naturalistic in their approach. So expect some sort of fusion of styles with this one. More as we get it!

First Teaser for French Animated film WHITE FANG

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:12:09 -0500

Over at Alphanim site, I stumbled across an impressive teaser trailer to White Fang, a French traditional animated film based on the classic novel of the same name that brings back fond memories of the glory years in Disney animation. All I know about this adaptation after doing some searches on google is the teaser is apparently over ~~two~~ five years old and even through the project is listed as in-development, the official site to Welldone films, the studio that is co-producing the animation is no longer around so I'm not sure whether if its been scrapped or not. Lets hope its still on the table because it does look promising.

Inspired by the world of Jack London, White Fang is a story about redemption or how a wolfhound caught in a spiral of violence, becomes in spite of himself, a legend dreaded and feared to then return to his true nature guided by a human couple. Half-wolf from his father and half-dog from his mother, the life of White-Fang is finely tuned into the laws of nature from an early age. The disappearance of his father and the famine that follows, teaches him the uncertainties of existence. As a wolf-cub, he is brought face to face with the grandeur and danger of Mother Nature that he learns to master step by step. Meeting an Indian tribe opens the door of a new world that White Fang quickly adapts to. The world of men, nonetheless, holds for White Fang a danger more insidious than anything he has ever experienced in the Great North. His adoption launches a rampage of jealousy and vindictiveness from the other dogs of the tribe. This rejection and hatred will forever mark White Fang. Later, civilization and its vices take hold of White Fang when his Indian master sales him to a greedy and despicable white man. His new owner abuses White Fang to increase and fuel the dog's rage prior dog fights that he secretly organizes. Kill or be killed, now White Fang must unleash his anger against his victims for his own survival. White Fang will owe his salvation to a man of integrity who will provide the opportunity to prove his loyalty and his real nature.

You'll find the teaser trailer and a gallery of concept art below.