Thursday, March 18, 2010 11:44AM - By Mali Elfman
…it kicks ass. Much like the title of this film, Kick-Ass is very straight forward. It has one idea, one concept and it follows through 100% with what it promises to do. There’s no debate over the rating, no lines that they’re afraid to cross, it’s just a simple comic-book story about a guy who is anything but your typical hero. The fight scenes are extremely well done, every actor in it was extremely well cast, and although the dialogue is ridiculous at times, it was surprisingly realistic.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010 6:02PM - By Mali Elfman
It’s dangerous territory remaking the 1984 cult classic that brought us “wax on, wax off.” The 2010 version of The Karate Kid is simply a remake of the original premise but set in a different location. The film is produced by Will Smith, and is directed by Harald Zwart.
In the film Jaden Smith stars in the the lead as a troubled youth named Dre who encounters a severe bully when he is forced to move overseas to China due to a job his mother played by Taraji P. Henson has to take. In order to stop getting beaten up he has to learn how to fight with martial arts master Mr. Han played by Jackie Chan.
So, is the remake worth it?
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010 2:00PM - By Mali Elfman
Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning transform themselves into real life rock legends Joan Jett and Cherie Currie in The Runaways. There’s no doubt about it, these two young vixens give themselves completely to the real life story of becoming of rock star by the age of 14-years-old. Both encompassed the look and the feel of these bad-ass chicks, smashing through stereotypes and being pushed to the edge of their sanity. Dressed in almost nothing, both actors leave their innocent selves behind and become real teenage rock stars.
We were able to catch up with the duo at a roundtable for the film and ask them some questions about becoming The Runways below…
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010 12:12PM - By Mali Elfman
Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying ShoWest, they premiere a lot of great new footage and movies, but when it comes to their award system, it does feel a bit… staged. Much like how before Toy Story 3, John Lasseter joked about loving the fact that every time he makes another movie ShoWest comes up with an award for him. A number of these “honors” seem more like a popularity contest for upcoming films than actual career achievements. But hey! They got Zach Galifianakis listed as “Best Comedy Actor” so they can’t be completely wrong.
See how the rest of this year’s winners stack up…
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010 4:01PM - By Mali Elfman
As requested, we will be revealing no plot information, spoilers, or many details about Disney/Pixar’s latest addition to the Toy Story series, Toy Story 3. There are very few films out there that I support trilogies of and this is one of them, mainly because they proved with their second film that it could be just as good as the first.
The version that the screened for us here at ShoWest still had a temp score, it was in 2D and the animation was not 100% complete. It’s very hard, even for the most imaginative minds to get the full experience of a film when it’s not completely finished.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010 3:34PM - By Mali Elfman
I just left the screening for Toy Story 3 and a decade after the release of the previous film, this one is definitely a worthy follow up. One of the great things about attending ShoWest are the first looks you get to see for upcoming films including. Much like in the theaters, Disney/Pixar screened a short film entitled Day and Night before the feature and (as always) it was amazing. Simple and smooth, yet poignant and sentimental.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010 3:13PM - By Mali Elfman
Between their recent problems with The Wolfman being pushed to Land of the Lost and Funny People basically being ignored, out of the billions of dollars spent at the cinemas very little of it went to Universal in 2009. Their highest grossing film of the year came in at #17 and it wasn’t even one to be proud of, it was just another sequel in The Fast and the Furious series. It’s safe to say that 2009 was a complete disaster for Universal… and they know it.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:00PM - By Mali Elfman
As Dakota Fanning gears up for her big break through role in The Runaways this week, lets not forget where the real story came from. David Bowie fan Cherie Currie at at the age of 14 years-old was thrown into the first all female rock band and put on tour for nearly two years straight in the mid-70’s when the more blush and the more cocaine you had on you, the more successful you were. Not long after puberty, Cherie was dressed in lingerie singing about being a “blond bombshell ready to explode” and the results were just that. She burnt out before she was ever even given a chance.
Find out what it was like for the upbeat and wise Cherie to watch Fanning transform herself into a Runaway and what advice she has for upcoming teenagers looking to become rock stars…
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010 9:34AM - By Mali Elfman
Just got into ShoWest last night, got my passport and had my first glass of free wine at a cinema during the event. There’s something very nice about relishing in your favorite alcoholic beverage while watching a movie. Gotta love Vegas!
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