Thursday, September 4, 2008

movie

English




Kung Fu Panda
on cinema 6 June 2008
clue: www.smashcinema.com



About it


Kung Fu Panda is an American animated comedy film released in 2008. It was directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb. The film was produced by DreamWorks Animation's studio in Glendale, California and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film stars the voices of Jack Black as the panda, Po, along with Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross, and Ian McShane. Set in ancient China, the plot revolves around a bumbling panda who aspires to be a kung fu master. After a much feared warrior escapes from prison, Po is foretold to be the Dragon Warrior, much to the chagrin of the resident kung fu warriors. Dreamworks is working on a sequel to Kung Fu Panda, which is currently in pre-production.[3]

Although the concept of a kung fu panda has been around since at least 1993,[4] the idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance,[5] a DreamWorks Animation executive. Work on the film did not begin until 2004. The film was originally intended to be a parody, but director Stevenson decided to instead shoot a simplistic comedy. The computer animation in the film was more complex than anything DreamWorks had done before. As with most DreamWorks animated films, Hans Zimmer scored Kung Fu Panda. He visited China to absorb the culture and get to know the China National Symphony Orchestra as part of his preparation.

Kung Fu Panda premiered in the United States on June 1, 2008, and has received favorable reviews from critics. The film garnered a 88% approval rating from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Kung Fu Panda opened in 4,114 theaters, grossing $20.3 million on its opening day and $60.2 million on its opening weekend, resulting in the number one position at the box office. The film has resulted in DreamWorks' biggest opening for a non-sequel film, and the third-largest weekend overall for a DreamWorks animated film, behind Shrek the Third and Shrek 2.


Plot

Po (Jack Black) is a panda who works in a noodle restaurant owned by his goose father Mr. Ping (James Hong), who hopes that Po will one day take over the restaurant. Po is a kung fu fanatic with secret dreams of becoming a great master in the discipline. However, his weight and clumsiness make his goal difficult to attain.

The tortoise Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) has a premonition that the evil snow leopard warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane), the former student of his own protégé, the red panda Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), will escape from prison and return to threaten the Valley of Peace. While Shifu sends Zeng (Dan Fogler), a messenger goose, to Chor Ghom Prison to have the security increased, Oogway orders a formal ceremony to choose the Dragon Warrior, a supreme master of kung fu who can defeat Tai Lung. It is assumed that one of the Furious Five—Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross)—a quintet of supremely skilled martial artists trained by Shifu, will be chosen for this honor. Po, in his attempts to see the Dragon Warrior, finds himself in the middle of the ceremony. Oogway, impressed by Po's sudden appearance, surprises everyone by designating Po himself as the Dragon Warrior despite Po's protests and Shifu's pleas to reconsider.

Revolted at having Po under his tutelage, Shifu attempts to make him quit by berating and humiliating him. The Five also dismiss Po as a worthless interloper, although he eventually endears himself to them. Tigress later reveals to Po how Tai Lung came to be evil. Shifu raised him from a cub and treated him like a son. When Oogway refused to make Tai Lung the Dragon Warrior, he became enraged and laid waste to the Valley. He then tried to take the dragon scroll; Shifu tried to stop him, but could not bear to destroy what he had created. Tai Lung was then defeated by Master Oogway and imprisoned. Tigress ends her story by saying that Shifu loved Tai Lung like he never loved anyone before, or since.

Meanwhile, Zeng's errand backfires when a tour of the prison given to him by the overly confident head of security, Commander Vachir (Michael Clarke Duncan), inadvertently enables Tai Lung to escape. Tai Lung orders Zeng to send word of his arrival to Shifu. In the Valley of Peace, Oogway passes away and ascends to the heavens, his final wish being that Shifu must train Po. However, Po confesses his belief that he may never be a match for Tai Lung. Overhearing this discussion, Tigress takes it upon herself to intercept Tai Lung, and the rest of The Five follow her to assist. The following morning, Shifu discovers that Po is capable of impressive physical feats when motivated by food. He leads Po to the countryside for an intensive training regime in which Po is offered food as a reward for learning his lessons. As Shifu hopes, Po swiftly becomes a skilled combatant.

The Five battle Tai Lung but are eventually defeated. All except Crane are paralyzed by a special nerve-striking technique, and he manages to carry his friends back to the valley. When they return, Shifu decides Po is ready to open the sacred Dragon Scroll, which promises great power to its possessor. However, when Po opens it, he finds nothing but a blank reflective surface. Stricken with despair at the scroll's apparent worthlessness, Shifu orders his students to lead the villagers to safety while he stays to delay Tai Lung for as long as he can.

Po meets up with his father, who tells him the secret ingredient of the family's noodle soup: nothing. Things become special, he explains, because people believe them to be special. Realizing that is the point of the Dragon Scroll, Po rushes off to help Shifu. At this time, Tai Lung arrives at the palace to obtain the Dragon Scroll. However, he discovers that the Dragon Scroll is gone, and then attempts to kill Shifu in anger. But before he can, Po arrives and challenges him. Tai Lung temporarily stuns him and gains the Dragon Scroll, but is unable to understand its symbolism. Po tries to explain the wisdom of the scroll to a frustrated Tai Lung, who uses his nerve attack on Po, but the panda is impervious thanks to his amply-padded gut. Emboldened, Po counter-attacks, and uses the Wuxi Finger Hold (a technique Shifu had previously threatened to use on Po) on Tai Lung, defeating him in a large explosion of golden light that ripples through the valley.

The Five return to the valley to investigate and find a slightly dazed but triumphant Po. Deeply impressed by Po's victory, Tigress leads the Five to acknowledge him as a Kung Fu master. Po suddenly remembers that his teacher is badly wounded, and rushes back to Shifu. At first the master appears to be dying, and Po panics. But Shifu is only trying to rest after such a terrible battle with Tai Lung.

At the end of the credits, Shifu and Po are seen eating together beside the sacred peach tree. A peach seed planted by Shifu before Oogway's death has sprouted into a new plant.

[edit] Cast

From left to right: Masters Viper, Monkey, Mantis, Shifu, Tigress and Crane. The Furious Five are homages to the Crane, Snake, Monkey, Praying Mantis, and Tiger styles of Chinese martial arts.
From left to right: Masters Viper, Monkey, Mantis, Shifu, Tigress and Crane. The Furious Five are homages to the Crane, Snake, Monkey, Praying Mantis, and Tiger styles of Chinese martial arts.[6]
Main article: List of characters from Kung Fu Panda
Voice actor Role Animal
Jack Black Po Giant Panda
Dustin Hoffman Master Shifu Red Panda
Angelina Jolie Master Tigress South China Tiger
Ian McShane Tai Lung Snow Leopard
Seth Rogen Master Mantis Mantis
Lucy Liu Master Viper Green Tree Viper
David Cross Master Crane Red-crowned Crane
Randall Duk Kim Master Oogway Tortoise
James Hong Mr. Ping Chinese Goose
Dan Fogler Zeng Chinese Goose
Michael Clarke Duncan Commander Vachir Javan Rhinoceros
Jackie Chan Master Monkey Gee's Golden Langur

[edit] Production

[edit] Development

"...we love martial arts movies. I wasn't interested in making fun of them, because I really think martial arts movies can be great films, they can be as good as any genre movie when they're done properly […] Let's try to make it a real martial arts movie albeit one with a comic character and let's take our action seriously. Let's not give anything up to the big summer movies. Let's really make sure that our kung fu is as cool as any kung fu ever done, so that we can take our place in that canon and make sure it's a beautiful movie, because great martial arts movies are really beautiful-looking movies and then let's see if we can imbue it with real heart and emotion."
—co-director John Stevenson on the comedic approach to the martial arts film.[7]

Publicized work on the film began before October 2004[8] at about the same time the PlayStation 2 videogame Ribbit King was released with its kung fu panda character, "Pan-Pan."[9] In September 2005, DreamWorks Animation announced the film alongside Jack Black, who was selected to be the main voice star.[10] Initially, the idea for the film was to make it a parody and spoof, but co-director John Stevenson was not particularly keen on the idea so instead chose the direction of simplistic comedy.[7] Reportedly inspired by Stephen Chow's 2004 martial arts action comedy, Kung Fu Hustle,[11] the co-directors wanted to make sure the film also had an authentic Chinese and kung fu feel to it. Production designer Raymond Zibach and art director Tang Heng spent years researching Chinese painting, sculpture, architecture and kung fu movies to help create the look of the film.[12] Zibach said some of the biggest influence of him are the more artful martial arts films such as Hero, and House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.[12] The aim for the film, which took four years to make, was to have a good blend of the two, as well as to give it an "epic" feel, unlike other DreamWorks animated features which resorted to "pop songs and celebrity references."[13] In November 2005, Dreamworks Animation announced that Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu and Ian McShane would join Jack Black in the cast.[14]

[edit] Music

Main article: Kung Fu Panda soundtrack

As with most DreamWorks animated films, composer Hans Zimmer scored the film. Zimmer visited China in order to absorb the culture and got to know the Chinese National Symphony as part of his preparation; in addition, Timbaland also contributed to the soundtrack.[15] The soundtrack also includes a partially rewritten version of the classic song, "Kung Fu Fighting", performed by Cee-Lo Green and Jack Black for the end credits. Although Zimmer was originally announced as the main composer of the film, during a test screening, CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKG Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that composer John Powell would also be contributing to the score. This marked the first collaboration in eight years for the two, having previously worked together on Dreamworks' The Road to El Dorado and the action thriller Chill Factor. A soundtrack album was released by Interscope Records on June 3, 2008.[16]

[edit] Animation

"We’ve had some productions that were stressful, but this one ran very smoothly and DreamWorks is this production as a template on how they would like future productions to run. We lucked out, and there really was a sense of harmony on the animation. Even the production people. We all seemed like we were on the same page, believing in the film. That doesn’t happen very often. I tell animators, you will be working on dumpers for most of your career, but every once in a while you get a gem. Kung Fu Panda was a gem."
—Dan Wagner, Head of Character Animation.[17]

The hand-drawn animation sequence at the beginning of the film was made to resemble Chinese shadow puppetry.[18] The opening, which was directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and produced by James Baxter, was praised by The New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis as "striking" and "visually different from most mainstream American animations".[19] Other reviewers have compared the opening to the evocative style of Genndy Tartakovsky's Samurai Jack.[20][21] The rest of the film is modern computer animation, which uses bright, offbeat colors to evoke the natural landscape of China.[18] The end credit sequence also features hand-drawn characters and still paintings in the background.[18]

The computer animation used throughout the film was more complex then anything Dreamworks had done before. When the head of production handed the script to VFX Supervisor Markus Manninen, she reportedly laughed and wished him "good luck". "When we started talking," said Manninen, "the movie was still a high concept. But for everyone that looked at it, it screamed complexity. We launched off saying, how can you make this movie tangible? How can you find smart ways to bring this world to life in a way that makes it a great movie and not feel like the complexity becomes the driver of the story, but the story and the emotion being the driver?"[22]

[edit] Release

[edit] Reception and performance

The film held its worldwide premiere at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, where it received massive and sustained applause at the end of the film's screening.[23][24] Kung Fu Panda later had national premieres in the United States on June 1, 2008 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California,[25] and on June 26, 2008 at Leicester Square in London, for the United Kingdom.[26]

Kung Fu Panda has received favorable reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 88% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 134 reviews. The film has a rating of 75% from a select group of critics and a rating of 89% from users of the site.[27] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.[28]

Richard Corliss of Time Magazine gave the film a positive review, stating the picture "provides a master coursed in cunning visual art and ultra-satisfying entertainment".[29] The New York Times said, "At once fuzzy-wuzzy and industrial strength, the tacky-sounding Kung Fu Panda is high concept with a heart," and the review called the film "consistently diverting" and "visually arresting".[19] Chris Barsanti of Filmcritics.com commented, "Blazing across the screen with eye-popping, sublime artwork, Kung Fu Panda sets itself apart from the modern domestic animation trend with its sheer beauty [...] th@����8@���stant classic status as some of the most gorgeous animation Hollywood has produced since the golden age of Disney."[30] The Chicago Tribune called the film "one of the few comedies of 2008 in any style or genre that knows what it’s doing".[31]

On the other hand, Robert W. Butler of Kansas City Star criticized the film by stating that "Kung Fu Panda is one gorgeous movie. If only the story and comedy were half as absorbing." Though Butler praised the film as visually spectacular, he found the film's dramatic aspect flat and predictable.[32] Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal concurs by stating the film's elegant and inventive animation is not enough to overcome its predictable story.[33]

The film was released in 4,114 theaters, grossing $20.3 million on its opening day and $60.2 million over the weekend, resulting in the number one position at the box office. It is also DreamWorks Animation's biggest opening for a non-sequel film, and the third-largest opening weekend overall for a DreamWorks animated film (behind Shrek the Third and Shrek 2).[34][35][36] It is the first animated film to make more then 100 million Yuan in Chinese box offices.[37][38] The film has so far made more than $600 million worldwide.[2] The film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on November 9, 2008.[39]

With the film's success at the Chinese box office, some people within China have questioned the quality of China's domestic animations. The fact that such a successful film based on Chinese culture was created by the American movie industry has lead to some Chinese introspection.[40][41][42]

[edit] Controversy

Zhao Bandi, a Chinese artist and fashion designer who specializes in panda-related designs, launched an online petition suggesting that the film should be boycotted.[43][44] In his petition, Bandi stated that Hollywood was seeking to profit from Chinese culture. The film was aired soon after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and the petition said that the film was in poor taste to be released so soon after the disaster, given that pandas live within the area affected by the quake. Bandi also protested against the fact that the film was produced by DreamWorks, which is owned by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg withdrew from his role as an adviser to the 2008 Summer Olympics over concerns about China’s role in Sudan (although Spielberg is not one of the producers of Kung Fu Panda). Zhao Bandi admitted that he had not actually seen the film prior to the petition.[45] However, while postings on his website both praised and criticized the film, many people said that there was no reason to boycott it. Zhao's complaints prompted an online backlash asserting that an entertaining film paying tribute to Chinese heritage would be welcome at this difficult time,[46] and some even questioned whether this was just a publicity stunt by the artist.[45] Regardless of the controversy, the film's opening was enthusiastically received in China,[47] making nearly 110 million Chinese Yuan by July 2, 2008. The Chinese director Lu Chuan commented, "From a production standpoint, the movie is nearly perfect. Its American creators showed a very sincere attitude about Chinese culture."[48][49]

[edit] DVD and Blu-ray Disc release

Kung Fu Panda will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc on November 9, 2008. The special features include an animated short film starring Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and David Cross is created with Kung Fu Panda DVD and Blu-ray Disc, Kung Fu Fighting music video by Cee-Lo Green and Jack Black, sound, The Tech of Kung Fu Panda, The Cast of Kung Fu Panda, deleted and alternate scenes, cast interviews and biographies with Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and David Cross, The Premiere of Kung Fu Panda, interactive games and more.

[edit] Franchise development

The Chinese DVD cover for Kungfu Master depicting Po and Wong Fei Hung
The Chinese DVD cover for Kungfu Master depicting Po and Wong Fei Hung

Jeffrey Katzenberg has publicly stated that because the film's premiere exceeded expectations, a Kung Fu Panda series of up to six films was likely depending on the overall performance of the initial film's release.[50] With the subsequent strong box office performance of the film, preproduction of the first sequel is underway.[51]

In August 2008, a direct-to-video Chinese animation feature entitled Kungfu Master aka Wong Fei Hong vs Kungfu Panda (黃飛鴻大戰功夫熊貓) was released on DVD in East Asia by Vscape Enterprise. The film is an unofficial sequel; it reportedly combines Kung Fu Panda and Chinese martial arts folk hero Wong Fei Hung. In the film, the panda is assigned by god to protect an ancient treasure that could give the bearer the power to conquer the world. Upon losing it, the pair set off on an adventure to retrieve it.[52]

[edit] Video game

Main article: Kung Fu Panda video game

A video game adaptation of the film was developed and published by Activision on June 3, 2008.[53] The game follows the same basic plot as the film, but with Tai Lung portrayed as the leader of various gangs that surround the Valley of Peace, which Po must defeat. The game was released on PC, as well as multiple consoles. The game received mostly positive reviews; it scored a Metacritic rating of 76% from critics[54] and a 7.5/10 from IGN.[55]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Kung Fu Panda". The Numbers. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.
  2. ^ a b "Kung Fu Panda". The Numbers. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
  3. ^ "Kung Fu Panda sequel in pipeline". BBC (2008-08-14). Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  4. ^ Brown, Geoff (1993-10-19). "Who framed the animator's artistry?", The Times.
  5. ^ "Imagi Announces Strategic Alliance for Gatchaman and Astro Boy Toy Development". IT News (2007-08-07). Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  6. ^ "Kung Fu Panda-production-five fighting warriors.". DreamWorks. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  7. ^ a b Edward Douglas (2008-06-02). "EXCL: Kung Fu Panda Co-Director John Stevenson". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  8. ^ Aggerholm, Barbara (2004-10-05). "Giving a shark some bite; Local animator swims with the big boys", Kitchener Record. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  9. ^ Buchanan, Levi (2004-06-24). "Ribbit King" hits our fairway", Chicago Tribune.
  10. ^ "Dreamworks Animation Plans Kung Fu Panda". Empire (2005-09-21). Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  11. ^ Gaul, Lou (2005-11-04). "1104 Film Clips", Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  12. ^ a b "Kung Fu Panda gets cuddly". New York Daily News (2008-05-31). Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  13. ^ Colin Covert (2008-06-03). "Kung Fu Panda pushes boundaries of cartoon art". The News & Observer. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  14. ^ "DreamWorks Announces the Cast of "Kung Fu Panda", UPI Entertainment News (2005-11-09). Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  15. ^ Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster (2007-09-18). "The Big Screen Scene". National Ledger. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
  16. ^ Jonathan Cohen (2008-05-12). "Jack Black, Cee-Lo cover Kung Fu Fighting". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  17. ^ Renne Dunlop. "Kung Fu Panda - One For Life", CG Studios. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
  18. ^ a b c Chris Hewitt (2008-06-06). "Kung Fu Panda is fresh, surprising and beautiful", Twin cities. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
  19. ^ a b Manohla Dargis (2008-06-06). "Fuzzy Outsider, Kicking His Way Toward His Dream". The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
  20. ^ "Kung Fu Cinemapoo Kung Fu Panda review". Kung Fu Cinema. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  21. ^ Stephen Garrett. "Timeout Kung Fu Panda review". Time Out. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  22. ^ Renne Dunlop. "Kung Fu Panda", CG Studios. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
  23. ^ "Cannes Film Festival on MSN Movies". MSN (2008-05-16). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  24. ^ ""Kung Fu Panda" a martial arts masterpiece". Reuters/Hollywood Reporter (2008-05-16). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  25. ^ "Helmers talk 'Kung Fu Panda'", The Hollywood Reporter (2008-06-01).
  26. ^ "Kung Fu Panda London premiere". BBC (2008-06-27). Retrieved on 2008-09-10.
  27. ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  28. ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  29. ^ Richard Corliss (2008-06-05). "Kung Fu Panda: Wise Heart, Sweet Art". Time. Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
  30. ^ Chris Barsanti. "Kung Fu Panda". Film Critic. Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
  31. ^ Michael Phillips (2008-06-06). "Kung Fu Panda stars the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie". Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
  32. ^ Robert W. Butler (2008-06-05). ""Kung Fu Panda"". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
  33. ^ Joe Morgenstern (2008-06-06). "Arabs, Jews Duel, Hilarious Sandler Wins in 'Zohan'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
  34. ^ Carl DiOrio (2008-06-08). "Kung Fu Panda beats projections". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  35. ^ "Panda beats Sandler with $60 million weekend". Yahoo! Movies (2008-06-08). Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  36. ^ "Panda kicks Sandler at U.S. box office". Yahoo! Movies (2008-06-08). Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  37. ^ "Kung Fu Panda breaks Chinese box-office records". Telegraph (2008-07-08). Retrieved on 2008-08-27.
  38. ^ ""Kung Fu Panda" Breaks Box Office Record of Animation". CriEnglish (2008-07-08). Retrieved on 2008-08-27.
  39. ^ Ribera, J. C. (2008-08-20). "Blu-ray Release for Kung Fu Panda Revealed". Blu-Ray. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
  40. ^ Bernstein, Richard (2008-07-20). "The Panda That Roared". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-07-23.
  41. ^ Fan, Maureen (2008-07-12). "Kung Fu Panda Hits A Sore Spot in China". Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-07-23.
  42. ^ Watts, Jonathan (2008-07-08). "Kung Fu Panda: 'The director has really got in touch with what China is today'". Guardian. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
  43. ^ "Chinese artists can't bear "Panda"". Variety Asia online. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
  44. ^ "Is "Kung Fu Panda" Ready for the China Challenge?". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
  45. ^ a b "Kung Fu Panda". Yahoo! (2008-06-20). Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  46. ^ ""Panda" bounces back at China B.O.". Variety Asia online. Retrieved on 2008-06-24.
  47. ^ ""Kung Fu Panda" Received with Enthusiasm in Asia". Toonzone. Retrieved on 2008-06-24.
  48. ^ "Kung Fu Panda reaches Chinese box office milestone". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
  49. ^ "Kung Fu Panda reaches Chinese box office milestone". USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
  50. ^ CShannon Harvey (2008-06-10). "Kung Fu Panda to become franchise". PerthNow. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.
  51. ^ James Cook (2008-06-26). "Kung Fu Panda 2 Moves Forward". The Moving Picture. Retrieved on 2008-06-27.
  52. ^ "Kungfu Master". Product listing. Sensasian. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  53. ^ Matos, de Xav (2008-03-12). "Are you sitting down? Kung fu Panda revealed!". Xbox 360 Fanboy. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  54. ^ "Kung Fu Panda". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  55. ^ Brudvig, Erik (2008-06-09). "Kung Fu Panda Review". IGN. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.

[edit] External links

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WALL-E
On cinema 14 august
clue:www.watch-movie.net/realease date

About it

WALL-E (promoted with an interpunct as WALL·E) is a 2008 computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton. It follows the story of a robot named WALL-E who is designed to clean up a polluted Earth. He eventually falls in love with another robot named EVE, and follows her into outer space on an adventure.

After directing Finding Nemo, Stanton felt Pixar had created believable simulations of underwater physics and was willing to direct a film set in space. Most of the characters do not have actual human voices, but instead communicate with body language and robotic sounds, designed by Ben Burtt, that resemble voices. In addition, it is the first animated feature by Pixar to have segments featuring live action characters.

Walt Disney Pictures released it in the United States and Canada on June 27, 2008. The film grossed $23.1 million on its opening day, and $63 million during its opening weekend in 3,992 theaters, ranking #1 at the box office. This ranks the third highest-grossing opening weekend for a Pixar film as of July 2008. Following Pixar tradition, WALL-E was paired with a short film for its theatrical release. It has achieved highly positive reviews with an approval rating of 96% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.


Plot


In the early 22nd century the megacorporation Buy N Large assumed every economic service on Earth, including the government. Overrun by un-recycled waste, the planet eventually became so polluted that it could no longer support life. Buy N Large CEO Shelby Forthright developed a plan that would have humans spend the next five years aboard fully-automated starliners, while an army of Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class (WALL-E) robots would compact the waste into skyscraper-like towers for easy disposal. However, the plan went awry; the Earth was found too toxic to clean up, and thus for the next 700 years humanity continued to live aboard the starliners for several generations, with the micro-gravity causing a loss of bone mass leading to humans becoming too obese to do anything without the help of robotic assistance. On Earth, all but one of the WALL-E units has failed; the remaining unit still performs his duties but has achieved a form of sentience, collecting interesting odds and ends, befriending a cockroach named Hal, and watching old videos such as Hello, Dolly! to learn about human emotions including love.

One day, WALL-E finds a new plant growth in the trash, and transplants to an old shoe for safekeeping. Some time later, a spaceship lands on Earth and deploys an Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator (EVE) who begins to scan the surface as part of her directive to find plant life on Earth; WALL-E falls in love with the new robot. EVE initially sees WALL-E as a threat, but eventually allows him to follow her around, and takes to his unique personality. When WALL-E shows her the plant he found, EVE's automatic programming initiates, seizing the plant and storing it inside her, activating a beacon, and then shutting her down. WALL-E is unable to wake EVE, but takes great steps to protect her from the elements. The spaceship later returns to collect EVE; WALL-E hitches onto the ship's hull to follow it to its destination, the Axiom, the flagship of the human starliners. Aboard, EVE is taken to Captain McCrea's quarters while WALL-E follow her through the ship.

In McCrea's quarters, EVE reactivates and prepares to present the plant to the Captain so that he may place the it in the ship's holo-detector, which will activate the ship's hyperjump and return to Earth so that humanity may recolonize the planet. However, when EVE's chamber is opened, the plant has gone missing, and McCrea believes EVE to be malfunctioning. Both EVE and WALL-E are sent to the robot repair ward, but before EVE's diagnostic can be completed, WALL-E rescues her, mistakenly thinking that the repair ward is trying to harm EVE. In the process of freeing her, he accidentally releases all the other malfunctioning robots as well. EVE and WALL-E become security targets, and EVE tries to send WALL-E back to Earth via an escape pod to prevent him from being harmed. However, while the two argue, McCrea's robotic first mate GO-4 enters the pod area, and launches the plant that EVE previously had out into space with the intent to destroy it. WALL-E and EVE safely recover the plant before the pod explodes, recognizing that they love each other, and make to return the plant back to McCrea.

EVE and WALL-E present the plant to McCrea. Recognizing that EVE has been to Earth, McCrea reviews her camera logs and sees the devastated planet, belying the images he had seen from historical records, and vows that humanity must return to make up for their mistake. However, AUTO the ship's computerized autopilot, reveals that Forthright instilled a directive to prevent any attempt to return to Earth, and stages a mutiny, locking McCrea in his chambers and sending EVE, WALL-E, and the plant through a garbage chute, significantly harming WALL-E along the way. As the robots recover, EVE and WALL-E recognize the only way to repair the failing WALL-E is to return to Earth to his stash of spare parts, and the fastest way to do so would be to insert the plant in the holo-detector. With the help of some of the malfunctioning robots from the repair ward and McCrea, WALL-E and EVE surmount the efforts of AUTO and the security systems to prevent them from activating the holo-detector, though WALL-E suffers further harm to his body. McCrea, standing on his own two feet for the first time, is able to deactivate AUTO, allowing the humans and robots to help insert the plant into holo-detector. The plant is positively identified as an ongoing specimen of photosynthesis, and the starliner makes the hyperjump to Earth.

As the Axiom lands on Earth, EVE frantically attempts to repair WALL-E. Though she is able to repair his body, his memory seems to have wiped, his waste-disposal programming taking over. EVE mournfully gives WALL-E a robotic "kiss", a brief spark between the two, which causes WALL-E's memories to return. The two embrace as the humans from the Axiom take their first steps on earth, carefully replanting the seedling that brought them back.


Cast




Ben Burtt is the sound engineer for WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class), the titular character of the film, as well as other robot characters. WALL-E is a mobile trash compactor, the last operational unit in a massive line created by the Buy N Large Corporation to gather and compact the waste created by the humans that used their products. WALL-E is solar-powered and constantly replaces his worn parts with those scavenged from non-functional WALL-E units. He can retract his limbs and head into his body and form a cube when he senses danger (although he is armed with a laser beam between his eyes, he uses this chiefly as a cutting tool with which to manipulate waste). He may also fold into a cube when he is resting. WALL-E's long and lonely existence has granted him sentience and emotion. His loneliness is soon requited via EVE, a probe that comes to Earth searching for signs of plant life. Burtt also produced the voice for M-O (Microbe Obliterator), one of the maintenance robots who cleans the filth in the ship and inspects incoming shipments for foreign contaminants. M-O is annoyed by the amount of filth on WALL-E, and learns to act on his own accord by following WALL-E in an attempt to clean him. M-O's warning message and catchphrase, "foreign contaminant", were created using PlainTalk, while the chime produced by WALL-E to signify his recharge is identical to the sound produced by a Macintosh computer as a speaker test during the Power On Self Test or POST, which also serves to signify its activation.[4]

Elissa Knight as EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), a sleek, ergonomically advanced robotic probe whose main function is to locate plant life in order to determine whether the Earth is capable of supporting human life. She is equipped with scanners and a retractable plasma cannon in her right arm, the latter of which she is quick to use at the slightest provocation. Although initially EVE appears to be an unfeeling, stoic robot concerned with nothing more than what she is programmed to do, over the course of the film she begins to show signs of all kinds of emotions, including cheer, frustration, and sorrow, and eventually comes to worry more for WALL-E than for her purpose. Her design was inspired by the sleek white versions of Apple, Inc. products such as the iPod [5].

Jeff Garlin as Captain B. McCrea, the sole leader and commander of the Axiom, who becomes enraptured by the images of Earth as it was before the rise of Buy N Large and therefore assumes dynamism and a leader's position among the humans who recolonize Earth.

Fred Willard as Shelby Forthright, CEO of the Buy N Large Corporation. In the film, a global cleanup project is initiated by Shelby Forthright as humanity is evacuated into space; the project goes awry when he finds he had underestimated just how toxic the Earth has become, persuading him to forsake hope. Willard is the only cast member in this film who plays a live-action character with a speaking role, and the first to do so in any Pixar film.

John Ratzenberger as John, a human who is made aware of his surroundings by WALL-E. He becomes the companion of Mary.

Kathy Najimy as Mary, another human made aware of her surroundings by WALL-E. She becomes the companion of John.

Sigourney Weaver as the Axiom's computer. Weaver's casting was a nod to the Alien films[6].

MacInTalk sounds were used for Auto, the Axiom's internal autopilot, built into the ship's steering wheel, although Burtt originally wanted to use maritime military sounds for the character. Auto has a single, HAL-like eye. He serves as the antagonist of the film. His responsibilities include following Directive A113, by which to ensure that the ship never returns to Earth. Upon discovering a small plant retrieved by EVE, Auto seeks to dispose of it in order to follow the A113 protocol, thus maintaining the status quo.[7]

Frank Oz as DRIV-E is a Robotic Steering Wheel,




Other robots


  • BRL-A — Mobile umbrella robots, one of which has trouble keeping himself closed (the name being a play on "umbrella")
  • BUF-R — Cleaning robots that polish the EVE probes (the name being a play on "buffer").
  • BE-5 — (or Beaver) Chief of Stewards.
  • BURN-E — Robots who weld and make repairs on the Axiom.
  • COM-T — Secretary robots who type and organize files.
  • D-FIB — Defibrillator robots, one of which cannot control the voltage in its paddles.
  • GEL-A — Robot stewards who oversee security on the ship.
  • GO-4 — Head of security and Captain McCrea's second-in-command, but is entirely subservient to Auto. The name is a play on "gofer".
  • HAN-S — Robotic masseurs, one of which is overly energetic with little control over his flailing arms (the name being a play on "hands").
  • L-T — Flashlight robots, one of which likes to play in the dark.
  • NAN-E — Nanny robots who teach and watch over the children on the Axiom.
  • PR-T — Beautician robots who make mindless small-talk, one of which tries to give a makeover to anything nearby (the name being a play on "pretty").
  • REM-E — Robotic rodents modeled after computer mice, which inhabit the Axiom waste dump. The name is an allusion to the main character of Ratatouille.
  • SERV-A — Service robots who carry other robots from place to place.
  • SPR-A — Cleaning robots that spray and rinse robots with water (the name being a play on "spray").
  • VAQ-M — Vacuum-like robots, one of which is prone to sneezing fits.
  • VN-GO — Painting robots, one of which tracks paint wherever he goes. The name is a play on "Van Gogh".
  • WALL-A — (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Axiom-Class). Large trash-compactor robots used aboard the Axiom that resemble WALL-E units.


Production

WALL-E is the only one still truly living. And what is the ultimate purpose of living? To love. And WALL-E falls head over heels with a robot named EVE. Now, WALL-E's feelings aren't reciprocated because, well, she has no feelings. She's a robot, cold and clinical. WALL-E is the one who has evolved over time and garnered feelings. So in the end, it's gonna be WALL-E's pursuit to win EVE's heart, and his unique appreciation of life to become mankind's last hope to rediscover its roots. In short, it's going to take a robot's love to help make the world go round.
Andrew Stanton[7]

Andrew Stanton conceived WALL-E before Toy Story was made:[8] the idea was, "What if mankind evacuated Earth and forgot to turn off the last remaining robot?"[9] Pete Docter developed the film for two months in 1995, after Stanton explained the story to him, but he decided to make Monsters, Inc. (2001) instead, as he was unsure of telling a love story.[10] The idea continued to preoccupy Stanton, because of his love of space opera and personifying inanimate objects.[7]

After directing Finding Nemo, Stanton felt they "had really achieved the physics of believing you were really under water, so I said 'Hey, let’s do that with air'. Let’s fix our lenses, let’s get the depth of field looking exactly how anamorphic lenses work and do all these tricks that make us have the same kind of dimensionality that we got on Nemo with an object out in the air and on the ground'".[8] Producer Jim Morris added that the film was animated so that it would feel "as if there really was a cameraman".[11] Dennis Muren was hired to advise Pixar on replicating science fiction films from the 1960s and 1970s, including elements such as 70 mm frames, barrel distortion and lens flare.[4][12] Scale models were made for Muren, which he used to teach Pixar.[13]

Life is nothing but imperfection and the computer likes perfection, so we spent probably 90% of our time putting in all of the imperfections, whether it's in the design of something or just the unconscious stuff. How the camera lens works in [a real] housing is never perfect, and we tried to put those imperfections [into the virtual camera] so that everything looks like you're in familiar [live-action] territory.
Andrew Stanton[14]

The design of the robots came about by Stanton telling his designers, "See it as an appliance first, and then read character into it".[8] In creating the title character, the animators were inspired by a pair of binoculars and by Luxo Jr., the lamp featured in the Pixar logo.[7] Stanton was playing with a pair of binoculars, which looked happy or sad depending on whether they were upside down or not.[4] Stanton felt "you don't need a mouth, you don't need a nose, you get a whole personality just from [the eyes]", which meant the audience would feel he is "not just a human in a robot shell". WALL-E's body came from the logic of having his head, arms, and legs pull into his body like a turtle and tank treads that would allow him to overcome any terrain. The director also acknowledged he may have been subconsciously influenced by Johnny 5 from the film Short Circuit, which he once saw.[12]

Stanton pitched the story to Ben Burtt who signed on to do the sound design.[7] There is little traditional dialogue in the film; Stanton joked, "I’m basically making R2-D2: The Movie", in reference to Burtt's work on Star Wars. To create dialogue, Burtt took various mechanical sounds, and combined them to resemble dialogue.[9] When WALL-E recharges his battery by means of solar energy, he makes the same startup chime as does a Macintosh computer [15]. Executive producer John Lasseter said of the film's lack of dialogue that "the art of animation is about what the character does, not what it says. It all depends on how you tell the story, whether it has a lot of dialogue or not."[16]

As Finding Nemo was dedicated to the memory of Glenn McQueen and Cars was dedicated to the memory of Joe Ranft, WALL-E was dedicated to Justin Wright (1981–2008), a Pixar animator who had worked on Ratatouille and died of a heart attack before the movie's release.[17] In the Pixar tradition, a list of "Production Babies" was included in the closing credits. As of July 2008, WALL-E holds the record for the highest production budget of any Pixar film at $180 million.


References to other Pixar films

Main article: List of Pixar film references#WALL-E


Soundtrack

Main article: WALL-E (soundtrack)


Release

WALL-E marquee at the El Capitan Theatre, Los Angeles, on June 26, 2008
WALL-E marquee at the El Capitan Theatre, Los Angeles, on June 26, 2008

The film received its premiere at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on June 23, 2008.[18] WALL-E opened in wide release in the United States and Canada on June 27, 2008 and grossed $23.1 million in its opening day.[19] In its opening weekend, the film grossed $63 million in 3,992 theaters, ranking #1 at the box office.[20] The opening weekend would give the film the third-best opening weekend for a Pixar film.[21]

Continuing a Pixar tradition, WALL-E was paired with a short film for its theatrical release. The attached film was Presto.[22] This is the first Disney-Pixar film to use the new Walt Disney Pictures logo (used in 2006 since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest), since the previous eight films (Toy Story-Ratatouille) used the Pixar version of the logo.



Reception

WALL-E received near-universal acclaim from film critics.[23] Rotten Tomatoes reported that 96% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based upon a sample of 200 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10.[24] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 93, based on 39 reviews.[23]

Todd McCarthy of Variety called the film "Pixar's ninth consecutive wonder", saying it was imaginative yet straightforward. Citing WALL-E's "adroit" borrowing from other works, McCarthy said it pushed the boundaries of animation in managing to balance esoteric ideas with more immediately accessible ones, and that the main difference between the film and other science fiction projects rooted in an apocalypse was its optimism. McCarthy also had praise for Thomas Newman's musical score and the visuals, for which he cited cinematographer Roger Deakins' input as a visual consultant as a possible factor.[25]

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter declared that WALL-E surpassed the achievements of Pixar's previous eight features, saying that the film had the "heart, soul, spirit and romance" of the best silent films. He said that the filmmakers managed to tell a terrific story through visual and aural ideas which enabled the robotic characters to convey "a rainbow of emotions". He said the visuals were arguably Pixar's best and praised the creation of a ruined Earth city and a human spaceship as "fantastically imaginative". Honeycutt said the film's definitive stroke of brilliance was in using a mix of archive film footage and computer graphics to trigger WALL-E's romantic leanings. He praised Burtt's sound design, saying "If there is such a thing as an aural sleight of hand, this is it". Honeycutt concluded by saying that despite the film's acknowledged nods to other works (2001: A Space Odyssey, and moments where robots "run riot" bringing to mind Monsters, Inc.), WALL-E could be Pixar's most original work to date.[26]

Roger Ebert writing in the Chicago Sun-Times said WALL-E succeeded in three areas: as "an enthralling animated film, a visual wonderment, and a decent science-fiction story". Ebert said the scarcity of dialogue would allow it to "cross language barriers" in a manner appropriate to the global theme, and he had praise for the visual effects, saying the color palette was "bright and cheerful... and a little bit realistic". He cited early Disney animations that successfully translated human expressions onto non-human characters as an influence on the title character. He said the film managed to generate a "curious" regard for the WALL-E, comparing his design ("rusty and hard-working and plucky") favorably to more obvious attempts at creating "lovable" lead characters. Ebert called the storytelling "enchanting" and said the film could be enjoyed by adults and children alike. He said WALL-E was concerned with ideas rather than spectacle, saying it may require "a little thought" on the part of the audience, and that this could be particularly stimulating to younger viewers.[27]



Commentary

The film was interpreted as tackling a topical, ecologically-minded agenda.[24][25][26] Todd McCarthy said it did so with a lightness of touch that granted the viewer the ability to accept or ignore the message.[25] Jessica Jensen, blogging at The Huffington Post, while praising the film overall, felt it did not make enough of a point with its environmental themes. She suggested it should have had environmental advice or a website link during the end credits, adding it was "troubling" that by the end "humans return to Earth and it seems as if everything will just be hunky-dory".[28] The film's ecological theme was criticized by conservative commentators such as CNN Headline News host Glenn Beck, and contributors for National Review Online;[29] Shannen W. Coffin said that the film was "leftist propaganda about the evils of mankind",[30] and Jonah Goldberg wrote that he agreed with the charges of hypocrisy and "Malthusian fear mongering" leveled at the film by others, but said that it was "fascinating" and occasionally "brilliant".[31]

Patrick J. Ford of The American Conservative said WALL-E's conservative critics were missing lessons in the film that he felt were appealing to traditional conservatism. He argued that the mass consumerism in the film was not shown to be a product of big business, but of too close a tie between big business and big government: "The government unilaterally provided its citizens with everything they needed, and this lack of variety led to Earth’s downfall". Responding to Coffin's claim that the film points out the "evils of mankind", he argued the only evils depicted were those that resulted from "losing touch with our own humanity" and that fundamental conservative representations such as the farm, the family unit, and "wholesome" entertainment were in the end held aloft by the human characters. He concluded, "By steering conservative families away from WALL-E, these commentators are doing their readers a great disservice".[32]

Andrew Stanton commented on the reaction to the film by denying any specific agenda beyond telling the story about 'the last robot on Earth'.[33][34] He said that people were making connections that he "never saw coming", and that the circumstances of humanity's abandoning the Earth arose merely as a way of telling the story, "reverse-engineered" from the initial concept of using refuse as both a visual shorthand that would be easy for children to understand, and as a way of depicting the title character as holding a low-status, menial job.[35]

Kyle Smith, author and columnist for the New York Post, wrote that in depicting humans of the future as "a flabby mass of peabrained idiots who are literally too fat to walk", WALL-E was darker and more cynical than any major Disney feature film he could recall. He compared the humans in the film to the patrons of Disney World, adding, "I'm also not sure I've ever seen a major corporation spend so much money to issue an insult to its customers".[36] Maura Judkis of U.S. News & World Report questioned whether this depiction of "frighteningly obese humans" would resonate with children, making them more likely to "play outside rather than in front of the computer, to avoid a similar fate".[37] Stanton denied that his intention was to pass comment on obesity, saying the purpose was instead to portray human overdependency.[35]



Award nominations



Home release

The film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Region 1 on November 18, 2008 and in Region 2 on November 24, 2008. [40] WALL-E will have a second disc with special features and will include a bonus digital copy of the film. Special features include several deleted scenes, an audio commentary with director Andrew Stanton, Presto animated theatrical short film, and an animation sound design featurette. The DVD also includes the documentary, The Pixar Story.


References

  1. ^ "Pixar Projection - Home". Pixar.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-25.
  2. ^ "Production Budget of Wall E", Boxofficemojo. Retrieved on 2008-07-12.
  3. ^ http://the-numbers.com/movies/2008/WALE.php
  4. ^ a b c Eric Vespe (2008-02-24). "WonderCon: Quint sees some WALL-E and Prince Caspian footage at Disney's panel! Plus Q&A with Andrew Stanton!", Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
  5. ^ Siklos, Richard (2008-05-09). "Apple and Eve", CNNMoney.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-07.
  6. ^ Eric Vespe (2008-04-09). "Quint discusses the Pixar half of the Disney Animation Presentation! UP! WALL-E! TOY STORY 3! NEWT! THE BEAR & THE BOW!", Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  7. ^ a b c d e Peter Scieretta (2007-07-28). "Comic-Con: Indepth Wall-E Details Revealed", Slash Film. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  8. ^ a b c Eric Vespe (2007-08-11). "Quint sits down with WALL-E director Andrew Stanton!!!", Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
  9. ^ a b Eric Vespe (2007-08-01). "Quint catches up on Disney's Prince Caspian and WALL-E panel at Comic-Con!!!", Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  10. ^ James White (April 2008). "How We Made WALL-E", Total Film, pp. 113–116.
  11. ^ Tom Ambrose (2007-07-26). "Heroes of 2008", Empire, pp. 72.
  12. ^ a b Alex Billington (2008-02-24). "WonderCon: Pixar's Wall-E Presentation - Incredible!", FirstShowing.net. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
  13. ^ Anthony Baratta (2008-04-07). "First Look: Disney/Pixar's WALL-E", ComingSoon.net. Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
  14. ^ Desowitz, Bill. "Hello, WALL•E!: Pixar Reaches for the Stars". Animation World Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-07-07.
  15. ^ Dawn C. Chmielewski (2008-06-25). "'Wall-E' draws design inspiration from Apple", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-06-28.
  16. ^ Steve Fritz (2007). "A talk with John Lasseter: What the man in Disney's chair has to say", Newsarama. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
  17. ^ "Justin Wright (IV)", Internet Movie Database (2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
  18. ^ "Wall-E rolls out for world premiere", The Press Association (2008-06-23). Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
  19. ^ "WALL-E (2008) - Daily Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-06-29.
  20. ^ "WALL-E (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-06-29.
  21. ^ "Pixar Movies". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-06-29.
  22. ^ Wortham, Jenna (2008-07-07). "Video Pick: Pixar's Magical Short, Presto". Wired. Retrieved on 2008-07-13.
  23. ^ a b "WALL-E: Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
  24. ^ a b "WALL-E Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
  25. ^ a b c Todd McCarthy (2008-06-26). "WALL-E Review", Variety. Retrieved on 2008-06-26.
  26. ^ a b Kirk Honeycutt (2006-06-25). "Film Review: WALL-E", The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-06-26.
  27. ^ Roger Ebert (2008-06-26). "WALL-E review", Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on 2008-06-30.
  28. ^ Jessica Jensen (2008-06-30). "Wall-E: Robotic Ode to Environmental Protection", The Huffington Post. Retrieved on 2008-06-30.
  29. ^ Ali Frick (2008-07-01). "Right-Wing Apoplectic Over Pixar’s WALL-E: 'Malthusian Fear Mongering,' 'Fascistic Elements'". Think Progress. Center for American Progress. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
  30. ^ Shannen W. Coffin (2006-06-30). "WALL-E, No Thanks". National Review Online. Jack Fowler. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
  31. ^ Jonah Goldberg (2006-06-30). "Re: WALL-E". National Review Online. Jack Fowler. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
  32. ^ Patrick J. Ford (2008-06-30). "WALL-E’s Conservative Critics". The American Conservative. Ron Unz. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
  33. ^ Andrew Stanton, Pixar & WALL-E. Audio. Pixar's Andrew Stanton, Animating from Life (Audio). NPR Fresh Air. Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
  34. ^ Sheila Roberts. "Andrew Stanton Interview, WALL-E". MoviesOnline. Retrieved on 2008-07-05.
  35. ^ a b Megan Basham (2008-06-28). "WALL-E world". World Magazine. Nickolas S. Eicher. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
  36. ^ Kyle Smith (2008-06-26). "Disney's "Wall-E": A $170 Million Art Film". kylesmithonline.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
  37. ^ Maura Judkis (2008-06-30). "Will 'WALL-E' Make Us Greener?", U.S. News & World Report, Kerry F. Dyer. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
  38. ^ "Nominees World Soundtrack Awards 2008 announced". World Soundtrack Awards (2008-08-20). Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
  39. ^ Staff (2008-06-24). "2008 Teen Choice Awards winners and nominees", Los Angeles Times: The Envelope, David Hiller. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.
  40. ^ "WALL-E DVD/Blu-ray coming Nov. 18". The Pixar Blog (2008-08-15).


External links


Preceded by
Get Smart		 Box office number-one films of 2008 (USA)
June 29, 2008		 Succeeded by
Hancock
Preceded by
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2008		 Succeeded by
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blogger advice

"So! don't miss this (WALL-E) movie. I have watched this movie before......WELL IT IS VERY FUNNY!!!"



Indian



Sivaji

???
clue: www.watch-movie.net


About it

Sivaji (Tamil: சிவாஜி) is a 2007 Tamil film, which was directed by S. Shankar and produced by AVM Productions. While Rajinikanth and Shriya Saran essayed the lead roles, Suman, Vivek and Raghuvaran play other significant roles in the film. A.R. Rahman composed the film's soundtrack and background music, while Thotta Tharani and K. V. Anand were the creative art director and cinematographer respectively.

The movie revolves around a well-established Software System Architect (Sivaji), who returns home to India after finishing work in America. On his return, he dreams of giving back to society with free medical treatment and education. However his plans face a roadblock in the form of the highly affluent and influential businessman, Adiseshan. When corruption also arises, Sivaji is left with no option but to fight the system in his own way.

After post-production delays,[2] it was not only released world-wide on June 15, 2007 in Tamil language,[3] but also in Telugu as a dubbing version on the same date. The film, which released in many theaters worldwide,[4][5] was set to be dubbed in Hindi and the release planned later that year.[6] The industry estimates for the movie, which was the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release,[7] ranged from Rs. 60 crores[8][9] inclusive of Rajinikanth's salary of Rs. 20 crores.[10][11] The film, which was Rajinikanth's 100th Tamil film,[12] opened to a record breaking box-office reception across the globe despite a few controversies.[4][7][13]

Sivaji

Sivaji film poster.
Directed by S. Shankar
Produced by M. S. Guhan
M. Saravanan
Written by S. Shankar
Sujatha
Starring Rajinikanth
Shriya Saran
Suman
Vivek
Raghuvaran
Manivannan
Nayantara
Solomon Pappayya
Music by A. R. Rahman
Cinematography K. V. Anand
Editing by Anthony
Distributed by Flag of India AVM
Flag of Malaysia Pyramid
Flag of World Ayngaran
Release date(s) Soundtrack:
April 2, 2007
Film:

Flag of India June 15, 2007
Flag of World June 14, 2007
Running time 185 min.
Country India
Language Tamil
Budget Rs. 60 crores
Gross revenue Rs.100 crores[1]
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile



Plot

Sivaji trys to pursuade Tamizhselvi to marry him.
Sivaji trys to pursuade Tamizhselvi to marry him.

The film begins with a masked person brought to the Central Jail in Chennai, India. When asked by a fellow-inmate for the reasons behind his imprisonment, the masked person replies that he is imprisoned for attempting to do good for the people. The unmasked person is revealed to be Sivaji (Rajinikanth). The story then winds into a flashback that shows him returning from the US as a software systems architect to Chennai. He brings along with him his earnings of INR 250 crores with an intention to begin a charity organization called the Sivaji Foundation. This organization has the aim of building hospitals and educational institutions to serve the poor without any charge. However, he faces the obstacles of bureaucracy and corrupt officials. Forced to set aside his principles, Sivaji bribes his way through the system. Though at one stage, unable to deal with spiraling costs, he even mortgages his palatial house and personal property in the process. Adiseshan (Suman), a highly influential businessman, sees Sivaji Foundation as competition to his own business empire. Using his political strings, he repeals the permits issued to the foundation by the government. Sivaji approaches a lawyer, using his own car to pay the lawyer's fee. However in court he is forced to admit he bribed numerous officials. This undermines his case and the judge reiterates the stay order on construction by the Sivaji Foundation.

Meanwhile, Sivaji falls in love with a girl named Tamizhselvi (Shriya). Her family is initially scared and angered by the overbearing nature of Sivaji's family, though they eventually accede to Sivaji's request for Tamizhselvi's hand in marriage. However upon asking for his horoscope; the astrologer predicts impeding doom leading up to Sivaji's death if the two are united. When Tamizhselvi refuses the proposal due to her concern for Sivaji, he calms her fears and manages to convince her to marry him.

After losing the court trial, Sivaji faces-off against Adiseshan.
After losing the court trial, Sivaji faces-off against Adiseshan.

Adiseshan mocks Sivaji and gives him a one-rupee coin, challenging him to try and survive with just that. In an ironic plot twist using the very coin, Sivaji sets out to turn around his fortunes and ultimately exact his revenge on Adiseshan. Through just one phone call, payed for with the coin. He estimates that there is about two thousand million INR of illegal, untaxed money within the nation. He then uncovers details about people who have substantial quantities of illegal money and then blackmails each of them, obtaining half of their illegal wealth. Upon transferring the money to bank accounts (owned by friends and contacts) around the world, Sivaji informs the Income Tax Vigilance Department about the details of the illegal money held by the tax evaders (including Adiseshan). Sivaji's associates deposit the money sent across the world as donations to the Sivaji Foundation making the money legitimate and usable by the foundation. Sivaji begins to realize his dream of providing free, good quality education, services and employment to people in every district of Tamil Nadu. His adversaries seek to find out how he converted their illegal money to a usable form by threatening Tamizhselvi with danger to Sivaji's life. Fearing for him, she turns over his notebook PC with all the information regarding the various money transactions to the authorities. With presentable evidence, Sivaji is arrested and the scene returns to the beginning of the movie with Sivaji in central prison.

Sivaji poses as M. G. Ravichandran. Arivu, his maternal uncle stands by his side in the film's climax.
Sivaji poses as M. G. Ravichandran. Arivu, his maternal uncle stands by his side in the film's climax.

Adiseshan loses control when Sivaji refuses to open his laptop and assaults him in custody with a metal rod. In the process it seems Sivaji has died from the sustained injuries. To cover this up, Adiseshan organizes for thugs to shoot up the police van that will carry Sivaji's dead body. Making it look like murder by a third party. Sivaji however was merely faking his death, he was informed of the plans to kill him by a sympathetic police officer prior to the interrogation. Left alone in the room, he electricutes himself. Dr. Chezhian (Raghuvaran) and Tamizhselvi intercept the police van (informed by Sivaji after he got the police man's own warning) and manage to cart away Sivaji's 'dead' body under the cover of a coach before the thugs could open fire. In Sivaji's stead they plant a dummy. While everyone believes that Sivaji is dead, Dr. Chezhian revives him using a defibrillator. After a few days when everyone wonders about the future of Sivaji Foundation, the revived Sivaji returns to take control over the foundation in a disguise of a friend, M.G. Ravichandran. Though Adhiseshan realizes that it is Sivaji himself, he is unable to prove this to the police due to the tangible evidence of Sivaji's death. Ravichandran promises to avenge Sivaji's death and eventually manages to corner Adhiseshan and challenge him. After their fight, Adiseshan is killed in a stampede. As a conclusion, the audience are informed of the foundation's success and fulfillment of Sivaji's dreams.

[edit] Cast & Crew

[edit] Cast

  • Rajinikanth as Sivaji Arumugam. Sivaji, a rich NRI, is a software system architect by profession in the United States. He returns to his native Tamil Nadu to improve the education system and to eradicate poverty. He is pitted against Adiseshan, who refuses to let him continue his good work. Manivannan and Vadivvukarasi played the roles of Sivaji's parents while his love interest is Tamizhselvi.
  • Shriya Saran as Tamizhselvi Ramalingham. Tamizhselvi is the daughter of the characters played by Pattimandram Raja and small-screen actress and former news correspondent, Uma. During the course of the film, Tamizhselvi is approached by Sivaji, who falls in love with her. She finally relents to his love and gets married to him.
  • Suman as Adisheshan. Adisheshan, a rich and an influential industrialist, financially exploits the society through his medical schools and charitable hospitals. Though ironically clad in white clothes throughout the film, he plays the villain, the main hindrance to the Sivaji Foundation.
  • Vivek as Arivu. Vivek plays the role of Sivaji 's maternal uncle. His character Arivu provides the comic relief in the film and also plays a role in assisting Sivaji to win over Tamizhselvi.
  • Raghuvaran as Dr. Chezhian. He plays a guest role of the dean of the hospital Sivaji sets up. He eventually becomes a factor for the revival of Sivaji against Adiseshan.

[edit] Crew

[edit] Production

The key people involved with the film - (from left to right) Actress Shriya Saran, director Shanker, producer AVM Saravanan, actor Rajinikanth and producer M.S. Guhan at the film's beginning.
The key people involved with the film - (from left to right) Actress Shriya Saran, director Shanker, producer AVM Saravanan, actor Rajinikanth and producer M.S. Guhan at the film's beginning.

The first filming schedule was at AVM Studios situated in Chennai, India on November 28, 2005. The movie's launch was a secret event, with only pivotal members of the cast and crew being called for attendance for the event.[14] Shooting began at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and the first shot taken was the Vaaji Vaaji song.[15]

[edit] Casting

For Sivaji, S. Shankar, the director stepped out of his stereotype of selecting the lead actors only after the script was ready.[citation needed] In an interview, he said that the film's script was written keeping Rajinikanth in mind.[citation needed] About the leading lady for the film, there were initial speculations on who would essay the role. Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherji, Ayesha Takia,[16] Trisha, Nayantara and Jyothika were rumored to bag the role.[17] However, the air was cleared when Shankar and Rajinikanth announced that Shriya Saran would essay the role as Rajinikanth's love interest.[18] The voice of Kanika, an actress, was used as a voice-over for Shriya.[19]

Names of Mohanlal,[20] Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Nana Patekar[21] and Prakash Raj[citation needed] cropped up for the portrayal of the antagonist's role in the film. In March 2006, Suman was confirmed as the person selected to play the role of Adiseshan.[22] The director, Shankar, realized that Suman lacked the wry smile needed for his character.[citation needed] This conspicuous smile of Adiseshan was made possible with a denture.[citation needed] It was Shankar's idea again to adorn the character with spotless dhoti, shirt, shoes, a Rolex watch and Ray Ban sunglasses.[23] Prior to this, Suman had acted with Rajinikanth in Thee (1980).

In early 2006, a magazine came out with a cast list that included mimicry artists, Cochin Haneefa, Chinni Jayanth and Mayilsaamy.[24] The names of support cast for the movie was released in a phased manner.[citation needed] By mid-2006, Manivannan, M. S. Baskar, Livingston, Vadivukarasi, Pyramid Natarajan, Uma Padmanabhan, Pattimandram Raja, Vannakam Thamizhuzhagam Revathi, Solomon Pappayya, Muthukaalai, Nellai Siva, Bose Venkat and M'Sia Prabhu were selected for the film.[citation needed]

[edit] Development

Sketches by Thotta Tharani for the Sahana song
Sketches by Thotta Tharani for the Sahana song

In 2005, Chennai's oldest operative studio,[25] AVM Productions, which was run by M. S. Guhan and M. Saravanan, approached Shankar in making a film under their production house. Utilizing the budget available from AVM, Rajinikanth was signed for the film. After consulting Sivaji Ganesan's family to avoid any issues with the film's name, the project was subsequently announced in August 2005.[26] The film was eventually named Sivaji, after Rajinikanth's name at birth - Sivaji Rao Gaekwad with a tagline, The Boss.[27]

The art director, Thotta Tharani suggested the use of Ramoji Film City to the director. The Vaaji Vaaji song was picturized with an intention to showcase a Babylonian palace.[15] The Sahana song was sort of a challenge to Tharani. After listening to the lyrics of the song which speaks of the four seasons, Tharani thought of using the idea he used in Japan. He made use of acrylic and glass with the former on the floor to allow dance movements. K. V. Anand, the cinematographer, seemed to have a tough time in lighting up these sets made of glass. Once he had the sketches and the idea ready, the technicians at the Film City created the sets. Tharani believed that the coordination with Anand was important. Tharani contributed to similar creations for the music shop where Tamizhselvi worked as a saleswoman, and the scene here being followed up with a fight sequence in an open-air theater. Tharani's sketches and ideas came out in the form of a set of paintings titled, Unsung.[28]

The fair look of Rajinikanth's character in the film was through a year's effort using computer-generated imagery which was performed by a Chennai-based firm. The color tone of one of the British dancers in the background of the Style song was used by these technicians.[29] French hair-stylist Sandrin Veriar Seth designed two different and distinct hair-styles for the regular film and 13 hair-styles for one of the songs.[30] Shankar had already completed filming one song when Manish Malhotra was approached for designing Rajinikanth's wardrobe. He was responsible for not just the regular costumes but also accessories such as shoes and jackets.[31]

Brinda choreographed the Balleilakka song in Wai, a hill station near Pune with hundreds of people for eight days. Shooting problems due to Rajinikanth's following in his native Tamil Nadu prompted them to chose Wai for the song.[32]

[edit] Release and reception

Ratings
Australia: M [33]
Canada: 14A
India: U [3]
United Kingdom: 12A [34]

[edit] Special screenings

Rajinikanth used his political affiliations to screen the film for several politicians. Rajinikanth flew to Hyderabad to showcase the film for the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu, on June 14, 2007.[35] At the screening, Rajinikanth told the media that he would invite the Chief Minister, Rajasekhara Reddy, for a special viewing as well. Rajinikanth said that he had screened the movie to current and former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers, Dr. Karunanidhi[36] and Jayalalitha,[37] respectively, and that India's Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, was also keen to watch the movie.[36] A private screening was shown to Amitabh Bachchan, as well.[38]

[edit] India

The film was supposed to be released on the Tamil New Year's day, April 14, 2007.[2] With post-production delays, the film was released world-wide on June 15, 2007. The Indian censor board certified the movie on May 17, 2007 with minor screen and dialogue cuts,[3] although the exact details of these cuts was not officially revealed.

Worldwide, the movie was estimated to have been released in about 850-1000 screens[4][5] and opened to near full opening.[39] Sivaji was released in 16 theaters in Chennai and is reported to have collected 13.5 million INR within the first four days, a record of sorts for Tamil movies. In Tamil Nadu, the movie was released in 300 theaters while the dubbed version in Telugu was released in 340 theaters. The movie also debuted well in Kerala and in Bangalore. Despite protests from pro-Kannada groups, the movie debuted in 13 theatres.[40] In the national capital, New Delhi, the movie debuted on 4 screens in PVR Cinemas.[4] Based on what the distributors claim, there was "overwhelming response to the film", with the number of screens increasing to 12 by the second week.[41] The movie made a good debut in the nation's other metros as well such as Mumbai[40] and Kolkata.[42] Even in non-traditional markets for Tamil movies like Pune[43] and Baroda,[44] the movie made had a good opening. On July 15, 2007, AVM Studios, the producers of the movie, announced their decision to dub the film in Hindi because "the response has been phenomenal for the movie".[45]

[edit] International

Internationally, Sivaji had good screenings in Malaysia with reports of the film causing a riot to break out in three states due to delays and cancellations of the screenings.[46] The film eventually was released in residential suburb by a local minister, Sivaji made a debut with 150 screenings of the movie in Singapore.[7] In Sri Lanka, the movie debuted across 70 theatres with all 700 shows running at near 100% capacity.[47] In the Persian Gulf that contains a sizeably large Indian diaspora, the movie opened to a full house. Owing to the enthusiasm, a non-profit organization distributed 1000 tickets to laborers and domestic help across Dubai enabling them to watch the movie.[48] In Canada, the film released in 10 screens in 3 major cities along with special screenings for the Tamil diaspora in the smaller cities.[49] In United Kingdom, the movie debuted on the box-office list at # 9 with earnings of about £14000 per screen - the highest screen average in 2007. It was the first south Indian movie to enter UK Top 10.[50] In United States of America, Sivaji was released in 24 theaters with subsequent additions of 19 and 21 theaters for the Tamil version and Telugu version respectively.[51] The producers of the movie claimed that the movie was going to be dubbed in Chinese and Japanese by Ayngaran International, the holder of international rights of the movie.[45] The response in Cape Town was disappointing, while the box-office collections in Johannesburg and Durban allowed it to become the first Tamil film to feature in the South African box-office top 10.[52] Singapore Airlines bought a 3-month exclusive in-flight screening rights to the film, a first for the airline for any Tamil film.[53]

The movie has exaggerated and conflicting reports on the cumulative box-office collections worldwide. However according to Business today Nov 2007 edition the film gathered only about Rs.90 crores at the box-office[54], a record of sorts for south Indian films. Recently, a Silver Jubilee function was organized for the film which, in local parlance, symbolizes the box-office success of a film.[55].

In the United Kingdom, 13 seconds of the film was cut[56] as the original film showed the hero throwing a firework into his mouth, lighting it and then spitting it out at somebody else. This was done to enable the film to have a 12A rating, while the Ayngaran UK DVD release was uncut and was given an 18 rating by the BBFC. It was also the first Ayngaran film to be released on Blu-Ray 1080p High Definition[57].

[edit] Reviews

The Hindu, in a review about the story, said that the lead character carrying out a rebellion against corruption was something "not be true to life". It concluded by saying that "the story sags towards the end". It, however, went on to appreciate the performances of the prominent actors, the soundtrack, art direction, photography and the animation from the film.[58] Another review from The Hindu, a month after the film's release, said that the film "... presents an effective diagnosis of entrenched corruption but the rather disturbing remedy it offers is, good old vigilantism." It concluded by saying that, though the film did well at the box-office, the message of rejecting the corrupt system instead of reforming it was troubling.[59] Hindustan Times review said that the director, Shankar, was not creative enough for the film and added this by saying "Sivaji turns out to be a rehash of all his previous jingoistic claptrap efforts". It appreciated the other technical departments and suggested a good response at the box office.[60] The Times of India had a similar review about the story saying that "it had nothing new to offer" but promised it to be entertaining.[61]

One review from Rediff.com summed the film by saying, "No logic, only Rajni's magic". About the story, it says, "Unfortunately, (the) message is lost in the maze of illogical and sometimes absurd sequences". The review, however, praises the performances of Rajinikanth, Shriya and Vivek and the technical crew.[62] A review from an entertainment portal appreciated the performances of the prominent actors and ingenuity of certain portions of the script. It, however, pointed out a couple of unconvincing instances in the script with the review eventually suggesting better screenplay and a complaint on the length of the film.[63] Another such portal thoroughly praised the plot, performances and other departments but ended snubbing the crude graphics at times.[64] A vernacular entertainment portal, referring to Rajinikanth, says that the film is "... an absolute celebration of one man who can make millions feel good about life just by walking in elegance, by stroking his hair, or just by being there on screen.[65] It goes to praise Vivek's comical interludes and adds by saying "though defying superhuman powers, the fights choreographed by Peter Heinz, and the extremely lavish sets created by Thotta Tharani stand out. Camera work of K. V. Anand is first rate throughout, Antony’s editing crisp and Sujatha’s dialogues are rock solid."[65] A. R. Rahman's score and Shankar's directorial abilities were also lauded in the review.[65]

[edit] Controversies

The movie attracted criticism and litigation, including accusations of plagiarism and defamation. Jaya Rajadevan, one of the film's assistant directors, sought an injunction in civil court to stop screening of the film for alleged plagiarism. Rajadevan claimed that he had written the film's story and had discussed it with Shankar's manager in 2005. Although the court sent notices to S. Shankar, among others, the screening of the film was not stopped.[66]

M. Satyamoorthy, on July 9, 2007, also sought to stop screening of the film, alleging that it defamed the Indian National Congress, a political party, as well as its President, Sonia Gandhi, and the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh. Satyamoorthy cited a scene in which portraits of Gandhi and Singh are visible behind Adiseshan's (the villain's) chair, implying he was a member of the Indian National Congress.[67] Satyamoorthy also claimed 500 million INR in damages from the film's producer, director and lead actor to be paid to the Tamil Nadu section of the party.[68]

A month and a half prior to the movie's release, three songs from the soundtrack got leaked into the internet.[69]

[edit] Awards

2008 National Film Awards

2008 Filmfare Awards South

[edit] Soundtrack

Main article: Sivaji soundtrack
Sivaji: The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack
Sivaji: The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack cover
Studio album
Released April 2, 2007
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 36:10
Label AVM Music
Professional reviews

Yahoo! India Movie Reviews 5/5 stars[70]

After some re-recording of the background score in Paraguay,[71] A.R. Rahman had been to London for additional re-recording.[71][72]

No. Song Singers Length (m:ss) Lyrics Notes
1 Balleilakka S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Reihana, Benny 6.08 Na. Muthukumar An item song performed by Rajinikanth and Nayantara celebrating the return of Sivaji to Tamil Nadu.
2 Style Blaaze, Tanvi, Rags, Suresh Peters 5.13 Pa. Vijay Previously titled, Oru Koodai Sunlight. Another version was recorded without Suresh Peters.

Shaggy was initially called in to sing the song.
3 Vaaji Vaaji Hariharan, Madhushree 5.49 Vairamuthu
4 Athiradee A. R. Rahman, Sayonara 5.47 Vaali
5 Sahana Udit Narayan, Chinmayi 5.21 Vairamuthu Another version was recorded with Sujatha in place of Chinmayi.
6 The Boss Naresh Iyer, Blaaze, Raqueeb Alam 3.20 Na. Muthukumar, Blaaze
7 Sahara Vijay Yesudas, Gomathishree 4.32 Vairamuthu

[edit] References

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  71. ^ a b "Background score for 'Sivaji' mixed in London!". Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
  72. ^ "Audio raises expectations on Sivaji". Retrieved on 2007-04-12.

[edit] External links


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"hi this movie really good i have watch....ha ha ha ha ! very funny !"














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