Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Journeying from Budapest rooftops to a Moscow prison to the patriotic Kremlin to divine Dubai to a palace in Mumbai, Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) of the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), along with agents Jane Carter (the pleasantly badass Paula Patton) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, contributing just the right amount of comic relief), must thwart the schemes of an ex-Swedish Special Forces soldier and nuclear extremist, code-named Cobalt (Michael Nyqvist). Cobalt's plan is to obtain stolen, classified missile launch codes to use in a strike against the United States, which should initiate nuclear war. After Hunt and his crew are framed for the spontaneous bombing of the Kremlin, the IMF Secretary (Tom Wilkinson) delivers some unfortunate news: the IMF is disbanded and disavowed, and it's up to the remaining three active agents, along with chief analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner), to apprehend Cobalt and stop his chaotic intentions.
With or without a memorable madman behind the nefarious plot, the stunts are still quite thrilling and the hi-tech gadgetry undeniably amusing. The stunt choreography once again includes dangling from towering structures, clinging to the outsides of immense buildings, or hanging by a thread, inches from some sharp blade. The timing is what makes these moments extraordinarily suspenseful - while an inescapable humor lines each scene with complimentary glee. The technological apparatuses that are in apparent never-ending supply (who funds these people?) also provide a great deal of wit and intensity, most being utilized for a single activity and then quickly abandoned in a hasty getaway. Anything is conceivable with these outlandish inventions, making their impossible missions considerably more achievable. It is nice, however, to see some of their contraptions occasionally fail. But it's generally the prolonged fight scenes, car demolitions and long-distance jumping that stretch the boundaries of believability. Contesting physics, wind resistance and gravity during far-fetched feats always appears completely absurd.
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By Joel Massie
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) Movie Review
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Hollywood News and Movie Review - Contagion Movie Releasem
One of the most talked about movies of 2011 is Contagion. Contagion is a recently released American thriller film which takes place in a city that is surrounded by a deadly disease and portrays how a band of doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization struggle to deal with the rising threat. The movie is directed by the renowned Oscar-winning film director Steven Soderbergh who has also directed numerous box office breakers such as Erin Brokovich, Traffic, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen, and many more. He received an Academy Award for Best Director for his 2000 film, Traffic.
The movie Contagion is expected to gain success, both in the US and worldwide. It features notable actors and actresses such as Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jennifer Ehle. The star-studded cast alone encourages movie enthusiasts to visit cinemas all over the world and watch the film.
In a nutshell, the story takes place mostly in Minneapolis that is hit by a contagious disease brought by a woman named Beth Emhoff (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) who has just come back to her home in Minneapolis after a brief business trip to Hong Kong. Immediately after her return, Beth is rushed to a local hospital and she dies shortly after her treatment, leaving behind her husband Mitch Emhoff (played by Matt Damon) and her stepson. Not long after her death, 32 people including her stepson die from an unknown disease which has symptoms similar to the disease that Beth suffered from.
As the contagion spreads, the officials of the city of Minneapolis discuss possible solutions, airports are closed down, and national security guards are assigned to protect the city. Meanwhile, a team of CDC and WHO doctors (portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, and Marion Cotillard) tries their best to combat the contagion by finding a cure before the entire city is wiped out by the disease.
Contagion was released in the United States, Canada, Italy, and five other countries on September 9, 2011, but it was premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival on last September 3, 2011. One day before the world premiere, Warner Bros. held advanced screenings in 550 theaters across the United States. After spending a total of $60 million on the production budget, Warner Bros. is confident that the movie become a Box Office success.
Many movies are released each week in Hollywood. The movie Contagion is just one of many. Get more Hollywood News and Movie Review by visiting our site.
By Hery Doel Setyawan
How Do They Film 3D Movies?
While it seems that 3D movies are a new technological invention that has only been available to filmmakers in recent years, it has actually been around for a long time. The first patent for a 3D movie process was filed in Great Britain as far back as 1890, and the first movie viewed by a paying audience was shown back in 1922. In the 1950s, 3D movies became popular for awhile, but remained a novelty. In the early 1980s, movie makers again tried to sell the 3D technology, and this time reached more mainstreams producers. Titles such as Jaws 3D and Friday the 13th 3D showed some success. New, computerized cameras and processes led to the latest 3D craze, but these processes did little more than expand on the already-existing way 3D movies are filmed.
Before answering the question on how are 3D movies filmed, it must be noted that not all of todays three dimensional movies are filmed directly in 3D. Some of them were filmed with standard cameras, and then they are sent to a third-party production company that converts the movies into the third dimension. The three dimensional effects in post-production movies are generally not as good as movies that are originally shot in three dimensions. In many instances, the effect seems forced, subdued, or otherwise unnatural.
The best 3D movies are shot with special cameras that were invented for just that purpose. The most advanced of these cameras is the Sony 3D camera system developed by James Cameron and Vince Pace in conjunction with Sony. Cameron used the cameras to produce two documentaries before using them to film what is considered the greatest 3D movie of all-time, Avatar.
In gaining an understanding of how are 3D movies filmed, it is important to understand how 3D works. Three dimensional vision works on the principle of human binocular vision, the use of two eyes to create one image in the brain. Having two eyes that work together in this way is what allows people to perceive depth. The brain uses the triangulation between each eye and an outside object or point to determine how far away the object is. Because movie screens are flat, all of the images are the same distance away, so a system is used to trick the eyes into seeing two different images.
Older 3D movies were made with two cameras that recorded one image in red and the same image from a different perspective in blue or green. The images were then projected onto the screen using two cameras in synchronization. Viewers had to wear special glasses with red and green or blue tinted lenses so each eye could see only one of the projected images, creating a 3D effect.
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Today's 3D cameras use two lenses to capture two sets of images, but instead of colored filters, the images are differentiated by vertical and horizontal or opposing diagonal polarization. The movies are projected using a standard projector with a special lens that projects the two polarizations used. Viewers still have to wear special glasses, but they are no longer colored. The lenses filter each of the differently-polarized images to each eye, producing the 3D effect.
Author Resource:- If you're interested in learning more about how 3D movies are filmed, visit 3dtv4ever.com, a website about 3D technology. Article Provided By: Published-Articles.com Article Directory
By : Erick Leamy
Transformers 3 Costumes - If You Liked The Movie Then Wear The Costumes
With the third installment of the Transformers franchise of movies just out, no doubt fans of the movies will be flocking to see it. Many movie critics think this is the best of the franchise so far. And to some extent, the story looks to be the best. So if you have had the opportunity to see the movie and liked it, why not get your own Transformers 3 costume? There are quite a lot to choose from. And if you haven't seen the movie yet, why not wear your costume to the movie theater and really make an impression.
The basic synopsis of the movie is that a spacecraft that has technology that could tilt the balance in the seemingly never ending battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons has been found on the moon. There is a great rush to get to this spacecraft and use the technology to get the upper hand. Ultimately, the battle reaches it's climax on Earth with all the characters from the previous movies involved (except for Megan Fox's character Mikaela Banes but let's not go into that).
Like all the big budget action/adventure/sci fi genre movies, the film is packed with special effects and epic stunts. In fact, as is the current trend, the film has been shot in 3D to make the action and effects just that little bit more visceral and put you in the midst of the action. The film may not have a lasting cultural impact on our existence but it's a great piece of entertainment to while away an afternoon.
So, like most of these movies, there is plenty of merchandise that can be purchased. There are games, action figures and, most importantly, for the purpose of this article anyhow, costumes.
Transformers 3 costumes are all about the Robots. Let's face it, as nice and heroic as Sam Witwicky is, nobody really want's to dress up as him. We want to be one of the Cybertronic robots of course.
You can get a full range of costumes for pretty much all the main Transformers. You can be one of the Autobots or be the villainous Decepticons. Whatever takes your fancy or mood at the time.
If you want to go full on, you can get the full theatrical costumes. These are complete costumes that make you look like the Robots. They are possibly the closest thing you can get to being the real thing. The full theatrical costumes are quite expensive but well worth it if you are a diehard fan of the Transformers and the movies.
If your passion does not go to a full outfit, then you might want to get get something a little more comfortable. You can get the T-shirt and mask combination costume. This is your standard T-shirt, with a print of the body of the particular robot and a separate face mask of the robot. The face mask does not completely cover the face and can be slipped on and off depending on your wishes.
The Transformers 3 costumes are available for men and women and most also include child sizes. You can get the popular Bumblebee, Ironhide and the heroic leader Optimus Prime on the goodies side. And on the baddies side, you will find Megatron.
Transform yourself into Bumblebee, Ironhide or Optimus Prime at Transformers 3 costumes, including the complete Bumblebee 3D costume
By Rand Fortescue
The Green Lantern Movie Review
I never thought in a million years that I would get to see a live action Green Lantern movie. Of all of the members of the Justice League, he was the one character that seemed to be the least familiar and the hardest to develop into a stand-alone film. Add to that the fact that pretty much all of the Green Lantern's powers come out of the ring meaning that the special effects would have to be such that they are believable and that most of the film would be using a ton of effects. Luckily the technology is now available to make this a reality and therefore we now have Green Lantern in his own film. My hope is that this might lead to additional individual films for each member of the Justice League leading up to a Justice League movie, just like Marvel has done with the members of the Avengers leading up to the Avengers movie due out next year. I'll keep my fingers crossed for that, but in the meantime lets discuss their current effort of Green Lantern.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Green Lantern, he is a member of a larger group called the Green Lantern Corps. They are an organization created by the Guardians of the Universe that patrol the entire galaxy to maintain balance and uphold justice throughout the universe. Each Green Lantern is proved a special ring that allows the Lantern to create anything they can imagine. You see, the ring is powered by willpower and the things it constructs are only as powerful as the willpower of the Lantern using it. This film deals primarily with the first human Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, and also gives us a great introduction to the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians, and their worst enemy Parallax.
For the most part, I was quite pleased by the story they told about the origin of Earth's first Green Lantern. The casting of Ryan Reynolds was just about perfect, however the actor who stole the show for me was Mark Strong as Sinestro. I can't think of anyone else that could have come close to his performance. If only they had made him the villain of the film, however I hope that this one does well enough to warrant a sequel. In fact, the best parts of the entire film were those dealing with the Corps as a whole and all of the scenes filmed on the Lantern home world of Oa. If only they had kept the scenes involving Hal finding Abin Sur and his wrecked space craft and Hal finally accepting the ring, but when he travels to Oa to begin his training and learning about the Corps, the action should have remained there to have Hal and the entire corps battling Parallax then have Hal come back to Earth as it's protector. I just wasn't as impressed by the after Hal comes back from Oa when he decides that he doesn't want to accept the responsibility of becoming the Green Lantern. They could have just as easily created an origin story that took place on Oa and was only on Earth for the beginning and ending of the film. That being said, I was still incredibly impressed by what they did manage to put together and the overall story that they told. This was a good introduction to this amazing character but it is just the tip of the iceberg as to everything the Green Lantern can do and how essential he is to the safety of Earth and the Galaxy he helps to protect.
If you are any fan of Superman or Batman, you should go and check out this film. Keep in mind that Green Lantern is one of the seven founding members of the Justice League that includes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. I can't tell you how much I hope and pray that we will not only get to see individual films for each of these characters, but also see them joined together in a Justice League movie. Give this film a chance, despite any bad reviews you might have seen, and immerse yourself in this incredible world. If this film doesn't do well, our chances of seeing more of these characters in their own films will vanish before they are even given the chance.
By J Chandler
Movie Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
If you're watching the third film in the Transformers movie franchise for any other reason than to see giant robots smash everything around them into tiny pieces, you'll likely be disappointed. The plot is even more of a convoluted, melodramatic mess than its predecessor and an overabundance of characters, both human and machine, leave the story a confusing mishmash of borrowed ideas - from bad sci-fi flicks. Michael Bay's infamous love of slow-motion and revolving cameras accents an eye-rolling silliness that might not have been as apparent otherwise, and the creators' desires to conjure up increasingly bigger and badder Transformers forces the action to steer towards the realm of unfathomably unrealistic. At least the state-of-the-art special effects complement the colossal automatons - because little else does.
Though a two-time savior of Earth from the threat of the evil, advanced alien race of Decepticons, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) still finds himself unemployed and unable to contribute to the ongoing efforts to keep the planet safe. When an ancient Cybertronian device is discovered on Earth, the leader of the peacekeeping Autobots, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) determines to reactivate their previous leader, Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy) to help protect the technology from the scheming Decepticon Megatron (Hugo Weaving). With the battle once again returning home, Sam, his former military allies, his new girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), and the dauntless Autobots must wage war against insurmountable odds to free their home from total destruction.
Although Megan Fox wasn't the main appeal of the first film (admittedly she was about the only thing left in the second feature worth looking at), surprisingly, her replacement will cause audiences to miss her presence. Model-turned-one-time-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley doesn't add anything to the incredibly lengthy project and her role is made visually apparent with repeated shots of form-fitting clothing, slender legs and pouty lips. It's almost as nagging as the leftover characters continually dropped into the storyline from the previous outings: John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel no longer have a purpose, but are brought back for the sake of a larger, recognizable cast (and perhaps contractual obligations).
The new additions are certainly no better. John Malkovich, Alan Tudyk and Ken Jeong are among the most noteworthy, all inserted purely for comic relief - the one element a Transformers movie couldn't possibly use less. Their characters are part of a series of bizarre inclusions that continue to stretch the weirdness boundaries of the Transformers universe - along with puerile presidential footage alterations, Witwicky screaming incessantly, overdramatic slow-motion and ridiculous speeches intended to be rousing. On top of that are the abundant clichés - a female National Intelligence Director insistent on preaching chain of command lingo and barking orders to deaf ears, stagey posing before and after battles, a destructive chase sequence on a highway, an overconfident, impossibly wealthy businessman who interferes with Sam's self esteem, and a final, epic, sustained fight that stretches over 30 minutes.
It's only the third movie and writer Ehren Kruger has completely run out of ideas, while director Michael Bay proves once again that his obsession with slow motion and cameras moving in circles around actors can ruin any moment. The editing remains incredibly annoying while the choreography continues to be overly complex, the robots largely indistinguishable, and the action exhaustive. Transformers just aren't fun anymore.
- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)
The Massie Twins are identical twin film critics who have been professionally reviewing movies full time for over 5 years, appearing on TV, radio, online and in print. They are members of the Phoenix Film Critics Society and the Internet Film Critic Society and their work can be seen at GoneWithTheTwins.com
By Joel Massie
Kung-Fu Panda's Journey to Inner Peace!
Possibly the most fantastic thing that happened this year. A Panda stole my heart! He's fun, he's cute, he's innocent, he's unassumingly adorable and boy! is he awesome at some serious ass-kicking Kung Fu!
In a quest to save Kung Fu, Po, the 'Dragon Warrior' Panda and the Furious Five make their journey to China but what lies ahead can change Po's life forever. The place not only is the land of Kung Fu Legends, but also holds the mystery to Po's identity. His arch enemy Lord Shen has a connection to Po's past that Po's unaware of. What starts as a mission for Po to save Kung Fu soon turns into a struggle to master Oogway's last lesson of Kung Fu- "Inner Peace".
Jack Black brings alive our favorite Panda with a renewed energy. His voice does for Po what nothing else does- makes him approachable to the audiences' heart. Jolie is fantastic as the Tigress along with Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Seth Rogen as Mantis, Lucy Liu as Wiper, David Cross as Crane and Gary Oldman as Lord Shen.
The movie has some awesome special effects and brilliant animation. There's never a dull moment. And, the best part about the animation is that it brings the element of comic virility alive. There are a lot of scenes of wonderful sequences and unpredictable comic timing in action that leaves the spectator filled with delight. The action sequences are full of awesome Kung fu moves and funny twists.
The scriptwriting is brilliant. There are dialogues that make beautiful sense for the sheer simplicity with which they've been written and used. The movie has a very positive note in that it includes spirituality and fun in a perfect blend of blissful awareness.
In the words of Po, "Let go off the past, because it just doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now." And, many more such moments of awareness that spring out of delightfully touching scenes. The movie is very moving in certain key moments that leaves the audience spellbound mostly due to the poignancy of the emotion combined with Po's innocence and truthfulness that's reflected in his face. Everyone can relate to the Panda in moments when his eyes shine with each new realization that brings him and with him the audience closer to 'Inner Peace'.
The Dragon Warrior's waiting for you. If you are at all into Kung Fu, animation, spirituality or just plain awesome fun, do watch it! And trust me when you do, you'll be saying in the words of our own very Panda,
"That is Severely Cool!"
By Prachi Gulati
