Journey 2: The Mysterious Island has a solid helping of thrilling elements. For yours truly, seeing a cameo by Branscombe Richmond (Bobby Sixkiller from Renegade TV series) was probably the most thrilling. Man, I miss that show.

Moving along, the 94 minute 3D adventure is a dazzling epic blend of Goonies meets Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The fam-friendly flick commits to what it is and just flows effortlessly for the most part. Kudos goes to the cast (Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Luis Guzman, Vanessa Hudgens, and Michael Caine) who take endless mediocre dialogue, and through their talents alone, maximize it throughout the story.

Fortunately, the world created by filmmakers is a pleasure to explore. And in a rare occasion, the 3D is actually worthwhile. While it may not be Avatar good, it’s pretty damn close. The landscapes created on the island features ancient cities, a perilous underwater escape, and an emotionally engaging action sequence in the air; all of which can be described as having smooth CGI work. Everything is visually stimulating and easily has the ability to overshadow the under-developed comedic lines.

Yeah, the audible aspects can’t quite keep up with what one’s eyes are being treated to (though Dwayne Johnson’s song lyrics were fairly creative). And the pacing seems to jerk around a few corners and forces in the clichéd moments everyone can see and hear coming a mile away. What gets one through these is, again, the cast. The five main players all want to be here. Granted, the script lets them down but they are pressing on and will entertain the audience no matter what crappy lines they’re given.

Despite its generic nature – outside of the special-effects of course – this film rests its laurels on the escapism factor that is immediately present after the rushed opening. It’s very similar to an amusement park ride; expensive thrills that may have the ability to have your heart skip a beat here-n-there. But just don’t expect an Epcot-type ride (educational and/or substantial).

That’s pretty much all there is to this, kids. It’s a film that creates a charismatic world to explore and has a game cast who finds the right pitch in their performances. And if you can swing it, shell out the extra bones for the 3D gimmick.

Overall, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is decorated extremely well and has some exceptionally talented hosts (cast members) to guide one through a typical grand-scale fam-friendly adventure.

RATING: 4 out of 5

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Take Van Helsing, a Mummy sequel and the attitude of The Crow; lose the campy nature of the first two flicks mentioned, and that’s pretty much what Underworld: Awakening feels like.

Now depending on your thoughts on those flicks this comparison may annoy or entice you to check out the 88 minute fourth installment in the supernatural action franchise.  While part 3 (Rise of the Lycans) went prequel mode, this story is a direct sequel to part 2 (Underworld: Evolution).  Building upon the story of Death Dealer vamp Selene (Kate Beckinsale); the story executed here is more show than tell.  Meaning, the action is taking precedent over the storyline.  And judging from how this ended, this tale is just what it feels like as you watch it…a flashy placeholder.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth seeing.  Seeing, being the keyword here.  The imagery is what wills this to, well in this guy’s case, a decent review.  The way director Måns Mårlind places the actors, all of the CGI (mainly the Lycans), and set pieces in each scene, projects out an intense & serious tone for the audience to take in.  So even with a vague and obvious storyline, the franchise still feels like its progressing in some respects.  Though there was a need for more exposition on key plot points.  Based on what happened at the conclusion of this, the script may have contradicted itself, therefore, lost some continuity.  Or…my brain didn’t catch those details since yours truly had to catch a midnight screening because the studio decided not to screen this one. (At least I’m honest).

What definitely has evolved here are the action choreography and the Selene character. Beckinsale becomes more ruthless and deadly than ever. It didn’t matter if it was Lycans (costumed and/or CGI) or humans, the body count is massive. The blood is flowing and when factoring in the cold callous atmosphere created, this series actually becomes more of a horror flick rather than an action piece like the previous entries were. Granted, the conversations are not all that interesting or revealing this time around. During Beckinsale’s dialogue scenes – which are very empty – she still delivers like a robot, but this time it at least fits with the scenario she finds herself in. Plus her new supporting cast is able to slightly spice up the chatter.

The biggest obstacle this feature has to overcome is whether or not people will buy into the direction of the story.  Again, this brings up continuity with regards to part 1 & 2.  These questions come up in the first act and unless you can buy into what is happening between Lycans, Vampires, and humans, then this could end up being a letdown.  But as stated earlier, the imagery and action could cover-up the storytelling direction.

Overall, Underworld: Awakening can be summed up like this: Fans of the franchise will be content with where the story is heading; casual viewers will not feel like they wasted their money; and chances are, one will not have the urge to watch this again.  For a fourth installment in franchise built around a war between vamps and werewolves during modern times though, what more can you ask for?  Well, besides developing a more engaging storyline that is just as entertaining as the continuous blood bath depicted on screen.

And feel free to skip the IMAX and 3D.  Though a few sequences could benefit with the IMAX scope.

RATING: 3 out of 5

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When Paramount announced they’d be releasing J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel in May 2013 it was mentioned the movie would be in 3D, giving the assumption Abrams would be shooting his first 3D film. However in a new interview Abrams said he would be shooting in 2D, and converting to 3D during post-production.

From MTV:

“We’re shooting on film, 2D, and then we’ll do a good high-end conversion like the Harry Potter movie and all that. Luckily, with our release date now we have the months needed to do it right, because if you rush it, it never looks good…We were talking about [shooting in IMAX] and I would love to do it. IMAX is my favorite format; I’m a huge fan.”

I had no complaints about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2‘s 3D conversion so if Star Trek 2 ends up with the same quality conversion (or higher) fans should be happy (unless they’d just prefer to see it in 2D instead).

Shooting on the sequel will begin in January and finish in June. Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin and John Cho are all returning, along with new additions Alice Eve and Peter Weller. Carlos actor Edgar Ramirez is currently the frontrunner to play the villain.

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According to Deadline Paramount has set a May 17th, 2013 release date for J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel. The studio had originally set Roland Emmerich’s Singularity for that date, but decided to movie it back November 2013 and gave Star Trek 2 the pre-Memorial Weekend slot instead.

Much like this year, the summer of 2013 is looking very competitive. Star Trek 2 will open one week after Guillermo del Toro’s epic monster movie Pacific Rim and two weeks after Iron Man 3. Fast and Furious 6 will also open a week after the sequel, so there’ll be tentpoles opening pretty much each weekend.

Deadline mentions that Abrams will be “making the movie in 3D”, which will be the first time the director has shot in the format. Way back in 2009 (pre-Avatar) Abrams was open to the idea, and said shooting the sequel in 3D “could be really fun…what I’ve seen of Avatar makes me want to do it, because it’s so crazy-cool looking.” Although in June this year the director said he wasn’t considering shooting the sequel in 3D, but he had yet to receive “a phone call from people in suits”, so it looks like Paramount have given him a push towards 3D.

In related news, composer Michael Giacchino confirmed to Coming Soon that he’ll be back to write the score, which is great news. His Star Trek score was excellent.

No word on the official title, but we know it won’t simply be Star Trek 2. Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin and John Cho will all return, and shooting will begin early next year.

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For a movie that looks radiant – including the 3D – and handled with precision from behind the lens, Hugo is shockingly a numbing experience.

Chances are you will not feel a thing until the last third of the film. This is also the point where the purpose of the story is finally revealed. It’s the first time where yours truly had to wrestle with if a movie did in fact need a purpose or sturdy plot to be entertaining. Hopefully this will be answered in just a few paragraphs; or in this case, rambles.

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a young orphan that has a knack for fixing anything mechanical. The setting of this tale is 1930s Paris, at a massive train station in the heart of the city. Hugo spends most of his days adjusting all the clocks throughout the station – a job his drunken Uncle (Ray Winstone) should be doing. When he’s not adjusting clockwork mechanisms, he ends up fiddling with an over-sized mechanical doll with human-like features. Trying to get the automaton to function is proving quite the task for someone who usually figures out everything fairly quickly. He believes that this robot has a message from his late father (Jude Law in cameo mode), but learns that its history runs deeper than he once thought.

When he’s not working on the little metal man, he carefully maneuvers around the station, avoiding the shrewd station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his k-9 sidekick, Maximilian, who takes an unusual pride in catching shoplifting orphans. Hugo is also a watcher (no pun); as he peers through secret crevices taking in the daily people who work at small shops on the station grounds; his favorite being the quiet toy store operator, Georges Melies (Ben Kingsley). Through his visual stalking, he coincidentally becomes friends with Georges’ daughter, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz). During their time together, the two explore the riddle behind Hugo’s wind-up robot; the interest Georges has, or doesn’t have, in it; and the magic of filmmaking. And naturally, the two do get into some mischief.

While Chloe Grace Moretz dazzles again, the young male lead is no slouch either. Their chemistry and emotional discharge is a pleasure to watch considering their young age. And with people like Ben Kingsley and the great Christopher Lee showing up in supporting roles, the veteran actors are able to anchor this down as the more-or-less wise mentors. Even Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Bruno) shows that he’s more than just a shock and awe actor. His timely and subtle comedy is right on for the family-friendly atmosphere. And if you listen closely, it does have some mature edge to it.

Having all these fine performances keeps your attention. Plus director Martin Scorsese creates an atmosphere that ushers in old-school and modern-day filmmaking aesthetic that will have your eyes constantly exploring. It’s definitely a holiday movie yet its purpose remains hidden for some time. Mainly because the script changes its mind on where the focus is going to be and the transition is anything but smooth.

And that’s why it’s amazing that this film can’t project any emotion off the screen to the audience. Aside from an educational montage that showcases the pioneer techniques of filmmaking, which is beautifully orchestrated, the direction or message this piece is trying to depict remains as mysterious as the mechanical robot angle. But it’s not the good kind of mystery. It’s the I-really-don’t-care-anymore feeling that will consume your mind. Very strange not to have any interest in the story yet you do not mind admiring the physical characteristics. Guess that’s similar to a conversation with a stripper…or watching Avatar again.

This flick may be worth the price just to see how aptly 3D can be used in conjunction with jaw-dropping set designs. Other than that, this would have been more moving and engaging if this instituted one of those old-school movie mechanics and ran silent for its near two-hour duration.

Overall, Hugo is quite frankly, attractively boring. The storytelling is lacking but the visual aspects and filmmaking mechanics can, and do, pick up the slack. All the production people deserve the utmost recognition, but this feature as a whole, just feels underwhelming, despite some exceptional performances from the entire cast.
RATING: 3 out of 5

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The Lion King 3D has been a huge success for Disney, making over $90 million since its re-release in September (it originally had a 2 week run but was still making money 6 weeks later). Disney announced more 3D re-releases of their classics would be coming soon, and a trailer for the next one, Beauty and the Beast, has appeared online.

Watch below:

Beauty and the Beast was originally released in 1991 and centers around a prince who is transformed into a Beast and a young woman named Belle whom he imprisons in his castle. It made $380 million at the worldwide box office and was the first ever animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. In total it picked up 6 nominations (most in the music category) and it ended up winning Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

Beauty and the Beast 3D will be released January 13, 2012.

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Talk about a versatile director. George Miller, who years ago was at the helm for all the gritty and violent Mad Max films, dials up some of the most tender and heartfelt moments depicted on screen this year with Happy Feet Two.  As of today, the front-runner for Best Animated Film for 2011 has arrived.  And for someone (me) who historically pans the 3D gimmick, it’s actually put to good use in this 105 minute presentation.

We pick up with the dancing penguin, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood), who is trying to get his young son, Erik (cutely voiced by the young Ava Acres), to embrace their dancing culture that is now practiced all over their glacier territory.  Erik is flustered and believes that this environment just isn’t for him; so he ventures off with the always animated (no pun) Ramon (voiced by Robin Williams) – who knows a thing or two about being different – and they end up hanging with another set of penguins on the other side of the glacier.  This particular group worships, Sven (voiced by Hank Azaria), a presumed flying penguin.  Erik becomes instantly enamored with Sven and gets inspired to adopt his philosophy.

Meanwhile, Mumble is hastily tracking down Erik, but comes across problem that affects everyone who lives on the glacial ice as it threatens the lively hood of Mumble’s people; leading to an assortment of ice-dwelling animals to come to the rescue.

One of the cleverest elements about this story – aside from the underlying environmental stance – is that it feels like an adventure, yet only takes place in 2-3 places.  Besides the two penguin nations that reside on the ice caps, the story introduces a separate story line – ushering in the third location – featuring two Krill in Will (voiced by Brad Pitt) and Bill (voiced by Matt Damon).  Will is anxious to break away from the normal Krill life and become a predator.  His goal: shake-up the food chain and “eat something with a face.”  Bill, his loyal and nervous friend, constantly tries to talk him out of this new lifestyle as they roam around in the depths of the arctic sea.  But Will is determined and constantly puts his vulnerable self in harm’s way, as he attacks creatures a million times larger than him.

The Krill adventures brings in the perfect amount of comedy to balance out the cuteness and warming story going on with the penguins.  If you can recall the moment in The Lion King when Mufasa saved Simba by giving his own life, that emotional discharge you had (or should have had, unless your Satan)  is beautifully executed and projected in numerous sequences throughout this screenplay that encompasses a modest dramatic tone to it.  Not only is the direction of each scene crafted with care, the dialogue really brings in a substantial moments that is often missing with animations lately.  A lot of them are just show-and-go, with the goal of cheap entertainment.  And that’s fine for some.  However, when an animated flick can bring in every emotion and induce a wide-spectrum of reactions from the audience (there’s even a brief scare where you may jump a little), it’s a rarity to behold.

Plus, the 3D provides a nice scope for the fluid animated landscape.  It almost feels like you’re on a visual ride at a theme park, as you’ll have the urge to continually explore the surroundings.  And when factoring in the delivery method of the screenplay; which is filled with musical numbers, this feels like a major Broadway production in some respects that manages to keep every tone balanced and entertaining.

Overall, Happy Feet Two finds it rhythm early on and never misses a beat.  The splendid animation along with thoughtful dialogue will have all audiences fully engaged in all the emotions this flick is conjuring up.  Kids will learn something; adults will feel something; and everybody has a delightful movie going experience thanks to the flawless mechanics and intelligent storytelling.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5

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The fourth Peter Jackson video blog from the set of The Hobbit focuses on the 3D, specifically the way they use the RED cameras, shooting in 5k, how much of a difference the 48 frames per second will make for the viewers and probably for the first time in the making of a movie, 3D artwork. So grab your red-cyan glasses and watch this awesome video blog right after the break.

This 10 minutes and 46 second video blog goes very in depth on the 3D and shows probably the most we’ve seen from The Hobbit yet. Peter Jackson talks about the original Lord of the Rings and how he would have filmed it in 3D if he had the possibility back then. Instead he made a lot of 3D pictures on the set of the trilogy so look forward to those in some fancy The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey 3D Blu-ray.

Because they use such big lens, getting the right separation with the RED cameras was definitely a challenge and we see how they solved that with special rigs that can actually adjust the convergence point of the 3D on the fly. We also see how challenging working in 3D is for the makeup and wardrobe team and how the sets had to be painted in very bright colors so that it looks right when shown in the darkening 3D.

48 RED cameras and 17 3D rigs are used to shoot The Hobbit and instead of giving the cameras numbers, they named them after family members or friends. At the end of the video they show how they made 3D artwork by having two artists, one working in red, the other in blue, side by side. To really appreciate their work you need a pair of red-cyan glasses.

The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey is directed by Peter Jackson and stars Martin Freeman, Luke Evans, Hugo Weaving, Evangeline Lily, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Stephen Fry and Ian Holm among others. The film follows the story of Bilbo Baggins and his journey to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by 13 dwarfs, to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug. It is set to open December 14th 2012 and will be followed a year later by The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13th 2013.

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Puss in Boots takes the titular character introduced in the Shrek movie franchise and tells the adventurous feline’s story in 90 minutes of 3D animated glory. Yes, the animation executed by DreamWorks Animation is once again splendid and crisp. Do you need to shell out the extra cash for 3D ticket prices? Not at all. There’s plenty of scope in the traditional 2D screenings and the kiddies will be entertained just the same.

The character is a cunning cat version of Zorro set in a screenplay that blends the playful action of a Pirates of the Caribbean flick with a little bit of an Indiana Jones adventure saga. Antonio Banderas energetically voices Puss as the anti-hero is on a quest for the magic beans that have been told in the infamous Jack and the Beanstalk lore. Puss has a lead on the fabled beans, for Jack (voiced by Billy Bob Thornton) & Jill (voiced by Amy Sedaris) – all grown up and cut-throat – have seized the beans that if planted in the right spot, will grow the bean stalk to where the golden goose lays her golden eggs.

Puss has been on the trail of the beans for years, as we see via a brief 15 minute flashback sequence that shows how the legendary character came to be. During that time, we learn about the turbulent relationship between Puss and his best friend, Humpty Dumpty (voiced by Zach Galifianakis), who was also obsessed with finding the beans to gain riches. As the two plotted to locate the magic beans in their small and humble Spanish town, a morale decision separated the two more-or-less brothers. Now that Humpty has reappeared in Puss’ life, sporting a new partner in Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek), the duo lure Puss into joining up with them to snag the beans from the ruthless Jack & Jill.

From an adult perspective, this spin-off is definitely not as funny as the Shrek movies. Granted they scaled back on the go-to pop culture references the Ogre installments eventually beat to death, but there is a noticeable lack of jovial moments. Instead, the screenplay focuses on elaborate action sequences that have the ability to keep both young and older audiences fixated on the screen. The characters travel across vast landscapes and take part in chase sequences on rooftops and through mountains. So while the animation dazzles, the sharp dialogue is precariously set on auto-pilot; leading to the Puss character – who we now have in larger doses for the first time – feel spaded. If the filmmakers had the “go for it” attitude Antonio Banderas displays in voicing the walking upright swordsmen, things would have been more entertaining all around.

Overall, Puss in Boots gives one an eye-full to look at and bask in from an animation standpoint. And the storytelling is concise and delivered in an appropriate manner to please a wide-range of audiences. When there’s a dip in the action though, the film feels underwhelming in the charisma department (i.e. Rango). Therefore, this follows the typical spin-off pattern – a nice addition to the DVD collection. All that said, this will undoubtedly charm the boots off the kids.

RATING: 3 out of 5

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The Lion King 3D has been a huge success for Disney, making over $80 million during its extended 2 week run. With the demand obviously there for Disney’s classics in 3D the studio has decided Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid will also be getting the 3D treatment.

Here are the release dates listed in the press release:

· Beauty and the Beast – January 13, 2012
· Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo – September 14, 2012
· Disney•Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. – January 18, 2013 (Monsters University, a prequel to the original film, arrives in theaters in Disney Digital 3D on June 21, 2013)
· The Little Mermaid – September 13, 2013

While this is a prime example of cashing in, it won’t be a rushed 3D conversion. The 3D Blu-ray for Beauty and the Beast was released today so a 3D version of the movie already exists. The other movies would have had 3D Blu-ray releases also, however the success of The Lion King 3D has prompted Disney to given them limited theatrical runs.

Will you be seeing any of them when they hit?

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