Pro Tools
FILMFESTIVALS | 24/7 world wide coverage
Welcome !
Enjoy the best of both worlds: Film & Festival News, exploring the best of the film festivals community.
Launched in 1995, relentlessly connecting films to festivals, documenting and promoting festivals worldwide.
Working on an upgrade soon.
For collaboration, editorial contributions, or publicity, please send us an email here.
|
Disney
by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent
Straight from the virtual pages of “Backstage” magazine, the best-known brand for actor casting calls, there are some fun things you can do during your Pandemic Party lockdown.
One of which is sending Disney Casting a video entry for Disney World’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Attraction. Backstage invites you to "wish upon a star for the great Disney-related gigs casting around the world! Disney Parks i...
(Kori Rae, Dan Scanlon, © Lindsay Bellinger)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Director Dan Scanlon and Producer Kori Rae were in high spirits after the press screening of the newest Pixar film Onward, starring the ever-so-talented vocal skills of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Octavia Spencer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ali Wong, Tracey Ullman, Lena Waithe and John Ratzenberger (Cliff from Cheers & Hamm from the Toy Story films). The journalists were fed off of Scanlon and Rae's p...
Spies in Disguise, Review: Walter, Pigeon and These Guys
You might say that being in disguise is an essential qualification of being spies, so why give your film an obvious title? There is a rhyme and reason. The spy in this film turns into a pigeon, no less, upon drinking a serum, invented by a teenager called Walter Beckett, and that is one hell of a disguise! Use of the plural is questionable, though, since there is only one spy in the picture, while the other guy in ‘disguise’...
Maleficent-Mistress of Evil, Review: Feynix rises from the ashes
When a studio like Disney decides to give it the works, it usually works. It is difficult to find fault with the execution of the plot in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, unless, of course you begin with the title itself. As viewers will discover early in the film, she is not the mistress of evil. Then you might consider the fact that there are several killings and a full-blooded war depicted, in a film aimed at young children and ...
For a film production company that has been in the animation business for 90 years, and earned its initial popularity by creating Mickey Mouse, making a film, replete with state-of-the-art, photorealistic computer images of a host of animals and birds, has to be basic instinct. That it tells the story of lions, hyenas, vultures, and other creatures whose names one needs to look-up in Google, or Oxford or Cambridge or Merriam Webster dictionaries, that possess human instinct rather than animal ...
Aladdin, Review: Aladdindeed
Believe it or not, Aladdin is a one-in-a-thousand-and-one story, part of The Thousand and One Nights (also called The Arabian Nights), stories narrated by a queen called Scheherazade, at bedtime, without revealing the end, to save herself from being killed by her husband, the murderous sadist who kills all his wives the day after he marries each one of them. Disney made an animated version in 1992, and here comes their live action CGI, musical avatar, directed and...
Dumbo, Review: Have ears, will fly
When they first thought of a new Dumbo, perhaps the best decision Disney and Burton made was to remake their 1941 animation film in live action, adding 3D for the heightened reality effect. The first Dumbo rescued Disney from financial disaster arising out of three previous expensive films. Its 2019 avatar has a different storyline, though the name and the basic premise—that of a baby elephant that can fly--are retained. Abounding in the usual generic ...
Christopher Robin, Review: It’s always a sunny day, When Christopher Robin comes to play
Christopher Robin was seen by us critics on the day when he was much needed in England as the day’s play in the cricket test match between India and England was washed out due to rain. There was no sun around. It is this sunny demeanour of helping people--living by principles and loving animals as if they were people--that is at the core of Christopher Robin. And with Winnie the Pooh at the ce...
Star Wars-The Last Jedi, Review: The Lost Jedi
George Lucas maintains that his Star Wars films were for kids. Back in the late 70s, when the trade-mark skewed angle intro rolling text greeted us as the film began, I was not a kid. Maybe the sensibilities of an Indian film-goer at 25 were akin to the school-kids in the West, but I loved what I saw. Since, I have seen most, if not all, the core movies and the spin-offs/anthologies, most of them likeable, but the 40th anniversary release saw me ...
Cars 3, Review by Siraj Syed: Car-actor roles
Imagine this. You are a fading racing veteran and suddenly you lose a race to a rookie? What do you do? Seek professional help and training, even dig out your late mentor’s buddies and have a go at the next race. Now imagine all these characters are cars, not human beings, and you know you are watching the new Disney-Pixar enterprise dubbed Cars 3. It’s as human as human can be, but then again, it is as automobiley as automobiley can g...
Siraj Syed covers CommunicAsia 2017, Singapore: Post event reportage, 01: Accedo and Les Mills
Video Service, Created by Accedo, Gives Les Mills Group Fitness Instructors Instant Access to Exercise Programmes
Accedo (http://www.accedo.tv), the video experience pioneer, announced at CommunicAsia 2017, Singapore, that it has partnered with Les Mills International to create an exercise, music and education video service,...
Siraj Syed reviews Beauty and the Beast: A veritable feast
Beauty and the Beast is a treat for young and old alike, with generous doses of humour and an enchanting musical score to go with it. It is not often that you see a kettle, a tea-cup and saucer, a dressing stool, a wardrobe, a piano, an antique clock, a floating, curvaceous plumage and a candelabra (no, that’s definitely not a typo) share screen space with the titular duo, that happen to be Beauty and Beast in this c...
Siraj Syed reviews Rogue One, A Star Wars Story: While there is war, there is hope!
“Learning to make films is very easy. Learning what to make films about is very hard.”
— George Walton Lucas, Jr.
"It's the reality of war. Good guys are bad. Bad guys are good. It's complicated, layered; a very rich scenario in which to set a movie." --Gareth Edwards.
It has been reported that the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, liked Rogue One very much, and that th...
Siraj Syed reviews Doctor Strange: Surgery and sorcery go hand in hand
Comics can be victims of overkill, especially when they traverse the distance from page to screen. Casting might be (mis)guided by name and fame, when suitability is of greater import. Marvel’s Doctor Strange, with part Disney talent and full distribution channels in tow, is ridden with both pitfalls. It’s a marvel then that the film manages to serve above par, enjoyable fare, for which credit largely goes to t...
Siraj Syed reviews The Queen of Katwe: Chess champion comes from Ugandan slums
Madina Nalwanga, the Ugandan teenager who plays the titular role in The Queen of Katwe, was asked after the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) what she would like to do next. She replied, “I want to go back to school. And I want to continue with acting and also dancing.” Madina’s native tongue is Luganda, and she had to work very hard to speak the English required for the...
The Jungle Book, Review: Unputdownable
A fitting tribute to the 1967 version on its golden jubilee, The Jungle Book is unputdownable. You might find differences in the two versions, and in the book itself. Don’t bother comparing. If the smooth-sailing songs make you sing-along (a friend seated on my left just wouldn’t stop), even better. Gaze into the volcanic eyes of the animals, marvel at the resourcefulness of the man-cub, and applaud the imagination of the writer who spun this...
Shaun the Sheep Movie, Review: Shaun is on
An animated comedy from a non Pixar/Disney/Dreamworks DNA, Shaun the Sheep could be the mouse that roared. Just above 80 minutes long, this Aardman Animations (Bristol, UK) production provides plenty of laughs in the ‘stop motion’ technique of old-style animation. Humans, animals, birds, fish, cars, buses and an entire city are all ‘cartoonised’ to come across as credible, endearing and detestable, according to the storyline. ...
Tomorrowland, Review: Human dystopia, robotic utopia
You could look at as a mammoth promo for Disneyland. That might mean great advertising but cinematic disappointment for those you have not visited the parks, and a sense of déjà vu for those who have. Instead, I suggest you watch Tomorrowland for the bedazzling effects and compelling performances, and you will imbibe a science fiction story with a twist, that is smoothly packaged and painstakingly executed.
Walt Disney Pictur...
Our programmers spent a while week in Berlin seeking original animation films from all around the world to grace the screens at le MIAFF! Montreal April 16-19th 2015.
Programming details to be announced on our website http://www.lemiaff.com
At Berlin this year 2D to 3D were well represented at the market. Interactive, Graphic novels and experimental to children's programming - the palette of animation on display at EFM was colorful and inspiring.
Rep...
One month ago, Walt Disney Animation Studios announced the synopsis and title of their new animated short movie "Feast". This 6'mn short movie produced by Kristina Reed premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 10, 2014. Such event was eagerly awaited by the public.
This new gift from Disney features Winston, the dog of a young photographer. The story is told through the eyes of Winston who uncovers his master's lov...
by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent
So, ignore the horns and watch for spoiler alerts here: MALEFICENT is the role of a lifetime for Angelina Jolie.
Yes, a lot of the credit goes to screenwriter Linda Woolverton (Lion King, Beauty & The Beast), who gets Angelina and wrote a touching life lesson disguised as a Disney movie. "We tried to bring you what you love about this story," Jolie says in the behind the scenes featurette (see it on http://screenma...
CBC.ca
When Disney bought Pixar eight years ago, the Mickey Mouse creator was coming off such lows as the non-hit Chicken Little.
That made it critically important for Pixar, which had a string of hits such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo, to maintain its own creative culture, nurtured under tech genius Steve Jobs and creative director John Lasseter.
But the turnaround the merger wrought on Disney’s animation house was the real surprise, says Ed Catmull, now presi...
By Adrienne Papp
I get invited to a lot of social events as a journalist / publicist, but there is nothing quite like the Oscars. Excitement is in the air, everyone is full of wonder, looking forward to this fairytale-like evening with its never ending magic. The unexpected always happens just to keep things fresh year after year ( just likeU2 performing live on stage.) The 86th Oscars was really by far one of the best ever produced in Ho...
By Adrienne Papp
I get invited to a lot of social events as a journalist / publicist, but there is nothing quite like the Oscars. Excitement is in the air, everyone is full of wonder, looking forward to this fairytale-like evening with its never ending magic. The unexpected always happens just to keep things fresh year after year ( just likeU2 performing live on stage.) The 86th Oscars was really by far one of the best ever produced in Hollywood.
O...
Sunscreen Film Fest Video Podcast 15, Star Wars sold to Disney, plus an exclusive interview with Star wars Author Matthew Stover, The Hobbit movie, Dexter, Game of Thrones and more!
Watch here http://youtu.be/Sl2oZFP_1nA
Read Matthew Stover's latest book http://www.amazon.com/Caines-Law-Acts-Caine-Atonement/dp/0345455894/ref=la_B000APO1ZK_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1352056460&sr=1-3
Contact Sunscreen at info@sunscr...
|
Poll
Dear filmfestivals.com Visitor: can you please tell us which is your profession? Thanks
I am filmmaker
41%
A festival organizer
19%
A journalist
5%
A film professionnal (neither filmmaker, nor festival staff or media)
7%
A film student
12%
Just a film fan
16%
Total votes: 3978
|
