As much as Bee Movie doesn't do the slightest bit to make me want to get up out of this chair and go to the theater, it is the first animated family film with any real power behind it in MONTHS. This time of year always has a drought of family entertainment and then everyone scratches their heads when something like The Game Plan cleans up. Families need something to take their kids to. No way does a bloody, period gangster film open bigger than a big-budget CG family film. Uh, uh.
In the critical arena: Winner = Denzel
Say what you will about bringing in the box office or Seinfeld's long running television history, one film is an epic gangster movie starring two powerhouse actors, the other is a kids movie about a bee. Oh, and did I mention Denzel was playing a bad guy again? Last time he did that he got himself his much-deserved Oscar. Oh yeah, and it's directed by Ridley Scott. The only way the critics could love this more is if someone like Russell Crowe were playing opposite Washington. Wait? What? He is? Oh, wow. American Gangster. Yeah, Seinfeld is toast in this category.
In their careers: Winner = Denzel
Okay, this one was almost a tie. Both of these guys are so A-List it hurts. Both have achieved the upper pinnacles of success in their respective fields. Denzel brings in the box office sales and has an Oscar; Jerry had a hit show for 10 years and sells out any venue he chooses to do stand-up in. I'd even hazard a guess that Jerry's richer. But Denzel's star continues to rise and his legend continues to grow. He could eventually win another Oscar. Jerry's career, well, it hasn't been so hot since he left TV. Ten years ago. Sure, he's raking in the mad syndication money, but career-wise Denzel has the most heat. So this leans ever so slightly towards Washington.
In a fight: Winner = Denzel
Okay. This one makes me giggle. Sure, these guys are both 53…but this is a fight I'd really like to see. A very short fight I'd really like to see. What's up with all this airline foo…hey! Ow! Stop that! Now that's comedy.
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Friday, November 2, 2007
Jerry Seinfeld vs. Denzel Washington: Who Ya Got?
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Review: Bee Movie Has Familiar Buzz
Enough already.
There is zero life left in this concept, even if it does spring this time from the fertile mind and absurd sensibility of Jerry Seinfeld.
The comic co-wrote, co-produced and stars in this colorful jaunt as a bee named Barry, who dares to leave the tradition and rigidity of New Hive City for the vast unknown of the outside world specifically, the corner of 67th and Columbus on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Seinfeld's longtime stomping grounds on TV and in real life.
Sound familiar? This DreamWorks Animation release shares almost the same premise as Pixar's "Ratatouille," in which Remy the rat left the safety and comfort of hiding with his family and picking through trash to become a gourmet chef in Paris. It's an unfortunate coincidence, because clearly both films were years in the making. But the similarity serves as a reminder of the superiority of Pixar's animated offerings their substance, character development and heart.
What distinguishes "Bee Movie" somewhat is that it's flooded with Seinfeld's sense of humor his trademark observations on the ridiculous minutiae of our daily lives. That should keep his fans, and adults in general, relatively entertained. There are some cute lines here and there (and some amusing cameos from Sting, Ray Liotta and Larry King) but because "Bee Movie" is also for kids who have never been the target audience for "Seinfeld" bee puns all too often prevail.
Barry, a recent college graduate, could go work for the Honex Corp. alongside his nebbishy best friend, Adam (Matthew Broderick), making honey as bees have for millions of years. In a highly detailed set-up sequence, he learns he could be a heater, cooler, crud picker or stirrer like his dad (Barry Levinson; Kathy Bates does the voice of Barry's mom).
"Choose carefully, because you'll stay in the job that you pick for the rest of your life," he's warned, a dig at corporate culture and the closest "Bee Movie" comes to having a point. (Seinfeld concocted the script with Spike Feresten and Andy Robin, former writers on his show, as well as Barry Marder, author of the "Letters From a Nut" books. Simon J. Smith and Steve Heckner provide the speedy direction.)
Instead of settling into a cubicle, Barry boldly goes on a flight with the tough-guy pollen jocks, the only ones allowed outside the hive, who collect nectar and pollinate flowers and look cool in their aviator sunglasses.
After zipping through Central Park, getting stuck to a ball in a tennis match and dodging raindrops in the film's most thrilling sequence, he meets and falls for a kindhearted florist named Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), who spares him from being squished on the coffee table by her meathead boyfriend (voiceover veteran Patrick Warburton, who also played Elaine's boyfriend Puddy on "Seinfeld").
Even though rule No. 1 of bee existence is never to talk to humans, Barry wants to thank Vanessa for saving his life. Vanessa not only talks back, she befriends him (and the humans' expressions are distractingly jerky and artificial compared to the bees' more lifelike characterizations.) Then she helps him sue the entire human race after a trip to the grocery store provides the shocking revelation that people are stealing the bees' honey, putting it in jars and selling it.
There is an actual trial (John Goodman plays the bloviating defense attorney; Oprah Winfrey lends her voice as the judge) with jurors and TV news coverage and Barry taking notes on a tiny legal pad. And this is where the movie takes an irretrievably silly turn, even for Seinfeld's peculiar universe.
"Bee Movie," a DreamWorks Animation release, is rated PG for mild suggestive humor. Running time: 90 minutes. Two stars out of four.
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Interview: Jerry Seinfeld on Bee Movie
So why animation over live-action?
Because I had done so much of that on the TV series. I had made 90 hours of programming. You cut that up, that's like 45 movies. So there was no movie that seemed exciting to me. "Yeah, I know, they give you the script, you stand over here..." I don't know...it just wasn't exciting.
But [then] I saw this whole technology, and the look of it is so different. I thought, "Gee, what if we took that look but [made them] talk like I want them to talk, maybe that would be something interesting." I just got excited about it.
Did becoming a father have something to do with it?
No. [Laughs] I just wanted to do something different.
[But] it is funny how it worked out. I have three kids -- six, four, and two. Of course, I know all their friends so now I know millions of kids. And I realized these kids are going to go nuts [over Bee Movie]. Sometimes when their friends are over I show them little clips on the computer that I'm working on for whatever reason. And they'll come in and they'll watch it. They go nuts. It's so fun. There's nothing more fun than entertaining kids.
Do you find there's a big difference in the kind of comedy you have to invent between mediums?
There's a big difference. Sometimes you can do certain things on stage, or even in a TV series, and people see the look on your face and they know what you mean, so you can get away with certain things. But if you can't create that look on an animated character, which is essentially a puppet, the line will hit the audience in a very bad way.
[It's] like a petting zoo and you're blindfolded. They want you to take care of this animal, which is your show. But you're blindfolded. We're going to put you in a room with the animal, and the food that it needs. And everything it needs is in the room, and you're in the room with the animal. But you're blindfolded. So you go into this room and start feeling around for this stuff. Feel a little fur, and you feel a little claw. And you go, "Oh, my God, what is this thing?"
This is the great advantage that you have doing a TV series. Say, for example, my series -- which is the only one I know anything about -- by year four, we knew exactly what this thing ate, when it wanted to go out, how it liked to be petted. What it liked and what it didn't like. And what makes a movie so challenging -- so much more challenging than a TV series, frankly -- is that you never get that opportunity. Because you make a TV show and you put it out there and you get a reaction. You go, "Okay, this work. This doesn't work." You put out another one. "They like this. They don't like this." But with a movie, you get one shot at it. Even though you have test screenings, pretty much, we're going to put this lemur in people's living rooms. And, just, bang, they're going to react to it. I hope I didn't over-answer your question. [Laughs]
This is one of my big things of creative pursuits. You have your idea you want to do, but then you got to figure out what does this thing want to be? You got to let it lead you a little.
And how were the test screenings?
Well, you know, I like to try anything. So we would have some horrible ones. We'd try crazy things just to see how they reacted. Some of the work, some of them don't. Comedy is a very scientific exploration. You have to do the experiments to find out what the formulas are.
How much did you put yourself into the character of Barry?
How much? As much as I have. I don't really know how to do it any other way. I think in a TV series I could be a little more obnoxious. This character in this movie is never obnoxious. He's a little nicer than I am. So I actually took a little of myself out.
How much of Bee Movie is yours? Is it a collaborative effort between you and Dreamworks or do you feel that this is entirely your vision?
There's nothing "entirely." You have 350 people working on this thing. [But] I would say the tone, the comedy of it is mine. Even though I work with writers, I'm in charge of what goes in the script and what doesn't. Win or lose, [that] is my thing.
How involved were you with the casting of the other voices?
I was involved in every single aspect of everything. [Laughs] From the cars they drove, to the ties they wore, to the desks they sat at. Not to say that I came up with it all, but it was brought to me. "Do you like it like this? Do you like it like that?" All day, every day. It was ridiculous. [Laughs.]
Was there a lot of ad-libbing in Bee Movie?
Some of it we'd use, some of it we didn't. We had a scene about [Renee Zellweger's character] trying to have coffee with [Barry]. We read the scenes a few times and we got all the lines. So I said, "Okay, just try to get me to have coffee. Just keep pushing me to have coffee and I'm going to say, 'Nah, I don't want any.'" And a lot of that made it into the movie. It gives it some life if you do it that way.
Were the TV and movie teasers your idea?
Yeah. I wanted to do something that signaled to the public that this is not going to be the same flavor that you're used to getting from animated movies. I [know] that a certain type of moviegoing audience [will say], "Here comes the next Dreamworks movie. Here comes the next Pixar movie." You don't know what this is going to be.
What did you do different from other animated movies?
Some of the way we recorded dialogue was different. The jokes that we make are different. It's got its own personality. It definitely does not feel like a slice off of the same loaf. Certainly, [not like] all these animal movies, which, believe me, I'm as sick of as you are.
During the Cannes Film Festival, I heard you jumped off a hotel, and dived eight stories into a pool.
You just heard about it? You should check on that. [Laughs] It was a little nutty. But I was told that during the Cannes Film Festival, people do crazy things. You know, Sacha Cohen did that crazy thing on the beach. Did you hear about that? You have a computer, don't you? [Laughs]
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Jerry Seinfeld Returns With Bee Movie
Wait, wasn't that TV show "Seinfeld"? One of the greatest comedies in TV history? You know, the one with double-dippers, puffy shirts and mimbos?
Seinfeld, it seems, has moved on more than most of his audience. Though "the TV show" ended its historic run in 1998, the perpetual glow of "Seinfeld" has been mostly uninterrupted because its star and namesake has remained largely out of sight like his beloved Superman resting in his Fortress of Solitude.
Seinfeld has even been called "the J.D. Salinger of television," as Conan O'Brien recently joked.
"I'm doing as much as I possibly can, I promise you," says Seinfeld, archly defending himself with a laugh in his Manhattan office, where the award statuettes are outnumbered only by the many model cars that dot the room.
The 53-year-old comedian is releasing "Bee Movie," a film which began as a causal pun made over dinner with Steven Spielberg. A call was then placed to Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks Animation SKG, and the small joke eventually spiraled into a $150 million blockbuster which Seinfeld has spent more than three years writing, producing and voicing the main character.
Seinfeld, of course, hasn't been doing nothing since "Seinfeld." He and wife Jessica were married in 1999 and have since had three children. Seinfeld's mission has generally been to return to being a standup comedian; his relentless work to build a new act was documented in the 2002 film "Comedian."
But that documentary grossed less than $3 million in limited release. Tens of thousands have seen Seinfeld in comedy clubs across the country contributing a significant chunk of estimated yearly earnings of $60 million, including $15 million for "Seinfeld" residuals, according to Forbes.
To those who wish they saw him more, Seinfeld replies with his characteristic flare for language: "Me too, but I wonder if they would be willing to accept me being not good. I wish I could do more, too, but I can't do more as good, so I figure I'll do less, but good."
For years Katzenberg pitched movie roles to Seinfeld, who had numerous opportunities to star in films. So why did Seinfeld make "Bee Movie" his first feature film and his first major post-"Seinfeld" project?
"One very simple difference, but it made all the difference in the world: This was his idea," says Katzenberg. "If you look at Jerry's work, his entire career was always about doing things he authored."
Katzenberg adds: "Jerry has his own rhythms and his own interests."
Like the bees depicted in "Bee Movie," Seinfeld believes in sticking to what you do best, and for him, that's centered upon the comedic persona he's sharpened and refined over decades. He would rather leave the acting to the pros. "Tom Hanks is available. He can do it," he jokes.
Finding a new challenge, though, was imperative.
"That's why I haven't made a live action movie," Seinfeld says, explaining that it would be "too similar to what we did on the show. ... And I have no need for the ego gratification of `Hey, I'm in a movie.' But this medium was so different and interesting that kind of sparked my energy."
The comedian acknowledges that his energy was low after working on "Seinfeld" for nearly a decade. The painstaking process of creating an animated movie, though, has left him "even more tired than I was before," he says.
What's distinctive about "Bee Movie" is how thoroughly it's imbued with Seinfeld's sense of humor. The involvement of talent in animated films doesn't typically go beyond a few days in a sound studio, but "Bee Movie" is essentially Seinfeld in bee form. Though Dreamworks is pitching it as a family movie, Seinfeld never had kids in mind when writing it.
"You should feel like you really spent time with my outlook on silliness, I guess," he says. "That's why I tried to put my fingerprint on everything in the movie so it feels like it was made by one person. Sometimes that studio, corporate feel the movies can feel very processed so it feels like generic entertainment."
Evident is Seinfeld's love of details (the bees can survive up to about 75-pages of magazine thickness, making the especially thick Italian Vogue the most frightening of weapons), his gift for gymnastic phrasing (his character remarks: "There's quite a bit of pomp under the circumstances") and his sometimes overlooked inclination for pushing comedy to surreal ends.
That was most obvious once his "Seinfeld" partner and co-creator Larry David left the show before the last two seasons, leading to some out-there plots (like Kramer hydrating Jerry's car with his own blood). In "Bee Movie," the bee voiced by Seinfeld sues honey companies for stealing the bees' honey.
"I always try to work personally," he explains. "On the TV show, we never thought we would have an across-the-board appeal we didn't seek it. We just thought, `Let's make our little thing and whoever likes it, likes it.' I tried the same thing with this."
Seinfeld has a lot riding on "Bee Movie," and he has aggressively (and creatively) promoted it like bungee-jumping at the Cannes Film Festival and hosting a series of one-minute sketch comedy promos he calls "TV Juniors."
The unflappable Seinfeld acknowledges: "I'm a little keyed up about the movie's opening. I think of it as extreme interest in the outcome."
Once the fanfare of "Bee Movie" has subsided, Seinfeld simply is planning to hit the road again and get back to what he calls his "normal, daily life": writing and honing his standup act.
Still, he says, "It's fun to chop down a big tree once in a while. I don't know if I could live this way all the time, but every once in a while. I think that's why people run these marathons: `I wonder if I could run that far without dying.' It's idiotic, but it's part of human nature."
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Sunday, October 28, 2007
NBC, Fox to Launch Online Video Site
A test version of the site, Hulu.com, goes online Monday, with plans to premiere a final version in a few months, company officials said.
The site, developed by News Corp. and NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co., offers free viewing of full-length films and TV episodes, supported by advertising.
It will host programming from the two networks, as well as TV shows and films from Sony Corp. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
"Consumers identify with shows and films," rather than networks, Hulu chief executive Jason Kilar said. "When you aggregate great content together, it makes things easier for the user."
Hulu's debut comes amid tensions between entertainment companies and popular online video sites, such as YouTube, where unauthorized clips from shows often appear.
Viacom Inc., which owns Comedy Central, MTV, VH1 and many other cable channels, is suing YouTube for $1 billion, claiming massive copyright infringement of clips from popular shows, including "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." YouTube has said it follows copyright laws by removing protected video upon request.
Hulu will legally offer hundreds of episodes of current shows such as NBC's "30 Rock" and Fox's "The Simpsons," as well as older shows such as "Lou Grant" and "Lost in Space."
Its movie offerings will consist of films that have already been edited for television broadcast, which will contain short ads online in the places where they would appear on TV.
The shows will be available at Hulu.com, as well as on distribution partner Web sites such as AOL, MSN, MySpace, Yahoo and Comcast.
It will also provide viewers with tools that let them embed full episodes on their own blogs, Web sites or personal profile pages. Users would also be able to select short clips from shows, such as Jay Leno's monologue on "The Tonight Show," and e-mail a link to the content to friends.
The services give Web users unprecedented flexibility to legally republish copyright content, observers said.
"The technology they've put together on this short notice is not only adequate, it's also better than most of what else is out there," said James McQuivey, a TV and media technology analyst for Forrester Research. "I think they have moved a couple of steps forward compared to their competitors in the industry."
Hulu will offer some premium content not available on NBC or Fox's own Web sites in a move at odds with some other networks that have tried to direct viewers to their own online content.
Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, for instance, sells downloads of its shows on Apple Inc.'s iTunes but streams free episodes mainly on ABC.com.
McQuivey said Hulu's model could be preferable to advertisers, who generally favor strategies that make popular content widely available.
"Advertisers want more opportunity to put ads next to prime-time hit shows," he said. "If they had kept the content on NBC.com or Fox.com, it would have limited the number of people who would see it."
But McQuivey said Hulu faces a number of challenges, such as the expense of hosting content and delivering it to a potential audience of millions.
Those expenses will only grow as the site finds itself having to offer content in high definition to make it look better on large-screen televisions, McQuivey said.
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Friday, October 19, 2007
Seinfeld Was `sensitive' in High School
Jerry Seinfeld says he felt out of place among the popular kids at his Long Island high school.
"I kind of took myself out of the kind of main cliques of the school, because I didn't feel comfortable," Seinfeld tells Parade.com.
"I was kind of sensitive, and I couldn't take the scapegoating and the roughhousing and the cigarettes and the `let's get beers.' It wasn't for me, that world," says the 53-year-old comic, who graduated from Massapequa High in 1972.
"So I would find some nerdy kid, you know, who seemed bright, and I would just hang out with that kid. It was either that, or looking for a touch football game, or basketball or baseball, just always trying to get a game going."
Seinfeld is now part of Hollywood's cool crowd filthy rich from "Seinfeld" reruns and soon in theaters with the animated "Bee Movie," which he produced, co-wrote and stars in (at least his voice does).
Seinfeld says he became fully committed to a career in comedy as a twentysomething doing stand-up in New York.
"Even if I could just make enough to buy a loaf of bread and not starve to death, (being a comedian) would be the greatest adventure that I could ever go on."
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com