Jody Thompson talks about working with Barry Levinson on “The Bay”

Jody Thompson is the star in Barry Levinson’s new found-footage horror/thriller “The Bay”, which is being released on November 2nd. Jody also co-stars this Fall with Bette Midler and Billy Crystal in Parental Guidance”. Jody took out sometime to chat with Media Mikes about his roles and what we can expect from the films.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your character in the film “The Bay”?
Jody Thompson: I play Officer Paul. I liken him to the Barney Fife of the town. It takes place in this really small town and which experiences an ecological outbreak, with these creatures all isopods. These are actually real creatures. These creatures get inside the townspeople and start eating them from the inside out. So if you can imagine Barney Fife with bodies flying through the street, then you have my character.

MG: How was it working with such a critically acclaimed director like Barry Levinson?
JT: It was really the drawing force for me to work on this picture. A chance like that doesn’t come by pretty often, so I was really pumped. Honestly, I put the audition on tape, forgot about it but when I got the call back I was psyched since he is such a well-respected director. It was a great project to be involved with.

MG: Tell us about your story line in the film?
JT: There are about four/five different story line and mine is one of the story lines they follow. It was challenging but the way the film is it works. My story has a bit of an arc but let’s just say it doesn’t end well for my partner and I. Just to be able to grab on to something like that I feel like I was able to work with this role a bit. So I thought it was really great.

MG: How was it working with Kristen Connolly, whom I loved in “Cabin in the Woods”?
JT: I did not. It sucks. I worked with Christopher Denham though and he recently had a really big part in “Argo”. So it was cool to work with him on this.

MG: The found footage genre is very hot right now, how does this film stand out from the rest?
JT: I always thought it was a little hokey in the found footage films, when someone is in the house but they keep the camera running. I would be outta there. The cool thing about this is that it is about an outbreak that happens in one day and it takes footage from all different sources. There is Skype cameras, (in my case) there is police cameras, iPhone and many others. They weave all these media forces together to tell a pretty convincing story. If you didn’t know this was a film, there is some believablility to this.

MG: How worked in both film and TV, what do you enjoy most and what do you look for in a role?
JT: My forte is comedy and I consider myself a character actor. Any chance I get to make people laugh is what I love the most. It doesn’t hurt when certain actors, directors or locations come into play. This is the stuff that I look for when I am choosing a role.

MG: How was it getting to work with Bette Midler and Billy Crystal on “Parental Guidance”?
JT: I only got to see Bette during the table read. But working with Billy Crystal was really crazy. I started talking with him one day about hosting the Academy Awards and telling him that he has been the best of all-time. He then started doing all the bits. It was awesome. It was like a free show. At the time I was shooting, Eddie Murphy was slated to host the Academy Awards. I finished shooting and like a week later Eddie dropped out and Billy Crystal got invited back. I thought that was really cool and I was saying that I was responsible for this [laughs]. But he was really awesome and I consider him a comedy legend.

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Film Review “Wreck-It Ralph”

Directed by: Rich Moore
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 101 minutes

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

“Wreck-It Ralph” is the latest 3D animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and it also has become of my favorite films of the year. When I heard that Disney was making a film based on an 8-bit game, I was ecstatic. I grew up playing classic video games from Atari to Nintendo and now high-def games on systems like XBOX 360 and PS3. So this movie is a perfectly targeted for someone like myself. But what also works well is that it isn’t a total nerd fest, a complete video game layman can still enjoy this film just as much as myself. If you are looking to escape for 90 minutes, I highly recommend this film for the whole family.

The video game world created throughout “Wreck-It Ralph” is just simply breathtaking. They are extremely colorful, specifically “Sugar Rush”. The 3D effects in the film also really help to add that WOW-factor to this amazing world. I loved the ever-so subtle touches in each game ranging from the 8-bit “Wreck-It Ralph” to completely different high-def first person shooter “Hero’s Duty”. The visual effects in this film rival those of the wonders of Pixar for sure. After seeing the beautiful “Tangled”, I was blown away and thought how can they top this but “Wreck-It Ralph” takes the animation to a new level. Get it level? Anyone? (Sorry had to throw in a little video game humor).

On the eve of celebrating the 30th anniversary with his game “Fix-It Felix, Jr.”, Wreck-It Ralph is tired of being the bad-guy. He wants to be recognized for his work like Fix-It Felix does every game with his medals and getting respect from the buildings residents. When Ralph leaves his own game to win a medal and prove that he is more than a bad-guy, he gets more than he bargained for. After heading into the high-def first person shooter game “Hero’s Duty”, he is able to steal the hero’s medal but ends up taking one of the uncontrollable villains known as Cy-Bugs to the kart-racing game called “Sugar Rush”. This is where he meets the cutie Vanellope von Schweetz and get involved with helping her with her issue of being a glitch and her dream to race in the game. Of course, the ruler of the game, King Candy, has another plan. With the help of the lead character of “Hero’s Duty”, Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun and Fix-It Felix Jr., they set out to find Ralph and return him to his game before it is put out-of-order for good, as well as to prevent a Cy-Bug invasion of “Sugar Rush”.

I am huge fan of John C. Reilly. I love how he is able to range in roles from crazy TV series like Adult Swim’s “Check it Out” to kid friendly roles like this. To be honest though, I am not particularly a fan of either Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch but I am a fan now. They completely won me over in this film. Sarah was super-cute playing Vanellope von Schweetz and Jack McBrayer was a riot as Fix-It Felix, Jr. The all-star medal should definitely go to Alan Tudyk for stealing the show (and channeling his inner Mad Hatter) playing King Candy, from the game “Sugar Rush”.

The film is jam-packed with amazing video game cameos but it never becomes overwhelming. I felt that it was a nice balance of cameos and didn’t take anything away from the film. Some of them had speaking roles and some were just background. The best cameos were from characters like Ken, Ryu and Zangief from “Street Fighter”, who get some good laughs. Kano from “Mortal Kombat” gets his signature finishing move in. “Sonic the Hedgehog” has a small role as does the bartender from Tapper, which almost got me out of my chair laughing. Lastly Q*bert lands a few good lines as well (if you can call them that). Some of the non-speaking cameos are including Bowser from “Super Mario Bros”, Doctor Eggman from “Sonic the Hedgehog” and even Pac-Man. If you are looking for other types of product cameos you will find them in the game “Sugar Rush” ranging from very clever uses of Oreos, Devil Dogs, Mentos, Nestle Quik and Laffy Taffy. I have a feeling I will be repeating the following chant for months to come: OREOOOOOOOO….OREEEEEEEEEO! Once you see it you will know why.

When it comes to video games, music is always a very important factor. I absolutely loved the score by Henry Jackman, it captures the video game feel but also adding in the Disney flare. The Japanese girl group, AKB48, sings the super catchy theme song for the in-movie video game “Sugar Rush”. It will have you bouncing through the credit. Speaking of credits be sure to stick around for a brief “glitch” scene after the credits. Also if you have an iPhone, be sure to download the free game from Disney’s “Fix-It Felix, Jr.” It is tons of fun and makes you feel like you are in the movie. It will also get you saying “I’m Gonna Wreck-It” after everything you say! My wife loves it 😉

This film is accompanied by another wonderful short film by Disney called “Paperman”. It is one of the cutest short films that I have ever seen. It is wordless, presented in glorious black-and-white and packs a perfect score from Christophe Beck. The film is in 3D put contains some of the most beautiful hand-drawn animation mixed with the aspect of CG. I would recommend highly getting to the theater early to catch this for sure!

After “Tangled”, which is one of my favorites films (of all-time), I am glad that Walt Disney Animation Studios is successfully making films outside of just working with Pixar. “Frozen” is up next, which is a 3D animated musical based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen”. It features the voices of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel and is set for release on November 27, 2013. Count me in for sure!

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, ralph, review, wreckit

Film Review “Flight”

Starring: Denzel Washington, Bruce Greenwood and Don Cheadle
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hours 18 minutes
Paramount

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

It’s been almost four years since airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger landed his crippled jet safely on the Hudson River. Ever since that day, whenever I fly, I always wonder to myself if the pilot flying the plane I’m on could pull that landing off. Because when you think about it, when you’re 30,000 feet above the ground the ONLY person that can get you back down safely is the pilot. Whip Whitaker (Washington) is a former military pilot who is put into a life or death situation when the plane he’s piloting from Orlando to Atlanta suddenly begins plummeting to the ground. A hard task for anyone, to be sure. Especially when they’re drunk.

A powerful look inside the world of alcoholism, “Flight” uses the events before and after the aforementioned plane mishap to take the viewer on the rollercoaster ride that is Whip Whitaker’s life. Hailed as a hero for landing the plane in a field, Whip is then alarmed to learn that the blood test taken after the crash showed alcohol in his system. And cocaine. Scared straight for a few days Whip refuses to believe he’s an alcoholic. But as those around him try to protect him the demons in the bottle continue to undermine them.

In his first live-action film since “Cast Away” (which also had one hell of an on-screen plane crash), Robert Zemeckis has returned first class story telling. An Oscar winner for “Forrest Gump,” Zemeckis takes the camera into the lives of Whip Whitaker and the people who want to protect them. Chief among them is Nicole (Kelly Reilly), a former drug addict who finds herself in the same hospital as Whip after the crash. The two form a friendship/relationship but Kelly finds herself being drawn into Whip’s downward spiral. Both actors give strong performances, rivaling those of Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick in the classic Blake Edwards film “Days of Wine and Roses.” Other notable actors include Greenwood as head of the pilot union and Cheadle as the attorney engaged by the airline to protect Whip.

A film about much more than a plane crash, “Flight” is a sobering look inside a world often ignored in Hollywood.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, flight, review

Complimentary Passes to the Orlando, FL Screening for “The Sessions” [ENDED]

For your chance to receive event passes, log on to www.GOFOBO.com/RSVP
Enter RSVP code: MEDIAMWU1F
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Maitland, FL
Passes are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Based on the poignantly optimistic autobiographical writings of California-based journalist and poet Mark O’Brien, THE SESSIONS tells the story of a man confined to an iron lung who is determined–at age 38–to lose his virginity. With the help of his therapists and the guidance of his priest, he sets out to make his dream a reality.

Official Site: http://thesessionsmovie.com

Director: Ben Lewin
Cast: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy
Writers: Ben Lewin
In theaters: October 26th, 2012
Copyright © 2012 Fox Searchlight Pictures

Adam Scott, Amy Poehler & Mike Schur talk about this season of “Parks and Recreation”

Last week’s episode (October 25^th, 2012) of NBC’s Parks and Recreation managed to do something fairly rare in television these days with a genuine surprise for its audience. For those of you not caught up with your DVR, you may want to click away now.

Granted the episode was titled “Halloween Surprise” but viewers would be forgiven for thinking that Jerry’s “fart attack” was surprise enough. That was until Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) reappeared from his political travels to propose to Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) in their new home. It was heartfelt, funny, and definitely one of the series best moments. Poehler, Scott, and show creator and executive producer, Mike Schur, held a press conference to discuss this big development in Pawnee:

What the vibe was on set that day and what you all were feeling as you were shooting that scene?

Amy Poehler: When I read that scene I cried because I was so happy that I had my job at Parks and then I got to do that scene with Adam and that Mike Schur wrote it because I knew it would be great.

And it’s very rare, you know, as an actor when you read a scene and you know it’s going to be great, you can just kind of see it. And so when we were shooting the scene I was really excited that we were getting to do it because I was – had really just been looking forward to doing it.

And I was really happy for Leslie, so I think the mood on set was a really kind of joyous one. I know even though it was kind of a sweet scene I know Adam and I were really just happy to have such a well written scene to get to do.

And we care about our characters so we were kind of excited that this was happening for them.

Adam Scott: Yes, I feel the same way, I mean I also just kind of felt like, you know, this was a really big deal for all of us. I mean we of course are well aware that these are fictional characters that we are playing on television.

But I think we also want them to be happy and want them to be all right and we all care about them. I can say, speaking for myself that I care about them, you know, quite deeply and so, you know, knowing this scene was coming, you know, it was – maybe a little nervous about it but mostly just really happy about it.

And happy to be able to do it and happy for the characters and, you know, so the day we were doing it it was – it was like Amy said very kind of joyous but also there’s a real feeling that this was very special and we wanted it to be special for the fans and for he characters and we were all – it was exciting.

It’s so hard to keep a secret these days. So how did you guys all keep it under wraps?

Mike Schur: Well there’s a lot of things, you know. We were extra, extra, extra careful not to – when we shot outside and you know, and there’s may paparazzi lurking around, we always would hide Leslie’s engagement ring and although a couple shots of it did get snapped a while ago.

We titled the episode Halloween Surprise and then we built it around what you think is the surprise, which is that they – Leslie and Anne surprised Jerry and he has a devastating fart attack. So that was meant to sort of throw people off the scent.

And I don’t know, we just didn’t – we just tried to telegraph where we were going to much, you know…In the first four episodes we tried to build in, you know, that – like that Ben was having a good time and was working really hard at this job in Washington that he cared about.

But also that there were things about the job that sort of annoyed him, like that the politician that he was – the politician he was working for who was kind of a robot who didn’t really care about anything. And that was contrasted when he called Leslie at the end of that episode and she was so revved up and just wanted to just put boots on the ground and kind of – and fix this problem in her town.

And you saw on his face and in his delivery that he just liked that better, you know. So we just tried to – just not to telegraph in the storytelling where we were going but the goal is that once it happens you think back and you think, oh yes that makes perfect sense.

So it’s just very meticulous, you know, writing and re-writing and story breaking and a lot of discussions with the actors about, you know, where we’re going so that they know how to play different things and how to kind of give certain clues without giving everything away.

And then just, you know, asking everybody on our production staff not to leak stuff to the Internet.

Amy Poehler: And you know, the fans of the show are always – we have such great fans. And they – I think some of them kind of found out or dug deep and they were kind of excited to know but they also I think were respectful and kind of like keep things like, you know, like letting people know about spoilers and just kind of trying to keep it adrift because I think they were as excited as we were.

Mike Schur: Yes, it’s funny that you say that because I kind of snooped around yesterday before the episode aired and I saw that a lot of our fans had kind of called that it was actually maybe happening tonight…and they were, you know, really cool about it and not trying to spread it around and just kind of talking to each other and not wanting to like spoil it for others.

And I just kind of second that that we have the greatest fans of any show – I really just – we feel very, very lucky.

How connected is your staff in general to the internet?

Mike Schur: Well, I mean I’m – comparatively speaking I’m about to turn thirty seven and there’s a bunch of little whipper snappers on this writing staff and in the cast who are, you know, in their twenties. And I don’t understand anything they do.

There was a line that Leslie had in season two where she said ‘the thing about youth culture is I don’t understand it’. And that came right out of my brain because I don’t have any idea how these people, what they’re doing with their time.

I don’t understand it, it doesn’t make sense to me and I work out my own anxieties about the fact that I’m getting old by having young people do things that I don’t understand and then having Ron Swanson [played by Nick Offerman] scold them.

So, yes they’re incredibly connected, I mean it is absurd, the level to which twenty-five year-olds have merged with their electronic devices.

How much of an influence the supporting actors like Aziz Ansari (plays Tom Haverford) or Retta (as Donna) have over their characters?

Mike Schur: Well the story line last night [Donna live tweeted the Parks Department’s Halloween viewing of Death Canoe 4] obviously came out of real life because Retta has been doing this insane thing where she like live Tweet’s season two of Buffy and it’s hilarious, we all find it hilarious.

And so we just decided to work it into an episode. It’s a common theme on this show that we take aspects of the actor’s real life and kind of weave them into their characters and that seemed very much appropriate for Donna somehow.

So, you know, I think that – I think we do that with all the characters but maybe Aziz and Retta more than – and Nick [Offerman] I guess more than almost anybody else because they just do things in real life that we find funny and the writer’s room and then we try to find ways to work them in to their characters.

But that’s – everyone’s character has some aspect I would say of their real life persona. And it just seems funny to have Donna live Tweeting a terrible horror movie from 1986, so. It was also another extra in joke that the guy who complains to her about it was played by Joe Mande who’s one of our writer’s who is like – essentially lives on Twitter. So it was our little nod to the obsession with Twitter that exists in this – on the writing staff right now.

How are we going to see the proposal really impact the Parks Department?

Amy Poehler: Well, you know that no matter what Leslie will involve and include everyone in her plans all the time. This engagement will be said of everybody’s engagement.

Adam Scott: America’s engagement.

Were there ever any alternative ideas for Ben’s proposal?

Amy Poehler: I loved that the scene is about everything to come, you know. It’s an empty room, which is – which can be depressing in some respects for some people but in this context it was all about hostility, you know, that nothing had filled that room. That that room was empty and open and ready to be filled with like the future.

And it was really cool that Dean Holland our Director and Mike Schur picked that it happened in front of the fireplace of the empty room, which is just really nice because it was like warm but, I don’t know. I just loved that Leslie looked around to see what was around here and there was just this big empty room, which was like basically the idea, you know, it’s basically what happens when you’re thinking about committing to someone.

It’s just the future seems really wide and open and clean and so that ended up being what it was and I thought it was perfect. But were there other ideas?

Mike Schur: The original original idea was that he was going to sing ‘It’s Not Unusual’ by Tom Jones next to a white tiger.

Adam Scott: Which I was lobbying for.

Mike Schur: Yes, you were really into that. And then we kind of scaled it back, we decided, you know, let’s make it a little, you know, classier and kind of quieter.

Amy Poehler: We couldn’t get – we couldn’t get the rights to the song.

Mike Schur: We couldn’t get the rights or the white tiger so we just used – all right well maybe he just proposes, you know.

Adam Scott: Mike I told you I had a firm connection to both of those things I totally could have made it happen.

Mike Schur: If showing me pictures on the Internet of Siegfried and Roy’s Vegas show does not mean you have a firm connection to anything.

Adam Scott: That is exactly what that means.

New episodes of Parks and Recreation air Thursday at 9:30pm on NBC.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: amy, mike, poehler, schur

DVD Review “Steve Jobs The Lost Interview”

Actors: Steve Jobs, Robert X. Cringely
Directors: Paul Sen
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: October 23, 2012
Run Time: 72 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

Steve Jobs is a man like Walt Disney. He is a visionary that left us way too early. Like Disney himself, I am sure people said “I could only have imagined the things he would have thought up”. Luckily, Jobs’ legacy will live on like Disney’s himself. “Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview” is a 70 minute intimate chat with the man behind so many great things like Apple and Pixar. What is most interesting about this is that it was conducted way before he took over Apple and made it what it is today. It is fascinating to listen to Jobs talk about the future, knowing what how it turned out. This was lost for 17 years and now thanks to Magnolia Home Entertainment we get a chance to behind-the-scenes to the early days with the late and great Steve Jobs.

Official Premise: In this candid, in-depth interview with the late visionary filmed in 1995, Steve Jobs discusses at length his early days, career battles, and vision for the future. Small portions of the piece were used for a television series at the time, but the vast majority was shelved and for 17 years thought to be lost. Resurfacing, it is being presented in its entirety, providing a fascinating look at Jobs at a particularly interesting moment in his career, two years before he would go on to retake control of Apple

The special features included on this DVD are quite impressive for a lost documentary. This is not a memorial on his life, it is justlost interview. So if you are looking for a life-story, then you are looking in the wrong place. On the topic of the interview, there is a wonderful additional hour long interview with Andy Hertzfeld, the original Macintosh programmer at Apple. It is a must-watch! There is an audio only interview with writer/presenter Robert X. Cringley, which is conducted by producer of this film, John Gau. Lastly there is a commentary track also included over the interview with Robert X. Cringley and director/producer Paul Sen. Each feature is better than the next and will leave you 100% satisfied.

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Blu-ray Review “Take This Waltz”

Starring: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, Sarah Silverman
Director: Sarah Polley
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 23, 2012
Run Time: 116 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Take This Waltz is an unique little film. It is directed by Sarah Polley (2004’s “Dawn of the Dead”) and pacts a great cast including Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman. The film has a bit of romances as well as some tear-jerker moments, which is a rare aspect for Rogen but he is great in the role. The film is not perfect and runs way to long for my taste. If this was 90 mins it would have been a lot tighter. Nontheless, it is definitely worth a watch if you are a fan of its cast if for nothing else. Leave it to Magnolia Pictures to deliver another indie gem that otherwise probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day.

Official Premise: Michelle Williams stars in this bittersweet romance as a married woman tempted by her new neighbour. After five years of marriage to her loving husband Lou (Seth Rogen), freelance writer Margot (Williams) finds herself drawn to her new rickshaw-driving-artist neighbour, Daniel (Luke Kirby). On discovering that the attraction is mutual, she rapidly finds herself torn between her head and her heart, as she attempts to place the two men in her life in perspective, while increasingly succumbing to the infatuations brought on by her new admirer.

Magnolia, as always, has delivered a sharp 1080p transfer. The colors are sharp and it still manages to keep its indie look and feel. The film also packs an impressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which works well for the scale of the film. The special features are decent but fall a little short. The main star of the stars is “Making of Take This Waltz”, which is a 40 minutes behind-the-scenes look into the production. It features some decent interviews with Polley and the cast. There is also a standard EPK extra called “AXS TV: A Look at Take This Waltz”, which is more red carpet footage and runs only 5 minutes. Lastly included is theatrical trailer.

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DVD Review “The Ghostmaker”

Actors: Aaron Dean Eisenberg, Liz Fenning, J. Walter Holland, Jared Grey, Domiziano Arcangeli
Directors: Mauro Borrelli
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
DVD Release Date: November 13, 2012
Run Time: 91 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

With Halloween ending now, my urge to watch horror will seriously begin to curb, especially bad horror. “The Ghostmaker” is a different kind of horror movie though, with a unique story that is inspired by true events! I love the whole mechinical aspect of the film and the visual effects are even quite decent for a low-budget flick. The cover of the box though is a little misleading since the Reaper is made to make this look like a slasher flick but it is much more. This is not your typical horror flick and I would actually recommend this to all genre fans.

Official Premise: A group of friends discover an ancient coffin equipped with a strange mechanism that allows them to experience the world as a ghost. While their first attempt into the spirit world is innocent, the coffin soon brings out their most dangerous impulses and desires. As they are being pulled into a world of evil by the reaper they soon discover there’s a thin line between good and evil.

The special features on the DVD are quite impressive. There is commentary track from the director Mauro Borrelli and producers Ed Polgardy and Scott Rudolph. It is a little slow moving but I thought it was a nice companion if you enjoyed the film like myself. There is a decent look behind-the-scenes lookig into the makingt of “The Ghostmaker” called “Behind the Box”. There are a few deleted scenes here but nothing to call home about. Lastly there is a trailer gallery for other Lionsgate films.

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DVD Review “Chilly Christmas”

Actors: C. Thomas Howell, Tom Arnold, Karan Brar, Brooke Langton
Directors: Gregory Poppen
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
DVD Release Date: November 6, 2012
Run Time: 84 minutes

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

When it comes to this direct-to-video or TV family Christmas movies, they are usually not the greatest pieces of film cinema every released. “Chilly Christmas” is actually cute, not the best Christmas film over but still worth checking out. Kids will definitely enjoy the humor and heart in the film. After recently watching C. Thomas Howell in “The Amazing Spider-Man”, I am not a big fan of him right now. Tom Arnold is not really used to his potential in this. But the real appeal for me is the kids, they are funny and strong characters. The dog is also very cute. The story like most of these are cheesy but overall cute. Besides the film though this DVD does not come with special features included. But in the end, “Chilly Christmas” does end up spreading a little Christmas cheer and joy to get you in the mood for this holiday season.

Official Premise: “Chilly Christmas” follows 11-year-old Bobby Cole, his detective dad (C. Thomas Howell), and their lovable-but-destructive pooch, Chilly, who live together in Sunshine Beach, California. When Bobby’s father is offered a job promotion in New York City, Bobby is thrilled for him – but his excitement quickly turns to heartbreak when he realizes he may have to say goodbye to Chilly, who is too rambunctious to live in a tiny city apartment! Desperate not to leave Chilly behind, Bobby and his friends try to acclimate him to city living (including using the toilet and a treadmill!). But, while the Coles prepare Chilly for the Big Apple, trouble begins brewing in their own backyard when a dog-napper (Tom Arnold) and his crew suddenly show up in Sunshine Beach, hot on Chilly’s tail! It’s up to Detective Cole, Bobby and Chilly to stop the thieves in their tracks and keep their family together for the holiday season – and for good!

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: chilly, christmas, dvd, review

3D Blu-ray Review “Brave”

Actors: Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane
Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Number of discs: 5
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Run Time: 93 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 5 out of 5 stars

“Brave” is, so far, this year’s #1 animated movie. This is also Pixar Animation Studio’s 13th consecutive hit. Merida has really earned herself a place as one of the respected Disney Princess quite quickly. This film isn’t your typical Disney/Pixar collaboration, since I felt it was a bit darker but it is definitely one that sticks with you and gets better with each viewing. Brenda Chapman has only directed “The Prince of Egypt” before this film. While “Brave” is Mark Andrews first feature film. I look forward to see what they two are going to do after “Brave”. This release is a 5-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition, including a Blu-ray 3D + 2 Blu-ray Discs + 1 DVD + 1 Digital Copy. This release really has something for everyone and this is definitely a must buy for any family fans of Disney this Holiday season.

Official Premise: Set in the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland, Disney Pixar’s Brave follows the heroic journey of Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald), a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to change her fate, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane), unleashing chaos in the kingdom. When she turns to an eccentric Witch (voice of Julie Walters), she is granted an ill-fated wish and the ensuing peril forces Merida to harness all of her resources including her mischievous triplet brothers to undo a beastly curse and discover the meaning of true bravery.

When I saw this film in theaters, I liked it but really didn’t love it. I thought the 3D wasn’t really used to its best advantage but that changed on this Blu-ray. I thought the 3D really popped and added a lot of depth to the film. I also really enjoyed the character of Merida more and her journey. I was also very impressed with Disney’s Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio track, which was perfect with the action and the score. Also I was shocked with the fact that the short “La Luna” is actually available in 3D like it was in theaters. It is rare that there is 3D content available on the home release, besides the film. The theatrical short is also available in 2D on the standard BLu-ray and DVD. The short follows a young boy on his first night working the family business alongside his father and grandfather. It is very sweet and one of my favorite Pixar shorts to date.

The rest of the special features are found on the Blu-ray with the 2D version of the film. “The Legend of Mor’du” is a brand new short film, which delve deeper into the legend behind Mordu and is told by the witch who transformed him. “Brave Old World” is a feature about the production team investigating Scotland and planning to make this film unique. “Merida & Elinor” goes into depth on the mother and daughter relationship. “Bears” is a look inside the art and design behind these furry stars. “Brawl in the Hall” is a in-depth look into the animation and even the choreography for the funny battle scene. “Wonder Moss” focuses on how the technical aspects were used by the Pixar artists of Scotland. “Magic” focuses on the magic and mystery used from the Scottish legends. “Clan Pixar” is a feature on how the Brave production crew really embraced the Scottish themes throughout the film’s production. “Once Upon A Scene” looks into how certain key scenes were made including alternative openings and also extended and deleted scenes. Lastly there is a director commentary track from Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman. Fans of the film should definitely enjoy this track, not for the kiddies though.

The second standard Blu-ray includes special features only. “Fergus & Mor’du” is an alternate opening for “Brave” and is narrated by the film’s director Mark Andrews. “Fallen Warriors” is a montage of deleted shots from the film in various stages of completion also narrated by director Mark Andrews. “Dirty Hairy People” is a focus on created Brave’s Scots including their design of their hair, attire, etc. “It is English…Sort Of” helps fans to understand some of the Scottish lines and sayings in the film. “Angus” is a focus on Merida’s friend, Angus aka the mighty Clydesdale. “The Tapestry” gives fans a look into the story of the embroidered emblem of family unity. “Promotional Pieces” includes clips for including: ‘Feast Yer Eyes,’ ‘Relics,’ ‘Clan DunBroch,’ ‘Launch,’ and more. There is a art gallery including many breathtaking images from the film. “Wee Gaffes” is there a montage of animation scenes and bloopers. Lastly, “Renaissance Animation Man” looks into directors Mark Andrews’ love of Scottish culture.

DVD Review “Outlaw Brothers (1990)”

Actors: Frankie Chan, Ken Boyle, Anthony Carpio
Director: Frankie Chan
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Weinstein Company
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Run Time: 102 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

With all the special effects in films these days it is rare to see classic martial arts films. If rare that action films don’t have any CGI. “Outlaw Brothers” definitely scream 1990 action but still is just raw and out-the-top fun. There is classic car stunts and also some fast and furious martial arts. The reason for this is that the legendary Jackie Chan is behind the action direction in this film. It is also directed by Frankie Chan, who is very well respected as well.

“Outlaw Brothers” is an action-packed film follows the exploits of two car thieves, and the butt-kicking female police officer who is on their trail. Add in drug smugglers and choreographed fight scenes with brooms, fans, wrenches, and knives to make this a turbo-charged, high-octane, martial arts action film.

The DVD itself shows a little age in its transfer. It was obviously not restored for this release, but it still looks decent for its age and this isn’t Blu-ray. So a little bit of noise is expect here. The film also includes both a Chinese and English audio tracks. Honestly, I really enjoyed the English track…since it was so bad it was good. There are no special features included besides the film. There is not even a trailer. Would have loved to seen some behind-the-scenes featurettes on the stunts and martial arts. Nonetheless, fans of Chan and classic action films should not miss this.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 1990, brothers, dvd, outlaw, review

Eddie Mekka talks about “Laverne and Shirley” and his appearance at the 31st Omaha Film Event

Massachusetts born Eddie Mekka didn’t follow a dream to show business. He followed his heart. Smitten with a young lady in high school he followed her to Boston. Within five years he had appeared on Broadway, scored a Tony Award nomination and headed to Hollywood.

Best known as Carmine Ragusa (The Big Ragu) on television’s “Laverne and Shirley,” Mekka continues to sing and dance. He just completed a production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” where he played both the narrator and Eddie and will next be seen as Pseudolus in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” This Friday, November 2, he will be appearing with his “Laverne and Shirley” co-star Cindy Williams at a special screening of “American Graffiti” in Omaha, Nebraska. The screening, the 31st Omaha Film Event produced by Bruce Crawford, will benefit the Nebraska Kidney Association. For more information, click here http://www.omahafilmevent.com/upcoming.htm

While enjoying a rare travel break at his Las Vegas home Mr. Mekka took the time to talk with Media Mikes about his career.

Mike Smith: What inspired you to pursue musical theater?
Eddie Mekka: When I was a senior in high school I kind of fell in love with a girl. She went on to study at the Boston Conservatory of Music so I followed her there and got a scholarship. I was taking voice at the Conservatory. Dinner theatres were big in Massachusetts and I attended a performance of “Hello, Dolly.” Afterwards I asked around as to how you got into something like this. The theaters were Equity houses and they told me you had to be a member of Actor’s Equity. I asked how you got into Equity and they said I had to be in a show. How does anybody get in? (laughs) They told me I could work as an apprentice and earn points. Or if someone just decided they wanted to hire you then you join the union and pay your money (dues). So I went back to the theater a few days later and gave them my photo and resume’. One of the other dinner theaters was doing the show “Promises Promises” and somebody got sick. Rather than go all the way back to New York City to audition a new actor they auditioned me there and I got the job. I quit school and that night I went into the show. I did the show for eight months. Most of the actors in the show were from New York City and when the show ended they told me to go to New York. And that’s what I did. I drove a cab and studied hard and started getting into Broadway shows. I got a Tony nomination as Best Actor, headed to Hollywood and in three days I got “Laverne and Shirley!” That’s the long and the short of it!

MS: Wow! That’s the story you never hear. It’s always “I washed dishes for 10 years.”
EM: Well in New York I did drive a cab as well as help clean up at a dance studio. After two years I started teaching dancing. In fact, there were people who had graduated with degrees in Dance from the Boston Conservatory who became my students.

MS: Since you highlighted you dancing, I’ve noticed that in a lot of your on screen appearances….be it “Laverne and Shirley” or “A League of Their Own”…you always manage to work a few dance steps in. Of all of your talents is that your favorite?
EM: I’ve always been a song and dance man…Gene Kelly…Tony Bennett…I’m from the old fashioned school where you had to learn how to sing and dance and act and be funny. You couldn’t just walk onto a television program overnight and then learn how to act. I’m from the old school where you had to learn it all first. Then you go out into the world and pay your dues. You did it the right way…that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Because once they find out you can do something special…that you can sing and dance…they try to incorporate that into your role. Besides, I love dancing. As long as I can walk I can dance and as long as I can talk I can sing.

MS: You earned a Tony Award nomination as Best Actor in a Musical for your performance in “The Lieutenant.” You’ve also appeared in shows like “Grease” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Do you prefer musical theater to film or television?

EM: I prefer the theater artistically. I prefer the others as far as it being a business, making money and getting recognition. There’s no fooling people in the theater. You get on stage and you’ve gotta be good. There’s no faking it. People don’t care how cute you are – they want to be entertained. You don’t get two chances to get it right. You learn the whole script from beginning to end and that’s how you do it. There’s no “CUT.” There’s no switching with a double to make you look good. The theater is honest and there’s no fooling it. And when you take your curtain call at the end you feel absorbed. You’ve done something. And you have to do it again the next day. But not the same way because each audience is different. You actually have to be on your toes. You have to listen and see what they’re laughing at from the very beginning…what the audience is responding to. A lot of the fun of live theater is judging the audience. You just don’t go up there, say your lines then go home and take the money. It’s an art. It’s an art of communication. And in that respect I like it. In television and film you get paid ten times more and do ten times less work. Go figure.

MS: You mentioned that when casting people find out an actor’s talents they try to work them into the character. Was Carmine’s singing and dancing an original part of the character or something you developed with the directors?
EM: It came about through Garry Marshall, who created “Laverne and Shirley” as well as “Happy Days,” which is where Garry first introduced “Laverne and Shirley.” When he cast the show he was looking for a wise-guy Italian. I had just come out from Broadway and an agent I met with was looking at me through her hand. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was trying to see what I looked like on television. I said why not just give me a screen test. She said “it doesn’t work that way, Sonny.” Actors are products. If we don’t know our products we can’t sell them. I told her that someone had told me she was a ballsy lady…that I thought we could have done business together. I shook her hand and left. She was having dinner with a friend of hers from Paramount that night and the friend told her she was helping cast a new show called “Laverne and Shirley” and they were looking for a third character named Carmine…sort of a wise guy Italian. She told her about this guy who had just left her office and her friend said, “bring him in!” I went in the next day and auditioned. That night I did a screen test along with a lot of other “Carmines.” They were also looking at a lot of other “Shirleys.” At first Cindy didn’t want to do it…she had just finished “American Graffiti.” Anyway, during a taping of “Happy Days” Garry Marshall addressed the audience and informed them they were going to see a scene with some new characters. We came on, did the scene and the audience loved it. Garry Marshall told us, “we’ve got a show!” As the show progressed Garry sat down with me and asked me “what else can you do?” I told him I could sing and dance. “Yeah…let’s see.” The following week in the show Laverne tells Carmine that she’s trying to get Shirley to jump out a bachelor cake for the Fonz. I tell her that I can’t get Shirley to do anything but “she’s a sucker for my Tony Bennett (in a perfect Bennett impersonation) YOU KNOW I GO FROM RAGS TO RICHES!” The audience applauded and that was it.

MS: Besides “Laverne and Shirley” you’ve worked several times on stage with Cindy Williams (“Grease,” “It Had to Be You”). Is it easier working with someone you’re so familiar with?
EM: Oh yes. When we did “Grease” we shared the same bus. She had the suite in the front and I had the one in the back. We really go to know each other. On “Laverne and Shirley” we really didn’t talk much, except on set. We didn’t really socialize. It wasn’t until we did “Grease” that we became great friends. We just spent 10 weeks in Canada doing a play called “Sylvia.” And we did a show for 6 weeks the previous year. Our timing now is perfect…it gels. We work really good together.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: 31st, appearance, eddie, event, film, laverne, ...

3D Blu-ray Review “The Universe in 3D”

The History Channel
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E HOME VIDEO
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Run Time: 132 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

When The History Channel released “The Universe: 7 Wonders of the Solar System 3D”, I enjoyed it very much but was left wanting much more. Well my prayers have been answered (mostly). This release includes the first three episodes of season 6, which was produced in 3D. With 7 episodes produced for season 6, I have a feeling we are going to see a few more volumes of “The Universe in 3D”. Not to be mention if the 7 episodes of season 7 were also produced in 3D (or even converted). The History Channel is also releasing “History in 3D” the same day on 3D Blu-ray. o there should be no shortage of 3D history learning in November of 2012.

Official Premise: Take an exhilarating, unprecedented 3D tour of the Universe in this amazing set. The planets of our solar system have experienced epic catastrophes throughout their long history, both raining down from outside and bubbling up from within. We’ll voyage back in time to investigate the violent events that profoundly shaped the planets, including earth itself. We’ll witness stunning revelations about what transformed Mars into a barren, hostile desert…The disaster that changed Venus from temperate to hellish…The impact that blew away Mercury’s mantle, turning it into a planetary core…A colossal disturbance that rearranged the orbits of the gas giants…Titanic impacts on Jupiter…And how a lost moon may finally explain Saturn’s rings. Explore the history of our planets for the first time in spectacular 3-D!

The episode included are “Catastrophes that Changed the Planets”, “Nemesis: The Sun’s Evil Twin” and
“How the Solar System was Made”. If you are not a fan of 3D (despite how amazing these look), these are also available on the previously released “The Universe: Season 6” but in 2D only and have been released released in 3D. The 1080p transfers on these episodes are stunning. Since the show is mostly computer-generated, you can expect some amazing 3D effects. I can’t wait to see what “The History Channel has planned next for this series. Still one of my favorites and its trip into the third dimension has only sealed the deal for me. Besides these three episodes though, there is no other special features included on this release.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 3d, bluray, review, universe

3D Blu-ray Review “History in 3D”

The History Channel
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E HOME VIDEO
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Run Time: 179 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

When I first heard that this release was coming out I was very excited to get some new 3D specials from The History Channel. When I found out that this was just a collection of previously released Blu-ray’s, I was a little disappointed. The Blu-ray’s included are “History of the World in Two Hours”, “Titanic 100 Years in 3D” and “WWII in 3D”. These specials are still very impressive and makes this set a must own (of course, if you don’t already own them individually). “History in 3D” also comes with a nice lenticular cover. The History Channel is also releasing “The Universe in 3D” Blu-ray set as well on the same day. So hopefully, they will continue this trend in the future.

“History of the World in Two Hours”: From the formation of the earth and the emergence of life, to the advance of man and the growth of civilization, the CGI-driven History of the World in Two Hours in 3D offers viewers a rapid-fire view of 14 billion years of history.

Titanic 100 Years in 3D”: In 2010, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and RMS Titanic, Inc. undertook an unprecedented expedition to document the entire wreck site and capture it all with high-resolution optical video, sonar, acoustic imaging, and 3D-HD video. Titanic: 100 Years in 3D pairs this stunning imagery with powerful untold stories of passengers and crew.

“WWII in 3D”: Creates a fully immersive portrait of history’s largest and bloodiest conflict. From the rise of the Nazis and their sweep across Europe to the Allied counterattack and the fall of Nazi Germany, dramatic moments were captured in 3D and then shuttered away in secret archives. Compiled here for the first time, are 3D color photos from Allied reconnaissance, images documenting the rise and fall of the Third Reich, photos secretly taken by a civilian in occupied France and more.

I think my favorite of the three is still “WWII in 3D”. I feel that it has the most bang for its buck. It also included original 3D content from the days of the Third Reich. “History of the World in Two Hours” still feels like it doesn’t cover enough in its 90 minutes (not two hours technically). The 3D on all these three specials are very impressive though, especially with their 1080p transfers. These specials have never aired on TV, at least not in 3D. So if you are a fan of The History Channel, I highly recommend these. Lastly, like the previous individual releases there are no additional special features included.

WWII in 3D”

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 3d, bluray, history, review

Disney to Buy Lucasfilm for $4.05 Billion; “Star Wars: Episode VII” Slated for 2015

DISNEY TO ACQUIRE LUCASFILM LTD.

Global leader in high-quality family entertainment agrees to acquire

world-renowned Lucasfilm Ltd, including legendary STAR WARS franchise.

Acquisition continues Disney’s strategic focus on creating and monetizing the world’s best branded content, innovative technology and global growth to drive long-term shareholder value.

Lucasfilm to join company’s global portfolio of world class brands including

Disney, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel and ABC.

STAR WARS: EPISODE 7 feature film targeted for release in 2015.

Burbank, CA and San Francisco, CA, October 30, 2012 – Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.

Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.

“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and “evergreen” Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.

Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney’s global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.

The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.

Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm’s legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world’s top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney’s strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.

The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney’s very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company’s unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney’s portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company’s ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world’s highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.

The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.

Note: Additional information and comments from Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, and Jay Rasulo, senior executive vice president and CFO, The Walt Disney Company, regarding Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, are attached.

Investor Conference Call:

An investor conference call will take place at approximately 4:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. PDT today, October 30, 2012. To listen to the Webcast, turn your browser to http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/investors/events or dial in domestically at (888) 771-4371 or internationally at (847) 585-4405. For both dial-in numbers, the participant pass code is 33674546.

The discussion will be available via replay on the Disney Investor Relations website through November 13, 2012 at 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST.

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, interactive media, and consumer products. Disney is a Dow 30 company with revenues of over $40 billion in its Fiscal Year 2011.

About Lucasfilm Ltd.

Founded by George Lucas in 1971, Lucasfilm is a privately held, fully-integrated entertainment company. In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, the company’s global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual-effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucas Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm’s entertainment properties; Lucasfilm Animation; and Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm’s entertainment properties and businesses. Additionally, Lucasfilm Singapore, produces digital animated content for film and television, as well as visual effects for feature films and multi-platform games. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain statements in this communication and the attachments may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements relate to a variety of matters, including but not limited to: the operations of the businesses of Disney and Lucasfilm separately and as a combined entity; the timing and consummation of the proposed merger transaction; the expected benefits of the integration of the two companies; the combined company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical fact. These statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Disney and Lucasfilm regarding future events and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Neither Disney nor Lucasfilm undertakes any obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such differences may result from a variety of factors, including but not limited to:

legal or regulatory proceedings or other matters that affect the timing or ability to complete the transactions as contemplated;
the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully;
the possibility of disruption from the merger making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships;
the possibility that the merger does not close, including but not limited to, due to the failure to satisfy the closing conditions;
any actions taken by either of the companies, including but not limited to, restructuring or strategic initiatives (including capital investments or asset acquisitions or dispositions);
developments beyond the companies’ control, including but not limited to: changes in domestic or global economic conditions, competitive conditions and consumer preferences; adverse weather conditions or natural disasters; health concerns; international, political or military developments; and technological developments.

Additional factors that may cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Disney for the year ended October 1, 2011, under the heading “Item 1A—Risk Factors,” and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Disney.

ROBERT A. IGER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

REMARKS FOR ANALYSTS REGARDING DISNEY’S ACQUISITION OF LUCASFILM LTD.

As we just announced, The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm and its world class portfolio of creative content – including the legendary Star Wars franchise – along with all of its operating businesses, including Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound.

George Lucas is a visionary, an innovator and an epic storyteller – and he’s built a company at the intersection of entertainment and technology to bring some of the world’s most unforgettable characters and stories to screens across the galaxy. He’s entertained, inspired, and defined filmmaking for almost four decades and we’re incredibly honored that he has entrusted the future of that legacy to Disney.

Disney has had a great relationship with George that goes back a long way – with Star Wars theme attractions in our parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo. This acquisition builds on that foundation and combines two of the strongest family entertainment brands in the world. It makes sense, not just because of our brand compatibility and previous success together, but because Disney respects and understands – better than just about anyone else – the importance of iconic characters and what it takes to protect and leverage them effectively to drive growth and create value.

Lucasfilm fits perfectly with Disney’s strategic priorities. It is a sustainable source of branded, high quality creative content with tremendous global appeal that will benefit all of Disney’s business units and is incredibly well suited for new business models, including digital platforms. Adding the Lucasfilm IP to our existing Disney, Pixar and Marvel IP clearly enhances our ability to serve consumers, strengthening our competitive position — and we are confident we can earn a return on invested capital well in excess of our cost of capital.

Star Wars in particular is a strong global brand, and one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with hundreds of millions of fans around the globe. Its universe of more than 17,000 characters inhabiting several thousand planets spanning 20,000 years offers infinite inspiration and opportunities – and we’re already moving forward with plans to continue the epic Star Wars saga.

The last Star Wars movie release was 2005’s Revenge of the Sith – and we believe there’s substantial pent up demand. In 2015, we’re planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 – the first feature film under the “Disney-Lucasfilm” brand. That will be followed by Episodes 8 and 9 – and our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years. We’re very happy that George Lucas will be creative consultant on our new Star Wars films and that Kathleen Kennedy, the current Co-Chair of Lucasfilm, will executive produce. George handpicked Kathy earlier this year to lead Lucasfilm into the future. She’ll join Disney as President of Lucasfilm, reporting into Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn and integrating and building the Star Wars franchise across our company.

Our successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel prove Disney’s unique ability to grow brands and expand high-quality creative content to its fullest franchise potential and maximum value.

We’ve leveraged Pixar’s terrific characters and stories into franchises across our company – from feature films to consumer products online games, major attractions in our theme parks, and more.

The 2006 Pixar acquisition delivered more than great Pixar content — it also delivered the means to energize and revitalize the creative engine at Walt Disney Animation – which was crucial to our long term success. Animation is the heart and soul of Disney and our successful creative resurgence will be on full display this weekend when Wreck-It-Ralph opens in theaters across the country.

Our acquisition of Marvel three years later combined Marvel’s strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters with Disney’s creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and an integrated business structure that maximizes the value of creative content across multiple platforms and territories. Our first two Marvel films – Thor and Captain America grossed a total of more than $800 million at the box office. This year, Marvel’s The Avengers grossed more than $1.5 billion to become the world’s third highest grossing movie of all time – and an important and lucrative franchise for us.

We’re looking forward to a robust slate of new Marvel movies – starting with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World next year, followed by Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014. And, as we announced previously, Joss Whedon is writing and directing Avengers 2 and developing a Marvel-based series for ABC.

Pixar and Marvel both fit our criteria for strategic acquisitions – they add great IP that benefits multiple Disney businesses for years to come, and continue to create value well in excess of their purchase price. The acquisition of Lucasfilm is in keeping with this proven strategy for success and we expect it to create similar opportunity for Disney to drive long-term value for our shareholders.

We’re clearly excited about this move forward. We believe we can do great things with these amazing assets….we have a proven track record of maximizing the value of our strategic acquisitions…. and we’re poised to do the same with this one.

JAY RASULO, SENIOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CFO, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

REMARKS FOR ANALYSTS REGARDING DISNEY’S ACQUISITION OF LUCASFILM LTD.

Lucasfilm, and more specifically the Star Wars franchise, fits perfectly within the Disney portfolio of intellectual properties and the strategic and financial implications of this acquisition are compelling. Our team has spent a tremendous amount of time evaluating this deal and we have concluded we are uniquely positioned to maximize the value of Lucasfilm’s IP in a manner that can generate substantial value for our shareholders above and beyond the purchase price.

In this transaction we will acquire rights to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, a highly talented and expert team, Lucasfilm’s best-in-class post production businesses, Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound, and a suite of cutting edge entertainment technologies. Our valuation focused almost entirely on the financial potential of the Star Wars franchise, which we expect to provide us with a stream of storytelling opportunities for years to come delivered via all relevant platforms on a global basis.

There are a number of ways our company will derive value from Lucasfilm’s intellectual property—some of which can be realized immediately while others will accrue to us over time. George and his team have built Star Wars into one of the most successful and enduring family entertainment franchises in history, as well as one of the best selling licensed character merchandise brands in the U.S. and around the world. However, we believe there is great opportunity to further expand the consumer products business. Today, Star Wars is heavily skewed toward toys and North America. We see great opportunity domestically to extend the breadth and depth of the Star Wars franchise into other categories. We also plan to leverage Disney’s global consumer products organization to grow the Star Wars consumer products business internationally.

Let me note that in 2012 Lucasfilm’s consumer products business is expected to generate total licensing revenue that is comparable to the roughly $215 million in consumer products revenue Marvel generated in 2009, the year in which we announced our acquisition. With renewed film releases, and the support we can give the Star Wars property on our Disney-branded TV channels, we expect that business to grow substantially and profitably for many years to come.

We also expect to create significant value in the film business. We plan to release the first new Star Wars film in 2015, and then plan to release one film every two to three years. These films will be released and distributed as part of our target slate of 8-10 live-action films per year, and will augment Disney’s already strong creative pipeline for many years to come. Lucasfilm has not released a Star Wars film since Revenge of the Sith in 2005. However, adjusted for inflation, as well as growth in both international box office and 3D, we estimate the three most recent Star Wars films would have averaged about $1.5 billion in global box office in today’s dollars. This speaks to the franchise’s strength, global appeal and the great opportunity we have in the film business.

We also expect to utilize Star Wars in other businesses including Parks & Resorts, in games and in our television business. These initiatives were also considered in our valuation.

Under the terms of the agreement, Disney will buy Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, consisting of approximately fifty percent cash and fifty percent in Disney stock. Based on Friday’s closing price of Disney stock, we expect to issue approximately 40 million Disney shares in this transaction. We continue to believe our shares are attractively priced at current levels and therefore, we currently intend to repurchase all of the shares issued within the next two years– and that’s in addition to what we planned to repurchase in the absence of the transaction.

Our valuation of Lucasfilm is roughly comparable to the value we placed on Marvel when we announced that acquisition in 2009. Our Lucasfilm valuation is almost entirely driven by the Star Wars franchise, so any success from other franchises would provide upside to our base case. I realize it may be a challenge for you to quantify our opportunity given the limited amount of publicly available information. But to give you some perspective on the size of the Lucasfilm business– in 2005, the year in which the most recent Star Wars film was released, Lucasfilm generated $550 million in operating income. We’ve taken a conservative approach in our valuation assumptions, including continued erosion of the home entertainment market, and we expect this acquisition to create value for our shareholders.

In terms of the impact on our financials, we expect the acquisition to be dilutive to our EPS by low single digit percentage points in fiscal 2013 and 2014 and become accretive to EPS in 2015.

Our capital allocation philosophy has been consistent since Bob took over as CEO. In addition to returning capital to shareholders, we have invested, both organically and through acquisitions, in high quality, branded content that can be seamlessly leveraged across our businesses. Our acquisition of Lucasfilm is entirely consistent with this strategy, and we’re incredibly excited by the prospect of building on Lucasfilm’s successful legacy to create significant value for our shareholders.

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Filed Under: Featured, Film Headlines Tagged With: 405, billion, buy, disney, lucasfilm, movie, ...

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Page 20 of 118

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