The Book of Life Sequel Could be Right Around the Corner

The 2014 animation, The Book of Life, is still one of the most unique and unconventional cartoons in cinematic history. The Jorge R. Gutierrez film was renowned for its gorgeous visuals and heart-warming plot, which took viewers into a number of different fantasy worlds. It has been revealed that the story is not over, and the director has ideas which could take place over at least two sequels. So, what could happen in the next instalment, and will it have the same magical feel of the first?

The Book of Life was not up there in scale with some of the huge Pixar films like Toy Story or Finding Nemo, but for a film from an independent animation studio, it was a massive success. The 2014 offering was made by Reel FX Creative Studios, who had only created two films – Cirque du Soleil: World’s Away and Free Birds – prior to its release. The animated adventure, which makes use of wooden figure characters, had some big-name producers, including Guillermo Del Toro. This helped it to gain attention and reach large audiences.

The theme of The Book of Life is well-known, and this is one of the main factors that helped it attract audiences. It takes place during the Day of the Dead, a famous Mexican holiday to celebrate those who have passed on to another realm of existence. While not as ubiquitous as holidays like Halloween, the Mexican festival is prevalent in popular culture. For instance, the Day of the Dead slot is one of the most popular fruit slots at MagicalVegas.com. And the classic video game character Grim Fandango was based on the Mexican holiday, with the main character resembling a skeleton.

The Book of Life centres on Manolo Sanchez and Joaquin Mondragon as they compete for the love of Maria Posada. In the end, Manolo and Maria are happily married, and Joaquin resolves to be a true hero without the need for the Medal of Everlasting Life which had been given to him by Xibalba. The 2014 film finished off Manolo’s arc with a satisfying end, but there is still potential to revisit some of the other characters and see what happens to them.

Gutierrez said that he wants the sequel to focus on Joaquin as the central protagonist, and to explore his relationship with his father. If he was to make a third film, this one would have Maria as its primary focus. Indeed, the 44-year-old claimed that he always envisioned it as being a trilogy. In 2017, it was announced that work on the second instalment had begun, but distributer 20th Century Fox is yet to reveal a release date for the film.

If Gutierrez manages to recapture the charm of the original, while also delivering the amazing visuals, the Book of Life sequel is sure to be a stunning creation. And with the Day of the Dead becoming even more popular as a worldwide holiday, the new film is likely to pull in large audiences.

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Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: book, corner, life, sequel

“Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel” book nominated for Rondo Hatton Award


“Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel,” a book written by Media Mikes co-founder Michael A. Smith, with Louis R. Pisano, has been nominated in the category BOOK OF THE YEAR for the 17th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards.

The Rondo Awards have recognized, since 2002, the very best in film, television and publishing in the field of Classic Horror.

“Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel,” was initially published in 2015. However, Smith spent two years after its publication finding more behind the scenes photos and tracking down more members of the crew to tell their story about working on the Hollywood Sequel that launched the constant stream of films we have today.

The nominated book is a limited (to 1000 copies) signed and numbered edition, with the majority of the photos and images posted in color.

If you would like to vote for the book, send an email HERE and tell them you’d like to vote for the JAWS 2 book for Book of the Year. If you would like to order a copy, please click HERE.

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Filed Under: Books, Film Headlines Tagged With: 2, award, book, hatton, hollywood, jaws, ...

Anthrax and Killswitch Engage To Mount Epic Sequel With “KillThrax II”

Anthrax and Killswitch Engage To Mount Epic Sequel With “KillThrax II”

KsE Photo Credit: Tracy Ketcher

Picture © Andy Buchanan 2017

SiriusXM Will Present All Dates

“‘Evil Dead II.’ ‘Dawn of the Dead.’ ‘The Godfather: Part 2.’ ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’ All sequels that are better than the original. Add ‘KillThrax II’ to that list. Back by popular demand, KillThrax is coming at ya again my friends.” — Scott Ian, Anthrax

What do you do when you’ve co-headlined one of the hottest metal touring packages of 2017? Well, like any rock band that cares about its fans, you do it again, but you take it to the places that missed out the first time. And that’s exactly what metalcore masterminds Killswitch Engage and legendary thrash/metal masters Anthrax are announcing today — “KillThrax II,” a 29-city tour of North America presented by SiriusXM that kicks off January 25 in Montreal, Canada and will zig-zag across the continent to wind up in Portland, ME on March 4.

Confirmed tour dates are below. Go here for all ticket and purchasing options.

Havok will serve as the opening act for the entire tour.

Said Anthrax’s Frank Bello, “After playing so many amazing shows last year with our friends Killswitch Engage, I’m psyched for round two of KillThrax, and we’re adding Havok to the heaviness!!” Added Charlie Benante, “The shows were great, the audiences were great, and we all felt great about the whole thing, so why not do it again?”

“We are looking forward to the next leg of the ‘KillThrax’ tour,” said KsE singer Jesse Leach. “We had a blast on the first one and we enjoyed sharing the stage with the humble legends Anthrax! There is such a synergy between the two bands and a certain unity that is infectious, so it was a no brainer to put this package back together and hit the road. It’s an honor and we are excited for these shows, the fans, and the good times! KillThrax is gearing up for round two, so let’s keep the party rolling!”

As with the inaugural KillThrax tour, Killswitch Engage and Anthrax will rotate the show’s closing slot on KillThrax II. Fans can also expect a night of high energy, musical ferocity and sheer intensity, and what one reviewer called “an incredible night of live music with heavy hitters that provided hours of escape into metal bliss.”

Confirmed dates for KillThrax II are below.

JANUARY
25 Metropolis, Montreal, QC
26 London Music Hall, London, TN
27 Sherman Theatre, Stoudsburg, PA
28 The National, Richmond, VA
30 Janus Landing, Tampa, FL
31 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC

FEBRUARY
2 Club Stage @ Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI
3 Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN
5 Marathon Music Works, Nashville, TN
6 Iron City Music Hall, Birmingham, AL
8 Concrete Street Music Hall, Corpus Christi, TX
9 Lonstar Pavillion, Lubbock, TX
10 Criterion, Oklahoma City, OK
11 El Rey Theater, Albuquerque, NM
13 House of Blues, San Diego, CA
14 House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
16 Revolution, Boise, ID
17 Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA
19 The Ranch, Edmonton, AB
20 Revolution Place Casino, Grande Prairie, AB
21 Mac Hall, Calgary, AB
23 Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB
24 Skyway Theatrer, Minneapolis, MN
25 Anthem @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Sioux City, IA
27 The Forge, Joliet, IL

MARCH
1 Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD
2 The Dome, Rochester, NY
3 Palladium, Worcester, MA
4 State Theater, Portland, ME

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Filed Under: Music, Music Headlines Tagged With: anthrax, engage, epic, ii, killswitch, killthrax, ...

Top Five Things I’d Like to See in A Ghostbusters Sequel

There seems to be a whole lot of doubt swirling around a possible sequel to Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters. Sony came out of the gate proclaiming its green light but when the feature didn’t set the box office absolutely ablaze, detractors flocked to the numbers as validation for their months’ long rally against the very notion of the reboot, sight-unseen. Sony is still keeping mum on their plans, although they maintain the brand is strong with cross-platform opportunities. I’m not here to argue numbers, especially in a summer where other properties have had the privilege of quietly underperforming on a near-weekly basis from Independence Day: Resurgence to Star Trek Beyond.

All I’m saying is I have a feeling that once the paranormal dust settles and we head towards its home video release and secondary markets, the word will get out that Feig’s Ghostbusters is actually a damn good time. We’ll see this word spread by the enthusiastic little girls–oblivious to the internet furor– who saw new kinds of heroes in the unconventional quartet and take to ghostbusting on the playground. We’ll see it in the array of cosplayers inspired by the new looks of the franchise (McKinnon alone has a week’s worth of iconic outfits!) And we’ll see it when a sequel debuts to larger numbers than its predecessor because those girls will come back. And they’ll bring their friends.

Our own Mike Smith gave the film 4 stars, but my take on it briefly: The new characters, lead by Kate McKinnon’s standout weirdo Holtzmann, Leslie Jones’s NYC-history-savvy Patty and Chris Hemsworth’s much lauded comedic turn as dim receptionist Kevin, were a joy insofar as they weren’t even trying to step into the shoes of their forebears but bringing their own. Or in Kristin Wiig’s case, a pair of quirky turquoise wellies. Additionally the effects were cool, evoking the glowing spookiness of Disney’s Haunted Mansion rides–which is to say, just the right level for a Ghostbusters installment. And of course, seeing four women take up arms against a ghost army with brand new kick ass weaponry that Bill Murray and co’s point and shoot models could only dream of, was something I haven’t seen before and I need to again.

It’s with this blind hope in mind that I’m going to forge ahead with the following top five wishes for their sequel. Because I live in a world where there’s six Police Academies, four Sharknadoes and my Ecto-Cooler juice box is half full.

(Minor spoilers ahead)

1 – An equally stacked cast
The four female leads were front and center of the marketing, rightfully so, but Feig’s supporting cast was nothing to sneeze at either and one of its best surprises. “Silicon Valley” star Zach Woods’s haunted tour guide started it all off on the right foot, quickly joined by the likes of Ed Begley Jr, Cecily Strong, Andy Garcia and Michael K Williams. Heck even the taxi driver from Deadpool (Karan Soni) got big laughs. Whoever cast this thing, stick around.

2 – Some better usage of NYC
The Ghostbusters are based in New York and their strong ties are upheld at their firehouse headquarters, Hook & Ladder 8, which displays the team’s logo on the sidewalk. However for budgetary reasons, the movie was mainly filmed in Boston. Nothing wrong with saving some money, but screening the movie in Manhattan, the fake 6-line subway station raised some eyebrows. And the greatest offense? The ladies dining on Papa John’s pizza. I can suspend my disbelief to hellmouths in the middle of Times Square, but native New Yorkers opting for Papa John’s is a bridge too far. Get those product placement dollars elsewhere. And rope in some more actual locations, if only so this obsessive fan can visit them.

3 – A more sinister villain
I really did enjoy Neil Casey in his minimal screen time as Rowan from a comedic stand point. Still, he wasn’t as menacing as the original’s demonic invasion of Dana’s (Sigourney Weaver) fridge or even the first specter featured here, Gertrude Aldridge (Bess Rous, below). Later when Rowan’s spirit wound up in a couple of our heroes’ bodies and finally a CGI giant, he became still less memorable. More to the point, the Ghostbusters franchise as a whole is now 100% saturated with finales featuring behemoth figures tromping through skyscrapers. Let’s be done with that. The most effective supernatural stuff whether it was the aforementioned Aldridge Mansion, green ghouls lurking behind glass waiting to be released onto our plane, or just a regular mannequin temporarily brought to life, were smaller in scale and creepier for it. A more intimate antagonist would be novel to the team and hey, bonus, also could cut down that budget again. Are you listening, Sony?

4 – A few more original cast cameos for the completists
Rick Moranis, please. Okay, I know this is pie in the sky stuff, especially seeing as he officially turned down a cameo in this first one (wishing them well in a 2015 Hollywood Reporter interview), but juice box half full right? I have a hope that Mr. Moranis checks Feig’s work out and supports the new team in the way that his fellow cast mates did this time around.(I may or may not have yelped when Annie Potts arrived.) Plus I’m a kid of the late 80s…I just super want to see him back in front of a camera and I feel like this is the best shot we’ve got. Failing that, Peter MacNichol would not be unwelcome. If I have a soft spot for Ghostbusters 2, it’s because of him.

5 – Let Kevin join the team!
Chris Hemsworth’s dumb puppy dog of a receptionist was so adorably eager to be a Ghostbuster that in a latter portion of the film, he’d made his own jumpsuit and outfitted a motorcycle with duct taped laser canons. Unfortunately apocalypses being the inconvenience that they are, he didn’t get to realize this dream. Seeing as Hemsworth’s scenes were serious highlights, I’d be happy to see what he would do when faced with the supernatural. It’s probably a safety hazard to the general public, so Holtzmann could start him off with a pimped out laser pointer and train him up from there. At the very least, I hear he’s good with a hammer.

Seriously how can you say no to that face?

I implore you Sony, Paul Feig, Katie Dippold, cast and all the ghostly powers that be to let this team take up proton packs again in the future!

Ghostbusters is still in theaters and is expected to arrive on Blu-ray/DVD in October, hopefully in time for Halloween.

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Filed Under: Film Headlines, Movies Tagged With: bill murray, chris hemsworth, dan aykroyd, ghostbusters, kate mckinnon, katie dippold, ...

“Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel” Book on the Way!

This past Friday, the first official teaser image and title of the upcoming book detailing the making of the 1978 film “Jaws 2” was released.

“Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel” will not only be an in depth look at the making of one of the first successful sequels in Hollywood history but will also examine the effects that sequels have had on the industry.

The book will be written by Louis R. Pisano and Michael A. Smith, two long time “Jaws” fans who still have vivid memories about the first time they saw “Jaws 2.” Pisano is the producer/director of a successful series of “JawsFEST” themed fan films which have been recognized internationally. Smith is a long time film critic and co-founder of the popular entertainment web site Media Mikes.com.

After three years of extensive research the pair have managed to speak with almost every living major contributor to the film, among them directors John Hancock and Jeannot Szwarc, screenwriters Dorothy Tristan and Carl Gottlieb, Production Designer/Associate Producer Joe Alves, Universal Studios former chairman Sidney Sheinberg and cast members Lorraine Gary, Jeffrey Kramer, Joseph Mascolo and all (17) of the young actors who played what the authors collectively call “the Amity Kids!” The book will also talk to crew members, extras and will even have conversations with several of the young actors who were originally cast in the film then replaced, including a seven-year-old Ricky Schroder.

The book will feature many of the over 300 never-before-seen photos the authors have collected from cast, crew and observers.

The book will be published by Bear Manor Media.

Follow the book’s progress on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jaws2book

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: 2, book, hollywood, jaws, making, sequel, ...

Disney and Marvel Team Up for Super-Powered Sequel – Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition)

                       New Chapter in Best-Selling Disney Infinity Franchise Delivers More than 20 Marvel Super Heroes Including Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor and More

BURBANK, Calif. – (April 30, 2014) – Today, Disney Interactive and Marvel Entertainment confirmed that the world’s most iconic Super Heroes are assembling for Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes – the 2.0 edition of the #1 best-selling new hybrid toy / video game of 2013, according to the NPD Group’s video games retail sales data.

Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes features more than 20 new interactive figures from across the Marvel universe, original storylines penned by award-wining Marvel comic writer Brian Michael Bendis, and an all-new Toy Box mode that makes it easier for players to create and share their one-of-a-kind levels and mini-games with family and friends. In addition, all characters and power discs from last year’s release of Disney Infinity will be compatible with the Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes Toy Box.

“Disney Infinity was, from the start, built to be an interactive experience where players could bring together their favorite Disney characters and stories to create new Disney memories.  With the introduction of Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, we’re ushering in a new chapter of adventures, featuring a cast of the world’s most popular Super Heroes,” said Jimmy Pitaro, President of Disney Interactive.  “Bringing popular and iconic Marvel characters to the Disney Infinity platform truly takes this game to the next level.”

“We’ve worked closely with the Disney Interactive team to deliver an incredible line-up of Marvel characters and great storytelling for the next chapter of Disney Infinity,” said Peter Phillips, EVP and General Manager, Interactive & Digital Distribution at Marvel Entertainment. “The 2.0 edition will allow Marvel fans around the world to interact with their favorite Marvel Super Heroes in entirely new ways, including compelling gameplay and a new line of collectible interactive figures.”

The Avengers’ Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America, Hulk and Hawkeye will debut when the game launches this fall, along with additional Play Sets and characters from other popular Marvel and Disney franchises, which will be announced in the coming months. Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes will be available for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system and Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii U™ system from Nintendo, PC and iOS tablets and smart phones.

“Marvel Super Heroes fit perfectly into Disney Infinity, and with them we are pushing the platform’s limits of creativity and imagination,” said John Blackburn, VP and General Manager of Avalanche Software. “We’ve enhanced and redesigned the gameplay to match the Marvel characters, while also making it easier than ever for players to express and share their own creativity.”

Disney Interactive
Disney Interactive, one of the world’s largest creators of high-quality interactive entertainment across all platforms, is the part of The Walt Disney Company responsible for the global creation and delivery of interactive entertainment, multi-platform video games, and family-focused content across all current and emerging digital media platforms.  Disney Interactive produces and distributes a broad portfolio of content from Disney Interactive Games and Disney Interactive Media.  Products and content released and operated by Disney Interactive include blockbuster mobile, social and console games, online virtual worlds, #1 kid’s entertainment destination Disney.com and the #1 Family/Parenting portfolio on the Web.  Disney Interactive is the interactive entertainment part of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS).

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years

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Filed Under: Game Headlines, Misc Tagged With: 20, disney, edition, heroes, infinity, marvel, ...

Brian Henson talks about Syfy’s “Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge” and the Sequel to “Dark Crystal”

Brian Henson is the son of Jim Henson, creator of “The Muppets” and the current chairman of The Jim Henson Company. For years Brian has been working with his family in the company as a puppeteer in roles like Jack Pumpkinhead in “Return to Oz” and directing//producing “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and “Muppet Treasure Island”. He was also behind the TV series “Farscape” as the Executive Producer. His latest venture is in reality TV on Syfy with the series “Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge”, which is similar to other Syfy shows like “Face/Off”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Brian about the TV show and also get the scoop on upcoming projects like “The Power of the Dark Crystal” and “Fraggle Rock: The Movie”.

Mike Gencarelli: How did the idea come about to do this show, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge?
Brian Henson: We were trying to think if there is a show that would make sense for The Jim Henson Company in the reality side of television programming. There aren’t many…because we are The Jim Henson Company. Almost everything we do has an element of fantasy or science-fiction in it. In many ways we are the opposite of reality. We make things that reflect on reality and allow you to objectively compare it to what we are presenting. But we decided that one area that is particularly exciting of our company is in the creature designing area. These artists, who are designing, conceiving and then building these creatures, really are like magic. They are extraordinary artists. We thought that doing a show around that aspect would be the most interesting area to the general audience. It is sort of like this secret world. There are no Academy Awards for creature designers. There are some creature designers who have won Academy Awards for costuming, make-up or special effects. Joe FREID, one of the Executive Producers, really shared the same enthusiasm in that area of our company and also has a strong background in reality TV programming. We went out to pitch it and Syfy loved it. We made it pretty close to the “Face/Off” format or even the “Project Runway” format. But what is different about it is that it is going into an area and a type of artist that is much different than anyone has ever seen. It is taking place in the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and the prize really is a job with us.

MG: How do you come up with the challenges for the show like the first episode’s undersea creature?
BH: We basically kept making lists of creatures that we thought would be interesting. For season one, we said that none of the creatures should be allowed to use any compositing, puppeteer removal or some of the techniques that we would normally use in television or feature films. So that closed us up a little bit and kept us focused for season one. Then we had about 15-20 good ideas on the board and we basically produced what we thought was a good wide range of creatures. One thing that is great about creature making, which perhaps is not true of some of the cousins to our TV show, is they are very different depending on what kind of creature you are looking for and what kind of screen test you presenting at the end of the episode. It means that every episode is able to stand alone and be unique from the one before it, which is a lot of fun. You should also expect the challenges to be more and more ambitious as we go forward, which I think is pretty great.

MG: What are you feelings on CGI versus practical effects like puppet work?
BH: My take on it reflects my background and where I come from and where my dad came from, we are a performance oriented company. So what excites me is performing creatures and puppets. We do some CGI but we call it digital puppetry. The way we do CGI, is that we real-time animate 3D creatures using performers. So if it comes from performance and creating a real moment for the characters then that is what excites me and our company. So in that sense, I prefer the animatronic creatures to the CGI creatures. But that is also due to my background. If someone comes from key frame animation, they may prefer CGI to stop-action animation. But I think there is wonderful space for every technique. There is clearly a sacrifice you make when you decide to go CGI with a creature is that you are not actually creating a real moment that you then photograph. With most of our stuff besides the digital puppetry that we do, what you see has really been created and has been photographed and is now in the movie or TV show. It really happened and was really there. You can’t underestimate the value of that. It may mean that things are not quite as slick or accurate as CGI but it really happened and there is something really delicious and exciting about that. Certainly we have been seeing a big move towards CGI creatures but I think with films like “Where the Wild Things Are”, we are starting to see a movement back towards practical effects. But like I said there is definitely a space for both.

MG: I feel that this show actually brings this type of work back into the spotlight…
BH: Yeah, it’s been like a secret world. Nobody knows how these creatures are built and created. Nobody has done a show like this and it is really interesting watching them work.
MG: Yeah, one thing I would love to learn more about myself is the actual mechanics behind-the-scenes with these creatures.
BH: Well as you watch more of the series you will be more of that as well.

MG: Tell us about choosing your co-judges including Kurt Thatcher and Beth Hathaway?
BH: Initially we weren’t sure if we wanted to go with an all internal panel. Kurt is really an inside guy. Most of the work he has done in his career has been with our company. We wanted it to be as credible as possible because like I said the prize really is a job in the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Kurt is the type of person who would do the hiring along with me who would also be making those judgment calls. At a certain point, we realized it was just too much Henson. So we reached out to Beth Hathaway, who is also a very experienced creature builder but her background is along the lines of Stan Winston and Rick Baker. It was actually really fun bringing her in since she is kind of an outsider but we just love her. It was good having her point of views and opinions on the judging panel.

MG: What do you see that the future has planned for this type of practical effects and for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop?
BH: I think there is a lot of opportunity for us to do more creature work. I think we are coming out of a time where the industry has been in a flux. I think people are now starting to stabilize and spend more money for cool fantasy/science-fiction characters. I think you will start to see more practical effects…but probably mixed in with some CGI, which is like what “Where the Wild Things Are” was. I think the best creatures yet to come are going to be a little bit of everything used to bring that creature to life.

MG: Do you have any update on The Power of Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock movie?
BH: The truth is that it took me five years to get “Farscape” on the air. These things take time. Some of that time feels like you are just waiting around. There is a lot of things that need to come together in order to make these projects work. You need to have the right talent, financing and distribution partners. But I can tell you that these both in active development currently within our company. We are determined to get them made. It is big though and a lot of elements need to come together to get a movie made.

Photos courtesy of Syfy

 

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: brian, challenge, creature, crystal, dark, henson, ...

Vicious Brothers talks about their sequel to “Grave Encounters”

Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz make up the Vicious Brothers.  They are the Writers/Directors of “Grave Encounters” and Writers of “Grave Encounters 2”. The first film has already become a cult classic after a very short time.  “Grave Encounters” is an awesome found-footage horror film and the sequel is twice as good as he first one. Keep an eye out for these guys because they are going to be huge. The guys took out some time to chat with Media Mikes about their sequel and what we can expect next.

Mike Gencarelli: Where you guys get the name the Vicious Brothers from?
Stuart Ortiz: When we were close to being done with “Grave Encounters”, we figured we should come up with a directing handle. Since if you have just two dudes names it is too much information for the audience to take in.
Colin Minihan: Dude, just tell him the honest answer. He was coming out of a huge bender…
SO: [laughs]
CM: …and he woke up one morning had the name in his mind and just wouldn’t shut up about it. I just went along with it. [laughs]

MG: Are you surprised with the quick cult status the the first film has achieved?
CM: Yeah it has been really cool to see all the different countries take to it. We are very excited for them to see the sequel?

MG: Why did you step aside on this film and let John Poliquin take over directing?
SO: The main reason was that right when “Grave Encounters 2” became a reality and we were going to move forward. We are also at the same time finishing up another project that is a sort of proof-of-concept trailer that we made for a film we are trying to get off the ground right now. It would have been too much having to go into production on “Grave Encounters 2” and then finishing up the other project. We just didn’t want to be able to commit 100% to it. We have known JP along time. He is a great director and we were friends with him anyway. After one conversation with us, he totally got the material. It really seemed to make sense.

MG: Tell us about the production on “Grave Encounters 2” and how it compares to the first film?
CM: The production definitely differed a fair bit [laughs]. On the first one, Stu and I just were just constantly writing and make “Grave Encounters” almost out of necessity almost with no money. It was literally Stu and I running around a mental institution with the actors. It became a success and allowed us to do the things we wanted to do on the first film but didn’t have the manpower or visual effects budget. I think as a result we really crammed this movie with as much stuff as we could. We stretched this budget way further than we thought we could, while still staying sane and pulling it off. I am definitely glad we didn’t pussy out and make something safe. We really pushed the limit and made JP’s life challenging for sure.

MG: Shooting at the mental institution, any things creepy happen during production?
CM: I definitely below in ghosts and have had a few weird occurrences in my life for sure. I am one of these people that can walk into a house and if I am not paying attention I can pick up a vibe.
SO: Colin has a radar for that shit. Down to the point if we go something I would ask “Yo, you getting a haunted vibe?” He will look around, squint his eyes and say yes or no”. We were just in London a few weeks ago and he was just freaking out the whole time saying “This whole city is haunted man!” [laughs].
CM: As far as the building goes, when there is so much energy and people on set, in order to experience something you really need to be alone and in a quiet place. Otherwise, there is too much distraction.

MG: Tell us about the decision to bring back Lance Preston?
SO: We kept a tight relationship with the actor, Sean Rogerson. We would hang out all the time. Even from the very beginning, after we finished “Grave Encounters”, we knew from the get-go that no matter what we did, Sean was going to be in it.

MG: The ghosts in the film are super creepy, tell us about how they were conceived?
CM: I think when you are writing it you just try and do to a dark place and find out what is going to scare ourselves. We tried to visualize it with some sketches and then just put on the makeup and hoped that when you turn the lights off and hit the night vision that it is as effective as it is in your head.

MG: “Grave Encounters 2” takes a real clever approach to found-footage genre, what were you concerned about most that you wanted to accomplish when writing the sequel?
SO: There was a couple of different things. We didn’t want to retrace our foot steps and it was important for us to do something different. There was so many possibilities especially if you are talking about a found-footage or mockumentary approach. You can go even farther than a convention film. It seemed like a waste just to do the same thing again. First and foremost was just to do something fresh. They Colin came up with this idea to be set in the “real world”, where people know about the movie and there is this conspiracy. That was the #1 priority. The #2 was that one we were in the building was to actually how that the building is a character and has an agenda and purpose of its own.

MG:What do you two have planned next?
SO: We are keeping very tight lipped on it now. But we are waiting on financing to close by the end of the year. We have a sci-fi horror movie called “The Visitors” that Colin and I wrote and will co-direct again. It is a lot different than “Grave Encounters”, it is not found footage in full but does have a little bit of found footage for the most part it is a classically cinematic film. We are hoping to get that started next year.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: brothers, encounters, grave, sequel, talks, vicious, ...

Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen talk about their music project This Girl and “Dr. Horrible” sequel

Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen are the co-writers behind such amazing projects like “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog” and Fox’s Dollhouse.  They recently released an EP album together under the name of This Girl.  Everyone seriously needs to check out this album, it is very fun and catchy.  They also just recently announced that they will be writing Marvel’s upcoming “S.H.I.E.L.D” TV pilot with “The Avengers” helmer Joss Whedon.  Jed & Maurissa took out a great deal of time to do a song-by-song analysis of their album and also discussed the long-awaited “Dr. Horrible” sequel.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how the name This Girl came about?
Jed Whedon: We were trying to present something that wasn’t just us and was trying to put a concept behind it. If you look at the photo shoot we did, it was me pushing Maurissa into the front.  And I think we were just talking and I was like “Hey look at this girl!” and Maurissa said “Hey, that could be the name” [laughs]. So that is how it happened.

MG: How long would you say this album took to complete?
Maurissa Tancharoen: Well it was sort of drawn out over the course of last year. It is a side project to pass the time since we were stuck at home for a long time. I had a rough health year last year. So Jed out of the kindness of his loving-husband heart [laughs], figured to pass the time we should record some songs. We worked on it sporadically over the course of last year. We never pushed to get it done and took our time we it. Right Jed?
JW: Yeah, I would say about a year. We would work on it for a while and then just toy around. When we realized that we were close to being done, then we gave a real push to finish it up.

MG: Tell us the inspiration behind the songs first up “Bombs” Away”
JW: Usually the way we work is music first. We just started building tracks and of course a ton of then never go anywhere. So, I think the general concept of the record was the make something upbeat and fun. Maurissa has a little bit of the R&B background.
MT: [laughs] Yeah, he told me “Let try and make you sing as white as possible.
JW: [laughs] Yeah. Like a androgynous, very vanilla sounding pop record. That was our inital concept.
MT: That was also the concept behind This Girl was that the songs do fall under the indie pop category. But overall they are all over the map. Like “Mr. Electric” is just so different” and “Dangerous” has a little bit of hip-hop and R&B vibe but very subtle. You are this girl on each track basically.

MG: Speaking of “Dangerous”, tell us a little more about that track?
JW: “Dangerous” was our first track. The concept was basically to do a really light vocal about getting your heart ripped out of your chest. The idea was that the music would be so kind and easy-going but the lyrics would be darker.
MT: She is basically a stalker or the quiet voice of the stalker. She is saying take my hard and crush it cause I am watching you and that is all I want.
JW: We had the track and had the idea of a jazz guitar. So I brought my older brother Sam in, he is an amazing guitarist. We recorded for an hour and just riffed on it. The guitar wasn’t meant to be this epic solo. But on one of the takes, I told him to just go crazy with it and that is the one we used.

MG: Next up we have “In Your Dreams”, tell us about that one?
JW: The idea was to make a five song album. We had the five tracks and Maurissa said we should just put it out. I thought let’s just do one more and whatever it is it will end up being our favorite. Your last song always ends up being your favorite.
MT: And it is…it is definitely our favorite.
JW: So, that one was the only one with a chorus before any tracks were laid down.
MT: I just love the story about a guy living a very monotonous life and wanting to be elsewhere.
JW: It is sort of a braggy mean song.
MT: It is a very mean song but again it is sang so gently it tricks you.
JW:  I just love the idea of “Your obsessed with me. You know it. Your pathetic” and then the last line of the chorus is “In your dreams”. Like “Yeah right, you wish”. In general that is something we like to do, which is play the lyrics against the song. It gives it this nice extra layer.

MG: Awesome, I love that song also; next up tell us about where “Second Nature” came from?
JW: That is another one that started with a drum beat feel. We wanted that to be kind of upbeat…
MT: That is also a sad song…all of our songs are sad [laughs].
JW: Yeah [laughs], considering how upbeat we always are.
MT: I guess since we were having a harder year, it came out in the lyrics.
JW: Happy lyrics are boring. Jane Doe is about a girl feeling sorry for herself. The music just grew organically from a general feel and then just sort of evolved.  I know that may seem a bit boring but it is true.
MT: That is the way that Jed has always worked. It is the music first. It is funny when he comes up with the melody. He will sort of half record the melody. It will be a bunch of gibberish and then a line that totally sticks and becomes the actual chorus.

MG: One of my favorites, tell me about “Mr. Electric”?
JW: That was one of the tracks that I had the hardest time with, since it was a hard mix for me.
MT: We almost took it off.
JW: We didn’t like it very much and now of course it’s everyone’s favorite.
MT: It just stuck out and was different from the rest. Up to the very last minute we were going to yank it. It is just unbelievable the response we have gotten about it from fans.
JW: It is basically another dark side of a happy song. I guess it is sort of a 50’s upset, “Mr. Sandman” rip-off. It is about a drug dealer and a girl that keep getting hooked. We also have a cool video concept in mind for it.

MG: “Remains” was previously released a single back in 2009 for “Dollhouse”, tell us about why you chose to close the album with it?
JW: We just wanted to put in on the album. Since we only had one tune out there together, we wanted want to put it on one album. “Remains” is a more genuine track and we  felt like it was a good bridge between “In Your Dreams” and would also work well after “Mr. Electric”.

MG: Any more plans for Jed Whedon and The Willing in the future?
JW: We do have a lot of projects going on right now. If we ever have any downtime, which is where This Girl came from, I will definitely spend time making a new one. That is the plan right now. I hate saying that though since when it comes out in four years people are going to wonder what took so long.

MG: Jed, if your brother can stop making films that gross $1 billion dollars [laughs], where do you guys think that a “Dr. Horrible” sequel lands your timeline?
MT: It is definitely in our timeline.
JW: It is for sure. There are a lot of projects in the works now. Everyone in the world now know how busy Joss is now. We are definitely planning to do it.
MT: We have more of a solid plan to aim to start next year.
JW: Not only do we think we will get it done, we also think it will be pretty great.

photos by kate danson
http://katedansonphotography.com/

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, chat, dr, girl, horrible, jed, ...

Ralph Bakshi talks about ‘Wizards” and it’s possible sequel

Ralph Bakshi is now best for his animated films like “Fritz the Cat”, “Wizards”, 1978’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “American Pop”.  Ralph is a legend in the animated world and has such a unique vision.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Ralph about his films and he even leaked a very cool top secret news about a possible sequel to one of his films.

Mike Gencarelli: Let’s talk about the recent Blu-ray release of “Wizards”, tell us about your involvement?
Ralph Bakshi: Fox did it all by themselves.  They can be a good company when they want to be [laughs].  They did the book by themselves, designed and remastered it.  Then they called me and told me that they were going to release it.  I nearly had a heart attack.  But I loved the picture and I think they did such a great job.

MG: “Wizards” only cost $1 million dollars and looks great, how do you feel about these polished $150 million dollar animated films today?
RB: The artists who are making these films today are so talented.  The kids today are coming out of school with this computer knowledge and its just great. I think it is all too much of the same.  I think that they focus more on the merchandising.  I think they should do something with more of a social bite or dabble in the R-rated area, if not only to do one and try and push the boundaries.   When I was doing my films like “Heavy Traffic” and “Fritz the Cat”, I was yelling at Disney for those same reasons.

MG: There aren’t too many people that are able to pull off adult animated films, why do you think that people steer clear of doing these?
RB: That is a great question Mike, let me tell you what it’s like.  Guys get the wrong impression about my R-rated films.  They think it is about sex, tits ‘n ass and cursing.  Basically what is underlining all of my films are political ideas.  In “Heavy Traffic”, Michael’s father was a racist and he had a black girlfriend.  Those are issues that far transcend the dirty words, the sex and the violence that people think that R-rated violence is all about.  I never start my animated films with trying to shock somebody.  I try to have a reason to make the film personable.

MG: A few years ago there was talk of a sequel to “Wizards”, any chance it will still happen?
RB: Well Mike, you are the first person to hear this.  I don’t know why they never made a sequel but right now, the head of Dark Horse Comics, Mike Richardson, is writing a script for “Wizards 2″. He and his partner are writing the script and he is very interested in making the movie.  I feel that Dark Horse is really the right team in order to get this project done. I will definitely read it once it is completed but I doubt I will direct, probably executive produce. I would also contribute storyboards and sketches for the film if needed. In order for it to work though, I feel that it has to also be political important with what is going on today.

MG: What would you say was your most difficult production?
RB: Well look, they were all hard.  I left the business burnt out and crazy.  Every picture I had was a massive fight.  Like with “Fritz The Cat”, Robert Crumb hated my guts and was screaming at me.  They gave me an X-rating and my mother was mad at me.  Everyone of them was hard.  Everyone of them I worked seven days a week with no money.  I am shocked but happy that people still love these films.  I am grateful to the internet and guys like you who have saved my ass.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: bakshi, ralph, sequel, talks, wizards

“The Hunger Games” Sequel, “Catching Fire”, Gets Release Date

WORLD TO CATCH FIRE NOVEMBER 22, 2013

CATCHING FIRE – FILM BASED ON SECOND BOOK IN THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES TO UNSPOOL WORLDWIDE

Santa Monica, CA, August 08, 2011– LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, announced today that it will release CATCHING FIRE, the film adaptation of the second book in Suzanne Collins’ runaway bestselling HUNGER GAMES trilogy, on November 22, 2013. The announcement was made by Joe Drake, co-COO of Lionsgate and President of its Motion Picture Group. No further details about CATCHING FIRE have been confirmed at this stage.

Said Drake of the date, “The magical thing about the Hunger Games trilogy is that the books have such a vastly broad appeal. The stories truly offer something for everyone, and the period around the Thanksgiving weekend is such an opportunity for families and friends to make an event of going to the movies.”

THE HUNGER GAMES is currently in production and will be released on March 23, 2012. THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Alli Shearmur, President of Development and Production at Lionsgate, is overseeing the production on behalf of the studio. Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel, which has over 3 million copies in print in the United States alone, is the first in a trilogy of novels which have developed a global following.

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Filed Under: Film Headlines Tagged With: catching, date, fire, games, hunger, release, ...
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