Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 Preview

    Recently I was lucky enough to attend a sneak peek at Sony Pictures Animation's Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2, complete with a walk through the film's world by directors Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn!

 

   Cody and Kris explained the story of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2, and the process behind creating the film. In the movie, we meet Filnt Lockwood and his friends immediately after the close of the first film, as Flint's idol Chester V arrives on the scene to propose a clean-up of Swallow Falls and offer Flint a job at his company, Live Corp. Flint accepts, moving away from Swallow Falls, but soon he is sent back to the city by a nervous Chester V, who has discovered something awful there-- Flint's machine has created food-animal hybrids, dubbed "foodimals." Flint assembles a team of his closest friends to accompany him on his journey back to Swallow Falls, and together they embark on a quest to get the town back to normal once and for all.

     We were treated to a glimpse of some concept art for the various "foodimals" that will appear in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, including such creatures as the SaSquash, CheeSpider, Wild Scallions, and BananOstrich (pictured at right), as well as others like the Meatbalrus, Apple Piethon, and Tacodile. The real star of the show for this new movie, though, is a little strawberry by the name of Barry.

     Voiced by director Cody Cameron himself, Barry is a mischievous strawberry foodimal that the gang meets up with shortly after returning to Swallow Falls. At first, Flint wants nothing to do with Barry (despite his girlfriend Sam's attachment to the cute fruit) but his mind quickly changes when Barry eats the device Flint needs to fix his machine. Quickly, Barry becomes a guide to the new world of the foodimals for the group, as they chase him through the diverse environments of the newly-overrun city, encountering all kinds of creatures as they go.

     We too had the opportunity to check out some crazy creatures (and sample some as well) when Kris and Cody showed everyone some real life foodimals that could be made at home. There were some foodimals to eat (like the Apple Piethon, pictured to the right) and some to play with (like the cherry foodimal pictured below). Cody and Kris even got in on the action, helping kids and parents alike to make their very own foodimals with carved mouths and map tack eyes! 

     Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2, which hits theaters on September 27, looks like it's going to be a great time for the whole family, with something for everyone to love! From a stellar voice cast that includes Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris, Andy Samberg, and James Caan to superb animation and some extra-silly food puns, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 is not a movie to miss!

                                                                                                        (Pictured at right: The cast of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2)

Monsters University

     Disney and Pixar's latest hit, Monsters University, tells the story of how Mike Wazowski and James "Sulley" Sullivan from the 2001 film Monsters Inc. first met. It's a tale of rivalry, friendship, scares, and self-discovery, but when you get right down to it, it's a story about Mike. Far from his role in Monsters Inc. where we often saw Mike sidelined behind Sulley's super-stardom as top scarer ("I can't believe I'm on a magazine cover!"), here he is front and center for most of the movie, and it's certainly the better for it.

     In Monsters University, we first meet Mike as a kid, a miniature version of the

 monster we already know, at the same time already just as geeky, neurotic, and comically ignored as his future self. On a field trip to the scare factory that is Monsters Inc., however, the first sparks of his dream are kindled. There Mike first visits the scare floor, first sees how the business of scaring takes place, and (through a bit of sneaking and perhaps taking advantage of the fact that nobody pays attention to him) he gets to witness firsthand one of MI's professional scarers at work. The experience launches a lifelong obsession for Mike, a goal he sets for himself at that very moment: to become a scarer.

    

    Flash forward to the first day at school for Monsters U, where Mike stands at the 

cusp of his dream. He gets set up with his new roommate, enrolls in classes, and starts off on his journey to, as he puts it "ace all my classes, graduate with honors, and break the world scare record." Unfortunately, this proves to be a less easy task than Mike had hoped, considering that, well, he isn't scary. In fact, he is so un-scary that he ends up kicked out of the entire scaring program.
What's a monster to do?

     Enter the Scare Games, of course! Seeing it as his only way back into the scaring program, Mike makes a public bet with Dean Hardscrabble, head of the scaring program, that if he and his team win the Scare Games, they will be admitted into the program. If they lose, however, they'll face expulsion. What becomes of our unlikely hero? Check out Disney & Pixar's Monsters University to find out!

     

Monsters University, now playing in theaters nationwide.

After Earth

     After Earth, starring Will and Jaden Smith, is an action-packed tale of survival, family, and overcoming fear at all costs. Set a millennium after humanity destroyed earth, it tells the story of Cypher Raige (Will Smith) and his son Kitai (Jaden Smith). Cypher is the commander general of the United Ranger Corps, a group designed to fight the Ursa (aliens that can smell fear), and he is widely regarded as the greatest leader that humanity has seen, the primary threat to the Ursa because he is the only human who can ghost (remove himself of all fear, and thereby make himself invisible to them.) Kitai, on the other hand, grew up in the shadow of his famous father, which only makes his failure to be admitted as a Cadet even worse.
   

     But when Cypher and Kitai are the only survivors of a spaceship crash that strands them on the uninhabited (by humans at least) leftovers of planet Earth, they must learn to work together if they're ever going to get off the planet. To do so, Kitai has to travel across the planet, with Cypher as his guide, and send off the distress signal from the other half of the ship. The challenge tests Kitai's strength on his own, as well as his relationship with his father.

   

     After Earth is a dramatic and exciting journey through the ruins of earth, and at its heart, a story about the bond between fathers and sons, trust, and overcoming fear. At a talkback following a screening of the film that I was lucky enough to attend, Will Smith revealed that it was this core theme of facing fear that drew him to the project. What appealed to him in particular was the mix between a large scale sci-fi action film and a story with a simple moral: face your fear and overcome it.

After Earth is currently playing in movie theaters nationwide

Man of Steel

     From DC Comics, Warner Brothers, and Director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), Man of Steel is the latest Superman film to hit theaters, and when I say hit, I truly mean it-- this film packs a punch like only Superman can! Showing audiences the Last Son of Krypton in a different light than usual, the film emphasizes  the human side of Kal-El/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), displaying the struggle between the two halves of his identity: Kal-El, the last hope of a dying planet, and Clark Kent, the boy who was born and raised in Smallville, Kansas.

     At the core of this struggle is the teachings of Superman's two fathers: Jor-El (Russell Crowe), his biological father from Krypton, and Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner), who raised Clark from when he was a baby. Kent fears that if Clark reveals his powers, he will be shunned and feared by the people of Earth, whereas
         Jor-El explains to Clark (posthumously) that he believes there is great potential in the superhuman powers Clark possesses. "You will give the people an ideal to strive towards," he tells his son. "They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders." Stuck between the opposite ideals of his father figures, Clark must decide who he wants to become. He must choose between anonymity and his natural gifts.

     Of course, the movie isn't all self-discovery... it is a superhero flick after all, and so naturally there's a big bad lurking behind the scenes, plotting away and building the whole movie into a climactic battle. That villain is none other than General Zod. 

     Played with glistening ire and determination by Michael Shannon, Zod is the corrupt military leader of Krypton, who survived the destruction of his home planet solely because he had been banished for attempting a military coup. He seeks to align himself with Superman and rebuild Krypton over the ashes of Earth, but when Superman refuses his offer, Zod puts himself on the warpath against not only Superman, but anyone and anything that he cares about on Earth. Of course, Superman won't go down without a fight (and what a fight it is!), but I'll let you find out how that goes when you're in the theater. All I'll say is this-- it's a pulse-pounding conclusion that'll have you at the edge of your seat. 

     Certainly a cut above the average summer movie popcorn flick, Man of Steel is a must-see that could very well end up as the hit of this summer, and maybe even this year. Check it out in theaters starting this Friday, June 14.

Epic

     Blue Sky Entertainment's Epic tells the story of teenager Mary Katherine (or M.K., as she claims to go by), who goes off to live with her father at the edge of the woods after her mother passes away. Her father, estranged because of his obsession with the advanced race of tiny people he believes live in the forest, seems  crazy to M.K. at first, but soon she finds herself swept up into the world of those same people-- the leaf men, sworn to protect the forest from the decay spread by the evil bogguns. 

     Following a series of magical events in the world of the leaf men, M.K. becomes not only shrunk to the size of these mysterious creatures, but also the chief protector of the sprout that holds the key to the life of the forest. If she, her new leaf-man friends Nod and Ronin, and the slug and snail duo Mub and Grub cannot protect the bulb until it blooms, then the forest will fall into the decay-laden hands of the evil boggun leader, Mandrake. Will M.K. and her friends be able to protect the life and growth of the forest from falling into Mandrake's hands? The battle is on in Blue Sky's Epic.

     Epic is based on a book by William Joyce, entitled The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. Joyce,  who has been author and illustrator to over fifty children's books, wrote The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs in 1996, and is also known for his other works Rolie Polie Olie, George Shrinks, and the Guardians of Childhood series, which was adapted earlier this year into the film Rise of the Guardians. Joyce has earned many awards for his creations, and Epic certainly fits in with such esteemed company! 

      In addition to excellent source material, the film boasts a stellar voice cast, including a diverse group of actors and actresses such as Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari, Chris O'Dowd, Jason Sudeikis, and Christoph Waltz, and even some familiar faces from the music world, like Steven Tyler, Beyonce, and Pitbull. Pitbull in particular gives quite the performance as the dirty-dealing toad Bufo, a "businessman" who fixes races, calls shots, and aids the evil Mandrake in his plot to spread decay throughout the forest.

     Epic is a summer must for families, 3D enthusiasts, and all who enjoy a good story! Its breathtaking look at miniature landscapes will catch your eye, its clever humor will tickle your funny bone, and its themes of valuing nature and family will touch your heart. Be sure to see Epic in theaters today, May 24!

Oz the Great and Powerful

Disney's new film Oz the Great and Powerful follows the Wizard himself as he first arrives in the land of Oz. But if you think that's all there is to it, you're as dead wrong as the Wicked Witch of the East is, well, dead.

The story centers on Oz, played by James Franco, who is immediately established as a conman in magician's clothing. In the film's black and white opening, we see him pulling the wool over the eyes of the people of Kansas, both on and off the stage. Oz is theatrical, cunning, and shrewd through and through. Yet when his double-dealing catches up with him, and he angers the circus strong man, Oz sees only one option-- escape. He hops aboard a hot air balloon, and faster than you can say, "We're not in Kansas anymore," he is whisked away by a tornado to the land that bears his name, where he quickly becomes embroiled in a power struggle between Oz's three witches.

As the Wizard makes his way across the land of Oz, there is no shortage of familiar faces and places to the average moviegoer, for even if you've only seen The Wizard of Oz once, you'll be sure to recognize the Emerald City, the yellow brick road, munchkins, flying monkeys, and of course, the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West.

But just who is this Wicked Witch? We meet three different witches when the Wizard arrives in Oz-- Theodora (Mila Kunis), her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams)-- but none of them appear as the Wicked Witch we're all familiar with... at least until about halfway through the film. The way that Oz the Great and Powerful handles the transformation of one of these witches into the villain we know is undoubtedly one of the better elements of the film. (I would like to add here, though, that fans of Wicked must beware-- this movie tackles the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West according to the works of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz. As such, it does not fit with Gregory Maguire's alternate take on Oz in Wicked, or the musical that is based on it. Don't look for Elphaba here.)

Oz the Great and Powerful is a wonder to behold from beginning to end. Visually it stuns, presenting the land of Oz in its crisp and whimsical beauty, particularly in 3D (a well-used and welcome addition to this film.) Danny Elfman's haunting score defines Oz as well, giving equal merit to both the lighthearted and magical aspects of this land and to its shadowy and somewhat frightening dark side. Speaking of frightening, fans of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films will be pleased to see that the director has not lost his zany and macabre tendencies, particularly in his use of stalking, first-person camera at times, his almost comical treatment of the dangerous twister that brings the Wizard to Oz, and a hilarious cameo from Raimi's muse Bruce Campbell.

All in all, Oz the Great and Powerful is a delight-- a film that can appeal just as much to a childlike sense of wonder as it can to an old soul or classic movie lover who respects the original Wizard of Oz, not that the two are mutually exclusive! It is, in short, not a great film, but more than that-- it is a good film. (Trust me, once you see it, you'll know what I mean.)

Disney's "Oz the Great and Powerful" hits theaters today, March 8.