Fantastic Mr. Fox

FANTASTIC MR. FOX Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: April 6th, 2010 at 1:41 pm

It’s fair to say that Wes Anderson was in a rut. Since the start of his career, Anderson has been working through relationships of men to older father figures, with this concern devolving his live-action films in to something resembling self-parody. Thankfully, with Fantastic Mr. Fox, stop motion animation gives Anderson a new place to explore these concerns, and the animation gives new life to his ideas, while also giving emphasis to other aspects of the story. Mr. Fox (George Clooney) gets his wife Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) pregnant, and she asks him to promise not to steal any more so they can raise their son (Jason Schwartzman). Cut to two years later and Fox has grown restless and decides to take on an empire. My review of the Blu-ray of Fantastic Mr. Fox after the jump.

Oscars 2010: The Stars of the Best Animated Feature Category Talk About What Being Nominated Means to Them – Featuring FANTASTIC MR. FOX, UP, CORALINE, THE SECRET OF KELLS and THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 8th, 2010 at 8:56 am

One of the best moments during last night’s Oscars was the intro to the Best Animated Feature category.  Instead of the normal presentation where you have the two presenters come out and say the five nominees and then someone wins, the telecast had Steve Carell and Cameron Diaz introduce the stars of the Best Animated Feature Category so they could say what being nominated means to them.  As you might imagine, the answers were very well done and it’s definitely worth checking out if you missed the broadcast last night.  Also, if you were a fan of either Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, Coraline, The Princess and the Frog or The Secret of Kells, it’s a way to see new footage of your favorite characters.

Noah Baumbach and Wes Anderson Teaming Up for a 3rd Project Together

by CJ Simonson    Posted: March 5th, 2010 at 1:56 pm

Noah Baumbach and Wes Anderson are collaborating once again on a new untitled project. This would be the 3^rd effort the two directors have joined in on, with Baumbach co-writing both The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and Fantastic Mr. Fox with Anderson.  In an interview Baumbach did with The Playlist, he hinted at the duo’s new project claiming that the film has been in development for years, prior to their first film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Baumbach was of course very sly in the interview, not giving away very many important details but saying:

“Wes and I do have another… I dunno if you’d call it a partly written script – but it’s a partly written story, ideas and scenes that we have been talking about for a long time”

Hit the jump for details on what both Baumbach and Anderson have said about the film.

Wes Anderson Gets Animated to Accept National Board of Review Award

by Keith Demko    Posted: January 13th, 2010 at 3:31 pm

Just how happy was Wes Anderson to receive a Special Filmmaking Achievement award from the National Board of Review for Fantastic Mr. Fox? Enough that he showed up to accept the award in stop-motion form and in character, and we’ve got the video to prove it.

Though Anderson’s movie wasn’t among the board’s Top 10 for 2009 – well actually 11, since the “best film,” Up in the Air, gets its own category – the Special Achievement Award is nothing to sneeze at, and in my opinion it’s well deserved. With, of course, the help of many skilled animators, Anderson brought the eye for intricately crafted sets that made The Royal Tenenbaums such a joy to watch into the animated world, and with the help of Noah Baumbach transformed Roald Dahl’s classic tale into a witty little film for kids and adults alike.

Hit the jump to check out the video.

WGA Nominees Announced; Nods for AVATAR, STAR TREK, and THE HANGOVER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 11th, 2010 at 12:41 pm

The WGA has announced their nominees for Best Original, Adapted, and Documentary screenplays today and because so many great films were ruled ineligible, these nominees are kind of a joke.  Avatar is getting way more love for its spectacle than its story (protect the Hometree from the Sky People), (500) Days of Summer‘s structure is impressive but the characters and story are completely vanilla, Julie & Julia is half a good movie, and Crazy Heart is a two-hour commercial for Alcoholics Anonymous.

Now here’s a list of movies that were rule ineligible:  Inglourious Basterds, District 9, In the Loop, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, and A Single Man.  I suppose the only bright spot of all this is that The Hangover received a nomination, which is hilarious.

Hit the jump for the full list of nominees.  Winners will be announced on February 20th.

Matt’s Top 10 Films of 2009

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 27th, 2009 at 7:45 pm

I’m so happy that 2009 was a front-loaded year.  Friends and family asked me on more than one occasion, “It’s the end of the year, so where are all the good movies?”  I responded that this year, for whatever reason, was different and some of the year’s best films had premiered as early as Sundance (The Hurt Locker technically debuted in 2008 with its premiere at the Venice Film Festival).  The scarcity of must-see year-end flicks worked out beautifully for me because I had the time to give more thought to films and have the opportunity to watch them more than once.  I feel confident in my Top 10 in a way that I’ve been uneasy about in years prior.  There was a wealth of great films to choose from this year and almost all of my favorites are now available to own or rent on DVD or Blu-ray.

If I had to sum up 2009 in films, I would say it was a year of surprises and disappointments.  Films I expected to enjoy like Funny People, Bruno, Public Enemies were letdowns, while films like District 9, In the Loop, and A Single Man, came out of nowhere to blow me away.  It’s also refreshing to see that movies like The Hangover, Paranormal Activity, and Avatar did so well at the box office despite not being adaptations or remakes.

I thought 2009 was a great year for film and while I seriously considered expanding this list to a Top 15 or even 20, I felt that ten was appropriate because while this is clearly a vanity project for me, I do hope it serves as a recommendation tool for people who can’t go see every movie.  If you only see ten movies from this year, see these ten.  Hit the jump to start the countdown.

Golden Globe Nominations Announced, UP IN THE AIR Leads with Six Noms

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 15th, 2009 at 10:15 am

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced their nominees for the 67th Annual Golden Globes and before I comment on the nominees, I first have to explain something about the Globes.  The Globes are not really an indiciator of the Oscars.  Critics lists and awards from various guilds are far better predictors because the Globes are ultimately bought and paid for by the studios.  The Oscars are as well to some extent, but the Globes are just ridiculous.  However, it doesn’t mean they’re not a lot of fun and that they’ll take chances Oscar won’t.

But the big movie nominee was a safe choice with Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air grabbing six nods followed by Rob Marshall’s Nine, which racked up five.  But looking through the nominees, there are some absolutely bizarre inclusions: Julia Roberts for Duplicity (this one makes sense when you remember that the HFPA are starfuckers), Matt Damon for Invictus, and “I See You” from Avatar as the Best Original Song, a tune hated by even those who love the movie .  Some of the snubs are also weird: No love for Up or Fantastic Mr. Fox for Best Musical/Comedy and no Best Song nomination for anything from The Princess and the Frog.

By the same token, I have to give it up for the Globes for nominating The Hangover as Best Musical/Comedy (I guess that FYC ad paid off) and Quentin Tarantino for Best Director for Inglourious Basterds.  It’s all pretty random but the Globes are an entertaining show with a looser atmosphere than the Oscars.  Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominees, including the ones for television (Glee led the pack with four nominations).

San Francisco Film Critics Circle Helps THE HURT LOCKER Continue Its Winning Streak

by Ramses Flores    Posted: December 15th, 2009 at 9:54 am

Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker won best picture and best director again today at the San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC) awards. The film has already been awarded with both honors by critics in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston.  Meanwhile, the Southeastern Film Critics Association did not give the film best picture, but did award best director to Bigelow.  I really hope that these are all signs that Bigelow will be the first female to win best director come Oscar time.

Other SFFCC winners included Colin Firth for best actor in A Single Man, Meryl Streep for best actress in Julie & Julia, Mo’Nique for best supporting actress in Precious, Christian McKay pulling a surprise win for best supporting actor in Me and Orson Welles, and Quentin Tarantino winning best original screenplay for Inglourious Basterds while Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach  received the award for best adapted screenplay for Fantastic Mr. Fox.

The full list of winners are after the jump.

The New York Film Critics Circle Opens Up THE HURT LOCKER as Best Film of 2009

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 14th, 2009 at 11:47 am

Is it too soon to say that The Hurt Locker is the film to beat in 2009?  After being named film of the year by the LAFCA and the BSFC, the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) has added another accolade to Kathryn Bigelow’s intense war drama.  Bigelow herself also took yet another win for Best Director, while Christoph Waltz and Mo’Nique each took home another accolade for Best Supporting Actor (Inglourious Basterds) and Best Supporting Actress (Precious), respectively.  George Clooney was named Best Actor for his performances in Up in the Air and Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is impressive considering the latter is only a vocal performance.  Speaking of Fox, the film pulled another surprise upset by taking Best Animated Film over Pixar’s Up following yesterday’s announcement that LAFCA chose Anderson’s stop-mo flick over Pete Docter’s delightful 3D adventure.

Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Names THE HURT LOCKER as Their Best Picture of the Year

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 13th, 2009 at 6:07 pm

The major critics groups are beginning to make their voices heard for what they think are the best films of 2009.  Today, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) named Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker as their top film of 2009, with Up in the Air as their runner-up.  Bigelow also won for Best Director and the film was runner-up for Best Cinematography.

Other big winners include Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) for Best Actor, Yolande Moreau (Séraphine) for Best Actress, Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) for Best Supporting Actor, and Mo’Nique (Precious) for Best Supporting Actress.  There was also an interesting upset in the animation category with Fantastic Mr. Fox being named the Best Animated Film and Up taking the runner-up category, and Carey Mulligan landing the runner-up victory for Best Actress.

Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

Wes Anderson Interview FANTASTIC MR. FOX

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 27th, 2009 at 2:41 pm

I absolutely loved director Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.  The film is his first foray into stop-motion animation and it’s like he brought the genre to him rather than attempting to adapt to the genre.  Trust me; if you’re a fan of his previous work like Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, you’re going to love this movie.

As most of you know, Fantastic Mr. Fox is based on the best-selling children’s book by Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach) and it features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, and Owen Wilson.  But unlike some animated movies that cast famous actors to help sell tickets, everyone who provides a voice is perfect in this film.  Again, this is a great movie that you should check out this weekend.

To promote the film, I recently participated in a group interview with the talented filmmaker.  We talked about how the project came together, stop motion animation, voice casting, future projects, and a lot more.  It’s a great conversation worth checking out.  As always, you can either read or listen to it after the jump:

FANTASTIC MR. FOX Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 25th, 2009 at 4:21 pm

Fantastic Mr. Fox feels like the film that director Wes Anderson has been trying to make ever since his first feature Bottle Rocket.  Anderson’s films have always had the tone of a classic book for young adults.  But what was once a stylish affectation eventually mutated into artistic lethargy.  2007′s The Darjeerling Limited showed that Anderson was now using his style as a crutch instead of a means to effectively tell a story.  But with Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the classic 1970 Roald Dahl book, Anderson turns what had become his greatest weakness into his greatest strength and makes Fantastic Mr. Fox one of the best films of the year.

Jason Schwartzman Exclusive Interview FANTASTIC MR. FOX

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 10th, 2009 at 12:10 am

I absolutely loved director Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.  The film is his first foray into stop-motion animation and it’s like he brought the genre to him rather than attempting to adapt to the genre.  Trust me; if you’re a fan of his previous work like Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, you’re going to love this movie.

As most of you know, Fantastic Mr. Fox is based on the best-selling children’s book by Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach) and it features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, and Owen Wilson.  But unlike some animated movies that cast famous actors to help sell tickets, everyone who provides a voice is perfect in this film.  Again, this is a great movie that you should check out as soon as you can.

So to help promote the film, I recently had the chance to speak to Jason Schwartzman and we talked about his reaction to the film, the unusual way they recorded the voices, working with Bill Murray, and I asked him if he’s seen Sofia Coppola’s new movie Somewhere. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Exclusive: Jason Schwartzman talks SCOTT PILGRIM vs. THE WORLD. Confirms Split Screens and Animation

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 6th, 2009 at 12:25 am

One of my big films in 2010 is director Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”.  As the director of “Spaced”, “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”, Edgar Wright has proven that he’s one of the best directors working today.  While I’d be interested in whatever project he chose to do as his next film, the fact that he’s making the fantastic comic book series by Bryan Lee O’Malley is just awesome.  Anyway, people have been shown footage from “Scott Pilgrim” and the mini-reviews have been crazy.  Director Jason Reitman pretty much lost his mind after seeing 30 minutes.  And I’m beginning to figure out why.

I think the reason people are so excited for the film is Edgar Wright is pushing the boundaries of narrative storytelling.  While every movie has moving cameras and interesting shots, I’ve heard rumors that “Scott Pilgrim” is going to use a lot of split screens and animation to help tell the story.  And after speaking with Jason Schwartzman the other day, I can now confirm it.  While I do not know how many scenes use split screens, I think it’s a big part of the movie. Perhaps it’s all about trying to make comic book frames work on a movie screen. Anyhow, if you’d like to see Jason Schwartzman talk about seeing the first 19 minutes of the movie, working for Edgar and with Michael Cera, and what’s up with “Bored to Death”, hit the jump to see the interview.

Lucy Dahl Says Screenwriter Melissa Mathison Trying to Adapt BFG (Big Friendly Giant) For Producer Kathleen Kennedy

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 4th, 2009 at 4:11 pm

Earlier today I participated in a roundtable interview with Roald Dahl’s daughter, Lucy Dahl, for the movie “Fantastic Mr. Fox”.  Since so many of Dahl’s books have not been made into movies, we asked his daughter if she’s heard about any progress in bringing them to life.   The main thing she told us was…many people ask the Dahl estate to make movies, but they are very selective in what they will allow.

But while many of his books have never been optioned by Hollywood, she told us the hot book right now is “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”. She then told us that producer Kathleen Kennedy has the rights to “BFG” (Big Friendly Giant) and screenwriter Melissa Mathison (“E.T.”, “The Black Stallion”) has recently written a draft that has gone over well.  Of course writing a draft that people like doesn’t mean it’s a go project, but it is one step closer to making the movie happen.  For more on what Lucy Dahl told us, hit the jump.

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