Kevin McKidd

New BRAVE TV Spot Capitalizes on NFL Draft

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 26th, 2012 at 12:14 pm

The first round of the NFL Draft kicks off tonight, and while fans across the country are busy prognosticating/praying, Disney is capitalizing on the excitement with an NFL Draft-inspired TV spot for the upcoming Pixar flick Brave.  It’s actually a pretty smart product integration, as it’s been obvious from the previous trailers that the Mouse House has been trying hard to lure the male crowd to the female-centered movie.  It’s a bit ridiculous to think that young males won’t go to a movie just because a female is the main character, and we’ve learned from The Hunger Games that strong, independent female protagonists are an enormous draw when done well.

Nevertheless, this spot does have some fun jokes and is packed with NFL-related references.  Also, somewhat surprisingly, there’s a pretty racy gag involving a certain female body part.  I guess we can expect a scandalous PG rating for the latest Pixar pic.  Hit the jump to watch the spot.  The film features the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters.  Brave opens in 3D on June 22nd.

New Trailer and Clip for Pixar’s BRAVE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 24th, 2012 at 7:25 am

The full trailer for Pixar’s Brave has gone online along with a new clip.  The past trailers have tried to blend the comic and dramatic sides of the film, and done so with varying levels of success.  The latest trailer puts up a clear wall between the two, showing off the amusing antics of the protagonist Princess Merida’s family (I love her father’s impression of his daughter) and then making a jarring, abrupt cut to the dramatic, mystical side of the adventure where Merida makes a wish to change her fate of being married off to another clan and losing her freedom.  The first half of the trailer made laugh, and the second half gave me chills (I love the use of Julie Fowlis‘ “Tha Mo Ghaol Air Aird A’ Chuain”), but I’m still looking for the connective tissue that will bring the two tones together.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with the clip (which falls on the comic side of Brave‘s schizophrenic advertising).  The film features the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters.  Brave opens in 3D on June 22nd.

Fantastic First TV Spot for BRAVE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 27th, 2012 at 4:00 pm

The first couple of trailers for Pixar’s Brave weren’t terrible, but they left something to be desired. The tone seemed a bit scattershot and the reliance on jokes and action over story and character felt uncharacteristic of a Pixar trailer. It made sense that Disney would be targeting young boys with the first trailers who otherwise might blow off “that fairy tale cartoon with a girl,” and I felt confident that the first peeks weren’t telling the whole story. A few days ago Disney released a full clip that I really enjoyed, and last night during the Oscars they debuted the film’s first TV spot. Both the clip and the TV spot are fantastic, and they hint at the kind of movie I was expecting when I first read the logline for Brave: “a young princess in the Scottish Highlands defies an age-old custom, inadvertently unleashing chaos and fury in the kingdom.” I really, really love the tone and the atmosphere of this TV spot and I can’t wait to see the full film this summer.

Hit the jump to watch the spot. The film features the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters. Brave opens in 3D on June 22nd.

New Trailer for Pixar’s BRAVE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 23rd, 2012 at 6:57 am

A new trailer for Pixar’s Brave has gone online.  Rather than show off a bunch of scenes from the movie or even give an overview of the plot.  The movie follows Merida, young princess (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) in the Scottish Highlands who defies an age-old custom, inadvertently unleashing chaos and fury in the kingdom.  This trailer doesn’t explain any of that and instead ops to show one scene.  The scene has three less-than-desirable men trying to win an archery contest for Merida’s hand in marriage.  Merida, none-too-happy with the situation, eventually has to show everyone what an utter bad-ass she is.  I still want to see more of the film’s scope, but the new trailer does a good job showing the movie’s comic and dramatic sides.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and click here to see the poster that was released yesterday. The film also features the voices of Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters. Brave opens in 3D on June 22nd.

New Trailer for Pixar’s BRAVE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 16th, 2011 at 9:22 am

A new trailer for Pixar’s upcoming film Brave has been released. The pic is the studio’s first fairy tale and revolves around a young princess (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) in the Scottish Highlands who defies an age-old custom, inadvertently unleashing chaos and fury in the kingdom.  The tone of the trailer is a bit scattershot.  On the one hand, there are grand statements about changing your fate and wanting freedom.  On the other hand, there’s a guy in a kilt mooning his fellow Scot.  Tone aside, the visuals look fantastic. Overall, the trailer is alright, but I think Brave still has the potential to be a great movie.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also features the voices of Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters.  Brave opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

New Synopsis for Pixar’s BRAVE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 25th, 2011 at 10:22 am

A new synopsis for Pixar’s Brave has gone online.  We already knew the film was set in the mystical Scottish Highlands and revolved around a young princess (voiced my Kelly Macdonald) who defies a sacred custom of the land, inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom, and then makes an ill-fated wish in order to set things right.  The new synopsis adds a bit more color to the previous synopsis although it doesn’t add much in the way of new plot details.  However, it’s looking like that for everyone who was unimpressed with Cars 2 (i.e. everyone), Brave will be the terrific experience we’ve come to expect from Pixar.

Hit the jump to check out the synopsis.  Click here, here, and here for our Brave interviews at D23.  The film also stars Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters.  Brave opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

Exclusive: Kevin McKidd and Kelly Macdonald Talk About Pixar’s BRAVE at D23

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: August 22nd, 2011 at 4:25 pm

At this weekend’s D23 (essentially Disney’s Comic-Con), I got to speak with Kevin McKidd and Kelly Macdonald about Pixar’s Brave.  In the upcoming animated film arriving June 22^nd, 2012, Macdonald plays an unruly daughter and an accomplished archer who defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom.  McKidd plays one of the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin.

During the interview, they talked about being at D23, who they play in Brave and what it’s about, how Brave is the first Pixar movie with a female protagonist and what that means, how the movie has changed during the recording process, and I also got in a question about the second season of Boardwalk Empire.  Hit the jump to watch.

Images and Featurettes for COMES A BRIGHT DAY Starring Craig Roberts, Imogen Poots, Kevin McKidd

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: August 15th, 2011 at 8:23 pm

Comes a Bright Day has all the ingredients to be a great product of the UK independent film system.  First of all, it’s a crime drama with a dark sense of humor—”an offbeat, coming-of age love-story set during the armed robbery of London’s most exclusive jewelers.”  The cast is led by up-and-comers Craig Roberts (Submarine) and Imogen Poots (Fright Night), surrounded by veteran actors Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy) and Timothy Spall (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and fresh face Anthony Welsh.  And the official website is packed with material to spread the word about the film, including images, featurettes, and a production blog.

Director Simon Aboud is in post-production right now on his feature debut, with an eye toward premiering at Sundance or Berlin in 2012.  Hit the jump to see a ton of new images plus a few videos from the set of Comes a Bright Day.

First Trailer for THE BUNRAKU Starring Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, and Ron Perlman

by Max Lichtig    Posted: July 21st, 2011 at 8:37 pm

After watching the trailer for The Bunraku, I’m more than a little confused. Its visual style conjures imagery of Dick Tracy and Kung Fu Hustle, but it’s as if these films took place in the world of Beetle Juice. Not to mention there’s some guy unloading serious kick-assery while wearing what seems to be the sorting hat from Harry Potter. The story is as follows: a drifter (Josh Hartnett) teams up with a young samurai (Gackt) and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) who plot revenge against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman), a dangerous man leading an army of criminals headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. The film also stars Demi Moore and Kevin McKidd.

First Teaser for Pixar’s BRAVE Will Be Attached to CARS 2

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 19th, 2011 at 12:43 pm

One thing I love about the way Pixar markets their original films is that the trailers show very little footage from the actual movie itself. You’re able to go in almost completely fresh, without feeling like you’ve already seen 2/3’s of the movie. The next original film to be released from Pixar will be Brave next summer, and now The Pixar Blog confirms that the first teaser trailer for the film will be attached to Pixar’s Cars 2 when it hits theaters next month.

The studio’s first fairy tale (and their first film with a female protagonist), Brave centers on Princess Merida, a skilled archer who accidentally sets evil upon the Scottish highlands when she is granted an ill-fated wish. The phenomenal voice cast includes Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters. Judging by the gorgeous concept art that Pixar released in March, we’re in for quite a treat. Brave is slated for a June 22^nd, 2012 release, while Cars 2 hits theaters June 24^th.

Concept Art for Pixar’s BRAVE; Kelly Macdonald Replaces Reese Witherspoon in Lead Role [UPDATED]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 28th, 2011 at 7:21 am

I’m already looking past Cars 2 and on to Pixar’s next film Brave.  That’s partially because Cars 2 looks awful and partially because Brave will feature the studio’s first female protagonist.  It was also going to be the studio’s first film with a female director (Brenda Chapman), but there was a bit of controversy last October when Chapman was replaced by Mark Andrews, who previously directed the Pixar short One Man Band.

Behind-the-scenes drama aside, Brave looks like it could be a great film.  The film is set in Scotland and centers on a tomboyish princess who accidentally unleashes evil on her kingdom and must save the day.  The princess was to be voiced by Reese Witherspoon but scheduling conflicts forced her to drop out.  She’ll be replaced by they actually scottish Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire).  Hit the jump for more details on the film plus a first look at the concept art.  Brave is set to hit theaters in 3D on June 22, 2012. [Updated: Disney has provided some high-resolution images of the concept, which you can check out after the jump]

TIFF Video Reaction/Blog: BUNRAKU

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 12th, 2010 at 6:14 pm

In the last 24 hours, many people here at the Toronto International Film Festival got to check out writer/director Guy Moshe’s Bunraku.  Starring Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Kevin McKidd and Ron Perlman, this was one of those films on my radar since we ran the images that showcased the hyper stylized sets and costumes.

Going in, I figured the film was either going to be incredibly cool, or a train wreck of epic proportions.  It was neither. Instead, I walked out thinking Moshe aimed really high with Bunraku and while some of it was pretty cool, a lot of it had some problems – the biggest of which was the two hour running time.  I think if he had cut it down to 90 minutes, the film would be a lot stronger.  Saying all this, I respect that he made something unique and different and think everyone (included all the actors) gave it their all.  For a lot more, hit the jump:

First Images from BUNRAKU Starring Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Kevin McKidd and Ron Perlman

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: August 17th, 2010 at 5:15 pm

What I love about this time of year are all the movies getting ready to unspool for the first time.  Over the next few weeks, the Toronto Film Festival, Telluride, the Venice Film Festival, and even Fantastic Fest will premiere tons of movies – with many of them under the radar (for now). That’s because every year plays out the same way…as a few movies will come out of nowhere to win some of the biggest Awards at each of the Festivals and then they’ll get released around the world.  That’s why everyone gets so excited for this time of year, because over the next few weeks, the world’s leading film critics will get to see almost all the big releases for the rest of the year and everyone wants to be the first one predicting what will win an Oscar and what film was a huge disappointment.

So why this long winded intro?  Because one of the many films off my radar was writer/director Guy Moshe’s Bunraku. While I knew the film from the times I’d seen the title listed on Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Josh Hartnett, Kevin McKidd and Ron Perlman’s IMDb profiles, I didn’t know anything about it.  However, we just got the first images from the film and the synopsis and now I’m very curious.  Hit the jump for more:

Watch 8 Movie Clips From PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 5th, 2010 at 9:12 am

20th Century Fox has just released 8 movie clips from director Chris Columbus’ Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  The film stars Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman and Melina Kanakaredes.  Here’s the synopsis:

Trouble-prone Percy Jackson is having problems in high school – but that’s the least of his challenges. It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology texts and into his life. Percy has learned that his real father is Poseidon, god of the sea, which means Percy is a demigod – half human, half god. At the same time, the powerful gods on Olympus are feuding, which could launch a war enveloping our entire planet.

While I saw a screening the other day, I’m under embargo, so I can’t say what I thought of the film.  But the clips do a good job of letting you know what you’re in for.  Make sure to watch the Uma Thurman as Medusa clip…

New High Resolution Images from PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 4th, 2010 at 1:00 pm

20th Century Fox has just released a number of new images from director Chris Columbus’ Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  The film stars Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman and Melina Kanakaredes.  Here’s the synopsis:

Trouble-prone Percy Jackson is having problems in high school – but that’s the least of his challenges. It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology texts and into his life. Percy has learned that his real father is Poseidon, god of the sea, which means Percy is a demigod – half human, half god. At the same time, the powerful gods on Olympus are feuding, which could launch a war enveloping our entire planet.

Hi the jump to check out the new images and look for new movie clips tomorrow:

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