Real Steel

REAL STEEL Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: January 30th, 2012 at 6:00 am

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a formula picture, the problem is with filmmakers not investing in the formula. There’s just too many big budget movies these days – like the Pirates or Transformers films – where the characters and what they do don’t make sense, and it’s near impossible to care about anything that happens to them. So it’s strange that director Shawn Levy managed to make a formula picture right. Best known for the sub-par Night at the Museum films, Levy came across as a hack. But Real Steel knows exactly what it’s doing and works you over. Hugh Jackman stars as a washed up boxer trying to make his living fighting with robots. Enter his abandoned son (Dakota Goyo) and a special robot that might be able to take them to the top. Our review of Real Steel on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

2012 Oscar Nominations Announced; HUGO and THE ARTIST Lead the Pack

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 24th, 2012 at 6:05 am

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards have finally been unveiled. Many of the categories have fallen in line just as most have predicted (I fared alright with my predictions, but not great), with Hugo scoring 11 nods, followed closely by The Artist with 10. The biggest surprises are War Horse and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close getting in for Best Picture, the exclusion of The Adventures of Tintin from Best Animated Feature, and The Tree of Life nabbing Best Picture and Best Director nods (hooray!). On the snub side of things, despite landing the most precursor critics awards of any other actor in the race thus far, Albert Brooks was denied a Best Supporting Actor nod for his stellar work in Drive (boo). Additionally, Tilda Swinton was overlooked for giving the best performance of the year in We Need to Talk About Kevin, and AMPAS has no love for Michael Fassbender‘s haunting work in Shame.

There’s still plenty to be happy about, as Gary Oldman has his first ever Oscar Nomination (yes, that’s right) and Melissa McCarthy is a Best Supporting Actress nominee. Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominees. The 84th Academy Awards will be presented by Billy Crystal on February 26th.

Visual Effects Oscar Category Narrowed Down to 10 Choices; Contenders Include HARRY POTTER, CAPTAIN AMERICA, and THE TREE OF LIFE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 4th, 2012 at 2:00 pm

We’re just a little less than two months away from the 84th Annual Academy Awards, and today the choices in yet another category have been pared down. AMPAS announced today that 10 films remain in contention for the Best Visual Effects award, with films like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Hugo, and The Tree of Life making the cut. The pretty clear frontrunner in this race is Rise of the Planet of the Apes (and rightfully so), but there’s much to admire in the 10 films that have been shortlisted.

Though Terrence Malick’s existential drama The Tree of Life is heavy on the naturalistic visuals, the extended “history of the universe” sequence is gloriously enchanting and features some breathtaking visual effects work (dinosaurs!), so I’m happy to see that it hasn’t been overlooked. All members of the Academy’s visual effects branch will view 10-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films, after which they’ll vote to nominate five pics for the Academy Award. Hit the jump to read the full press release, which includes all 10 singled-out films. The Oscars will be presented on February 26th.

97 Original Scores Up for Oscar; DRIVE and ATTACK THE BLOCK Ruled Ineligible

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 23rd, 2011 at 12:04 pm

As the 84th Academy Awards move closer, we’re starting to get a better sense of how things will pan out. We recently shared the 39 songs that will contend for the Best Original Song category, and now the Academy has announced the 97 original scores eligible for the Best Original Score award. AMPAS is notoriously picky when it comes to eligibility in this category, and as we feared the scores for both Drive and Attack the Block have been deemed ineligible. Also disappointing is the ineligibility of Alexandre Desplat’s mesmerizing score for The Tree of Life.

While it’s upsetting to see some of the year’s best work side-lined, there’s plenty to be happy about. I was a huge fan of Howard Shore’s work in Hugo and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as well as The Chemical Brothers’ brilliant work in the criminally underseen Hanna. Hit the jump for the full list, as well as who I think will make the cut.

Weekend Box Office – PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 Claims October Opening Record with $54 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: October 23rd, 2011 at 10:06 am

Earlier this week, it seemed like Paranormal Activity 3 was looking at an opening weekend in the $35-$40 million range, or just slightly less than what its predecessor took in on this week last year.  Instead, the three-quel has crushed all projections with an estimated take of $54 million from 3,321 locations.  At this point that stands as the highest October debut and the biggest supernatural horror opening of all-time, unseating 2010’s Paranormal Activity 2, of course.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Paranormal Activity 3	$54,000,000	$54
2	Real Steel	$11,300,000	$67.2
3	Footloose	$10,900,000	$30.9
4	The Three Musketeers	$8,800,000	$8.8
5	Ides of March	$4,900,000	$29.1
6	Dolphin Tale	$4,500,000	$64.6
7	Moneyball	$4,100,000	$63.7
8	Johnny English	$3,800,000	$3.8
9	The Thing	$3,100,000	$14
10	50/50	$2,800,000	$28.7

Weekend Box Office – REAL STEEL Takes Top Spot Again with $16.3 Million; FOOTLOOSE a Close Second with $16.1 Million

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 16th, 2011 at 9:23 am

In a photo-finish that could very well end up too close to call, it looks like Shawn Levy’s sci-fi pic Real Steel has topped the box office for the second weekend in a row, just edging out the Footloose remake. Estimates have Real Steel with $16.3 million for the weekend, with Footloose finishing with a respectable $16.1 million. The neck-and-neck race may come down to Sunday totals, with the family-heavy day giving a slight edge to the all-ages Real Steel. Hit the jump for more details.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Real Steel	$16,300,000	$51,744,000
2	Footloose	$16,100,000	$16,100,000
3	The Thing	$8,700,000	$8,700,000
4	The Ides of March	$7,500,000	$22,154,000
5	Dolphin Tale	$6,345,000	$58,672,000
6	Moneyball	$5,500,000	$57,712,000
7	50/50	$4,315,000	$24,344,000
8	Courageous	$3,400,000	$21,378,000
9	The Big Year	$3,325,000	$3,325,000
10	The Lion King 3D	$2,708,000	$90,452,000

Shawn Levy Talks REAL STEEL Deleted Scenes and What Will Be on the DVD/Blu-ray

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 15th, 2011 at 9:49 am

Before Real Steel hit theaters, I got to sit down with director Shawn Levy for an extended video interview.  While I’ve already posted what he said about how the soundtrack came together and his goal for the film, Neighborhood Watch, what happened to his Flash movie, and what’s up with Night at the Museum 3 and The Hardy Boys, I’ve got one more bit and it concerns what he cut out of Real Steel and what will be on the eventual DVD/Blu-ray.

For fans of deleted scenes, Levy told me you can expect about 15 minutes to be on the DVD/Blu-ray and he explained why he cut out some of the footage.  In addition, he says the home video release will have an extensive behind the scenes look at the making of Real Steel and he makes use of second screen (which is where you can use your computer or iPad to have a more interactive experience while watching the movie).  Hit the jump for more.

Friday Box Office – FOOTLOOSE on Top with $5.6 Million

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: October 15th, 2011 at 9:23 am

Footloose opened at the top of the charts this Friday with $5.6 million, but the remake will have to keep dancing its heart out to fend off last week’s champion Real Steel.  Both movies should land in the $15-18 million range for the weekend.  The revival of fellow beloved 80s property The Thing debuted in third place with a weaker $3.2 million.  Still better than this week’s other wide release, The Big Year, which earned just $1.15 million this Friday despite a trio of high profile leads in Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black.  Check back tomorrow for the weekend totals.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Footloose	$5,565,000	$5.6
2	Real Steel	$4,517,000	$40.0
3	The Thing	$3,200,000	$3.2
4	The Ides of March	$2,250,000	$16.9
5	Moneyball	$1,715,000	$53.9

Weekend Box Office – REAL STEEL Goes Unchallenged with $27.3 Million; THE IDES OF MARCH a Distant Second

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: October 9th, 2011 at 9:36 am

It may not be the overwhelming win that its pricey PR push promised, but America’s new number one movie Real Steel did score the highest debut of any truly ‘new’ release since Rise of the Planet of the Apes two months ago.  With $27.3 million from its 3,440 locations, the family-friendly robot boxing movie also earned almost three times what its nearest competitor, George Clooney’s The Ides of March, saw on its first weekend.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Real Steel	$27,300,000	$27.3
2	The Ides of March	$10,400,000	$10.4
3	Dolphin Tale	$9,160,000	$49
4	50/50	$5,500,000	$17.3
5	Courageous	$4,600,000	$15.8
6	The Lion King 3D	$4,550,000	$85.9
7	Dream House	$4,500,000	$14.5
8	Moneyball	$3,230,000	$49.2
9	What’s Your Number?	$3,050,000	$10.3
10	Abduction	$2,900,000	$23.3

TOP 5: THE AVENGERS, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Returns, IN TIME Set Visit, THE IDES OF MARCH and REAL STEEL Interviews

by Jason Barr    Posted: October 8th, 2011 at 11:23 am

In last week’s “Top 5″, I painfully admitted to not having seen either Moneyball or 50/50. Moreover, I put my credentials as “mildly credible film blogger” up as collateral in the case that I hadn’t checked both out by this week. Sadly, I’ll have to forfeit my title as I’ve only managed to catch 50/50 so far. On the bright side, I thought that film was great and is definitely one of my favorites of the year thus far. As for Moneyball, well there’s always this week.

In spite of my lack of mild credibility, I hope you’ll still choose to check out this week’s “Top 5″ where you’ll find new hi-res images from The Avengers, the return of Arrested Development, our In Time set visit coverage, and interviews for George Clooney’s political drama The Ides of March and Shawn Levy’s robot boxing extravaganza Real Steel. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Friday Box Office – REAL STEEL Enters Ring with $8.6 Million Debut

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: October 8th, 2011 at 8:47 am

For the first time in a month, a brand new movie is set to top the weekend box office (the re-release of The Lion King doesn’t really count).  Real Steel, the heartwarming tale of an ex-fighter, a robot and a dream, entered the ring on Friday with an estimated $8.6 million from 3,440 locations.  That means that the Disney/Dreamworks release is on track to take in at least $25 million by Sunday – more than any new release has scored since August.  Still, with a budget rumored to top $100 million, Real Steel would need to claim a bigger purse before it could call itself a bonafide box office champ.  The weekend’s second new release was never destined to be a big money contender; but with a Friday opening of $3.5 million from 2,199 locations, George Clooney’s The Ides of March should at least finish in the modest $10 million range that many expected.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Real Steal	$8,600,000	$8.6
2	Ides of March	$3,500,000	$3.5
3	Dolphin Tale	$2,400,000	$42.3
4	Moneyball	$2,200,000	$43.9
5	50/50	$1,800,000	$13.6

Director Shawn Levy Interview REAL STEEL

by Christina Radish    Posted: October 7th, 2011 at 12:13 pm

Real Steel is a true underdog tale that combines the grand spectacle of robot boxing with the grounded story of three abandoned beings – a father, a son, and a discarded robot – who, together, have the chance to become real heroes. In 2020, boxing fans have become bored with watching human beings fight each other, so the sport has evolved to the point where robots pummel each other to the death. Washed up, former heavyweight Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) begrudgingly teams up with his long-abandoned son (Dakota Goyo) to turn a junkyard robot into the champ they believe he can be.

At the film’s press day, director Shawn Levy talked about the challenge of getting the robots to work, the decision behind not giving his star robot Atom a face, why he feels he is able to direct kids so easily, creating his own version of the year 2020, the Simul-Cam B technology used to shoot the film, and his personal philosophy for directing. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

REAL STEEL Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 7th, 2011 at 6:09 am

The greatest achievement in Shawn Levy’s Real Steel is building the world of robot boxing.  The term “robot boxing” sounds incredibly stupid when you hear it and flashes of Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots and the failed TV show Battlebots come to mind.  But Levy does a tremendous job for showing not just the hi-tech wonder of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), but he takes us to the back-alleys, run-down theme parks, and country fairs where a punching robot and its owner can make some cash and win some glory.  Paired with well-choreographed fights that wisely make heavy use of animatronics and practical effects, Real Steel almost has an unbeatable combination.  But the clunky storytelling and awful performance from child actor Dakota Goyo stop the movie from landing a knock-out punch (I promise I’ll try to keep the boxing puns to a minimum).

Check Out the Limited-Edition REAL STEEL Poster Handed Out at the Midnight IMAX Screening

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: October 6th, 2011 at 10:46 pm

Earlier this week IMAX announced they are handing out limited-edition Real Steel posters to the first 100 people at the 12:01am opening night screening at participating IMAX theaters.  Hopefully, you were one of the lucky few who got your hands on one of the super cool prints created by Mr. Cartoon and Estevan Oriol’s SA Studios.  If not, you can live vicariously through Collider thanks to Jason, a reader who sent in pics of the poster (we cleaned them up in Photoshop).

Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, and Anthony Mackie star in Real Steel, directed by Shawn Levy.  Click here for all our coverage on the movie, and hit the jump to see the poster.

Sugar Ray Leonard Interview REAL STEEL

by Christina Radish    Posted: October 6th, 2011 at 12:10 pm

In order for all the fights to be different for the robot boxing drama Real Steel, the production hired one of the all-time greatest boxers, Sugar Ray Leonard. Having won titles in five different weight divisions, he served as a consultant for the robots and a trainer for the film’s star, Hugh Jackman.

At the film’s press day, the famed fighter talked about how the job came out of his friendship with DreamWorks CEO Stacey Snider (their kids go to the same school), giving the robots each their own personal fighting style, the challenge of getting Hugh Jackman to let go and surrender to the fight, how different he is from his own boxing persona, and how his life changed after writing his personal memoir. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

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