Killer CinemaCon Feature

PARAMOUNT PICTURES PRESENTATION AT CINEMACON 2011 (FEATURING A LOOK AT SUPER 8, THOR, CAPTAIN AMERICA, KUNG FU PANDA 2, AND PUSS IN BOOTS)!

A few weeks ago in New York, Paramount held a special shin-dig for entertainment journalists. Among the profiled movies; Super 8, Footloose and Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol. It was safe to say that the studio's presentation at CinemaCon would be relatively the same. Alas, we didn't get to see the Footloose (directed by Hustle and Flow's Craig Brewer) or Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (the directorial debut of The Incredibles' Brad Bird) footage, but it was still an amazing evening. Here are some highlights;

SUPER 8
Without question, Super 8 is the summer film I'm most excited about. On hand to talk about the highly anticipated movie was director J.J. Abrams. As Abrams took the stage, he shared some terrific stories from his early years as a cinematic enthusiast who merely entertained the notion of becoming a film-maker. Amongst his personal highlights? The opportunity to preserve old films made by...Steven Spielberg! Its true. When Abrams and his friend Matt Reeves (whose also blossomed into one hell of a film-maker) were in their teens, Kathleen Kennedy called them up and told them that Spielberg wanted the films he made in his youth (Firelight and a handful of others) to be cleaned up and preserved. Naturally, Abrams and Reeves jumped at the chance, and it seems fitting that all these years later, Spielberg is now executive producing Super 8, a movie that is clearly a homage to his earlier works.

After reminiscing a bit, Abrams went on to talk about his nerves and his being reluctant to share scenes from Super 8 so early. Not because he isn't proud of the movie but because he likes the secrecy that comes along with a big summer film. He wants audiences to be surprised. Still, Abrams recognizes that Super 8 isn't a a sequel or a comic book adaptation and that by giving folks an early taste of the of the film, he'll ensure that the buzz level stays sky high. A gamble that certainly paid off as the footage screened was every bit as amazing as I hoped it would be.

From director J.J. Abrams and executive producer Steven Spielberg comes Super 8. This ode to Spielberg takes place in 1979 Ohio and weaves its tale around a group of kids who set out to shoot a short film. While crafting their miniature epic, an unexpected train derailment puts an immediate halt on their production. At the heart of this film is a tested relationship between a father and a son who must adjust to a life without a wife/mother.

As someone who loves movies, I get a bit nervous when having the opportunity to see footage from films that are still months from release, particularly when the showcased scenes are out of context. This isn't to say I don't like being present at such presentations. As Shaun, Bernie, and Sheldon will tell you, I've been excited about the Paramount presentation for weeks most notably because of the presence of Super 8. Still, sitting in that theater waiting for a glimpse at this movie had me nervous because the last thing I want is to have the secrets of Super 8 ruined for me. Thankfully, Abrams was careful in terms of what he screened. Surprising given that he showed us a whopping 20 minutes from the film.

Included; the grandiose train derailment hinted at in the chill inducing coming attraction trailer. Talk about spectacular! Following the massive train car pile up, our young lead character sees something escape from the steel confines of a cargo car. What you ask? Abrams wasn't saying and whatever it is, it was suspiciously absent from the clip. That's ok though. I love that Abrams is concealing certain aspects of the picture. Again, this will ensure an element of surprise when the film is released.

In another scene, we see a gas station attendant attacked by an unseen force. The attendant is viciously dragged from his work place, presumably never to be heard from again.

What really impressed me about the Super 8 footage was the chemistry amongst Abrams' youthful cast. This is a character piece complimented by special effects and high level tension. And had I not known that this was an Abrams film, I'd swear that Spielberg directed this himself. I also enjoy the fact that Super 8 offers up a loving homage to film-making itself. Watching these kids set out to make their own little opus put a great big smile on my face. I could relate to their plight because I've been there myself. Minus the train derailment of course.

Following the brilliance that was Star Trek, I'd follow Abrams just about anywhere, and while my expectations for his Super 8 are probably too high, I suspect that this movie will rise to the hefty challenge. Super 8 opens on June 10th, both on standard screens and in Imax.

Super 8; http://www.super8-movie.com/?gclid=CICLt9iYg6gCFRNrgwodoGXcrg

MARVEL GIVES US AN EXTENDED PEAK AT THOR AND CAPTAIN AMERICA

THOR
Marvel Studios was kind enough to screen extended footage of Kenneth Branagh's Thor. This hot Marvel property offers up a lot more humor than I was expecting. Star Chris Hemsworth (who was on hand to introduce the footage--our own Bernie Laub couldn't stop talking about him!) looks outstanding as an arrogant hero who talks down to puny humans. In addition to seeing Hemsworth kick some major ass, we also got a brief glimpse at Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye. As the Thor sizzle reel began, I was a bit nervous as the art direction had a Flash Gordon/Masters of the Universe ring to it (not that I dislike those movies, but you catch my drift), but once Hemsworth and sir Anthony Hopkins began to engage in an epic yelling match, I was sold. As everyone is already well aware, Thor features a couple of characters from other Marvel properties, paving the way for next year's The Avengers (directed by Joss Whedon). Thor opens on May 6th.

Thor; http://thor.marvel.com/

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
I've been looking forward to Captain America for a while. In fact, amongst the super hero films opening this summer, it sits right alongside X-Men: First Class as the one I'm most excited about. What I really look forward to in Captain America is the tone and time frame. The Nazis are the villains lending a certain Raiders of the Lost Ark feel to this exciting tale of Marvel's First Avenger. Joe Johnston is a terrific director and of all his work, its The Rocketeer I like most. Captain America looks to have the same sort of spirit. Great special effects too. I'm still trying to figure out how the magicians behind the visuals managed to make Chris Evans look so scrawny in the first act! Marvel was good enough to show us a few scenes including Steve Rogers' transformation from scrawny wannabe solider to ripped beefcake Captain America. The First Avenger opens on July 22nd.

Captain America: The First Avenger; http://captainamerica.marvel.com/

DREAMWORKS GIVES US A LOOK AT KUNG FU PANDA AND PUSS IN BOOTS

KUNG FU PANDA 2
Dreamworks Animation opened their portion of the presentation with an extended look at Kung Fu Panda 2, a film I'm quite looking forward to. In Kung Fu Panda 2, Po (voiced by an energetic Jack Black) and crew take on a most unusual enemy (voiced by Gary Oldman--I'm not about to spoil what kind of animal he plays, but its oddly hilarious). Mousy director Jennifer Yuh was on hand to show us a few scenes, and you'd never guess that a woman this quiet and reserved would be capable of delivering something so fiercely energetic. The footage we were privy to was vibrant and fast paced. Sometimes its hard to judge random footage like this because its so out of context. I liked what I saw and greatly look forward to seeing the finished product, but was hoping for a little more charm and humor. Following the footage, Jack Black certainly brought charm and humor as he hit the stage to discuss his involvement in the film. He started by breaking into a cover of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On (fitting given that we were sitting in the house that Celine Dion built). He then went on to talk about the rigorous physical transformation he went through to bring Po back to the big screen, a reveal that had the audience in stitches, because there was no physical transformation. Black's pudgy appearance was proof of this. Still, this didn't stop Black for showcasing some impressive moves. He threw some kung fu punches and proceeded to do flips and cart wheels on stage! Really impressive. I love Jack Black and I don't have much doubt that Kung Fu Panda 2 will be a winner. It opens on May 26th.

PUSS IN BOOTS
Right up front, I should admit that I really didn't have much of an interest in this film. When I heard it was going into production, I couldn't help but let out a sigh. A Shrek spinoff film? Really? Not that I dislike Shrek. I thought the first one was great. The second was ok but fairly overrated. Part 3 I affectionately refer to as Shrek the Turd. Part 4 actually surprised me. It wasn't a masterwork by any means, but it was my favorite since the first. Puss In Boots, the suave kitty voiced by Antonio Banderas, has long been a fan favorite of the franchise. His fan base isn't merely limited to filmgoers either. Director Chris Miller and his screenwriting crew love the character as well, and they saw an interesting opportunity to go into the history behind this beloved character. Puss In Boots finds the sly feline hot on the trail of feared duo Jack and Jill (fittingly voiced by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris). It seems that the famed fairy tale pair possess magic beans, and Puss In Boots will stop at nothing until he has the beans all to himself. What can I say? I had virtually no interest in this film, but I walked out of this presentation completely excited!. In fact, with the possible exception of Super 8, Puss In Boots was my favorite reel at the convention! High praise given everything I got to see. There were two things that struck me about this footage. Firstly, the imagry was colorful and the characters richly detailed. From the title character, to Salma Hayek's Kitty Softpaws, to the sheer simplicty of Humpty Dumpty, I was very impressed by the animation. Secondly, I was completely won over by the tone of the piece. The comic timing is spot on and the humor is plentiful (watch as a bartender slides a shot glass filled with cream, to an eager Puss In Boots. Rather then choking the glass back, the cute little kitty laps the cream up with his tongue--HILARIOUS!). With Puss In Boots, Dreamworks Animation may just have a huge hit on their hands, and while that might not be news to those of you who were already excited about this movie, it was news to me! I am now officially on the Puss In Boots bandwagon! It hits theaters on November 4th.

Puss In Boots; http://www.pussinbootsthemovie.com/

Paramount did it up right! This movie fan went home happy!

There's plenty more 2011 CinemaCon coverage to come including a look at Foo Fighters: Back and Forth, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Zookeeper, Warrior, The Muppets, War Horse, Fright Night, The Help, Real Steel, and much more!

Other 2011 CinemanCon articles;

CinemaCon Video Blog; http://www.zboneman.com/blog/CinemaCon-Video-Blog-22109.html

CinemaCon Podcast; http://www.zboneman.com/blog/ShoWest-Becomes-CinemaCon-Adam-Explains-and-Presents-Massive-Podcast-22095.html