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Monday, June 1
Lou Romano has lent his voice talents to several Pixar movies, including Ratatouille, in which he played the protagonist Linguini. He's also one of Pixar's artists, and he recently posted some production sketches he worked on during the development of Up, which grossed $68.2 million at the box-office during its opening weekend (third all-time for the studio behind The Incredibles and Finding Nemo).
Check out Romano's blog for the complete gallery.
Posted 6/1/2009 by Rich Z
Related: Ratatouille | Up | Lou Romano
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Tuesday, May 26
Pixar -- the Academy Award-winning digital animation studio behind such colossal hits as Toy Story, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and WALL-E -- debuts Up this Friday, its first film presented in Disney Digital 3-D.
3-D films have not had a very impressive track record, but director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) hopes that subtler 3-D effects in Up will keep the audience engaged:
We tried to learn from all the films that had come before us and what makes it work. The things that were important to me as a director was not to distract people with 3D. You don't want to pop them out of the movie by going "ooga-booga." We basically said, "Okay, the screen is like a window and you can see into it but let's not bring too many things out." That adds a certain sense of depth and I think, for a lot of people, they feel more transported into that world. Hopefully, it's not distracting to the point of popping you out of the film and it's a more immersive experience.
Up tells the tale of Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner), a grumpy, retired balloon seller who ties balloons to his house and sails off for South America. Russell (Jordan Nagai), an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer, accidentally stows away with Carl and the two opposites encounter thrills and adventures in the Venezuelan jungle.
Posted 5/26/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Ed Asner | The Incredibles | Toy Story | Monsters, Inc. | Ratatouille | Wall-E | Peter Docter | Jordan Nagai
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Tuesday, November 6
This week's new releases offer DVD aficionados plenty of options:
Get into the Holiday spirit with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick in Deck the Halls, gay it up with Adam Sandler and Kevin James in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, or probe our nation's health care maladies with Michael Moore in Sicko.
Our recommendation for this week is a no-brainer: Ratatouille, the latest offering from the dynamic duo of Pixar and director Brad Bird (The Incredibles), is the best-reviewed animated flick of the year and an odds-on favorite to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Posted 11/6/2007 by reelz
Related: Deck the Halls | Ratatouille | I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry | Sicko
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The Pixar smash Ratatouille comes out on DVD today, and the studio has loaded it with lots of extras--including a new 11-minute short called "Your Friend the Rat."
Narrated by Remy (aka Patton Oswalt) and his brother, Emile (Peter Sohn), the short tells the history of Remy's kind. It is Pixar's first foray into hand-drawn 2-D shorts and is the longest Pixar short ever produced.
To see the new stills from "Your Friend the Rat," check out our Ratatouille photo gallery..
Posted 11/6/2007 by reelz
Related: Ratatouille
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Sunday, July 15
As predicted, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix swept the box offie this weekend, taking in $140 million in domestic recepts (since Weds), and $190.3 million overseas. That brings its grand total to $330 million worldwide, Variety reports.
Transformers, Ratatouille, and Live Free or Die Hard took second, third, and fourth place at the box office, earning $36 million, $18 million, and $10.9 million respectively.
The torture-porn horror flick with the flashy advertising campaign Captivity had an especially weak open--taking in only $1.5 million and coming in twelfth. Michael Moore's health care documentary, Sicko, did well, on the other hand-holding its position at number nine and taking in $2.6 million.
Posted 7/15/2007 by reelz
Related: Captivity | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Ratatouille | Transformers | Live Free or Die Hard | Sicko
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Monday, July 9
Transformers continued its remarkable box office run, easily winning the weekend with a tally of $67.6 million, boxofficemojo.com reports. Ratatouille held strong in its second week in release, raking in $29 million, while Live Free or Die Hard earned $17.4 million. Last week's only other new release, License to Wed, took in just over $10 million, signalling that moviegoers might be growing a little tired of Robin Williams's trademark shtick. Rounding out the top five with a $5.2 million tally was Knocked Up, which continues to hold strong after five-plus weeks in theaters.
Does Transformers have the stuff to take on heavyweights Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for the summer box office crown? We'll find out this weekend, when a certain teenage wizard arrives in theaters.
Posted 7/9/2007 by reelz
Related: Ratatouille | Transformers | Knocked Up | License to Wed | Live Free or Die Hard
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Sunday, July 1
Ratatouille topped the weekend box office with an estimated
$47 million. Playing in nearly 4,000 screens across the nation, Pixar's latest took in nearly $12,000 per screen.
Scoring an impressive debut just behind the family friendly fare was Live Free or Die Hard with an estimated $33 million. The pic marks Willis' fourth time taking on the role of John McClane. Strong reviews helped ensure a nice opening and the likelihood that we haven't yet seen the last of the beloved bad-a** McClane.
Rounding out the top three was Evan Almighty with an estimated $15 million.
The weekend's other big debut, Michael Moore's Sicko, added 440 screens and took in an estimated $4.5 million with just over $10,000 per screen.
Posted 7/1/2007 by reelz
Related: Ratatouille | Evan Almighty | Live Free or Die Hard | Sicko
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Friday, June 29
A rundown of our reviews of this weekend's new releases:
Ratatouille 
"The movie picks up steam in the third act and finally becomes genuinely interesting. I only wish it had been able to do that sooner." [Full Review]
Live Free or Die Hard 
"Bruce Willis doesn’t miss a beat stepping back into the shoes of John McClane. At 52, he’s kicking a** like a teenager." [Full Review]
Evening 
"Nothing more than an inflated Lifetime movie with excellent art direction...this is one melancholy melodrama that is best avoided." [Full Review]
Sicko 
"I enjoyed Sicko. It’s just that if I were less informed, I might have made my plans to go ahead and move to Cuba after exiting the theater." [Full Review]
The iPhone
"Yeah right, like I'm gonna pay 600 bucks for a freakin' cell phone...oh wait, I just did. Damn you, Steve Jobs!" [Full Review]
Posted 6/29/2007 by reelz
Related: Ratatouille | Evening | Live Free or Die Hard | Sicko
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Tuesday, May 1
As a promotion for its big upcoming summer animated feature Ratatouille, Disney-Pixar is giving fans-to-be an early treat--an extended 9-minute sequence from the movie, which debuts today exclusively on Disney.com.
You may also notice Ratatouille commercials all over your tube today, culminating in a 90-second commercial during American Idol tonight.
Ratatouille, which Disney Studios Marketing President Jim Gallagher claims is "the most original movie of the summer" is the story of Remy, a rat who dreams of being a gourmet chef--problematic considering how welcome rats are in restaurants.
What's next? Gerbil Fridays?
Next Showing: Ratatouille comes out June 29, 2007.
Posted 5/1/2007 by reelz
Related: Ratatouille