Monday, October 19

• Director David Bowers Discusses Astro Boy

  Initially unveiled at the San Diego Comic-Con to thunderous applause, Imagi's latest animated adventure, Astro Boy, debuts in theaters this week and director David Bowers is hoping that American audiences will connect with his take on the iconic Japanese character created by Osamu Tezuka.

  It's such a rich story, and I think its themes are universal. I think American audiences are very used to superheroes, so it's not an enormous stretch for them. The only difficulty was having it be such a beloved character and having to decide what to retain and what to get rid of.

  I like origin stories. I think Richard Donner's Superman is still just about the best superhero movie ever made. And I think it's interesting to see where these characters come from and what their roots are. I think it would be hard to jump into an Astro Boy movie with him already fighting robots and battling aliens. Plus, I think the story, what happens to Toby and why Astro Boy is created, it's pretty compelling.

  Bowers' first film as a director was the light-hearted animated film Flushed Away, but he got his start as an animator and story artist on such films as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Shark Tale, skills that proved useful when directing a movie about a robot boy with a fairly distinctive haircut.

  The graphic image is great, but in three dimensions when he turns his head one of the hair points disappears. So I swap it over every now and again. So it points left in some shots and right in the others. It's just like Mickey Mouse's ears.

  Astro Boy stars Freddie Highmore as the voice of Astro Boy and also features the voice talents of Kristen Bell and Donald Sutherland.

  
  
  

  Astro Boy - Trailer

  In theaters this Friday, Oct. 23

  Posted 10/19/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Donald Sutherland | Freddie Highmore | David Bowers | Kristen Bell | Astro Boy

Friday, September 25

• Extended Clips from Couples Retreat

  Couples Retreat, the latest comedy from Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, focuses on four couples who head to a tropical resort where couples therapy is mandatory. The trailer shows how Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell convince the other couples (Vaughn and Malin Akerman, Favreau and Kristen Davis, and Faizon Love and Kali Hawk) to join them at the retreat using a PowerPoint presentation.

  The group soon learns that Bell's pitch is far from the truth once they learn truth about the Eden resort from Peter Serafinowicz.

  The following clip has an extended look at the couples yoga session teased in the movie's trailer.

  
  
  Next Showing: Couples Retreat opens October 9
  

  Couples Retreat - Trailer

  A new comedy written by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn

  Posted 09/25/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Faizon Love | Jason Bateman | Jon Favreau | Vince Vaughn | Malin Akerman | Peter Serafinowicz | Kristen Bell | Kali Hawk | Kristen Davis | Couples Retreat

Monday, August 3

• Kristen Bell Says Astro Boy Has a "Green" Message

  

  After viewing Imagi Animation Studios' unfinished footage of Astro Boy at the San Diego Comic-Con, we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with actress Kristen Bell, who provides the voice of Cora, a character created just for the Astro Boy movie. Bell, famous for her roles on Veronica Mars and Heroes, said, "I saw the movie a couple nights ago and I loved it." Bell went on to say that while the movie contains kid-friendly action, it still touches on some important themes, including the importance of preserving our environment and the old standby of being kind to one another.

  
  

  Astro Boy was directed by David Bowers and also features the voice talents of Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Nathan Lane, Eugene Levy, Donald Sutherland, Bill Nighy, and Samuel L. Jackson.

  
  
  

  Astro Boy - Trailer

  Releasing Oct. 23, 2009

  Posted 08/03/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Freddie Highmore | David Bowers | Kristen Bell | Astro Boy

Thursday, July 30

• Couples Retreat Headed for Reshoots

  Jon Favreau, fresh off of promoting Iron Man 2 at the San Diego Comic-Con, is now back to work on the upcoming comedy Couples Retreat. Favreau announced on his Twitter feed:

  Just got sent script pages. Preparing for Couples Retreat reshoots tomorrow. No rest for the weary.

  The comedy about four couples going to an island getaway, where they are forced into marriage counseling activities, was written by Favreau and Vince Vaughn. While reshoots are typically a sign of trouble, the Couples reshoots likely are a good sign that director Peter Billingsley knows what works and what doesn't from the large amount of improv done on the Couples set. Co-star Kristen Bell described the improvisational atmosphere as a positive one:

  You know, it's just a fun environment to work in. You have to be really supportive if you're working with improv, because otherwise people don't bring up the right instincts and ideas because they feel like they'll be shot down. So it ends up being a really nice set to work on.

  The amount of reshoots is unknown, but Favreau did follow up by Tweeting that he is shooting with Vaughn ("haven't seen him in months") and his "movie wife" Kristen Davis.

  
  
  Next Showing: Couples Retreat opens October 9
  

  Couples Retreat - Trailer

  A new comedy written by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn

  Posted 07/30/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Jon Favreau | Peter Billingsley | Vince Vaughn | Kristen Bell | Kristen Davis | Couples Retreat

Saturday, July 25

• Freddie Highmore Likens Astro Boy to Pinocchio

  

  

  Astro Boy has new life, thanks to CGI magic and the talent of voice actor Freddie Highmore. Created in back in 1950s Japan as a work of manga (Japanese for "comic book") by Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy was turned into a popular TV series that ran for three years in Japan before being exported to the rest of the world.

  Imagi Animation Studios rolled out unfinished clips of the new feature-length CGI Astro Boy movie at the San Diego Comic-Con and Reelz had the opportunity to sit down with Highmore after the presentation for a little Q&A. Watch the clip below for Highmore's response to the question, "Are you personally a fan of animation and comic books?"

  Astro Boy was directed by David Bowers and also features the voice talents of Kristin Bell, Nicolas Cage, Nathan Lane, Eugene Levy, Donald Sutherland, Bill Nighy, and Samuel L. Jackson.

  
  
  

  Astro Boy - Trailer

  Releasing October 23, 2009

  Posted 07/25/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Freddie Highmore | David Bowers | Kristen Bell | Astro Boy

Wednesday, July 1

• First Couples Retreat Trailer Online

  Couples Retreat, a new comedy written by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, has its first trailer online. The movie stars Favreau and Vaughn, along with Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Faizon Love, Kristin Davis, and Kali Hawk, who, as the title suggests, are four couples that go to a exotic retreat to work on their marriages.

  Peter Billingsley, the little boy from A Christmas Story and a longtime friend of Vaughn and Favreau, directs. Watch the trailer below:

  
  
  Next Showing: Couples Retreat opens October 9, 2009

  Posted 07/01/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Faizon Love | Jason Bateman | Jon Favreau | Peter Billingsley | Vince Vaughn | Malin Akerman | Kristen Bell | Kali Hawk | Kristen Davis | Couples Retreat | A Christmas Story

Wednesday, October 15

• Faizon Gets No Love in Favreau's Couples Retreat

  Rising stars Kristen Bell and Malin Akerman have joined Sex and the City's Kristin Davis as the female leads in the romantic comedy Couples Retreat. The script is from Jon Favreau, who somehow found the time to pen a screenplay while working 20-hour days on the Iron Man set. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Couples Retreat's story revolves around "four couples who go to a tropical island resort, with one couple working on their marriage and the others sucked into the resort's couples therapy." One can only hope that a series of grisly murders ensues. Now that would be funny.

  Playing the male leads in Couples Retreat will be Favreau, Vince Vaughn (shocking!), Jason Bateman, and Faizon Love. THR says that "Bell is playing Bateman's wife, Davis plays Favreau's wife, and Akerman plays Vaughn's." Which begs the only slightly ironic question: Where's the love for Faizon?

  Handling the directorial duties is A Christmas Story's Peter Billingsley.

  
  

  Posted 10/15/2008 by reelz

  Related: Faizon Love | Jason Bateman | Jon Favreau | Vince Vaughn | Malin Akerman | Kristin Davis | Kristen Bell | Couples Retreat

Monday, April 14

• Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Trailers, Pics, Reviews, Clips and Interviews

  Well, after all of the viral marketing and hype, the opening weekend for Forgetting Sarah Marshall is here. We've been following the movie over the past several months and here's just some of what we have:

  » Our early review. (We liked it.)
  » 10 Forgetting Sarah Marshall clips
  » Mila Kunis interview
  » All about the marketing campaign including billboards
  » New Today! Judd Apatow and crew discuss full-frontal male nudity

  
  
  Next Showing: Forgetting Sarah Marshall opens nationwide April 18.
  

  Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Trailer

  Jason Segel and Kristen Bell Star - Releasing April 18, 2008

  Posted 04/14/2008 by Richard

  Related: Judd Apatow | Mila Kunis | Jason Segel | Kristen Bell | Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Saturday, July 28

• Veronica Mars dons "Slave Leia" outfit in Fanboys

  In the pantheon of hot fangirl costumes, classic outfits like Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Catwoman have all stood the test of time, making fanboys drool for the better part of three decades. But none of them can hold a candle to Slave Leia, the costume inspired by gold bikini that Carrie Fisher famously wore in Return of the Jedi.

  Speaking at yesterday's Comic-Con, the makers of Fanboys, a new comedy about a group of geeks hell-bent on seeing The Phantom Menace before it opens in theaters (The movie is set in 1999), revealed that former Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell donned the Slave Leia outfit for a key scene in their film.

  In exclusive interview with ReelzChannel.com, Bell talked about how the boys convinced her to wear the skimpy gold bikini -- in the freezing cold, no less. Click here to check it out.

   

  
  
  

  Comic-Con 2007

  Kristen Bell talks Fanboys.

  Posted 07/28/2007 by reelz

  Related: Kristen Bell | Carrie Fisher | Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi