burger king Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I don't have any children of my own -- but I have a lot of old friends who are precisely my age. And they ALL have kids. Big bunches of sticky, adorable, smart, loud, wonderful, moody kids. Once in a while I'll get an amusing little phone call that sounds a lot like this: "Hi Uncle Scott it's Robby do you wanna eet at Bugger King and get some Smimmpsons toys?" Now, when your seven-year-old godson asks you a question like that -- you really can't say no. (Truth be told I'd just eaten half a pizza, but I love this kid almost as much as I love The Simpsons.)

So off we go to Burger King and the three kids (Robby, 5-year-old Matty and 3-year-old Ms. Natalie) are on their extra-best behavior because ... they want the Simpsons Movie toys! So when we return to the table with a tray full of char-broiled meat and crusty chicken parts, the kiddies dive straight into their bags for their their plastic pals from Springfield. Robby finds a Spongebob keychain. Matty finds a mini Holly Hobbie doll. Natalie gets a Tonka Truck.

Screaming ensues.

Now, I know this sounds pretty stupid to the mature grown-ups of the world, but the phrases "while supplies last" and "we don't have any left" mean very little to children under the age of seven. They were getting Burger King as a special treat, the TV promised them a Simpsons toy for their troubles -- and they got rooked. So yes, crying did ensue. Weeping, bawling, monumental pouting, you name it. When I politely asked the counter-gal if they had any Simpsons toys in the back, she semi-rolled her eyes and said "No, we ran out yesterday morning" -- which I found really strange since I'd been there the night before and bought a Homer Simpson figure along with a large vanilla milk shake. (Yeah, I collect 'em too. Even I have my weaknesses.)

Have you always dreamed of landing a guest spot on The Simpsons? Have you wondered what you would look like as a resident of Springfield? Well, thanks to the glorious thing that is movie marketing, you can now create your own Simpsons character (based on you or someone you know) and show it off to all those people who claim you don't have a lot of time on your hands. Interested? Oh, I know you are. To play, you can either head on over to the official The Simpsons Movie website (where they allow you to create your own avatar -- see me to the right of your screen) or the Burger King Simpsons site (where they allow you to upload a pic of yourself which you can then alter once in Simpsons mode).

I thought I'd like the Burger King site better (since you can use a pre-existing photo of yourself), but the one I created on The Simpsons Movie website came out a tad closer to what I actually look like. Just picture sideburns, a little scruff and bit more roundish physique. That's not to say the Burger King one won't work -- I guess it just depends on the picture you provide (they ask for a close-up shot). In case you've been living under a rock, they've been promoting the hell out of this movie. Earlier this month, a handful of 7-Elevens were converted to Kwik-E-Marts, while a flurry of Simpsons-related products hit shelves in thousands of stores across the country. (I managed to pick up some Buzz Cola, although it was a tad too sweet for my taste). On top of the 7-Eleven thing, a contest was also held featuring all of the U.S towns named Springfield. Basically, each town had to submit a video saying why they should be chosen to host The Simpsons Movie premiere. In the end, Springfield, Vermont won (check out all the submitted videos here). All this talk, I bet you're dying to see the movie already. Well, fear not, we only have to wait two more weeks -- The Simpsons Movie arrives in theaters on July 27.

[via JoBlo]

By now everyone's seen those bizarrely creepy Burger King commercials in which the massive-headed mascot appears in the most weirdly unlikely of places. Apparently this ad campaign has been something special for the BK corporation -- it even spawned a series of Xbox video games that some of my friends call "addictively awful." (I played the one called Sneak King ... for about 3.3 minutes.) But now comes word that the King of Burgers is about to make the leap to the silver screen. Yes, that's right: A feature film centered around a corporate mascot.

According to MSN, Burger King already has a studio and a distribution deal in place for Burger King: The Movie* -- and they're threatening to have the movie finished by the end of this year! The head marketing guru for the fast food franchise indicates that the flick will be an "origin story," although I doubt it will be a re-enactment of the character's true origins. Who'd want to watch a movie about a mid-70's marketing meeting, anyway? ("Hey, I know! We're called Burger King, so let's use an actual burger king!") It's a horrible idea to make a Burger King movie, obviously, but at least the company is being honest about it. I distinctly remember a few movies that felt like feature-length McDonald's commercials, only they were advertised as actual films.

* This is not the confirmed title, but I bet it's the one they go with.

[ via JoBlo's ]

Two of the more entertaining indie horror flicks I've seen recently are Ryan Schifrin's Abominable and Adam Green's Hatchet. And after meeting both knuckleheads at Austin's Fantastic Fest, I can safely state that these guys are horror nerds on par with the guys who run Fangoria, Bloody-Disgusting and Weinberg's Own Brain. These guys know the body count from Friday 3, the DP on Elm Street 4, and what the hell actually happened at the end of Halloween 5. So when I saw that these two gorehounds had collaborated on a short film called King in the Box, I just knew I had to check it out.

The story is about one particular junk food mascot who earns the unholy wrath of a second drive-thru deity -- and the result is pretty darn amusing. The short is a comedy, to be sure, although I have a sneaky suspicion that the terror-fans might get a nice goofy kick out of the thing as well. And while the mini-movie does get a little gory towards the end, it's nothing that wouldn't clean up with a medium Coke and a super-sized fries.

(Unfortunately it looks like Mr. Green's official website was unable to withstand all the traffic, so I'll offer you an alternate link ... at YouTube, of course.)

And, of course, Happy Halloween.

According to Advertising Age Magazine, we will soon be subjected to a Burger King movie. I know what you're thinking. When I read this article, I thought I'd woken up in the wrong universe this morning. But it is apparently true. The fast food company is working with the advertisement firm Crispin Porter & Bogusky on the project, which has a partially written script but no director, cast or studio. No plot was given either, but the firm says it will take place in an apartment above a Burger King and will be a cross between Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, Raising Victor Vargas and What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, intentionally avoiding the kind of dumb comedy featured in another fast-food-advertisement of a movie, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. The budget will be under $10 million and the movie will not feature any name stars (as if any would do this).

The thing that worked for Harold & Kumar is that it was dumb, and people could enjoy it because it didn't take itself seriously. A somewhat serious movie marketed by Burger King seems way too ridiculous for anybody to accept. Perhaps the restaurant chain could do well to remember a little disaster called Mac and Me, which was a blatant advertisement for McDonalds that horribly ripped off E.T. and featured such serious subjects as a handicapped child and a broken home. It had the awful stench of old guys in suits who think they know what is necessary to make a hit but who actually have no clue. This Burger King thing stinks pretty similarly. These are the people who have been giving us one of the creepiest commercial campaigns ever to hit television (and no, the king mascot will not appear in the movie).

So, I say good luck to Burger King in blowing a hunk of money on something that will probably fail. Once in awhile I encourage stupid businessmen to learn the hard way. 

[via Hollywood Wiretap]