monsters Tagged Articles at Cinematical
The Original Pitch for 'Monsters, Inc.'
Filed under: Animation », Fandom », Newsstand »
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Kudos to Cinematical reader Kashif Pasta for sending this our way. On the latest episode of the Creative Screenwriting Magazine Podcast (which I didn't know existed, but now do and will totally listen more often), Up and Monster's, Inc director Pete Docter revealed the original pitch for Monsters, Inc. -- which was very different from what eventually hit the screen, and kinda reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are in a sorta-ish way. On this blog, Kashif separated the segment of the podcast where Docter reveals the original pitch (which came at about 22 minutes in), and it went something like this:
"Well, my idea was that what it was about was about a 30 year old man who is like an accountant or something, he hates his job, and one day he gets a book with some drawings in it that he did when he was a kid from his mom, and he doesn't think anything of it and he puts it on the shelf and that night, monsters show up. And nobody else can see them. He thinks he's starting to go crazy, they follow him to his job, and on his dates, and all this- and it turns out these monsters are fears that he never dealt with as a kid. And each one of them represents a different kind of fear. As he conquers those fears, the guys who he slowly becomes kind of friends with- they disappear as he conquers those fears. It's this bittersweet kinda ending where they go away, and so not much of that stayed
[...]
it sounds better as a pitch than it did at the time- anyway. "
Sounds like a pretty cool punch-in-the-gut kinda movie to me; something with real intense emotion. I like Docter in that way. I feel he likes to create these beautiful child-like movies with some pretty intense adult emotions behind them. It's part of what makes that Pixar crew so great and unique and powerful. You can listen to the audio from the Docter podcast over here.
Shelf Life: Monsters, Inc.
Filed under: Animation », Comedy », Disney », Home Entertainment », Shelf Life »
On November 10, 2009, Walt Disney Home Entertainment is releasing a 4-disc Blu-ray set for Monsters, Inc., Pete Docter's feature directorial debut. Much like Finding Nemo set the stage for what Andrew Stanton eventually did on Wall-E, the 2001 Pixar film offers a glimpse of what was yet to come from Docter – who went on to direct this summer's Up, also out next week – but it also reiterates some of the themes that run throughout all of the studio's best work, including the concept of an alternate perspective on a place or idea that seems obvious, and the idea of families that are both familiar and unconventional. But how effectively does it examine and explore those things, particularly in light of what the studio has done since?
Suffice it to say that the Blu-ray set offers not only the best presentation of the film imaginable, but a bounty of extra content that expands the film's universe in new and interesting ways. As for the movie itself?
The Ultimate Guide to Universal's Movie Monsters
Filed under: Horror », Movie Marketing »
If you're a fan of the classic Universal Studios movie monsters, including Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy, and more, then you've probably found yourself haunted by a severe lack of ginormous books that focus on your obsession. With Halloween just around the corner, Michael Mallory's Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror arrives just in time.
It's chock full of over 300 black and white and 25 color behind-the-scenes photos, original movie posters, publicity shots, and articles from people like James Whale (director of Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and many more), makeup marvel Jack P. Piece, FX man John Fulton, and more. It's officially endorsed by the studio, so I'm not sure if this will be the Bela Lugosi tell-all expose that you're looking for. The whole package is 252 pages long, and at 9" by 12 ", it can double as a blunt object if you need to brain anyone.
Check out a very cool exclusive pic from the book over at Horror Squad.
Cinematical Seven: Monster vs. Alien Super Smackdowns
Filed under: Cinematical Seven »
My imagination was caught by the title of the upcoming movie Monsters vs. Aliens. I've seen a lot of monster movies and films with aliens in them. I wondered how would some of these characters fare in battle against one another. How would the gentle aliens from Galaxy Quest be able to stand up to vampires? Could Superman defeat the monster from The Host? How would Ford Prefect deal with Noah Cross?
So I decided to stage a smackdown event featuring some of the best-known monsters and aliens in film in one-on-one combat. Instead of matching up characters with similar (or notably different) abilities, I paired them up the old-fashioned way: pulling names out of a hat. Two hats -- I filled one with the names of every alien creature I could think of from movies, and another with every conceivable monster. Here are the results. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Monday Morning Poll: Your Favorite Pixar Film?
Filed under: Animation », Fandom », Monday Morning Poll », Polls »
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Well, the time has finally come for another funtastic Pixar film to hit the big screen. This Friday, Wall·E touches down on earth, and naturally its impending arrival has got us thinking about those nutty dudes over at Pixar who took giant risks, worked their asses off and revolutionized the world of animation. I'm fully aware that naming your favorite Pixar film is kinda like naming your favorite child, but it's fun to look back over the years and attempt to come up with the one Pixar flick that entertained us the most.
Which do you hold closest to your heart? I'm sure everyone has a soft spot for the original Toy Story, but most folks I've spoken with feel The Incredibles was the best all-around Pixar film. Me? I'm a Monsters, Inc. guy. Yup, that's my favorite Pixar film. I just remember having so much fun watching Monsters, Inc. for the first time -- more fun than I had watching any other Pixar flick (with Toy Story and The Incredibles following closely behind). My least favorite is Cars, though I was sick the one time I watched it and have been meaning to give it another chance. Should I? Which is your favorite Pixar film (feature, not short)? Feel free to tell us why in the comments below ...
Retro Cinema: Tremors
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Universal », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Remakes and Sequels », Retro Cinema »
In Perfection, they say there's nothing new under the sun. But under the ground...
The horror/comedy film almost never works, because it requires a nearly impossible tone to nail. It's hard to be too scared if you're laughing, and it's hard to laugh if you're scared. When writers and directors do pull it off -- Gremlins 1 and 2, the Evil Dead series, the recent Slither -- it's an incredibly enjoyable genre. And to me, the shining example may just be the 1990 cult classic Tremors.
The film is about underground creatures that track their prey by sensing vibrations. It's a pretty genius idea for a horror flick, one of those perfect why-didn't-anyone-think-of-this-before concepts. Having the creatures come from below is something of a masterstroke for a low-budget film, because for large chunks of screen time the monster can be implied rather than shown.
The smaller budget of Tremors pushes the filmmakers to be as creative as possible with their monsters. In addition to the awesome cinematography, which includes Sam Raimi-style camera tricks and monster POV shots, just about every creature feature trick in the book is employed, including hand puppets! There are only a couple of moments that don't quite look believable, but the shagginess is a big part of the movie's massive charm.
And the monsters, when we do see them, are really pretty sweet. There's a great documentary on the DVD where, among other things, you learn that the original creature design was scrapped because everyone thought it looked exactly like a penis. So even if the effects might not be up to today's CGI-heavy standards, you can at least be thankful you're not watching Attack of the Dicks.
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Leonardo DaVinci, Marco Polo, and Other Historical Action Heroes
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