Posts Tagged ‘stop-motion’

The Time Machine (1960)

Friday, June 5th, 2009
Genres: Adventure | Sci-Fi
Countries: USA
Actors: Rod Taylor | Alan Young | Yvette Mimieux | Sebastian Cabot | Tom Helmore | Whit Bissell | Doris Lloyd | Bob Barran | Paul Frees | James Skelly | Josephine Powell
Directors: George Pal
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From the book by H.G. Wells, a scientist and tinkerer builds a time machine and uses it to explore the distant future where there are two races, a mild gentle race, and a cannibalistic one living underground. His machine is stolen by the underground race and he must risk being captured (and eaten) to return to his own time.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Friday, June 5th, 2009
Genres: Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical
Countries: USA
Actors: Danny Elfman | Chris Sarandon | Catherine O'Hara | William Hickey | Glenn Shadix | Paul Reubens | Ken Page | Ed Ivory | Susan McBride | Debi Durst | Greg Proops | Kerry Katz | Randy Crenshaw | Sherwood Ball | Carmen Twillie
Directors: Henry Selick
Download: DVD   

Bored and unhappy with the life of being “The Pumpkin King” Jack Skellington of Halloween Town, Jack sets out to find something exciting. Jack discovers “Christmas Town” and takes it upon himself to take over the duties of Santa to deliver toys across the world to children.

RoboCop (1987)

Friday, June 5th, 2009
Genres: Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Countries: USA
Actors: Peter Weller | Nancy Allen | Dan O'Herlihy | Ronny Cox | Kurtwood Smith | Miguel Ferrer | Robert DoQui | Ray Wise | Felton Perry | Paul McCrane | Jesse D. Goins | Del Zamora | Calvin Jung | Rick Lieberman | Lee de Broux
Directors: Paul Verhoeven
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In a near future, the Motor City known as Detroit slowly becomes the spawn-ground for Crime as a gang of Cop Killers goes on the rise. Private organism, Omni Consomer Products (OCP) eventually seizes control of local law enforcement to ensure a secure an Urban pacification program. Just assigned to the Metro West Precint, Officer Alex Murphy is massacred to death by this gang, as his partner Anne Lewis is barely able to do nothing. At the same time, a young visionary executive, Bob Morton, seizes the chance when the ED-209 law enforcement Droid shows lack of perfection by killing a fellow executive to create the Perfect Cop. The near death Murphy is used as the subject. With his memories erased, he is resurrected as Robocop, the future of law enforcement. As he sweeps away with crime, case by case, he eventually becomes involved with the Cop Killing Gang, and Anne Lewis herself. All of this, triggering his dormant memories of his past life as he searches for who he really is, and uncover a conspiracy going deep in OCP with the Senior Vice President himself.

Coraline (2009)

Friday, May 29th, 2009
Genres: Animation | Family | Fantasy
Countries: USA
Actors: Keith David | John Hodgman | Ian McShane | Dakota Fanning | Dawn French | Teri Hatcher | Jennifer Saunders
Directors: Henry Selick
Download: DivX iPod 

Adapted from the Hugo Award-winning, internationally best-selling novel, Coraline is a spine-tingling tale about a curious girl who unlocks a mysterious door in her family’s new home and enters into an adventure in a parallel reality. On the surface, this “Other World” eerily mimics her own life - though it is much more fantastical. In it, Coraline encounters different versions of her own life, including off-kilter neighbors and an Other Mother who attempts to keep her forever. Ultimately, Coraline must rely on her resourcefulness, determination and bravery to get back home.

Baraka (1992)

Thursday, May 28th, 2009
Genres: Documentary | War
Countries: USA
Actors:
Directors: Ron Fricke
Download:  DivX iPod 

Without words, cameras show us the world, with an emphasis not on “where,” but on “what’s there.” It begins with morning, natural landscapes and people at prayer: volcanoes, water falls, veldts, and forests; several hundred monks do a monkey chant. Indigenous peoples apply body paint; whole villages dance. The film moves to destruction of nature via logging, blasting, and strip mining. Images of poverty, rapid urban life, and factories give way to war, concentration camps, and mass graves. Ancient ruins come into view, and then a sacred river where pilgrims bathe and funeral pyres burn. Prayer and nature return. A monk rings a huge bell; stars wheel across the sky.

King Kong (1933)

Friday, March 20th, 2009
Genres: Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller
Countries: USA
Actors: Naomi Watts | Jack Black | Adrien Brody | Thomas Kretschmann | Colin Hanks | Andy Serkis | Evan Parke | Jamie Bell | Lobo Chan | John Sumner | Craig Hall | Kyle Chandler | Mark Hadlow | Geraldine Brophy | David Denis
Directors: Bryan Singer | Peter Jackson
Download: DVD DivX PDA   

Master showman Carl Denham has fallen on hard times due to the depression, and mounts an expedition to the mysterious Skull Island to find another showpiece. He takes along adventurer Jack Driscoll and the down-on-her-luck gorgeous blonde Ann Darrow with him to spice up the show. Arriving on the island, they discover it is home to gigantic beasts like dinosaurs, and ruling over all is Kong, a 30 foot tall gorilla. The natives kidnap Ann as a sacrifice for Kong, and the other crew members head into the dangerous island interior to rescue her.

Eraserhead (1977)

Friday, March 13th, 2009
Genres: Drama | Fantasy | Horror
Countries: USA
Actors: Jack Nance | Charlotte Stewart | Allen Joseph | Jeanne Bates | Judith Roberts | Laurel Near | V. Phipps-Wilson | Jack Fisk | Jean Lange | Thomas Coulson | John Monez | Darwin Joston | T. Max Graham | Hal Landon Jr. | Jennifer Chambers Lynch
Directors: David Lynch
Download: DivX iPod 

Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.

The Miracle Maker (2000)

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
Genres: Animation | Biography | Drama
Countries: Russia | UK
Actors: Ralph Fiennes | Michael Bryant | Julie Christie | Rebecca Callard | James Frain | Richard E. Grant | Ian Holm | William Hurt | Anton Lesser | Daniel Massey | Tim McInnerny | Alfred Molina | Bob Peck | Miranda Richardson
Directors: Derek W. Hayes
Download: DivX iPod 

This animated feature-length life of Jesus boasts a stellar pedigree. Originally a BBC Wales production, it showcases the voices of some of Britain’s finest actors in any medium: Ralph Fiennes as a brooding and humble Jesus, Miranda Richardson as Mary Magdalene, Richard E. Grant as John the Baptist and David Thewlis as Judas. The lovely, flute-heavy score is by Oscar-winner Anne Dudley (The Full Monty). And clearly a lot of expense has gone into the Claymation-like animation. But while it’s hard to find fault with the rendering of this familiar story—it is respectful and definitely done, you might say, by the Book—it would have been nice if there had been a tad more joy, if it walked a bit lighter in its sandals. As it is, all the characters seem consistently subdued, whether they are expressing angst, rage, terror or bliss—none of which is helped by the figures’ blank-eyed stares (if animators are becoming ever more sophisticated, why can’t they get rid of those creepy blank gazes once and for all?). Still, the weight of having such formidable actors play these familiar roles lends the production a certain credibility, and parents looking for good religious videos that won’t insult their kids’ intelligence will be thrilled.

The Rocker (2008)

Sunday, January 11th, 2009
Genres: Comedy | Music
Countries: USA
Actors: Rainn Wilson | Christina Applegate | Teddy Geiger | Josh Gad | Emma Stone | Jeff Garlin | Jane Lynch | Jason Sudeikis | Will Arnett | Howard Hesseman | Fred Armisen | Bradley Cooper | Lonny Ross | Jon Glaser | Jane Krakowski
Directors: Peter Cattaneo
Download: DivX iPod 

The Rocker tells the story of a failed drummer who is given a second chance at fame. Robert “Fish” Fishman is the extremely dedicated and astoundingly passionate drummer for the eighties hair band Vesuvius, who is living the rock n’ roll dream until he is unceremoniously kicked out of the band. Twenty years after his rock star fantasies are destroyed, just when Fish has finally given up all hope, he hears that his nephew’s high school rock band A.D.D. is looking for a new drummer. They reluctantly make him the newest member of the band, giving him a chance to reclaim the rock God throne he’s always thought he deserved, and taking the young band along for the ride of their lives.

Robot Chicken: Star Wars (2007)

Friday, December 5th, 2008
Genres: Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi
Countries: USA
Actors: Abraham Benrubi | Bob Bergen | Ahmed Best | Donald Faison | Joey Fatone | Keith Ferguson | Mark Hamill | Hulk Hogan | Tom Kane | George Lucas | Seth MacFarlane | Malcolm McDowell | Breckin Meyer | Dan Milano
Directors: Seth Green
Download: DivX iPod 

Robot Chicken’s finest half hour is more savvy than Spaceballs, more inside than Family Guy: Blue Harvest, and funnier, even, than The Star Wars Holiday Special. This Very Special Episode of Comedy Central’s stop-motion animated series parodies and goofs on all things Star Wars, from a disgruntled Empire janitor to an ad for Admiral Ackbar Cereal (”Your tongues can’t repel flavor of that magnitude”). Twenty three minutes goes by like the jump to hyperspace with such priceless bits as the collect phone call to Emperor Palpatine from Darth Vadar to inform him of the Death Star’s destruction, awkward morning-after pillow talk between Luke and Leia (”That was so wrong”), and George Bush’s newfound Jedi powers. Co-creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and company immerse viewers in the Robot Chicken universe with generous bonus features, including storyboarded deleted scenes (with self-deprecating commentary), behind the scenes footage of animation meetings, and alternate audio takes. Good sport George Lucas, who gave his blessing to this episode, boldly goes where William Shatner went before by voicing himself in a Star Wars convention sketch that concludes with a Lucas-worshiping geek telling his son that meeting his idol was the best day of his life. What about his son’s birth? “Not even close,” dad replies. But you don’t have to have that kind of devotion to Star Wars to be amused by this weather forecast for Cloud City: “Cloudy, followed by clouds.”