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2009 | 2008
1-20 of 65 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
Gunplay gets the Fox TV treatment
2 November 2009 7:37 AM, PST | Corona's Coming Attractions | See recent Corona's Coming Attractions news »
The graphic novel Gunplay is in development at Fox21, the TV arm of Fox Broadcasting, as a possible television series. Based on the comic published by Platinum Studios, Gunplay is about a buffalo soldier of the 19th century U.S. army who is cursed to carry a pistol that he must use to kill a person once every day or else his body feels tremendous pain.
Developing the project is Glen Morgan, the writing partner of X-Files/Millennium/Space: Above & Beyond writer/producer James Wong. After Wong and Morgan carved out their names writing Fox sci-fi and supernatural dramas in the 1990s, they made the transition to feature films with the first Final Destination movie in 2000. They've also made The One, the third Final Destination, the remake of Willard and Black Christmas. Morgan was also an executive producer on NBC's recent failed reboot of Bionic Woman.
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the president of Platinum, »
- Patrick Sauriol
Excel launches Dragonball Evolution on DVD and Blu-Ray
14 September 2009 9:33 AM, PDT | BusinessofCinema | See recent BusinessofCinema news »
Excel Home Videos and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have launched Dragonball Evolution on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc.Director James Wong adapts the rich mythos of the Dragonball series that grew from a manga into various popular animated series with this 20th Century Fox production starring Justin Chatwin.From graphic novels, to a long-running television series and more than 25 video games that have sold over 10 million copies, Toriyama Akira's anime series, Dragonball has exploded into a global phenomenon that remains hugely successful.The ... »
Dragonball: Evolution – Blu-Ray
30 August 2009 9:18 AM, PDT | The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news »
Blu-Ray Review
Directed by: James Wong
Cast: Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum, Jamie Chung and Chow Yun-Fat
Running Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Rating: PG
Plot: A young man (Chatwin) trained in super martial arts must stop an ancient evil force from ending the world.
Who’s It For? Tweenage boys and their complacent chaperones/parents. Fans of the series will likely be disappointed, especially those who watched “Dragonball Z” on TV like this guy.
Movie:
As far as adaptations that should never exist in the first place go, there have been worse. Like the best of the worst, Dragonball: Evolution was never really asked for by fans. In fact, the film is being rejected more than accepted by fans. And even more fans are too busy disregarding its entire existence to even reject it. But still, this is no super disaster like that Super Mario Bros. movie with Bob Hoskins »
- Nick Allen
The Final Destination (Film Review)
28 August 2009 12:21 AM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »
The current advances in big-screen 3-D technology have been most often applied to cartoons, and it could be said that such is the case with The Final Destination. The fourth in New Line’s successful string of body-counters strips the formula down to its barest essentials, with the absolute minimum of plot and character required to string together its creative kills.
It also abandons any pretense at being an actual horror movie, pitching its violence, some of its details and several of its characters with such over-the-top goofiness that the filmmakers clearly intended to amuse the audience rather than scare them. The good news is that director David R. Ellis, returning from the second Destination, takes a playful approach that avoids the sadistic undercurrents of James Wong’s third; the bad news is that the script by another Destination 2 returnee, Eric Bress (or, perhaps, what’s left of it after »
- no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
"The" Final Destination?
22 August 2009 10:06 PM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »
The Story
Nine years ago Jeffrey Reddick, Glen Morgan and James Wong (who all three contributed to writing tasks while Wong also handled direction) put their heads together to create a compelling tale of premonition, death, and ultimately the marriage of both. Reddick’s story centers around a French class, and the resident neurotic Alex (Devon Sawa) Browning who experiences an extremely vivid vision while boarding Flight 180, which is headed for Paris, France. Alex’s vision includes loose knobs, a shaky takeoff, and one hell of an explosion, which occurs just moments after beginning ascension. Naturally Alex is a bit freaked out by what seems to be life’s cruel case of foreshadowing, leading to an outburst on the plane which results in the evacuation of seven (including Alex) passengers.
Not five minutes pass and Flight 180 erupts in an explosion of fire and debris. Stunned, those who were forced from »
- no-reply@fangoria.com (Matt Molgaard)
Dragonball Evolution Sequel Confirmed, UK DVD/Blu-ray Details
8 June 2009 2:31 PM, PDT | The Cinema Post | See recent The Cinema Post news »
A James Marsters fansite (originally published here, from German mag “Nautilus”) posted an interview today in which he confirmed that he will be returning for a second film based on the the cult Manga series “Dragonball Evolution”. Marsters portrays the villain character known as “Lord Piccolo”.
The original “Dragonball Evolution” grossed $9 million dollars in the Us, and around £1 million on a fairly limited release in the UK, but hauled in $45 million from international markets, playing especially well in China and Japan.
We also received details today about the UK release of the film on DVD and Blu-ray, scheduled for September 7th 2009. The releases will feature a good bundle of special features, including some Blu-ray exclusive content as below.
“Released by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment the film follows the young Goku (Justin Chatwin – War of the Worlds, The Invisible) as he battles the most evil of villains in his quest to protect the Earth. »
- Ryan Petty
Gay Of The Dead 14: Final Destination and Day Of The Dead screenwriter, Jeffrey Reddick
4 June 2009 12:21 AM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »
One of the nice things about being a gay horror filmmaker is, after you hang around awhile, you realize you’re part of a nice little club. And eventually, it feels like you all know each other.
I first met Jeffrey Reddick at a cast and crew screening of one of my films. Paul (Hellbent) Etheredge-Ouzts brought his friend “Jeffrey” to the screening, and we chit-chatted a bit afterward. On the way home my brain added up all the stuff we talked about, and suddenly it clicked—Was that the writer of Final Destination?
Since then we’ve become friends and, in the grand tradition of Hollywood, mainly see each other at screenings and conventions. He’s a busy guy, and kinda sorta has that career that many of us indie flick filmmakers dream of—access to the people who make it happen, and big(ger) budgets.
Jeffrey and I »
- no-reply@fangoria.com (Sean Abley)
'Fast & Furious' wins overseas box office race
12 April 2009 4:14 PM, PDT | screeninglog.com | See recent screeninglog news »
"Fast & Furious" topped the international box office this weekend with an estimated $46.5 million in ticket sales. The film's total gross currently stands at $91 million.
At No. 2, DreamWorks Animation's "Monsters vs. Aliens" picked up another $26.5 million in 52 territories, lifting its overseas total to $92.7 million. In the film, a group of friendly monsters assist the U.S. government in battling a ruthless alien who plans to take over the world.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Cage's "Knowing" took home $11 million at No. 3, bringing its total haul to $40.4 million. Following in fourth place this weekend was James Wong's "Dragonball Evolution," which pulled $10.6 million for an international total of $37 million.
Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain" finished at No. 5 with $5.2 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $15 million. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as a taxi driver helping two alien kids finding their spaceship.
Other results from the overseas box office: "17 Again" opened with $3.8 million in one »
- Franck Tabouring
Dragonball Evolution Review
11 April 2009 11:34 PM, PDT | FilmJunk | See recent FilmJunk news »
Dragonball Evolution Directed by: James Wong Written by: Ben Ramsey Starring: Justin Chatwin, Chow Yun-Fat, Emmy Rossum, Jamie Chung, James Marsters, Randall Duk Kim, Joon Park, Ernie Hudson Asian culture has had a massive influence on North America over the past decade and a half, to the point where nearly every popular children's animated series is now either being imported from Japan or created in the same art style, virtually every horror movie is required to have creepy children in it, and the majority of action movies made since The Matrix has tried to emulate the same slick martial arts choreography. Now the latest trend in Hollywood has producers trying to repackage some of the biggest Japanese animated series as live action films, and it seems only appropriate that Dragonball is one of the first to find its way to the big screen. Based on the manga by Akira Toriyama, »
- Sean
Movie Review: “Dragonball Evolution”
11 April 2009 6:15 PM, PDT | screeninglog.com | See recent screeninglog news »
Seen on: April 11, 2009
The players: Director: James Wong, Writer: Ben Ramsey, Cast: Justin Chatwin, Joon Park, James Marsters, Emmy Rossum
Facts of interest: Wong also directed "The One" and "Final Destination."
The plot: Goku must find the seven magical dragonballs before the ruthless villain Piccolo calls forth a badass demon who will destroy the world.
Our quick thoughts: James Wong’s “Dragonball Evolution” is certainly not the worst film I’ve seen so far this year, but it’s still a bad one. A very bad one, actually. I don’t really know much about the “Dragonball” franchise and I’ve never read the series or played any of the video games, but I like to think it doesn’t take an expert to realize this movie is pretty much a crappy big-screen adaptation. »
- Franck Tabouring
Dragonball: Evolution
11 April 2009 10:39 AM, PDT | The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news »
Quickcard Review
Directed by: James Wong
Cast: Justin Chatwin, Jamie Chung, Chow Yun Fat, Emmy Rossum
Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG
Plot: A young man (Chatwin) trained in super martial arts must stop an ancient evil force from ending the world.
Who’s It For? Tweenage boys and their complacent chaperons/parents. Fans of the series will likely be disappointed, especially those who watched “Dragonball Z” on TV like this guy.
Expectations: “Do we need this movie?” “Have we ever wanted this movie?” “Will I get reimbursed for seeing this?” A big whopping “no” to all the above.
Overall
As far as adaptations that should never exist in the first place go, there have been worse. Like the best of the worst, Dragonball: Evolution was never really asked for by fans. In fact, the film is being rejected more than accepted by fans. And even more fans »
- Nick Allen
Movie Review - 'Dragonball Evolution'
10 April 2009 2:21 AM, PDT | GetTheBigPicture.net | See recent Get The Big Picture news »
Starring Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum, and Chow Yun-Fat
Directed by James Wong
Rated PG
At its best, Dragonball Evolution is mindless, mostly forgettable camp. At its worst - and this is actually kind of a compliment - it looks inexpensive and poorly edited. That may not sound like high praise, but Dragonball never makes a strong case either way: Should you take any of it seriously or should you recognize how silly this all is and go with it?
My inclination is that the attempt was made to make this a more consequential movie somewhere in the middle of the production, because what was fun and mildly amusing for 30 minutes became boring and sullen after a while.
For the uninitiated, Dragonball Evolution is an attempt to cash in on a very successful Japanese franchise that began with an animated television show and branched out in a million different directions. »
- Colin Boyd
New Dragonball Evolution Music Video From Brian Anthony
10 April 2009 12:30 AM, PDT | toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news »
Check out this brand new Brian Anthony music video “Worked Up!” featuring footage from the upcoming film “Dragonball Evolution” by director James Wong (Final Destination 3) and starring Justin Chatwin (S. Darko), Ernie Hudson (Ghost Busters) and Yun-Fat Chow (The Red Circle). Synopsis: James Wong adapts the rich mythos of the Dragonball series that grew from a manga into various popular animated series with this 20th Century Fox production starring Justin Chatwin. The plot revolves around Goku (Chatwin), Earth’s greatest champion, who must defend the planet against an invading race of alien warriors hell-bent on dominating the universe. Wong directs from his own script, with Kung Fu Hustle’s Stephen Chow producing. [...] »
- Brian Corder
Open Discussion Thread: Dragonball Evolution
9 April 2009 10:24 PM, PDT | Beyond Hollywood | See recent Beyond Hollywood news »
You’ve seen pictures from it, you’ve seen clips from it, you’ve read the early reviews from Japan, and you’ve been dreading it. But today is the first day you’ll actually be able to see James Wong’s “Dragonball: Evolution” and finally decide for yourself. This is your official discussion thread for what might just be the most wildly discussed, dissed, and dissected movie of 2009. Who knew a kid with spikey hair would elicit such a variety of responses? So did you see it? And if you did, what did you think? Plot: A young boy named Goku seeks out upon his grandfather’s dying request to find the great Master Roshi and gather all seven Dragon Balls (of which he has one) in order to prevent Piccolo from succeeding in his desire to use the Dragon Balls to take over the world. Starring: Justin Chatwin, »
- Nix
Justin Chatwin Interview, Dragonball Evolution
9 April 2009 8:00 PM, PDT | MoviesOnline.ca | See recent MoviesOnline news »
MoviesOnline sat down with Justin Chatwin to talk about his new movie, “Dragonball: Evolution,” the long-awaited, live-action motion picture helmed by James Wong based on the popular Japanese manga created by Akira Toriyama whose work has spawned best selling graphic novels, videogames and a phenomenally successful television series. Chatwin, who portrayed Tom Cruise’s son in Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds,” takes on the role of the heroic Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the Earth from an endless stream of rogues bent on dominating the Universe ... »
Laughs, Loathing and Lyme Disease
9 April 2009 4:40 AM, PDT | ifc.com | See recent IFC news »
This week finds a couple of small screen favorites treated to big screen outings, comedies both black and blacker, as well as the ballad of the real-life Spinal Tap.
Download this in audio form (MP3: 08:04 minutes, 11 Mb)
"Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
With its singer's proclivity to play the guitar with a dildo, a disastrous tour managed by a churlish Swiss-Italian fan with little professional experience, and a drummer really named Robb Reiner), comparisons to the 1984 mother of all music mockumentaries are inevitable. But ladies and gentlemen, this really is Spinal Tap, and so much more. First-time director Sacha Gervasi, who served as Anvil's roadie for a time in the '80s, follows the legendary underground Canadian rockers throughout their ill-fated European tour in preparation for their 13th studio album. Still chasing the dream and that ever-elusive break, they subsist on a strained friendship, bad food and blind »
- Neil Pedley
Exclusive Luis Arrieta Interview on Dragonball Evolution
8 April 2009 12:00 AM, PDT | toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news »
We had the wonderful opportunity to interview actor Luis Arrieta on his role as Weaver in the upcoming film “Dragonball Evolution” by director James Wong (Final Destination 3) and starring Justin Chatwin (S. Darko), Ernie Hudson (Ghost Busters) and Yun-Fat Chow (The Red Circle). Comparable to Shia LeBeouf here in the Us, Latino heartthrob Luis Arrieta was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. Luis has appeared in a handful of successful Mexican film and television series, most notably Belinda [270 episodes/Azteca TV, Latin America, Europe] and Ride My Motorcycle [170 episodes/Azteca TV, Latin America, Europe]. Now, Luis has four films set to be released in 2009: Love Equation, [...] »
- Brian Corder
James Marsters Interview, Dragonball Evolution
7 April 2009 8:00 PM, PDT | MoviesOnline.ca | See recent MoviesOnline news »
We caught up with James Marsters recently at the L.A. press day for his new film, “Dragonball: Evolution,” the long-awaited, live-action motion picture helmed by James Wong based on the popular Japanese manga created by Akira Toriyama whose work has spawned best selling graphic novels, videogames and a phenomenally successful television series. Marsters, beloved to millions of fans around the world for his lengthy stint as the punk-Goth vampire Spike in the critically acclaimed hit television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” portrays arch v... »
Cast & Crew of ‘Dragonball’ Explain Differences Between Cartoon and Movie
7 April 2009 5:12 PM, PDT | ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news »
[Note: This Article Is 100% Spoiler-free]
No matter the source material - be it a novel, comic book, graphic novel, TV show or cartoon - there is always going to be some complaints about the movie adaptation. Even if the changes are critical to making the adapted story work on-screen, fans of the source material get up in arms about simple, unimportant things like changed hair colors or age differences.
One such movie catching that flack right now is Dragonball, which is based on the ultra-popular anime series. In an interview with MTV News, the cast and crew of Dragonball have gone out of their way to try and justify any changes they may have been made from the original cartoon to the movie.
James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), who plays Lord Piccolo in Dragonball, is a huge fan of the original cartoon but was adamant to remind fans that the letter “Z” that most »
- Ross Miller
Three More Dragonball Evolution Clips
7 April 2009 9:25 AM, PDT | Beyond Hollywood | See recent Beyond Hollywood news »
See, what you kids don’t get about the Dragonball power is that it’s not all about shooting glowing balls out of your hands at evil aliens from outer space, you can use it to get Chow Yun Fat to act like a total goofball and tell you about wacky prophecies, fight angry black guys with sticks, and impress hot chicks at your school by blasting open every locker in the place. Cause, you know, chicks dig that sort of stuff. Three new “Dragonball: Evolution” clips for your gawking pleasure after the jump. The young warrior Son Goku (Justin Chatwin) sets out on a quest, racing against time and the vengeful King Piccolo (James Marsters0, to collect a set of seven magical orbs that will grant their wielder unlimited power. Starring Justin Chatwin, Yun-Fat Chow, Emmy Rossum, Jamie Chung, James Marsters, Joon Park, Eriko Tamura, Randall Duk Kim, and Ernie Hudson. »
- Nix
2009 | 2008
1-20 of 65 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
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