Tag Archives: Bill Hader

My Favorite Scene: Inside Out (2015) “Family Dinner – Inside and Out”

 

Pixar’s brilliant romp through human psychology (honestly, they cover more in this movie than my freshman psych course did), Inside Out, is another feather in the cap for the studio’s most accomplished director at this point: Pete Docter.  The film won a much deserved Best Animated Feature Oscar last year.  It’s not as funny a film as some of the Pixar classics, but it is endlessly imaginative and at times packs as big an emotional punch as any film in Pixar’s canon.  The number of people who have told me that Bing Bong messed them up for days is stunning.  That’s not to say that the film isn’t hilarious in parts while exploring human thought processes.  The pinnacle of the look inside our minds is the dinner scene in which Riley’s parents do a pretty fine job of exemplifying the difference between how the genders think in a three-and-a-half minute sequence.  It doesn’t just work for Inside Out, though.  I found this brilliant smash-up of the dinner scene with Walter, Jesse, and Skylar from Breaking Bad cut together with the same mind processes and it’s just as good and just as funny.  Pixar recently announced that the sequelizing of their previous films (with Cars 3, Toy Story 4, and Incredibles 2 on the horizon) will end and they’ll be back to making original features.  That’s good news for all movie fans, because when they’re on, Pixar pushes the bound of imagination like no other studio can.


Something happened to Pixar post-Toy Story 3…..it became just another animation studio.  Whereas (with the exception of the abomination that was Cars 2) Pixar has been cranking out some of the best animated films ever created since 1995’s original Toy Story, the last few years have been just…good.  But good isn’t good when great is the expectation, and ever since I heard the concept for Pete Docter’s (Monsters Inc, Up) film, I’ve been longing to see Inside Out.  Docter does not disappoint and delivers Pixar’s most imaginative triumph to date.  I’m not saying Inside Out is Pixar’s best film, but I can’t think of any other title in their catalog that has so many literally mind-blowing ideas stuffed into one movie. Continue reading My Favorite Scene: Inside Out (2015) “Family Dinner – Inside and Out”

My Favorite Scene: Tropic Thunder (2008) “Sgt. Lincoln Osiris: I’m A Dude!!!”


Though it’s not the home run I wanted it to be, Tropic Thunder is easily one of the best comedies of the last decade.  The cast is astounding, and Ben Stiller (who directed and starred in the film) got everyone in the cast to mercilessly mock their own public personas either through thinly veiled self-parody (Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Nick Nolte), doing something so outrageously against the normal grain of their career (Tom Crusie’s unrecognizable bald, pot-bellied studio executive), or by handing Robert Downey Jr. the keys to the greatest comedic character of this century: Kirk Lazarus/Sgt. Lincoln Osiris. Continue reading My Favorite Scene: Tropic Thunder (2008) “Sgt. Lincoln Osiris: I’m A Dude!!!”

Trailer Time: Power Rangers Trailer #1 (2017) *GO GO POWER RANGERS!!!*


Ok, full honesty here: I know little to nothing about the Power Rangers.  It was the toy/TV franchise of the 1990’s and I’m a kid of the 1980’s (and our stuff was better).  It passes my understanding how Bryan Cranston is involved in this, but Anthony Hopkins is in Transformers 5, so who can tell which way is up anymore?  Lionsgate is counting heavily on Power Rangers to be their next huge franchise after The Hunger Games, and is rumored to already have committed to six films (because that worked out so well with the probably-never-to-be-finished Divergent franchise).  At any rate, The Power Rangers will land in theaters on March 24, 2017.  Because of my ignorance of the franchise, I’ve included the piece from Coming Soon below, as they are masters of all things I am not. Continue reading Trailer Time: Power Rangers Trailer #1 (2017) *GO GO POWER RANGERS!!!*

The BFG Blu Ray Special Features and Release Date

 

Mark Rylance, The BFGWalt Disney Home Entertainment has officially announced that it will release on Blu-ray Steven Spielberg’s film The BFG (2016), featuring the voices of Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Bill Hader, Rebecca Hall, and Penelope Wilton. The release will be available for purchase on December 6.

“The BFG” unites the talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg – to bring to life the classic tale of a courageous little girl named Sophie (newcomer Ruby Barnhill) and a gentle and charming Big Friendly Giant (Oscar-winner Mark Rylance) who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. Spielberg employs a new, hybrid style of filmmaking blending live-action and performance-capture techniques, resulting in genuine, heartfelt performances and super-photorealistic animation.

Families and fans will be swept away by this spectacular adventure and delight in extensive bonus features, including a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “The BFG” hosted by Ruby Barnhill and featuring Steven Spielberg; a charming, all-new short; a fun and whimsical tutorial on the Big Friendly Giant’s unique language of Gobblefunk; a touching tribute to screenwriter Melissa Mathison (“E.T. the Extraterrestrial,” “The Black Stallion”); and more.

Spielberg’s directorial debut with The Walt Disney Studios was a labor of love, as he’s been a fan of Dahl’s for years. In fact, he read “The BFG” to his own children when they were younger. According to Spielberg, “It’s a story about friendship; it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends; and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems.” “The BFG” is a Golden Phizzwizard* come true for Spielberg, Dahl fans and audiences around the world. Continue reading The BFG Blu Ray Special Features and Release Date

Finding Dory Blu Ray Special Features and Release Date!!!

will-finding-dory-be-different-the-biggest-disney-sequel-fails-7142791
Walt Disney Home Entertainment has announced that it will release on Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane’s film Finding Dory (2016), featuring the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, and Ty Burrell. The two releases will be available for purchase on November 15.

The film’s playful and plentiful bonus offerings include “Piper,” the theatrical short film starring an irresistible sandpiper hatchling; an all-new mini short featuring interviews with Dory’s pals from the Marine Life Institute; a behind-the-scenes look at the most challenging character Pixar has ever created; never-before-seen deleted scenes, including a digital exclusive featuring the Tank Gang from “Finding Nemo” who make it their mission to get Marlin and Nemo to the Marine Life Institute; and much, much more.


The film’s playful and plentiful bonus offerings include “Piper,” the theatrical short film starring an irresistible sandpiper hatchling; an all-new mini short featuring interviews with Dory’s pals from the Marine Life Institute; a behind-the-scenes look at the most challenging character Pixar has ever created; never-before-seen deleted scenes, including a digital exclusive featuring the Tank Gang from “Finding Nemo” who make it their mission to get Marlin and Nemo to the Marine Life Institute; and much, much more.

COMPLETE LIST OF SPECIAL FEATURES:


  • Theatrical Short: “Piper” – A hungry sandpiper hatchling ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is that the food is buried beneath the sand where scary waves roll up onto the shore.
  • Marine Life Interviews (All-New Mini Short) – Meet the inhabitants of the Marine Life Institute as they remember our favorite blue tang.
  • The Octopus That Nearly Broke Pixar – Pixar’s “Team Hank” unravels the challenges, frustrations, and rewards of bringing to life the studio’s crankiest and most technically complicated character ever.
  • What Were We Talking About? – This piece showcases the complex routes Dory’s story took as the filmmakers worked to construct a comprehensive narrative involving a main character with short-term memory loss.
  • Casual Carpool – What’s it like to commute with the voices of Marlin, Charlie, Bailey and Hank? Join “Finding Dory” writer/director Andrew Stanton as he drives Albert Brooks, Eugene Levy, Ty Burrell and Ed O’Neill to work.
  • Animation & Acting – How do you create a connection between a human audience and a fish? This behind-the-scenes look behind the curtain examines the process of constructing believable performances through a unique collaboration between the director, voice actors and animators.
  • Creature Features – The cast of “Finding Dory” share cool facts about the creatures they voice in the film.
  • Deep in the Kelp – Disney Channel’s Jenna Ortega guides us on a research trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to show how far the “Finding Dory” crew went to make Dory’s world feel real.
  • Skating & Sketching with Jason Deamer – “Finding Dory” character art director Jason Deamer talks about how he got to Pixar, how he draws the characters in the film, and how falling off a skateboard teaches you lessons you can use in art and life.
  • Dory’s Theme – A spirited discussion among the composer, music editor and director of “Finding Dory” about the musical elements that shape Dory’s quirky and joyful theme.
  • Rough Day on the Reef – Sometimes computers make mistakes. Here you’ll see some of the funny, creepy and just plain bizarre footage the crew encountered while making “Finding Dory.”
  • Audio Commentary – Director Andrew Stanton, co-director Angus MacLane and producer Lindsey Collins deliver their personal perspective on “Finding Dory.”
  • Deleted Scenes (introduced by director Andrew Stanton)
    • Losing Nemo – While watching the stingray migration, Dory starts to follow two fish that remind her of her parents, leaving Nemo all alone.
    • Little Tension in Clown Town – In this alternate version of the film, Dory tries to “follow her fins” to her parents, but ends up in a strange place with even stranger fish fashion.
    • Dory Dumped – In this early version of the story, Dory’s parents had short-term memory loss as well.
    • Sleep Swimming – Dory begins to talk and swim in her sleep, revealing what seem to be clues to her past.
    • Meeting Hank – Wandering the Marine Life Institute’s elaborate pipe system, Dory happens upon the abode of Hank the cranky octopus.
    • The Pig – Frantically navigating the pipes of the Marine Life Institute in search of her parents, Dory crosses paths with a terrifying cleaning device.
    • Starting Over – Director Andrew Stanton presents four different versions of the movie’s opening scene to illustrate the filmmakers’ search for the best way to introduce Dory’s backstory and to connect this new film to “Finding Nemo.”
    • Tank Gang (Digital exclusive) – After a close encounter with a squid leaves them separated from Dory, Marlin and Nemo unexpectedly meet up with the Tank Gang from “Finding Nemo,” who make it their mission to get to the Marine Life Institute … by any means necessary.
    • Hidden Seacrets of Finding Dory (Digital exclusive) – Take a deep dive to catch secret Easter Eggs throughout the movie. And just like Hank, they’re hidden in plain sight.

TECHNICAL SPECS:

  • Audio
    • English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
    • English DTS-HD Descriptive Audio 2.0
    • Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks
  • Subtitles
    • English SDH
    • Spanish
    • French

Finding Dory, Ed O'Neil, Ellen DeGeneres, Dory