Underworld: Awakening 3D at SDCC

Hollywood.com writes:

Appearing at Comic-Con's Hall H were stars Beckinsale and Michael Ealy, as well as directors Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, and producer Len Wiseman, who directed the first two films in the series, Underworld and Underworld: Evolution.

Here's what we heard at the panel:


The filmmakers jump right into their presentation, showing some footage from the upcoming film. Clip looked great in 3-d and showed Beckinsale kicking ass and slicing people up as well as biting someone's neck. Lots of gunplay


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Then straight into a Q&A:

What was it like to wear the costume? Beckinsale said the suit is like a giant condom.

Director said they framed shots differently because of the 3D.

What was most challenging fight sequence? Beckinsale said during the last few weeks of filming the fight scenes were fun to shoot. The knee-slide while she is slashing people's throats was shot on a bowling alley type floor.

Actor Michael Ealy said he took an ass kicking during filming.

How did Producer Len Wiseman come up with the idea for Underworld? Said he was working on a werewolf movie and then came up with the idea of a West Side Story type of thing with vampires and werewolves.

Will there be more sequels to Underworld? Len Wiseman said he hopes so. Future installments aren't really planned out.



Collider summarizes:

Stein said that they’re only about halfway through shooting but they’ve brought some footage to be screened exclusively at Comic-Con. The footage was basically a trailer, opening with Beckinsale breaking out of a glass tube-like contraption. The focus of the footage was the action and gore, but the 3D is incredibly annoying. It singles out the CG effects making everything look overtly fake. The action seems fine, with Beckinsale wielding a switchblade and slashing throats left and right. And yet again, everything is super blue.

When asked about the 3D, Marlind said they came into the film not planning to do 3D, but when they made the decision to do 3D they settled on doing it right. He said it affected everything in the filmmaking process, as they framed every shot thinking about 3D.

Looks like it will be a pretty awesome flick. I am not really a 3D fan overall, though sometimes it works, I don't generally prefer it. We will see.

[Source]

Baz Lurhmann's The Great Gatsby

I loved Baz's Romeo & Juliet in 1996 so this idea is exciting. Plus, the cast sound absolutely superb!!

Hollywood Reporter writes:

Isla Fisher is in negotiations to join Baz Lurhmann’s 3D adaptation of The Great Gatsby being made by Warner Bros. Fisher will join Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan.

DiCaprio is pegged to play the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby, while Maguire is playing Nick Carraway, who in the novel is the narrator. Mulligan is playing Gatsby’s love, Daisy Buchanan, who is married to a wealthy chap named Tom Buchanan, whom Affleck would play if his deal makes.

Fisher will play Myrtle, a married woman having an affair with Buchanan.

[Source]

Step Up 3D

Went and saw Step Up 3D with the family tonight. Really enjoyed it.

To be clear, I went for the dancing and the 3D, not the plot or dialouge, both which were predictable and corny. But, I wasn't bothered by it because I anticipated it.

I went for, and thoroughly enjoyed, the dancing and the 3D effects which were off-the-hook!

Not jsut dancers popping out at you by lasers, lights, objects such as bubbles, icee drinks, balloons and shoe laces (stay for the credits) too fun!!

My daughter loved it and was bee bopping along to the music, the soundtrack is awesome!

I loved seeing so many familiar dancers from So You Think You Can Dance!

Twitch has a main role and I also saw Legacy, Lil C, Katee, Joshua, also Harry Shum Jr from Glee... was incredible to see all that talent in one movie and popping out at you in 3D!

Then there was Alyson Stoner who I remember as a little girl in Missy Elliot's music video and then in the first Step Up with my hottie Channing Tatum (who didn't even make a cameo in this 3rd one... boo hiss!) I can't believe how grown up she is!!!

Also from the 2nd Step Up is Adam Sevani, Moose, who is so likable and talented.

Sharni Vinson was good alongside RIck Malambri which to be honest, was a good replacement for Channing Tatum (though no one could beat Chan) Step Up 2s Robert Hoffman was hot, but not smoking like Chan and Rick.

Anyways, I enjoyed the dancing and 3d...despite predictable plot and corny dialouge...

Billy Burke`s new role - Drive Angry 3D

There have been a number of supporting players in "The Twilight Saga" who have been able to use their newfound notoriety into bigger roles but none who have deserved the chance more than Billy Burke. Better known as Bella's dad Charlie Swan, Burke has been working in Hollywood for almost 20 years with small roles in films such as "Fracture," "Ladder 49," "Along Came A Spider" and TV series roles on TV series such as "Gilmore Girls," "My Boys" and "24." Now, he's getting his most significant break yet as a conniving and evil cult leader in the supernatural action thriller "Drive Angry 3D."

Visiting the set of "Angry" in Shreveport, Louisiana a few months ago, Burke was the center of a massive action scene between his character and a vengeful father from hell played by none other than Nicolas Cage. Burke took some time off from his shooting schedule to sit down and talk to the assembled press on a very warm May night. He was as candid and classy as you'd expect for a longtime Hollywood veteran.

Read more at Hit Fix.

Breaking Dawn 3D? Discuss...

Breaking Dawn as 3D would it work?

First, here is an article from MTV After is a blurb on my honest thoughts...

Summit Entertainment understands the importance of 3-D. Still, there continues to be rampant speculation about whether "Breaking Dawn," will open as a 3-D release when the first of a two-part finale arrives in theaters next year. But now, another movie on the studio's lineup may provide some clues about where Summit will take the "Twilight Saga."

"They're completely fascinated and intrigued by the technology," said director Patrick Lussier, who recently wrapped production on Summit's 3-D action flick "Drive Angry." "I think Summit has been discovering, as they've been seeing the 3-D material and the ease we've been able to work with it, is that it's an incredibly viable format to work in."

So will Summit's "Drive Angry" experience — the movie was shot using 3-D cameras rather than converted in post-production — combined with the fate of "Eclipse" at the box office , convince them to deliver their biggest 2011 release in three dimensions?

"That decision has yet to be made," Summit distribution head Richard Fay told MTV News. "It's still the source of a discussion."

While those talks inevitably touch on technological hurdles and monetary interest — owing to the premium-ticket prices that 3-D flicks command — Fay emphasized that the studio is more focused on creative concerns.

"There's certainly a financial part of the discussion," he said. "And yes, there's a certain amount of technology that has to be considered and accounted for. But it really comes down to the creative folks."

"In any of these roundtables conversations, [Summit CEO] Rob Friedman has always been concerned about the 'Twilight' patron," Fay added. "His concern is always the people that come in to see this movie. He doesn't want to turn them off or offend. That's why it's a creative decision. A big factor is the perception of our audience. What are their feelings going to be? If it lends itself to being a better movie because of 3-D, then that's the technology we'll use."

What are your thoughts on "Breaking Dawn" in 3-D? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

Mandy's Mind

Honestly, I wouldn't want Breaking Dawn in 3D. I saw Eclipse in IMAX and didn't really think it suited an IMAX. For one, I prefer IMAX with wide landscapes and not mostly close-ups. mAdditionally, the battle was difficult to follow because there was too much happening in all corners of the screen. The movie is great, but I enjoyed it more on the small screen as opposed to IMAX (with the exception of IMAX RObward and Taycob)

Moving forward, I can see 3D is the next step but in reality I think it's too much of a jump. To me, good qualities of 3D are having things jump towards you and fly past you and you move through. I can't think of how or what in Breaking Dawn is suited for this type of feel.

Can you imagine Renesmee's birth(already controversial) in 3D? Maybe Bella in her wedding dress walking down the aisle towards the audience? Feathers falling around us (ok actually, THAT part sounds cool - if it was 4D with actual feathers falling ha ha - but I digress)

There is always a WAY to make it 3D but is it always a GOOD WAY? I don't want scenes forced to make them work 3D....

Examples of 3D I enjoyed are Alice in Wonderland, falling down the rabbit hole, walking out the cliff towards us in the audience etc. or My Bloody Valentine's axe plnging at my head, or most animated movies (Toy Story, How to train a gragon, Up, etc.) since they can have characters that are already unreal, do the unreal such as fly towards you or jump through the screen.



Fuel Your Motionography posted this article on 3D last year:

Another string to the 3D bow is that there is the potential to take audiences into the reality on the screen. I recently watched a 3D horror movie and people were jumping in their seats and grabbing in the air. There was a fun, social energy in the auditorium; one that I have never experienced with a 2D movie. 3D undoubtedly makes what we are seeing more vivid and dare I say it, real. We can almost touch the world the characters exist in, and there have been a few rare moments where I felt like I was at the same table as the characters I was watching.

Of course, as the same article points out, 3D can cause motion sickness and it also allows even horribly bad movies (such as My Bloody Valentine in my opinion and inthe article's example Final Destination 3) do well at the box office because of the 3D factor....

Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn does not NEED the extra appeal of 3D at the box office... nor does it need to change whats not broken... it will do well regardless of it's format... which brings me to my closing point...

Regardless if it is 3D or not fans will go see it... 3D may bring in some other fans interested in the 3D appeal which is the newest trend, but I think it will lose some too (those who get motion sickness may only go once, or more will wait for dvd, or not pay the extra ticket price to see multiple times)

Personally, I would go at least 3x but I enjoy 3D - I just fear that Breaking Dawn isn't the rght kind of movie to go the 3D route... especially not exclusively 3D

What do you think?

**EDIT - Wow! What an idea.... 3D after Bella turns. Thanks to thos eyou emailed me and commented below with this idea... I hadn't even thought of it but I love it.. what a neat way to show how Bella's perspective changes.... 3D and detailed and clear... some suggested animated parts like Avatar and though the idea sounds strange I can that vision working... I'd be scared, it's a risk and if they messed it up it would be horrible, but... if they mastered it - wow what an amazing creation that could be!!!

Not really news.. Breaking Dawn 3D rumours and 2 movie split rumours

Sometimes I wonder where certain media have been hibernating?

This article makes me shake my head.... So much of this is either proven to be false or proven to be known for months.... speculation, gossip, repeated facts and repeated b.s.....

Anyways... Here is the post:

The main stars of the Twilight Saga films have only signed up for four films, so plans to split the last book into two movie have created contractual issues. Twilight actors Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Talyor Lautner are 'not even close' to agreeing to appear in a fifth Twilight film.


Summit Entertainment, the company behind the films of Stephanie Meyer's book series, has the three actors signed up for four productions.


However, following the massive success of movies such as Avatar and Up, there are plans to split the the final book, Breaking Dawn, in into two 3D movies.


If Summit Entertainment goes ahead with this plan, it would have to renegotiate contracts with the three main stars, which is certain to prove costly, according to the Hollywood Reporter.


The going rate for Taylor Lautner, whose star is very much on the rise, has recently gone up to $7.5 million following his signing up for Northern Lights, Stretch Armstrong and Max Steel.


The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third film in the series, comes out in the UK in July 2010.

[Source]

Meanwhile Gossip Cop (which is not always right either - but usually far more accurate than most) posts:

Here we go again.


Gossip Cop’s inbox overflowed today with questions about purported production and casting notices for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. A site claims that production has been greenlit, Gus Van Sant “has signed on” to direct, a talent search to cast new characters is underway, and a production timetable is set.

The same site made similar declarations back in October.

It was wrong then.

It’s wrong now.

A source with Summit Entertainment tells Gossip Cop there is still no director or any production arrangements for Breaking Dawn, which will probably be two films, although even that has not been finalized as of now.

Gossip Cop will continue to monitor production rumors, separating fact from fiction.

[Source]