Movie Trend: 'Kidult' Animation

Animated films made for children have long included winks directed at the grown-ups who've been dragged along. But most of the time those gags were a minor side dish, designed to provide parents a few knowing chuckles in between the outbursts of chaotic silliness and slapstick violence.

"Rango," premiering this week, follows the rise of 'kidult' (kiddy adult) animations, like the critic-friendly, melancholic "Wall-E" and "Up." How about Oscar-nominated "Toy Story 3?"  And don't forget "Megamind!"  The wickedly funny jokes and big-word banters are aimed for adults. 

Check out the article on Salon about the trend of kiddy animations:

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/animation/index.html?story=/ent/movies/andrew_ohehir/2011/03/02/animation_rango

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Movie Trend: Superhero Pics Nab Top Talents

There was a time when the most highly acclaimed actor you could get to star in a movie based on a Marvel comic was Dolph Lundgren. But now, as both the budgets and the respectability of "comic book movies" have increased, it's become standard practice for Academy Award winners and nominees to appear in them. 

Currently, four out of the 20 Oscar nominees in the acting categories will be in a Marvel Comics film in the next two years.

Check out the article on Yahoo about Oscar-quality talent appearing on comic book adaptations:

http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/694-new-thor-trailer-features-oscar-hopeful-natalie-portman

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Movie Trend: Foreigners as Superheroes

A new trend has emerged in recent years... British, Australian and Canadian actors have seemingly corned the market on leading action superhero roles in Hollywood: British actor Henry Cavill as "Superman," Canadian Ryan Reynolds as "Green Lantern," Australian Chris Hemsworth as "Thor," British-raised Andrew Garfield as "Spider-Man," British Christian Bale as "Batman," Australian Hugh Jackman as "Wolverine."

Australia’s Sam Worthington has claimed the lead in big box-office movies ranging from "Terminator: Salvation" to "Avatar" to "Clash of the Titans." And British actor Daniel Day-Lewis has been cast as "Abraham Lincoln" in the upcoming Steven Spielberg biopic.

Check out the article on CinemaSpy and Hollywood Reporter on why so many foreigners are playing American superheroes:

http://www.cinemaspy.com/Movie-News/Why-Do-So-Many-Foreigners-Play-American-Superheroes/4977

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/last-word-americans-don-t-95334

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Movie Trend: Superheroes for the Ages

The year 2000 marked the rise of superheroes to mainstream stardom, starting with "X-Men." 

No longer lampooned as Saturday's cartoon or exclusive territory of the geeks, superheroes have gone "public" and they're big business for Hollywood.  Producers, directors, writers go as far as bringing in their unfinished creations to Comic-Con every year to get feedback or gauge reactions from fans. 

In the last decade we've seen the invasion of superheroes on the silver screen ("X-Men," "Lara Croft," "Spider-Man," "Daredevil," "Elektra," "Fantastic Four," "Hulk," "Hell Boy," "Batman," "Superman," "Transformers," "Iron Man," "Wolverine," "The Punisher," "GI: Joe," "Tron"). 

Some of these superhero tales are light and fun, but some are heavyweight champions, both in the minds and hearts of the audience, as well as at the box office. 

Visionary storytellers have churned out stories that are relatable to young and old, males and females of all races. Special effects have come a long way that superpowers appear to be realistic.  Talented actors have embodied characters that are believable.  And in some instances, the superhero roles have actually made relatively unknown or browbeaten actors household names (Tobey Maguire, "Spider-Man;" Christian Bale, "Batman;" Hugh Jackman, "Wolverine," Robert Downey Jr., "Iron Man"). 

The super-trend continues...

This year, expect to see "The Green Hornet" (recently out; January 14), "Thor" (May 6), "X-Men: First Class" (June 3), "Green Lantern" (June 17), "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (July 1), "Captain America: The First Avenger" (July 22).  Next year you can expect "The Avengers," "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Wolverine," "Deadpool," "Spider-Man" (reboot - Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network"), "Superman: Man of Steel" (reboot - Henry Cavill, "The Tudors") flying at theaters near you. 

Then there are those "in development" for 2013 and may be subject to change, such as (not in particular order) "Iron Man 3," (another) "Fantastic Four," "The Flash," "Justice League: Mortal," "Aquaman," "Thundercats," "Red Sonja," and so on.  One thing is for certain; the rebirths of "Spider-Man" and "Superman" alone will spew more sequels in the last half this decade. 

Stay tuned for more superheroes!

Photo from http://tinyurl.com/4oxffka

http://www.sdentertainer.com/arts/reviews-arts/movie-trend-superheroes-ages/

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Movie Trend: Dark Fairy Tales

Forget "The Princess Bride," "Stardust" or "Enchanted."  The upcoming live-action remakes are not your mother's fairy tales - "Red Riding Hood," "The Brothers Grimm: Snow White," "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters." 

Are fairy tales going grim?

Check out the article on Entertainment Weekly:

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/02/08/fairy-tale-movies/

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Movie Trend: In-Movie Dining

[Note: "The King's Speech" review will be up this week]

Audiences at a growing number of theaters can order such dishes as chinois chicken salad rolls or limoncello-tossed shrimp. More middle-of-the-road fare is also available, like cheeseburgers and chicken caesar salads. Seats in these so-called "in-theater dining" cinemas are big and plush. Lobbies are luxurious, with art on the walls and mood lighting. Popcorn is often complimentary and a full bar is de rigueur.

Check out this WSJ article on the double feature of dinner and a movie:

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111755/double-feature-dinner-and-a-movie

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Movie Trend: Big Brother

Movie theaters soon to begin watching you.  One company is developing a system that will watch moviegoers to help analyze their reactions for film directors, cinema advertisers, and theater chains.

Read full story at Moviefone:

http://tinyurl.com/38j8f4s

Posted via email from The MovieMaven

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