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LA FANS! Wanna meet Brad Bird' Well, Moriarty is about to spill the beans for ya!
Hey folks, Harry here. Having met John Lassiter, Phil Tippet, Ray Harryhausen and Henry Selick... I'm quite pleased by the number of animating geniuses that I have met so far in my life. Ol Keane at Disney is one I've yet to meet... and Brad Bird. Well... I think I might just go ahead and do something about that one. I'm headed to L.A. this weekend, and this sounds like the sort of thing a Harry guy should go do. I tell you folks what... I'll see those that show up, there. Mechanical Moriarty will be there too. If you spot us... come on over and we'll go get shitfaced with several bottles of some sort of concoction the dear professor worked up to lube out Robogeek with... it's good shit man... I'm serious....
Hey, Head Geek...
"Moriarty" here.
Now that I'm finally coming up for air again, I have
to restock on various nefarious supplies. In my brief
forays out, I'm planning to make one detour that's
purely for fun, and since you're going to be out here
at the start of the week, I figure I'd tell you about
it. Any LA area readers should also do their best to
turn out between 3:00 and 5:00 PM on December 5th to
the Warner Bros. Studio Store at the Glendale
Galleria.
Why am I plugging a Warner Bros. event? Because I
don't trust them to do right by IRON GIANT. Not now,
not never. Have you seen those television commercials
with the skateboarding kids and the rock music and the
guy singing something like "Unlock the Iron Giant
within you! You got the Iron Giant in you!" It's
astonishing how horrible the ads are. At a recent
licenser's show for OSMOSIS JONES, both Brad Ball (the
VP of publicity for Warner) and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura
(the executive who gave the film so much "love" and
"support") admitted that they dropped the ball with
IRON GIANT. Does that strike anyone else as
incredible? They know they did it wrong... AND THEY
CONTINUE TO DO SO!!!
Grr... grrr... must punish Mongo... must calm down...
There. I've just ducttaped Mongo's mouth closed with
a scorpion inside. Since his hands are bound, it
should be fun to watch him try to get that little
rascal out of there. That helps. I'm calm enough to
get back on track and tell you that there are, as
always, some good things about the video release of
IRON GIANT. First and foremost is the fact that
there's letterboxed versions of the film on both tape
and DVD, and that there's a special edition of the DVD
coming this spring that should be astounding. Second
is the fact that there's events going on to promote
the release, one of which is the one I'm writing you
about.
As a rabid fan of the film, I'm dancing at the idea
that there are limited edition prints of artwork from
the film that will be available at the various Warner
Bros. stores, as well as other goodies (not exactly
sure what yet) that can be signed by the artists who
worked on them.
Artists? you say. What artists?
Ah... well... how about Brad Bird himself? Want to
meet the genius who spearheaded the year's best
animated feature? Want to tell him how much you
appreciated the film? Here's your chance. You'll
also get a chance to meet and speak with Mark Andrews,
Alan Bodner, Tony Fucile, Paul Rogers, Dennis
Venizelos, Dean Wellins, and Mark Whiting, talented
guys each and every one.
I'm still picking out my disguise, but I'm definitely
going to be there. You've gotta come, Harry. Anyone
else who's interested should RSVP (you can also place
an advanced order this way) by calling Paul Willimas
at 818.547.2284.
See you at the airport, Big Red. Until then...
"Moriarty" out.
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these are some really nice people. I met a few of 'em in San Diego at the comicon this year. Friendly, humble, and very melancholy about the way their work was treated. I wanted to give 'em a hug. But, hell, creepy, right? so they autographed my copy of the script instead (including character sketches! thanks guys.) Now I can have "Mr. Rich Cremery Butter" to add to the mix, in addition to telling all of them just how much their work means. There could have been two blockbuster american animated films not produced by disney (They only distribute TS 2)
In the silver lining department, though, I suppose it's cool that IG is destined to become a cult film. go for the gold with the oscar boys, WB! cut a slick trailer (use the music from the october sky trailer, perhaps, for an academy trailer) -
hmmmmmm... they destroyed Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT by selling it as a porn by using their sister publication TIME and putting Tom and Nicole on the cover naked. EWS was NOT meant to be sexy. So when America was promised a chance to see Tom and Nicole get it on, and then three hours later they still havent, people felt cheated. The thought they'd make themslves sound smart and bash a great artist just because he didnt provide them with jerk-off material. Thanks WB. THE MATRIX was mixed. The teaser was great (even if fucking FOX decided to show it over a TD pass in the super bowl show--commercials over the best play of the game, thanks FOX). What is the Matrix was enough to sell me. The full trailer gave away waaaaaaay too much. Good thing I didnt see it before I saw the movie (it helps when you dont watch TV). The trailer for WWW was cool, proving that even the shittiest movie ever looks cool when its broken down into a 90 second clip set to Will Smith music. But the money shot of the tarantula was what clued audiences in to how bad it would be. Funny how their main selling point was the nail in the coffin. THREE KINGS, however, was totally fucked up. Whats up with using Buffalo Springfield's tune (i forget the name, but y'all have heard it in movies left and right) in the trailer when it isnt even in the movie? They sold it as a cheesy action flick, not a trippy anti-american war commentary. I know, action flicks make more at the BO, but this film didnt do well anyway, did it? As proven before by EWS, it doesnt help to lie to the audiences....theyll figure it out after opening weekend, and if they find something other than they were promised, they get a little bitter. The Beach Boys' I GET AROUND was used perfectly in the film, but when I heard it used in the trailer, i thought, CHEEEEESY! Why cant studios make good trailers? They all look the same. They sell the stars, give away most of the plot, and finish up with a hyper-edited bit of images (this last cliche was most annoying in the MESSENGER trailer, in which the final light-speed montage seemed to come out of nowhere). I like teasers better. What is the Matrix was the best marketing Ive ever seen. "The only way to understand the Matrix is to see it" (followed by ONE and only one money shot of Keanu evading bullets) BRILLIANT!!! Who wasnt sold right there?! The long-winded trailer sucked! "The matrix is the world thats been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth." NOOOOOOOO!! TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!! Seriously, im considering stopping watching trailers entirely. They ruin movies sometimes. I never saw THE IRON GIANT because of the lame-ass trailer. harry said it ruled, so ill see it someday, but the cheesy-ass trailer sold it as a disney film ("you can fly!")--that line gave away too much and made me think of ET, so i said NOPE, AINT SEEING IT! BTW, Note to Fox: Thanks for ruining the B.O. potential of the best studio film since Apocolypse Now. By selling FIGHT CLUB like every other movie, you made the public think that it was just another violent dick-fest, without informing them that it was profoundly exploring the world of violence and masculinity. I know, such deep thoughts arent good for your 14-year-old demographics. But you guys are the ones who destroyed Fincher's masterpiece. So maybe your formula needs tweaking, huh? Back to WB: sell more movies like THE MATRIX's teaser. Sell another classic like THREE KINGS like you did, and I'll have you all killed. Why dont directors make their own trailers? Kubrick's trailer for EWS was perfect. All the cuts and images go perectly with Issak's beat and lyrics. sigh, people are stupid. They cant handle a little mystery. If the whole fucking movie isnt explained to them in predictable terms in a 2 minute walkthrough hand-held by familiar faces (aka stars) then nobody wants to see it. Well, BLAIR WITCH has proved one thing: you dont need cookie-cutter trailers and dumbass stars to make a blockbuster. here's hoping more studios were learn that instead of just remaking it with Leo, Jennfier Love Hewitt, and Freddie Prinzie Jr (as if anyone'e heard of his Sr) as Mike, heather, and Josh. I can hear the cheesy ass, ultra-deep voiceover now (speaking of which, how does that trailer man get his voice so deep?): "they thought they were just going to make a documentary, but something went wrong. THIS TIME, its personal! Starring Leo, Jennfier, and freddie, in a Joel Schumacher film......THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT! (now for the ever important tag-line): This ain't no walk to grandma's house!" (end with money shot of CGI witch walking towards camera with explosion in background)
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Boy, as somebody who likes to rail against the Hollywood Status Quo, I hate to say this, but you blew it. You should've seen it on the pedigree alone (former Simpson's animator adapting a modern children's classic,) and ignored the awful marketing (and, again, as a board regular, I think you were already well aware of WB's tendency to botch the selling of their prestige fare.) This was a widescreen animated classic that *had* to be seen in the theater to get the full effect. I hope you have a killer home theater set-up, but if not, at least rent the letterboxed version. But, really, L'Auteur..... I'm a tad disappointed in you. I'm in complete agreement about the general lousy quality of Hollywood releases, but seeing THE IRON GIANT would've been casting a vote for the kind of intelligent animation that folks like Disney (excepting Pixar) seem to avoid.
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I must admit that when I see a post as long as L'Auteur's I tend to blow right past it. I read this one though and I have to say that I agree with a lot of it. BTW, the Buffalo Springfield song is "For What It's Worth" and Freddie Prinze, Jr.'s dad was Freddie Prinze, a ground-breaking Latino stand-up comic who helped break a major TV color barrier with the show "Chico and the Man" in the 70's. He tragically committed suicide just as his career was peaking. Just FYI.
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It was Public Enemy's "He Got Game," which incorporates the Buffalo Springfield song so thoroughly they even got Stephen Stills to sing on the track.
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Tony Fucile is one of the BEST, if not THE best animator in the business today. Be sure to not miss your chance to get his John Hancock...
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I wouldn't miss this chance for anything! I'm sure the place will be crowded with Brad Bird's admirers... The team behind Iron Giant deserves so much better than what they've gotten. More high-profile acknowledgement is in store, methinks, and that means little gold statues! Harry, I'll be the guy in the black turtleneck. Moriarty, thanks for this heads-up. Brilliant!
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im sorry i missed it but i didnt know how good it supposedly is until theaters already pulled it. i know not to trust marketing, so i base all my movie-going descisions on Who Directed It. hate to say it, but i never heard of Brad Bird. And the trailers sucked. ill catch it on DVD. i got a really big screen.
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BTW, the poster by Mark Whiting is AMAZING. The released poster is very cool, but the limited edition poster is REALLY great.
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Trapped in SF! Show your support and tell these creators what a good animated film this was!
In fact I am begining to believe the 90's are ending with animated films being the ones to watch. Check out Toy Story 2! Adios -
Hi guys. First post for me! Yah! I didn't manage to catch IG on the big screen but will on video. From everything I hear it's a great movie & I'm sorry I missed it in the theater. I would like to recommend Princess Mononoke as the best animated of the year. I've seen it twice so far & it's the best film I've seen in years.
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There. I said it. I've never seen this movie of which the majority of AICN staff and fans seem to adore and place on a pedistal. I didn't get to see a lot of movies I wanted to this summer, but I admit that one wasn't high on my list, anyways, just because I wanted to see others more. Now that I have a couple nights (almost) free of stress, I can go down and rent a bunch of those summer movies I missed (including Iron Giant) and see how reliable the AICN reviews really are.
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This one has bugged me ever since the first commercials came out: Why is the DVD cover better looking than the VHS? The VHS is that ugly-looking orangy colored thing that is pretty much marketed towards children in a "ooo...look at the pretty colors" fashion. Then you look at the DVD, which on TV looks like something cool you'd hang in your room for a long time. It's dark, but not TOO dark, and has that "this is more than just a cartoon" feel to it that the VHS cover does not. Are they marketing the VHS more to children and their parents? If so...why do they have to resort to such an ugly design?
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You called it, All Thumbs, that's exactly the reasoning behind the two different cover designs for the IG video release; the bright & colorful one for the kids (and it seems not to be enough for WB's marketers to have flaunted one of the film's biggest spoiler scenes in the trailer ... now they have to splash it all over the friggin' COVER of the video); and the more somber cover to attract adult viewers (a piece which was inspired by one of Mark Whiting's preproduction concept paintings of the giant). The latter cover art is not limited to the DVD, however; it also graces the packaging of the letterboxed VHS. Guess the kiddies aren't into "widescreen" ... ^_^ Gotta admit, though, personally, neither cover really 'moves' me (and, although the limited-edition poster by Mark Whiting DOES capture the flavor of the film better than either of the above, it's actually more evocative of the 1930's rather than the '50's).
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...but the cool twist is that it's more like a RUSSIAN movie poster from the '50's. And it's very cool. BTW, The only Wide Screen VHS tapes of the movie I've seen have been the ugly cover...
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And I haven't.
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once you do see the film, you'll know why I complained. And goodness knows I wasn't the first person ever on AICN to bring the subject up, cryptically or not. I'm shutting up now.
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I too am saddened by the unfortunate marketing of "The Iron Giant". Let's face it - Warner Bros. doesn't know squat about marketing animated features, much less ones that don't have cute sidekicks or songs to exploit.
Actually, few animated features are marketed properly anymore. Disney hypes the wrong features half the time and completely misrepresented "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" - sure, it was a sugar-coated adaptation, but it sure didn't warrant a happy-happy ad campaign and a disgustingly pastel poster. (They do have fantastic teaser ads, however.)
But what do some of you regard as *great* ad campaigns for animated or live-action films? I have long admired the "Beauty and the Beast" one (was it really 8 years ago) and now the "Man on the Moon" campaign is driving me nutty with anticipation...
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Dec 04, 1999 1:03:33 AM CST
So the DVD I acquired YESTERDAY is not the final version?
by martin q blank
Fucking hell.
Warner Brothers usually know better than to pull Disney-like antics like that.
With the amount of extras on the disc (i.e. minimal, but not nothing) I assumed that this was the only release it would get.
(It's worth noting, as an aside, that I imported the disc here to Brisbane, Australia, where the film has not and may not be released EVER on account of its US performance, watched it for the first time last night, and thought it was wonderful. My 8 year old brother says it is one of his favourites.) -
Dec 04, 1999 1:33:23 AM CST
Moriarty; "Iron Giant" was *NOT* the "best animated film this ye
by revelare
It was the best film, period. I just recently got the chance to watch it, and as I said on a previous TalkBack, it left me teary-eyed and speechless. (Usually, a good film leaves me teary-eyed and rambling) I must have watched it 8 times in the span of 3 days of rental. Definitely on my "to buy" list.
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On Tuesday, November 30th, the American Film Institute Screened THE IRON GIANT for an audience of 125 people as part of their "Directors on Directing" series.I am working towards my Master's in Cinematograhy at AFI, so I was able to attend. Following the screening, Brad Bird joined us for an hour of conversation and Q & A session. To boil it down for you, he said he is currently working on a film version of Curious George for Imagine Entertainment. His "angle" on it, he says, is to focus more on the man in the big yellow hat. He also talked about his transition into live action films, and that he does not want to be pigeon-holed as only a director of animated films.
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Living here in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky dosen't allow for much elbow-rubbing with the Hollywood set (although I did just spend last weekend with the 50 Russians traveling this country with the Moscow Ballet...wonderful people!) but some of us here in the sticks know a good thing when we see it. Anyone who happens to be able to meet & greet with Brad Bird and the wonderful lot of artists please extend a heartfelt "THANK YOU" from the Colonel, will ya? --sip of bourbon-- A good friend of mine who does the purchasing for a local entertainment megaplex was kind enough to slip me the widescreen (yes, there is a God) VHS of The Iron Giant a couple of days before it hit the street. The dark cover is soooo much cooler than the kiddie cover. But tell me, please, what is this poster that has been reffered to (the 30's/50's looking one) and where can I find/see one? By the way, you're all invited to stop by and watch the tape, esp. you all that haven't seen it. Just make your way to Louisville and come down to the Palace Theater. I run the box office (www.louisvillepalace.com). You put the popcorn in the microwave, I'll turn on the surround-around-sound. You'll dig it. Oscar? Is that you calling? Hello? Oscar?!? OSCAR???!!!!
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...is a limited-edition of 250 available through the Warner Bros. Studio Store Gallery; you should be able to see at least a small reproduction of it at any of their mall outlets (be warned, it is _very_ limited and is not cheap!). The art for this poster by is by pre-production concept artist Mark Whiting, and has a much more elegant feel than the "It Came From Outer Space!" release poster (which I also liked - better than either of the video covers, anyway). The stock at the Glendale event yesterday sold out pretty quickly, along with a limited-edition folio of characters from the film. It was obvious that the WB Studio Store was caught completely off-guard by the number of people who showed up; it was a madhouse! But despite the frustrations, most everyone seemed to be happy just to get the opportunity to meet this great bunch of artists and give them their well-deserved day in the sun.
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Thanks for the info! I'm sure OUR WB store will have no mad crazy scene. I am lucky enough to have some contact with the film world and was able to snag a copy of the theatrical release poster (where does one find a frame big enough for one of these suckers?) and it's ,like, one of my most prized possesions. If y'all need anything from the WB store and it's "sold out" I'll bet there's a good chance that we have it at our WB store here in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. Great Commonwealth of Kentucky you say...what's so great about it? 1)Bourbon can only be made in KY. All that other shit is whiskey. 2) The Kentucky Derby. For one day a year the whole world takes two minutes out to watch a horserace. Big Deal. Well, brother, it is around here! 3) Louisville Slugger bats are made about 13 blocks from where I live (My grandfather retired from there) 4) Muhammad Ali, athlete of the century, was born and raised here. 5) Beautiful southern women. 6)We cater to almost any vise you can think of...call it southern hospitality. Now go buy the damned movie already!!
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There are actually FOUR versions of the film on video. Two with the nice cover art for adults and two with the clamshell kids box and kids art. They are both available in both Widescreen and Pan and Scan (Though why would you EVER want that with a movie shot in scope?). Unfortunately, I've only found the nice art online and at occassional stores. Most mall shops--Like Suncoast--only stock the kiddie covers. As to Warners marketing, I don't think it has anything to do with not knowing how to market an animated film. I just think they assumed it wasn't good, found out it was a Great Movie far too late and didn't pick up the ball. And even though they said they would re-double their efforts on video, I doubt they made their best creative team available to decide on a marketing campaign for a video release of a movie that only made 23 million. They probably used their top talent on their XMas movies. A tragic story all around that made Iron Giant the most underappreciated movie of 1999. Even though in my opinon, it was the best movie of the year. Maybe the best movie I've seen in years.
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