The Prodigy Movie

The 3D Craze: How Long Will It Last?

admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The film industry is one that is rapidly evolving. With every new technological advance films grab hold and plug it until the audiences bore of it. In the past whether it was animation and film coming together or wire kung fu stunts Hollywood fads grab hold. The latest craze that has the film industry at it’s mercy is 3D.

Last summer was just the tip of the iceberg as major action pictures dabbled in the 3D experience. Over the past year it has been more about animation making it’s 3D offering. This summer every major blockbuster is giving itself over to the 3D craze. It would be great to say that this is simply another fad that will pass in time unfortunately there are two things preventing that.

Cost and security. The investment movie theaters and film producers have made in putting out and displaying 3D movies it is unlikely that this is a momentary dilemma. As well the added revenue from the 3D films are boosting box office revenue to a point where no studio can deny the benefit it has on the bottom line. The last benefit is the security. As of right now there is no recording device that will fix the overlap from a 3D image. It looks like we have no choice. The film industry is making more money for making the same movies and they seem to have a method to curb piracy. With that triple threat get ready for a healthy does of 3D madness.

Looking Out For The Next Summer Blockbuster

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The summer of 2011 will be full of plenty of franchise hits: new “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “Harry Potter,” “Transformers” and “X-men” editions will hit the movie screens. Luckily, for moviegoers in search of something unexpected, there are some new stories, and potential blockbusters on the calendar. J.J. Abrams, of “Lost” and “Star Trek” fame will bring the alien-centric “Super 8″ to theaters in June, with an intriguing late 70′s story of kids accidentally capturing some goings-on at Area 51. In July, another sci-fi tinged thriller, “Cowboys and Aliens,” will combine the Old West and outer space invaders, from “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau, with superstars Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig leading the charge. “Rise of the Apes,” in August, takes a disturbing look at human genetic engineering, as a precursor to the “Planet of the Apes” storyline, with modern-day San Francisco, James Franco, and Peter “Lord of the Rings” Jackson’s special effects studio lending visual support. Lastly, “The Darkest Hour” wipes out the entire electrical grid, and leaves one set of Moscow tourists to fight another alien invasion. Expect to stand in long lines with plenty of fan boys for all these potential summer smash hits.

“Unknown”: Liam Neeson Continues To Kick Ass

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Liam Neeson stars, in another great role that shows why he is a Kick Ass actor. He plays Dr. Martin Harris. After being in a car accident in Berlin, he wakes up in a hospital with very little memory. He also finds out that his wife does not recognize him and that another man is assuming his identity. The authorities do not believe him and he has assassins trying to kill him. A taxi driver aids him in finding the truth. She is the only one that believes him. He is trying to solve this crazy mystery, which has him questioning if he is going crazy. There is great action in this movie as well as unexpected twist and turns. Liam Neeson is superb in this role. You will not be disappointed. This movie does not bore you. If anything it keeps you guessing. At first you think that you know what’s going on in the movie, but as the mystery unravels you will find that not everything is as it seems. If you love mysteries, this is the perfect movie for you. Even if you’re not into mysteries, you will find this movie entertaining. Liam continues to kick ass.

Dashiell Hammett’s birth of the cool

www.theprodigymovie.com — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Every creative endeavor, in some way, owes a debt to what’s come before. Even the new hit show you’re watching on direct tv undoubtedly takes inspiration from a variety of sources. Sometimes, these sources might be difficult to see. When you’re talking about the hardboiled noir atmosphere of The Prodigy, though, there’s one man whose inspiration can’t be denied: a Pinkerton-agent-turned-writer named Dashiell Hammett.Hammett was born in southern Maryland in 1894, but grew up in both Baltimore and Philadelphia. He dropped out of school at 13 and eventually found his way to the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, where he worked from 1915 to February 1922. He also served in World War I. These experiences, along with Hammett’s anger at the role of the Pinkertons in strike-breaking, eventually led him to put down the gun and pick up the pen.Raymond Chandler, an author who started writing shortly before Hammett stopped, said of his predecessor: “He was spare, frugal, hard-boiled, but he did over and over again what only the best writers can ever do at all. He wrote scenes that seemed never to have been written before.” Often, these scenes were dark and shocking, much like those in The Prodigy. These led to allegations that he “lacked heart.” Looking at the enduring characters he left behind, though, the opposite seems to be truehe had a knack for getting inside the hearts of varied individuals and exposing them to the world.His best-known character, Sam Spade, appeared in only one full-length novel: 1930′s The Maltese Falcon. Hammett portrayed Spade as a man with questionable morals who still maintains a type of idealism. Spade was played by Humphrey Bogart in the 1941 adaptation of The Maltese Falcon.Before Spade, Hammett created the nameless character, the Continental Op. Working for a Pinkerton analogue called the Continental Detective Agency, the Op’s namelessness symbolized his detachment from common human emotions. The complexity of the character came from the fact that the Op feared this growing detachment, even as he used it to achieve a dark kind of justice.Hammett also had a lighter side, which he displayed in his final novel, 1934′s The Thin Man. An ex-PI and his socialite wife balance drinking and gossiping with crime-solving. The characters are said to be based off of Hammett and his partner of 30 years, Lillian Hellman. Although appearing in only one novel, the characters became stars in a string of films through the 1930s and 1940s.Most every crime writer working in the hard-boiled genre today owes a debt to Hammett, but he is much more than a bygone memory. His novels, still in print, still excite and thrill, even today.

Luc Besson, action auteur

www.theprodigymovie.com — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:49:20 +0000

Part of The Prodigy‘s success comes from weaving violent action sequences with philosophical underpinnings. Luckily for fans, director William Kaufman is just the latest in a long line of directors to bring these disparate genres together. One of the best-known directors of this kind is Luc Besson, the French writer/director/producer. Since 1983, Luc Besson has worked on more than fifty different movies across a variety of languages. He’s also won a number of awards, including the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film Critics Prize, the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film (Nil By Mouth) and the Best Director Cesar Award (The Fifth Element). Now seems as good a time as ever to look back at some of his highlights.Besson’s first film was Le Dernier Combat (1983), a black-and-white science-fiction film about a world in which people have almost completely lost the ability to speak. An unnamed man (Pierre Jolivet) makes his way through an apocalyptic landscape while being followed by The Brute (Jean Reno). The film is notable for being almost completely silent, with almost no dialogue and less than two minutes of music. Besson’s first hit, however, didn’t come until his second film, Subway (1985). A young man who has stolen some Mafia papers retreats into the subway, where he falls in love with a gangster’s wife and starts a band. Subway was the third most popular French movie of 1986.Nikita (1990) is one of Besson’s best known films, thanks to the stunning performance of Anne Parillaud as a junkie turned ruthless assassin. The film was remade in America as Point of No Return and two TV shows, La Femme Nikita in 1997 and Nikita in 2010. In 1994, Besson wrote and directed Leon, which starred Jean Reno as essentially the same character that he portrayed in a supporting role in Nikita. The film dealt with difficult moral issues such as revenge and corrupt police.Besson created the Taxi franchise in 1998, with sequels coming in 2000, 2003, and 2007, and an American remake in 2004. He also wrote and produced the Transporter series. In 2010, Besson released two films. The first is From Paris with Love, which he co-wrote and produced. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays James Reese, an aide to the U.S. ambassador in France. He’s assigned as partner to loud-mouthed agent Charlie Wax, played by John Travolta. Together, the two uncover a terrorist plot, which Reese discovers reaches into his own personal life. Besson hopes to turn this title into a series as well.The other film is Les aventures extraordinaires d’Adele Blanc-Sec (The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec). Based on a French comic series, the film follows a feisty investigative journalist who is on the trail of a pterodactyl wreaking havoc in Paris in 1912. Trust us, it has to be seen to be believed. Besson will be returning to his assassin-film roots with 2011′s Colombiana, starring Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Avatar) and Michael Vartan (TV’s Alias, HawthoRNe).

Stone will satisfy thriller fans

www.theprodigymovie.com — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:32:00 +0000

Edward Norton has proven himself a master at getting into the minds of complex characters, whether in Fight Club, American History X, or Fight Club. In his new film Stone, he joins up with a similarly varied actor, Robert De Niro. While it would be a thrill just watching these two talk to each other in the same movie, bringing them into conflict with each other is a surefire way to get the sparks flying. With Norton as the arsonist Gerald “Stone” Creeson and De Niro as his parole officer Jack Mabey, that’s exactly what happens.The crux of the film concerns Stone trying to con Mabey into allowing his release. To accomplish this, he relies on lies, manipulation, and the talents of his wife, Lucetta (Milla Jovovich), who seduces Mabey under Stone’s orders. During the film, we see flashbacks to earlier, supposedly happier times in Mabey’s life. Will Mabey fall to Stone’s plotting, and is there more at stake than these characters want to let on?The film is directed by John Curran, who also directed Norton in The Painted Veil (2006) and most recently wrote The Killer Inside Me, an adaptation of Jim Thompson’s novel. Writer Angus McLachlan composed the script. Roger Ebert has already proclaimed himself a fan of the film, writing “there is a union of three performances here that makes its story of psychological maneuvers something special.” The film will premiere October 8, so there’s not much longer to wait to see Norton, De Niro, and Jovovich’s expert performances. Fans of The Prodigy are recommended to check it outwhile there’s not as much action as that film, the psychology of the characters is equally dark, and the tension will keep you on the edge of your seat.