The Playlist

DreamWorks Animation Gets Moving On 'The Croods' Sequel

By Cain Rodriguez
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April 18, 2013 5:14 PM
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News

It seems that as soon as any studio film hits theatres, a sequel is already in the works, especially with children’s films. So color us surprised that it’s taken nearly a month for DreamWorks to get the ball rolling on a return to the world of “The Croods.”

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Box Office: 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' Takes The Easter Weekend Top Slot

By Gabe Toro
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March 31, 2013 11:56 AM
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2 Comments

Box Office

“G.I. Joe: Retaliation" had every reason to fail and flop much like its bumped 2012 tentpole predecessor "Jack The Giant Slayer" which audiences turned their noses up to earlier this year. Like 'Jack' the film was pushed off its initial release date and drew bad publicity for its delays and talk of reconstituting characters that were once killed off. In fact, it was almost worse; 'Retaliation's last-minute delay was just five weeks before its debut last summer. Taken out of its initial date (promoted with a pricey Super Bowl spot more than a year ago) the film landed in March of this year.

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Interview: ‘Croods’ Directors Kirk DeMicco & Chris Sanders Talk The Differences Between DreamWorks And Pixar, Working With Roger Deakins & More

By Drew Taylor
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March 25, 2013 11:59 AM
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Interviews

This weekend, DreamWorks Animation’s new feature “The Croods” was unleashed in theaters nationwide. A zippy, prehistoric-set riff on the family-road-trip comedy, it features a clan of cavemen (and, it should be noted, cavewomen) who are forced to evolve after cataclysmic events threaten their way of life. It’s easily one of the most visually inventive and genuinely heartfelt movies to come out of DreamWorks Animation, and we were lucky enough to speak to Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders, co-directors of “The Croods,” about the development of the movie, the differences between DreamWorks Animation and Pixar, who their favorite cinematic cavemen are, how Guillermo del Toro and Roger Deakins helped, and why they utilized Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” in the score.

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Weekend Box Office: 'The Croods' Notches Best Animated Opening Since November

By Gabe Toro
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March 24, 2013 11:33 AM
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Box Office

Normally, we’re besieged by animated fare during all months, but not so far in 2013. The only animated film of the year thus far was “Escape From Planet Earth,” a production from The Weinstein Company that was treated like a last minute dump, posting numbers that only counted as a hit compared to the film’s small budget and meager ad campaign. Before that, DreamWorks kept “Rise of the Guardians” active in over 3,000 sparsely-attended engagements, though over the holidays it seemed kids would rather toss snowballs around than watch a weirdly oppressive, vaguely non-denominational holiday movie. Which meant that all Fox had to do was not embarrass themselves with “The Croods,” supplying the kids market with a 3D diversion that stands as the second biggest opening of the year, far ahead of the middling 'Guardians' debut.

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What Are You Seeing This Weekend? Gain 'Admission' To 'The Croods' & 'Olympus Has Fallen'

By Emma Bernstein
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March 22, 2013 5:35 PM
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News

This weekend's release docket may inspire even the most cynical of cinephiles to wax a little nostalgic about their younger days. The reminiscence upon past events, eras and moments which we paint with the strokes of simplicity and unadulterated joy is one we all deign to indulge in once in a while. And with so many vehicles to quench that thirst so close at hand, we recommend dropping all pretense and just letting the nostalgia wave crash over you in the darkness of the theaters. Stories are here to spark memories of your first love, your transition to adulthood, your successes and failures as a young adult, your first hostage crisis in the White House.

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Review: Animated 'The Croods' Sacrifices Story & Character On Altar Of Impressive 3D Visuals

By Jessica Kiang
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March 20, 2013 6:21 PM
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Reviews

We suspect our reaction may be out of step with the general consensus of press at our Berlin Film Festival screening of the "The Croods" (where we first saw the film back in February) if the guffaws and applause were anything to go by, but really that had us kind of baffled. The DreamWorks film, from writer/directors Chris Sanders ("How to Train Your Dragon," "Lilo & Stitch") and Kirk Di Micco ("Space Chimps"), features a starry voice cast in Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke, and an appropriately high concept: the Croods are a family of cavemen who have to evolve suddenly when faced with cataclysmic natural disasters and the arrival of a young Homo Sapiens with the ability to make fire.

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Interview: Emma Stone Talks Comedy, 'The Croods' And Cameron Crowe; Scores Off The Charts On Likability

By Jessica Kiang
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February 24, 2013 1:30 PM
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Festivals

Having enjoyed pretty much the definition of a meteoric rise to fame, you could maybe forgive Emma Stone for having lost the run of herself. But just as her big-screen persona is usually based on being the approachable, down-to-earth, girl-next-door type, in person she demonstrates many of those qualities too, along with an absolute refusal to take herself too seriously. It made for an entertaining interview at the Berlin Film Festival following the premiere of her animated film “The Croods” (our review here). And if some members of our small press group were not just eating out of her hand, but apparently longing to curl up in her lap and go to sleep there by the end of our time with her, in between the various "Why are you so awesome?"-style questions, Stone did fill us in quite a bit on her philosophy towards her career to date, her role models and what the future holds. And if she has been taught to be a little cagey in some areas, she admitted as much saying, “This is what ‘Spider-Man’ does to you I’m always like ‘I don’t know if I can tell you about that, you’ll have to wait and see.’ About everything. ‘Would you like some water?’ ‘I dunno, you’ll have to wait and see…’ ”

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Berlin Interview: Nicolas Cage Explains Why 'Wicker Man' Is Misunderstood, His Career Choices & More

By Jessica Kiang
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February 20, 2013 12:23 PM
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14 Comments

Festivals

With “The Croods,” an animated family film from DreamWorks (our review here), premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival, lead voice actor Nicolas Cage was in town over the weekend, and we got to speak with him in a small group of journalists. About the experience of working on the film itself (“It’s like ‘Avatar’ meets ‘Yellow Submarine’ with these people who look like Neanderthals” he summed up) he had nothing but good things to say: “I feel like this is the best chance I’ve had to perform in an animated movie.” But he was also frank and forthcoming about other areas of his working life.

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Berlin Review: Animated 'The Croods' Sacrifices Story & Character On Altar Of Impressive 3D Visuals

By Jessica Kiang
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February 15, 2013 2:00 PM
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11 Comments

Festivals

We suspect our reaction may be out of step with the general consensus of press at our Berlin Film Festival screening of the "The Croods" today, if the guffaws and applause were anything to go by, but really that had us kind of baffled. The DreamWorks film, from writer/directors Chris Sanders ("How to Train Your Dragon," "Lilo & Stitch") and Kirk Di Micco ("Space Chimps"), features a starry voice cast in Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke, and an appropriately high concept: the Croods are a family of cavemen who have to evolve suddenly when faced with cataclysmic natural disasters and the arrival of a young Homo Sapiens with the ability to make fire.

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Finally Finished? Wong Kar-Wai's 'The Grandmaster' To Open The Berlin Film Festival

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 19, 2012 7:50 AM
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2 Comments

News

The legend goes that when Wong Kar-Wai brought "2046" to the Cannes Film Festival, the print was still dripping as he worked until the very last minute to finish it. And to say that his latest, the martial arts biopic "The Grandmaster," has had a few road bumps and delays would be an understatement. The film has been in production on and off for the past couple of years, and had things gone according to plan, it would be in theaters in China now, opening this week. But of course, WKW had to continue tinkering, and the release date was pushed to January 8, 2013. But it seems the end is nigh, god willing, and "The Grandmaster" has set an international bow.

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