May 14 2009 Some of the Art of the 'Coraline'
Illustrator Jon Klassen did some visual development for Coraline, and now, to the joy of preliminary art lovers everywhere, he's started posting some of the work he did on his site. It's all the joy of reading one of those fancy "The Art of [Movie Title]" books, but without the guilt of spending half-an-hour flipping through it in the back of a Barnes & Noble knowing full well you'd never purchase it.
Feb 23 2009 Madea's Criminal Activity Does Not Diminish Her Fan Base
No one dared go against the power of Tyler Perry's Thing this weekend, and T.P. made the most of it:
1. Tyler Perry's Mades Goes to Jail - $41.1 million. Just when I thought nothing could make the concept of prison scarier than this, Tyler Perry has to throw his cross-dressing persona in there too.
2. Taken - $11.4 million, thanks to continued word-of-mouth that "Liam Neeson is fucking badass in this thing."
3. Coraline - $11 million. Can we let Henry Selick make more movies yet? He should be the stop-motion Pixar by now.
4. He's Just Not That Into You - $8.5 million. The first couple weeks of this film's success were due to its impressive star power. Now it's just sad ladies without friends hoping for answers on whether or not a guy is into her.
5. Slumdog Millionaire - $8 million. Even when it's safe money, no one wants to bet on a horse they haven't seen running.
Weekend Box Office [Box Office Mojo]
Feb 16 2009 Your Valentine's Weekend Movie Favorites
After spending nearly $35 at Olive Garden, you still managed to see these movies this weekend:
1. Friday the 13th - $42.2 million, because murder makes for a great Valentine's date movie.
2. He's Just Not That Into You - $19.6 million, because male disinterest also makes for a great Valentine's date movie.
3. Taken - $19.3 million, because paternal vengeance makes for a great Valentine's date movie too.
4. Confessions of a Shopaholic - $15.4 million, because, in case you didn't know, the confessions of a shopaholic make for a great Valentine's date movie.
5. Coraline - $15.3 million, because stop-motion animation involving buttons replacing eyeballss--you guessed it--great for a V-Day date.
Not particularly good for a Valentine's date? International bank conspiracy.
Feb 9 2009 He's Just Not That Into Seeing 'Push' This Weekend (Nor Was Anyone Else)
Here's what you were paying to see this weekend:
1. He's Just Not That Into You - $27.5 million, and he's not into you because you're into seeing awful romantic comedies opening weekend.
2. Taken - $20.3 million, only dropping 18% despite the controversial ending where it's revealed Liam Neeson's daughter was never kidnapped; he just didn't have reception when she was calling, and it turns out the entire movie is an AT&T commercial.
3. Coraline - $16.3 million. That might go up next week when Neil Gaiman fanatics aren't busy being dressed up as Sandman for a comic convention.
4. The Pink Panther 2 - $12 million, but imagine how Steve Martin would pronounce that as a French guy! It would probably be really funny.
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $11 million. One more weekend should push it over $100 million, and one more year should push it permanently out of our minds (until Paul Blart: Standard Cop).
Weekend Box Office Results [Box Office Mojo]
Jan 23 2009 New 'Twilight Zone' Intro-Like 'Coraline' Trailer
Borders has posted a new trailer for Coraline in which author Neil Gaiman discusses the obscure affliction of koumpounophobia--the fear of buttons. So really, more than a trailer, it's like an episode of Maury Povich.
Nov 20 2008 'Coraline' Trailer Wins
Maybe I'm just a sucker for dark but quirky, masterfully-executed stop-motion animation, but I'm thinking this new trailer for Henry Selick's Coraline adaptation makes it look really good. Perhaps not quite as visually-arrested as The Nightmare Before Christmas, which I still watch religiously every year near Halloween, but charming nonetheless. I'll probably relegate this to being watched every year on a lesser holiday. Which would work best for a movie where a girl travels through a Being John Malkovich-style portal to a parallel world that at first seems nice but eventually gets threatening when her fake mom wants her to sew buttons over her eyes? Probably like a Flag Day.
Nov 3 2008 'Coraline' Poster Provides Worthwhile Advice (Assuming You're in the Presence of a Djinn)
Henry Selick's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline is one film I'm looking forward to, and JoBlo has put up the poster for the stop-motion film. The "be careful what you wish for" sentiment holds particular weight for me right now because, for whatever reason, I watched Wishmaster last night, reminding that if I ever sarcastically tell some sort of evil genie that "I would love to see" him "go through me," he will consider that a wish, and merge me with a glass door, walk through me as if I'm a viscous liquid, and then I will digitally shatter:
Aug 12 2008 'Coraline' Featurette Further Appeases My Nerdiness
Any movie directed by stop-motion animation master Henry Selick, based on a story by Neil Gaiman story, and with music by They Might Be Giants is going to really appeal to a certain type of geek. Namely, the type who used to read Sandman, listen to Flood on a regular basis, and watch The Nightmare Before Christmas at least every Halloween. I already knew Coraline had all of these things going for it, but man, no one told me John Hodgman was doing a voice in this thing, too. It's like angsty 9th-grade me's tastes shaking hands with current, listening-to-The Areas of My Expertise-audiobook-on-the-train me. They probably shouldn't literally shake hands, because I know what 9th grade me was doing with his hand nearly to the point of it becoming a problem, but you get the idea.
Coraline featurette under the cut.
Continue Reading " 'Coraline' Featurette Further Appeases My Nerdiness "
Feb 21 2008 3D 'Coraline' Trailer, Only Not in 3D, and Now Not From Phone Camera
Remember when you saw a short teaser to the Henry Selick/Neil Gaiman 3D stop-motion collaboration, Coraline, and how you wished it were a little less recorded-on-a-cell-phoney? Me too. So here it is.
It's still suffering from the whole "look, this is 3D, so here's something comin' atcha!" affliction, but earns points for looking otherwise great, and for not allowing Brendan Fraser to shove a book at you.
Continue Reading " 3D 'Coraline' Trailer, Only Not in 3D, and Now Not From Phone Camera "
Jan 30 2008 3D 'Coraline' Trailer, Except Not in 3D
The early HD preview released last month already provided more than enough reason to get excited about the Neil Gaiman/Henry Selick/TMBG collaboration, Coraline, but this 3D trailer raises the bar even higher. I bet it looks even better with the 3D glasses on, and if it weren't taken with someone's shitty camera phone. I mean, just listen to the man in the theater shouting at the needle heading towards him. Some of that is actual fear and the inability to distinguish film from reality, but at least part is probably excitement at how good it looks.
Continue Reading " 3D 'Coraline' Trailer, Except Not in 3D "
Dec 27 2007 'Coraline' Preview Successfully Mashes Geek Culture
Stop-motion genius Henry Selick directed the modern classics The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, and aquatic life stuff from The Life Aquatic; Neil Gaiman wrote Stardust and The Sandman comic series, a paperback manifestation of Cure songs; They Might Be Giants has provided geeks with their own brand of catchy rock music for over 20 years, allowing some to finally part with their Weird Al CDs.
So a triumvirate of the three, working together to adapt Gaiman's novella Coraline, should at least be decent, right? (We'll ignore that Teri Hatcher has a leading role.)
See a 40-second scene preview, under the cut.
Continue Reading " 'Coraline' Preview Successfully Mashes Geek Culture "
