Teen Choice Award

THE DONNAS TO PERFORM "TOO BAD ABOUT YOUR GIRL" ON 'THE 2003 TEEN CHOICE AWARDS'
AIRING AUGUST 6 ON FOX

Keanu Reeves, JC Chasez, Will Ferrell and Queen Latifah Among Stars Joining Host David Spade

Critically acclaimed rock band The Donnas are set to perform their newest single "Too Bad About Your Girl" at THE 2003 TEEN CHOICE AWARDS Wed., Aug. 6 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. The Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles will play host to the special, celebrating the hottest teen icons in film, television, music, comedy, fashion and sports. The Donnas join previously announced performers Kelly Clarkson and Evanescence.

One of today's most rebellious and irreverent bands, The Donnas are known for their loud guitars, heavy hooks and irresistible, unstoppable energy. The Bay Area-based quartet recently released their major label debut, "Spend The Night," on Atlantic Records, and were met with rave reviews. The album features the current single "Too Bad About Your Girl," which is also the lead single from the soundtrack of Warner Bros. Pictures upcoming comedy "Grind," as well as the band's breakthrough hit, "Take It Off."

Additional celebrities scheduled to appear at THE 2003 TEEN CHOICE AWARDS include Keanu Reeves ("The Matrix: Reloaded"), Queen Latifah ("Chicago"), Will Ferrell ("Old School"), singer JC Chasez, Raven ("That's So Raven"), Milo Ventimiglia ("Gilmore Girls") and Alexa Vega ("Spy Kids 3").

Celebrities previously announced include Colin Farrell ("S.W.A.T.") pop superstar Britney Spears, Ashton Kutcher ("That '70s Show"), Brittany Murphy ("Just Married"), Ryan Seacrest ("American Idol"), Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Scooby Doo 2"), Alyssa Milano ("Charmed"), Amanda Bynes ("What I Like About You"), Wilmer Valderrama ("That '70s Show"), Rebecca Romijn-Stamos ("X-Men 2"), Hillary Duff ("The Lizzie McGuire Movie"), Paula Abdul ("American Idol"), pro-skateboard legend Tony Hawk, surf pro Kelly Slater and comedians/talk-show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Tom Green.

Actor and comedian David Spade is the first-ever host of THE TEEN CHOICE AWARDS where the coolest stars will receive coveted Teen Choice surfboard awards in categories such as "Choice Breakout TV Show," "Choice Movie Chemistry," "Choice Reality/Variety Show," "Choice Breakout Artist," "Choice Male Hottie," "Choice Female Athlete" and "Choice TV Sidekick."

THE 2003 TEEN CHOICE AWARDS is executive produced by Bob Bain ("The Billboard Music Awards") and Mike Burg. Paul Flattery and Michael Levitt serve as producers. Greg Sills serves as supervising producer.

High Scoring the Matrix(A conversation with composer Erik Lundborg)

A conversation with composer Erik Lundborg

"What I, as the composer, am required to do is write "longish" pieces that give you a certain amount of freedom in a certain tone or mood. And that's what I liked about working on the game, because I could write these rather prolonged musical compositions that express a given idea over time. There's a certain amount of freedom in that."» Erik Lundborg

The Interview - April 10, 2003

As the The Matrix franchise retakes theatres all over the world, the Wachowski Brother's, along with Atari and Shiny Entertainment, are about to take over Playstation 2s, Gamecubes, Xboxes, and PCs, with the video game, ENTER THE MATRIX. Tracksounds catches up with the man behind the music of this groundbreaking game - Erik Lundborg.

CC: Where you involved at all with the original Matrix film?

EL: No, but I've known Don (Davis) for sometime.

CC: So how did you meet Don Davis?

EL: I met him at a conducting workshop in New York with Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra...and that must have been about 10, maybe even 12, years ago. We have kept in touch since then. Then in 1996, I made a serious move to LA. Later when he needed some help he called me.

CC: What your first project with Don Davis?

EL: It was HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.

CC: So it was somewhat natural for you to move into working with Davis on these mammoth Matrix projects: 2 film scores, the Animatrix shorts, and the game, ENTER THE MATRIX.

EL: Yes. Somebody told me that with Reloaded, which has about 90 minutes of music, Revolutions, which also has another 90 minutes, and the video game, which as 130 to 140 minutes of music, we have almost 6 hours of music!

CC: And also FINAL FLIGHT OF THE OSIRIS from THE ANIMATRIX.

EL: Yes, so better make that almost 7 hours of music!

CC: How much time would you say you've devoted to these projects?

EL: I knew about these projects in September of 2002 and I knew that I'd probably be working on them. I think Don (Davis) was originally going to handle (ENTER THE MATRIX), but there was just too much music. So he asked me to adapt and incorporate his music into the game. Of course there is actual movie footage in the game that required scoring, so all the music is there is derived from THE MATRIX RELOADED AND THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS.

CC: I've been told that you and Don Davis could actually be considered co-composers for ENTER THE MATRIX.

EL: Yes. I guess you could regard it that way. (Don Davis) just let me have free reign with it. Of course, he wanted to have some control over the music and that was something that the brothers (Wachowski) wanted as well. It's very tightly controlled in terms of the approval process.

CC: The Wachowski brothers are quite well known for that. How was it working with them?

EL: Well, it was fine. I didn't see them very much but I would submit the music to them. You know, you don't "hang out" with the directors as much as you submit the music. They listen to it in their office and then they send back notes saying what they liked and didn't like.

CC: It must have been difficult keeping everything straight in your own mind - working on ENTER THE MATRIX, arranging and orchestrating for THE MATRIX RELOADED AND REVOLUTIONS all at the same time.

EL: Actually, it wasn't that hard to keep straight. The composing part was entirely seperate from orchestration part of RELOADED. I started on ENTER THE MATRIX in mid-November of 2002 through early February 2003. I jumped onto THE MATRIX RELOADED right after that.

CC: Do you have a similar composing style to Don Davis?

EL: I really had to learn exactly what Don did and then continue to work within that frame of mind. It really wasn't a question of me doing something brand new. Actually, I did do about 30 minutes of my own music for ENTER THE MATRIX which are derived from his (Don Davis') themes and ideas. We do have a similar background, so I understand where he is coming from and I've orchestrated four or five of his motion pictures, so I know how he thinks. I don't know if HE thinks I know, though! (laughs)

CC: Have you seen the finished product and how the music plays within the game?

EL: I actually haven't, but I will probably see it when I get back to LA.

CC: For ENTER THE MATRIX, did you record with the same orchestra as for the Matrix films?

EL: No. It was recorded in Seattle with a contracted orchestra.

CC: Do you plan to stay in that genre at all?

EL: Oh, I loved to. I found it absolutely thrilling...just a lot of fun!

CC: Would you say that scoring a video game presents you different challenges than scoring a film?

EL: That's a very good question, because it certainly does. There are different environments of the game: whether you're fighting, or just wondering around someplace looking for something. In each of these environments you encounter some enemies, or an agent and whenever these things occur the music has to change. So in essence the player has control over what sort of music "kicks in" at any given point.

As a composer I'm not so concerned with that so much, because I wouldn't know when or where a player was at any given instance. What I, as the composer, am required to do is write "longish" pieces that give you a certain amount of freedom in a certain tone or mood. And that's what I liked about working on the game, because I could write these rather prolonged musical compositions that express a given idea over time. There's a certain amount of freedom in that.

Now, when you are scoring a film, you are really controlled quite specifically by what takes place on the screen at any given point in time. You have to be very careful about making those hits and addressing that issue at all times. So you need to underscore something much more carefully because you are controlled by the medium.

CC: In film, a score's presence or absence really has an important role in the emotion felt at any given moment. Would you say it works the same way within the context of a game?

EL: I think so. I think it is the precisely the same, except for fact that the player determines when the music changes.

CC: Do they employ any electronica within ENTER THE MATRIX as they do with the films?

EL: Yes. There is some electronic music, but I didn't compose it.

CC: Are you slated to do any future Matrix-projects, like an expansion to ENTER THE MATRIX?

EL: I don't know if they are planning to do one or not, but I'd certainly love to do it.

"The Musix: Kinetic-Coolness"

Review by Christopher Coleman

"Overall, the score for The Matrix Reloaded is less frightening, less dissonant, and less disjointed (than The Matrix). It hits most of its major beats in stride, and the weaker portions are forgiven because of their brevity." ****

Few knew of the media storm that was brewing within the mind of the directing Wachowski Brothers. Two sequels, nine anime shorts (The Animatrix), and two video games, (Enter the Matrix, The Matrix Online), and God knows what else, would come barreling out the tandem's minds. These ongoing revelations of things to come in the Matrix franchise (in the form of innocuous press releases) got fans of both electronica and composer Don Davis, salivating.

Instead of the two separate soundtrack releases that earmarked The Matrix, Warner/Maverick Records elected to combine the two into one two-disc release. Why a double disc release this time? This double release simply kills two agents with one shot and the label is surely hoping that such a release will combine the electronica and film music consumer groups into one cash-cow. Disc one plays the role of the Maverick's original soundtrack release of The Matrix, while disc 2, more or less, functions as Varese Sarabande's original score release did (a release which remains in the Top 20 All Time Best Sellers for the label). Disc 1 features a compilation of electronica and metal tracks, a good portion of which are relegated to the end credits...and thankfully so. Now, Rob Dougan's Furious Angels (disc 1 - track 4) is an acceptional track but actually would suits disc 2 better. The rest of disc 1 is not nearly as engaging as the 1999 compilation soundtrack from The Matrix and not the focus of this review. Still, you will find the tracks from disc 1 fully rated below.

The Matrix Reloaded hardly rests on the laurels of its predecessor and that goes for the music as well. Visually, the movie sets new standards of computer graphic effects, and this time, musically, the Wachowski's wanted to synthesize the orchestral work of Don Davis with the "kinetic-coolness" that can be found in the genre of electronica. After listening to, a disappointing solo attempt by Don Davis at just such a synthesis, namely the original score for Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever, I believe the Brothers Wachowski, Jason Bentley et al, made a wise choice in selecting both Rob Dougan and Juno Reactor to provide the synthesized-side of this fusion.

The tracks that solely feature the orchestral work of composer Don Davis capture the essence of his contribution to the film nicely. Again Davis heavily relies upon brass instrumentation and pounding percussive accents to provide the signature environment. The opening two tracks, which together mirror Trinity Infinity (track 1 from The Matrix score album), re-introduces the established style from the first movie with a handful of familiar motifs. Among those is the reflecting-brass motif, which permeates The Matrix Reloaded. The bulk of pure Don Davis' work is contained in The Matrix Reloaded Suite (track 7) . The over-17-minute suite contains excerpts from throughout the film and are neatly arranged into a smooth, yet diverse, listening experience. The suite includes: the militaristic segment of the Nebuchadnezzar's landing at Zion (a musical style not found in the original Matrix film), the reverent choral-underscoring of "Neo's Zion Following", the mysterious (but let's face it, enviable) "Persephone's Kiss," the triumphant "Morpheus' Prayer" (which recalls the "revelation" motif from the climax of original film) and finally the finale "Rescue and Resurrection," which also introduces yet another new theme - a victorious love theme that wouldn't surprise me if it showed up in the The Matrix Revolutions once or twice. Of course, there remains a goodly amount of Davis' score which is not represented on this release, but what music is included will provide a satisfactory experience for most. For now, hard-core collectors will have to hope and pray for a more complete release down the road.

Moving along track 3, Teahouse, things changes gears, as the listener gets their first taste of Juno Reactor's considerable contribution sound of The Matrix Reloaded. This brief Kung-Fu-confrontation with a Jet-Li-like-security program, is underscored almost solely by percussion. A tip of the hat to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? Possibly, as Michelle Yeoh was briefly considered to play the part of the Fu-firewall and fight choreographer Wu Ping worked on both films. Chateau (track 4) slams into high gear as Rob Dougan's high-octane electronic composition functions as and feels similar to the Propellerhead's Spy Break from the first film. Track 5 is one of the best pieces from either The Matrix Reloaded or The Matrix. Mona Lisa Overdrive (track 5) is a scintillating collaboration between composer Don Davis and Juno Reactor. This sometimes-methodical, sometimes-hypnotic, piece shifts gear after gear as the heros and villians clash in a non-stop car chase - the likes of which filmgoers have never seen...or heard before! We can only hope that The Matrix Revolutions will offer another sampling of this sort of collaborative effort. Finally, track 6, the famed Burley Brawl, is yet another teaming of Davis and Juno Reactor. Punchy, acoustic drums (or at least sampled drums?), bold and brash brass, and the choral accents and occasional solos combine to underscore what many consider to be the centerpiece sequence of the film. This mind-blowing, incalculable sequence reaches such stature in no small part to the frenetic pace the music reaches.

We are now deep into the musical rabbit-hole with composer Don Davis as our guide. If the music from The Matrix grabbed you, then go ahead and red-pill the double-disc soundtrack from The Matrix Reloaded. Clearly, Davis' post-modern compositional thread continues into part 2 of the Matrix trilogy but before you think you've gotten this release figured out, be assured you probably don't. Yes, one will find a number of familiar motifs and themes from the original Matrix score, but The Matrix Reloaded takes on a few twists of its own. Once again the Wachowski Brothers have upped the anty: storyline, visually, and with the considerable help of composer Don Davis, Juno Reactor, Rob Dougan, Jason Bently, it also does musically.

Dig this!

Review by Christopher Coleman

Category | Score

Originality 9
Music Selection 9
Composition 8
CD Length 8
Track Order 8
Performance 8
Final Score 8/10

Quick Quotes

"Let's get something straight: UNEARTHED is not a soundtrack album. But it could be! Written by E.S. Posthumus (perhaps A.K.A. Helmut and Franz Vonlichten), UNEARTHED is a brilliant meshing of pop music elements - drum loops, electric guitars, samples - with the traditional orchestral staples: choir and orchestra (I should stress real choir and orchestra!). " ***

Ryan Keaveney - Cinemusic Reviews Unearthed

The formulas for financially successful music are firmly entrenched. "Copy the popular," is chief among them. Indie music; however, is managing to keep the music-world fresh and interesting...and actually establishing what is sure to be copied tomorrow.

One such Indie-group, E. S. Posthumus has also been making subtle waves within the realm of film music- specifically in movie trailers. Their first ripple came with the inclusion of their music in the Planet of the Apes trailers in 2001. Also, a selection was used in the intriguing teaser trailer for the Steven Spielberg film, Minority Report. Most recently, in one of the most downloaded trailers on the internet, the Spider-Man trailer features a power-packed selection from the E.S. Posthumus' Unearthed.

The use of E.S. Posthumus' work in such high-profile trailers is definitely high praise and strong indication that its evocative nature will be appealing to many film score fans. Throughout Unearthed, one will easily hear similarities to some of the most popular scores in the last ten years, while never being in danger of truly "ripping" off any single composer.

To create their "sound," E.S. Posthumus employs a variety of synthesizers, loops and samples. The combination itself will draw comparisons to Media Ventures, and there are a few thin similarities, but E.S. Posthumus creates a musical environment closer to the work of composer Craig Armstrong (Plunkett & MacLeane, Moulin Rouge, Kiss of the Dragon) than any of the Zimmerites. Still, fans of Hans Zimmer's Gladiator will certainly enjoy tracks such as Antissa (1), Tikal (2), and Menouthis (10) - as the forceful vocals and Middle-Eastern flavor will bring back visions of the Roman deathmatches. Craig Armstrong's Plunkett and Macleane has seen its fair share of film trailers and tracks such as Ebla (5) , Nineveh (8) and Pompeii (12) exude the same power and thematic bliss as Armstrong's well-utilized work.

On the lighter side, Unearthed contains a few pieces that come closer to jazz-new-age-fusion. Despite their relaxed posture tracks such as Ulaid (4) and Cuzco (7) are no less entertaining and help to round out the overall listening experience very well. Both feature a Celtic-thread, Ulaid (4) in particular. Other peace-inducing tracks include Nara (6), and Estremoz (11) - with its lead guitars and gorgeous female chorus. Its the closest thing to a love-theme on the album.

Despite not being a true "soundtrack," Unearthed satisfies like the best of them. Not being constrained by film sequences, directors or producers, E.S. Posthumus is able to deliver high-quality, emotional music which seems to underscore a story we simply haven't been privy to - which is what makes it perfect for use in big budget movie trailers. Despite its electronic and synthesized foundation, Unearthed maintains a strong "organic" feel throughout every track. The various acoustic percussions, guitars and woodwinds layered above the electronic foundation keeps the music approachable...and in the end, more enjoyable than the typical electro-score.

All in all, this CD will prove a thoroughly enjoyable experience for most film music enthusiasts. The fact is just about every track of Unearthed could be used in a film trailer...or in a feature film. Don't be surprised if it happens! E.S. Posthumus, if they have any desire to, could probably do an exceptional job at film scoring...or at least at developing themes for film. While its probably easier and cheaper to obtain rights to use Indie-music in film trailers, hopefully artists such as E.S. Posthumus will, at the very least, plant seeds of creativity within the minds of Hollywood directors, producers, and even within the composers they hire. Don't let the next time your hear a selection of Unearthed be in another trailer, reach into those pockets and buy this CD. If you're a modern soundtrack lover, you'll definitely dig Unearthed!

The Matrix Reloaded Blows Away Audiences With Both Barrels

Brian Dukes, Up & Coming Weekly, May 21, 2003 May 21, 2003

Multiple Agent Smiths reach out and touch Morpheus

Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski, The Matrix Reloaded is the long-awaited sequel to The Matrix, a movie which not only set the bar for all sci-fi/fantasy flicks to come, but shattered the scale. Reloaded is no different, picking up where the original left off, though the film takes audiences much deeper down the rabbit hole than could have ever been expected.

Without giving much away, Reloaded is bigger, louder, better than the original, building both on the story and the special effects. Also affected is the film series' philosophical and religious undertones, pitting man against machine in the ultimate battle for supremacy.

In Reloaded, Neo and the rebel leaders estimate that they have 72 hours until 250,000 "squidies" discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. Bummer, huh? On top of all this, Neo must decide how he can save Trinity from a dark fate in his dreams, as well as figure out the mystery of the matrix before it's too late. That's about as bare bones a plot synopsis as I'll give, because core fans will already know what to expect, and this is really a movie for them. Newcomers who haven't seen the original won't know what they're getting themselves into and don't belong in the theatre - go rent the first and then come back.

As a good sequel should, Reloaded takes all the elements from the first film and magnifies them, enlarging both the scope and range of one of the most original story lines written in popular fiction, ala the Wachowski brothers. Reloaded also manages to bring back all the major players, including Fishburne, Gloria Foster as the Oracle, Carrie-Anne Moss, Keanu Reeves, and, of course, Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith.

The film also introduces Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe and Anthony Zerbe as Councilor Hamann. There's also cameos by Roy Jones, Jr. as Ballard, and Cornel West as Councilor West. An added pair of evil characters are played by twins Adrian and Neil Rayment, who have some neat powers that further raise the martial arts and sci-fi ante, as do the martial skills of Seraph, a guardian of the Oracle, played by Collin Chou.

While it's obvious that the f/x and action sequences are cranked to the max, it's the story that gets a tremendous boost. Though the film drags in places, because it focuses on dialogue necessary to exploring the plot, there is plenty of action to keep things interesting, interjected healthily in between the explanations and philosophical meandering.

In fact, the scenes where 100 Agent Smiths attack Neo, and the Freeway rescue scene are two of the most intense, and action-packed scenes ever filmed, featuring effects and martial arts moves never seen before ... ever. It's a whole new level of beatings that are being delivered.

The only criticisms I offer are leveled at the Zion rave scene, which dragged on, and offered a love scene between Neo and Trinity. While I understood the reasoning behind the scene, it could have been shorter. The cave scene also includes an oration by Morpheus which comes off as self-serving and corny.

Again, if you aren't a fan of the first film or a fan of philosophy or religion, then you won't appreciate Reloaded, which offers twofold scoops of these elements, so be prepared.

Indeed, this is not your father's Matrix, and if all you're expecting is butt-kicking and big guns, then you're going to miss the point: which centers around the nature of the world around us and the reality we accept. Also examined are the conflicting philosophies of Fate versus Free Will, with the subject of choice taking center stage - as opposed to the first film's differing definitions of reality. This movie is a test of faith, I think, to accept this as not only a sequel but a whole new book, not just another chapter in the same story.

Filled with double meanings and metaphor, Reloaded goes above and beyond the original, questioning all you've come to believe about the world (both real and machine-generated) of the matrix and what you think you know.

The Wachowski brothers haven't only Reloaded, but they do so with both barrels and blow away audiences with a story that touches on an epic scale akin to The Iliad.

Lauren Shuler Donner Talks Constantine

Lauren Shuler Donner Talks Constantine
Sunday, July 27, 2003 1:19 CDT

'a1ant' sent us this news about Constantine, to star Keanu Reeves, from the August issue of Animation Magazine...
CONSTANTINE: Lauren Shuler Donner is producing the movie. Donner on the film: "It's PG-13, like X-Men, but the character doesn't have superpowers," Shuler told sources. "It's really focused on John Constantine, and it's more spiritual. He sends demons back down to hell. It has a darker tone." Production will begin this fall.

Computer imagery can fall flat with moviegoers

Computer imagery can fall flat with moviegoersBy Bob Longino
blongino@ajc.com
Cox News Service

ATLANTA -- Real or not, there's not much anymore that Hollywood won't try.

In "Bad Boys II," Martin Lawrence pokes his noggin out the passenger window of a speeding Ferrari and grimaces as an airborne car barely misses his head. In "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," metal robot Kristanna Loken's face, stuck on a magnetic particle accelerator, starts to break apart and melt. And in Hollywood's latest action movie, the video-game-savvy kids of "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" hop surfboards made of rock to glide across flowing molten lava.

[Snipped for the Matrix]

The movie industry's ever-changing formula for ever higher box-office returns is translating into ever more computer-generated imagery, known as CGI. It's a process that now dominates action and science fiction movies, genres fueled by young male moviegoers who can fixate on a franchise such as "Star Wars" or "The Lord of the Rings" and go see the movie numerous times, generating hundreds of millions of dollars at box offices worldwide.

For summer 2003, CGI means that the incredibly green Incredible Hulk can appear to be 15 feet tall in Ang Lee's "The Hulk" and that the kick-butt gals of "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" can defy gravity with impossible martial arts leaps. The Wachowski brothers reportedly spent $100 million on CGI alone for "The Matrix Reloaded" and this fall's finale of the "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions."

For many moviegoers, though, CGI can be overused or misused and become a turnoff. With some films, including "The Hulk" and "Charlie's Angels," movie lovers are chanting the same mantra: "It doesn't look real."

In the much-discussed "Burly Brawl" in "The Matrix Reloaded," actor Keanu Reeves suddenly turns into a computerized character to fight 100 attacking Agent Smiths.

"It was so glaringly obvious it was not real people," says Nick Nunziata, 31, who runs the Web site www.chud.com (Cinematic Happenings Under Development). "This "Matrix' became like a cartoon."

Apparently Nunziata wasn't the only moviegoer who didn't buy it. "Reloaded" opened in early May, making more than $135 million in four days. But in the more than two months since, it has yet to break $300 million in U.S. theaters. Now, "Reloaded," the most ballyhooed and anticipated movie of summer 2003, has been surpassed at the box office by "Finding Nemo."

Don't think the movie industry hasn't noticed.

"Maybe the "Matrix' guys just ran out of time on the effects," says director Robert Rodriguez, 35, whose "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" opened nationwide Friday. "They were trying to push the envelope on what has been done. But as in the Burly Brawl, everyone saw Keanu's black coat suddenly go flat. It looked too much like a video game."

Computer-generated imagery has been used in movies for more than two decades. In 1982, Disney's "Tron," a forward-thinking film about guys caught inside a computer game, focused attention on CGI. A decade later, moviegoers gasped when Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" introduced dinosaurs that many thought looked as if they could be the real thing.

"When you see a lot of CGI effects these days, they look fake because everybody knows about CGI now," says Carl Cunningham, 31, of Acworth, Ga., who runs the Web site www.cinemawatch.net. DVDs are packed with extras explaining how special effects are done, and there are countless "behind the scenes" featurettes on television lifting the veil on the mysteries of moviemaking.

"When you saw the dinos in "Jurassic Park,' your jaws hit the floor," Cunningham says. "That kind of advanced CGI hadn't been seen before. Now we are more informed. Two guys in a garage can make CGI as good as in the movies."

And when audiences see CGI they think doesn't work, they get mad. As with Sean Connery's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," which includes a speeding-car scene with crashes and maneuvers that many moviegoers say look anything but real.

"They were so careless," says Nunziata of www.chud.com. "It's like the filmmakers hopped into a time machine and went back 10 years and used old CGI. They just threw it up there."

Some see special effects as Hollywood's easy crutch.

"CGI has gotten a little out of control," says Richard Kelly, the 28-year-old director of the innovative cult hit "Donnie Darko," an enigmatic time-travel movie that employs small moments of CGI in its bizarre story involving a high school genius. "Clearly CGI was necessary to create "The Hulk.' You can't do it any other way. Just like in "Donnie Darko' where I had liquid spheres coming out of people's chests and the time portal. You can't do those any other way. But there are other places where filmmakers are using CGI out of laziness or just because it's there. It can become empty spectacle."

He wonders how the 1978 art-film milestone "Days of Heaven," directed by Terrence Malick, might get made today.

"There's that wonderful scene with the wheat fields burning and the locusts swarming where Malick actually did those things," Kelly says. "Now somebody would say, "Let's just put CGI fire there so we don't have to light it on fire. Let's throw the locusts in digitally.' But if you can really do it [without CGI], you should do it. Otherwise, it's going to have an artificial quality to it."

But there are many times when movie studios get it right.

"The CGI work in "Pirates of the Caribbean' is seamless," says Micah Robinson, 29, an avid filmgoer who estimates that he sees 85 percent to 90 percent of the movies released each year. "Rather than separate the skeleton creatures from their human selves and have some sort of grand transformation, the filmmakers absolutely integrated everything. You had random scenes where beams of moonlight would partially reveal the pirates as skeletons. It was done so naturally and not made as part of any spectacle. I would say that was very creative, and it seemed natural."

As a Hollywood director, Rodriguez has taken it upon himself to learn all facets of filmmaking, including writing, editing, orchestrating music and CGI. He's the visual effects supervisor on "Spy Kids 3-D" as well as director.

"The more the moviemaker is involved and knows how it works, the less he's owing to technicians," Rodriguez says. "Sometimes I find that if I just change the shot a little bit, it will be convincing."

What bothers many is that CGI is often used at the expense of story. "Bad Boys II," for example, is an over-the-top, gory action movie in which special effects are ratcheted up, often to mask deficiencies in the storytelling.

This summer's box-office leader, "Finding Nemo," is from Pixar, a CGI-animation studio that, with its "Toy Story" movies and "Monsters, Inc.," established a solid reputation as a company that puts story ahead of even its own impressive computerized special effects.

"They are like Oz hiding behind the wall," Nunziata declares. "They have a grasp nobody else has."

Andrew Stanton, 37, the writer-director of the fully CGI "Finding Nemo," says story is always king.

"I had such a satisfying moment a month ago when my 10-year-old son and his friend were bored," he says. He played for them "The Bridge on the River Kwai," the slow-moving 1957 psychological drama starring Alec Guinness as a World War II prisoner in Asia and culminating in the dynamiting of a prisoner-built bridge that would aid the Japanese.

"It gave me such hope," Stanton says. "In this day of "Matrix' this and "Terminator' that, they were enthralled. You think it's all about making the effects flashy, and then you see kids riveted by the simple collapse of a bridge. It's all about context and placement in the story."

One perfect modern-day marriage of story and effects might well be Gollum, the CGI character in director Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." Gollum is a combination of computer effects and "motion capturing," a process that integrates the movements of actor Andy Serkis into the character.

Film fan Robinson says that Jackson "put the soul and heart and motion in that character when it could have become a stock character with a lisp. But he completely brushed all that aside and brought that character to life in a way that is the centerpiece of those films. Peter Jackson looked at what could have been an average creature and he took it up so many more levels."

Stanton says the success of Gollum goes beyond CGI "duct tape and wire" into a kind of directorial sorcery.

"You have to give credit to Peter Jackson in knowing which shots -- whether from animation or one involving more motion capturing -- to use" at any given moment, Stanton says.

Jackson's success with his "Rings" trilogy, which will conclude with "The Return of the King" in December, has many anticipating the director's next project: a remake of the 1933 classic "King Kong," a milestone in stop-motion animation. Jackson will employ modern effects in his version, slated for 2005.

"There is a lot of apprehension about it, a fear that he's touching something that is considered holy," says Cunningham of www.cinemawatch.net.

But there is also a good deal of trust. "I get excited how much more realistic and how much more seamless "King Kong' can be done now," Robinson says. "Peter Jackson is someone who will look at a creature like that and bring out the emotion and how it connects to the world."

What happens too often in Hollywood, many say, is the opposite approach.

"You never see suits pushing to see films upped in the way of characterization," Robinson says. "The studio is going to take one look at the cut of your film and say, "We are opening against X, Y and Z, and those are going to be over the top with special effects.'

"That's the one thing the studio will sign off on. In their minds, it's the only thing that guarantees the box office. The bigger the effects, the bigger haul you get."

But what Hollywood needs to realize, Cunningham maintains, is that "the wow factor is gone" for CGI. When filmmakers make car chases like "League's" that defy the laws of physics, he says, live-action movies become cartoons.

"It's like the anvil dropping on the cartoon character. That's when you lose the audience."

Surveillance

KEANU REEVES, who recently took a tour of Southampton Hospital, has bought a table for the medical center's Aug. 2 gala, co-sponsored by jeweler Seaman Schepps...

Keanu Reeves Interview - Matrix Reloaded

Part One - Salary and fight scenes

Rumors have been flying long before The Matrix Reloaded hit theaters. Keanu Reeves was forced to give up part of his backend deal on the films in order to allow the film to be completed on budget. A CGI Neo completes a lot of the film’s impossible stunts.

Well, both of those are kind of true, but I’ll let Reeves explain.

Keanu Reeves probably doesn’t need to do press. We all know who he is, we all know what The Matrix is and we’d all see it anyway. So I’m sort of grateful that he bothered to talk to us. And what a talk it was, as Reeves opened up about the complex scenes and themes in the new film.

Did you really give up part of your salary to help the production?

What I did was I put part of what was given in my contract to create a pool, so that other people who don’t usually do profit participation could see some money.

That’s awesome. Why did you do that?

Because I wanted to.

So, what was the toughest fight scene?

There is a fight where Neo confronts Smith and Smith confronts Neo. Actually, it’s Smith confronts Neo. [The 100 Smiths fight you’ve seen on the trailer.] And we would just go through the fight every day, the three stages of the fight, and everyone was so supportive and helpful. There is this one scene where Neo gets grabbed by two agents and I do a back flip and kick two guys in the head, and flip back and then the two guys get thrown back. Well, those guys got pulled into the floor 21 times. And every time I said I would like to do it again, I was like, "Tim, you okay?" He’s like, “Yeah, man. Let’s go.”

Laurence said you’re too hard on yourself. Why are you such a perfectionist?

Well, just because it’s important. It was my job to do whatever the brothers asked me to do. So, I’m just trying to do that.

How beat up were you by the end of it?

What happens during the first four weeks of training, because it's everyday, you're basically tearing micromuscle tissue every day, so you get inflammation. And I'm not 22 and bouncing around, so ice and Epsom salts help the recovery, and sometimes because you're stretching two hours a day, kicking and stretching and kicking, you get all those tears and stuff and inflammation. I get cramps and things like that. So cold water tends to help alleviate that so you can sleep or walk up stairs.

Find out more about the physical demands and the philosophical issues on page two.

Did you enjoy doing all the physical work?

I didn’t like that when I was doing it. I just kept thinking this is what I have to do. Once I threw my last kick and my last punch it was like, “Okay, we did it. I hope I did it well enough." Recovering was a little harder.

This one was a much longer time. I had fights interspersed over a long period of time, so in my time off I was always training and learning another fight. I've done five fights in the second one and I have more moves in the fight with the Smiths than I did in the whole first movie. This one was much harder. There was much more involved. It demanded a lot more. In the first one I could do most of it. In the second one, if you take out the CGI aspect of my fight with Smith, I am doing probably 92% of my fighting. Not the landings, not the crashes, but the fighting. Some of the things I had to do were a little more advanced, some of the multi-fighting and the weapons. It was just basically practice and learning. Because of the experience of the first one, I had some body memory. I knew what I was going into and my body, I could pick up the choreography quicker. And I knew where I was in wirework.

What distinguishes this from the first one?

There is much more dialogue. One of the unique things that the brothers have found a way to do is they will give you such an intense scene of dialogue, say between Neo and the architect, then they’ll give you a fight scene. Then they’ll give you maybe the scene with the Merovingian talking about the power of why and cause and effect, and then they’ll give you a 13 minute car chase. Andrew Wachowski would say, "Oftentimes with movies, you can sit through bad dialogue to see the spectacle, so you can sit through good dialogue." Which I agree with. It’s a very ambitious film, Reloaded, but I think the brothers pull it off. It wasn't as simple as “bigger is better” but there was an ambition for realizing the vision that the brothers have created. I think they did that. Yeah, there's something to think about. I also think the brothers repeated certain motifs and they've given you certain touchstones, like the opening with Trinity. She goes into her move. Morpheus has his move. There are signature things they put in, but it is something to think about. I'm just trying to live up to what the brothers, Andrew and Larry Wachowski, want. I'm trying to realize their dream. That was the pressure, I thought. To be able to do what they wanted me to do.

Does it bother you to have a CGI double of yourself?

No. It doesn’t bother me. I wish I could do what my CGI Neo does. It would be fun to fly. The new thing is that it's going to be a representation that you think will be real. The impulse for this technology is to make it real but not real. That is about, then again, for humans to try to create something natural, which is kind of odd. There's some kind of impulse to control nature, to gain control. And from the directors its like, “Ho ho ho, I can control you!” So where that will go for the actor, I don't know. My kind of blanket thing is that it's going to create the cult of the real, that it's going to be something like this other kind of artificial thing. I mean for an actor now, other people pick your performance. In those takes, an editor and a director are basically picking your performance. But you've acquiesced by signing your contract and your appearance to provide whatever they decide to cut. In the digital aspect, you're no longer part of the process. You haven't participated in what they're editing together. I mean, already in Sweet November they put artificial tears in my eyes. So, for me it's like, “Okay, let's start thinking about it. If you do digitally alter my performance, what I want to have is performance approval.”

Warner International hits $1bn after seven months

Warner International hits $1bn after seven months

Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles 23 July 2003

Driven by the worldwide successes of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, The Matrix Reloaded and Two Weeks Notice, Warner Bros Pictures International has passed $1bn in ticket sales after just seven months of the year.

The $1.012bn running total is the sixth time the distributor has reached the $1bn mark (after 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2002) and the fastest time it has ever done so.

The distributor also currently ranks number one in the international box office stakes.

"We're confident that the rest of 2003 will bring in solid revenues as well, with the upcoming release of such high-potential performers as The Matrix Revolutions, Looney Tunes: Back In Action, and The Last Samurai," president of distribution Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, who jointly runs the division with marketing president Sue Kroll, said in a statement.

"In planning our campaign strategies for our films we have a wealth of opportunities to capitalise on - including star power and talented film-makers - that are a marketer's dream," Kroll added.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets reached the third-highest industry international gross of all time ($604.4m), while The Matrix Reloaded became the first film ever to break the $100m mark internationally in a single weekend.

As well as the aforementioned titles, upcoming international releases for 2003 include Clint Eastwood's mystery Mystic River, starring Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne and Laura Linney; and Ridley Scott's Matchstick Men, starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman.

Warner opens Reloaded to strong figures in China

Warner opens Reloaded to strong figures in China

Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles 22 July 2003 04:00

The Matrix Reloaded raised its international running total to $431m over the weekend thanks in part to a decent opening in China that is expected to yield around $1.5m (RMB 12m).

Preliminary figures from Warner Bros Pictures International included an estimated $230,000 (RMB 1.9m) in Chinese previews.

The distributor said the opening was on a par with the RMB 12.1m bow of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, no mean feat bearing in mind the recent SARS outbreak and piracy levels in the territory.

China is an important emerging market for the distributor. Its Warner Bros International Theatres division recently staged a gala opening for its approved joint venture multiplex in Shanghai, where it has also set up an integrated distribution and co-production office.

Overall The Matrix Reloaded grossed an estimated $4.2m and 700,000 admissions from 2,176 international screens at the weekend.

The distributor also opened My Big Fat Greek Wedding in Japan, where it is expected to gross around $700,000 (Yen 82m) from 192 screens. A national holiday has delayed the release of final figures.

Warner Bros. Tops $1 Billion in Overseas Box Office

Warner Bros. Tops $1 Billion in Overseas Box Office
Wed July 23, 2003 02:29 AM ET

By Hy Hollinger
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Fueled by the stunning $432 million grossed by "The Matrix Reloaded" since its May 15 release, Warner Bros. Pictures International reported Tuesday that it has topped $1.012 billion at the overseas box office this year.

It marked the sixth time the studio has hit more than $1 billion in the offshore market and the fastest time it has ever racked up that sum.

Other major contributions to the overall total in the seven-month period were "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," which brought in $136.4 million this year of the film's combined 2002-03 total of $610 million, and "Two Weeks Notice," the Sandra Bullock-Hugh Grant romantic comedy that has grossed $108 million to date overseas.

Warner Bros. cites "Reloaded" as the first film ever to hurdle $100 million at the overseas box office in a single weekend.

This is the third year in a row that Warner Bros.' international division has surpassed the $1 billion level in gross returns, having cracked the 10-figure mark in 2002 and 2001, and before that in 1999, 1995 and 1993.

The feat places Warner Bros. high on the path to challenge Buena Vista International, the Disney foreign distribution division that has posted eight consecutive over-$1 billion years in a row since 1995.

Warner Bros. points out that it reports financial results on a November fiscal-year basis, indicating that the current overseas box office results apply to the 2003 calendar year.

The overall $1.012 billion estimated overseas box office gross, it adds, includes $50 million generated by films distributed by Village Roadshow Pictures, a partner in a number of productions.

Warner Bros. Pictures International, jointly run by distribution president Veronika Kwan-Rubinek and marketing president Sue Kroll since 2001, was the industry box office leader with $1.34 billion in 2001 and $1.6 billion (a company record) in 2002.

"We're confident that the rest of 2003 will bring in solid revenues as well, with the upcoming release of such high-potential performers as "The Matrix Revolutions," "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," and "The Last Samurai," Kwan-Rubinek said.

Added Kroll, "In planning our campaign strategies for our films, we have a wealth of opportunities to capitalize on -- including star power and talented filmmakers -- that are a marketer's dream."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Atari's 'Enter the Matrix' is best-selling game

By Judy Fettner / Bloomberg News

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Atari Inc., the video-game maker that's majority owned by France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA, said its "Enter The Matrix" game for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 console was the best-selling video game in June, according to research by NPD Group Inc.

"Enter the Matrix" pushed Atari to the No. 2 ranking among video-game only publishers for the month, trailing Electronic Arts Inc., maker of "The Sims" and "Def Jam Vendetta" games. Others video-game makers in the category include Activision Inc. and Take- Two Interactive Software Inc., Atari spokeswoman Nancy Bushkin said in an interview.

"The Matrix Reloaded," made by AOL Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. studio, had the second-biggest movie opener ever behind Sony Corp.'s "Spider Man." The movie grossed $91.8 million in its premiere weekend, beginning May 14.

The popularity of "The Matrix" franchise has helped Atari amid an industrywide decline in sales in June. U.S. video-game software sales have fallen 9 percent in June from the previous year, Reuters reported earlier this week, citing analysts.

Atari has sold more than 2.5 million copies of "Enter the Matrix" in North America, Europe and Asia, excluding Japan, at an average price of $49.95, Bushkin said. Four of the company's games were ranked among the top 25 video game titles in June, New York- based Atari said in a statement, citing information from NPD Group.

Shares of Atari rose 21 cents, or 4.8 percent, to $4.55 at 3:24 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have more than doubled year to date.

Atari is rated differently than Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co., who manufacture both games and game consoles, Bushkin said.

Zionism reloaded

The sequel to "The Matrix" is the most powerful Zionist movie since "Cast a Giant Shadow" and "Operation Thunderbolt." Take it with a grain of seriousness.

by Reuven Koret July 24, 2003

IS THIS KRAV MAGA?: Keanu Reeves fights for his life in The Matrix Reloaded.

PREQUEL

I saw "The Matrix: Reloaded" in Israel before leaving on an extended visit to the United States. Just before returning, I had the pleasure of experiencing the gigantic and thunderous IMAX version in New York City. The special effects are superb, there are fantastic chase and fight scenes, and some parts are truly funny. But there is much philosophical pretense, and the overall effect is blurred and ambiguous.

At times it seems a B-movie. A very expensive B-movie. Perhaps I need to see it a third time, or wait for Part Three.

And yet one thing appears clear: the latest film, intentionally or not, is the most powerful pro-Israel movie since "Cast a Giant Shadow" -- the story of the Independence War -- and "Operation Thunderbolt" -- the story of the Entebbe rescue. Not that Israel itself is even mentioned.

ACT ONE

The movie is, from start to finish, about struggling for the survival of "Zion" -- described in the first film as "the last human city. The only place we have left" -- against the machines that control the rest of enslaved, zombie-like humanity, used as their power source. More optimistically, it is said that "If the war was over tomorrow, Zion's where the party would be." Although in this case Zion has been relocated deep beneath the Earth's surface.

The sequel depicts the efforts of the messiah-like Neo, anagram of the One, played by Keanu Reeves, to lead his fellow Zionists in a last-ditch effort to repel the invasion of their nation. His comrade, Commander Morpheus, optimistically believes that the prophesied end-times have come and the end of the hundred-year-war against Zion is at hand.

At an assembly of all Zion, at "The Temple," he assures his people that because they have survived, they will prevail: "I remember that for 100 years we have fought these machines. I remember that for 100 years they have sent their armies to destroy us. And after a century of war, I remember that which matters most. We are still here!"

He calls on them to be of good cheer and remind the machines who they are dealing with. "Tonight, let us make them remember. This is Zion! And we are not afraid!"

Morpheus actually draws comfort from the approaching climactic battle, believing that it signifies the end of the wars that Zion has faced: "All of our lives we have fought this war. Tonight I believe we can end it. Tonight is not an accident. There are no accidents. We have not come here by chance?. I believe it is our fate to be here. It is our destiny. I believe this night holds for each and every one of us the very meaning of our lives."

ACT TWO

Neo -- part man, part Superman -- is the key actor in this battle, using combat training that the first flick describes, without a wink, as "Jujitsu." This technique eventually takes him into a control room where he confronts The Architect, creator of the Matrix, an icy god-as-geek who has been trying to perfect the computer program that he has developed to control the world.

The Architect tells Neo that he represents an "anomaly" -- a bug in the system -- for only he, and others like him, represented one percent of the human population that refused to accept the prevailing will of the Matrix, and instead insisted on exercising their free will. As Neo puts it, that tiny minority consciously decided to think otherwise and thus stand apart from the majority: "Choice. The problem is choice."

The Zionists were the obstacle to the smooth functioning of the Matrix, and thus endangered its future. The Architect explains: "those that refused the program, while a minority, if unchecked, would constitute an escalating probability of disaster." Neo responds: This is about Zion.

More precisely, it is about Zion's imminent destruction. The Architect tells him: You are here because Zion is about to be destroyed - its every living inhabitant terminated, its entire existence eradicated." While Neo denies this possibility, the Architect tells him that it would not be the first time: "Denial is the most predictable of all human responses, but rest assured, this will be the sixth time we have destroyed it, and we have become exceedingly efficient at it."

Indeed, Neo is invited by the Architect to make the choice to be a kind of modern-day Noah, recreating the species -- again -- on a virtual ark.

ACT THREE

The film is filled with Biblical references to those who have conspired in history to kill the Jews: Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian King who destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, killing or enslaving its inhabitants, is the name of Neo's space ship. Haman, the extermination-minded evil councilor in the Purim story, is a sympathetic veteran Zionist councilor. Here the enemies of the Jews are transformed into allies and vehicles for Zion's defense.

The distinction of Zion -- its very existence representing an affront to the majority program -- is to have consciously chosen to be aware of "divine choice" and to set itself apart -- physically and spiritually -- from all those plugged into the Matrix. Its self-declared status as a kind of anomalous Chosen People -- not better than the others, but consciously distinct and thus freer to choose -- is what represents an intolerable affront to the powers that be.

Neo -- with his Superman-like powers -- may not exactly fit either the Jewish or Christian mold of the expected Messiah. And yet there is something in his strong but vulnerable essence that captures something of the heroic yet healing spirit embodied in the shared Biblical tradition.

Together with the battle-scarred yet believing Morpheus and his girlfriend Trinity, Neo and his fellow Zionists make standing apart from the Machine the cool and right thing to do. The choice he makes -- to choose love of and loyalty to his friends in Zion under siege -- has a high price, but it represents the moral and human thing to do. Even if it means sacrificing the human race.

Hey, it was just a movie. Maybe not even a good one. But the allegorical Zionist seeds that it planted will be digested by hundreds of millions of people. Bon appetit.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Of course, the brothers Wachowski may have been playing one big joke on all of us with all the high falutin' philosophy and religious allegory. Even as they rake in the big bucks.

And it is perhaps even more ridiculous for me to read deep meaning into a sci-fi action flick, or to draw from it a pretentious commentary on Zionism, or anything else for that matter. And for no big bucks.

But even if it is a joke, it is perhaps a Jewish sort of humor. Although apparently the Egyptians, who banned the movie, reportedly because of its frequent references to Zion, weren't amused.

Some will laugh at it, some with it. Some may even take it seriously. But that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy the punchline.

We can turn the attacks of our enemies into a source of power, and humor. Turn their hatred into a reason to love and celebrate Zion. After all, when the war ends, tomorrow, here's where the party will be.

We should love, and laugh, in the face of adversity, even as we fight, young and old, for our survival. Ideology may be dead, but we are here. Let's just say it's a kind of Jujitsu.

Call it Neo-Zionism.

Back to school in Tualatin: It's just an act

07/22/03

TUALATIN -- School is about to go back into session in Tualatin, but it will be Hollywood actors and not full-time students occupying the classrooms and lecture halls.

The cast and crew of the movie "Thumbsucker" are scheduled to spend six days shooting at a Tualatin school sometime in the next two weeks, said Holly Layton, the Tigard-Tualatin School District's facilities coordinator.

Filmmakers considered at one point making the movie at a Beaverton School District location, but reconsidered, said Maureen Wheeler, a district spokeswoman.

The movie's script, based on a Walter Kirn novel about a teenager who can't break his addiction to sucking his thumb, calls for a mixture of suburban and rural settings. The production crew is expected to spend most of the film's $3 million budget in Oregon. Most of the filming is expected to be in Washington County and around Mount Hood.

Tigard-Tualatin School District officials would not say which school will be used and what days the shooting will take place.

Other than Tualatin High School, however, few school buildings in the city feature the type of studio-theater combination that the production company is looking for.

The movie company's agreement to rent various facilities by the hour represents the first time the district has used its buildings as backdrops for a movie, Layton said.

Shooting is expected to last about 12 hours each day.

The film's producers are still looking for extras, Layton said.

Anyone interested in blending into the movie's background can get more information by calling 503-644-4321 and asking for Kathy or Dawn.