a lot of people kind of think of him as a second rate spielberg because he was part of the whole protegee thing (with Joe Johnston and Joe Dante and the rest.) which makes him really terrible to people who dont like Spielberg in the first place, but i really enjoy most of his movies. it seems like him and spielberg share a lot of the same influences, and he has turned out an interesting array of films since the 80s.
USED CARS
ROMANCING THE STONE
BACK TO THE FUTURE 1, 2, 3
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT
FORREST GUMP
CAST AWAY
WHAT LIES BENEATH
he didnt have a folder and i thought he needed one. anyone else like to discuss?
Roger Rabbit and the BTTF trilogy are great. I like him way more than the 'Berg.
i can still remember seeing roger rabbit in the theatre when i was like 7. it was unbelievable. practically the greatest thing id ever seen. i just re-watched it recently when the dvd came out and i still think its great. so smart and different. not just like a "kids" type of movie. the whole period noir thing was fantastic. and i still cannot get over seeing Donald AND Daffy in the same scene. or Bugs AND Mickey. something like that could NEVER NEVER happen today. how those two companies came to agreement over letting both their properties share the same movie, ill never know. i guess it was pre-The Little Mermaid/Disneys big comeback, so they didnt really have much to lose. classic.
I like Zemeckis more than Spielberg.
He's just better.
"BttF" and "Forrest Gump" are amazing masterpieces!
i actually really liked cast away... maybe it was the mood i was in
without zemeckis, bttf would really just be another 80's teen movie. i rewatched it the other day, the dialogue confirms it.
I don't love Zemeckis, but I FAR prefer him to Spielberg. Esp. these days...
Zemeckis touches the heels of what Speilberg can do. At best, he can make a very good and imaginative movie like Forrest Gump. The movie's imagination in playing with different topics of a time period and love for the character Gump himself are the best touches. There were moments of forcing it though in some of the scenes at the end in trying to bring a tear but forgivable due to the lovely nature of the rest of the movie.
And sorry to discredit Back to the Future in any way, but it is another comedy from the 80s. Doesn't mean I didn't like it, because I did and rather watch it over most of the others, but the main reason why everyone continually watches it is that its story is the classic small guy rising up above the bully and looking good in front of everyone else and just being the "coolest". I think the cleverness of the movie is not the main thing to speak for its durability, but of how much it plays to everyones own personal hopes. Cleverness is the nice flavour to it.
Cast Away was typically emotional, nothing more. Roger Rabbit enjoyable and durable because its graphics still hold up just as good today as it did then. Haven't seen any of his others besides the back to the future sequels that just try to play up to the first.
I prefer Speilberg over Zemeckis in not just a minor way, but a great way because I only see one of his movies even competing with the best Speilberg can offer in entertainment. Speilberg captured so many different visions and wonders in cinema magic and entertainment. Zemeckis' career and range has been very minor when compared to it. Most of the times, I feel Zemeckis is telling a more mundane story and is just trying to keep the feel of Speilberg-esque entertainment in. That's all, though. Again, Forrest Gump is really the only work of some identifiable imagination and vision.
~rougerum
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetAnd sorry to discredit Back to the Future in any way, but it is another comedy from the 80s.
what i was saying is that bttf is one, but it feels so much bigger and grander than it should. it feels like more than an 80's teen movie. it's an 80's teen movie hiding under the skin of a great epic. or maybe the other way around. i don't know.
I think he's a swell director. The first and second BTTF are really amazing comedies...like bonanzataz said, teen comdies with a really grand tone. The third one is pleasant but forgettable, but the first two are amazing -- especially the second, I think.
Forrest Gump is really good, although the hype hurt it. I liked Contact up until she gets to the planet, at which point the entire movie just fell apart for me. Castaway was great while he was on the island, but less than stellar before and afterwards.
Now, I've come to realize I'm in the minority, but I loved What Lies Beneath. It was too long and the writing can best be described as clunky...but the way he directed it was just so great. So obviously an homage to Hitch, but it worked. I loved how it got so cheesy and over the top at the end, it was great to see Ford go psycho like that, and to top it all off, that bathtub scene scared the SHIT out of me.
I'm really looking forward to the Polar Express, on a technical level. I'm curious as to how such a wonderful SHORT book can be turned into a film successfully, but I'll definitely be there to see it opening day.
thanks for reminding me ghostboy. i remember really liking all of contact and i own what lies beneath. I own quite a few zemeckis actually. i guess i'm a zemeckis fan.
Quote from: bonanzatazthanks for reminding me ghostboy. i remember really liking all of contact and i own what lies beneath. I own quite a few zemeckis actually. i guess i'm a zemeckis fan.
i actually havent seen contact, but i did also love the hitch homage what lies beneath.
i kind of noticed while looking through my dvds that i am a zemeckis fan as well. and then the sky parted and THE TOPIC WAS BORN!
Contact is brilliant (one of the best movies of the 90s), and for that reason alone Zemeckis is worth mentioning. But he also has Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future, and Forrest Gump under his belt, which aren't too shabby either.
For me, the ending of Contact is what made the movie, aside from the fact that the whole thing was peppered with these moments that just make you say "wow" and think a bit. And the fact that the creators of South Park (though I love the show) hate the film so much just validate it all the more for me. If you were going to that film to see aliens, or to see something like Men in Black (which, incidentally, was playing at about the same time), you were going for the wrong reasons. What made Contact work so well was that it didn't wrap things up in a neat little package for you, and it didn't have to because of the way it told its story.
I definitely did not want to see aliens...but I also didn't want to see her dad on a beautiful tropical island. I thought THAT was wrapping it up in too neat a box (although it could have been much worse). It was just really sappy and sentimental. It could have stood to be a lot more ambiguous. The rest of it was really great, though.
Possible spoilers.
The fact was, though (and what I liked about it most) was that you don't know if that was her dad for sure. She could've been hallucinating, or dreaming, but the twist I liked most, about that whole thing, was the fact that there was 18 hours of footage on her video, and it was all fuzzy.
Her "seeing" her dad after traveling through that wormhole wasn't really the climax, IMO. It may have been what the audience was waiting for all along, but I think it was more rising action that led to the ultimate conflict between Foster's character and the government, and her character and McConaughey's character. The resolution, of course, being Foster's final conversation with McConaughey's character, outside the government building. McConaughey's character's words were beautiful there.
I get what you mean totally by feeling that her seeing her dad was "wrapping things up too neatly." But, me, I thought it came full-circle nicely vis-a-vis the "what we see when we die" idea, and the plight of humans who want to answer those questions that bug us so much, yet when faced with them, we come up with ideas, yet we still aren't sure, so we resort to what's most comfortable and meaningful to us. In Foster's character's case, that's her father.
Im a big fan of Zemeckis. I dont consider him a "protege," likewise with Dante, who I fucking love. BTTF is still the best damn trilogy ever. I think Zemeckis was fortunate to have Spielberg produce his flicks, but comparing the two seems a bit short sighted to me.
im pretty sure that spielberg helped get zemeckis foot in the door as well and kind of helped him get his start in the industry. (im not sure that counts as protegee, but i really meant that he gets lumped in with the others, but i dont really see him that way. i figured with the rampant spielberg hating on this board i was probably going to be torn to shreds for bringing up zemeckis, and am actually shocked to find that for the most part, everyone likes him). i think ill try to see contact then, if it gets a recommendation to see for myself.
Quote from: SalIm a big fan of Zemeckis. I dont consider him a "protege," likewise with Dante, who I fucking love. BTTF is still the best damn trilogy ever. I think Zemeckis was fortunate to have Spielberg produce his flicks, but comparing the two seems a bit short sighted to me.
Have you seen the Three Colors trilogy? ;)
Me I love BTTF trilogy as pure entertainment, but saying "best ever" ... I don't know. BTTFI is brilliant. The other two were great too, but got progressively ... less brilliant. IMO, of course. :)
Quote from: OnomatopoeiaQuote from: SalIm a big fan of Zemeckis. I dont consider him a "protege," likewise with Dante, who I fucking love. BTTF is still the best damn trilogy ever. I think Zemeckis was fortunate to have Spielberg produce his flicks, but comparing the two seems a bit short sighted to me.
Have you seen the Three Colors trilogy? ;)
Me I love BTTF trilogy as pure entertainment, but saying "best ever" ... I don't know. BTTFI is brilliant. The other two were great too, but got progressively ... less brilliant. IMO, of course. :)
I liked the BTTF trilogy more then the Three Colors trilogy, but wouldnt say its the best.
Back to the Future is the first film I ever saw and still love it to this day. Love it. And not in a nostalgic way at all. Im not afraid to watch it in case it will ruin my affection towards it, in light of the fact that my taste in film has matured a little. If anything its enhanced, and I appreciate additional things. Such as the Marty:Thanks, Doc: Thankyou, moment. Gets me everytime now. I think the fact that the sequels were as good as they were is a testament to the groundwork and attention to detail that went into the first. The Bob's spent damn ages developing and improving the screenplay so of course the first is going to better. Amazing piece of work for what began as, or essentially is, a 'what if' movie. And I'll never forget how my heart broke as a kid when the Delorean was destroyed.
Contact I think is probably my favourite Sci-Fi movie ever made. 2001 is fantastic filmmaking but I dunno perhaps I find Contact more involving because its less ambiguous. And there were 18 hours of recorded static dammit.
Forest Gump...love it.
Yeah, I said this before, but I just can repeat it: Robert Zemeckis is one of my favourite directors.
I don't know but in some kinda way I like him thousand times better than Spielberg. I had the great opportunity to buy the rare (in Germany it's rare) "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", Zemeckis' debut, on ebay. It's great. Really great!
I can't wait for Zemeckis' next "Polar Express" with Tom Hanks. The title is great. Now the movie is in post production.
i really want to see I Want To Hold Your Hand. it seems like a precursor to Detroit Rock City (except the Beatles instead of Kiss)? or maybe Calender Girl (instead of Marilyn)? anyways, i want to see it.
Spike you must LOVE the frighteners then because it PJ directed and RZ produced (and not just in a little way, but you can feel the Zemeckis prescence over the whole damn thing. it really seems like he couldve directed it). i loved it, saw it 2 times in the theatres.
i was reading over Conversations with Wilder again today at Borders and Billy Wilder said that Forrest Gump was one of his favorite films of the past few years.
You're right: "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" is actually a kind of precursor to "Detroit Rock City". And it's with the Beatles. It's about some american kids in the 60s who want to get into the Ed Sullivan show, because the Beatles will play there.
And yes: "The Frighteners" is actually one of my favourite films of all times. I have seen it about 10 times or so and it's just amazing! The best performance is Jeffrey Combs as Special Agent Milton Dammers. So fucking crazy!
It really seems to be a mixture of Robert Zemeckis' and Peter Jackson's skills!
Quote from: OnomatopoeiaHave you seen the Three Colors trilogy? ;)
Im lucky to be taking a class this upcoming semester at my uni which is a study on Bergman/Kieslewski (sp), and we'll most likely watch the trilogy. I look forward to it.
I agree that the BTTF sequels got progressively worse, but it wasnt too degenerative. I appreciate the third because it really combines scifi and western well, and of course it's not something you come across in many films.
And the Polar Express, God I hope that'll be good. The book was my favorite as a kid, and still stands as the best children's book Ive ever read. Chris Van Allsburg is a genius.
Quote from: SpikeThe best performance is Jeffrey Combs as Special Agent Milton Dammers. So fucking crazy!
"My body is a roadmap of pain."
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I loved The Frighteners when it came out -- haven't seen it since, but I've been meaning to pick it up for years. After that, Dead Alive and Heavenly Creatures, hearing that Jackson was going to do LOTR five years ago was the best news ever.
Zemeckis' influence was definitely in there, though -- particularly considering he was one of the producers of Tales From The Crypt. I watched that show religiously in my pre-adolescent years, and his episodes were always great.
Quote from: GhostboyZemeckis' influence was definitely in there, though -- particularly considering he was one of the producers of Tales From The Crypt. I watched that show religiously in my pre-adolescent years, and his episodes were always great.
I did too. I still have all the episodes on VHS from when I taped them off HBO.
ALL the episodes!?! *(drool). now THATS a dvd box set i would like to have.
I didn't have HBO, so I'd watch the Fox rebroadcasts. Sometimes I'd rent the ones that were released on video, or catch the original versions at a friend's house and I'd be like....I don't remember BREASTS!!! :shock: Very exciting for a young lad.
I've never seen Twin Peaks
I almost bought Fire Walk With Me today, but I figured I'd have to be familiar with the series to understand it so I didn't get it
Quote from: tremoloslothI've never seen Twin Peaks
I almost bought Fire Walk With Me today, but I figured I'd have to be familiar with the series to understand it so I didn't get it
No, don't watch it before seeing the show. Yes, it's a precursor to the events on the show, but it'll ruin the mystery of who the killer is if you don't already know.
Quote from: GhostboyI didn't have HBO, so I'd watch the Fox rebroadcasts. Sometimes I'd rent the ones that were released on video, or catch the original versions at a friend's house and I'd be like....I don't remember BREASTS!!! :shock: Very exciting for a young lad.
same here. only i had hbo, i just wasn't allowed to watch it.
wait, am I drunk and did I just post in the wrong topic
yes. you did. this is the robert zemeckis thread. and tales from the crypt was being discussed.
crazy
at first i didnt even notice (and apparently neither did anyone else) because i had read you talking about this in the lynch thread so i was following your story. funny. :lol:
God, that's funny, I'm going to leave it there
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/the_polar_express/
Quote from: themodernage02http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/the_polar_express/
Looks really good, but I don't see why it had to be completely CG. Yet.
saw "what lies beneath" last night and it scared me... a lot. there were a handful of scenes that actually made me look away because they were so intense. and i've always doubted this movie because i saw the trailer a long time ago and felt that it revealed too much. but it's a well crafted movie and zemeckis and co did a great job.
I thought that I read somewhere that Zemeckis is going to direct the live action transformers movie. Anybody else heard of this? I guess Tom Hanks would play Optimus Prime.
Quote from: puddnannersI thought that I read somewhere that Zemeckis is going to direct the live action transformers movie. Anybody else heard of this? I guess Tom Hanks would play Optimus Prime.
I used to love The Transformers when I was a kid - even forcing my grandmother to pick me up earlier from kindergarden so I coud watch this. It seems hard to turn this into a live action movie, and as much as I think Hanks is great, I just don't see him playing a truck. As for Christopher Walken, he could really play the bad (pistol) guy. Him or Brando :roll:
FIIIINALLY got around to do a little brushing up on my zemeckis and saw I Want To Hold Your Hand and Contact recently. they were both not his best films, but very enjoyable nonetheless. i want to hold your hand WAS like a pre-cursor to detroit rock city or probably the antecendant of an american graffiti type of film as well. being a massive beatles fan it was definitely worth watching (and even inspired me to FIIIINALLY dig into my beatles anthology to watch). contact, somehow was maybe the only big summer film i did not see in theatres in 97 when i saw EVERYthing. i'm not sure why it slipped through the cracks, but i didnt realize at the time who had directed it. it was a great premise and way to raise the questions about faith and science, but i agree with gb that it maybe spelled things out a little more than i would've liked when she got there. i did like everything that happened between there and the end to wrap it up though and overall enjoyed the film. i think i've seen all his films now except Polar Express which i am really hoping i like...
Quote from: themodernage02i think i've seen all his films now except Polar Express which i am really hoping i like...
My money's on: you won't.
Although you may like it more than me and JB and whoever else saw it and disliked it. Make sure you see it in IMAX 3D, if possible, so at the very least you can sort of enjoy that.
Robert Zemeckis to Direct Beowulf
Source: Roger Avary January 21, 2005
Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman have joined forces with Steve Bing and Robert Zemeckis to bring the oldest written English language myth, Beowulf, to the big screen through the magic of performance capture. Zemeckis will direct from the screenplay by Avary and Gaiman. The project will be financed by Shangri-La Entertainment, which is currently in discussions with Sony Pictures Entertainment to distribute all of its feature films. The film will be produced by Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke. Martin Shafer will serve as executive producer along with Avary and Gaiman.
Zemeckis is the acclaimed Academy Award-winning director of Forrest Gump as well as such major hit films as Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, Contact, the "Back to the Future" trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Romancing the Stone and Death Becomes Her.
Avary, who is an actual Viking descendant, won an Academy Award for his collaboration with Quentin Tarantino on Pulp Fiction, and is the writer/director of such acclaimed films as Killing Zoe and The Rules of Attraction. Avary is currently finishing the screenplay adaptation of the hit Konami videogame, ,b>Silent Hill, for Producer Samuel Hadida and Tristar Pictures.
Gaiman is the Hugo and Nebula-Award winning author of such novels as "American Gods" and "Coraline," and is best known as the creator of DC Comics' legendary "Sandman". He wrote the English Language Script for the Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke. His first feature, MirrorMask, directed by Dave McKean, premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. His short film A Short Film About John Bolton was just released on DVD. Projects in development based on work by Gaiman include Coraline, which Henry Selick is writing and directing, and Stardust, with director Matthew Vaughn. Gaiman is writing and will be directing Death and Me, based on his DC Comics graphic novel "Death: The High Cost of Living" for New Line Cinema.
Gross... didn't he learn anything with Polar Express?
That's gonna look like absolute shit.
Rudin looking to book Zemeckis
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Scott Rudin might have finally found a director for the screen adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's novel "The Corrections." According to sources, Rudin is eyeing Robert Zemeckis, who most recently directed "The Polar Express." While Zemeckis' publicist Paul Bloch was unavailable for comment Wednesday, a source in Zemeckis' camp said he is interested in the book. Paramount -- where Rudin is based -- Zemeckis' company ImageMovers and his agency CAA all declined comment. Zemeckis most recently signed on to direct "Beowulf" for Columbia Pictures.
Quote from: RegularKarateGross... didn't he learn anything with Polar Express?
That's gonna look like absolute shit.
So does "perfomance capture" basically mean "rotoscoping?"
Quote from: themodernage02Robert Zemeckis to Direct Beowulf
Source: Roger Avary January 21, 2005
Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman have joined forces with Steve Bing and Robert Zemeckis to bring the oldest written English language myth, Beowulf, to the big screen through the magic of performance capture. Zemeckis will direct from the screenplay by Avary and Gaiman. The project will be financed by Shangri-La Entertainment, which is currently in discussions with Sony Pictures Entertainment to distribute all of its feature films. The film will be produced by Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke. Martin Shafer will serve as executive producer along with Avary and Gaiman.
Zemeckis is the acclaimed Academy Award-winning director of Forrest Gump as well as such major hit films as Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, Contact, the "Back to the Future" trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Romancing the Stone and Death Becomes Her.
Avary, who is an actual Viking descendant, won an Academy Award for his collaboration with Quentin Tarantino on Pulp Fiction, and is the writer/director of such acclaimed films as Killing Zoe and The Rules of Attraction. Avary is currently finishing the screenplay adaptation of the hit Konami videogame, ,b>Silent Hill, for Producer Samuel Hadida and Tristar Pictures.
Gaiman is the Hugo and Nebula-Award winning author of such novels as "American Gods" and "Coraline," and is best known as the creator of DC Comics' legendary "Sandman". He wrote the English Language Script for the Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke. His first feature, MirrorMask, directed by Dave McKean, premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. His short film A Short Film About John Bolton was just released on DVD. Projects in development based on work by Gaiman include Coraline, which Henry Selick is writing and directing, and Stardust, with director Matthew Vaughn. Gaiman is writing and will be directing Death and Me, based on his DC Comics graphic novel "Death: The High Cost of Living" for New Line Cinema.
Beowulf made into a film, wow. I hated that book. On a side note, my sophomore year in High School we had to read it. For some reason our class would read it outloud, taking turns reading different parts. To piss my teacher off I would over-emphasize "Hell" whenever it was said in the book. It worked.
Hey, Beowulf is great! But I had to read it exactly the same way in high school. Luckily I'd read it before. Anyway, the odd thing is that I think there's a live action version with Gerard Butler being shot right now.
Regarding The Corrections...unless Zemeckis can't resist casting the same actor as the entire family, Back To The Future style, I think it's a great choice. Better than Stephen Daldry, in any case.
Par, Warners retell legend of 'Beowulf'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures are teaming up to slay a classic beast.
The two studios are taking the reins on Robert Zemeckis' "Beowulf," a big-budget performance-capture film that is being co-financed by Shangri-La Entertainment and boasts an international cast headed by Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover and Angelina Jolie.
Shangri-La, headed by Steve Bing, was a major investor in Warners and Zemeckis' "The Polar Express," in which Bing invested at least $80 million.
Sony Pictures had originally planned to distribute "Beowulf," which it touted on one of its company Web sites as a future release. It also was expected to take a financial stake in the project, which was initially developed by Shangri-La. A Sony spokesman did not return calls seeking comment.
Paramount will now handle domestic distribution for the film, while Warners will handle international.
The Old English epic poem, which is thought to have been written in the eighth century, chronicles the exploits of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the indomitable monster Grendel.
Winstone ("Sexy Beast") has signed on to play the title character and will be joined by Glover as Grendel and Jolie as Grendel's mother. Rounding out the cast are Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, John Malkovich, Alison Lohman and Brendan Gleeson.
The announcement was made jointly Wednesday by Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey and president Gail Berman and Warners president and chief operating officer Alan Horn and president of production Jeff Robinov.
Zemeckis will employ the next generation in the digitally rendered live-action process he pioneered with 2004's "The Polar Express." Roger Avary ("Pulp Fiction") and Neil Gaiman ("MirrorMask") are penning the screenplay. The film will be produced by Zemeckis, Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke of ImageMovers. Martin Shafer will executive produce along with Avary and Gaiman.
" 'Beowulf' is a timeless, epic tale of heroism and triumph," Zemeckis said. "Digital rendering will allow us to depict this incredible story in ways we would never have dared imagine, and it's a privilege to work with Shangri-La, Paramount and Warner Bros. on this extraordinary project."
Zemeckis received an Academy Award for directing "Forrest Gump." His credits include "Cast Away," "Contact," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and the "Back to the Future" trilogy.
ImageMovers is working with Sony Pictures Imageworks on its second digitally rendered live-action film, "Monster House," which is set for release in summer 2006. This process uses ImageWorks' proprietary Imagemotion technology.
"Beowulf" is slated for a 2007 release.
there is no other beowulf in my eyes..
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Zemeckis, Rapke, Starkey go 3-D
Trio partner with Disney for new film co.
Source: Variety
Robert Zemeckis and his producing partners Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey are partnering with the Walt Disney Studios to form a film company to specialize in performance capture films.
Company has yet to be named. Zemeckis, Rapke and Starkey's current production shingle, ImageMovers, already based at Disney, will be folded into the new venture.
The three ImageMovers partners will produce all the company's films, many of which will be helmed by Zemeckis. Disney will market and distrib the pics worldwide.
Company will be devoted to producing 3-D films using motion capture technology. Under the ImageMovers banner, the trio produced motion capture pics "The Polar Express" for Warner Bros. and "Monster House" for Sony, as well as the upcoming "Beowulf," which Paramount will release.
Disney has been at the forefront of film-related 3-D technology. Its animated "Chicken Little" was released on 3-D screens, as will be the upcoming "Meet the Robinsons." Last fall Disney re-released "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in 3-D.
Exclusive: Carrey Making Christmas Carol
Robert Zemeckis to direct
Source: EmpireOnline
At last, slowest news day in the history of all that has ever been has picked up some space. So, thank you, Mr Bob Hoskins. During a recent chat, the world's favourite cockerney (even though he was born in Suffolk) revealed that Robert Zemeckis is working on another of his motion capture animation doodads, in the style of Polar Express and the upcoming Beowulf. And he's bringing one of the biggest stars in the world along with him.
"He's going to make A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey," Hoskins says of the director he previously worked with on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. "He wants me to play Mr Fezziwig. He's doing in that way he did Polar Express. You stand in a box with that funny suit on and it reads everything you do...Am I going to do it? Of course I am!"
There are no details on when the movie might shoot or which studio might fund it yet, though Zemeckis's previous two films using this technique have been under the Warner Bros banner.
oh cool, so we get to see Carrey playing The Grinch/Count Olaf yet again, great...
Confirmed:
'Christmas' comes early for Carrey with Dis pic
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Walt Disney Pictures and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers Digital will make "A Christmas Carol," starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Future.
Offering his take on the classic story, Zemeckis wrote the screenplay for Carrey and will direct the film, which will be made for a 3-D stereoscopic release. Production will incorporate performance capture and blend live action and CG in the tradition of "The Polar Express," "Monster House" and the upcoming "Beowulf."
Several Web sites have reported that Bob Hoskins -- who worked with Zemeckis on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" -- might play Mr. Fezziwig in the film, but Disney said no official deal making has commenced with the actor.
The film's producers are Zemeckis, Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke. A release date has not been set.
Carrey, whose credits include "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," is providing voice talent for the upcoming animated film "Horton Hears a Who."
The multiple roles thing... Mike Myers got away with it for a hot second, Eddie Murphy did it well at first but kept doing it until it wasn't funny anymore. Carrey doing it will be, more than likely, every bit as horrible as I'm imagining it to be. I know Peter Sellers made it look easy in Strangelove but for God's sake, he's not Peter Sellers.
If he was just playing Scrooge as an old man, this would have my money. It would be worth it just to see him let loose once Scrooge changes his tune. OR if he was playing the ghosts and someone else was Scrooge (even Tom Hanks). Either/or, I'd just be skeptical within reason. But this... this is too much.
Hopefully, Zemeckis can unlock some of that Back to the Future/Roger Rabbit magic that's kind of eluded him the last 15 years.
Marty and Doc reunite?
Source: Moviehole
Marty McFly and Doc Brown back together?
Great Scott!
According to BTTF.com, the "Back to the Future" duo may be rejoining forces to play parts in Robert Zemeckis's – Zemeckis directed the "Future" trilogy – next pic, "A Christmas Carol".
Jim Hill Media reports that roles have been specifically written for Fox and Lloyd.
Christopher Lloyd will portray Marley's Ghost and Michael J. Fox will voice Tiny Tim.
The new film, a modern-day take on the classic "Christmas Carol" and starring Jim Carrey, will be the very first project produced by ImageMoversDigital, the performance capture company that Disney just set up with Zemeckis.
Disney, Zemeckis Board 'Yellow Submarine'
By: Mike Fleming; Variety
Disney and director Robert Zemeckis are negotiating to remake "Yellow Submarine," the 1968 psychedelic animated film based on the music of The Beatles.
The studio has been quietly brokering a complicated rights deal that would give Zemeckis access to 16 original Beatles songs for a movie he will direct in the performance-capture 3-D digital production format he employed for "A Christmas Carol." Disney opens that film November 6, with Jim Carrey playing Scrooge as well as the three ghosts who haunt him in the Charles Dickens tale.
The hope is to have "Yellow Submarine" ready to premiere around the 2012 Summer Olympics, which begins July 27 in London.
Disney would not comment on the negotiations or the project. Zemeckis's ImageMovers would produce.
The deal marries cutting-edge 3-D feature technology with a surging reinterest in The Beatles, who appeared only in the film's closing scene. Actors provided the voices for the animated characters of Beatles Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
The storyline of the original took place in Pepperland, an undersea paradise protected by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. When the band is captured by the music-hating Blue Meanies, a soldier is sent to Liverpool to fetch the Fab Four, who hop in the submarine and save the day.
Key to the deal is Zemeckis' ability to use a treasure trove of classic Beatles tune, from the title song to "All Together Now," "Baby You're a Rich Man," "All You Need Is Love," "When I'm 64," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," and "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band."
The deal has been months in the making with armies of lawyers, and sources said that rights will encompass the future prospects of a Broadway stage musical like Disney accomplished with "The Lion King," a Cirque du Soleil stage production ("Love," a production based on Beatles tunes, has been running for two years at The Mirage) and merchandise.
"Yellow Submarine" is just the latest in a flurry of pacts for The Beatles. September will be a big month for the band that broke up in 1970, with the release of a flurry of re-mastered records and the vidgame "The Beatles: Rock Band."
Disney's talks follow the astounding $60 million deal that Sony made to turn the rehearsal footage for the final Michael Jackson concerts into a feature film. Why do films and games like Rock Band continue to reach back into past decades for songs that are being sold to young audiences? My personal musical tastes are stamped from the 1970s to the mid 1980s, but I would argue that there is very little contemporary competition for the classic acts of yesterday. Is there another Beatles, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen or U2 on the horizon?
just make a real fucking movie man. what happened to you?
Quote from: Alexandro on August 19, 2009, 07:28:10 PM
just make a real fucking movie man. what happened to you?
:yabbse-thumbup: :bravo:
You guys just don't get it, do you? The poor man is afraid of human skin.
Disney, Zemeckis enter 'Dark Life'
Studio and ImageMovers to adapt young adult novel
Source: Variety
Disney and Robert Zemeckis are eyeing the ocean floor as the setting for a new family franchise.
The Mouse House and ImageMovers have wrapped a deal to partner with the Gotham Group to adapt Kat Falls' upcoming young adult novel "Dark Life," with Zemeckis attached to direct.
Book is set in a near-future world in which rising ocean levels and natural catastrophes have led some people to homestead on the ocean floor, and kids to develop supernatural powers. Story centers on an underwater teenage boy and a surface girl who join forces to uncover a government conspiracy.
Project fits in well with Disney's new mandate to create family friendly fare that can be exploited across the company's various platforms and spawn sequels.
The Gotham Group won the rights to "Dark Life" after making a preemptive bid to buy the manuscript earlier this year (Daily Variety, Jan. 25). Book will be published by Scholastic in May, backed by a major marketing push. Two books had initially been planned, but could now expand to more installments.
Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will produce through ImageMovers with Jackie Levine shepherding the project for the shingle. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Lee Stollman will produce through Gotham.
Whether the film will be produced using Zemeckis' favored performance-capture process has yet to be determined. In a cost-cutting move, Disney last month said it will pull the plug on ImageMovers Digital, based in Marin County, Calif., by the end of the year once "Mars Needs Moms" wraps. The facility produced the performance-capture work on "The Polar Express," "Beowulf" and "A Christmas Carol."
ImageMovers is still developing Disney's remake of "The Yellow Submarine" and is behind an adaptation of "Airman," based on Eoin Colfer's kids' book, and "The Stoneheart Trilogy," a young-adult fantasy book series by Charlie Fletcher, also at the Mouse House.
Gotham's recent credits include "The Spiderwick Chronicles" for Paramount/Nickelodeon Movies. The company's upcoming slate includes "Quantum Quest," a large-format 3D CGI film based on NASA's Cassini Mission; "Saving Juliet" at Disney; "The Maze Runner" and "The Devil You Know" at 20th Century Fox; and "Wicked" and "Stargirl" at DreamWorks.
Falls is a graduate screenwriting program professor at Northwestern U.
Is it original? Zemeckis is like the square ass white dude version of Tim Burton.
Robert Zemeckis May Direct 'Superman'; Also Returning to Live Action and Time Travel
Source: Cinematical
First of all: apparently Robert Zemeckis is also a rumored candidate for the next 'Superman' movie. But that's not what we're here to talk about. The big news is, even if he doesn't take on the Man of Steel, the guy currently synonymous with motion-capture animation is possibly targeting his first live-action feature in ten years. Deadline reports the 'Back to the Future' filmmaker (who also played a little with the fourth dimension in 'Contact' and 'A Christmas Carol') will likely helm another "big tent pole" time travel picture called 'Timeless,' which will be scripted by Mike Thompson ('Love Happens'). Zemeckis and his ImageMovers company will at least produce the project at Warner Bros.
This makes a lot of sense, not necessarily because we dislike his mo-cap work but because his last live-action effort, 'Cast Away,' made more money worldwide than anything he's directed since. The news also comes at a perfect time, when fans are excited about the re-release of 'BTTF' next month as well as Christopher Lloyd's own return to the concept of time travel with an upcoming 3-D IMAX film. Of course, no matter what his next gig is, first he's working on the mo-cap remake of the animated Beatles flick 'The Yellow Submarine' (due in 2012).
While nothing is known yet about the plot of 'Timeless,' if Zemeckis does direct we can be hopeful it will feature some sort of groundbreaking special effects (his previous visual effects Oscar-winners include 'Death Becomes Her,' Forrest Gump' and 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'). But will it be as timeless a movie as that classic trilogy with Marty McFly and Doc Brown? Will it be in demand for a re-release in 25 years? That's to be determined, but we'll definitely be keeping tabs on this and relay further info as we learn more about it.
Paramount Wants To Take 'Flight' With Robert Zemeckis
BY MIKE FLEMING | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures is in early discussions with Robert Zemeckis to direct Flight, a live-action feature that has been scripted by John Gatins. Zemeckis, who has focused for the last decade on directing and producing performance capture animation films, last directed a live-action film with 2000's Cast Away. Flight has similar harrowing moments to the unforgettable airplane crash that left Tom Hanks stranded on a deserted island. The fictional tale revolves around a commercial airline pilot named Whip Whitaker. When his plane malfunctions and a crash seems imminent, he saves the day with some heroic flying and manages to land the plane with minimal casualties. He's instantly hailed as a hero, but as an investigation into the cause of the crash unfolds, it becomes clear that he was flying under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The film is the pilot's journey as he is encouraged to wear a hero label he thinks he doesn't deserve, while the pilot's union and airline try to keep the facts under cover because of the high stakes involved. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing.
Gatins, who scripted Real Steel and just signed on to script the sequel to that Hugh Jackman-starrer, had long intended to direct Flight. But Zemeckis has been looking hard at a number of scripts to mark his return to live-action directing, and Paramount became very interested in making a deal with the director. This is a situation that could happen very quickly --there is a nascent plan to begin production by late summer --or crash land because the dealmaking with Zemeckis is very pricey, and Flight is more of a modest character study than some of the director's past hits like the Back to the Future films or Forrest Gump. It will be nice to see Zemeckis making live-action features again. Beowulf was interesting, but I always found the performance capture footage to be a bit off-putting. Audiences felt the same way in the latest Zemeckis-produced effort, Mars Needs Moms, which bombed for Disney. Stay tuned.
Robert Zemeckis In Talks To Direct Tom Hanks In 3D Toy Adaptation 'Major Matt Mason'
Source: Playlist
The colossal failure of motion-capture animation "Mars Needs Moms," and the subsequent cancellation by Disney on the planned performance capture remake of "Yellow Submarine," seems to have given Robert Zemeckis, something of a pioneer of the format, pause for thought. The director of mega-hits like "Back to the Future" and "Forrest Gump" hasn't made a live action picture since 2000's double bill of "What Lies Beneath" and "Cast Away," but recent months have seen him linked to any number of potential projects starring real people, rather than dead-eyed facsimiles, including a remake of "The Wizard of Oz" (not happening, thank God), "The Man of Steel," a sequel to "Roger Rabbit," and long-gestating time travel romance "Replay." Zemeckis looks to have finally picked his next project, airline pilot drama "Flight," with Denzel Washington, which will start shooting this fall, but it seems like he might be lining something up for after that: The Hollywood Reporter talked to Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks' partner in Playtone Productions, at the ScreenSingapore festival, where he revealed that Hanks may be reteaming with his director on "Forrest Gump" and "Cast Away" for a big-budget 3D adaptation of the retro toy "Major Matt Mason". Mason was a Mattel astronaut toy, popular for about a decade in the golden age of the space race, a childhood favorite of Hanks's, and arguably a major influence on Buzz Lightyear in the "Toy Story" franchise. Mason and his companions could be pitched against a series of bizarre aliens including Captain Lazer, Callisto and Or. Playtone have had the rights to the character for a couple of years, but the reports of Zemeckis' involvement is the first concrete movement on the film. The script is by Hanks himself, and "Speed" and "Justified" writer Graham Yost—should Zemeckis sign on, the plan is that the film will be a $100 million dollar space adventure, shot in 3D. While the idea of yet another movie based on a toy makes us sigh a little (and we're doubtful that the property means much to anyone but nostalgic baby boomers), a retro space flick could be kind of fun, if Zemeckis can get his mojo back.
Robert Zemeckis Boards Fox's 'Barefoot Bandit' Film (Exclusive)
David Gordon Green previously was attached to direct but has moved on to the horror tale "Suspiria."
Source: THR
Robert Zemeckis has come on board the Fox crime drama Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw.
Zemeckis will develop the project as a potential directing vehicle. Taking Flight previously had David Gordon Green developing to direct, but he has turned his attentions to the horror pic Suspiria, which is scheduled to begin shooting next month.
Zemeckis is overseeing the Taking Flight screenplay and is waiting for Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black to deliver the latest draft.
The true story centers on 18-year-old Colton Harris-Moore, who became a cult hero for a string of crimes that baffled local police, Homeland Security and the FBI. Known as the "Barefoot Bandit" due to his preference to prowl without footwear, Harris-Moore is considered a modern-day Robin Hood, with his exploits gaining tens of thousands of fans on Facebook.
Taking Flight marks something of a departure for Zemeckis, who typically works in the family-friendly sphere. He most recently directed the Denzel Washington starrer Flight for Paramount, which will be released Nov. 2. He also helmed the 2009 film A Christmas Carol.
Robert Zemeckis To Helm Feature Based On 2010 Documentary 'Marwencol'
BY THE DEADLINE TEAM
The director's next film will be Marwencol, an adaptation of the documentary about a man who battled memory loss by building an elaborate scale-model WWII-era town in his backyard. Universal has optioned the Spirit Award-nominated docu Marwencol and bought the life rights to its subject Mark Hogancamp. It'll be Robert Zemeckis' first helming project since 2012′s Flight.
Quote from: MacGuffin on October 24, 2013, 10:03:39 PM
Robert Zemeckis To Helm Feature Based On 2010 Documentary 'Marwencol'
BY THE DEADLINE TEAM
The director's next film will be Marwencol, an adaptation of the documentary about a man who battled memory loss by building an elaborate scale-model WWII-era town in his backyard. Universal has optioned the Spirit Award-nominated docu Marwencol and bought the life rights to its subject Mark Hogancamp. It'll be Robert Zemeckis' first helming project since 2012′s Flight.
That's strange. The docu is really good, but I can't imagine making a dramatization without it turning into some lame Oscar-bait.
You do realize we're talking about Robert Zemeckis here, right?
I hope it's all motion-capture and creepy computer-generated eyes.
glad this thread already exists. surprisingly appropriate intro page. think my recent enjoyment of spielberg, via jurassic park and 1/2 of the indiana movies (there are 4 indiana movies as you know), is tangentially related to zemeckis, because i think what i really miss/appreciate is blockbuster fun
and yeah, zemeckis is impressive as a filmmaker, and these are the zemeckis movies i've recently(ish) watched, while being too afraid to watch amistad:
romancing the stone
^started me off. i'd never seen it. random latenight netflix choice and i thought it was a fun movie. i guess i didn't think i'd have the fun i had. nice
who framed roger rabbit
^even the shadows and lights and everything i mean come on, so impressive as a cartoons/irl movie. solid noir vibes, like more solid than johnson in looper i think, for example
death becomes her
^it's a little idea done in a closely perfect way, and those actors are good did you know that
used cars
^when you can see he's thought a lot about how he wants to make movies. his camera isn't yet controlled and that's fine with me, because what i actually mean is his camera is thoughtful and maybe he thought about his camera more than his character but whatevs
back to the future
^it's well crafted. really well crafted, with loads of ideas, which ideas tend to be executed in marvelous fashion. tbh i can't forget the jab gondry made at the movie, about it being ridiculous and rude that one of its main ideas is white people actually taught black people rock and roll, what is with that, that wasn't a good idea
back to the future 2
^i've half-finished this but i fell asleep. going to finish it tonight. interesting similarities to rocky/rocky 2 and bttf/bttf2, in that the characters and perspectives were already established and this one isn't developed to the reach of the first one, yet there's still much to appreciate related to the initial things that could be appreciated
btf side thing: ooh rick and morty similarities are abundant and humorous
my mother and i saw The Walk, she cried for maybe ten minutes during the movie's end parts, right away after the movie she asked if i liked it (which also i do to her when i suspect i liked the movie we saw together more than she did), i told her i liked how much she liked the movie and i was glad we saw it together, which is totally true