Our friends over at The Pixar Times have put up these rather lovely new images from Disney’s annual animation exhibit where they give sneak peaks into the art of their upcoming movies. At the event is this exhibit for Pixar’s new movie, Brave and as we’ve seen with pretty much everything released so far, it’s looking pretty great! The source of the images is BanksLee‘s twitter account via Stitch Kingdom who found them.

I simply love the moulds they have of the characters in the movie and as I said in a post recently on the John Carter concept art, the attention to details never ceases to amaze me!

Brave follows the story of Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald and has a cast which also includes Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. This is one that we’re very excited about, especially as they’re bringing out so many great images for the movie.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave is set for release 13th August here in the UK. Click here for the rest of our coverage.

Click the images below to enlarge.

Over the course of the year, we’ve been seeing some terrific things from Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and Pixar’s Brave, both of which will be getting their big-screen release in the year to come.

For Brave, we got our first look at the trailer back in the summer, and have seen plenty of other wonderful things from the film before and after that. And from Frankenweenie, we’ve most recently been treated to a handful of images, both official and from the set, in the past few months.

We’ve now got a new image from each of the films, courtesy of Stitch Kingdom via The Playlist, and they both look excellent.

Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie is a remake of his own 1984 short film of the same name, and the images we’ve seen so far have been very impressive. This new image shows us the lead character of Victor Frankenstein lying up in bed, looking down at his dog Sparky who’s set up shop beneath it.

“A heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life — with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new ‘leash on life’ can be monstrous.”

With Pixar’s Brave, we similarly get an image of the lead character with Merida drawing back her bow, her sights clearly and determinedly set on something.

“Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring intoMerida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).”

The attention to detail in both of the images is of course impressive, and you’d expect nothing less from the likes of Tim Burton and Pixar. Both films are being distributed by Disney (which is no doubt why we’re getting them together), and both will be released in 3D. Brave will be the first one out the gate next year on 17^th August here in the UK, followed a few months later by Frankenweenie on 5^th October. Without further ado, here are the terrific new images. As usual, click to enlarge.

Anything new from Pixar is guaranteed to be worth watching but this new trailer for their forthcoming film Brave is just a joy to behold.

There’s an excellent cast lending their voices to the film with Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald with Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane along for the ride.

Here’s  a synopsis to tickle your fancy and look below for the new trailer,

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

The trailer comes to us from the film’s Facebook page.

It’s all go here today at HeyUGuys HQ! It’s been trailer-tastic with The Hunger Games, Carnage, The Iron Lady and Pixar have even given us the first clip from their new Toy Story Short, Small Fry but they are the studio that just keep on giving as now we have some new images from their new Feature Length Animation, Brave.

Brave follows the story of Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald and has a cast which also includes Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. This is one that we’re very excited about, especially as they’re bringing out so many great images for the movie.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave which we can expect to see 17th August 2012 (2 months after the US – BOOOOO!)

There are so few films that get made these days in which a director, writer, and cast genuinely stretch themselves to try and make something different. Bunraku is one of those films. And it is awesome almost beyond words.

Writer-director Guy Moshe clearly had a vision for his film, and together with a fantastic cast led by Josh Hartnett and international newcomer Gackt (though he’s already a famous Japanese musician/actor) and supported by Woody Harrelson, Kevin McKidd, Ron Perlman, and Demi Moore, he saw the realization of that vision into an utterly creative film that just doesn’t stop giving. From start to finish, it’s an explosive film that will blow your mind.

Much like Sin City has been praised for the creativity of its production and has gained cult status, Bunraku is just as worthy of such praise and status, and not only because Hartnett is a thread that connects the two films. Both are very different, yet very similar in that they succeed in creating a film that barely compares to the other films being made at the same time, so visually different are they.

Moshe and cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchía, who has since worked with Hartnett on I Come With The Rain, shot the entirety of the film in a Romanian studio, for budget reasons, creating their terrific and impressive sets in the studios and using green screens for all of the unbelievably awesome visual effects the films features. It gives the film a very contained feel, which is perfect because it allows them to very naturally create a whole new world within which this film is set. But it is one part of the world reigned over by one evil ruler, making the contained feel of the sets very part. It is a world, as Woody Harrelson’s character The Bartender says, which sees,

“A cowboy with no gun and a samurai with no sword team up to defeat a common evil.”

Hartnett plays the role of the gunless cowboy so well, in what is one of my favourite roles from him, having an air of mystery and silence about him that naturally makes him all the more interesting as a character. Gackt, too, gives an excellent performance as the samurai, and I’m looking forward to seeing whether his international debut will gain him some attention and get him cast in more films beyond Japan in years to come. And Harrelson, as he always is, is a genius as The Bartender; no one could have done it better.

It is the job of Hartnett, Gackt, and Harrelson to take down the evil lord Nicola ruling this town, as played by the immovable Ron Perlman, who brings a dominating presence to the role with ease (one need only take a look at him in Hellboy to be convinced), with Kevin McKidd playing his right-hand man, Killer No.2, and Demi Moore playing the love interest, Alexandra, caught under Nicola’s power and pregnant with his child.

Ultimately, the story boils down to a tale of good vs. evil, as many stories do. But it is the way in which it is told, and the way in which it is so uniquely shot, that make it such an incredible film. It’s a film worth watching, worth talking about, worth forcing upon your friends just so you can discuss it with them because you know how much they’ll love it and you need somebody to talk to about it. Sadly, perhaps because of its uniqueness, it didn’t get to see the light of day in UK cinemas – and very few cinemas in the States too – and so it is perhaps also a film that may have some difficulty in finding its target audience.

But if you’re still reading this, there’s a very good chance that that target audience includes you, and I really do urge you to seek this movie out. Moshe is an immensely talented director, and he has made nothing short of an epic film with Bunraku. Not epic in its scale and number of extras on the screen, but epic in its sheer brilliance. It is a film that would have looked so good in the cinema on a big screen, but nonetheless looks incredible on Blu-Ray, a format I highly recommend you watch this in if at all possible to enjoy the film’s full experience. I can’t wait to see what Moshe brings us next.

Bunraku has been released on DVD/Blu-Ray today, and I cannot recommend enough how much you should go and pick this up.

****½ (4.5/5)

Special Features:

The copy that I’m reviewing didn’t actually come with any extras, and I can’t find any extras listed anywhere else, which is a great shame, because I would have loved to have seen some of the Making Of or Behind the Scenes work on this film. But alas, it appears it was not to be. Despite this lack of special features though, it is definitely still worth checking out this awesome film if you have the chance; it won’t disappoint.

We’re slowly getting to see more from Pixar’s movie, Brave with our friends from PixarPlanet.comproviding us with this new full length synopsis. Brave follows the story of Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald and has a cast which also includes Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. This is one that we’re very excited about, especially as they’re bringing out so many great images for the movie.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave which we can expect to see 17th August 2012.

If you’ve missed our coverage including the first teaser trailer, you can check it all out here.

Synopsis: Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts.

Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, “Brave” is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and the signature Pixar humor enjoyed by audiences of all ages. The film takes aim at theaters on June 22, 2012, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

A grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humor, “Brave” uncovers a new tale in the mysterious Highlands of Scotland where the impetuous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos, forcing her to discover the meaning of true bravery before it’s too late.

Everything we’ve seen from Guy Moshe’s upcoming Bunraku has looked absolutely awesome. The first trailer was one of my favourites of the year, followed by a brilliant poster, and recently a great clip of Ron Perlman itching for a fight.

With its US Video on Demand release just around the corner on 1st September, we’ve now got another awesome clip promoting the film via Yahoo Movies, entitled Take It Outside, that sees Josh Hartnett and Gackt throw down.

“In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett), a young samurai (Gackt) and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) plot revenge against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman) and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. This visually stunning film is filled with uniquely choreographed action sequences of a new style that melds east with west and old school with new.”

It was clear right from the first trailer that this film was going to be different from the majority of action/fantasy films of recent years, and the clips have only been cementing that notion. In an interview with MTV a few years back, Hartnett himself likened the film’s visuals to the recent neo-noir success that he also starred in, Sin City:

“It’s a story of revenge… My character is called ‘The Drifter,’ and he comes into this world that doesn’t look like anything like you’ve ever seen before. It’s in the vein of ‘Sin City’ or something like that, where the world doesn’t look like reality at all.”

This new clip begins with Woody Harrelson, The Bartender, playing the role of mediator, as bartenders do, between the two men, telling them to take it outside. Then in seemingly one take, the camera moves in towards Harrelson and turns around, and we’re suddenly outside. But we’re not quite outside, just a sort of semi-outside that will make up the feel of Bunraku, shot predominantly with green screens. It’s a hard thing to describe, so I recommend watching the clip to fully understand and appreciate the look of the film.

Once outside, the fight between them begins, sizing each other up. And the music that accompanies them is just so good. It’s a mix of brilliant brass, pounding drums and bass, and an exceptional guitar that is just fantastic, and sets the tone for their fight perfectly. Watch out for Harrelson taking a seat at the 1:00-mark, too; it’s just a small motion, but it looks brilliant all the same.

Whilst I wish the UK would be getting a theatrical release for Bunraku, it’s looking pretty unlikely. After coming out on VoD in America on 1st September, it will then get a theatrical run there at the end of the month. And though we probably won’t be getting the same, we thankfully won’t have to wait long to see it, with its DVD/Blu-Ray release scheduled for 3rd October. Without further ado, here’s the immensely awesome new clip to get your anticipation rising for October. This is going to be awesome.

We got a scorcher of a first trailer for the upcoming Bunraku last month that showed Josh Hartnett absolutely on top of his game in this little-known, but highly anticipated, film.

We then got a poster that looks simply awesome at the start of the month, and now we have a great new clip, entitled ‘You Want A Shot At The Title’, focusing on Ron Perlman and Kevin McKidd’s characters, courtesy of Ain’t It Cool News.

Starring alongside Hartnett, Perlman, and McKidd in Bunraku will be Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, and Japanese musician/actor, Gackt, directed by Guy Moshe from his own script. It was shot back in 2008, so you can understand why it’s so highly anticipated for me; it’s been a long time coming.

“In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett), a young samurai and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) plot revenge against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman) and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. This visually stunning film is filled with uniquely choreographed action sequences of a new style that melds east with west and old school with new.”

You can really get that sense of visually mixed styles from the trailer and it comes across in this new clip too. I love the way the background has been built behind Perlman when we get that first reveal as McKidd pulls back the door. The scene really reminds me of the final fight scene of the first volume of Kill Bill, in the garden at night with the snow falling. There’s no fighting between McKidd and Perlman in this clip, but you can cut the tension between them with a knife – or Perlman’s wood-chopping axe – and if you’ve seen the trailer, then you’ll know that McKidd’s character has got some serious skills in this film, just as Perlman’s characters tend to have in all of his films.

Bunraku has a bit of an unusual release schedule, coming out on Video on Demand in the States on 1^st September, followed by a theatrical release at the end of September. Sadly, here in the UK, it’s not looking likely that we’ll be seeing this in the cinema at all. But, having said that, the likes of HMV and Amazon are currently listing a 3^rd October release date for the DVD/Blu-Ray here, so we’ve not got long at all to wait for its release, even if we won’t get to see it on the big screen. Without further ado, here’s the great new clip from the film. Enjoy.

Honestly, no one does it better than Pixar. However, over the last few years I’ve found myself slipping out of love with the studio.  I just chalked it up to me getting older and out of touch. The fact is I think the films the studio has been focusing on have been mediocre at best.  Going into the Walt Disney Studios Panel at D23, Pixar had a lot of ground to cover.  Let’s start out with the easy stuff.  Up until Friday the D23 Expo had been sort of a bust in the terms of any real newsworthy stories or announcements.  So I was afraid Saturday would bring about more info on projects already announced.  That was not the case once the Pixar segment of the presentation concluded.  Rockstar COO John Lasseter was on hand to whip the crowd into frenzy the only way he knows how. He discussed a couple of current projects, including “Brave” and “Monsters University”, which I’ll detail in a bit. I’ll actually work backwards starting with the last part of the presentation.

A couple of weeks back Disney announced arbitrary release dates for a few new film projects. A Fall 2013 date and a Summer 2014 release date have now been filled.  It was announced today that Pixar would be filling those spots with a Dinosaur film and a movie based around the mind. Here are the press releases for both films

Untitled Pixar Film about Dinosaurs
U.S. Release Date:            November 27, 2013
Director:                        Bob Peterson
Co-Director:                        Peter Sohn
Producer:                        John Walker

What if the cataclysmic asteroid that forever changed life on Earth actually missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? This hilarious, heartfelt and original tale is directed by Bob Peterson (co-director/writer, “Up;” writer, “Finding Nemo”) and produced by John Walker (“The Incredibles,” “The Iron Giant”).

Untitled Pixar Film about The Mind
U.S. Release Date:            May 30, 2014
Director:                        Pete Docter
Co-Director:                        Ronnie del Carmen
Producer:                        Jonas Rivera

Pixar takes audiences on incredible journeys into extraordinary worlds: from the darkest depths of the ocean to the top of the tepui mountains in South America; from the fictional metropolis of Monstropolis to a futuristic fantasy of outer space. From director Pete Docter (“Up,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and producer Jonas Rivera (“Up”), the inventive new film will take you to a place that everyone knows, but no one has ever seen: the world inside the human mind.

“Monster University” is also right smack dap in the middle of production so we were able to catch a glimpse of some cool concept art and were given a few choice details.  First and foremost, I think it’s important to note that Mike Wazowski and and James Sullivan will once again be voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman.  Today it was announced that Steve Buscemi would also return as Randall Boggs.  Here is the official synopsis from Disney-Pixar

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn’t stand each other. “Monsters University” unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

Screaming with laughter and fun, “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”) and produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”). The film opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013, and will be shown in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

As much fun as it sounds, it seems like a pretty straightforward prequel.  However, it gets better when you see what Mike and Sully looked like when they were college dudes.  Images are from Alex Billingtons Twitter page during the Monsters University panel. The first is the side by side of each character and the second set is close-ups.

How about that retainer? It also important to note that Mike and Sully initially didn’t get along because, since grade school, they both wanted to be scarers.  When they discover they are both enrolled at Monsters University, things get super heated. Billy Crystal stole the show when, during the middle of a pre-recorded message from John and Bill pretending they couldn’t make it, Billy walked off camera and on to the D23 stage.  The crowd went crazy and Lasseter and Billy showed us some images of Mike and Sully in their early years.  I loved “Monsters Inc.” so I think, like most people, I’m looking forward to that brand of comedy again.

That brings me to “Brave”, which opened the Pixar segment but I went ahead to save the best for last.  “Brave” is next years Pixar entry and it looks beautiful.

We were treated to a brief intro of “Brave” that finds Merida (Kelly Macdonald) right in the middle of horseback archery practice.  She rides through the woods hitting targets while riding.  As her horse approaches a fallen tree he stops short and Merida flies off.  When she pulls her face from the mud she throws it back on to the horses nose who then blows it right back on her.  The chuckling subsides when the horse picks up the scent of a bear.

After that opening tease, the directing/producing team of Mark Andrews and Katherine Sarafian arrived on stage to show us a few more things most audiences will never get to see.  We were treated to early pre-vis storyboards and animatics of the film.  First and foremost the film looks beautiful.  A lot of people have compared the look to “How to Train Your Dragon.” However, the fact is that is exists during the same time period so things will look similar, but I feel like they a very different in tone.  The official plot synopsis is as follows;

Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts.

Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

Headstrong Merida is basically being forced to choose a suitor to marry.  She feels doesn’t need a suitor and makes it very well known that she doesn’t agree with the idea of arranged marriages.  The highlight of the Pixar presentation came in the form of an entire sequence from “Brave.” Below is a brief description and reaction.

Lord MacGuffin(Kevin McKidd), Dingwall(Robbie Coltrane) and Macintosh(Craig Ferguson) all arrive with their suitor sons to claim Merida’s hand in marriage.  They are to take part in the Highland Games, a series of physical challenges to test their strength and worthiness.  Merida decides that they must compete in an archery contest, a skill at which she more than excels in.  They each take their time and struggle to hit their targets.  The first two suitors aren’t even close to the target while the third mistakenly hits the bulls’ eye, which marks the end of the competition.  However, at that moment, a new suitor arrives cloaked and forcefully plants his family’s flag in the ground announcing his intent to participate.  As the crowd gasps at this 11^th hour challenger, the mystery man pulls back his cloak to reveal, in fact, to be Merida who claims,  “I’ll be competing for my own hand!”

Just then her mother Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) begs for her daughter to stop what she is about to do, without a reaction from her daughter.  Merida readies herself and in one move walks in front of each man, walking as she fires 2 arrows directly at her target. As she approaches the third target she takes a moment to ready herself. As her mother races to stop her she releases the third arrow.  The scene plays out in slow motion and we get a shot very reminiscent of the bow work of Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood”. The arrow wobbles slowly out of the bow and rights itself in the air.  Her arrow proceeds to split the young mans arrow in half as it punctures the bulls eye.

I wish I were a better writer to describe how amazing that scene actually is on screen. It’s both humorous and very dramatic.  That alone leaves me wanting more. Simply put, I cannot wait to see “Brave” next year.

Here’s the first poster for Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Ron Perlman and Demi Moore’s new movie, Bunraku which comes to us from ARC Entertainment. We’ve had a trailer for the film which you can see here but I do rather like this first poster!

It’s directed by Guy Moshe and will feature at the Festival during the September 9th-19th, 2010.

Here’s the synopsis:

In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett), a young samurai and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) plot revenge against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman) and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. This visually stunning film is filled with uniquely choreographed action sequences of a new style that melds east with west and old school with new. The film also stars Demi Moore.

Source: Yahoo

Bunraku, Josh Hartnett

Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Ron Perlman and Demi Moore

Bunraku is not a film that many people will have heard about, but I’ve been waiting for it for what feels like forever, and this brilliant first trailer from Collider definitely makes it look like it will be well worth the wait.

Filmed back in the spring and summer of 2008, this film has been a long time coming, and it’s great to see how nicely it’s shaped up with very impressive special effects.

The film has an excellent cast, starring Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin), Woody Harrelson (Zombieland), Japanese musician/actor/writer Gackt (making his international debut), Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), and Demi Moore (G.I. Jane).

Hartnett is an actor I think is highly underrated and often overlooked, but his past performances in Black Hawk Down, 30 Days of Night, and Lucky Number Slevin prove to me what an exceptional actor he is, and he looks to be on top form in this trailer. Harrelson is of course always great to watch, and we can expect a lot of fun from him in his role as The Bartender in Bunraku. And whilst Gackt is not especially well known outside of Japan, beyond fans of Japanese rock music and/or films and television, the fact that writer-director Guy Moshe went to Japan to convince Gackt to sign on should encourage anyone doubtful of his abilities as an actor, and he looks awesome in the trailer opposite Hartnett. The film sees,

“A mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett) and an ardent young Japanese warrior Yoshi (Gackt) both arrive in a town that has been terrorized by outrageous and virulent criminals. Each is obsessed with his separate mission, and guided by the wisdom of The Bartender (Woody Harrelson) at the Horseless Horseman Saloon, the two eventually join forces to bring down the corrupt and contemptuous reign of Nicola (Ron Perlman), the awesomely evil “woodcutter” and his lady Alexandra (Demi Moore), a femme fatale with a secret past. This classic tale is re-vitalized and re-imagined in an entirely fresh visual context, set in a unique world that mixes skewed reality with shadow-play fantasy, a place where even the landscape can betray you. Heroes triumph here only because the force of their will transforms and transcends both space and time. The world of BUNRAKU is past and present, fantasy and reality, Samurai and Western all combined. Like SIN CITY and 300, it gives classic conflict a whole new graphically supercharged dynamic. Resonating through a wide range of cultures and showcasing a mind-blowing array of martial arts disciplines, BUNRAKU is a fresh arena for breathtaking fight action.”

Unfortunately, I’m not especially optimistic for the film’s sake of making good on its budget. According to the film’s Facebook page, it will be released in the States through Video on Demand on 1st September this year, before being released in cinemas on 30th September. Maybe it’s an attempt to drum up interest for its theatrical release, I’m not sure. I know I’d still want to see it in the cinema if I saw it first on VoD, but I can imagine that I’d be in a minority.

Sadder still, because of this being the planned release schedule for Bunraku in the States, it’s probably wishful thinking to hope for a release in cinemas in the UK, so we may well have to wait (and hope) for a DVD/Blu-Ray release here instead. Hopefully we’ll get lucky and have at least a small theatrical run by the end of the year. Without further ado, here’s the great first trailer. Let us know what you think of it in the comments section below. I’m interested to see what other people’s thoughts on it are.

With news that Cars 2 has done the good business Disney Pixar hoped it would, taking the Number One spot in the US box office last weekend, and Tom Hanks’ startling revealation that Toy Story 4 is already underway over at Emeryville the timing of this new trailer couldn’t have been better.

In what an arena increasingly populated with prequels and sequels (Monsters University is another forthcoming Pixar film) the arrival of the trailer for Brave follows on from some intriguing sneak peeks last week and it acts perfectly well as a teaser for what appears to be a very dark fairy tale, complete with both a Bear and a Bow.

Can’t wait.

Here’s the trailer

It’s been a non-stop day today (and we’re only 55 minutes in!) Not 10 seconds after put up the brand new trailer for Captain America and only a few hours after the first official images from The Hobbit, we have the first official image from Disney Pixar’s new movie Brave.

The image comes our friends at Stitch Kingdom and gives us our first rendered look at Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald. The rest of the cast includes Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. This is one that we’re very excited about, especially as they’re bringing out so many great images for the movie. This one below may be the first official image but yesterday, Disney released the first poster for the film and today, we also get the official website.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave which we can expect to see 17th August 2012.

Keep track of Brave on Facebook.

Click the image below to view it in all it’s high resolution glory!

We’ve only just had our first real look at Pixar’s Brave with the unveiling of the poster yesterday and now we’ve got an eyeful of the gorgeous character designs for Mark Andrew’s debut feature.

The four images below are of Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), the delightly twisted face of The Wise Woman (Blackadder fans fill in your own punchline here) who is voiced by Julie Walters, the flame haired Princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) and finally we have Emma Thompson’s character Queen Elinor. Sadly we have to wait until the 17th of August next year to see this one come together.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Here are the images,

IMAGES NOW REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF THE STUDIO

Keep track of Brave on Facebook.

These came from The Pixar Blog via Bleeding Cool.

Disney Pixar’s have just sent us the brand new teaser poster for their new movie, Brave which we can expect to see 17th August 2012.

Brave has a voice cast which includes Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

This poster comes from someone who spotted the poster in their cinema and had the good mind to snap it!

Keep track of Brave on Facebook.

Click it to make it grow!

Craig Roberts (Submarine), Imogen Poots (Chatroom), Kevin McKidd and Timothy Spall will star in heist romance Comes a Bright Day.

Comes a Bright Day, which will mark the directorial debut of Simon Aboud, follows two young people (Roberts and Poots) who are taken hostage during the robbery of a jewellery store.

Matador Pictures, Smudge Films, Lost Tribe Productions and Ipso Facto Films are handling finance.

Expect Comes a Bright Day to hit cinemas sometime next year.

Source: The Playlist

Following on from the three new images that Disney Pixar released last week for Brave, we have another here along with those previous ones now in high resolution courtesy of Disney!

Brave has a voice cast which includes Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. We can expect it to hit our cinema screens August 17th 2012 – so far away!!

Reese Witherspoon was originally going to play the lead role but as we said in the previous post, this is no longer the case and Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald will now fill the role as Merida.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Here’s a nice treat for a Monday! Entertainment Weekly have been given the honour of debuting the first look at Disney Pixar’s 13th full-length feature , Brave. The movie was previously titled The Bear and Bow and has gone through a bit of a problematic ride after changing director, Brenda Chapman to Mark Andrews late last year although Chapman is still co-directing.

Brave has a voice cast which includes , Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly. We can expect it to hit our cinema screens August 17th 2012 so a while to wait I’m afraid!

Reese Witherspoon was originally going to play the lead role but EW confirm that this is no longer the case and Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald will now fill the role as Merida.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Rather like these new concept images but then, if it has the word Pixar written on it, I’m sold!

Here’s some rather nice news for the afternoon. Disney Pixar have revealed the logo for their new animation, Brave on their official Facebook page for the movie. Brave isn’t hitting US cinemas until 15th June 2012 so there’s still rather a long time to wait I’m afraid but after Newt got canned by the animation powerhouse, it’s great to see that Brave is still well on the way to hitting cinemas.

Brave was previously called The Bear and the Bow, but it’s name is now firmly fixed as Brave. The movie is directed Brenda Chapman (the first woman to helm a Pixar movie) and and will feature a voice cast which includes Reese Witherspoon, Kevin McKidd, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Julie Walters. It’s great to see that such a strong British contingent will feature.

More info on this movie as we get it.

Bunraku is a wildly stylized stew that incorporates so many disparate elements (Russian futurism, martial arts, graphic novels, German Expressionism, video games, the Western (U.S. and spaghetti), Japanese puppetry, samurai films, fairy tales, and more) that it is impossible to definitively categorise.

It isn’t easy to say exactly what it is, but one can say that Bunraku is a unique and entertaining but ultimately tiresome ride, stuffed to the gills as it is with tongue in cheek violence and a dizzying barrage of the director’s influences.

In a dystopian city of the future where guns are outlawed, a Man With No Name type stranger (Josh Hartnett) walks into a seedy bar, initially seeking whiskey and a card game, but with a far more serious mission in mind. He is soon followed by samurai Yoshi (J-Pop star GACKT), on a quest of his own, and we soon learn that the reason for their presence in town has to do with Nicola ‘The Woodcutter’ (Ron Perlman), the most powerful man east of the Atlantic. Nicola retains his power through an army of killers led by Killer #2 (Kevin McKidd), a vicious dancing dandy who is a fearsome, merciless swordsman. Yoshi and The Drifter are drawn together, along with The Bartender (Woody Harrelson), on a quest to get through Nicola’s army and exact their revenge.

Unfortunately, the sheer volume of things that director Guy Moshe saturates the screen and viewers’ brains with is Bunraku’s downfall; it feels like he is trying to squeeze everything he possibly can into the film in case it his only chance to do so. The plot itself is a simple tale about sons seeking revenge for their fathers, and Moshe uses the straightforward story as a backdrop to dress up in the most outlandish, over ripe manner imaginable.

The performances are largely in the realm of camp, in keeping with the outlandish nature of the rest of the film, with lots of hard boiled side of mouth dialogue from Hartnett, samurai stoicism from GACKT, and cod philosophising from Harrelson and the narrator, voiced by Mike Patton (former singer of Faith No More).

There is lots on display to enjoy, but in the end it’s all just too much, and it feels like a dog’s breakfast by about the half way point (during the second last fight sequence, I was chagrined to realise that it was only the second last one, and that there was still a long climactic scrap to come).

Perhaps the film will be better served on video, where fanboys can view and re-view sequences at their leisure, or watch the film in more digestible chunks, and it would help if the film was shortened by 15 minutes or so, particularly the fight sequences.

There really is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and Bunraku could be a lot of fun if it was reined in and allowed to breathe a bit.