The beloved British comedy troupe Monty Python, well-known for their films and sketch shows from the late ’60s through to the early ’80s, are set to return once more to the big screen together for a new sci-fi farce, Absolutely Anything.

The film will be a mixture of CGI and live-action, Variety report, with Terry Jones directing and Mike Medavoy (Black Swan, Life of Brian) producing. The Pythons will be lending their voices to,

“a group of aliens who endow an earthling with the power to do “absolutely anything” to see what a mess he’ll make of things — which is precisely what happens. There’s also a talking dog named Dennis who seems to understand more about the mayhem that ensues than anyone else does.”

And to add even more excellence to this story, guess who’s going to be voicing the dog, Dennis.

Robin Williams.

In his description of the film, Jones says,

“It’s not a Monty Python picture, but it certainly has that sensibility.”

He also says that Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, and Michael Palin have all agreed to perform, and that the producers are trying to sign Eric Idle too. Idle said many years ago that he wouldn’t ever perform as part of a reunion, but with Jones saying that this isn’t a Monty Python picture, it’s at least possible they’ll all be lending their voices for the film.

The sixth original member, Graham Chapman, died of cancer back in 1989, and the group are in fact working together on an animated adaptation of Chapman’s autobiography, entitled, A Liar’s Autobiography: The True Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman, for which they will be lending their voices as well, and which is expected to be released later this year.

Speaking about the project, Medavoy says,

“Terry and Gavin have crafted a classic farce — something I feel I know a little bit about after all the ‘Pink Panther’ pictures we did with Blake Edwards at United Artists,” Medavoy said. “In fact, the movie even has a pompous Frenchman reminiscent of Inspector Clouseau — but there the similarity ends. Like all projects originated by any of the Monty Python guys, ‘Absolutely Anything’ delightfully defies a logline.”

And he adds that he and the other producers are in talks with Williams to play the Frenchman, so we could well see him taking on more than one role.

Jones has been working on the script for Absolutely Anything for the past two decades with Gavin Scott (The Borrowers), and the plan is for filming to begin here in the UK this spring. As you can imagine, this definitely sounds like something to get excited about, and we’ll be bringing you more news on the project as soon as we get it.

And in case you missed it last week, you can read all about Gilliams’ latest project, The Wholly Family, right here, which became available to stream on Monday.

Never did I think I’d see the day when Robin Williams, Megan Fox, William Fichtner, Josh Duhamel, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and British ex-footballer come movie star Vinnie Jones, all appear in the same movie together…. Well, I guess they still haven’t really but they do all appear in this new trailer for The 84th Academy Awards or the Oscars as they are more commonly known.

We’ll be staying up all night as we usually do to blog the event as it happens and we’d love you to join us. It’s set to take place on Sunday February 26th at 7pm EST 4PM PST and that I think means coverage will being from midnight GMT but that will probably be red carpet arrivals and all the build up with the actual ceremony starting after that.

Anyway, here’s the trailer named ‘Off the grid’ that will blow your mind as much as it did mine!

George Miller’s 2006 film, Happy Feet, was a fun, original and wonderfully off-the-wall animation with a very powerful message alongside its infectious mixture of rhythm and wit. With DreamWorks producing a fantastic sequel in the form of Kung Fu Panda 2 earlier this year, hopes were high that Warner Bros. would deliver something different and exciting to contend with Fox in Happy Feet Two.

Following on from the first film, we are already acquainted with Mumble (Elijah Wood), Gloria (Pink) and their new and very cute bundle of fun, Erik (Ava Acres) and it appears Mumble’s lack of singing ability has been transferred into Erik’s lack of dancing talent. However when Erik’s true gift is unveiled it is as surprising as it is delightful and a great little moment within the film – dads, you may need some tissues at hand. Although returning as both Ramon and Lovelace, Robin Williams feels oddly lacking from this sequel, feeling more scripted than we’re used to and taking a backseat to the vast amount of other characters taking up screen time.

New addition Hank Azaria is once again on incredible form as The Mighty Sven, the ‘fake’ penguin who little Erik aspires to after watching him fly. Another accent perfected, Azaria brings a lot of light-hearted comedy to the sequel, but isn’t particularly key to the main story, serving much more of a moral purpose. Definitely involved in the main events are Seymour (Common) and his rapping son, Atticus (Benjamin Flores Jr.), who remain upbeat throughout and save the middle third from being entirely bereft of penguin humour, Atticus being a great deal of fun to watch as the self-assured, freestyling, fluffy ball of attitude.

Courtesy of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon – one of Hollywood’s less likely double acts – Will and Bill the Krill completely steal the show. Although they don’t have a great deal to do with the film’s main narrative, Pitt is in his absolute element as the delusional Will, a Krill going through an identity crisis, with Damon’s play-it-safe Bill his trusty and loyal companion. The duo take part in some of the film’s best set pieces, with the 3D at its most effective (and it is extremely impressive throughout) and sheer craziness at its peak. Whether watching the Krill being chased through the entire food chain, skua attacks or dance sequences, it’s impossible not to smile and be completely lost amongst the jellyfish and beautiful Northern Lights when the film is at its most comfortable and best.

Unlike the previous film, the environmental connotations are spread throughout rather than in one big helping, with the penguins taking matters into their own flippers much more this time around. This has resulted in a film that is far darker in tone, its final third doused in negativity and not quite knowing what to do with itself. Handy, then, that Pink is involved this time and appears to have been utilised for her singing talents far more than her acting, leaving Brittany Murphy desperately missed and Gloria sidelined. Although morally fitting, her full-length song in this middle third slows the pace even further and is at times slightly uncomfortable.

The songs themselves are not utilised as well as the first film where we followed each penguin trying to find their own ‘Heartsong’, but there are some great little surprises and the sheer power and sense of triumph and togetherness ‘Under Pressure’ brings towards the film’s close is as spine tingling as it is impressive. Ultimately a film about coming together, this is reflected in how Miller has tried to give everyone an equal say, leading to too much ‘alien’ interaction. Where the initial sighting of a human in Happy Feet was actually quite shocking, here they end up feeling gimmicky and borderline annoying, eradicating any initial sense of fascination and mystery.

When it’s good, Happy Feet Two is pure, delirious entertainment, but away from the near-perfect set pieces, the film seems confused as to quite which storyline to focus on. Whilst the animation is once again impossible to fault, and although it is just as wonderfully bonkers as the first, it just doesn’t feel as fresh. The original is ultimately so much cooler.

***~~ (3/5)

Earlier in the week, you’ll have seen interviews with both Robin Williams and Elijah Wood on their new movie. Happy Feet Two. With Elijah, we couldn’t help but talk about The Hobbit and if you missed it, you can catch up here and with Robin here. Likewise, in this interview with Director,George Miller, we couldn’t help but ask him about returning to Fury Road in the new Mad Max movie that will see Tom Hardy taking on the lead role.

Happy Feet Two is released in the UK this Friday, 2nd December and you can see our review here.

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HeyUGuys – Coming from Mad Max and Mad Max 2 which were very cynical and very dark movies about the future to Happy Feet 2 which is very optimistic, do you think you are more optimistic with age?

George – Probably, even though I’m now making another Mad Max film after all these years. People ask why did I get into these [Happy Feet] movies and I say two reasons: kids and technology. Once I had kids I only got to see kids movies and you do a lot of reading books to them and then I’m lucky enough to be in the era when this technology started. With the first Babe film we had a script written for ten years before, waiting for the ability to make real pigs talk and CG came along and I always loved animation, one of my top movies in Pinocchio and I always said that Chuck Jones and Buster Keaton taught me how to make Mad Max because they were pure filmmakers and they understood the pure syntax of filmmaking. So, it seemed natural to get into these stories.

Was it easy to find another story for the second Happy Feet film?

In this case it was easy because the films take a long time and in the last year of Happy Feet 1 the characters were so much in my head, they were like imaginary friends and I had the story for the sequel while I was finishing the first one. I had the story but I decided to do two other films in the meantime. One was Justice League which was closing to finishing but due to some complicated rebate system which was just starting in Australia it fell down. And then I was to do the next Mad Max movie, Fury Road, which I’ve tried to do twice and we had unprecedented rain in the centre of Australia and what was the red, flat plain is now a flower garden and the great salt lakes in the centre which you could drive through for miles is full of pelicans and fish so that film was pushed back. So then came Happy Feet [2] but we hope to shoot [Fury Road] in Namibia next year.

Will Fury Road be closer to Mad Max 2 than Mad Max 3?

It’s not a reinvention, but it’s going back into the world and this is many years later now. It’s not following any chronology at all. I love that world because it reduces human behaviour to a very elemental state. In that very spare landscape, a little bit like Happy Feet, you’ve got Antarctica and that has the same sort of quality. We’ve got Tom Hardy played Mad Max, who is a wonderful actor and Charlize Theron. I never wanted to make another film, but the story got me. And I kept pushing it away and the story just kept on playing in my head. It probably means I’m crazy.

Will Mel Gibson be returning for a cameo?

No, no. We’ve talked about the film and even doing it in 2001 and then it’s not like The Unforgiven, you know – about an older man going back to past.

So, when will shooting start on that?

Middle of next year. We’ve already got all our vehicles built and being shipped out to Namibia.

Do you think Happy Feet will become a franchise?

Honestly it depends entirely on if there’s another story. It was interesting that at the end of the first film I had the story for the sequel and then I got more into the world. Happy Feet 1 happens over the lifetime from birth to young adulthood of Mumble so we needed to get an epic scale by seeing the Penguin world from a microscopic vantage, from the very large creatures like Elephant Seals all the way down…

When casting the Krill did you find the most famous actors with children?

Not exactly! You came from wanting friends, actors who knew each other because they play friends who have known each other their whole lives and I knew Brad [Pitt] somewhat and I talked to him, but you’re right I know Matt [Damon] said ‘I didn’t even read the screenplay, my kids just said Do the film!’ But you know Babe started with my daughter, reading stories… and the first movies you go to are the kids movies when you have kids.

Did you ever think of becoming a doctor?

I did, I have a twin brother who is a doctor and I went to medical school and practised in hospitals for about four years and then when I started making films there was no opportunity to be a filmmaker but we started making, in the Seventies, little short films and I got very curious about the process and then somewhere in the mid-Seventies I was working as a doctor on the weekends and making short films during the week. We won a couple of awards and I said ‘Let’s make a feature’ so I learned how to write and Mad Max was the first film I made. And I then I always tended to go back, I was registered as a doctor and in Australia when you’re doing stunts on set you need to have a registered doctor on hand…

You mentioned you were interested in technology, would you be interested in doing a movie with motion capture performances?

Well, Happy Feet is partly done with motion capture. When Mumble was danced by Savion Glover, who is the greatest living tap-dancer and one of the big triggers on Happy Feet 1 was not only seeing documentaries about the lives of penguins which was very striking to me – the way they survive by community and that they were very anthropomorphic – and Andrew Lesnie who shot the first Babe movie and the first Lord of the Rings showed me the first motion capture for Gollum and I thought – Ah! we can make the penguins dance! So, that was a very big moment for Happy Feet 1. But though you have the motion capture you don’t have the facial capture right so all the faces are animated and the Krill, because they have five legs, and the seals are all animated. But the dancing bipedal characters are all motion capture.

When you were writing the second film was there anything you wrote that wasn’t possible at the time, but in the three years since was made possible?

Yes, I never thought we could get the crystals of ice, but it’s all ones and zeroes, and the cameras are real world cameras, though I like the virtual cameras and you can go up high, I like the camera low, and shooting on the Z-Axis and go in out out of the screen, which is great for 3D. Things like the transparency of the Krill and the bioluminescence we didn’t think we could do. So, a lot of it pushed the boundaries as we were going along.

Happy Feet Two is also a musical, how do find getting the rights to the songs ?

Getting the rights is difficult depending on who you are working with, the more people there are the harder it is…

There were quite a few Queen songs…

Yeah, the good thing about the Queen songs is that they are very operatic and they have a great structure, particularly Under Pressure, and I didn’t have that song initially but when we were recording the voices Hank Azaria asked me if I’d heard it and it was as i they’d written it for us. The hardest thing we had was when we tried to get a Phil Spector song just as he was charged with murder, so it was a little difficult to get access to him… I love the Puccini aria, I love its volcanic aspect and how emotions are expressed. Then we needed a song in the middle when the mother who couldn’t be with her son has to be soothed and Pink wrote that song.

Last week I got to sit down with Elijah Wood to chat about his new movie, Happy Feet Two. It so happened that the first question asked at the round table lead nicely into The Hobbit so this interview starts with a lot of Hobbit information on filming and what we can expect but mainly what Elijah felt when he returned to the set. He was such a nice bloke and I could have spoken with him for hours. I wanted to get more information from him about his memories from Back to the Future Part II but that will have to wait for another day!

Elijah plays Mumbles in Happy Feet Two which hits UK cinemas this Friday, 2nd December. If you missed the interview with Robin Williams, you can catch up here. Tomorrow we’ll have an interview with Director George Miller so keep your eyes peeled for that.

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HeyUGuys: Should you be in New Zealand at the moment?

Elijah Wood: I’ve just gotten back and I’m all finished. I was there for about a month throughout October.

How was it to be back?

Amazing, a mix of emotions I think. It was slightly surreal and felt oddly normal. I played the character for so long and I was in the costume, in Bag-end and a lot of the same crew were there from Rings so it was as if no time had past and suddenly we were doing another scene. It was great, felt like a family reunion, like stepping back in time.

When you wrapped on The Lord of the Rings, did you ever think you’d be going back?

At that time, if you;d have asked me if there would be a Hobbit film, I would have said no. Peter (Jackson) was pretty adamant about not doing it. There was always talk that someone else would do it but since Frodo isn’t in The Hobbit, i never thought I would play Frodo again.

If you were filming for a month, is it quite a big part?

It’s a flash-forward and there’s actually not a lot. It’s relatively small but it’s a nice piece and works really beautifully with what they’re doing. It’s going to be really cool I think.

What’s changed since you left?

Well, there are thirteen dwarves! Imagine that, thirteen principal actors, it’s insane – all with prosthetics and it’s incredible. In some ways, the scale feels larger surprisingly even though technically the scale of Lord of the Ring is more massive in terms of the storytelling. There’s more technology, it’s being shot in 3D, more people on the set and it feels as though the ‘machine’ is bigger. But, at the heart of it all, there is that same New Zealand ingenuity, that same vibe on set, Peter’s super relaxed, it’s still really fun – it’s great. It’s a mixture of old family and new family.

Was it strange for you going back to what was your set and now you’re a guest on it?

It was funny but it was cool. I was just excited to meet everybody, to meet Martin Freeman who’s playing Bilbo. And then also to catch up with McKellen and Andy Serkis who’s also directing second unit. It was fun to meet everybody and for me, what was fun was getting the chance to meet everybody and ask them a million questions asking them “how it’s been”, “how was the rehearsal period” and knowing what their experience must be like, it was fun for me to get a sense of what their perspective was on it.

Bringing it back to Happy Feet, what do you think are the main messages from the movie?

I think there are some beautiful themes. The movie ends on this note of everyone has to work together in communities across communities to solve a massive problem. And the idea that Eric, like Mumble in the first one is also searching for identity and looking for something that defines him. I love the idea of a kid believing in something that’s impossible, believing that he can fly. And that tough decision that a parent has to deal with where they dont want to crush their child’s dreams but they still want them to believe that things are possible. And the notion that it’s our differences that make us unique.

Eric has a rather embarrassing moment in the movie – have you had any embarrassing moments that you want to share?

I, like Eric in the movie, have weed on myself actually! Twice in my life. I was five years old at a family gathering at a holiday party and I was too embarrassed to ask to use the loo so I peed myself! And then again in first grade, I was again afraid to ask and by the time I did ask, I stood up and peed in class! And was wearing overalls!

Robin (Williams) mentioned in his interview the image of the polar bear clinging to the small bit of ice, are you pessimistic about the future?

I think that people are inherently good and will want to change the future for the better. In terms of the environment, I’m not a scientist so my knowledge is limited. I think the planet is going to change and we’re going to have to adapt. I feel that there is an awareness now that is at its peak. People are more aware of what part they have to play in it than ever before and that’s great. Everything else is out of our control.

But you’ve been to the future in Back to the Future 2 playing Wild Gunman so you can tell us what happens?…..

I have, that’s true! And weren’t they playing Jaws 32?!

Jaws 19!

Jaws 19, man, that was fun!

Do you have a favourite film from when you were younger?

As a film, I love Avalon. That’s one of my favourites. And I think Barry Levinson is an amazing filmmaker and it’s one of my favourite movies of his. It’s a beautiful movie.

Do you remember filming it?

Yeah, I do. I have vivid memories. In fact, to take it back to Happy Feet, I met Robin Williams on the set of Avalon. I was eight years old and Robin had worked with Barry on Good Morning Vietnam and he came to visit the set in Baltimore and it was really dark outside and I couldn’t see. There was this man standing there and he introduced himself to me and said ‘Hi, I’m Robin and this is my daughter Zelda’ and he had baby Zelda in his arms. Insane! And I was shaking his hand and in mid-shake I realised who he was and I said ‘Robin….. WILLIAMS! and he said ‘Ahh, light goes on!’ and it freaks me out. He was one of the first celebrities that I met. I reminded him of it the other day!

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Last week, I got to sit down with the legendary Robin Williams to talk about his new movie, Happy Feet 2. We got chatting about how he finds his voice for the characters , what he thinks about the future of the world and other deep stuff like that! I’ve transcribed the interview with the mega-talented man and I hope it comes across OK. Throughout the interview, he’s doing voices and keeping myself and the others that attended the interview thoroughly entertained.

Happy Feet 2 is released in cinemas this Friday, December 3rd and also stars Elijah Wood, Elizabeth Daily, Sofía Vergara, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Hank Azaria, Magda Szubanski, Pink and Hugo Weaving.

Keep your eyes peeled for the Elijah Wood interview which should hit tomorrow.

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HeyUGuys: George Miller (The Director) brings the actors in together to the same recording session but you play two voices! Can you do them at the same time?!

Robin Williams: At the same time, no! Simultaneous quantum recording, no! I usually do Ramon first just because he’s more active and then you do Lovelace later because he’s got that deeper Barry White thing going. Usually we’d do Ramon and the amigos because vocally it’s easier.

How did you find your own penguin within yourself?

My own Latino penguin? It’s a small fierce side of myself! Being a hopeless romantic of my own and in real life I’m lucky to have my own Carmen. With Lovelace, it was just Barry White. I grew up in Detroit so I heard a lot of Baptist preachers and I could find that voice very easily.

How was it coming back?

Really great because it’s the same people. All the amigos were these Latin comics and add to that Elijah who’s the sweetest man in show business and on top of that you have Sofía Vergara. She’s so sweet and so sexy and is just a gift! She makes the room 3d! It was like a reunion.

You said the voices are easy to find but how exactly do you find them?

Well with George (the Director) on the first day we met, an Adelie penguin lives on the top of Argentina in Patigonia so he said let’s try a Latino. With Lovelace I just saw that look because he’s big and heavy and he just looked to me like Barry White or Don King!

You’ve done a lot of animations recently, do you still like doing live action?

I still like to act. I did a film with Robert De Niro recently called The Big Wedding. But doing the voice is a gift. It’s literally like a paid vacation where you go to Australia and work with these guys for 2 weeks and then come back. The weird thing is how long it takes – three years. I think when we did the first sessions, it was a year ago since we did the last session.

Robert De Niro is the opposite of you, very shy, how is it working with him?

We’ve been friends for years It’s great, he’s my greatest friend in the world. He’s the best. He’s very sweet.

Does he make you laugh?

Big time!! I broke his nose when we were doing Awakenings. We were doing this scene where we were supposed to be having a struggle and I caught his nose with my elbow and he comes up and says: “I’m OK” and I went “Oh f*ck he’s alive!”. Actually his doctor says  I clicked it back in from when he broke it in Ranging Bull! He makes me laugh because everyone thinks of him being that way but he’s really articulate and really funny.

This film deals with many issues, global warming being one of them…..

Totally. The opening scene when we see the iceberg break off has been recorded from satellite imagery that George used as research. As it’s melting it’s making more oil available which continues the cycle. To ignore it would be insane. George is now saying that it’s melting so much that the penguin populations are forced into smaller areas and there’s an overlap. The saddest thing in this movie is that polar bear holding onto that small bit of ice and an orca’s coming along – you know that isn’t going to end well!

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Following on from the astounding success of 2006’s Happy Feet, the upcoming sequel, Happy Feet 2, is set to make a big impact (I could’ve said ‘splash’, but chose not to) when it comes out in a few weeks, and this fantastic new trailer, courtesy of Yahoo Movies, gives us a lot to look forward to in it.

Not only did the first film do really well at the box office, taking more than $300m. from a $100m. budget, it also took the Academy Award for Best Animated Film, so in some respects, Happy Feet 2 has a lot to live up to.

Cast in a different light though, sequels are typically expected not to live up to their originals, so hopefully Happy Feet 2 will buck the trend and be a pleasant surprise!

Co-director from the first film, George Miller, is back in the director’s chair this time around but is their all by himself, and it looks like he’s done a great job from what we’ve seen so far – all of which you can catch up on here.

The sequel will see the return of many of the great actors and actresses who lent their voices to the first film, including Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, and Hugo Weaving, along with some terrific additions that see the likes of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon joining the cast in the forms of Will and Bill the Krill, Sofía Vergara as Carmen, Anthony LaPaglia as Boss Skua, and Hank Azaria as The Mighty Sven.

Sadly, the late Brittany Murphy died from pneumonia before being able to reprise her role from the first film as Gloria, Mumble’s love interest, and so Alicia Moore (a.k.a. Pink/P!nk) will be lending her voice as Gloria for the second film.

Happy Feet 2 is coming out in the States this weekend (and so will be up against Twilight! Which must be a bit daunting, even if the target demographics are different), and this is the final American trailer we’ll be getting. Since we here in the UK have to wait until the 2nd December to see it, there’s a chance we’ll have more Happy Feet 2 goodness to bring you between now and then.

The film is one of the eighteen animated features that have been submitted as potential Oscar candidates for the 2012 Academy Awards next February, and we’ll know in just over two months’ time whether it’s made the final nominees list as its predecessor did a few years back. Without further ado though, here’s the brilliant new trailer to feast your eyes on. As you can imagine, it’s super green band, so if you’re at work, feel free to inject a little bit of a song and dance into the airwaves with the weekend being so close. Enjoy.

If cute penguins are your bag then you’ll be in furry bird heaven with the latest Happy Feet film and there’s a new trailer out to further entice and tease.

It’s solid family friendly fare from the looks of it and where else, other than in the world of CG anthropomorphic animation, could you find a cast which includes Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Pink and Elijah Wood?

Yahoo had this new trailer and this handy synopsis which proved of great interest to me, and may well do to you.

Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreo-phobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven — a penguin who can fly! Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model. But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces. Erik learns of his father’s “guts and grit” as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures — from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals — to put things right.

Okay, so here’s a question, if Cheaper By The Dozen 2 was a missed opportunity to go with Cheaper By The Two Dozen, can the same be said for the Happy Feet Two sequel? Is Happy Two Feet a decent idea? Maybe not.

Regardless, it’s coming, whatever we call it and to prove it (were proof needed), we have an avalanche of stills, showing everyone being very happy. I confess I found the first film pretty pointless and nigh-on unwatchable, so I’m not going to pretend to be wildly exuberant about another outing for the dancing penguin-types.

Quite how Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Pink and Common have been roped in to join the more predictable presence of Hank Azaria, Robin Williams and Elijah Wood is anyone’s guess (that guess presumably revolving around the presence of piles of crisp bank notes).

Click through the link below to enjoy the stills gallery and if it’s your thing, get ready for more happy feet before the year is out.

Source: Yahoo Movies.

Warner Bros. have released this second poster for their new movie, Happy Feet Two and unfortunately it’s more turkey than it is penguin! I guess it is a kids movie! If you missed the trailer for the film, you can catch it here.

Directed by George Miller, Happy Feet Two stars Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Alecia Moore, Elizabeth Daily, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, Hugo Weaving, Hank Azaria, Richard Carter and Magda Szubanski.

Synopsis: Mumble the penguin has a problem: his son Erik, who is reluctant to dance, encounters The Mighty Sven, a penguin who can fly! Things get worse for Mumble when the world is shaken by powerful forces, causing him to brings together the penguin nations and their allies to set things right.

Happy Feet Two is scheduled for release in the UK 3rd December and unlike it’s predecessor, will be in 3D.

Following on from the poster that Jamie put up earlier, Warner Bros. have released the first full trailer from their new movie, Happy Feet Two which is the sequel to the 2006 movie.

Directed by George Miller, Happy Feet Two stars Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Alecia Moore, Elizabeth Daily, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, Hugo Weaving, Hank Azaria, Richard Carter and Magda Szubanski.

Synopsis: Mumble the penguin has a problem: his son Erik, who is reluctant to dance, encounters The Mighty Sven, a penguin who can fly! Things get worse for Mumble when the world is shaken by powerful forces, causing him to brings together the penguin nations and their allies to set things right.

After watching the trailer, I’m a little worried as it looks rather penguin poo! Maybe that’s because I’m not five years old though. Would love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy Feet Two is scheduled for release in the UK 3rd December and unlike it’s predecessor, will be in 3D.

Warner Bros. Pictures have released the first official poster for Happy Feet Two, the sequel to the worldwide smash-hit Happy Feet.

Directed by George Miller, Happy Feet Two stars Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Alecia Moore, Elizabeth Daily, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, Hugo Weaving, Hank Azaria, Richard Carter and Magda Szubanski.

Synopsis: Mumble the penguin has a problem: his son Erik, who is reluctant to dance, encounters The Mighty Sven, a penguin who can fly! Things get worse for Mumble when the world is shaken by powerful forces, causing him to brings together the penguin nations and their allies to set things right.

Happy Feet Two is scheduled to hit UK cinemas on December 2.

Check out the poster below:

Source: Moviefone

5 years after their first movie, Happy Feet, Warner Bros. have released the first trailer for the follow-up sequel, Happy Feet 2. Happy Feet 2 is written and  directed by George Miller and features a voice cast which includes Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Hank Azaria, Alecia Moore (Pink),  and Sofia Vergara. The obvious person missing from the line-up is Brittany Murphy who tragically died last year.

Synopsis: The sequel to the Academy Award(R) winning animated smash hit, “Happy Feet Two” returns audiences to the magnificent landscape of Antarctica in superb 3D. Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son Erik is choreo-phobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven – a penguin who can fly!! Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model. But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces. Erik learns of his father’s ‘guts and grit’ as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures – from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals – to put things right.

Unfortunately the poster is lying to its UK audience and we can expect to see the movie hit UK shores 2nd December this year in 3d. Guess they will have to change it to Decembuuuur!

Source: Apple

***Update: It would appear that this news has been debunked already I’m afraid***

Ah, another day another Batman rumour. It seems like it was only yesterday that Internet forums were buzzing with fanboy talk that Tom Hardy (Bronson, Inception) was all set to play Hugo Strange in Chris Nolan’s upcoming “The Dark Knight Rises”. Yet whilst said rumour has since been put to bed following the recent announcement that Hardy is, in fact, due to play the back-breaking Bane instead it seems that Strange is still very much the talk of the town.

A recent tweet from the fantastic website “Batman on Film”  tantalisingly teased,

“RW as Strange? Hmm …”

Insiders are now suggesting that Robin (and NOT Robbie!) Williams may yet play the role of the psychotic psychologist in Nolan’s third Batman movie. Yet whilst the rumour is currently to be taken with a hefty pinch of salt it should perhaps be noted that the source of the tweet is an altogether reliable one insofar as it correctly identified the presence of Bane in the film.

This is not the first time Williams has been linked with Gotham City having previously been mooted to star as the Joker in Tim Burton’s “Batman” (1989) and The Riddler in Joel Schumacher’s “Batman Forever” (1995) and let’s remember that he’s also previously worked with Chris Nolan on “Insomnia” in which he unleashed a decidely darker side of his persona upon audiences. And with roles in the likes of “Death To Smoochy”, “One Hour Photo” and the recently released “World’s Greatest Dad” proving there’s a great deal more to the hirsute comedian than insipid comedies and funny voices at the very least it’s a rumour that, as yet, hasn’t ignited the forums with fanboy furore (the less said about the “Eddie Murphy IS The Riddler” story of a few years back the better!)

And, lest we forget, Hugo Strange is DEFINITELY due to appear in Rocksteady’s “Batman: Arkham City” due to appear on PS3 and Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in the third quarter of 2011 as confirmed in the latest trailer.

So, will the third time be the charm for Robin Williams? It’s still uncertain at this point but one thing is for certain … between now and next year the Internet is going to be inundated with countless rumours, confirmations, photos, news stories and Bat-banter so be sure to stay tuned to the site for the latest updates.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is released July 20, 2012

For some readers, Bobcat Goldthwait will still be best known as the unhinged, squeaky-voiced criminal turned cadet Zed in the early Police Academy film, but he’s also a renowned stand-up comic, whose dark, confrontational style of comedy has translated into a career as a film director. His second feature, World’s Greatest Dad, is released on DVD on 31st January which I reviewed today.

We had the chance to catch up with him recently, where we asked about the potential difficulties faced when making a humorous, yet challenging, film.

—————-

You’ve had a long friendship with Robin Williams, but did he need any convincing to sign on? He’s done indie-type material before, but the film is still quite a departure from his regular work.

I didn’t assume I would be lucky enough to have Robin star in this movie. But he read it and asked me if he could play Lance. I was thrilled and honoured that he’d do it, and still can’t believe how lucky I was to not have to convince him at all!

I love the fact that Kyle is thoroughly unlikable. It’s a refreshing change from the normal depiction of teenage angst, where the character usually goes through some form of rehabilitation. Did you have any worries in terms of how off-putting he might be for an audience?

I really needed everyone to find Kyle disgusting, so once he’s not around you don’t miss him. Daryl Sabara did such a great job making him the most repellent teenager I have ever seen, and I think a lot of the credit goes to him for how unlikeable Kyle is. (And I’m happy to report that Daryl himself is a delight, and couldn’t be farther from Kyle’s character)

It’s obvious the film has quite a modest budget. How difficult was it to find the money to fund such a project?

We were really lucky – not only for getting the money, but for getting it from a company that were so supportive and helpful. We’re also all very good at penny pinching and stretching what we have, so it worked out.

Music is an integral part of the film. I love how Bruce Hornsby gets constantly name checked, and actually shows up at the end. Did you personally pick out the tracks used?

Bruce and I worked together to find music, and he would call me with new things he had composed throughout the filming. He was great, and a great sport. His wife and kids are extras in the final big crowd scene, and I was so happy he let us use so much of his music.

If the opportunity presented itself, would you be interested in making a more overtly mainstream film?

I’ve had some opportunities to direct mainstream comedies, but I haven’t had much interest in them. I like making my own movies, and I’m just hoping that at some point one will converge with the current mainstream ideals and make me a millionaire. But I’m not going to consciously try for that.

Do you currently have any plans in terms of what your next feature will be?

I’m about to film a spree killer road movie (like Badlands, or Bonnie and Clyde), that is both an indictment of the horrible coliseum that is modern American pop culture, and a love letter to my wife. When that’s done, I’m heading to England to make a musical with Ray Davies based on The Kinks album “Schoolboys in Disgrace”.

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Read our review of the film.

World’s Greatest Dad is also available to purchase through Amazon.

Robin Williams dips his toe into indie territory once again with this darkly comedic tale from stand-up comic and former Police Academy cadet, Bobcat Goldthwait.

Lance (Williams) is a mild-mannered high school teacher who dreams of becoming a popular and respected writer. In reality, his books keep getting rejected and the under-appreciated poetry class he teaches runs the risk of being cancelled. He also has to contend with his spoilt, obnoxious, porn-obsessed teenage son, Kyle, played by Spy Kids’ Daryl Sabara (all grown up and thoroughly shattering any once lovable memories of him from that popular children’s franchise). Lance’s fortunes change (in a sense), when tragedy strikes, forcing him to weave a series of lies and produce a fabricated teenage confessional diary. This inadvertently bring him more notice and acclaim than he’s ever received in his career of a writer and teacher.

Director Goldthwait (who also wrote the script) shares a similar outlook to that of Todd Solondz in providing the audience with a skewed perspective of family life and relationships. There’s also a slight touch of Alexander Payne too in the first half of the film – evident in both William’s mock earnest voice-over and his put upon character. You half expect to see Matthew Broderick from Election seated next to Lance in a staff room scene early on in the film, lamenting his fellow teacher’s lack of literary success. This is not to suggest that Goldthwait doesn’t possess his own distinctive voice however, and as the film progresses (and particularly during the last hour) his astute observations really come to the forefront.

To reveal the second half in any detail would be to completely ruin the unexpected turn the film takes. Suffice to say, Lance and his son don’t reach any closure and Goldthwait steers the film into even darker territory and brings more of an overtly satirical slant to proceeding. In the hands of a less assured filmmaker, this incongruous detour could have very easily lost an audience who had spent time investing in the story. Luckily, the director manages the tonal change well and takes the story into another intriguing direction.

Throughout his career, Williams has possessed a Jekyll and Hyde-like approach to the roles he’s chosen. Happily, his performance here falls within the more thoughtful, unshowy parts he’s demonstrated he is capable of playing in the past, given the right material. Considering the tone of the film and the opportunity to play it a little bigger, the actor resists and (for the most part) keeps it reined in. Sabara too is fantastic, playing the kind of kid which every parent across the land would dread if their own offspring was to grow up and resemble him. He has no redeeming qualities whatsoever and (thankfully) remains thoroughly unpleasant and repulsive throughout.

It’s worth mentioning that the marketing for World’s Greatest Dad during its limited UK cinema release was so far removed from the actual character of the film, that (especially where the trailer was concerned) it ended up looking like it was some kind of zany, feel-good comedy, reminiscent of William’s family-friendly work.

It’s perhaps understandable from a financial point of view why there was the need to sell and present the film in a more appealing and palatable way, but that approach often ends of doing the reverse and alienating a potential audience. It certainly feels like that was the case here. Hopefully it will find the audience it deserves on the small screen.

***½~ (3.5/5)

Despite glowing reviews and great word of mouth Bobcat Goldthwait’s film World’s Greatest Dad went unappreciated at the cinemas last year. Thank goodness then that DVD exists and can bring this gem to the audience it deserves.

We’ve been given an exclusive look at one of the deleted scenes on the DVD and it’s worth a watch if you enjoyed the film and want to see more and it’s a good taster for those of you yet to catch it.

Our interview with the director will be up on the site shortly and the DVD is out on the 31st of January and is really worth getting your hands on.

Here’s the clip,

If synopses are your thing then this read on…

Unpublished author Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) is a hapless single father who has let life pass him by and his dreams of being a rich and famous writer have dispersed into the reality of being a high school poetry teacher. Lance has surrendered to life and learnt to settle with second best.

His only son Kyle (Daryl Sabara) is an insufferable teenager who won’t give his father the time of day. Then, in the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy and the greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with everything he ever dreamed of, if he can only live with the knowledge of how he got there.

Here’s the trailer to get you further in the mood,

You can pre-order the DVD here, or set it up in your rental queue, and our review of the DVD will be up on the site shortly.

Special Features:

• The Deadly Syndrome “I Hope I Become A Ghost” Music Video
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Behind the Scenes Featurette

Having Terry Jones return to the big screen is always an excellent thing, and the good news that Phoenix Pictures are set on producing a script co-written by Jones and Gavin Scott is compounded by the notion that some of Jones’ Python alumni may be joining him. Oh, and Robin Williams is up for a role as a talking dog.

Deadline have the story that Phoenixites Mike Medavoy, David Thwaites, and Brad Fischer, who are Black Swanning around Toronto right now, announced the project, entitled Absolutely Anything, with the report quoting Medavoy,

Funny is money.

The prospect of having the Pythons working together is priceless indeed, although the reins were put on a little as it’s reported as Jones having simply ‘approached’ Messrs. Cleese, Palin, Idle and Gilliam to voice a band of aliens. With the description consisting of said aliens, ‘a goofy Brit, a talking dog and buckets of silliness’ it seems the comedy giants would be perfect.

Also aboard is Daily Show man John Oliver as the lead, presumably the goofy Brit, and though it’s been a good fourteen years since Jones stepped behind the camera for a feature length film, the assembled team should do him proud.

Did I mention Robin Williams as a talking dog? Sold.

It was a casting coup enjoyed by Steven Soderbergh and fans of Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen and now director George Miller and Warner Bros have reunited the dynamic duo of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon on the big screen in the 3D sequel to Happy Feet.

MovieLine dropped the news that Pitt and Damon are already into their voicing duties for the animated penguin fest alongside Robin Williams and Elijah Wood, both returning from the first film.

Their roles haven’t been disclosed, nor their involvement confirmed by the studio, but this news is whizzing around the internet like crazy, and – hey, the internet is never wrong, right?

So, does the idea of a Pitt/Damon combo make you want to see this one?

Night at the Museum 2 is exactly what a Hollywood sequel needs to be. Bigger, louder, filled with more famous faces and almost the same story as the first. It is on its way to eclipsing the success of the first and it hits Blu-ray and DVD next week.

Ben Stiller gathers his NATM cohort as they take their mix of slapstick and Scooby Doo to Washington D.C. where the Smithsonian archives are bought to life by the power of Ahkmenrah’s Tablet. Shawn Levy’s family friendly Night at the Museum grossed nearly $600m worldwide so a sequel was fairly inevitable and in these risk aversive climate the Battle of the Smithsonian needed only to rekindle the comedic chaos and broad dramatic strokes of the original to succeed.

It’s no surprise that the sequel does not stray from this path, and this is a blessing and a curse. On the surface the ‘Museum come to life’ device is as much fun as ever, with the Smithsonian archives an Aladdin’s Cave of historical artefacts and all the film needed to do was to bring back some of the favourite characters from the first film and introduce some new blood. While Levy and his cast revive the enjoyment of the initial outing it is in stretching the characters and story across a broader canvas that the film’s impact begins to thin.

Stiller returns as Larry Daley, who after becoming an incredibly successful businessman in the intervening years, finds his wealthy life devoid of the camaraderie and sheer fun that he enjoyed while as the night watchman at the Museum of Moving Exhibits. Kicking the plot along is the renovation of the Museum of National History which will result in many of Larry’s showpiece friends being sent into the vast Smithsonian storage archives. The magical tablet is also being moved and its power will bring to life the capital’s vast archives which includes a multitude of historical figures such as Al Capone, Ivan the Terrible and the main villain of the piece Kahmunrah who looks to use the power of the tablet to bring about the end of the world. So, as you can see – bigger in every way, but how does it play out?

Stiller is as capable as ever as the everyman in extraordinary circumstances and fans of British comedy are well served as Ricky Gervias’s tiny role serves to bookend the film, and for the first time I caught a glimpse of the subtlety Gervias (a man I have never found funny) is capable of. Steve Coogan returns as Octavius as is given slightly more scope to bring his talent to the role, there’s a touch of the Partridge about some of his moments and he brings most of the big laughs from the film. He and Owen Wilson play very well off of each other and if I was more cynical I’d predict a Direct to DVD spin off for the two.

New faces to the team as the sublime Hank Azaria, who plays the villain of the piece, Kahmunrah, and who provides the most hilarious moments of the film. His talent is so evident that he wades through the cliches and raises even the most basic of comedic situations. His performance is worth the price of the DVD in itself and he is ably supported by Amy Adams as the zesty aviatrix Amelia Earhart. Despite the ill conceived romance which blossoms between her and Larry she brings so much energy to the screen and the wise cracks kick the film into life. But that’s not enough to save it.

There is a confusing Jonah Hill cameo, a terribly underused Robin Williams and there are plot paths taken that are necessary only to elicit a particular emotion, as if a checklist was being worked through, and lead nowhere. It is less magical than the first film, and there is a real feeling that many of the ideas that should have been thrown out in the writer’s room where kept in as the special effects would look cool, or so the cameo count could rise. It’s a bloated beast that looks incredible, has its moments of brilliance but is a far less likeable film than the first, losing its charm beneath the CGI sheen.

There are some lovely touches. The tablet’s effect on the art gallery is great fun and Al Capone’s gangsters being rendered in black and white gives an idea of where the inventiveness of the film lies. If only the script held as much promise.

That said the Blu-ray is a thing of beauty and is an example of how a film like this would be bought into the home. The colours are crisp and the sound design incredibly involving, and the extras, which are listed below, make the most of the rich history contained in the film. With the interactive features, such as the Smartphone (think of a museum guide allowing you to find out more behind the exhibits on screen) and the Blu-ray specific Scavenger Hunt kids will have great fun with this disc. There are numerous behind the scenes featurettes and commentaries and if you enjoyed the first film you will certainly find a lot to appreciate here.

The triple pack Blu-ray, DVD and bonus digital copy comes out along with the standalone DVD on the 9th of November.

Special Features

BLU-RAY DISC ONLY
Interactive Scavenger Hunt
Digital copy
Twelve Deleted Scenes
Historical Confessions: Famous Last Words
Museum Magic: Entering the World of the Photograph
Cavemen Conversations: Survival of the Wittiest
Secret Doors and Scientists: Behind the Scenes of the Natural History Museum
Phinding Pharaoh
The Jonas Brothers in “Cherub Bootcamp”
Directing 201: A Day in the Life of Director/Producer Shawn Levy
Gangster Levy
Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making a Scene
Fox Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere

BLU-RAY DISC AND DVD
Smartphone Interactivity
The Curators of Comedy: Behind the Scenes of NATM2
Gag Reel
Commentary by Director Shawn Levy
Commentary by Writers Robert Ben Grant and Thomas Lennon