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The mega-budget sports drama F1 has overtaken a bunch of blockbusters already, in only 10 days of release. But, among the most recent hits that the film passed at the global box office is one that has largely been forgotten, despite having made nearly $300 million worldwide. Released in 2010, the movie G-Force was co-produced by none other than Jerry Bruckheimer, who, funnily enough, also produced F1. G-Force followed a team of (literal) guinea pigs who are enlisted as spies by the government. The movie was produced on a reported budget of $150 million, and featured more than one Academy Award winner in its cast.

G-Forcegrossed $292 million at the global box office; F1, on the other hand, has made $293 million. Directed by the debutante Hoyt H. Yeatman Jr., G-Force featured stars such as Bill Nighy, Zach Galifianakis and Will Arnett in the live-action roles, and Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Penélope Cruz, Jon Favreau...

Devil worshippers are running amuck in Greece, haven’t you heard? This Greek-English horror show stars Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasance, so it can claim a built-in fan interest factor whether it’s good or bad. It’s fun to check out just to see what these stars got themselves into for a paycheck, back when Hammer was calling it quits and quality roles for U.K. pros were few and far between. Even Michael Powell’s name gets dropped in connection to this ‘shocker,’ which we saw here in the states under the title Land of the Minotaur. The pagan Minotaur god is no Bullwinkle J. Moose: he demands that all trespassers in his pagan temple die, and possessed kids are doing the killing.

The Devil’s Men

All-region Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

1976 / Color / 1:85 1:66 widescreen / 94 + 86 min. / Land of the Minotaur / Street Date February 21, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99

Starring: Donald Pleasence,...

Long Awol from Home Video — the last time I peeked it was an unwatchable pan-and-scanned laserdisc — this early Charles Band opus came at a time when the purveyor of third-class horror thrills could command a budget. A rather phenomenal list of ’70s special effects hopefuls collaborated to give the show lasting appeal, mainly by including some stop motion monsters from a parallel dimension. An average American family spends a chaotic night battling bizarre phemoneema… phelomea… stuff that’s leaked into our reality through that nuisance Sci-fi catch-all, a Time-Space Warp. A pair of big name stars twenty years past their sell-by date endure all manner of rubber critters, zipping flying saucers and green-glowing supernatural artifacts!

The Day Time Ended

Blu-ray

Full Moon Features

1979 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 79 min. / Street Date May ?, 2019 / Available online through Amazon / 24.95

Starring: Jim Davis, Chris Mitchum, Dorothy Malone, Marcy Lafferty, Natasha Ryan, Scott C. Kolden.

Cinematography: John...

After 35 years Philip K. Dick’s brainstorm returns in a film sequel worthy of the original; Denis Villeneuve does right by the concept, but the show will be tough sledding for Add-plagued modern viewers. Ryan Gosling follows in Harrison Ford’s replicant footsteps, surrounded by an impressive group of supporting actors. It’s long, it’s moody, it’s not for babies — but it is rewarding.

Blade Runner 2049

Blu-ray

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

2017 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 164 min. / available through the WBshop / Street Date January 16, 2018 / 35.99

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Carla Juri, Jared Leto, David Dastmalchian, Sylvia Hoeks, Mackenzie Davis, Sean Young, Hiam Abbass, Edward James Olmos, Dave Bautista.

Cinematography: Roger A. Deakins

Film Editor: Joe Walker

Original Music: Benjamin Wallfisch, Hans Zimmer

Written by Michael Green, Hampton Fancher, from his story, based on characters from Philip K. Dick

Produced by Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, Bud Yorkin...

We should go ahead and rename December 12th “Arrow Video Day,” because the fine fiends over there have a ton of titles coming out this Tuesday, including Special Edition sets for The Premonition and Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood, and they’ve also put together standalone special edition Blu-rays for both House and House II: The Second Story. Severin Films is resurrecting Asylum this Tuesday, and fans can finally get their hands on the latest season of Game of Thrones, as well as a box set featuring every episode from all seven seasons.

Other notable releases for December 12th include K-Shop, Once Upon A Time at Christmas, Brackenmore, The Snake Woman, Beware the Lake, and Hollow Creek.

Game of Thrones: The Complete Seventh Season (HBO, Blu-ray & DVD)

Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. It will stretch from the south,...

‘Close Encounters’ awareness is up this week, what with a national mini-release of the 1977 Steven Spielberg hit, so I reached into the bottomless Savant archives for something to show-and-tell. This might be educational for fans of old-school visual effects, in this case, the miniature-making genius of Gregory Jein.

The miniature shop at the Marina Del Rey effects facility for Close Encounters of the Third Kind was full of surprises. Miniature specialist propmaker Gregory Jein had help at times from several modelmakers, mainly Ken Swenson and Michael McMillen. But a great many of the tabletop miniatures for the flying saucer epic were built primarily by Greg alone. He carved the Devil’s Tower mountain and constructed several other landscapes on plywood tables about ten feet in length.

The most complex miniature was not a full model, but a ‘reflections’ model of an auto toll booth, in which Director of Photography of...

John Wayne plays a German sea captain in a film that goes out of its way to create a favorable image of our former enemy, with hardly a Nazi flag or even a German accent in sight. Wayne and his co-star Lana Turner are as Teutonic as Blondie and Dagwood, yet the film works as a basic adventure – we like the charismatic star, and the sea chase format guarantees extra interest.

The Sea Chase

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 117 min. / Street Date July 11, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar, Lyle Bettger, Tab Hunter, James Arness, Richard Davalos, John Qualen, Paul Fix, Alan Hale Jr., Peter Whitney, Claude Akins, John Doucette, Tudor Owen, Adam Williams.

Cinematography: William Clothier

Film Editors: William Ziegler, Owen Marks

Original Music: Roy Webb

Written by James Warner Bellah, John Twist from a novel by Andrew Geer

Produced and Directed...

I hope you guys are ready, because April 11th looks to be an incredible day of home entertainment releases for genre fans, especially if you’ve been patiently waiting for the stunning new Phantasm Blu-ray set from Well Go USA, which features every film from the franchise together in one nifty package. Arrow Video has also assembled the first two House movies for a limited edition Blu-ray set that arrives this week, and Severin Films has resurrected the cult classic Cathy’s Curse in HD for the first time ever.

Severin Films is also keeping busy with a pair of other releases—Dark Water and The Other Hell—and Scream Factory is giving both The Vampire and Demented the Blu-ray treatment as well.

Other notable horror and sci-fi home entertainment offerings for April 11th include The Bye Bye Man (Unrated), The Violent Shit Collection, Chupacabra Territory, Naciye, Takashi Miike’s Dead or Alive trilogy,...

Arrow Video isn't playing any April Fools' Day joke on horror and thriller fans with their Blu-ray releases for next month, which include the respective House: Two Stories (previously scheduled for a March 21st release) and Donnie Darko box sets, Wolf Guy, Caltiki the Immortal Monster, and more.

Press Release: Mvd Entertainment Group furthers the distribution of Arrow Video in the Us with several titles for April 2017. On April 18th comes The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave (Blu-ray and DVD) and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (Blu-ray and DVD), two giallo chillers from director Emilio P. Miraglia which were previously only available in the limited edition box set entitled Killer Dames. Miraglian blends the grisly whodunnit of the giallo with gothic and supernatural elements to create some truly unique chills in tales of revenge from beyond the grave and killer curses.

One of Emilio P. Miraglia's supernatural,...

Step inside, we’ve been expecting you! At long-last, Arrow Video is proud to present the first two installments of hit horror franchise House on Blu-ray for the first time! In the original House, William Katt (Carrie) stars as Roger Cobb, a horror novelist struggling to pen his next bestseller. When he inherits his aunt’s creaky old mansion, Roger decides that he’s found the ideal place in which to get some writing done. Unfortunately, the house’s monstrous supernatural residents have other ideas… Meanwhile, House II: The Second Story sees young Jesse (Arye Gross) moving into an old family mansion where his parents were mysteriously murdered years before. Plans for turning the place into a party pad are soon thwarted by the appearance of Jesse’s mummified great-great-grandfather, his mystical crystal skull and the zombie cowboy who’ll stop at nothing to lay his hands on it! From...

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3D was supposed to be the next big thing for cinema. It accounts for just 20% of ticket sales. What went wrong?

In early 2010, James Cameron's Avatar became the USA's 24th most successful cinema release of all time, and it still holds that position today.

I'm measuring that success by the actual number of tickets sold, but perhaps you prefer the way the Hollywood hype machine processes these things. Their version of how this works, in which records can be broken over and over again for a continual stream of back-slaps and headlines, makes Avatar into The Biggest Film of All Time. Don't adjust for inflation but just sum up the numbers on the tickets, and it's true, Avatar is certainly the highest grossing film to ever see the inside of a cinema.

Either way, whether it's top of the pops or holding on strong at number...

A mad extortionist is blowing up rollercoaster rides. Put-upon George Segal must stop him because we all know that the time, the tide and roller coasters wait for no man. Producer Jennings Lang's by-the-numbers suspense thriller is light on suspense and thrills, but the cast is good and the screenplay at least partly intelligent. And hey -- it's got a teenage Helen Hunt! Rollercoaster Blu-ray Shout! Factory 1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 119 min. / Street Date June 21, 2016 / 19.99 Starring George Segal, Timothy Bottoms, Henry Fonda, Helen Hunt, Harry Guardino, Susan Strasberg, Craig Wasson, Robert Quarry, Quinn Redeker, Dick Wesson, Gary Franklin, Steve Guttenberg. Cinematography David M. Walsh Original Music Lalo Schifrin Written by Richard Levinson, William Link, Tommy Cook Produced by Jennings Lang Directed by James Goldstone

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Jaws inspired plenty of rip-off movies about sharks, bears, killer whales and monster octopi threatening beaches. Since it wasn't safe to go back to the water,...

Don't Wait!  Put on the mask, Now!   The legendary 1961 spook-show classic has been restored and adapted to a better 3-D system than used for its original release.  A psychiatrist possessed by a Mayan ritual mask is compelled to enter a fantastic hell zone each time he wears the scary thing.  Kino packs the deluxe disc with extras, including a 2014 3-D short subject with its own "Let's go to Hell" story concept. We see Hell, all right. But where are the trailers from it? The Mask 3-D Blu-ray Kino Classics 1961 / B&W /1:66 flat Academy / 83 min. / Street Date November 24, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Paul Stevens, Claudette Nevins, Bill Walker, Anne Collings, Martin Lavut, Leo Leyden, Norman Ettlinger. Cinematography Herbert S. Alpert Film Editor Stephen Timar Original Music Myron Schaeffer, Louis Applebaum Written by Frank Taubes, Sandy Haver, Franklin Delessert Produced by Julian Roffman, Nat Taylor Directed by Julian Roffman

Reviewed...

Will Jack slay this weekend's box office, or does it belong to a certain sequel's love-starved demon? While we wait for the results, check out our Jack the Giant Slayer review and watch a new featurette for the flick along with some up-to-the-minute TV spots.

Read our Jack the Giant Slayer review here.

Jack the Giant Slayer is in Us theatres Now and arrives in the UK on March 22nd. Concurrent with the film's debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience was also released in IMAX theaters.

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them.

Okay, this day has been madness. Color us officially exhausted. Wait! What? There's more? Oh, all right! Ahem... Time for some video soundbites from this weekend's other genre offering, Jack the Giant Slayer. Check them out!

Jack the Giant Slayer hits Us theatres on March 1st and arrives in the UK three weeks later on March 22nd. Concurrent with its debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience will be released in IMAX theaters.

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess,...

Ready for another look behind the curtain of Jack the Giant Slayer? Then dig on these three videos which take you directly behind the scenes of this monster sized theatrical epic. Tell us if you'll be climbing this theatrical beanstalk this weekend in our comments section.

Jack the Giant Slayer hits Us theatres on March 1st and arrives in the UK three weeks later on March 22nd. Concurrent with its debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience will be released in IMAX theaters.

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them.

A sixth TV spot has landed for Jack the Giant Slayer that is filled with terror of gigantic proportions. Will you take the climb up the beanstalk to see this remixed fairy tale when it arrives on March 1st? Let us know!

Jack the Giant Slayer hits Us theatres on March 1st and arrives in the UK three weeks later on March 22nd. Concurrent with its debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience will be released in IMAX theaters.

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom,...

Curious about what went into the making of Jack the Giant Slayer? Then you'll want to check out this new featurette that's home to interviews with the cast and crew along with a few peeks behind the scenes.

Jack the Giant Slayer hits Us theatres on March 1st and arrives in the UK three weeks later on March 22nd. Concurrent with its debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience will be released in IMAX theaters.

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and...

A fifth TV spot has landed for Jack the Giant Slayer that is full of running and jumping and flying through the air. Will you be catching the film when it arrives on March 1st?

Jack the Giant Slayer hits Us theatres on March 1st and arrives in the UK three weeks later on March 22nd. Concurrent with its debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience will be released in IMAX theaters.

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess,...

The other day we showed you several of the giants Jack will soon be slaying, and now today we have two dozen images from Jack the Giant Slayer that focus on the humans. Check 'em out, and look for Bryan Singer's 3D action adventure on March 1st everywhere.

Jack the Giant Slayer hits Us theatres on March 1st and arrives in the UK three weeks later on March 22nd. Concurrent with its debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience will be released in IMAX theaters.

Related Story: Jack the Giant Slayer Image Gallery #1: Meet the Monsters

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost,...

There's one reason and one reason only why we're covering Jack the Giant Slayer: It has monsters. Giant monsters in fact (obviously), and we have here Image Gallery #1 for the film, which is overflowing with giant monstery goodness. Flip through it, and then look for Gallery #2, which is home to the humans, soon.

Jack the Giant Slayer hits Us theatres on March 1st and arrives in the UK three weeks later on March 22nd. Concurrent with its debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience will be released in IMAX theaters.

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult...

Another TV spot has arrived for Jack the Giant Slayer along with a Valentine's Day greeting from the film's star, Nicholas Hoult, an expanded synopsis, and a new one-sheet we haven't seen yet that looks a lot like the UK quad.

Jack the Giant Slayer hits Us theatres on March 1st and arrives in the UK three weeks later on March 22nd. Concurrent with its debut in 35mm and digital theaters, Jack the Giant Slayer: An IMAX 3D Experience will be released in IMAX theaters.

Synopsis:

An age-old war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants.

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the long-banished giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom,...

As with any year in Hollywood, there were a lot more bad movies than there were good. If there was one particularly unusual trend in seriously awful movies this year, however, it was not only in how well they did at the box office, but level of cultural impact several of these movies had in 2009. It's one thing to be an awful movie that falls on its ass at the box office and vanishes from our collective consciousnesses -- see My Life in Ruins, Battle for Tera, The Collector, Whiteout, New in Town, Dance Flick, or The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard -- but the Golden Pajibas are more interested in heinous cinematic butt nuggets (or anal bon mots) that not only made an impact at the box office, but commanded a lot of attention. These are bad movies that blew up in our faces and took big bloody hunks...

Released theatrically in 3-D this past July, Disney's G-force was met with lukewarm critical reviews despite positive audience reaction and a box office take of over $119M (falling short of it's estimated $150M budget). There's not a lot you can say about a film in which CGI Guinea Pigs fight the forces of evil alongside live-action human counterparts to sell it upon an adult audience without realizing that adults aren't the audience. It's a film distinctly aimed at kids.

Released for the home market earlier this month just in-time for the Holiday (or post-Holiday gift card spending) rush, G-force (read our original review of the theatrical release here) is a showcase of technological skill by the animation team and director Hoyt H. Yeatman Jr., a former FX guy himself that honed his skills on other Live-action/CGI fare such as Underdog and Kangaroo Jack (in addition to some classics like...

Chicago – Here’s one of the year’s lamest excuses for children’s entertainment. Like “Shorts” and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” it assumes that young minds crave little more than frantic and shrill zaniness. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer views kids in the same way he views adults: as human guinea pigs in need of being dumbed down.

Like his equally abysmal “Kangaroo Jack,” “G-Force” is an adult action comedy that just happens to feature animated characters. In its theatrical format, the film pushed the boundaries of 3D effects, culminating in an experience as headache-inducing and empty headed as James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Its 2D presentation on Blu-ray is vastly preferable, though the film still amounts to little more than a cynical exercise in special effects technology, complete with awful dialogue, uninspired animation and a script assembled out of the most audience-insulting cliches.

Blu-Ray Rating: 1.5/5.0

First-time feature director Hoyt Yeatman...

Whatever can be said of Jerry Bruckheimer, and at this point the white hot hate for his style of Bruckheimer/Simpson movies has to have subsided some (he’s no longer making Top Gun-Style borderline propaganda now that Michael Bay’s moved on), there is no doubt of one thing: dude has an eye for talent. Look at G-Force, and the cast: Tracy Morgan, Zach Galifianakis, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Nicholas Cage, Will Arnett, Penelope Cruz, and Bill Nighy. That’s a cast you’d want in most anything. My review of G-Force after the jump.

Morgan, Rockwell, and Cruz play the lead guinea pigs, who through some training by Galifianakis are an elite squadron of spies. They infiltrate (with the help of their mole, voiced by Cage) Leonard Saber’s (Nighy) home and are on the lookout for some fiendish terrorist plot, but can’t find it, which...

G-Force - "Imagine experiencing, at warp speed and for 90 minutes, the reality of the infamous Richard Gere gerbil joke. Next, add a bunch of "clever" allusions to authentic films of varying quality: Die Hard, Mission: Impossible, Scarface, Apocalypse Now, Indiana Jones, and Transformers. Then, throw on a superficial layer of cutesy references to such bastions of pop culture as the Pussycat Dolls and "Pimp My Ride" before accessorizing with a throbbing Black Eyed Peas musical accompaniment. It is through this unholy mating of Walt Disney Studios with producer Jerry Bruckheimer that G-Force was spawned. If Bruckheimer's presence ain't enough to convince you that this movie is awash with meaningless action, then consider the fact that the director, Hoyt Yeatman, is not only a veteran Hollywood effects pro but also, quite tellingly, was the visual effects supervisor for Armageddon and The Rock, both of which were directed by Michael "Boom!" Bay.

Blu-Ray Review

G-Force

Directed by: Hoyt Yeatman

Cast: Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz, Tracy Morgan, Nicolas Cage, Jon Favreau, Bill Nighy, Zach Galifianakis

Running Time: 1 hr 25 mins

Rating: PG

Due Out: December 15, 2009

Plot: Four guinea pigs and a mole (collectively known as G-Force) work together to stop a Skynet-like networking orchestrated by a billionaire named Leonard Saber (Bill Nighy).

Who’S It For?: Easily amused children and their generous parents who can be impressed by computer graphic imagery. Fans of Zach Galifianakis will just be sad.

Movie:

The writing is more concerned with concocting dated one-liners than it is in crafting clever action sequences (which yes, is possible even when guinea pigs are the main characters). The moments that might keep viewers interested are the ones that display a severe dedication and scope to a movie about guinea pigs as superspies – because the animation is so damn elaborate, not because...

You know it's a competitive summer when not even Harry Potter is wizard enough to repeat as boxoffice champ.

Disney's "G-Force," a 3D mix of family-oriented live action and CGI, debuted at No. 1 during the weekend with an estimated $32.2 million in domestic boxoffice, exceeding even the most bullish projections for the heavily marketed Jerry Bruckheimer-produced pic. Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" finished second after dropping a big 61% from its first Friday-Sunday tally, though $30 million from its sophomore session conjured a magical 12-day cume of $221.8 million.

Sony's romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, opened solidly in third with $27 million, and Warners' R-rated horror pic "Orphan" bowed softly in fourth with $12.8 million. Fox's leggy 3D animated feature "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" finished fifth, with $8.2 million from its fourth frame yielding a cume of $171.3 million.

The $138 million produced by the weekend's...

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office. Walt Disney Pictures' G-Force , producer Jerry Bruckheimer's first 3-D film, debuted in the top spot at the domestic box office with an estimated $32.2 million from 3,697 theaters. The comedy adventure, about highly trained guinea pigs, was directed by visual effects guru Hoyt Yeatman and stars Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Penelope Cruz, Steve Buscemi, Tracy Morgan and Kelli Garner. It averaged $8,697 per theater for the three days. Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter and the...

What can you say about talking guinea pigs that hasn’t been said before? Especially by the talking guinea pigs themselves.

As you no doubt know from the massive hype and ubiquitous TV ads, G-Force is a sort of Mission: Impossible team comprised of three guinea pigs, one housefly, one star-nosed mole. A force for good (naturally), they’ve all trained in the use of intricate if miniaturized weaponry and they can talk to their human handler Dr. Ben Kendall and his veterinarian/girl friend (thanks to his scientific genius). Kendall dispatches them on a secret mission, but the results don’t pan out, leading to the experimental project’s high-handed shutdown by the FBI and the critters’ dispersal to a local pet shop. In the classic way some folks will either attribute to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’S Journey or The Blues Brothers (“We’re putting the band...

G-Force

Directed by: Hoyt Yeatman

Cast: Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz, Tracy Morgan, Nicolas Cage, Jon Favreau, Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett, Bill Nighy

Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Rating: PG

Release Date: July 24, 2009

Plot: Four guinea pigs and a mole (collectively known as G-Force) work together to stop a Skynet-like networking orchestrated by a billionaire named Saber (Bill Nighy).

Who’s It For? Adults, this isn’t as painful as it may look. Kids – you’ll enjoy it. But both of you, please don’t use this film’s release as a reason to increase the number of guinea pig owners.

Expectations: This was going to be a movie with talking guinea pigs, not a fourth Mission Impossible movie.

Scorecard (0-10)

Actors:

Various Talent as G-Force: The various animals are all given human characteristics (like hugging and even Facebook), with Rockwell being the most unusual fit for voicing a guinea pig.

G-force Studio: Disney Rated: PG for some mild action and rude humor. Starring: Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell Directed by: Hoyt Yeatman Jr. What it’s about: Secret agent guinea pigs. In 3D. What else do you need to know? What I liked: I’m going to catch holy hell for becoming a cheerleader for this movie because it is pretty much getting crushed by reviewers and fanboys alike. However, like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it has a very specific audience, and it delivers perfectly to that audience (very few of which include reviewers and fanboys). If you saw Bolt and enjoyed that first ten minutes, you will pee yourself with this movie because it’s 90 minutes of that stuff. I saw it with my two kids and they freaking loved it. With Jerry Bruckheimer behind the film as a producer, we get a high-octane action film for anyone’s...

We live in a marvelous age, one where technological advancements have made it relatively easy to produce a film in which computer-generated guinea pigs interact seamlessly with flesh-and-blood humans. What's extraordinary is that a film can have all that and still be boring. Eighty years ago, people were delighted just to see movies talk. In 2009, you can watch animated rodents save the world and still think, "Meh. What else you got?"

G-Force is the subject, a harmless and good-natured family flick that unfortunately relies so much on its central conceit -- small animals have been trained as government spies!! -- that it forgets to do anything else. Take the animals out of the equation and you're left with an exceedingly generic secret-agent adventure -- which may be no surprise, given that the screenplay is by the husband-and-wife team of Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, who also wrote the National Treasure movies,...

A team of guinea pigs, trained for combat, dressed in military uniform, battling appliances that come to life, while also trying to outsmart the evil humans who are looking to destroy their team, sounds like an idea straight from the brain of a five year old. Truth is, the ideas that lie behind the brilliant new film G-Force stemmed from one weekend with a child of that age! Director Hoyt Yeatman and his family were greeted by his son's kindergarten classroom guinea pig for one weekend six years ago and that was how G-Force was born. Hoyt's son concocted an idea while pet-sitting the classroom guinea pig that these furry friends would be the next superheroes of the world, an elite task force trained to be fearless and powerful. Upon sharing his ideas with his famed visual-effects specialist father, the idea of G-Force was created. The exceedingly proud director spoke...

They’re cute.  They’re cuddly.  They’re a special force of secret agents funded by the government.  But, most importantly, they’re boring.  Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, ‘G-Force’ certainly has a lot going on in it.  Presented in RealD 3D, the visuals bombard you left and right.  Unfortunately, much like a hamster/guinea pig/gerbil/pick your rodent on a wheel, the film goes absolutely nowhere fast.The film hits the ground running, so much so, in fact, that you might feel like you’ve stepped into the middle of a film already in progress.  We rotate around a table where Zach Galifianakis (who, I hope earned a swell paycheck) is talking Darwin (voiced by Sam Rockwell), the leader of the G-Force.  The team is a specially trained group of animals (three guinea pigs, one mole, and one fly) who infiltrate the deepest, most heavily guarded fortifications the enemies can think up.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer brings his first 3-D film to the big screen with G-Force, a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin (Sam Rockwell), the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster (Tracy Morgan), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez (Penélope Cruz), a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert Mooch, and a star-nosed mole Speckles (Nicolas Cage), the computer and information specialist. Walt Disney Pictures

(Read my written review right here and my interviews with the cast and crew right here)

And now, here's my "G-Force" movie review:

Production Info:...

Expect Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" to be crowned king of the domestic boxoffice again this weekend.

With $200 million in its cauldron at the start of just its second weekend, "Prince" could fall 60% from its first-frame tally and still produce a $31 million soph session. So though three films opening in wide release Friday are expected to do solid business, none is likely to compete for the weekend title.

Sony's romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," helmed by Robert Luketic ("21") and starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, might be the strongest of the new pics, with prerelease tracking surveys showing prospects for an opening north of $20 million.

Produced for less than $40 million, "Truth" carries an R rating but is likely to draw best among older females, who execs hope will rope in a few guys for a date-night outing. Sony offered 160 sneak previews of "Truth" last weekend and attracted 90% capacity audiences.

Here you go! Peep into the "G-Force" fun! Take a look at my one-on-one interviews with the cast and crew. (for the "G-Force" movie review, click here)

This fun live-action/animated/3-D hybrid opens tomorrow, July 24th!

Nicolas Cage "G-force" Interview

Nicolas Cage creates a weird but effective voice as Speckles, the mole.

We talked about the film, his involvement, and why he love Palm Springs, my hometown :)

Blaster "G-force" Interview

Blaster, voiced by 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan, steals the show. He's a guinea pig who's a member of the G-Force team. He's a weapons expert! I wonder if he wears Vibram FiveFingers shoes :happy

Jerry Bruckheimer "G-force" Interview

"G-Force" is the first live-action, animated, 3-D film that uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has worked on.

We talked about his involvement with the project, why he chose to make 3-D after shooting the film in 2-D, and what does he want kids to get from the movie.

As expected, Harry Potter cast an effective spell over moviegoers taking the top spot at the box office and out grossing the series' last installment. Here's the top five:

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $77.8 million ($158 million for Wednesday through Sunday)

2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: $17.6 million

3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: $13.7 million

4. Bruno: $8.3 million

5. The Proposal: $8.3 million

This is the first time since the beginning of June that we've had three major releases in a single weekend.

G-Force

What's It All About: Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Oscar-winning effects artist Hoyt Yeatman, G-Force is a 3-D family comedy about talking guinea pigs working in the field of high tech espionage.

Why It Might Do Well: No doubt this was greenlit after Alvin and the Chipmunks started raking in the dough. If CGI chipmunks can pull in $360 million worldwide then why not guinea pigs? The impressive voice cast,...

Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer deliver the best RealD 3D film yet. I was totally unprepared for the scale and epic action scenes in G-Force. The visual and sound effects are first rate. The trailers do not do the actual film justice. Where other summer films don't want you to focus on details, G-Force flaunts it. Kudos to director Hoyt Yeatman and his crew for making such a technically superb film. I recommend it for the effects, but the story is good and will appeal to all ages.

We were the first to see the finished film. The cast and crew were very proud of it. I've never seen Nicolas Cage as relaxed in a junket as he was here. He's normally very serious in press events, but was clearly happy with the finished product. Check out below for our interviews!

G-Force hits theaters everywhere July 24th.

We know it.s just a matter of time before Hollywood makes a film featuring talking guinea pigs. In .G-Force,. not only do these furry creatures have the gift of gab, they can also kick major booty.

Uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the guy who gave us the .Pirates of the Caribbean. and .National Treasure. franchises, released his first live-action/animated/3-D hybrid. The result is an entertaining picture for kids that grown-ups will enjoy because of the 3-D technology.

Originally intended to be released in 2-D, Bruckheimer and company decided to create a 3-D version of .G-Force. using Disney Digital 3-D. Every shot is painstakingly transformed into the glorious three-dimensional look.

.G-Force. is the directing debut of Hoyt Yeatman. He previously won an Oscar for the visual effects work he did for .The Abyss.. I suspect that Yeatman was hired for his visual...

Sunday, July 19, has become one special day for "G-Force" as Walt Disney Pictures held a world premiere event for the forthcoming comedy adventure. Making use of the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California, the mouse house rolled out red carpet in front of the theater to greet incoming celebrities.

While Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz and Will Arnett were not spotted coming for the special screening, some other cast members were present. They included Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Nighy, Niecy Nash and Kelli Garner. Joining them at the red carpet were two of the filmmakers, director Hoyt Yeatman and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

The premiere also saw the red carpet appearance of rapper Flo Rida, "The Suite Life on Deck" star Brenda Song, "Kick-Ass" actress Chloe Moretz, "The Unusuals" actor Jeremy Renner and British singer Steve Rushton. Other guests attending included Leslie Bibb, Eva La Rue, Gena Lee Nolin and Ming-Na.

Enjoy a hefty buffet of 21 video clips from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures' "G-Force," starring Nicolas Cage, Will Arnett, Penélope Cruz, Sam Rockwell, Bill Nighy, Steve Buscemi, Jon Favreau, Zach Galifianakis, Kelli Garner, Tracy Morgan, Niecy Nash and Mini Anden. The Wibberleys (Marianne Wibberley , Cormac Wibberley) write alongside Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Tim Firth from the story by director Hoyt Yeatman. See interviews with Nicolas Cage, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Favreau, Bill Nighy, Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Arnett, Tyler Patrick Jones, Tracy Morgan and many others...

See images aplenty in from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures' "G-Force," featuring the voice talents of Nicolas Cage, Will Arnett, Penélope Cruz, Sam Rockwell, Bill Nighy, Steve Buscemi, Jon Favreau, Zach Galifianakis, Kelli Garner, Tracy Morgan, Niecy Nash and Mini Anden. The film opens on July 24th and is written by The Wibberleys (Marianne Wibberley , Cormac Wibberley), Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Tim Firth from the story by helmer Hoyt Yeatman. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer brings his first 3D film to the big screen with G-Force, a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech...

We take in a press conference with director Hoyt Yeatman, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and others about this new 3-D film

When most moviegoers think of the name Jerry Bruckheimer, visions of pirates, long-lost treasures and big-budget action come to mind... but how about... guinea pigs... in 3-D? That's right, the mega-producer Bruckheimer is one of the driving forces behind the new live-action/animation 3-D hybrid film, G-Force, which will hit theaters on July 24 in Disney Digital 3-D. After all of the countless blockbusters to his name, this new film is Bruckheimer's first foray into 3-D and, as Bruckheimer mentioned in his opening remarks of a press conference on the Sony lot last month, the film itself had quite an unusual beginning.

"(Director) Hoyt (Yeatman) came to me about three years ago and told me this story about his six-year-old son that came home with a guinea pig," Bruckheimer said. "He said,...

Walt Disney Pictures have released a brand new featurette for their upcoming 3-D comedy adventure "G-Force" through Yahoo! Movies. A little more than one minute long, the behind-the-scenes video highlights on the 3-D action and contains interview commentary from producer Jerry Bruckheimer as well as footage from the Hoyt Yeatman-directed movie.

Most of the footage, which focus on one of the four-legged agents named Darwin, are similar to the ones seen in the trailer, but they still provide some fresh take at the movie. Meanwhile, Bruckheimer starts his commentary explaining what is the core story of the movie and then promises that the filmmakers are going to do things that audiences have never seen before.

"G-Force" tells a story that centers on a group of ultra-intelligent animal commandos who work for a government agency trying to prevent an evil billionaire from taking over the world. It features the voices of Nicolas Cage,...

A 5-year-old boy came home one day with a whimsical idea: "Wouldn't it be cool if guinea pigs could have super intelligence and be special agents?" he asked his dad. That was four years ago, visual effects master Hoyt Yeatman said in a special Disney presentation on Wednesday. Yeatman pitched his son’s idea to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and after rounding up a team of about 500 artists and various A-list actors, the boy’s notion became the upcoming guinea pig movie G-Force, soon to open July 24. During the exclusive sneak peek at the character animation and 3-D technology used in G-Force, Yeatman deemed the film the first true hybrid of live action and animation. Most of us have seen films like Bedtime Stories, where bits and pieces are animated...and saw how...

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A 5-year-old boy came home one day with a whimsical idea: "Wouldn't it be cool if guinea pigs could have super intelligence and be special agents?" he asked his dad. That was four years ago, visual effects master Hoyt Yeatman said in a special Disney presentation on Wednesday. Yeatman pitched his son’s idea to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and after rounding up a team of about 500 artists and various A-list actors, the boy’s notion became the upcoming guinea pig movie G-Force, soon to open July 24. During the exclusive sneak peek at the character animation and 3-D technology used in G-Force, Yeatman deemed the film the first true hybrid of live action and animation. Most of us have seen films like Bedtime Stories, where bits and pieces are animated...and saw how...

Read More

Read Comments...

A 5-year-old boy came home one day with a whimsical idea: "Wouldn't it be cool if guinea pigs could have super intelligence and be special agents?" he asked his dad. That was four years ago, visual effects master Hoyt Yeatman said in a special Disney presentation on Wednesday. Yeatman pitched his son’s idea to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and after rounding up a team of about 500 artists and various A-list actors, the boy’s notion became the upcoming guinea pig movie G-Force, soon to open July 24. During the exclusive sneak peek at the character animation and 3-D technology used in G-Force, Yeatman deemed the film the first true hybrid of live action and animation. Most of us have seen films like Bedtime Stories, where bits and pieces are animated...and saw how...

Read More

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