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Movie Review (Chappie)

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9 years ago

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RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2015
STUDIO: Columbia Pictures (Sony)
DIRECTOR: Neill Blomkamp
MPAA RATING: R (for violence, language and brief nudity)
STARRING: Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser
GENRE: Action, Adventure

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Chappie, on it’s surface looks like a movie about a self aware robot with lots of action in it. That is not true in the least. What you get is a movie about some crazy concepts. The film questions what happens when you make a sentient being of a robot who has to learn like a baby (at an extremely accelerated speed mind you). You go through the film as Chappie has to figure out who he is and what his place is in the world like every person born has to. Except from day one he is exposed to the best and worst of humanity. What would that do to you or me if we came in to the world that way ? It also deals with how far technological science should be pushed. It makes for a film that asks good questions in some of the wrong ways.

Sharlto Copley plays the title character of Chappie. He and a team of animators bring Chappie to life in an incredibly real and awe inspiring way. Copley plays the robotic police scout with a depth and innocence that draws you in and makes you care about him from the start of his consciousness. He makes you laugh and (I’m man enough to admit) cry. His overall performance should get him some sort of recognition. Dev Patel plays Deon whom created Chappie and his kin. He is kind but determined to prove that artificial intelligence that are conscious of themselves is a good idea. He plays the part decently but it just seems too cliche. Yo-Landi and Ninja (of South African rap group Die Antwoord fame) pretty much play future versions of themselves. Granted, without money or fame and some extensive criminal activity under their belts. They act as surrogate parents for Chappie and represent almost the best and worst in humanity. With Yo-Landi being the loving mother teaching and nurturing Chappie. On the other hand, Ninja is the bad influence that seems intent on showing Chappie how bad the world can be and use Chappie for his own self serving purposes. The parenting scenes offer some of the best parts of the movie but are sometimes a little too silly to an eye rolling effect. Hugh Jackman plays a jealous engineer being out shined by Deon. The part is fairly shallow and isn’t much for the talented Mr. Jackman to sink his teeth in to. Also Sigourney Weaver is a straight forward business woman with little to do in this film.

Neill Blomkamp seems to think the near future is bleak for us as is evidenced by this and his two other films District 9 and Elysium. The near future Johannesburg, South Africa portrayed here is dingy and almost Mad Max like in it’s appearance and structure. It looks as down trodden as the people that inhabit it. This gives the world the right tone for this movie to play out in. It makes for a disturbingly plausible view of the future.

As a sci-fi movie I think it’s good, not amazing, but good. It asks serious questions about the consequences of technological advancement and how far is too far. Also, it speculates on how exposing a child to the craziness and harness of the world too fast can cause harm. The special effects are done well as Chappie never seems computer animated in his scenes. If nothing else the performance of Chappie by Sharlto Copley is worth you watching this one.

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Paramount+ Reveals Official Main Title Sequence for the Upcoming Series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

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July 26, 2024

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During the TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES panel earlier today at San Diego Comic Con, Paramount+ revealed the official main title sequence for the series. The sequence is composed by EMMY® nominee, Matt Mahaffey, known for his work on Sanjay and Craig, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie and much more. 

From the studios of the Mutant Mayhem film, the all-new Paramount+ original series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES explores the adventures of everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes as they emerge from the sewers onto the streets of NYC. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are faced with new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows of the Big Apple. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Point Grey Pictures.

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is executive produced by Chris Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok) and Alan Wan (Blue Eye Samurai, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2012 Series]). Production is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, Senior Vice President, TV Series Animation, Nickelodeon, and Nikki Price, Director of Development and Executive in Charge of Production.

In addition to the upcoming new series, stream all things Turtles on Paramount+.

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July 26, 2024

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DISNEY+ CASTS DANIEL DIEMER AS FAN-FAVORITE ‘TYSON’IN SEASON TWO OF “PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS”

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July 26, 2024

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 in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, Rick Riordan and Disney+ revealed that Daniel Diemer (“Under the Bridge”) will star as fan-favorite cyclops “Tyson” in the epic adventure series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Diemer joins Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase) and Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood) as a series regular. The Disney+ Original series from Disney Branded Television and 20th Television will start filming its second season next week in Vancouver.

Season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is based on the second installment of Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series titled “The Sea of Monsters” by award-winning author Rick Riordan. In the new season, Percy Jackson returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down. His friendship with Annabeth is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover has gone missing, and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.

Diemer stars as Tyson – a young Cyclops who grew up all alone on the streets, and finds it difficult to survive in the human world.  Shy and awkward, with a heart almost as big as he is, Tyson soon discovers that Poseidon is his father, which means Percy Jackson is his half-brother… and that Tyson may have finally found a home. 

Diemer recently starred in the Hulu limited series “Under the Bridge” based off the critically acclaimed book of the same name and a tragic true story of a missing teen girl in Vancouver in 1997. He will next star in the indie “Thug” opposite Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman for director Hans Petter Moland. Daniel was recently seen as the lead in the indie “Supercell” opposite Alec Baldwin and Skeet Ulrich and the lead in the film “Little Brother” opposite Phil Ettinger and JK Simmons. Daniel can also be seen in the Netflix series “The Midnight Club” and recently starred as the male lead in the breakout hit Netflix feature “The Half Of It” from producer Anthony Bregman and director Alice Wu. He is a graduate of Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts in Vancouver.

Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Craig Silverstein, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Albert Kim, Jason Ensler and Sarah Watson.

The first season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is available on Disney+

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