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Angry Birds Feature Film Nests at Sony Pictures

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 +0800

Sony Pictures Entertainment has won the exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the eagerly anticipated Angry Birds animated film, making it one of the most high-profile deals of the year. The 3D film is being developed, produced, and financed by Rovio Entertainment and will be released worldwide by Sony Pictures on July 1, 2016. Several major studios pursued the global film rights in recent weeks, with Sony Pictures Entertainment emerging as the winner. Michael Lynton, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal, Co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Entertainment jointly announced their partnership today. John Cohen and David Maisel – producer of Despicable Me and executive producer of Iron Man, respectively – are both on board for the new Angry Birds feature film. Cohen will serve as producer and Maisel is executive producer. Commenting on the announcement, Mikael Hed said, “Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism. They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us market and distribute our first motion picture. Michael, Amy, Jeff Blake, Sony's marketing and distribution head, and their teams will be the best possible collaborators as we get set to take our franchise to the next level.” Lynton and Pascal said, “Every studio in town would love to add Angry Birds to their slate. There are few titles out there that bring this kind of excitement, brand awareness and built-in audience to the table. We’re thrilled to be distributing this film and we hope this is just the beginning of what will be a long relationship with Rovio as we look for ways to work on future projects together.” David Maisel and John Cohen said, “We are very excited to join with Sony Pictures in presenting this movie to the world in 2016 and we will have many more announcements as we begin production in the coming months.” Angry Birds is one of the world’s biggest entertainment franchises, starting in 2009 with the original mobile game that remains the number one paid app of all time. Angry Birds has expanded rapidly into entertainment, publishing, and licensing to become a beloved international brand. Angry Birds has been praised for its great value and simple, casual gameplay. Players use a slingshot to launch birds at green pigs in an attempt to get their eggs back, with the game setting the model for what is possible in terms of game development and commercial success. To date, the Angry Birds and Bad Piggies games have been downloaded more than 1.7 billion times across platforms and versions. The upcoming movie marks Rovio Entertainment’s first foray into feature films, although fans have already been introduced to the Angry Birds world with the weekly Angry Birds Toons animated series. Rovio launched the series in March through its Angry Birds apps as well as on select video-on-demand channel providers, Smart TVs, connected devices, and on select TV networks around the world. Paving the way for a full-length feature film, Angry Birds Toons has been a massive success for Rovio clocking in over 150 million views from the Angry Birds apps alone within the first six weeks. While known for distributing world renowned motion picture franchises such as Spider-Man, Sony Pictures has been building a strong reputation in contemporary animation through its house production unit, Sony Pictures Animation, and hit films including Hotel Transylvania, The Smurfs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Surf’s Up, Open Season, and Aardman’s Arthur Christmas and The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

'Monsters University' Issues Global All-Character Poster

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 +0800

Disney/Pixar has issued a new “Monsters University” poster dubbed `Global All-Character' which features the film's entire cast of monsters. Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars”), produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and features music from future Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame–inductee and award winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”). In the film, ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Opening across the Philippines on June 26 in Disney Digital 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “Monsters University” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Beyonce as the Voice of Queen Tara in the Animated 'Epic' (3D)

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0800

From the creators of the "Ice Age" and "Rio" series, "Epic" follows a teenager MK (voiced by Amanda Seyfried) who is transported into a secret forest world then embroiled in a battle between good and evil and has to protect a special flower pod to save the forest where Queen Tara (Beyonce) reigns protected by the Leafmen. “Epic’s” world, which unites the familiar and the fantastic, is a forest unlike any we’ve seen before: tiny seeds look like boulders; rocks are the size of spiky mountains; flowers are gigantic and complex; and a butterfly is a nothing short of a flying tapestry. Beyonce loved voicing Queen Tara in the new children's movie "Epic" — at least once she stopped crying. Queen B has gone from pop royalty to screen royalty, becoming the forest queen in an animated movie that she hopes her 15-month-old daughter Blue Ivy will be proud of one day. The film was her first work since giving birth and she says her hormones were raging. "I literally had tears when I played the voice," Beyonce told The Associated Press in an interview between concerts in London. "There was a scene where Queen Tara picks out her pod and I just imagined seeing my child." This role in "Epic" is not the superstar's only brush with royalty of late. Her recent concert in London on her "Mrs. Carter Show" world tour, the singer inadvertently singled out Princess Eugenie in the crowd to sing with her. The 23-year-old is sixth in line for the British throne. Beyonce giggled as she revealed that she had no idea who Eugenie was. "'I didn't know, and I still don't know. Someone told me and I don't know what's going on, but I hope they had a great time and I hope I didn't insult anyone, making them sing into the mic," Beyonce said. "But you know royalty likes to have fun and have a good entertaining night." "I'm an artist and I love being able to express myself and I'm not one-dimensional," she said. "I have different feelings every day and now that I've done movies I feel like I can try and recreate these characters on the stage." Beautiful, agile and strong, Tara isn’t just the Leafmen’s Queen; she’s the life force of the forest, which she presides over with respect, compassion and humor. Her unique connection with nature gives her additional and powerful allies. And when all hope seems lost, she summons help from the most surprising of places. Tara is nothing less than the forest itself. She has a powerful connection with her land: flowers bloom and bend toward her, and leaves bow to Tara. “Tara is the heart of the forest, personified, and she’s beloved by her people, called the Jinn,” says Beyoncé. Beyoncé agrees with Farrell that the film lives up to its grand title. “Epic is about a massive battle between good and evil, set against a huge landscape you’ve never before experienced in a film,” she points out. “Everything in Epic is big – the action, stakes, characters – but at the same time they’re all really relatable.” Beyoncé found much to admire in Tara, beyond the character’s elegance, powers and royal position.   “What I like most about Tara is that she sets a great example for the people she protects, and Tara is a role model for the younger characters.” “Epic” (3D) opens May 24 in theaters nationwide from 20thCentury Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

'The Hangover Part III' Takes the Wolfpack Back to Vegas

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:00 +0800

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes “The Hangover Part III,” the third and final film in director Todd Phillips’ record-shattering comedy trilogy. “The Hangover Part III” is the epic conclusion to an incomparable odyssey of mayhem and bad decisions, in which the guys must finish what they started by going back to where it all began: Las Vegas. One way or another…it all ends here. “The Hangover Part III” reunites stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha as Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug. Also returning to the cast are Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow; Heather Graham as Stu’s first wife, Jade; and Jeffrey Tambor as Alan’s father, Sid. Joining the ensemble for the first time is John Goodman, starring as the guys’ new nightmare, Marshall. It’s been two years. Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms) and Doug (Bartha) are happily living uneventful lives at home. Tattoos have been lasered off, files purged. The last they heard from disaster-magnet Leslie Chow (Jeong), he’d been tossed into a Thai prison and, with him out of the way, the guys have very nearly recovered from their nights prowling the seamy side of Las Vegas in a roofie’d haze, and being kidnapped, shot at, and chased by drug-dealing mobsters in Bangkok. The only member of the Wolfpack who’s not content is Alan (Galifianakis). Still lacking a sense of purpose, the group’s black sheep has ditched his meds and given into his natural impulses in a big way—which, for Alan, means no boundaries, no filters and no judgment—until a personal crisis forces him to finally seek the help he needs. And who better than his three best friends to make sure he takes the first step. This time, there’s no bachelor party. No wedding. What could possibly go wrong? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off. In 2009, writer/director Todd Phillips threw a bachelor party the likes of which had never been seen before, and invited the whole world to bond with a group of guys now universally known as the Wolfpack. In 2011, he raised the stakes to show us how far they could be pushed without completely losing it. By asking—and then answering—the diabolically simple question, What could go wrong?, both “The Hangover” and “The Hangover Part II” not only shattered boundaries and box office records, entertaining millions around the globe, but made an indelible mark on pop culture. Mr. Chow’s deranged catch phrases still ring from the most unlikely mouths, and fans from Baltimore to Bosnia sidle up daily to the front desk at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to crack themselves up by requesting “the Hangover suite” or quoting Alan’s clueless query, “Is this the real Caesar’s palace?” Now, “We’re going for a truly epic finish,” says Phillips, as the story takes Phil, Stu, Alan, Doug, and their nemesis Chow south of the border and then back to the original scene of the crime for the saga’s fitting conclusion: Las Vegas, where things first went very, very wrong. What they thought happened in Vegas was only the half of it, which they are about to discover in ways that the filmmakers believe should surprise audiences as much as it surprises the guys. “There’s a lot of action and comedy, a heist, a road trip, and an element of mystery, too, as we touch on certain things that weren’t explored before but were always part of the undercurrent of the two previous films,” Phillips continues. “It brings everything together and wraps it up with an ending that follows its own logic.” Screenwriter Craig Mazin, who first collaborated with Phillips on the script for “The Hangover Part II,” recounts how they reached back to the two prior outings to prime that logic. “We uncovered a chain of unfinished business that arcs through all three movies for a final story that doesn’t just end on its own, but ends all three. Something happened in the beginning, although few caught its significance, and that thing is going to come back to haunt the guys and start them down a path of what will be, in many ways, their most difficult and challenging journey of all.” Designed more as a quest than the forensic investigations that went before, “The Hangover Part III” shakes up the morning-after structure of its predecessors while still delivering plenty of laugh-out-loud and what-the-hell moments to keep moviegoers on the edge of their seats. Rather than memory loss, the final chapter hinges on clarity, and things coming into full focus. It’s not about a specific hangover this time but harkens back to the original—that mother-of-all hangovers, triggered by Alan, which set all of this into motion six years ago in ways they couldn’t imagine. “Part III” does not shy away from the dark side, either, the better to give its humor a sharper edge, Phillips feels. “With us it always starts with darkness, because that heightens the comedy. Plus, it just gets more interesting and more real as we bring them into darker places and amp up the tension. It’s essentially a fish-out-of-water story for these guys who don’t belong in the situation they’ve been thrown into, so the fun is in watching them struggle and trip their way through it.” A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures, “The Hangover Part III" opens in Philippine theaters on May 29, 2013.

Magic-filled Caper Film 'Now You See Me', To Appear Soon in Theaters Near You

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:12:00 +0800

Now You See Me, the most anticipated caper film of 2013, rolls together a stellar cast, an intriguing premise, and mind boggling magic stunts. In the film, an elite FBI squad is pitted against "The Four Horsemen"-- a team of the world's greatest illusionists who pull off daring heists against corrupt businessmen. The illusionists shower the stolen profits on their audiences while staying one step ahead of the law. French director Louis Leterrier (‘Clash of the Titans’, ‘The Incredible Hulk’) directs this action-packed cat-and-mouse movie with a weighty cast including Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises), Woody Harrelson (Hunger Games), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Isla Fisher (The Great Gatsby), Michael Caine (The Dark Knight Rises), Mélanie Laurent and Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers). Now You See Me is written by Boaz Yakin (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time) & Edward Ricourt, Josh Applebaum & Andre Nemec (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), and Ed Solomon (Men in black). Now You See Me will open on May 29 in cinemas nationwide.

Alluring Surface

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:12:00 +0800

This is the fourth attempt to bring The Great Gatsby to the big screen. One can understand the yearning of directors to accomplish this feat: it should follow that one of the greatest novels of all time could be turned into the greatest movies of all time. Australian auteur Luhrmann tries his hand at it, bringing his flamboyant sense of style to a depiction of American decadence in the 1920s. And some of it works: Luhrmann’s flair for the fantastic really capturing the wild abandon of the times. But there was always more to this story, and this film doesn’t seem as interested in all that. The Great Gatsby is a lengthy and sometimes enervating film that only touches on the story’s alluring surface. The 1920s. Midwesterner Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) has moved to New York to work as a bonds salesman. He lives in a little house in Long Island, in a neighborhood known as West Egg. The young bondsman is drawn to the intrigues of his mysterious neighbor, the man known as Gatsby. Gatsby throws wild parties in his palatial mansion, and is rumored to be a spy, a prince, and a murderer. Gatsby befriends Nick, and slowly, the truth about the man emerges. His entire life is built around an obsession with one woman: Nick’s married cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). There are many ways to read this story. Luhrmann’s interpretation reframes the narrative as a doomed romance, the movie focusing heavily on the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. In doing so, the film also pitches itself as a modern opera, a jazz-fueled melodrama that almost seems to lionize Gatsby for his ability to love. It isn’t the most thought-provoking route the movie might have gone, but it’s pretty entertaining. The film is especially captivating in its first half, as it brings to life the orgiastic celebrations that draw Nick Carraway into Gatsby’s world. The sheer spectacle of these parties, which go beyond the limits of mundane reality, is as impressive as any big set piece from any other blockbuster. But therein also lies the problem. The second half of this story is no longer about parties. It is the point when the illusion of Gatsby is supposed to fade away, but the movie continues to ply its stylistic bombast. Even when there is nothing on screen but characters vacillating over their feelings, the movie still plays out as a strange fantasy, the characters trapped in a toy-like world of 3D and color. The primary emotions are played with little shading, the movie keeping its operatic tone as it lays out the corrupted insides on its players. The final result is not terrible, but somewhat underwhelming. And despite basically being a Cliffs Notes version of the novel, the movie actually feels longer. The film gets points for its mostly excellent casting. Leonardo DiCaprio is an obvious choice to play Gatsby. The actor gets the subtle shading of the character right, the nuance balancing out the film’s bombast somewhat. Tobey Maguire is used for the strange innocence that he brings to all his roles, and though he isn’t quite able to convey what it is that Carraway loved so much about Gatsby, he provides a thoroughly entertaining performance. Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton are part of the larger-than-life milieu of the film, the two mostly playing at a melodramatic pitch. Elizabeth Dibecki is fantastic as Jordan Baker, which makes it a shame that it isn’t more of her in the film. One’s appreciation of The Great Gatsby grows as it is separated from the great onus of its source. When not compared to the perfection of the novel, the movie emerges as a shallow but entertaining piece of work. At the very least, it is committed to a vision, and it pulls it off with aplomb. And a strong cast makes many scenes a real pleasure to watch. But of course, this film does not exist in a vacuum. It accepted a challenge when it took the title, and it doesn’t quite pass that test. Perhaps this story, slim and small as it is, just isn't meant to be translated into the lavish language of modern cinema. Having said all that, the movie is a fine little stepping stone to get people into the book. In the end, this marks it as a net positive. My Rating:

Steven Tyler Voice in Epic 3D

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0800

Well-loved music icon Steven Tyler gives voice to a very affable (caterpillar) character named Nim Galuu in the upcoming family adventure 3D movie "Epic." "Epic" is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of" Ice Age" and "Rio," "Epic" tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl MK (Amanda Seyfried)finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours. Having brought to life one of the most beloved and successful animated motion picture franchises, Ice Age, director Chris Wedge and his teams at Blue Sky Studios (of which Wedge is a co-founder) achieve new heights of realism, action, adventure and detail, with Epic. Very much on the side of the Leafmen – is NimGaluu (voiced by Tyler). Nim is the consummate party animal, but don’t let this larger than life caterpillar fool you – his wisdom and practical know-how make him a key behind-the-scenes player in the epic battle to save the forest. Nim possesses a broad frame, six arms, four legs – and signature smoking jacket, whose pattern was inspired by butterfly wings. Portraying Nim is Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. At first glance, the choice of a rock and roll icon to essay the avuncular (though fun-loving) forest sage is unexpected, but Wedge notes that the idea to cast Tyler “just came to us and we ran with it. Listen to Steven’s voice; it has all the necessary texture for Nim, who like Steven is a fun character with lots of energy.” For Tyler, the role reminded him of some his experiences as a youngster.ldquo;I grew up in the wilds of New Hampshire and I always thought there was something to be said for the quiet of the woods,” he explains.ldquo;At the same time, I was afraid of the woods, but I grew to love it. So I think Epic is the perfect story to tell.” "Epic" (3D) opens May 24 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Static Points

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:30:00 +0800

Hunter X Hunter: Phantom Rouge is the third anime film to be released locally, and it’s the toughest to get into. Despite being only the first Hunter X Hunter movie from the recent reboot of the series, it already feels bogged down in an excess of continuity. But aside from the general concerns with getting into any long-running series, the movie just isn’t a whole lot of fun to watch. Compared to the two previous anime films that hit our cinemas, Phantom Rouge feels static and staid, lacking the sort of exuberance that can make animation so worthy of our time. Twelve year-old Hunters Gon and Killua are asked to help their friend Kurapika. Kurapika, who became a Hunter to avenge the massacre of his clan by the mysterious criminals known as the Phantom Troupe, has had his scarlet eyes stolen from him by an unknown entity. Gon and Killua scour the countryside, looking for clues to the location of this mysterious villain, encountering old enemies along the way. All the while, Killua is having doubts about his friendship with Gon, his spirit weighed down by his assassin heritage. Despite a quick, helpful recap at the start of the movie, newcomers will probably find all of this impenetrable. The story is actually fairly simple, but the movie keeps making references to previous events in the series. If one can get past the hurdle, the movie is still kind of a slog. It moves really slowly. There’s an entire middle section that just has the characters basically wandering around, adding little of value to the overall story. And when they do get into the action, the heroes don’t get to do a whole lot. More often than not, they seem to be reliant on the intervention of more powerful forces. Combined with a subpar villain with murky motivations and ill-defined powers, the movie just seems to struggle to provide audiences with enough incident to keep things interesting. By and large, the movie gets by on stalling. There isn’t a whole lot of action in this story, much of it given over to the completely uninteresting internal struggle of a couple of the characters. This kind of introspection can be fun to watch as well, but the movie does nothing to make it work visually. The animation as a whole is really lackluster, the film filled with mostly static frames that have really flat coloring. In the action sequences, the film seems to mostly avoid showing any complex movement, much of the real action happening offscreen. Hunter X Hunter: Phantom Rouge has its moments, but they’re really spaced out. It feels like most of the movie is just the characters talking about what’s happening, or what happened some time ago, or what might happen next. The character dynamics seem really cliché, and the villain is just a real disappointment. There are only glimmers of something better, shades of a quirky sense of humor that goes beyond the generic shonen anime tropes. In the end, though, the movie just isn’t a very good ambassador for this long-running series. My Rating:

Fresh Air

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:25:00 +0800

Local comedy movies have largely taken only a couple of forms over the past few years. There are only a couple of directors still making comedy movies, and only a certain number of stars that regularly work in this milieu. The various permutations have all been played out, and they have largely produced a lot of the same stuff. Bromance: My Brother’s Romance benefits from some new blood in the game. Though not too different from the rest of Deramas’ filmography, the stars bring some new energy to the genre. The film stumbles at the finish line, but there are certainly laughs to be had here. Brando (Zanjoe Marudo) has long hated his gay twin brother Brandy (also Zanjoe Marudo). He blames him for his lack of success, his anemic love life, and having to leave the family. Years later, Brandy is a successful interior designer, while Brando is deep in debt. After a tense confrontation between the twins, Brandy gets into an accident and goes into a coma. Brando is forced to take his brother's place, pretending to be him in order to maintain a three million-peso commission. Things get complicated by the return of Erica (Cristine Reyes), Brandy’s best friend, and Brando’s ex-girlfriend. The film has a wacky energy that proves to be infectious. It moves at a pretty brisk clip, moving from joke to joke to joke without lingering too long on any of the punchlines. It’s really a strategy. Not every joke works but the film delivers a prodigious volume of setups and punchlines, delivered from practically every angle. The film has a fresh, go-for-it spirit that largely carries it through its stickiest sections. And there are difficult sections, indeed. This is, after all, another story of a person who seems to underestimate everyone’s tolerance of the truth. Premise aside, the story does have a few problems. The film lacks resolution. It leaves all sorts of story threads dangling, pushing the characters to endings that they don’t necessarily deserve. This creates kind of a mess of a climax, with complex setups largely abandoned in favor of a quick and dirty ending. The jokes continue flying, helping to distract somewhat from all the stuff left on the table. But it’s difficult to ignore the feeling that the filmmakers just didn’t really know how to write themselves out of these narrative holes. Zanjoe Marudo is quietly proving himself to be quite the versatile talent. He plays these dual roles more than a little broad, but he does so with the kind of commitment and enthusiasm that can be winning. Marudo has decent comedic timing, and I’d be interested to see the actor in more roles like this one. Cristine Reyes seems to be best suited for comedies at this point. She has a hidden streak of silliness that really works well in the medium. Bromance: My Brother’s Romance isn’t groundbreaking by any means, but it is mostly solid stuff. It’s anchored by an enthusiastic cast that keeps up with a rapid fire pace of joke telling. That’s all you really need for a decent comedy. The only problem is that the film doesn’t quite keep its story together, the whole production seemingly losing its nerve as it neared the ending. They could have gone for one more absurd set piece that tied all the loose ends together. The film is silly enough to have supported that kind of thing. As it is, the film is just okay. My Rating:

Denying the Crazy

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:21:00 +0800

The Butterfly Room has a bunch of really strange psychosexual elements lurking in the corners of its narrative. It is a story of motherly need and motherly domination, all tied into the inherently disturbing milieu of butterfly collecting. It also has an actress that has historically thrived in these kinds of films. But even with all that going for it, The Butterfly Room falls horrifically flat. The film fails to embrace the craziness of its story, stumbling instead in the depressingly boring playground of the generic horror movie. Elderly, reclusive Ann (Barbara Steele) spends her days tending to her butterfly collection. The film documents her relationships with two young girls. The first is her neighbor Julie, who finds herself neglected as her mother pursues a new beau. And the second is Alice, an eleven year-old she encounters at the mall. Ann lavishes motherly affection on these two young girls, but that love soon transforms into something darker as she struggles to keep them under her thrall. The story could have been interesting, but the movie isn't equipped to tell it. It bogs down a fairly straightforward narrative with a jumpy timeline that only serves to confuse things. The sequence of events becomes pretty murky, the film unable to distinguish between flashbacks and stuff that's happening in the present. The film also struggles to handle its twists, all of the big revelations landing with a major thud. The direction is really at fault here. It seems to be aping the aesthetics of more recent horror movies, when the story seems to veer closer to the camp sensibilities of the 60s and 70s European horror film. It's the kind of weird, identifiably Freudian horror story that would feel very much at home inside the catalog of Italian gothic horror films. But the film operates as if it were just another generic tale of ghosts popping up in corners. Colors are muted, and the sound design is stuck in the “foreboding” gear. The film's Italian horror heritage is cemented in its casting of Barbara Steele in the lead role. Steele is a legend of the genre, her indomitable visage gracing many films of the era. Here she feels like a fish out of water, though she offers much in the way of personality. The effort she puts into the role makes the generic directorial choices even more disappointing. Steele is best when things get surreal and operatic, the actress always rising to even the most unreachable heights. The film keeps her somewhat subdued, and it's a poor use of this legend's talents. The Butterfly Room gets pretty ridiculous in the end, heading into a climax that simply cannot be discussed without laughing. But the movie doesn't rise to the level of the scene, the direction continuing to play it straight even as things get straight up bonkers. I'd have liked to see this material in the hands of someone like James Gunn or Sam Raimi. Or really, any director that has a style beyond the homogeneous dimness of the modern horror picture. My Rating: