Disc Two: PACIFIC RIM B-Roll

I love the fact that YouTube has been getting tons of "B-Roll" footage for these major Hollywood blockbusters. Yeah, sometimes there isn't any audio, but they are still filled with insight.

It's important to remember that movies are a long and arduous process. So much in fact that I frequently catch small screen actors complaining about all the waiting that happens on movie sets compared to TV shows. I think it's important to remember that movies aren't made in a vacuum. Even the worse crap ever filmed has many technicians and performers pushing themselves into the wee hours. For that reason, B-Roll provides the average viewer with a perspective that regular behind-the-scenes featurettes can't provide.  

Pacific Rim hits blu-ray on October 15th.

Clickity-Click...

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End Of Summer Editorial : Um...Blockbuster Filed Bankruptcy For A Reason.

Summertime is like the playoffs here at ACTIONAGOGO.COM. We track these big budget monsters from announcements, which are years ahead of release dates, all the way to opening night. Sometimes we even bet on opening weekend draws. Yeah, it’s serious business ‘round here. After the smoke from all the explosions and car chases has cleared it’s become obvious that we have some problems that are being baked into every big budget action film that came out this year. 

This summer came and has left me feeling disappointed. Why? I went to three major Hollywood releases in a row and came out feeling like I’d somehow watched the same movie with the same problems. Those movies were Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Man Of Steel. All three of these feature characters and franchises that I grew up with and, to an extent, cherish. For me, there was a lot of excitement going into this summer movie season, and why not? The directors list was a who’s who of hot Hollywood talent at the top of their game. Shane Black, the edgy director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), was going to take a swing at a Marvel movie. J.J Abrams was going to bring the thunder for a second time to the Star Trek franchise he helped bring into a bold new cinematic era. And last, but certainly not least, Zack Snyder was bringing Superman back to the big screen. Of all the directors who’ve made comic book movies, Snyder is the one who has been able to bring a level of jaw dropping cinematic artistry that brings a level of dedication to the original story, proving he’s actually read it and, more importantly, gets what makes it great.

Then it began. I went to see Iron Man 3 with the rest of the fans, packed into the theatre like sardines when the film began. I was with it. The stakes were raised. It was personal. Tony Stark (excellently played by Robert Downey, Jr.) was doing some Batman level investigating and self-actualization. He needed to do that after saving the world from aliens in The Avengers. Ok, whatever, that seems forced and suspiciously convenient, but it can be forgiven. Then the twist happened. ***Spoilers ahead*** The Mandarin, played amazingly by Ben Kingsley, is a fraud -- an actor pretending to be a terrorist so the real bad guy can get things done. At this point, when Marvel is epically trolling the entire Nolan Batman franchise, it lost me. Some hilarity ensues, Tony goes on another round of fight scenes to get to the real bad guy, and then everything explodes endlessly. And then it’s over and everything’s fine. The moral of the story being kicking ass cures alien PTSD.

Apparently "falling" was the new black this summer.

Then Star Trek Into Darkness happens. And it’s good. Captain Kirk is struggling to hold his crew and ship together, and yet, it’s the same thing. The stakes are higher, it’s personal, and the bad guy isn’t who he says he is. And at the end everything explodes, with San Fransico getting owned by a Star Fleet ship and most certainly ending the lives of untold numbers of people. But everything’s all right because Captain Kirk (one guy!) is saved at the end through the magic of space medicine. Vengeance has been wrought! (Sucks for those dead people.)

Man Of Steelthen hammers home all of the points of the first two except one. The bad guy, General Zod (played by the awesome Michael Shannon) is who he says he is throughout the entire movie. Which was refreshing. The rest of the problems were all there. Superman (Henry Cavill) is trying to find himself the entire movie and even let’s his Father (Kevin Costner) commit the silliest suicide of all time so that no one finds out he has powers. What? Again, I was lost. Then Zod shows up on Earth and begins to own the entire planet. Metropolis is hammered over and over again, millions of lives are lost…and Superman isn’t saving anyone? Ok, not his fault. So he manages to turn off the destruction and fight Zod hand to hand. It’s epic! The best fight scene like this ever filmed, better than Matrix Revolutions, better than Dragon Ball Z! And then when Superman realizes he can’t win in a fair fight he snaps Zod’s neck. Then he cries about it. After this, he leaves an entire city leveled to the ground, but he is the hero. 

With this trifecta opening the summer I was starting to get really bummed. Fake Bad Guy = Genius Plot Twist? Destroyed city = Victory? If Superman can’t save me, who can?

Our heroes came...

But all was not lost. This summer salvation came in the form of a giant blue robot named Gypsy Danger. That’s right, Pacific Rim saved this summer movie season for me, and in flying colors. It was an original story directed by Guillermo Del Toro that didn’t rely on a franchise. It had giant robots. It had giant monsters. Characters, while at times not fleshed out, were honest and fun to watch. The story didn’t try some cheap fake me out. The stakes were high and the good guys gave their all to save the cities being attacked, with certain death a consequence of failure. Yes, this was a summer blockbuster at its finest.

...and they fell.

And it was a box office bomb. It debuted at number 3 in the U.S.A, behind children’s movie behemoth Despicable Me 2 and the Adam Sandler vehicle Grown Ups 2. I was shocked. Appalled. Saddened. But what were the reasons for this? As usual, hindsight is 20/20. First, U.S audiences weren’t ready for what looked like a Transformers rip-off, and even if they were, marketing efforts were lackluster on the part of the studio. Second, core Anime fans seemed to be rebelling against it, with many labeling it a Neon Genesis Evangelion rip off after seeing the trailer and pictures of the cast in costume. Third, it was just a crowded marketplace. Despicable Me 2 grabbed families and Grown Ups 2scooped up males in Pacific Rim’s prime demographic that decided to go with a laugh and a cavalcade of familiar faces instead or heavy metal action. Which brings me to the last and certainly not least reason why Pacific Rimdidn’t do better than expected at the box office. Blockbuster fatigue. After three straight epic city destroying, disaster filled blow outs people simply saw the poster with giant machines wreaking havoc and shrugged their shoulders. No, not this week. Adam Sandler getting pissed on and Steve Carrell talking funny was enough to knock out the most original action movie to come out in a long while. Move along. Nothing to see here.

That is a shame, but more importantly, it illustrates a disturbing trend. Audiences have gotten so conditioned to go back to the familiar that original movies, even big ones like Pacific Rim, aren’t finding eyes to grab. Even worse, the movies that are grabbing the eyes are becoming so paint by numbers similar that even when they do check them out they’ll see the same beats, verbatim, with the same forced plot twists and character developments. Long term audiences will catch on without the help of critics, and once people realize the Emperor has no clothes you’ll have diminishing return after diminishing return, and the golden age geeks have been experiencing will come to a close. Instead we are going to have even more pandering Sharknado-styled tomfoolery and a collection of streaming services with a ramshackle mix of original/interesting content and tired crap.

            Despite my grievances this movie season has been a good one in terms of cash. $4.7 Billion this summer alone.  And we all know movies as a medium aren’t going anywhere for a while, but I recognize a trend when I see one, and the only way for media giants like News Corp. and Time Warner to not end up like the real Titanic is to steer away from the iceberg when it’s far away and not close enough to sink the ship. The guys who wrote the book on summer blockbusters, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, seem to see something coming. I hope the rest of us keep our eyes open as well.

Best Regards,

Derek Scarzella

Publisher and Editor in Chief of Action A Go Go

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Wallpaper Wednesday: Pacific Rim

Is you wallpaper indecent? Does it lack desktop sophistication? Are you one of those clowns who puts an image on their PC or Mac and it doesn't even fit the screen? Even worse, are you one of those losers that just "tiles" any image you get, turning your desktop into an awkward repetition of cropped off images? Well, Action A Go Go's going to help with "Wallpaper Wednesdays."

Wallpaper Wednesday is just like it sounds. In the middle of the week -- every week --  AAGG will give you the appropriate decorative tools to make you look like you know how to right-click an image. 

We know it will be tough, but if you follow these simple steps then I think we can make this work:

1. Move your mouse's cursor over the Pacific Rim poster above.

2. Press the right right button on your mouse.

3. Ugh. I lost you didn't I?

4. See you next Wednesday.

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Tunesday: Drift by RZA and Blake Perlman

For those of you foolish enough to leave Pacific Rim right when the credits roll, you missed two awesome contributions to the film via the Perlman family.

First up, Ron Perlman's character, Hannibal Chau, makes a return after his gruesome death at the hands of a kaiju. Second, Blake Perlman, Ron Perlman's daughter, has a duet with RZA of the Wu Tang Clan (as if there were any other).

What's that you say? You missed those two things? Well...

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New poster for Legendary Picture's GODZILLA

Another reveal from Comic-Con this week, Legendary is giving us our first non-obstructed look at Gojira himself with a new poster. This is the first time we get a real sense of scale on this movie and boy is it humongous. It may even outdo Pacific Rim in it's proportions. I, for one, cannot wait to see a full trailer for this one.

Godzilla is being directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Olson. It will be released next summer.

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Tunesday: Toonami's "Gundams Are on Earth"

Photo via http://www.geekybytes.org/japanese-school-girls-recreate-anime-fight-scenes/

The rest of America may have forgotten how cool giant robots and monsters were over the weekend, but Action A Go Go hasn't. In honor of Pacific Rim's homage to anime and kaiju, I give you "Gundams Are on Earth" from Deep Space Bass.

Some of you may recognize the music from Cartoon Network's Toonami block. While it wasn't my first brush with anime I do fondly think of the many after school cramming sessions not cramming at all but watching Tenchi Muyo, Big O, and Gundam Wing. Ahhhh...

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Pan's Labyrinth: Looking Back at the Greatest Work of Pacific Rim's Guillermo Del Toro

Directed Guillermo Del Toro (El Laberinto Del Fauno)

Starring Sergi López and Maribel Verdú

5 out of 5 Arnolds

During the previous decade, while American cinema reveled in torture porn disguised as horror, filmmakers from other parts of the world reinvented the squeal. The best example of this came from the Mexico-born Guillermo Del Toro.

For the uninitiated, director Guillermo Del Toro is the mind behind such cult favorites as The Devil’s Backbone, Cronos, the Orphanage, and Mama. He’s also the master at the helm of Blade II, the Hellboy series, and the recently released Pacific Rim. Del Toro’s fertile imagination has planted many memorable cinematic seeds but, for this viewer, the filmmaker’s bank of trust skyrocketed with the release of 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth, a film in which dark fantasies crawl around the edges of harsh reality.

In the movie, our main character, Ofelia, is a day dreamer distracted by the ugliness surrounding her during the climax of the Spanish Civil War. During her mother’s pregnancy, she is forcibly relocated to live with her vile stepfather, General Vidal. Vidal is fond of torturing anyone he deems a rebel or spy, proving that he is more concerned with his loyalty to fascism than the birth complications of Ofelia’s mom. Desperately wanting to escape from it all, Ofelia wanders into the woods and discovers a gothic-looking labyrinth. Enter: Pan, a devilish smooth-talker (literally) who convinces Ofelia that she has forgotten her real destiny…that of a princess. Pan manipulates her into accomplishing three tasks in exchange for her crown, but how much blood must be shed in order for Ofelia to discover whether or not the creature is lying?

Is it Action A Go Go or Action A No No? Action A Go Go! If the devil is in the details then Guillermo Del Toro must have been delegated the micromanager of monsters.

Del Toro’s ability to world build is unparalleled in modern film (a fact that seems to have not gone unnoticed, judging by the laundry list of pre-production work he has accumulated before moving on to Pacific Rim). With Pan’s Labyrinth, the director officially became known for such craftsmanship -- sketching out amazing character designs in advance and then working with effects teams to bring them to life. His eye for lush, otherworldly detail is effectively unsettling and immersive, molding realities that stick with you long after you’ve exited the theater.

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Pacific Rim Review (Spoiler Free) #PACIFICRIM

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy).

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman.

 

Story

Giant monsters (Kaiju). Giant human controlled robots (Jaeger). That’s all you need to know.

Alphas

1. 100% pure, industrial strength movie going awesomeness.

2. What a summer blockbuster should be. Colossal. Humungous. Epic. Gargantuan. Brobdingnagian.
Yes….I used the word “brobdingnagian.” It means “marked by tremendous size.”

3. I never thought I would write these words, but it is a must see on IMAX 3D. Hollywood unnecessarily adds the 3D effects to many movies it’s pumping out to generate more revenue, but in the case of this film? Worth the extra few dollars.

4. It can literally be said the star of this film is the CGI/special effects. And that’s a good thing.

5. Idris Elba shines in his role. Gives one of the best inspirational speeches since Shakespeare’s Henry V.

6. For diehard gamers, listen for GLaDOS’ voice!

7. Perfect geeky comedic relief is given by the “science team” of Charlie Day and Burn Gorman.

8. Nothing in this film caused eye-rolling incredulity and the script was solid (considering the genre.)

9. Unparalleled monster vs. robot battles.

10. THE SWOOOORRRRRRDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!! (You’ll understand.)

Deltas

1. Although a concrete script that actually tries to explain everything, could’ve used a little editing of scenes that were most likely there to add to that thing called “plot line.” Really not necessary.

2. Although the Charlie Hannum didn’t do anything poorly while portraying the main protagonist, he still came across as a Hollywood, cookie-cutter pretty boy. An actor with greater capacity for subtlety and intensity would’ve been better. But again, no harm, no foul.

3. At times, the action was so epic and frenetic, dialogue was hard to follow. But hey. Dialogue is not ultimately why you’re going to see this film, right.

For the average movie goer looking for a fun summer blockbuster, this film would get four out of five Arnolds. But since you’re reading this review on a site called Action A Go Go, there’s no hesitation in putting forth that this film gets….

 

 

 

Five out of Five Arnolds!

 

Stephen Sumner is the sci-fi columnist for Action A Go Go. This review was a brief first impression. For more in-depth reviews, check back for thoughts and insights from other members of the amazing AAGG team.

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Pacific Rim: A "Mecha" Crash Course

The good people at Rev3 have given us a quick education on the pop influences of Pacific Rim. I'm calling this a "public service announcement," especially since I've been hearing some clowns unfairly labeling the movie a rip-off of Michael Bay's Transformers.

Bone up, bonehead. With that attitude, you're gonna miss out...

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It's Always Sunny In Pacific Rim

For me, one of the joys of catching Pacific Rim this weekend isn't going to be robots fighting monsters (that is, however, definitely a major one), but seeing the likes of Ron Perlman and Idris Elba contend with It's Always Sunny's Charlie Day.

If you haven't seen It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia then you're missing out. Day is ball of self-sustaining, renewable energy that delivers gut-busters everytime he's on screen.

Apparently, I'm not the only person excited for Day's science fiction debut. YouTube has done a pretty hilarious mash-up of him from It's Always Sunny alongside his character in Pacific Rim. The results are -- well...

 

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THE ACTION A GO GO VIXEN OF THE WEEK IS RINKO KIKUCHI! #PACIFICRIM #RINKOKIKUCHI

 

The monsters set to hit theatres this week in Pacific Rim are big and bad and deadly…but they are no match for this week’s Vixen Of The Week, Rinko Kikuchi. Kikuchi play’s Mako Mori, a young girl who survived a devastating attack on Tokyo and has grown up with a driving desire to get revenge against the giant monsters that are out to destroy us all.

Prior to Pacific Rim Rinko has been in a string of movies that highlight her acting talents and have garnered her much critical acclaim, the pinnacle of her acting career being her role in Babel. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress thanks to that movie, in which she played deaf mute girl, and became one of only five actresses to receive an Oscar nomination in a performance that involved no written dialogue.

This looks to be another banner year for Rinko, as she’ll be also be starring in 47 Ronin with Keanu Reeves. That will be coming out in December, and in the meantime we can all enjoy her talents in the epic and (hopefully) awesome Pacific Rim and the collection of glamour shots and posters from her movies below.

Check it!

 

 

"Welcome to the Internet...I will be your guide..."

 

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Mondo Unveils PACIFIC RIM Posters At SDCC

Mondo, the art crew behind some of our favorite movie art, will be selling these Pacific Rim posters (below) at San Diego Comic Con.

For those of you fortunate enough to be attending SDCC, these amazing Pacific Rim pieces will also be accompanied by additional Mondo re-imaginings of Spirited Away, Dark Tower, and Conan. From the sound of things, only early bird buyers will be able to grab up all of these, but AAGG can at least give the rest of us jabronis something to decorate our desktop with.

Check them out and right-click to your heart's content:

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PACIFIC RIM MECH FEATURETTE: "WE ARE NOT RIPPING OFF NEON GENESIS EVENGELION!"

 

Ok, that is not a direct quote from this featurette at all, but that is the feeling you get from the tone of this clip. It goes over the origins of the designs of these robots, some of their influences, and how they are trying to top everything that has come before.

 

And maybe, just maybe, they are trying to get the jokers who keep saying "oh so they are ripping off Neon Genesis Evengelion" to shut the hell up.

 

BTW, Evengelion wasn't even that good. There, I said it.

 

Enjoy the featurette below!

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Listen to the Full Score to PACIFIC RIM by Ramin Djawadi and Tom Morello

For those of you who didn't know, this is actually a reunion for Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones) and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine). The composer and guitarist gave us the soundtrack for the first Iron Man film. Since that time, Marvel Studios have had other composers come on board to score the subsequent sequels, but none of them have been nearly as impressive as what Djawadi and Morello accomplished.

As far as I'm concerned, this is yet another feather in the cap of the upcoming Pacific Rim. The film already had all the elements of a winning summer release, but this is an unexpected surprise for me.

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Guillermo Del Toro Talks PACIFIC RIM at E3!

 

 

The more I see of PACIFIC RIM (July 12th 2013) the more giggity I get. Here we have Guillermo Del Torro talking about the making of the movie, some special surprises, and he even get's a present at the end! This all happened at E3 2013, btw.

Anyway, he's a top class guy and we can't wait for this movie to hit theatres.

Oh Baby....

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Guillermo Del Toro on PACIFIC RIM Set: "I invented a torture machine..."

Bellow is a featurette on the set that was built to replicate the heads of the kaiju fighters for Pacific Rim.

You read the title. Just watch.

No spoilers too. Just great.

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PACIFIC RIM PRIMER : BEHIND THE SCENES GODZILLA PHOTOS

Pacific Rim looks like it's going to be one giant cinematic wonder, but no doubt CGI will be the way it makes it's movie magic happen. That's why it's important to remember that all the original Godzilla movie magic was just a bunch of dudes running around in suits with some wicked dance moves!

But seriously, the men behind the masks made a lot of great things happen on film with meticulously built sets (that were completely destroyed) and big rubber suits that turned whoever put them on into a sweat factory.

These images give us a glimpse back in time to see what it was like making these iconic movies and from the looks of things making these movies was as much fun as it was hard work. Which somehow makes the movies all the better...ENJOY!!!

BTW Major Tip Of the Hat to io9 and Ah Duvido for collecting these as well as Stephen Sumner for giving me the idea!

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