Then and Now

Two very different techniques, two very different contexts. At the beginning and end a single epic narrative.

The Teaser to "Wall•E"

My wife's new movie now has a teaser. And you should check it out.

It's called "Wall•E," directed by Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo"), and it will be in theaters in the summer of 2008. This teaser will also be shown in theaters attached to "Ratatouille," which comes out June 29.

• Watch the teaser to "Wall•E" in High Definition
  

Wonder Takes Time

A nice little New York Times article about marketing an original summer movie amidst a sea of sequels.

“Wonder takes time,” said Brad Bird, the movie's director. “You don’t rush wonder. You have to coax the audience toward you a little bit.”

For a summer whose blockbuster films include:

• Spider-Man 3 (sequel)
  
• Pirates 3 (sequel)
• Shrek 3 (sequel)
• Die Hard 4 (sequel)
• Harry Potter 5 (sequel)
• 28 Weeks Later (sequel)
• Fantastic Four 2 (sequel)
• Rush Hour 3 (sequel)
• Ocean's Thirteen (sequel)
• Evan Almighty (sequel)
• Hostel 2 (sequel)
• Transformers (based on toy/tv show)
• The Simpsons Movie (based on tv show)
• Halloween (remake)

... releasing an original movie like "Ratatouille" seems positively quaint. Article includes a blurb from Bob Gale, co-writer of one of the most original blockbusters of the last 30 years, "Back To The Future."

“It’s tragic,” the screenwriter Bob Gale said of what he sees as Hollywood’s lost inventiveness.

article:
It’s Not a Sequel, but It Might Seem Like One After the Ads
By Michael Cieply, The New York Times