“THE LAIKA EXPERIENCE” In San Diego Draws Enormous Crowds, Scores Record Merchandise Sales And Heartfelt Fan Kudos

Oscar®-winning Animation Studio, Creators of Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings, Judges First Pop-Up Exhibit During Comic-Con and PRIDE Celebrations A Huge Success

[San Diego, CA; July 25, 2017] — 48 LAIKA puppets are packed up in protective wrapping, sets and props from all four Oscar®-nominated LAIKA films are en route back to the studio in Oregon, and the LAIKA brand ambassadors who guided over 7,000 fans on detail-laden tours of The LAIKA Experience from July 14-23 in San Diego are relaxing their strained vocal chords. And for the fans who lined up for hours to get a close-up look at the artistry and magic of their favorite animation studio, favorite moments from The LAIKA Experience continue to excite the imagination.

Atop the bespoke storefront that was converted into the pop-up exhibit for the Oregon-based animation studio, nine-foot tall cutouts of its cinematic heroes, Coraline, Norman, Eggs and Kubo, beckoned visitors as they strolled in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter. The LAIKA Experience, located at 520 Fifth Avenue, featured an up-close look at the artistic detail and imagination behind LAIKA’s groundbreaking films, all of which have been nominated for Academy Awards® and numerous other honors. The exhibit showcased the evolution of the studio’s unique blend of handcrafted stop-motion animation and visual effects magic in four imaginatively themed rooms inspired by each of LAIKA’s films. The extensive display of original sets, puppets and props immersed guests in LAIKA’s fantastical worlds.
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Nicholas Hoult Eyed To Play Young Tolkien

By Creative Media Times

Nicholas Hoult by GabboT


Nicholas Hoult is in early talks to play as author J.R.R. Tolkien in Fox Searchlight and Chernin Entertainment’s “Tolkien,” Deadline reports Tuesday.

The film will be directed by Finnish film director Dome Karukoski, from a script by Stephen Beresford and David Gleeson.

J. R. R. Tolkien was the author of the fantasy classics The Lord of the Rings, originally a sequel to his children’s fantasy The Hobbit, then later turned into three volumes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Since then, The Lord of the Rings has become one of the best selling novels ever, and together with The Hobbit became the source for Peter Jackson’s blockbuster hit films.

According to Deadline, the film will focus on the orphaned Tolkien’s experiences during his youth on the outbreak of World War I, experiences which influenced his work on The Lord of the Rings novels.

Hoult gained recognition from his role as a divergent schoolboy Marcus Brewer in 2002’s critical and boxoffice hit About A Boy. He also played Nux in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road and as Hank McCoy/Beast on three X-Men films (X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse). He will reprise the role in next year’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

In addition to Tolkien, Hoult seem to attract real life character roles in biographical dramas lately. Later this year, he will be playing another celebrated author J. D. Salinger in Danny Strong’s Rebel in the Rye and then as inventor Nikola Tesla in this December’s “The Current War.”

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Great Moments From San Diego Comic-Con 2017

By Armando

Every year, geeks around the world converge at Comic-Con, the 4-day event of all things about comicbooks and pop culture held every summer in San Diego. And this year is just as big and fun, not to mention hot and very sweaty as ever.

The big offerings from Marvel and DC did dominate the conversations. But with so many things happening every day all in and around the convention center, there is always something for everyone.

From trailers for upcoming studio blockbusters and tv shows, to exciting gaming announcements, to extravagant cosplays, and of course, some of the world’s most talented comic artists, Comic-Con continues to surprise and delight attendees.

Here’s some of the most memorable moments of from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con:

Blade Runner: Warner Bros unveiled a new trailer for Blade Runner 2049″ and brought with them the cast and the director Denis Villeneuve. Warner Bros. sensational SDCC presentation at Hall H’s 180-degree gigantic screens featured the upcoming “Blade Runner 2049” then later showed on stage a virtual hologram of Jared Leto.

Stranger Things Season 2 Trailer: The lively and hilarious cast and creators of “Stranger Things” were in Hall H. The very entertaining group talked about the series then later unveiled a very well received a new trailer. With a touch of nostalgia to the tune of Michael Jackson’s Thriller with Vincent Price’s voiceover, Watching the trailer in that gigantic screen was spectacular.

Black Panther: Marvel brought in the cast of Black Panther and previewed an exclusive action-packed footage, and it was a big hit. The intense footage received immediate standing ovation from audience while cast gathered for a group hug and impressed by what they saw. I can’t really blame them. Footage was fantastic!

Thor: Ragnarok: Cast of the movie stormed Hall H at Comic-Con and talked about the film and revealed new details. The cast brought with them some brand new spectacular action-packed trailer and footage. Also present was New Zealand director Taika Waititi and producer Kevin Feige, who was presented with Comic-Con’s Inkpot Award for his contributions to the world of comic books and everything comics fandom.

Charlize Theron: The statuesque Academy Award winner took the stage for Entertainment Weekly’s “Women Who Kick Ass”, and talked about her butt-kicking new character in Atomic Blonde, and the need for more female directors following the success of Wonder Woman, which was directed by Patty Jenkins who directed Theron in her Oscar-winning performance in “Monster”.

Jason Momoa runs to Hall H stage carrying Aquaman’s trident, shortly before the cast of Justice League arrived on stage. The guy sure knows how to entertain, pumped up the loud and excited crowd. Momoa also unveiled a short clip from the upcoming highly anticipated James Wan film “Aquaman”.

Justice League: Clearly one of the highlights of Comic-Con 2017, especially after the record breaking box-office run of Wonder Woman this summer, the Justice League cast Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa, who was already on stage by the time the cast arrived, electrified the full house of 6,000 hyperactive fans at Hall H. There was, however no talk of Wonder Woman sequel, while Henry Cavill was not in attendance.

Cosplay: There is no shortage of cool cosplay in Comic-Con as one might expect, and this year is no exception. Even with the painful summer heat and crowded long lines, San Diego brought it this year with some really cool costumes. They were all there, from Star Wars to Pennywise the Clown, from the most recognizable to hilarious, from high priced couture to home sewn, and those that just make you go hmmmmm (guys in Wonder Woman costumes were surprisingly plenty this year). And hey, its always fun to see a Darth Vader struggling to eat a cheeseburger.

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Comic-Con 2017 Week: Justice League Trailer Teases Possible Return Of Superman

By Armando

Justice League panel
Photo: Armando AIPhotoImaging.com


There was a lot of excitement at Comic-Con Saturday morning with fans anticipating what Warner Bros has in store.

Those who waited long lines were rewarded when Warner Bros. brought out the highlight of the studio’s Hall H lineup: cast of Justice League, and a new action-packed trailer presented on the venue’s massively gigantic wrap-around screens.

First up was an animated Jason Momoa (Aquaman), running from the back of a packed 6,000-capacity room and up to the stage which pumped the fans into hysterics. He was shortly followed by the rest of the cast members Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), Ray Fisher (Cyborg) arriving to screaming fans and standing ovation. Missing on the event was Henry Cavill, though the end of the trailer seem to suggest he may be back from the dead.

Also absent from the panel is the film’s new director Joss Whedon and its original director Zack Snyder. But that didn’t stop the cast from showering praises to Snyder. “None of us will be here without him,” says Fisher.

The trailer shows just the right tone fans should expect from a movie helmed by two major comic-book giants. There is of course plenty of comicbook slugfest, while also looking fun, definitely suggesting a slight pivot from where Man of Steel started and continued on to Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad. The trailer is also fully aware of Wonder Woman’s new-found level of popularity, but just enough character build where each character shined.

Justice League will be in theaters Nov. 17.

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Comic-Con 2017 Week: New ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Trailer and Cast Panel

By Armando

Thor: Ragnarok panel
Photo: Armando AIPhotoImaging.com


One of Marvel’s highlights in Hall H at Comic-Con is that of Thor: Ragnarok’s panel which consists of cast members Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban and Rachel House.

Also present was New Zealand director Taika Waititi and producer Kevin Feige, who was presented with Comic-Con’s Inkpot Award for his contributions to the world of comic books and everything comics fandom.

The panel also presented to a very enthusiastic fans an exclusive extended footage from the film, followed by the actual trailer which shows plenty of action including a tag-teaming Thor and Loki, as well as the introduction of Hela and Valkyrie, and a talking Hulk to top it all off. As seen on the film’s previous trailers, one of its highlights shows Thor in a gladiatorial duel against the Hulk.

A new poster for the film was also unveiled, a copy of which were given away to Hall H attendees.

Ragnarok is the third Thor film, a sequel to 2011’s Thor and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor: Ragnarok comes out on November 3, 2017.

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The Retreat That Saved The World. “Dunkirk” Review

By Eric Gasa

The battle of Dunkirk was hardly one to begin with. It was a miracle decided by hours, a near calamity in sight of home, a retreat that may have foolhardily saved the war. In history books, the evacuation of Dunkirk is little more than a tidy little paragraph; a footnote in time but its impact cannot be understated.

Operation Dynamo lasted little more than a week but saved the lives of over 400,000 Allied soldiers trapped on the shores of France. It’s within this brief and under-looked facet of the war that director Christopher Nolan expands a weeklong rescue into a telling, intimate statement of innocence, war, and humanity’s undying will to survive.

Dunkirk’s opening scenes are serene yet surreal. A group of British soldiers appear on a deathly quiet and abandoned French street. They skulk around looking for water, smokes, or any signs of hope or life. A light breeze carries a flurry of German pamphlets onto the soldiers.

A beleaguered grunt reads the scrap: “WE SURROUND YOU,” it says, “Surrender + Survive!”
Emboldened arrows point to the Allies last vestige of hope at Dunkirk like pitchforks. The year is 1940 and the German advance has the Allies’ backs up against the wall.
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Action-Packed “Blade Runner 2049” New Trailer Released

By Creative Media Times

“No one can outrun the truth” in new trailer for “Blade Runner 2049.” Its amazing to think that we are two years away from the original Blade Runner’s dystopian Los Angeles of 2019. Though that film left a lot of unanswered questions and people confused, it has since garnered a cult following.

Now we have a sequel which takes place 30 years after, possibly answering many questions born out of the original. Some of those questions involve the nature of Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) and the trailer shows plenty of the character. We also have a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), out to search for replicants, but could be the one capable of saving the world.

The trailer looks beautiful and spectacular, with a lot more action than the film’s previous trailers. On paper, the movie is in good hands. The director, Denis Villeneuve, not only knows his science fiction, but also directed some really compelling, critically acclaimed films, including Prisoners, Sicario, and last year’s sci-fi hit film Arrival. He is also working on a reboot of “Dune” another 80s sci-fi cult classic.

The film also stars Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Barkhad Abdi, Lennie James, Mackenzie Davis, and Sylvia Hoeks.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

“Blade Runner 2049” opens on October 6th 2017.

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Disney’s ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Trailer Shows Plenty Of Star Power

By Creative Media Times

Walt Disney Studios


Director Ava DuVernay’s live-action adaptation of the classic science fantasy novel is mesmerizing. Disney released the new trailer during the film’s panel at D23 Expo in Anaheim, California on Saturday.

The trailer features scientist Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine) talking about traveling through time and space. “What if we are here for a reason? What if we are a part of something truly divine. Imagine, 91 billion light years traveled like that.” The trailer then changes pace as he snaps his fingers and the haunting cover intro of Eurythmics’ 80s hit song “Sweet Dreams” starts playing on the background.

Mrs. Which (Winfrey) then pick up the narration, explaining to Meg Murry (Storm Reid) that “your father has accomplished something extraordinary but also dangerous. He’s trapped by a darkness that’s actively spreading throughout the universe. And the only one who can stop it is you. Be a warrior.

We then see a series of fantastical end-of-the-world scenes, collapsing trees, characters falling from the sky, and disturbingly strange characters in suburban settings.

‘A Wrinkle in Time’ is based on a 1963 novel by Madeleine L’Engle. It was first adapted for a 2003 television film of the same name which, unfortunately, didn’t receive much attention.

‘A Wrinkle in Time’ stars Storm Reid, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Mindy Kaling, Deric McCabe,Levi Miller, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, André Holland, Michael Peña, Zach Galifianakis, and Oprah Winfrey.

The film opens March 9th, 2018.

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Gary Oldman As Churchill In New Trailer For “Darkest Hour”

By Creative Media Times

Focus Features

Gary Oldman is Winston Churchill in the intense new trailer for “Darkest Hour”, Joe Wright’s upcoming political drama about Britain’s wartime prime minister, out later this year.

Ever a chameleon and versatile actor, Oldman is unrecognizable in the trailer, which shows Churchill after his appointment as Prime Minister, his decisions under the looming pressures of Nazi Germany, and the fight he instead chose to make.

Joining Oldman is a sterling cast: Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI, Kristin Scott Thomas as Churchill’s wife Clementine, Ronald Pickup as Neville Chamberlain, Stephen Dillane as Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax, and Lily James as personal secretary of Churchill Elizabeth Nel.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

A thrilling and inspiring true story begins on the eve of World War II as, within days of becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill (Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman) must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: exploring a negotiated peace treaty with Nazi Germany, or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty and freedom of a nation. As the unstoppable Nazi forces roll across Western Europe and the threat of invasion is imminent, and with an unprepared public, a skeptical King, and his own party plotting against him, Churchill must withstand his darkest hour, rally a nation, and attempt to change the course of world history.

Focus Features will release Darkest Hour in select cities on November 22, 2017. Watch the official trailer below:

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“The Shallows” Director Frontrunner For “Suicide Squad 2”

By Creative Media Times

Warner Bros. Pictures


Jaume Collet-Serra, who scored a hit last summer after directing the Blake Lively film The Shallows, has emerged as frontrunner to helm Warner Bros’ Suicide Squad 2, Deadline reports.

The past few months, it seemed that the studio was pursuing a few big names to helm the sequel, including Mel Gibson and David S. Goyer. So Collet-Serra is a bit of surprising choice. “The Shallows”, however, proved to be a profitable hit last summer, grossing $119 million worldwide on a modest $17 million budget, and was generally well received by critics.

Stepping aside is David Ayer, who wrote and directed the original film. Although the DCEU’s antihero film was panned by critics last year, “Squad” was a global success, grossing $745,600,054 million worldwide. This left little doubt about the sequel being green lit, and as well as a spin-off based on fan favorite Harley Quinn, tentatively “Gotham City Sirens”, with Margot Robbie reprising her role and which David Ayer set to direct.

The Spanish film director has been busy; he recently helmed “The Commuter” starring Liam Neeson, an action thriller set for release early next year. Neeson and the director are frequent collaborators, having previously worked together on action thrillers “Unknown” (2011), “Non-Stop” (2014) and “Run All Night” (2015).

Suicide Squad sequel currently have no official release date.

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