Pacific Rim is Guillermo Del Toro’s very highly anticipated robot/monsters/sci-fi blockbuster starring Idris Elba, Charlie Day, and Sons of Anarchy ‘ s Charlie Hunnam. Will it succeed at the box office? Can it knock Despicable Me 2 from it’s perch? Let’s check out some of the reviews and see what the critics have to say! In a field rife with impostors and poseurs, Del Toro, like his mentors, is the real deal. It’s good to have him working his magic again. — Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times I know we all wanted a robots versus monsters movie, but we don’t need to accept a mediocre one. In fact, it’s even more imperative we hold out for better. — Fred Topel, CraveOnline It’s closer to the hammering “Transformers” aesthetic than expected. Yet the weirdness around the edges saves it from impersonality. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune It’s big and loud and kind of dumb and predictable. The difference is that, in del Toro’s hands, it’s meant to be. — Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic As gripping as watching a Transformer toy battle in a bathtub with a rubber dinosaur. — Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News Shows how a fairly simple concept and plot can be transformed by a master filmmaker into literally one of the most entertaining and fun movies of the summer. — Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net
For the past few years I’ve had the honor of joining the annual Masters of the Web panel at Comic-Con, a confab of journalists and bloggers from the online film community sharing our experiences in web journalism, troll-taming, geek-baiting, etc. This year I’ll be returning to the panel, joined by a gaggle of fine web masters and mistresses… along with a special guest moderator: Karl Urban , star of Dredd 3-D . (Hit the jump for a chance to snag tickets to a special just-announced Comic-Con Dredd 3-D screening.) The panel has hosted a number of celebrity moderators before; inviting filmmakers like Edgar Wright and Bob Orci to turn the tables on the journalists who’d covered their films — and in some cases, panned them outright — made for interesting conversation, and wasn’t quite as awkward as you’d imagine. Urban, in town to present footage from Dredd 3-D , will get his turn to grill us at the podium this year. (Maybe he’ll wear his Dredd helmet! Can we ask him to do the whole thing in Bones-speak? Oh, the possibilities…) Dredd 3-D , meanwhile, will be unveiled in a special sneak screening on Wednesday at Comic-Con — and Movieline has five pairs of tickets to give away. Am I bribing you with advance tickets so that you’ll come to my panel, even though you’re only beholden to the honor system since the panel happens the day after the screening? Yes. Yes, I am. Don’t make me regret it. The first five people who comment below, promise to come to the Masters of the Web panel on Thursday at Comic-Con, and lay claim to a pair of VIP tickets, will get them. (Make sure to sign in with your email address and full name.) Screening info (more at www.JudgementIsComing.com ): Lionsgate is kicking off San Diego Comic Con 2012 with an Advance Screening of Dredd 3D Presented by Masters of the Web Wednesday, July 11th, 10:00pm Reading Cinemas Gaslamp. 701 5th Ave., San Diego But back to the Masters of the Web. The reason I love being a part of this panel every year, aside from the fact that I know each and every one of the folks joining me up there — friends, peers, competitors, karaoke buddies — is that it gives us the rare chance to take the pulse of the online space, from a behind-the-scenes perspective, as representatives of a relatively young community of writers and editors. The online blogging world has evolved so fast in the past decade alone, not only technically speaking but in terms of audience, engagement, ethics, and the significance of online reporting alongside traditional media, that this once-a-year gathering at the geekiest pop culture event of the year has the potential to touch on vital and interesting conversations, for web “masters” and readers alike. To whom are we most accountable? What tools are most useful to us? How do we acknowledge the looming presence and expectations of studios who give us access to their films (or, you know, arrange for special guest moderators and sneak screenings at special events)? Ahem. Perhaps we’ll touch on issues like those in the panel. Or maybe we’ll hound Urban for Lord of the Rings stories. Who knows? IT COULD GET CRAZY! Plus, attendees at the panel will receive free movie passes courtesy of panel sponsor AMC. See, guys? You get to peek into our lives and get free movies. Win-win! So: Mark your calendars. Thursday. Comic-Con. 4:30-5:30pm. Room 24ABC. Be there. 4:30-5:30 Masters of the Web— The annual gathering of some of the most prominent and influential film pundits on the web discuss the film industry, writing for film online, film fandom, and a whole lot more. Moderated by star of the new Lionsgate film Dredd, Karl Urban (Star Trek, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), with special surprise cast members from the film. Panelists include Mike Sampson (ScreenCrush.com), Jen Yamato (MovieLine.com), Mali Elfman (ScreenCrave.com), Erik Davis (Movies.com), Steve “Frosty” Weintraub (Collider.com), Grae Drake (Fandango.com), Jenna Busch (Cocktails with Stan Lee), and Edward Douglas (ComingSoon.net), and hosted by John Campea (AMC Theatres). AMC is generously providing free movies passes to all attendees of the panel this year! Room 24ABC Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Critics give high marks to Neeson, but are divided on neo-Hitchcockian thriller. By Shawn Adler January Jones and Liam Neeson in “Unknown” Photo: Warner Bros. With apologies to the groundhog, Liam Neeson is quickly becoming February’s biggest star. Two years after the action-thriller “Taken” made him perhaps Hollywood’s unlikeliest action star, the Oscar-nominated man who played Oskar Schindler is back to kick butt and take names in “Unknown,” a neo-Hitchcockian thriller about a man who awakens after a car accident to discover the life he thought he had has been taken away, possibly just an after-effect of amnesia. Is the movie itself worth forgetting? Here’s what the critics are saying: The Twist “As much as ‘Unknown’ tries to be an intelligent thriller for grown-ups, the premise is pretty silly and normally, when that’s the case, you know it’s going to lead to an equally silly twist. Dark Castle regular Jaume Collet-Serra’s previous movie ‘Orphan’ had one of the funniest twist endings possibly ever, though this doesn’t quite achieve that extreme of insanity because the plot is so based in thriller clich
