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By Michael Lopez

Sadly, War Horse seemed to be one of those movies that slipped under the radar while it was in theaters. Yes it got recognition from the Academy Awards, but it hardly became the box office bonanza that you’d expect from a Steven Spielberg film. Well now, audiences who may have missed it can experience the adventures of “Joey” on Blu-Ray, along with a host of enticing extras.

The War Horse DVD arrived this past week and comes with hours of bonus material. Six documentaries are tacked on to the Blu-Ray release, which include the full participation of Spielberg and the cast.

The doc that has been getting the most attention is entitled “A Filmmaking Journey.” Clocking in at 60 minutes, it features some very in-depth interviews with Steven. Fans of his work can get a unique glimpse into his filmmaking process as it traces his War Horse involvement from the pre-production stages all the way to the red carpet.

Anyone who loved the War Horse soundtrack will enjoy the “Editing and Scoring” featurette. This unique doc taps into the creative process of composer John Williams. Known for his classic scores on Jaws, Star Wars and E.T., Williams makes for a fascinating interview.

Other interesting extras include profiles of the original War Horse play, costume design featurettes and a video diary from one of the British extras. Animal fans are in for a treat too, as the film producers discuss the process of casting the four-legged star.

The movie, as we mentioned before, is a fascinating portrait of the first World War. Throughout its 146 minutes, you’ll see lead character Joey grow from a newborn to a powerful steed. And though this is a work of fiction, Joey’s journey capitalizes on real life events that were happening in Europe during the early 1900’s.

Our only gripe would be a lack of deleted scenes or commentary from Spielberg. He must have shot more material chronicling the life of Joey and it would have been great to get a deeper perspective of his vision. Otherwise, War Horse is nearly perfect DVD that you should definitely giddy up and get!

Did you see War Horse in theaters? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Blu-Ray, DVDs, John Williams, Movies & CineMás, Steven Spielberg, War Horse

By Michael Lopez

If you recall, our review of The Adventures Of Tintin wasn't exactly glowing. It was certainly an interesting movie, but not quite worth the $15 you'd have to spend at a 3D theater. Paying $2 for it at a Redbox on the other hand, well that's money well spent (especially if you can grab it on Blu-Ray).

The Tintin DVD is just as crisp and colorful as what we saw in theaters. And we've definitely got to hand it to the engineers who mastered the stereo sounds, the score and voices soar in 5.1 Dolby Digital. There are also Spanish subtitles if you're curious to hear Captain Haddock's growls en Español.

But what really sold us on this Blu-Ray are the extras. There are literally 90 minutes worth of documentaries (which is ironic when you consider that the movie is only 108 minutes) profiling the fascinating journey Tintin made from comic strip to screen.

After watching the film in theaters, we were definitely curious about the roots of the dashing teen reporter. It seems Tintin was created over 80 years ago by a modest Belgian artist. The featurettes profile all of that as well as director Steven Spielberg's involvement. Interestingly, Steven admitted that he was introduced to Tintin while making the first Indiana Jones movie.

There are also explorations into Tintin's world, giving deeper backstories to Captain Haddock, the Thompson Twins, and lovable white pooch Snowy. And, as we mentioned in our review, that was one thing Tintin the movie was lacking.

Special effects fans are in for a treat too. The Tintin: Conceptual Design doc delves deep into the motion capture technology that was used in the film. You will undoubtedly have more respect for stars Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis after watching their performances here.

And how about the movie itself? We'll still give it a solid three stars. The excitement comes at a furious pace (and is fun to rewind on DVD), but there are elements of the story that could have used a bit more polishing. That being said, Tintin is a worthy title for the Spielberg canon and not a bad way to spend a night in during April showers.

What’s the last great DVD you rented? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Andy Serkis, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Blu-Ray, Comics, DVDs, Jamie Bell, Movies & CineMás, Steven Spielberg, The Adventures Of Tintin, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Tintin

By Michael Lopez

It seems the mega studios aren't quite as loose with their pocketbooks these days. Big names like Warner Bros. are dumping high-priced stars for unknown casts and 20th Century Fox is looking to drastically slash its TV budget, as evidenced by the cancellation of Terra Nova.

Terra Nova definitely had a lot of ambition behind it. Produced by Steven Spielberg, the prime time drama featured CGI dinosaurs and vast exotic locales. And though it premiered strong in the ratings, Nova couldn't keep up the momentum.

Believe it or not, the average Nova episode cost about $4 million to produce (which is higher than a lot of independent films). Though several Fox executives were fans of the series, the bottom line just didn't add up.

As for now, the project isn't entirely extinct. CNN is reporting that Nova’s producers are trying to shop the show to another network in the hopes that the dinosaurs will live on.

Were you a fan of Terra Nova? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Fox, RIP, Steven Spielberg, Television, Terra Nova

By Horacio Garcia

I must recognize that old Steve has been very busy lately burning through a burst of creativity we hadn’t seen for a decade. His latest films aside from Indiana Jones 4 hasn't been very Spielberg-like, from Schindler’s List to Munich.

Even when he got in his hands a typical Spielberg story with Super 8, he preferred to delegate in J.J. Abrams to direct it. That was last year, but this year Steven Spielberg is back and he is in great shape. He took a major risk using performance caption in The Adventures of Tin Tin, so he decided to play it safe just in case and the result is War Horse; a classic Spielberg melodrama.
War Horse is the kind of movie Spielberg use to make back in the good old days of E.T. and Close Encounters, the only difference is the amount of production money. He didn't take any risks with this one, so everything from the music to the photography is of the highest quality and the crew includes all the familiar names of the Spielberg entourage.

Janus Kaminski is behind the camera, music by John Williams, production under Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshal. To top it all, the story of the movie is based in a bestselling 1983 novel that became a successful theater play in London. The cast is made out of British actors with Jeremy Irving as Albert and Emily Watson as his no nonsense Mum. Young Jeremy became known thanks to the British version of Disney's Life Bites.

War Horse begins in Devon, England, where a horse named Joey and a young man named Albert become friends. The tale of that friendship is perfectly set in the very first scene of the movie in the green prairies of Devon, an ideal rural county, but the war the British still call The Great War shatters Albert and Joey's world.

The Army enlists Joey, who ends up as the mount of a Captain Nichols, but he is killed in the fields of France, and Joey is sent alone into the war. The best part of the movie is to watch this amazingly beautiful animal in multiple adventures serving both sides of the conflict. In the meantime, in England, Albert is worried about his friend, and being too young to enlist, he embarks in a perilous journey to find Joey and bring him home.

This is classic Spielberg; a grandiose melodrama that appeals shamelessly to our softer side and is done in the typical Spielberg shock and awe method, that includes a great visual and sonorous assault to our senses and when we are soft with the beauty of the horse and the magnificence of the landscape, he hit us treacherously with the sad part and we burst into tears. This one is that kind of movie, so be prepared and take your hankie with you.

Tags blogger: Horacio Garcia, Emily Watson, Jeremy Irving, Steven Spielberg, War Horse

By Michael Lopez

It seems like The Adventures of Tintin may have a tough time finding its ideal audience. Too dark for young kids, yet too tame for R-Rated action fans, this animated spectacle falls somewhere in the middle, all the while highlighting a character American moviegoers may not be too familiar with. That being said, it's still an amazing visual achievement and a worthy addition to the Steven Spielberg catalog.

The Tintin character has a huge following overseas. Created as a comic strip back in the 1930's by Belgian artist Herge, his travels with Captain Haddock and his faithful dog Snowy have been read by millions of die-hard fans. But in the states, the adventurous boy reporter has never really connected in the way cartoon crime fighters like Superman or Dick Tracy have.

Obviously Spielberg and his producing partner Peter Jackson are hoping their latest movie will change all of that. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn works almost as an origin story, introducing audiences to the colorful world Herge created and sending our hero off on a quest around the globe.

The film starts off exciting enough, with Tintin and Snowy accidentally entangled in a pirate ship mystery. Taking a cue from Steven's Indiana Jones franchise, the young reporter is almost immediately thrust into a world of spies, gun-toting thugs, and legendary treasures. Before long, Tintin and his furry companion leave their small Belgian town for the high seas and brutal deserts.

Along the way, we meet the most colorful character yet. The grizzly Captain Haddock, a booze-swilling seaman who may hold some secrets about a mysterious "Unicorn" vessel. Hilariously voiced by Andy Serkis (Gollum from The Lord of the Rings), the Captain provides some of Tintin’s most memorable moments and makes a great comic foil for some of the duller leads.

Unfortunately, for all the fun that Captain Haddock provides, Tintin still suffers from a little too much bombast. The action sequences, though visually beautiful, seem a little too fast-paced, barely letting the audience breathe. And sadly, the slower paced "Unicorn" backstory leaves much to be desired. Worst of all, the climax feels like just a teaser for another sequel. But with all its bumps and bruises, Tintin is still a heck of a lot better than Spielberg's last adventure outing, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Bottom line: The Adventures of Tintin is definitely not a bad movie. And we certainly give Steven Spielberg credit for moving out of his comfort zone and helming an animated film. The problem is, it feels too much like a set up of things to come. With all of the character introductions and exposition, we have yet to see the Tintin team truly gel onscreen. Perhaps things will move a bit more smoothly come sequel time.

Are you planning on watching The Adventures of Tintin? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Andy Serkis, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Comics, Hergé, Indiana Jones, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, The Adventures Of Tintin, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Tintin

By Michael Lopez

They say Daniel Day-Lewis has the ability to engulf every role he takes on. And though we have yet to see a scene from his new movie Lincoln, it's clear that mantra holds true. This week, shots of the British actor circulated on the web showing him to be a dead ringer for "Honest Abe."

The top secret snap was actually captured by a Virginia college student who happened to see Daniel dining at a local restaurant. Dressed in full makeup, Day-Lewis has the Lincoln look down, from the receding hairline to the signature scruffy chin.

Lincoln is expected to be one of 2012's most talked-about films. Directed by Steven Spielberg, it will focus on the last few years of the famed President's life, right up to the moment he was assassinated. A stellar cast is already attached to the project, including Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

But we get the feeling that all eyes will be set on Daniel once the movie hits theaters. You can look for Lincoln to arrive just in time for next Halloween.

Are you looking forward to Lincoln? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Abraham Lincoln, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln, Movies & CineMás, Steven Spielberg

By Michael Lopez

There is no denying the ambition of a film like Real Steel. Part relationship drama, part robot flick, part sports epic, it's got a lot of elements going into it and director Shawn Levy spent several years bringing it to life. At a recent press conference, he spoke to us about the "mechanics" behind the movie.

"There is a lot of humanity in this movie," he said. "Soulfulness was definitely something we were interested in. I wanted Real Steel to be as much emotional as it was spectacle."

Though Shawn has helmed quite a few spectacles in his day (particularly the two Night at the Museum movies), Real Steel was something completely different. This flick had a budget of over $80 million and happened to be executive produced by filmmaking icons Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis.

Levy went on to explain the type of input a honcho like Spielberg brought to the project.

"In our first meeting, Steven mentioned how everyone uses CGI [effects] now because they can. He said back on Jurassic Park, they didn't have the luxury of that, so they built real dinosaurs. He suggested that we build real robots, so we did. Atom is real, Noisy Boy is real…What you get from real robots is more authentic performances."

And there is no denying the power that both Atom and Noisy Boy bring to the screen. Each of the robots were controlled remotely by a tech team. Their performances helped the actors and created a more improvisational feel on the set.

"I'm really open to improvisation," Shawn said. "It was big on Real Steel. Some of the moments that I think are the most honest are the result of me encouraging Hugh Jackman and the cast to improvise their own stuff."

Outside of the improv influences, Levy used several other sources of inspiration when crafting the tone of Real Steel. One particular film he harked back to when shooting the boxing battles was Sylvester Stallone's Rocky.

"The Rocky movies were rousing and in 2011, I still appreciated the underdog story," he explained. "Much more than a robot movie, I wanted to make Real Steel an underdog sports movie."

We'll be curious to see how well this "underdog movie" does against the current box office champ when it hits theaters this weekend.

What's your favorite sports boxing movie? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, boxing, Exclusive Entrevistas, Movies & CineMás, Real Steel, Shawn Levy, Sports, Steven Spielberg, Tr3s Exclusives

By Michael Lopez

Jurassic Park fans rejoice! No there won’t be a Part 4 of the dinosaur film franchise hitting theaters soon, but TV viewers may be in the for the next best thing. Park mastermind Steven Spielberg is launching a prehistoric series called Terra Nova, which premieres tonight!

Set in the year 2149, Nova follows the lives of a family who travel 85 million years in the past to escape a dying Earth. Though life in the ancient human colony seems easy at first, carnivorous creatures soon come calling.

There is still a ton of secrecy surrounding the Terra Nova pilot. Will it have the famous T. Rex? Perhaps an appearance by The Flintstones? It’s all unclear. But we do know that Spielberg is adding an Avatar touch to the show with cast member Stephen Lang (who played Na’vi killer Col. Quaritch).

Set to debut on FOX, network execs are praying that Nova scores big in the ratings department. The show's premiere cost close to $20 million to produce, so it better get A LOT of viewers if it wants to avoid “extinction.”

Are you planning on watching Terra Nova? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Dinosaurs, Jurassic Park, Stephen Lang, Steven Spielberg, Television, Terra Nova

By Michael Lopez

A while back we profiled the red hot career of Roberto Orci. In the past few years, the Mexican-born screenwriter has cranked out some of the hottest scripts in Hollywood. His latest film, Cowboys & Aliens, promises to continue that blockbuster streak and Orci spoke to Tr3s exclusively about what went into the project.

"Working on Cowboys & Aliens was exciting," Roberto explained. "But it was also nerve-wracking because you know you're working with the people you're working with. We had Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard involved in this project."

There is no denying that Cowboys has an arsenal of A-list talent behind it. It has Iron Man’s Jon Favreau as its director, Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig as it stars, and legendary filmmakers Spielberg and Howard in the producers' seat. Orci was quick to point out how everyone contributed.

"Spielberg knows aliens and Ron knows cowboy movies," he jokingly said. "They were like referees. They told us when we were going astray."

Roberto also explained how growing up in Mexico helped him appreciate big spectacle films like Cowboys & Aliens. In fact, it was American blockbusters from people like Spielberg that inspired him to write in the first place.

"Growing up in Mexico City, fantasy films were the ones you got particularly attached to," he went on to say. "They seemed like another world. I was paying a lot more attention when I was watching American movies because I was learning a language and I was dreaming about a world that was so fascinating."

Judging by Orci’s resume, his dreams have most certainly come true. In the past two years alone, he's been attached to projects like Fringe, Transformers, and Star Trek. Though he was tight lipped about the Star Trek sequel, Roberto did confirm that the script is close to completion.

"We’re working on Star Trek II now," he said. "We'll be working on it for the next six months."

But if you want a taste of Orci's outer space creations a little sooner than that, we highly recommend checking out Cowboys & Aliens when it hits theaters on Friday.

Are you planning on watching Cowboys & Aliens? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Cowboys & Aliens, Exclusive Entrevistas, Hot Stuff, Movies & CineMás, Roberto Orci, Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, Tr3s Exclusives

By Michael Lopez

You've got to hand it to the Super 8 marketing team, they made sure this movie maintained a lot of secrecy. But was the ultimate payoff worth it? That depends on what you were expecting. If you were yearning for a violent creature feature, not so much. But if you want a nostalgic tale about pre-pubescent teens, you're in for a treat.

Having a name like Steven Spielberg attached to it, you know Super 8 will contain a least a few supernatural elements. In his four-decade career, the legendary movie-maker has created sci-fi classics like E.T., War of the Worlds, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And it's clear that Super 8 writer/director J.J. Abrams used Spielberg as a major influence when crafting this film.

Setting Super 8 around young teens in 1979 also makes you wonder if Abrams wanted to interject a bit of his own history into the movie (J.J. himself was coincidentally 13 that year). All six of the main characters are huge cinema buffs and use their "Super 8" camera to shoot homemade scenes around their small Ohio town.

But what starts out as a poignant snapshot of life in the 70's soon turns into an otherworldly mystery. While shooting one of their scenes at the town train tracks, the six kids unexpectedly witness a horrific crash (which the Super 8 effects team did a fantastic job on). From there, government cover-ups and local secrets begin to emerge.

Obviously not everyone has seen the movie, so we'll keep this review light on the spoilers. That being said, the "alien" element of the movie isn't quite as prominent as the trailers would lead you to expect. There are no laser-shooting robots or fire-breathing lizards (à la Abrams’ Cloverfield), but rather hints and glimpses of a misunderstood monster.

Ultimately, it's the kids who hold the secret to Super 8’' alien mystery and you can expect plenty of sappy moments when the pieces get put together. J.J.'s' young performers definitely showcase some phenomenal acting skills during those scenes (particularly Elle Fanning) and we give him credit for going with mostly unknowns for the prominent roles.

Bottom Line: There's no denying that both Abrams and Spielberg are masters of the filmmaking game. Unfortunately that may be the one thing lacking about Super 8. While the shots, effects, and performances are first-rate, several parts of the movie feel a bit too polished and formulaic, leaving you with a bit of the "been there, done that" feeling.

What did you think of Super 8? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Elle Fanning, Hot Stuff, J.J. Abrams, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, Steven Spielberg, Super 8