Moviegoers are truly living in the golden age of post-credit scenes. What was once considered something of a novelty has been rendered a necessity in an era when the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other film franchises are expanding faster than Dwayne Johnson’s biceps in a 5 a.m. weight session. However, the concept’s origins date back further than the dawn of the superhero movie era or anything equally fast and furious. Back in 1966, in fact, Dean Martin was proving to the world that not all heroes wear capes or drive ludicrously fast cars; some prefer a suave suit and a scotch. He may have been known as a crooner, but in the 1960s, Martin also played the part of Matt Helm, a U.S. government counter agent in a series of films based on books by author Guy Hamilton.
Essentially pitched as a more laid-back James Bond, Martin’s first outing as Helm,...
Essentially pitched as a more laid-back James Bond, Martin’s first outing as Helm,...
- 10/9/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is heading toward $1 billion at the worldwide box office, which is a far cry from the disastrous fate that met the first attempt to bring the Nintendo video game franchise to life. The live-action “Super Mario Bros.” movie in 1993 crashed and burned at the box office, grossing less than $40 million worldwide. Many Mario fans found the film too dark and adult-oriented, but Luigi actor John Leguizamo recently told GQ magazine in a video interview that what they shot was far darker than what was released.
“[The directors] had this dark, dark vision that Disney was not okay with so there was all this butt-heading that was incredible,” Leguizamo said. “That party scene? Those were all strippers from North Carolina that they put on the set and they had them in the most revealing clothes and costumes.”
“Disney was not happy” Leguizamo added. “They had to cut a lot of it,...
“[The directors] had this dark, dark vision that Disney was not okay with so there was all this butt-heading that was incredible,” Leguizamo said. “That party scene? Those were all strippers from North Carolina that they put on the set and they had them in the most revealing clothes and costumes.”
“Disney was not happy” Leguizamo added. “They had to cut a lot of it,...
- 4/21/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
There’s no shortage of new films hitting cinemas this weekend, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie is ready to butt-stomp the competition for another weekend of collecting gold coins at the box office. According to analysts, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is looking at $58M, with a nine-day $260M domestic total creeping toward $300M. Illumination‘s animated adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom grossed $9.4M on Thursday at 4,343 markets, -13% from Wednesday’s $10.7M. The Super Mario Bros. Movie recently crossed the $500M mark worldwide, becoming the biggest video game adaptation ever.
Renfield and The Pope’s Exorcist war for supernatural supremacy at the box office this weekend, though neither is conjuring dollars at cinemas as we’d assumed. Renfield sank its teeth into $900K in Thursday night previews, while The Pope’s Exorcist channeled $850K. The pair of genre films were projected to earn $8M-$10M. Renfield, starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula,...
Renfield and The Pope’s Exorcist war for supernatural supremacy at the box office this weekend, though neither is conjuring dollars at cinemas as we’d assumed. Renfield sank its teeth into $900K in Thursday night previews, while The Pope’s Exorcist channeled $850K. The pair of genre films were projected to earn $8M-$10M. Renfield, starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula,...
- 4/14/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
While streamers typically get by on thrifty marketing budgets, pushing content largely on their menus, most motion picture studios, like Universal, still have all the superpowers in the world to blast a movie out of a canon.
But here’s something to keep in mind as we detail Universal’s promo playbook below in propelling Illumination/Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros Movie to several opening records.: IP and marketing machine alone don’t propel a movie to great box office heights.
‘The Super Mario Bros Movie’
The movie also needs to be great. As subjective and simple-minded as that sounds, when it comes to the feature take of the ever-popular video game Super Mario Bros, it meant staying faithful to the source material itself: The game. And that’s exactly what Illumination and filmmakers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic did in this second big screen go-round of the Nintendo game.
But here’s something to keep in mind as we detail Universal’s promo playbook below in propelling Illumination/Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros Movie to several opening records.: IP and marketing machine alone don’t propel a movie to great box office heights.
‘The Super Mario Bros Movie’
The movie also needs to be great. As subjective and simple-minded as that sounds, when it comes to the feature take of the ever-popular video game Super Mario Bros, it meant staying faithful to the source material itself: The game. And that’s exactly what Illumination and filmmakers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic did in this second big screen go-round of the Nintendo game.
- 4/9/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
It was true in the early '90s and it remains true now: Mario is the king of video games. To this day, there's arguably no mascot more recognizable for an industry worth billions and, by the end of the '80s, Hollywood was starting to realize this whole video game thing was here to stay. Naturally, that meant capitalizing on the popularity with a major motion picture. It also meant that Nintendo's "Super Mario Bros." was the white whale of IP that any studio could hope to get their hands on. In 1993, the result of producer Roland Joffe's unlikely bid to win those rights hit theaters and set the tone for video game movies for years to come --...
It was true in the early '90s and it remains true now: Mario is the king of video games. To this day, there's arguably no mascot more recognizable for an industry worth billions and, by the end of the '80s, Hollywood was starting to realize this whole video game thing was here to stay. Naturally, that meant capitalizing on the popularity with a major motion picture. It also meant that Nintendo's "Super Mario Bros." was the white whale of IP that any studio could hope to get their hands on. In 1993, the result of producer Roland Joffe's unlikely bid to win those rights hit theaters and set the tone for video game movies for years to come --...
- 4/8/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Luigi is the man. The green-capped, younger brother of Mario—as well as the one with the far more luxuriant mustache—jumps higher, runs faster, and looks plain cooler while doing it. This is a truth that’s universally acknowledged by gamers of a certain age. For if you were a younger sibling growing up sometime in the ‘90s or late ‘80s, you were always Player 2. You were always Luigi.
I was one such player, the kid brother of a sister who adored Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 on the Nes. There were thus many an afternoon spent waiting for my turn to play as the Italian plumber who’s dressed like it’s always St. Patrick’s Day. However, beginning with the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1986, Luigi has low-key been designed as the better character with higher and further leaps, albeit less balance and traction in his landings.
I was one such player, the kid brother of a sister who adored Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 on the Nes. There were thus many an afternoon spent waiting for my turn to play as the Italian plumber who’s dressed like it’s always St. Patrick’s Day. However, beginning with the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1986, Luigi has low-key been designed as the better character with higher and further leaps, albeit less balance and traction in his landings.
- 4/8/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Quentin Tarantino has long been a champion for underseen and undervalued films (just listen to his Video Archives podcast for weekly examples), but who knew he would be given credit for “vindicating” the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie?
The 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie screened at Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema last month, an event which proved far more popular than the directors expected. As recalled by Super Mario Bros. co-director Rocky Morton, “My thought was that there would be 10 or 20 people there…But it was jam-packed. There were people queueing up around the block for extra tickets.” He also noted that the crowd was “laughing and clapping at all the right places. They weren’t doing it ironically; it was genuine.” Morton–who, interestingly, shares a name with a Koopaling–also gave direct credit to Qt. “I think Quentin Tarantino understands where we’re coming from, creatively. It’s...
The 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie screened at Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema last month, an event which proved far more popular than the directors expected. As recalled by Super Mario Bros. co-director Rocky Morton, “My thought was that there would be 10 or 20 people there…But it was jam-packed. There were people queueing up around the block for extra tickets.” He also noted that the crowd was “laughing and clapping at all the right places. They weren’t doing it ironically; it was genuine.” Morton–who, interestingly, shares a name with a Koopaling–also gave direct credit to Qt. “I think Quentin Tarantino understands where we’re coming from, creatively. It’s...
- 4/7/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
John Leguizamo will not be watching 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'.The 62-year-old actor played Luigi in the panned 1993 live-action film 'Super Mario Bros.' and revealed that he has no plans to see the new animated flick due to a lack of "inclusion" in the casting.Chris Pratt and Charlie Day star as Mario and Luigi respectively but the decision not to put Latin actors in the roles has been criticised by Leguizamo.Asked if he plans to see the movie, the Colombian-born actor told TMZ: "Hell no! No I will not (be watching). They could've included a Latin character."Like I was groundbreaking and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We're 20 per cent of the population. The largest people of colour group and we are underrepresented."It is not the first time that John has criticised...
- 4/7/2023
- by Joe Graber
- Bang Showbiz
John Leguizamo has bluntly explained why he will not be watching The Super Mario Bros Movie.
In November, the Latin actor criticised the casting of Chris Pratt and Charlie Day in the animated film, which is out on Friday (7 April).
Leguizamo, who played Luigi in a 1993 live-action film based on the video game, described the casting as “backwards”.
Now, he has said there is no way he’ll be watching the new version, stating “hell no” when asked.
“I will not [be watching],” he told TMZ, adding: “They could’ve included a Latin character.”
Leguizamo continued: “They stopped the ground-breaking. They messed up the inclusion; they dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk.
“We’re 20 per cent of the population. The largest people of colour group and we are underrepresented.”
Speaking about his former role in November, Leguizamo highlighted the lengths the 1993 film’s directors, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, went to in...
In November, the Latin actor criticised the casting of Chris Pratt and Charlie Day in the animated film, which is out on Friday (7 April).
Leguizamo, who played Luigi in a 1993 live-action film based on the video game, described the casting as “backwards”.
Now, he has said there is no way he’ll be watching the new version, stating “hell no” when asked.
“I will not [be watching],” he told TMZ, adding: “They could’ve included a Latin character.”
Leguizamo continued: “They stopped the ground-breaking. They messed up the inclusion; they dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk.
“We’re 20 per cent of the population. The largest people of colour group and we are underrepresented.”
Speaking about his former role in November, Leguizamo highlighted the lengths the 1993 film’s directors, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, went to in...
- 4/6/2023
- by Jacob Stolworthy
- The Independent - Film
Last month, Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel went to the theater to see “Super Mario Bros.,” a movie they directed 30 years ago — and haven’t watched since.
The live-action 1993 film, starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi, bombed at the box office and landed on various “Worst Movies of All Time” lists, later developing a passionate cult following. In the directors’ own words, “Super Mario Bros.” was so “reviled” that it left a “black mark” on the married couple’s careers.
That is, until a midnight screening held at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema on March 11 “washed away the stain.”
“My thought was that there would be 10 or 20 people there,” Morton tells Variety. “But it was jam-packed. There were people queueing up around the block for extra tickets.” During the film, Morton says the audience was “laughing and clapping at all the right places. They weren...
The live-action 1993 film, starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi, bombed at the box office and landed on various “Worst Movies of All Time” lists, later developing a passionate cult following. In the directors’ own words, “Super Mario Bros.” was so “reviled” that it left a “black mark” on the married couple’s careers.
That is, until a midnight screening held at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema on March 11 “washed away the stain.”
“My thought was that there would be 10 or 20 people there,” Morton tells Variety. “But it was jam-packed. There were people queueing up around the block for extra tickets.” During the film, Morton says the audience was “laughing and clapping at all the right places. They weren...
- 4/6/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
John Leguizamo is doubling down on criticizing Universal and Illumination’s animated film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which casts Chris Pratt and Charlie Day in the leading voice roles of Mario and Luigi. Leguizamo brought Luigi to life in a live-action format opposite Bob Hoskins’ Mario in 1993’s “Super Mario Bros.” The actor told TMZ on the day “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” opened in theaters that he won’t be watching it due to the casting.
“No I will not [be watching]. They could’ve included a Latin character,” Leguizamo said. “Like I was groundbreaking and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We’re 20% of the population. The largest people of color group and we are underrepresented.”
When asked again by TMZ if he would be watching the movie, Leguizamo answered: “Hell no!”
Leguizamo first spoke out against the...
“No I will not [be watching]. They could’ve included a Latin character,” Leguizamo said. “Like I was groundbreaking and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We’re 20% of the population. The largest people of color group and we are underrepresented.”
When asked again by TMZ if he would be watching the movie, Leguizamo answered: “Hell no!”
Leguizamo first spoke out against the...
- 4/6/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
On the eve of its 30th birthday, Super Mario Bros.––the 1993 film, not the groundbreaking video game––might be due for critical reappraisal. Dubbed “a complete waste of time and money” by Roger Ebert, rejected by Mario’s custodians at Nintendo, and described with utter contempt by its own stars, it has enjoyed three decades of cultural life as a punchline about the dismal standards of game-to-movie adaptations. Yet the tonally confused kids’ movie, viewed in retrospect of a fully Marvelized Hollywood, recalls a time when genuinely weird, mutant art could sometimes break out of the franchise-blockbuster laboratories. Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, the spousal duo behind cult cyberpunk sensation Max Headroom, it liberally reimagines the vaguely defined Mario lore of plumbers, princesses, mushrooms, and dinosaurs into a gothic urban fever dream. Pursuing a kidnapped girl, the titular brothers––Bob Hoskins as Mario, adopting a wheezing, gesticulating meatball...
- 4/5/2023
- by Eli Friedberg
- The Film Stage
Seth Rogen is banana-slamming the 1993 live-action “Super Mario Bros.”
Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in the new animated film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” revealed his personal connection to the Nintendo franchise and how “disappointed” he was at the feature film starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi.
“When I was 11, I saw the original ‘Mario Bros.’ movie and I was so excited. But it’s one of the worst films ever made,” Rogen told Variety. “I was so disappointed. I think it made me realize that movies, like, could be bad. That never occurred to me until that moment.”
Rogen added, “It really bummed me out. It’s nice to vindicate that moment. It’s nice to know that 11-year-olds out there … won’t be disappointed in the same way that I was.”
Rogen stars alongside Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and Anya Taylor-Joy.
“It...
Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in the new animated film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” revealed his personal connection to the Nintendo franchise and how “disappointed” he was at the feature film starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi.
“When I was 11, I saw the original ‘Mario Bros.’ movie and I was so excited. But it’s one of the worst films ever made,” Rogen told Variety. “I was so disappointed. I think it made me realize that movies, like, could be bad. That never occurred to me until that moment.”
Rogen added, “It really bummed me out. It’s nice to vindicate that moment. It’s nice to know that 11-year-olds out there … won’t be disappointed in the same way that I was.”
Rogen stars alongside Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Jack Black, and Anya Taylor-Joy.
“It...
- 4/5/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Seth Rogen hopes Hollywood will redeem itself with Universal Pictures’ new animated “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in the adaptation of the popular video game series, tells Variety at the film’s premiere, “When I was 11, I saw the original ‘Mario Bros.’ movie and I was so excited. But it’s one of the worst films ever made. I was so disappointed. I think it made me realize that movies, like, could be bad. That never occurred to me until that moment.
“It really bummed me out,” he continues. “It’s nice to vindicate that moment. It’s nice to know that 11-year-olds out there that they won’t be disappointed in the same way that I was.”
The 1993 live-action feature, directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, starred Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi. Rounding out the cast were Samantha Mathis,...
Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in the adaptation of the popular video game series, tells Variety at the film’s premiere, “When I was 11, I saw the original ‘Mario Bros.’ movie and I was so excited. But it’s one of the worst films ever made. I was so disappointed. I think it made me realize that movies, like, could be bad. That never occurred to me until that moment.
“It really bummed me out,” he continues. “It’s nice to vindicate that moment. It’s nice to know that 11-year-olds out there that they won’t be disappointed in the same way that I was.”
The 1993 live-action feature, directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, starred Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi. Rounding out the cast were Samantha Mathis,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
When Rocky Morton's and Annabel Jankel's 1993 film "Super Mario Bros." first hit theaters in May of 1993, it was immediately greeted with skepticism by Nintendo fans. The live-action adventure took characters and some of the more notable iconography from Shigeru Miyamoto's popular video game series and repurposed them into a bizarre, dystopian tale about a parallel universe, the evolutionary fate of dinosaurs, and fascism. The whimsical, cartoonish fairy tale elements of the 1985 game were absent, replaced by something steely, dank, and coated in athlete's foot-style fungus. Fans were concerned that the movie wasn't a faithful adaptation of the game, and it was rejected on this basis for many, many years.
Reviews weren't kind either. The film currently holds a mere 28% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Gene Siskel called it one of the worst movies of 1993. It didn't help that "Super Mario Bros." was also a notoriously troubled production...
Reviews weren't kind either. The film currently holds a mere 28% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Gene Siskel called it one of the worst movies of 1993. It didn't help that "Super Mario Bros." was also a notoriously troubled production...
- 4/5/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The most famous video game designer in the world is sitting meditatively in a drab studio in Burbank. The austerity of the room is in stark juxtaposition with all the colorful characters he’s dreamed up over a lifetime, from mushroom-gobbling plumbers to mystical warriors to barrel-hurling gorillas. He’s the brains behind two of the biggest video game franchises of all time: Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. In fact, this visionary’s influence is so vast, he’s been compared to Walt Disney or Steve Jobs.
And as Shigeru Miyamoto picks disinterestedly at a breakfast burrito, he’s an island of calm in a swirl of chaos. His team of handlers — Nintendo executives from Japan and America — is frantically hovering around him like a protective ring of Koopa shells. Miyamoto, who has granted only a handful of major interviews, is here to discuss “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with Chris Meledandri,...
And as Shigeru Miyamoto picks disinterestedly at a breakfast burrito, he’s an island of calm in a swirl of chaos. His team of handlers — Nintendo executives from Japan and America — is frantically hovering around him like a protective ring of Koopa shells. Miyamoto, who has granted only a handful of major interviews, is here to discuss “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with Chris Meledandri,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Chris Pratt’s voice role as Mario in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has been a point of debate ever since he was cast. Pratt is not Italian, after all, and many fans were left baffled when the movie’s first trailer dropped last October and revealed Pratt’s Brooklyn-heavy Mario voice. It’s not a concern for the film’s directors, Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath. The filmmakers told Total Film magazine that casting Pratt made sense given the Mario at the center of their story.
“It’s a bit of an origin tale. It’s the story of Mario becoming Super Mario,” Horvath said about the film, adding that finding the perfect Mario voice meant finding an actor who could believably portray a plumber from Brooklyn who is “a blue-collar guy from a family of Italian immigrants.”
“For us, it made total sense,” the director stressed about casting Pratt.
“It’s a bit of an origin tale. It’s the story of Mario becoming Super Mario,” Horvath said about the film, adding that finding the perfect Mario voice meant finding an actor who could believably portray a plumber from Brooklyn who is “a blue-collar guy from a family of Italian immigrants.”
“For us, it made total sense,” the director stressed about casting Pratt.
- 3/2/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Super Mario Bros. was the first video game movie. The late Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo starred as Mario and Luigi in a live-action adaptation. An animated version is coming out this year, but Leguizamo laments the lack of representation in its voice cast.
L-r: Mario and Luigi | Nintendo
Leguizamo spoke to Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his role in Violent Night, available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD now. When we asked his thoughts on the new Super Mario Bros. Movie, he shared his perspective and what his film has meant to fans. The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens April 7 in theaters.1
1 thing the John Leguizamo ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ had over the animated version
In 1993, casting Leguizamo as Luigi was huge. In that way, having Charlie Day voice Luigi to Chris Pratt’s Mario doesn’t pack the same punch. The animated film does feature Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Sebastian Maniscalco...
L-r: Mario and Luigi | Nintendo
Leguizamo spoke to Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his role in Violent Night, available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD now. When we asked his thoughts on the new Super Mario Bros. Movie, he shared his perspective and what his film has meant to fans. The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens April 7 in theaters.1
1 thing the John Leguizamo ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ had over the animated version
In 1993, casting Leguizamo as Luigi was huge. In that way, having Charlie Day voice Luigi to Chris Pratt’s Mario doesn’t pack the same punch. The animated film does feature Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Sebastian Maniscalco...
- 2/15/2023
- by Fred Topel
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment have released a new poster for the upcoming Super Mario Bros Movie, which finds Bowser looming over the Mushroom Kingdom. Check it out below!
The Super Mario Bros Movie features the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. Aaron Horvath and Micahel Jelenic directed the movie from a script by Matthew Fogel.
I can’t say I was exactly looking forward to the Super Mario Bros Movie, but I’ll admit that the trailers have won me over. It actually looks like quite a lot of fun. If the film is successful, it could lead to sequels, spinoffs, and adaptations of other Nintendo properties. Charlie Day has expressed an interest...
The Super Mario Bros Movie features the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. Aaron Horvath and Micahel Jelenic directed the movie from a script by Matthew Fogel.
I can’t say I was exactly looking forward to the Super Mario Bros Movie, but I’ll admit that the trailers have won me over. It actually looks like quite a lot of fun. If the film is successful, it could lead to sequels, spinoffs, and adaptations of other Nintendo properties. Charlie Day has expressed an interest...
- 2/3/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
In 1993, Rocky Morton's and Annabel Jankel's "Super Mario Bros." was released in theaters to terrible reviews and widespread derision. Many audiences at the time could be heard rejecting the film out of hand, as it invented its own, bizarre premise wholly separate from the games on which it was based. The games dealt hallucinatory adventure/fantasy scenarios about plumbers trekking across a land lousy with hammer-throwing turtles and power-granting mushrooms to rescue a princess that had been kidnapped by a fire-breathing dragon.
The film, in contrast, posited that when Earth was struck by the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, it created two parallel Earths. One Earth was the familiar realm where humans evolved from apes. The other was a world where dinosaurs survived and continued to evolve into human-looking creatures. The dinosaur dimension, however, was facing ruin at the hands of its tyrannical leader King Koopa (Dennis Hopper...
The film, in contrast, posited that when Earth was struck by the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, it created two parallel Earths. One Earth was the familiar realm where humans evolved from apes. The other was a world where dinosaurs survived and continued to evolve into human-looking creatures. The dinosaur dimension, however, was facing ruin at the hands of its tyrannical leader King Koopa (Dennis Hopper...
- 11/30/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Not everything is just peachy in the world of “Super Mario Bros.”
The Nintendo movie adaptation, from Universal and Illumination, stars Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as plumber brothers Mario and Luigi. The duo set out to save Princess Peach, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, as Bowser (Jack Black) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) stand in their way. Keegan-Michael Key voices Toad.
“Super Mario Bros.” is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, both “Teen Titans Go!” alums. The screenplay is written by Matthew Fogel, who penned “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”
The film first garnered controversy over the lack of Italian voice acting casting, namely with Pratt as Mario. Producer and Illumination Studios founder and CEO Chris Meledandri curbed any casting doubts over the lead star.
“We are collaborating with Chris and his experienced team to not just create a character-licensed film,...
The Nintendo movie adaptation, from Universal and Illumination, stars Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as plumber brothers Mario and Luigi. The duo set out to save Princess Peach, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, as Bowser (Jack Black) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) stand in their way. Keegan-Michael Key voices Toad.
“Super Mario Bros.” is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, both “Teen Titans Go!” alums. The screenplay is written by Matthew Fogel, who penned “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”
The film first garnered controversy over the lack of Italian voice acting casting, namely with Pratt as Mario. Producer and Illumination Studios founder and CEO Chris Meledandri curbed any casting doubts over the lead star.
“We are collaborating with Chris and his experienced team to not just create a character-licensed film,...
- 11/29/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
New trailer for The Super Mario Bros Movie introduces Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart & more
Lets-a-go! Nintendo has released a new trailer for The Super Mario Bros Movie which offers us much more of Chris Pratt’s Mario than the first one. The new trailer also introduces us to Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, and more, and there are also plenty of references to many of the Super Mario video-games, including Mario Kart. All in all, it looks like a lot of fun.
The Super Mario Bros Movie features the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Micahel Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. Aaron Horvath and Micahel Jelenic directed the movie from a script by Matthew Fogel.
Related John Leguizamo based his The Menu character on Steven Seagal
The project hasn’t exactly been free of controversy.
The Super Mario Bros Movie features the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Micahel Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. Aaron Horvath and Micahel Jelenic directed the movie from a script by Matthew Fogel.
Related John Leguizamo based his The Menu character on Steven Seagal
The project hasn’t exactly been free of controversy.
- 11/29/2022
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
The Super Mario Bros Movie: Former Luigi John Leguizamo is disappointed with the casting of new film
John Leguizamo is outspoken when it comes to representation in Hollywood. When news broke that actor James Franco was cast as Fidel Castro in an upcoming film, Alina of Cuba, Leguizamo voiced his displeasure with a non-Latin person being put in the role. When it was announced that Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Chris Pratt was cast as Mario, people on Twitter started to post their concerns about it, and Leguizamo joined the legion of critics.
Variety reports on his disappointment with not only Pratt but also Charlie Day portraying Luigi. When Leguizamo was cast as Luigi in 1993’s Super Mario Bros, he felt he at least represented the person-of-color heritage that characterized the Italian plumbers, despite being of Latin descent and his co-star was Bob Hoskins, an Englishman.
Leguizamo explained,
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore,...
Variety reports on his disappointment with not only Pratt but also Charlie Day portraying Luigi. When Leguizamo was cast as Luigi in 1993’s Super Mario Bros, he felt he at least represented the person-of-color heritage that characterized the Italian plumbers, despite being of Latin descent and his co-star was Bob Hoskins, an Englishman.
Leguizamo explained,
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore,...
- 11/18/2022
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
John Leguizamo has criticised Chris Pratt and Charlie Day’s casting in the new Super Mario Bros film.
The Latin actor, who plated Luigi in a 1993 live-action film based on the video game, described the move as “backwards”.
Speaking about his former role, Leguizamo said: “A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one.’ I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
Addressing American actors Pratt and Day’s casting as the characters, Leguizamo highlighted the lengths the 1993 film’s directors, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, went to in order to get him cast in the role.
“They fought really hard for me to be the lead because I was a Latin man, and they [the studio] didn’t want me to be the lead. They fought really hard,...
The Latin actor, who plated Luigi in a 1993 live-action film based on the video game, described the move as “backwards”.
Speaking about his former role, Leguizamo said: “A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one.’ I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
Addressing American actors Pratt and Day’s casting as the characters, Leguizamo highlighted the lengths the 1993 film’s directors, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, went to in order to get him cast in the role.
“They fought really hard for me to be the lead because I was a Latin man, and they [the studio] didn’t want me to be the lead. They fought really hard,...
- 11/17/2022
- by Jacob Stolworthy
- The Independent - Film
John Leguizamo played Luigi opposite the late Bob Hoskins’ Mario in the 1993 live-action comedy “Super Mario Bros. Movie” and he’s sharing his thoughts about the casting for the upcoming animated “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”.
In the new film, Chris Pratt voices Mario while “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Charlie Day voices Luigi, casting choices that Leguizamo sees as “going backwards.”
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original,” Leguizamo said in a recent interview with IndieWire.
Read More: John Leguizamo Says ‘Too Bad They Went All White’ With ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Movie Casting
“I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one,” Leguizamo added. “I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock
As Leguizamo recalled, directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton...
In the new film, Chris Pratt voices Mario while “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Charlie Day voices Luigi, casting choices that Leguizamo sees as “going backwards.”
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original,” Leguizamo said in a recent interview with IndieWire.
Read More: John Leguizamo Says ‘Too Bad They Went All White’ With ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Movie Casting
“I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one,” Leguizamo added. “I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock
As Leguizamo recalled, directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton...
- 11/17/2022
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
John Leguizamo is a bit critical of Universal and Illumination’s upcoming animated film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which stars Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario and Luigi, respectively. Leguizamo, who brought Luigi to life opposite Bob Hoskins’ Mario in 1993’s live-action “Super Mario Bros.,” told IndieWire the new film went “backwards” by having two white actors voice Mario and Luigi.
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original,” Leguizamo said when asked for his thoughts on the Chris Pratt-starring new Mario movie. “I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one.’ I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
“The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to be the lead because I was a Latin man, and they [the studio] didn’t...
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original,” Leguizamo said when asked for his thoughts on the Chris Pratt-starring new Mario movie. “I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one.’ I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
“The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to be the lead because I was a Latin man, and they [the studio] didn’t...
- 11/16/2022
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
John Leguizamo is saying mamma mia to the new “Super Mario Bros.” casting.
Leguizamo, who played Luigi in the 1993 live-action film opposite Bob Hoskins’ Mario, exclusively told IndieWire at “The Menu” premiere in New York that casting is “going backwards” with the upcoming animated feature film “Super Mario Bros.” The movie made waves after it was revealed that Chris Pratt would be playing Mario opposite Charlie Day’s Luigi. Neither actor is of Italian descent.
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one,” Leguizamo told IndieWire. “I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
Leguizamo recalled his turn as Luigi in the 1993 “Super Mario Bros.” movie. “The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to...
Leguizamo, who played Luigi in the 1993 live-action film opposite Bob Hoskins’ Mario, exclusively told IndieWire at “The Menu” premiere in New York that casting is “going backwards” with the upcoming animated feature film “Super Mario Bros.” The movie made waves after it was revealed that Chris Pratt would be playing Mario opposite Charlie Day’s Luigi. Neither actor is of Italian descent.
“I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one,” Leguizamo told IndieWire. “I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.”
Leguizamo recalled his turn as Luigi in the 1993 “Super Mario Bros.” movie. “The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to...
- 11/15/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It used to be that video game movies were bad because video games didn’t give movies enough to work with; say what you will about Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton’s “Super Mario Bros.,” but they had to do something to flesh out a story that basically amounted to “Italian stereotype runs from left to right.” Nowadays, in an age when interactive epics are so vast and cinematic that Playstation characters are regularly played by movie stars (and sometimes even modeled to resemble major filmmakers), it seems that video game movies are bad because video games give movies way too much to work with.
No big screen adaptation of “Uncharted” could ever hope to match the globe-trotting, rope-swinging, plane-exploding excitement of Naughty Dog’s massively popular action-adventure franchise, in which professional treasure hunter Nathan Drake scoured the planet in search of priceless artifacts, searched for every corner of the...
No big screen adaptation of “Uncharted” could ever hope to match the globe-trotting, rope-swinging, plane-exploding excitement of Naughty Dog’s massively popular action-adventure franchise, in which professional treasure hunter Nathan Drake scoured the planet in search of priceless artifacts, searched for every corner of the...
- 2/15/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
There are some who would have you believe that Super Mario Bros, the 1993 live-action film based on the hit Nintendo franchise, is a bad movie.
The late, great, Bob Hoskins, who actually starred as Mario, was one of them.
“It was a fuckin’ nightmare,” Hoskins told The Guardian in 2007. “The whole experience was a nightmare. It had a husband-and-wife team directing, whose arrogance had been mistaken for talent…! Fuckin’ nightmare. Fuckin’ idiots.”
Time is a great healer though and while Hoskins continued to rank the movie as his worst long after he retired, the bold ambition and inventiveness of Super Mario Bros. has seen it undergo something of a critical reappraisal over the past decade.
The Original Super Mario Bros. Movie
Directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel were best known for their work on the visually arresting cult TV series Max Headroom when they landed the gig of translating the...
The late, great, Bob Hoskins, who actually starred as Mario, was one of them.
“It was a fuckin’ nightmare,” Hoskins told The Guardian in 2007. “The whole experience was a nightmare. It had a husband-and-wife team directing, whose arrogance had been mistaken for talent…! Fuckin’ nightmare. Fuckin’ idiots.”
Time is a great healer though and while Hoskins continued to rank the movie as his worst long after he retired, the bold ambition and inventiveness of Super Mario Bros. has seen it undergo something of a critical reappraisal over the past decade.
The Original Super Mario Bros. Movie
Directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel were best known for their work on the visually arresting cult TV series Max Headroom when they landed the gig of translating the...
- 8/17/2021
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
Games creators and writers give their theories on how an upcoming crop of adaptations could avoid the same pitfalls as Assassin’s Creed, World of Warcraft and Super Mario Bros
No other film genre boasts such an unimpeachable reputation for dreadfulness as the video game adaptation. Some, such as this year’s Tomb Raider film and the zombie-themed Resident Evil efforts, almost achieve mediocrity. Others are so fascinatingly terrible that they have become Hollywood legend – for instance, the baffling interpretation of Super Mario Bros proffered by edgy British directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton in 1993, in which Nintendo’s bright, joyful Mushroom Kingdom was reimagined as a futuristic dystopia called Dinohattan, where everyone was dressed in fishnets and black leather trenchcoats. A quarter of a century later, it is still impossible to understand why anyone thought that was a good idea.
The ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe is ample proof that...
No other film genre boasts such an unimpeachable reputation for dreadfulness as the video game adaptation. Some, such as this year’s Tomb Raider film and the zombie-themed Resident Evil efforts, almost achieve mediocrity. Others are so fascinatingly terrible that they have become Hollywood legend – for instance, the baffling interpretation of Super Mario Bros proffered by edgy British directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton in 1993, in which Nintendo’s bright, joyful Mushroom Kingdom was reimagined as a futuristic dystopia called Dinohattan, where everyone was dressed in fishnets and black leather trenchcoats. A quarter of a century later, it is still impossible to understand why anyone thought that was a good idea.
The ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe is ample proof that...
- 3/29/2018
- by Keza MacDonald
- The Guardian - Film News
Ryan Lambie Jan 13, 2019
Super Mario Bros: The Movie remains a remarkable (and bizarre) video game movie. Here's why...
Adapting any art form into a movie presents a tricky proposition. It is, after all, easy to fall into the trap of being too reverential to the source material. Whether it happens to be a play, novel, or old television show you're making into a feature film, there has to be an element of invention, of reworking the source material into something that stands on its own as a piece of entertainment and - dare we say it - art.
This would go some way to explaining why the 1993 feature-length adaptation of Nintendo's hit video game series only vaguely resembles the property on which it was meant to be based. Released in a busy summer season - one dominated by another flick with dinosaurs in it, Jurassic Park - Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros: The Movie remains a remarkable (and bizarre) video game movie. Here's why...
Adapting any art form into a movie presents a tricky proposition. It is, after all, easy to fall into the trap of being too reverential to the source material. Whether it happens to be a play, novel, or old television show you're making into a feature film, there has to be an element of invention, of reworking the source material into something that stands on its own as a piece of entertainment and - dare we say it - art.
This would go some way to explaining why the 1993 feature-length adaptation of Nintendo's hit video game series only vaguely resembles the property on which it was meant to be based. Released in a busy summer season - one dominated by another flick with dinosaurs in it, Jurassic Park - Super Mario Bros.
- 11/15/2017
- Den of Geek
In 1993, an Oscar-nominated producer, the biggest video game company in the world, and the most famous plumbers of all time teamed up for a movie. What could possibly go wrong with a big-screen adaptation of Super Mario Bros.?
As it turned out, quite a lot.
First-time directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel oversaw a fraught production of the first big-budget video game movie, which would go on to be one of the most infamous bombs of the '90s and would even see stars Bob Hoskins (Mario) and Dennis Hopper (the villain, King Koopa) later disavow the project.
"It was a really complicated...
As it turned out, quite a lot.
First-time directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel oversaw a fraught production of the first big-budget video game movie, which would go on to be one of the most infamous bombs of the '90s and would even see stars Bob Hoskins (Mario) and Dennis Hopper (the villain, King Koopa) later disavow the project.
"It was a really complicated...
- 1/27/2017
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Co-director Rocky Morton on where he thinks 1993's Super Mario Bros movie, starring Bob Hoskins, went wrong...
Nintendo is only now cautiously exploring bringing more of its characters to the movies, and part of the reason is arguably given how it got its fingers burnt with 1993’s notorious Super Mario Bros movie. It would be fair to say that Nintendo was not happy with the movie. At all.
But then even through some form of rose-tinted specs, Super Mario Bros is not a good film, and time, if anything, has been unkinder to it. In a new interview with SciFi Now, co-director Rocky Morton – who made the film with Annabel Jankel - has been looking back at why he think it went wrong.
“Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’ [original] script was the script that Annabel and I wanted to make”, he said. “It was a different script,...
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Co-director Rocky Morton on where he thinks 1993's Super Mario Bros movie, starring Bob Hoskins, went wrong...
Nintendo is only now cautiously exploring bringing more of its characters to the movies, and part of the reason is arguably given how it got its fingers burnt with 1993’s notorious Super Mario Bros movie. It would be fair to say that Nintendo was not happy with the movie. At all.
But then even through some form of rose-tinted specs, Super Mario Bros is not a good film, and time, if anything, has been unkinder to it. In a new interview with SciFi Now, co-director Rocky Morton – who made the film with Annabel Jankel - has been looking back at why he think it went wrong.
“Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’ [original] script was the script that Annabel and I wanted to make”, he said. “It was a different script,...
- 6/8/2016
- Den of Geek
For years, Hollywood has had an incredibly arduous time figuring out how to properly bring a video game to life on the silver screen. The results of these efforts range from mediocre to downright awful. One of the worst offenders of the cinematic video game genre came in the form of Super Mario Bros. in 1993. The film’s low quality has become nothing if not iconic, and now the director of the film seems to have a reason for why the project fell so flat. In a recent interview with SciFiNow, Super Mario Bros. director Rocky Morton explained what he thinks went wrong with the infamously bad video game movie. He said: Yeah, because Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’ script was the script that Annabel and I wanted to make. It was a different script, and the actors were all brought onboard for that script, and ...
- 6/7/2016
- cinemablend.com
In the summer of 1993, Super Mario Bros. was greeted by awful reviews and grossed just $20 million at the box office on a budget of $48 million. Though the film was praised by many critics for its visual flair, the script was almost universally panned. Wrote James Berardinelli: "As everyone knows, arcade-style diversions are not known for strong, original narratives or well-developed characters. In that sense, this film is worthy of its inspiration." Ouch! Now, co-director Rocky Morton (who helmed the film alongside his creative partner and future wife Annabel Jankel) has spoken out on the "harrowing" experience of directing the video game adaptation in an interview with SciFiNow (via Uproxx). He's not kidding! Here are a few highlights from the conversation, which you can and should read in full here. 1. They cast Bob Hoskins as Mario because he was "available" (but really wanted Danny De Vito). "Danny De Vito turned us down.
- 6/7/2016
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Back in 1993, director Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel were given the tough task of converting a non-narrative Nintendo video game into a motion picture. That movie of course is Super Mario Bros. and it’s the first live-action video game movie ever made. It is also not very good and this week the NXpress team set aside some time to discuss this strange beast. During our main event, we review Typoman, a two-dimensional puzzle platformer distinguished by a unique game world. You slip into the role of the Hero struggling to make your way through a dark, surreal world. Despite your small stature you have a powerful gift: You can use letters to alter your environment! And finally, Tim gives us his long awaited review of Animal Crossing amiibo Festival for the WiiU. All this and more!
*Also, as promised, our Mario Maker levels! Let us know what you think!
*Also, as promised, our Mario Maker levels! Let us know what you think!
- 11/25/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
If Nintendo could make all knowledge of the 1993 Rocky Morton/Annabelle Jenkel "Super Mario Brothers" movie disappear, I'll bet they do it. Even if it cost a ton of money, they'd pony up and they'd do it happily. Whatever that movie is, and I have met a few people who think it's actually a good movie, it is not anything that resembles any of the actual Mario games. It's such a bizarre and off-kilter interpretation of what someone thought Mario was that it's kind of impressive. Yesterday, Fortune published an interview on Nintendo's return to movie production, and my first thought was, "Dear god, why?!" Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Nintendo's Spd Division, is going to be the man who supervises how this new wave of adaptations gets handled. He seems excited when he speaks in the June report on the company's earnings. It's generated a huge amount of online excitement,...
- 8/25/2015
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
David Cronenberg's Videodrome isn't just a classic sci-fi horror, but also a brilliant noir thriller. Ryan explains why...
Everything in Max Renn’s life is beginning to pulsate. First the Betamax videotape sent to him by one Bianca O’Blivion, which seems to breathe in his hand as he removes it from its beige packaging. Then Max’s television, squatting in the corner of his apartment, appears take on a life of its own: veins twitching, the screen bulging to the sound of a woman’s voice: “Come to me, Max. Come to me...”
David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, released in 1982, is loaded with violent and startling imagery like this. Like Apocalypse Now, its very narrative seems to disintegrate as its morally suspect protagonist Max Renn (James Woods) embarks on a journey into his own heart of darkness: a fascination with the origins of a video signal soon leads him to a world of corruption,...
Everything in Max Renn’s life is beginning to pulsate. First the Betamax videotape sent to him by one Bianca O’Blivion, which seems to breathe in his hand as he removes it from its beige packaging. Then Max’s television, squatting in the corner of his apartment, appears take on a life of its own: veins twitching, the screen bulging to the sound of a woman’s voice: “Come to me, Max. Come to me...”
David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, released in 1982, is loaded with violent and startling imagery like this. Like Apocalypse Now, its very narrative seems to disintegrate as its morally suspect protagonist Max Renn (James Woods) embarks on a journey into his own heart of darkness: a fascination with the origins of a video signal soon leads him to a world of corruption,...
- 7/31/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Our look at underappreciated films of the 80s continues, as we head back to 1988...
Either in terms of ticket sales or critical acclaim, 1988 was dominated by the likes of Rain Man, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Coming To America. It was the year Bruce Willis made the jump from TV to action star with Die Hard, and became a star in the process.
It was the year Leslie Nielsen made his own jump from the small to silver screen with Police Squad spin-off The Naked Gun, which sparked a hugely popular franchise of its own. Elsewhere, the eccentric Tim Burton scored one of the biggest hits of the year with Beetlejuice, the success of which would result in the birth of Batman a year later. And then there was Tom Cruise, who managed to make a drama about a student-turned-barman into a $170m hit, back when $170m was still an...
Either in terms of ticket sales or critical acclaim, 1988 was dominated by the likes of Rain Man, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Coming To America. It was the year Bruce Willis made the jump from TV to action star with Die Hard, and became a star in the process.
It was the year Leslie Nielsen made his own jump from the small to silver screen with Police Squad spin-off The Naked Gun, which sparked a hugely popular franchise of its own. Elsewhere, the eccentric Tim Burton scored one of the biggest hits of the year with Beetlejuice, the success of which would result in the birth of Batman a year later. And then there was Tom Cruise, who managed to make a drama about a student-turned-barman into a $170m hit, back when $170m was still an...
- 5/6/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Ace Attorney
Written by Takeharu Sakurai & Sachiko Ōguchi
Directed by Takashi Miike
Japan, 2012
I’ll come right out and say it: Takashi Miike’s Ace Attorney, based on the first entry of the popular Capcom video game series, is the single-best cinematic adaptation of a video game property of all time. Now some of the more snide readers out there will no doubt think that this a pretty low bar to clear. There’s at least a partial truth to that: the current all-time champion of video game (henceforth Vg) movie critical acclaim is 2001’s Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, coming in at a cool 44% on Rotten Tomatoes (not that the Rt metric is reflective of quality in any capacity, but that’s another discussion for another time). While the movie was a watershed moment from a technical standpoint (it had some of the most impressively detailed CGI in movie...
Written by Takeharu Sakurai & Sachiko Ōguchi
Directed by Takashi Miike
Japan, 2012
I’ll come right out and say it: Takashi Miike’s Ace Attorney, based on the first entry of the popular Capcom video game series, is the single-best cinematic adaptation of a video game property of all time. Now some of the more snide readers out there will no doubt think that this a pretty low bar to clear. There’s at least a partial truth to that: the current all-time champion of video game (henceforth Vg) movie critical acclaim is 2001’s Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, coming in at a cool 44% on Rotten Tomatoes (not that the Rt metric is reflective of quality in any capacity, but that’s another discussion for another time). While the movie was a watershed moment from a technical standpoint (it had some of the most impressively detailed CGI in movie...
- 1/28/2015
- by Derek Godin
- SoundOnSight
The name Rocky Morton may not be familiar with many of today's film fans, but in the late 80s he was the co-creator (along with Annabel Jankel) of the cutting edge and hugely popular transatlantic satirical television series, Max Headroom (1987-1988). Martin and Jankel went on to co-direct Denis Quaid and Meg Ryan in D.O.A (1998) before being offered the chance of a lifetime directing the video game adaptation of Super Mario Bros. (1993). Unfortunately the film failed to impress critics, bombed at the box office and became renowned for its tumultuous behind-the-scenes exploits. Now re-released on DVD and Bu-ray (you can read our review here), we recently spoke with Morton about his experiences on the film.
- 11/12/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
★☆☆☆☆One of the earlier attempts to forge a creative and commercial symbiosis between the gaming and cinematic world, Super Mario Bros (1993) still stands out as a prime example of what not to do when trying to construct a watertight feature-length narrative on the foundations of a simplistic platform game. Effectively killing the filmmaking career of husband and wife directorial team Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel (known for 1985's Max Headroom), the duo's approach of throwing everything at the screen and seeing what sticks results in a bloated, headache-inducing mess with little to engage anyone, even the intended demographic.
- 11/5/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Stars: Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Samantha Mathis, Dennis Hopper, Fisher Stevens, Richard Edson, Fiona Shaw, Dana Kaminski, Mojo Nixon, Gianni Russo, Francesca P. Roberts, Lance Henriksen | Written by Parker Bennett, Terry Runte, Ed Solomon | Directed by Rocky Morton, Annabel Jankel
Let’s be honest, Super Mario Bros: The Movie is not a great movie. It’s not even a great video game adaptation. As a movie-loving teen the film was high on my must-see radar, so imagine my disappointment when I eventually saw the film on VHS… However since then I’ve come to appreciate the film for the bizarre Sf-tinged adventure movie that it is, rather than an adaptation of my all-time favourite video game franchise.
A critical and commercial failure on it’s original 1993 release, Super Mario Bros: The Movie has, in the intervening years, become something of a cult classic. So much so that the out-of-print DVD...
Let’s be honest, Super Mario Bros: The Movie is not a great movie. It’s not even a great video game adaptation. As a movie-loving teen the film was high on my must-see radar, so imagine my disappointment when I eventually saw the film on VHS… However since then I’ve come to appreciate the film for the bizarre Sf-tinged adventure movie that it is, rather than an adaptation of my all-time favourite video game franchise.
A critical and commercial failure on it’s original 1993 release, Super Mario Bros: The Movie has, in the intervening years, become something of a cult classic. So much so that the out-of-print DVD...
- 11/2/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Digital Spy presents Games on Film, a look back at the numerous (and quite often disastrous) movies based on video games. How closely do they stick to their source material, and how well do they hold up on their own merits?
Previous Games on Film: Resident Evil
Super Mario Bros (1993)
How do you turn a wacky concept like Super Mario Bros into a film? That was the conundrum faced by directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel when they inherited the project from French producer Roland Joffe in the early '90s.
Just how Joffe managed to convince Nintendo that a live-action movie about a plumber who stomps on turtles and smashes blocks with his head was a good idea is anybody's guess, but the gaming giant did endorse the venture.
Due to the nature of the source material, a direct adaptation was pretty much impossible, so scriptwriters Jim Jennewein and...
Previous Games on Film: Resident Evil
Super Mario Bros (1993)
How do you turn a wacky concept like Super Mario Bros into a film? That was the conundrum faced by directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel when they inherited the project from French producer Roland Joffe in the early '90s.
Just how Joffe managed to convince Nintendo that a live-action movie about a plumber who stomps on turtles and smashes blocks with his head was a good idea is anybody's guess, but the gaming giant did endorse the venture.
Due to the nature of the source material, a direct adaptation was pretty much impossible, so scriptwriters Jim Jennewein and...
- 10/1/2014
- Digital Spy
After the passing of the awesome Bob Hoskins, we revisit the film he called "the worst thing I ever did"... Super Mario Bros. (1984) Director: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton Stars: Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper A female paleontologist is kidnapped and taken to another dimension by dinosaur humanoids and it.s up to two unwitting Brooklyn plumbers to save her. You know a movie is truly bad when you even hate it as a child. I remember walking...
- 5/7/2014
- by Jason Adams
- JoBlo.com
Bob Hoskins dead at 71: Hoskins’ best movies included ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit,’ ‘Mona Lisa’ (photo: Bob Hoskins in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ with Jessica Rabbit, voiced by Kathleen Turner) Bob Hoskins, who died at age 71 in London yesterday, April 29, 2014, from pneumonia (initially reported as “complications of Parkinson’s disease”), was featured in nearly 70 movies over the course of his four-decade film career. Hoskins was never a major box office draw — "I don’t think I’m the sort of material movie stars are made of — I’m five-foot-six-inches and cubic. My own mum wouldn’t call me pretty." Yet, this performer with attributes similar to those of Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, and Lon Chaney had the lead in one of the biggest hits of the late ’80s. In 1988, Robert Zemeckis’ groundbreaking Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which seamlessly blended animated and live action footage, starred Hoskins as gumshoe Eddie Valiant,...
- 4/30/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Had the stylish thriller D.O.A. been more plausible, it might be more than a footnote in the history of Austin film.
Released in 1988, the murder mystery had much promise. After all, it was a loose remake of an iconic Fifties whodunit of the same title. Its leads were Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, two sexy Hollywood darlings on the verge of megastardom. At the helm were Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, co-directors of the innovative, critically acclaimed and quintessentially Eighties TV series The Max Headroom Show.
But for all its potential, the movie D.O.A. is mostly forgettable mix of crime thriller clichés and farfetched plotting. It's a watchable bit of neo-noir, but nothing more.
read more...
Released in 1988, the murder mystery had much promise. After all, it was a loose remake of an iconic Fifties whodunit of the same title. Its leads were Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, two sexy Hollywood darlings on the verge of megastardom. At the helm were Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, co-directors of the innovative, critically acclaimed and quintessentially Eighties TV series The Max Headroom Show.
But for all its potential, the movie D.O.A. is mostly forgettable mix of crime thriller clichés and farfetched plotting. It's a watchable bit of neo-noir, but nothing more.
read more...
- 1/14/2014
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
Ryan Lambie Nov 15, 2017
As news of a new movie hits, we look at the remarkable things to spot in the infamous Super Mario Bros movie...
Adapting any art form into a movie presents a tricky proposition. It is, after all, easy to fall into the trap of being too reverential to the source material - whether it happens to be a play, novel or old television show you're making into a feature film, there has to be an element of invention, of reworking the source material into something that stands on its own as a piece of entertainment and - dare we say it - art.
This would go some way to explaining why Super Mario Bros., the 1993 feature-length adaptation of Nintendo's hit videogame series, only vaguely resembles the property on which it was meant to be based. Released in a busy summer season - one dominated by another flick with dinosaurs in it,...
As news of a new movie hits, we look at the remarkable things to spot in the infamous Super Mario Bros movie...
Adapting any art form into a movie presents a tricky proposition. It is, after all, easy to fall into the trap of being too reverential to the source material - whether it happens to be a play, novel or old television show you're making into a feature film, there has to be an element of invention, of reworking the source material into something that stands on its own as a piece of entertainment and - dare we say it - art.
This would go some way to explaining why Super Mario Bros., the 1993 feature-length adaptation of Nintendo's hit videogame series, only vaguely resembles the property on which it was meant to be based. Released in a busy summer season - one dominated by another flick with dinosaurs in it,...
- 11/26/2012
- Den of Geek
In 1993 Super Mario was bigger than Mickey Mouse, and so Hollywood decided it would be a good idea to make a Mario Bros film. It wasn't
In the early 90s, Mario the plumber was more famous than Mickey Mouse. He was so famous he got his own film, and while the Super Mario Bros movie was the first-ever videogame adaptation, it was so bad it was almost the last. The game's hallucinogenic, 8-bit world of piranha plants, pipes and mushrooms made it an unlikely property for a live-action adaptation, and so it proved. Super Mario Bros has gone down in legend as the Heaven's Gate of the videogame movie, nearly destroying the entire genre singlehandedly.
And yet it all began so promisingly. In 1991, producer Roland Joffé, best known as the director of The Killing Fields, made a trip to Japan to secure the movie rights to Super Mario Bros. Tea...
In the early 90s, Mario the plumber was more famous than Mickey Mouse. He was so famous he got his own film, and while the Super Mario Bros movie was the first-ever videogame adaptation, it was so bad it was almost the last. The game's hallucinogenic, 8-bit world of piranha plants, pipes and mushrooms made it an unlikely property for a live-action adaptation, and so it proved. Super Mario Bros has gone down in legend as the Heaven's Gate of the videogame movie, nearly destroying the entire genre singlehandedly.
And yet it all began so promisingly. In 1991, producer Roland Joffé, best known as the director of The Killing Fields, made a trip to Japan to secure the movie rights to Super Mario Bros. Tea...
- 11/11/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Simon Brew Aug 14, 2017
Is the named director of a film the one who's actually been calling the shots? Here are 11 where a 'ghost director' may have been involved.
It's not that uncommon for a director to take their name off a film, and to leave the moniker Alan Smithee or whatever the current equivalent is behind. However, what's considerably rarer is when a film is released under the name of one director, but it's later revealed or rumoured that, actually, other hands were at work, either for a solid chunk or even the entirety of a production. That a film was, for want of a better phrase, 'ghost directed'.
See related Gotham season 4: Barbara is set to form an all-female "power base"
Granted, some of these stories that we're about to tell have little chance of ever being fully confirmed, but here are some examples of where the helmer...
Is the named director of a film the one who's actually been calling the shots? Here are 11 where a 'ghost director' may have been involved.
It's not that uncommon for a director to take their name off a film, and to leave the moniker Alan Smithee or whatever the current equivalent is behind. However, what's considerably rarer is when a film is released under the name of one director, but it's later revealed or rumoured that, actually, other hands were at work, either for a solid chunk or even the entirety of a production. That a film was, for want of a better phrase, 'ghost directed'.
See related Gotham season 4: Barbara is set to form an all-female "power base"
Granted, some of these stories that we're about to tell have little chance of ever being fully confirmed, but here are some examples of where the helmer...
- 4/21/2010
- Den of Geek
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