Coming Soon

VIDEO: Angry Birds Game Partner with RIO Movie

Details: Last Updated: Tuesday, 12 November 2013 06:10; Written by Lupe Haas

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX AND ROVIO MOBILE ANNOUNCE
UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP UNITING ANGRY BIRDS WITH
SUMMER ANIMATED FEATURE FILM RIO

In ANGRY BIRDS RIO the Original Angry Birds from the Cultural Sensation and World’s Biggest Smart Phone and Tablet Game, Travel to RIO to Save their Bird Friends Blu and Jewel.

Sneak Peek: Jamie Foxx & Anne Hathaway Preview RIO

ANGRY BIRDS, Rovio’s blockbuster smart phone and tablet game that has become a global cultural sensation, and RIO, one of the year’s most anticipated motion picture events, are joining forces to create a new game, ANGRY BIRDS RIO – representing a first-of-its-kind game development partnership between Rovio and Twentieth Century Fox. The announcement was made today by Mikael Hed, CEO at Rovio Mobile, which created ANGRY BIRDS, and Peter Levinsohn, president of new media and digital distribution for Twentieth Century Fox, which releases RIO in theaters worldwide on April 15.

This unique spin-off of ANGRY BIRDS will take flight around the world in March, coinciding with RIO’s gala world premiere event. To celebrate the partnership and give fans a sneak preview of the story surrounding ANGRY BIRDS RIO, in true Rovio style a video can be viewed at: http://rio.angrybirds.com

"ANGRY BIRDS RIO is a match made in heaven for a mobile application and a major motion picture, and this collaboration with Fox is definitely one the most exciting partnerships we have entered into with the ANGRY BIRDS brand to date," said Mr. Hed. "In addition to expanding the horizons of two fantastic entertainment brands and creating a great new gaming experience, we have also taken the concept of combining a mobile application and motion picture promotion to an entirely new level."

“In partnering with Rovio, we are combining the world’s hottest application developer with one of the motion picture industry’s premier creative forces to introduce the millions of fans of ANGRY BIRDS to the exciting world of RIO,” said Mr. Levinsohn. “Our relationship with Rovio is another great example of Fox Digital Entertainment’s continuing work to extend our content to a variety of digital platforms.”

In ANGRY BIRDS RIO, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to to save their friends, Blu and Jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the upcoming Fox motion picture, RIO. Like the incredibly-popular original edition, ANGRY BIRDS RIO will feature hours of gameplay, physics-based demolition challenges and loads of replay value – all with unique twists based on the highly-anticipated film.

ANGRY BIRDS RIO will launch with 45 dedicated levels and will regularly add new levels via app updates. The game will be available for download on smart phones and tablets worldwide.

About RIO
From the makers of the hit ICE AGE series, RIO is a comedy-adventure about taking a walk on the wild side. Blu is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly, living a comfortable life with his owner and best friend Linda in the small town of Moose Lake, Minnesota. Blu and Linda think he’s the last of his kind, but when they learn about another Macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro, they head to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel, Blu’s female counterpart. Not long after they arrive, Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by a group of bungling animal smugglers. With the help of street smart Jewel, and a group of wise-cracking and smooth-talking city birds, Blu escapes. Now, with his new friends by his side, Blu will have to find the courage to learn to fly, thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail, and return to Linda, the best friend a bird ever had.

About ANGRY BIRDS
The original ANGRY BIRDS game puts you in charge of a quirky flock of birds, who go on an intense assault on the hungry green pigs who have stolen their eggs. In the game, you use a slingshot to send the Angry Birds smashing into the pigs and their puzzling constructions. The exciting physics-based gameplay combines the special powers of the Angry Birds with skill, logic and brute force. In 2010,ANGRY BIRDS was downloaded over 50 million times on various smart phone platforms, and it is also available for PC and Mac.

About ROVIO MOBILE
Rovio is an award-winning Finnish game developer, and one of the leading independent developers of mobile games worldwide. Since 2003, Rovio has produced over 50 titles for multiple different mobile platforms. To visit Rovio, go to rovio.com.

About Fox Filmed Entertainment
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Fox International Productions.

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THE COMPANY MEN Movie Review

Details: Last Updated: Tuesday, 12 November 2013 06:09; Written by Lupe Haas

While most Americans have no love for corporate America during the recession, you will be feeling sorry for these company men played by Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Chris Cooper.

In THE COMPANY MEN, Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is living the American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing leaves him and co-workers Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) and Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones) jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands, and fathers.

At first you dislike these men who flaunt their wealth with lavish homes and expensive toys but when they come to face to face with potentially losing the life they were comfortable with, the story becomes interesting. The ensemble cast does a great job of conveying the feelings of their characters and of most Americans. The story will hit home for everyone, even the working class.

After losing his job as a Sales Executive in a ship building corporation, Ben Affleck's Bobby character believes he will rebound with another job with equal pay and thus refuses to cut back on his lavish life when his wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) recommends it. Reality soon hits Bobby when the jobs aren't coming his way and the bills have gone unpaid. He eventually has to accept a blue-collar job with his brother-in-law's (Kevin Costner) carpenter business and endure the grueling physical work.

Bobby's older co-worker played by Chris Cooper is facing an even harsher reality. Who is going to hire a 60 year-old man? They recommend he clean up and dye his hair to look younger. Tommy Lee Jones' Gene is one of the head honchos at the company fighting to keep his sales execs from being layed off but going head to head with the President of his corporation (Craig T. Nelson), his best friend, lands him in the unemployment line. However, he's not worrying about money since he owns stocks in the company, but his guilt over his rich lifestyle and watching the other's lives crumble leaves him feeling powerless. He also soon butts heads with the head of Human Resources doing the firing who also happens to be his mistress (Maria Bello).

THE COMPANY MEN is a human story done well. Thanks to Michael Moore and countless other films and documentaries chronicling the crumbling economy and the effects on the working class, THE COMPANY MEN offers a different perspective. Director John Wells, best known for his work as a television producer, writer, and director for ER, West Wing, and Southland, crafts the multiple storylines very well without losing focus and uses the veteran actors to their fullest potential.

Ben Affleck is proving himself a great actor in dramatic roles such as last year's The Town and now with THE COMPANY MEN. As the Bobby character, Affleck clearly transforms from a cocky sales executive loving the good life to a vulnerable husband and father feeling the pressures of reality. Chris Cooper, as always, gives a heartfelt performance exemplified through his expressive facial features which leaves you feeling the pain along with him. Tommy Lee Jones, Maria Bello, Kevin Costner and Affleck's on screen wife Rosemarie DeWitt give exceptional performances as well.

The one complaint about THE COMPANY MEN is it's lack of perspective from a female's point of view. While the film's title suggests it's a men's world, you can't help but need that side of the story. In the background a female executive in the company joins the rank of unemployed alongside Affleck but her story is not told. The woman's perspective are told from the wives of these company men, some understanding and others selfish.

For some, like Michael Moore, the film will definitely have you feeling angry towards capitalism. In THE COMPANY MEN, Tommy Lee Jones is appalled that the company is showing off their multi-million dollar skyscraper under going construction when they have just cut half their sales staff. His suggestion that they sell the building to guarantee jobs gets him fired. In another instance, the company honchos mention cutting back in other areas such as healthcare but they refuse because that is the one sector making profits. THE COMPANY MEN hits on a personal level.

The finale of the film is a bit romanticized but the message is clear. America has to start with a clean slate and working people must come before profit margins.

THE COMPANY MEN is a must see and relevant to the times.