'The Smurfs' finally hit the big screen in August

Well, I was right this is just like Alvin and the Chipmunks which means I'm no longer interested. 

It's really too bad.  *sigh* Why couldn't they have just made the whole thing CGI.

'The Smurfs' teaser trailer

Well, I've been talking about this quite a bit over the past 4 years or so. But it looks like The Smurfs will finally indeed be hitting a theatre near you next summer.

The teaser trailer doesn't reveal much does it?. I guess that's why they call them teasers lol. The Smurfs don't look half bad though I must say. I just hope there's a good story.

Also why did they have to make it 3-D that was cool when I was 12 now I could really do without it. CGI by itself is cool enough in my opinion.

And I was also hoping they would make it fully animated not live action as the trailer seems to indicate again it's not like CGI couldn't have created a perfectly realistic Central Park.

This could turn out to be another Alvin and the Chipmunks but I'll remain optimistic until it's actual release.

'The Smurfs' movie coming to a theatre near you July 2011 (we hope)

Pierre Culliford, or Peyo as he became known, was the Belgian comics artist who created the race of little blue forest creatures known as les Schtroumpfs in the late 1950s. After blossoming into a ginormous comics and merchandising empire, the franchise made its stateside debut in the long-running 1981 Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon series The Smurfs, which followed the adventures of a diverse village of creatures led by the bearded and wise Papa Smurf.

If, like me, you grew up on the episodic adventures of the irrepressible, possibly-Socialist Smurfs (sharing is caring!), then the integrity of your childhood Smurfy love is not to be messed with.

Enter Hollywood. Like many beloved properties of the '80s, The Smurfs went AWOL for most of the past few decades, but in recent years they enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to our collective cultural nostalgia (because, let's face it, we love the '80s).

In 2011, we'll see our little blue friends reborn on the big screen in a combination live-action/CGI adventure courtesy of Sony/Columbia Pictures... but based on the first teaser poster, the first image, the filmmakers involved, and other factors, how optimistic should we Smurf fans be?

The very idea of bringing the Smurfs back into contemporary pop culture should warm the hearts of fans; after all, positivity is what smurfiness is all about, isn't it? Besides, by the time we discovered the Smurfs cartoon in the '80s, previous generations had already fallen in love with the little blue people via comics, figurines, and music.

So in turn, 2011's Smurfs could be just another iteration ready to be loved by an entirely new audience, with fans of the '80s-era Smurfs passing the torch to the newbies as fans of the European comics did with us.

Of course, fans are understandably concerned with how much of the beloved franchise will be altered in the name of updating the Smurfs. Let's take a look at the first teaser poster, which was released by Sony back when they had a December 2010 release in mind. (The film was moved to summer 2011 -- not the best sign, but at least it wasn't moved to the dumping grounds of January.)

By the looks of it, Sony will retain the essential look and feel of the Smurfs we know and love. The little guy with the bewildered expression on the poster? Why, he looks a lot like a cross between the classic 2-D Smurf and a rounded, three-dimensional figurine! He wears the classic white hat and trousers with booties! He looks like a proper Smurf!

A more recent image, posted exclusively by UGO, gives us a better look at the new and improved Smurf (albeit in a strangely fuzzy spy-cam presentation). The facial features are a little more sophisticated, he looks more naturally three-dimensional, and his clothing features more realistic shadowing and creases.

Look to the eyes and you'll see -- gasp! -- actual irises. And eyelids! This is a vast improvement over even the teaser poster; get past the vaguely inappropriate feel of his shirtless little body, and you can see yourself having a very Smurfy time watching the Smurfs enter the 21st century.

Added bonus: The Smurfs movie will be written by veteran scripters David N. Weiss and J. David Stern, who teamed up to write the well-received Rugrats Movie, The Rugrats II, and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. They also penned Shrek 2 before going into live-action comedy with Are We There Yet? and Daddy Day Camp, so The Smurfs could be a welcome return to form. (Weiss also gets extra credit for writing the '80s animated classic All Dogs Go To Heaven.)

No matter how optimistic and smurfy you are, Hollywood's track record adapting '80s properties is less than solid. Ditto any family-friendly fare that has attempted to merge live-action filmmaking with CGI animation, a feat that seldom feels organic (i.e. Garfield). Can Raja Gosnell succeed where he's failed before -- especially considering that he was responsible for Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua -- and update The Smurfs without succumbing to clichés, dumb jokes, cheap visual gags, and bad storytelling?

The chances seem slim given the Alvin & the Chipmunks factor. Like the Alvin reboot, The Smurfs seems likely to mine jokes from pop culture references and "hip" slang in an attempt to pacify adult viewers, a trend that started with the far superior Shrek, which managed to blend solid adult-oriented comedy with entertainment that appealed to kids. (Proof: The teaser poster tagline, "Say hello to my little friend."

Imagine what other groan-worthy bon mots await.) Alvin & the Chipmunks, however, took that idea and exhausted it, resulting in cringe-worthy, trying-too-hard jokes and references that were tiresome rather than fresh. Will our beloved peaceful and pastoral Smurfs be transformed into lingo-slinging, Top 40-singing pop culture regurgitators? Will they be fish-out-of-water Smurfs clashing with the trappings of our techno-gadget-obsessed modern world?

Rumors have pegged the Smurfs storyline to revolve around a human girl who befriends a Smurf and helps him return home, although no official synopsis has yet been released. Producer Jordan Kerner said (years ago, so take it with a grain of salt) that an intended three-movie trilogy would explore the origins of Gargamel, the evil wizard villain of Smurfs lore.

But let's think about this; naturally, a Smurfs movie would NEED to feature Gargamel, the best known Smurfs villain and the evil mastermind responsible for creating Smurfette, the first and only girl Smurf. (That's also a feminist firestorm waiting to happen.)

He'd have to be in the film that kick-starts the rebooted film franchise, right? But how do you play Gargamel in 2010? Do you update him to be some sort of modern-day, urban wizard who stumbles upon Smurfs in the real world? Or do you portray him faithfully as the bumbling, robe-wearing medieval schemer we all know and love? Either way, it'll be tricky; audiences are either too savvy for a tame Gargamel, or too devoutly fanatic to accept a slick, updated 21st-century Gargamel. (Further blasphemy: will Azrael be a CG-animated cat, or a photorealistic feline a la Beverly Hills Chihuahua?)

Source: seattlepi

Also rumor is that Neil Patrick Harris will be providing a voice for one of the characters as well, I wonder which one, any guesses?.

The not so friendly Smurfs

12) "I Didn't Inhale" Smurf
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Schleich's recent collection of Native American Smurfs included Peace Pipe Smurf. Ceremonial use or not, this droopy-eyed Smurf looks like he toked something pretty strong from the herbs in that pipe!



11) Smurfy Birthday Surprise Smurfette
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To celebrate 50 years of Smurfs, Schleich released a figurine of Smurfette jumping out of a giant cake. Thankfully, they neglected to depict the next scene where her white dress flies across the room and lands on Papa's hat.



10) Enraged Black Smurf
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The Angry Black Smurfs were never released in the U.S,. and they were changed to purple in the cartoon series, most likely as not to offend any hyperactive American sensibilities. And some people will likely try to read into it that the Smurfs were displaying racial insensitivity. Which is pretty silly, since what the black Smurfs are actually meant to represent are plague-ridden zombies! (It all started when a Smurf got bitten by a black fly.) Determined to spread their infection to other Smurfs through biting their asses tails, the angry Smurfs are clever enough to paint themselves blue in an effort to sneak up on unsuspecting victims. It's an awesome premise, but probably pretty horrifying if you're five.



9) Cheats At Cards Smurf
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This Smurf teaches kids that cheating at Poker is a great big laugh, and is even pretty obvious about it, ready to stack the deck with the card stuck in his waistband. Also known as Gets The Crap Beat Out of Him by Angry Gamblers Smurf.


8) Beelzebub Smurf
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All bad little Smurfs beware! Devil Smurf waits for your little blue, eternal souls if you Smurf your life up cheating at cards, getting sloshed or doing some of the other fun adult activities mentioned on this list.



7) Have A Drink On Me Smurf
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I wonder what the drinking age is in Smurf Village? This Smurf must be old enough, and his smile shows what a great time you can have throwing back a few foamy brewskies. Heck, he would make a perfect spokesman for Budweiser, enabling them to reach an ever younger demographic than they did with the Bud Bowl!



6) Axe Murderer Smurf
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Okay, he's really Woodcutter Smurf. But the way he's brandishing that axe and the crazed expression on his face make him look more like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. "Here's Smurfy!"



5) Grim Reaper Smurf
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If it wasn't enough to know there's a Devil Smurf waiting for you in the afterlife, here's the guy who's gonna place his cold, blue grasp on your life and take you there!



4) Gargamel's Lunch Smurf
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The happy, secure place that Smurf Village is supposed to be is regularly shaken asunder by the evil sorcerer Gargamel, who wants nothing more in life than to snatch up a few of the friendly blue creatures to either eat or turn into gold. Neither way is an especially pleasant fate for the Smurfs, such as this little caged guy who is crying his eyes out as he awaits his terrible demise.



3) Topless Mermaid Smurfette
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Shockingly, this mermaid Smurfette doesn't even bother to cover herself up with a couple of clam shells, letting her blueberries swim free. She's not completely bare, though; she's wearing a pearl necklace.



2) Uncomfortably Naked Child Smurf
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I'm sure that the strangeness perceived in most of these Smurfs has a bit to do with varying cultural norms. What isn't a big deal in Germany might cause an uproar in the States, for example. And maybe some of it has to do just with having a sick mind. But it's hard not to think "WTF?" when you see this figure of a very naked female child Smurf giving herself a scrub.


1) Lushy Smurf
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First we had a beer-drinking Smurf, but this one prefers harder liquor. Not just prefers, but SMURFS it, as evidenced by him licking his chops and lovingly embracing a champagne bottle almost twice his size. Those Smurfs like to party!

I used to have a large collection of these figures as a child, but I can honestly say I never came across any of the ones above.

Good thing too!. Scary.

Source: toplessrobot.com via neatorama

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen trailer

I'm not a huge movie goer probably because there just aren't that many great movies these days. At least none that I would wanna make an effort to go and see, or that I truly look forward to.

That being said there are always a few exceptions that spark my interest during the year. Last year it was The Dark Knight, and this year it's Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

I will admit that my interest in the film is largely fueled by the fact that (like most kids of the 80's) I was (and I guess in a way still am) a huge Transformers fan. I watched the cartoon, and yes I even had the toys.

I absolutely loved the first movie and thought it was one of the few of that year (2007 I believe) that not only deserved the hype, but lived up to it.

Being a summer blockbuster I didn't have high expectations for it beyond the usual action, blow 'em up special effects and CGI.

What really drew me to it however was the story (any big budget blockbuster movie can do awesome effects these days), but very few have a decent plot.

Casting a relative newcomer like Shia LaBeouf as the main character certainly didn't hurt either ;).



It's hard to tell from the trailer whether the sequel will offer more of the same, but I definitely can't wait to find out!.

The Smurfs still coming to a theatre near you

The Smurfs, those small sky blue creatures who live in Smurf Village somewhere in the woods, are to make a comeback with the characters set for a Hollywood film. They will celebrate their 50th anniversary with a Hollywood movie deal announced on Tuesday by Columbia pictures.

The new film will introduce the funny characters to a new generation of fans.

Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation acquired the film rights to the Belgian-born characters from Lafig Belgium S.A. for a big-screen adaptation based on the “three-apple-high” beings.

Created by Peyo (Peirre Culliford) in “Le Journal de Spirou” titled “Johan and Pirlouit” (translated as “Johan and Peewit), the small creatures with blue skin, white trousers with a hole for their short tails, white hat in the style of a Phrygian cap, first appeared in a Belgian comic strip in 1958. The Smurfs live in houses made from mushrooms, or in houses built of stone that just look like mushrooms. The village is placed somewhere in the middle of a deep forest.

Colombia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation are ready to develop a hybrid live action/animated film, a similar “hybrid” treatment as the successful “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie from 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.

Read more...




Back in November of 2006 (wow really?) I mentioned a favourite childhood cartoon of mine about little blue creatures known as The Smurfs (which as hard as it is to believe have been around for 50 years!).

More specifically I talked about the fact that the cartoon would be turned into a theatrical movie.

Well as you can see from the above article that idea is still being realized and, although they're getting closer there's still no final word on exactly when The Smurfs will hit the big screen.

I was really excited when I first heard about this, but now I'm not so sure. Not after seeing what was done to Alvin and the Chipmunks.

I think now I'm more of the opinion that some classics should be left alone. Still with all that said I guess introducing The Smurfs to a whole new generation of kids is not such a bad thing.

Especially considering the cartoons that are being offered to kids today, I would much rather go and see The Smurfs any day (no matter what format they're in) .

80's nostalgia...'cause you can never have enough

That's right this year marks the 20th anniversary of Dirty Dancing. Man does that make me feel old! lol. Hard to believe it's been that long.

I still remember when I wasn't allowed to watch it because I was too young for such "racy" content. *chuckle*

Another anniversary means another theatre re-release and probably another special edition DVD (how many will that make 3? lol). Not that there's anything wrong with that;).

Yes I admit that back in the day when Jennifer Grey actually looked like Jennifer (prior to her nose job) and Patrick was a total hottie I couldn't get enough of this movie.

What am I saying? I still can't! lol. I'm pretty sure I've seen it close to a hundred times by now and can recite every line by heart. Who could forget such classics as "Nobody puts baby in a corner" and "I carried a watermelon". And let's not forget the dancing. Ah, the memories lol.

What can I say?, I'm an 80's fanatic. And well I guess the story of forbidden love and forbidden dance in the Catskills continues to satisfy the romantic in me.

With all that said I am off to dust off the old VHS tape and "Have the Time of My Life". :D The rest of you can enjoy this classic scene courtesy of YouTube:).

The Smurfs coming to a theatre near you!

Yep, first The Simpson's, now The Smurfs. As an 80's fanatic I was ecstatic about this news. 'Cause if there was ever one cartoon I never got sick of as a child that would be The Smurfs.

Lots of happy childhood memories associated with this one. I don't plan on going to see The Simpson's, but I'll definitely check out The Smurfs. Although there's no word yet on when exactly it'll be out.

The cool thing about this is The Smurfs themselves will be computer generated in 3-D, very much in the style of Shrek I'm sure. I was also very happy to find out it will be a trilogy.

Where we'll find out more about the characters themselves. I particularly like the part about Gargamel's backstory. That definitely has my attention. I'll be waiting in anticipation for this one!.

Here is an article with more details on the subject:
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=39013