Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

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Hopefully, we’ll never lose that movie-watching experience entirely, because it’s all part of the fun of movies. But new things keep being added, and now a movie is actually premiering on cell phones across the country.

Sally Potter’s new film "Rage" will hit iPhone and iPod devices beginning Sept. 21, with viewers screening one episode from the film each day for seven days.

"Rage" offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into a fictional New York fashion show via a series of interviews, with an accident on the runway sparking a murder investigation. The spin? It’ll be shot as if by a schoolboy on his mobile phone over a seven-day period. Hence, the mobile phone premiere.

This isn’t some obscure indie film either; it features Steve Buscemi, Lily Cole, Judi Dench, Eddie Izzard, Jude Law, John Leguizamo and Dianne Wiest, and debuted at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. Check out the trailer, and read more after the jump…

More after the jump…

In a statement, Potter and producers Christopher Sheppard and Andrew Fierberg said, "We always wanted to incorporate new-media platforms into our release strategy and to find a novel approach to bringing ‘Rage’ to both new and traditional film audiences. We are delighted to be working with Babelgum, who we see as a true partner in crafting an innovative distribution model."

The premiere will be followed by a U.S. DVD release on Sept. 22; an interactive satellite premiere in the U.K. on Sept. 24; the online release via Babelgum beginning Sept. 28; and the Adventure Pictures DVD release in the U.K. and Ireland on Sept. 28.

The red carpet event and Q&A following the Sept. 24 premiere at London’s BFI/Southbank will be broadcast online commercial-free on Justin.tv.

I’m not sure what to think about this. For one thing, watching a movie via cell phone doesn’t really seem that appealing to me. Any thoughts on this?

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Movie: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: July 1, 2009
Runtime: 94 minutes	Directed by: Carlos Saldanha
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild rude humor and peril	Gecko Rating:

They’ve really mined everything they can out of these "Ice Age" movies, haven’t they? That’s not to say they’re not cute and fun and all that stuff. Just that maybe they’ve come to the end of the line on these particular characters and stories. Then again, they’ve added a few new characters in this movie, and let’s face it, they’re just at the dawn of the dinosaurs, which means this franchise could go on into infinity.

The first movie, 2002’s "Ice Age," was definitely the best. The second, 2006’s "Ice Age: The Meltdown," was cute, and this one is cute, too. They just seem to be losing their steam. But the animation continues to be fantastic, with every snowflake and furry animal popping off the screen at you (the 3D animation helps, too). 

This third movie finds Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) preparing to have a baby Mammoth. Manny is nesting big-time, creating a beautiful little playground full of ice-figure mobiles, play structures, and teeter-totters.

It leaves Sid (John Leguizamo) wishing for a family of his own, and he gets just that when he stumbles upon a trio of large eggs. He doesn’t realize they’re dinosaur eggs, and their mom wants them back.

Diego (Denis Leary) has his own issues. With all this family planning going on, he feels like he’s losing his touch in the wild. He can’t even chase after a nimble gazelle without gasping for breath.

When Sid accidentally falls into a strange underground world full of lush tropical foliage and creatures of every shape and size, the rest of the gang heads down to try and rescue him. They get some help from a one-eyed weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg) who’s like an animal version of Crocodile Dundee. 

The journey puts the group in grave danger, especially Ellie, who’s just about ready to have that baby Mammoth.

Of course, we can’t forget Scrat (Chris Wedge), who’s still on the hunt to grab and hold onto that elusive acorn. But that dream is seriously hindered by the appearance of a female sabre-toothed squirrel named Scratte. 

This movie is cute as all get-out, and the storyline moves along fairly well. But there’s not a lot of new ground here (well, aside from the lush new ground beneath the ice floes). It probably could have gone straight to DVD, but if you have kids in the 5- to 8-year-old range who like cute, animated movies, this is a good choice.

NOTE TO PARENTS: The violence is mainly cartoonish, with Scrat’s quest to get the acorn and a few close calls from other characters (a gazelle being chased, but not caught and eaten). Some of the dinosaurs are pretty scary, but for the most part, they don’t inflict any real damage on any characters.  Sexual innuendoes are limited to Scrat and his new love interest, as well as Manny and Ellie acting sweet towards each other. In one scene, Sid tries to milk an animal that turns out to be male, and in another scene, he thinks a baby mammoth is a boy until Diego says, "That’s a tail." Language includes mild insults, usually directed at Sid, as well as "poop" and "barf."

Photo Credit: Blue Sky Studios, TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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The film stars Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Seann William Scott and Josh Peck. While I haven’t heard much about the plot, I do know it revolves around some dinosaurs who survived extinction, living beneath thick layers of ice in a tropical habitat. They’re released when the ice thaws and, I’m guessing, that’s when the wacky hi-jinks ensue. Looking forward to this one?

Image: 20th Century Fox Animation, 2009

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