Neil Gaiman Movies
- 2012
Charles Burns' critically acclaimed graphic novel Black Hole is adapted for the big screen with this Paramount Pictures production, to be helmed by director David Fincher from a script by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. The tale surrounds a group of teenagers afflicted with an STD that mutates each one in various frightening pubescent ways. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Neil Gaiman's Newbery Award winner The Graveyard Book is adapted for a live-action feature film by writer/director Neil Jordan with this fantasy production. The plot revolves around an orphaned baby who wanders into a cemetery and is taken in by a group of ghosts and raised until young adulthood. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Will Eisner never became a household name, but ask nearly anyone who works in comics about him and they'll speak with admiration about one of the pioneering talents in the medium. Born in New York City in 1917, Eisner started drawing at a young age, and became involved in comics at a crucial point in their development, when comic books were moving from reprints of popular newspaper strips to tabloids featuring original material. In 1936, on the advice of his friend Bob Kane (who went on to create Batman), he created an adventure series, Captain Scott Dalton, for a new publication called Wow, What A Magazine! It was the first step in a successful career in what he called "sequential art," and in 1939, Eisner created the series The Spirit, following the adventures of a masked crime fighter patrolling the streets of a major American city. The Spirit boasted artwork with a unique, richly detailed look inspired by the shadow lands of film noir, and Eisner gave his characters an emotional depth that was unique to comics; the result was a mature creation that appealed to adults as much as youngsters, and was wildly influential on a generation of artists and writers. Eisner believed that comics were an art form long before the notion was popular, and created one of the first "graphic novels," A Contract With God, a book-length comic story of life in a Jewish ghetto. Eisner was also one of the first comic artists to control the rights to his own creations, giving him creative control over his work and a fair share of their profits. Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist is a documentary which explores the life and career of a true giant in American graphic arts; the film received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Comic writer and filmmaker Neil Gaiman directed this documentary profile of artist John Bolton. Bolton has earned both praise and controversy for his paintings, which usually depict nude female vampires in settings which seem both seductive and dangerous. This portrait of the artist takes a look at the quiet man behind the menacing images, and tries to answer the question of where he gets his ideas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2003
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Hosted by Peta Wilson, this breezy cable TV documentary chronicles the history of comic-book superheroes, from the introduction of Superman in 1938 to the present day. The producers were given unprecedented access to the files of DC and Marvel, the foremost purveyors of funny-paper protagonists with "powers far beyond those of mortal men." Among the topics covered are the neurosis-ridden heroes created under the aegis of Marvel's Stan Lee, and the kinkier aspects of DC's superheroine Wonder Woman. And of course, there is ample time afforded to the clean-up-comics campaign of the 1950s, sparked by the specious findings of psychologist Frederick Wertham (Seduction of the Innocent). In addition to the ubiquitous Stan Lee, artist/writers Jim Steranko and Will Eisner are interviewed. Released around the same time as the theatrical premiere of the Marvel-inspired movie The Hulk, Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked first aired on June 23, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peta Wilson
- 1998
Unexpected trouble develops during the Brakiris' traditional Day of the Dead ceremony. Elsewhere, a pair of intergalactic comedians named Rebo and Zooty arrive to give a show for the B5 crew. The two funsters are portrayed by "guerilla magicians" Penn and Teller, with author Harlan Ellison provided the voice of the professionally mute Teller. For the first time since Season Three, someone other than J. Michael Straczynski was responsible for the script; in this instance, the author was Neil Gaiman. A calculatedly "escapist" episode, "Day of the Dead" originally aired on March 11, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins, (more)
A charmingly naïve boy from the English village of Wall travels to a magical, mythical world in search of the falling star that will help him win the heart of his true love in this fantasy adventure starring Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ricky Gervais, and Sienna Miller. For hundreds of years the massive cobblestone barrier that surrounds the sleepy English hamlet of Wall has kept the citizens of the village safe and secure from the malevolent supernatural forces that stir just outside its perimeter. When dashing Tristan Thorne (Cox) promises the fairest girl in the village, Victoria (Miller), that he will prove his love by bestowing her with a genuine falling star, his daring mission sends him on an adventure far outside the comfortable confines of Wall. In order to find the fallen star, Tristan will have to ascend the wall and venture deep into the forbidden heart of the fantastical realm known as Stormhold. Upon discovering that the meteorite he sought was in fact a beautiful girl named Yvaine (Danes), who has stumbled though space and is now being pursued by the King of Stormhold's (Peter O'Toole) sons (who long to use her cosmic powers to lay claim to the throne), Tristan vows to protect the otherworldly visitor at all costs. But the king's sons aren't the only ones in search of the luminous Yvaine; fearsome witch Lamia (Pfeiffer) has become convinced that the young girl's power can help her to achieve eternal youth and beauty. As Tristan makes his way through Stormhold on a mission to bring the star back to Wall, he will encounter a series of spectacular characters and creatures that will lead him to a fate he never imagined. Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn serves as director and co-screenwriter for this tale of witches and pirates adapted from the novel by fantasy icon Neil Gaiman, who also produces. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, (more)
Inspired by the epic Old English poem of the same name, director Robert Zemeckis's digitally rendered film follows the Scandinavian hero Beowulf (Ray Winstone) as he fights to protect the Danes from a ferocious beast named Grendel (Crispin Glover). Though at first Grendel seems invincible, Beowulf eventually manages to defeat him in a desperate battle to the death. Devastated by her son's violent demise at the hands of Beowulf, Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie) sets out in search of revenge. Later, Beowulf faces the biggest challenge of his life when he attempts to slay a powerful dragon. Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, and Brendan Gleeson co-star in an epic fantasy adventure penned by Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, (more)
This $20 million animated adventure/fantasy quickly became the highest grossing Japanese film in Japanese film history (making $150 million in Japan during its first seven months). Set in the 14th century, the ecology-themed epic was directed by Hayao Miyazaki whose previous films were acquired by Disney for U.S. distribution plus other territories. Princess Mononoke depicts a mystical battle between Animal Gods of the forest and humans during Japan's Muromachi Period. Young Ashitaka receives a fatal infection after a demonic wild boar attacks his northern village. Seeking a cure, he sets out to locate the deer-like god Shishigami. Along the way, he sees the rape of the Earth by a mining village. The constant plundering by the village has brought the wrath of the Wolf God, Moro, who attacks the village along with San, a human who was raised by the wolf god. She communicates with the nature spirits -- which is why she is called Princess Mononoke ("spirits of things"). Ashitaka wants these opposing forces to co-exist, and he hopes to bring peace between San and the ironworks owner, Lady Eboshi. However, he is thwarted as higher powers, intent on killing the Shishigama, intrude, and a battle erupts over the future of all nature. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yoji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, (more)
A young girl walks through a secret door and discovers a parallel reality that is eerily similar to the life she already knows, yet deeply unsettling in a number of ways, in director Henry Selick's animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's international best-seller. Eleven-year-old Coraline Jones (voice of Dakota Fanning) is fearlessly courageous, and perhaps far too adventurous for her own good. Coraline and her parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) have recently relocated to Oregon from Michigan. Bored in her new home since her parents are distracted by work and she has yet to make any new friends, Coraline passes the time by exploring her new neighborhood with an annoying local boy named Wybie Lovat (Robert Bailey Jr.). But after paying a visit to her eccentric neighbors Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Forcible (Dawn French), a pair of aging British actresses, and crossing paths with the outright weird Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane), the precocious young girl becomes convinced that her new surroundings are just as dull as she'd initially suspected. Shortly thereafter, Coraline discovers a hidden door in her new house, and decides to investigate. Venturing into the eerie passageway inside, Coraline emerges into an alternate version of her own reality. At first glance, this strange new world seems even better than the real thing; there her parents aren't distracted by work, and Coraline is always the center of attention. There's even a mysterious Cat (Keith David) that's fascinated by her every move. But when Coraline's button-eyed Other Mother (also Hatcher) attempts to make her stay permanent, the frightened young girl must summon her resourcefulness and bravery in order to find her way back home and save her real family. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, (more)
Celebrated sci-fi writer Neil Gaiman, who created the Sandman series, scripted this visually adventurous fantasy. Helena (Stephanie Leonidas) is a 15-year-old girl who has spent nearly her entire life on the road, traveling with her parents Joanne and Morris (Gina McKee and Rob Brydon), who make a living as circus performers. One night, Helena wishes for a quieter and more stable life, only to panic when her mother falls seriously ill, ending up in the hospital. Afraid she's caused her mother's illness, Helena slips into an alternate reality known as the Dark Lands, where nearly everything behaves differently and all is ruled by the Queen of Light and the Prime Minister (also played by McKee and Brydon). As it happens, the Queen of Shadows' daughter, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Helena, has gone missing; the Queen of Light has fallen unconscious as a result; and both queens' minders are looking for the child. As Helena struggles to make her way back to her own world to help her own mother, she discovers the Queen of Shadows' daughter has taken her place. Helena is aided in her journey by a gifted juggler named Valentine (Jason Barry), and together they seek to access a magic charm which will return everyone to the land where they belong. MirrorMask was produced by the Jim Henson Company, with most of the sets and many of the characters created using digital-effects technology. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Barry, Rob Brydon, (more)
Anyone coming to Dreams With Sharp Teeth expecting a formal, traditionally organized biographical sketch of author Harlan Ellison will be disappointed. But what they will find instead is Ellison more or less unchained and ranging (and raging) across his past and into the future (circa 2007), having great fun with his many and varied targets, and giving his own accounts of some of the triumphs that people often cite in his past. Perhaps the most satisfying moment comes when the author presents his version of one portion (one of the least controversial portions) of his Hugo Award-winning script for the Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" -- he ends up making the production crew for the series look like fools, and longing to see the story told as he wrote it. By contrast, presented without comment is one excerpt of the award-winning Outer Limits episode "Demon With a Glass Hand," which apparently was shot more or less as he wrote it. In between and around these two polar opposite successes of his early career, Ellison rails and laughs, berates and curses, and generally has a great deal of fun launching his barbs at a multitude of targets, including himself, as often as not. One eerie aspect of watching him across this fast-paced account, which covers many decades of his life, is realizing how much Ellison resembles the late actor George Grizzard as he looked and sounded from the 1960s to the 21st century -- if there was an actor who might've portrayed this unique personality in a dramatic context, it was Grizzard. But much more important than any such mundane observations is the keen appreciation that the filmmaker has for his subject, sufficient to take us on what amounts to a cinematic roller-coaster ride across one part of Ellison's psyche. That's how it's paced, and that how it's best to take in this delightfully quirky and lively nonfiction film. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harlan Ellison, Erik Nelson, (more)
