Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category

Movie of the Week TV Reminder: Love Begins

Posted in Movies, Reminder, Television, Video on September 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Love Begins

The made-for-TV movie Love Begins (part of the long-running Love Comes Softly series of movies based on the Janette Oke book series) will debut on the Hallmark Channel at 9 PM on September 17.

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: Clark Davis’ (Wes Brown from True Blood) adventurous dreams of seeing the world are put into jeopardy after he and a friend start a fight which damages a local cafe. Through a plea deal with the Sheriff (Jere Burns from Dear John) and café owner Millie (Nancy McKeon), Clark works off his sentence as a farmhand for the Barlow sisters, Ellen (Julie Mond from General Hospital) and Cassie (Abigail Mavity from Summerland). Older sister Ellen doesn’t understand Cassie’s open and friendly nature with Clark; she is much more reserved and cautious and only agreed to the Sheriff’s offer because the farm has become too much for two young women to maintain alone. Clark is slow in winning Ellen over, but suddenly suffers a traumatic head injury in a fall. As he is nursed back to health by Ellen, Clark recognizes his feelings for her as something much more than gratitude. Clark decides to surprise Ellen in town and express his feelings, but he is devastated to learn her former fiancé has just returned and hopes to win her back. Will Clark travel on? Or will he stay and make his life where love begins?

Here is a video of Love Begins.

Read Full Post »

My Take on the Remake of Romancing the Stone

Posted in Casting, Movies on September 6, 2011| 2 Comments »

Romancing the Stone Poster

There has been a lot of talk, especially recently, about a remake of the 1984 box office film Romancing the Stone. For quite some time there had been talk about remaking it on the big screen with Grey’s Anatomy alum Katherine Heigl and Phantom of the Opera actor Gerard Butler rumored to be considered for the lead roles. But now the most recent news is that NBC has picked it up with plans to make it into a weekly TV series.

As many will remember, the original film starred Kathleen Turner as romance writer Joan Wilder who sets off to Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, soon finding herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure alongside a swashbuckling American bird exporter played by Michael Douglas.

Ryan Sypek

The network’s plan for the TV adaptation is to have the story follow a successful but unfulfilled woman who teams with a risk-taking adventurer to take on weekly missions while on a larger quest to find her missing brother.

Angela Sarafyan

Now that sounds all fine and well to me, but the keys to this adaptation succeeding will be the right casting, the right creative team and making the show an action-packed, fun and interesting series that TV viewers will want to watch every week. Without those key components, the show will crash and burn like so many other TV shows before it.

Paul Blackthorne

But I have to admit that I have been tossing around an idea for a Romancing the Stone remake of my own for about the last 9 months or so. And with the news of the NBC pick-up breaking last week, I just had to get my own idea down in print. It won’t make any difference in the long run, but it sure will, at the very least, make me feel better, knowing that my idea is out there for anyone interested in reading about it.

Arielle Kebbel

So, without further ado, here is my idea for my Romancing the Stone remake:

In the world of gaming, Maggie Harding and Jake Wood, who have been step-brother and step-sister since Maggie’s mom and Jake’s dad married when they were little kids, are the new dynamic duo; Maggie creates the fantastic worlds contained within their international hit video game Phantasma while Jake is not only the mastermind behind the development of the game but also the entire business end of their worldwide enterprise. Maggie serves as the face of the business because of her outgoing personality and vivacious (often out of control) nature while Jake tends to be the wallflower, struggling with personal insecurities and phobias as well as an enormous clumsy streak. But when Maggie gets in deep trouble with Zane Randall, an incredibly powerful businessman, who actually turns out to be a deadly drug lord in Japan, Jake has to overcome all of his phobias in order to save his “little sister’s” life.

Ken Watanabe

After receiving an encrypted text from Maggie, Jake sets out for Kobe, Japan to retrieve a valuable ‘family heirloom’ which Randall alleges Maggie swiped (she’s a klepto, by the way) from one of his luxurious hotels during a high-profile video game conference. But once Jake gets there, he makes a fateful mistake, taking the wrong mountain road and running smack dap into the stalled jeep owned by Jacqueline “Ace” Calder, a former Marine drill sergeant and current international bounty hunter.

Ken Leung

Ace is on the trail of Jun Yamaguchi, a Wakagashira [the loose translation for a First Lieutenant, which is second only to the boss within the Yamaguchi family] one of the deadliest members of the Yakuza, the organized crime syndicate in Japan which is based out of Kobe. Jun is wanted in connection with a number of grizzly and unsolved murders in the United States and Mexico. Jake is now thrown into her hunt in exchange for her help getting him to the center of the city to retrieve the heirloom and save Maggie.

Miracle Laurie

Their hunt for Jun takes them across most of the wards within the city of Kobe, putting Ace and Jake through adventures for which neither of them are prepared. Jake starts to overcome his phobias and Ace starts to let down her barriers in order to survive; and in doing so, they unexpectedly find common ground and slowly begin to fall for each other. But, can they track down the heirloom, which turns out to contain a zip drive of all Randall’s illegal deals, that will eventually save Maggie’s life and catch Jun before he kills again?

The main cast of characters would include the following:

Actor Ryan Sypek would play Jake Wood. Ryan is best known for his role on the ABC Family series Wildfire, he has also appeared in How I Met Your Mother, Greek, The Nine Lives of Chloe King and the made-for-TV movie Christmas Cupid.

Actress Arielle Kebbel would play Jacqueline “Ace” Calder. Arielle has appeared in episodes of Gilmore Girls, Life Unexpected, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries.

Actress Angela Sarafyan would play Maggie Harding. Angela has been seen in episodes of The Good Guys, In Plain Sight, The Shield, 24 and Lincoln Heights.

Patrick Fabian

Actor Paul Blackthorne would play Zane Randall. Paul has appeared in The Gates, The Dresden Files, 24, Lipstick Jungle, Big Shots, ER and Presidio Med.

Actor Ken Watanabe would play Jun Yamaguchi. Ken is best known in the US for his roles in the box office films The Last Samurai, Batman Begins and Inception.

Other members of the cast (not referenced in the description above) would include:

Jennifer Beals

Actor Ken Leung would play Zane Randall’s right-hand man, Seung Lee, a Korean master of martial arts.  He also holds a Master’s degree in Business, allowing him to make Randall’s business enterprise look 100 percent legitimate. He is tasked to meet Jake upon arrival at Kobe, but Jake’s clumsy streak not to mention his lack of directional skill, fouls that plan. He tracks Jake and Ace during their adventures, reporting all details back to Randall.

Actress Miracle Laurie would play Cassie Grant, the on-again off-again girlfriend of Jake, who is unsuccessful in convincing Jake not to go to Kobe. She works for Jake and Maggie’s enterprise in Research and Development. She will appear in the beginning in various scenes at the company’s office and in several flashbacks as Jake and Ace share stories of their past.

Jonathan Silverman

Actor Patrick Fabian would play Hank Todd, the man who discovered Maggie and Jack’s talent, molding them into the dynamic duo and providing the initial capital to get them started. Hank was also unable to keep Jake from going to Kobe.

Actress Jennifer Beals would play Sarah Harding-Wood, Maggie’s mom and Jake’s step-mom, who will appear in flashbacks in the beginning of the film showing Maggie’s and Jake’s younger days and will be featured briefly in the final scenes.

Enver Gjokaj

Actor Jonathan Silverman would play Gregory Wood, Jake’s dad and Maggie’s step-dad, who will also appear in the same flashbacks at the beginning and briefly in the final scenes.

Actor Enver Gjokaj would play Marine Captain Barry “Moose” Walinski, the only guy Ace ever got close to while in the service. He will appear in flashbacks as Jake and Ace share stories of their past and he will appear in an unexpected twist ending.

So, there you have it my version of Romancing the Stone the remake for the big screen, for better or worse. I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you like the storyline? Like the casting? Or, maybe you have a better idea for either the storyline or casting. Please share.

Read Full Post »

Box Office Movies Coming Out in September

Posted in Movies, News on August 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Based on information provided by the Dark Horizons site and internet research, here are just some of the movies you can expect to see in movie theatres in September:

Apollo 18
Opens: September 2

The story revolves around recently “found footage” shot by the crew of an abandoned moon mission that NASA claims never took place in the early 1970s. The footage reveals the existence of alien life and explains why the agency has hidden the evidence for all of these years. No cast members have been revealed.

Tanner Hall
Opens: September 9

Tanner Hall is a vivid peek into the private world of an all-girls boarding school in rural New England where the knot of adolescent complexity is unraveled through the coming of age stories of four teenage girls. The cast includes Rooney Mara, Georgia King, Brie Larson, Amy Ferguson, Tom Everett Scott and Chris Kattan.

The Apparition
Opens: September 9

A young couple are haunted by a scary ghost-like form, apparently brought into existence by students testing a whole new form of science. Who will help them escape the terrifying apparition? Tom Felton, Ashley Greene and Sebastian Stan are among the cast.

Drive
Opens: September 16

The story follows a nameless Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a freelance getaway driver during robberies. When a bank heist goes wrong, he ends up on the run with a contract on his head and an ex-con’s girlfriend in his car. The cast includes Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston andAlbert Brooks.

Straw Dogs
Opens: September 16

L.A. screenwriter David Sumner relocates with his wife, Amy, to her hometown in the deep South. While tensions build between them, a brewing conflict with locals becomes a threat to them both. The cast includes James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård and James Woods.

Tinker, Tailer, Solider, Spy
Opens: September 16

Based on the 1974 novel by John le Carre , the film is about George Smiley (Gary Oldman) who comes out of semi-retirement in the 1970s to uncover a Russian spy. Among the cast are Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Jones.

Abduction
Opens: September 23

Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner) comes across a picture of himself on a missing persons’ web site and he sets out to uncover his real identity. He 1uickly learns his parents are far from who they say they are and when the police, government agents and shadowy figures start to pursue him, Nathan goes on the run. Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Sigourney Weaver and Jason Isaacs also star.

Dolphin Tale
Opens: September 23

A boy befriends an injured dolphin who lost her tail in a crab trap. Through their bond and friendship, the boy motivates everyone around him to help save her by creating a prosthetic appendage to replace the dolphin’s tail. The marine mammal’s strong survival instincts become an inspiration to people with special needs throughout the world. The cast includes Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson and Nathan Gamble.

Machine Gun Preacher
September 23

Inspired by the true story of Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler), a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. The movie co-stars Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon, Madeline Carroll and Kathy Baker.

Moneyball
Opens: September 23

The story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players. The cast includes Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kathryn Morris.

50/50
Opens: September 30

A young healthy man who leads a nice and simple life is soon diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. While fighting the disease he begins to appreciate what he has in life, especially the things he took for granted before his battle. The cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anna Kendrick.

Anonymous
Opens: September 30

A political thriller about who actually wrote the plays of William Shakespeare– Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford– set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her. Among the cast are Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis, Joely Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave.

Dream House
Opens: September 30

A successful New York publisher moves his wife and children to a New England town, where they buy the home of their dreams. But the dream is shattered when they learn that the previous tenants were murdered. The husband teams with a neighbor to learn the truth about the crime, and a killer who has made them the next target. Among the cast are Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Marton Csokas and Gregory Smith.

What’s Your Number
Opens: September 30

A woman looks back at the past twenty men she’s had relationships with in her life and wonders if one of them might be her one true love. The ensemble cast includes Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Martin Freeman, Zachary Quinto, Mike Vogel, Chris Pratt, Joel McHale and Dave Annable.

NOTE:  Any of the opening dates for the above movies can be changed at the last minute so please check your local theatres for confirmation.

Movies coming out in October will be posted at the end of September.

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Reminder: Glee Live! 3D! in Theatres Friday

Posted in Movies, Music, News, Reminder on August 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Attention Gleeks!

Don’t forget that the box office flick Glee Live! 3D! will be out in theatres this Friday, August 12 for a limited two-week run.

Shot during the summer concerts by the cast of Glee, the film stars 14 members of the show’s cast, including Lea Michele (Rachel), Cory Monteith (Finn), and Chris Colfer (Kurt).

If you weren’t able to see them in concert before or want to relive the experience, make sure you get your tickets now.

Read Full Post »

A Look at the Short Film Project: Elysium by Director Devon Newberry

Posted in Interview, Movies, News, Spotlight on August 8, 2011| 2 Comments »

Kevin Herrera as Alaster Stone in Project: Elysium

Imagine you have an endless supply of cash, wealthy behind all imagination, and you fund a program where you can do anything, be anyone and go anywhere – that is Project: Elysium. But, as Alaster Stone (Kevin Herrera) – the man behind and within that program – quickly learns from a scientist named The Consultant (Meaghan MacLean), he can’t be extracted from that well-crafted world. How much will he sacrifice to have it all? That is the interesting premise of the new short film by up-and-coming, young director Devon Newberry.

Coming off an incredible response to a private school screening of the short film at the CSU Long Beach Spring Showcase in May and after having the film selected into the 15th annual LA Short Film Festival last month, Project: Elysium will be available for viewing online tomorrow Tuesday, August 9.

Meaghan MacLean as The Consultant in Project: Elysium

I recently had the opportunity to interview Devon Newberry about his latest project, the work that went into completing that film and much more. Here is what he had to share:

Question: What was the driving factor behind your making this film?

Newberry: I was looking for something to direct, as it had been a few months since I directed a short called “See Ryan”. My good friend and one of my producing partners, Aaron Rubin, presented me the script for this movie, asking me to only do rewrites. After I wrote a couple drafts, I sort of, subconsciously, geared my rewrites as a directorial vehicle for myself. I was fortunate enough that after I did my pitch with Michael Demas, who wrote the original idea and the first draft, he was comfortable enough to let me direct. Aaron Rubin was on my side the whole time and played a role in planting the seed to get me in the directing chair, but I think it came down to the pitch between Demas and I.

Question: What was the hardest aspect of filming Project: Elysium?

Newberry: Honestly, it was a breeze. I thrive on high-pressure situations and with Elysium, it was my first ‘big-budget’ short. There are a lot of visual effects. We had a lot to shoot in a very short amount of time, and we were fighting nature. It was probably a nightmare for the production team, but I just move in stride and work as I go. We shot under schedule and initially shot under-budget; it ended up being a really smooth shoot. I think the pace at which I shoot was new for the crew, as a lot of the team was new and hadn’t worked with me yet, but Luke Dejoras and I, my director of photography, run-and-gun. Luke is one of those guys who can shoot at whatever speed is presented, but I rarely do more than four takes and I try to shoot as much as possible, as fast as possible. It’s a lot of fun.

Behind the Scenes of Project: Elysium with Director Devon Newberry

Question: How long did it take to film and then work on post-production?

Newberry: I was hired to direct the film in October 2010, and I initially wanted to shoot in December 2010, but (realistically) there was no way (that) was going to happen. I cast the film before the New Year, but my team and I didn’t start official pre-production until January 2011. We were scheduled to shoot in February; but, of course, on the weekend we were scheduled to shoot, we got rained out – and the movie is 95% exterior. We ended up shooting the film in March and had a REALLY quick turn-around to hit some festival deadlines. My wonderful editor, Aaron Robinson, cut the film, did all the VFX – all that jazz – in six weeks. It was pretty extensive. He did an incredible, incredible job.

Question: How long were you in development, putting the script and pre-production together?

Newberry: We spent 5 to 6 months preparing it from first rewrite to day one of production. It didn’t take too long. It was just a matter of putting the pieces together.

Rupa Shah as The Woman in Project: Elysium

Question: Was the casting process easy or hard? Can you elaborate on that whole process?

Newberry: For me, it’s easy. I’m a big fan of the actors I’ve worked with and I’m always interested in working with first time actors – which is one of those high risk/high reward actions, as it’s terribly easy to cast a dud – so I cast based off reels, looks, motivation, etc. I had told Kevin [Herrera] about the script and told him I wanted him to play Alaster Stone well before I signed on as director, and the cast fell in place from there. I had wanted to work with Meaghan [MacLean] for a couple of years prior to this and immediately brought her on, then Ron Drynan and Rupa Shah came pretty quick. Funny thing about Rupa, she was cast two days before production began. We started shooting on a Friday and on Wednesday night she confirmed that she was in. The original actress cast to play The Woman had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, so a little bit of improvisation was required. I think it worked out for us.

Question: What was the inspiration for you to want to become a director?

Newberry: There were a (number) of factors, all entertainment based, that eventually led to directing. I wrote and directed an awful, awful play in junior high that got a standing ovation and an A+ in the class. But in retrospect, it was a pretty goofy, Lord of the Rings-inspired play. So that kind of kick-started it. I went on a tram tour at Universal Studios one day and saw the set where a big truck collapses through the roof into the subway and water pours from the side and thought, “Man, I really want to build sets… so I can destroy them!” But that only lasted so long, as I’m awful at math and anything that requires a hammer. (Instead I) started making movies and felt 100 percent comfortable and confident in what I was doing.

One Sheet Poster for Project: Elysium

Question: What is the best advice you can provide other young directors?

Newberry: Make YOUR movies. Make the movies YOU want to make. It’s easy for young filmmakers to try to make movies (like those) of the directors that inspire them or make movies they think people want to see, but they really need to be thinking about what they want to see. If you’re confident in what you’re doing, in the movies you’re making, the audience will be able to tell. There’s nothing worse than seeing an inconsistent movie because the filmmakers weren’t sure what they wanted to do. I can’t be the next Christopher Nolan, Michael Bay, Steven Spielberg, etc… but I can be the first and best Devon Newberry possible. That’s all I can do.

Question: Can you share any details on your next film?

Newberry: I start shooting a small, pseudo-indie short called Phynes with actor Dominick Aznavour on September 2. We’re shooting on a shoe-string budget – MUCH smaller than Project: Elysium – and we’re hoping to show it in January. It should be done by then, (and) there’s only one VFX shot. Otherwise, it’s all character. I have plans after that as well. When I was rewriting Project: Elysium, I had a trilogy in mind. I wanted to be able to one-off the first film in case people didn’t respond well to it, but I wanted to continue Alaster’s story if the audience wanted to see more. I can confirm that Project: Elysium 2 is deep in the writing process and some early prep has begun. I can also confirm we’re doing tests to see if we can shoot it in 3D – which would be totally new for us – and I can confirm we’re going to raise the bar. It’s going to be exciting.

Question: Where is the best place for fans to reach you, learn more about your work and upcoming projects?

Newberry: I’m all over the place. I have an “official site“. I’m on Facebook (he can be found under Devon Newberry there), I do the whole Twitter thing (he can be found @DevonNewberry), I email. I love feedback – good AND bad – so I encourage people to (reach me by any of those means) to say how much they loved or hated what I do. My team and I can’t get better if no voices are heard, SO BE LOUD!

With those thoughts in mind, make sure to check out Project: Elysium when it goes live online tomorrow August 9, get in touch with Devon with your thoughts on the film and keep an eye out for more of his work next year. He is definitely a director and writer to be on the lookout for in the future.

Read Full Post »

The USA Network to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of 9/11

Posted in Breaking News, Causes, Movies, News, Television on August 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The following is taken (nearly) verbatim from an article at The Futon Critic:

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, the USA Network will premiere the original film The Space Between on Sunday, September 11 at 9 PM. This Characters Unit film stars Oscar and Golden Globe winning actress Melissa Leo (The Fighter).

In the film, Montine McLeod (Leo), a lonely flight attendant, and Omar Hassan (Anthony Keyvan from Lost and iCarly), a 10-year-old Pakistani-American boy, are on a plane that is grounded in Longview, TX the morning of 9/11/01. When Montine discovers that Omar’s father works in the World Trade Center she is forced to drive the boy back home to his uncertain future in New York. As they journey across America’s vast heartland in the hours and days immediately following the terrorist attacks, Montine and Omar help each other discover the importance of tolerance, redemption, acceptance and hope.

Immediately following is the Oscar winning short documentary film Twin Towers from acclaimed producer Dick Wolf of the long running Law & Order franchise.

Read Full Post »

Where Geeks Go to Shop

Posted in Geekdom, Movies, News, Sci-Fi Fashion, Shopping, Television on August 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

In an ongoing effort to provide my fellow geeks, nerds and tv-ophiles with interesting stores where they can purchase movie memorabilia, geek attire and other fun TV-related items, here are some more cool places where geeks can go to shop.

Enjoy!

For the ultimate movie collector, please visit PropStore.com here.

For those who love funky, unique and witty t-shirts, check out Snorg Tees here. It should be noted that you can send in your ideas for shirts, and Snorg Tees just might make them.

What is a fashionable geek to do when they need to add to their already burgeoning closet of great geek attire? Why go to Fashionably Geek, for more cool clothes and accessories. You can find out more here.

Lastly, for tech savvy folks out here – yes, that means you developers, you can check out Dev Clothes here to find comfortable tech savvy shirts made by developers for developers.

Have fun!

Read Full Post »

Box Office Movies Coming Out in August

Posted in Movies, News on July 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Based on information provided by the Dark Horizons site and internet research, here are just some of the movies you can expect to see in movie theatres in August:

Dirty Girl
Opens: August 5

Danielle (Juno Temple) is a troubled and promiscuous Oklahoma high school student in the 1980s. She argues with her mother (Milla Jovovich) who is about to marry a Mormon and amidst the chaos befriends Clarke (Jeremy Dozier), a shy, gay classmate. Together they flee in Clarke’s homophobic father’s car and embark on a road trip to Los Angeles, where Danielle expects to find her birth father. The cast also includes Milla Jovovich, Mary Steenbergen and William H. Macy.

The Change-Up
Opens: August 5

Two childhood friends (Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman) have drifted apart – one an overworked lawyer with a family, the other a single and oft unemployed man-child. After a drunken night, they wake up having switched bodies and proceed to learn each other’s lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. The cast includes Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde.

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Opens: August 5

A contemporary-set reboot of the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, this cautionary tale is set in San Francisco in which one man’s experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. The movie stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox and Tom Felton.

The Whistleblower
Opens: August 5

A policewoman (Rachel Weisz) risks her job and her own safety to uncover and bring to light a wide-scale, child sex-slave and human-trafficking scandal involving U.S. military contractors and the United Nations in postwar Bosnia. The cast includes Monica Belluci, David Hewlett, Vanessa Redgrave, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Strathairn.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
Opens: August 12

A young girl moves into an old mansion that her father and his girlfriend are renovating. The girl soon finds a hidden basement with a sealed fireplace, behind which she hears voices that beg her to open it so they can be her friends. The creatures inside get out and start to torment Sally and plan to eventually take her down into the fireplace and their domain. The cast includes Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes and Bailee Madison.

Glee Live In Concert
Opens August 12

Shot during two concert dates in June in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Glee Live In Concert tour will have a two-week limited engagement in theatres that will feature the entire concert as well as behind the scenes footage.

The Help
Opens: August 12
Cast: Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Viola Davis, Mike Vogel, Allison Janney

Set in the early 1960’s, a white college graduate uncomfortable with the current social norms of Mississippi at the time plans a book detailing the life of the various black maids in the area. Her research soon uncovers not just racism but cruelty and criminal action by white society women, some of them even her friends.

Conan the Barbarian
Opens: August 19

Khalar Singh arrives in Cimmeria seeking the help of young Conan’s father Corin. When help is refused, Singh slaughters all the Cimmerians except for Conan (Jason Momoa) who escapes. Becoming a thief, he eventually seeks revenge for his father’s death. The film stars Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang and Ron Perlman.

Flypaper
Opens August 19

A man caught in the middle of two simultaneous robberies at a bank desperately tries to protect the teller with whom he’s secretly in love. The cast includes Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Tambor, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Mekhi Phifer.

Fright Night
Opens: August 19

Trouble arrives for high school senior Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) when Jerry Dandridge (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right. After observing some very strange activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood. The cast includes Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant and Toni Collette.

One Day
Opens: August 19

Emma and Dexter (Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) meet on the night of their college graduation – July 15th, 1988. She is a working-class girl of principle and ambition. He is a wealthy charmer who dreams that the world will be his playground. We follow them across every July 15th over the next two decades as their friendship ebbs and flows with time and they come to the realization of what they’re searching for. The cast also includes Romola Garai.

Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World
Opens: August 19

A mother (Jessica Alba) returns to her old profession — she’s a retired spy — in order to prevent a villain bent on stopping time. Her kids soon come along for the ride. The cast includes Joel McHale and Jeremy Piven.

Colombiana
Opens August 26

Zoe Saldana plays a young woman who, after witnessing her parents’ murder as a child in Bogota, grows up to be a stone-cold assassin. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging in vigilante murders that she hopes will lead her to her ultimate target: the mobster responsible for her parents’ death. The cast also includes Michael Vartan and Callum Blue.

The Debt
Opens August 31

The film tells the story of a young Mossad operative named Rachel (Jessica Chastian) who teams up with two spies (Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington) to track down a Nazi doctor hiding in East Berlin in 1966. Thirty years later, an older Rachel (Helen Mirren) must face the legacy of her past mission and its unnerving loose ends.

Movies coming out in September will be posted at the end of August.

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

The Leader in Teen Entertainment: Alloy Entertainment

Posted in Books, Movies, News, Television on July 12, 2011| 1 Comment »

Were you a fan of the TV series Roswell when it aired on the WB and then on UPN for 3 years over the late 1990s and early 2000’s? Do you watch The Vampire Diaries on the CW? Did you read the novel series The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares or see the film adaptations of this novel series when it was in the box office? Are you looking forward to the fall debut on the CW of the new drama The Secret Circle?

You might be wondering what all of these projects have to do with each other, right? Well, they are all owned by Alloy Entertainment, which according to their official website is a fully integrated entertainment company that develops and produces original books, television series and feature films. The company originates entertainment properties and then partners with leading publishers, television networks and movie studios to deliver those properties to the world.

According to an article in the July 1 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Alloy Entertainment is currently producing seven series on The CW, ABC Family and Nickelodeon – such as the aforementioned The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle as well as Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl and The Nine Lives of Chloe King. And Alloy Entertainment isn’t stopping there – they have more projects in development, such as the upcoming ABC Family drama The Lying Game that is to air starting August 15.

Alloy Entertainment specializes in young adult stories; they are the most successful producer of fiction in the world, publishing up to forty books every year in over thirty languages. Between 2005 and 2007, they had approximately fifty titles achieve New York Times best-seller status. And, considering how popular that genre has become over the last decade and a half – given the success of the Harry Potter franchise and the Twilight saga books – that is quite an impressive feat.

Walk into any bookstore in your neighborhood and take a good look around. What genre has the largest selection of titles? You might just be surprised to learn that it is actually young adult fiction. YA fiction may specialize in stories for readers between the ages of 14 to 21, but their appeal can far outreach that limited age group. Again, the titles from Alloy Entertainment as well as the other books mentioned above are perfect examples of the popularity of young adult fiction.

As you are watching TV over the summer and into the new fall TV season, be on the look-out for Alloy Entertainment’s logo at the end of the credits, and keep in mind you are watching one of the most influential entertainment companies at work.

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

The End of Harry Potter

Posted in Books, Geekdom, Movies, News on July 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

On July 15, the end of a pop culture phenomenon unlike any other will come to an end: Harry Potter.

Book: Sorcerer

The unprecedented success of the seven novels by British author J. K. Rowling took the world by storm on June 30, 1997 when the first book – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone here in the United States) – was released.

Book: Chamber of Secrets

Since then, the book series has gone on to sell about 450 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages. The last four books have also consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history. Meanwhile, the films have gone on to gross over $6 billion dollars and all seven of the films are on the list of the 30 top-grossing films worldwide.

Book: Prisoner of Azkaban

That is quite a statement when you consider that author J. K. Rowling was living on state welfare support when she completed the first book in 1995; but within five years of the release of the books, she skyrocketed to multi-millionaire status.

But back to the world of Harry Potter…

Book: Goblet of Fire

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 14 years, you know about the books which chronicle the adventures of young wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Grainger, who are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Poster: 1st Film

As explained in the first book, Harry Potter’s parents were killed by Voldemort, the most powerful Dark wizard in history, and infant Harry was placed in the safety of his uncaring aunt, uncle and cousin for 10 years by Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of the wizarding school. Upon his 11th birthday, however, Harry is told the truth about what he really is – a wizard – by Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper of the wizarding school.

Emma, Daniel & Rupert as Children

On the way to school on the Hogwarts Express (the train that transports all students to the wizarding school), Harry meets Hermione and Ron and they eventually land right in the middle of a scary adventure, searching for the Sorcerer’s Stone that is guarded by a three-headed dog and which is highly desired by the lingering remnants of Voldermort, who is using a new teacher as a conduit for his nefarious means.

Harry is able to defeat Voldermort at the end of the book and with the school year at a close he and his friends board the Hogwarts Express to head home for the summer.

Book: Order of the Phoenix

The second book – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – was released in July of 1998 and chronicled the investigation that Harry, Ron and Hermione undertook in order to discover the identity of the heir of Slytherin before the Chamber of Secrets could be opened.

Once again, Harry must battle Voldermort, who used his old diary as a way to infiltrate the wizarding school through Ron’s sister Ginny; but the Dark Lord – as Voldermort is known to his minions – is defeated again by the ingenuity of Harry.

Poster: 2nd Film

One year later, in July of 1999, the third book in the series – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – was released. The main story behind this book was the escape of Azkaban prisoner Sirius Black, who was convicted of killing in the name of Voldermort and who the wizarding world was convinced had killed Harry’s parents.

Poster: 3rd Film

Throughout this book, not only does Harry learn that Sirius did not kill his parents, but also that Sirius was his godfather. And, Hermione reveals to Harry that she has a Time-Turner, a magical device that allows the wearer to travel back in time; which they used to save Sirius’ life. Unlike the preceding two books, Harry does not have a one-on-one battle with Voldermort, but he was still a driving force between the over-arching stories.

Book: Half-Blood Prince

In what became almost tradition, the next book – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – was released in July of 2000. The general storylines in this book were centered on two other wizarding schools coming to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, a grueling competition reserved for students over the age of 17 where only one can be crowned the champion. Mysteriously, Harry’s name is released from the Goblet of Fire (despite his being under the age of 17) along with one other student from each of the three schools – an oddity that has never happened before.

Facing almost unbelievable odds, including a battle with a full-sized dragon and treacherous mermaids as well as a disastrous battle with Voldermort, Harry is crowned the champion but at the expense of fellow student Cedric Diggory who is killed at the hands of the Dark Lord.

Poster: 4th Film

It was then in 2001 that things started to change in the world of Harry Potter. First, J. K. Rowling did not release a new book in July – that would happen two years later (but more on that shortly). Second, the first book was adapted into a box office film that was released in November of that year. And third, that movie went on to earn, in the United States alone, $90 million, making household names out of its young British actors – Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.

Book: The Deathly Hallows

The film adaptation of the second book came out in November of 2002 and made a whopping $879 million worldwide, making it the 2nd highest-grossing film of that year and earning the film three BAFTA Film Award nominations.

Poster: 5th Film

Then in June of 2003 the next book – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – was released. With Harry and his friends now in their 5th year at Hogwarts, the stories began to take on an even darker tone with Voldermort affecting Harry’s dreams and the students creating Dumbledore’s Army because their new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher was not willing to teach them how to defend themselves.

Poster: 6th Film

This training became imperative when a showdown occurred between Dumbledore’s Army and Voldermort and his minions inside the Ministry of Magic that resulted in the tragic death of Sirius Black along with most of the magical world finally accepting that Voldermort was truly back.

In June of 2004, the film adaptation of the third book was released in theatres in the United States, grossing $796 million worldwide and earning the highest critical acclaim of all the films to date. It was also in this film that, due to the unfortunate death of legendary actor Richard Harris in 2002, that British actor Michael Gambon was chosen to portray Headmaster Dumbledore.

Poster: 7th Film (Part 1)

The next year – 2005 – was a big year for Harry Potter fans as not only was the sixth book – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – released in July but also the fourth film adaptation was released in theatres in November. That film earned $895 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing film of that year.

The basic stories behind the sixth book were that Harry received a used Potions text book belonging to “the half-blood Prince”, which allowed him to excel in Potions and was later revealed to have belonged to Professor Snape and that Harry and his friends learned that Voldermort had separated his soul into six different Horcruxes, allowing him to have eternal life, but also held the key to destroying the evil wizard once and for all.

The most tragic moment in the book, however, was the death of Dumbledore at the hands of Snape, which precipitated Harry to decide to leave Hogwarts on a mission to track down the Horcruxes with Hermione and Ron agreeing to help him.

Poster: 7th Film (Part 2)

Two years later – in 2007 – the final book in the novel series – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows – was released in July while the film adaptation of the fifth book was also released in theatres in July. That film earned $939 million and was the second highest grossing film for 2007.

The final book chronicled Harry, Hermione and Ron finding the final Horcruxes and the enormous battle between Voldermort and his minions and Harry and all those on his side, ending in the epic fight at Hogwarts that took the lives of many on both sides including Ron’s brother Fred and Professor Snape among others as well as Harry finally defeating Voldermort, allowing the wizarding world to live in peace.

[SPOILER ALERT: For those who haven’t read the last book or read any of the countless articles written about the final scenes.] 

The epilogue of the book, set 19 years in the future, showed Ron and Hermione as a married couple with two children and Harry married to Ron’s sister Ginny and their being the parents of three children.

The sixth book was then adapted to film in July of 2009, earning $934 million worldwide, becoming the 8th highest grossing film of all time and once again being the second highest grossing film for that year.

Daniel, Emma and Rupert Grown Up

The final book was actually divided into two motion pictures with the first film being released in November of last year, earning $954 million worldwide and becoming the second highest grossing film out of all the Harry Potter movies.

As stated before, part two of the final film will be released in theatres this Friday (July 15) with much anticipation from the worldwide fans. How well this final installment will perform at the box office is anyone’s guess, but given the track record for this pop culture phenomenon it is a virtual guarantee that it will surpass all the other films in the collection.

While there won’t be any more Harry Potter books or movies, fans can visit the newly created website Pottermore, which is a free website that builds an exciting online experience around the reading of the Harry Potter books. You can learn more about Pottermore via a video from J. K. Rowling herself.

With the end of the Harry Potter legacy nearly upon us, please share your favorite moments from the books and/or the films. And make sure you mark your calendars for July 15 when the final film makes its way onto the big screen.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »