A look at movies, especially films based on books (Yes that includes comics); Opinions, facts, movie charts, production news and, when possible a look at the movies VS their source material. I may also champion books I've read that really should be movies. I've also used it to display the unedited versions of my blogs for SyFy; (The sci-fi channel UK website.)Feel free to let me know about any stories that you think deserve the big screen treatment.
TheRealEverton
So with The Avengers kicking ass (To the tune of $178m) in
the international market this weekend, the global summer of movies has begun.
Prometheus arrives on the international stage in just 4.5 weeks time. Rather
dubiously it goes head-to-head with Snow White And The Huntsman is several
markets around the 1st of June, before hitting North America on the
8th of June.
Synopsis...
“Ridley Scott, director of "Alien" and "Blade
Runner," returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he
creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a
clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to
the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle
to save the future of the human race.”
With the sad news of the untimely death of the TV Barnabas
(Jonathan Frid) it was nice to see a glimpse of the cameos from the cast of TV
show here. Fans of the show ay be grumbling about the tone of the film, but
they are vastly outnumbered by the fans of Tim Burton, the fans of Johnny Depp,
and the fans of the Burton / Depp combo. The film may be out there, but surely a Burton / Depp
movie that was “normal” or ordinary, would be the true disappointment.
Synopsis...
“In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son
Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But
even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued
their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his
feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood
Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes
the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A
witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than
death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries
later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very
changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his
once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the
Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets.
Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon
live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with
her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well
brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter
Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David
Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker
Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria
Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.”
According to Deadline Universal are keen to make sure that
the follow up to SWATH is ready to shoot as soon as possible. Apparently one of
their chief concerns is to get director and driving force, Rupert Sanders
working on the film as soon as possible,(before he gets snapped up for
something else.
Breath Of Life...
I have yet to see the film and as such have no idea if Chris
Hemsworth’s Huntsman survives it, but given the fairy tale nature of the story
I should think he can be resurrected regardless. With The Avengers already
breaking records around the world, Hemsworth is an even bigger attraction than
when he was cast as The Huntsman last year. Universal will doubtless be eager
to avoid the scheduling nightmare that Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games has found
itself in, where Star is contracted to return for X-Men: First Class and they
needed to fit their filming schedule around Fox’s. Hemsworth is currently
filming the F! Racing biopic ‘Rush’ for Ron Howard walks straight off that set
and back into his cape for Thor 2; he has no shortage of other offers. The key
point here is that anyone who has seen The Avengers (I saw it twice on Thursday and I swear I will get a review up on Saturday!) is under no delusions at all
that Disney will be putting a LOT of pressure onto Marvel Studios to make sure
that their “every 2 to 3 years” blueprint for Avengers get together comes in on
the 2 years side this time. If that is the case then Universal will have to move
pretty quickly to get Hemsworth back in between his other films.
5 Minute trailer...
To that end Universal are apparently negotiating with David
Koepp (Jurassic Park, Panic Room, Spider-Man) to get the script up to scratch.
I may have gotten confused signals, but I’m certain that when this film was
being promoted at ComicCon last summer, they were talking about the project in
trilogy terms. When comparing the scale, ambition and “warlike” nature of the
films to Lord of The Rings, it was also in regards to it being a trilogy.
Again, maybe I misunderstood that art of the presentation, but I’ve been
expecting it to lead to three films, assuming the public buy enough tickets of
course!
I really like this interview. It just doesn’t have the usual
inane crap and it’s cool for ‘ordinary’ folk to see how Coulson’s role in the
MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) has just gotten bigger and bigger, and that
hard work can always pay off. It’s also good to see a reminder of his,
considerable, other talents, as the screenwriter of Box office hit What Lies
Beneath and writer / director of Choke (2008). Plus it’s always fun to be
reminded of that day when, no matter what has happened previously, your
daughter just wants to wear pink and play with Bratz and Barbie dolls!
“Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount
Pictures "Marvel's The Avengers"--the Super Hero team up of a
lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk,
Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy
emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the
international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need
of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the
globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris
Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel
L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, "Marvel's The Avengers" is
based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series "The Avengers,"
first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself
for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special
effects, when "Marvel's The Avengers" assemble in summer 2012. In
"Marvel's The Avengers," superheroes team up to pull the world back
from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.”
Well it’s a great cast (I know Shia has his detractors) and
one of those “true story” sources that can be pure gold when handled correctly.
This film is definitely one to watch out for.
Synopsis...
“LAWLESS is the true story of the infamous Bondurant
Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in
Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life
tales of author Matt Bondurant's family in his novel "The Wettest County
in the World", the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the
backdrop of the nation's most notorious crime wave.”
Well SWATH had been pulling further and further ahead of
Mirror, Mirror ever since last summer; but this TV spot seems like a final kick
to the somewhat disappointing and only moderately successful Snow White film
currently on release. As well as reminding those males &/or adults as yet
unaffected by the marketing pull of a film that ranks number one for North
American women to see this summer.
SWATH greatest
challenge this summer comes from its proximity to Sir Ridley Scott’s
Prometheus, which also stars Charlize Theron. The films are a week apart in
some countries and in others, primarily the UK they actually open on the same
day. (release dates at the end.) Anyone who thinks there is no overlap between these two films needs to
think again as there most certainly is, even if each film should have a ,
minimal, tilt (say 60/40) male/ female – female/male). It would be a real shame
if either fails to maximise its potential (especially if they both live up to
the creative excellence expected of them) because they are so close to each
other. The similarities between British directors Sir Ridley Scott and Rupert
Sanders shouldn’t be overlooked by those who are unsure about Sanders ability
to pull off his first feature film.
Synopsis...
“In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman,
Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the
evil queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the
wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has
been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor, The
Cabin In The Woods) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the
Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by
Snow White's beauty and power.
The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe
Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth
Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert
Sanders.”
