Images

Images
"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange." -Inception

Thursday, July 28, 2011

First Look: Peeta and Gale from The Hunger Games!

Lots of first looks this week, Entertainment Weekly has Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth as Peeta and Gale on the cover this week.  I think The Hunger Games fans should be happy with the movie is shaping up, people were in such a uproar that Josh didn't have blonde hair.  They totally look the part!  I'm now waiting to see Elizabeth Banks as Effie.


(Pic: Entertainment Weekly)

First Look: Snow White and the Hunstman character posters!

Hot on the heels of The Brothers Grimm: Snow White releasing their first look of Snow White, Snow White and the Huntsman launched the first character posters in style at Comic-Con.  As you can see, these are pretty self-explanatory.  Although, one can tell, Snow White (Kirsten Stewart) is no shrinking violet here, she's armed herself well.  What do you think? Which Snow White film will you be rooting for?








(Pics: MTV Movies Blog)

First Look: Lily Collins as Snow White!

Entertainment Weekly has released the first look of Lily Collins as Snow White in the first of the dueling Snow White movies, The Brothers Grimm: Snow White.  Directed by Tarsem Singh, the film also stars Armie Hammer as the Prince, Sean Bean as the King and Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen.


Lily Collins certainly looks the part but I'm not sure what's going on with the costume there.  She looks like she could be atop a cake!  Let's hope for a costume change in the film.


Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Around the World in Posters: Contagion, In Time and The Ides of March


Poster for Contagion, the movie in which good looking people fall fatally ill all over the world.  Scary by Hollywood standards!


Happy Feet Two: You Can't Escape the Dancing Penguins.


In Time starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.  The movie is set in the future that's why Seyfried is so unrecognizable.  



Also, in the future, things are very serious!  They mean business. 



My favorite new poster, Paul Rudd in Our Idiot Brother.  Oh, Paul, please don't ever change! Love this!


Beware The Ides of March! Lovely new poster for the George Clooney directed film.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

First Trailer for The Amazing Spider-man

The summer of superheroes will continue on until next year too when Batman, Spider-man and the Avengers will all compete for your theater-going affections.  Meanwhile, take a look at the first trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.  The film also stars Emma Stone, Martin Sheen, Sally Fields, Rhys Ifans, and Dennis Leary.



I wonder if it is too soon for a reboot.  I can still picture Tobey Maguire as Spiderman.  No knock on Andrew Garfield, who's amassing quite an impressive resume.  Yet some of the shots in the trailer are awfully similar to the first Spiderman where Peter Parker learned to crawl up a wall, spidey style, and leaps across building with unabandoned joy.  I'm not saying I won't see this film, in fact, it's pretty much releasing on my birthday next year.  This will be my default film to watch.  It feels too soon but let's all reserve judgement until the film releases. 

The Dark Knight Rises: New Teaser Trailer

He's back! In what could be the final film in Christopher Nolan's universe of Batman, the third film in a trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises' teaser trailer was released online this week. As expected, this teaser raises more questions than answers the lingering doubts at the end of The Dark Knight. And audiences get only a slight glimpse of one new cast member, Tom Hardy's Bane. What will Bruce Wayne aka Batman be up against in this new film saga?



PS-I love the bat outline formed by the buildings which was hinted at in the teaser poster. Dare I say, this film is going to look great in 3D. But I wonder if they would release it, Nolan and his team are not big fans of filming in 3D and last year's Inception wasn't 3D either.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Hunger Games: New Motion Poster and Website

The Hunger Games kicks off its countdown to the movie series release with a bang! Presenting the new motion poster, (a gorgeous idea, the Harry Potter series should have had one too), which can be found on its brand new website, http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/.



I love this new marketing idea for movie posters!  Can we see more of this trend? The Hunger Games opens in theaters on March 23, 2012.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Entertainment Weekly's First Look at the Amazing Spider-Man

The Harry Potter saga may just ended.  (My review's coming up soon!)  But another franchise is raring to go.  EW has just released exclusive first photographs of Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.  The Amazing Spider-Man will open in theaters summer of 2012.



First look at the new Spider-Man costume



Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) with Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield)


Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Fields) with Peter


Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors aka The Lizard

Gotta say this about this Peter Parker, at least he's tall!  And they do make a cute couple, Peter and Gwen.  Mary Jane who now?

Friday, July 15, 2011

A Decade of Being a Harry Potter Fan

Ten years ago, I borrowed a book from a friend.  Well, actually, it was four books, the first four books of the Harry Potter saga and they made me a fan instantaneously.




Sometimes, and this happens very rarely, when you start reading a book and you know from the first chapter in, that this one's going to be good.  This will resonate with you.  There are few books that charm you within the first few pages and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was one such book.  Reading those first pages made me feel as though there was a magical story lying somewhere within the pages and I just had to uncover it.  I actually smiled after I read the first line.


I quickly devoured the four books within a week and was dismayed to discover there was a long wait ahead for the fifth book.  After all, it was only the summer of 2001, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix would not release until the summer of 2003.  What was I to do until then?  I then discovered that Warner Bros. had bought the rights to the books and the movie adaptations were due.  The first of which was releasing November 2001.  Now there was something else to look forward, a visual representation of all I had imagined in my head.



There was a Vanity Fair spread introducing the actors whose names we now know as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.  Say hello to Harry, Ron and Hermione! And there have been plenty more photographs and magazine articles devoted to the Hogwarts universe since, but seeing Hogwarts come alive in that first article still stays with me.


The movies lead to anticipation of the posters and trailers all the while wondering, ooh, how will they tackle that scene? Or the Time Turner scenario is going to be tricky to translate onscreen.  There were favorite directors like Alfonso Cuaron who came to the series and left their mark.  The longtime actors and actresses of British cinema who, Time magazine called British royalty, all came to lend their support.  Oscar winners like Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson were signed on to be teachers at Hogwarts while British directors like Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and David Yates (State of Play) lead the series as it got more dark and scary.



Even though there were no more books released in the series after 2007, there were still the movies to look forward too.  And when the decision was made to split the final film into two parts, it only prolonged the goodbye.  That was fine by me, I didn't want it to end.  The movies have deepened my affection of the Harry Potter series.  It's wonderful to see as a fan that the filmmakers and actors have put in so much hard work and effort to bring to life the universe and characters created by Jo Rowling.  Unfortunately, though, all good things must come to an end, and we must bid farewell to Harry and his wondrous world for now.  But it shall always remain alive in our hearts.  Thanks for the memories!!





I could never say it as well as Jo Rowling so I'll let her have the last word:

The stories we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.



Thursday, July 14, 2011

Trailer Time: John Carter, Sherlock Holmes 2 and Arthur Christmas

First trailer out from Pixarian Andrew Stanton's first live action film, John Carter, starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins and William Dafoe. I have no sense of the story or what this film is about, all I know it's Tim Riggins! In a gladiator-ish outfit!  Reason #1 to watch this movie.



The next trailer has Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law reprising their roles as Holmes and Watson from Guy Ritchie's surprising good retelling of the Sherlock Holmes saga in Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows.  This time around, Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Stephen Fry (Wilde) join the cast.  Expectations are high.




The folks at Aardman Studios are back with another feature this Christmas, bringing us the tale of Santa's son Arthur and a secret look inside Christmas headquarters.  It's Arthur Christmas bringing you a taste of Christmas in July!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

First Teaser Poster of The Dark Knight Rises

Yesterday, a little gift was released by Warner Bros., a first tease into the world of Batman and the third film in the Batman universe directed by Christopher Nolan.  Here's a look at the teaser poster for The Dark Knight Rises.


Seeing as this is a Christopher Nolan film, this is giving me echoes of Inception here with the city landscape giving hints of the film's mood.  I like it, I like a lot.  I'm also hearing a teaser trailer is due to release any day soon.  Will keep you updated.  

New Tintin International Trailer

None of that teaser stuff anymore, here's a full look at Tintin and the gang in the new international trailer for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.  It's surprising that the Tintin series isn't that popular in the United States and will be the last place in the world for the film to release.  Hence, the push in marketing worldwide first, you know, where people are actually fans of the comic books.




This already looks ten times better than the disastrous A Christmas Carol and Mars needs Moms.  A much better step ahead for mo-cap movies than the direction that Robert Zemeckis was headed in.  This is the first film in a planned trilogy so a lot will be riding on it.  I can't wait to see the full film in theaters; this is Steven Spielberg-Peter Jackson combination is much anticipated.

The Iron Lady Teaser Trailer

The new teaser is out for The Iron Lady, a biopic on the life of Margaret Thatcher played by the luminous Meryl Streep.  As usual, La Streep completely fills herself into the character's shoes



The question now is, who will challenge Streep for her third Oscar next February? This next one is long overdue.

Final Deathly Hallows Posters

2 days to go until the final Harry Potter film!  The lines have been drawn in the sand and it all comes down to this.  It all ends, July 15th! *sob*  Are you ready?



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Movie Review: Super 8



Watching Super 8 is like an experience of being transported back to another era of filmmaking.   JJ Abrams' film is an homage to the Steven Spielberg films (he also produced this film) of the 80s and 90s where adventure and thrill combine to give a thoroughly exciting film.

The film opens somberly with the funeral of young Joe Lamb's (Joel Courtney) mother who has been tragically killed in a factory accident.  Both Joe and his father, Deputy Sheriff Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler) are trying to deal in their own ways with this grief.  While Deputy Lamb buries himself in his work, Joe turns to his friends especially Charles, the budding filmmaker in the group.  In the summer of 1979, the kids have focused themselves on making a zombie horror movie for a film festival.  While filming a movie scene one night, they stumble across a major train derailment which spells doom for their entire town.

But it isn't just a simple train derailment, something escapes from one of the carriages.  From thereon, the film becomes a battle of sorts, with the military getting involved and the threat the creature poses to the town and its inhabitants who Deputy Sheriff Lamb is trying so hard to protect.  Of course, as the adults try to handle it their way, who really swoops in and tries to save the day.  It's Joe and his friends.  That part was inevitable.

I thought the movie ended a bit too abruptly, I would have liked to see the action extended a bit more and seen the consequences of the ending.  But I loved the feelings of bygone era evoked by this film and its characters.  The tight knit group of friends, the tense relationship between Joe and his father, and his interest in Alice (Elle Fanning), an older girl who is the latest addition to movie-making group were all handled beautiful.  I would have loved to spent more time with them.

Overall, Super 8 is a nostalgic movie that reminds you of films you grew up with that dealt with kids going on fantastical adventures that made you feel like you were a part of.  A definite watch that might have you reaching to re-watch the films you grew up on.  Another fine feature by JJ Abrams and his team and a great debut by newcomer Joel Courtney on whose shoulders the whole films rests.   The rest of the supporting cast is great as well with Kyle Chandler leading the way.  I loved Riley Griffiths as the over-enthusiastic young director who always worried about production values and Ryan Lee as the kid who always has a handy stash of explosives around.  Always useful in a monster movie.  And finally, Elle Fanning is pitch perfect here; it's hard to believe she's only 14!

Directed and Written by JJ Abrams; Cinematography by Larry Fong; Editing by Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey; Music by Michael Giacchino

Additional cast: Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich

Rating
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