July 21st 2007, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hardback novel went on sale worldwide. Almost exactly 4 years later, the final film was released, and a whole generation went into mourning. For 10 years we followed the boy wizard's every move, devouring each of the seven novels and booking advance tickets for the release date of each of the eight films. I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when I was eight years old, eighteen when the final book came out, and I was a loyal devotee through till the end. As much as I still adore reading and finding new, unknown stories to tell everyone about, I don't think anything (or anyone) will ever capture my imagination quite as much as those seven books, because I grew up with them and with him, and I won't ever experience that again. I both eagerly anticipated and dreaded both the final book and then again the film, because whilst I was dying to know what happened, I couldn't bear it all ending and having to face the realities of being all grown up. So I was thrilled yesterday when I heard the news yesterday.
Anyone who may have missed it, J.K. Rowling has confirmed that she will be penning the screenplay for a new Harry Potter spin-off - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Fans will already be familiar with this as the title of one of Harry's Hogwarts textbooks, but the film will focus on the book's author Newt Scamander and Rowling has noted that the film is neither a prequel or a sequel and will be set in New York, seventy years before Harry's story begins.
I truly think this is best choice she could have made regarding carrying on the wizarding world tastefully. As much as I would have loved a series based on the tales of the Marauders, there are now so many fanfics whizzing around the internet that whatever she scripted would have either been cliché and expected or would have disappointed a lot of budding authors who had their hearts set on how they thought it should have been. This way, she is continuing the magic, but with a character that has remained largely untouched by fans... that said, I am secretly hoping there is maybe a cheeky cameo from a known character, or even just a nod to the future story.
Here's a reminder of some classic HP screen moments: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/at-the-movies/a515150/harry-potter-series-top-10-moments-dementors-millennium-bridge-more.html [source: Digital Spy]
Friday, 13 September 2013
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Let the countdown begin!
I wrote a while ago about the promotion for the first Hunger Games film (http://lelloyd.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/ya-genre-marketing-and-fan-engagement.html) but it seems Lionsgate has really kicked it up a notch for the second installment - Catching Fire - released towards the tail-end of 2013.
The official soundtrack song has been doing the rounds across various radio stations and the internet alike. It's called Atlas and it's the first cinematic offering from Coldplay, and generally their first anything in quite a while.
I like it! I like the way it slowly builds up, and then explodes, very much echoing the [SPOILER ALERT] plot.
Second juicy bit of enticement - Lionsgate, costume designer Trish Summerville and Net-A-Porter are all getting together to release 'Capital Couture' - a Hunger Games inspired fashion line.
Franchise fans will know how much importance is placed upon fashion in the books, so I think this is a really smart move and I cannot wait to see the range - however I must keep in mind that nothing I buy will make me look anything like Jennifer Lawrence.
More information can be found here - http://capitolcouture.pn/
Moving on at a slight tangent, but still sticking to the kick-ass-girls-in-dystopian-films theme, I want to talk a bit about Divergent.
I reread the book recently just to remind myself of the story, ahead of the film's release next year (the first time I read it, I read Delirium by Lauren Oliver straight after and then devised some kind of hybrid plot for both and got myself very confused). I'm glad I've read it again though because it's reminded me just how brilliant it is and now I cannot WAIT for the release!
There's a lot of scenes that I'm looking forward to, I won't say which ones for fear of ruining any surprises but there's a lot of pressure on the writers to keep all the good stuff in. I'd forgotten just how dark it was, more so than Hunger Games in my opinion (which is a big claim against a film about kids murdering each other) and a lot of really interesting locations (I'm thinking most about the chasm in Dauntless headquarters). I absolutely love the way Veronica Roth writes, she really knows how to write for her market, which is probably because she is so young (she was younger than I am now when she wrote the first book which means I have totally failed at life!)
I have mixed feelings on some of the casting, some characters are exactly as I imagined - Zoe Kravitz as Christina and Ashley Judd as Mummy Prior - YES, and I think Kate Winslet will be great as Jeanine. I'm reserving my judgement on Theo James as Four - he's certainly hot and tough enough, but looks a little old for his 18 year old character? I'm sure he will prove me wrong, which I sincerely hope as I don't want anything to alter how awesome this film has the potential to be!
The official soundtrack song has been doing the rounds across various radio stations and the internet alike. It's called Atlas and it's the first cinematic offering from Coldplay, and generally their first anything in quite a while.
I like it! I like the way it slowly builds up, and then explodes, very much echoing the [SPOILER ALERT] plot.
Second juicy bit of enticement - Lionsgate, costume designer Trish Summerville and Net-A-Porter are all getting together to release 'Capital Couture' - a Hunger Games inspired fashion line.
Franchise fans will know how much importance is placed upon fashion in the books, so I think this is a really smart move and I cannot wait to see the range - however I must keep in mind that nothing I buy will make me look anything like Jennifer Lawrence.
More information can be found here - http://capitolcouture.pn/
Moving on at a slight tangent, but still sticking to the kick-ass-girls-in-dystopian-films theme, I want to talk a bit about Divergent.
I reread the book recently just to remind myself of the story, ahead of the film's release next year (the first time I read it, I read Delirium by Lauren Oliver straight after and then devised some kind of hybrid plot for both and got myself very confused). I'm glad I've read it again though because it's reminded me just how brilliant it is and now I cannot WAIT for the release!
There's a lot of scenes that I'm looking forward to, I won't say which ones for fear of ruining any surprises but there's a lot of pressure on the writers to keep all the good stuff in. I'd forgotten just how dark it was, more so than Hunger Games in my opinion (which is a big claim against a film about kids murdering each other) and a lot of really interesting locations (I'm thinking most about the chasm in Dauntless headquarters). I absolutely love the way Veronica Roth writes, she really knows how to write for her market, which is probably because she is so young (she was younger than I am now when she wrote the first book which means I have totally failed at life!)
I have mixed feelings on some of the casting, some characters are exactly as I imagined - Zoe Kravitz as Christina and Ashley Judd as Mummy Prior - YES, and I think Kate Winslet will be great as Jeanine. I'm reserving my judgement on Theo James as Four - he's certainly hot and tough enough, but looks a little old for his 18 year old character? I'm sure he will prove me wrong, which I sincerely hope as I don't want anything to alter how awesome this film has the potential to be!
Friday, 16 August 2013
Future Film Friday: D23 special
Currently, one of my main ambitions is to one day take a geek pilgrimage to Comic-Con in San Diego, trek around California for the folllowing few weeks before ending up at D23 Expo, the official Disney fan club's biennial event in Anaheim. Unfortunately, owing to the fact that I am yet to come into any large amounts of money and also the 5 thousand-odd miles distance, I am yet to make it to either event. However, that hasn't stopped me from devouring any snippet of information that I could find whilst scouring the internet for news.
Here are the upcoming projects that I am most excited about...
Saving Mr. Banks
I've already gushed about this film here: http://lelloyd.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/contrary-to-my-first-thought-this-is.html
Into the Woods
I've been excited about this since I got wind of the casting, let alone when I read the synopsis. Stephen Sondheim's musical is a story of a baker and his wife's quest to start a family, their plot intertwining with well-known fairytale characters such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella among others. The film has been in the pipeline for a long, long time, and with the rumoured cast including Meryl Streep, James Corden, Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, Christine Baranski and Chris Pine, then I am certain that this will be more than worth the wait.
Big Hero 6
The first Marvel production from Disney, Big Hero 6 is the story of superheroes in the fictional city of San Fransokyo (San Francisco+Tokyo - awesome). No casting information has been released, nor plot apart from "a group of six superheroes are recruited by the government to protect the nation... which I think we could have gauged from the title anyway...
Maleficent
I've never really gotten engaged with any of the recent live-actions, mostly out of laziness and the thought that "well, Alice in Wonderland I already know the story to," but this one has piqued my interest. Starring the Jolie, Maleficent's plot had been kept under wraps for ages but we've finally learnt that it is about the notorious villain's life pre-Aurora. Can't wait!
Zootopia
Thinking about it, Disney has largely neglected stories using anthropomorphized animals, with Robin Hood, and Winnie the Pooh, to an extent, being the only films that I can think of where the animals strut and swagger like humans. Zootopia is the next to be added to that list. Whilst the film centres around a quick-witted fox on the run from the law, Zootopia is a whole different world entirely. Separated into different regions depending on the different animals. There's Sahara Square (desert), Tundratown (arctic landscape) and Little Rodentia (you can guess). Sounds really interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing the final result.
Pixar
The Good Dinosaur
Imagine a world where dinosaurs hadn't died out, and instead became the dominant species. The Good Dinosaur follows Arlo as he befriends a human boy and together they embark on an adventure. The film will feature the voices of Lucas Neff, Bill Hader, Judy Greer, Neil Patrick Harris, John Lithgow and Frances McDormand. Phew!
Inside Out
If I had to order the films in this (slightly long) list by my excitement levels then this one would definitely be in the top 3, not least because one of the voices include Amy Poehler. Inside Out will be an emotional film... starring the emotions Anger, Disgust, Fear, Joy and Sadness to be precise. All five live inside Riley's head, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, the other three try to retain the balance. Gaaahhh it sounds so fun!!
I was disappointed that there was no news of the Dia de los Muertos film but I guess it's too early to say anything.
And finally...
When I was 10 years old, I gave a storming presentation to my classmates on the subject of... bears. It had pictures, it had video clips and it has a performance of Teddy Bear's Picnic on my flute. It went down a treat, HOWEVER, I can't help but wish that I could have just shown this...
Saving Mr. Banks
I've already gushed about this film here: http://lelloyd.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/contrary-to-my-first-thought-this-is.html
Into the Woods
I've been excited about this since I got wind of the casting, let alone when I read the synopsis. Stephen Sondheim's musical is a story of a baker and his wife's quest to start a family, their plot intertwining with well-known fairytale characters such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella among others. The film has been in the pipeline for a long, long time, and with the rumoured cast including Meryl Streep, James Corden, Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, Christine Baranski and Chris Pine, then I am certain that this will be more than worth the wait.
Big Hero 6
The first Marvel production from Disney, Big Hero 6 is the story of superheroes in the fictional city of San Fransokyo (San Francisco+Tokyo - awesome). No casting information has been released, nor plot apart from "a group of six superheroes are recruited by the government to protect the nation... which I think we could have gauged from the title anyway...
Maleficent
I've never really gotten engaged with any of the recent live-actions, mostly out of laziness and the thought that "well, Alice in Wonderland I already know the story to," but this one has piqued my interest. Starring the Jolie, Maleficent's plot had been kept under wraps for ages but we've finally learnt that it is about the notorious villain's life pre-Aurora. Can't wait!
Zootopia
Thinking about it, Disney has largely neglected stories using anthropomorphized animals, with Robin Hood, and Winnie the Pooh, to an extent, being the only films that I can think of where the animals strut and swagger like humans. Zootopia is the next to be added to that list. Whilst the film centres around a quick-witted fox on the run from the law, Zootopia is a whole different world entirely. Separated into different regions depending on the different animals. There's Sahara Square (desert), Tundratown (arctic landscape) and Little Rodentia (you can guess). Sounds really interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing the final result.
Pixar
The Good Dinosaur
Imagine a world where dinosaurs hadn't died out, and instead became the dominant species. The Good Dinosaur follows Arlo as he befriends a human boy and together they embark on an adventure. The film will feature the voices of Lucas Neff, Bill Hader, Judy Greer, Neil Patrick Harris, John Lithgow and Frances McDormand. Phew!
Inside Out
If I had to order the films in this (slightly long) list by my excitement levels then this one would definitely be in the top 3, not least because one of the voices include Amy Poehler. Inside Out will be an emotional film... starring the emotions Anger, Disgust, Fear, Joy and Sadness to be precise. All five live inside Riley's head, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, the other three try to retain the balance. Gaaahhh it sounds so fun!!
I was disappointed that there was no news of the Dia de los Muertos film but I guess it's too early to say anything.
And finally...
When I was 10 years old, I gave a storming presentation to my classmates on the subject of... bears. It had pictures, it had video clips and it has a performance of Teddy Bear's Picnic on my flute. It went down a treat, HOWEVER, I can't help but wish that I could have just shown this...
Friday, 9 August 2013
Future Film Friday: Muppets Most Wanted
It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights, it's time to get excited for the new Muppet film tonight! (or next year).
Yes, the sequel to 2011's blockbuster The Muppets is on its way! Although, I'm not sure why Muppets Most Wanted is being labelled as a 'sequel' when The Muppets was certainly not the first Muppets movie (and arguably not the best... am I right Muppets Treasure Island fans??).
THAT SAID, I am looking forward to the release of Muppets Most Wanted next year, although a lot of that anticipation is reserved for seeing if the promotion of the movie can live up to the hype of the last one. From parodies of Twilight to Miss Piggy's X Factor performance with Olly Murs, two years ago we saw a lot of the Muppets, and I'm looking forward to even more in 2014.
The second reason I'm so excited for this film is the brilliant casting. I'm not talking so much about Ricky Gervais, but Tina Fey and Ty Burrell, stars of two of my absolute favourite sitcoms in recent times (I'm really hoping Ty Burrell is actually playing Phil Dunphy playing Jean Pierre Napoleon!)
It's a long time to wait though, so in the meantime I'll have to entertain myself with BBC's own 'Muppet show' - The Puppet Game Show, created by The Jim Henson Company themselves, which incorporates a very similar format to its predecessor (puppets entertaining front-of-house while backstage, chaos ensues) but with an additional celebrity gameshow element. It sounds interesting, but if it's not for you, then here's the movie trailer. Enjoy!
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Future Film Friday: Saving Mr Banks
Contrary to my first thought, this is not a sequel to Saving Private Ryan (but Tom Hanks sure does love saving people).
Saving Mr Banks is the Disney film behind the Disney film, the story of how P.L. Travers's Mary Poppins became Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, and the struggles in between.
It has been well-documented that Disney and Travers often clashed and she had frequently rebuffed his attempts to purchase the film rights. She also hated the end result, particularly the world-renowned songs from the Sherman Brothers (I don't know how anyone could not like Jolly Holiday at the very least!).
However, the film stars a stellar cast (Tom Hanks AND Emma Thompson?? Stop it!) and anything that involves scenes filmed in Disneyland is a-ok with me!
If all that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, then how about knowing that in 2011 it was voted one of the best unproduced screenplays circulating in Hollywood?? I am enormously excited for this film and I'm not sure if I can stand the wait until January 2014! At least I have this newly-released poster to entertain me though...
As the very first Disney film to star Walt Disney as a main character, I am intrigued to see how he is portrayed, because, although he is the founder of the greatest corporation in the world (FACT), he certainly wasn't perfect. But I'm not sure his own company will want to show him that way.
However, the film stars a stellar cast (Tom Hanks AND Emma Thompson?? Stop it!) and anything that involves scenes filmed in Disneyland is a-ok with me!
If all that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, then how about knowing that in 2011 it was voted one of the best unproduced screenplays circulating in Hollywood?? I am enormously excited for this film and I'm not sure if I can stand the wait until January 2014! At least I have this newly-released poster to entertain me though...
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Review: Monsters University
Director: Dan Scanlon
Main Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren
Runtime: 104 minutes
Certificate: U (UK)
(source: IMDB)
There are two kinds of people. Those who watched Disney films as a kid and then 'grew out of them' (a likely story) and those who are in it for life. I am one of those people.
I believe there are also two kinds of Disney films. The ones that are aimed at the kids (adults may enjoy them but the comedy is primarily young - recent examples being Bolt and the Cars franchise) and those that are definitely more for the older audience. I don't mean X-rated or horrific violence but just the provision of dry, wittier humour and subtle references to classic films (Princess Bride!). Examples that spring to mind are The Emperor's New Groove, Wreck-It Ralph and Disney/Pixar's latest offering - Monsters University.
I wrote a while ago about the impressive promotion (http://lelloyd.blogspot.co.uk/2013_04_01_archive.html) in the lead-up to the film's release and I was a little worried that the hype would be greater than the actual film...
Whilst the prequel of Monsters Inc. doesn't quite match the originality and depth of Monsters Inc., it is still a solid and funny contribution from Pixar, and a good lesson in "don't judge a book by its cover" or, more literally, "short monsters can be scary too" (a message that really resonates with me). And, instead of the film feeling like an excuse to cash in on the previous success, we are provided with new, original stories to enjoy.
Whilst the prequel of Monsters Inc. doesn't quite match the originality and depth of Monsters Inc., it is still a solid and funny contribution from Pixar, and a good lesson in "don't judge a book by its cover" or, more literally, "short monsters can be scary too" (a message that really resonates with me). And, instead of the film feeling like an excuse to cash in on the previous success, we are provided with new, original stories to enjoy.
The film documents the university life of Sullivan and Mike, and how they eventually came to meet, and, being polar opposites, subsequently despise each other. Mike is the studious, hard-working student who desperately wants the chance to prove himself and his scaring abilities. Sulley is the arrogant frat boy who is cruising along on the back of his father's success. As the film progresses, we see the two thrown together and start to learn more about each other.
There was still stuff for the kids, with some really meaningful life lessons - prior to the end credits we see the duo working their way up the career ladder to get to where they want to be, rather than thrown straight in without any sign of how they got there. Of course, we all know that there is technically a happy ending because we've all seen Monsters Inc., but the slight twist at the end is very interesting.
I can't end this review without a very impressed nod to the preceding short 'The Blue Umbrella'. I have never seen such photorealistic animation... it wasn't until the end that I realised that it wasn't live-action! The short centres around a blue and red umbrella who enjoying a fleeting love before being separated in a storm. It's such an emotional piece, packing so much into the 5 minute slot.
All in all, Monsters University is a hilarious and fun film that certainly doesn't let the Pixar catalogue down and I will definitely be seeing again during it's theatrical run. Let's hear it for the misfits! OK?
There was still stuff for the kids, with some really meaningful life lessons - prior to the end credits we see the duo working their way up the career ladder to get to where they want to be, rather than thrown straight in without any sign of how they got there. Of course, we all know that there is technically a happy ending because we've all seen Monsters Inc., but the slight twist at the end is very interesting.
I can't end this review without a very impressed nod to the preceding short 'The Blue Umbrella'. I have never seen such photorealistic animation... it wasn't until the end that I realised that it wasn't live-action! The short centres around a blue and red umbrella who enjoying a fleeting love before being separated in a storm. It's such an emotional piece, packing so much into the 5 minute slot.
All in all, Monsters University is a hilarious and fun film that certainly doesn't let the Pixar catalogue down and I will definitely be seeing again during it's theatrical run. Let's hear it for the misfits! OK?
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