Wednesday, November 19, 2014

11-19-14 Movie News

        Hello ladies and gentlemen, here is some movie news with some of my thoughts and opinions (which will be in BOLD print). So without further ado...


(NOTE: All of these stories come from comingsoon.net)


        Walt Disney Studios has debuted the new trailerdirector Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella, coming to theaters on March 13, 2015 and You can check it our below. Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi and Helena Bonham Carter co-star. The story of Cinderella follows the fortunes of young Ella whose merchant father remarries following the tragic death of her mother. Keen to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother Lady Tremaine and her daughters Anastasia and Drisella into the family home. But, when Ella’s father suddenly and unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.” She will not give in to despair nor despise those who abuse her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an employee at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears as if her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming “Kit.” Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand as a kindly beggar woman steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella’s life forever.


        This was actually a really nice trailer. Now if you don't know the story of Cinderella then this trailer does give away the entire film from start to finish. Look I'm actually looking forward to the film simply because of Kenneth Branagh becuase he does these types of films really well (he directed Henry V to multiple Oscar nominations) and his style really fits in well with the film.



        The LEGO Movie is currently the highest-grossing animated film of the year, beating out the likes of Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Rio 2, and even How To Train Your Dragon 2, while also remaining ahead of Disney’s just-released Big Hero 6 for the time being. Following its success, Warner Bros. began making plans to turn the film into its own franchise with multiple films set to roll out, starting in 2016 with LEGO Ninjago. In 2017, which was originally set for The LEGO Movie sequel, WB will instead be bringing us The LEGO Batman Movie, a spin-off of Will Arnett’s version of the Dark Knight. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller will produce the film and speaking with Empire, the pair said they’ll touch on the entire cinematic history of the character in the film. “Rest assured, every era of Batman filmmaking will be acknowledged,” Lord said. “There have been so many interpretations of Batman and there is so much to play with there,” Miller added. “There are 40 versions of his origin story alone.” The LEGO Movie animation supervisor Chris McKay will direct the film which features a script by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter creator Seth Grahame-Smith. The LEGO Batman Movie debuts on May 26, 2017.

        This sounds really interesting. Like the Lord and Miller said we've seen a lot of different versions of Batman whether it be the comic book versions, Adam West's campy version, Michael Keaton's dark version, Val Kilmer and George Clooney's cheesy and over-the-top version, Christian Bale's bruting and serious version or Kevin Conroy's voice rendetion in the animated and game series. So to vist these different versions will be really neat to see. Now everyone knows how big of a Batman fan I am and I cannot wait to see this film.



        Universal Pictures has released the first poster for Pitch Perfect 2, which is coming to theaters on May 15, 2015. Check it out below and stay tuned for the first trailer tomorrow. The Barden Bellas are back in Pitch Perfect 2, the follow-up to summer 2012’s smash hit. The comedy is directed by Elizabeth Banks, co-star and producer of Pitch Perfect, and produced by Paul Brooks, Max Handelman and Banks. Writer Kay Cannon returns to the team to pen the next chapter.

pitchperfect2poster

        I really like this poster. It's basic and it does its job teasing us the film. When the trailer drops tomorrow we'll get an even better look at the film and it hopefully it peaks my interest. I was pleasantly surprised by the first film and this one might do the same.



        Principle casting on Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur appears to be nearly complete today as Variety reports that Djimon Hounsou has signed on to play the story’s Merlin-equivalent opposite Charlie Hunnam’s Arthur, Astrid Berges-Frisbey’s Guinevere and (not quite locked yet) Jude Law’s unnamed villain. Ambitiously planned to potentially span six films, King Arthur will offer a re-imagining of Arthurian legend. Believed to have been a 6th century King, Arthur defended Britain against Saxon invaders. The key source material for the film will be Thomas Mallory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur,” published in 1485 as a compilation of French and English tales.

        Idris Elba was said to have been eyeing the quasi-Merlin role earlier this year, but ended up passing on the project due to schedule commitments. Hounsou recently appeared in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy and can be seen coming up in films like the fantasy adventure Seventh Son, the horror thriller The Vatican Tapes, the action ensemble Furious 7 and Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming take on Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan. Already scheduled for a July 22, 2016 release, King Arthur was written by Joby Harold, who is producing with Akiva Goldsman, Tory Tunnell and Ritchie himself. Cate Adams and Niija Kuykendall are overseeing for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow.

        This is amazing casting. Djimon Hounsou is an Academy Award winning actor and to put him in this type of film is great for everyone involved. I thought it was going to be hard replacing Idris Elba, but when you so it with Djimon Hounsou then you've done a great job. Like I said the other day I really enjoy the story of King Arthur and I'm really anxious to see the film.



        Although the casting net appears to be quite preliminary, TheWrap today names three actresses and three actors up to potentially play Jean Grey (aka Marvel Girl/Phoenix) and Scott Summers (aka Cyclops), respectively, in Bryan Singer’s upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse. According to their sources, Elle Fanning (Maleficent), Chloe Grace Moretz (If I Stay) and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) are all being looked at for Jean while Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar), Ben Hardy (“EastEnders”) and Charlie Rowe (“Red Band Society”) are all up for the Scott role. Cylcops and Phoenix were previously played in the X-Men films by James Marsden and Famke Jensen (with Tim Pocock playing a younger Summers in X-Men Origins: Wolverine). It’s uncertain exactly how much of a role the mutant pair will have in the 2016 feature, although the original story notes that casting will be taking into account the fact that both characters will appear in subsequent X-Men films. Confirmed to star James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult (with more names expected to be confirmed shortl), X-Men: Apocalypse is scripted by Simon Kinberg, Mike Dougherty and Dan Harris. Said to be the conclusion of a trilogy started with X-Men: First Class and continued with X-Men: Days of Future Past, cameras will start rolling on the next adventure in Montreal beginning April, 2015 for a May 27, 2016 release.

          These are some pretty interesting choices. All of these actors and actresses are very young (the girls are all 17 and the guys range from 17 to 23). It also makes sense to go after younger people because the film will be set in the 1980's and at that time they would have been around 20 years old. If I had to choose I would go with Chloe Grace Moretz simply because she has played a superhero in the Kick-Ass franchise I would choose Timothee Chalamet simply because I've never heard of the other two and he did a great job in Interstellar. All I know is that this is a good crop of talent to choose from and I cannot wait to see who they choose.

        So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                         Jonah Sparks

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