The Host: Movie News- Extra Photo

One of my top ten favorite reads is 'The Host' by Stephenie Meyer.  The movie started production earlier this month.  While news is slow coming and pictures even slower, a local extra's snapshot recently hit the web.  It shows five girls in 50's style fashions.  It seems this adds fuel to the rumors that the host society has a 'retro' feel to it.

While I never pictured the world in 'The Host' to be at all inspired by the 50's, I can see why the filmmakers decided to go that route.  If you think about it, the hosts values are similar to the idea of the 1950's.  People were taught to be pleasant, amiable, rule abiding, perfect.  A lot like how the hosts.  On a side note, I've always been a fan of 50's fashions, so if this movie brings them back, that would be awesome.

More information on this film can be found at 'The Host Movie News'.

The Official Cast of 'The Host'

IMDB has listed the actors who are destined to play the four main leads in 'The Host' movie adaptation. (See my Fantasy Cast here!) We've known Wanderer for quite some time, but now we know who her male leads are!

Playing Ian is Jake Abel, or as I like to call him "the kid from Supernatural". Actually, I think Jake may do a good job.  He's a talented guy.

Playing (obnoxious, pig headed, stubborn-- your pick!) Jared is Max Irons. I haven't actually seen him in anything. Personally, I pictured Jared to be older looking, but we'll see how this turns out. Maybe it will work out well? Fun tidbit, he is the son of Jeremy Irons.

And playing lovable, gun wheeling Jeb is William Hurt. I still prefer my choice for the role over Mr. Hurt, but with a new wardrobe, some make up, and a gun, maybe he'll be the perfect Jeb. Maybe...  (Off topic, he looks an awful lot like the Fifth Doctor, doesn't he?)

So far, no one else has been officially added to the cast.  What do you think of these new additions?

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout

The Funny or Die trailer for 'Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout', starring Jacob Black himself, Taylor Lautner.

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner from Taylor Lautner

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2-- New Movie Trailer!

Have you seen the new trailer for 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'? As always, if the layout cuts off the right side of this video, watch it directly via youtube!





I'm looking forward to this movie, though I have a feeling it will be an emotional roller-coaster!

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-- The Movie

I saw the first of my holiday movies the other day-- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Here's a few of my thoughts!!!

The Book:
Before going into the movie, I'd just like to give you an idea of what I thought about about the book... Overall, I gave this final Harry Potter book 3/5 stars. Rowling did a good job at writing a fitting ending to the story. I knocked it off a few stars because of a problem I've had with JK Rowling's style since 'Order of the Phoenix'-- the editing. No one wanted Harry Potter to end, I know that, but the book could have been shorter. The treasure hunt for the Horcrux's never really caught my interest and honestly, I can't say I remember much of the literary details given in the first half of 'Deathly Hallows'.    The second half?  I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I'll save the details for the Part 2 movie review.  :-)


The Movie:
Just like the movie adaptation of 'Order of the Phoenix', I enjoyed Part 1 of 'Deathly Hallows' quite a bit more than reading it.  


Here's a few free form thoughts about the movie!

• The acting- The kids really have grown in their acting ability.  They were fine in the original film, but you can really tell the difference between now and then.  .  
• Ron- Poor Ron has always been cut from movies.  He's been in them, but it seems he gets a handful of one liners and that's about it.  In 'Deathly Hallows', Ron actually has a role to play!  He had his traditional one liners, yes, but was also given some emotional bits.  Yay! 
• Dan Radcliffe-  My, oh, my, he's grown up.  He should wear stubble more often. ;-)
• Draco- Would have loved to see a little more reaction from him during the scene in his house...
• The Adaptation- I've loved most of the Harry Potter Adaptations ('Azkaban' not included).  'Deathly Hallows' is no exception.  I heard complaints that the script followed the book too closely, but I didn't feel that at all.  If anything, I think the elements were transcribed quite well for this film.  The adaptation had humor (ie: harry's birthday), action, lots of pretty forests/nature scenes, and some hard core emotional elements!
• The End- Oh goodness!  I've just got done praising the adaptation, but have to say-- what was with the Lord of the Rings-esc ending?!  I guess it was the most logical place to end the story, but to leave Harry and the gang on such a sad note!!!  Next movie, please!!!!
• Dobby-  Dobby will forever make me cry!!!  (Just like Harry returning Cedric to the field!)  I wonder if those who have only experienced Harry Potter through the movies will feel Dobby's loss as hard as those of us who have read the books.  The scene was directed *perfectly*, btw.  And Harry's line about not using magic to...  So sad!!!  
• Characters- LOVED that they brought back so many characters!  Too bad they were pretty much cameo appearances.  Would have liked to see Lupin and Tonks deliver their news, though!!!!  Also loved that they're letting Neville grow up!  (BTW, have you seen what actor Matthew Lewis looks like when he's not playing Neville?!  One word- hot!)  And finally on characters, Luna--always hilarious.  If Ginny weren't meant to be with Harry, I would totally ship Harry/Luna!
• Hedwig- Wow, that was quick.  Truth?  I teared up when I read that sequence in the books.  It was just so sad.  In the movie,however, it kind of came and went.  Hagrid's look towards Harry after it happened-- so filled with emotion.  
• Harry and Hermione-  I don't actually remember so much Harry/Hermione shipping in the books.  Maybe I missed it?  Or Maybe it was amped up for the movie?  I'll have to double check with the books later...

The Final Verdict:

If I had to rate this, it would get 5/5 stars.  Everything was done just right, even the sad bits.  

What did you think of Harry Potter?  Share your thoughts!

Christmas Happenings- A Holiday Meme, Week One

Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I love everything about it-- crazy Christmas shopping, snowy sweater weather, Christmas cookies, tree decorating, even listening to Christmas music on the radio.  Call me a kid, but I still write Santa each year at The North Pole and even track him on Christmas Eve.   Who says getting older means forgetting about the magic of Christmas?

'Christmas Happenings' is a meme designed to let you readers in on what makes Christmas special to me.  It will be a weekly installment here on the blog until Christmas comes to town!  It will take a different form every year (yes!  I plan on being in business for a while!).  I'm not sure how this will transpire, but we'll see where it goes!  Hopefully it will be as entertaining to you as it is me!!!

Christmas Happenings meme -- Week One

Traditions...  Traditions are big for all of us during the holiday season.  One of the things I really love about Christmas is having a valid reason to re-watch holiday specials from my youth and classic holiday movies!  And because I love watching them so much, I'll be making the theme of this years 'Holiday Happenings' a visual one and will be showcasing the holiday specials that share the season with me year after year.  You never know, maybe you'll remember a few!


This week Brooke's Box of Books will be showcasing an animated television special that is one that all products of the eighties should remember.  Let me give you a few hints...  Hint one: It debuted in December 1985.  Hint two: Both title characters had amazingly popular toy lines at the time (and for some years later).  Hint three: This special, as well as every episode the title characters starred in, ends with a 'moral' tag.


Ready for the big reveal?  Alright.  All three hints point to one very action packed hour of television special goodness-- 

'The He-Man/She-Ra Christmas Special'!

When Orco accidentally blasts off in the Sky Spy, he finds himself stranded on Earth.  There, he finds two Earth children who have been separated from their father while looking for a Christmas tree.  When Orko asks what Christmas is, the kids are taken aback and tell him all about the holiday as they follow Orko into his warm ship.


Back on Eternia, the royal family is preparing for Prince Adam (aka He-Man) and Princess Adora (aka She-Ra) birthday party.  Man-At-Arms opens up a transport beam that opens up in the useless Sky Spy and transports both kids from Earth to Eternia.  Being that the twins mother is an Earthling, the royal family decides to not only celebrate the twins birthday, but to have a Christmas party for the kids, as well, to keep them occupied while Man-At-Arms can figure out how to get them home!


From there, the fun begins.  As it turns out, the evil Horde Prime wants the children!  Hordak and Skeletor both try to snatch the kids.  Hordak gives up quite easily, while Skeletor has an easier time catching them.  But as the two children, a lost dog, and Skeletor travel together, the good nature of the children and the caring nature of Christmas season rub off on poor Skeletor!

In the end, Skeletor stops the evil Horde Prime from snatching the kids, the birthday/Christmas party goes off without a hitch, and the children are returned to Earth safe and sound.  And like all He-Man/She-Ra episodes, the tag emphasized the morals of the story, "Though we celebrate it and get presents, Christmas is about caring, sharing and goodwill and its spirit is within all of us".  Perfectly said, I think.


This special is animated well and filled with an even amount of action bits and holiday themed scenes.  I've been watching it as long as I can remember (which isn't too hard, since this special is only 2 years younger than me!).  Is it corny?  Oh, yes.  Is it awesome?  Oh, yes.   I love this special as a whole, but here are a few of my favorite things about it!

First, I love how Skeletor is with the kids.  He had a good arc during this episode!  Also, the end has a nice bit of animation where Prince Adam is dressed up as Santa.  We usually only get to see Adam in two outfits, so it was a nice change!  (Plus, animators could legitimately forget to color his hair!)  Last, I really like this special because we got to see a huge cast of characters interacting in a quite jovial environment.  These three bits are only a handful of instances that make this Christmas special one with sticking power (at least in my household).


Do you remember watching this special?  Just finished watching it for the first time?  What's your thoughts?  Share your memories of this or other Christmas specials here on the blog and maybe it will be featured sometime during this holiday season!!!  

Now, on to the fun bit of this post!  If you haven't seen it, here's your chance to take a peek at the 'He-Man/She-Ra Christmas Special'!  I've scoured youtube and embedded a few here!


LOOK UNDER CUT FOR VIDEOS!!!

Review: Avalon High-- The Movie (With Spoilers)

(This has spoilers, mainly on the changes made to the story.  You've been warned.)

Published in 2005 by Meg Cabot, 'Avalon High' is one of my favorite books.  Originally when Disney picked up the rights, I was excited.  Now that I've seen it, I think Disney missed the mark a bit.  'Avalon High' was a decent Disney special, best watched by those who haven't read the book.
 
The Synopsis (From Disney Movie Guide)--

Avalon High at first appears to be a typical American high school to Allie Pennington, a transfer student, but soon the perception changes. Allie begins noticing unmistakable similarities between her new school and the legendary Camelot, and as the story progresses, Allie becomes obsessed to the point that she is convinced it's up to her to solve the mystery lest history repeat itself."

The cast-- All in all, I liked the cast.  They were all believable in their roles, even down to main character Allie's quirky parents. The two leads Brittany Robertson and Gregg Sulkin  (as Allie and Will respectfully) played off each other well and were pretty similar to what I pictured while reading the book.  


My only real qualm was Gregg's accent.  He slipped into his native London accent a few times.  I almost would have preferred if he had just used his actual accent.  (Yes, he's supposed to be an all american footballer, but no one said an all american footballer couldn't have spent his preschool years overseas and never lost the accent.)

The story--  All adaptations have changes.  I understand that.  And 'Avalon High'?  Well, in the beginning, I was okay with the changes.  The addition of Miles, the Merlin of the story, was fine with me.  The foreshadowing in the dreams about what was to come?  I was okay with that, too.  And with those minor changes, they also hit on some key factors of the book.  Running through the woods, seeing Will in his 'spot'-- loved it.  (I would have loved to see scene where Will unexpectedly arrives at Allie's house and surprises her on 'Spider Rock' and the confession scene in the woods, but alas, we weren't treated to those!)

The part that hurt this adaptation?  The last 15 minutes.  That is when the story went from a decent adaptation into 'what the heck were they thinking' territory.  I should have seen it coming and half of it I did.  I knew that Marco wasn't going to play the same role as he did in the book and I had the teacher pegged from the beginning, but when it comes to who the true reincarnation of Arthur turned out to be?  Shocked.  (See more below on my opinion on that...)


My Final Verdict-- It was turning out so decently until the end.  If you haven't read the books, I think you might enjoy this movie.  It wasn't up to par with the greats-- Halloweentown, High School Musical, or Brink-- but was watchable.  If you've read the book series, be prepared for major changes.  My rating: 3/5 stars


*MAJOR SPOILERS ON ENDING*
I'm all for girl power, but the story had a good amount of girl power as originally written. There was no need to make Allie the reincarnation of Arthur and Will no more than a knight.  If we are meant to believe Allie is playing Arthur's role, than the famous love triangle of Lance, Gwen, and Arthur plays no real role in this.  Changing the Arthur reincarnate character down grades the story-- a lot!
*MAJOR SPOILER OVER*


What did you think of the movie?

Holiday Movies 2010 (Adaptations)

Christmas is quickly approaching and with Christmas comes a great selection of big box office movies. During my youth, it was a common habit to go to a movie on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why? Because usually there are some majorly hyped movies coming out around that time. What do we have to look forward this holidays season in terms of books turned movies?

*NOTE: This layout cuts off the right side of YT clips.  Click the clip to watch directly from YT if you have trouble!*

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollow: Part 1 from Warner Bros./Release Date: November 19th
We all know this is going to make a ton of money for months to come after it's November release. It's Harry Potter, for goodness sake. This movie will mark the beginning of the end for our favorite teen trio and it's probably just in time, too.

To be honest, I'm looking more forward to Part 2 (release date: July 2011) than this first part, because I happen to have found the second half of 'Deathly Hollow' far more interesting than the first part. That being said, I wasn't a huge fan of the 'Order of the Phoenix' in book form and enjoyed the movie quite a bit... :-)



'Tangled' from Walt Disney Studios/Release date: November 24th
Based on the story of Repunzel, 'Tangled' looks to be a winner and will surely find an audience come Thanksgiving! The Brothers Grimm version of this iconic tale (published in 1812) was originally based on a 1698 story entitled, "Persinette". Goes to show that fairy tales are never really forgotten.



The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader from Walden Media/Release Date: December 10th
Originally published in 1952, 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader' is finally getting the silver screen treatment. The cast has returned to bring the third Chronicles of Narnia book to life. Hopefully Walden has learned from their mistakes on the almost disastrous 'Prince Caspian'.



What movies are you going to see this holiday season?

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Movie?

You know the book 'Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac' by Gabrielle Zevin? Well, I just stumbled upon the movie trailer for the Japanese movie adaption that was released in March 2010!

I thought I'd share it with you guys who may have read the book and didn't know about this little bit of information. I'm actually pretty interested in seeing this, though I'll have to re-read the book a bit to remember the small details.

What do you think?

*Note: If the video is cut off on the right side, watch directly from YT!*

Article: Percy Jackson and the Olympians- The Lightning Thief Box Office Update

According to Box Office Mojo, Percy Jackson made $31,236,067 in its opening weekend placing it in the number 2 spot for ticket sales and has currently made $43,460,392.00 in the US alone.  Not too shabby for something that has only been out for a week!






While I haven't seen the movie on one of the 3,000+ screens showing it yet, have you?  What did you think!  Remember to keep spoilers to a minimum.  (I haven't finished the book yet!)