Photos from The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games
Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland
Rated: 8/10
Book lovers can be a sorry bunch when they first discover that their favorite literary extravaganza will become the next big screen blockbuster (I am currently waiting in shocked desperation as the adaptation of Ender’s Game steadily paces towards the big screen some time next year). Fans will always ask themselves: will the good people of Hollywood do their most beloved characters justice? How much of the story will make it on screen? And, maybe most importantly, will they still love it?
Considering the legion of fans who have been awaiting The Hunger Games movie, based on Suzanne Collins’ hit novel, there’s enough anticipation for this soon-to-be adored film that you could probably cut the tension with a (throwing) knife, but there’s lots of good news for fans. Better still, you don’t even need to be a teenager, or a fan, to enjoy this tense action-adventure.
Thanks to actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation, plus a group of “angel donors” that included Steven Spielberg, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences now owns a piece of movie history that may end up being the jewel of their collection for their next project.
The Academy’s prize purchase is a pair of the ruby red slippers that Judy Garland likely wore in the iconic film The Wizard of Oz, and as the Academy prepares to launch a film museum, the slippers could end up being a major draw for fans looking for a glimpse at a piece of movie history.
Known as the “Witch’s Shoes,’ due to the fact that they were probably the same shoes seen on the Wicked Witch of the East’s feet when the house falls on her, this particular pair of slippers are also in the best possible condition out of the three other pairs of ruby slippers that are known to exist. Movie experts also believe that this pair of shoes were worn by Garland for close-ups, and in one of the film’s final scenes when Dorothy clicks her heels three times to return to Kansas.
The slippers were in storage for close to 30 years, from 1939 to 1970, before they were discovered by costumer Kent Warner in MGM’s Culver City lot. The slippers were eventually sold at auction in 1981, and again in 1988, and have been on display only a few times in the intervening years before the Academy purchased them.
This acquisition is particularly notable since the Academy will establish a museum called the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which will be a joint venture with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The new museum will be located inside the historic May Company building.
The first official poster for Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie!
Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz in Dream House
Between his films In the Name of the Father and Brothers, director Jim Sheridan has shown that he is a director with uncommon skill who knows how to deliver films on difficult topics that also have powerful mood-driven stories. In particular, In The Name of the Father is a classic from the nineties that still carries just as much weight today as when it was released.
Dream House is a contrast to Sheridan’s career, however, because of its tone, and the fact that it’s a fairly straight-up thriller, but also because of the relatively muddled progress of the story, and because it lacks the cohesive power of Sheridan’s other work.
Everyman Daniel Craig stars as Will Atenton, a big city publisher who has left New York City behind to live with his wife, Libby, played by Rachel Weisz, and two children in a small, New England town. Their life in their new home seems picturesque until they discover that they’re living in a former crime scene where the previous tenants were brutally murdered.
As Libby and Will try to uncover the story behind the murders, Will discovers a connection to their next-door neighbour, Ann, played by Naomi Watts–a connection that will lead Will to painful revelations he can no longer ignore.
The latest trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans.
Well, it’s Groundhog Day… again…
Take a deep breath and try to contain yourself, Lord of the Rings fans, and take a look at Academy Award winner Peter Jackson’s first official trailer for next year’s epic prequel, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s famed Hobbit novel, the prequel reunites many of the stars of the original trilogy, with the additon of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, not to mention a score of actors as the host of dwarves who accompany Bilbo on his adventure to find a legendary dragon named Smaug.
Written by Guillermo del Toro, alongside Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, the film is set for release in 2012, likely in early December if the film follows in the footsteps of its predecessors.
Film Friday: ‘Rio’ and ‘Scream 4’
Opening this week in theatres: Jesse Eisenberg voices the parrot Blu in the animated comedy, Rio; and Neve Campbell returns for the latest installment of Wes Craven’s slasher franchise, Scream 4.
Lionsgate Films has released the first trailer for their anticipated remake of Conan The Barbarian, starring Jason Momoa as the one-and-only no-holds-barred warrior.
Conan The Barbarian is set for 3D release in August 2011 and was directed by Marcus Nispel, who previously remade Friday the 13th in 2009.
