Tim Burton has a quirky vision of the world and his films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and the TV series Wednesday are full of intriguing visual details. A new exhibition invites visitors into his visual world. Rather than going through the looking glass, visitors plunge into a labyrinth that ensures … Continue reading “Welcome to Tim Burton’s World”
On 1952 London’s West End, Agatha Christie’s play, The Mousetrap, is a hit. Hollywood comes knocking at the stage door. But plans for a movie version of this smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after the film’s Hollywood director is murdered. Reality The Mousetrap occupies a special place in the work of Agatha Christie. … Continue reading “See How They Run: A Whodunit Within a Whodunit”
If Paul Thomas Anderson’s coming-of-age film Licorice Pizza feels much more real than many films about teenagers, there’s a good reason: it was a project Anderson dreamed up in lockdown. When it was still impossible to do a COVID-compliant shoot, he roped in his kids’ friends and his friends’ kids to make a film about … Continue reading “It’s Not Easy Being a Teen”
The expanse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline is about to get much wider with the arrival of Eternals, whose storyline will span thousands of years. Directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), Eternals is visually distinct from many other Marvel films and Zhao’s soft touch has elevated the film beyond what is traditionally expected of superhero … Continue reading “Eternals: A Team is Born”
Denis Villeneuve’s latest movie, Dune, is one of the most anticipated upcoming films. Dune is an epic space opera film and the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name. The film covers about the first half of the book. An impressive cast Oscar Isaac is Duke Leto and Zendaya is Chani, … Continue reading “Back to the Dune: Denis Villeneuve’s latest movie”
Well known for slow-burn, humanistic character study films, who would have thought that for his English-language debut, Jacques Audiard would have chosen one of the most characteristically American of genres, the Western? Adapted by Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain from Patrick deWitt’s 2011 novel, The Sisters Brothers reinvents the Western in a sensitive story about … Continue reading “Brothers Out-laws…”
A Star Is Born is so popular with Hollywood that the new version with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is the fourth feature film based on the “rags to riches” fame story. We thought it would be interesting to compare the trailers for the four versions. The first two versions of the story are set … Continue reading “Teaching with Trailers: A Star is Born”
A Star is Born stars Bradley Cooper and music superstar Lady Gaga, in her first leading role in a major film. Cooper makes his directorial debut with this third remake of a classic Tinseltown story. In this new take on the tragic love story, Bradley Cooper (“Very Bad Trip “, “Happiness Therapy”, “American Sniper”, “American … Continue reading “Born Again”
Mickey Mouse is going to turn 90 in November 2018 and for his age he still looks pretty active! Mickey Mouse is one of the world’s most universally recognized personalities. The little big-eared mouse appeared into our lives on November 18, 1928, in the animated black-and-white film short “Steamboat Willie” that premiered at the Colony … Continue reading “Happy Birthday Mickey!”
Stephen King is the prolific author of suspense, horror, sci-fi and fantasy books like Carrie, The Shining and The Stand. He has seen his work adapted into movies, TV shows and even comic books. In August, The Mist TV series was launched on Netflix and Dark Tower hit cinemas. A new version of It will … Continue reading “It is the King!”