'Snow White and the Huntsman' Gaining Momentum

Snow White & The Huntsman movie poster

'Snow White and the Huntsman' (2012) - Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy - June 1, 2012 (in theaters - USA)

In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.

Stars: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron.

Official Movie Trailer: Snow White & The Huntsman

Official Movie Site: Snow White & The Huntsman

TRIVIA:

>Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder were considered to play Ravenna, the Evil Queen. Charlize Theron won the part.

>Charlize Theron dropped out from 'J. Edgar' to do this movie.

>During filming Kristen Stewart accidentally punched co-star Chris Hemsworth in the face giving him a black eye. 

>Filming began in the United Kingdom in October 2011 and was completed in December 2011 in London, England.

>Kristen Stewart admitted while filming the fight scenes that she had to overcome a fear of horses dating back to a mishap at nine-years-old in which she sustained a fractured elbow.

QUOTE: [from trailer] 

>Queen Ravenna: Do you hear that? It's the sound of battles fought and lives lost. It once pained me to know that I am the cause of such despair. But now their cries give me strength. Beauty is my power. 

QUESTION: WHY DO YOU WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE?

Various ANSWERS from different people: 

>I am interested to see what Kristen Stewart does with this role. 

>The trailer was good. 

>Charlize Theron. 

>Chris Hemsworth. 

>The dwarves. 

>The actors playing the dwarves.

>I love re-tellings of fairy tales, and the twist interests me.

>I really did not care about this movie until I saw the trailer. Now I want to watch it!

~~As do I!

'Dark Shadows' with Johnny Depp. Making Waves.

'Dark Shadows' movie poster - 2012

'Dark Shadows' (2012) - Comedy | Fantasy | Horror - In Theaters May 11, 2012 (USA).

An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.

Director:  Tim Burton

Stars: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green

Official Movie Trailer:  Dark Shadows

Well, well... Fans of the 'Dark Shadows' gothic soap opera which aired from 1966 - 1971 with 1,225 episodes and fans of the short-lived 1991 TV series (which ended with a cliffhanger) are not happy with this new movie version. The majority of fans are NOT pleased with the heavy comedy angle, comparing it to the style of The Addams Family.

But curiosity will win out and many will flock to watch it anyway. (I'll wait until it comes out at the rental store on two buck night.)

Shock, confusion and even anger was felt among those who viewed the movie trailer (myself included). It was not what people expected. Then again, Tim Burton was behind the making of this movie. And he is well known for "the unusual". If you want to read all the bad comments and emotional uproar about 'Dark Shadows' 2012, see the Internet Movie Database Bulletin Boards. (That link should take you directly to the 'Dark Shadows' boards.)

I really think Johnny Depp could have pulled off a very convincing Barnabas Collins because he is actually creepier in real life than the original character was in the 1966 series. And that's NOT a negative comment or "dis" towards Johnny Depp. He is brilliant with his acting, I love many of the movies he's been in and I soooo expected an amazing Barnabas Collins recreation from him. Such a shame.

Now...if I can manage to NOT think of or compare this movie to the original stuff, then I did find the movie trailer quite funny. It was entertaining. Yeah, call me "wishy-washy" -- I rarely ever completely shoot down or bad mouth anything. 

Lots of memorable quotes from the trailer that stuck in my brain:

Angelique Bouchard: Hello, Barnabas. Remember me? 
Barnabas Collins: Witch, you cursed me to be this hideous creature! You may strategically place your wonderful lips upon my posterior and kiss it repeatedly! 

Barnabas Collins: How soon can the horses be ready? 
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard: We don't have horses, we have a Chevy. 
[Collins looks confused] 

Barnabas Collins: [seeing TV for the first time] What sorcery is this? 
[attacks the TV] 
Barnabas Collins: Reveal yourself, tiny songstress! 

Carolyn Stoddard: Are you stoned or something? 
Barnabas Collins: They tried stoning me, my dear. It did not work. 

The movie doesn't hit theaters till May 11, 2012. Anyone who's seen the trailer have any feedback? 

'The River' - Continue to Flow or Dry Up?

'The River' promo logo

'The River' is an American paranormal/adventure/horror/found-footage television series (that's a mouthful) that debuted during the 2011–12 television winter season on ABC as a midseason replacement. Only eight episodes will be produced for the first season. The series premiered on February 7, 2012 and will have its finale on March 20, 2012 (unless pushed forward due to scheduling conflicts). According to TV Guide, it's not looking good that it will be renewed for a second season, but not confirmed yet. Scroll down for more of  my thoughts...

Long Synopsis (for those curious):
Famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) went looking for "magic" deep in the uncharted Amazon basin and never returned. The shocking truth about his disappearance is out there, somewhere, just waiting to be discovered. To the millions of kids who grew up watching his nature show, Dr. Cole was a hero. To his own son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), he was more of an enigma. Now, six months after he vanished, Lincoln is finally ready to bury the past when Dr. Cole's emergency beacon suddenly goes off. At the urging of his mother, Tess (Leslie Hope), Lincoln reluctantly joins her on a search for his father. To fund the rescue, they agree to let Dr. Cole's cagey ex-producer, Clark (Paul Blackthorne), film the mission documentary-style. The mixed crew of old friends and new acquaintances includes the missing cameraman's daughter, Lena Landry (Eloise Mumford), Magus mechanic Emilio Valenzuela (Daniel Zacapa) and private security bodyguard Captain Kurt Brynildson (Thomas Kretschmann).

Official 'The River' Website.  Jammed with way cool stuff! One of the better sites I've seen dedicated to a TV show.

According to ABC's final ratings data through Thursday, March 8, 2012: 'The River' was #15 out of 19 Scripted TV Shows on ABC. It received a "D" grade. The 18-49 age demo rating was 1.7. The viewers in millions: 4.97. Not looking good. 

Much comparison is made between 'The River' and 'Lost' but they are quite different. I think a decent number of viewers started out watching the show, only to have faded away after a few episodes. At Internet Movie Database the latest voter rating gave it  6.7 out of a 10 from 3,498 users. That's isn't terrible, although it could be fans are flocking the site trying to post great reviews to help save the show, boosting the rating score.

I'm always amazed at the number of new TV shows that are heavily promoted...it seems as if you've memorized their previews as they are firmly lodged in your memory banks from constant advertising. The new shows fire up, everyone is excited and then to the disappointment of many, half of them (again-it seems that way) get canceled mid-season or only survive the one initial season. I reviewed the early predictions/rumors/actual facts/etc. at TVGuide.com about the fall season...I think MORE THAN HALF of the current shows I'm watching are either canceled or "not looking good". Depressing and a sad, sad time to see some disappear. I hope the networks come up with decent replacements or I'll be spending more time reading books (which is not a problem!).

"The Thing" - Prequel to "The Thing"

'The Thing' movie poster

"The Thing" - (2011), Rated R, 103 min - Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi - October 14, 2011 in theaters (USA), DVD Release Date: January 31, 2012.


Couldn't they have added some additional clarification to the title "The Thing" - something as simple as the words: "The Beginning" or "Prequel" or "Prelude" or "How It Began"?? I wasn't aware that's what this 2011 movie happened to be. I thought it was a remake of the original from 1982. Maybe I wasn't paying attention to the previews as close as I should have. Hmmm...see my Trivia further down for a note about this.

Details:

Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) users voted and gave "The Thing" a  6.3 out of a 10 score with 31,228 votes.

Super brief synopsis:
At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson.

Here's an editorial review from Amazon: It's not human. Yet. From the producers of "Dawn of the Dead" comes the chilling prelude to John Carpenter's cult classic film. When paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) travels to an isolated outpost in Antarctica for the expedition of a lifetime, she joins an international team that unearths a remarkable discovery. Their elation quickly turns to fear as they realize that their experiment has freed a mysterious being from its frozen prison. Paranoia spreads like an epidemic as a creature that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish in this spine-tingling thriller.

Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton and Ulrich Thomsen.

Official Movie Trailer: The Thing (2011)

Official Movie Site: The Thing (2011)

TRIVIA:

>>The producers convinced Universal Studios to allow them to create a prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing (that's the link to the 1982 movie!!) instead of a remake, as they felt Carpenter's film was already perfect, so making a remake would be like "painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa". However, the prequel still has the title of the original film, because they couldn't think of a subtitle (for example, "The Thing: Begins") that sounded good.

>>When we first meet Kate Lloyd she is studying something that looks stunningly similar to the 1982 dog monster.

>>An enormous amount of screen shots from the first movie were kept on the set while filming at all times, in order to ensure that the Norwegian station would be rebuilt to the smallest details.