There are no surprises that this weekend saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 have a phenomenal weekend breaking box office over the US and Canada making $164 million (or £104 million.) The film has kicked into touch Batman: The Dark Knight as it fell to second place and the Friday night sales soar way past those $30 million (£18.75 million,) a record previously held by Twilight: Eclipse.
Over film franchises such as Pirates of the Carribean, Spider-Man and mentioned Twilight series pale in comparison making Harry Potter set to be the biggest film franchise of all time and the Deathly Hallows part 2 one of the biggest films ever.
Just an interesting fact I found out on here; the least successfully Harry Potter movie still made $90million more than the most successful Twilight movie.
Before we begin, I am fully aware that not a lot of you are Bjork fans (trust me, you've told me enough) and I know this review may seem biased because I love her but hear me out, beyond the obsession and the hate lies a film that I believe to be stand out art; Dancer In The Dark.
Set in Washington 1964, Selma (Bjork) a Czech immigrant works in poverty to make ends meet for her and her son. Working daily with her friend Kathy (nicknamed Cvalda,) Selma is a pleasant worker, a musical fan and a friend to all including, Geoff, her love interest and her neighbours Bill and Linda of whom she rents a trailer from. But Selma has a secret, she is going blind and so is her son Gene. Gradually, Selma has saved for an operation to help Genes eyesight. Yet one disastrous night her savings are stolen and the reserved Selma must fight for them and her sons future.
There is a sense of realism in Selma is a highlight here in director Lars Von Trier's film. Though you can get confused with the shakey hand work here, it is Bjork's portrayal of Selma that truly breathes. Rather than acting the character, she emotes it and for a while you forget she's Bjork, you forget you are watching a film and are absorbed in a fabricated story as though it is a documentary. Selma is a loving but strict and proud mother who asks for now charity and must resort to desperate measure for the sake of her son. The character has many depths and each is explored with a delicacy and fragility.
Bjork is not the only star; her supporting cast are wonderful. Catherine Denevue's stern Kathy and Peter Stormare's Jeff are truly brilliant allies within Selma's plight. The humble Bill played by David Morse takes a dramatic character curve that is powerful and shocking. Each is unraveled before us until they collide together in a magnificent yet horrific ending; one that stays in your mind forever.
To lose herself, though, Selma resorts to living in a musical in her mind and in her mind we are offered the brilliance of Bjork's soundtrack. There are many delights offered to us from the playful "Cvalda" (a song dedicated to Kathy) and the Oscar Nominated "I've Seen It All," soar amazingly into the heart of a broken soul and we get a glimpse at her emotion through song.
Though this film is easily number one in my collection, there are some flaws. For example, Vladica Kostic who plays Gene is a struggling child actor who is unbelievable and probably why he is rarely seen and Stormare is an excellent actor but not much of a singer. Also he guest appearance by Joel Grey as an old Czech theatrical actor seems contrived in the story plot. And there are many uncomfortable scenes that can be horrific if you don't know they are coming and certainly the ending is one of the most depressing musical endings of all time.
Overall, Dancer In The Dark won many awards and deservedly so, it is an underrated classic that deserves more appreciation than it gets. Von Trier, though rumors of his difficulty whilst filming, drags us into a story so compelling it is hard to peel your eyes away. While combining realistic characters with a fantastical music mind, Dancer In the Dark goes beyond that of an ordinary musical and makes it extraordinary.
Just when you thought the final nail in the coffin was at Final Destination 4, the franchise turns around and gives you a fifth, you know the one we didn't ask for.
The first Final Destination was a stand out horror/thriller fare when the enemy was Death itself and when you cant escape it, its bloody terrifying. The movie in fact scared many people off planes and created a fear of visions (what, am I the only one?)
Over the years directors have exhausted the franchise to the point where no disaster is safe. Instead they have become a predictable mesh of horrific death scenes and dont even get me started on Final Destination 4....
Now, Final Destination 5 is to hit out cinemas and do you want to know the plot? Really? Do you need to?
Ok its a suspension bridge disaster that the main characters escape but then find out they cant really cheat death... And it stars all your favourites such as........Nicolas D'Agosto and Emma Bell?
The film adaptation of book 'The Invention of Hugo Cabert,' Hugo is set to be a mystical adventure in the streets of Paris. Young Hugo Cabert lives in the walls of a Parisian Train Station circa 1930. Trying to unlock the mysteries around his fathers inventions while only holding one vital piece of evidence, a heart shaped lock. Hugo comes across an eccentric 11 year old girl with a wicked sense of adventure and a heart shaped key. Together, avoiding many obstacles they must unravel the secrets.
Staring Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) and my favourite Chloe Mortez (Kick-Ass, Let Me In,) the film is a far cry from Director Martin Scorsese previous work. A mystical adventure, Hugo is set to be a sure fired hit for fantasy, adults and children everywhere. Check out the trailer;
It's all about Harry Potter folks as the final installment is now filling cinemas across the globe and we are all too excited and too sad to see the franchise one last time. (A review is going to completely miss the mark on the hype as I wont be seeing it for a while but it will come.)
In Empire Magazine though, Fans gather together to vote on the top 25 Harry Potter characters of all time. The list includes many from dangerous enemies such as Bellatrix Lestrange to unsung heroes such as Luna Lovegood. What is more surprising about the list is that Harry isn't number one, and he isn't even number two being pipped to that post by his pal Ron Weasley.
So who is number one?
That's right it is Snape and due to revelations in Deathly Hallows Part 2 it is clear that this spot is whole heartily deserved. With fantastic writing by J.K.Rowling and always superb acting by Alan Rickman the characters shocking curve throughout the series makes him the most mysterious and interesting character in the series.
Make sure you check out Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 showing in cinemas now.
Last weekend, Earl's Court, London was invaded by superheroes, supervillians, horror stars, Disney stars, anime characters and much much more as London's annual Film and Comic Con went underway.
Though heavily overshadowed by America's many Comic Con's the turn out for this geek-fest was an incredible thing to witness. Throughout the Saturday, the day that I went, the queue went around the whole of the venue up to Earl's Court Station. Ranging from the most complex cos-play to the simply dressed comic book and movie fans lined up to trade, play and meet some big stars.
Of those appearing, many descend for Doctor Who's Karen Gilligan, The Lost Boy's star Corey Feldmen and the one and only Christopher Lloyd. Also stars from popular films such has Star Wars and Harry Potter.
So I'm a self-professed geek; I love film, comic and TV but I have a confession. I have never been to a Comic Con before so I when I arrived to the sites and smells of LFCC I was full of excitement
Despite the long queues, it took five minutes to enter and scout around. The main areas were filled with traders and everyone flurried around for the latest and most expensive of collectibles and comics. These included a surprise appearance from the weird and creepy Big Brothers Marcus and avid Disney Pin Traders who had plentiful pins across the globe. For a few of them that I spoke to, they constantly go into the stores and around the parlks for the latest limited Edition Pins and like most of these Traders was in awe of there determination and huge obession.
At the back of the room the stars wait and for a while I was giddy to meet some people I admired. The queues were long for the big names like Christopher Lloyd and I was willing to wait. Unfortunately, that willingness was halted by the price. For an autograph it cost from £10 to £25 and I hadn't enough for one! I hung my head down low and walked away.
Its not all disappointing though, the lower billed stars such as Harry Melling and Devon Murrery (Dudley and Seamus from the Harry Potter series) they were willing to meet and pose for photos for free. Shaky and nervouse were a few words as I met, though not the main players, but people who helped shaped a big chunk of my childhood for the big screen. Here are the pictures;
I also got to see Corey Feldman and Christopher Lloyd which was kind of great though I didn't get to meet them. There were also names such as the great Harry Baker and some woman from Saw
On the other side of the venue were the games; from the new 3DS to simple Pokemon Card Battles, there were people coming together to play. And that's when me and my friend Sophie caught the sight of a dance machine. In seconds we were on that thing dancing away.
To what you ask?
What songs could we pick to bust some moves and shock everyone that yes, I can dance.
Why we picked...
NYAN CAT!!!!
Overall though, LFCC was certainly an experience. There were parts over-hyped and missed the mark completely, for example the promised set from Harry Potter that the website made to be huge turned out to be a few bits of furniture.
But, though the highlight for me were the fans. Those dedicated enough to slap on paint and create their favourite characters. Such as Captain Spaulding from House Of 1000 Corpse
Those willing to shell out hundreds of pounds for an autograph or a photograph. Those whose life was made by these weekend and who will continue to be proud proud Geeks.
Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man has been re-booted and fresh new pics of the hero were released in Entertainment Weekly. Andrew Garfield is set to star in The Amazing Spiderman film alongside Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey. Take a look;
Also released are pictures from the up and coming The Hobbit: An Unexpcted Journey movie; the prequel to the Lord Of The Rings. These are the pictures of some of the thirteen dwarfs that accompany Bilbo on his journey.
With all these new pictures and movies coming out, the next couple of weeks, months and years are going to amazing for cinema!
