Sightings of People Flying Over NYC/NJ Celebrates the Opening of Chronicle (the Movie)

Have you seen this video yet? Apparently it’s going viral.

In honor on the movie Chronicle, which opens Friday (February 3), the guys over at ThinkModo have been busily working on a new way to market the movie. They built three airplanes shaped like people and flew them in designated areas over New York and New Jersey. Here’s a YouTube video of the sightings.

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The gist of Chronicle is this: Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.

If you want more info, it seems the best place to go is the official Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/chronicle

Are any of you already planning to see the movie?

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies in 2011

With the new year upon us, the Internet is rife with lists of Top 10, Favorites, Most Anticipated…you get the idea. I got to thinking about this in regard to movies and wondered how many of the sci-fi and fantasy movies anticipated to be the best in 2011 actually panned out with movie-goers.

I did a quick search and came up with a list over at http://io9.com of the top 55 science fiction and fantasy movies to watch out for in 2011. I encourage you to go over to their website (via the link above) to see summaries of each of these, but in brief, these are the ones that made their list:

  • Season of the Witch
  • The Green Hornet
  • Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
  • The Rite
  • I Am Number Four
  • Drive Angry
  • The Adjustment Bureau
  • Apollo 18
  • Battle Los Angeles
  • Mars Needs Moms
  • Red Riding Hood
  • Suing the Devil
  • Beastly
  • Limitless
  • Paul
  • Sucker Punch
  • Source Code
  • Super
  • Hop
  • Your Highness
  • Thor
  • Priest
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  • The Tree of Life
  • X-Men: First Class
  • Super 8
  • The Green Lantern
  • Rise of the Apes
  • Transformers: the Dark of the Moon
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
  • Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage
  • Captain America: The First Avenger
  • Cowboys and Aliens
  • The Smurfs
  • The Change-Up
  • The Darkest Hour in 3-D
  • Conan 3-D
  • Fright Night
  • Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World
  • Final Destination 5
  • Piranha 3DD
  • The Apparition
  • Now
  • Real Steel
  • The Thing
  • Contagion
  • Paranormal Activity 3
  • Dibbuk Box
  • Immortals
  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
  • Arthur Christmas
  • Hugo Cabret
  • Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
  • Sherlock Holmes 2
  • The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

I’m the first to admit I don’t go to the movies much — not nearly as much as I’d like to, at least — so I didn’t see many of these (only Pirates of the Caribbean, Source Code, and Thor) and there are several others I still want to see. One of the most highly anticipated and probably my favorite of the three was Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Here’s the thing — I’d really like to see more of the movies that came out last year and I’m taking recommendations. Which were your favorites? Which one should I see next?

Attribution for Image above: By DoktorMandrake [CC0 (creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Will the Movie Live Up to the Book?

I’ve been hearing a lot about the The Hunger Games movie coming out on March 23, 2012, which is based on a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. Friends kept telling me I needed to read this book so I finally broke down and found a copy to read before the movie hits the theaters. Now, having read it, I can see why it was recommended to me. I think this book has the potential to become a classic in the YA (Young Adult) market.

The Hunger Games is a dystopian novel set in an area that used to be Appalachia — in the book, still one of the poorest districts in Panem, the nation that used to be the United States. The districts that waged war on the Capitol lost the battle and have since been locked down by the nation’s rulers. One way to remind each district of their subjugation is that they are forced to compete in the annual Hunger Games competition. Each district is required to send two of their children, one boy and one girl, to fight in the games until only 1 of the total 24 contestants is left alive — something akin to the ancient Romans’ gladiator games but set in an arena that covers a large area that forces the children to survive a fight not just their enemies but the elements as well.

When Katniss’ little sister is chosen to be a contestant, this 16-year-old girl volunteers to take her place. Enter Peeta, the boy chosen from Katniss’ district. Peeta is unique because rather than adopting the cold attitude of competition that the others have, he is intent on holding on to his humanity, even if he loses. He holds this attitude not only to maintain self-respect but also to prove that those in authority don’t own him. Katniss finds this vulnerability hard to accept in the face of being forced into an event that has become a pop culture mainstay of their society, something that the entire nation follows on reality television in great detail.

The reason I ask if the movie will be able to live up to the book is because the original work written by Suzanne Collins combines so well themes of communism, personal freedom (or lack thereof), defiance, and most of all, the struggles that exist inside the emotions and psyche of the main character. Traditionally, I find that movies have trouble accurately depicting a character’s inner struggles nearly as well as an author can in the pages of a book. Here one can explore these emotions and thoughts in great detail.

That said, I am greatly intrigued by the movie trailer and wonder if in this case the screenwriters and directors may have done just that. We’ll never know, however, until we get to see the movie. When that time comes I’ll be curious to hear what y’all have to say. I give Hunger Games 4 stars out of 5.

For now, though, what do you expect or hope to see from the movie? I’d love to hear from you! Just leave me a comment below.

The official movie trailer is posted at: http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com

You can find the author, Suzanne Collins, at http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

If you want more information about the book, here are my Barnes & Noble and Amazon affiliate links.

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Movie Trailer and Artwork: Snow White and the Huntsman

If, when you hear “Snow White,” you think of the Disney character, this trailer may change that forever. “Snow White & the Huntsman” is coming this summer and I can’t wait. The movie stars Sam Claflin and the Prince, Charlize Theron as the Queen, Kristen Stewart as Snow White, and Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman. If you want to see the trailer, here’s the URL for the official movie website:

http://snowwhiteandthehuntsman.com/

Meanwhile, here’s a little poster action. Sweet. (You can find the original images on the website noted above.)

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disney Remakes “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”

The powers that be at Disney have decided this Fantasia short needed revamping and they are doing so in a big way. Instead of a Mickey Mouse animation, the new version will be a full-length movie starring Nicolas Cage, directed by Jon Terteltaub and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is described as “an epic comedy adventure” and opens July 16. Here’s a link to the official trailer:

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Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”