Tag Archives: SP

Conjuring Complexity

Harry Potter 6

J.K. Rowling will pen her first screen-play for a Harry Potter spin-off film series based on a fictional piece of literature entitled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  The series’ plot will revolve around one of Rowling’s favorite characters, Newt Scamander.

The Harry Potter Franchise lasted more than a decade and became the highest-grossing film series of all time, pulling in $7.7 billion internationally.

Quote1Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” said Rowling. “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.Quote2 —  J.K. Rowling

And since Warner Bros. hired Zack Snyder to direct the segway film into their superhero ensemble team-up, they’re gonna need all the extra revenue they can get their hands on.

Harry Potter 7

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Celestial Warfare

Celestial Warfare 1

Disney’s D23 EXPO this past weekend teased a multitude of possibilities including an entire Star Wars theme park.  Star Wars Land will be added to Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL., but will likely not open until 2018.

Star Wars Episode VII‘s script apparently is still being heavily doctored but the film will start shooting in 2014.  Casting news thus far has been slim; but actor Ian McDiarmid has been confirmed recast as Senator Palpatine despite that characters untimely demise.  Palapatine did have an apprentice however, which many think will serve as one of the main villains in the film.  The 7th installment will focus on the offspring of Han Solo and Princess Leia.

https://d23.com/d23-expo/

UPDATE:

Star Wars Episode VII will shoot for a December 2015 release date, reportedly.

Celestial Warfare 2

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Cutthroat Diversity

Game of Thrones

Thrones is back and thank the gods.  Ok.  That was a bluff.  I went all-in, and I folded.  Wasn’t my best poker play.  Throne’s presence at San Diego Comic-Con kicked off with a tribute to the many casualties of the beloved series:

Author George R.R. Martin is still writing The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the 6th and 7th installments of A Song of Ice and Fire, respectively.  The Winds of Winter is set for release December of this year, while Thrones Season 4 started location shooting last week in Nesjavellir, Iceland.  Several thespians have been cast for the season already including Pedro Pascal as Oberyn MartellIndira Varma as Ellaria Sand, and Mark Gatiss in an unspecified role.

Major potential  Season 4 characters that have NOT been cast yet include: Mace Tyrell; Lord of Highgarden, Styr; the Magnar of Thenn, Aeron “Damphair” Greyjoy; The Iron Captain, Victarion Greyjoy; Captain of the Iron fleet, Ser Arys OakheartThe Soiled Knight, Areo Hotah; The Captain of Guards, and finally Arianne Martell; daughter of Prince Doran.  Stay tuned for casting/shooting updates as they arrive.

UPDATE:

HBO parent company Time Warner has released their latest quarterly earnings report and within it are the latest viewer numbers for Game of Thrones. HBO is now reporting that Game of Thrones averaged 14.2 million viewers per episode last season. This is a 20% increase over season 2′s viewership number and is a significant jump from the last reported number of 13.6 million. (You can download the full report here.)

What does this mean? It means that even well into season 3 Thrones‘ viewership is still climbing. Which is pretty unprecedented for a drama like this. I suspect the Red Wedding may have had something to do with the late season jump as people got caught up on the show to see what all the fuss is about.

This also means that Game of Thrones is very, very close to becoming HBO’s most-watched show of all-time. The Sopranos is currently tops with an average of 14.4 million viewers per episode.Game of Thrones may very well break that next season.

ALSO:

British thespian Roger Ashton-Griffiths has been cast as Mace Tyrell; Lord of Highgarden.

Dutch actor Yorick Van Wageningen is rumored to have auditioned for Styr; the Magnar of Thenn.

Dean-Charles Chapman has reportedly been cast as King Tommen.

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Visceral Prestige

Noble Savagery 1

When the Wolverine is fighting ninja’s, it’s pretty hard to have a bad time:

Quote1This movie will really get to Wolverine’s core—so—fingers crossed that we’ve done it this time.  I’m pretty confident we have.Quote2 — Hugh Jackman

Director James Mangold is looking to delve more into Wolverine’s character; his résumé includes: Girl, Interrupted, Walk the Line and 3:10 to Yuma, so we should be good on that.  An “actor’s director”, @mang0ld knows Wolverine is a classic Anti-hero: a “superhero” with very human flaws foils and fables just like the rest of us.  Marvel’s Canadian Berserker will be seeking cinematic redemption after his last solo film X-Men Origins:Wolverine got a 38% rottentomatoes score.  Wow.  I wonder if Zack Snyder directed it.

Noble Savagery 5

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Procuring Flame

Procuring Effervescence 6-3

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is looking pretty boss:

Catching Fire protagonist Jennifer Lawrence a.k.a. Jay-Law as she is known on the streets SYGU’ed pretty hard this year at the 85th Annual Academy Awards taking home Best Actress for her critically acclaimed portrayal of a beautifully flawed Tiffany in mental-health narrative Silver Linings Playbook.   At the tender age of 22, #JLAW became the second youngest actress of all-time to take home the Trophy.  Let’s just say this, folks.  She’s no Zack Snyder.

Procuring Effervescence 7

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Concrete Comradery

Concrete Comradery - 2

Shortly after trashing it’s first script, Justice League has been given new life as rumor has it Christian Bale is in talks to reprise his role as The Dark Knight in a JLA film.  Similar rumors dictate that Christopher Nolan has been named “godfather” of the entire DCU at WB Studios.  While both news stories are rumors and should be taken lightly, Justice League is looking a lot better than it was a couple weeks ago.

Meanwhile, a source claiming to have seen an early screening of Man of Steel is claiming that it is “the best movie of the year”.  Which let’s be honest is pretty stupid because it’s only March, and the movie isn’t even out yet.  Nevertheless, many think a Superman/Batman film starring Bale/Cavill is the most effective segway into an ensemble Justice League film.  And they make some pretty good points.  Why do Superman and Batman make such a powerful dynamic duo?  Because an  Artisan/Guardian symbiosis is a powerful thing.  Let’s take a look.

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What a Pair

Charlie: I don’t blame you for being scared, Miss, not one little bit. Ain’t no person in their right mind ain’t scared of white water.
Rose: I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating!
Charlie: How’s that, Miss?
Rose: I’ve only known such excitement a few times before – a few times in my dear brother’s sermons when the spirit was really upon him…I must say I’m filled with admiration for your skill, Mr. Allnut. Do you suppose I’ll try practice steering a bit that someday I might try? I can hardly wait… Now that I’ve had a taste of it

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Cutthroat Diversity

Game of Thrones is finally back and Thank the Gods because some of us have been waiting since Season 1 ended without eating food, sleeping, or going to the bathroom.  Ya.  It’s been rough.  But the wait is finally over as HBO’s outrageously phenomenal epic fantasy series Game of Thrones returns for Season 2 this coming Sunday April 1st at 10/9c on HBO so strap your boots on folks ’cause it’s gonna be a good one.  Funny thing about outrageously phenomenal series’ is that they tend to know whatsup.  When I say know whatsup, what else would I be talking about other than the Four Basic Personality Types.  And while we’re on the subject of the Four Basic Personality Types, let’s take a look at the Four Major Houses of Westeros.

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Concrete Comradery

Just when you thought I wasn’t going to talk about The Avengers anymore.  BAM.  Dyads.  Although these four basic personality types certainly have their conflicts, they also once in a while get along with one another.  One such a heartwarming comradeship exists between fellow Marvelsupersquad members the Incredible Hulk and Captain America.  Both superheroes are defined by their extraordinary physicality, but perhaps there is more behind these two than meets the eye.  Let’s take a look.

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Abstract Romance

On the heels of Lion King 3D‘s dazzling box office success (over $90 million), our dear and beloved friends at Walt Disney Studios have announced limited theatrical 3D releases for four more Disney Classics starting with Beauty and the Beast 3D which opens today (Friday). While $90 million wouldn’t usually be a box office success, it makes for a very reasonable profit margin considering the studio’s minimal investment. The extra cash in-hand has helped greenlight at least three other films including Finding Nemo (Sept. 14, 2012), Monsters, Inc. (Jan. 18, 2013) and The Little Mermaid (Sept. 13, 2013). Given such wonderfully delightful news let’s take a look at this timeless story about the Idealists’ quest for true love.

Belle is a young, beautiful, and sweet-hearted girl with a vivid imagination and a fondness for romance novels that is ‘not like the rest of us’. Indeed the opening song of Beauty and the Beast emphasizes the uniqueness of our heroine Belle, “a girl that’s strange but special” who’s “head is in the clouds”.  Belle spends most of her time reading fairy tales, and especially loves those with a Prince Charming.  Belle yearns for romance and adventure, pleading that “there must be more than this provincial life”.  Imaginative, idealistic, insightful and sympathetic Belle is a classic Idealist.  Indeed Belle‘s initial frustrations with the harsh reality of “real-life” romance are something all too familiar to many Idealists.

Gaston is a rude, conceited, small-minded, and narcissistic young lad who spends his time fighting, drinking, and hunting.  He is considered the “hero of the town” as “no man in town is as admired as him”, and all the local townswomen adore him.  Gaston relentlessly pursues Belle solely because of her beauty, Belle however is not as shallow as Gaston and refuses his every advance.  Gaston tells Belle “it’s about time you get your head out of those books and start paying attention to more important things: like ME”.  This strapping and arrogant young frenchman of course represents the Idealists‘ commonly experienced frustrations with dating down-to-earth literal-minded Artisans and Guardians.  Ultimately these Artisans and Guardians simply don’t understand the Idealists‘ tendency to dream and fantasize, and see such “day-dreaming” as a waste of time.

The Beast is a “mean and course and unrefined” creature who lives in an enchanted castle who has been cursed because “there was no love in his heart”.  Indeed The Beast must learn to love another, and earn her love in return in order to break the curse.  The Beast then concealed himself inside his castle and despaired, “for who could learn to love a Beast”.  Complex, impersonal, skeptical, and pragmatic The Beast makes for a great example of a Rational, especially in the realm of romance.  Indeed many Rationals draw parallels to The Beast in their romantic lives, but as Belle finds out, The Beast (and Rationals) can in fact be turned into a Prince Charming given the right circumstances.  Indeed once Belle cracks The Beast‘s icy shell, he shows her the castle library, a metaphor for a Rationals vast store of knowledge.  Ultimately of course the couple falls deeply in love, and The Beast‘s curse is lifted to reveal a charming and beautiful prince.  What Beauty and the Beast tells us of course is that the Idealists’ never-ending quest for true love may be a long and arduous one but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

“No matter what kind of persons Idealists marry, however, it is not too much to say that they are the best of all temperaments at creating successful and fulfilling marriages.  Developing harmonious personal relations is their joy and their area of expertise, and they bring all their finest qualities to the enterprise.  Their sensitivity, their spirit of cooperation, their ability to communicate their feelings , their passion for their mates, their desire for deep bonding, their personal warmth and enthusiasm—all these traits work their magic in the NF’s relationships, and more than compensate for their tendency to start up Pygmalion Projects.  Indeed, if we can assume that Pygmalion Projects are an inevitable part of any marriage, that at best such intimate coercion can be kept loving and sympathetic, then Idealists offer their mates the possibility to exceptional happiness.” Please Understand Me II, p. 240

Beauty and the Beast can be seen for the first time ever in three dimensions starting today (Friday) at a theater near you.

Quote1.png [singing] I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. / I want it more than I can tell. / And for once it might be grand / To have someone understand / I want so much more than they’ve got planned…Quote2.png

Belle