Could this charming musical-comedy be the surprise hit of 2014's festive season?
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Columbia Pictures have this week unveiled the teaser trailer (below) for their upcoming musical-comedy-drama movie Annie. A remake of the 1977 Broadway production and the 1982 film of the same time, this third motion picture rendition features Quvenzhane Wallis (who recently stunned in the Oscar-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)) in its lead role, as well as Django Unchained and The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Jamie Foxx, Knight and Day's Cameron Diaz and X-Men: First Class' Rose Bryne.
More importantly, though, in spite of appearances occasionally being deceptive, this particular version of Annie is looking very promising so far. The marketing team have naturally included iconic tunes such as Tomorrow and I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here to get the old-school fans of this beloved narrative on board sooner rather than later, yet equally, Foxx, Diaz and Bryne's roles in proceedings appear to be substantial as opposed to brief cash-ins on their star status for the solitary purpose of amassing further ticket sales. Launching successfully at Christmas is no mean feat, of course, and with Paddington, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Night at the Museum 3, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 and Into The Woods each set to make their début in December (though one or two of those may end up delayed into 2015), the situation's as challenging as it has ever been for an 'original' effort such as this. As such, Annie's promotional campaign has the unenviable task of matching its competitors throughout the duration of 2014, and if it fails, then it really will have a hard-knock life at the box office in nine months' time.
Annie sweeps its way into cinemas worldwide this December 18th.
Karen Gillan heads over the Pond (see what we did there?) for a chilling horror romp...
Relativity Media have today released the theatrical trailer (below) for their impending horror film Oculus. Starring Doctor Who's Karen Gillan and Riddick's Katee Sackhoff, this American production centres on an orphaned brother and sister who return to the site of their parents' murder in the hope of fulfilling their promise to find and destroy the supernatural entity which tore their family apart.
If the genre of the film didn't make it overt enough, then bear in mind that Oculus looks to be a profound departure from all of Gillan's prior work, Doctor Who included. In this case, though, that distinction might just be its redeeming grace, since the bravery-testing material on offer here seems set to place an emphasis on psychological horror over Paranormal Activity and Saw's traditional jump-scares (and thank goodness, we say!). Any Who star will surely attest to the fact that it's challenging to find a new breakthrough role in the aftermath of their time on the science-fiction drama, yet there's all the makings of a hit that ranks on a par with Gillan's work as Amy Pond here...
Oculus leaps from the mirror into cinemas worldwide on April 11th.
Could this be the most adaptive and topically relevant marketing campaign yet?
Walt Disney Pictures have today released two further television advertisements (below) for their imminent comedy movie Muppets Most Wanted. The sequel to The Muppets sees a dastardly criminal who bears a striking resemblance to Kermit the Frog steal the identity of The Muppet Show's iconic host in an attempt to escape imprisonment and pull off the crime of the century.
Hot on the heels of the Academy Awards 2014 ceremony and its live broadcast, the first of the two aforementioned spots- 'Let It Go Review'- cites a recommendation for the sequel from none other than "Adele Dazeem", better known to the US viewing public as John Travolta's unfortunate stab at introducing Idina Menzel (no, we don't quite know how you could fluff that one up either). As if that weren't enough to garner laughs aplenty from anyone with even a passing interest in the entertainment industry, the studio followed it up with a spot entitled 'Confusing Plot' that hilariously strives to disentangle the supposedly convoluted narrative at the heart of the follow-up- much as is the case with the former video of the pair, it quite simply has to be seen to be believed (and, indeed, to warm up your evening in the midst of the irksome British winds currently battering our fine nation).
Muppets Most Wanted capers into UK cinemas nationwide on March 28th.
The Dogs are a'coming in the final days of the Spring...
Ubisoft Montreal have today announced the global launch date for their open-world third-person-shooter video game Watch Dogs. First announced at E3 2012, this hugely-anticipated product's narrative focuses on Aiden Pearce, an expert hacker whose skills are tested to the limit in a world where information is power and thus knowledge is the key to survival.
The original plan at Ubisoft was to send this one to retail at the same time as the launches of Microsoft and Sony's Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles respectively four months ago. However, a major delay was instigated at the last minute as the developers elected to hone the game and its various assets for a while longer, and until today, we were left with an ambiguous 'Spring 2014' release window. One way or another, the extent of the commercial success of impending titles such as South Park: The Stick of Truth and Titanfall this month will likely determine how Watch Dogs' launch pans out financially, but the greater question facing its developers and publishers at this stage will no doubt be whether their fans still hold faith in the product's quality after the numerous setbacks it has suffered in the past twelve months or so (though the newly-announced PS4 and PS3 bundles with the title may at least put it in some good stead). The latest gameplay trailer, featuring release details and new footage, can be found below.
Watch Dogs will retail on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC this May 27th.
It's time for another of On-Screen's exclusive feature series to make its comeback...
As you may have already noticed, this year marks something of an overhaul for On-Screen in terms of its daily output, not least through an increased emphasis on providing opinions on the latest entertainment news, releases and industrial developments. On top of that, through a variety of new and updated features, we're further ensuring that every word you read here at the blog is custom-tailored to provide the most comprehensive, personalised and engaging coverage on the internet.
Next up in our assortment of renewed feature series is our semi-regular 'Top 5 All-Time Greats' saga. Whereas last year we would publish these types of articles infrequently and on the spur of the moment, in 2014, they will be timed to coincide with relevant upcoming and/or impending releases of the same ilk. In this instance, with Frozen's return to cinemas in the form of its Sing-Along Edition and its success at the Oscars with Let It Go's acquisition of the 'Best Original Song' award, we're heading back to the roots of Walt Disney Pictures, counting down the five greatest hand-drawn works from the studio (with memorable clips from each one included below the précis):
5. TARZAN (1999)- Set to the backdrop of an African jungle, in essence Tarzan is the tale of a man's struggle to discover his true identity and heritage. Like the Oedipal narrative of old, the truth does not come without its devastating and life-threatening consequences, but this mythological vine-swinging hero endures his hardships and does it with the electrifying sounds of Phil Collins constantly accompanying him, which can only be a good thing. It's no wonder that this one spawned its own TV show on Disney Channel (in fact, The Jungle Book is this list's only entry which did not do so), since its rich world and its diverse inhabitants (both human and otherwise) had the potential to spawn countless spin-offs and follow-ups, even if all of those were ultimately inferior to the franchise's incredible début.
4. THE JUNGLE BOOK (1967)- "Look for the Bear Necessities, the simple Bear Necessities, forget about your worries and your strife"- now, try getting that one out of your head for the remainder of the day! Rudyard Kipling's 1894 short story collection The Jungle Book was already a classic before Disney set about adapting it, and yet with their stunning late-1960s animated effort, the studio ensured without a shadow of a doubt that Kipling's fable-esque narratives would never be forgotten again (hence why we're getting a rebooted live-action version from that same studio later this year...). Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, King Louie, the list of iconic animals littering the well-rounded character ensemble is endless, as is the variety of infectious songs which are placed at frequent yet scarcely overwhelming intervals throughout the dark-but-still uplifting narrative. The Jungle Book 2 may have flopped dramatically in its vain attempt to rekindle the series' legacy four decades later, however that can't possibly hamper our memory of one of Disney's finest musical works to date.
3. LILO & STITCH (2002)- Perhaps Disney's best animated instalment of the 21st Century so far (and certainly their superior post-1999 hand-drawn motion picture), Lilo & Stitch has a youthful innocence about its art-style, its humour and its narrative that's impossible to love. It takes some nerve to riff on Mary Shelley's classic horror novel Frankenstein, let alone to then reimagine its iconic plot in a completely new setting and to take on a vastly contrasting trajectory, and yet Stitch achieves all of these feats with a gusto which was sorely lacking in the studio's last hand-drawn outing, The Princess and the Frog (2009). Perhaps it's the numerous Elvis allusions, perhaps it's the seamless integration of Disney moral values into a culture unlike any they had tackled before, or perhaps it's something entirely- the beauty of Lilo & Stitch is that it's impossible to narrow down the source of its inherent charm and joyous hold over the audience to one single aesthetic or structural aspect, such is its dominantly demonstrated ability to excel in all areas of modern filmic storytelling.
2. THE LION KING (1994)- Between the West End show, its Broadway run, its countless re-releases and the still-booming merchandise surrounding it, The Lion King has a strong claim to the title of the most successful Disney animated film of all-time (even if Frozen is catching it up fast in the worldwide box office right now)- and rightly so, we might add. Even though Star Wars' James Earl Jones and Mr Bean's Rowan Atkinson feature amongst the cast ensemble, they're mere supporting acts to Matthew Broderick and Moira Kelly, both of whom own the (metaphorical, in this case) stage as Simba and Nala respectively. There are comparisons aplenty out there between this gem and Hamlet, but if anything, to limit our discussion of The Lion King does disjustice to a narrative which so often surpasses its (alleged) inspiration in terms of ambition and narrative cohesion, and covers arguably far more didactic beats in the process.
1. ALADDIN (1992)- From the moment that an eccentric, seemingly omniscient merchant wanders casually through the blazing deserts of Arabia into its gleaming city, whistling the instantly mesmerising tune of Arabian Nights along the way, it's obvious that we've stepped into a unique, awe-inspiring animated masterpiece. In no respect do Aladdin's narrative, soundtrack, characters, voice actors or any of its contributory aesthetic elements fail to satisfy on this lofty-but-apt promise. Instead, they war (gracefully, of course) for the throne of this fast-paced, thematically assured wonder's shining highlight. The result of their ensuing conflict? As is the case with all five of these classic motion pictures, no singular aspect comes out on top, allowing for a dynamic and wholly enthralling equilibrium whereby none of those aforementioned elements fade upon being held up to scrutiny; quite to the contrary, further analysis of such elements only earns them a greater respect from us, the audience, than we could ever have imagined. They say that the phrase "those were the days" is an outdated cliché unto itself, but in the case of Disney's half-century spanning Golden Age of animated cinema, no idiom speaks more truly of our wholly warranted nostalgia!
Patrick Ness' award-winning teen novel hits the big screen in 2016!
Lionsgate International and Focus Features have today announced the production of a film adaptation of beloved American author Patrick Ness' teen drama novel A Monster Calls. The news follows Lionsgate's confirmation last year that an adaptation of Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy opener The Knife of Never Letting Go was in the works, although no production details have been revealed on the latter save for that its screenplay will be penned by Being John Malkovich's Charlie Kaufman.
In Monster's case, however, we do know a little more about what to expect and when to expect it. Short of a last-minute cop out from his current negotiations, The Impossible and World War Z director Juan Antonio will helm the adaptation when it commences production next year. Moreover, the film's producers will include Bill Pohlad, Mitch Horwitz, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King and Pan's Labyrinth's Belen Atienza. More than anything, the announcement serves as a worthy continuation of the legacy of the late Siobhan Dowd, who passed away during her original penning of the novel and whose storyline premise inspired Ness to re-start her work and complete the spellbinding tale in her memory. Rest In Peace, Siobhan.
A Monster Calls creeps into cinemas worldwide in Autumn 2016.
Two Doctor Who veterans are confirmed to pen further episodes for its next run.
The official Doctor Who Magazine has today announced the writers (and director) of the fourth and fifth episodes of the BBC's science-fiction drama Doctor Who's eighth season. Set to broadcast this Autumn, the twelve-part run (which will be followed by the show's tenth consecutive Christmas Special) will star Peter Capaldi as the Doctor for the first time, while Jenna Coleman will reprise her role as Clara Oswald.
Here's a round-up of the production details which we know so far about the first six episodes of Season Eight:
EPISODE ONE (TITLE TBC)- Written By Steven Moffat; Directed By Ben Wheatley
EPISODE TWO (TITLE TBC)- Written By Phil Ford; Directed By Ben Wheatley
EPISODE THREE (TITLE TBC)- Written By TBC; Directed By Paul Murphy
EPISODE FOUR (TITLE TBC)- Written By Steven Moffat; Directed By Douglas McKinnon
EPISODE FIVE (TITLE TBC)- Written By Steve Thompson; Directed By Douglas McKinnon
EPISODE SIX (TITLE TBC)- Written By TBC; Directed By Paul Murphy
Doctor Who returns for its eighth season of voyages through time and space on BBC One this August.
Could this charming musical-comedy be the surprise hit of 2014's festive season?
