Sources
Enrique
Astudillo luis.astudillo@email.wsu.edu
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Space Jam 2
Last week's rumor was that a team was being put together to make Space Jam 2, but the rumor turned out to be untrue.
About Last Night
About Last Night is about how couples handle fears and insecurities in relationships and how to get over them.
WSU Student: Sagal Hussein
WSU Student: Rita Best
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Long Live the King
Gareth Edwards interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKgnRVaaPiY
Bryan Cranston interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XVn2o013ww
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Has Warner Brothers mastered the art of alchemy?
On February 7th Warner Brothers is slated to
release its new spin on movies with its “The Legos Movie”. The first of its
kind to be changed from a toy to a full-fledged Hollywood production, one has
to wonder are we witnessing the future of a brand new marketing strategy?
Warner Brothers coupled with an Australian based animation
company teamed up back in 2009 to bring the first “Brick Imation” movie.
Originally inspired from cult YouTube videos of stop and go animation, “The
Lego Movie” features an all-star cast and a blank check for movie production.
Actors include Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Morgan freeman, Liam Neeson, and
many more.
With such a power house squad of voices and a blank check for
production where will the world of animated films go next? Lego, which at the
moment is a private held company from the Netherlands, stands as the first
company to really use movies to their advantage. Product placement is far but
rare on the silver screen. However to use ones brand as a focal point seems to
make possibilities endless.
When thinking back on movies which try to capture the essence
of toys or comics many come to mind. The world changing “Pokemon” series sprung
a craze which any millennial to this day is more than familiar with. However
this idea that a tangible product which allows children to relive every second
of their favorite movie seems like the Holy Grail of young cinema attractions.
As a passionate movie goer nothing interests me more than the
ever changing movie paradigms of the silver screen. As the movie has not been
released I personally cannot give the review, however Scott Mendelson a
contributor for Forbes had this to say about the film. “The film goes in some
wonderfully unexpected directions and takes real storytelling risks. I cannot
say how everyone will respond to its narrative left turns and unexpected
poignancy, but they elevate to the film far above a glorified toy commercial.
The Lego Movie may in fact be brilliant”.
Between Legos record breaking Christmas sales and a full
blown Hollywood hit, its hard to believe that other major toy company’s don’t “pick
up the blocks” to build their own movie/toy empires.
Works Cited- "'Lego: The Piece of Resistance' Moves up to February 7, 2014 | Collider | Page 205471". Collider. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
- "The Lego Movie (U)". Warner Bros. British Board of Film Classification. January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- "'Lego Movie' Can Save Warner Bros. Animation". Forbes. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
- ^ Horrorella (October 31, 2013). "New Trailer Has Arrived for 'The Lego Movie'!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
- ThE_JacO (November 1, 2013). "'The Lego Movie' Official Main Trailer". CG Society. Retrieved November 1, 2013. "Nope, that comment is a misquote of what Chris and Phil said. They said there is a live action part, not a stop motion one. The journalist assumed photographic stop motion. Every single pixel of that trailer is CG."
Fast and Furious 7
The action film series based on illegal
street racing and heists is back. “Fast and Furious 7” is scheduled to appear
on the big screen April 10, 2015. The popular franchise will continue its
seventh installment despite Paul Walker’s death. It appears that Director James
Wan and screenwriter Chris Morgan found a way to respectfully dismiss Walker’s
character from the “Fast” franchise using scenes already shot.
Walker was killed in a car crash November
30, 2013 in Santa Clarita, California. The vehicle he was riding in crashed into
a tree and a light pole, causing the vehicle to burst into flames. The driver
of the vehicle, Walker’s friend and financial adviser, also passed away. Prior
to the car accident, the two men had just left a car show for Walker’s charity
foundation called Reach Out Worldwide. The event was designed to assist and support
victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
The news of Walker’s death escalated
quickly via different social media. Fans of the franchise began to question the
seventh and future installments. Several days after the tragedy, Universal Studios
stopped production to decide the fate of the “Fast” franchise. According to The
Hollywood Reporter (THR), almost half of Walker’s footage was done when he died
and $150 million was spent on production. Starting a new script was an option,
but executives chose to retrieve footage already shot. The Epoch Times also discussed
the possibility of Walker’s younger brother Cody Walker taking over his role in
the seventh installment.
Walker played Brian O’Conner, an
undercover cop who later joins forces with a ring of car thieves. According to
THR, O’Conner will appear in the seventh installment, which means some elements
of the script will change in order to accommodate him in the story. Eventually,
Universal Studios will take O’Conner out of the story without killing his
character off or removing him completely. It is still unclear how this will be
done, but a release date has been set and that could only mean one thing – Wan
and Morgan have already decided the fate of the “Fast” franchise.
My brother Enrique Astudillo has been a “Fast
and Furious” fan from the start. He is thrilled about the seventh installment.
“I want to know what happens with the rest of the story. The sixth movie left
me wanting more,” he said. Although Walker’s character will be removed from the
story, Astudillo remains positive. “I believe the film will focus less on Paul
Walker’s death. The director and screenwriter will find a way to create an
action-packed film rather than a sad film plot,” he said.
I asked my roommate Ashish Suntosh about
his view on the “Fast and Furious” franchise and he was not as positive as
Astudillo. “Universal Studios should start over and change Paul Walker’s
character to another actor or just not make the movie at all,” he said. Suntosh
does not like the idea that Walker will still appear in the seventh installment
even after his death. “I think people who watch the film will be disappointed
in so many ways because one of the main characters will either be replaced or
killed in the story,” he said. However, Suntosh is unaware that killing
Walker’s character is not an option.
“Fast
and Furious” fans will have to wait a little over a year to see how the seventh
installment goes. I am so glad the film is set to debut later rather than
sooner.
Sources
Enrique
Astudillo luis.astudillo@email.wsu.edu
Ashish Suntosh ashish.suntosh@email.wsu.edu
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