Tag: Based On Book

Is it the Wild Life in this CGI Take on Robinson Crusoe?

large_robinson_crusoe_ver2

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Don’t ask me why, but after seeing The Wild Life, a computer animated spin on the Robinson Crusoe legend, I now have the Talking Heads‘ 1986 hit song stuck in my head. This band’s track expounds a different kind of adventure of a human sexual variety while the theatrical film takes its inspiration from Madagascar.

One question pops up though: just how the heck did Mak the parrot, Rosie the warthog, Carmello the chameleon, Pango the pangolin, Epi the echidna, Scrubby the goat and Kiki the kingfisher end up on a desolate and mostly rocky island in the middle of nowhere anyways? My guess is that they got washed up after some storm picked them up from their natural habitats and forced them here. They more or less live a contented life until a human comes ashore.

Continue reading “Is it the Wild Life in this CGI Take on Robinson Crusoe?”

Worst Witch to Return to Television with Game of Thrones’ Lyanna Mormont

bella-ramsey-game-of-thronesBy James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

The Worst Witch will be making its return in a fresh new series on Netflix. The series is based on the books by acclaimed children’s author Jill Murphy and will be targeted at a tween audience. The Worst Witch will follow the ever-clumsy Mildred Hubble and her adventures as a first year student at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Bella Ramsey who was critically acclaimed for her role as Lyanna Mormont in Season 6 of the HBO series Game of Thrones, will play Mildred. Actress Clare Higgins (Doctor Who) will play the role of Potions teacher Miss Cackle, and Downton Abbey‘s Raquel Cassidy will play Deputy Head, Miss Hardbroom. According to The Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) other cast members will be Wendy Craig (The Royal) as Chanting teacher Miss Bat, Jenny Richardson as Mildred’s rival Ethel Hallow, and Meibh Campbell and Tamara Smart will play Mildred’s best friends Maud Moonshine and Enid Nightshade.

Continue reading “Worst Witch to Return to Television with Game of Thrones’ Lyanna Mormont”

Who is the BFF in The BFG?

BFGPosterBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

I’m willing to bet that in North America, those who grew up on CBC’s The Friendly Giant (which had its roots in radio) will get what The BFG is all about. In this film, although the concept is different and written by Roald Dahl who most likely had little awareness of this television show, to have a gentle grandfatherly figure recount tales of yore would really add to this product more. If only some of those ideas could have been put into this film, then just maybe, it would draw those who probably have not read Dahl’s work — but at least heard of the children’s television program — into checking out this film.

The lead, The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), is nicely cast. Mark Rylance has this air of gentleness and his performance must have been motion captured for computer rendering. This modern version certainly pays tribute to the design featured in the animated 1989 film, and while I have not looked at the original books in ages, I certainly took note of the elephantine ears presented in that version. This movie certainly respects the roots and plays with the story somewhat to make it “current” to its timeline. The sets are gorgeous to look at.

Continue reading “Who is the BFF in The BFG?”

[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Adapting Neil Gaiman’s Fortunately, the Milk to Stage, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

IMG_3352 GOOD small

LOCATION:
The Roxy Theatre
2657 Quadra Street
Victoria, BC

SHOWTIMES:
September 1 | 6:00 pm
September 4 | 9:30 pm
September 5 | 8:30 pm
September 6 | 7:15 pm

DURATION: 60 minutes

Anyone familiar with Neil Gaiman‘s Fortunately, the Milk will find Windwhistle Theatre’s adaptation for the Fringe festival circuit captivating. Marion Jeffery is excellent giving life to the spoken word, and she commands the stage. When considering her background includes working at Birmingham Children’s Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama, and performing at The Kennedy Center, no one should be surprised. Both adults and children will be enthralled in how vividly well she can recall the text.

Continue reading “[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Adapting Neil Gaiman’s Fortunately, the Milk to Stage, A Review”

Thar Be Treasures Found in Pirate’s Passage! A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Priate_Passage_620x296-thumb-620xauto-366801

Available for streaming on CBC

Once when the word pirate is uttered, most people will think about the romance of sailing upon the high seas and catching sight of raging sunrises. These folks lived a scoundrel’s life and the only law they obeyed by was their own. Truth be told, life was not always rough; there’s more to how they endured for centuries than in how they are portrayed in cinema. In what one person values as property can become a ransom for high dollars under the right situation. In Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) animated film, Pirate’s Passage, that idea is played for high stakes.

Continue reading “Thar Be Treasures Found in Pirate’s Passage! A Review”

Discovering the Arts in The Giver, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The Giver Poster

* Spoiler Alert

Some audiences may well wonder if they are flipping through a century’s worth of National Geographic magazines when they are halfway through watching the movie, The Giver. The diverse collection of videos and images being used in this film gives this product a uniqueness not usually found for a science fiction film. That’s typically reserved for a documentary about sociology about the evolution of the human condition.

In this future, a utopian society has developed to take away all pain, emotions and memories of the past. Everything that defines a human culture, from its Hunter-Gatherer days to Industrialization (including war mongering and revolution) is lost as it becomes Aquarian. The new world order is strict, controlled and flat. Each person has a defined purpose in this new society and they are not allowed to deviate from it. That is, until Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) finds he’s alone in the Ceremony of Twelve (a rite of passage to help teens transition to adulthood) and is last to be assigned a role. He is identified as someone unique so he has a particular task to fulfill.

Continue reading “Discovering the Arts in The Giver, A Movie Review”