Fun Film Fact 1/13/12

The return of the Fun Film Fact!!!

Today is Orlando Bloom's 35th birthday, so here's a fun fact about him:

Orlando Bloom originally auditioned for the part of Faramir in The Lord of Rings trilogy. The part went to David Wenham, but Bloom was asked to audition for Legolas instead. He found out he won the part of Legolas two days before he graduated from drama school and thus began his film career.

 

The Virtual World of Andy Serkis

The invention of motion capture has revolutionized the science of film-making. Motion capture (called mocap for short) is a way of creating realistic movements. It is the process of capturing a real object (usually a person) in a 3D space and mapping it onto a computer generated object. Here's how it works: The actor is filmed in a mocap studio that is surrounded by special cameras. The actor wears a skin-tight body suit that has markers placed in strategic locations all over it. The markers are detected by the mocap cameras. Using special software, the actor's movements are translated onto a digital character that is then fully animated. (Does that make sense? I just spent about half an hour trying to word that in the least confusing way possible.)

The mocap suit:

Are you intrigued? Read more after the jump.

Fun Film Fact 08/01/11

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
The song that Pippin (Billy Boyd) sings to Lord Denethor that plays as the Gondorian army rides to reclaim the city of Osgiliath was written by Billy Boyd two days before the scene was shot. The writers gave him the lyrics they wanted and Boyd wrote the music.

Billy Boyd is an amazing musician. He's the lead singer for a band called Beecake. They're pretty awesome. This is their song "Rip It Up."

Fun Film Fact 07/20/11

THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY
Director Peter Jackson has a cameo in each of the films.
Fellowship of the Ring: He is the man eating the carrot as the four hobbits walk through the village of Bree in the rain to get to the Prancing Pony.
Two Towers: He is a Rohan soldier during the battle at Helm's Deep and he throws an arrow through a hole at an Urik-Hai.
Return of the King: He is the sailor that Legolas kills outside the mountain after the Army of the Dead sequence.

Fun Film Fact 06/26/11

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
There's a scene at the end of the film where Sam runs after Frodo into the river and nearly drowns. The shot of Sam underwater was not shot underwater at all. Sean Astin was just standing in a studio with a powerful fan underneath him to make his cloak appear as if it were floating.

Fun Film Fact 06/22/11

Three generations of Astins have made movies with Peter Jackson. John Astin played The Judge in The Frighteners. His son, Sean, played Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings. And Sean's daughter, Alexandra, played Elanor Gamgee (Sam's daughter) in Return of the King.

I know I've been posting a lot about Lord of the Rings recently. For some reason they've been on my mind a lot these days....

I promise I'll branch out :)

Fun Film Fact 06/21/11

BACK TO THE FUTURE: PART II (1989)
The first time Elijah Wood, best known for playing Frodo Baggins in The Lord of Rings, ever appeared on film is in this movie. He plays "Video Game Boy." He's the little kid playing the arcade game in one of the scenes in the diner. He's the kid in the red. (And yes, his eyes were enormous back then too.)

My Top 15 Movie Dads

In celebration of Father's Day here's a countdown of my favorite movie dads.
Mind you, this is not a list of the BEST dads (Jimmy Markum and Darth Vader could use some parenting classes). It's just a list of my favorite father figures from film. <<Bonus points for alliteration

#15 Mr. Fox
FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009)
Voiced by George Clooney

If you haven't see Fantastic Mr. Fox (which a lot of people haven't because it tanked at the box office) I would definitely recommend it. It's based on a Roald Dahl book and it's a beautiful little stop-motion movie made by Wes Anderson about a community of animals (foxes, badgers, weasels and the like) who decide to take on the three terrible farmers who are constantly trying to kill them. Yes, it sounds generic and fluffy, but it's not. It's really funny and witty. Mr. Fox is a master at breaking into the various farms and stealing chickens and apples and cookies, but when he and Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) decide to start a family, he has a hard time settling down. The best relationship in the movie is between Mr. Fox and his son Ash. Ash is shy and self-conscious and Mr. Fox is sometimes disappointed that his son isn't bold and daring like he is. Go rent it. I know you'll like it.

 

#14 Lord Elrond

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)

Played by Hugo Weaving

BEWARE OF SPOILERS

Lord Elrond is in all three Rings movies, but his fatherly role is best in the third film. He loves his daughter, Arwen, very much and it breaks his heart to see her fall in love with Aragorn, a human. If she chooses to stay with him, she will forfeit her elven immortality. He tries to make her leave Middle Earth with the other elves to save her, but she ultimately chooses to stay with Aragorn. My favorite Elrond moment in all three films is a scene where he doesn't even say a word. It's at the end when Aragorn is crowned king and he sees Arwen for the first time since leaving Rivendell back in Fellowship of the Ring. There is a two-shot of Arwen with Elrond in the background. As she goes to Aragorn, Hugo Weaving has the most incredible look on his face. It's a combination of happiness for his daughter and sadness for her mortality. It's a beautiful acting moment.

#13 Daniel
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)
Played by Liam Neeson

Daniel is a widower and when his wife died, he was left to take care of her son, his stepson. Love Actually is all about love in its many forms. My favorite relationship in the film is between the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) and his assistant, but a close second is the relationship between Daniel and Sam (Thomas Sangster). (As a side note I would just like to say that I'm not sure I've ever seen a kid with bigger eyes than Thomas Sangster's.) The relationship spins out basically just how you would expect: They start out distant and slowly but surely events in their lives bring them closer together (in this case it's that Sam needs advice about how to get a girl in his class to notice him) and by the end they're as close as if they were biological father and son. Though the plot line is fairly generic, the acting is great and there are some fantastic scenes between the two of them. My favorite is the scene where they watch Titanic together. The scene ends with the greatest line: "Come on, Dad. Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love."

#12 Chris Gardner
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (2006)
Played by Will Smith

In The Pursuit of Happyness you watch Chris Gardner's situation go from bad to worse to almost unwatchable destitution and all the while he has his son with him. After they get evicted, they go from one homeless shelter to another, just barely getting by. I have a hard time watching the scene where they are forced to spend a night in the bathroom of the subway station. But Chris is incredibly devoted to his son and almost everything he does is meant to ensure a better future for Christopher, Jr. A cool fact about the film is that Christopher, Jr. is played by Will Smith's actual son, Jaden Smith.

#11 Mac MacGuff
JUNO (2007)
Played by J.K. Simmons

So often in movies geared toward teenagers the parents are made to be one-dimensional ding-bats, but in Juno both of Juno's parents are so wonderfully three-dimensional. Mac MacGuff is a hard-working blue-collar dad who loves his kids very much. My favorite scene with him is the scene where Juno tells her parents that she is pregnant. Instead of blowing up and being incredibly angry, he's disappointed. He's also sad for his daughter because he knows it means she's going to have to grow up a lot sooner than planned. It's that sort of unconditional love for his kids that makes me love Mac MacGuff. He also has some of the best one-liners in the movie. His response to learning that Bleeker is the father makes me laugh so hard. "I didn't know he had it in him."

 

#10 Arthur Weasley

HARRY POTTER

Played by Mark Williams

There are a lot of father-figures in the Harry Potter books and films and, though he isn't my favorite father-figure, I adore Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley is very much a substitute mother to Harry, but Mr. Weasley isn't so much a substitute father. He's more of a loveable, absent-minded uncle. Arthur is the father of seven and he works so hard at a thankless job. The thing I love most about the Weasley family is that no matter how poor they are, they are always so happy and loving. My favorite quality in Mr. Weasley is his love of Muggles. The best scenes with him are when he mispronounces things or asks Harry endless questions about batteries or rubber ducks. Mark Williams is perfectly cast. When he is introduced in Chamber of Secrets you like him right off the bat. His first scene is the morning after the twins and Ron rescue Harry in the flying car. Though Mr. Weasley scolds his children, he is secretly impressed by the brilliance of their plan. 

#9 Jimmy Markum

MYSTIC RIVER (2003)

Played by Sean Penn

BEWARE OF SPOILERS

When his teenage daughter is murdered, Jimmy Markum sets out on a violent crusade to avenge her death. Instead of letting the cops do their job, he decides to take things into his own hands. Sean Penn, in his first Oscar-winning role, plays him with such ferocity and intensity. Though he is angry and violent, Jimmy also has two other daughters, which softens him up a bit. This is my favorite Sean Penn performance because of the incredible range he displays. There's the scene at the beginning of the movie where he makes funny faces at his daughter as she walks down the aisle at her First Communion that's so heart-warming and fun. Then there's the scene at the very end in the bar where he and two of his friends corner the man he suspects of murdering his daughter. It's an intensely disturbing scene. My favorite acting moment is the scene where he learns his daughter has been murdered. As he screams and yells and cries, he has to be restrained by seven policemen. I found it hard to watch the first time I saw it. Clint Eastwood shot it in a cool way, with the camera slowly pulling away overhead.

#8 Robert Parr/ Mr. Incredible

THE INCREDIBLES (2004)

Voiced by Craig T. Nelson

In the beginning scenes of The Incredibles Robert Parr is bored with his job and annoyed with having to keep his superpowers a secret. He loves his wife and kids, but he's stuck in a rut. He jumps at the opportunity to reclaim his super-identity and in the process of becoming a superhero again, he becomes a super dad. My favorite scene is when he thinks his family has been killed by Syndrome. The preceding scene of Helen Parr and the kids dodging the missiles is intensely exciting and so the next scene is intensely sad. Those geniuses at Pixar....

 #7 Ben Parker

SPIDERMAN (2002)

Played by Cliff Robertson

I know Ben Parker is Peter's uncle, but for all intents and purposes, he's Peter's father. Uncle Ben is so loving and joyful and I just adore him. Uncle Ben's death is what ultimately makes Peter decide to become Spiderman and he influences a lot of Peter's actions even after he's dead. Cliff Robertson plays Uncle Ben with such warmth and understanding. He also has the greatest line ever in a superhero movie: "Remember, with great power comes great responsiblity." The Spiderman franchise is being rebooted and the first film, The Amazing Spiderman, has just wrapped filming. I am SO jazzed about the new cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Sally Field and guess who's playing Uncle Ben. MARTIN SHEEN! I love everything Martin Sheen does: The West Wing, The Departed, Wall Street, so I can't wait to see him as Ben Parker.

#6 Mufasa

THE LION KING (1994)

Voiced by James Earl Jones

I would have to say that Mufasa is the most powerful dad on this list. Not only does he have an incredibly powerful voice, he has an incredibly powerful onscreen presence, which is very rare for an animated movie, especially one about animals. I'm not sure if there's another animated character that even comes close. It's also rare for a movie geared toward children to have such a prominent death theme. Almost every scene Mufasa is in, he talks about death. In the scene where he shows Simba the pridelands, he talks about how death is just part of the circle of life. In the next scene, he saves Simba from being killed by the hyenas. Then in the next scene, he talks about how the stars are the kings of old and how he will one day join them. And then finally, he has a death scene. I love how honest Mufasa is with Simba. I always believe the truth is best and I hate it when adults lie to kids because they don't think the kids can handle the truth. Sure, a lie protects them for the moment, but the truth is always better in the long run.

#5 Marlin

FINDING NEMO (2003)

Voiced by Albert Brooks

Marlin is another perfect example of unconditional love overcoming all odds. After his wife is eaten by a barracuda, Marlin is terrified of the ocean. He sees danger everywhere, so he shelters Nemo from everything. When Nemo is taken by scuba-divers, Marlin's only mission is to find his son. His fears go out the window because Nemo is all that matters to him. He escapes sharks, jellyfish, and whales and rides the EAC with totally mellow sea turtles, all in pursuit of Nemo. As the pelicans say, "That's one dedicated father."

#4 Jimmy Braddock

CINDERELLA MAN (2005)

Played by Russell Crowe

Cinderella Man is based on the true story of Jimmy Braddock. During the Great Depression James Braddock was a down-and-out boxer who made a huge comeback. He was seen as a sign of hope by many destitute Americans. I love the tagline of the movie: "When the country was on its knees, he brought us to our feet." In the movie, Jimmy and his wife Mae (Renee Zelleweger) have three children to care of during a time when it is extremely difficult to find work. Many families around them have sent their children away to live with relatives who can take care of them, but Jimmy refuses to let his children go. I have two favorite fathering moments in this movie. The first is a scene at the beginning of the movie where one of the young sons steals a salami from the deli. Jimmy scolds him and takes him to the deli to return it and they have a wonderful scene outside the deli. Jimmy tells Jay to never steal again and Jay admits he stole it because he knows how poor they are and he wanted to help. My other favorite scene is when Mae decides to send the children away without telling Jimmy. Jimmy has been shut out of the boxing world for some time and he comes home to find the children gone. He immediately goes to Madison Square Garden where he begs for money from the boxing big-wigs who are all still prosperous. He is literally hat-in-hand. Certain movies make me cry, but I also have certain actors who, when they cry, make me cry. Russell Crowe is one of those actors and that is one of those scenes.

#3 Darth Vader

STAR WARS

Played by David Prowse, Voiced by James Earl Jones

Darth Vader is one of the most well-known movie fathers of all time. Even people who haven't seen Star Wars know "I am your father." (He never says "Luke, I am your father." Get your facts straight people.) Given that he repeatedly tries to kill his children and then slices off his son's arm, I would say that Vader lands on the lower end of the 'good parenting skills' scale. However, he eventually sees the error of his ways and has a very sad final scene with Luke as he dies.

#2 Dr. Wilbur Larch

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (1999)

Played by Michael Caine

Dr. Larch is the doctor at the Saint Cloud Orphanage. Though he isn't anyone's biological father, he is the only male on the staff, so he becomes the father-figure for all the children at the orphanage. Homer Welles (Tobey Maguire) grows particularly close to Dr. Larch and Dr. Larch trains him to be a doctor. One of my favorite lines of Larch's is during a voice-over at the beginning where he talks about Homer: "I named him Homer, after the Greek poet, and Welles because he seemed...deep." Michael Caine won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this role, and rightly so. Dr. Larch is loving and caring, but also very lonely. He has many demons, including an addiction to ether. The writing (which also won an Oscar) is beautiful and Dr. Larch is an incredibly realistic character. Every night when he puts the boys to bed, he reads to them and there are a number of fantastic scenes where he reads from David Copperfield. And each night as he turns out the light he says, "Goodnight you princes of Maine, you kings of New England." One of the reasons I love The Cider House Rules so much is because it is a beautiful movie about New England. 

AND FINALLY....

#1 Captain Von Trapp

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)

Played by Christopher Plummer

The Sound of Music is my absolute favorite musical and I love Capt. Von Trapp because of his character arc. He is a widower and a retired naval officer and, though he appears to be more of a drill sergeant than a father at first, he loves his children very deeply. At first he finds Maria's presence in his home irritating and her love of music unacceptable, but he soon falls in love with her. The Nazis want Capt. Von Trapp to serve in the German navy and he is vehemently opposed to the idea, so he devises an escape plan. Capt. Von Trapp will literally climb mountains for his children. Christopher Plummer is a master actor. In the beginning scenes when he is ordering his children around with a whistle, he can come off as a one-note character, but Plummer's acting makes the character seem real. And of course by the end of the movie he is expressing his love towards his children and Maria in a much more overt way. My favorite scene is when he sings "Edelweiss." There's some serious acting going on as he sings. (I know he's dubbed, but this is one of those cases where I just don't care.) It's a beautiful scene.

And there you have it. My Top 15 Movie Dads. Let me know who some of your favorites are in the comments!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Fun Film Fact 06/18/11

THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Sir Ian McKellan (Gandalf) is wearing a prosthetic nose that makes his nose bigger and pointier because the filmmakers wanted him to look just how Gandalf is described in the books.

Favorite Oscar-Winning Original Songs

The category of Best Original Song was first introduced at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934. Each year the song writers and composers who are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences (AMPAS) nominate 3-5 songs that were written especially for a film and then the Academy as a whole votes for the best one.

The genre with the most songs on my iPod is Soundtrack. I love movie scores and original movie songs. The right song can make a world of difference to particular scene. In the late 80's to late 90's Disney ruled this category, winning it seven times in 11 years. People often refer to this period as the Second Golden Age of Disney.

However, within the last 10 years or so a new trend has sprung up: Instead of the song fitting into a scene in the movie, the song is more of a companion piece to the film and often plays during the end credits. Usually the song will be lyrics set the movie's score or the other way around, with the movie's score being based on the song.

Here are a few of my favorite Oscar-winning original songs:

"Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
By Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer 

"Moon River" is one of the most famous songs ever written for a film. It's a song about having a dream, wanting something greater that what you have now. When we first meet Holly Golightly, she seems like a bit of a floozy with good intentions, but then she sings this song. Holly is sitting on her fire escape in very simple clothes (very unlike the high-fashion she wears the rest of the movie) playing the guitar and singing. I love that this is actually Audrey Hepburn's voice. (She was dubbed in My Fair Lady.) She sings the song with such longing and the audience gets to see a new side to Holly.

"When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt (1998)
By Stephen Schwartz

Stephen Schwartz has written some of the most famous musicals of the last 40 years: Wicked, Pocahontas, Godspell, Children of Eden, Enchanted and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, to name a few, but this song is his crowning glory, in my opinion. After years of religious education I didn't think there was yet another way to tell the story of Moses, but when I first saw The Prince of Egypt when I was about 11, I was blown away. This movie is so incredibly well done. It appeals to all age-groups and almost everyone I've talked to finds it incredibly moving. "When You Believe" is sung by Miriam, Moses' sister, and Moses' wife, Tzipporah. The Hebrews' prayers to God have gone unanswered and they are beginning to lose faith. This song lifts their spirits (and the audience's) during their exodus from Egypt. The lyrics, which include some Hebrew, are beautiful. The story of Moses is epic to begin with and this song makes it more so. I get chills when I watch this scene.

"Fame" from Fame (1980)
by Michael Gare and Dean Pitchford

"Fame" is another song about having big dreams, but unlike "Moon River" it is upbeat and more confident-sounding. The singer wants, above all, fame and is willing to do whatever is takes to get there. My mom has the original Fame record album and I first heard this song play on my dad's record player in the kitchen of my house. It got me tapping my toes immediately and the next day I went out and rented the movie. The song plays during an awesome scene where all the kids from the performing arts school dance in the streets and on top of cars in New York City. Recently, there was a remake of Fame and, as with most remakes, it was not nearly as good as the first. The original is the only way to go.

"You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan (1999)

By Phil Collins

The music in Tarzan is different from other animated Disney movies. The songs comment on the scenes instead of the characters actually singing them. A bunch of Disney movies have one or two songs like this ("Circle of Life," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight") but in Tarzan every song is like this EXCEPT for "You'll Be In My Heart." Kala sings a simple version of it to baby Tarzan near the beginning of the movie. Since this is the only song sung by a character, it makes it stand out. The song has the universal messages of acceptance and unconditional love. The full version, sung by Phil Collins, is so uplifting and heart-felt.

"Into The West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

By Howard Shore and Annie Lennox

 

*SPOILER ALERT*

The thing I love about this song is that a lot of the lyrics are straight from Tolkien's original text:

And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.

Those are the final lines of Frodo's journey in the book. There are different interpretations of what happens to Frodo in the West. I believe the Undying Lands are a metaphor for Heaven, thus Frodo is dying. "Into The West" is about death, but it is not sad, it's hopeful. It's about the beauty of death and how dying means a new beginning. Though the song plays during the end credits, the melody is heard throughout the movie. Interestingly, it plays during scenes about death. For example, there is a huge sweeping version of the melody during one of the most memorable moments from the film, Sam and Frodo on the slopes of Mount Doom. Frodo is ready to give in to the power of the Ring and perish, and Sam saves him. "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!" Check it out. 

*END SPOILER ALERT*
 

"Streets of Philadelphia" from Philadelphia (1993)

By Bruce Springsteen

This song plays during the opening credits of Philadelphia. It is set to images of real people from many walks of life in Philadelphia. The song is a rock ballad about love, loss and change. You listen to it and picture a destitute person with hard life and has very little hope left. I love that this is a Bruce Springsteen song because it shows the incredible range he has.

"My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (1997)

By James Horner and Celine Dion

Many people regard this song as a pop cheese-fest, but I think it's a beautiful song. Jack and Rose's story is one of the most epic love stories of modern times and it deserves a powerful, dramatic song. This is a classic case of lyrics being set to the movie's score, which also won the Academy Award. I'm not a fan of Dion's other music, but there is no denying she an incredible voice. This song is so hard to sing (watch almost any season of American Idol for evidence) and she sings it with real emotion and heart.

"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" from Butch Cassidy the Sundance Kid (1969)

By Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

A lot of people don't know that this classic song was originally written for a movie. This scene from Butch Cassidy is one of my all-time favorite Paul Newman scenes. Katharine Ross sits on the handlebars of his bike as they ride through the countryside. The thing I love most about it is that the main characters of the movie are gangsters and criminals, but they are also just people who enjoy the simple things in life like goofing around on a bike. The song is so care-free and fun.

Lord of the Rings Special Event

About a month ago it was announced that the Lord of the Rings extended editions would be re-released in theaters for one day only in order to promote the movies coming out on Blu-Ray. Naturally, when I heard this news I was SO excited. I was 9 when the first one came out. I know tons of young kids saw them in theaters but, at the time, I had no interest. I like to tell people that I was preoccupied with the #1 fantasy franchise of the decade and so the #2 franchise passed me by.

I have a mental list of movies that I wish would be re-released in theaters because I know they will be amazing on the big screen, Lord of the Rings being among them. I think I'm most excited to see Fellowship because I know The Shire and Rivendell (my two favorite locations) will be absolutely gorgeous.

If you haven't seen these movies, this is a great opportunity to get hooked. They are some of the most epic movies ever made and, like most epics, their splendor will be multiplied a hundred-fold on the big screen.

Here are details:

• They will be playing in participating AMC theaters across the country. Click here and scroll down this page to find a link the list of participating theaters.
• They are being released on three consecutive Tuesdays: Fellowship on June 14, Two Towers on June 21, and Return of the King on June 28.
• They will be TOTALLY AWESOME.

I have my tickets. Do you have yours?

In The Beginning

One of the most crucial choices a director has to make is how to begin a movie. A good movie opening will set the tone and introduce the characters, but a GREAT movie opening makes an audience sit up a little straighter. It should force an audience to give their full attention. It should grab an audience and suck them into the film. I know there are scores of films that could fit into this list, but for now here are a few of my favorites. I promise, I did try to make this post shorter than my previous ones, but I couldn't help it. I just have a lot say ;)


CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981)
The beginning sequence of Chariots of Fire is one of the most recognizable openings to a movie ever, mainly because of Vangelis' score. If you haven't seen the movie you've probably seen this scene parodied somewhere (i.e. Madagascar) or you've at least heard the music. The movie begins in 1978 at the funeral of Harold Abrahams, one of the members of the British running team that competed in the 1924 Olympics. It then cuts back in time to 1924 to the team running on the beach. One continuous slow-motion shot introduces you to different members of the team. The first time you see the movie you don't who they are, but the next time you see it, you notice that each character is running in a way that suggests their personality. Harold looks very stoic and focused. Andrew is care-free and loose. Eric is joyful, but determined ("I believe God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure"). I've watched this scene so many times that when I listen to the soundtrack on my iPod I can picture it all in my head.

Here's the Madagascar scene:
(It's from the Spanish version of the movie, so it's not actually Ben Stiller and Chris Rock's voices. Come on, Youtube, work with me here.)

THE LION KING (1994)
The very first note of "Circle of Life" jolts you awake at the beginning of The Lion King. Elton John's Academy Award-nominated song accompanies the epic animation as the many species of the pride lands come together to celebrate the birth of the new lion prince. The scene builds and builds until the music reaches its peak as Simba is presented and all the animals rear in adulation and then bow. I've seen this movie so many times that sometimes I don't appreciate the sheer beauty of this sequence. The gorgeous animation is second only to the ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast, in my opinion.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS (2001)
The first film in The Lord of Rings trilogy was one of the most highly-anticipated films of all time. The movie opens with an empty black screen as we hear Galadriel speaking. I always think dialogue over an empty screen is very powerful because it forces you to give all your attention to what is being said. The narration of the prologue is so beautifully written and it tells the history of The Ring of Power from its creation to it being found by Bilbo Baggins. As I said before, a great opening sequence should make you sit up straight and force you to pay attention. This prologue says "Welcome to Middle Earth. You are not in Kansas anymore." It's such a powerful sequence and it makes the audience accept the circumstances of the world by just tossing them straight into the action.
For some reason I can't embed this particular video, but Click Here for the Youtube video. It's not entire prologue but you get the point. My favorite shot from this scene is during the battle on the slopes of Mount Doom at about 2:24. Elrond is shouting orders in Elvish as arrows are flying past his head, but he barely flinches because of his elven super-senses. I love the elves :)

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (2008)
When I went to see this movie in theaters, I didn't have very high expectations. It got sort of so-so reviews and I didn't think it would be as good as the first, but the beginning of the movie grabbed me instantly. It starts in Narnia, but not a Narnia we would recognize from the first movie. It's very dark and eerie feeling. I think the director Andrew Adamson put it well when he said, "Every good family film should begin with a birthing scene." (It sounds better in his New Zealand accent.) In this case, it's the birth of Lord Miraz's son. Though he isn't king, Lord Miraz aspires to be on the throne, so when his son is born he attempts to murder the rightful heir, Prince Caspian. This is one of my favorite opening scenes because of the incredible juxtaposition. The credits roll as Caspian flees the castle, closely followed by his would-be killers and fireworks burst overhead in celebration of the birth of the child. It's good enough that I can forgive that terribly melodramatic line, "Everything you know is about to change." An epic, exciting tone is set by the sweeping crane and helicopter shots across the Narnian plains. This opening immediately raised my expectations of what this film would be. Turns out my low-ish expectations were right. Bad accents, less appealing characters and a lot less charm. Not terrible, but not great. Check out the awesome beginning anyway. To get the jist, watch until about 5:30.

STAR TREK (2009)
This, the eleventh Star Trek movie, was an attempt to make Star Trek fun, fresh, and, most importantly, cool and in my opinion, it completely succeeded. It brought in a millions of new fans (some of whom live under the same roof as me) to Star Trek. During the audio commentary on the DVD, director J.J. Abrams says that when they started pitching ideas for the movie, one of their main concerns was how the filmmakers were going to make a movie that their wives wanted to see. (In case you hadn't noticed, most Trekkies are men). This opening scene is the answer to that. The audience is thrown head-first into a conflict between Starfleet and the Romulans.*SPOILER ALERT* The captain of the U.S.S. Kelvin is killed, making George Kirk captain. As he fights off the Romulan attack, we learn that his wife is on the ship and she's pregnant with James T. Kirk. As the rest of the crew evacuates, George stays to fight off the Romulans, knowing he will die, so the escape pods can get away. He has a heart-wrenching final conversation with his wife as the ship is on a self-destructive crash course. This scene is about 10 minutes long and no matter how many times I see it, it always makes me cry. *END SPOILER ALERT* 
 It is so enveloping that when it is over and the title card announcing the name of the movie appears, you are jolted back to reality and you realize you're still in the movie theater. The music makes the scene even more emotional. Take a listen:

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
Technically the opening of Lawrence of Arabia isn't a scene: it's an overture. At the time, it was not unusual for a movie like this to have an overture, but usually it was set to images on the screen. As with Fellowship of the Ring, the screen is completely black as the music plays. It sweeps you away and you know the movie to follow will be of epic proportions. The soundtrack to Lawrence of Arabia is now considered one of the greatest movie scores of all time. Take a listen:

And there you have it. A few of my favorite movie openings.

Helpful or Harmful? The Pros and Cons of Dividing Popular Books into Two Movies

So just yesterday one of the executive producers of The Hunger Games said in an interview that the uber popular trilogy written by Suzanne Collins will be made into four films. I'm not sure how I feel about this. This new trend of stretching popular franchises across two movies can be very useful and enjoyable, but it can also be harmful.

                                                 

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: The movie that started this trend. In HP's case I think turning the final book into 2 movies was a great choice. I'm an avid Potter fan and I am often disappointed by how much is left out of the movies. (Peeves, S.P.E.W., Quidditch in movie 5, the back story of the Marauders, etc.) It is widely acknowledged that Order of the Phoenix is the worst film in the series and that's because there was just not enough time to tell the complete story and it left audiences who hadn't read the books incredibly confused and annoyed. How is Voldemort's presence affecting Harry? What exactly is this prophecy? If Harry and Cho don't talk to each other, why are they randomly making out? By turning DH into 2 movies the filmmakers have 5 hours translate the 750-page book to screen as opposed to just 2.5 hours. Part 1 was so good and I have high hopes that Part 2 will blow me away.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN: First let me start off by saying that I have read all 4 Twilight books and I live with the regret every day of my life. So little happens in Breaking Dawn that there is barely enough material to make 1 movie. Seriously, the entire middle section of the book, the part narrated by Jacob, could have been 1 chapter instead of 150 pages. Unless the filmmakers have created some amazing new plots, these films are going to be a disaster. And I will be there opening weekend to witness the self-destruction of Summit Entertainment's standards. Of course they will make zillions of dollars so Summit probably doesn't care...

THE HOBBIT: I can't decide if splitting this book is good idea or a bad idea. Let's face it, with the Lord of the Rings extended editions each running about 4 hours they're basically already 6 movies, but each one is SO good you never feel like the story is dragging. I am usually not a fan of drawn out action sequences, but I adore the characters so much that the four hours breeze by very quickly. If Peter Jackson can work his magic again and make both parts of The Hobbit as amazing as LOTR, then it will be a success. However, Jackson's first movie after LOTR was a remake of King Kong that ran about 3 hours. I found that I didn't care as much about the characters (I have a natural aversion to Jack Black to begin with) so the long, mindless action sequences bored me. So we'll just have to wait and see.

THE HUNGER GAMES: Okay, turning these books into 4 movies will only work under one circumstance: They should NOT choose one book to turn into two movies. Instead they should mush the three books into one continuous story and then slice it into quarters. None of the books has enough content to be two movies on its own, but I do think there is enough content overall to be four movies. There are definitely some sequences that I would like to see more fleshed out than they are in the books. **SPOILER ALERT** For example, the victory tour in Catching Fire goes by so quickly. It would be cool to see the other districts in more detail. With four movies, the filmmakers will also be able to include some of the smaller plot developments. My favorite part of the third book, Mockingjay, is what we learn about Finnick's back story and why the women in The Capitol love him so much. That's a plot point that would probably be lost due to time constraints. **END SPOILER ALERT**

Obviously, the reason studios are jumping at the opportunity to milk these franchises for all they're worth is because it means big bucks for them. After DVD and merchandise sales, each Potter film has made approximately 1 billion dollars (yeah, billion with a 'B'), so clearly Warner Brothers would be thrilled to have an eighth film. In the eyes of studio executives, making movies is first and foremost a business and art of film making comes second.