Platforming has been a part of video games since the early days, but as technology improved, so did game genres. Several designers started adding features such as RPG mechanics and unlockable abilities, and also took away other gaming staples such as a sense of direction. Thus the Metroidvania genre was born.
Several new Metroidvania titles are released every year. This steady drip feed of content guarantees fans of the genre have no shortage of games to play, but not all Metroidvanias are created equal. Most titles exude a sense of polish and quality, but some surpass others and stand as shining specimens of the genre. That’s just statistics. But which Metroidvanias are the best? Here are the games we think serve as the best example of what it means to be a Metroidvania.
15. Shadow Complex
Most mMetroidvanias take place on a 2D plane. Even when a game utilizes 3D graphics,...
Several new Metroidvania titles are released every year. This steady drip feed of content guarantees fans of the genre have no shortage of games to play, but not all Metroidvanias are created equal. Most titles exude a sense of polish and quality, but some surpass others and stand as shining specimens of the genre. That’s just statistics. But which Metroidvanias are the best? Here are the games we think serve as the best example of what it means to be a Metroidvania.
15. Shadow Complex
Most mMetroidvanias take place on a 2D plane. Even when a game utilizes 3D graphics,...
- 12/31/2023
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
When Wolfgang Petersen burst onto the scene with his WWII submarine masterpiece "Das Boot," Hollywood came calling. Any director who could pin audiences to their seats for two-and-a-half hours with a film that rarely leaves the interior of a U-boat surely had the skills to enthrall viewers with a mainstream blockbuster. While Petersen proved more than reliable with smashes like "In the Line of Fire," "Outbreak," "Air Force One," and "The Perfect Storm," he occasionally found himself attached to ambitious projects that, for one reason or another, failed to launch or launched without him at the helm.
Petersen, who died on August 12, 2022, at the age of 81, left behind a litany of what-ifs. He was in the mix on several tantalizing projects that could've changed the complexion of superhero and YA filmmaking; there's an alternate universe in which Petersen revived the DC universe with a Batman and Superman mash-up in the early 2000s.
Petersen, who died on August 12, 2022, at the age of 81, left behind a litany of what-ifs. He was in the mix on several tantalizing projects that could've changed the complexion of superhero and YA filmmaking; there's an alternate universe in which Petersen revived the DC universe with a Batman and Superman mash-up in the early 2000s.
- 8/17/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
TV industry veteran Jeff Wachtel has raised financing and assembled a small team to launch Future Shack Entertainment, a production banner focused on developing TV for global markets.
Wachtel has pacted with former NBCUniversal executive Sam Michaels and Yusik Choi, formerly managing director at Rothschild & Co. and an investment banker at Credit Suisse, to launch the banner with significant financing from private equity funds.
Future Shack has also set a partnership with Blink49 Studios, the Endeavor Content-backed banner launched last year by Entertainment One and Alliance Atlantis alum John Moryaniss. Future Shack also has a first-look deal with Roku Channel, one of the many ad-supported channels offered on digital MVPD platform.
“This is the most disruptive and exciting time our business has seen in more than a generation,” Wachtel told Variety. “The opportunity is there for a company that has taste, drive and vision. We believe we can be a creative and commercial launchpad,...
Wachtel has pacted with former NBCUniversal executive Sam Michaels and Yusik Choi, formerly managing director at Rothschild & Co. and an investment banker at Credit Suisse, to launch the banner with significant financing from private equity funds.
Future Shack has also set a partnership with Blink49 Studios, the Endeavor Content-backed banner launched last year by Entertainment One and Alliance Atlantis alum John Moryaniss. Future Shack also has a first-look deal with Roku Channel, one of the many ad-supported channels offered on digital MVPD platform.
“This is the most disruptive and exciting time our business has seen in more than a generation,” Wachtel told Variety. “The opportunity is there for a company that has taste, drive and vision. We believe we can be a creative and commercial launchpad,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Movies like “Ready Player One” are becoming increasingly popular as the world becomes increasingly technologically advanced.
“Ready Player One” is a thrilling science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg that takes audiences on the journey of a virtual world. Set in 2045, the film follows Wade Watts as he tries to win a contest that will give him ownership of the Oasis, a virtual reality game world that has become a refuge for humanity.
With the help of his allies, Wade has to race against time to complete the contest before an evil corporation can get its hands on the Oasis. Full of excitement, suspense, and visual effects, “Ready Player One” is a must-see film for all fans of sci-fi movies.
If you’re looking for other movies like “Ready Player One,” you’ve come to the right place. There are no shortages of pop culture references in the film.
“Ready Player One” is a thrilling science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg that takes audiences on the journey of a virtual world. Set in 2045, the film follows Wade Watts as he tries to win a contest that will give him ownership of the Oasis, a virtual reality game world that has become a refuge for humanity.
With the help of his allies, Wade has to race against time to complete the contest before an evil corporation can get its hands on the Oasis. Full of excitement, suspense, and visual effects, “Ready Player One” is a must-see film for all fans of sci-fi movies.
If you’re looking for other movies like “Ready Player One,” you’ve come to the right place. There are no shortages of pop culture references in the film.
- 6/21/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
When the news was released that Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson came down with coronavirus while shooting a film in Australia, it drove home that anyone, even one of our national treasures, wasn’t immuned to this horrible and rapidly spreading disease. One might presume that the celebrity couple had the option not to reveal that they had been hospitalized in isolation and were being treated abroad. But instead, they shared their diagnosis with the world.
They are now self-isolating at home and, of course, Hollywood’s Everyman is openly talking about his experience dealing with enforced solitude.
View this post on Instagram
Hey folks. Good News: One week after testing Positive, in self-isolation, the symptoms are much the same. No fever but the blahs. Folding the laundry and doing the dishes leads to a nap on the couch. Bad news: My wife @ritawilson has won 6 straight hands...
They are now self-isolating at home and, of course, Hollywood’s Everyman is openly talking about his experience dealing with enforced solitude.
View this post on Instagram
Hey folks. Good News: One week after testing Positive, in self-isolation, the symptoms are much the same. No fever but the blahs. Folding the laundry and doing the dishes leads to a nap on the couch. Bad news: My wife @ritawilson has won 6 straight hands...
- 3/26/2020
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Den of Geek Staff Jun 26, 2019
We're giving away five copies of Orson Scott Card's The Hive, the second book in the Ender Game's prequel trilogy the Second Formic War.
Hi, friends. We're giving away five copies of Orson Scott Card's latest Enderverse book: The Hive.
The second novel in the prequel trilogy following the events of the Second Formic War, Card co-wrote The Hive with Aaron Johnston. Here's the full, official synopsis:
New York Times bestselling authors Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston return to the prequels to Ender's Game following The Swarm with The Hive, book two in the Second Formic War.
Card and Johnston continue the fast-paced hard science fiction history of the Formic Wars―the alien invasions of Earth’s Solar System that ultimately led to Ender Wiggin’s total victory in Ender's Game.
A coalition of Earth’s nations barely fought off the Formics’ first scout ship.
We're giving away five copies of Orson Scott Card's The Hive, the second book in the Ender Game's prequel trilogy the Second Formic War.
Hi, friends. We're giving away five copies of Orson Scott Card's latest Enderverse book: The Hive.
The second novel in the prequel trilogy following the events of the Second Formic War, Card co-wrote The Hive with Aaron Johnston. Here's the full, official synopsis:
New York Times bestselling authors Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston return to the prequels to Ender's Game following The Swarm with The Hive, book two in the Second Formic War.
Card and Johnston continue the fast-paced hard science fiction history of the Formic Wars―the alien invasions of Earth’s Solar System that ultimately led to Ender Wiggin’s total victory in Ender's Game.
A coalition of Earth’s nations barely fought off the Formics’ first scout ship.
- 6/26/2019
- Den of Geek
Den of Geek Staff Jun 26, 2019
The Hive is the latest in Orson Scott Card's Enderverse, which has a lot to offer fans of military science fiction.
This post is sponsored by Tor Books.
Since the release of Ender's Game in 1985, author Orson Scott Card has expanded his Ender's universe in many different directions—good news for anyone who is a fan of the original book and for readers who love rich, ever-expanding science fiction universes and have yet to dive into the Enderverse.
read more: Best New Science Fiction Books
Most recently, Card (along with co-writer Aaron Johnston) has released The Hive, the second book in his Second Formic War series, which is, in turn, the second prequel trilogy to Ender's Game. The prequel trilogies take place starting roughly 100 years prior to the events of the original, iconic science fiction novel, and fill in some of the blanks concerning how the Formics,...
The Hive is the latest in Orson Scott Card's Enderverse, which has a lot to offer fans of military science fiction.
This post is sponsored by Tor Books.
Since the release of Ender's Game in 1985, author Orson Scott Card has expanded his Ender's universe in many different directions—good news for anyone who is a fan of the original book and for readers who love rich, ever-expanding science fiction universes and have yet to dive into the Enderverse.
read more: Best New Science Fiction Books
Most recently, Card (along with co-writer Aaron Johnston) has released The Hive, the second book in his Second Formic War series, which is, in turn, the second prequel trilogy to Ender's Game. The prequel trilogies take place starting roughly 100 years prior to the events of the original, iconic science fiction novel, and fill in some of the blanks concerning how the Formics,...
- 6/7/2019
- Den of Geek
Sneak Peek "Extinction", the post-apocalyptic science fiction TV series directed by Ryan Little ("Hounds of Love") and written by Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston, now streaming on Netflix:
"...400 years after the human race has been exterminated by hostile interplanetary aliens, 'Ezra', 'Abram' and 'Feena' are revived by an alien faction for the purposes of restarting the human civilization.
"The group cultivates their relationship with the alien restorers while dealing with conflicts from those genocidal aliens which destroyed humanity..."
Cast includes Chad Michael Collins, Victoria Atkin, Jaclyn Hales, Yorke Fryer, Jack Depew, Matthew Bellows, Jake Stormoen, Kirby Heyborne and Anna Vocino.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Extinction"...
"...400 years after the human race has been exterminated by hostile interplanetary aliens, 'Ezra', 'Abram' and 'Feena' are revived by an alien faction for the purposes of restarting the human civilization.
"The group cultivates their relationship with the alien restorers while dealing with conflicts from those genocidal aliens which destroyed humanity..."
Cast includes Chad Michael Collins, Victoria Atkin, Jaclyn Hales, Yorke Fryer, Jack Depew, Matthew Bellows, Jake Stormoen, Kirby Heyborne and Anna Vocino.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Extinction"...
- 11/23/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek "Extinction", the post-apocalyptic science fiction TV series directed by Ryan Little ("Hounds of Love") and written by Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston, streaming on Netflix July 27, 2018:
"...400 years after the human race has been exterminated by hostile interplanetary aliens, 'Ezra', 'Abram' and 'Feena' are revived by an alien faction for the purposes of restarting the human civilization.
"The group cultivates their relationship with the alien restorers while dealing with conflicts from those genocidal aliens which destroyed humanity..."
Cast includes Chad Michael Collins, Victoria Atkin, Jaclyn Hales, Yorke Fryer, Jack Depew, Matthew Bellows, Jake Stormoen, Kirby Heyborne and Anna Vocino.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Extinction"...
"...400 years after the human race has been exterminated by hostile interplanetary aliens, 'Ezra', 'Abram' and 'Feena' are revived by an alien faction for the purposes of restarting the human civilization.
"The group cultivates their relationship with the alien restorers while dealing with conflicts from those genocidal aliens which destroyed humanity..."
Cast includes Chad Michael Collins, Victoria Atkin, Jaclyn Hales, Yorke Fryer, Jack Depew, Matthew Bellows, Jake Stormoen, Kirby Heyborne and Anna Vocino.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Extinction"...
- 7/13/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Network: BYUtv. Episodes: 10 (hour). Seasons: One. TV show dates: October 1, 2017 — November 19, 2017. Series status: Cancelled. Performers include: Chad Michael Collins, Victoria Atkin, Jaclyn Hales, Yorke Fryer, Jack Depew, Matthew Bellows, and Jake Stormoen. TV show description: A post-apocalyptic science fiction drama from creators Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, the Extinct TV show unfolds 400 years after the extinction of humanity. Now that aliens have regenerated the human race, mankind is on quest to find direction and make sense of it all, amidst ETs and advanced alien technology. The action centers on Ezra (Collins), Feena (Atkin), and Abram (Fryer), who have been reborn centuries into the future. Despite vastly different backgrounds, they must learn...
- 1/6/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Extinct has gone the way of the woolly mammoth. BYUtv has cancelled its Extinct TV show after one season of ten episodes. In a refreshing turn of events, the non-profit network issued a statement acknowledging the Extinct cancellation, and didn't try to reframe it as as a "limited event series" which was always intended to be a single season program. A post-apocalyptic science fiction drama from creators Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, Extinct stars Chad Michael Collins, Victoria Atkin, Jaclyn Hales, Yorke Fryer, Jack Depew, Matthew Bellows, and Jake Stormoen. The BYUtv series kicks off with aliens regenerating the human race, 400 years after its extinction. Now that they're back, those who have returned embark upon quest to understand what is going on and why they are here. Read More…...
- 1/6/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Terror Films and iflix recently forged a partnership to distribute films digitally in multiple global markets, including Unearthed and Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary. Also: Monster Hunt DVD release details, The Passing clips, Matthew Quinn's The Thing in the Woods, and the winners recap for the 5th Annual Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival.
Terror Films and iflix's Global Distribution Digital Deal: Press Release: "Los Angeles, California (Friday, May 26th, 2017): Genre distributor Terror Films has teamed up with the world’s leading Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) service, for emerging markets, iflix. This newly formed partnership will allow the distributor to expand their digital reach into multiple territories within iflix’s footprint including South East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, with future territories to be announced.
The films set to launch under the deal will include a wide variety from the label. They will include: the post- apocalyptic film,...
Terror Films and iflix's Global Distribution Digital Deal: Press Release: "Los Angeles, California (Friday, May 26th, 2017): Genre distributor Terror Films has teamed up with the world’s leading Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) service, for emerging markets, iflix. This newly formed partnership will allow the distributor to expand their digital reach into multiple territories within iflix’s footprint including South East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, with future territories to be announced.
The films set to launch under the deal will include a wide variety from the label. They will include: the post- apocalyptic film,...
- 6/8/2017
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card has created a new sci-fi TV series called Extinct and we have the first trailer to share with you for it today. This actually looks like it could be solid series and It definitely has an intriguing story that grabbed my attention.
The 10-episode action-packed series takes place 400 years after the extinction of the human race and follows a small group of humans who are revived by an alien civilization. The aliens claim they want to restore the human species, but the reborn humans uncover new dangers, hidden agendas and powerful secrets that challenge that claim and threaten to annihilate the human race all over again.Extinct carries the colony of revived humans through struggles with the aliens who extinguished humankind centuries before — while trying to understand and get along with the mysterious aliens who revived them. Nothing is as it seems to be,...
The 10-episode action-packed series takes place 400 years after the extinction of the human race and follows a small group of humans who are revived by an alien civilization. The aliens claim they want to restore the human species, but the reborn humans uncover new dangers, hidden agendas and powerful secrets that challenge that claim and threaten to annihilate the human race all over again.Extinct carries the colony of revived humans through struggles with the aliens who extinguished humankind centuries before — while trying to understand and get along with the mysterious aliens who revived them. Nothing is as it seems to be,...
- 4/12/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Orson Scott Card, the award-winning novelist behind the “Ender’s Game” franchise, might appear to have an unfair advantage in entering a writing contest with a bunch of amateur hopefuls. But he was technically eligible to enter script coverage firm WeScreenplay‘s 2016 Feature Contest — where his script, judged anonymously, received the second-highest overall score. “Mr. Card’s script ‘Mesa 1966,’ through five rounds of reads, and completely anonymous to judges, received the second highest overall score in the entire competition, just behind the grand-prize winning script ‘Forged’ by Kenlon Clark and William Rubio,” the script coverage firm said in a blog post.
- 3/11/2017
- by Matt Pressberg
- The Wrap
When you’ve worked with Martin Scorsese at the age of 13, there might not be very far you can go as an actor, but Asa Butterfield--who turns 20 in a couple months—has continued to have a thriving career since Hugo. (Maybe that’s because, like Daniel Radcliffe, he was discovered by Harry Potter producer David Heyman for a film called The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.)
Butterfield went on to star in the movie based on Orson Scott Card’ novel Ender’s Game and in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children last year, and he’s back in the sci-fi realm for The Space Between Us.
In the movie, Butterfield plays Gardner Elliot, the first human born on Mars, who comes to earth to meet up with his online pen-pal “Tulsa” (Britt Robertson) and try to find out who his real father is. It’s...
Butterfield went on to star in the movie based on Orson Scott Card’ novel Ender’s Game and in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children last year, and he’s back in the sci-fi realm for The Space Between Us.
In the movie, Butterfield plays Gardner Elliot, the first human born on Mars, who comes to earth to meet up with his online pen-pal “Tulsa” (Britt Robertson) and try to find out who his real father is. It’s...
- 2/2/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Brigham Young University's BYUtv network has ordered the scripted Extinct TV show drama, with an eye toward a 2017 premiere. A futuristic sci-fi series created by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, who wrote the pilot, Extinct is a co-production of Taleswapper and Go Films. Adam Abel is producing, with Ryan Little directing.Chad Michael Collins stars as the male lead, Ezra in the series that takes place after the extinction of the human race. The Extinct TV series cast also includes: Victoria Atkin, Jaclyn Hales, Yorke Fryer, Jack Depew, Matthew Bellows, and Jake Stormoen. Extinct marks BYUtv's second scripted program. Get the details from this BYUtv press release. Read More…...
- 9/14/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Chad Michael Collins is courageously fighting a higher power in order to revive the human race in the upcoming sci-fi series, ‘Extinct.’ Shockya is exclusively revealing that the actor will topline the cast of the independent sci-fi television pilot for the cable and satellite channel, BYUtv. ‘Extinct’ was created, written and will be executive produced by Hugo and Neptune Award-winning science fiction writer Orson Scott Card and partner Aaron Johnston for their production shingle Taleswapper, with Adam Abel and Ryan Little producing through their production shingle Go Films. Little will also direct the pilot episode. Victoria Atkin, Yorke Fryer, Jaclyn Hales, Nic Luken and Matthew Bellows round out the regular [ Read More ]
The post Chad Michael Collins Starring in Lead Role of BYUtv’s Sci-Fi Pilot Extinct (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Chad Michael Collins Starring in Lead Role of BYUtv’s Sci-Fi Pilot Extinct (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/9/2016
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
The road from Indie to Hollywood and back again has been a bumpy one for South African director Gavin Hood. Following his Tiff People’s Choice-winning Tsotsi he was offered New Line thriller Rendition, and proceeded to tackle big budget monsters like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the Orson Scott Card sci-fi romp Ender’s Game. The latter two, it should be said, weren’t very good. So while it may be churlish to say that Eye in the Sky is a return to form, it truly does seem to represent Hood taking back control of his vision. The film is an erudite, compelling look at the vagaries of drone warfare, using multiple communities of decision makers to showcase the complexity and ambivalence of modern “surgical” warfare. With an...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/2/2016
- Screen Anarchy
A recently added Pegi ratings listing has indicated that 2009’s Xbox exclusive Shadow Complex is being remastered for a PC release at some point in the near future. While no official announcement has accompanied this just yet, it’s highly unlikely that Pegi would incorrectly provide a rating to a game that is not genuinely in the works.
Pegi’s rating matches that of the original Xbox 360 digital title, suggesting that the game will again only be suitable for persons of ages 16 or over due to “realistic looking violence.” It’s obviously unclear at this stage whether this remastered edition will be a strict renewal of the 2009 title, or whether players can expect any additional or exclusive content to be added to the PC version, but hopefully we’ll know soon.
In 2009, Shadow Complex received mostly positive reviews. It has been said that it was one of the Xbox 360’s strongest downloadable exclusives,...
Pegi’s rating matches that of the original Xbox 360 digital title, suggesting that the game will again only be suitable for persons of ages 16 or over due to “realistic looking violence.” It’s obviously unclear at this stage whether this remastered edition will be a strict renewal of the 2009 title, or whether players can expect any additional or exclusive content to be added to the PC version, but hopefully we’ll know soon.
In 2009, Shadow Complex received mostly positive reviews. It has been said that it was one of the Xbox 360’s strongest downloadable exclusives,...
- 12/2/2015
- by Gareth Cartwright
- We Got This Covered
There's a passage from Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game that comes to mind almost immediately during this episode of The Leftovers, "International Assassin." It goes like this: "In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them ... I destroy them." This is the perfect passage to describe the ballad of Kevin Garvey and Patti Levin.
It's inevitable that they would have a showdown. Kevin's quest in Limbo relies on him finding and killing Patti Levin. No matter the ridiculous dream logic conceits -- that it's set at a hotel or that Kevin's wallet only has Euros or that the "world" believes...
It's inevitable that they would have a showdown. Kevin's quest in Limbo relies on him finding and killing Patti Levin. No matter the ridiculous dream logic conceits -- that it's set at a hotel or that Kevin's wallet only has Euros or that the "world" believes...
- 11/22/2015
- by editor@buddytv.com
- buddytv.com
Emilia Clarke has been heating up watercooler talk for five years now HBO’s monster hit adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, Game of Thrones. Even as a veteran multiple re-reader of all of the books in the series that jumped on the lit before the turn of the century, I never thought that I’d see the day that “Khaleesi” would enter pop culture vernacular, a thought that died when I bought my 8 year old niece, who knows the series better than you, an “I’m not a Princess I’m a Khaleesi t-shirt). Move over Arthur C., Emilia is the Clarke of both speculative and reality affections.
I was introduced to the series hiding in a public library by my house, waiting for my mom to go to work, so my parents wouldn’t know I had been suspended (this...
I was introduced to the series hiding in a public library by my house, waiting for my mom to go to work, so my parents wouldn’t know I had been suspended (this...
- 5/10/2015
- by Jay Tomio
- Boomtron
For every Harry Potter or Hunger Games series, there are those franchises that didn't quite set the world on fire...
Since Insurgent came out, I’ve been thinking about those less fortunate: the franchise wannabes. While Divergent may have succeeded financially, (a film that rode on the coat-tails of the even more lucrative The Hunger Games franchise) there are others who didn’t quite make it into the movie world’s big leagues. These are the franchise-starters that flopped, the films produced with the optimistic hope that they will bring in the readies and kick-start Hollywood’s latest franchise. Worse luck for them, really.
For the sake of simplicity, this list will zero in on Ya franchise-starters, films adapted from a young adult novel or with that audience in mind. There are plenty of more mature films that struggled such as Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time, The A-Team...
Since Insurgent came out, I’ve been thinking about those less fortunate: the franchise wannabes. While Divergent may have succeeded financially, (a film that rode on the coat-tails of the even more lucrative The Hunger Games franchise) there are others who didn’t quite make it into the movie world’s big leagues. These are the franchise-starters that flopped, the films produced with the optimistic hope that they will bring in the readies and kick-start Hollywood’s latest franchise. Worse luck for them, really.
For the sake of simplicity, this list will zero in on Ya franchise-starters, films adapted from a young adult novel or with that audience in mind. There are plenty of more mature films that struggled such as Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time, The A-Team...
- 3/25/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Currently making the transition from child actor to teen actor – presumably with the hopes of becoming a fully-realised adult actor – Asa Butterfield has another project to assist on his career path. Per THR, the Hugo star has now bagged the lead role in Relativity’s sci-fi effort, Out Of This World.
The rising star will be directed by Peter Chelsom (Hector and the Search for Happiness), who himself will be working from revisions he and Tinker Linsday made to Allan Loeb’s (Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps) original script. As the film is in the early stages, Butterfield is the only cast member confirmed. He will be playing a young teen who discovers that the opportunity to know his real father may still be in his grasp.
Check out the plot summary below:
The story is set in motion when, during a mission to colonize Mars led by a billionaire entrepreneur,...
The rising star will be directed by Peter Chelsom (Hector and the Search for Happiness), who himself will be working from revisions he and Tinker Linsday made to Allan Loeb’s (Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps) original script. As the film is in the early stages, Butterfield is the only cast member confirmed. He will be playing a young teen who discovers that the opportunity to know his real father may still be in his grasp.
Check out the plot summary below:
The story is set in motion when, during a mission to colonize Mars led by a billionaire entrepreneur,...
- 2/2/2015
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
Yaron Zilberman, who marked his feature directorial debut with 2012′s A Late Quartet, is taking on literary hot-shot Orson Scott Card. Zilberman will write and direct a feature based on Card’s sci-fi short story Unaccompanied Sonata, EW has confirmed. The film will be called Sonata.
The property has been optioned by Nick Wechsler, Chockstone Pictures’ Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, and Opening Night Productions. Tamar Sela will serve as executive producer with Roger Schwartz as co-producer.
The short story, which was originally published in 1979 in Omni magazine, tells the story of a child brought up to be a musical prodigy.
The property has been optioned by Nick Wechsler, Chockstone Pictures’ Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, and Opening Night Productions. Tamar Sela will serve as executive producer with Roger Schwartz as co-producer.
The short story, which was originally published in 1979 in Omni magazine, tells the story of a child brought up to be a musical prodigy.
- 7/16/2014
- by C. Molly Smith
- EW - Inside Movies
Hot off the international success of "Edge Of Tomorrow," Doug Liman is looking abroad for another potential hit, this time as a producer. Liman, along with Dave Bartis ("Covert Affairs") and Gene Klein ("Suits"), will be adapting the Danish TV hit "The Legacy" for the American small screen. The show "follows the four children of an internationally renowned artist who dies, leaving them to divide her estate. What was meant to be a quick and painless process exposes startling secrets and lies, turning their lives upside-down and forcing them to take a deeper look within and at one another." Universal Cable Productions has the rights, and America's obsession with Nordic television continues... [THR] Even though his name alone drummed up controversy and the box office for "Ender's Game" didn't seem to prompt the franchise everyone involved was going for, that won't stop another Orson Scott Card story from heading to...
- 7/15/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Yaron Zilberman ("A Late Quartet") is set to write and direct "Sonata," a film based on "Ender's Game" author Orson Scott Card‘s 1979 science-fiction short story "Unaccompanied Sonata".
The story follows a child who has been brought up to be a musical prodigy, and who is kept away from listening to other people's music to keep his creative expressions pure. Raised alone in a cabin by servants, he spends his days toiling on a complicated musical instrument.
Finally, he gains exposure to the works of Bach, and when discovered by a 'watcher,' the man is torn away from his lifelong composition and barred from making music ever again.
Card reportedly didn't plan to sell the rights to the film until he saw Zilberman's work with "A Late Quartet" and realised it could be translated to the screen after all. Zilberman, Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz will produce.
The story follows a child who has been brought up to be a musical prodigy, and who is kept away from listening to other people's music to keep his creative expressions pure. Raised alone in a cabin by servants, he spends his days toiling on a complicated musical instrument.
Finally, he gains exposure to the works of Bach, and when discovered by a 'watcher,' the man is torn away from his lifelong composition and barred from making music ever again.
Card reportedly didn't plan to sell the rights to the film until he saw Zilberman's work with "A Late Quartet" and realised it could be translated to the screen after all. Zilberman, Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz will produce.
- 7/15/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Yaron Zilberman is set to write and direct a feature based on Orson Scott Card‘s classic science-fiction short story, Unaccompanied Sonata. The property has been optioned by Nick Wechsler, Chockstone Pictures’ Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz and Opening Night Productions. The film will be titled Sonata, with Wechsler, Schwartz, Schwartz and Zilberman producing. The latter made his feature directorial debut on the 2012 film A Late Quartet. Tamar Sela will be executive producer and Roger Schwartz a co-producer. First published in Omni magazine in 1979, Unaccompanied Sonata is about a child who has been brought up to be a musical […]...
- 7/14/2014
- Deadline
Dead Man's Hand, an anthology of weird western stories, arrives tomorrow, May 13, from Titan Books; and in honor of the occasion, we have an exclusive excerpt to share from Joe Lansdale's contribution, "The Red-Headed Dead."
The book features twenty-three previously unpublished stories of horror, fantasy, action, and science fiction by some of our best contemporary authors.
It's the weird Wild West populated by gunslingers, rattlesnakes, outlaws, zombies, aliens, time travelers, and steampunk.
Click Here to download a Pdf of our exclusive excerpt from Joe Lansdale's "The Red-Headed Dead."
The other Dead Man's Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West contributors include Mike Resnick, Kelley Armstrong, Laura Anne Gilman, Fred van Lente, Elizabeth Bear, Jeffrey Ford, Hugh Howey, Tobias Buckell, Seanan McGuire, Walter Jon Williams, Ken Liu, Ben Winters, David Farland, Alan Dean Foster, Jonathan Maberry, Beth Revis, Alastair Reynolds, Tad Williams, Orson Scott Card, Rajan Khanna, Charles Yu,...
The book features twenty-three previously unpublished stories of horror, fantasy, action, and science fiction by some of our best contemporary authors.
It's the weird Wild West populated by gunslingers, rattlesnakes, outlaws, zombies, aliens, time travelers, and steampunk.
Click Here to download a Pdf of our exclusive excerpt from Joe Lansdale's "The Red-Headed Dead."
The other Dead Man's Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West contributors include Mike Resnick, Kelley Armstrong, Laura Anne Gilman, Fred van Lente, Elizabeth Bear, Jeffrey Ford, Hugh Howey, Tobias Buckell, Seanan McGuire, Walter Jon Williams, Ken Liu, Ben Winters, David Farland, Alan Dean Foster, Jonathan Maberry, Beth Revis, Alastair Reynolds, Tad Williams, Orson Scott Card, Rajan Khanna, Charles Yu,...
- 5/12/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
If you're a fan of short stories, the Wild West, and horror authors like Joe Lansdale and Jonathan Maberry, mark your calendar for May 13th, when Titan Books releases Dead Man's Hand, an anthology of weird westerns, edited by John Joseph Adams.
The book features twenty-three previously unpublished stories of horror, fantasy, action, and science fiction by some of our best contemporary authors.
It's the weird Wild West populated by gunslingers, rattlesnakes, outlaws, zombies, aliens, time travelers, and steampunk.
Authors include: Joe Lansdale, Mike Resnick, Kelley Armstrong, Laura Anne Gilman, Fred van Lente, Elizabeth Bear, Jeffrey Ford, Hugh Howey, Tobias Buckell, Seanan McGuire, Walter Jon Williams, Ken Liu, Ben Winters, David Farland, Alan Dean Foster, Jonathan Maberry, Beth Revis, Alastair Reynolds, Tad Williams, Orson Scott Card, Rajan Khanna, Charles Yu, and Christie Yant.
Synopsis:
How The West Was Weird!
From a kill-or-be-killed gunfight with a vampire to an encounter in a steampunk bordello,...
The book features twenty-three previously unpublished stories of horror, fantasy, action, and science fiction by some of our best contemporary authors.
It's the weird Wild West populated by gunslingers, rattlesnakes, outlaws, zombies, aliens, time travelers, and steampunk.
Authors include: Joe Lansdale, Mike Resnick, Kelley Armstrong, Laura Anne Gilman, Fred van Lente, Elizabeth Bear, Jeffrey Ford, Hugh Howey, Tobias Buckell, Seanan McGuire, Walter Jon Williams, Ken Liu, Ben Winters, David Farland, Alan Dean Foster, Jonathan Maberry, Beth Revis, Alastair Reynolds, Tad Williams, Orson Scott Card, Rajan Khanna, Charles Yu, and Christie Yant.
Synopsis:
How The West Was Weird!
From a kill-or-be-killed gunfight with a vampire to an encounter in a steampunk bordello,...
- 5/5/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
"Here Come the Teen Boy-Centric Gritty Ya Adaptations" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School Rejects, you're being bamboozled. We hope you'll come find us and enjoy the best articles about movies, television and culture right from the source.
There’s little question that Hollywood’s “adapt anything Ya!” attitude has helped shepherd a new line of strong (or, at least, pretend strong, as is the case with Twilight’s Bella Swan, a bell I will ring until the day I die) young female heroines into the pop cultural consciousness. The Hunger Games has the sharp-shooting Katniss Everdeen (who will soon incite a revolution in the next two films based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling three-book series), while Divergent has the fear-blasting Tris Prior (who will, hey...
There’s little question that Hollywood’s “adapt anything Ya!” attitude has helped shepherd a new line of strong (or, at least, pretend strong, as is the case with Twilight’s Bella Swan, a bell I will ring until the day I die) young female heroines into the pop cultural consciousness. The Hunger Games has the sharp-shooting Katniss Everdeen (who will soon incite a revolution in the next two films based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling three-book series), while Divergent has the fear-blasting Tris Prior (who will, hey...
- 4/22/2014
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Perhaps the only news of note this week is that in a move echoing what they did with Breaking Bad, Netflix has swooped in and gained rights to the TV series of From Dusk Til Dawn made in the states for Robert Rodriguez’s new El Rey network cable channel. Netflix will stream the episodes the day after they air in the states every week, curiously they are still billing this as ‘A Netflix Original’ when this isn’t the case necessarily. I have no idea as to the quality of this, the film From Dusk Til Dawn was one of my favourites when I was a teenager but how you drag that out into a ten part TV show I don’t know, let alone a possible second series. I watched the trailer and it looks solid and well-made as opposed to a cheap cash in and features Don Johnson...
- 3/10/2014
- by Chris Holt
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Butler didn't do it for Oscar voters, but there are sharper ideas in some of last year's under-the-radar thrillers
If a film seemingly made for the express purpose of piling up Oscar nominations then receives precisely none, does it make a sound? Well, yes and no. Lee Daniels' The Butler (Entertainment, 12) was a surprise summer hit in the Us, where audiences weary of monsters fighting robots were apparently up for a windy dose of all-star, semi-fictionalised civil rights history, but that doesn't mean it has anything to say.
Awards voters, oddly, couldn't see the hokey Forrest Gump parallels in Forest Whitaker's Cecil Gaines, humble White House butler to every president from Eisenhower to Reagan. A noble cypher who stoically pours tea while history is made around him, he's a less-than-riveting presence around whom to centre the narrative; there's more going on back home, where his radical Black Panther...
If a film seemingly made for the express purpose of piling up Oscar nominations then receives precisely none, does it make a sound? Well, yes and no. Lee Daniels' The Butler (Entertainment, 12) was a surprise summer hit in the Us, where audiences weary of monsters fighting robots were apparently up for a windy dose of all-star, semi-fictionalised civil rights history, but that doesn't mean it has anything to say.
Awards voters, oddly, couldn't see the hokey Forrest Gump parallels in Forest Whitaker's Cecil Gaines, humble White House butler to every president from Eisenhower to Reagan. A noble cypher who stoically pours tea while history is made around him, he's a less-than-riveting presence around whom to centre the narrative; there's more going on back home, where his radical Black Panther...
- 3/9/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
Ender’s Game is adapted from Orson Scott Card’s classic sci-fi novel, the story follows a young boy who stands out from a group of exceptional children who are selected and trained in rigorous battle simulations and aggressively groomed to become ruthless master strategists and sent off to war. The film stars Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley, and Moises Arias. Writer and Director Gavin Hood spoke to us in an interview about his work on Ender’s Game. I had the opportunity to experience the freedom of the Zero G simulator from the movie for myself with the guidance of stunt coordinator Garrett Warren at the Digital Domain studio [ Read More ]
The post Interview with Ender’s Game Director Gavin Hood and Movie Blu-Ray Release appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Interview with Ender’s Game Director Gavin Hood and Movie Blu-Ray Release appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 2/19/2014
- by Laura Gaddy
- ShockYa
(Cbr) Making any entertainment story about the reporter rather than the subject – the work of art, or the person who created it – is something I’m generally uncomfortable with, as a reader or as a writer. But the prospect of humiliating myself for an audience’s entertainment is simply too exciting to resist, which is why a few weeks ago I found myself spinning around, upside down and in circles, above a sound stage in Marina del Ray, California. To commemorate the home video release of "Ender’s Game", the Gavin Hood adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s iconic sci-fi novel, Lionsgate invited...
- 2/18/2014
- by Todd Gilchrist, Comic Book Resources
- Hitfix
Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week
"Wadjda"
What's It About? Wadjda, a 10-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia, desperately wants a bike of her own, and after a bunch of her own money-making schemes fail, she enters her school's Koran memorization contest for the prize money.
Why We're In: Writer/director Haifaa Al Mansour has crafted an excellent movie, but in addition to that, "Wadjda" is the first feature-length film made entirely in Saudi Arabia, and the first film written and directed by a Saudi woman.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"The Jungle Book: Diamond Edition"
What's It About? Mowgli is a human child who's most literally raised by wolves, but as he grows up it becomes clear to his buddies Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther that it's time for him to go live with other people.
Why We're In: It's a Disney classic with all the trimmings.
"Wadjda"
What's It About? Wadjda, a 10-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia, desperately wants a bike of her own, and after a bunch of her own money-making schemes fail, she enters her school's Koran memorization contest for the prize money.
Why We're In: Writer/director Haifaa Al Mansour has crafted an excellent movie, but in addition to that, "Wadjda" is the first feature-length film made entirely in Saudi Arabia, and the first film written and directed by a Saudi woman.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"The Jungle Book: Diamond Edition"
What's It About? Mowgli is a human child who's most literally raised by wolves, but as he grows up it becomes clear to his buddies Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther that it's time for him to go live with other people.
Why We're In: It's a Disney classic with all the trimmings.
- 2/11/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
This week: Ender's Game, The Americans and All is Lost deserve some love this Valentine's. Not so much Diana and The Counselor. ► The knives were out long before Ender's Game even hit theatres, as many fans of Orson Scott Card's classic book insisted it couldn't be done. They may have been right, but what we got was still one of last year's seminal sci-fi flicks. Yes, you can nitpick the...
- 2/11/2014
- by John Law
- JoBlo.com
More names keep being added to the roster for Shawn Levy and Ben Stiller's return to the popular family franchise Night at the Museum 3 and the latest name is none other than Sir Ben Kingsley, who has signed on to play an Egyptian pharaoh on display at the British Museum (where Stiller's character is now working) who is revived by a magic tablet. Kingsley joins the confirmed cast of Stiller, Rebel Wilson, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan and Ricky Gervais - those last four returning for their third go-round. The Oscar-winning actor was recently seen in last year's global blockbuster Iron Man 3 as well as in the movie based on Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game , plus he also has a number of smaller indie films in the can that will probably be released sometime over...
- 1/23/2014
- Comingsoon.net
Oklahoma marriage amendment struck down, McDonald’s says Adventure Time toys are for boys, Tony Perkins thinks homosexuality causes extinction
Carrie Underwood was named the top earning American Idol alum with $31 million last year, with Kelly Clarkson taking second place with $7 million. But Adam Lambert is doing just fine, earning $5 million to tie for third with Phillip Phillips.
The big news last night was that a federal judge struck down Oklahoma’s marriage amendment as unconstitutional for violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The ruling is currently stayed pending appeal in the 10th Circuit, which also has Utah pending. In striking down the ban, Judge Kern said “Equal protection is at the very heart of our legal system and central to our consent to be governed. It is not a scarce commodity to be meted out begrudgingly or in short portions. Therefore, the majority view in Oklahoma...
Carrie Underwood was named the top earning American Idol alum with $31 million last year, with Kelly Clarkson taking second place with $7 million. But Adam Lambert is doing just fine, earning $5 million to tie for third with Phillip Phillips.
The big news last night was that a federal judge struck down Oklahoma’s marriage amendment as unconstitutional for violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The ruling is currently stayed pending appeal in the 10th Circuit, which also has Utah pending. In striking down the ban, Judge Kern said “Equal protection is at the very heart of our legal system and central to our consent to be governed. It is not a scarce commodity to be meted out begrudgingly or in short portions. Therefore, the majority view in Oklahoma...
- 1/15/2014
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
We still have yet to see if director Gavin Hood's Ender's Game is going to get a sequel. The movie didn't do as well at the box office as the studio would have hoped, but the movie did get some good, positive reviews. I really hope we see a sequel as I loved the movie! We previously heard that if a sequel did happen it could be based on a new series of books that Orson Scott Card is writing or it could end up as a TV series.
We have another option to choose from now. According to producer Robert Orci, the sequel could be an original story not based on any of the material Card has written. This is what he had to say in an interview with Crave Online,
"…It could be potentially original because in Speaker for the Dead you pick him up when he’s already a man.
We have another option to choose from now. According to producer Robert Orci, the sequel could be an original story not based on any of the material Card has written. This is what he had to say in an interview with Crave Online,
"…It could be potentially original because in Speaker for the Dead you pick him up when he’s already a man.
- 1/14/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Can you separate an artist’s behavior from his or her art — and should you? There’s no easy answer to that question, but we still fight about it regularly over cultural figures such as Orson Scott Card, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, R. Kelly, Alec Baldwin, Roman Polanski, and most recently Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson. One of the more durable focal points for this dilemma is Woody Allen, who became a hot-button issue in 1992 when he married his stepdaughter Soon-Yi Previn and got embroiled in a custody battle with his ex-girlfriend Mia Farrow, who alleged that he’d molested their then-7-year-old adopted stepdaughter, Dylan. Each new Allen film dredges up the debate over whether his career achievement eclipses his scandalous acts. His latest project, Blue Jasmine, has been heralded as an Allen comeback, and won an acting award for its star Cate Blanchett at last night’s Golden Globes,...
- 1/14/2014
- by Matt Zoller Seitz
- Vulture
I don’t get the internet hubub about suddenly feeling bad that we enabled Jordan Belfort and – minor spoilers for the Wolf of Wall Street to follow – I don’t see how anyone who has sat through the entire movie can look at that last shot as anything but a moment where we all gawk at the idiots that want to be this guy.
Apparently, because the internet is the #1 place for people to take social media justice too far (don’t you dare try to have a nuanced conversation about race, sex or politics), people are suddenly really angry that Jordan Belfort, whose book was adapted into the movie where Leonardo DiCaprio plays a fictionalized him, stood to benefit monetarily from the success of the movie.
Much like the makers of Enders Game faced a group of theater goers who didn’t want to give any extra money to Orson Scott Card,...
Apparently, because the internet is the #1 place for people to take social media justice too far (don’t you dare try to have a nuanced conversation about race, sex or politics), people are suddenly really angry that Jordan Belfort, whose book was adapted into the movie where Leonardo DiCaprio plays a fictionalized him, stood to benefit monetarily from the success of the movie.
Much like the makers of Enders Game faced a group of theater goers who didn’t want to give any extra money to Orson Scott Card,...
- 12/30/2013
- by Da7e
- LRMonline.com
On episode #71 of Sordid Cinema, Rick, Simon and Edgar review two independent horror gems from 2013. First up is The Battery – the $6000 first-time feature film by director Jeremy Gardner that breathes new life into the over-saturated zombie genre. Next up is the independent Canadian feature, The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh, written and directed by Rue Morgue magazine publisher Rodrigo Gudiño. In our week in review segment, we discuss the French Horror TV series Les Revenants, created by Fabrice Gobert – Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game (both the film and book), and finally, the BBC Television comedy drama series, The Wrong Mans.
Playlist:
Rock Plaza Central, “Anthem for the Already Defeated”
Chvrches – “The Mother We Share”
Sophie – “Bipp”
Please give us a rating on Itunes. It would be very much appreciated!
Listen on iTunes
Like us on Facebook
Follow Ricky on Twitter
Follow Josh on Twitter
Follow Simon...
Playlist:
Rock Plaza Central, “Anthem for the Already Defeated”
Chvrches – “The Mother We Share”
Sophie – “Bipp”
Please give us a rating on Itunes. It would be very much appreciated!
Listen on iTunes
Like us on Facebook
Follow Ricky on Twitter
Follow Josh on Twitter
Follow Simon...
- 12/27/2013
- by Sordid Cinema Podcast
- SoundOnSight
Digital Release Date: Jan. 28, 2014, Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 11, 2014
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.99
Studio: Summit/Lionsgate
After decades of directors and studios taking on the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s ground-breaking and best-selling novel, Ender’s Game finally came to the screen with Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Summit.
In the PG-13 movie, young Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield, Hugo) is recruited by the International Military to train to lead a fight against an alien race that nearly annihilated the human race in a previous invasion.
Harrison Ford (Cowboys & Aliens) stars as the colonel who leads Ender’s training, Abigail Breslin (New Year’s Eve) plays his sister, Ben Kingsley (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time) is a legendary fighter, Viola Davis (The Help) is the psychiatrist who helps Ender and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and Aramis Knight (Crossing Over) are fellow trainees.
Ender’s Game grossed $60.5 million at the box office,...
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.99
Studio: Summit/Lionsgate
After decades of directors and studios taking on the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s ground-breaking and best-selling novel, Ender’s Game finally came to the screen with Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Summit.
In the PG-13 movie, young Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield, Hugo) is recruited by the International Military to train to lead a fight against an alien race that nearly annihilated the human race in a previous invasion.
Harrison Ford (Cowboys & Aliens) stars as the colonel who leads Ender’s training, Abigail Breslin (New Year’s Eve) plays his sister, Ben Kingsley (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time) is a legendary fighter, Viola Davis (The Help) is the psychiatrist who helps Ender and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and Aramis Knight (Crossing Over) are fellow trainees.
Ender’s Game grossed $60.5 million at the box office,...
- 12/18/2013
- by Sam
- Disc Dish
With so many blockbusters that hit theaters this year, it's hard to choose my Top 3 movies of 2013. After much consideration, I've taken my pick, but ultimately, every movie is geared towards its own audience and the different genres must be taken into thought. So, without further ado, here are my Top 3 Movies of the Year based on what I found was compelling, enjoyable, and supplied food for thought.
1. Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Director Francis Lawrence is brilliant. I applaud the entire cast and crew of Catching Fire for bringing the book alive on screen in ways that's perhaps even better than the book. The acting is exceptional and outstanding. Jennifer Lawrence immerses herself completely in the character of Katniss. The plot moves along in such an artistic, impeccable way that it's easy to forget that Hunger Games is a big franchise blockbuster. Catching Fire is a precious rarity in that it beats its predecessor.
1. Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Director Francis Lawrence is brilliant. I applaud the entire cast and crew of Catching Fire for bringing the book alive on screen in ways that's perhaps even better than the book. The acting is exceptional and outstanding. Jennifer Lawrence immerses herself completely in the character of Katniss. The plot moves along in such an artistic, impeccable way that it's easy to forget that Hunger Games is a big franchise blockbuster. Catching Fire is a precious rarity in that it beats its predecessor.
- 12/9/2013
- by cassandrahsiao@hotmail.com (Star Reporter Cassandra)
- kidspickflicks
Thanks to huge numbers from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Thor: The Dark World, November box office exceeded $1 billion for the second year in a row. Its $1.07 billion was a bit below last year's $1.09 billion record, though. Through the end of November, the 2013 domestic box office is neck-and-neck with 2012: year-to-date earnings are $9.87 billion, which is less than $10 million below 2012. With strong holdovers Catching Fire and Frozen and guaranteed blockbusters The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Anchorman: The Legend Continues, it's likely that 2013 comes awfully close to matching 2012's record $10.84 billion. The uncontested champion in November was The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. After opening to $158.1 million (a new November record) it played well through the Thanksgiving holiday and ended the month with $282.1 million. If Catching Fire holds as well as the last few Twilight movies*not a difficult task for this well-reviewed, broadly-appealing flick*it will end up with over $400 million.
- 12/3/2013
- by Ray Subers <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
It's the end of November, and Peter Travers knows that turkeys on the Thanksgiving table means plenty of turkeys at the movies. So while you're recovering from your tryptophan coma and trying to figure out what film to see, our fearless critic has brought out his faithful Scum Bucket – and his fowl friend Gobbles! – to help you steer clear of November's worst movies.
See Which Movie Peter Travers Calls "Spectacular"
Fittingly, the worst-of-the-worst is Free Bird, a poorly animated kids movie about turkeys that Travers urges you to avoid at all costs.
See Which Movie Peter Travers Calls "Spectacular"
Fittingly, the worst-of-the-worst is Free Bird, a poorly animated kids movie about turkeys that Travers urges you to avoid at all costs.
- 11/26/2013
- Rollingstone.com
The new film based on controversial writer Orson Scott Card’s seminal work of science fiction, Ender’s Game, does an admirable job of translating the dense book’s heart and morality. While fans may find the long-anticipated film somewhat lacking the book’s scope as well as aspects of the tortured titular character of Ender Wiggin, it does deliver a surprisingly effective sci-fi adventure that even manages to slip in a moral ambiguity or two along the way.
The film takes place in a future where an alien race called the Formics have attacked the Earth resulting in the near annihilation of the human race. Only the heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham saved the planet from what seemed like inevitable destruction. Now, years later and in preparation of a Formic retaliatory onslaught, the international Military, led by Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford), are searching for the next...
The film takes place in a future where an alien race called the Formics have attacked the Earth resulting in the near annihilation of the human race. Only the heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham saved the planet from what seemed like inevitable destruction. Now, years later and in preparation of a Formic retaliatory onslaught, the international Military, led by Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford), are searching for the next...
- 11/25/2013
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
More than a week since its initial release and Gavin Hood's “Ender's Game”, starring Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford has suffered a strange type of purgatorial reception— recognizable to many, including its younger sci-fi target audience, but thus far resisting an actual pull into the theatres. Taking in $41 million worldwide thus far, the Orson Scott Card adaptation is by no means a failure, but as a recent year-end call between Lionsgate executives and shareholders shows, the format of the franchise may need to change before we witness any further installments. During the year-end conference call for Lionsgate, the question of “Ender's Game”—one of their biggest properties, with sequel material in the form of Card's 13 book sequels calling—seemed to carry some hesitation with it. Variety reports (via SlashFilm) that Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said over the weekend that although the film had performed “virtually on base” with internal expectations,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
‘Ender’s Game’ movie to go the way of ‘John Carter,’ ‘The Golden Compass’? (Photo: Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield in ‘Ender’s Game’) Directed by Gavin Hood and starring Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford, Ender’s Game is going the way of Andrew Stanton’s John Carter and Chris Weitz’s The Golden Compass at the domestic box office. After opening with a disappointing $27.01 million last weekend (including Thursday evening shows), the $110 million-budgeted was down a whopping 62% this past weekend, November 8-10, 2013, collecting a paltry $10.25 million from 3,407 theaters (no reduction in number of venues) according to box office actuals found at Box Office Mojo. One can blame Alan Taylor’s Thor: The Dark World, but the action fantasy starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Tom Hiddleston wasn’t the sole culprit. After all, Ender’s Game was already trailing both Last Vegas and Bad Grandpa last Thursday. After two weekends,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Based on the beloved 1985 science-fiction novel by Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game creates a future were a panicked and all-controlling government begins training children to battle a bug-like alien force readying an invasion.
It has taken some time for this novel to find a film adaptation, but the market has been primed, with both the Harry Potter and Hunger Games franchises place children in peril and center salvation in the abilities of the youth. Director Gavin Hood wrote and directed this film, which struggles to execute some of the depth found in the literature, but succeeds in keeping the film streamlined with some entertaining paces.
Ender Wiggins (Asa Butterfield) is a quiet, calculating young man in a stringent military-like school. He is a prodigy of sorts, finding the admiration of Col. Graff (Harrison Ford) and the concern of psychologist Major Anderson (Viola Davis). Ender displays a rational and aggressive ideal of strategy,...
It has taken some time for this novel to find a film adaptation, but the market has been primed, with both the Harry Potter and Hunger Games franchises place children in peril and center salvation in the abilities of the youth. Director Gavin Hood wrote and directed this film, which struggles to execute some of the depth found in the literature, but succeeds in keeping the film streamlined with some entertaining paces.
Ender Wiggins (Asa Butterfield) is a quiet, calculating young man in a stringent military-like school. He is a prodigy of sorts, finding the admiration of Col. Graff (Harrison Ford) and the concern of psychologist Major Anderson (Viola Davis). Ender displays a rational and aggressive ideal of strategy,...
- 11/11/2013
- by Monte Yazzie
- DailyDead
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