BLOCKBUSTER SEASON HAS BEGUN!!

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy Pevensie (William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley) are summoned back to Narnia by a magical horn. One year for them is 1300 years for Narnia, and when they return, the siblings find that the magical land they once knew is no longer. The Golden Age of Narnia has ended and it is now under the tyrannical rule of evil King Miraz. The Pevensies unite with rightful heir to the throne, King Miraz’s nephew, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes). Together, (along with the help of a kindly dwarf, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep, a badger named Trufflehunter and a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik) they will embark on a journey to find Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), rescue the Narnians from the evil King Miraz, bring Caspian to the throne, and restore magic to Narnia.

According to the cast and director of The Chronicles…, the sequel is told in a much grander scale than the previous film. “It’s a bigger story, it’s a bigger adventure,” said director Andrew Adamson. With the battle scenes and change in the story’s tone, the film’s location was moved from New Zealand to Eastern Europe’s Slovenia, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.

As if a studio would let a lucrative franchise like this slip through their fingers, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (May 7th, 2010) is already scheduled to begin filming this summer. In order to get the movies out as fast as possible, and ideally–a year apart, they have brought on Michael Apted to direct the third movie, while Andrew Adamson finishes up the second. The Silver Chair is scheduled for a 2011 release. Production has yet to begin, and casting has yet to be announced. However, it is presumed Ben Barnes will return as King Caspian due to his three-film contractual obligations. However, I imagine they will need to use a considerable amount of aging makeup, because he is supposed to be 66 years old with a grown child in the storyline. Barnes is currently 26 years old. ALSO, I imagine they cannot begin simultaneous production on The Silver Chair until they cast the part of Eustace. She is the only character (at least in the book) that will appear in both Dawn Treader and Silver Chair.

According to the books, Peter and Susan Pevensie only take part in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. Caspian, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie’s roles extend to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Dawn Treader also introduces future main character, and Pevensie cousin, Eustace Scrubb. The Silver Chair does not include any of the Pevensie children. However, with William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, and Georgie Henley being so closely linked to the public’s perception of the franchise, it is unclear what sort of roles (if any) the actors will play in the rest of the series. With The Horse and His Boy taking place during the Pevensie’s reign of Narnia (as told in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe) it is up to the studio/writers if they will bring those characters or actors into the film. (But if you remember, different actors portrayed the adult versions of the child actors in the end of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. So, they may not even need to rush through production because keeping the child stars looking young won’t matter. Either they will use adult actors, or those actors will look old enough by the time they film their parts. If they DID return, wouldn’t that make for exciting cameos?)

Here is a complete list of all the 7 books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia: (They are listed in chronological order, not in the order that they were written by C.S. Lewis.)
1. The Magician’s Nephew (published in 1955)- The sixth book written, it is a prequel. It explains the beginnings of Narnia and how people could go from the outside world into Narnia. It follows two English children Digory and Polly. The old professor that the Pevensie children stay with in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is an aged Digory.
2. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (1950)- The first book written by C.S. Lewis, he introduces the Pevensie children for the first time.
3. The Horse and His Boy (1954)- The fifth book written, it takes place during the Golden Age of Narnia when Peter is High King, Edmund is King, and Lucy and Susan are Queens. It pairs Bree, a talking horse, and Shasta, a boy, who plan to return to Narnia and alert the king of impending invaders.
4. Prince Caspian (1951)- The second book written, it brings the four Pevensie siblings back to a changed Narnia and introduces Prince Caspian.
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)- The third book written, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace. They embark on a seafaring adventure with Prince Caspian.
6. The Silver Chair (1953)- The fourth book written, it is the first time the Pevensie children are not in the story whatsoever. Cousin Eustace returns and brings her classmate Jill Pole. They aid an aged King Caspian find his kidnapped son, Prince Rilian.
7. The Last Battle (1956)- The seventh and last book written, Eustace and Jill return to save Narnia from an Aslan impersonator.

Yours truly spotted Clive Owen shooting scenes for his new film, Duplicity on 40th street and 5th Avenue across the street from the New York Public Library. He was looking svelt, and handsome as ever. The streets were periodically blocked off by people in headsets shouting, “Don’t stand there, cross to the other side.”

The movie re-teams Clive Owen and his Closer co-star Julia Roberts in a spy drama. The two play “lovelorn ex-spies who join forces to swipe a valuable product from the big-business corporate landscape.” It also co-stars Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti.

The heirs of the Tolkien estate are claiming that New Line owes them more than $150 million. According to a 39-year-old agreement, they are entitled to 7.5% of the gross revenue of each movie based on Tolkien’s novels. They are claiming that they haven’t received any of that money. They are not only seeking full compensation, but also the right to block any future production of Tolkien’s works. Bonnie Eskenazi, the trustees’ attorney who filed the complaint, said, “New Line has brought new meaning to the phrase ‘creative accounting’. I cannot imagine how on earth New Line will argue to a jury that these films could gross literally billions of dollars and yet the creator’s heirs, who are entitled to a share of gross receipts, don’t get a penny.”

New Line Cinema’s production of the prequels was previously mired in a law suit with LOTR director, Peter Jackson. The dispute was settled in December, and he is now signed on as a co-executive producer of The Hobbit. He accused the studio of cheating him out of tens of millions of dollars by selling the rights to LOTR merchandise to its own corporate family (Time Warner) below market value.

New Line will finance the films along with MGM. This is a much needed venture for the struggling studio whose film, The Golden Compass, greatly underperformed its expectations. New Line is also the studio releasing Sex and the City: The Movie.

“This is Cranford, unchanging, perpetual, a society that knows itself, a place of peace!”
– Dr. Morgan tells newcomer, Dr. Harrison

What first strikes you about Cranford is the caliber of the cast. Second is the authenticity. From the clothes to the set design to the dedication– simply put, the BBC has done it again. Then, you realize how MANY CHARACTERS there are and wonder if you could possibly follow all of these storylines.

So here are the storylines:
Deborah Jenkyns (Eileen Atkins) and Matty Jenkyns (Judi Dench) are spinster sisters who take in their old friend’s daughter, Mary Smith (Lisa Dillon). Deborah is the clear alpha female of the household, and the moral voice of the town. Mary is staying with the Jenkyns sisters while she escapes her procreating machine of a stepmother.

“All around us, England shifts and changes, but Cranford stands fast. Its women are like Amazons, and to those that live here, it is the world entire.”
– Mary Smith

Then there are the new neighbors, Captain Brown (Jim Carter, “The Way We Live Now”) and his two daughters. Deborah Jenkyns doesn’t care for his lack of social grace, and is appalled by his interest in “popular” literature (Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers). But when one of his daughters passes away, she becomes a true friend to him and his surviving daughter, Jessie Brown (Julia Sawalha, “Pride & Prejudice,” “Horatio Hornblower”). Deborah even breaks with her usual rules about social conduct when she goes to Jessie’s side during her sister’s funeral. Jessie is going through some serious drama of her own. She’s in love with Major Gordon (Alistair Petrie, “The Forsyte Saga”), the man she has loved for years and the only man who is still interested in her, but turns down his proposal in order to take care of her father. Little does she know that her father can take care of himself. He alienates all of Cranford society when they find out he is in charge of a new railway project that will run straight through the town, disturbing their close-knit way of life. The news is so upsetting it leads to Deborah Jenkyns’s imminent death (possibly by means of a stroke).

Under the Jenkyns sisters’ noses, their maid is carrying on an affair with the local carpenter/journeyman Jem Hearne (Andrew Buchan, “Jane Eyre”). Jem is forced to do some dangerous work and ends up breaking his arm. A broken arm apparently is no little injury in 1842 and would likely end in an amputation– which is bad news for a carpenter.

In comes newcomer Dr. Harrison (Simon Woods, “Pride & Prejudice”) who is dangerous on 2 counts: he’s a bachelor among a sea of young and old unmarried women, and he brings modern medical practices. He promises Jem that he won’t cut off his arm, and uses new battlefield techniques to stave off gangrene before fixing him up.

Dr. Harrison is in love with young Sophy Hutton (Kimberley Nixon), the reverend’s daughter. However, the young doctor is always being pulled away by fainting spell faker Caroline Tomkinson (Selina Griffiths).

Meanwhile, the entire town is looking forward to Lady Ludlow’s (Francesca Annis) garden party. Ludlow is old school nobility with connections to the fallen French nobility. She clings to social traditions, and is so afraid of a French Revolution occurring in England that she desires all her servants to be ignorant on all accounts except for knowing the Bible and knowing their place. She rejects a servant because she can read and write.

Unlike his employer, Lady Ludlow’s “man of business” Mr. Carter (Philip Glenister, “Horatio Hornblower”) believes that education is the key to England’s success. He takes an interest in employing and educating a destitute boy whom he catches poaching off other people’s land. The young boy, Harry Gregson, is played by Alex Etel who found fame with his roles in “Water Horse: Legend of the Deep” and “Millions.”

“Ignorance is not a crime, but it is a waste, and waste is sinful.”
– Mr. Carter
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There have been complaints that the drama pales in comparison to BBC’s best such as Bleak House. However, you have to remember that though they were friends, Elizabeth Gaskell’s style and purpose varied greatly from her contemporary, Charles Dickens. Both writers were concerned with how people lived. But whereas Dickens was concerned with the plight of the poor and wrote soap opera-esque stories, Gaskell wrote about the people she knew best– the quaint and quirky people of small town U.K. As a minister’s wife, she encountered many of these people, and wrote about them. And unlike the villains in Dickensian novels, Gaskell’s “villains” are usually people who are just misunderstood. Even the factory owner of North and South, John Thornton, is noble despite the prejudice toward his profession. And horrid Mr. Preston of Wives & Daughters is simply a man consumed by love and jealousy.

If you are looking for an action-driven story, this may not be for you. But this character-driven story about social intricacies and the fear of change is beautiful and strong in its own right. As for the criticism that Gaskell merely writes about spinsters who are frenzied with gossip– once you watch or read any of her novels, you see that yes, there is gossip–but the stories are about how real people find inner strength during tragedy and how people can rally to each other’s aid. If anything, Cranford is Gaskell’s love letter to the people of small town U.K. And despite their meddlesome ways, the women of Cranford are good, kind, and strong women. Even the turgid and stern Deborah Jenkyns is surprisingly loveable. She aptly states, “No woman is an equal of a man. She is his superior in each and every way.”

The adaptation combines Gaskell’s Cranford, My Lady Ludlow, The Last Generation in England, and Mr. Harrison’s Confessions. The story loosely revolves around two unmarried sisters, Matty and Deborah Jenkyns (played by Judi Dench, and Eileen Atkins). The quiet town of Cranford is turned upside down with the arrival of a young, eligible doctor (Simon Woods).

Other famous BBC adaptions of Elizabeth Gaskell’s works include the widely popular Wives and Daughters and North and South. One can only hope Cranford will be half as good.

Also stars: Michael Gambon (Mr. Holbrook), Imelda Staunton (Miss Pole), Francesca Annis (Lady Ludlow), Simon Woods (Dr. Frank Harrison) and Selina Griffiths (Caroline Tomkinson)

…a review to come soon…

Jason Biggs of American Pie fame, eloped with actress Jenny Mollen of cancelled CBS series Viva Laughlin. They are reportedly planning a large reception for July. With the rush to marry, what’s the delay with the reception? In more interesting news, Mollen will appear in My Best Friend’s Girl, starring Kate Hudson and Dane Cook. In it, Cook is hired by his best friend to take his best friend’s ex, (Hudson), on a bad date in order to make her realize how great her former boyfriend was. The film is scheduled for a September 2008 release.

America Ferrera, 24-year-old star of Ugly Betty, sparked speculation that she is engaged to long-term boyfriend, filmmaker, and post-production coordinator for Steven Soderbergh, Ryan Piers Williams. She has reportedly been wearing a large diamond engagement ring between takes of Ugly Betty. They met in film school when Ferrera agreed to star in his student film. The two currently live together with their golden retriever.

Who’s next? We’ll keep you updated.

What Happens In Vegas…: Joy (Cameron Diaz) is a woman just dumped by her boyfriend. Jack (Ashton Kutcher) is a guy who just got fired from his job. The two strangers decide to go to Las Vegas and after a drunken, wild, and crazy night in Sin City, they wake up to the realization that they’ve eloped. Their decision to divorce is complicated by the fact that one of them won a huge jackpot after playing the other’s quarter the night before. The game is on as the two greedily vie for the loot, eventually discovering that maybe this ill-planned love connection isn’t quite as off the mark as they originally believed.

Moss previously dated Mario Sorrenti, Johnny Depp, and Jefferson Hack (who is also the father of her 6-year-old daughter). In April of last year she became engaged to Pete Doherty, but after their July 2007 break-up she began dating Jamie Hince.

In other news…
In lieu of your Arrested Development addiction, maybe you’d settle for a partial cast reunion. Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Henry Winkler are set to star in an animated remake of Australia’s short-lived sitcom Sit Down, Shut Up. It’s about incompetent teachers at a dysfunctional school.

The actress/SNL castmember has confirmed that she and hubby/frequent co-star Will Arnett are preggers in real life. They have been married for 5 years and this will be their first child. It is my sincere hope that she will stay on SNL– especially as co-anchor to Weekend Update. The baby is due in the fall.

A running gag on cancelled Fox sitcom, Arrested Development, had Arnett’s character “G.O.B.” marry guest star, Poehler, after a series of escalating dares.