And this leads me to the second major problem with Avatar: quickly moving bright colors substituting for art. Bright colors do not equal beauty, Mr. Cameron. How am I supposed to be in awe of some grand computer generated image if there is nothing interesting or artful about the shot? This is my problem with the shaky cam being used any more than sparsely. The art of cinematography is almost completely lost. Rather than framing a shot, the camera shoots in the vague direction of the object that needs to be seen. And it shakes. Any high school kid with a camera can do that.

Bad movies are junk food for the mind. And Avatar is trash. I give Avatar one whole star out of five because the computer generation is really well done (though shot poorly) and, also, Sigourney Weaver is, at the very least, fun to watch in absolutely everything she’s in.

The reason Walden Media refuses to let go of the Narnia franchise (the reason they are still looking to make The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) is because the Narnia movies are the only Walden films that have made blockbuster money. Only one non-Narnian Walden movie has grossed more than $100 million domestically and no non-Narnian Walden movies have made more than $225 million worldwide. Walden is afraid that, if they let go of Narnia, they will go under. This is very likely. They need Narnia because not only does it keep them afloat, but also because the Narnia series has massive potential to rake in the big bucks.

And 20th Century Fox may very well be willing to pick up the series. Fox’s number one movie this past year (Horton Hears a Who) made less than $300 million worldwide. Their number one for the previous year (The Simpsons Movie) made $527 million worldwide. Their number one for 2006 (X-Men: The Last Stand, which cost around $200 million between production and marketing) made $460 million worldwide. And all of these films were marketed appropriately and released on a date conducive for that sort of film making money. Prince Caspian, which we all will certainly agree was marketed poorly and given a bad release date, made very nearly what X3 did worldwide (and X3 was considered a huge success). The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will almost certainly make more than $460 million if it’s released in December 2010. The fact that the gross will probably be higher coupled with the fact that the production budget will be reduced to $140 million (which is less than X3’s production cost) leads me to believe that Fox might be interested.

Fox, unlike Disney, seems to be pleased with moderate successes and Narnia has the potential to be far more than moderately successful. If Fox picks up the option, it might just be a perfect fit, financially speaking. After all, the”X-Men” franchise can only go so much farther and “Star Wars” seems to be all over (at the cinema anyway). Fox, like Walden, needs (something like) Narnia. Even still, the distributor that potentially picks up the franchise has to be careful with Narnia, as it has to be made and marketed just right (not just for established Narnia fans, but for the general movie going public). But, given the right circumstances (which can mostly be controlled by the distributor), Fox and Narnia could work well for one another.

Many think it quite likely that Fox might be interested. Fox and Walden have worked together many times in the past. (They eventually formed Fox Walden.) Also, Fox is rather sans franchises right now. They have the X-Men characters and… that’s pretty much it. Not only are they without franchises, they are also without many strong tentpoles. An established franchise that shows potential could really be what Fox needs right now. (This all could also lead Fox to finally getting Joss Whedon working on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Come on now. It NEEDS to happen.)

Furthermore, even Disney admitted that the unsuccessful box office of Prince Caspian was due, in large part, to the crowded release month. If it had been released in December (particularly in 2007), the box office very well could have been near double what it came to. It would certainly have been a few hundred million more worldwide.

If treated properly, the Narnia franchise has huge potential. The question is if Fox (or another studio) agrees about this potential and if they are willing to dish out $150 million to see if the property proves valuable. To restate what has been said many times, many ways (I didn’t post anything for Christmas, so, there’s my Christmas reference), this is a delicate franchise. In 2005, Disney showed how to market Narnia. In 2008, Disney showed how NOT to market Narnia. It’s really that simple. Make the right movie and market it to the right audience.

As a side note: The idea of franchises studio-hopping isn’t unheard of either. For example, back in 2004, Revolution Studios released Hellboy to moderate success. The studio was not displeased with the box office (it ended up slightly in the green, much like Prince Caspian after the DVD release), but decided against going forward with a sequel and they let go of their right to release the sequel. Universal nabbed that right up pretty quickly and released Hellboy II: The Golden Army in 2008. The film grossed a bit more than the first installment. Universal was pleased and wants to go forward with a third installment when series director Guillermo Del Toro gets some free time (a busy, in-demand filmmaker, that man is). There is no reason why this sort of thing shouldn’t happen with Narnia.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/stay-in-touch/narnia-says-nah-to-mexico/2008/12/17/1229189710132.html

Normally, this would not be something I would post about, but I came across this article on NarniaWeb and was intrigued by it. Not only did it reveal that Disney is going ahead with the The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (the first news of this since Prince Caspian‘s first week DVD sales came in); it also revealed that Dawn Treader might film in Australia and — get this — that Green Lantern might shoot there as well. All signs seem to point to both films releasing sometime in 2010 (methinks, December for VDT and July for GL). The significance of all of this — to me at least — is that both films really are happening, which is just awesome times ten.

Unfortunately, the article also lists the budget for Dawn Treader as $100 million, or half of the budget of Prince Caspian. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, as Prince Caspian‘s budget was really bloated and this budget cut will force the filmmakers to rely on more than just set-pieces and special effects to win audiences over. Then again, this may not actually be the budget of VDT, as even the article calls Dawn Treader “the reputed $US100 million ($150 million) movie.”

First, let’s take a look at the “teaser” trailer (it’s a long teaser at around two and a half minutes) for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and see what stands out.

The words that appear on screen are 

IN THIS HOUSE
THERE ARE MANY ROOMS

THERE ARE MANY DOORS

BUT ONLY ONE

LEADS TO ANOTHER WORLD

WALT DISNEY PICTURE
&
WALDEN MEDIA
PRESENT

BASED ON
THE BELOVED MASTERPIECE
BY C.S. LEWIS 

THIS CHRISTMAS

A DESTINY
WILL BE FULFILLED

AND THE CHRONICLES
WILL BEGIN 

Everything about this trailer exudes charm and newness. The colors are bright. There is heavy focus on unique and iconic imagery (like the lamppost in the snowy wood). Some of these images are used to evoke thematic motifs, like that of discovery (with Lucy pulling the sheet off of the wardrobe). Essentially, what we are promised with this trailer is an exciting fairy tale with strange, mythical creatures (like the centaurs, griffins, the briefly seen mermaids, and other creatures never before put to screen with adequate computer effects) and a moral to boot. Again, there is heavy emphasis placed upon uniqueness.

The teaser trailer for Prince Caspian is also a bit long for a teaser.

The words that appear on screen are

THIS SUMMER

THE TIME HAS COME

TO JOURNEY BACK…

TO NARNIA

WALT DISNEY PICTURES
&
WALDEN MEDIA
PRESENT

ONE YEAR LATER
FOR THEM

1300 YEARS FOR
NARNIA

 A NEW AGE HAS BEGUN

FROM C.S. LEWIS’
EPIC MASTERPIECE

THIS MAY

THE FATE OF ALL

LIES WITH THE DESTINY
OF ONE 

Immediately, we are reminded of the previous film, which is definitely a good idea since the first film was both well received critically and a massive box office success. This is followed by a somewhat violent transition into Narnia, which, juxtaposed against the peaceful and friendly wardrobe of the previous entry, already makes the film seem like a Summer action film rather than a charming family film. Prior to the entry into Narnia, there is no dialogue at all, which suggests that this story spends less time on earth which further suggests that it is not the moral tale that the prior film was, but, rather, a wholeheartedly fantastical film. The scene cuts are abrupt, suggesting a fast moving and, perhaps even, violent film. Then comes Ben Barnes’ notorious line “I am Prince Caspian,” spoken in a Princess Bride-inspired Spanish accent. Unintentional laughter ensues. Notable is the fact that, while the first film called the source novel a “Beloved Masterpiece,” Prince Caspian claims to be based on an “Epic Masterpiece.” The following images indicate preparation for war, which further indicates violence, something notably minimal in the prior installment. While these images pass on-screen, Trumpkin says “You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember.” Also notable is the reduction in never-before-seen creatures (you get the anthropomorphized trees and the river god). Further emphasized is war violence, which, again, makes it seem inappropriate for children but also makes it seem like a potential retread of other war fantasies (like the obvious comparable The Lord of the Rings). It evokes the feeling of “been there, done that.”

Next, let’s look at the theatrical trailer for LWW.

The words that appear on the screen are

WALT DISNEY PICTURES
&
WALDEN MEDIA
PRESENT

BASED ON
THE BELOVED MASTERPIECE
BY C.S. LEWIS

THIS CHRISTMAS

SOME JOURNEYS

TAKE US FAR
FROM HOME

SOME ADVENTURES

LEAD US
TO OUR DESTINY 

The most notable addition is that we see animals talk. At the time that this trailer was released, that had never been done successfully (and certainly not seriously) in live-action before. This immediately makes the film seem like a classic Disney film (and, therefore, a most likely quality family film). This film looks to be going where Disney should be going. Also of interest is that a brief speech by the symbol of goodness in the film (the talking lion Aslan) is immediately followed in the trailer by a brief speech by the symbol of evil in the film (the White Witch Jadis). This strongly alludes to the themes of good versus evil in the film. 

Finally, let’s look at the PC theatrical trailer.

The words that appear on screen are

ONE YEAR LATER
FOR THEM

1300 YEARS LATER
FOR NARNIA

WALT DISNEY PICTURES
AND
WALDEN MEDIA PRESENT 

Note the even heavier emphasis placed upon violence and fighting. Note that, although you do see Aslan and hear Liam Neeson, the two are never synced so as to show the talking of Aslan. No animals are shown talking. Note quotes like “You were right to fear me,” “Narnia is about to be annihilated,” and the returning quote ”You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember.” Note that one of the quick, creature shots is of the werewolf, which is actually kind of scary-looking. Note, also, the subdued colors. All of this suggests a film far less family-friendly than its predecessor.

My conclusion (that I had already reached before today, I admit) is that, while strong competition (like Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and, yes, even Sex and the City) did play a big part in Prince Caspian‘s lackluster box office, the second Narnia film probably could have better held its own against such competition if it had been (and been marketed as) a family film. At the time of its release, there were not many quality family films out. So, for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Disney and Walden need to return to the charm and newness that helped the first film succeed. In the third book, there are new creatures (Ramandu, the Dufflepuds, etcetera) and strange visuals (the dark isle and the lily-covered ocean come immediately to mind) that need to be shown predominantly in the trailers. A good trailer for VDT will start out with around a minute set in our world (used to establish the two returning lead characters and the new leading character as well), will give strong hints at the transition into Narnia (the painting), will follow this with a brief description of why King Caspian is out there in the Dawn Treader as a voice over while images of the earlier islands are shown, and will end showing some of the stranger and more exciting images from the story (again, like the Dufflepuds, Ramandu, the dark idle, the end of the world, Eustace turning into a dragon, Coriakin’s house, and the attack of the sea serpent).

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has supposedly been moved from its May 2010 release date (May 7, to be exact, which is the release date Paramount has set for Iron Man 2) and to a December 2010 release, which is a great move since family films tend to do well that month, financially speaking. Also, Disney has learned from its marketing mistake in marketing Prince Caspian for a mature audience. So, Dawn Treader will be marketed as a family film (see the Prince Caspian DVD commercials). So, as a family film coming out in the month of December, Dawn Treader has a good chance at making some decent money, if it can get some positive word-of-mouth, a problem for the second film.

Also exciting is that Michael Apted is taking over as director. Andrew Adamson was known as the director of Shrek and Shrek 2. Michael Apted is the director of such acclaimed films as Amazing Grace, Gorillas in the Mist, and Coal Miner’s Daughter. Although Adamson made a valiant effort in his The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and ended up making a truly great family film, I am afraid that it might just have been something of a fluke, since so much of what made that film great was largely absent from the sequel, which he also directed. That is not to say that the second film is anything less than an excellent adventure film, just that it lacked a distinctive quality that helped the first film avoid such obvious comparisons to the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings films. Michael Apted is a more established director who will, hopefully, try to make a strong film about real characters rather than merely an effects film.

Many people also complained that, while Wardrobe was a charming moral tale, Prince Caspian suffered from not being about characters but about special effects. I do not completely agree, but I see their point. However, Dawn Treader‘s budget will almost certainly be drastically reduced. (Some have stated that it will be reduced to somewhere between $100-140 million.) So, the film will probably be unable to rely completely on visual effects. (Though, hopefully, it won’t be bad- or cheap-looking.)

If everything goes just right, I could see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (*looks into future*) grossing about $250 million in the US alone and $350-400 internationally, for a worldwide draw of $600-650 million (Wardrobe made $744 million, while Capian made $420 million). After the budget and marketing costs are made back, that should leave Disney about $160-190 million in the green. And, then, there’s the DVD. (Wardrobe‘s DVD made $353 million in the US alone. Caspian‘s DVD was only released in the US three days ago; so, numbers are not in yet. If you have not already, GO BUY IT!) And that’s all conservative, if, like I said, everything I have talked about here works out like it should.

However, according to Jim Hill Media, Disney and Walden are more unsure of the franchise than they previously let on. Don’t worry. Apparently, no matter what happens (barring some freakish occurrence), it seems that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will hit theatres in 2010. The question at hand is of the budget that director Michael Apted will have to work with on the third (and, possibly, final) installment in the Narnia franchise. Apparently, Walden is looking to split a production budget of $140 million with Disney, while Disney is hoping to make the film for around $100 million. However, the final decision any which way – including the official greenlight – will not come until after the numbers come in from the first week of Prince Caspian‘s DVD (and blu-ray).

I am sure that, supposing the DVD did beyond abysmally, it is conceivable that Voyage would be cut altogether, as in, THE END OF NARNIA AT THE CINEMA. However, considering that the DVD is coming out in the holiday season, it is unlikely that the DVD will do that bad. So, there looks to be yet one more Voyage left in the franchise.

Thankfully, Disney and Walden seem to have learned from their mistake with Prince Caspian and are looking to release the film in December 2010 rather than May 2010. Supposedly, if Voyage does as bad or worse than Caspian, then the franchise is over. However, with a December release, the film is almost certainly going to do better business than the second installment. (2005′s Wardrobe was released in December and made $744 million worldwide, while 2008′s Caspian was released in May and made $420 million worldwide.)

So, with a December release, a decreased budget of (hopefully) $140 million and competition in the form of exactly one other major film (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part One releases November 19, 2010), opposed to many (Prince Caspian faced Iron Man, Indiana Jones 4, and Sex and the City), The Voyage of the Dawn Treader looks like it has the potential to be a really big hit if it’s marketed capably. By capably, I mean with focus placed on the three children and on the family-friendliness of the story, and not on darkness and Ben Barne’s deplorable fake accent. If Voyage makes around $550-600 million worldwide (my numbers), then The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair might see the light of day (which is ironic if you’ve read the book).

So, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to buy at least one copy of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on December 2, 2008. Your other mission, which you have no say in, is to go see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader when it hits theatres in late 2010 (probably December 10 or 17, which places it three or four weeks away from HP7.1, respectively.)

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2008/11/17/monday-mouse-watch-waiting-for-the-dawn.aspx

How do I know this? I know this because the CW has scrapped plans for their pre-Robin, Dick Grayson, abomination series “The Graysons.” They are now looking into other replacements for “Smallville.” As I have said earlier, there are many options available for development within the DC Universe and “The Graysons” is one of the worst options. It is so very bad an option within DC that it is hardly a DC option at all. So, for any agnostics (or, if you feel confident enough to call yourself such, atheists) out there, you now have concrete proof that God exists. So, you can stop making silly, nonsensical demands and start living with the knowledge that there is, indeed, a Higher Power.

Years back, Neve Campbell said that Sidney Prescott’s story was over. So, this fourth installment, some have said, might very well be a reboot of the series, with an all new cast. As much as I would like to see the return of Sidney, the reboot idea does not seem to be a bad one. The original “Scream” trilogy parodied ’80s slasher flicks because that was the recent trend of the genre. The more recent trend has been toward remakes. To draw upon this, it would be clever to simultaneously remake the original Scream, while also making the film a sequel, that is, based in the same universe as the original trilogy. By this, I mean have a basically new cast playing different-yet-similar characters and have the set-up of the story be nearly identical to the set-up in Scream. Scream taught us what a parody should be. Let Scream 4 tell us what a remake should be. Remakes should not be simple rehashes of prior material. If that is all that is done, what’s the point (other than to make money)? In Scream 4, the stakes need to be elevated from those in the first film and, while the first act should be nearly identical to that of the original film, it should deviate from there and be something new. If there is a Scream 5, I would like to see the return of Sidney, Gale, and Dewey. Or, they could return (or just Sidney) half-way through the fourth film.

That is all supposing that Neve Campbell is still not wanting to make another “Scream.” After all, Wes Craven said a few years ago that he would not want to make another one and, now, he is singing a different tune. Also, Neve Campbell introduced Wes Craven at the Scream 2008 Awards. After the recent news of Scream 4‘s possibility for Craven, I am sure that the powers-that-be wished to get people talking by connecting Campbell to Craven.

What is going on with Scream 4? I suppose only time will tell.

The casting of Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland as the White Queen and Red Queen, respectively, has made me (and other fans) wonder on what book (or movie) Tim Burton’s new movie will be based. It has been known for a while now that Tim Burton has been working on a film titled Alice in Wonderland for Disney, but now, with that casting announcement, it seems as if the new movie will not draw exclusively from Lewis Carrol’s first Alice story, as the White and Red Queens are characters that appear in the second Alice story, Alice Through the Looking Glass or, more commonly, Through the Looking Glass. Furthermore, the majority of the news stories reporting on this casting have mentioned that the Red Queen is known for shouting “Off with his/her/their head!” As anyone who has read the books knows, the Red Queen shouts no such thing, as that is the catch-phrase (of sorts) of the Queen of Hearts, who is a character that appears in the first Alice book, but not the second. There are a few possible explanations for all of this.

Because the White and Red Queens are appearing in the film, it is clearly not based exclusively upon the first Alice book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or, more commonly, Alice in Wonderland. However, because Johnny Depp has already been cast as the Mad Hatter (a character that appears in the first but not second book), we know that this film is not exclusively based on Through the Looking Glass. So, what is this movie?

It is possible that the movie will cover both stories somehow, perhaps sequentially. Perhaps, they will have an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland followed immediately by an adaptation of Through the Looking Glass. This would disregard the news reports’ mention of the Red Queen demanding decapitations.

It is also possible that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland will be something of an amalgamation of the two books. To me, this seems the most likely, as everyone has seen or read the first Alice story more times than they can remember and the second story is slightly more obscure (much like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia). However, as the first story is what people are familiar with, it probably seemed like a smarter move to name it after the first story, even if it draws more from the second. So, supposing this film is an amalgamation of the two books, the question still remains of what is to be taken from which book and what overall structure the film will take, that of the first or second book. Will the characters from the first book work their way into a film that more closely follows the second book or vice versa? Will the two books’ plots be woven together into one cohesive whole? Will, as some have suggested, some characters from the second story replace similar characters in the first story in a film based on the first story (perhaps, the Red Queen replacing the Queen of Hearts) or vice versa? All of these questions remain unanswered at this time.

Or does this new movie vaguely use some of the characters and situations from the books to tell a new story? This, too, doesn’t seem unlikely, since, like I said earlier, people are very familiar with the first story. Perhaps, this new film is a gutting and restructuring of the story, using various elements from both books.

To be honest, if this is not a direct adaptation of one or both books, (I am remotely ashamed to admit that) I don’t really care all that much. Although Through the Looking Glass has yet to be adapted fully and capably in one effort, Alice in Wonderland has been adapted well and fairly faithfully many times (Hallmark in 1999 and Disney in 1951). While I would like to see both books receive the (faithful) big screen treatment independent of one another (perhaps, as a miniature franchise), this Tim Burton film will certainly be something worth watching, even if it is something that is not too close to the book(s) on which it is supposedly based.