The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| ‘Magic Tree House’ film premieres in Japan Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:33 AM PDT TOKYO, Oct 24 — The "Magic Tree House" books have whisked millions of readers on adventures to everywhere from ancient Egypt to feudal Japan. Now, the children's time-travel series is embarking on a new destination: the movie cinema. The Japanese animated adaptation, which premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival, comes to the cinema about two decades after author Mary Pope Osborne was walking past an old tree house and got the idea for the series that has sold nearly 100 million books worldwide. Osborne had previously opposed selling the adaptation rights to the books, known for their value for teaching reading, history and geography, because she wanted to keep the stories in children's imaginations. But she was impressed with the vision of the Japanese filmmakers, who visited Osborne and her husband in the United States to show them the script and illustrations for the movie, and felt confident they would make a good film. "We thought they totally captured the spirit of the brother and sister in the story," Osborne told Reuters at the premiere of "Magic Tree House" yesterday, the festival's second day. "The heart of the story was so intact that to me, it was just perfect in that way." The film, produced by Media Factory and set to be released in Japan in January, follows Jack and his little sister Annie, who discover a tree house filled with books in fictional Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. In the early books, Jack is eight years old and Annie seven. When Jack points to a picture in a book on dinosaurs and the siblings are suddenly transported to prehistoric times, they realise that the tree house is magical and can take them to any time and place in history they wish to visit. 'Determined and courageous' Jack and Annie need to summon every ounce of courage as their lives are threatened by everything from a rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex to marauding pirates. Osborne visited schools in Japan's tsunami-hit areas last week and said she was moved by the strength of the children, who she couldn't help notice embodied the heroic qualities that she instilled in Jack and Annie. "The characters are so determined and courageous, and resilient and loving at the same time," she said. "Everything I heard about the children there and saw in the short time, it felt so in harmony with that." Osborne has written about 100 books over a 30-year career and shows no sign of stopping — or being stopped. "I broke my finger and wrist two years ago and I was literally typing a 'Magic Tree House' like this," she said, mimicking the action of typing painstakingly with rigid hands and two fingers. "But I got the whole book done." She is working on a "Magic Tree House" book set at a panda reserve against the backdrop of the 2008 earthquake in China. Osborne's husband, Will, and her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce, pen the non-fiction companion books to the series. The three are also starting an educational programme in the United States to give away books to underprivileged children. "It's just a launching pad to learning about the world and getting excited about learning. That's what our mission is," she said. "It's always been inspiring. I don't think I'll ever stop." — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| ‘Paranormal 3’ breaks records at weekend box office Posted: 24 Oct 2011 04:25 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, Oct 24 — Horror movie "Paranormal Activity 3" jolted awake a sleepy movie box office with an estimated US$80 million (RM251.3 million) in global ticket sales over the weekend. The third instalment of the low-budget haunted house movies topped domestic charts with US$54 million from US and Canadian cinemas, the highest-grossing domestic debut for a horror film and a record for an October release. The movie added US$26 million from international markets over the weekend, distributor Paramount Pictures said yesterday. Like the first two films in the series, "Paranormal 3" was released just before Halloween and produced on a budget tiny by Hollywood standards. The latest movie, the most expensive of the three, cost US$5 million to make. The film opened with after-midnight showings on Thursday night and easily beat the studio's forecast for a domestic debut of around US$35 million. The movie is a prequel about two young sisters and their creepy encounters with an invisible presence in their home, all recorded by surveillance cameras. A largely positive response from critics helped bring in an older-than-25 crowd in addition to the teenagers and young adults who usually flock to horror flicks, said Don Harris, Paramount's president of domestic distribution. "This is the best of the series. It was well-reviewed," Harris said, adding that "people like to be scared in a Hitchcock-ian way. This isn't a bloody franchise." The film's strong performance boosted a sluggish box office that has limped along sharply below last year for several weekends this autumn following a record summer. This weekend's top 12 films grossed 45 per cent more than last weekend's, although 6 per cent less than the same weekend a year ago, according to figures from Hollywood.com Box Office. Robot boxing movie "Real Steel", the domestic box-office champ the past two weekends, slipped to second place with US$11.3 million at North American (US and Canadian) cinemas. The film, starring Hugh Jackman as a father who bonds with his son as they restore a battle-ready robot, has earned US$153.3 million worldwide through its first three weekends of release. A remake of 1980s dance classic "Footloose" finished third on the domestic charts with US$10.9 million, dropping just 30 per cent from its debut weekend and earning a total of US$30.9 million to date. 'Musketeers' struggle' New release "The Three Musketeers", a 3D action version of the classic novel about a sword-fighting trio, finished in fourth place with a weaker than expected US$8.8 million. Critics were not enthused with the film, with just 28 per cent giving a positive review on movie website Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences polled by survey firm CinemaScore gave the film a B rating on average. Overseas, the movie has grossed US$64.4 million for a combined global total standing at US$73.2 million. Comedy "Johnny English Reborn" debuted in North America at eighth place with a dismal US$3.8 million. But the film starring British "Mr Bean" actor Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling secret agent has already chalked up success overseas, pulling in US$104.5 million in international markets since its release five weeks ago. Fifth place domestically went to George Clooney's political thriller "The Ides of March". which brought in US$4.9 million during its third weekend of release. Clooney directed, co-wrote and co-starred in the film about a primary fight between two presidential candidates. Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, released "Paranormal Activity 3" and "Footloose". Summit Entertainment distributed "The Three Musketeers". Walt Disney Co released "Real Steel", which was produced by DreamWorks. "Johnny English Reborn" was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp, and Sony Corp unit Columbia Pictures released "The Ides of March". — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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