Category: Film News

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Happy Book Lover’s Day with a Bird Theme 08/09/2016

 

There are multiple movies across the world that are based on books that have bird motifs. Birds are seen a symbols of freedom and peace are often featured in movies and books as symbols for their characters. Here are some good movies with bird motifs:

The Scarlet Ibis

The Scarlet Ibis is a short movie based on a story by James Hurts. The story revolves around the main character and his brother, Doodle, as they grow up together. Since Doodle is disabled, and unable to participate in any normal brother duties, the main character decides Doodle should train to be more like a brother. The movie comes to the climax after the narrator’s family finds a dead scarlet ibis in their yard. The movie ends with the main character holding Doodle after a rain storm, leaving viewers with a sad, but nostalgic outlook on the story.

To Kill a Mockingbird

The classic movie To Kill a Mockingbird centers on a book written by Harper Lee. The story follows Scout and her older brother Jem as they navigate through the town of Maycomb, Alabama in their youth. The movie deals with racial tension in the 1930’s and the unfair treatment of people who are different. At one point the main character’s father states “to kill a mockingbird is a sin” because they are harmless creatures. The movie ends after giving the viewer a good point of view on how ignorance and fear cause serious and even fatal consequences.

The Nightingale

The Nightingale is a Chinese movie that follows the life of a young girl named Ren Xing. Ren Xing lives with a family who may love her but her parents are emotionally distant from one another and are too busy working to spend time with her. So, she is sent away to visit her paternal grandfather. They set off into the forest in the rural parts of China to free the bird her grandfather promised his late wife he would free. The movie ends with the nightingale, that Ren Xing adopted, who was unable to initially, singing. The bird, like her family, is made whole again.

Bird People

The movie Bird People centers around the lives of two adults who decided they are dissatisfied with the way their lives are. Main character Gary Newman is an American businessman who travels around the world but thinks his life is dull and meaningless. Maid and student Audrey has a dark, emotional past and is unhappy with the way her life is manifesting. Both characters decide to leave behind their lives and responsibilities in order to be free again like the sparrow who flies away in the movie.

The Falcon Maltese

The Falcon Maltese is a movie based on a book by Dashiell Hammett. The movie follows a private investigation agency as they begin an investigation into the disappearance of a woman's sister. The movie falls into multiple plots of murder and is overshadowed by this mysterious figure called The Falcon. The movie ends with the main character frustrated, deceived, and slightly heartbroken as he moves on from the chaos that entered his life from picking up the wrong client.

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12 Movies With Sisters Who Don’t get Along

 

August 7th, is Sister’s Day and Friendship day. Both holidays are rooted in the idea of making amends with your friend or sister, cherishing them, and celebrating your relationships. However, We here at World Wide thought we’d do something a little bit different and feature movies with sisters who were not very friendly towards one another or sisters who could even be considered mortal enemies.

 

  • What Ever Happened to Baby Jane:  This classic 1960’s movie What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? features classic actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. (Don’t know either of the actresses? Think “No more wire hangers!!!” for Crawford and the name “Oscar” which was coined by Davis when she named the statue after her husband.) The movie features both actresses who play feuding sisters who hate one another to the point of violence. The movie ends by giving the viewers as small form of closure as the sisters agree they could have been friends instead of enemies but, at that point, it’s is too late. Their feud had caused irrevocable damage to both of their lives.
  • The Other Boleyn Girl: The movie The Other Boleyn Girl features actresses Natalie Wood who plays the infamous “Anne Boleyn” and Scarlett Johansson who plays her older sister “Mary Boleyn”. The movie follows Mary’s introduction into court, her affair with King Henry, and her relationships thereafter. Before, of course, her sister is introduced to him. While the two sisters do not become violent with one another, one of them does play dirty. Wood’s character betrays her sister in pursuit of her ambitions causing her sister to be thrown out of the kingdom. In the end, this betrayal is costly but ,Johansson's character is still forgiving, putting her sisterhood before anything else. The movie ends as history says and the audience sees a final shot of Elizabeth, Boleyn's daughter being looked after by her aunt.
  • Sixteen Candles: Molly Ringwald’s character “Samantha Baker” in the movie Sixteen Candles is a classic and the perfect match to the teen stereotype. The movie features the story of an awkward, underdeveloped teenager as she navigates through life while being forgotten by her family, and being in love with one of the most popular boys in school. Samantha confides in her older sister who then implies she trivial and calls her an asshole for wanting the attention to be on her. The two sisters butt heads but in the end, they are able to apologize to one another and move on.
  • My Sister’s Keeper: The movie My Sister’s Keeper follows the life of a leukemia stricken teen and its impact on her family. Younger sister “Sara Fitzgerald” wants her older sister “Kate” to live, but, at the same time, Sara doesn’t want to give up her body and future for her sister’s medical needs. So, Sara sues her family in order to get her control of her body back. While the sisters do not exactly fight one another, they do seem to be at odds with one another.The book differs from the movie greatly, but both end tragically, leaving the Fitzgerald family reeling with the grief and loss of a loved one.
  • 10 Things I Hate About You: The movie 10 Things I Hate About You follows the story of sisters “Kat” and “Bianca Stratford” played by Julia Stiles and Larisa Oleynik as the men in the movie plot to date the younger sister by finding a date for the older one. They do, a new kid by the named Patrick Verona played by the late actor Heath Ledger. Despite Kat’s best effort she falls in love but is devastated when the truth comes to light. Throughout the movies sister Kat and Bianca  fight but, at end of the movie, the sisters unite and a few well power punches leaves the antagonist of the story in his place.
  • Alice in Wonderland: In the live action film adaptation of Alice In Wonderland, director Tim Burton and his writers creatively make the “Red Queen” Helen Carter-Burton and “White Queen” played by Anne Hathaway sisters who are feuding over the throne throughout the movie. The movie comes to a climax when the sisters bring their armies together to start an all out war for the throne. The movie ends with one sister being banished and Alice being sent home by way of a potion. The sequel Alice through the Looking Glass had left theatres and is ready to debut on redbox in late August early September of 2016.
  • Red Roses and Petrol: In the movie Red Rose and Petrol, Maeve is the younger, safe sister who may be eccentric but sticks close to home to be close to her family. Katherine is the glamorous, older sister who is seen as prettier, fashionable, morally impeccable, and as someone who is going places. Both sisters clash immediately upon seeing one another again. As the plot goes on, the movie exposes Katherine’s flaws and the cracks hidden behind the facade of the upbeat, happy Irish family. The movie ends with no real resolution of the sister’s issues but it does correct some misconceptions the audience has about the original plot of the movie.
  • Dirty Dancing: The movie Dirty Dancing  features another classic family dynamic. The movie follows Frances "Baby" Houseman and her family as they vacation for the summer. Baby is often pitted against older sister Lisa Houseman who is seen as more conventional and proper than her sister. Baby, the free thinker and the girl with dream, is a black sheep in her family. The sisters bicker throughout the movie and Baby even resorts to blackmailing her sister at one point. However, towards the end of the movie, the two sisters are able to come to an understanding. Lisa even admits that she was jealous of Baby and all that she had accomplished.
  • Oz the Great and Powerful: The movie The Wizard of Oz is considered an American classic and is still treasured and parodied now, decades after it released 1939. The prequel Oz the Great and Powerful features actor James Franco who plays con man Oz. Mila Kunis “Theodora”, Rachel Weisz “Evanora”, and Michelle Williams “Glinda” play three witch sisters who are fighting over their father’s throne after his untimely demise. The movie ends with the sister’s fight coming to a head when Evanora and Glinda have the final fight that leads one broken and the other with the throne.
  • Parent Trap: There is the original movie Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills and the more modern one starring Lindsay Lohan both share the same plot. Two twin sisters separated at birth are reunited at a summer camp where they feud, join forces, and the decided to switch places and bring their parents back together. The first half of the movie features the sister feuding with one another over their similar appearances and competitive natures. The feud comes to a head when one sister pulls the ultimate prank that lands them in deep trouble. However, because of this, the sisters are able to bond and use their devious tricks to better their family.
  • Sisters: Tina Fey and Amy Pohler are our Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis of the 21st century. Every time this comedy duo teams up they bring America laughter and another legendary movie to archive. This happened when the movie Mean Girls came out in  2004 and again when the movie Sisters debuted in 2015. Sisters is a movie that comically explores the lives of two sisters, one who is wound up too tight and the other who lives her life just a bit too freely. At the movies, climax the sisters fight Maura and Kate fight over Kate’s daughter and over Maura keeping secrets from Kate. By the end of the movie, the house is destroyed and the sisters are able to stop fighting and come to an understanding.
  • Frozen: The popular Disney movie Frozen centers around the relationship of two sisters who, because of older sister Elsa’s magical powers, are isolated from one another as they grow up. Though the sisters are essentially strangers to one another, they eventually come together under the principle “sisters before misters” as they save themselves and their home from the clutches of an evil prince. Everyone is looking forward to the sequel of the movie which is scheduled to come out in the next few years.
  • Jacob Have I Loved: The tagline for this Jacob have I Loved is: “My beautiful and golden twin sister was adored by everyone except me- the one who should have loved her the best.” This book turned movie follows twin sisters Louise and Caroline as they grow up in a rural town during a war. Louise’s sister has taken everything from her, her friends, her family, her opportunities, even her own name. While the battle isn’t obvious, Louise is fighting her sister so she can carve out her own identity when everyone chooses her sister over her. While Louise doesn’t win her battles, she wins a war by offering a chance to another set of twins to be loved and remembered equally by their family. The story ends with Louise’s reflecting and experiencing a moment of clarity as she remembers her sister’s beautiful voice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Actors Who Share the Same Birthday and Work Together

 

In celebration of our actors Emilia Clarke and Ben Chaplin, stars in our film Ways to Live Forever, birthday’s we decided to research celebrities who have collaborated with one another and also have the same birth-date.

  • Orange is the New Black: It’s bacckkk and it’s badder than ever. Season 4 of Orange is the New Black has just been released and we are super excited. This season has been one of most enthralling, saddest seasons of the series and viewer are anxious to see what happens next in series. We wonder if the creators will bring back  Lorraine Toussaint who plays villain “Vee Parker” from season 2. We are also curious about the fate of regular Natasha Lyonne who plays lovable drug addict “Nicky Nichols”. We can’t tell you what happens next but we can tell you that both actresses share the  same birthday of April 4th. We’re sure both birthdays breed room for a nice prison frenemy party, shives included.
  • Harry Potter: Even though the original Harry Potter movie series has ended, and a new one is beginning, we are still happy to mention the cast of Harry Potter not only had actors who shared the same birthday but also the same name. Actresses Emma Watson who played brainiac “Hermione Granger” and Emma Thompson who played “Professor Sybill Trelawney” both shared the same birthday of April 15th in addition to having the same name as well. While we know Watson's role in the Rowling's series has ended we are curious to see if there will be any familiar faces in the new series such as Thompson.
  • The Big Bang Theory: The show The Big Bang Theory is known for its wit, and being one of the few shows that feature geeky main characters in a positive light. Perhaps the biggest overlaps is the birthdays of main characters Johnny Galecki who plays “Leonard Hofstadter” and Kunal Nayyar who plays “Rajesh Koothrappali”. Both men were born on April 30th with a six year separation between the two. Maybe the cast celebrates with  dairy-free, cinnamon favored cakes in honor of the two cast members.
  • Superbad: The movie Superbad is one of the funniest movies ever debuted in the U.S.. It features famous comedy actors Michael Sera, Jonah Hill, and “Christopher Mintz-Plasse” as high school seniors who quest to drink alcohol and pick up girls to before high school ends. Something highly coincidental about the movie is Michael Sera who plays “Evan”  and Bill Hader who plays “Officer Slater”  share the same birthday of June 7th. We’re pretty sure that if the cast celebrated their birthdays together no fake Ids were need. Sidenote: Shout out to Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Dave Franco who were both in the movie and both born in June as well.
  • What I Like About You: The show What I Like About You features sisters “Holly” and “Valerie Tyler” played by Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth. Bynes and Garth not only shared a set and a fictional sisterhood, they also share a birthday. Both actresses were born on April 3rd. This must have made for a bunch of fun, quirky birthday parties on set. Unfortunately, What I Like About You ended in 2006 and both actresses have moved on but there are still reruns and memories for the fans to live off of.
  • Old Dogs: Old Dogs is a movie starring John Travolta and the late Robin Williams who play marketing executives who have to balance the success of their company and their children. The movie is a comedy, showing of Williams and Travolta’s comedy skills and end on a good note. Interestingly enough, supporting actor Matt Dillon and main actor John Travolta, who were both popular actors in the 80’s but managed to not work together until the mid 2000s, both share the same birthday of February 18th.
  • The Aviator: The movie The Aviator follows the life of pilot, “Howard Hughes”, played by Leonardo Dicaprio, his ambitions, his obsession with Aviation, his paranoia, and his mental breakdown. This movie is considered poignant and is one of Dicaprio’s best movies. Supporting actors Alec Baldwin who plays Juan Trippe and funnyman turned drama actor Adam Scott plays “Johnny Meyer. Both actors not only share the spotlight in the movie they also celebrate the same birthday of April 3rd as well.
  • The Godfather: The original Godfather movie is described as one of best films in America’s film history. The movie centers around an a crime family, violence, and the feud between five crime families. Unsurprisingly, the movie is a bloody one ending in the death of most of its characters. However, we were surprised to find Diane Keaton who plays “Kay Adams- Corleone” and Robert Duvall who plays “Tom Hagen” both share the same birthday January 5th.  Perhaps they offer parties their guests can’t refuse.
  • Ways to Live Forever: The movie Ways to Live Forever centers around the story of a young boy who has to come to grips with his mortality as he begins losing  his battle with cancer. It star British actors Robbie Kay, Ben Chaplin, and  Emilia Fox. Both Chaplin and Fox were born on July 31st with a five years difference between the two. All the actors have since moved on from the set with main character Robbie Kay starring as Peter Pan in the hit show Once Upon a Time, Ella Purnell starring in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ben Chaplin was in Cinderella, and Emilia Fox appearing in films and television shows.
  • 20,000 years in Sing Sing: 20,000 years in Sing Sing follows the story of a criminal who gets sent to jail for assault and battery. While there his girlfriend visits him in jail but stops coming when she was in a near fatal accident. The main character goes on furlough in order to take care of his girlfriend but ends up killing someone. He goes to jail and is sent to death row for his crimes. The movie stars old Hollywood actors Spencer Tracey and Bette Davis who both share the same birthdate of April 5th. Unsurprisingly, all both actors have appeared in movies  and other projects with one another so we’re sure they celebrated their birthdays together at least once.

 

 

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An Ode to Parenthood on Parent’s Day 07/24/2016: A Modern Family

 

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By definition, a parent is a person that brings up and cares for a child. Parenting a child comes with ups and downs and is never easy. Every day, parents push themselves in order to protect and provide for their family. It is a very crucial role that takes a lot of discipline and compassion to assure the proper development of their child. It is not a temporary job. From the birth of the child, taking his first breaths of the real world until the end, parents will be there. This Parent's Day, we recognize that being a parent can be very stressful at times, but it can also be something very beautiful.

Where would people be without parents? Without any guidance, children run the risk of becoming delinquents and unaware of what is virtuous and moral. Some parents have it easier than others.  Often, people think that once they are ready to have children, everything will be perfect. In regards to parents who have a child with special needs, it wasn’t what they expected. They are placed in a position of constantly having to care for another person powered by their endless love; it’s a characteristic that every parent seems to hold.

As shown in the movie Ways to Live Forever, being the parent of a child with an illness/disability can be an emotional roller coaster. In the movie, the main character named Sam, portrayed by Robbie Kay, is diagnosed with leukemia. As the movie goes on, it shows him and his newly made best friend, also terminal, attempting to complete things on a bucket list and trying to “live forever” through the artwork of video recording and writing a book. It also depicts how the parents of these children go through this way of life providing a better existence for their children who are ill.

Kudos to all the parents out there who have children with disabilities and illnesses. Parents Day is a day to celebrate and thank all parents for their hard work and unfailing support for their kids. To the parents whose kids aren’t disabled or have an illness, take this moment to be grateful and realize what others are going through. Parenting children with special needs may apply to everyone including celebrities. Here is a list of celebrities that have children who have special needs.

 

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National Tattoo Day: Can A Tattoo Artist Have Morals?

 

Today is National Tattoo Day and we have decided to explore the world of tattooing via our series Skin Deep sold in our World Wide Motion Pictures website theindiemoviestore.com. The mini series Skin Deep  features the works and styles of prominent tattooers such as Greg James, who tattooed rock Gods like the members Motley Crew or legendary rapper Snoop Dogg. The series details the individual tattooer’s progression into the world of tattooing, their experiences, and, most importantly, their art.

Episode 1 of the series featuring tattooers Greg James and Billy Brown who tattoo in the parlor the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, Ca. This episode brought about an interesting question from the world of tattooing. Can an tattoo artist be moral while being in the business of tattooing? The artists at the Sunset Strip were adamantly against doing any racial tattoos, any tattoos on overly emotional clients, and they did not want to do risky tattoos on new clients. For instance, Brown describes how he turns down customers who come to him, without tattoos, and ask for their first tattoo to be on their hand.

“If an individual comes in here with no tattoos on his arms and wants to tattoo his hands. I really don’t recommend it and I won’t do it. Anything on your face, I won’t tattoo.” says Brown.

He explains that tattooing is fun for him but some decisions his client makes are those he is unable to abide by because of his morals. However, tattooing is solely a customer service oriented business. The whole process of tattooing depends on customers coming into a tattoo parlor asking to be tattooed. It’s a tattoo artist’s job to draw from their clients wants and needs in order to create a good tattoo. Tattooing is art but it’s art that survives on its customer service.

For instance, the popular show Tattoo Nightmare features a story about a woman whose parents paid a tattoo artist double to give her a painful, ugly tattoo to dissuade her from getting tattoos in the future. Where were the morals of that tattoo artist? Was he in it for the money? Did he believe her parents were doing the right thing? Or did he just not care? If a patron is paying, should the tattooer care about the subject he is being asked to ink on someone? The Sunset Tattooers believe tattooers should care. They believe their jobs have profound effects on their clients and their consciouses.

“You have to go home at night and you have to say ‘I did a good job today’ and you gotta live with yourself.” Brown muses.

The tattooers at Sunset believe their conscious should be involved in their art. They describe how they turn away clients and also, how they  bond with their clients during their sessions. How they absorb their clients good days or bad days, how they treasure their clients momentous experiences and occasions. They explain how they realize how much their job impacts their clients lives. How their client’s tattoos impact their lives.

“You have to know how you’re changing your life,” Brown explains. “It does affect the way you live.”

Remember to check out our series Skin Deep on our website theindiemoviestore.com. It is on sale as of  July 15th through the 19th at 10 percent off when using the promo code Deep10.
Happy tattooing!

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Happy Global Forgiveness Day

 

globalforgivenessHappy Global Forgiveness day! Today, July 7th 2016, is Global Forgiveness Day, a holiday which was started by the Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors (CECA). The theme of today is, of course, forgiveness. Today is focused on the different ways to forgive others and ourselves.

There are many types of forgiveness. There’s mutual forgiveness, where both you and the other person apologize and forgive one another. There’s one sided forgiveness, where only one person apologizes and the other forgives. There’s open forgiveness, where someone else accepts an apology and forgives someone who did not ask for forgiveness in the first place. There’s inner forgiveness, where you look deep into yourself, accept, and forgive yourself. There’s begrudging forgiveness, where you forgive the person but keep your eye out because you don’t trust them anymore. Lastly, there’s fake forgiveness, where you accept someone’s apology but don’t forgive them at all.

The movie Pop Kowboy features main characters who have a lot to forgive and be forgiven for. Frankie, a down-on-her-luck drag queen, struggles with forgiving her mother. Frankie’s mother couldn’t handle her son living as a woman and kicked her out, shutting her out of both her inheritance and her family home. After years of being alienated, Frankie’s mother was still unable to forgive Frankie for not being the son she wanted and ends up pushing Frankie away again. Because of this, Frankie has to learn to forgive and accept her mother’s viewpoint while still accepting herself and her own choices.

Another person who needs forgiveness in the movie in Pony, the main character in Pop Kowboy. Pony is unable to forgive himself because he feels like he is a nuisance and unwanted. Pony tries to kill himself numerous times throughout the movie and almost succeeds. He feels alienated and alone, but throughout the movie, with a little tough love, he begins to accept himself the way he is. He forgives himself for being different and forgives others for not understanding him.

This movie teaches the viewers about suicide, self-love, self-acceptance, bonds, and forgiveness. Sometimes we cannot be what we want or what other people want us to be. Sometimes, we cannot be the best. We have limitations on what we can actually accomplish. In spite of this, we have to forgive others and, most importantly, we have to forgive ourselves. Watching Pop Kowboy teaches our audience that they do not have to be what other expect them to be in order to be loved, accepted, and most importantly, forgiven.