Tag Archives: X-Men

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Events, offers and releases 30/12/13

Several lego minifigures run away from an explosion in a lego town.
Several lego minifigures run away from an explosion in a lego town.

Image via Forbes.com

Welcome to the New Year (nearly)! 2014 is a big year for film with lots of big releases. The Lego Movie comes out in February. The CGI stop motion style action comedy has been in development since 2008. With an all-star cast including Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and Will Ferrell, it’s sure to be a hit.

At the end of March, Noah is released. It stars Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins and Emma Watson and is based on the story of Noah’s Ark.

April is a big month for comic book films with both the long awaited Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Amazing Spider Man 2 being released. The Winter Soldier is the fifth Marvel film following Thor: The Dark World (October 2011). Set two years after The Avengers we see Steve Rogers adapting to his contemporary surroundings, the action begins when a SHIELD compatriot is attacked. The Amazing Spiderman 2 features Electro and Rhino.

In May, Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Maleficent join our screens.  Godzilla promises to be thrilling, retelling the story of Godzilla in modern times. The monster looks bigger than ever, and if the trailer is anything to go by, this is one to look forward too. The seventh film in the X-Men film series, Days of Future Past is a sequel to both The Last Stand (2006) and First Class (2011) and takes place in two time lines. Maleficent is a re-imagined take on Sleeping Beauty. A dark fantasy from two time Academy Award winner Robert Stromberg who worked on the production design of Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013).

In June 22 Jump Street, How to Train Your Dragon 2. In the sequel to 21 Jump Street, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum go undercover at high school to explore a drug problem. Another sequel featuring Jonah Hill is How to train your dragon 2. This animated action fantasy film begins five years on from the first film. Now with dragons on their side, the Vikings are exploring the Northern Hemisphere.

In the second half of 2014, you can look forward to; Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jupiter Ascending, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Expendables 3, Jane Got a Gun, Gone Girl, Dumb and Dumber To, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Horrible Bosses 2, Exodus, and The Hobbit There and Back Again.

What a brilliant year of film to look forward too!

 

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John Williams, the man behind the music

Image shows composer John Williams conducting one of his many pieces.

Image via: eddieonfilm.blogspot.co.uk

You probably already know by now who John Williams is. The famous composer has written more scores than you shake a musical stick at (or a conductor’s baton if you prefer). Most notable scores include Saving Private Ryan, Superman and my personal favourite, Jurassic Park. How did John Williams achieve such great recognition in the movie industry?

Born on February 8th 1932 in New York, to an already musical family, John Williams was destined for a life of music. Attending the University of California in 1952, John studied with Italian composer, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. His musical career had begun.

After his time at university John Williams worked as a jazz pianist, playing in many clubs in and around New York. He then worked on television production for shows such as Peter Gunn and Days of Wine and Roses. His first credited film score didn’t come until the 1960 film, Because They’re Young, moving away from his television work.

For many years, John was nominated for musical awards in film, but never took home an award. In many ways, it was director Steven Spielberg who introduced John Williams into the limelight. A then new director on the movie scene, Steven asked for John Williams to compose the score for his first film, The Sugarland Express. The film gained critical acclaim, and showcased the power the duo have in the movie industry.

Since then, John Williams has scored all but two of Spielberg’s movies, The Twilight Zone and The Color Purple being the only exceptions. In 1977, John Williams was approached by another up and coming director, George Lucas.

The director pitched the idea of a science fiction space opera titled, Star Wars. John happily accepted and his since provided the score for all subsequent sequels and prequels. The most distinguished score, “Force Theme” can be heard via the YouTube video below.

Surely, it must be a given that John Williams will be composing the score for the newly announced Star Wars trilogy?

John Williams has since composed the soundtrack for another series of George Lucas directed films, starring an archaeologist called Dr Henry Jones. Other notable film scores include the X-Men series, The Adventures of Tintin and the Harry Potter films.

During his career, John Williams has won 40 awards for his musical achievement in film and it doesn’t look like it’s going to end there. John has already started work on his composition for the upcoming Jurassic World and it looks more than likely that he’ll be composing the score for the new Star Wars films. May the score be with you John.