Bearing in mind there have been several adaptations over the years in various forms of media – TV and film being the notable means. More recent incarnation on film included the little seen, and quite hokey 2007 Amanda Bynes star vehicle (Sydney White).  And on the small screen, ABC debuted the series Once Upon a Time, based on the fairytale, this past fall. Both of these recent adaptations have a decidedly contemporary feel to them.

Below are a few stills to whet your appetite.

First up is Relativity Media’s Mirror, Mirror (Release Date: March 30th):

SYNOPSIS (Courtesy of Relativity Media):

One of the most beloved stories of all time is coming to life in the motion picture event, Mirror Mirror.  A fresh and funny retelling of the Snow White legend, Mirror Mirror features breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White, a princess in exile, and Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts as the evil Queen who ruthlessly rules her captured kingdom. Seven courageous rebel dwarfs join forces with Snow White as she fights to reclaim her birthright and win her Prince in this magical adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences the world over.  The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the Prince, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.

Click here for the trailer.

Coming a few months later, in the midst of summer blockbuster season is Snow White and the Huntsman, which will grace theaters on June 1^st.

SYNOPSIS (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar^® winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her.  But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) dispatched to kill her.  Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power.

Click here for the trailer.

So – which do you prefer? … if any?

Today marks the 200th anniversary of one of the English language’s great scribes – Charles Dickens.

I have previously written a post about the Magic of Dickens in which I describe how the medium of television has been so successful at adapting his long, fully formed stories.

Most recently during the month-long December 2011 tribute to Dickens that ran on TCM during the month of December, I ended up watching the ambitious 360-minute, two-part version of Little Dorrit written and directed by Christine Edzard. Who would have imagined that the same story told twice (from different perspectives) could be so entertaining?

Another film I caught over that month was the Hollywood version of Dickens’ unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, starring Claude Rains. Unfortunately, opinion on this film is not fully formed yet as I was watching it having been slightly distracted from giving my undivided attention to the film – so goes the pitfalls of home viewing.

If you are wholly unfamiliar with how the works of someone born 200 years ago have a bearing on shaping our modern cultural landscape, I have compiled a few articles from around the web which point to this idea:

• British Film Institute (BFI), Dickens on Film 
• Kansas City Star, Dickens’ Relevance in the land of contemporary film and television.
• Christian Science Monitor, Charles Dickens: 12 great movie and TV adaptations

Are you a fan of the writings / big and small screen adaptations of Charles Dickens? If so which are your favorite?

(Image Credit: TCM.com)

P.S. One more Dickens/movie tie-in: his great-great-great grandson, Harry Lloyd, is an actor in his own right, having featured in films such as Jane Eyre and The Iron Lady.

He has even appeared in screen versions of two of his 3x great-grandfather’s novels: once as the Young Steerforth in David Copperfield and as Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (source: Internet Movie Database).

It looks like we are headed for yet another weekend at the box office with some potentially entertaining choices; I have narrowed the selection down to what I consider are the “big three” openings in movie theaters nationwide.

Please note, the final film depicted here, Woman in Black, will hit cinemas NEXT Friday (2/10). If none of these titles tickle your fancy interest you, what will you be doing cinema-wise? This includes home viewing.

Please share your comments below….

P.S. Okay I will admit that looking at the hi-res image for The Woman in Black kind of creeps me out!

Original Post 2.2.2012 (UPDATED version posted on 2.5.2012)

Like I did last Monday, here are a collection of articles and other bits that I have seen around the web that I thought some of my readers might be interested in.

1. SUNDANCE 2012 COMES TO A CLOSE

The list is too long to put together is a single post so I respectfully defer to the Sundance Press Office for the full list of award winners of the festival.

2. THE GREY STRIKES GOLD

Liam Neeson’s latest action-adventure outing, The Grey, topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $20 million in receipts.

(A VIDEO BONUS): THAT SPEECH FROM TAKEN

Liam Neeson is a great sport:

3. OUCH!

In his review of One for the Money, Ramin Setoodeh of Newsweek Magazine asks who are Katherine Heigl’s fans?

4. OSCAR ROUNDTABLE 2012

Very entertaining panel this year; but a little off on its prediction (3/6 to be exact) of who would be in contention for the original Golden Boy of Hollywood.

5. TERMINATOR-R?

For those who care, Terminator 5 will be rated-R.

6. THE OLD TEAM IS BACK TOGETHER

After the winning Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright and Co. are teasing fans with a Twitter pic of the project they are working on.

7. MEET THE MOMS

Check out the gallery of mums-to-be for the upcoming film What to Expect When You are Expecting.

Have a great week everyone!

For me I think this will either be a catchup weekend or I will catch a couple of flicks at my local art house cinema.

What will you be up to?

For today’s post, I have gathered a bunch of articles that I read over the past couple of days that relate to the comings, goings and other stuff in the world of film.

Enjoy!

• (PEOPLE Pets) It’s all about UGGIE the dog!
• Spike Lee Talks to Moviefone
• (Huffington Post) Stars take Swipe at Blockbusters
• The Dodd/MPAA/SOPA Fail Explained
• (Total Film) Len Wiseman Discusses Total Recall Reboot
• (Total Film) Fassbender talks X-Men Sequel

BONUS: Great video clip for Giants fans: I am not a huge fan of late night television (or of the NY Giants for that matter), but I stumbled across this clip of Viggo Mortensen’s latest appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman (1.13.2012). The data set is not complete, but it looks like there is a possible correlation between Mortensen Golden Globe nods and Giants’ Super Bowl appearances:

If the spirit moves you, I implore you to watch the interview in its entirety – entertaining stuff.

Have a great week everyone!

Photo: Vanessa Lua

The Hollywood Reporter has reported that James Franco is set to play photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in a film aptly titled Mapplethorpe. The film is currently a work in progress and is written, directed and co-produced by Ondi Timoner. Having previously focused on television and documentary projects, this film will mark Ms. Timoner’s first feature-length narrative. Actress Eliza Dushku is also serving as one of the film’s producers.

Mapplethorpe will look at the life of the often-controversial photographer, chronicling his rise to fame in the 1970s through to his untimely death from AIDS in 1989.

The announcement comes as part of the Tribeca Film Institute’s announcement of Mapplethorpe and 10 other projects being awarded grants totally $150,000 as part of the Tribeca All Access (TAA) Program.

According the press release, TAA “will present the 11 projects … at a five-day career-development program from April 22-26, during the 11th annual Tribeca Film Festival (TFF),” which will run from April 18-29, 2012.

MORE FACTS ABOUT TRIBECA FILM INSTITUTE’S ALL ACCESS (TAA) PROGRAM

The Tribeca All Access (TAA) program consists of a wide range of works-in-progress by emerging and established filmmakers in the industry, who often come from statistically underrepresented communities.

In celebration of this event, the plan is to have some special “anniversary” postings throughout the year.

In addition, I hope to expand my coverage of live events, including screenings, film festivals and, if I can swing it, interviews from various sectors of the film industry. I also am planning on doing a “readers’ corner” of sorts where I review books about films that I think fellow cinephiles may be interested in.

First up – The New York Times Arts & Leisure weekend and a Q&A with Carey Mulligan on January 8th.

Thanks for coming along with me on this journey thus far.

Best wishes, great health and prosperity in 2012!

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