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Living Through Literature: Classic Alice Brings Books To Life on Campus

by with No Comment Reviews

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English major and aspiring writer Alice Rackham has “always been good”. A straight-A student with a Hermione Granger-esque dedication to her studies, her intelligence and hard work have earned her a place at the prestigious Valeton University. However, when an essay is returned to her marked B-, with comments accusing her of “sterile” writing and a lack of emotional connection to a poem, Alice resolves to follow in the footsteps of classic literary characters in a bid to prove that she is able to meaningfully engage with their stories.

Created by Kate Hackett (who also stars as Alice), Classic Alice is an innovative web series that builds on the multiplatform groundwork laid by shows like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved. Into the established mix of YouTube videos, tumblr and Facebook and Twitter accounts, Classic Alice throws pseudo-student forums, podcasts and character-specific social media profiles on sites like Instagram, Goodreads and Last.fm. Not so much a video series, then, as an immersive, all-round experience, Classic Alice combines criticism with creativity, presenting a myriad ways for viewers to interact with its characters, just as Alice herself gets to grips with those in the books she reads.

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Over the course of the series, the stories Alice chooses become ever more eclectic, leading to all manner of fun, fiascos and outlandish shenanigans. Along the way, the series also tackles some important subject matter, delving into dilemmas and complications both within and without the texts it explores. Beyond the obvious issue of striking a work/life balance, Classic Alice deals with, among other things, friendship, romance, rivalry, responsibility, privilege, prejudice, coming out and coming clean. By attempting to “behave with the impulsiveness and passion of characters in classic literature,” Alice learns a great deal, not only about stories, but also about herself and those around her. In this, she is helped along by her music-, maths- and pie-loving roommate, Cara Graves (Elise Cantu), her party girl cousin, Reagan Starkie (Reid Cox), and most importantly, by her best friend, Andrew Prichard (Tony Noto), a film student documenting her project for his own final-year thesis.

The turbulent relationship between Alice and Prichard is to some extent almost a personification of that between their different disciplines, and this is most clear in their Pens vs Lens podcasts, which they use to compare and contrast various literary texts and their film adaptations. Easy-going, well-connected and steeped in wealth, Prichard is superficially unlike his diligent, bookish and introverted friend, but despite all this, it’s made very quickly clear that the pair are more alike than they are different, and the chemistry between them is palpable.

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At its heart, Classic Alice is a passionate defence of storytelling in all its forms, exploring the relationships between different media as well as those they foster with their audiences. The life lessons that Alice learns from her literary adventures speak volumes for the value of studying stories and art, and her process of self-discovery through books serves as an encouragement to viewers to read along at home.

That said, you don’t have to be a bookworm or a film fanatic to understand this series; nor do you need to have the time to explore its every facet. Classic Alice is full of fun, humour and a quirky charm entirely its own that can be enjoyed from just the videos alone. As much as it is about telling stories, it’s also a touching and thoroughly entertaining show about life on campus that’s sure to feel familiar to 20-somethings everywhere.

To watch all video episodes, visit the Classic Alice YouTube channel, and to hear the Pens vs Lens and Cara’s The Proof is Treble podcasts, check out Classic Alice on Soundcloud. You can also get an overview of the full narrative here or interact via tumblr and the Valeton University website.

New Tale of Princess Kaguya Images Released by Studio Ghibli

by with No Comment Movie News

The official Studio Ghibli Twitter account has recently uploaded nine images of Isao Takahata’s new film Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of Princess Kaguya). The film uses the same beautiful water colour art style as Takahata’s previous films. The film will be released on 23 November.

The story of The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a retelling of 10th century Japanese folktale Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), and centres around the moon princess Kaguya, who is discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant.

Serial Experiments Lain Director Ryutaro Nakamura Dies aged 58

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The official Twitter feed for the Chibi Neko Tom no Dai Boken anime series announced on Thursday that Ryutaro Nakamura (Serial Experiments Lain, Kino’s Journey) had died at 4pm on 29 June after spending months in hospital fighting pancreatic cancer; he was 58 years old. The announcement was made after the family had given their permission.

Nakamura-san was working as the director and storyboard artist of Chibi Neko Tom no Dai Boken before he died. He was also planning a new project called Despera with Chiaki Konaka and Yoshitoshi Abe, who both worked with him on Serial Experiments Lain. However, he is probably better known for directing the Serial Experiments Lain anime series. His other directorial work includes Sakura Wars, Kino’s Journey, Rec and Ghost Hound anime series. 

Bakumatsu Taiyo-den by Yuzo Kawashima

Claude Chabrol joins Eureka Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema series

by with No Comment Home EntertainmentNews

Eureka Entertainment has used Twitter to announce the March and April 2013 releases in its Masters of Cinema series.

The company’s official micro-blogging account and the Masters of Cinema twitter feed both relayed the details.

From French New Wave and Italian art cinema classics, to lesser known gems from France and Japan, the six-release slate includes big name directors Claude Chabrol, Michelangelo Antonioni, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Yūzō Kawashima, and Sadao Yamanaka.

“In March, we welcome legendary French director Claude Chabrol into the series for the very first time, with a back-to-back French New Wave double-bill, Le Beau Serge [Handsome Serge] and Les Cousins [The Cousins],” said Andrew Utterson, producer of the Masters of Cinema Series. “Alongside fellow French filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot’s exquisite comedy-thriller The Murderer Lives at 21 [L’Assassin habite au 21].”

More cinematic treats follow in April with a stunning new presentation of Michelangelo Antonioni’s majestic slice of Italian art cinema La notte [The Night] as well as rare treasures in the form of a blazing new restoration of Yūzō Kawashima’s utterly thrilling but long-unavailable-in-the-west Bakumatsu taiyō-den [A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era] and the collected release of fellow Japanese filmmaker Sadao Yamanaka’s entire surviving works.”

Full details of each of the titles announced can be found on the Eureka / Masters of Cinema website.

 


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The Raid Director Gareth Evans Tweets ‘Hammer Girl’ Berandal Image

by with No Comment NewsTheatrical

The Raid director Gareth Huw Evans has shared the first concept art from his latest project Berandal on Twitter.

The drawing shows a slim girl in a short dress and large stylish sunglasses, looking pretty dangerous with a hammer in her left hand. Think Oldboy meets Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

It is a much better drawing than Evans himself managed on a tablet computer, posting it online with the tagline: “This is a pretty clear example of why I rarely do storyboards…”

Evans is re-teaming with Iko Uwais – star of his earlier film Merantau – for the upcoming project. Uwais plays the main character Rama and the script has only recently been completed.

Early in August Evans wrote: “About two paragraphs of stage direction and a few lines of dialogue away from finishing the Berandal script. Won’t be tonight though. No matter how tempting, my brain is mush right now. So time to sleep and get it done right in the morning.”

The movie should also have a ton of action, according to its director/scriptwriter. “Last count has me at 18 fight scenes in Berandal. Fun fun fun!” he said on Twitter, noting that with “a very loose definition of the term fight/action scene (inc any scene where shots are fired) The Raid had 11 action scenes.” More action than The Raid? Count us in.

Evans has already shot some footage to show backers what the mood of Berandel will be like and has also released a full plot synopsis. The story opens as Rama, a young man in his mid-20s, sits on a toilet looking down at his feet contemplating how he ended up in prison. Once a food stall seller, a fit of rage cost him his freedom, his liberty and the love of his fiancé Dwi.

Locked up for five years after leaving the person who attacked Dwi paralysed, Rama arrives in a maximum-security prison alone and is taken in by Uco, the son of a leading gangster, Bangun. Initially at war with each other, their friendship is sealed after Rama foils an attempt on Uco’s life. When Rama starts a new life five years later he is taken in by Uco’s underworld organisation.

As Uco makes plans to assume control of his father’s organisation, the pair’s friendship is tested to breaking point following a downward spiral of murder, betrayal and corruption. Every move Rama makes will test his loyalty, every decision will change his path leading him further into the violence and bloodshed he is so desperate, yet so powerless to escape.

Fans of Evans’ gritty-yet-stylish work should also be aware that his first feature film Footsteps has just been released on DVD in the UK. The director admits it has been “renamed & repackaged quite a bit,” and is now called Vengeance Day.


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Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry reteam for Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost

by with No Comment NewsTheatrical

Fancy A Bit (more) Of Fry And Laurie? Then you’re in luck, because the comedy duo will be reteaming on a film version of Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost.

The film is currently in pre-production and sorting out its financing and is scheduled for release Christmas 2014.

The Canterville Ghost will be an animated movie, with Fry and Laurie providing voices (rather than sitting down with pencils to sketch the thing but you’d probably worked that out yourself).

“M’coll Hugh & I will be working together to voice the new animated feature of Oscar Wilde’s THE CANTERVILLE GHOST,” Fry said on his Twitter feed before he retired for a few days to do some writing.

As well as headlining their own late ’80s sketch show, the pair also appeared together on Blackadder and Jeeves And Wooster.

Melmoth Films, which is behind the project, created the poster you see above and it was added to Fry’s Twitter announcement.

Co-writers Giles New and Keiron Self (That Mitchell And Webb Look) will turn Wilde’s classic ghost story into a full script.

That’s the story finished. “Please Mr Music, will you play?”


Sherlock Holmes A Game Of Shadows poster Robert Downey Junior

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows urban camouflage challenge solved

by with No Comment Home EntertainmentNews

To celebrate the 14 May release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows on Blu-ray Triple play, DVD and digital download, the nation’s sleuthing skills were put to the test yet again today with the Urban Camouflage Challenge.

Budding detectives were asked to solve three conundrums which appeared on Stephen Fry’s Twitter feed, Play’s Facebook page and IGN UK’s Twitter feed, leading them to a secret location in a major UK city, where they would have the chance to win a brand new iPad.

The three conundrums that appeared today revealed the location to be the statue of a foot across from The Conan Doyle pub in Edinburgh. The clues that led players to this location were:

1. For riddle two I’ll speak to you, In language less Enochian. Dressed black as slate, I lie in wait, Near statue most Sherlockian.

2. Here in the north, beside the firth, where tattooed soldiers stand. Two Arthurs here: one bold and sheer, the other’s in the Strand.

3. Refuse output – the game’s afoot and now the foot’s the game. But don’t go far, I’m near the bar, that bears my writer’s name.

The first person to get to the location and utter the winning words “My curse is I see everything” was 21 year old Edinburgh University student, Will Males.

When he arrived at The Conan Doyle Pub, a Sherlock Holmes inspired artist was utilising his legendary camouflage abilities to blend into his surroundings, concealed as a pile of bin bags next to the statue, just across from the pub.

Males said: “I’m very happy to have won! Living near The Conan Doyle pub during term time certainly helped!”

Will is studying Linguistics at Edinburgh University, which perhaps explains how he deciphered the conundrums so quickly.

There’s still one more chance to play the Urban Camouflage Challenge on 14 May, which is when the film is launched on home entertainment. For full details on how to play visit this site.