Archive for the ‘Movie Costumes’ Category

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is one of the most anticipated movies of 2010. Based on wildly popular Prince of Persia video game the movie tells the story of Dastan, a poor street orphan in 6th century Persia. Dastan is adopted by the king of Persia after he displays courage in a fight which the king sees. The king doesn’t want his own children fighting over his throne so he adopts Dastan to take over the throne after him since he proved to the King that he is courageous and has a good heart.  Dastan finds a friend and companion in the princess Tamina and they go on an adventure together to steal a special prize, the Sands of Time, from an evil Persian nobleman named Nizam.  The Sands of Time was given to humans by the gods and with it a human can control time, so Dastan and Tamina are determined to get it for the King. In the movie version of Prince of Persia Dastan will be played by Hollywood favorite Jake Gyllenhaal. Tamina will be played by Bond girl Gemma Arterton and the evil Nizam will be played by legendary actor Ben Kingsley.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will be produced by veteran Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Jerry first became interested in the Prince of Persia project after the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the Curse of the Black Pearl, turned out to be much more successful than anyone had thought it would be.  Studio execs at Disney realized that there was a huge market for period action movies and started development to bring Prince of Persia to the big screen.  The Prince of Persia video game is one of the most successful video game franchises in history and the storyline of the poor street boy Dastan raised to unbelievable wealth as the King of Persia’s adopted son is a great premise for an action movie so it seemed like a perfect fit for the studio.  The actual filming of the movie didn’t take place until 2008 though because the studio was scrambling to finish the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  Originally no sequels to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie had been planned but after the wild success of the first film Disney quickly ordered two more to cash in on audience’s love for the characters and desire to see more of them.

Because the Prince of Persia movie is based on a video game there are plenty more storylines available if Disney again decides at the last minute to create sequels to the movie based on box office success. But, currently there are no sequels being planned for the Prince of Persia . However, if audiences love The Sands of Time as much as they loved Curse of the Black Pearl Disney may once again be working overtime to produce scripts and film sequels to keep fans happy and to keep the storyline of the Prince of Persia going.

Kids movies are in high demand, and audiences can’t get enough of clever adaptations of popular books and TV shows that incorporate storylines that will please kids and adults.  Many children’s movies these days use a lot of jokes and references for parents as well as using storylines that appeal to kids. This year in addition to several movies based on popular TV shows a movie featuring the characters in the very popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series will be released. The movie version of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid is expected to be released early in the spring of 2010.  We expect to see many kids wanting to dress according to the movie.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie is based on the bestselling children’s book of the same name. In the book the author takes readers through a year in the life of Greg Heffley, an average middle school kid, and his best friend. Greg chronicles his life through a series of diary like entries and cartoons that he draws illustrating what life is like for an average middle school boy. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, is a big part of the story. Also involved in the day to day adventures of Greg and Rowley are their parents, teachers, and other kids from school.  During the course of the year the comics document normal kid adventures like trick or treating, not getting the presents that they want for Christmas, and dealing with the intricacies of middle school social politics. The movie is based on the first book in the series of Wimpy Kid books but incorporates characters from the other books, although that doesn’t  mean that there won’t be future Wimpy Kid movies.  If the first movie does well the studio will consider making sequels based on audience demand. In the movie experienced child actor Zachary Gordon will be Greg Heffley, and Robert Capron will play his best friend Rowley Jefferson.

Special editions of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are already being planned that will have illustrations, photos, and other features that tie in with the movie.  Merchandizing for the movie is already in full swing, and Halloween costumes based on the characters in the movie are predicted to be very popular for Halloween 2010.  Even though the stories that are told by Greg aren’t new and have been experienced by children throughout history Greg is able to give typical pre-adolescent problems a new and modern viewpoint by presenting them in the cartoon format.  Kids everywhere embraced the book because they could relate to the character of Greg and to the stories about his life that mirror the things they experience everyday like watching your best friend drift away and start to have other friends or getting something you wrote or drew in the school newspaper.  Parents and kids will enjoy watching the Diary of a Wimpy Kid together and can go on to read more of the Diary  of a Wimpy Kid books together as well.

Even though the second Chronicles of Narnia film, Prince Caspian,  didn’t perform as well as movie executives had hoped the anticipation is high for the new Chronicles of Narnia film Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  The third film in the Chronicles of Narnia series will be the first one not distributed under the Disney banner.  It also is sure to influence costumes for Halloween. Disney backed out of the Chronicles of Narnia series after the disappointing returns brought in by Prince Caspian.  But, industry experts predict that Disney will end up regretting that move because the buzz for Voyage of the Dawn Treader is already in full swing and audiences are excited to the film adaption of the most popular book in the Chronicles of Narnia series.

In Voyage of the Dawn Treader pint sized heroes Edmund and Lucie Pevensie are back, but are shipped off to stay with cousin Eustace Scrubb for the summer. The children are sucked back into Narnia through a maritime painting and end up on the Dawn Treader with old pal Caspian, who is now King Caspian. They join King Caspian for a journey through uncharted Narnian waters on the Dawn Treader and find themselves in many different adventures battling sea beasts, meeting with magical water folk, and once again fighting to save Narnia from changing into an unrecognizable and inhospitable place. Skandar Keynes and George Henley return to play Edmund and Lucie, and Ben Barnes is also back as King Caspian. Liam Neeson returns to voice Aslan, and comedian Eddie Izzard is still the voice of Reepiecheep.

The filming of the movie was put on hold briefly because much of the movie was scheduled to be shot in Mexico using the same sets that epic water movies Titanic and Master and Commander had used but due to ongoing instability in Mexico the movie studio was worried about the safety of the cast and crew, especially the young stars. Eventually an alternative shooting location in Australia was procured and filming was resumed, although the release date of the movie was pushed back several months as a result of the delay.  Other delays resulting from script rewrites and the uncertainty of the film when Disney pulled out have cost the production quite a bit of time but the movie is on schedule now to be released in December of 2010, just in time for Christmas. The movie will premier in Australia a day before it premiers in the US.

Even though Disney executives didn’t have a lot of faith in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader many parents and children are already looking forward to the film. Since many people have limited budgets for entertainments like movies this year thanks to the current economic situation parents are going to be choosing movies very carefully, and it will take movies like Voyage of the Dawn Treader that have a special emotional appeal to get parents to want to spend money on a night out at the movies for the family. Since millions of parents read and loved the Chronicles of Narnia series when they were younger they will make it a priority to share Voyage of the Dawn Treader with their own children.

Alice is back to fight the evil Umbrella Corporation in the fourth Resident Evil film. Even though the creators of the Resident Evil film series based on the video game said that the third film, Extinction, was going to be the last film a new Resident Evil film, Afterlife, is in the works and will be hitting theaters in fall of 2010. The fourth film will pick up exactly where Extinction ended, and it will be the first film of a new Resident Evil trilogy. Mill Jojovich will be returning as Alice, and other cast members from previous films who will be appearing in Afterlife include Ali Larter as Claire Redfield and Spencer Locke as K-Mart. Introduced in this film will be Claire’s brother Chris Redfield played by Wentworth  Miller and the villain of this particular movie, Albert Wesker played by Shawn Roberts. Wesker is the chairman of the Umbrella Corporation and uses holographs to meet with his connections all over the world from his office in Tokyo. In the Resident Evil video games he is an ongoing villain that is  part of many storylines within the game.

Afterlife is the first Resident Evil movie to be made in 3D. Some fans have speculated that one of the reasons why the filmmakers are reviving the series is so that they can make a new trilogy of Resident Evil film in 3D technology that wasn’t available before. Using 3D film technology will allow the director to bring the film even closer to the look of the video game and will also bring a new twist to this highly lucrative film series.  As 3D films become more and more common audiences can expect film studios to start creating new adaptations of many classic action and science fiction films in an effort to update their classic film libraries.

Much of Resident Evil Afterlife will take place in Los Angeles, the latest city where Alice finds other survivors.  When she arrives in a crumbling LA she stumbles upon a prison guarded by zombies that is full of other human survivors, including Claire Redfield’s brother Chris. After rescuing the prisoners Alice gathers her friends and continues trying to bring down Wesker and the Umbrella Corporation in order to free the world. Because all of the original cast are returning, and director/writer Paul Anderson is back behind the camera Afterlife should have the continuity that many sequels lack.  Audiences should be immediately plunged back into the Resident Evil post-apocalyptic world that has grown so familiar through the course of the three previous movies and this time they’ll be plunged into that world in 3D.

Already game and comic conventions are buzzing with excitement for Afterlife and fans are anxiously waiting to see trailers, stills and other pieces of the film before the final product is released in fall of 2010. It may not be on many critics top 10 lists but Resident Evil Afterlife is sure to be on thousands of fans must see lists this year.

We expect Resident Evil: Afterlife to inspire Halloween costumes this coming year.

The toys are back in town in Pixar’s long awaited third installment of the Toy Story series.  The Toy Story movies were among the first animated movies to cross over into mainstream popularity and establish the animated film genre as one that could appeal to adults as much as it could appeal to kids. A long string of Pixar hits followed the original Toy Story movie and the second Toy Story movie, but Pixar is returning to their roots to finish out the Toy Story with the third movie.

Toy Story 3 was originally planned to be made and released well before 2010 but contentious relationships between Disney and Pixar delayed the development of the movie. When Disney and Pixar split an entirely different version of the film was planned in which Buzz was broken and was shipped by the toys to Taiwan to be fixed. Once the toys realized that Buzz wouldn’t get fixed and wouldn’t be returned to them they set out to rescue him. That story was scrapped by Disney when Disney bought Pixar in 2006 and a new version of the story was created and set into motion.

Now little Andy, the boy who owns all the toys that have appeared in the Toy Story movies, is all grown up and is leaving for college. As the toys are packed up to be put into the attic they accidentally get put into the trash. Instead of ending up at the dump they are taken out and given to a day care center. The toys rally to save one another from the well meaning but very rough day care children who seem like they are on a mission to hurt or main the toys as much as possible. Toy hero Woody and companion Buzz Lightyear round up the toys to organize an escape attempt, but during one of the attempt Buzz is damaged. To the other toys surprise Buzz’s injuries cause him to reset to his original factory settings, but in Spanish. The Spanish speaking Buzz Lightyear still thinks that he is a real space ranger and that he has special powers. Now the toys must return Buzz to his right state of mind and manage to get themselves out of the daycare center and back to Andy’s house before they all are damaged beyond repair.

All of the beloved toys, and their original actors, will be returning for Toy Story 3.  Tim Allen will be back as the voice of the bombastic Buzz Lightyear, and Tom Hanks will once again voice cowboy hero Woody.  Joan Cusack will once again voice Jessie, Woody’s cowgirl companion who was rescued and joined the group in Toy Story 2. Also returning are John Ratzenberger as Hamm the pig, Don Rickles and Estelle Harris as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex, and Laurie Metcalf as Andy’s Mom. Bo Peep, RC, Lenny, and Wheezy will also be returning.  Audiences everywhere loved the charm, humor and storylines of the first two Toy Story movies and are anxiously awaiting the release of Toy Story 3.

The fascination with vampires as sympathetic creatures in popular culture really began with Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula in the 1931 film.  For the first time the film created an image of a vampire that was sexy, sympathetic, romantic, and desirable. Previously vampires were reviled and feared as ghoulish creatures that killed indiscriminately and were dangerous.  Once the face of the vampire changed to become something attractive the danger associated with vampires seemed intriguing, and drew people towards the image instead of repelling them.  Through movies and books vampires became came figures that millions of people could relate to because of their outsider status in society and their loneliness.

Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicle series cemented the sexy, sympathetic image of a vampire. The vampires in Rice’s books were attractive, wealthy, ruthless killers who nonetheless clung to humanity. They had human emotions and were very dark, seductive, and enticing. Ann Rice’s books, and the film adaptations of her books Interview with the Vampire and The Queen of the Damned made vampires romantic figures that were attractive both because of their power and because of their pain.  Around the turn of the last century the vampire mythos changed again as vampires went mainstream in movies like Underworld.  Vampires were portrayed as strong, savvy, killers who were not to be messed with but had a distinctly seductive edge to them.  When Stephanie Myers Twilight books came out, and the movies based on the books were released, the image of vampires in popular culture became softer, and the view of vampires once again became a sympathetic one.

The lead vampire in Twilight, Edward Cullen, is non threatening to Bella, and is not sexual with her which is a distinct change in the vampire characterization that has always existed in pop culture. Vampires have always been closely tied to sexuality in pop culture. The other massive pop culture phenomenon that features Vampires, True Blood, turned the vampire mythos on its ear by creating a world in which vampires live and interact with humans in the open, instead of having to hide in the shadows. Vampires in True Blood rarely feed on humans, instead they feed with a synthetic blood substitute. Taking away the most central role of a vampire as a predator who needs to feed on human blood has renewed public fascination with vampires because they are no longer as threatening.  Even people who never cared for vampire stories before became avid fans of True Blood because of the unique interactions between humans and vampires portrayed in the show.

At the core of the vampire mystique is a glorification of the darker side of human nature. The desires for sex, power, and the ability to live forever outside of society and not being bound to society’s rules are desires that most people keep hidden and only express through things like dressing up for Halloween or at other times during the year.  Vampires are much like humans, only they are not ashamed of their darker drives and live as they please. That is why vampires are always appealing to humans.

Billionaire inventor and super hero Tony Stark is back for more adventures in Iron Man 2. This sequel to the highly successful Iron Man movie of 2008 is the second of three planned films featuring Iron Man. In this sequel based on the Iron Man comic Tony Stark’s identity as Iron Man is unmasked.  Once the government, the military and other powers know that he is the one who has the impressive Iron Man armor and other high tech tools and weapons a race begins to see who can get that technology from him.  Tony Stark refuses to sell or give away the secrets of his Iron Man armor because he is very afraid of power hungry rules and his enemies getting a hold of the technology and using it to take over the world or to destroy their enemies.

Most of the original cast from the first Iron Man movie is back for Iron Man 2.  Robert Downey Jr, who was most recently seen as Sherlock Holmes, will return as rich industrialist turned superhero Tony Stark.  Jon Favreau will be back directing, and Samuel L Jackson will make a few appearances as Nick Fury once again. Gwyneth Paltrow will also return playing Tony Stark’s plucky love interest and closest friend, Pepper Potts.  Jon Favreau will step in front of the camera again to fill the bit part of Tony Stark’s bodyguard Happy Hogan.

There are some new additions to the cast, and a little bit of character editing was done to accommodate the changes.  Terrance Howard, who played Lt. Colonel James Rhodes and War Machine in the first film is not returning for the second or third Iron Man films.  Rumors have been swirling about his departure from the film with officials representing both Howard and the film say that negotiations broke down and led to his departure from the films.  Insider gossip says that director Jon Favreau was unhappy with Howard’s performance. In Iron Man 2 Lt. Colonel Rhodes and War Machine will be played by Don Cheadle.

Also joining the Iron Man 2 cast are Mickey Rourke, who will play Russian super villain Whiplash/Ivan Vanko. Ivan is the son of Anton Vanko, who was the original Crimson Dynamo and created the armor that everybody wants in the original Iron Man comic. Scarlett Johanssen will join the cast as Tony Stark’s assistant, Natasha Romanoff who is secretly a spy and also has her own super hero identity as Black Widow. Original comic creator Stan Lee will guest star in Iron Man 2 playing venerable talk show host Larry King.

With many references to pop culture situations and icons that everyone will recognize Iron Man 2 is an action flick that blurs the line between reality and fantasy by incorporating real people and events into a fantasy world. In this second film of the Iron Man trilogy fans can expect the same heart pounding action as the story of Tony Stark’s struggles to achieve his dreams without allowing his invention to be responsible for world destruction continues.

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most recognizable pop icons of all time. There have many film interpretations of the story, as well as theater productions, literature based on the story, and TV movies that used the original story as an inspiration. The most recent adaption of The Wizard of Oz was the SciFi Channel’s original miniseries “Tin Man”.  Tin Man gave viewers a look at a very modern land of OZ, called “The O. Z.” or Outer Zone and focused on stories that had Dorothy Gale’s descendants trying to save the land of Oz.

The original story of the Wizard of Oz was written by Frank Baum in 1900. Baum wrote a series of books about the magical land of Oz and its inhabitants. Dorothy Gale, the little girl from Kansas whose home was swept into Oz in a tornado, was a central character in the first book of the series but didn’t really appear too much in the series after that.  Instantly upon publication the stories of the magical land with the Munchkins, witches, fairies, wizards and other characters found a secure place in children’s literature.  The stories of Oz were put into a film in 1939.  At the time, the film was groundbreaking because it starts in black and white and switches to color in the middle of the film after Dorothy is transported to Oz. At the time color film was just starting to be used in pictures.

Even though there were later film adaptations of Baum’s book like the Disney “Return to Oz” film in 1985 no other adaption of the story found anywhere near the success of the original film. In 1995 the prequel book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was published and was very successful. A Broadway musical based on that book, Wicked, has been an enormous success. Wicked tells the story of the witches of Oz and what their lives were like before Dorothy came to Oz.

The cultural impact of the Wizard of Oz is enormous. The characters of the Wizard of Oz are instantly recognizable and everyone has their own favorite character. Dorothy Gale, the girl who is transported from Kansas to Oz, as played by Judy Garland in a blue and white checked pinafore, braids, and the Ruby Slippers is one of the most well known film characters of all time. Her companions in Oz, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and her little dog Toto are also beloved popular culture icons.  The Wicked Witch of West is the inspiration for many of the characterizations of witches in popular culture with her pointed black hat, black dress, green skin, and cackling laugh.  When people dress up as witches for Halloween usually they are trying to recreate the image of the Wicked Witch of the West.  Glinda, the Good Witch of the East, in her fairytale ball gown and ringlet curls is also a Halloween staple.

The Wizard of Oz is a timeless story because it touches on universal elements. Everyone can relate to at least one of the characters in the story, and many people grow up watching the 1939 film every year. The tradition of watching the film and the nostalgia that comes with it will keep The Wizard of Oz a beloved cultural icon for decades to come.

Even when it is not Halloween season, there are many costumes that are popular all year.  A good example is Star Trek gear.   Here are some of the newer costumes released this year.

Spock Costume

Klingon Costume

Captain Kirk

Uhura Costumes

There is a clearance sale at http://www.SpiritHalloween.com

Everything Halloween is on sale.  The costumes are on sale through November 15.