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.
There is a clearance sale at http://www.SpiritHalloween.com
Everything Halloween is on sale. The costumes are on sale through November 15.
Ahoy Matey’s! Pirates are Perennial Halloween Favorites
Even before Captain Jack Sparrow came on the scene dressing up as a pirate for Halloween has been popular. Halloween is all about dressing up as someone else for a night, getting to be the kind of person you’d want to be if things like era, education, money and so on weren’t factors. It’s a night of fantasy. People fantasize about being pirates because of the romantic image that has evolved of pirates. Wearing ruffled shirts and long swash bucking coats, breeches, or denim sailor pants and buckled shoes and riding the open waves seems like a wonderful carefree existence to many people.
This romantic image of pirates has been around for centuries. Back in 1684 a book called The Buccaneers of America laid the groundwork for the image of pirates that still exists today. This best selling book portrayed pirates as daring rebels, fierce fighters, and underdogs. They were considered to be a type of Robin Hood of the sea, taking from the rich in order to ensure their own survival. The so-called Golden Age of pirates was between 1690 and the early 1700s and people today still read about the exploits of pirates who were active during that period with keen interest. Blackbeard, one of the most famous pirates of all time, has been the prototype for pirates in books, TV shows and movie throughout history. It could be argued that Geoffrey’s Rush Captain Barbossa character in the Pirates of the Caribbean films is based on Blackbeard too.
The wildly successful Pirates of the Caribbean films made modern audiences fall in love with the pirate aesthetic all over again and Captain Jack Sparrow costumes, William Turner costumes and Elizabeth Turner costumes are all popular Halloween costumes. The matted, snarled, dreadlocked wig of Captain Jack and his trademark kohl eyeliner ringed eyes have given the pirate costume a modern neo-tribal twist that people love. But there are other interpretations of pirate costumes as well. Skull and crossbone flags, tri-corner hats, white poet shirts, eye patches and bandanas are all popular pirate costume accessories. For women who want to dress as pirates an off the shoulder peasant blouse and peasant skirt or pantaloons and knee high boots are essential pirate wear, along with lots of gold coin jewelry. For real pirates gold and gold coin jewelry wasn’t just a fashion statement, it was a way for them to protect their stolen treasure. Wearing it was the only way they had to make sure that someone didn’t steal their stolen treasure from them.
Why are pirates so consistently popular? It’s because they represent the best parts of Halloween and the yearning that everyone has for freedom from society’s rules. On some level everyone dreams of cutting loose from society, doing exactly what they want and not caring at all what other people think and say. Pirates live by their own rules, rebel against society, and do exactly what makes them happy. That’s why pirates will always be popular pirate costumes.
Millions of People are Watching the Watchmen, and Playing the Watchmen Too
Watchmen was one of the highest grossing films of 2009, and it was a film that fans of graphic novels had been waiting decades for. The Watchmen film is an adaptation of a series of graphic novels done in the mid 80’s. The comic and the film are set in an alternate reality in the 1980s. The alternate reality is similar to the real world in many ways except that in the alternate world superheroes not only exist, they live among everyday citizens. In the world of Watchmen superheroes were created in the 1940s and in the 1960s in order to help the US win WWII and the Vietnam War. For awhile superheroes were essentially freelance operators working for hire, until a law was passed that required all superheroes to either retire, or work for the government. At the time of the Watchmen film there is a general bad feeling among the public about superheroes and they are not considered role models.
The Watchmen are a particular group of superheroes who are brought together in order to fight the threat of nuclear attack against the American people. The loose group consists of Rorschach, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre, Nite Owl II, the Comedian, and Doctor Manhattan. Unlike the traditional superhero of graphic novels the Watchmen really don’t want to help out. They have more human qualities than any other graphic novel superheroes have had in the past. They drink, they curse, they are very, very flawed individuals. Often fans refer to them as “superheroes with issues.”But in the end they band together in the name of friendship and justice to save the world the way that all superheroes do.
The Watchmen movie almost didn’t get made. Originally Watchmen was optioned back in the 1980s but at the time film adaptations of graphic novels were not nearly as popular as they are today and the film rights were passed from one studio to another while the story went from one director to another. Terry Gilliam, one of the famed members of Monty Python, at one point was attached to the movie but dropped it after he declared that it would be impossible to bring Watchmen to the screen. It was impossible in the 80s, but in 2009 a Watchmen movie was released. The dark, edgy, action film found a ready audience among fans of graphic novels, Sci Fi, and action films. The movie was filmed in a style similar to the hit adaptation of Sin City starring Clive Owen and the gritty, graphic imagery resonated with the audience. Watchmen didn’t have a mainstream audience in the 1980s but modern audiences embraced the cynical superheroes.
Watchmen costumes are expected to be a big hit this year.
At the same time the Watchmen movie was released a Watchmen video game was also released for PC, XBox 360 and Playstation. Game players are allowed to play as the mysterious Rorschach or as the enigmatic Nite Owl II. The Watchmen video game got mixed reviews from gaming experts, but fans of the game and fans of the movie and original graphic novel thought that while the game wasn’t as good as it could have been the lush graphics made it worth playing.