As we all well know, China was the point of origin for the spread of the Coronavirus we are currently isolating ourselves for. So then, it must be stated that they have been handling the virus longer than the rest of the world. Since they have been dealing with it longer, they are more likely to get over the disease quicker than the rest of the world. This has led to them plans on lifting isolation of specific provinces and cities, most notably Wuhan, the city at the epicenter of it all.
With isolation planning on being lifted in China, the focus then shifts to the industries currently losing money. The idea is to try and drive traffic to those industries because they are hurting from being shut down. Among the industries that have been shut down is the movie industry, and to try and help it, China will be reopening around 600-700 theaters. To drive traffic to these places, amid concerns from citizens, they will be replaying some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. This includes movies like The Avengers movies, Inception, Interstellar and Avatar, and it will help Hollywood as well since 25% of ticket sales goes to the studios.
China lifting restrictions could be a good sign that isolation worked and cases of the disease will no longer increase. However, this is also highly dangerous because things like incubation period can vary. Differences in incubation period can cause people to go nearly a month without knowing they are sick. Also, people could end up coming in contact with others after isolation is lifted and start a spread of the disease that could possibly be worse than before. People should still be doing their best to practice safety in light of everything that has happened thus far to make sure they don’t have to go through the same thing again.
While industries may be hurting due to the fact they have not had business, it isn’t a great idea to try and rush everything to get them running again. If the disease does bounce back due to isolation being lifted, things could end up being worse than before. So more than anything people need to be careful whenever restrictions are lifted as we won’t know for awhile yet if things will be safe. Safety should be on people’s minds even long after isolation ends and should keep to themselves until absolute safety is assured.
Even normal families have their issues and from time to time manage to cause mayhem wherever they go. So the question must be asked if there are families out there that constantly cause mayhem. The answer, of course, just ends up being a resounding yes to that question and we see that sort of behavior all the time. With that in mind, a studio decided to try and portray that type of family in a prehistoric setting. Thus, we ended up getting the first ‘Croods’ film.
‘The Croods’ gave us a look at a family of cavemen trying to come to terms with the new world around them that they must become accustomed to. What we end up with is a family causing trouble without even trying to because they are figuring the world out. The titular family is very close and they do everything they can to survive while learning about the aspects of survival in the open world. What is meant by that is the family is isolated until a major event opens the world to them. This eventually leads us to what will now be the second film in the series.
‘The Croods 2’ brings the prehistoric family back to the big screen to show us just how important family can be. They also show us just how little we have evolved as a species over the years. Ever since the titular family left their cave, they have been wary of the dangers in the world that was opened to them. What they must now contend with is something they never could have imagined dealing with before. They must now interact with another family while trying to stay together and alive.
‘The Croods 2’ sees the return of actors Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke. It also sees the welcomed introduction of Leslie Mann and Peter Dinklage to the film’s cast. The film is being directed by Joel Crawford who worked as a story artist for movies like the Kung Fu Panda series of films. The screenplay is written by Kirk DeMicco, Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, and Chris Sanders. The movie is currently slated for release in December 2020.
Animated films have a relatively decent habit of doing two things. They manage to keep children placated and entertained, for the most part, as well as spawn sequels. The original animated movie ‘Sing’ managed to do both of these things pretty well since a sequel is underway. Saying that the film only has to entertain children can be a little insulting since parents are there with their children. So it only makes sense that if it can entertain all audiences, then the story can continue on with a sequel.
It’s of no surprise that the movie did as well as it did considering that the company behind the film was Illumination. With them working on the sequel, it is likely that the sequel will do well also. For those unaware, if the name Illumination sounds familiar, it is because they are the studio behind the Despicable Me series of films. Other than that series of films, they also made the Minion spin-off series with the second film releasing soon and the Secret Life of Pets movies. With a track record like this, they are bound to make another film that sells out pretty well.
‘Sing 2’ sees the return of characters Buster, Meena, Rosita, Gunter, Johnny and Ash as they once again take to the stage. This time, however, they are taking to a grander stage in the big city rather than the Moon Theater where their journey to stardom began. This next chapter in the franchise will be one that shows how difficult it can be to make a name for yourself. With each other, they should eventually be able to pull together and make a path for themselves in a world of fame. This movie will be one to take the children to when it releases.
Stars of the film include Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, alongside Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Nick Kroll and Tori Kelly. Writer/director Garth Jennings returns for the film which will take longer to release than previously thought. ‘Sing 2’ is produced by Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. The release date for the film was originally set for Dec. 25, 2020, but had to be pushed back to July 2nd, 2021. It only took the spot of another unnamed film, so it will be ready for release.
Covid-19 is something that we have never really seen before since it is a pandemic in a modern age. What that means is that it is a modern age where it is easier to put rules into place. The only down side to all of this still being the population of the world at large. A large number of those people used to visit cinemas all of the time. Now that cinemas have become ghost buildings, there is more than a few metric tonnes of income being lost to the pandemic.
The National Association of Theater Owners, or NATO, have already stated that they will need financial aid when everything is over. This is in line with the remainder of the entertainment industry. Everyone who is in the industry is trying their best to keep up with the rock bottom decline in revenue, but it’s just too much. After all, they went from making steady revenue, to making nothing at all in just a week. Not only that, but many are still trying to keep employees paid long enough in order to keep their livelihoods safe.
Among those who have called for theaters to receive financial aid when the time comes is director Christopher Nolan. Nolan has said that Congress needs to allocate funds to theaters. Being discussed currently is the idea of giving money to travel companies. While this is something that should happen, the entertainment industry needs help as well. More specifically the people working for the industries are the ones in need of help.
There is no telling exactly how long this virus will continue to affect this world that we live in, but we need to be prepared to strap in for the long run. This is the new normal for awhile, and people not having jobs to keep themselves afloat is a problem that will catch up sooner rather than later. So as of now those employees don’t have anything to fall back on now that they don’t really have any jobs to go to. Theaters and establishments similar to them are going to need help from the government if they are going to get back to functioning properly again.
With the mainline series of Star Wars films apparently completed, we are now learning a lot more about behind-the-scenes. For many, this film was a mixed reception film that has people from both camps wrestling with how to feel about it. Some people like the way that the film turned out because it gives some finality to the series. Others think that it is just a cop out and wasn’t worthy of being called the last movie in the series. In other words, many people feel opinionated about the film and the trilogy it is a part of as a whole.
‘The Rise of Skywalker’ follows the end of the story of Rey and her rise as a Jedi against the First Order. The story for the film makes sense in the context of the universe we are presented with. There are plenty of moments throughout the film that show just how much effort actually went into the creation of the movie. That being said, we can’t always get everything we want from a film. It is up to the director and the editors for the film to decide what should make it into the film.
For most films we often times learn how a lot of footage ends up getting cut in the final cut of the film. Among the cut portions of footage, we usually end up with action sequences which have also been cut. Very recently, the stunt coordinator for the ‘Rise of Skywalker’ revealed that only about 10% of the action sequences were cut. So 90% of the action sequences filmed for the movie actually made it in. This itself is a surprising bit of news, but one we are glad for.
The action scenes in a Star Wars production are mostly the reason as to why the films can be so entertaining. Of course the other reason they are so entertaining is because of the lore of the universe it takes place in. However, the lore is what most people fight over when it comes to how the recent films were received critically. The action sequences are similar to an art form most of the time because of how duels are portrayed in the series. So its nice to know that the movie hardly cut any of what makes it interesting and that everything was good enough that they decided to keep it in the film.
There are many musicals that exist in the world, with some obviously being more popular than others. Many musicals even end up getting film adaptations if they do well enough. Some of these adaptations end up doing very well, while others slip into obscurity. Often times, when an adaptation is announced, people sit by with bated breath to see whether it turns out like they think it will. Usually these adaptations turn out well due to the translation from musical stage performance to musical film being within the same medium.
Some film adaptations for musicals have become all-time classics that are simply beloved. Included on that list are the 1982 version of Annie, Grease, Hello, Dolly!, West Side Story and more. These films become classics and this eventually makes them viable for new generation adaptations for the films. We know that a new adaptation for West Side Story is currently in development, and now we are getting a brand new adaptation for a different production. Now, we are getting an adaptation for the production Wicked.
‘Wicked’ tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and her journey into villainhood. Before the events of The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy’s arrival, the world was a different place. By viewing things before she came to the world, we can see what made her journey what it was. The musical was widely regarded as one of the best of the decade and that made it perfect for a film adaptation.
‘Wicked’ is being directed by Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) and produced by Marc Platt (Into the Woods, Bridge of Spies). The screenplay is by Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life), who also wrote the book for the three-time Tony-winning stage musical. The musical is based on the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire. The music and lyrics for the film are being done by three-time Oscar®-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz. As of now, the movie is slated for release in December of 2021.
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