31 Oct 2009
Posts Tagged ‘cirque du freak’
Happy Halloween!
By Cindy Hannikman at Fantasy Book Critic- Review: “Cirque Du Freak” Book One in the Darren Shan Saga
Introduction: My local book store has has a display with all 12 books out ever since the movie trailers have hit the air waves. I was interested to see what all the fuss was about and I figured this was as good of time as any to check out the books.
Analysis: Cirque Du Freak is filled with all those “horrors” that complete a decent YA read. Many readers will fondly remember the “Goosebumps” series by R. L. Stine. This series is a step up from Goosebumps, with a bit more graphic content and older characters.
The thing that I found out very quickly about Cirque Du Freak is that it’s much more then about an illegal freak show.
Read the full review here
Via Torie Atkinson at Tor. com: Steampunk Month Giveaway: Jay Lake’s Mainspring and Escapement
This is our last book giveaway, Tor.commies: another twofer! Tor Books has donated to us twenty copies of Jay Lake’s Mainspring (30% off for steampunk month!), and its sequel, Escapement. These steampunk fantasy novels are the first two of a trilogy—the third, Pinion, is due out next April.
Jay Lake’s first trade novel is an astounding creation. Lake has envisioned a clockwork solar system, where the planets move in a vast system of gears around the lamp of the Sun. It is a universe where the hand of the Creator is visible to anyone who simply looks up into the sky, and sees the track of the heavens, the wheels of the Moon, and the great Equatorial gears of the Earth itself.
Contest ends November 2nd.
More details here
From the UK Telegraph: Benedictine monk publishes ‘Christian reading’ of Harry Potter
Fr Luke, of Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight has spent the last 12 months writing Baptising Harry Potter: A Christian Reading of Harry Potter, due to be published internationally next year.
Some Christians have condemned JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books, accusing them of promoting witchcraft and paganism, but Fr Luke said his studies highlighted their strong references to Christian principles.
“I was hooked on the books since reading the first one.
“I do not think there is any intelligent view out there that says these books are evil. They are the sort of objections that come from people who have not read them.”
Read More here
Those steampunk books look amazing! Yet another book to add to my Christmas wishlist…And I’ve never understood why people demonize Harry Potter. Yeah, he’s a wizard, but the basic premise of the books are good vs evil, the importance of love and kindness and supporting your community. Those seem like very Christina values to me.
Have you seen Cirque Du Freak? Do you like reading the book before you see the movie or vise versa? What do you think about banning Harry Potter?
25 Oct 2009
IN THE WORLD OF MOVIES: NEWS FOR 10/25
Author: Chris54 | Filed under: Movie News, News BlogHALF-BLOOD PRINCE BLU-RAY TRAILER WITH NEW ON-SET FOOTAGE
Amazon.com has released a new DVD trailer for the extended Blu-ray edition of Half-Blood Prince, which features new behind-the-scenes footage with actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Matthew Lewis, Alfie Enoch, and much more. The video can be viewed below.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY SCARES ITS WAY TO #1!
The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.
With weeks of viral marketing and a promotional campaign driven by social networks like Twitter and Facebook behind it, Oren Eli’s Paranormal Activity (Paramount) expanded into just under 2,000 theaters on Friday and successfully took the box office with an estimated $22 million and an astounding cumulative gross of $62.5 million after less than a month in theaters. It’s surely going to be considered one of the memorable phenomena of 2009, having cost less than $15,000 to produce, the rights sold to Paramount for roughly $300,000 and then being distributed by one of the most unique and unconventional methods we’ve seen in some time.
Unfortunately, the success of Peli’s surprise hit also signified the first major hurdle in the seemingly unstoppable success of the “Saw” franchise, as the sixth installment Saw VI (Lionsgate) finally fell victim to the laws of diminishing returns, opening with just $14.8 million, less than half the opening of the previous four installments.
As far as the rest of the box office, Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are (Warner Bros.) tanked in its second weekend, dropping 56% to third place with $14.4 million and a ten-day total of $54 million, while The Gerard Butler-Jamie Foxx thriller Law Abiding Citizen (Overture Films) is starting to catch up in their respective second weekends, dropping just 40% to make $12.7 million in its second weekend and $40.3 million total.
The hit situational comedy Couples Retreat (Universal) took fifth place with $11.1 million and $78.2 million total.
As far as the two new movies for younger people, the animated adventure Astro Boy (Summit) opened in sixth place with $7 million, while Paul Weitz’s young adult fantasy Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (Universal) settled for eighth place, grossing just $6.3 million in its first weekend, averaging roughly $2,300 per site in 2,754 theaters.
Read more HERE
THE FOURTH KIND AND OUR FASCINATION WITH ALIENS
After extraterrestrials made a comeback in the mid-’90s to abduct our inquiring minds about those little green (grey) men from outer space, the upcoming Universal Pictures release of The Fourth Kind is stirring up the public’s fascination with aliens all over again with a new story of alien contact of the fourth kind. In 1977, director Stephen Spielberg introduced moviegoers to the meaning of a third kind encounter, contact with aliens, in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Now Universal and director Olatunde Osunsanmi are introducing moviegoers to The Fourth Kind, starring Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, and Will Patton about alleged real life alien abductions in Nome, Alaska.
Although The Fourth Kind has generated controversy over the accuracy of the alleged true facts of alien abductions in Alaska, The Fourth Kind has reignited our fascination with the potential for life beyond Earth and our interest in aliens on the big screen. Why are humans so fascinated with aliens? Why do we love extraterrestrial terror or comedy in theaters? Interestingly, with The Fourth Kind about to hit theaters on November 6, some of the most popular movies to come out of Hollywood have played to our fascination with aliens, abductions, and the notion that we may not be alone in the universe. 
Prior to The Fourth Kind, you can also look at such films as Starship Troopers, Star Wars, Men in Black, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Astronaut’s Wife, the Witch Mountain movies, Mars Attacks, and even Superman can be filed under alien. But more in the alien wheelhouse of The Fourth Kind, other closely related films such as Communion, Fire in the Sky, and Close Encounters have also fascinated fans. And if you look beyond the big screen to TV, you have other alien favorites such as The X-Files, Alien Nation, Taken, The 4400 and many more. In fact, in relation to fan interest for The Fourth Kind, the alien film and TV list is seemingly endless.
So what is it about our fascination with aliens now that The Fourth Kind has brought the issue back into the forefront? Well, I haven’t even mentioned the many reported UFO and alien sightings plus alleged alien abduction claims over the years. Are there more UFO sightings as compared to claims of alien abduction? When we talked to leading Ufologist and UFO magazine publisher, Bill Birnes, not long ago in a recent interview, Birnes revealed to TheDeadbolt, “Most people think abductions are some other kind of phenomenon. However, those who claim to have been abducted or contacted have no qualms about stepping up to say that there are far more abductions than people think there are.”
Read more HERE
What do you think of today’s movie news? Are you going to by the HBP special Blu-Ray? Are you surprised by ‘Paranormal Activity’s” success, beating out so many other movies? Will you see ‘The Fourth Kind”, are you a fan of the alien genre?
22 Oct 2009
8 REASONS CIRQUE DU FREAK ISN’T YOUR USUAL VAMPIRE MOVIE
Author: whatategilbertgrape | Filed under: Movie News, News BlogFrom Sci-Fi Wire
We know what you’re thinking: “Oh, God, not another one.” Seems like every vampire book is being adapted as a movie or TV series, and Darren Shan’s saga is the latest: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. Shan has written 12 books in the Darren Shan saga (yes, the hero is named after the author), and the first film incorporates the first three stories.
Chris Massoglia plays Darren Shan in the film. Darren discovers that the host of a local freak show, Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly), is actually a vampire.
Read more here…
The trailer looks magical and funny. Having more than just vampires in a love triangle will definitely be a breathe of fresh air and only Salma Hayek can wear a beard and still look pretty.
Will you be seeing Cirque du Freak this weekend?
22 Oct 2009
OBS PRESENTS: MOVIE RELEASES FOR OCTOBER 22ND
Author: Chris54 | Filed under: DVD/Theater Releases, Movie News, News BlogOBS Staff member Krystal109 has brought us this week’s movie releases!
This is a really good week for us here at OBS. Lots of genre films will be released, some of which I have really been looking forward to. I’m hoping that Astro Boy is as good as the old black and white TV show based on the famous Manga. If you’re an Japansese animation fan this is a must see, it was the beginning of what we now know as anime. Also The Vampire’s Assistant based on Darren Shan’s books is coming out and i’ve been looking forward to that as well.
Antichrist (NY, LA, SF)
Horror, Thriller (Not Rated)
After the heart wrenching circumstances of losing their son, a grieving couple, played by Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, take refuge in their cabin in the woods, where they encounter bizarre occurences. The film is broken down into four parts: prologue, chapter one through three, and epilogue.
Astro Boy (Nationwide)
Adventure, Animation, Family (PG)
(From comingsoon.net) Set in futuristic Metro City, “Astro Boy” is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive “blue” energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way. Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it means to be a hero.
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (Nationwide)
Adventure, Fantasy (PG-13)
(From comingsoon.net) 16-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia) was like most kids in his suburban neighborhood. He hung out with his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), got decent grades and usually stayed out of trouble. But when he and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, things begin to change inside Darren. That’s the exact moment when a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) turns him into something, well, bloodthirsty. As Darren flexes his newfound powers in this dark world, he becomes a treasured pawn between the vampires and their deadlier counterparts. And while trying to survive, one boy will struggle to keep their brewing war from devouring what’s left of his humanity.
Saw VI (Nationwide)
Horror, Thriller (R)
This continuation of the fabulous Saw series starts again. With Special Agent Strahm dead, and Detective Hoffman emerging as the unchallenged successor to the Jigsaw’s legacy, what more could happen? As the FBI draw closer to Hoffman and his connection to Jigsaw, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw’s grand scheme is finally understood. Could this be the end?
Read more releases here.
I so badly want to see all of these, but Antichrist is only in San Francisco so I doubt I’ll get to see it. I’m definitely going to see the new Saw movie… can’t get enough of that franchise.
Are you going to see any other these movies? If so, which?
14 Oct 2009
SPEAK OUT: POLL OF THE WEEK “WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE SERIES?”
Author: krystal109 | Filed under: News Blog, OBS Speaks OutThis week’s Poll is centered around fiction novels and/or series, that has been made into a movie! There are so many these days, and not all are great, but we have listed some of the better novels/movies! Choose based on the book as well as the movie adaptation!
Wednesday October 14th Poll
What’s Your Favorite Book To Movie Series?
- Harry Potter Series
- Circque du Freak
- Alice in Wonderland
- I am Legend
- Watchmen
- 30 Days of Night
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians
- The Chronicles of Narnia
- The Twilight Saga
- Lord of the Rings
- Where the Wild Things Are
I voted for Harry Potter Series, no don’t kill me Twifans. I voted based on the books and movies. JK Rowling did something extraordinary when she wrote this story, something completely new and different! All 6 movies have been amazing, true to the book and the characters, and we still have 2 more to go! This will be the biggest book to movie franchaise in history, and I’m glad I get to be a part of that history 
You can VOTE right here on the News Blog, just look to your right >> and under “POLLS” is the question along with the answers, just click one and view the results!!
If you would like to discuss this more, and give your reasons why you choose who you did, please come join the fun debate on the OBS Forums.
Also check back with OBS every Wednesday, and get to answer the “Poll of Week”!!
Want to view the results of our previous polls, like who was named the “Favorite True Blood Character”, “Favorite Wolf-pack member”, or “Who is your favorite Vampire”? You can check them out HERE
5 Oct 2009
JOHN C REILLY INTERVIEW CIRQUE DU FREAK
Author: Dawn | Filed under: Movie News, News Blogshocktillyoudrop.com:
Let’s be honest. John C. Reilly isn’t exactly the first person you would think of when “vampire” comes to mind. Yet, here he is, starring in Cirque Du Freak, director Paul Weitz’s adaptation of the first three novels in author Darren Shan’s series. Surprisingly enough, he pulls it off as Larten Crepsley, in spite of that wild hair, not to mention everyone’s current perception of Reilly being a comedy actor.
ShockTillYouDrop.com: I was surprised by the tone of this film. Off-kilter and dark. At least more grim than what the previews are selling it as.
John C. Reilly: One of the main appeals to the books is that Darren Shan doesn’t treat kids like kids. He lets his readers experience a ton of stuff. The studio will market a movie based on what people think they know me as. The last couple of movies have been comedies, so I think they added a bit more comedy to the trailers than what’s in the movie. There are comedic accents, but this movie is pretty serious and a bit scary.
Shock: You’re not your ordinary vampire in this, what was your take on Crepsley?
Reilly: What Darren did in those books was the guide for everything. It’s not like we made any decisions, character decisions, that were different from the books. In his world, the vampires are just people who can no longer be out in the daylight, they’re super strong, they’re able to drink blood to survive, but they don’t have fangs. What I liked is that they’re just people who lived a really long time, they’re not like these supernatural characters. We puncture the [archetypal bubble] in the movie. I thought it’d be interesting to play someone who’s born in the early 1800s and is still around now. Imagine what that would do to your brain. You’ve been through all of the changes in technology and all of that – what would that do? Are you wise? Cynical? Toying around with that. These vampires age slowly, but they’re not immortal.
Just his hair makes me laugh out loud. I had trouble with him being cast in this part. It didn’t seem to fit but he seems to be taking the part seriously.
What do you think of Reilly as Crepsley?
