Ruan van Heerden

Okay, so I know the third Mummy movie has been out for some time since last year, but I’ve written this article before the film exited the big screens for a magazine my friends and I were working on, and I thought you might find it interesting:

Two thousand years ago China’s greatest Emperor conquered half the world. Now he is returning to finish the job.

As with its two predecessors, the third instalment in The Mummy series was action packed and filled with mythological adventure which can only be a trait of the O’Connell family.

“I saw in this my chance to do a movie about China using the great good will of the mummy, the great characters, but to take it in a whole other direction, using Chinese history in a fun way” said director, Rob Cohen “We have big chases, two thousand year old warriors, yeti’s, foo-dogs come to life, gun battles, tracks to the Himalayas… big stuff.”
This may seem like an ordinary, big budget movie for American, but in actual fact, it is the largest western film to be shot in China to date and the cast and crew seemed very proud to be a part of such a historic film. “This one involves thousands of people – huge cities!” said Brendan Fraser excitedly, followed by Michelle Yoah, who added “Movie three has just gone beyond spectacular!”

This great new film brings back old favourites like Brendan Fraser (Rick O’Connell) and John Hanna (Jonathan) who stars alongside a whole new cast portraying the classic roles of Evelyn, played by Maria Bello, and an older Alex O’Connell, played by Luke Ford. Notice that Evie’s character has a completely different personality in this movie than the personality Rachel Wiesz originally brought to the first two films.
“I wanted this character to get some blood into her veins,” said the director “I didn’t see her as the damsel in distress. I saw her as an equal partner to Rick.”
As it turned out, Maria Bello always wanted to be in an action movie. “I ran around with a Worchester rifle,” said Bello “so, I’m just thrilled!”

Another thing that caught our attention was that Alex (Ford), suddenly has an American accent... Why? No one else seemed to notice, neither did they comment on this fact but it did fit with his new adult character and with the ego he inherited from his father, Rick.
“He has a little element of ego to him because he is in his father’s footsteps–under his father’s shadow,” says Ford “His father made such an impact in the world in archaeology and Alex wanted to do the same”
With a new country, and all new mythology, the mummy obviously had to change as well. With the discovery of a lifetime, being the dragon emperor and his terracotta army, made by a more mature Alex O’Connell, there was absolutely no way to bring back Arnold Vosloo. It just would not fit! And so, Jet-Li was given the role of emperor Han, who sought out a witch called Zi-Yuan, played by Michelle Yoah, to provide him with eternal life.
“He’s conquered so much of China,” says Yoah “and he realizes that one lifetime is not going to be enough to enjoy his conquest. And the only way is to seek immortality.”
Yoah’s character is reputed to have this secret to eternal life and is called to court by Emperor Han to give him the secret. But a love develops between her and the Emperor’s general. Unfortunately, the emperor has staked out Zi-Yuan for himself and forbid anyone to touch her. When they’re caught they know they’re doomed. So, Zi-Yuan puts a curse on Emperor Han that converts him to terracotta, bakes him alive and turns his entire military into the terracotta army from the legend.

Further on, in 1946 AD, the O’Connell family is not what we imagined it would be. Rick and Evelyn, once happily married and in love have become bored. They’ve grown older together now, and they’ve got their son, Alex, who is rambunctious and out of control. He’s become an adult and doesn’t listen to what his parents say anymore. Alex is no longer a little boy, but a young man and he and his family are trying to come to terms with the fact that he is no longer ten years old. He’s a young man of his own right.

Of course, when Alex makes the discovery of the dragon Emperor and his terracotta army, the characters end up meeting at the Shang-Hai Museum where the emperor is eventually brought back to life. And when he comes back to life all hell breaks loose. The emperor brings bronze horses to life and his chariot goes whipping out onto the streets of 1946 Shang-Hai.
“We go chasing after him,” says Ford “ and we jump on the back of the chariot” In the mean time, Rick, Evelyn and Jonathan highjack a fireworks truck and go racing after them.
“Evie is driving,” adds Fraser “Jonathan is making a mess of everything in the back”
John Hanna’s back for all of the wonderful humour, comedy, insanity that he brings to the film “And he was very brave. I set him on fire!” laughs the director.
Somewhere along the line, they find a massive rocket which they shoot at the emperor. The emperor uses his mastery over fire to deflect the rocket and flies right into a travel cart.
“Rick decides to take things into his own hands,” says Fraser “and takes a flying leap onto the horses, only, the horses are made of bronze…”
There’s something funny about Rick O’Connell, leaping through the air and landing on a horse made out of bronze in Shang-Hai 1946. It’s just so crazy that it could only be Rick O’Connell.
“At the end of the sequence we’re all totally trashed” says Bello “because we’ve been jumping onto horses and diving out of trucks and fireworks going off.
“I couldn’t wait to get back to playing Rick O’Connell” said Fraser “I seriously could not wait!”
And the crew agreed. “He’s one of the most talented guys I’ve had the pleasure of working with” says the director “You know, leading man, handsome, pie-in-the-face funny! A very unusual combination. He really relishes those moments where the character is really overwhelmed, and yet, inevitably he comes through Rick O’Connell. So, Brendan is really the most important key to the whole thing. I wouldn’t have done it without Brendan. Getting him back was a big part of my first steps”
Some of the things the producers said was:
“It’s really extraordinary the physical shape Brendan is in this movie. He is in better physical shape than he was in the first picture and it’s really amazing to see he’s out there doing all these stunts on his own.”
“He looks fantastic and he’s obviously the very embodiment of the character so we certainly couldn’t imagine a mummy movie without Rick O’Connell.”

Preparing for the final battle sequence, where the terracotta army, led by Emperor Han, marches forward to take over the world, Brendan Fraser said “Nobody does it like Jet-Li. He makes a good Emperor, Jet. I’d follow him”
For obvious reasons, he is a huge international star and he has got incredible action shots, but the big thing with Jet’s character is that he’s got magical powers. He’s not just a normal mummy. He has control over the five elements: fire, water, earth, metal and wood. Plus, he’s a shapeshifter.
Another great part of the movie is the battle between the Emperor and Zi-Yuan: Two great icons of Chinese cinema going head to head!
“The last battle between Zi-Yuan and the emperor,” said Yoah “Zi-Yuan has waited thousands of years to finally live or die… This is it. The moment.”
The fight between Jet and Michelle’s characters is very balletic, but it is with swords and in a huge battle that is raging around them while they’re going mano-a-mano.
“It will be fantastic,” says Michelle “We’ve known each other for quite a few years and it’s always fun because he’s straightforward, no-nonsense and we always have a great time killing each other with jokes. It will be interesting because this is the first time we’re fighting on opposite ends. Look at our shooting schedules, this is the fight that the whole Asia is waiting for.”

The Michelle-Jet fight is very different from the Jet-Brendan fight. Brendan can’t fight Jet in a martial arts way, but he can do something that’s more like a Rick O’Connell style: Krofmaga (body motions that are based on natural instinct). “It just toughened me up” says Fraser “I needed to cast an appreciation for what it really means to get punched in the head!”
“He’s a very tough guy” says Lee “Very tough. Very strong.”
“He knows exactly what he’s doing” said Fraser “He’d come over and poke my chest to make sure I was wearing a chest pad because he was gonna put a boot in me.”
The Director laughed “Jet got him a couple of times and he got lots of Jet, but Jet had armour on and Rick O’Connell doesn’t wear armour.”

As the movie progresses, you will find yourself amazed at the many surprising creatures: It’s a different interpretation of what Chinese mythology tends to revolve around. Things like dragons, shapeshifters, temple guardian dogs, yeti’s… and it was entirely shot in China.
“We’re not talking about China from Montreal, from sets, from sound stages,” director Rob Cohan says” We’re on the dirt of China!”
In china, they have built enormous standing sets used for filming purposes and tourist attractions. This could not easily have been done as it would cost about a $100 million per set. There were 250-300 people just in set decoration. That’s a lot of people!

“It feels like finding a real archaeological world wonder” Fraser said.
“Every set is a big surprise to me,” said Ford “You go in there and you’re just shocked by it. You wanna get your camera out and take photos.”It’s really an epic journey over centuries. “You could bring your whole family to watch it” Lee said to which Michelle agreed “You want to be thrilled, you want to laugh, you want to be scared. You want to go out and see it with your friends or you kids… and it fits all.”

So the sixth Harry Potter film is set to release in cinema’s on July 17th this year. It has the same director, David Yates, that worked on most of the previous films which almost guarantees a huge success, or does it…
As far as I have heard, a few of the fans have been treated to a pre-screening where they got to see the film and, once they left the cinema, they commented that the movie “SUCKED!” That’s right. Apparently they complained that too much of the action and adventure scenes were left out in order for the storyline to focus more on the romance between Ron and Hermione and Harry and Ginny. This, being something that was rarely concentrated on, should be a welcomed gesture, but the makers of the film stated that certain scenes were dropped in order to avoid duplicating some scenes from the next two films (The Deathly Hallows, which will be split into two films).
J. K. Rowling is, of course, laughing all the way to the bank, as fans are now preferring to read her books instead of watching the movies, but I still think it will be a big box office hit just like its five predecessors.

But what exactly have been changed from the book to the screenplay? Well, I can tell you that there are quite a few changes as I read online in several fan sites and mostly, the all informative Wikipedia; According to those reliable sites, most of the ending has been changed and, the chapter of ‘The White Tomb’ has been completely removed. The film starts with the collapse of the bridge, which is only briefly mentioned in the book but I suppose it’s would suffice just as well as anything else. Also, scenes of Diagon Alley has been added as the Death Eaters run rampage and destroy everything in their path. Only two scenes of the pensieve have been included in the film, those being the flashback of Tom Riddle and later on, when Riddle asks his potions teacher, Professor Slughorn, about horcruxes, made it to the cut.

Then, to my dismay, several characters including: the Dursleys, Kreacher, Dobby, Bill and Fleur, Rufus Scrimgeour, and the Muggle Prime Minister have been removed from the film. I really thought they contributed greatly to the story. I would especially have liked to see Dumbledore talk down to the Dursleys and I was very curious to how the new Minister for Magic would be portrayed.

On the upside, quidditch, which hadn’t made it to the last two films, returns once more. This probably because it plays a key role in the Harry-Ginny romance. There is no word yet about the felix felicis potion, which gave the characters luck in their battle against the Death Eaters. In the movie, Bellatrix Lestrange is present during the battle at the astronomy tower, which she wasn’t even mentioned in that part of the book. Also, Harry is rescued by Luna Lovegood, instead of Nymphadora Tonks (as in the book) when a killing curse swerves by. There are several reasons for that but still somewhat disappointing.

However, even though I did not enjoy the previous film so much (as I sat in the cinema with my sister going, ‘Where’s that part?’ and ‘Where did that scene come from?’) but it wasn’t terrible. I found that, people who haven’t read the books took to the film better than those who have and I, unfortunately, have read them all and were very disappointed but it was a good film in the end and I am sure the Half-blood Prince would be no different.

What do you think?

Listen to Lady Gaga

Finally! After much anticipation, the final instalment of the High School Musical series hit the silver screen on October 24th last year. This time it sends you on the emotional path every high school senior will eventually have to take – with a few twists and turns (in a true High School Musical way!)

An interesting announcement made by Disney was made in February 2007, when the announced plans for a 2008 feature film sequel with a Halloween theme dubbed "Haunted High School Musical." In September 2007, Disney announced that they had scrapped plans for the Halloween theme and instead will focus on the senior year of key characters at East High.
The all-star original cast returned to the set earlier this year, including Vanessa Hudgens, rumoured to be excluded from the film by OK! Magazine because of the nude photo scandal of last year. According to the magazine, Vanessa would have been replaced by Adrienne Bailon or Sabrina Bryan from the Cheetah Girls. The Walt Disney Company denied those reports, explaining "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson."

Later on, Access Hollywood confirmed would not be cut from the third film and that the cast was currently still in negotiations. Hudgens’ representative told Access that OK! Magazine never bothered to check the fact with them, but they did call Disney who said it was not true, “but yet OK! ran it anyway. Apparently, OK! Magazine was having a slow news day." Vanessa just said that it was "Totally untrue. It is an old rumour,"
Yet, to spite all this controversy, www.entertainmentwise.com’s, Harjeet Mander, published on October 17th, 2007, that “High School Musical will be missing a very familiar face when they return for a third outing - It’s goodbye to Gabriella. Disney do not want to take on actress Vanessa Hudgens after naked pictures of her surfaced on the internet.”
The article goes on, saying that an unknown source said ”Disney finally decided that they don’t want her back. They feel that, as long as Zac Efron is in the movie, all will be fine. He’s the real star – the household name – and most importantly, he comes without baggage.”

Of course, after the article was published, rumours spread, saying that Efron refused to do the part without girlfriend, Vanessa, and that the Disney company had no choice but to bring her back. But here, we do not care a flying fart in space what anyone supposedly said, and we are glad the entire, original cast reunited for the end of an era, when High School Musical took its final bow.
Obviously, with the first single released (“Now or Never”), the movie kicks off with a nerve-wrecking basketball game, their final together as the East High Wildcats, trying to make their mark before they say goodbye a final time.

The plot in the third film differs greatly from the first two, as Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) does not try get Troy (Zac Efron) all to herself. Instead, she persuades Ryan to pursue the life as a star when starting college the following year. Although she still tries to share the spotlight with him, her goals near the end differ a great deal more than expected.

This said, Troy and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) face a new problem once again: College! Knowing their dreams and further education will send them all in different direction, they join their fellow Wildcats (Sharpay Evans, Ryan Evans, Chad Danforth, and Taylor McKessie) they decide to stage their final, yet elaborate musical reflecting all they have learned throughout the past few years and also share their hopes and fears for the unclear future that approaches way quickly.

Of course, the Wildcats don’t intend on graduating from East High without celebrating the best night of their lives – PROM! – in a way only true Wildcats can; with a great musical number! A Night To Remember – where the guys start out to be very far from eager or excited about prom but has a blast at the end.
“Vanessa's definitely the stronger dancer," Zac Efron tells PEOPLE magazine. "If I forget the next move, she'll lead me. We have to help each other, that's what we do." But with Kenny Ortega choreographing (and directing) they practiced and practised until their routines were perfect… and it definitely paid off. As dance partners, they are very focused, said Vanessa Hudgens. "We want to get it right and we have so much fun together that even if things do get difficult, we still try to churn it out and have fun with it.
This time, their musical was actually screened as part of the film in the form of a medley, dubbed “Senior Year Spring Musical” on the soundtrack. The medley will consist of five songs, performed by just about everyone in the cast, including newcomers Matt Prokop and Jemma McKenzie-Brown. A few hilarious scenes do take place during the musical and you’ll laugh at it again when you hear it on the soundtrack.

An international casting call went out to find three new "Wildcats" sophomores for the film. This resulted in the successful casting of three bright new stars: Matt Prokop, Justin Martin, and Jemma McKenzie-Brown. Kenny Ortega, director of all three High School Musical films commented that the new cast members seemed to bring an overall positive atmosphere to the existing cast, crew, and production as a whole.
McKenzie-Brown's character was originally reported to be named "Tiara Goal", though later confirmed her name was "Tiara Gold". McKenzie-Brown is not the only member of the new cast to have their characters name changed as Martin's character had originally reported to be named "Donny Fox", though it was later changed to "Donny Dion".

As the film goes on, the music will give you goosebumps, the drama might make you shed a tear and the end will make you realize this is it! The end! And then you’ll want to watch it over again.
It was really a very good movie, the best in the series. Well budgeted and well played out, seeing as the budget for the film was almost $2 million less that the DCOM, Camp Rock ($15 million) had. Either there was a mistake on Wikipedia or Walt Disney Pictures really scored this time!
I have to say that I will miss all the characters of the film, it was like I was watching on a series and now it has ended. I was still in high school when the first two films were premiered on Disney Channel and loved it from the beginning. But all good things must come to an end... and what an ending it was!
Even though the original cast will not return for another High School Musical sequel, Vanessa Hudgens says she and real-life boyfriend Zac Efron may work on another project together someday. "No one says it's the last time," she says. "Who knows what the future will bring."

What we do know, though, is that the original cast has made a promise to have a reunion every ten years. “Get together, watch the movies…” and have a lot of fun!

If you've seen the film, and I hope you have, you surely loved it! I know I did! And so did my sister, and ALL my other friends!
It is, to me, a truly unique storyline and something completely different than any of the folklore we've become accustomed to.
If you haven't seen it yet and you'd like to know more about author, Stephenie Meyer's great saga, here's a brief description:

Bella Swam moves to the small town of Forks, Washington, to live with her dad, Charlie, who is also the Chief of police, after her mother marries again and goes on the road. She meets the strange family of Cullins, and then the loner son, Edward, whom she develops a crush. But all is not as it seems...
Edward has a dark secret: He is abnormally strong and fast. His skin is pale white and ice cold. His eyes change colour and no one ever sees him, or any of the other Cullins, eat anything or go out into the sun.
To top it all off, a 'wild creature' descends on the town and kills a few citizens, which raises suspicions.

All in all, I think the story was super awesome! It's a quite unique plot, but differs greatly from the book (which I have just started reading recently). In the movie, for instance, Bella tells Edward that:
"I know what you are. You're impossibly fast - and strong. Your skin is pale white and ice cold. You never eat or drink anything..."
This scene happens in the woods, which is just beyond the school grounds. In the book, Bella tells Edward while he is driving her home after he has rescued her (once again) from danger. I actually liked the way that part was told in the movie better, but the book is a really good read as well.

Here are some wallpapers I downloaded:





What do you think about the movie?