The Magic Continues for a New Generation of Potter Fans (and the old ones are happy too!)

After seven books and eight movies, you'd think that the world is content with how Harry Potter ended but with the release of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" and of course "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them" (which just grossed P126.42 M in four days!) we know that Muggles just can't get enough of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world. 

Last Halloween I saw a number of folks dressed up as characters from Harry Potter, from kids who were not even born yet when the books came out. (Their parents probably put them up to it but I'm sure that they've come to love the movies as well) to adults who wanted to bring the magic to the work place. Indeed the magic which J.K. Rowling has created for what now seems like generations is surely far from over. 

The cuties clad in Gryffindor colors? Daughters of my former English (and Economics) High School teacher and I can say that Miss Gaye has those #ParentingGoals down right! 

We just saw "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" last week (movie review here) and I tell you it was indeed a reminiscent trip down memory lane as the movie 'read' so much like a "Harry Potter" book. It's on its second week in cinemas now! Make sure to see it!   

The lovely folks from Sky Cable's Digital Marketing went on a "Harry Potter" theme for their Halloween Party. Complete with "Undesirable No.1" posters! 

This little cutie is about to have his first birthday and guess what the theme is? :D

So no, I don't think we have seen the last of that Potter magic and if "Fantastic Beasts" were any indication I think we're still on for more! And as a Potter head I couldn't be happier. 

Indeed, Rowling has helped redefine literature and children's literature as we know it. Now, Harry Potter is a discussion which both adults and children can enjoy. 

Thank you to Miss Gaye and Chie for sharing your photos! 

As if we needed more evidence of Potter love, there is a Harry Potter themed cafe along Maginhawa Street, Nook Cafe. we've been meaning to visit but haven't yet, one of these days for sure! 

Books: Gaiman, Murakami, Pardo. Picks from National Bookstore's Sale

So on the last day of the National Book Store Sale, we were doing errands in the mall and had some extra bit of cash. Well, actually we still had some bills to budget but the temptation was so strong so I just took a sneak peek and well....came out with three books. Hehehe. 

So the first one I picked up was Haruki Murakami's "Wind/Pinball" at 50%off! This is actually my first Murakami hardbound and at 50% off I just could not resist. 

Paul took the photo with the plastic wrap still on, I would have preferred if it was without the plastic but still I'm not reading it then I guess its okay if it will keep the book clean and protected. Will probably reshoot once I finally open the book to read. :) 

My second pick is a collection of short stories inspired from Nail Gaiman's "Sandman" at 20% off. This is my first book which is a collection of short stories. Paul is a big fan of "Sandman" so this is also a treat for him.  

My third pick was a book that was not on sale but I still had to have. "The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo" which I already blogged about so long ago and now I finally have a copy! Will post more on that soon! #SupportLocal 


Will be posting book reviews soon! :D 

Movies: BESTSELLING YOUNG ADULT NOVEL “FALLEN” NOW A MOVIE – OPENS NOVEMBER 9

The much anticipated feature film adaptation of Lauren Kate’s worldwide bestselling young adult novel, “Fallen” comes to the big screen with a cast of exciting young stars and directed by award-winning Australian director Scott Hicks.

              Starring Addison Timlin (“Stand Up Guys”), Jeremy Irvine (“War Horse”, “The Railway Man”) and Harrison Gilbertson (“Need For Speed”) alongside Joely Richardson (“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”),  Lola Kirke (“Gone Girl”), Sianoa Smit-McPhee (“Hung”), Daisy Head (“Endeavour”), Hermione Corfield (“Maleficent”) and Malachi Kirby (“My Brother the Devil”), “Fallen” is seen  through the eyes of Lucinda “Luce” Price, a strong-willed seventeen-year-old living a seemingly ordinary life until she is accused of a crime she didn’t commit.  Sent off to the imposing Sword & Cross reform school, Luce finds herself being courted by two young men to whom she feels oddly connected.  Isolated and haunted by strange visions, Luce begins to unravel the secrets of her past and discovers the two men are fallen angels, competing for her love for centuries.  Luce must choose where her feelings lie, pitting Heaven against Hell in an epic battle over true love.

              “I’m delighted to have directed Fallen. I was drawn in by the intriguing premise of Lauren Kate’s story, the powerful array of memorable characters, and the timeless romance between Luce and Daniel. I enjoyed working with a very fine cast, including the exceptionally promising talents of Addison, Jeremy and Harrison, and the remarkable Joely Richardson,” says director Hicks. 

              Indeed, Lauren Kate was first inspired to write the Fallen novels by the romance in the story of fallen angels giving up their place in heaven for the untested love of human women that appears in Genesis. “As a romantic, I wanted to write a story from point of view of a girl who made that love worthwhile,” she says. “The idea of a love that has cosmic consequences and that addresses deep betrayals and big motivations has always reached me deeply and I’m happy that they reached others through my books. Luce has an obsession with making impossible love possible. She falls in love with Daniel but that love dies, and she’s desperate to break the curse because she believes the love is worth it. Her openness and deep faith in the power of love is her defining characteristic. Luce is lost when we meet her and every day is an obstacle but Daniel is a ray of light even though he acts badly. She makes her world about him. It’s a deep faith in love that’s very admirable.”     

       

                                                     

              It was the battle between the two young rivals for Luce’s affections that also intrigued the director. He says: “Cam and Daniel have that strange mix of being almost brothers in that they’re bound into this story and yet there’s also an intense rivalry between them. They don’t represent good and bad, they’re both fallen angels, so therefore they’re both bad boys and it’s a struggle between them about higher issues in a mythological world. Luce is a pivotal character in that and they both want to assert control over her destiny.”

              “Luce and Daniel's story created a global community of fans. I think of this movie as a love letter to them,” concludes author Kate on the film adaptation. 

              “Fallen” opens November 9 in cinemas nationwide from Pioneer Films.   Trailer link: https://youtu.be/Gryva0UWv1c

Movies: LIAM NEESON VOICES MONSTER IN ADAPTATION OF CHILDREN’S BESTSELLER IN “A MONSTER CALLS”

Double curiosity has struck me with the adaptation of the book to film most especially since finding out that both the writer and illustrator won awards for the children's book and according to Wikipidea. "A Monster Calls" "is the only book whose author and illustrator, whether two persons or one, have won both Medals."

Hoping to get to read the book before the movie comes out! 

Liam Neeson, widely known for his role as Bryan Mills in the worldwide blockbuster “Taken” film franchise, will once again surprise the audience with his newfound skills in his latest film “A Monster Calls.” 

I on the other hand will always remember him as Jean Valjean in the 1998 version of "Les Miserables." Yes, I'm old. I know!  

                Based on the award-winning novel of the same title by Patrick Ness, “A Monster Calls” is directed by highly celebrated director J.A. Bayona wherein Neeson stars in the titular role.   As the monster, Neeson’s character is seen by 12-year-old Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) who escapes into a fantastical world of monsters and fairy tales. Dealing with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) illness has necessitated Conor’s spending time with his less-than-sympathetic grandmother (Sigourney Weaver). His daily existence at his U.K. school is one of academic disinterest and bullying by classmates. As Conor’s father (Toby Kebbell) has resettled thousands of miles away in the U.S., the boy yearns for guidance.

                Connor unexpectedly summons a most unlikely ally, who bursts forth with terrifying grandeur from an ancient towering yew tree and the powerful earth below it: a 40-foot-high colossus of a creature.  Portrayed in performance-capture and voiceover by Neeson, the monster appears at Conor’s bedroom window  at the strike of 12:07 one night – and at the same time on nights thereafter. The Monster has stories to tell, and he insists that Conor hear them and powerfully visualize them.  Conor’s fear gives way to feistiness and then to looking within; for, The Monster demands that once the tales are told it will be time for Conor to tell his own story in return. Ancient, wild, and relentless, the Monster guides Conor on a journey of courage, faith, and truth.

             As an actor utterly distinct in personality, voice, and stature, Liam Neeson was everyone’s first choice to portray the Monster, in both voiceover and performance-capture. The Academy Award-nominated actor was drawn to the story immediately, seeing it as “a fable about the complexity of our emotions, and navigating that complexity as we grow up.”

               

                “Bayona is a real cinema talent,” states Liam Neeson. “Occasionally you get to work with directors who are steeped in the love of what they do, and Bayona is one of those. He eats, sleeps, and drinks movies. He’s a walking film encyclopedia. He’s a bit like Martin Scorsese in that way.  He’s also very sensitive. He takes care of, guides, and nurtures his actors and that’s what I always hope a director will do. He allows you to experiment, so you both can get at the truth of what a scene is – and he will try for as long as it takes. I love working with a director like that.”

                As part of Bayona’s approach, Neeson worked alongside Lewis MacDougall so that both actors could share ownership of their scenes together. Neeson reflects, “I’ve worked with children who’ve been swamped by the industry, and they’ve lost a kind of childlike innocence. Lewis has all that intact. He’s still a real kid – but also a powerful young actor.”

                “A Monster Calls” is a visually spectacular and stunning adventure that will open in cinemas on November 2 from Pioneer Films.   Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Hpx-nO8o0

Movies: STUNNING ACTION AND IMAGERY IN TIM BURTON’S “MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN”

From visionary director Tim Burton, and based upon the best-selling novel by Ransom Riggs, comes an unforgettable motion picture experience – “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”  When Jake (Asa Butterfield) discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.  As Jake learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, he realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies.  Jake must figure out what is real, who can be trusted, and who he really is.

                “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is rich with fantastical and immersive imagery, memorable characters, epic battles, and unique time travel manipulations—all brought to life by Tim Burton, in the grand style of his acclaimed films “Edward Scissorhands,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”   Most significantly, it is about embracing the original and peculiar in us all.

               

                What makes the young Peculiars different is also what makes them able, strong and special.  Eva Green takes on the titular role of Miss Peregrine, her home provides a safe haven from the outside world, which cannot comprehend or deal with the Peculiars’ special abilities.  It’s also a refuge from their powerful enemies.

               

                Each child has a unique peculiarity, including levitation, fire-manipulation and super-strength.  The Peculiars’ capabilities are not limitless, and these young people are bound by most of the things we non-Peculiars are.  “They just discover some creative uses for their abilities in certain situations,” says executive producer Derek Frey.

                Choreographer Francesca Jaynes, whose credits include Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Dark Shadows” and “Alice in Wonderland,” worked with the young actors, focusing on the movements specific to each character’s special ability.  But Jaynes notes that, “What was most important to Tim was conveying the humanity of the children.  These peculiarities are not superpowers.   It’s part of who they are.”               

                Burton filmed the action-packed conclusion on the Blackpool pier and in the Victorian circus at Blackpool Tower.   Stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam (“Game of Thrones”) worked with the young actors portraying the Peculiars and all were pleased to take part in a thrilling escape sequence, where they must climb out of a window on the top floor of the Home and slide down its roof, amidst a torrential downpour.  “All the children did their own stunts and were happy as anything to do it,” says Frey.

                “Fans are going to get a no-holds-barred ‘Miss Peregrine’ experience,” adds Derek Frey.  “It’s a full rendering of that story.”   Perhaps no one is more pleased with that rendering than its original architect.  “As someone who grew up loving Tim’s movies, it was so exciting to me that he was interested in my book,” says Riggs.  “I said to myself, ‘Okay, well, this is genius. Tim is perfect for the material, and he’s going to make it all his own.   I love where he went with the film.”

                The impressive cast of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Chris O’ Dowd, Allison Janney, Judi Dench, Terence Stamp, Ella Purnell, Rupert Everett, Finlay MacMillan, Lauren McCrostie, Raffiella Chapman, Hayden Keeler-Stone, Georgia Pemberton, Milo Parker, Pixie Davis, Cameron King, Joseph and Thomas Odwell and Louis Davison. 

               

                “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” will open September 28 in cinemas (2D and 3D) from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. 

Book Review: NERVE

I was already midway into reading "Nerve" when I saw the movie adaptation starring Emma Roberts and Dave Franco (movie review here) and I could already tell that the movie was actually better than the book. For one thing, the dares were a lot more exciting, for another the movie has a better ending than the book. Which is saying a lot considering that it was the movie' sending that I had the most issues with. 

Before I get carried away, let's start at the beginning shall we? 

Jeanne Ryan's "Nerve" opens with a prologue which is narrated by a character we never really meet in the story,  it's one other former Nerve players on the run, looking for some peace and quiet in a park only to be harassed by what seems to be a deranged fan of sorts. The prologue then ends abruptly and we don't really know what happens to the girl-is this a foreshadowing of what is to happen to our heroine? 

Chapter One - we meet said heroine, Vee "the girl behind the curtain" (no, it's nothing like a Stieg Larsson book) who plays second fiddle to her best friend Sydney. While Vee sticks to the backstage as a make-up artist, Sydney is the star of the show. She's beautiful, confident and popular, things which Vee can only dream of. 

After feeling that Sydney betrayed her, Vee decides to join NERVE, an online game which has players perform dares for prizes and money. Which is different in the movie, since playing Nerve requires you to choose from being a player or a watcher, in the book, you're just a player. 

What follows next us basically the same plot for both the book and the movie, where Vee performs a number of dares and is paired off with the handsome and myseterious Ian, played by Dave Franco in the movie. Ian is given more depth in the movie, as his story ties in the main plot of the film. 

The downfall of the book, for me is during the finals of the Nerve games, which feels a lot like "The Hunger Games" as they introduce new characters that Vee and Ian have to "beat" in order to win their prizes. What follows is a boring stand off and yet another take on a scene from "The Hunger Games". 

I'm really glad that the screen writers stayed away from The Hunger Games similarities.

The ending of the book? Is even worse than the movie, if you can imagine. So should you read the book to appreciate the movie? No. Just go on and watch the movie. This is just a 1.5 out of 5 for me. 

Movie Review: NERVE

In a time when our lives revolve around social media and posting everything about ourselves online (bank account information, government data, personal information) coupled with this insatiable need to be insta-famous with countless likes and followers, "NERVE" takes a big mirror and shows us our own ugly reflection. 

Vee (Emma Roberts) is a shy senior, who plays second fiddle to her best friend, the popular, confident cheerleader, Sydney. A talented photographer, Vee is having trouble telling her mom she wants to enroll in a far off art school. Vee's mom would rather have her enroll in the nearby college, where she can keep tabs on her. This is at the wake of her older brother's tragic death. 

With an over protective mom, boy problems and being humiliated by Sydney, Vee steps out of her shy persona and joins NERVE, an online game where you sign up to be a Watcher or a Player. As a Player you perform dares for prize money. Watchers gather information about players and ask them to do dares, they are also tasked to take videos of watchers as they perform their dares. 

The players who can't complete the dares are out of the game. 

What starts out as a simple and harmless dare leads Vee to a crazy night, also meeting fellow Player the handsome, Ian (Dave Franco) but with the dares becoming more dangerous can Vee really trust Ian? 

The film explores both concepts of a Cyber Voyeur and a Cyber Exhibitionist, it might sound silly  but with Facebook Live and Viral videos on YouTube, is a game like NERVE really too far-fetched? 

There were also some interesting themes and talking points in the film, such as hiding behind anonymity and what it means to take responsibility over your actions online. There was also a scene in the film which reminded me of the Romans in the Colliseum with their brutal pit fights which serve as their entertainment. 

The audience loved the movie, I could hear them reacting to the exciting and emotional parts in the film. They were really rooting for the two lead characters and I always take that as a good indication that the film was enjoyable. I myself enjoyed it but found the ending flat and predictable, a tad bit corny actually but forgivable for the interesting use and incorporation of what's on your phone's screen to the film. Plus they have some good choices in songs, my favorite is "Electric Love" by BØRNS. 

7.5 out of 10, NERVE is now showing in cinemas! 

I was already midway in the book (yes, it's based on a young adult book) when I saw the movie and I can tell that the movie was definitely better. 

Book review to follow! 

Book Review: The Girl on the Train

I became interested with "The Girl On The Train" when I first saw the trailer online. I loved Emily Blunt in "SICARIO" and seeing her in another suspence thriller definitely caught my interest. 

Criticis have been calling "The Girl On The Train" as the next "Gone Girl" and while I have yet to read Gillian Flynn's novel, the movie has become a cult culture phenomenon, the nightmare of every modern day marriage. (Thank you David Fincher!)

So I had so much expectations as I started to read Paula Hawkins' "The Girl On The Train", which is about Rachel, a middle-aged divorcee coping with being cheated on her husband with alcohol; a lot of it actually. 

Rachel spends her days traveling in and out of the city on the train, sometimes she'd have a small bottle of alcohol in her bag, other times shed actually make it to a pub for a few-err a lot of drinks. This has been Rachel's daily routine, even after she lost her job after an outburst at work, while intoxicated. 

Emily Blunt as Rachel. 

Rachel has been pretending to still be going to work for the sake of appearances since she has moved in with an old college friend. 

During Rachel's daily commute she has become obsessed with a young couple, whose life she sees as perfect. Every day, Rachel would spy on their house, as she passed it on her daily train rides. From their she would imagine the epitome of a happy marriage, just like the one she lost.

Rachel's world turns upside down when "Jess" the beautiful blonde in her ideal couple goes missing. 

Rachel swears she saw "Jess" the night she dissapered but then she's not sure, nor could she recall the details of that night clearly. Did she have a few drinks that night? Was she actually sober enough to remember accurate and vital information that could save a life? 

"The Girl On The Train" goes through a rotation of narrators, who are all characters in this "who-did-it" tale, surrounded by modern marital woes. The timeline does not follow the traditional linear one and this effectively pulls the reader into the mystery and intrigue of the story. 

Check out the trailer! 

I remember in my High School English, we used to study the tragic heroes of Greek. Mythology and of William Shakespeare and I can't help to think that the women of "The Girl On The Train" are the same, tragic characters whose daily lives have become empty and miserable because of the choices that they made. The irony of it all is that there are people who are cruel enough to take advantage of this weakness for their own personal gain. 

I must admit that it was hard to feel sorry for the women in the book, in fact I actually hated them. I know that "hate" is a strong word but that's how I really felt toward them. It was hard to read through the misery the characters were going through but that surprise twist towards the end made it all worth it. 

3/5 "The Girl On The Train" is another tale where "there really is more than meets the eye" and that even the most mundane and ordinary people can be hiding deep, dark secrets you can never imagine. 

The movie adaptation, starring Emily Blunt is slated for release in October 5, 2016 in the Philippines. Movie Review here! 

Movies + Books: ROALD DAHL'S BELOVED BOOK “THE BFG” COMES TO LIFE

Disney and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Walden Media, present the fantasy adventure film “The BFG,” the first-ever motion picture adaptation of Roald Dahl’s resonant tale of childhood, the magic of dreams and the extraordinary friendship between a young girl and a big friendly giant.

Roald Dahl’s seminal tale of the friendship between a young girl and a mysterious giant seemed perfectly aligned with director Steven Spielberg's own body of work, and while it may have seemed destined that Sophie and the BFG would one day find their way into Spielberg’s care, it would be decades following the book’s publication before the journey would actually begin.

Dahl’s “The BFG” was first published in 1982, the same year Spielberg’s own story about an unusual and transformative friendship, “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” captured the hearts and imaginations of children and adults alike. The British author is one of the world’s most creative, mischievous and successful storytellers, someone who understands the inner lives of children and has a knack for creating characters that kids could relate to and storylines which kept them involved.

His ability to combine the fantastical with the frightening and place children as the heroes of his innovative stories, and adults as the villains, is unrivaled in the literary world. While Dahl’s stories recognize that life can be difficult and sometimes scary, that there is good with the bad, he never patronizes his readers.

Producer Frank Marshall (“Jurassic World”) says, “Dahl’s stories are not just happy-go-lucky fantasies. There’s a lot of humor to them, but there’s also a little bit of a dark side. He walks on the edge. They’re a little scary, and I think that’s what appeals to people.”

Spielberg agrees, saying, “It was very brave of him to introduce that combination of darkness and light, which was so much Walt Disney’s original signature in a lot of his earlier works like ‘Dumbo,’ ‘Fantasia,’ ‘Snow White’ and ‘Cinderella.’ Being able to be scary and redemptive at the same time, and teach a lesson, an enduring lesson, to everyone—it was a wonderful thing for Dahl to have done, and it was one of the things that attracted me to want to direct this Dahl book.”

“The BFG” is the story of the two lonely souls who, in finding one another, create their own home in the world, which is a consistent thread in Spielberg’s rich body of work. “Steven has always gravitated towards stories about families, which is one of the reasons his films have resonated with so many people,” says executive producer Kathleen Kennedy (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the “Indiana Jones” films).

Spielberg has been a fan of Dahl’s for years, and in fact had read the book to his own children when they were younger. “It’s a story about friendship, it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems,” he says.

Dahl created stories to tell his children and grandchildren, but was always hesitant to write any of them down, something with which the director could relate. “When I told my kids stories that they were especially fond of, they would beg me to make a movie about it,” Spielberg says. “Fortunately Dahl did eventually agree to share his stories with the world, and we’re all the better because of it.”

“The BFG” is enormously popular around the world, and to date has been published in 41 languages. It was also Dahl’s own favorite of all his stories. While the author passed away in 1990 at the age of 74, the producers forged a relationship with his widow and had many conversations about how important the book was to Dahl and whether or not a movie was even realistic. “We talked a lot about whether it would be better as animation or live action, because at the time, none of the technology that we were talking about using even existed,” explains Kennedy.

The filmmakers began to focus on translating the scope of the book onto the big screen, which was a technological challenge that sparked the director’s imagination. On its surface, the logistical puzzle presented by the story is barely evident. But “The BFG” required something much more than new worlds synthesized in the computer. This special story about the friendship between two very different characters, one small, the other very big, one real, one fantastical, would inspire the creation of an entirely new way of fusing the elements of fantasy and reality.

Opening across the Philippines on Aug. 10, “The BFG” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Like us on Facebook, WaltDisneyStudiosPH; follow us on Twitter, @disney_phil; follow us on Instagram, @disney.ph and use the hashtag #TheBFGPH.

Movie News: SINISTER SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSED IN “NERVE”

Emma Roberts and Dave Franco star in “Nerve,” a timely edge-of-your-seat thriller and a razor-sharp examination of the seductive power of social media. 

 Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, best known for their work on “Catfish” and the “Paranormal Activity” series, who have created an action-packed urban adventure that also offers keen insights into online behavior.

 Based on the popular young-adult novel by Jeanne Ryan, the game of “Nerve” introduces a pool of young thrill-seeking players who accept increasingly risky dares from anonymous watchers to win valuable rewards. As small-time pranks ramp up into dangerous, sometimes acts, fans watch the action captured live on smartphones.

 In “Nerve,” when Staten Island high-school senior Vee Delmonico (played by Emma Roberts) is challenged by her best friend to take part in the game, it launches a series of life-changing events.  Each game of Nerve lasts only 24 hours; then a winner is declared and it moves on to the next challengers. “The movie asks the audience the same question Vee asks herself,” says Schulman. “Are you a watcher or a player? Not just in the game of Nerve, but in life itself. Vee has played it safe her whole life, but Nerve pushes her to take chances, which can be very dangerous. If you play, you may get hurt, or you may win and become a celebrity and make a lot of money. You can take the safe road, or you can take the risk. It’s all up to you.”

 

Vee's adventure starts out as a high-octane Cinderella story, says producer Allison Shearmur. “She meets an unbelievably handsome and sexy stranger. She goes to the Bergdorf Goodman department store and walks out in a dress that costs thousands of dollars. She rides into New York City on a tricked-out motorcycle, and becomes a part of the city in a way that she probably only imagined from her apartment on Staten Island. It only gets dark when she has to start asking the questions that all of us are asking, like, ‘Who is this guy, really?’”

 Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the game, Shearmur suggests, is that there is no one villain; the threat comes from the anonymous online onlookers. “The game goes from lighthearted wish-fulfillment to menacing and dangerous. Like a mob screaming for dueling gladiators, the bloodlust of the crowd becomes very disturbing.”

 The more sinister side of the internet seemed like a topic that was ripe for exploration to actress Emma Roberts, who plays Vee. “People are putting their whole lives on the internet today,” she notes. “This movie captures that phenomenon and takes it one step further.”  Roberts says she thinks twice now when she uses Instagram, Twitter—or even email. “Nothing’s ever truly private. I think this movie taps into that feeling. Whatever you post can potentially be seen by anyone, whether you want it to be or not.”

 After the success of Catfish, Joost says he and Schulman were often asked if they believed the internet was inherently dangerous. “We said no, the internet is actually very neutral. It is what you make of it. It can be an inspiring place that introduces you to people you would never meet otherwise. It can push you to become a better person. Or it can bring out something darker in you. At the end of the day, it’s about owning up to your actions.”

“Nerve” is coming soon this July 27 in cinemas from Pioneer Films. 

Movie News: POTTERMORE UNVEILS NEW WRITING BY J.K. ROWLING ABOUT ILVERMORNY, NORTH AMERICAN SCHOOL OF MAGIC

Calling all Potterheads! 

in the second instalment of Magic in North America, setting the stage for the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Pottermore.com users can now be sorted into Ilvermorny houses

28 June, 2016 – ‘Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,’ the second instalment in a collection of new original writing by J.K. Rowling entitled Magic in North America, will be published today exclusively on pottermore.com. ‘Ilvermorny’ (Ill-ver-morn-ee’) provides a vivid and captivating backstory of the great North American school of magic, founded in the 17th century.

The new writing, and the short video that accompanies it (https://youtu.be/4DCHPvGhRZg), provide a rich background for the upcoming Warner Bros. feature film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which will be released 17 November, 2016 (in the Philippines). The film, which marks J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut, is an all-new adventure starring Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander who arrives in New York in 1926.

The work of fiction begins in Ireland where an orphaned young girl who is a descendant of Hogwarts co-founder Salazar Slytherin, escapes her evil aunt and sets sail on the Mayflower. Landing in Massachusetts with little more than the clothes on her back and a stolen wand, she ventures out on her own, wandering in the wilderness until she encounters several mysterious creatures and discovers she is not the only magical person in the New World. But she will also have to overcome great challenges and face new dangers on her way to establishing what will become the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the peak of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.

In addition to publishing the second instalment of Magic in North America today, Pottermore announced that, for the first time ever, users of the website will be able to be sorted into one of the four houses of Ilvermorny. The Ilvermorny Sorting Ceremony consists of questions and answers written by J.K. Rowling. The answers to the questions determine into which Ilvermorny house users will be sorted. The houses are named after the following creatures, which have been described as follows in the writing:

• Horned Serpent; a ‘great horned river serpent with a jewel set into its forehead’

• Pukwudgie; ‘a short, grey-faced, large-eared creature’

• Thunderbird; a creature that ‘can create storms as it flies’

• Wampus; ‘a magical, panther-like creature that is fast, strong and almost impossible to kill’

In March, Pottermore published ‘History of Magic in North America,’ the first instalment of Magic in North America. The writing, which was posted over four consecutive days, took readers into the history of North American witches and wizards.

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About Pottermore

Pottermore, the digital publishing, e-commerce, entertainment and news company from J.K. Rowling, is the global digital publisher of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. As the digital heart of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, pottermore.com is dedicated to unlocking the power of imagination. It offers news, features, and articles as well as new and previously unreleased writing by J.K. Rowling.

About J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling is the author of the bestselling Harry Potter series of seven books, published between 1997 and 2007, which have sold over 450 million copies worldwide, are distributed in more than 200 territories and translated into 79 languages, and have been turned into eight blockbuster films. 

She has written three companion volumes in aid of charity: Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in aid of Comic Relief; and The Tales of Beedle the Bard in aid of her children’s charity, Lumos.

In 2012, J.K. Rowling’s digital entertainment and e-commerce company Pottermore was launched, where fans can enjoy her new writing and immerse themselves deeper in the wizarding world.

Her first novel for adult readers, The Casual Vacancy, was published in September 2012 and adapted for TV by the BBC in 2015. Her crime novels, written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, were published in 2013 (The Cuckoo’s Calling), 2014 (The Silkworm) and 2015 (Career of Evil), and are to be adapted for a major new television series for BBC One, produced by Brontë Film and Television.

J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard commencement speech was published in 2015 as an illustrated book, Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination, and sold in aid of her charity Lumos and university–wide financial aid at Harvard.

In addition to making her screenwriting debut with the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, J.K. Rowling is currently collaborating on a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two, which will open in London’s West End in the summer of 2016. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne, based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.

About Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an all-new adventure returning us to the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling. Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) stars in the central role of wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates (the last four Harry Potter features).

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them also stars Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Ron Perlman, Carmen Ejogo, Jenn Murray, Faith Wood-Blagrove, and Colin Farrell.

The film marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander.

The film reunites a number of people from the Harry Potter features, including producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram.

Opening November 17 in the Philippines, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.