Check out Richard’s look at “It’s a Wonderful Life” playing in the December Cineplex Pre Show at theatres across the country, then check out the movie when it plays on the big screen on December 20, 22 and 24!
Some more info!
A movie that was a flop when it played theatres in 1946 is now one of the best-loved films of all time. It’s a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards but lost money when it was first release.
Inspired by a short story called The Greatest Gift, it’s the story of George Bailey, played by James Stewart, whose Guardian Angel shows him what life in his hometown of Bedford Falls would be like if he had never been born.
Despite being set around Christmas, much of the film was shot during a heat wave. The famous scene on the bridge where George’s angel saves his life was filmed on a back lot in July when the temperature was 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you look closely you can see Stewart sweating in the scene.
To create a wintry look of Bedford Falls set designers used 3000 tons of shaved ice, 300 tons of gypsum, 300 tons of plaster, and 6000 gallons of chemicals.
Because the movie was shot in the sweltering heat of a Los Angeles summer they had to use fake snow. Instead of using the usual cornflakes painted white—which was loud when stepped on—director Frank Capra and RKO studio’s head of special effects Russel Sherman invented a quiet—and sprayable—version by mixing foamite with sugar, water and soap flakes to create the winter wonderland seen in the movie. The RKO Effects Department received a Class III Scientific or Technical Award from the Motion Picture Academy for the development of the new film snow.
James Stewart said that of all his films, this was his favorite. The American Film Institute agreed, ranking it the #1 Most Powerful Movie of All Time.
From Cineplex.com: It was the first color film to win the Best Picture Oscar and is ranked as one of the greatest movie of all time by the American Film Institute. In its first four years of release the film sold 59.5 million tickets, a number equal to half the population of the United States in 1939 and according to Box Office Mojo it’s the highest grossing film of all time when adjusted for ticket price inflation.
This year Gone with the Wind celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary as “the most iconic film of all time.”
Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the story of Southern Belle Scarlett O’Hara and her torrid affair with blockade runner Rhett Butler remains so popular it has motivated legions of fans, called Windies, to gather in period costume in author Margaret Mitchell’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia… Read the whole thing HERE!
If you know who the Time Lord is, then you’re a Whovian. If you know what the TARDIS is, then you’re a Whovian.
Whovians, of course, are fans of Dr. Who, the long-running British science fiction television series… Watch Richard’s Cineplex.com video on Doctor Who and get a first look at the new season of Doctor Who HERE!
In anticipation of the Doctor Who Season Premiere: Deep Breathat Cineplex on Monday, August 25, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. (local time) and Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 12:55 p.m. (local time) check out Richard’s social Doctor Who teaser on the Cineplex pre show IN THEATRES NOW!
From the BBC: BBC Worldwide North America and Cineplex Entertainment’s Front Row Centre Events are teaming up again for two special theatrical screening events of Doctor Who Season Premiere: Deep Breath, on Monday, August 25, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. (local time) and Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 12:55 p.m. (local time).
The hit BBC series marks a new beginning, as award-winning actor Peter Capaldi (In the Loop, World War Z) takes on the role of the iconic Time Lord for adventures through space and time. This electrifying episode will be shown in 85 cinemas across Canada and will include 15 minutes of bonus content.
Showtimes and tickets for Doctor Who Season Premiere: Deep Breathare available now at participating theatre box offices and online at www.Cineplex.com/DeepBreath.
From acclaimed director Ben Wheatley and award-winning lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, the beginning of the new Doctor’s era is a pulse-racing adventure through Victorian London. Peter Capaldi stars as the Doctor, Jenna Coleman as his companion Clara Oswald and the episode sees the return of fan favourites The Paternoster Gang– Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) and Strax (Dan Starkey).
Soumya Sriraman, EVP Home Entertainment and Licensing for BBC Worldwide North America, commented, “Last year’s 50th Anniversary showcased the passionate and creative fans of Doctor Who across the country. What better way to launch a new Doctor than to give fans and people about to set off on their first journey with the Doctor, a chance to see the premiere on the big screen with exclusive theatrical footage for a thrilling ride.”
“We look forward to providing Canadians this first opportunity to see Peter Capaldi as the Doctor on the big screen, with stunning theatre surround sound,” said Bradley LaDouceur, Vice President, Alternative Programming, Cineplex Entertainment.
Doctor Who has received numerous awards, including last year’s Institutional Peabody Award. The series has enjoyed success off-air with more than 10 million DVDs and 8 million action figures sold globally. BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the UK broadcaster, distributes Doctor Who to more than 200 territories across the world. Peter Capaldi is the twelfth actor to play the role of The Doctor in the series’ over 50-year history. Doctor Who is a BBC Wales production for BBC One.
Check out Richard’s cineplex.com article on Monty Python as the Beatles of Comedy.
“’I’ve got two legs from my hips to the ground, and when I move them, they walk around,’ isn’t a line with the elegance of, ‘Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away,’ but it is a lot funnier.
“Comparing the work of Monty Python and The Beatles might seem like equating apples to oranges, or guitars to crunchy frogs, but it really isn’t that much of a stretch. Eric (Idle), Graham (Chapman), Michael (Palin), John (Cleese) and a couple of Terrys (Gilliam and Jones) have a lot in common with John, Paul, George and Ringo.
“Monty Python has been called the most influential comedy troupe of all time. Their absurdist brand…” Read the whole thing HERE!
Read Richard’s Cineplex.com listing of the top Monty Python quotes of all time and the stories behind them!
“Monty Python may well be the most quoted comedy troupe in history. There is a Facebook page dedicated to lines from their sketches and movies and it’s not an argument until somebody says, “This isn’t an argument! It’s just contradiction!” Their lines have become part of the of the international comedy conversation and even thought they have been making people laugh for generations, they still seem as outrageous now as they did when they were first written…”
Check out Richard’s look at “It’s a Wonderful Life” playing in the December Cineplex Pre Show at theatres across the country, then check out the movie when it plays on the big screen on December 20, 22 and 24!
