Tag Archives: Entertainment

Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrick Star in Dreamworks Trolls!

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Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrick in Dreamworks Trolls!

By Erin

*I was invited as a guest to this press event hosted by 20th Century Fox & DreamWorks Animation*

Trolls-Banner2

Do you remember Trolls from back in the day? I remember having quite a few of them myself. I loved their crazy colorful hair and sparkly jeweled bellies. Many people all over the world (including myself) have been waiting for the big news that Trolls is coming this November, just in time to make the holidays a little brighter and to help you find your happy place to get in the spirit. Both kids and adults are going to love this colorful, music-filled comedy.

Find Your Happy Place November 4th!

From the creators of Shrek comes the most smart, funny, irreverent animated comedy of the year, DreamWorks’ Trolls. This holiday season, enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach. Featuring original music from Justin Timberlake, and soon-to-be classic mash-ups of songs from other popular artists, the film stars the voice talents of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Russell Brand, James Corden, Kunal Nayyar, Ron Funches, Icona Pop, Gwen Stefani, and many more.

Director: Mike Mitchell

Co-Director: Walt Dohrn

Producer: Gina Shay

Dreamworks Trolls-Press-Junket

I had the honor to sit in on an interview with the Director of Trolls, Mike Mitchell, Co-Director Walt Dohrn, Producer Gina Shay and the stars of Trolls, Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick. Director Mike Mitchell, who also directed DreamWorks’ SHREK, explained to us that this film has the kind of magic that both parents and kids will find themselves laughing at the same parts and sharing a love for both new and classic songs. What else did we learn?

Here are some of the fun facts we learned about Trolls!

  • The story development for Trolls is very different from Shrek. Trolls is not based on any previous story. They had a completely clean slate to work with for Trolls.

  • There is a theme of happiness that applies to everyone.  There’s a big idea here that we’re all born with happiness.  We just–sometimes we need someone to help us find it, but we’re all born with this ability to be happy.  

  • A new kind of animation is used with the creation of this film. You will be able to see “texture” on the animation when you go to see the movie in 3D.
  • Trolls is the first film that Justin Timberlake is an Executive Music Producer for.

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  • The movie has been created with original songs like, ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ but also includes many music adaptations from classics that we grew up listening to like: ‘True Colors’ and ‘The Sound of Silence.’ 
  • The music really helps to tell the story and is an integral part of the storytelling.

Justin Timberlake Trolls

  • +1,000 songs were picked out for Trolls. To make the final cut, besides being cleared to use the song, the song had to fit the story, fit the tone of the movie, and it had to have kind of this everlasting feel.

  •  Big challenges? Glitter!  The computer couldn’t understand the glitter. It’s a glitter taskforce, typing code. They thought the big challenge would be the hair because the hair does everything in this film. It changes color.  It changes shape.  It stretches like a monkey tail and it holds onto stuff.  But, it was the glitter that gave them the biggest challenge. Watch for Guy Diamond. That’s where the glitter is.

Star-Studded Cast

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This movie has such an amazing and talented cast:

Justin Timberlake as Branch

Anna Kendrick as Poppy
Gwen Stefani as DJ Suki
James Corden as Biggie
Russell Brand as Creek
Junal Nayyar as Guy Diamond


DreamWorks’ TROLLS is a fresh, broad comedy filled with music, heart and hair-raising adventures. On November 4th  of 2016, nothing can prepare you for the new Troll world! 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation are proud to unveil their first trailer for this highly anticipated feature film,  arriving in theaters November 4th. Just in time to put you in a happy mood for the holidays!

Official Website #DreamWorksTrolls
Dreamworks Trolls Facebook
Dreamworks Trolls Twitter
Trolls Instagram

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Group Photo at the Trolls Press Event by: Jason Bush

Captain America: Civil War is Here! #CaptainAmericaCivilWar

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Captain America: Civil War is Here!

By Erin

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Super hero fans, the wait is over! Marvel’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR is now playing in theatres everywhere! This is a movie that the whole family will love – and make sure you sit through the entire end credits so you don’t miss a thing! 😉 Being that Sunday is Mother’s Day, it would make for the perfect mother’s day present for all of the Marvel moms out there. There is also quite a bit of Girl Power in this one, the girls kick some major butt, which is really awesome to see. Have you decided yet if you are Team Cap or Team Iron Man? This is one action packed film you won’t want to miss.

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War..L to R: Sharon Carter/Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp), Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans)..Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal..? Marvel 2016

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War..L to R: Sharon Carter/Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp), Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans). Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal..? Marvel 2016

Captain America: Civil War starts off in a situation that is suggesting the “new normal” for Captain America and company. The Avengers team that was assembled at the end of Age of Ultron is stationed in Nigeria, where they’re forced to prevent a threat from stealing a biological weapon. When the government sets up a governing body to oversee the Avengers, the team splinters into two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War..Agent 13/Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp)..Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal..© Marvel 2016

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War..Agent 13/Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp)..Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal..© Marvel 2016

I don’t want to give anything away to spoil the fun, so I will leave you with some fun facts about the film to get you even more excited to go out and see this wonder of a film.

• To bring “Captain America: Civil War” to the big screen, the filmmakers had to figure out which Avengers would side with Team Cap and which ones would ally with Team Iron Man. After careful consideration, the filmmakers decided on a split of characters that would find Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Hawkeye, Ant-Man and Scarlet Witch following Captain America, with Black Widow, War Machine, Vision and Black Panther following Tony Stark.

• With the “Captain America: Civil War” story taking place all over the world, the production would find itself based in familiar territory, anchoring at Pinewood Atlanta Studios with various units shooting in Germany, Austria, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Brazil and the United Kingdom during the film’s production schedule.

• On June 18, 2015, the first scenes of the historic Civil War mash-up began shooting, pitting the Avengers against each other with teams led by Captain America and Tony Stark. Filmmakers nick-named the classic battle the “Splash Panel,” because it was like a double-panel illustration in a comic book. The “Splash Panel” is one of Marvel’s most epic scenes with the most interaction ever seen in a Marvel film. The sequence was shot on IMAX cameras to give fans an unforgettable immersive experience.

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War L to R: Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) Photo Credit: Film Frame © Marvel 2016

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War: Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) Photo Credit: Film Frame © Marvel 2016

• One of the most advanced automobiles in the world is featured, which T’Challa/Black Panther drives. They turned to Audi, who provided the production with their newest hi-tech concept car for the shoot. The stunning car has all the newest technology that Audi has but it has never been put into production. Keep an eye out for it in the movie—you won’t see it anywhere else.

• A new Super Hero is introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Captain America: Civil War”—T’Challa, the Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman. The highly anticipated character comes in not agreeing with either side in the Civil War because he has his own agenda. Black Panther will feature in his own standalone film in 2018.

• Captain America’s fighting style is based in old-school martial arts like Judo, Karate, Tae Kwan Do and Aikido. However, Black Panther, one of the best martial artists in the Marvel Universe, has more of a flowing martial arts style based on Capoeira, which is a form of Brazilian martial arts that combines acrobatics, dance and music. There is also a Chinese influence in his style with the use of Kung Fu.

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) Photo Credit: Film Frame © Marvel 2016

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War. Black Panther/T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) Photo Credit: Film Frame © Marvel 2016

• The Black Panther costume was carefully designed to incorporate a panther, cat-like vibe with African aspects in the embellishments. With minimalist shoes that add a stealth element and root the costume to the ground, it also has a ninja feel.

• Hawkeye has some new weapons!!! Including a collapsible baton for close-in fighting. His iconic bow has undergone some modifications as well. It is now left-handed, lighter in weight and easier to handle. He also sports a different look, with a fullsleeved jacket instead of a vest, as well as a return to the more traditional purple color.

• Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, played by Frank Grillo, has new jackhammer-type gauntlets that amplify the power of his punches.

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The Jungle Book : Movie Review | #JungleBook

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The Jungle Book

By Erin

THE JUNGLE BOOK - (L-R) MOWGLI and BAGHEERA. ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

THE JUNGLE BOOK – (L-R) MOWGLI and BAGHEERA. ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Visually stunning and adrenaline pumping, “The Jungle Book” is Disney’s newest live-action movie and it is amazing. You will leave the theater humming or singing some old favorite songs that have been redone for this new version of the film. In this re-told classic epic adventure, we follow Mowgli(newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves, and now finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle. The Fearsome tiger Shere Khan(voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Man does not belong in the jungle, and Shere Khan wants to take his revenge out on Mowgli. Forced to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by his panther mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray), who will have you laughing with his antics. On this thrilling journey, Mowgli meets jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, like Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub. Then you have other creatures like King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to talk Mowgli into sharing the deadly secret on how to create the red flower: fire, which only man knows how to do. “The Jungle Book” is based off of Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s beloved classic animated film. “We embrace the mythic qualities of Kipling in the more intense tonal aspects of the film,” says director Jon Favreau, “but we left room for what we remember from the ’67 film, and sought to maintain those charming Disneyesque aspects.” Only the latest technology was used to tell the story in a fresh, contemporary and immersive way, combining live-action performances with stunning CG environments and extraordinary photo-real animal characters that artists stylized to elevate the storytelling.

THE JUNGLE BOOK - (Pictured) MOWGLI and BALOO. ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

THE JUNGLE BOOK – (Pictured) MOWGLI and BALOO. ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

“‘The Jungle Book” is a universal coming-of-age story that everyone can relate to,” says producer Brigham Taylor. “Walt told the story through traditional cell animation and now we have the technology to actually bring these characters to life, make them photo-real and put a real kid into the environment in a seamless, believable way. The opportunity to be able to show that with today’s technology was irresistible.” According to Favreau, story is king. “I think films have to offer an emotional experience for the audience,” says the director. “The spectacle won’t mean anything if they’re not engaged emotionally with the characters. Every story needs humanity, emotion and 2 character development, as well as humor—presented in a way that doesn’t betray the stakes of the film. There are white-knuckle moments in the movie when you wonder, ‘what’s going to happen to this kid?'”

THE JUNGLE BOOK - (Pictured) MOWGLI and KING LOUIE ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

THE JUNGLE BOOK – (Pictured) MOWGLI and KING LOUIE ©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Full of the latest in CGI spectacle, “The Jungle Book” has a special charm and playful manner about it. The film can go to some dark places at times and can get a bit intense. Without giving anything away, there are some scenes with Shere Khan, Kaa, and King Louie that can get a little hairy, leaving Mowgli in some sticky situations and might be a little scary for some of the younger ones. Neel Sethi makes for the perfect Mowgli, and he truly makes the fantasy come alive and seem so real.

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