Film director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) is working on a new film adaptation of the Brothers Grimm classic tale of Snow White. Phil Collin's beautiful daughter, Lilly Collins, will play the lead and Julia Roberts is cast as the evil queen. The movie is expected to be released in March 2012.
Tarsem is known for his amazing dream-like cinematography...if you have seen The Cell, you know what I'm talking about. It's an artistic level rarely seen in film. Though, he has his work cut out from him as Snow White: A Tale of Terror was pretty good. I have heard rumor that Tarsem's version was meant to be a comedy - which kind of scares me - but one thing is sure - if it's anything like The Cell it will be a dark and visually stunning masterpiece.
Watch the trailer for Snow White: A Tale of Terror:
The dark and twisted Alice game released in 2000 was designed by American McGee and features music composed by Chris Vrenna. (Vrenna played drums for Nine Inch Nails from 1989 til 1997. Vrenna is the current drummer for Marilyn Manson.) The latest sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, was released on June 14, 2011.
Game Plot
Shortly after her second adventure, Through the Looking-Glass,
Alice's house is burnt down by an accidental fire, killing her family
and leaving her as the only survivor. As time progresses Alice loses
touch with reality. She is institutionalized in Rutledge Asylum, where
she is observed and treated by Dr. Heironymous Wilson. Alice's only
possession in Rutledge is a stuffed rabbit.
Ten years after Alice was
committed to Rutledge, she finds herself sucked back into a Wonderland
that has been twisted by her own broken mind. The White Rabbit
summons Alice to aid a radically altered Wonderland, which became a
twisted version of itself as it came under the horrible rule of the Queen of Hearts. The Cheshire Cat serves as Alice's companion throughout the game, frequently appearing to guide her with cryptic comments.
The game's setting presents a considerably more macabre rendition of Wonderland than seen in Lewis Carroll's
original portrayal. Wonderland, being a creation of Alice's mind, has
been corrupted by her insanity. Alice's primary objective is to save
Wonderland, and in doing so restore her own sanity.
Music
All of the music created for the official American McGee's Alice soundtrack was written and performed by Chris Vrenna with the help of guitarist Mark Blasquez and singer Jessicka.
Most of the sounds he used were created using toy instruments and
percussion, music boxes, clocks, doors, and sampled female voices were
manipulated into nightmarish soundscapes, including instances of them
laughing maniacally, screaming, crying, and singing in an eerie,
child-like way.
The music lends an eerie and horrifying feeling to the world Alice is
in. The Pale Realm theme, as well as the track "I'm Not Edible",
features the melody of the chorus of a popular children's song, "My Grandfather's Clock". In addition, there are many instances of the ticking and chiming of clocks being used as a musical accompaniment.
Marilyn Manson was originally involved scoring the music for the game. His composition has been described by American McGee as "very cool" and having "a very beautiful Beatles-in-their-harpsichord-and-Hookah-pipe-days-sound to it." Manson's contributions persisted into the final product, notably the influence of alchemy and the character of the Mad Hatter whose adaptation was somewhat influenced by him; for a time Manson was considered for the voice of the Hatter. Manson has indicated that the same music may be used in his forthcoming film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.
American McGee's Alice Original Music Score was released on October 16, 2001 by Six Degrees Records. It features all twenty original compositions by former Nine Inch Nails live drummer and studio collaborator Chris Vrenna with vocals done by Jessicka Addams of Jack Off Jill and Scarling. It includes a previously unreleased theme as well as a remix of "Flying on the Wings of Steam".
Film adaptation
In December 2000, director Wes Craven signed on to develop a film adaptation of the game, with screenwriter John August hired to adapt the game for the big screen. American McGee had begun negotiations with Dimension Films 10 months before, with the studio committing to the project before Craven's signing. In September 2001, August explained that he had turned in a script treatment for Alice and was not attached to develop fuller drafts for the film adaptation. In February 2002, Dimension Films signed brother screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber to write the screenplay for Alice.
In July 2003, the brothers announced that they had completed the script for the film adaptation. In 2004 the project moved from Dimension Films to 20th Century Fox,
but in 2005 Universal Pictures acquired the rights. As of June 2008,
producer Scott Faye indicated the film was in "turnaround" from
Universal. He admitted that the script needed development, but would be
used to attract the attention of a new studio. At one point the film rights were reported to have been owned by [update]Sarah Michelle Gellar, a self-confessed fan of the game, who noted in 2008 that she's "not giving up" on the film, but a few months later she was reported to have left the project. - Wikipedia
Anne Bachelier is a Surrealist painter, printmaker, ballet designer and illustrator. She was born in 1949 in Louvigne du Desert, France. Each of her canvases draw you into her captured dream worlds full of devils, angels and other worldly beings. Metamorphosis, transition, and evolution provide the common threads of the art of Anne Bachelier. Her metaphysical, dream-like fantasies evoke feelings simultaneously powerful, peaceful, and protective.
Bachelier studied art formally from 1966 to 1969 at the École des Beaux-Arts, La Seyne-sur-Mer, before serving an apprenticeship at an engraving shop in Valence from 1974 to 1975. Since 1989, she has been exhibited frequently throughout France and on both coasts of the United States. Bachelier is a wife, mother of three and has three grandchildren. She lives and works near Grenoble, France.
Anne has also illustrated several books including: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Phantom of the Opera and Rose Daughter: A Re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.
A still from the movie Angel which was filmed at Tyntesfield
Possibly the most Goth house in the world - if you know of another house that compares - do let me know!
Tyntesfield is a Victorian Gothic Revival estate near Wraxall, North Somerset, England, near Nailsea, seven miles from Bristol.
In 2008 the dark love story Angel, which was filmed at Tyntesfield was released. The film is an adaptation of a novel by Elizabeth Taylor. Angel is French film director and screenwriter François Ozon's first full English-language production. Romola Garai (Atonement, Amazing Grace) stars as Angel Deverell, an impetuous romantic writer who shoots to great fame after her first book is published. But with celebrity comes heartache, and it's not long before cracks begin to appear in Angel's fantasy world. Watch the trailer for the movie below.
Tyntesfield even has bats. Eight bat species are found in the main house alone and the whole estate is home to 10 of the 17 species of UK bat. Visitors to Tyntesfield can watch some of the resident bats without disturbing them via Tyntesfield's new interactive batcam.
You will need a day or 2 to see the house and grounds of this National Trust property - fabulous!
The late 60s vampire TV series Dark Shadowsis being made into a
movie by Tim Burton. The cast will be the usual suspects: Johnny Depp
(who will play the lead, of course) and Helena Bonham Carter. Michelle
Pfeiffer is also included in the cast. She hasn’t worked with Tim Burton
since she played the iconic role of Catwoman in Batman Returns.
The original gothic soap opera centers on Barnabus, the
head of the Collinwood Manor in Maine. It's 1752 and Barnabus is a
rich and powerful playboy, but makes the mistake of breaking the heart
of a witch who turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. He wakes up centuries later in 1972 to a world he doesn't remember.
If you’ve never experienced the Surreal game world of Samorost - you are missing something in your life. It’s a great world to escape into - although the puzzles aren’t always easy and can lead to frustration. But if you figure them out - you will be feeling good about yourself. The strange beauty of the landscapes and music in these alien worlds are an experience that you will want to return to. The company that makes Samorost 1 and 2 is called Animata Design. Animata Design is a small independent video game company that is based in the Czech Republic. Their creations don’t end with Samorost though - they have more wonderful games, a film, music videos and more.
