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Ben Barnes: Bigga than Ben on DVD in UK, Dorian Gray Poster

Paul Martin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:27:26 +0000

Ben Barnes, who is currently preparing to return to the role of Caspian for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, has been active in the film world since then. While Bigga than Ben filmed prior to Prince Caspian, it released after, in the cinemas in the UK, and now it has been released onto DVD there as well. It’s producer, Liz Holford, tells me that they are working on a deal to release the film in the United States, and I will be sure to update you when that deal occurs. We’ve also got the first poster for Ben’s next film, Dorian Gray. Take a look!

According to Amazon.co.uk, the film has a certificate rating of 15.

Product Description
Based on the best selling diaries by two self confessed “pieces of Moscow scum” who produced their own rough guide to London. This dark comedy is the tale of two likeable but wayward young Russian immigrants who come to London do amass an easy fortune. But it s not too long before Spiker (Ben Barnes) and Cobakka (Andrei Chadov) realise that legally they are not going to get very far. So aided by the dodgy Artash they learn to shoplift, rip off banks, joyride ride on the tube and turn mobile phones in to crack. Finding themselves drawn into the shadowy underworld life begins to turn sour and the highs begin to fade. When Spiker begins to fall prey to the easy drugs Cobakka is forced to making some life-changing decisions. Special Features: Making of Bigga Than Ben

Synopsis
Based on the best-selling diaries of Pavel Tetersky and Sergei Sakin, BIGGA THAN BEN the acclaimed film that critics have compared to TRAINSPOTTING. This dark comedy follows the trials and tribulations of a pair of Russian immigrants struggling to make their fortune in London.

Order Bigga Then Ben [DVD] from Amazon.co.uk (Region 2)

And that’s not all that Ben’s been up to. As we have heard, he’s filmed an adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray. Dorian Gray will be released to the UK cinemas on 11 September 2009, with no word on the United States release date as of yet.

Here is the poster, featuring our friend, Ben Barnes in the title role:

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NarniaFans Mailbag #37: Academy Awards, Publicity and Casting

Paul Martin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:26:55 +0000

This week’s mailbag is a little bit late, and I apologize for that. I had some stuff to get done this week, and I’ve started doing a new project. Not to mention that I have been a little sick, so I’ve gotten a lot of extra sleep lately. Not that it has anything to do with this. Anyway, let’s get to it, some interesting letters came in this week.

Q: When the list of eligible songs for the “Best Original Song” Academy Award was released, “The Call” was there but “This is Home” and the others weren’t. Can you explain this?

-Skulblaka_Shur’tugal

Paul: Good question. I’m not sure the rules on this, and even the official site for the Oscars doesn’t have the rules for eligibility posted in this category. There must have been a reason, but I just can’t find it. Can anyone else?

Q: I want to say something about the most recent mailbag; Skulbaka had a question about Fox’s handling of Narnia, and mentioned that Eragon was a poor film compared to the book. While I haven’t read Eragon and haven’t seen the film, so I don’t know anything about it, I do know that Fox has handled STar Wars quite well (which I believe you mentioned). HOWEVER, Fox will not be responsible for what’s in the script, am I right? Michael Apted and the screenwriter(s) are responsible for what goes into the script; the studios (Walden and Fox) will handle the distribution, marketing and publicity.

I also wanted to ask a question: since Disney has bailed on the films, do you think there will be better publicity for Voyage of the Dawn treader, like there was for Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?

-Aravis Kenobi

Paul: Good additional points about the Dawn Treader script, and you are correct about that. I think that there’s a good chance for better publicity than Prince Caspian had. 20th Century Fox wants to make this a franchise and they don’t want to do one Narnia only to see it fail. Expect to see a lot in the way of publicity, this time around.

Q: Am I the only one who noticed the Narnia flag (rampant lion) on the opening shot of the Disney castle in the movie theater version of Prince Caspian? I was rather disappointed when it didn’t make the DVD.

Kelley

Paul: Now that you mention it, I sort of remember seeing it. Anyone have verification on this? I’m not sure I can find it. It is interesting if it really isn’t on the DVD. If I wasn’t watching the Ocean’s trilogy at the moment, I’d check the Blu-ray.

Q: Any idea on when we’ll hear casting announcements?
Do you think/know if TCF/Walden will market VDT to faith groups?

Mike

Paul: Casting announcements, if filming indeed starts in late July, some time this month. Keep your eyes on NarniaFans.com for these! I think that that Walden will market VDT to faith groups again, and hopefully with as much stress as they did LWW. The biggest problem is that the rest of the Narnia films don’t have as public a symbolic reference to Christ. Nor the name recognition. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe could have been released under that name alone. Calling it The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was pure marketing so that when future films in the series were released, people could see the name Narnia and remember the last film on the weight of that name alone.

And that’s it for this week’s mailbag. Keep sending us e-mails, and we’ll keep answering. If you have any answers, feel free to comment below, or send us an e-mail and we’ll post it in future mailbags.

Prince Caspian DVD Sales Update

Mike — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:44:24 +0000

“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” while not appearing in the top 30 weekly DVD sales since January, is nearing 5 million units sold.

According to The Numbers, PC has sold 4,798,916 copies through April 12, 2009. This figure does not include Blu-ray disc sales, and Amazon.com’s Blu-ray bundle (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian) is probably not included, either. While specific data is hard to come by, it is reasonable to assume PC has moved a total of five million discs between the two formats in the United States alone. International sales would move that figure even higher.

For those keeping tally, PC has generated over half a billion dollars in revenue from ticket sales ($419.6 million), DVD sales ($76.2 million in the United States), and television broadcasting rights (reportedly $15 million). Adding in revenue from iTunes downloads, international DVD sales, soundtrack sales, and other merchandise would move that figure higher also.

In New Zealand, Prince Caspian DVD Rental also contains Book

Paul Martin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:23:33 +0000

“Is the book better than the movie?” That is the question that people across New Zealand are faced with when renting Prince Caspian on DVD. Opening the rental case, on the left is the DVD with the feature film, and on the right is that question. The question is printed on the first page, which is followed by the first two chapters of the book. Kind of a bonus for renting the DVD.

After the two chapters was a page with the New Zealand Book Council’s logo that encourages kids to keep reading.The idea came from the book council’s agency, Colenso BBDO in Auckland. Lisa Fedyszyn, an art director at Colenso BBDO, says she and creative partner Jonathan McMahon thought of the idea while brainstorming over ways to encourage young people to read more.

“The main competition for books, DVDs, seemed to be the perfect medium to hijack,” Fedyszyn says.

The campaign began in November in video rental stores in Auckland and surrounding areas, and while Fedyszyn says it’s still a bit too early to measure the response, it had all the right elements of a successful alternative media campaign. It reached just the people it needed to reach at just the right moment, and in a way sure to take them by surprise.

And it wasn’t expensive.

This is an interesting idea, and if it catches on there, it could become a neat way to get people reading more books, or to introduce people to the fact that a movie is based on a book that they might enjoy. It would be kind of cool to see.

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Prince Caspian DVD: Top 10 for 2008

Mike — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:20:25 +0000

With just three weeks of sales figures available, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is one of the top ten DVDs of 2008. From its release on December 2 though December 21, “Prince Caspian” sold over 5.1 million units, generating about $85 million in revenue.

A full chart is available at The Numbers.

Narnia Classroom Edition DVDs

Paul Martin — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 06:00:42 +0000

I have been meaning to write about these DVDs from Disney Educational Products, but I couldn’t remember what they were called. I kept searching for ‘Teacher Edition’ or ‘Educator Edition’ or ‘Education Edition.’ I finally decided to try the term ‘Classroom’ to describe it, and there it was.

On December 2 of this month, Disney Educational Products released both of Disney and Walden Media’s Chronicles of Narnia films in special Classroom Editions.

Each Disney Educational Productions Classroom Edition DVD is created to help provide you with the tools you need to engage, inform, and inspire learners of all types. In addition to our top-quality programming that spans a variety of subject areas and grade levels, all Classroom Edition DVDs include the following:

National Content Standards Correlation

Educator’s Guide

Public Performance Rights

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Classroom Edition

This epic battle of good versus evil set in charming, once-peaceful Narnia faithfully adapts C.S. Lewis’s timeless novel and shares its powerful story with remarkable performances and dazzling special effects. Share this modern classic with your students and learn first-hand why it was North America’s best-selling DVD in 2006. Features exclusive educational bonus features on inspiration point-of-view and more.

Languages: English, Spanish, French
Grade Levels: 4-8
Closed Captioning: Yes

Order The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Classroom Edition

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Classroom Edition

The timeless fantasy returns with a thrilling, perilous new adventure—and an even greater test of courage. Narnia’s rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, embarks on a remarkable journey to rescue Narnia from Miraz’s tyrannical hold, and restore magic and glory to the land. Features exclusive educational bonus features about narrative, point of view, and more.

Languages: English, Spanish, French
Grade Levels: 4-8
Closed Captioning: Yes

Order the Prince Caspian Classroom Edition

Both are a steep $49.95, but that’s because it includes a license for public display of the film, among having exclusive special features made specifically for these discs.

I would love to be able to sample these, so I can write more about them. What do you say, Disney?

Prince Caspian Tops DVD Sales in First Week of Release

Paul Martin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:25:20 +0000

Before the onslaught that is The Dark Knight on Home Video, Prince Caspian managed to pull of the top spot on the DVD sales chart. This bodes well, and I hope that we continue to see strong sales throughout the holiday season and beyond.

The Blu-ray, however, didn’t top the charts. It sold one copy for every two that Wanted sold on Blu-ray. Wanted was the other big release this week and had sold 90% of the number of DVDs that Prince Caspian had sold. This doesn’t come as a big surprise though, as Blu-ray is mostly still in the early adoption phase, meaning that most owners will be into a film like Wanted, while families with children are probably not as likely to have a Blu-ray player at this point.

The Dark Knight has been released this week, and I feel it is a guaranteed top seller, and analysts are saying that it has the potential to be the first Blu-ray to sell through a million copies.

I’m going to be writing my review of the Blu-ray as soon as I can. I’m just busy at the moment with the new website.

Win a Copy of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Paul Martin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:23:31 +0000

Hollywood Teen’Zine is giving away two copies of the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on DVD. And it is the 3-Disc Collector’s Edition, which is even cooler!

But that’s not all, you can enter to win any of the following DVDs:

1. Hannah Montana – The Complete First Season
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
3. The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
4. Power Rangers Into The Jungle 2-Pack DVD Combo
5. Cheetah Girls: One World Extended Music Edition

When you’re on Hollywood Teen’Zine, go to the December 7, 2008 entry and click on “Expanded Contest Corner” to find the page that you can enter, on. It’s kind of hard to find, as that appears to be the only link to it.

Enter at Hollywood Teen’Zine

Here’s a link to Hollywood Teen’Zines’ Expanded Contest Corner if you can’t find it.

Tour of Disney-Pixar and KNB EFX sheds light on Wall-E and Caspian

Paul Martin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:33:44 +0000

A recent press junket went to both Disney’s Pixar studio, and KNB EFX. Both are places that I dream of one day visiting. Who knows, perhaps I could supply some voices to some characters in a Pixar film. And I generally look like a faun, so KNB EFX would just have to apply some horns, a curly wig and ears, and I’d be just about set before Special Effects.

KNB EFX is the company that provided all of the furry prosthetics and creatures for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

With both films arriving on Blu-ray and DVD, Disney decided to have a press junket that covered Wall-E and Prince Caspian at the same time. The first stop was a visit to Pixar, who has made no bad film! I love them all! Get Wall-E!

Pixar was just day one. Day two lead to KNB EFX. Everyone took a short flight to Hollywood, and went for a rendezvous with Disney’s head of disc production at Burbank.

The looked at the new Circle-Vision Interactive feature, on the Prince Caspian Blu-ray Disc, that allows for 360-degree scene navigation.

Following the preview, the group of reporters was driven to KNB’s studios, where Greg Nicotero and his team created the costumes for Prince Caspian.

All in all, the efforts of the teams at both studios showed the variety of work that went into making two very different films. But it also displayed the passion that both teams had for the work they are doing. And that is what drives each them toward perfection in their work.

You can read the whole story at News Shopper Online.

The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-ray: Dec. 2

Paul Martin — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:26:00 +0000

Return to the magical world of Narnia in the second installment of C.S. Lewis’ timeless epic, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, coming to market on December 2, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Packed with exclusive featurettes, interviews and deleted scenes, the entertainment title of the year is available on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def, as well as a special two-disc Collectors Edition perfect for holiday giving. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian packaging also includes a special DisneyFile, a digital copy of the movie that can be viewed on a variety of portable devices for the whole family to enjoy anytime, anywhere.

From the creators of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian features even more groundbreaking special effects and breathtaking action than its predecessor. William Moseley, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell and Skandar Keynes return as Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, the Pevensie siblings, along with Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson (1993 nominee for Best Actor, Schindler’s List) as Aslan the Lion and Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton (2008 winner for Best Supporting Actress, Michael Clayton) as the White Witch. They are joined by Ben Barnes (Stardust) as Caspian, heir to the Narnian throne, with Sergio Castellitto (Arthur and the Invisibles), Eddie Izzard (FX: The Riches), Warwick Davis (the Harry Potter films) and Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) appearing as new residents of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is fantasy adventure that will delight the entire family.

Lewis’ seven-book Chronicles of Narnia series is regarded as one of literature’s most enduring classics, selling over 100,000,000 copies in more than 35 languages, making it the second biggest book series the world over.

In The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the Pevensie children face a perilous mission and a greater test of their faith and courage. They find a world in which 1,300 years have passed. The White Witch is gone, the realm is ruled by a cruel tyrant and Aslan has been missing for over a thousand years.

The four children embark on a remarkable journey to restore magic and glory to the land. Accompanied by Trumpkin, a valiant dwarf, Reepicheep the talking mouse and a suspicious Black Dwarf named Nikabrik, they raise an army of Narnians to rise up against the evil king Miraz.

BONUS FEATURES:

DVD

• Special audio commentary by director and actors

Collector’s Edition DVD

All of the above, plus:

• Special audio commentary by director and actors, a behind-the-scenes interview with the cast and crew, a tour of the film’s locations and sets, inside view of the technology and production behind the movie, bloopers, deleted scenes and much, much more!

Blu-ray Hi-Def Exclusives

All of the above, plus:

• Enhanced Disney’s BD-Live Network exclusives, interactive Narnia game, downloadable features and much, much more!

• Circle-Vision Interactive: Creating the Castle Raid – Walt Disney’s famous Imagineers introduced the world to Circle-Vision in the 50’s and 60’s, which immersed Disneyland visitors in 360-degree film tours of America, and later, China and Canada. Now, through HDRI camera technology and the rapidly-evolving interactive capabilities of Blu-ray, the Disney team has taken the first step towards advancing this unique and memorable experience. Only on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN on Blu-ray Disc can fans take a 360-degree look behind the scenes of the castle raid sequence and get unique access to the secrets of how this latest adventure to Narnia was pulled off. It’s all a part of CIRCLE-VISION INTERACTIVE: CREATING THE CASTLE RAID. First, start off in the CIRCLE-VISION preview lobby, and choose to get a private tour of the castle raid from Director Andrew Adamson, Producer Mark Johnson, or a number of other key filmmakers and artists who brought the latest adventure to NARNIA to life. Then, select one of the exclusive CIRCLE-VISION experiences to be virtually transported to the set in the Czech Republic. The moment you enter these panoramic worlds, you will be able to turn in any direction, and fully-explore how this compelling sequence was painstakingly created. Discover a myriad of progression reels, developmental animatics, 13 audio commentaries, pop-up facts, slide shows, and a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes footage with cast and crew that is revealing, interesting, compelling, funny and exclusively accessed through this new-reimagining of a classic idea. It’s all a part of CIRCLE-VISION INTERACTIVE: CREATING THE CASTLE RAID, only on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN on Blu-ray Disc.

The DVD of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has a suggested retail price of $29.99 (U.S.) and $35.99 (Canada). The Two Disc Collector’s Edition is $39.99 (U.S.) and $46.99 (Canada). The Blu-ray disc is priced at $35.99 (U.S.) and $45.99 (Canada).

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