On film and television, the most obvious use of plastic surgery is to get away with introducing a new actor into an established role. For example, the actor behind the titular ‘Stepfather’ series of slasher movies, Terry O’Quinn, decided not to reprise the role in the third film of the franchise. His replacement, Robert Wightman, gets ‘explained’ by a brief back-alley (anaesthetic free!) face modification surgery. Similarly, in the sitcom ‘Allo Allo’ the actor playing Herr Flick switched from Richard Gibson to David Janson in Series 9. The excuse used was that Flick needed intensive surgery to avoid detection from the Allied Forces

In low budget films, it can even be used as a cost-saving device. ‘Captain America’ (1990), based on the comic series, still fights against his main opponent the villain Red Skull. Born Joseph Schmidt, he is traditionally depicted with, unsurprisingly, a grotesque red skull, caused by wearing a mysterious mask given to him by Adolf Hitler. But, to avoid the make-up costs, he receives a skin-graft very early in the film’s running time, leaving only a few occasional glimpses, serving mostly to make the trailer look slightly less disappointing.

In other situations it is simply used for its humorous potential – comedy is driven by the upheaval of the established order, so when the seemingly fixed attribute of human identity suddenly becomes fluid, hilarity frequently ensues. Often this involves a satire of the very practice of plastic surgery itself. ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ offers a light-hearted spoof of the old idea that cosmetic operations were only required by criminals who desperately needed a change of identity, directly referencing Joseph Moran who worked in that capacity for the Ma Barker gang. In the film (and the play that provided its source), the intended goal of turning into an inconspicuous-looking harmless regular Joe backfires as the surgeon makes him look like menacing horror actor Boris Karloff (who actually played the part in the Broadway version!)

In some cases, this is less a parody of actual plastic surgery but more the ridiculousness of the conventions talked about in this article. ‘Soap Dish’ (1991) lampoons the absurd medical miracles performed on the operation table when the network executive in charge proposes bringing a decapitated character back to life in a “groundbreaking” 16 hour procedure.”

Despite being an easy target for mockery, cosmetic surgery does have plenty of value outside the realms of motion pictures. But it is still lot more fun to watch on the big-screen.

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Apart from blowing everyone’s mind with its highly advanced graphics (for its time) it showed how film and cinema was evolving.

Well – we can now notch up another breakthrough – it looks like Disney have finally caught onto the remake/remaster/modernise band wagon. They have decided to continue the story for TRON Legacy.

Here we see the brand new Light Cycles – a fun fun time for all fans!

Trailer can be found here -

Tron Legacy

A good point to note is that it looks like this will be canon from the previous Tron, with Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) returning for a key role!

Enjoy. Word.

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Children everywhere are dreaming of getting the flying envelope with the invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. I’m sure David Yates – our Harry Potter 6 director – will be waiting for his flying invitation to direct Harry Potter 7 and 8 with the box office success of 6.

But theres only 7 books one says! To calm the soul, the last book is being split in two as there is literally that much fun to be had with the storyline.

To have yourself a little research into this topic don’t hesitate to go to -

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=25329

and

http://boxoffice.com/

With Harry Potter 6 looking like Hollyoaks with magic – I’m sure we can all say we are fully intrigued as what 7 and 8 will bring.

“It’s lucky it’s dark…I haven’t blushed so much since Madame Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.” – Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

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Some nubile minds out there may remember a certain Mr Reynolds stealing the show from our favourite Marvel character – Wolverine/Hugh Jackmen in his latest comic book stint.

Yes! The ever wise cracking Deadpool reared his scarred face and double samurai swords to such great heights that a spin off movie had more hype than you could shake a stick at.

And now….he’s given up on our Marvel hero Deadpool and switched to the DC Universe for the Green Lantern! Woop! Woop!

What more can be said than “this guy loves comic book roles”.

The Green Lantern Reynolds will be playing is one Hal Jordan from the Silver Age of the DC Universe.

Hal Jordan is a cocky USAF test pilot (perfect for Reynolds), chatty, wisecracking, brave and courageous. In the process of testing a flight simulator he is transported to the side of a dying alien called Abin Sur. Knowing his death is near he gives posession of his power ring to Jordan making him a member of the Green Lantern Corps (Guardians of the Universe). Jordan now a member of Green Lantern Corps becomes a member of the Justice League and goes on to become an essential comic hero!

What this means for Deadpool we don’t know, but either way we’re excited to see yet another comic book hero brought to life by Deadpool….I mean Reynolds.

Some interesting Green Lantern Info below -

Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan, Abin Sur,  Empire’s View

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Gamer – Gerard Butler gets all X-Box live with a twist.

Sherlock Holmes – Robert Downey Jr lets Guy Ritchie direct him!

District 9 – Peter Jackson produces a film directed by the man who made the advert with the wicked little transforming citreon car  dancing to “Jacques Your Body” by Les Rythmes Digitales!

Enjoy!

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Slumdog Millionaire is based on the novel Q & A. The movie has won eight academy awards, seven BAFTA awards, and four Golden Globes. The movie is a great crowd pleaser by providing something different to the norm its viewers are used too. The movie has a certain admirable momentum but stays away from being consistent, capturing ingrained images about slum life  in India. In fact, the way the directory has portrayed children who live in the slums is the biggest reason behind the overwhelming success of this particular movie.

When begin to delve into the storyline, it may seem ordinary but its not. The story is about a young man, Jamal, from the slums of Mumbai who goes on to win Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of the show Who wants to be a Millionaire. By doing so he arouses suspicion from the owner and game show host of the Kaun Banega Crorepati.

The law enforcement officials want to find out the real reason for his instant success. They start questioning Jamal about the answer he gave in the game show and that’s where the story begins to unfold. Jamal explains to the law enforcement officials that the answer to the Bollywood question was very easy but he had to recollect incidents from his past to provide answers to the other questions.

The movie revolves around the lives of Jamal, his elder brother Salim, and Latika all of whom were orphaned due to the Hindu-Muslim riots in Mumbai. Jamal and Salim start their new life by escaping from the clutches of gangster Maman, and cheating tourists at Taj Mahal by pretending to be tourist guides before finally returning to Mumbai to find Latika. Salim becomes a gangster and helps Jamal locate Latika and then threatens him to leave, even though Jamal has spent his entire childhood searching for Latika, he accepts un-willingly.

Jamal goes through a difficult situation by loosing Latika but ends up getting a chance to participate in Kaun Banega Crorepati. His experience in being a chaiwala to call centre employees comes handy as he locates his brother, Latika and also gets a shot at becoming a Millionaire.

All in all, the movie is a perfect mix of Bollywood and Hollywood. There is drama, romance and suspense to keep you interested right from the beginning till the very end. Ensure you stick around during the credits to see the cast and crew reunite for a Bollywood themed dance-Off!

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Harry Potter 6 is a fantasy-adventure movie based on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince novel by J.K Rowling. It is the sixth adventure movie in the Harry Potter movie series. The movie has some amazing special effects and sets of the movie bring audience into the fantasy world of Hogwarts. The cinematography and direction for the movie is excellent. And, that’s one of the big reasons why this movie is popular amongst people of all ages.

The story unfolds with Harry returning to Hogwarts for another year of training and gets to know a lot more about the past life of evil wizard, Lord Voldemort. Hogwarts no longer remains a safe heaven due to the sinister plans of Voldemort. In his quest for power, a plan is hatched to control the muggle and the wizarding world.

Harry realizes that there may be a danger within the castle itself but Dumbledore is more interested upon preparing for the final showdown. Together they take up the challenge of unlocking the defenses of Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore involves his old friend, Professor Horace Slughorn, who has key information related to Voldemort. Meanwhile, students in Hogwarts face attack from teenage hormones that goes across the wizard school.

Harry gets attracted to Ginny, and so does Dean Thomas. Hermione is filled with jealousy but avoids showing any of her feelings to others. This is something new but fascinating to watch in this part of the Harry Potter series.

As romantic atmosphere takes over Hogwarts, one student goes missing from the school. This brings in the required twist in the movie, the required dark angle. Though Love is now a part of Hogwarts, there is imminent danger ahead that threatens to sweep the whole school. But, when Harry is there, issues have to be resolved from past and present and that’s exactly what Harry intends to do.

With great visual effects, acting, and drama the movie is a must watch for everyone including the Harry Potter fans. Scenes like the attack of the Burrow (The Weasleys family home) are extremely exciting to watch. The movie is successful in creating the required magic that audiences like and expect from the Harry Potter movies.

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1. Half Blood Prince breaking the back of the Box Office

However, money can’t seem to replace his desire to be back in the company of the reanimated exhibits at the museum. The Museum of Natural History undergoes renovations and upgrades which leads to the moving of museum pieces to the federal storage at well known Washington museums. The Smithsonian Institution, which houses the world’s largest museum complex with more than 136 million items in its collections, is portrayed and brought to life in this sequel. This great institution houses some legendary artifacts such as the plane Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) flew on her non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic and Al Capone’s (Jon Bernthal) rap sheet and mug shot to Dorothy’s ruby slippers, Fonzie’s jacket from Happy Days, the still from M*A*S*H and Archie Bunker’s lounge chair from All in the Family.

The fun begins when Larry slips into the archives of the Smithsonian by stealing a security guards id badge. Kahmunrah, an evil pharaoh is brought back to life through the reestablishment of the tablet which brings the museum exhibits to life as in the original. This leads to a conflict between the exhibits such as Theodore Roosevelt ,Dexter,General Custer and Al Capone. Amelia Earheart accepts to help Larry to bring the chaos under control.

The way Larry handles the whole thing is truly impressive and entertaining for the audience. Another great point in the movie is when Larry eventually develops a romantic interest in Amelia. This really helps adding some spice in the entire movie and keep viewers interested.

The amazing graphics and the animations are just outstanding. Though sometimes you find it totally unreal but most of the time these moving giants keep you interested. In short, as predictable as its ending may be, Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian makes for an
excellent choice in comedy if you’re looking for a belly aching laugh
after a long day.

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According to ICO Artistic Director, Anthony Marwood this year’s event is “the most diverse and accessible yet”.

The majority of the MBNA Limerick International Music Festival events will be held in the Franciscan Church in Limerick. The Strand Hotel, will be hosting the Festival Club. Here are some events you can look forward to:

• Live music launch super hosted by Liz Nolan at the Festival Club (7th July)
• Irish Chamber Orchestra performing 3  concerts: Giants of Baroque (8th July), Storms in the Night (10th July), Haydn’s Final Masterpiece (12th July)
• Jennifer Pike (9th July)
• Seoda Chamber Choir (10th July)
• Soumik Datta  (11th July)
• Closing concert with Hunka Burning Love headlining (12th July)
• Artwork exhibition by Sean Keating at Hunt Museum
• 3 theatrical productions at Belltable

If you would like more information about the International Music Festival, you can visit their website: http://www.irishchamberorchestra.info/mag/

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The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is dated to be released on the 6th of November, is based on an all time favorite Roald Dahl novel by the same name. The movie revolves around a fox named Mr. Fox (how convenient) who steals chickens , ducks and turkeys from three crooked farmers disliked by everyone – Bogies Boggis, Bunce and Bean — in order to feed his family.

Drama, Adventure and Comedy

If you are fan of animation movie, you are going to love this for sure. There is a great deal of drama, adventure and of course, comedy. Not only will you find a good story line but the choice of actors for voices is wonderful as well. George Clooney and Merlyn Streep have given their voices for the characters Mr and Mrs. Fox.

The story takes good turn when farmers endure many thefts and at last decide to kill Mr. Fox. To fulfill this task, they wait outside his foxhole to ambush him one night. However they only succeed in blowing off his tail. They then try to dig the foxes out, but they are no match for eight sets of paws. Then, they move to starving them out.

Along the way the fox family meets Badger and other digging animals that are also starving due to the farmers’ siege of the hillside. Mr Fox, feeling responsible for the whole affair, invites the other animals to a feast made from the loot and they all decide to make an underground town where they will be safe, while discreetly obtaining food from the farmers. That’s another great sequence to watch in the movie as there is some drama and emotions to grip your imagination.

Finally, Mr. Fox chances across the idea of digging under the farmhouses while the farmers wait outside in the rain to ambush Mr. Fox. With his keen sense of smell, and the farmers’ distinctive diets, Mr. Fox has no problem evading them. But, the entire sequence is another treat for all.

And they all live happily ever after…

After the entire thing, the end is as good as possible. Everything gets settled and the animals live happily ever after. But, the fact remains that this movie is going to rule the theaters for long.

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