I'll Put A Spell On You ♥

Happy Halloween ♥

Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween here from The Midnight Picture Show!! And also apologies for lack of posts lately, my Macbook charger failed on me and I am too much of an Apple snob to manage posts on the PC...

Here are a few Halloween inspired images from films/tv shows (nothing too scary) I have been watching over the last few weeks that got me in the mood for Autumn and Halloween:

Hocus Pocus - an obvious choice but my sister and I watch it every Halloween

Interview with a Vampire/Queen of the Damned - The perfect Vampire films to watch this time of year! I understand that not many people appreciate QotD but I love Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah and it has one of my favourite film soundtracks

Sleepy Hollow - Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci trying to put an end to the Headless Horseman's reign of terror!

Underworld - More Vampire drama with Kate Beckinsale as they war against the Lycans

Halloweentown - cheesy and fun, Halloweentown is always on this time of year on the Disney Channel I believe.

Mean Girls - not really a Halloween film but worth the watch just for the party where Lindsay Lohan doesn't quite get the concept of what is 'halloween' according to popular girls, and Amanda Seyfried dressed as a mouse - duh!

True Blood - I'm actually reading the series (The Southern Vampire Mysteries) on my Kindle at the moment, and I absolutely LOVE them, but I wanted to include the series on here because it is definitely worth a mention as it includes all things supernatural and is a good Halloween watch

The Brothers Grimm - Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, spooky fairy tale goings on with amazing sets and beautiful costumes (and it's not too scary)

Sabrina - everyone's favourite witch and her adorable black cat Salem. I really want to re-watch the entire series and the films as it was my favourite show as a kid and it makes me think about coming home from school when the weather was starting to get chilly, getting wrapped up in my duvet on the settee and watching Sabrina on Nickelodeon!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

When I first heard that Walden media had taken over the third installment of the Narnia series I was somewhat skeptical, as Disney had already done a lovely job of making The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. Also, there were rumors that it was going to be made in Digital 3D, and even though I always go and see films in 3D I think that film-makers can often get caught up in making all the jumpy-out bits that they sometimes forget the more important parts like the story-line and the dialogue!! The trailer was full of fantastical sets and magic, but the part that really caught my eye was when the bedroom was filling up with water and the children swam to the surface to find themselves in Narnia - so beautiful! But I needed to see the film properly to make my mind up about it and to see if it was made of more substance like it's predecessors...

The film is set three years after Prince Caspian, and the two youngest of the Pevensie children, Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are staying with their cousin Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter) which they are not too happy about; Edmund is struggling with the fact that in his world he is not old enough to be a soldier, and Lucy is envious of her older sister Susan who is away in America with their parents. Luckily the children are still eligible to enter Narnia and upon arrival they are rescued by the now King Caspian (Ben Barnes) and their old friend Reepicheep the warrior mouse (this time voiced by Simon Pegg), and taken aboard the beautiful ship The Dawn Treader where they join the voyage to rescue the seven Lords of Narnia whom had been banished by Caspian's Uncle Miraz.

When I finally saw the film at the cinema (yes, in 3D) I came out with only one criticism, and the people I went with agreed, that the only thing that ruined the film was that the cinema screen was extremely dark, and with the glasses on it made it even darker to see much when the film itself was set in low light. But apart from that I loved the film and couldn't wait for its Blu Ray release (typical me!). The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is full of swashbuckling adventure, monsters and magic, with stunning sets and costumes. The film is very visual which I love, as I read all the books as a kid and it is so amazing to see them brought to life so beautifully and realistically (don't get me wrong though, there will always be a place in my heart for the late 80s/early 90s BBC versions). I had spent ages thinking of things from the book and wondering 'how will they do this?', 'how can they make falling into a painting to enter Narnia look good?' etc. but somehow they did it, and I was impressed. I also like that this film centers around Edmund and Lucy, who are more in depth characters than their older siblings; Edmund is more complex and has had more of a personal journey since the first installment, and Lucy is the one who discovered Narnia in the first place and is just lovable in general. Also, newcomer Will Poulter was the perfect actor to be cast as the annoying cousin Eustace; I was aware of Poulter from watching School of Comedy and Son of Rambow and knew he would be hilarious. Oh, and fans of Liam Neeson will love Aslan's short-but-sweet appearances, and fans of Ben Barnes will just love, well, Ben Barnes! All-in-all a light-hearted adventure which will re-capture your childhood, make you laugh and treat your eyes in this visually stunning installment of the Narnia Chronicles ♥

Ponyo ♥

Ponyo is the latest magical creation from Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli. You can see that inspiration has been taken from Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale The Little Mermaid, as it is about a young boy Sosuke who rescues a fish, befriends her and names her Ponyo. However, Ponyo's father is a sea wizard and in desperation uses his magic to bring her back. When back under the sea Ponyo, being a stubborn little goldfish, steals some of her father's magic to become human, and escapes back to Sosuke, where together they embark on a heart-warming journey of friendship.

I have been a fan of Studio Ghibli films for a long, long time, and Ponyo did not disappoint. It has a beautiful and serene aesthetic like that of My Neighbor Totoro, and the bittersweetness of Kiki's Delivery Service. The relationship between main characters Ponyo and Sosuke, voiced by Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas, is just adorable. Cate Blanchett and Liam Neeson also lend their voices to the film as the magical parents of Ponyo ♥