Afdal Airlines on "Sex and the City 2": A Copy of the Emirates A380

This is one of a series of posts about the Emirates A380:

The 2010 sequel "Sex and the City 2" should have been called either "Sex and the Desert" or "Sex and the Excess". It was a film that totally lost touch with what made it popular and suffered in extreme lavishness of consumerism. One of these excesses included the four main characters (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon) flying first class to Abu Dhabi.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall (above images: New Line Cinema)

Of course they had to travel in style flying on the fictional airline Afdal Air. It was obvious their flight accommodations were designed after the Emirates A380 manufactured by Airbus. The first class cabin was replicated exactly to include the suites with sliding privacy doors and social lounge where the gang enjoy a round of Cosmos.

(note: This post was originally published on March 5, 2011. This post separates the portion of the article dealing with the A380 featured in the "Sex and City 2" movie. The original post now only features the portion about the film "Flightplan" which featured an airplane similar to the A380.)

The airplane suite set featured in "Sex and the City 2".
(photo: PropNSpoon)

Review: "Rock of Ages" Movie Musical Hits Theaters

"Rock of Ages" tells the story of small town girl Sherrie and city boy Drew, who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood Dreams. Too bad it's everyone else who are the ones worth watching. Something has to be said when the supporting case carries a film such as this rock 'n' roll romance told through the heart-pounding hits of the 1980s.

The leads are Diego Boneta, as a bartender at the Sunset Strip's hottest bar and wanna be rock star, and Julianne Hough as the naive girl looking to make it the big city. The meet, fall in love, they break-up and you should know the rest. On stage these characters were quite daffy but the two actors play the parts more or less straight. This leaves much of the fun and hijinks to the all-star cast. Boneta and Hough may not be well-known actors and probably that was the point but screen presence and the skill to make the most of the material was lost on them. They should have taken a cue card from the pros.

The meat of the film revolves around Alec Baldwin as Dennis Dupree, the owner of the bar called the Bourbon Room, who desperately needs cash to pay back taxes or risk losing his club. His right hand man and best friend Lonny (Russell Brand) is always there to pick up Dennis and provide words of support. Their saviour could be legendary rocker Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) if they can persuade his oily manager (Paul Giamatti) to play the bar.

The main foil is Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), the domineering wife of the mayor played by Bryan Cranston. She sees her main duty as the city's first lady to clean up the city from sex and rock music with an aim at closing the Bourbon Room. Her character is new and replaces the bad guy characters in the stage version.

The success and failure of the bar hinges on the unpredictable behavior of Jaxx. Even a Rolling Stone reporter (Malin Akerman) cannot tame him to focus. In fact it she who is tamed by the rocker. R&B music star Mary J. Blige has a minor role as the owner of the strip club who helps to save Sherrie from the streets.

(story continued below)

Russell Brand, Julianne Hough and Alec Baldwin.

Catherine Zeta-Jones

The bromance between Baldwin and Brand's characters takes an unexpected turn to REO Speedwagon's biggest hit song. They are the underdogs worth rooting for against Patricia. But Zeta-Jones gives her musical stage experience a workout leading a band of protesters in a church to the tune of Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and later in a mash-up with Brand under the chords of Twisted Sisters' "We're Not Gonna Take It" and Starship's "We Built This City."

During the initial marketing of the film, the singing of Tom Cruise was kept under wraps. He doesn't say much but he throws himself into the role from when he is rocking the house to Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" to being half-dazed while seducing Akerman's reporter to Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is." And the hit songs keep coming.

The look of the film feels authentic with a recreation of the Sunset Strip and the Bourbon Room to a Tower Records store filled with vinyl albums. The costumes of the era come complete with shoulder pads for Zeta-Jones.

Where do the leads come into play in the story of Dennis and his club. They comes to save the day when all seems lost. The film is directed by Adam Shankman who found success with handling the same duties for the adaptation of another stage musical "Hairspray." That story was also predictable and he created a tension that left you cheering when the cast converged to sing that film's show stopper finale. He could have created the same magic when the chords of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" start to play. With stronger leads he could have.

"Rock of Ages" opens nationwide on June 15, 2012. Warner Bros. presents a film directed by Adam Shankman. Written by Justin Theroux and Chris D'Arienzo. Running time: 123 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for sexual content, suggestive dancing, some heavy drinking, and language)

Visit rockofagesmovie.warnersbros.com for more information. Soundtrack available on CD and on iTunes.

Tom Cruise

Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand

Julianne Hough and Mary J. Blige

Malin Akerman

Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta
(photos: New Line Cinema)

"Les Miserables" Movie Trailer & Stills Released

We'll still have to wait six months for the feature film adaptation of the mega-hit stage musical 'Les Miserables' but until then we can finally enjoy the first trailer and production stills offering glimpses of the production.

The film stars Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean), Russell Crowe (Javert), Anne Hathaway (Fantine), Amanda Seyfried (Cosette), Helena Bonham Carter (Madame Thenardier), Sacha Baron Cohen (Thenardier), Eddie Redmayne (Marius), Samantha Barks (Eponine) and Aaron Tveit (Enjolras).

The trailer features Hathaway's vocals of "I Dreamed A Dream" and brief shots of the other actors except for Carter and Cohen. Many moviegoers may not know that Jackman has a successful musical stage career but the bigger curiosity will be Crowe's vocals. We'll just have to wait to see if a second trailer includes vocals by the other actors.

The musical is sung through so it's hard to judge the sound of the film by this snippet to song. But the film looks epic in scale.

Visit the official movie website at lesmiserablesfilm.com.

Anne Hathaway (Fantine)

Hugh Jackman (Valjean)

Russell Crowe (Javert)

Amanda Seyfried (Cosette) and Eddie Redmayne (Marius) 

Samantha Barks (Eponine)
(photos: Universal Studios)

"The Great Gatsby": 1920s Times Square Misspelled

Screen shot from the "The Great Gatsby" movie trailer featuring Times
Square in the 1920s with an obvious misspelling. (photo: Warner Bros.)

Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre in 1936 featuring a Ziegfeld
Follies marquee. (photo: Getty Images)

New York City. Times Square. The 1920s. The trailer to the long-awaited screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby" finally hit movie theaters. The visual style of director Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge") captures the the glamor and excess of the time and includes a shot of Times Square during the roaring Twenties.

But what set Twitter users mad and first reported in the U.K.'s Daily Mail aflame was the clear misspelling of the Broadway review Ziegfeld Follies. The shot of Times Square shows a billboard featuring "Zeigfeld Follies." One viewer wrote: "A budget of $127,000,000 and it seems no one was paid to check the spelling of "Ziegfeld Follies" in the Great Gatsby trailer. #whoopsadaisy."

With a scheduled December 2012 release, that should give the digital special effects crew an opportunity to correct the error.

The Zeigfeld Follies were a series of lavish Broadway productions. Like variety programs, the Follies were adapted into a 1936 film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. The Broadway productions were known for the lovely Ziegeld girls.

"The Great Gatsby," published in 1925, follows Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he moves to Long Island and becomes transfixed by the lavish lifestyle of his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). The pair form an unlikely friendship which leads to Gatsby enlisting the help of Nick in winning back his old flame, Nick's cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan). The film also stars Isla Fisher and Joel Edgerton.

The film was previously adapted for the big screen in 1974 starring Robert Redford (Gatsby), Mia Farrow (Daisy) and Sam Waterston (Nick). 2000 television adaptation featured Mira Sorvino (Daisy), Toby Stephens (Gatsby), Paul Rudd (Nick).

A party capturing the debauchery of the 1920s. (photo: Warner Bros.)

"The Great Gatsby" movie poster.

Pont Alexandre III: Bridge to the Eiffel Tower Experience at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel

The replica of the Pont Alexandre III bridge crosses over the
casino floor of the Paris Las Vegas.

Walking on the replica bridge.
(above photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

The real Pont Alexandre III in Paris, France.
(photo: weblettres.net)

The real Pont Alexandre III in daylight.
(photo: helenzeiler)

Call the Paris Las Vegas Hotel kitschy but there's no denying the detail that craftsmen put into capturing the French city in the middle of this dessert town. This includes the recreation of the Pont Alexandre III arch bridge which is probably missed by most visitors as they make their way through the casino.

Anyone who purchased a ticket to the hotel's Eiffel Tower Experience must use this bridge  to access the tower elevators. It also serves as a way to hold the line of people above the casino floor when the attraction is busy.

The real bridge in Paris crosses the Seine river and is regarded as one of the most ornately constructed bridges in the city. Built between 1896 and 1900, it is named after Tsar Alexander III who was instrumental in a military alliance between Russia and France. The bridge is noted for its Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs and nymphs. The bridge has made key appearances in the final scene of the Woody Allen's film "Midnight In Paris" (a YouTube clip is included at the bottom of this post) and singer Adele's music video for her song "Someone Like You."

The Pont Alexandre III at the Paris Las Vegas is quite a sight to see. Walking along its polished floor under the dim lights of the false blue sky still gives a feeling of the romantic even if there's a crowd of gamblers down below. The view from the bridge gives the visitor a look at how large a space an 85,000 square foot casino covers.

For security and safety only ticket holders for the Eiffel Tower Experience are allowed to access the bridge. When the attraction is closed, the bridge is off-limits. But everyone can gaze at the expanse and admire the architectural detail from the casino. Just remember to look up if you're ever in the Paris Las Vegas casino.

View of casino from the Pont Alexandre III at the Paris Las Vegas.

Opposite view from bridge.
(above photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

Harry Potter Studio Tour Opens Near London

Studio tour entrance

The massive miniature model of Hogwarts Castle.
(all photos by: Frantzesco Kangaris/The Guardian; except those marked by
asterisk by thisisfakediy.co.uk))

In contrast to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios's Orlando Island of Adventure, is the studio tour that opened this week outside of London where fans can get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Leavesden Studios in England where Warner Bros filmed the seven-book series. Five years after the last book by J.K. Rowling and one year after the last movie, the magic of Harry Potter lives on.

Thank goodness for digital cameras. Fans of the books and films like myself will be snap happy trying to capture the experience in photos.

Visitors to the attraction will experience a three-hour self-guided tour of the sets, props, costumes, models and special effects exhibits from each of the eight "Harry Potter" films. The main attraction is a 50-foot-long model of Hogwarts Castle used primarily to film aerial photography seen in the movies. The castle was created by 86 artists and crew who worked on the 1:24 scale model that features 2,500 lights, hinged doors, miniature birds and live plants. Visitors will be able to view the castle in a day-to-night cycle every four minutes.

Other sets in the tour include:

• The Great Hall where the tables have been aged with axes and chains and carved with graffiti by Hogwarts pupils.
• Dumbledore's Office geatures the Sword of Gryffindor, the Sorting Hat, the Pensieve memory basin and portraits of former Hogwarts headmasters.
• The Ministry of Magic which is the largest set created for any of the "Harry Potter" movies where visitors can walk past the "Magic is Might" statue.
• Diagon Alley where visitors will find Ollivander's wand shop, Flourish and Blotts, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Eeylops Owl Emporium
• Gryffindor Common Room and Boys' Dormitory features the beds of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan.
• Professor Umbridge's pink office filled with cat plates
• Hagrid's Hut and his flying motorcycle.
• Professor Snape's potions classroom.
• Hogwarts Bridge that was destroyed in the last movie.
• The Dursley's Prive Drive house which reveals Harry's cupboard under the stairs.
• The Weasley's kitchen with special effects props (self-washing frying pan, self-knitting needles, self-chopping knives).

Some of the props on display includes: the triple-decker Knight Bus; Harry's Nimbus 2000; 160 pairs of glasses and 70 wands Daniel Radcliffe used during the eight films; and creatures (Buckbeak the Hippogriff; Aragog the giant spider; Fawkes the phoenix, the giant Basilisk snake).

The studio is located 20 miles outside of London and tickets must be purchased in advance and cannot be pursed at the door. Visit wbstudiotour.co.uk for more information.

Yule Ball set
(photo credit: Warner Bros.)

*Triple-Decker Knight Bus.

The set of the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

*The entrance to the Great Hall.

The majestic Hogwarts gates.

Diagon Alley
 (photo credit: alexkorting)

*Harry's cupboard under the stairs.

*The clock tower pendulum.

*Magic Is Might statue on the Ministry of Magic set.

*Professor Umbridge's office set.

*Crystal props from the Yule Ball.

*Costumes used for the Yule Ball.

*Boys Dormitory on the Gryffindor set.

*The Great Hall

*The Gryffindor Common Room.

The set of Dumbledore's office.

Visitors ride a broomstick in front a green screen.

Masks of the house elves.

Movies To Travel By: "Midnight In Paris"

Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams at Giverny.
(production photos: Sony Pictures Classics)

We all likely have a romantic vision of Paris. Woody Allen captures that feeling in the first ten minutes of his 2011 film "Midnight in Paris" offering postcard view after view of the "city of light." It's almost worth the admission just to admire these picture perfect images of Paris even after the story begins and characters begin inhabiting the foreground.

"Midnight in Paris" is a romantic comedy fantasy and to reveal its story is likely to reveal its surprises. In his four-star review of the film, Roger Ebert indicates in his first sentence that the review contains spoilers and that he can't imagine a way to review the film without discussing the delightful fantasy at the heart of Allen's new film.

Without giving much away, here's an excerpt from Ebert's review: "The film is sort of a daydream for American lit majors. It opens with a couple on holiday in Paris with her parents. Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) are officially in love, but maybe what Gil really loves is Paris in the springtime. He's a hack screenwriter from Hollywood who still harbors the dream of someday writing a good novel and joining the pantheon of American writers whose ghosts seem to linger in the very air he breathes...He'd like to live in Paris. Inez would like to live in an upper-class American suburb...One night, he wanders off by himself, gets lost, sits on some church steps, and as a bell rings midnight, a big old Peugot pulls up filled with revelers."

The story then takes a turn that is one of the most magical and whimsical in recent moviemaking years. It is one of the best films of 2011 and among the best of Woody Allen's career.

Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson at the Palace at Versailles.

Owen Wilson perusing the street markets of Paris.

Film locations, beautifully photographed by cinematographer Darius Khondji, include the Palace at Versailles, Sacre-Coeur, Ile de la Cite, Giverny, John XXIII Square near Notre Dame, and the streets near the Pantheon. Even the Hotel le Bristol where Gil and Inez stay contains images of luxurious accommodations that we can only dream about. Quaint street makets and fine restaurants complete the wonderful locales in the film. The first scene with Gil and Inez includes images of a Monet painting come to life. Visit movie-locations.com for more details of the film's various location.

"Midnight in Paris" is Woody Allen's highest grossing film domestically and internationally. Its global box office stands at over $151 million. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including best picture winning the Oscar for best original screenplay.

Woody Allen took care in casting all the roles. Besides Wilson and McAdams, Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy play the parents of Inez. Great supporting work is provided by Michael Sheen, Alison Pill, Tom Hiddleston, Kathy Bates, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody and Lea Seydoux. Even Carla Bruni, who was the First Lady of France at the time of filming, is excellent in her few scenes as a tour guide at the Rodin Museum.

Two actors who should expect more roles to come their way are Corey Stoll (spoiler warning: he plays Ernest Hemingway) and Nina Arianda as Carol, a friend of Gil and Inez, both of whom make great impressions onscreen in their few scenes. But it is Wilson who carries the film with his quiet charm.

"Midnight in Paris" is available on DVD and Blu-ray and songs featured in the film is available on CD. On iTunes, click HERE to download the film or HERE to download the music.

Michael Sheen, Nina Arianda, Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson
at Versailles.

Owen Wilson and Lea Seydoux on the Point Alexander III.

Left to right: Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Corey Stoll and Daniel Lundh.

Marion Cotillard and Owen Wilson strolling the streets of Paris.

Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams at the Hotel le Bristol

Carla Bruni and Owen Wilson at the Rodin Museum.

On the set with Marion Cotillard, Owen Wilson and writer/director
Woody Allen.

Alison Pill and Tom Hiddleston evoking a style of Paris in the past.

Owen Wilson taking a stroll along the Seine.

Owen Wilson sitting on the steps of the Church of St. Etienne du Mont.