Steven Spielberg — MomStart

Behind the Movie War Horse: Interview with Emily Watson

December 12, 2011 By Momstart 18 Comments

Emily Watson, English actor was asked to play the role of Rose Narracott in the movie War Horse. Before she considers any role she looks at her children’s schedule. Is there a holiday, she considers how long she’s going to be gone and where she’s going, how far away will she be from her family. She said when here children were younger it was easier because she could keep them with her but now has to leave them in school. In fact, she missed the first day of shooting War Horse so she could be home for the first day of school. I can’t blame her, I would want to be home for that too.

She said she just loved the scenery of where the movie was filmed. She said they filmed in the most beautiful part of England. “It’s in the southwest, in the county of Devon which is very fecund and rich and it’s a real, very traditional …..in the middle of it is this moorland called Dartmore where you can stand on it and you are not be able to see any sign of human habitation whatsoever. With these ancient outcrops of rock so that, that was pretty special to be there.”

Emily felt the movie was filmed beautifully and as an anti-war film you really get the idea that that particular war was pointless. 4 years of carnage and so much loss of life and a terrible miss treatment of animals. Steven Spielberg captured all of that beautifully without making you watch all of the carnage.

Emily was also asked about how she liked working with Steven Spielberg. She described him as a director with a lot of experience, “a lot of incredible technical feats and he’s a great action director, but he’s still very focused on performance.” And I have to say that everyone’s performance in War Horse made it an amazing and educational movie to experience.

Because of how important being a mother is to Emily Watson, I really loved Emily. I asked her what advice she would give to other mothers and she said that mother’s shouldn’t be so hard on themselves. Being a mother is hard. As a mother you have to make sure that you take a break and get some sleep. I felt like she was speaking directly to me. I’m always second guessing myself and worrying that I’m doing it wrong. From one mother to a mother, just let it go and move on. Believe you are a good successful mom providing for your family.

A little bit About Emily Watson:

Watson’s status as a leading actress in major Hollywood productions was cemented in 2002 with her roles in Red Dragon (2002), the third installment of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lechter series; the futuristic Equilibrium (2002); and, most notably, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love (2002), playing opposite Adam Sandler. While returning to the stage in 2002 and 2003 on both sides of the Atlantic, Watson has expressed interest in again working with Anderson. Emily Watson lives in London, England, UK, with her husband, Jack Waters.

All travel and expenses were covered by Disney and DreamWorks.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: dreamworks, Emily Watson, Interview with Emily Watson, Steven Spielberg, War Horse

A Sneak Peek at DreamWorks War Horse

November 15, 2011 By Momstart 11 Comments

I keep telling all my friends that I’m going to see War Horse, and their response is unanimous. I haven’t heard about it, what is it about, uh!. I’m SUPER excited about this movie, I’ve been super excited about this movie since I saw the teaser trailer and I think I saw the teaser trailer this summer while watching Harry Potter. If it wasn’t on Harry Potter I’m really not sure which movie it was because truth be told, my husband and I don’t get out much. It was the best teaser! This is the War Horse Trailer:

So Coming out Christmas Day is War Horse and I have a sneak peek for all of you. I’m reading the children’s book War Horse that Scholastic printed and I was surprised when I first started reading the book that it’s from the horse’s prospective. It’s obvious from how far I’ve gotten in the book that the horse, Joey is going to fall in love with Albert who is the only human to show him compassion from the time he was born. With an outstanding story to start with, War Horse was originally a play, director Steven Spielberg is sure to turn this into a masterpiece.

Movie Synopsis:

War Horse is an epic adventure, it is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. Just like what I’ve been reading in my book, the synopsis of Spielberg’s “War Horse” begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him.

When they are forcefully parted (and in the book, this was not the first time Joey had been forcefully parted from someone, his mother), the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—

British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land.

The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. “War Horse” is one of the great stories of friendship and war— a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is currently on Broadway. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

Now who would be the best choice for music? You guessed it, or you should have. The War Horse Sound Track was composed by John Williams. "The dramatic countryside of Dartmoor has inspired John Williams to compose a score of such beauty and quiet majesty that one might think the earth was speaking through him, much as the heavens have done for nearly five decades. When I first heard John s sketches of the four central themes for War Horse, I didn’t need my memories of the film to underscore the feelings I was having. The music was a stand-alone experience and it affected me deeply, as have so many of John s scores during our nearly 40-year collaboration. I feel that John has made a special gift to me of this music, which was inspired not only by my film but also by many of the picturesque settings of the poet William Wordsworth, whose vivid descriptions of the British landscape inspired much of what you are going to hear." – Steven Spielberg (This quote was found on the Examiner)

War Horse comes out December 25th to a theater near you!

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: dreamworks, movie, Movie review, Sneak Peek, Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Party Time with BOOM BLOX Bash Party By EA

September 29, 2009 By Momstart 2 Comments

Boom Blox Bash Party:

Boom Blox Bash Party

EA Play sent me a copy of Boom Blox Bash Party to review. I’ve had it since before they asked me to come and join them for a weekend in San Francisco. It was there in San Francisco that they had a game truck for all the kids to get on and play BOOM BLOX Bash Party against each other. My son was completely against the idea of being on a truck while the kids were all playing games so we went in and had some ice cream. My husband and daughter stayed on the truck until the Carbon Dioxide warning went off. It makes me laugh that they had so many kids on it that the truck when off more quickly than they had expected. Steven Spielberg decided to make a game that he thought his family would like. So he worked with EA and created Boom Blox, now a year later, there is a sequel and I think he’s done an excellent job because this is a game we love to play as a family too. We love to watch cows fly across the sky. Thanks for letting us knock around a few farm animals in Bash Party.

Gameplay:

Very similar to the original BOOM BLOX game, Bash Party is based around fast-paced gameplay that utilizes players’ reflexes, dexterity, and problem-solving skills. Problem solving must by why I love Boom Blox so much. I love puzzles and it is fun deciding which block to blow up, or knock down. During game play you use the Wii Remote to direct objects and forces toward structures made of blocks in order to knock them over. There is also Jenga like gameplay where you can pull blocks, with the goal of toppling as many of them as possible, but without bringing down the whole structure. I’m not very good at this part of the game though! In doing this you have to deal with the different types of blocks. Some of these include: gem blocks, blocks with point values attached, explosive blocks that detonate on contact, vanishing blocks that disappear when struck, wood blocks, and steel blocks. In addition, as the game progresses strategies may change, meaning that you have to be adaptable

New Characters and Environments:

Explore exciting new themed worlds with unique physics and dramatic visuals. Create chaos, watching puzzles and explosions unfold, while drifting under water, or floating in zero gravity. For even more strategic destruction, BOOM BLOX Bash Party also features all-new Blox, tools and characters. Experiment with the explosive and infectious Virus Blox, or the ever-moving Conveyor Blox. Experiment with new shapes like Cylinders and Wedges, or use the new Cannon and Slingshot toys to sling and launch blox. Even the new cast of characters is in on the action. Grab hold of the characters and send them flying. They are just like Blox now, so you can topple, bash and sling them like never before.

Favorite Part:

My favorite part would have to be that I can play against my husband. My husband and I love to play games together and it’s hard to find family friendly games that we can play in front of the children. Well BOOM Blox is a requested game; the children ask us to play it. They like to growl and watch things blow up.

Product Description

Get ready for even more blox-busting action with BOOM BLOX Bash Party for Wii, the sequel to the critically acclaimed BOOM BLOX game for Wii. Developed by EA in collaboration with director and producer Steven Spielberg, BOOM BLOX Bash Party takes destruction to new heights, providing the ultimate social gaming experience! BOOM BLOX Bash Party will get your party started with new Versus, Co-Op and Team Play challenges – twice as many multiplayer challenges as the original BOOM BLOX. From the depths of the sea to the far reaches of outer space, BOOM BLOX Bash Party features more than 400 completely new levels! Explore exciting new themed worlds with unique physics and dramatic visuals. Create chaos, watching puzzles and explosions unfold, while drifting under water, or floating in zero gravity! For even more strategic destruction, BOOM BLOX Bash Party also features all-new Blox, tools and characters! Experiment with the explosive and infectious Virus Blox, or the ever-moving Conveyor Blox. Experiment with new shapes like Cylinders and Wedges, or use the new Cannon and Slingshot toys to sling and launch blox! Even the new cast of characters is in on the action! Grab hold of the characters and send them flying! They are just like Blox now, so you can topple, bash and sling them like never before. And the fun continues online! Enhanced capabilities let you download new levels with the press of a button. Simply connect your Wii to the Internet to grab, play and rate new levels from EA and members of the BOOM BLOX Bash Party community. Build your own levels using the game’s easy-to-use Create Mode – the same tool which the BOOM BLOX team used to create the game itself. Collect Boom Bux throughout the game as you complete levels, then spend them jump ahead unlocking new levels and features you can’t wait to play!