Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

This is the sequel to the highly successful film

Summary

-Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) learns more about her mother's past while in the process of opening the Hotel Bella Donna

Cast

-Amanda Seyfried: Sophie

-Andy Garcia: Fernando Cienfuegos

-Celie Imrie: Vice Chancellor

-Lily James: Young Donna

-Alexa Davies: Young Rosie

-Jessica Keenan Wynn: Young Tanya

-Dominic Cooper: Sky

-Julie Walters: Rosie

-Christine Baranski: Tanya

-Pierce Brosnan: Sam Carmichael

-Omid Djalili: Greek Official

-Colin Firth: Harry Bright

-Stellan Skarsgard: Bill Anderson

-Cher: Ruby Sheridan

Did You Know?

-Cher chose Andy Garcia to play the role of Fernando over other selected actors

-During filming in November 2017, Dame Julie Walters was given a day off to attend Buckingham Palace for an investiture ceremony, where she would receive her Commander of the Order of the British Empire honor from Queen Elizabeth II. The cast and crew gathered together to welcome her back by singing "There is Nothing Like a Dame" from the musical South Pacific

-On the day she came home from the hospital, after giving birth to her daughter, Amanda Seyfried's agent informed her that this movie was successfully greenlit and would begin production. She thought it was a practical joke

-After appearing in this film, Cher released an entire album of ABBA covers called Dancing Queen

-Despite them playing mother and daughter, Cher is only three years older than Meryl Streep

-This is the film debut of Nina Sadoski, who is Amanda Seyfried's daughter

-Early in the film, when Sophie is addressing invitations to people for a party she is planning, one is to c/o Epstein Martin. This is a reference to The Beatles, specifically of the surnames of Beatles manager Brian Epstein and their record producer George Martin

-The movie does not state whether Sophie and Sky ever got married between the 2008 film Mamma Mia! and this film or whether they are partners for life. Since they are both not wearing wedding rings, it implies they are not husband and wife

-Out of all of the cast members, Cher is the oldest one, having been born on May 20, 1946. She is three years older than Meryl Streep, born June 22, 1949, who plays her daughter, and ten years older than Andy Garcia, who was born April 12, 1956, who plays a long lost love

-Sophie names the hotel Bella Donna. This term has two meanings. In Italian, it means "Beautiful Woman". It's also the name, in Latin, for deadly nightshade, one of the most dangerous plants in the Eastern Hemisphere that contains atropine and scopolamine

Mamma Mia (2008)

This popular film uses the music of Swedish band ABBA

Summary

-Donna is a hotel owner preparing for her daughter's wedding with help from two old friends. While bride to be Sophie invites three men from her mother's past to her wedding to determine which one is her biological father

Cast

-Amanda Seyfried: Sophie

-Stellan Skaarsgard: Bill Anderson

-Pierce Brosnan: Sam Carmichael

-Colin Firth: Harry Bright

-Meryl Streep: Donna

-Julie Walters: Rosie

-Christine Baranski: Tanya

-Ricardo Montez: Stavros

-Norma Atallah: Irini

-Dominic Cooper: Sky

Did You Know?

-Stellan Skarsgard said about this movie "It was absurd to ask me to be in a musical. I can't sing, I can't dance. And I saw it was also Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, and they can't sing and dance either, so I felt a little safer there."

-Meryl Streep saw the musical in October 2001 with her daugter Louisa. She wrote letters to the producers, praising them for bringing a bit of happiness and light into New York City after the recent 9/11 terrorist attacks

-On an episode of Inside the Actor's Studio, Colin Firth was asked the question "If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say when you arrive at the pearly gates?" He responded with "I personally thought you were very good in Mamma Mia"

-All of the cast members did their own singing

-Stellan Skarsgard explained why he flashed his bare backside. "We decided that I should be cooking on the boat. I thought I should have an apron on. The director (Phyllida Llody) did not know that I would be naked under there, and have those butt tattoos. So when the camera rolled, I turned around right in front of it. The cameraman jumped and screamed, while Phyllida keeled over laughing."

-The boat Bill Anderson captains features the flag of Sweden, the native country of both Stellan Skarsgard and ABBA

-Three of the members of ABBA are from Sweden, just like actor Stellan Skarsgard, who plays Bill Anderson. The other member of ABBA is Anni-Frida Lyngstad, who is Norwegian

-Initially Cher was offered a role in this film, to play Tanya Wilkinson. Because of commitments to concerts, she couldn't do it. She did appear in the 2018 sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, playing Ruby Sheridan

-Colin Firth poked fun at the James Bond series by saying "I'm Bright, Harry Bright" when he was standing next to Pierce Brosnan. Pierce had played the role of James Bond in at least four films of the series. Meanwhile Firth starred in his own series of spy films, Kingsman: The Secret Service in 2014 and Kingsman: The Golden Circle in 2017

-In the original musical on stage, Bill Austin was an Australian character. This was a tribute to ABBA's popularity in Australia. For this movie, Bill's last name was changed to Anderson, to make it Swedish, like Stellan Skarsgard, who plays that character and like the group ABBA

-Actor Bill Nighy was considered for one of the roles of the fathers

-Colin Firth (Harry Bright) actually used to play guitar in a band

-This was the first movie shot on the new 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios after a fire that happened when the 2006 film Casino Royale finished up. The stage was used for the song and dance numbers that could not be filmed in sunny Greece

-The song at the wedding scene, "Knowing Me, Knowing You" was considered inappropriate for a wedding because it's about divorce. "Knowing me, knowing you, there is nothing we can do. Knowing me, knowing you, we just have to face it this time we're through. Breaking up is never easy, I know but I have to go."

-In the film, using the real ages of the actors, when Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) was born, Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep) was 36, Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgard) was 34, Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan) was 32 and Harry Bright (Colin Firth) was 25

-Donny Osmond was considered for the role of Sam Carmichael. This role went to Pierce Brosnan

-This film surpassed the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire as Pierce Brosnan's highest-grossing film in the world. But, domestically, Mrs. Doubtfire is still highly successful

Sea of Love (1989)

This was the first movie Al Pacino made, after taking a four year break from film after 1985's Revolution. I thought it was very good. I will warn you, though. If you don't like nudity or foul language, this may not be the film for you

Summary

-A detective, who also happens to be an alcoholic, is investigating a series of murders tied to lonely hearts ads in a newspaper. And he falls for a woman who might be the prime suspect

Cast

-Al Pacino: Frank Keller

-John Goodman: Sherman Tuohy

-Ellen Barkin: Helen Cruger

-Michael Rooker: Terry

-William Hickey: Frank Keller Sr

-Richard Jenkins: Gruber

-Paul Calderon: Serafino

-John Spencer: Lieutenant

-Damien Leake: Ernest Guy

-Zachary Michael Simmons: Ernest's Son

-Patricia Barry: Older Woman

Did You Know?

-When Al Pacino's character Frank Keller is trying to court the character played by Ellen Barker, he is rudely bumped into by someone on 5th Avenue. Director Harold Becker stated that this was not in the script. It was completely authentic, caused by a real New York resident. Al Pacino includes this moment into the film and continues on without missing a beat

-The "Meet the Yankees" breakfast that the police use to apprehend criminals was based on a real event

-When this movie is shown on television, Lorraine Bracco was shown as Al Pacino's ex-wife. Her scenes were cut from the final product of the film

-At the time of this film, he was living with his good friend Diane Keaton, She had found the script for this film and convinced him to do it. He was still hurt from doing the 1985 film Revolution and was not sure he wanted to make a return to films. Keaton had informed him that he was not an A-list actor anymore, that offers were not coming in very often, but this was a film he was meant to do. Not only that, he was also going flat broke and going through tax problems stemming from financing a film called The Local Stigmatic with his own money and also not making films for four years. He finally agreed to do this film and it helped him immensely

-Richard Price, who wrote the novel this film is based on, wrote the screenplay with Dustin Hoffman in mind. With him wanting too many re-writes, Al Pacino took over the role instead

-This was Al Pacino's first film after a four year break. His last film before this was 1985's Revolution

-Michael Rooker was cast in this film after his role in the 1986 film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

-This movie is credited with being the film that pulled Al Pacino out of a bad string of movies he had made during the 1980s

-This film was the fourth out of five films Al Pacino had made with Martin Bregman. They are 1973's Serpico, 1975's Dog Day Afternoon, 1983's Scarface, 1989's Sea of Love, 1993's Carlito's Way

-During the undercover scene where Al Pacino and John Goodman's characters are working, that restaurant, O'Neal's, was a real New York City restaurant, owned by actor Patrick O'Neal. It was located near Lincoln Center and closed in 1993, just a year before Patrick O'Neal's death in 1994

-Both Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin attended the same high school, the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. This high school was also featured in the TV show and film Fame

-During the scene where Frank Keller is trying to convince his lieutenant to let him do the sting operation without a wire, he says "What is she gonna do, confess? Shoot me? We're in a restaurant!" Ironically, Al Pacino, who played Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, appeared in a scene in the first film, where he shoots a cop in a restaurant, which was also said to be impossible

-In a 2007 interview, Ellen Barkin revealed an unknown secret about her love scenes with Al Pacino in the film. She stated that while he is normally a cocky, outgoing actor, when the cameras started rolling, he became shy and bashful. "We never talk about that scene. Al was very shy. I don't think he's comfortable with those kind of scenes. I am. At the time I was anyway. Now I wouldn't be, but I thought it was a good icebreaker in those days."

-Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin starred in another movie together. Ocean's 13, where he plays Willy Bank and Ellen plays his right-hand woman

-Any interior shots were filmed in Toronto while exterior shots were filmed in New York City, most of them being filmed in the Upper East Side

-It was not a mistake that Frank used an incorrect last name in his newspaper personal ad. A police officer undercover would never use their real last name

-In the fancy restaurant scene, the strolling violinist is playing "Strangers in the Night". This song was also featured in the 1983 film Scarface, during the scene showing the shootout

-This is one of four films written by Richard Price, but starring Samuel L. Jackson. They are 1995's Kiss of Death, 2000's Shaft and 2006's Freedomland

-John Spencer played another police lieutenant in the 1989 film Black Rain

20 Books That Should Have Never Made It to the Big Screen

Whenever some people read books, they begin to wonder what it would be like if that book were to be made into a movie. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. On the MSN.com page Yardbarker, writer Jacquez Printup has put together a list of 20 books that they believe should have never made it onto the big screen

Personally, it all comes down to opinion. Some people like the film adaptation of their favorite books. Some people don't. It's all up to you. I personally like the film versions of The Da Vinci Code, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief and The Lovely Bones

1. The Great Gatsby (2013)

-Based on the classic 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the film ended up not meeting the hopes of many. Production went flat, with characters deemed "unlikeable", the plot barely there and too many flashy elements of that particular time period

2. Eragon (2006)

-Many fans of the story were happy to hear their favorite book was making it onto the big screen. They were let down when the film was released. Several characters, such as The Twins and Orik, were left out, ruining the plot, the script was boring and the graphics were so-so

3. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

-Many who read the Madeleine L'Engle story were happy to hear of a film adaptation of their favorite book. To this day, it's still a bitter pill to swallow for many fans because they feel Disney ruined the film version. The characters didn't seem to have much of a backstory, overall a poor job done

4. Me Before You (2016)

-When the 2012 book by Jojo Moyes came out, not long afterwards came the movie. The book tells the story of how a man became disabled after an accident and falls in love with the woman assigned to look after him. Many fans quickly came to hate the movie, because of its message portraying those with disabilities don't have a life worth living without a partner

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

-Many fans of the J.R.R. Tolkien series, The Lord of the Rings, were more than happy when they heard about this new installation into the Middle Earth series. After watching the film, many readers came to hate it. They felt that Peter Jackson, who directed not only The Lord of the Rings series, but this film as well, rushed important moments, stretched material and added characters

6. The Book Thief (2013)

-The book tells of the grueling and harsh world of WWII. While the movie seems to have softened it up. Many felt the movie was a letdown, not really keeping in tune with the story

7. The Girl on the Train (2016)

-Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Paula Hawkins, the film starred Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux and Rebecca Ferguson. While some viewers enjoyed the film, others not so much. Those who opposed the film felt the film had bad pacing

8. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

-Based on the popular children's series by Rick Riordan, many felt that the movie had not done the books justice. For example, in the book, the characters are only children, around the age of 12 while in the film they are teenagers. There were plot changes as well, leading many to dislike the film

9. The Shack (2017)

-Despite the film tackling the subjects of deep faith and forgiveness, the film seems to have made a few errors. Despite the script having good messages, the film seems to lack something special that made the book great initially

10. Artemis Fowl (2020)

-Disney tried hard to make the film version of the Eoin Colfer book good. But the film flopped. The characters were annoying and the plot was all over the place. It made the film hard to watch. It would have been the next big fantasy film had it not been for these issues

11. The Cat in the Hat (2003)

-This is a much beloved book for children by Dr. Seuss. The film, however, didn't fare so well

12. Ender's Game (2013)

-The production was messy, with an overall lack of emotion. The film simply didn't do the book justice

13. Kill Your Friends (2015)

-Based on the 2008 novel of the same name, the film and book couldn't be more different. The movie doesn't make much of an impact on viewers because of the over the top violence and seemingly shallow characters

14. Eat Pray Love (2010)

-Ryan Murphy was in charge of bring the much loved book to the big screen. Some love the film, others hate it. It's all down to personal preference

15. The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

-The storylines seemed rushed, there was a lack of emotional depth. Overall, the story felt empty, hollow

16. Paper Towns (2015)

-The novel was successful. The film, however, seemed unable to capture the same feelings as the book. The characters seemed underdeveloped, as if whoever was in charge didn't do a good enough job and tried to rush through production. There was hardly any feelings of self-discovery or emotional depth in the film

17. I Am Number Four (2011)

-Based on the wildly popular sci-fi novel, the film fails to hold the same excitement as the novel. The characters don't seem to be the same in the film as they were in the novel and the action in the film seems cliched, like they were trying too hard to be action stars

18. The Da Vinci Code (2006)

-Some believe it turned out bad. Others really like it. It's all down to personal preference

19. The Dark Tower (2017)

-Despite the fact that Matthew McConnaughey and Idris Elba are in the film, this movie is said to be a near perfect example of what results from rushing a production instead of taking time to make things right

20. The Lovely Bones (2009)

-The book centers on the spirit of a young girl raped and murdered by a pedophile in her neighborhood. From the sky, she tries to point her grieving family in the direction of the man responsible, and, as time goes on, her death seems to rip the family apart. The film adaptation tried to bring the story of tragedy to the big screen. But some felt the movie was confusing, switching back and forth between tragedy, fantasy and revenge, leaving the story messy and almost empty

Colin Firth: The Biography by Alison Maloney

Anyone who has seen the Bridget Jones films or Pride and Prejudice will know this name. Colin Firth was Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice while his character in the Bridget Jones series was also named, ironically, Mr. Darcy. But there are more films and theatre work under his name than people know

I actually found this book by complete accident while searching through the Biography section on my Amazon Kindle. It sounded interesting, so I bought it and read it. It was a very good and very interesting book. I loved him in Love Actually and What a Girl Wants. He was so funny in both

He was born Colin Andrew Firth on September 10, 1960. He has two siblings named Katie and Jonathan. His parents worked as teachers while his grandparents were missionaries. He had a very nomadic childhood, spending time in Nigeria, the United States and England. He went to school for a time in the Midwest US, around Missouri. While there, he felt like an outsider and his classmates didn't improve this feeling. They, more or less, referred to him as an "English geek." Upon arrival in the UK, to attend school, he was, once again, made to feel like an outsider because of his Midwestern US accent.

As time went on, he flirted with the idea of pursuing music as a career, even forming a band with friends that only lasted a short while. He started performing in plays, his first being a Christmas panto where he played Jack Frost, and found he really enjoyed it. That prompted him to go to school for performing arts. It was during his final term at The Drama Centre at Chalk Farm that he played Hamlet and was discovered as having a talent for acting. The role that really brought his name to fame was the West End play Another Country. His first television role, however was the 1988 program Tumbledown. A role that would be both a blessing and a curse for him was the 1995 film Pride & Prejudice, based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name, where he played Mr. Darcy. Anyone who has seen this film knows of a certain scene where he fell into a pond and emerged soaking wet, able to see right through his shirt. That made him a sort of sex symbol. The reason it was a blessing and a curse is because, while Pride & Prejudice helped make his name more notable, it's also a curse because it would be hard for people to see him as anything other than Mr. Darcy. His brother Jonathan even jokingly asked "Isn't Mr. Darcy supposed to be sexy?" after hearing his brother would be playing the role

Tumbledown

Pride & Prejudice. This scene is what made him appeal to the ladies

As time went on, he would star in more films, most notably the Bridget Jones series. He did have a problem with the character of Bridget Jones putting two people in classes: singletons and smug marrieds. He had a problem with that, as he was happily married at the time to an Italian woman named Livia. He mentioned that for one of the Bridget Jones films, he had to be seen shirtless, so he worked extremely hard to get into perfect physical shape. It worked. In one of the Bridget Jones films, he can be seen showing rock hard six-pack abs

He was also married once before, to a woman named Meg Tilly, whose sister is actress Jennifer Tilly. With Meg, they had one child, a son named Will. Even after the marriage ended, Meg and Colin remained on good terms and Colin always made sure to maintain a good relationship with his son. He also has a good relationship with the two children she had, Emily and David. Later on, he met a woman named Livia Giuggioli. When he met her parents to announce their engagement, he impressed them with his impeccable manners and, instead of staying in the same house as his fiancee for the night, he stayed at a hotel. They married and had two children. He talked about how happy he was becoming a father and instead of being queasy at the birth of children, he loved being with his wife during the births. His most recent film was The King's Speech, about King George VII and how he overcame his speech impediment. Other films he's starred in include Love Actually, What a Girl Wants. In What a Girl Wants, he plays a politician named Henry Dashwood who is running for office and later comes to find out that his old girlfriend was pregnant and sent away by his political manager because it would be seen as bad form to have agirlfriend and a child and not be married in the proper way. In Love Actually, he plays an author who is struggling with writer's block, so he takes a retreat to Portugal and falls in love with a local woman

Colin and Livia

Colin and Meg

Love Actually

What a Girl Wants

The King's Speech

Overall, Colin Firth has a down to earth, humble personality that earns him respect from a lot of people. He was actually mocked for a while for playing Mr. Darcy because people thought he came from a well to do upbringing. He stated multiple times that he was a working class kid who went to secondary-modern school. That he was not a kid who went to expensive schools. His parents were working class and advocated for human rights, a cause that Colin strongly supports to this day. He is strongly supportive of human rights. He's a humble, down to earth man with impeccable manners, a perfect gentleman and he is a good person. He maintains a good relationship with his son Will and his ex Meg Tilly and her children Emily and David and he's happily married to his wife Livia and he's even highly fluent in Italian