The movie Beautiful Creatures takes place in Gatlin, South Carolina and while you wouldn't think of it as a southern place compared to Louisiana or Texas, in the movie it very much is. It's a small town full of Republican church goers that are portrayed to be very hateful and narrow minded. That is except for Ethan Wate who wants nothing more than to get out of Gatlin. He spends his time reading and dreaming of the all of the places he'd rather be. When a new girl joins his class at school things become a lot more interesting for him. Lena Duchannes comes from an old family from Gatlin but is the first in twenty years to join the town and go to school although there she isn't accepted by her peers. At school she is called a Satanist and kids don't even want to be in the same room as her. Except Ethan. He sees that Lena is different and that is exactly what draws him to her. When Ethan discovers that Lena is a Caster (witch) he becomes even more fascinated. But their relationship is far from easy for them. Besides the town of haters, her family doesn't approve of her being friends with a mortal much less dating one. Then there's this little thing where Lena's powers can be claimed for the light or the dark on her sixteenth birthday and some type of curse where it appears that the Duchanne women keep being claimed for the dark. On top of that Lena's mother, Sarafine, and cousin, Ridley, both seem to be pulling for her powers to be claimed by the dark while Macon Ravenwood, Lena's uncle, is hoping they are claimed for the light. This is a major deal considering that she may be the most power Caster the world has ever seen. No pressure or anything.
Lena Duchannes is played by Alice Englert, a New Zealand actress born to oscar winning director Jane Campion and film maker Colin Englert. She has only been in a handful of films starting in 2006 but it wasn't anything that I have ever heard of but with parents like that she's bound of have had plenty of unofficial practice growing up. Plus, we've all go to start somewhere right?
Alden Enrenreich will bring the beloved southern gentleman Ethan Wate to life. Alden currently goes to NYU, has had appearances on the hit shows Supernatural and CSI, and will star in Running Wild that comes out later this year.
While the movie has some new comers there are some major big name favorites that will bring the town of Gatlin to life. Jeremy Irons, an Oscar winner who does the voice of Scar in The Lion King and is in blockbusters such as Die Hard, Eragon, and The Man in the Iron Mask will be playing Macon Ravenwood. Viola Davis, who won a Tony award for her work in theater and was in movies such as The Help and Disturbia will play Amma, the keeper of information and secrets about being a Caster. Emmy Rossum, who is on the Showtime show Shameless, was in the movies The Day After Tomorrow, and The Phantom of the Opera, will portray Ridley Duchannes. British actress Emma Thompson, who played Professor Trelawney in the Harry Potter movies, did the voice of Elinor in Brave, and starred as Nanny McPhee in the 2005 adaptation will play Mrs. Lincoln a "bible thumpin" hater, as Emma calls her, as well as Sarafine, Lena's dark mother.
The screenplay writer and director is Richard LaGravenese who was the screenwriter for other big movies such as the tear jerker P.S. I Love You as well as A Little Princess and Water for Elephants. He has several popular movies under his belt so with those type of writing skills and the killer cast he has to work with, Beautiful Creatures may just be one of his best movies to date.
Is anyone planning on spending there Valentine's Day at the movies? I'm think this is going to be a girl's night movie more that a Valentine's day movie for myself. Although Harry Potter will always take the cake for my witch/wizard book and movie I am looking forward to seeing this one.
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