Friday, August 29, 2014

Lord Voldemort costumes and Horcrux props from Harry Potter on display...

You know when a villain is truly evil when you dare not speak his name, but even though J .K. Rowling's 'Lord Voldemort' was a cunning creature, he was still defeated by Harry Potter and his loyal friends. If you're a fan of 'Tom Riddle' who split his soul in eight through murder, then you'll love these costumes worn by the dark wizard and the magical horcruxes where his divided soul resided.

Original Lord Voldemort costume worn by Ralph Fiennes 
in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Ralph Fiennes Lord Voldemort costume Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2
Lord Voldemort movie costume Harry Potter Deathly Hallows
These eerie wizarding robes worn by Ralph Fiennes as the dark lord in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 were designed by Jany Temime and photographed on display upstairs at the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour Museum on July 29, 2014.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie poster
Voldemort Harry Potter Deathly Hallows 2 movie poster
Using the dark magics on his quest for immortality Voldemort intentionally created six horcruxes and unintentionally made Harry Potter himself as horcrux, though the part of his soul that resides inside his human form means he actually split his soul in eight.

When Harry Potter realizes that the only way he stands a chance of killing Voldemort is to destroy all his horcruxes, he sets out with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in The Deathly Hallows movies to destroy them all.

Voldemort's Horcruxes on display 
Lord Voldemort Horcruxes Harry Potter movies
Rowena Ravenclaw Diadem Voldemort Horcrux Harry Potter
Voldemort Horcrux familiar snake Nagini prop
Voldemort Horcrux snake Nagini head prop
Tom Riddle's diary Basilisk fang prop Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
Tom Riddle's diary Basilisk fang prop Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
Voldemort placed his soul into many objects owned by the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem (or tiara) which was destroyed by Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement, Salazar Slytherin's Locket which was destroyed by Ron with the Sword of Gryffindor and Helga Hufflepuff's Cup which was destroyed by Hermione with a basilisk fang.

Marvalo Gaunt's Ring, inset with the Resurrection Stone, was destroyed by Hogwarts Headmaster 'Albus Dumbledore', whilst Voldemort's deadly familiar snake horcrux 'Nagini' was killed by Harry's classmate 'Neville Longbottom' with the Sword of Gryffindor.

Another of Voldemort's horcruxes, Tom Riddle's Diary, was destroyed by Harry with a basilisk fang in The Chamber of Secrets when the diary had unknowingly possessed Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie poster
Voldemort Harry Potter Deathly Hallows 2 poster
Another of Lord Voldemort's costumes on display was this hooded cape worn by the dark wizard in the first movie from 2001, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S.), when he is discovered feeding on unicorn's blood in the Dark Forest. This sinister cape was designed by Judianna Makovsky and evokes the Dark Riders from The Lord of the Rings movies.

Lord Voldemort Dark Forest cape from 
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Voldemort Dark Forest cape Harry Potter Philosopher's Stone
Voldemort hooded cape Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Voldemort cape Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone
If you're a fan of the magical books and movies, be sure to check out more screen-used movie costumes and props from Harry Potter on display.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Professor Gilderoy Lockhart and Professor Sprout costumes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets...

In addition to housing original costumes and props used in all seven Batman movies to date, the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour Museum also has an extensive exhibition of screen-used Harry Potter movie artifacts on display upstairs from all eight magical feature films.

Original movie costumes and props from 
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on display
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie costumes props
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Baby Mandrake prop
Professor Sprout costume Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Two of my favourite discoveries on July 29, 2014 were the costumes worn by Kenneth Branagh as the dashing Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, 'Professor Gilderoy Lockhart', and Miriam Margolyes as Hogwarts Herbology teacher, 'Professor Sprout', in the second cinematic installment from 2002, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Also included with this display was a selection of props appropriate to each Hogwarts teacher, the books written by Gilderoy Lockhart and even a Baby Mandrake prop from when Professor Sprout was teaching the second year students how to re-pot the plant creatures.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie poster
Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets movie poster
The costumes in this Harry Potter movie were designed by Lindy Hemming, whose work can also be seen in the costumes from The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Original costume worn by Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout 
in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Miriam Margolyes Professor Sprout costume Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
Professor Sprout film costume Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
Professor Sprout costume back Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
The earthy outfit worn by Miriam Margolyes also comes complete with ear-muffs to protect her from the cries of the Mandrakes.

By contrast to Professor Sprout's practical gardening attire, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart's wardrobe is far more extravagant, with cape, crest and detailed embroidery, befitting his flamboyant and vain personality.

Original costume worn by Kenneth Branagh 
as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Kenneth Branagh Professor Gilderoy Lockhart costume Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
Professor Gilderoy Lockhart costume Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
Gilderoy Lockhart glove costume detail Harry Potter
Gilderoy Lockhart film costume Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
Gilderoy Lockhart cape costume detail Harry Potter
Gilderoy Lockhart may have been Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts but his wizarding accomplishments were mainly lies, and the fraudster eventually got his comeuppance when his memory-erasing charm backfired on himself when he tried to use it on Harry and Ron.

If you like Lockhart's elaborate style, you may also like this Prince Charming costume from TV's Once Upon a Time.

Plus if you're a fan of J. K. Rowling's magical world, be sure to stay tuned for more original Harry Potter costumes, models and props in the weeks to come.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Life-size Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello statue on display...

For a change of pace today I thought it would be nice to take a break from Batman movie costumes and props, and feature this cool life-size 'Donatello' promotional statue from Paramount's 2014 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie franchise reboot based on the 80's comic books by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

Life-size Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Life-size Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello statue
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello statue
Life-size Donatello Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Donatello 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Donatello Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles statue
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello cinema statue
This promotional theatre statue was on display at ArcLight Hollywood cinema on August 16, 2014, and even though it's not an actual costume or prop from the movie, I thought for the more ambitious cosplayers it would be a useful tool for costume reference and would also be something cool for fans of the film to enjoy too.

In the movie Donatello, named after the Italian sculptor, is played by Jeremy Howard and created via elaborate CGI to bring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to life, but this is still a pretty detailed cinema standee with his gadgets and signature bo staff (although he seems to be missing his spectacles).

Cowabunga dudes!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie billboard
Donatello Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie billboard

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Alicia Silverstone's Batgirl movie costume and more from Batman & Robin on display...

Aside from the dumbed-down plot and high-camp performances, one of the many problems with the fourth entry in the Batman franchise was the inclusion of too many characters, as not only did 1997's Batman & Robin feature three supervillains ('Mr. Freeze', 'Poison Ivy' and 'Bane'), but it also introduced a third hero into the mix in the form of 'Batgirl', played by Clueless star Alicia Silverstone.

Original movie costumes from 1997's Batman & Robin
Alicia Silverstone Batgirl movie costume Batman and Robin
Batman and Robin movie costumes props
Batman and Robin hero movie costumes
In addition to Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy movie costume and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze cyro-suit costume, the 75th Anniversary Batman Exhibit at the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour Museum on July 29, 2014 also featured the superhero costumes worn by Alicia Silverstone, Chris O'Donnell and George Clooney (as the latest actor to play Batman).

Not only does the exhibition have fantastic costumes and props from all seven Batman movies, but many of the display mannequins even feature waxwork likenesses of the actors, complete with hair and special effects makeup, especially important in the case of villains like The Joker, The Penguin and Two-Face, which really help to complete their on-screen looks.

Batman & Robin movie poster
Batman and Robin movie poster
Ingrid Ferrin and Robert Turturice were Costume Designers on Joel Schumacher's second Batman movie which introduced Batgirl as the newest addition to the caped and cowled family, as the infamous Dynamic Duo became the Talented Trio, Tremendous Trio, Terrible Trio?!? You decide.

Original Batgirl costume worn by Alicia Silverstone 
in 1997's Batman & Robin
Alicia Silverstone 1997 Batgirl movie costume
Batgirl film costume Batman and Robin
Alicia Silverstone 1997 Batgirl costume Batman and Robin
Original Batgirl movie costume Batman Robin
In the movie the actress played 'Barbara Wilson', the niece of Bruce Wayne's butler, 'Alfred Pennyworth'. Attending an English boarding school after the death of her parents in a car accident, she chooses to visit her uncle when she discovers he has a rare, life-threatening disease.

She wears this Bat-suit, designed for her by Alfred, and defeats Poison Ivy to save Batman and Robin. All three join together to help prevent Mr. Freeze's new ice-age and in the process discover a cure for Alfred's illness. Although, it must be hard fighting crime (and running) in those high heels.

Original Batman and Robin movie costumes 
worn by George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell
Original 1997 Batman and Robin movie costumes
Batman and Robin movie costume capes
Chris O'Connell George Clooney Batman Robin movie costumes
George Clooney Bat-suit Batman and Robin
George Clooney Batsuit boots Batman Robin
Batman and Robin movie costumes
In this fourth installment Chris O'Donnell reprised his role as 'Dick Grayson', aka Batman's sidekick 'Robin', although this time his costume bears more of a resemblance to his Nightwing alter-ego from his DC Comics adventures.

If you're a fan of the actor and the character, be sure to check out his red-breasted Robin costume from Batman Returns on display too.

Meanwhile George Clooney became the third actor to play the Caped Crusader after Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer in the first three movies, and sported this all-black Bat-suit in this film sequel.

Batman & Robin movie poster
1997 Batman and Robin movie poster
Every Bat-Hero's utility belt needs a selection of Bat-themed tools and the exhibit for this movie also had a cool selection of screen-used props to peruse.

Screen-used Batman & Robin movie models and props
Batman and Robin Batmobile model
Screen-used Batman & Robin film props
Batman Robin Poison Ivy Mr Freeze movie props
Batman and Robin movie props
Batman and Robin Bat-Cuffs film prop
Screen-used Batman and Robin movie props
There was a Batmobile model hanging on the wall, plus props used by Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze in the film, plus various tools, Bat-Cuffs and throwing weapons used by our heroes in their efforts to defeat their enemies and save Gotham City.

Batman & Robin may not have been the best movie to watch (and almost killed off the Batman film franchise), but seeing all these authentic costumes and props up close and mostly out of display cases was a real delight.

Stay tuned in the days to come for more amazing costumes and props from Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.