Tag Archives: Colonel Hyrum Graff

Harrison Ford Throws First Pitch at Dodger Stadium

Posted by ausomejen on

Last night at the Dodger Stadium was a night of celebration where the team commemorated the baseball legend Jackie Robinson. With the team players wearing the famous number 42 and the recent premiere of the movie “42″, which chronicles the struggle of baseball player Jackie Robinson, they also began the night with Harrison Ford, “Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey in the biopic” and Colonel Hyrum Graff in Ender’s Game, throwing the ceremonial first pitch.

You can see Ford shaking hands with the Los Angeles Dodger’s Star player Matt Kemp and alongside Basketball legend Magic Johnson and Robinson’s wife Rachel Robinson.

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Pictures courtesy of Dailymail.

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Harrison Ford to Receive CinemaCon’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Posted by ausomejen on

Boxoffice.com is reporting that CinemaCon’s convention Managing Director Mitch Neuhauser announced that Harrison Ford, Colonel Hyrum Graff, will receive the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the “CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony Thursday, April 18.

With a career spanning five decades, Harrison Ford has brought some of the most memorable characters of our time alive on the big screen,” noted Neuhauser. “From Han Solo to Indiana Jones, he has showcased his innate ability to embrace and mold these remarkable roles into characters that will forever be remembered by movie lovers around the world for decades to come. We could not be more honored to present this years ‘CinemaCon® Lifetime Achievement Award’ to such a remarkable actor, Harrison Ford.”

CinemaCon will be held from April 15-18, 2013 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cinequest Film Festival Awards Harrison Ford

Posted by ausomejen on

On March 3rd Cinequest awarded Harrison Ford, Colonel Hyrum Graff, with the Maverick Spirit award at their 23rd Film Festival. NBC Bay Area got a chance to go one-on-one with the actor himself. You can check out the interview video at NBCBayArea.com.

Orson Scott Card Speaks About Ender’s Game Film

Posted by ausomejen on

A tip to EnderWiggin.Net lead to a revelation of videos that show Orson Scott Card (OSC) speaking at a book signing for his new book Ruins in Orem, Utah where he talks about the Ender’s Game Film.

Arriving to the scene he starts off with no hesitation talking about the Ender’s Game movie. (No one complained there) Joking about having been offered a part in the film with some cool uniforms but turned it down because he would “improve the movie” that way. However, if you didn’t know OSC does have a voiceover part in a scene with Harrison Ford (Colonel Hyrum Graff) and Asa Butterfield (Ender Wiggin). It’s only a pilot’s voice in a shuttle when Graff and Ender head to Battle School. He doesn’t appear on screen (no face shot that is) but he was and is entwined with the film at least. Which should be relieving for fans, I believe.

He continues on with explaining the post production of the film, the translation of book to film (specifically and especially Ender’s Game), and the experience he had visiting the set and working with Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield.

Part 2: OSC goes on to talk about Harrison Ford as an actor and person.Paraphrasing what he said is that when you see Harrison Ford on set he is shy and quiet so much different then the persona we get from him on screen or TV. He talks about some general movie techniques and the process and work of filming scenes in Ender’s Game.

OSC states he has met the other child actors in the movie which leads to a talk about the battle room creation with CGI and wirework. Which is very cool to hear even though it’s physics, so I advice you to listen closely to that.

OSC seems very confident in the movie’s production. What more can fans ask for? The author approves with the change of story from book to film, why shouldn’t we? (Unless you are very sensitive to scenes and/or characters then it’s just heartbreaking to see them cut from the story). With his advisement I think everyone should just go see the film at least once. It’s a new age of technology that can most likely create almost anything one desires to see.

There are three more parts to this book signing. Go and check them out here: part 3 part 4 part 5

Ender’s Game Questions Answered

Posted by claryslay on

Today, some questions about the film were answered on the official Ender’s Game production blog. Here are the answers:

Valentine asks:

As fans of the book, what is your favorite scene from the book? Do you have a different favorite scene from the movie?

I always loved the scenes within the Mind Game that Ender believes he plays for recreation in the orbiting battle school.  Part video game, part psychological test, and if you know the book, part something extraordinary that shouldn’t be given away for those who have not read the book.  As for my favorite scene from the movie, we are still filming it so I haven’t seen it yet!

Reuben asks:

Question to Mr. Orci — How has this production differed from past (and other current) projects? I’m especially interested to know how you feel about the cast’s interactions and your feelings about the script, now that you see it ‘in action’.

Let’s see.  Well first, though I have had some experience with bringing beloved stories to the screen that had intelligent and rabid fan bases like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3, TRANSFORMERS, and STAR TREK, this is the first movie with a pre-existing fan base I have worked on that I didn’t write.  This means I that got the chance to evaluate the material merely as a fan.  Gavin’s script made me jealous, but it was also a relief that he had satisfied what I would want as a fan from a difficult adaptation.  Also, I have never worked with so many talented young actors who became friends so fast under such amazing circumstances.  Seeing Asa, who plays Ender, and Hailee, who plays Petra, floating high above the set and getting the giggles was amazing and frightening all at once.  They laughed for like twenty minutes, which as a producer on a clock eager to finish your shooting day can give you a heart attack.  But soon we all had the giggles, and the joy of it overcame the panic.

Chris Neumann asks:

What are the visual influences for the movie? Syd Mead or Star Trek? 2001 or Armageddon? Jon Berkey or Michael Bay?

Visual influences?  One thing I can tell you is that Gavin Hood is a gigantic Stanley Kubrick fan, and it shows.  And yet, in some of the Zero G battles, things are going on that Kubrick never had a chance to tackle.  The technology and advancements in film making available to us allowed us to realize a vision that is totally unique and modern while also being, as Harrison Ford calls it, one of the most emotional science fiction movies he has ever seen.

William Harley asks:

How much time is going to be spent on developing Graff’s relationship with Ender? To me, those insights into the command level of the school really brought out the meaning of leadership and how to tackle the challenges that come up.

The relationship between Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and Ender (Asa Butterfield) is key to the movie’s success.  Graff would love nothing more than to be Ender’s friend, yet Graff can’t always show it because he has to make it clear to Ender that in the event of another alien invasion, there will be no one available to help him.  Their relationship is simultenously heartbreaking and fun.

Paul2012 asks:

Is it a movie for adults, about kids, or a kids movie? I hope for the former.

Like the book, the movie Ender’s Game is about young protagonists dealing with one of the most adult situations known to man: WAR.  We don’t soft peddle it, yet we don’t shy away from the fun of being in space and learning amazing new skills that we would all want to learn at any age.

As we know, many scenes in the movie aren’t in the book. As OSC said when he visited the set:

The scene does not come from the book – very few of the scenes in this movie do – so it was amusing when others asked me how it felt to have my book brought to life. My book was already alive in the mind of every reader. This is writer-director Gavin Hood’s movie, so they were his words, and it was his scene.

So, of course, we’ll have favorite movie scenes and favorite book scenes. This is actually really exciting, I love book to film adaptations that change it up a bit. I’m also really excited to see how Graff and Ender’s relationship is shown. Harrison Ford is one of my favorites, so I’m already stoked as it is. I completely agree with what was written above, though. I can see why Graff and Ender’s relationship is key to the movie’s success. I really hope they capture that feeling of complete forced independence that Ender has in the book. I think that’s part of what makes him such a strong character. And the way Graff has to treat him contributes to this greatly.

What are your thoughts so far?

Harrison Ford as Colonel Hyrum Graff

Posted by tfgeekgirl on

Harrison Ford signed on last year to play the manipulative, more oft tyrannical Colonel Hyrum Graff, the man in charge of Battle School. But this character is not the antagonist of the story. In fact, he’s actually the one who recruited young Ender Wiggin, and although his training methods are a bit on the sadistic side, it’s not like he doesn’t care about Ender.

So, what’s the deal with this character? Well, Graff knows what it entails to win a war and that’s how he’s playing it. He’s not looking to torture anyone in his charge or cause strife just because he can, but he knows that it takes a lot of sacrifice, both physically and emotionally to be victorious, which is why he takes things as far as he does. It is, however, perceived that Graff plays a kind of father figure to Ender, considering Ender is separated from his actual family for most of the time he’s in school. Okay, so Graff is more into the “tough love” mentality than anything else.

So, with that in mind, Harrison Ford as the Colonel? Why, certainly! He’s definitely proved himself to be able to play multi-layered characters, and Graff falls into that category. Take, for instance, one of his most famous roles – Han Solo. Mercenary, one who shoots first, smooth talker, money grubber, loyal friend, Rebel fighter. I’m already sold on this.

Aesthetically speaking, the only thing that could bother me is that Harrison has never really been fat in any of his roles, correct? Graff, on the other hand, changes physically during the story due to his stress eating. Whether or not this will actually happen in the movie, do you think he’s willing to do it if they request it? Can he?? Would you be okay with it if they don’t have any intention to make that part of the storyline?

Also, what kind of Harrison will we be getting? The one with the beard, or the clean shaven one? I for one, think that it Graff would be a much stronger looking colonel with a beard. It could also help add weight to his face if needed. What do you think?  Will Ford’s presence in the film draw in the crowds or will his recent spate of under-performed movies make them hesitate?  Do you think they should’ve negotiated harder for Viggo Mortenson instead (as he was their first pick)?  Or would you have preferred someone younger/older?