Fantasy

Once Upon a Time – The Complete Fifth Season

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Once Upon a Time – Season Five
  • wiki: link

Once Upon a Time - The Complete Fifth SeasonThe Fifth Season of Once Upon a Time offers trips to the Enchanted Forest, Camelot, and the Underworld while also delivering Emma Swan‘s (Jennifer Morrison) far-too-temporary time as new Dark One. Season Five is somewhat frustrating as it explores some interesting ideas only to forcibly reset the status quo by the end of the season. I equally enjoyed Emma in the role of reluctant villain and Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) forced into playing hero, but shoving both characters back into their boxes by mid-season destroys all the momentum heading into the Underworld arc.

Highlights include Amy Manson‘s recurring role as Merida, the return of Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Ruby (Meghan Ory) and their adventure in Oz, events in Camelot finally explained, the introduction of the first Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin’s reunion with his wife, the introduction of Gaston (Wes Brown), and the truth behind Henry‘s (Jared Gilmore) heartbreak.

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Pete’s Dragon

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Pete’s Dragon
  • IMDb: link

Pete's Dragon1977’s Pete’s Dragon is a goofy live-action kid’s movie about an orphan who gets into trouble thanks to a clumsy invisible dragon named Elliot. Something around the lines of The Apple Dumpling Gang mashed up with Mary Poppins, it’s a movie I remember from my childhood, but not well. To be honest, the announcement of a remake didn’t really interest me. However, Disney’s entirely new take on the tale proves to be a far more memorable adventure.

As much, if not more, descended from King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, and The Jungle Book than the original film, Pete’s Dragon is a surprisingly engaging and moving story about a lost kid named Pete (Oakes Fegley) and his pet dragon Elliot who finds the youngster in the middle of the woods after a tragic accident leaves Pete alone in the world.

If we’re stuck in an age of remakes, reboots, and sequels, Pete’s Dragon is an example of how you can improve on the original by adding depth to what was originally little more than a kiddie film. Although the 3D didn’t impress me, as the movie looked too dark in spots, the story lit up the screen.

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Warcraft

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Warcraft
  • IMDb: link

WarcraftA good video-game movie is something of an oxymoron. The genre has produced dreadful results over the years including (but not limited to) the likes of Max Payne, Super Mario Bros., Hitman, Alone in the Dark, and Doom. Even the ones that prove watchable fit more into the “so bad they’re good” category than on any merit of their own.

Given the huge success of World of Warcraft, it’s not surprising that the some form of the Blizzard game made it into theaters. I’m actually shocked it took this long. That the movie isn’t awful puts it ahead of many of its predecessors. That it isn’t altogether that good is less surprising.

Set on the planet of Azeroth, the script by director Duncan Jones and Charles Leavitt shuffles between the native humans and the race of invading Orcs. In each case the movie gives us a central warrior to help focus that half of the story. There is plenty of fan bait to be had with broad and small nods to the game, but where the game allows you to explore the vast world of Azeroth this version proves mostly empty as we are teased with locations that remain unexplored.

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Alice Through the Looking Glass

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Alice Through the Looking Glass
  • IMDb: link

Alice Through the Looking GlassOther than the bizarre Burtonian designs of the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) I remember almost nothing of 2010’s Alice in Wonderland. Six years later Tim Burton reassembles the cast for a sequel one studio executive, and possibly some other people somewhere, thought would be a good idea. Six years from now I wonder if I will remember anything about this film.

With Burton taking a backseat as producer this time around, James Bobin (The Muppets, The Muppets Most Wanted) steps into the director’s chair. Burton’s fingerprints are all over the film so we can’t really call it Bobin’s movie, but there are some humorous touches that could come from the director.

Set several years after the first film, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is now a ship’s captain who is pulled back into Wonderland by either A) a friend in need or B) her inability to deal with the stress losing her ship to her ex-fiance. You can decide for yourself whether you believe Alice is an adventurer or a troubled young woman with mental problems she deals with through detailed hallucinations.

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Red Sonja #5

/ / Comics

Red Soja #5Red Sonja‘s return to Hyrkania continues as King Savas makes Midyan his captive and plans to use a Red Sonja impersonator to win the support of his people. As for the real She-Devil with a Sword, she has her hands full with taming a Roc for most of this issue. Finally taming the giant bird of legend, Sonja is ready to return to her friends and lead a rebellion against Savas and the throne.

I’m far from a regular reader of Red Sonja. Sure, I’ll jump in from time to time but there’s usually not enough going on to keep my interest for long. Red Sonja #5 marks my first foray into the new series by Marguerite Bennett and artist Aneke. I was able to catch-up on events fairly quickly. And even if Sonja is absent from a large chunk of the story having to deal with the politics inside the Hyrkanian palace, she still gets her opportunity to shine hunting and taming the bird of legend.

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