Fantasy

Once Upon a Time – Fall

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Once Upon a Time – Fall
  • wiki: link

Once Upon a Time - Fall

In the final day before the Snow Queen‘s (Elizabeth Mitchell) spell of Shattered Sight descends on Storybrooke the residents prepare for the worst. Realizing Anna‘s (Elizabeth Lail) previous exposure to the spell might hold the key to breaking the curse, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) redoubles her efforts into helping Elsa (Georgina Haig) find her sister. By the end of the episode the sisters will indeed be reunited while flashbacks offer a look back at Anna’s unusual journey to Storybrooke.

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Mockingjay Part 1

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
  • IMDb: link

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1After two films of murder games by children building up to a rebellion stoked by class warfare the latest entry into The Hunger Games franchise offers only more build-up. Deciding to break the final book of the series into two parts, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is nearly all set-up with no payoff in sight for at least a full year until next Fall (if ever).

Set an indeterminate period of time following the events of the last film, Jennifer Lawrence returns as reluctant hero Katniss Everdeen rescued at the end of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and recruited by the survivors of District 13 (the most well-funded and fully stocked secret underground rebellion in the history of cinema) to be the face of their revolution against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the Capitol.

Mockingjay does offer something new as it delves into rebellion, propaganda, and the physical and emotional toll of Snow’s policies towards those who defy him. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, and Elizabeth Banks return as Katniss’ support system and Julianne Moore steps in as the leader of the rebellion with access to enough hair products to never have a single strand out of place.

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Once Upon a Time – Smash the Mirror

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Once Upon a Time – Smash the Mirror
  • wiki: link

Once Upon a Time - Smash the Mirror

Failing to control her powers, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) turns to Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) for help to take her magic away. Seizing on the opportunity to acquire the magic energy necessary to fill the hat and move one-step closer to breaking the dagger’s control of him, Mr. Gold happily obliges (although he does fail to mention he plans to trap Emma inside the magic hat along with her magic). Although he’s sat on the sidelines for most of the season, helping out here or there when it benefited him most, the true faces of Rumpelstiltskin emerges here as the villain plans to sacrifice his grandson’s mother for his own ends and collect the other necessary ingredient for his spell: the heart of Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue).

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How to Train Your Dragon 2

/ / Home Video
  • Title: How to Train Your Dragon 2
  • IMDb: link

How to Train Your Dragon 2Set a few years after the events of the first film, How to Train Your Dragon 2 continues the hero’s journey of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless and the rest of the dragon riders of Birk as Hiccup finds his long-lost mother Valka (Cate Blanchett) and squares off against a dragon army led by the villainous Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou).

How to Train Your Dragon 2 works as well for me on Blu-ray as it did in theaters (and some of the emotional beats even work better a second time). Given the quality of the first two films, I hope we see this series continue for a long time. For more on the movie, check out my original review.

The Blu-ray includes DVD and UV digital copies of the film along with a half-hour short explaining the creation of Birk’s dragon races, deleted scenes, trailers, and short featurettes on Hiccup’s inventions, Drago’s weapons, the various dragons in the film, and Birk.

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Once Upon a Time – Family Business

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Once Upon a Time – Family Business
  • wiki: link

Once Upon a Time - Family Business

Continuing this season’s Frozen storyline, “Family Business” doesn’t focus on the Snow Queen (Elizabeth Mitchell) or Elsa (Georgina Haig) but on Belle (Emilie de Ravin) who we learn has been keeping a secret concerning Elsa’s lost sister Anna (Elizabeth Lail). Consumed with guilt, Belle uses he dagger (which I forget whether it’s real or not at this point) to force her husband into helping her not aware that what she’s looking for is already in his possession. Flashbacks to the episode not only offer a look at Belle’s trip to Arendelle and the tragic meeting with Anna but also provide the moment where Belle first learned the name Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle).

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