The Fireside

  15 years ago today, the first Narnia film, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe , (which was also the first of the seven novels to be written and published) came out in cinemas. Some state that this first Narnia film is on-par, in terms of quality, to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. It has been integrated into my winter/Christmas movie watching. The soundtrack is great too,  and I typically listen to it every Christmas and throughout winter. To celebrate, I will be streaming the film on Disney+, followed by episode 6 of Prop Culture (also on Disney+), and then cap it all off with listening to the soundtrack later on.

On December 9 of this year, the first Narnia film turns 15. To celebrate the occasion, I have a request for Disney. For limited time, Disney put out a 4-disc edition extended edition on DVD, very similar to The Lord of the Rings extended editions. However, this only got released on DVD. For the 15th anniversary celebration, I think it would be great if Disney re-issued it on blu-ray, 4K blu-ray, and on Disney+. This would be a great time to revisit this set, though in HD & 4K. After all, DVDs don't look good on an HD screen, and even less so on a 4K one. For Disney+, the special features could go under the "extras" section, as well as the ability to choose between the theatrical edition or the extended edition of the film. The official product description reads: "Journey into the world of Narnia and share with your loved ones the most magical 4-disc DVD masterpiece ever! Venture deeper into a beloved fantasy world with this extended four-disc collection that p...

Today marks the 10th anniversary of James Cameron's Avatar (no, not the incredible Nickelodeon animated series, nor the crappy live action adaptation of it called The Last Airbender - which, I admit a better title to avoid confusion; though it's associated with that terrible film). The story should be the driving force of any film, and the story for Avatar .....well, it's been done before. Quite a few times actually. Cameron did a similar approach with Titanic - "Romeo and Juliet at Sea", essentially. So, looking at this film for the first time in...prolly 8 or 9 years (I saw it in the cinema, in glorious 2D ....) how does it hold up? Truth be told.....not that bad. Avatar was a technical marvel at its time, with the 3D aspect being a 'bonus.' In fact, virtually every major blockbuster from 2010 - 2017 (when 3D started to fizzle out) was made into 3D - usually converted in post-production after the films have finished shooting (in 2D). By today'...

My girlfriend & I had seen Frozen in theatres while it was playing a while ago, and we both loved it. For one, I was surprised by how much I did like it. I'm a fan of Disney. I grew up with some of their classic cartoons, and so did my sister. Some of them appealed to her more than me, and me more than her. But should I watch one of 'her' movies with her, I'd always enjoyed them. I also enjoyed Pixar's films (well, most of them).  Also, they aren't 'Disney' but I also enjoy Dreamworks stuff for the most part too. Just putting that out there.  Anyway, I was not expecting reaction to Frozen being as wild as it was. Disney tried to re-enter their nostalgic / princess phase a few times in the past. I was glad for the 'non' CG look of The Princess and the Frog , but something from movie was missing. It was good, but I was expecting something 'different'.  Brave by Pixar came along and I enjoyed that. Again, not the story I w...

This post examines a film series I enjoy, and would like to see continue right til the end.

The next movie for me to review is Disney's newest (and one of their best!), Frozen. I'm working my way backwards from The Hobbit (Part 2) so after this review will be Catching Fire .