The Fireside

  I was initially quite skeptical about the Fantastic Beasts franchise. It took a later trailer (the final one, I believe?) for me to actually get interested. I've reviewed the first two films, but recently I've seen the latest title, The Secrets of Dumbledore . I'll give that a review, then break down why I believe the the franchise (not Harry Potter, not Wizarding World, just the Fantastic Beasts films) aren't quite working. The film picks up some time after The Crimes of Grindelwald . Because it's been a few years (for both the audience, as well as in the chronology of the films) we get somewhat-reintroduced to the characters, and brief recaps here and there as we catch up with familiar faces. Nothing from The Crimes of Grindelwald is flat-out 'retconned' per se, but all the multiple story angles and elements are somewhat down-played. The primary focus of the film is of Dumbledore (played very well by Jude Law) and Grindelwald (played by Mads Mikkelsen,...

  I'm now about over 3/4 the way through the 4th of 6 books in the Dune Saga; and I always thought that it would be neat if they did a trilogy of films, which covered the first Dune book (which is big) as well as the second one, Dune Messiah (regular length book). Here's hoping that those plans will happen..... Here's an excerpt from this Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(2021_film) Depending on your screen, that may be a bit tricky to read. I've got my tickets to see Dune ("Part 1", as it seems) in Cineplex's UltraAVX format. That, and Landmark's Xtreme format are both the Canadian equal to Dolby Cinema, in that they both offer Dolby Atmos. I'm unsure if they offer Dolby Vision, as both Dolby Atmos & Dolby Vision together 'make' Dolby Cinema. Either way, make sure you get out and see the film (or stream via HBO Max). Dolby Cinema (or UltraAVX, or Xtreme) is THE best way to see this film in cinemas, so try for th...

  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.

  At long last, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy arrives on 4K! The set that this blog post is about features theatrical and extended editions of the trilogy (though no special features, more on that later) and the gift set features nicer packaging, and a replica of The One Ring (unsure who by at this point). While the set is in 4K, and features Dolby Atmos, these films will likely - this is, as of now, unconfirmed - feature the same transfer that the blu-ray editions did. In 2021, there's going to be a new restoration/remaster, and that set will likely included special features discs. Expect that to be out for the 20th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring at the very latest. The set I'm discussing in this post, though, is due to be out this December. It's targeted at those who want the films on 4K, and don't care for special features or bonus material. If you would like more info, I'd like to direct to TheOneRing.Net's announcement: https://www.theoner...

  It has recently been announced that for the 30th anniversary of The Godfather: Part III , Francis Ford Coppola is re-cutting the film in a new version, titled: The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone . This a lengthy post, divided into three parts. The first, is about The Death of Corleone and the second would be about different edits/versions of the films, and ending with what I can see the 4K release containing. Blog Post: Part I - The Godfather: Part III and The Death of Michael Corleone To read the official announcement, go here: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/godfather-part-iii-ending-new-version-theaters-1234758590/?fbclid=IwAR3Xa3jn2QhMggqL5BPTEY-21OrxAzsrAzIZhBXJSqHgNoTn75Na3JQSX6o . However for convenience of reading a blog post, I'll be putting relevant info in this post directly. " 'Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone' is an acknowledgement of Mario's and my preferred title and our original intentions...

 In preparation of Zack Snyder's version of Justice Leauge actually (finally?) coming into being, I wanted to re-visit the first two entries of the DC universe ahead of time - which are also his movies - Man of Steel , and Batman v Superman (or I'll sometimes refer to it by it's subtitle, Dawn of Justice ). Before starting this post, however, I want to express this: I both love films, and comic books. Sometimes, finding that 'happy medium' between the two can be tricky. The other is, I'm essentially a "DC". (remember that parody video that spoofed the 'Are You an Apple or a PC' commercial titled 'Are You a Marvel or a DC?') I've always, overall, liked DC more of the two - better stories in the comics, better animated material. However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is unquestionably good when it came to the realm of live action content. With a few minor exceptions, from 2008 with Iron Man to 2019's Avengers: Endgame , w...

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'...

This is my first in a series of posts wherein I'll delve into what I like to call 'failed franchises'. This series is about films, or series of films, that have come to an unexpected end, or did not flat-out do well, in one sense or many. There's some slight bias, as this series of posts will cover some films that I personally hoped would do well, and get sequels. It goes without saying, as you can see above, that I'll be starting with Narnia. The first film, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe , was released in December of 2005. It was quite successful in pretty much every sense in the word. From the first trailer (and just the way the film's logo was designed) you could tell that they were gearing up for a franchise. Disney and Walden Media obviously had hopes to adapt all seven books, in published order. Hence, why they began with the first Narnia book that was published. Narnia is a series, although it's more 'episodic' in nature, and d...

The Hobbit: Part 3  is pretty much headed out of theaters, and should be arriving on DVD / blu-ray etc in a few months. Some web sites, such as Amazon, are offering it up as pre-orders. But, as is custom, this will * NOT * be the extended edition. I am holding out for the extended edition trilogy box set on blu-ray myself, which should come out the same day as the rest of the extended editions for Part 3 . The theatrical version will be arriving on DVD, blu-ray, 3D blu-ray and digital. As of now, there is no trilogy set. This post is to let you know that there is a better version of the film coming out a few months later - just like with The Lord of the Rings , and the first two Hobbit  films.  

Well, it's time of year again - the Oscar nominations have been announced! The Golden Globes are essentially a 'road map' to the Oscars (and the Emmys, I guess). Either way, here they are and who I would like to each category I am interested in, where applicable. 

As you saw; either in theaters or courtesy of my latest blog post, The Hobbit  trilogy is finished. Peter Jackson's Middle-earth film saga has concluded. There are still some things to look forward to, at least on my end of things - the extended edition trilogy on blu-ray, a possible Complete Recordings of The Hobbit... but it seems I am nearing the end of my fantasy movie fix. There's no real telling of when we'll get the fourth Narnia  film, The Silver Chair , but the Narnia  chronicles are more light hearted than the Peter Jackson films. I do, however, see the light at the end of the tunnel. Enter Warcraft.  The film, due out in March 2016, is based on the very first PC game, Warcraft . I have played that game, Warcraft II, a bit of Warcraft III, and about a year and half worth of World of Warcraft . That sounds like a lot on paper, but really, I am pretty much unfamiliar with the mythos. I am quite interested and hopeful about the forthcoming film. I believ...

Well, this is it. Most likely the final Middle-earth film to ever be released. Herein, I shall review the film, spoiler-free.

As 2014 winds down, I am looking ahead to see what movies coming up in the next bit interest me. So, here is a look as of now...

There is a strong chance that The Hobbit (Part 3)  will be the last-ever Middle-earth movie. Peter Jackson stated this earlier which clears up any fans' hopes for future films (by him) : "The Tolkien estate owns the writings of Professor Tolkien.  The Hobbit  and  The Lord of the Rings  were sold by Professor Tolkien in the late '60s, the film rights,"  "They are the only two works of his that have ever been sold ... So without the cooperation of the Tolkien Estate, there can't be any more films." So there you have it. As I've known for quite a while, other films such as parts of The Silmarillion, or Children of Hurin  cannot, legally, be made. However, I can see future films as something like.... The Fellowship of the Ring  takes places 60 years after  The Hobbit . If more films are made between those two timespans, or other elements of the story not seen on film taking focus (especially The Lord of the Rings . The book is v...

I am not a big fan of young adult material, all that much. I've read, and enjoyed all seven of the Harry Potter books, and also enjoyed the films. There have been a few other YA books and movies since (and during) that, intentional or not, have tried to recreate (or 'cash-in', depending on your viewpoint) that level of quality, immersion and sizeable fanbase.  I believe that The Hunger Games  while possibly not the 'next' Harry Potter, is possibly the best young adult books (and films) since.  I was pleasantly surprised after reading the first book (and the rest of the trilogy) by the the story, as well as the fact that I enjoyed it as much as I did.  I was also surprised by the first film (as I was with a few of the Harry Potter films) that a movie this good could come from YA literature - it is a force to be reckoned with, that genre. Without a doubt, Jennifer Lawrence is the best aspect of that first film.  And, the same goes with Catching Fire , t...