Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2016 6 out of 10

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them   2016  6 out of 10

It took me awhile to get around to watching this expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter beyond the Potter books.   When the trailer came out it just didn't really excite me.  I finally watched it this weekend and I guess my original feeling about the trailer rang true.  Despite the film being filled with magic on screen the story and characters didn't feel magicial to me.   It was missing something the films based on the Harry Potter book series had.  

I was about 35 minutes into the film and was already looking at the DVD time counter to see how much longer the film was.  At this point in the film they go into the magical suitcase which is a home for a bunch of mysterious and incredible creatures.  The creatures themselves were cool and interesting --but the story had already lost my attention,   The world inside the suitcase was the most interesting part of the movie and yet it just felt like a trip the zoo.    

The plot played out like a Men in Black movie with the main character a Wizard named Newt  (played by Eddie Redmayne) getting a Muggle (Dan Fogler) involved in his adventure to gather some of the animals that had escaped from his magical suitcase. Unlike Men in Black the film lacked humor, it tried to be funny --but never really succeeded.  Two of the creatures that they try and track down include a strange platypus looking creature that steals gems and gold and a giant "Horny" Rhino that they track to the zoo. Both of the scenes were meant to be funny, but didn't make me laugh at all.   I never found myself caring about the main character which makes it hard to really get into the film. 

The plot was just dark and dull.   Despite great special effects and a nice wizard wand duel at the end of the film it just didn't take me to the magical world that the other Potter films did.  I know that this movie takes place in the Harry Potter universe --but it didn't feel the same.  It felt like a Harry Potter knock-off instead of a continuation of the Potterverse. 

I would say skip this non-Potter adventure and re watch some of the original series if you are looking for fun.

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2016 8 out of 10

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2016 8 out of 10

Tim Burton is definitely an odd one and if you didn't know better you would think this is one of his own stories.   The series of books that it is based on was meant to land in front of Tim Burton's camera.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is basically an X-Men movie if the X-Men were a bunch of strange children living in a time loop to protect them from Samuel L Jackson in a wig with a bunch of strange followers.  Eva Green stars in the usual Helen Bonham role Carter as Miss Peregrine.  Asa Butterfield (Ender's Game)  plays the main character Jacob that discovers after his grandfather dies that he is a Peculiar child himself.  His weird power is that he can see the monsters that are trying to kill the Peculiar Children.  

The movie features the typical Tim Burton visual style.   The gardens of Miss Peregrine's home look like they were created by Edward Scissorhands.   The creatures in the movie were cool and menacing and the plot was interesting it felt like a larger world like Harry Potter.   The story The movie is odd and interesting and the conclusion where the Peculiar Children must stand up and fight Sam Jackson's strange batch of ex peculiars gone bad is entertaining.   I especially liked the cool nod to Jason and the Argonauts with the animated skeleton fight.  

 If you are a Tim Burton fan this is definitely worth a watch.  The behind the scene features on the DVD on how the story actually came about were enjoyable as well.  It is always a good sign when you finish a movie and want to watch the bonus features right away.

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The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies 2014 7+ out of 10

 The Hobbit : The Battle of the Five Armies 2014 7+ out of 10

I can’t explain why it took me so long to see the final Hobbit….

I was a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy… I saw every single one the first week movies in the theaters.    I spent hours watching extras and behind the scenes of the trilogy as soon as they came out on DVD.  I was excited when the Hobbit was eventually announced---although I couldn’t imagine how they were going to turn this small more kid friendly book into something as epic as the Rings Trilogy.    When they announced it would be 3 movies…..I was kind of shocked.   The Lord of the Rings trilogy was three movies –but each movie covered one book and those books were much longer than the Hobbit.  Obviously the Hobbit movies were going to have to have a lot of new stuff and filler to make this much shorter book into a trilogy.     Of course Peter Jackson was going to be involved so that made me feel much better.

The first Hobbit although it had a different tone  (set by the silly sequences of meeting the Dwarfs)…still felt like Middle Earth.  
It felt like the beginning of a journey –but had an interesting story and a satisfying conclusion.   I also liked the second film 
(Links of the my reviews to those films are below)

It took me almost a year to get around to finally watching the conclusion……So maybe that in itself  shows that I liked the Rings trilogy better.  I had to see Return of the King the weekend it came out.   I missed Battle of Five Armies in the theaters…….Bought it the week it came out on DVD---but didn’t watch it right away.     The only explanation I can give is that maybe I felt like the story was pretty much already done after 2 films.     This wasn’t a conscious thought really….I didn’t think about it ---there was just no urgency.

Well now I know why……. And don’t get me wrong I still enjoyed Battle of the Five Armies from a visual point of view----but story wise----There really wasn’t anything left of the story to tell.    The Battle of the Five Armies was literally probably 2 chapters in the book……This battle was turned into an entire movie. 

So the story of the final film was basically just the surviving Dwarfs have the mountain now and all the Armies go to war for it.    Of course the movie long battle was a visual delight----but the lack of a story - just made it feel like less of a film to me. 
 I just didn’t feel the same connection to it like I did with Lord of the Rings .    I think the Hobbit would have been better served as 2 movies instead of 3.  A lot could have been cut out of this trilogy and it probably would have been a better film.   I know the Studios turned it into 3 movies for financial reasons---but I feel the final Hobbit films suffered as a result.  The Battle of Five Armies was my least favorite of the 6 films.   (Again I still enjoyed it) --but it wasn't as memorable as the previous films due to a lack of story.

To see my thoughts on the previous films.

Here is An Unexpected Journey
http://bradgeekness.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-last-man-in-middle-eart-to-see.html

Desolution of Smaug
http://bradgeekness.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-2013-9.html

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The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug 2013 9 out of 10

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug 2013  9 out of 10

 I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and so I was sure I was going to enjoy the Hobbit as well (which I did).  My only concerns were the nature of this more child friendly book and the fact that they were splitting it into 3 movies.  The film suffers slightly from both factors. The Hobbit films are a notch below the level of the Lord of the Rings movies in my opinion, yet still a lot of fun.  The first Hobbit movie (although excellent) was definitely more of kids film than the Ring trilogy while the 2nd installment seemed to settle into a more adult tone once it got going.  I watched the Hobbit part 1 and 2 back to back over last weekend, so I pretty much spent the entire day in middle earth.

The story of the 2nd film finds Biblo and the dwarfs making their way closer to the Lonely Mountains in hopes of winning their home back from Smaug the Dragon.  Along the way they encounter many hurdles such as Orcs,  Giant spiders and a forest that makes them hallucinate.   One of my favorite scenes was the dwarfs  escaping the home of the forest elves in a thrilling barrel river rapids sequence.   The scene was Temple of Doom mine cart chase over the top and  looked like the funniest theme park water ride ever.  And then they face Smaug the dragon which was a visually stunning sequence and probably the best part of the movie.  The movie abruptly ends with the dragon leaving the mountain to destroy the town below--so we have to wait a year to see part 3.  Despite its falling short of the Ring trilogy the film is still an exciting adventure and worth a 9 out of 10

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The Troll Hunter 2010 8+ out of 10

The Troll Hunter 2010   8+ out of 10

This a great entry in the Lost Footage horror genre.  It follows a group of students that are documenting a series of mysterious bear killings --but instead stumble across a hunter that is hunting more than just bears.   This guy is out looking for Trolls.   The film was done in a very effective fashion much like Cloverfield ---yet letting us actually see the Trolls themselves. 
I've seen numerous Lost Footage films such as the overrated  Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity and this is a much more enjoyable film than those. 

      It was a well executed film.  If the subject matter hadn't been so crazy unbelievable it could have actually been believed.   The documentary style of this film felt really authentic.   The film is out of Norway and is subtitled as a result, yet this didn't hamper my enjoyment for the film.  The story was interesting enough that I almost completely forgot that it has subtitles by the end of the film. 

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Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Tale 2010 6 out of 10

Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Tale  2010  6 out of 10

Beauty and the Beast : A Dark Tale was a low budget twist on the Beauty and the Beast story.   It had the sets that seemed straight out of an episode of Xena Warrior Princess.  It was a little corny and a little cheesy, but  had a decent well crafted plot.  Despite  lackluster dialogue and acting the plot flowed well.  In this twist on the classic tale villagers are being brutally murdered and the Beast is getting blamed  and hunted down for these killings.  Belle (played by Estella Warren--from Planet of the Apes)  befriends the beast and teams up to stop the real villains which are a power hungry royal and the evil witch he has teamed up with to take the throne.  They are controlling a CGI Troll creature that is really responsible for all the killing because it wants some Troll crack that it gets rewarded with by the witch when it kills.   Don't expect anything epic to happen in this really low budget fantasy film other than a decent story that was better than the budget to execute it.

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The Magic Sword 1962 5 out of 10

The Magic Sword 1962   5 out of 10

An Evil Wizard (Basil Rathbone of Sherlock Holmes fame)   captures a princess which he will feed to his pet dragon unless he gets what he wants.  The son of a bumbling sorceress takes a magical sword and goes on a quest with some knights to rescue her.    The quest like all quests is filled with danger (7 curses to be exact.)  Most of the curses involve terrible makeup like the giant Ogre that was bascially someone in a bad used  Wolfman costume made to look huge by green screens.    The concept for the film was interesting so it gets points for that, but the execution was silly  which made for a really cheesy movie.   It could be remade today with a more serious tone and better effects.  This fantasy adventure was just odd like Santa Claus vs the Martians or some other weird film.

Wraith of the Titans 2012 6 out 10

Wraith of the Titans 2012.  6  out 10

"Feel the Wraith" the advertising says......Well I saw the Wraith on the screen,  but felt it NOT SO MUCH.....  The visuals in Wraith of the Titans were good, but the story was just extremely lazy.   This sequel to the updated epic big screen Clash of the Titans  (which ditched the  Golden Owl R2D2 wannabe)  was just underwhelming while at the same time looking grand on the screen.   The story follows a reluctant Perseus into the underworld on a quest to save his father Zeus and prevent the elder gods the Titans upon the Earth.  This results in a grand special effects filled finale in which Cronos battles against Perseus, Zeus and Hades.   The movie really should be called Wraith of the Titan---because none of the other Titans seemed to show up to the fight.....It could have been really epic on the level of the Avengers if the other Gods and Titans were around .    The writing is lazy,  borrowing elements from other Greek myths that featured other different demi-gods.  Perseus battles the Minotaur, and the Cyclops and journeys into hell.   The Minotaur scene was especially weak and not even up to level of  some lower budget stories I've seen involving the MinotaurThere was really no originality to the story at all.  It was basically just visual popcorn with little or no substance.  

The Golden Compass 2007 6 out of 10

The Golden Compass  2007

After Harry Potter every movie studio wanted to find its very own Potter like cash cow.  The Golden Compass was meant to be the first of a 3 movie series based  on Phillip Pullman's  His Dark Materials  book series.   It is an interesting film that focuses on the first book in this series  which features a story based around the adventures of a orphan living in a parallel universe where the world is ruled by  the Magisterium.  The people of this world all have demons  (animal spirits that follow them around).    The story follows her adventures using a  magic golden compass that helps her see the truth to find and save her friends that have been kidnapped.   It features talking animals,  Polar Bears with armour and magic.   The Digital polar bears were the most interesting part of the movie and the battle to see which polar bear would be king the best action sequence in the film.   The film although interesting didn't successfully connect with audiences so the 2nd and 3rd books in the series were never made.  The fact that this was to be the first of 3 films   leaves the audience with  what seems like an unfinished story.  Characters  so up out of nowhere (like the band of witches that show up out of nowhere)   and disappear from the story  (like Daniel Craig's character). 

The film features  Nicole Kidman,  Daniel Craig and Sam Elliot.

The last man in Middle Earth to see The Hobbit 2012 9 out of 10

The Hobbit   2012   9 out of 10

When they first announced that they were going to be making The Hobbit I was thrilled.   The Lord of the Rings trilogy was an epic piece of work that changed the scale and possible scope of fantasy films and what could be done.   Anything was now possible in the Fantasy world.   From Harry Potter to Chronicles of Narnia....to remaking Clash of the Titans... none of which quite got it right as good as Lord of the Rings.    The Hobbit however was basically a children's book that didn't have the same epic nature of the Rings Trilogy.   How  would balance they handle  this difference against the expectations set by the other three films?

Well I finally got my answer this past weekend.   I was quite possibly the last person in Middle Earth to see the film.   It had a much lighter tone and sense of humor that wasn't in the Lord of the Rings series and  since they basically turned one book into three movies it took The Hobbit a bit longer to get into the main story which follows Bilbo Baggins on an adventure away from The Shire to see the world as a part of a group of Dwarves and Gandalf the Wizard to reclaim their homeland from a Dragon.   Even with the lighter tone of the film it quickly brought you back into the world of Middle Earth that was captured so well in the previous 3 films.   The movie had the typically great scenery from all over Middle Earth  (New Zealand such a beautiful country).  The music and epic nature of the film took over by the third act.  Some of the action was way over the top  (like Temple of Doom over the top),  but still really exciting and fun.    The scene with Golem in the cave where Bilbo finds the ring was perfect and couldn't have possible been done any better.

 Being only the first portion of a 3 film series it did feel that way,  much more than say the Fellowship of the Ring did,  but I'm definitely along for the ride as far as Middle Earth will take me.    I would rank this one probably 4th among the Tolkien films,  simple because of the more childlike aspects of The Hobbit itself ---but it is definitely worth the journey.

Beyond Sherwood Forest 2009 7 out of 10

Beyond Sherwood Forest 2009   7 out of 10

You all remember the tale of Robin Hood? Where he steals from the rich to give to the poor and then fights a flying dragon and crosses a portal to another world beyond Sherwood Forest  right?   Well being on Syfy channel with a plot like this I really wasn't expecting  much.   In fact I had recorded it quite a few months back and was just expecting it to be the typically bad Syfy channel flick.   Sherwood Forest with Dragons actually turned out to be a bit of a surprise.  It wasn't great by any means --but the story, the dialogue and the acting were all quite good.  If it had actually had a bigger budget the movie may have actually been something special.  And in today's movie market place where Hansel and Gretyl can come to the big screen it actually wouldn't be that far fetched.    So if you are in the mood for a little Robin Hood tale that is a little outside of the normal Robin Hood box.....Check it out. 

Dungeons and Dragons: Book of Vile Darkness 2010 7+ out of10

Dungeons and Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness  2010   7+ out of 10

This movie was a surprise.  I was expecting another bad  --low budget cheesy Stargate episode quality Fantasy film....but instead got a surprisingly good low budget fantasy film.  What made it so good was the story.  The story wasn't the same old bland group of heroes on a heroes quest.  Instead the Book of Vile Secrets takes us on a heroes journey amongst a group of villains.  He has to go over to the darkside a little in order to rescue his father.  How dark can he go without loses who he is?  This twist on the traditional story made for a surprisingly interesting film that would otherwise have been just the same old thing.  The movie overcomes its low budget with and interesting plot and characters.

Dragon Wars 2007 7 out of 10 I guess

Dragon Wars 2007..  7 out of 10       .. I really have no idea what to think about this movie ....At moments it felt like a typical C Sci Fi channel movie and yet at moments felt like a Epic........The plot was all over the place.....It was a mess and yet interesting at the same time........They obviously put money into this thing.....On further research It was a South Korean production ...The film cost $70 million and only made $10 million at domestic box office..........Still confused as to what I watched...But pretty cool for a totally mess

Animated movie # 5: Secret of the Wings 2012 9 out of 10

Secret of the Wings 2012   9 out of 10.

This was a strong entry in the Tinkerbell  Disney Fairies movie series of direct to DVD films.  This movie are totally cute and sweet and little girls and their parents can appreciate them as quality family entertainment together .  The visuals in this installment were beautiful,   as we get to journey into the Winter Fairy realm.  The Disney Fairies series has been able to expand and explore the world of Fairies over several films building a mythology for the world in which the Fairies live --while having interesting villain less films that kids love.  This tale of Tinkerbell finding her sister in the Winter Fairy land  (they were born of the same laugh--too cute) was a wonderfully written and executed adventure and in a year of lackluster blockbuster films that have disappointed I was totally surprised about how much I enjoyed this cute little movie while watching it with my step daughter.

Labeled by many as just a cash grab when the series was announced  (and I'm that element exists to a degree) Disney has actual created a wonderful and imaginative Fairy world with a colorful animated palate.    If you have little girls and haven't seen this movies yet ----check them out.

Snow White and the Huntsman 2012 4 out of 10

Snow White and the Huntsman 2012  4 out of 10

I was really looking forward to finally seeing this movie.  In the year of the  battling Snow White films and show......this looked like it would be the most exciting of the bunch.   The Julia Roberts movie doesn't even look watchable....Once Upon a Time had a really strong Season 1 -but seems to be hitting a 2nd Season slump.   This was the big epic Snow White adventure from the producers of Alice in Wonderland.....and I can firmly say for me a real big disappointment.   

 First of all  Kristen Stewart as Snow White is one of the worst miscasting in recent movie history.   Not since Keanu  Reeves bad  British surfer dude accent in Bram Stoker's Dracula has someone been so miscast.    I know she is popular from the Twilight movies  (which after this I will probably never see) ---but she in no way is a good choice for Snow White.  She has no screen presence at all and looks like she should be passed out in the background of some druggy movie instead of playing the lead character in Snow White. She added absolutely nothing to the movie with her lackluster performance.  Charlize Theron on the other hand was excellent and in a better movie would have carried the film,  unfortunately this film suffered from a dull pointless plot and uninteresting action sequences mixed in between random acid trip scenes in the dark forest. The only good segment was the scene with the Troll.

This was definitely not the Snow White you remember from your childhood.  I don't remember the   Shattering black crystal army or  Dwarves with Mohawks or the magic Gong?  The movie was like a poorly executed Krull rather than a big budget Snow White.

Magic Gong on the wall who is the fairest of them all the queen asks  of   the liquid gold Terminator?  I nearly cried at the death of Gus the Dwarf.......Gus ...you remember him for Snow White don't you?  There was Grumpy and Dopey and Gus.....right???  The only Gus I know is the Mule that used to kick field goals in some old Disney movie.

Chris Hemsworth who has a chance to the next big thing in action movies coming off of Thor, The Avengers and Cabin in the Woods is also wasted in the this poorly crafted fantasy film.  I guess the director was too busy banging Kristen Stewart to make a good movie with a plot that flowed or made sense.   (Spoiler---it is his true love's kiss that wakes Snow White---a plot point that is quickly forgotten and never returned to).

This movie just really disappointed and only made me long to watch the best of Fantasy movies ---The Lord of the Rings trilogy again.   It made me want to see how a Fantasy film should be done again ---well I wait for the Hobbit to come out.   Fairest of them all?   Stick with the Classic Disney animated feature instead of this Fantasy adventure wannabe.

Percy Jackson and The Olympians The Lightning Thief 2010 8 out of 10

Percy Jackson and the very long Title  2010   8 out of 10

This movie was a pleasant surprise. Brought to the screen as yet another attempt to turn a children's book series into the next Harry Potter,   it didn't succeed just like many other series......Lemony Snicket,  The Golden Compass--just to name a few.   The film which I overlooked when it was in the theaters was a quality good film however.   A strong story that follows a boy that at first doesn't know he is a demi-god--that through a series of events is set upon a journey that follows in the epic heroes quests of demi-gods like Hercules and Perseus. It has the elements that made Potter great ---and by that I mean a strong story and mythology.  

The quest takes Percy through tests such as Medusa and Las Vegas ( a great  modern day  twist on an old Greek myth theme).

This movie is definitely worth a watch for Fantasy film lovers and fans that are into things like Potter and I hope that the second book in the series gets made---because the story definitely deserves to live on.

Captain Sindbad 1963 6 out of 10 (SO BAD it's Good)

 Captain Sindbad  1963.......6 out of 10

I usually love the old school sword and monster films.  The Ray Harryhausen spectacles like Jason and the Argonauts and movies like that---this however is so cheesy it is laughable...

 326 Magic tricks  it advertising ....(I'm still waiting)......Guy Williams  (much better in Lost in Space --and better with a sword in Disney's Zorro TV Show)  is wasted in this Sindbad  movie.    Watch as he battles the invisible monster in an arena...(that is one way to save money).....Watch his ship have rocks dropped on it by plastic birds.....Watch him climb the treacherous dusty rope and battle the giant dirty glove with spikes..... and the hand puppet Hydra.....Yes the effects in this movie were so lame that even a stage play wouldn't use them.....As for the 326 magic tricks---I guess most of those take place with the palace magician that seems like a character straight out of Santa Claus vs the Martians or some other terrible film.   The sword fights in this  film are underwhelming.....Everything is this film is underwhelming.

The trailer pretty much sums up the entire movie....It just barely crosses into SO BAD it is good territory that I gave it a 6 out of 10.....and must of those points come from watching the trailer after the movie.....We are definitely in SO BAD territory.....

"The Fist of Horror"   LOL