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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.


Tideland
(2005)
Directed by Terry Gilliam
nominated by @pahaK

I tried watching the Tideland, but I turned it off after about 10 minutes because the girl's parents were disgusting. Does it get any better as the movie goes on?
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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I tried watching the first Lord of the Rings movie three times this weekend, but I keep getting interrupted. Is there something on the second disc that I'm not supposed to see? (I'm already past the scene with the spider, unless there's another spider later in the movie. )



I tried watching the Tideland, but I turned it off after about 10 minutes because the girl's parents were disgusting. Does it get any better as the movie goes on?
WARNING: "Tideland spoilers" spoilers below
Does the parents dying count?


Seriously, I don't know. I like the film from the beginning to the end.
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I tried watching the first Lord of the Rings movie three times this weekend, but I keep getting interrupted. Is there something on the second disc that I'm not supposed to see? (I'm already past the scene with the spider, unless there's another spider later in the movie. )
You should be good until Return of the King, where Shelob (the giant spider) makes a prominent appearance. It's fairly brief (for LotR at least haha) and averting your eyes while she's on screen will not cause you to miss anything since the sound will clue you in to what's happening. It'll be pretty clear when she's about to appear, and once the scene is over, she doesn't return.



Just watched Dragonslayer, though I probably won't get anything written about it tonight. My room mate asked if this was some sort of "dragon week", and now I kind of want that to be a thing haha.

Falcor from The Neverending Story was a dragon right? Maybe I'll rewatch that this weekend too.



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Tried to watch Fellowship but failed miserably. I really like the films though, it's just my back was killing me yesterday and today and couldn't focus





Dragonheart
(1996)
Directed by Rob Cohen
nominated by @edarsenal

I remember seeing this in the theatre and it's just as good now as it was then.

The story of a knight of the old code who was teacher to a young prince. The king died and the prince became injured during a war. The queen, being of the old code, came to the great dragon to save her son's life. Was that life worth saving? The young king was full of greed and wanted to make things better than his father's reign. The teacher became a dragonslayer as he felt that the great dragon corrupted the young king. He came upon a dragon who was the last of his kind and was the one who spared a part of himself to save the young king. The dragon and the dragonslayer with the help of a maiden and monk fight against the corrupt king until the king realizes that his life is linked to the dragon. The only way for the dragon to save the kingdom is to take his own life. The dragonslayer makes a hard choice to kill his friend, the dragon, and save the kingdom. The dragon fades into a star into the great constellation of Draco.

There are many things I really love about this movie - dragons, the myth of King Arthur and Avalon, and yes, astronomy. It was an enjoyable rewatch, for I haven't seen it in over a decade. The end is a heartfelt moment when the dragon fades and becomes part of the night sky. I have no clue why it took me this Hall of Fame to watch it again. I have to say though, I miss the great Pete Postlewaite who plays the monk.




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Dragonheart
(1996)
Directed by Rob Cohen
nominated by @edarsenal

I remember seeing this in the theatre and it's just as good now as it was then.

The story of a knight of the old code who was teacher to a young prince. The king died and the prince became injured during a war. The queen, being of the old code, came to the great dragon to save her son's life. Was that life worth saving? The young king was full of greed and wanted to make things better than his father's reign. The teacher became a dragonslayer as he felt that the great dragon corrupted the young king. He came upon a dragon who was the last of his kind and was the one who spared a part of himself to save the young king. The dragon and the dragonslayer with the help of a maiden and monk fight against the corrupt king until the king realizes that his life is linked to the dragon. The only way for the dragon to save the kingdom is to take his own life. The dragonslayer makes a hard choice to kill his friend, the dragon, and save the kingdom. The dragon fades into a star into the great constellation of Draco.

There are many things I really love about this movie - dragons, the myth of King Arthur and Avalon, and yes, astronomy. It was an enjoyable rewatch, for I haven't seen it in over a decade. The end is a heartfelt moment when the dragon fades and becomes part of the night sky. I have no clue why it took me this Hall of Fame to watch it again. I have to say though, I miss the great Pete Postlewaite who plays the monk.

Awww, yay!!
Really looking forward to my own rewatch of this. I did like three sneak peeks when making my decision to run with it: The Great Battle between Draco and Bowen (Narrated in Verse by the Monk. When Thewliss' (The New King) is gifted by the Dragon Slayers by his mother and I can't remember the third, but it sealed the deal for my choice.
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Awww, yay!!
Really looking forward to my own rewatch of this. I did like three sneak peeks when making my decision to run with it: The Great Battle between Draco and Bowen (Narrated in Verse by the Monk. When Thewliss' (The New King) is gifted by the Dragon Slayers by his mother and I can't remember the third, but it sealed the deal for my choice.
So it is a rewatch for you?

I had seen this at the theatre and watched it many times on cable/satellite tv and regular tv... but again, its been a very long time.




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The Dark Crystal
(1982)
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz
nominated by @CosmicRunaway

Another world, another time, in the age of wonder. - This is exactly where Jim Henson and the creative art of Brian Froud took the audience back in 1982. I was 15 years old and I did not get to see this in the theatre. My first experience was when it was shown on cable tv.

its the story of two races, the gentle Mystics and the horrendous Skeksis, who were one creature, the UrSkek, before the Crystal of Truth was cracked. A prophecy was foretold of a gelfling who would bring the destruction of the Skeksis rule. As Aughra says "The end of the world or the beginning". Jen, a gelfling raised by the Mystics was sent on the quest to heal the crystal and along the way, he met Kira, another of his own race. Through troubles and turmoil, they make the way to the castle. They run from the Garthim, a spider/crab-like creature who killed their clansmen, SilSkek, the banished Chamberlain, who was greedy enough to try to rule the Skeksis. Jen and Kira learned a lot about themselves and about their almost extinct race. Jen learns that girl gelflings have wings: " Wings? I don’t have wings." - to Kira's "Of course not. You’re a boy!". Kira is captured by the Skeksis and drained of her essence but is saved and helped Jen fulfill his destiny. The prophecy is as told and the Skeksis and Mystics are one.

This film, what can I say, I have watched it dozens of times along with another film by Henson and Froud. I enjoy the storyline, the artwork, the animatronics of the muppets (yes, they are "muppets" like Sesame Street, not puppets). I can sit here and watch the film and quote lines (just like another film I enjoy watching). It was a nice rewatch and I enjoyed it thoroughly.


The voice of SilSkek, the Chamberlain, is the same voice as our friendly neighborhood Grover, Frank Oz.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
You should be good until Return of the King, where Shelob (the giant spider) makes a prominent appearance. It's fairly brief (for LotR at least haha) and averting your eyes while she's on screen will not cause you to miss anything since the sound will clue you in to what's happening. It'll be pretty clear when she's about to appear, and once the scene is over, she doesn't return.

Thanks for the warning. I'll have to remember to look away from that scene when I watch the movie.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Tried to watch Fellowship but failed miserably. I really like the films though, it's just my back was killing me yesterday and today and couldn't focus

I'm sorry to heard about your back pain. Are you feeling any better now?

Hubby has back pain from time to time, and he usually finds that either Icy Hot or Salonpas pain relief patches work great for him.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

Hold her to you. She is part of you, as we all are part of each other.

The Dark Crystal
(1982)
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz
nominated by @CosmicRunaway

This film, what can I say, I have watched it dozens of times along with another film by Henson and Froud. I enjoy the storyline, the artwork, the animatronics of the muppets (yes, they are "muppets" like Sesame Street, not puppets). I can sit here and watch the film and quote lines (just like another film I enjoy watching). It was a nice rewatch and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
What's the other film by Henson and Froud, and it is the same film that you can quote lines from that you mentioned?


The voice of SilSkek, the Chamberlain, is the same voice as our friendly neighborhood Grover, Frank Oz.
I didn't know that Frank Oz did this movie, but I knew that he did the voice of several of the Sesame Street and Muppets characters, as well as Yoda in the Star Wars movies.



What's the other film by Henson and Froud, and it is the same film that you can quote lines from that you mentioned?
I assume the other Henson and Froud film is Labyrinth. I don't know if they collaborated on anything else, but even if they did, my money's on David Bowie, especially since MG nominated a musical for this HoF.



What's the other film by Henson and Froud, and it is the same film that you can quote lines from that you mentioned?




I didn't know that Frank Oz did this movie, but I knew that he did the voice of several of the Sesame Street and Muppets characters, as well as Yoda in the Star Wars movies.
Yeah, I can quote lines from "The Dark Crystal", "Labyrinth", "Pretty in Pink" and "The Mummy" (1999). These are probably the 4 movies I watch the most. They aren't necessarily my favorite movies, but they are classics to me that I enjoy.

Henson and Froud worked on Labyrinth. Froud did the conceptual art for Henson. Even Brian's son, Toby, was in the movie. Toby, himself, is an artist and director. There is a short on Prime called "Lessons Learned". Henson's daughter and Toby worked on it together. Toby directed a music video of a german band called Qntal, the song is Von Den Elben. You can see a lot of his parents' influence on the music video.

Brian Froud's wife, Wendy, worked for Henson as well.




Excalibur (1981)

The legends of King Arthur have been around since perhaps the king's very own lifetime. His pulling of the sword from the stone; his quest for the holy grail; his final coalition against Mordred and Morgana. Stories that are more or less ingrained in the heads of many people living even today - as much as any "old tale" can be ingrained in the first place.

Excalibur remains to me, the saddest of the King Arthur movies. Of course much sadder than Monty Python's absolutely brilliant adaption, one of my favorite comedies. Sadder than most of the operas I'm aware of, or of book versions. I'm not quite sure I can put my finger on it, but it seemed to have a melancholy, a shroud of grief through all the blood and lust.

Perhaps the film acknowledges of the fading of the legend of King Arthur; and the fading of knowledge of the "old days". Even in this film, many knights and king admit that they can only hope their legacy will outlive their own deeds on Earth. They admit that every human is mortal, and only the evil seek eternal power.

King Arthur, rather than being a perfect, noble, knight, is instead a flawed and often fickle man. He still rules well, but he often mixes up his priorities, and through jealousy and anger he casts away many of his followers.

By the end, he is redeemed, but as he sails away into the sunset, we as the audience wonder whether the movie is really trying to tell us sailing away from our times; the stories and the details become fainter and fainter with each year. Even in Arthur's time his fame faded as he neared death.

Perhaps I felt this sadness in Excalibur because of the amazing choice of music. As I've mentioned before in other reviews, I am a huge fan of Wagner's music, and in particular his two masterpieces Der Ring des Nibelungen and Tristan und Isolde. Mixed together here they are used in the best possible places, and often cover up some of the cheesy scenes.

On that note... yes, despite being dark and sad, Excalibur is very unintentionally corny, with sappy dialogue, rushes of love and violence, and dated effects.

But nevertheless, I found myself enjoying quite a bit of the long running time, and was left pondering the old times, the hundreds of years past that we have forgotten - the old languages, and ruins, and legends. History is so so so long... we will never know it all. But movies like these make me curious to explore more, and delve into the hidden, and sometimes dark, chapters of history.


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Dragonslayer (1981)
Directed By: Matthew Robbins
Starring: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson

Though it's since become overshadowed by the many other beloved fantasy films that released in the 80s, Dragonslayer is a classic that's definitely still worth watching. What I appreciated the most was the film's treatment of its dragon. It builds tension by using techniques more typically found in the horror genre. Vermithrax is revealed slowly, starting with just its claw, then tail, and eventually the horns rising up behind its victim. Complimented by a menacing atmosphere, it's an effective approach that I wish more films followed.

The practical effects are fantastic, with amazing full-scale models used in many of the scenes featuring Vermithrax. Whenever the large flying puppet was used, the visuals are somewhat let down by the limits of chroma key technology at the time, but what they managed to accomplish is still incredibly impressive. While similar films often relied on traditional stop motion animation that produced awkward, stilted movements, the variation used by Industrial Light & Magic's in Dragonslayer is smooth and barely even noticeable.

The two leads give serviceable performances, though they are definitely outclassed by Sir Ralph Richardson, who deserved much more screen time than he received. John Hallam was also great in his role as the villainous Tyrian, and again was a little underutilized. I initially didn't care for Galen's brashness and overconfidence, but he did grow on me somewhat over the course of the film. My inability to remember much about Dragonslayer ultimately worked in the film's favour, since this almost felt like my first time watching it. I was able to be surprised by some of the small things the film did well, so I'm glad it was nominated.

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DragonHeart (1996)


So how do I judge this film, do we mention the continuity issues of a cast with 90% 1 accent but the lead and Dragon have a different one. Or how Dennis Quad manages to raise a middleaged David Thewliss. The Should I be hard on the CGI...of a film made in 1996. Or should I be hard on a film that attempts to rip off Braveheart.


But at the end of the day it's a kids movie...made to sell toys and it has a lot of humor that is I believe unintentional. Then again it's got some great violence in it...so maybe it's not a kids movie.



Some of the stuff in this film I actually really liked, the score is really good and Connery is a charismatic lead as the Dragon. You've also got some solid propaganda as the film is focused on racial messaging through metaphor. This is the sort of stuff that I dig, but the bad just outweighed the good and I think I would give this film sub two stars.



Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

At the age of 13, witches traditionally spend a year away from their homes. Kiki, a young witch whose only magical ability is to fly on a broomstick, is eager to start her independent adventure. She dreams of a big city by the sea, and eventually finds one.


Like all Miyazaki's films I've seen, Kiki's Delivery Service is charming and naive. It's a recipe that doesn't always work with me, but here it feels right. I like how Kiki's adventures are, for the most part, very mundane, and they don't involve monsters and mortal danger. It's just work, everyday life and trying to find one's place in a new city.

That cozy storytelling comes to an end towards the end, though. I hate the loss of powers twist in almost everything, and it certainly doesn't work this time. The same applies to the zeppelin accident and the whole hero's journey that's centered around the event. The film would have been better without that.

The characters are a little weird. I was never really annoyed by Kiki or Tombo, but they don't always come out as likable either. Kiki has her magical power, and at times I feel that her whole self-image is built around that superiority. Only becoming the hero of the city makes her able to fit in. Tombo is a bit cocky brat, and I can't help the feeling that he originally wanted Kiki as a trophy of a sort. Maybe they're a good fit for each other.

The first three-quarters of the film was good, but the final act did lots of things wrong for me. The animation is good, Japanese voice-acting is always top-notch, and supporting characters are rather fun, especially Jiji. I think this is my third Miyazaki, and it ranks in the middle of the pack. He certainly seems to have a strong vision, and I respect that even if it doesn't perfectly align with my tastes.