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I watched Kiki's Delivery Service today. I'll post a full review in a few days, but let's just say that I liked it more than Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in a previous HoF. Last half an hour was kind of a letdown but still quite charming feel-good movie.
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I see no one has reviewed DragonSlayer yet.
Saving the best for last I see 😏
Saving the best for last I see 😏
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Fizzgig was my favorite character too. I didn't like Jen or Kira so I was happy to see Kira get the life drained out of her! bwahahaha
All I have to say to @Citizen Rules @gbgoodies and @CosmicRunaway is.....
now on a serious note,
I will rewatch "Tideland" this week and try my best to watch "The Dark Crystal" and "Excalibur" perhaps "Dragonheart" as well.
I never watch movies on Tuesday, that's my tv day. AGT!
now on a serious note,
I will rewatch "Tideland" this week and try my best to watch "The Dark Crystal" and "Excalibur" perhaps "Dragonheart" as well.
I never watch movies on Tuesday, that's my tv day. AGT!
Dragonslayer (1981)
*Spoilers*
I liked it, and I'm not saying that out of fond memories either, as I've never seen it before. I know I liked it because the film hooked me from the get-go and I was interested in seeing what was next through out the film.
I instantly liked the sorcerer played by Ralph Richardson. He reminded me of one of the great actors John Gielgud. I thought his sorcerer's layer was pretty nifty too. In fact I liked all the cast. I thought the girl who first masqueraded as a boy was good in that she had a certain gutsyness to her. The young sorcerer Galen was OK, not my favorite but he worked well enough in the role.
What I really loved was some of the script surprises. When the princess's name was put into the lottery for sacrifice to the dragon and she was picked...then her father the king stepped in and drew another name, I was surprised that the film didn't build hatred for the inequity of the rich over the poor, by having a poor girl chosen instead. It was pretty interesting that the film had the princess going to her death out of fairness. Though I though it was ironic that the girl Valerian who had escaped the lottery by masquerading as a boy was in the forefront chanting for the princess to be sacrificed. Maybe Valerian should keep a low profile least the village people demand she be sacrificed instead...or maybe she should just lose her virginity
I'm getting hungry and it's almost dinner time, so to wrap this up. I liked the way the dragon looked and it's lair. It was pretty darn cool seeing it's dragon babies eating the princess's foot, ha! For 1981 I thought this film delivered and the practical effects were well done. The on location shooting in the Scottish isles was awesome too.
I instantly liked the sorcerer played by Ralph Richardson. He reminded me of one of the great actors John Gielgud. I thought his sorcerer's layer was pretty nifty too. In fact I liked all the cast. I thought the girl who first masqueraded as a boy was good in that she had a certain gutsyness to her. The young sorcerer Galen was OK, not my favorite but he worked well enough in the role.
What I really loved was some of the script surprises. When the princess's name was put into the lottery for sacrifice to the dragon and she was picked...then her father the king stepped in and drew another name, I was surprised that the film didn't build hatred for the inequity of the rich over the poor, by having a poor girl chosen instead. It was pretty interesting that the film had the princess going to her death out of fairness. Though I though it was ironic that the girl Valerian who had escaped the lottery by masquerading as a boy was in the forefront chanting for the princess to be sacrificed. Maybe Valerian should keep a low profile least the village people demand she be sacrificed instead...or maybe she should just lose her virginity
I'm getting hungry and it's almost dinner time, so to wrap this up. I liked the way the dragon looked and it's lair. It was pretty darn cool seeing it's dragon babies eating the princess's foot, ha! For 1981 I thought this film delivered and the practical effects were well done. The on location shooting in the Scottish isles was awesome too.
Last edited by Citizen Rules; 07-06-20 at 11:23 PM.
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I still think he's adorable. He reminds me of the little poodle my family had when I was younger. She used to hide under a chair, and bark and growl at guests whenever they came in the house.
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OPEN FLOOR.
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OPEN FLOOR.
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I still think he's adorable. He reminds me of the little poodle my family had when I was younger. She used to hide under a chair, and bark and growl at guests whenever they came in the house.
I own a fizzgig as well as Jen and Kira. I must have gotten these about 15+ years ago. Sideshow toys put out a lot of "World of Froud" toys and statues. Jen and Kira with little Fizzgig... It was a must-have! The dolls do look terrible though.
I own a fizzgig as well as Jen and Kira. I must have gotten these about 15+ years ago. Sideshow toys put out a lot of "World of Froud" toys and statues. Jen and Kira with little Fizzgig... It was a must-have! The dolls do look terrible though.
The picture isn't showing. It's just a blank box.
But I bet that gif image above would make a great avatar.
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The Dark Crystal (1982)
Lord of the Rings ****ing WISHES it could be as quirky and weird as Jim Henson's 1982 film. Or maybe this is just David Lynch's Lord of the Rings. I don't know. But it's ****ed up. And I'm really not sure if I loved it or hated it, so please take the rating as just a measure of how confused I was.
As a matter of fact, I was so confused that I just gave up on the plot and soaked in the crazy visuals. Afterwards, I looked up the plot... and it's actually pretty simple. I started wondering why it was so difficult for me to hook on to the plot, and I realized that the color scheme of every single living being and place blended together, so I would keep forgetting who the villains were and who we were supposed to be rooting for. Character's names were odd and unnatural, and I think The Dark Crystal actually probably deserves multiple viewings to do it full justice.
In the end, though, even though The Dark Crystal isn't realllyy for me, it's also insanely creative, and is going on my "to-watch-high-list", since I really really love the world building here. Even if the color/tone layout isn't the glorious beauty of say, the Lord of the Rings series or even Harry Potter, it's still incredibly unique and I can ALWAYS appreciate that in a movie.
Like DragonHeart, I was actually a huge fan of the dark, often dramatic, orchestral score for the same reasons. It wasn't as lighthearted as that of DragonHeart but it was brooding and often beautiful.
The more I think about it, I'm a fan of the fact that The Dark Crystal can work with and without a plot. It can simply sweep us into a different world with different characters, and we can let visuals and music mix into this transcendent (in a way) experience. Funny, that also reminds me of what I love so much about my favorite film of all time...
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The Dark Crystal (1982)
The more I think about it, I'm a fan of the fact that The Dark Crystal can work with and without a plot. It can simply sweep us into a different world with different characters, and we can let visuals and music mix into this transcendent (in a way) experience. Funny, that also reminds me of what I love so much about my favorite film of all time...
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And that favorite film would be? . . .
No spoilers allowed
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You’ll have to read his countdown for that 😉
No spoilers allowed
No spoilers allowed
But he's only up to #84. I want to know now!
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DragonHeart (1996)
Directed By: Rob Cohen
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, David Thewlis
DragonHeart is a film that is always a pleasure to watch because it doesn't take itself too seriously. It has plenty of action sequences, and I always appreciate the use of practical fire effects. On top of that, there are some genuinely charming and heart warming moments. It's everything I expect from this type of fantasy adventure film. While I had seen DragonHeart a number of times in the past, it was long overdue for a fresh viewing, and I was interested in seeing if my opinion would change after all these years.
While I'll forever mourn the version that was never filmed, where Draco would've been brought to life using animatronics from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the CG used in DragonHeart does not date the film as much as I expected it to. The effects were cutting edge at the time, and for a film that's nearly 25 years old now, it's impressive that it still looks as good as it does. I've honestly seen recent films with worse computer generated images. The small physical prop parts of Draco that were occasionally used still look the best to me, but I think it was ultimately the right decision to rely on the CGI.
Dennis Quaid's performance was not nearly as good as I remembered it being, but there was still something compelling about him nonetheless. The iconic voice provided by Sean Connery was always what stood out to me anyway, and I still enjoyed his contribution this time around. I was a little surprised by how perfect David Thewlis was as Einon, whose look and manner of speaking make his character easy to despise. The acting is occasionally a little over-the-top, but it suits the tone of the film just fine. It was nice to revisit this world again, but I'm happy to leave it at that, and not follow up with the four other films in this franchise.
While I'll forever mourn the version that was never filmed, where Draco would've been brought to life using animatronics from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the CG used in DragonHeart does not date the film as much as I expected it to. The effects were cutting edge at the time, and for a film that's nearly 25 years old now, it's impressive that it still looks as good as it does. I've honestly seen recent films with worse computer generated images. The small physical prop parts of Draco that were occasionally used still look the best to me, but I think it was ultimately the right decision to rely on the CGI.
Dennis Quaid's performance was not nearly as good as I remembered it being, but there was still something compelling about him nonetheless. The iconic voice provided by Sean Connery was always what stood out to me anyway, and I still enjoyed his contribution this time around. I was a little surprised by how perfect David Thewlis was as Einon, whose look and manner of speaking make his character easy to despise. The acting is occasionally a little over-the-top, but it suits the tone of the film just fine. It was nice to revisit this world again, but I'm happy to leave it at that, and not follow up with the four other films in this franchise.
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Dragonslayer (1981)
In many ways, Dragonslayer feels like the type of film that I would point people to for an archetypal "fantasy" film. There is the middle age setting - the king and the queen, the evil dragon, the hero. It's a fairytale, a rather bland fairytale at times, but also delightful and fun at others. It takes itself more seriously than DragonHeart, which I actually... like more.
When I watch a movie, I don't want to be constantly reminded with little winks that I'm not ACTUALLY watching a far off fantasy kingdom. That's part of what bothered me about DragonHeart. And while Dragonslayer has noticeable flaws that detract from my overall enjoyment, I also really like that it totally believes in its subject matter, and seems to believe in the magic.
The acting at many times detracted from my enjoyment of the film, but that also may be me expecting too much from an 80s fantasy flick. Even though it's both a Paramount and Disney film, it feels like a really fun low budget movie, made by not filmmakers but wizarding geeks who wanted to try their hand at crafting a modern fairytale.
I also found myself impressed by the effects, and the dragon I found much better than DragonHeart, despite the fact that this was made 15 years earlier. I think a lot of the enjoyment this must bring to some may sprout from earlier childhood nostalgia, and I could definitely seeing this being a favorite had I seen it earlier in my life.
As it is, I'm not unhappy I watched it, but I also have little to no interest in seeing it again. Fantasy sure can be campy, huh?
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I'm legit so so sorry that I'm giving all these low ratings, I've actually sort of enjoyed everything I've seen so far... I just like using the entire rating system haha
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Cruel cruel man! And I bet you enjoyed it when it happened to the Pod People too?
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I'm legit so so sorry that I'm giving all these low ratings, I've actually sort of enjoyed everything I've seen so far... I just like using the entire rating system haha
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This is a dark story of a little girl named Jeliza-rose lost within her own mind. Her parents are drug addicts who overdosed and left her by herself. She makes friends with the neighbors, Dell and her brother Dickens. It seems that Jeliza-Rose wasn't the only childlike character of the film. Jeliza-Rose becomes close playmates with Dickens, who is a handicap. They both live in a fantasy world together and separately. Any little girl with this type of parent is, of course, going to create her own little world because she doesn't know any better.
I found her parents to be selfish pieces of s**t. They used their own daughter to help complete their own pleasures. They, themselves, are lost in their own fantasy. No one here has a grip on reality. She had no guidance and not much of a chance at a real childhood. The relationship between Jeliza-Rose and Dickens seemed to be what children do. They don't know any better. Dell, who seemed to be the more adult, wasn't much better considering what she did to her mother and to Jeliza-Rose's father. Everyone lived in a fantasy here. Jeliza-Rose did reference Alice in Wonderland during the beginning of the movie and even talked to a firefly, calling it Titania, who is Queen of the Fairies.
There are parts that are fantasy in this film but I can see a person or persons really doing this in real life. There are many parents out there who are selfish and have little regard for their child(ren) or the world around them. They don't care what is right or wrong.
Actually, I tried watching this a second time, as my first viewing, I had mixed feelings. I just couldn't do it. My opinion of the film didn't change.
Early civilizations used to believe that astrological events would bring certain doom. In this case, it was a solar eclipse and a mighty dragon. This is a quest for a hero, or "monomyth" in the words of Joseph Campbell. A hero is sent on a quest to save a kingdom from a terrible beast. This story is about a young magician who inherited his ability from his previous master who became deceased. He and his servant are called upon by a band of villagers to save the young maiden from a terrible dragon. The young maiden is selected via lottery to be sacrificed.
At first, the young magician thinks he has stopped the dragon but the king informs him that something similar has happened in the past and that the result infuriated the dragon, who became more destructive. The king places the young magician in the dungeon.
When the daughter of the king finds she's been withheld from this lottery, she makes odds in her favor. The king is about to lose his daughter, then he seeks help from the young magician. A metal staff is created with the help of magic and a shield from the scales of the dragon. Then he fights the beast but does not win. During the eclipse, he remembers what the old magician told him, in which he was able to bring him back from the dead. Our true hero is the older magician and with the help of his apprentice, the younger magician, to defeat the dragon.
At first, it reminded me a lot of Clash of the Titans, the same type of story. A hero saving a young maiden from a terrible beast. Then I remembered an article I read about Joseph Campbell and mythology (which could be similar to folklore and fairy tales) which he tells the process of the hero's journey. Yes our hero followed that path, he was called to an adventure with magical powers to save a village, along the way, he learned he was not the chosen one, but a conduit to bring about the chosen one.
I liked the story but did not love it. The film has aged and the fact that most of the time, you never see the dragon's face until the end. Its been a long time since I saw this film. Nice to revisit.
Oh and anyone who watched it.. did you notice
WARNING: "guest appearance" spoilers below
Ian McDiarmid is in the film. He is in another film of a hero's journey known as "Star Wars".
Last edited by MovieGal; 07-08-20 at 08:37 AM.
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