Tag: Fantasy

REVIEW: Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

(L-R) Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chris Pine, and Michelle Rodriguez in DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES — PHOTO: Paramount Pictures.

Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night) — Screenplay/Story by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio, and Chris McKay.

It was only a matter of time before Hollywood was going to give Dungeons and Dragons another try as a major motion picture given the massive success of Stranger Things, which, I feel, has helped to popularize the tabletop role-playing game yet again. That’s right, I do remember watching the woeful 2000s Courtney Solomon film Dungeons and Dragons a couple of times way back when (it’s crazy to think that The Fellowship of the Ring was released only a single year later). The 2000s D&D film is as bad as its reputation would have you believe, but it does have Jeremy Irons and Marlon Wayans, so I guess that’s something. The difference between the film from 2000 and this year’s Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein is night and day. Honor Among Thieves genuinely is a great time at the movies. 

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REVIEW: Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

Idris Elba as the Djinn and Tilda Swinton as Alithea Binnie in THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING — PHOTO: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer..

Directed by George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) — Screenplay by George Miller and Augusta Gore.

Quite clearly a passion project for the Australian filmmaker, George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing is based on A. S. Byatt’s collection of short stories titled The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye. It follows a British scholar named Alithea Binnie (played by Tilda Swinton) who, while in Turkey, buys an antique bottle, which, later, unleashes a great and powerful Djinn (played by Idris Elba). The Djinn is desperate for Alithea to make three wishes, but she — as a narratologist with a deep understanding of narrative structures, traits, and tropes — is worried that the Djinn is just a hallucination or possibly even a trickster. In an attempt to convince her, the Djinn tells her his life story.

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REVIEW: The Green Knight (2021)

The titular character in David Lowery’s THE GREEN KNIGHT — Photo: A24.

Directed by David Lowery — Screenplay by David Lowery.

In the last decade, filmmaker David Lowery has made his filmography appear rather varied and really interesting. The thing is that while he has made these very independent films like this one and A Ghost Story, he has also tried his hand with some more populist films like the live-action adaptation of Pete’s Dragon, which I thought was surprisingly terrific. However, this, The Green Knight, is undoubtedly my favorite film of his thus far.

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REVIEW: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Sony Pictures Releasing

The following is a spoiler review of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino has claimed that he will only direct ten feature films, and, since he considers his latest film to be his ninth, that puts a lot of pressure on this penultimate effort as a director. Having just recently rewatched and reviewed his filmography as a director, I had prepared myself for this undeniable event film for cinephiles. When I walked out of the theater, I had a soft smile on my face, and I kept on repeating these words to my mother and sister, who had seen the film with me: “I think this is his most moving movie yet.” Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is tense but also laidback, sometimes violent but generally quite kind, and much to my own surprise, as Tarantino ended his film, I had a lump in my throat — I got a little bit choked up. Continue reading “REVIEW: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)” →

REVIEW: Rocketman (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Paramount Pictures

The following is a review of Rocketman — Directed by Dexter Fletcher.

From the director of Eddie the Eagle, Dexter Fletcher, who honed his musical skills and ironed out his music biopic missteps early as he completed Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody last year after Singer was fired, comes the Elton John fantasy musical biopic Rocketman that tells the story of how Reginald Dwight (played by Taron Egerton) met lyricist and friend Bernie Taupin (played by Jamie Bell), rebelled against his posh but harsh upbringing, and became the flamboyant superstar now known as Elton John who partied like the best until it almost pushed him over the edge. Continue reading “REVIEW: Rocketman (2019)” →