Archive for the ‘Fantasy’ Category
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
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Youthful wizard Harry Potter returns to the screen in this, the second film adaptation of J.
K.
Rowling’s wildly popular series of novels for young people.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) return for a second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Headmaster Dumbledore (Richard Harris), Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), and Hagrid the Giant (Robbie Coltrane) are joined by new faculty members Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), a self-centered expert in Defense against the Dark Arts, and Sprout (Miriam Margolyes), who teaches Herbology.
However, it isn’t long before Harry and company discover something is amiss at Hogwarts: Students are petrified like statues, threats are written in blood on the walls, and a deadly monster is on the loose.
It seems that someone has opened the mysterious Chamber of Secrets, letting loose the monster and all its calamitous powers.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out to find the secret chamber and slay the beast, speculation is rife that one of the heirs of Salazar Slytherin, the co-founder of the school, opened the chamber as a warning against the presence of “mudbloods” (magic-users of impure lineage) at the school — and that the culprit may be fellow student Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton).
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets featured Richard Harris’ second and final appearance as Headmaster Dumbledore; he died less than a month before the film was released in the United States. |
| Also Known As: |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
| Genres: |
Children’s/Family, Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Children’s Fantasy, |
| Running Time: |
161:00 |
| Actor List: |
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, John Cleese, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Shirley Henderson, Julian Glover, Miriam Margolyes, Mark Williams, Toby Jones, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, David Bradley, Gemma Jones, Christian Coulson, Sean Biggerstaff, Alfred Burke, Robert Hardy, Matthew Lewis, Rik Mayall, Kathrin Nicholson, Chris Rankin, |
Posted in Children's Fantasy, Children's/Family, Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure | No Comments »
Saturday, October 10th, 2009
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A young girl ventures into a perilous parallel universe to rescue her best friend and fight the forces of darkness in director Chris Weitz’s adaptation of the first installment of author Philip Pullman’s best-selling fantasy trilogy.
Screen newcomer Dakota Blue Richards stars as young heroine Lyra Belacqua, Casino Royale star Daniel Craig appears as Lyra’s ruthless adventurer uncle, Lord Asriel, and Nicole Kidman assumes the glamorous guise of the villainous Mrs.
Coulter. |
| Also Known As: |
The Golden Compass |
| Genres: |
Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, |
| Running Time: |
118:00 |
| Actor List: |
Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, Christopher Lee, Tom Courtenay, Derek Jacobi, Ben Walker, Adam Godley, Simon McBurney, Jim Carter, Nonso Anozie, Charlie Rowe, Clare Higgins, Jack Shepherd, Steven Loton, Magda Szubanski, Edward de Souza, John Bett, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane, John Franklyn Robbins, Freddie Highmore, Jonathan Laury, Kathy Bates, Paul Antony-Barber, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jason Watkins, Hattie Morahan, Jay Rawlings, Joao de Sousa, Tommy Luther, |
Posted in Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure | No Comments »
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
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The eschewing of modern optical effects techniques in favor of the classic stop-motion animation work of special effects legend Ray Harryhausen was a delightful highlight of this action adventure that attempted to give Greek mythology the Star Wars (1977) treatment.
Harry Hamlin stars as Perseus, a mortal who, due to the interference of the mighty god Zeus (Laurence Olivier), finds himself in the city of Joppa, far away from his island home.
There, he falls in love with Andromeda (Judi Bowker), an imprisoned princess.
To free her, win her hand, and thus half of the kingdom, Perseus solves a riddle, but Joppa’s enraged ruler orders Andromeda fed to the Kraken, a towering sea monster that’s the last of the powerful Titans.
In his quest to save Andromeda, Perseus must endure a series of trials with the help of the winged horse Pegasus and a friendly playwright, Ammon (Burgess Meredith).
His ultimate goal is to secure the head of the grotesque Gorgon named Medusa and use it to turn the Kraken into stone, but dangers await, including the hideously deformed Calibos (Neil McCarthy). |
| Also Known As: |
Clash of the Titans |
| Genres: |
Fantasy, Mythological Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Sword-and-Sandal, |
| Running Time: |
118:00 |
| Actor List: |
Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom, Judi Bowker, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress, Susan Fleetwood, Sian Phillips, Tim Pigott-Smith, Neil McCarthy, Pat Roach, Flora Robson, Anna Manahan, Freda Jackson, Donald Houston, Vida Taylor, Jack Gwyllim, Harry Jones, |
Posted in Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Mythological Fantasy, Sword-and-Sandal | No Comments »
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
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Hyperactive mayhem results when a mild-manned banker discovers an ancient mask that transforms him into a zany prankster with superhuman powers in this special-effects-intensive comedy.
The wildly improvisational Jim Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, a decent-hearted but socially awkward guy who one night finds a strange mask.
Carrey’s trademark energy reveals itself after Stanley puts on the mask and the banker transforms into The Mask, a green-skinned, zoot-suited fireball.
The rubber-faced Mask possesses the courage to do the wild, fun things that Stanley fears, including romancing Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz).
In addition to Carrey’s physical talents, the film makes effective use of digital visual effects that bestow the Mask with superhuman speed, insane flexibility, and popping eyes out of a Tex Avery cartoon.
The larger narrative, involving the efforts of Tina’s gangster boyfriend to destroy Stanley and use the mask’s powers for evil, prove less interesting than the anarchic comic set pieces, including a particularly memorable dance number to “Cuban Pete.
” The film delivered enough laughs to become a surprise hit and, along with the same year’s Dumb and Dumber, establish Carrey’s status as a comedy superstar. |
| Also Known As: |
The Mask |
| Genres: |
Fantasy, Fantasy Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
101:00 |
| Actor List: |
Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, Orestes Matacena, Timothy Bagley, Nancy Fish, Johnny Williams, Max, B.J. Barie, Reg E. Cathey, Blake Clark, Christopher Darga, Jim Doughan, Suzanne Dunn, Joely Fisher, Denis Forest, Robert Keith, Robert O’Reilly, Ivory Ocean, Jeremy Roberts, Ben Stein, Nils Allen Stewart, |
Posted in Fantasy, Fantasy Comedy | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
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The stars have aligned in an ominous sign, and as a legion of malevolent monsters descends upon New York City to wage war against humanity, the only thing that stands between humankind and certain destruction are four wisecracking turtles with a flair for martial arts and a hearty appetite for pizza.
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s “heroes in a half-shell” return to defend the world against an interstellar threat that comes just once every 3,000 years in a computer-animated action comedy that marked the final film role of Japanese screen legend Mako — here providing the voice of the eternally wise Master Splinter.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar lends her voice to the role of the turtles’ technical-services worker, April; Fantastic Four’s Chris Evans assumes the role of hockey-loving crimefighter Casey Jones; Memoirs of a Geisha star Zhang Ziyi steps in as villainous Foot Ninjas leader Karai; and Star Trek: The Next Generation captain Patrick Stewart voices malevolent tech industrialist Max Winters — a mortal man whose hunger for profit and power may spell doom for all humanity. |
| Also Known As: |
TMNT |
| Genres: |
Action, Fantasy, Comic-Book Superhero Film, Martial Arts, |
| Running Time: |
86:00 |
| Actor List: |
Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mako, Patrick Stewart, Mitchell Whitfield, James Arnold Taylor, Mikey Kelley, Nolan North, Laurence Fishburne, Zhang Ziyi, Kevin Smith, John DiMaggio, Paula Mattioli, Kevin Michael Richardson, Fred Tatasciore, |
Posted in Action, Comic-Book Superhero Film, Fantasy, Martial Arts | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
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George Lucas produced and Jim Henson directed this gothic fantasy which pits living and breathing actors Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie (who, along with Trevor Jones, provides the film’s music) against a motley collection of Muppet monsters.
The film centers upon teenage Sarah (Connelly), who lives in a fantasy world of myth and magic, evil spells, and wondrous enchantment.
She is baby-sitting her little brother when she cavalierly wishes that goblins would take him away.
She gets her wish, and a coterie of goblins abduct him.
She then encounters Jareth (David Bowie), the ruler of a mystical world one step removed from reality.
He tells Sarah that the only way to get her brother back is to find her way through a M.
C.
Escher-like labyrinth and find the castle at the center.
As she makes her way through the maze, she faces a number of horrific challenges (like the Bog of Eternal Stench) before she finds her way to the gravity-defying castle, where her brother is being held by the evil goblins. |
| Also Known As: |
Labyrinth |
| Genres: |
Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Children’s Fantasy, |
| Running Time: |
102:00 |
| Actor List: |
David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, Brian Henson, Shelley Thompson, Christopher Malcolm, Natalie Finland, Shari Weiser, Ron Mueck, David Barclay, David Shaughnessey, Karen Prell, Timothy Bateson, Sherry Amott, Marc Antona, John Aron, Anthony Asbury, Elfrida Ashworth, Michael Attwell, Charles Augins, Kenny Baker, Michael Henbury Ballan, Sean Barrett, Robert Beatty, Douglas Blackwell, Danny Blackner, John Bluthal, Richard Bodkin, David Bradshaw, Denise Bryer, Peter Burroughs, Toby Clark, Kevin Clash, Tessa Crockett, Terry Dane, Warwick Davis, Malcolm Dixon, Percy Edwards, Margaret Foyer, Alistair Fullarton, Anthony Georghiou, Elizabeth A. Gilbert, Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Paul Grant, Moira Grant, Derek Hartley, David Healy, Cheryl Henson, Andrew Herd, Michael Hordern, Douglas Howes, Anthony Jackson, Danny John-Jules, Richard Jones, John Key, Rollin Krewson, San Lee, Mark Lisle, Janis Mackintosh, Peter Mandell, Peter Marinker, Penny Marsden, Kim Mendez, Rob Mills, Wendy Millward, Frank Oz, Leonie Pallete, Toby Philpott, Caroline Pope, Katie Purvis, Nicholas Read, Kerry Shale, Linda Spriggs, Penny Stead, Ian Thom, Sharon White, Steve Whitmire, Albert Wilkinson, |
Posted in Children's Fantasy, Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure | No Comments »
Friday, September 11th, 2009
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High-concept director Robert Zemeckis applies his usual polish — helped by an equally adept cast — for this surprisingly gruesome and extremely funny black comedy.
The film begins with narcissistic actress Madeline (Meryl Streep) stealing the latest in a series of potential fiances, wimpy plastic surgeon Ernest (Bruce Willis), from her ex-best friend Helen (Goldie Hawn).
Depressed and infuriated, Helen suffers a breakdown that lands her in a mental hospital — in addition to a junk-food bender that seems to triple her weight.
When Madeline crosses paths with Helen again many years later, she is horrified to discover her once-chunky rival looking younger, slimmer and more glamorous than ever before.
Fearing that Helen will try to steal Ernest back — and dreading the thought of not having a plastic surgeon at her beck and call — Madeline solicits the supernatural services of an exotic New Age mystic (Isabella Rossellini), who sells her a potent youth elixir with the stipulation that she follow the dosage instructions to the letter.
.
.
yeah, right.
It appears that Helen owes her sexy comeback to the same magic formula, and the inevitable violent clash between the two well-dressed banshees leads to the realization that both women have become nearly impervious zombies, clawing at each other’s throats long after the blood has run cold in their veins.
Best remembered for Dick Smith’s Oscar-winning makeup effects, which allow the rapidly-rotting undead femmes to toss off witty one-liners with ragged holes blasted through their bodies or spin their heads Exorcist-style.
Not all the sight gags work, and Zemeckis’ lighthearted treatment of such grotesque material tends to dull the satirical edge, but there are some truly inspired moments of dementia — particularly a hilarious cameo from Sydney Pollack as a doctor who comes unglued while examining Streep (who has yet to realize she’s dead). |
| Also Known As: |
Death Becomes Her |
| Genres: |
Comedy, Fantasy, Fantasy Comedy, Black Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
105:00 |
| Actor List: |
Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini, Ian Ogilvy, Adam Storke, Nancy Fish, Alaina Reed Hall, Michelle Johnson, Mary Ellen Trainor, William Frankfather, John Ingle, Jeff Adkins, Stephanie Anderson, Cheryl Baxter, Joel Beeson, Dave Brock, Petrea Burchard, Bonnie Cahoon, Kevin Caldwell, Dan Lee Clark, Eric Clark, Phillip Cooper, Randy Crenshaw, Mark Davenport, Donna Ekholdt, Cameron English, John Enos, Fabio, Edward J. Forsyth, Tammy Gantz, Bob Gaynor, Ernest Harada, Alex P. Hernandez, Don Hesser, Michael Higgins, Ken Hughes, Sonia Jackson, Jim Jansen, Jon Joyce, Mimi Kennedy, Jill C. Klein, Kenneth Knaff, Jacquelyn K. Koch, Glean Lewis, Anya Longwell, Stuart Mabray, Melissa Martin, Keith McDaniel, Charles McGowan, Michael Mills, Colleen Morris, Thomas Murphy, Michael A. Nickles, Regan Patno, Lydia Peterkoch, Jean Pflieger, Lacy Darryl Phillips, Sydney Pollack, Louise Rapport, Karen Rea, Debra Jo Rupp, Matt Sergott, Jonathan Silverman, Ron Stein, Carol-Ann Susi, Bob Swaim, Paul Thorpe, Paolo Tocha, Sergio Trujillo, Clement Von Franckenstein, Jerry Whitman, Meg Wittner, Kay Yamamoto, Carrie Yazel, |
Posted in Black Comedy, Comedy, Fantasy, Fantasy Comedy | No Comments »
Sunday, September 6th, 2009
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Young wizard-in-training Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year of studies, only to find that the magical community seems to be in a curious state of denial about his recent encounter with the sinister Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the fifth installment of the popular fantasy film series based on the best-selling books by author J.
K.
Rowling.
Rumor has it that the dreaded Lord Voldemort has returned, but Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) isn’t so sure what to make of all the hearsay currently floating around the campus of Hogwarts.
Suspecting that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) may be fueling the rumors regarding Voldemort’s return in order to undermine his authority and lay claim to his job, Fudge entrusts newly arrived Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) with the task of tracking Dumbledore and keeping a protective watch over the nervous student body.
The young wizards of Hogwarts will need something much more effective than Umbridge’s Ministry-approved course in defensive magic if they are to truly succeed in the extraordinary battle that lies ahead, however, and when the administration fails to provide the students with the tools that they will need to defend Hogwarts against the fearsome powers of the Dark Arts, Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Harry take it upon themselves to recruit a small group of students to form “Dumbledore’s Army” in preparation for the ultimate supernatural showdown. |
| Also Known As: |
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
| Genres: |
Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, |
| Running Time: |
139:00 |
| Actor List: |
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, Jason Isaacs, Harry Melling, Jason Boyd, Richard Macklin, Kathryn Hunter, Miles Jupp, Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths, Jessica Stevenson, Adrian Rawlins, Geraldine Somerville, Robert Pattinson, Nick Shrim, Natalia Tena, Brendan Gleeson, George Harris, Peter Cartwright, Bridgette Millar, Mark Williams, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Timothy Bateson, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Bonnie Wright, Jamie Wolpert, Nicholas Blane, Daisy Haggard, Robert Hardy, Chris Rankin, Imelda Staunton, Sian Thomas, Tom Felton, Jamie Waylett, Joshua Herdman, Katie Leung, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Ryan Nelson, David Bradley, Devon Murray, William Melling, Apple Brook, Alfred Enoch, Afshan Azad, Shefali Chowdhury, Warwick Davis, Jim McManus, Sam Beazley, John Atterbury, Arben Bajraktaraj, Richard Leaf, Tony Maudsley, Alec Hopkins, Robert Jarvis, James Walters, Charles Hughes, James Utechin, Jason Piper, Michael Wildman, Richard Cubison, Peter Best, Tav MacDougall, Richard Trinder, |
Posted in Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure | No Comments »
Monday, August 31st, 2009
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Inspired by the epic Old English poem of the same name, director Robert Zemeckis’s digitally rendered film follows the Scandinavian hero Beowulf (Ray Winstone) as he fights to protect the Danes from a ferocious beast named Grendel (Crispin Glover).
Though at first Grendel seems invincible, Beowulf eventually manages to defeat him in a desperate battle to the death.
Devastated by her son’s violent demise at the hands of Beowulf, Grendel’s mother (Angelina Jolie) sets out in search of revenge.
Later, Beowulf faces the biggest challenge of his life when he attempts to slay a powerful dragon.
Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, and Brendan Gleeson co-star in an epic fantasy adventure penned by Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman. |
| Also Known As: |
Beowulf |
| Genres: |
Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, |
| Running Time: |
114:00 |
| Actor List: |
Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman, Angelina Jolie, Paul Baker, John Bilezikjian, Rod D. Harbour, Brice H. Martin, Sonje Fortag, Sharisse Baker-Bernard, Charlotte Salt, Julene Renee, Greg Ellis, Rik Young, Sebastian Roche, Leslie Zemeckis, Woody Schultz, Tyler Steelman, Nick Jameson, Shay Duffin, Costas Mandylor, Chris Coppola, Dominic Keating, Jacquie Branbrooke, Fredrik Hiller, Daniel McGrew, Alan J. Silva, Ray Winstone, Kevin Dorman, Rick Burns, Jared Weber, Camille Mala, Rob McCabe, Christopher Cummins, Shawn Driscoll, Emily Johnson, Tom West, Jr., Timothy J. Trobec, Larkin Lofgren, John Littlefield, Amy Esacove, Nadine Stenovitch, Anne Marie Wilson, Fred Tatasciore, Neil Dickson, Matthew A. Ward, Holly Dorff, Peter Lavin, Peter Dennis, |
Posted in Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
|
A young girl ventures into a perilous parallel universe to rescue her best friend and fight the forces of darkness in director Chris Weitz’s adaptation of the first installment of author Philip Pullman’s best-selling fantasy trilogy.
Screen newcomer Dakota Blue Richards stars as young heroine Lyra Belacqua, Casino Royale star Daniel Craig appears as Lyra’s ruthless adventurer uncle, Lord Asriel, and Nicole Kidman assumes the glamorous guise of the villainous Mrs.
Coulter. |
| Also Known As: |
The Golden Compass |
| Genres: |
Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, |
| Running Time: |
118:00 |
| Actor List: |
Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, Christopher Lee, Tom Courtenay, Derek Jacobi, Ben Walker, Adam Godley, Simon McBurney, Jim Carter, Nonso Anozie, Charlie Rowe, Clare Higgins, Jack Shepherd, Steven Loton, Magda Szubanski, Edward de Souza, John Bett, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane, John Franklyn Robbins, Freddie Highmore, Jonathan Laury, Kathy Bates, Paul Antony-Barber, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jason Watkins, Hattie Morahan, Jay Rawlings, Joao de Sousa, Tommy Luther, |
Posted in Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure | No Comments »
