Fantasy Flix

Sunday, August 14, 2011

George and the Dragon (2004)

Director: Tom Reeve

Writers: Michael Burks
Tom Reeve

As far as your average "Syfy Original" movie fare, this one is quite entertaining. It's not going to win any Oscars for sure, but It is definitely a fun little tale.

This is definitely one that you can allow the kiddies to see as well. It has a slight "for kids" feel to it without being too silly and childish.

The acting is quite good with a very surprising cast. As you'll see below, there are quite a few "names" in this movie. You'll recognize alot of them. These aren't your A list stars, but they are all quite good actors. I love James Purefoy in everything I see him in and Piper Perabo is always nice to see.

The action is fun, and there is enough of it to keep me interested. It has a swashbuckler type feel to it with very little blood. There's a little bit of comedy here, but again nothing overly silly for sure.

Verdict: Recommended

James Purefoy ... George

Patrick Swayze ... Garth

Piper Perabo ... Princess Luma

Bill Treacher ... Elmendorf

Caroline Carver ... Sister Angela

Jean-Pierre Castaldi ... Father Bernard

Joan Plowright ... Mother Superior

Michael Clarke Duncan ... Tarik

Paul Freeman ... Sir Robert

Rollo Weeks ... Wryn

Simon Callow ... King Edgar

Stefan Weinert ... Mercenary #1

Val Kilmer ... El Cabillo

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The Mists of Avalon (TV 2001)

Based on the bestseller by Marion Zimmer Bradley It tells the story of the women behind King Arthur; including his mother, Igraine; his half-sister, Morgaine; his aunt Viviane, the Lady of the Lake; and his wife, Gwenwyfar.

Director: Uli Edel

Writers:

Marion Zimmer Bradley (novel), Gavin Scott (teleplay)

So, I passed this one up for a long time. It clearly looked like a lifetime original movie for women. Well, I wasn't all that wrong. This is the story of Arthur, Camelot, Merlin etc. except told from a woman's perspective. More precisely from Morgaine's perspective.

That's not to say I completely hated this movie. In fact, It wasn't half bad. There's not alot of action, but there's some. The acting is very good. The movie looks great. There was just a little too much boredom here.

As far as the tale of King Arther goes, this changes things up quite a bit. Morgaine isn't the villain here. In fact, she's pretty much a good guy. There is some amount of magic, but not alot. Merlin is here, but he's more of a seer than a wizard.

The limited amount of action shown was done very well, and the ending was pretty damn good. This being a TV movie, obviously, there is no nudity to be had, but Julianna Margulies is quite easy on the eyes.