Fantasy Movies

The Great Wall movie with Matt Damon: Awkward-accented British mercenary fights the Taotie in costly Chinese-American collaboration. ‘The Great Wall’ movie: Zhang Yimou-Matt Damon collaboration evidence that – for better or for worse – countries can work together In this divisive age, when countries are…

Die Nibelungen: Siegfried: Paul Richter as the tragic dragon-slaying hero of medieval Germanic mythology – with a bit from Homer’s Iliad thrown in. ‘Die Nibelungen’: Enthralling silent classic despite complex plot and countless characters Based on the medieval epic poem Nibelungenlied, itself inspired by the…

‘7 Faces of Dr. Lao’ with Tony Randall delivering a ‘bravura performance’: Things are not as they seem. ‘7 Faces of Dr. Lao’ movie: ‘Things are not as they seem’ Director George Pal’s 7 Faces of Dr. Lao surprises on multiple levels: its witty screenplay…

‘Alice in Wonderland’ 2010: Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ 2010: Plenty of visuals, no substance In the interest of full disclosure, I should start this commentary on Alice in Wonderland by saying that I have never been a fan of Tim…

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie poster with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ movie: State of the art CGI but where’s the movie magic? Alfonso Cuarón seems like an odd choice for director of Harry…

Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Huntsman. ‘The Huntsman’ release date announced as ‘Snow White and the Huntsman 2’ drops Snow White a.k.a. Kristen Stewart Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman 2 has a new title, as the “sequel” to Rupert Sanders’ 2012 fantasy…

Shirtless Kellan Lutz in The Legend of Hercules, with Gaia Weiss. Kellan Lutz ‘Hercules’ movie: Zero percent Rotten Tomatoes approval rating Starring Kellan Lutz, best known as the hunky and likable vampire Emmett in the Twilight movies, The Legend of Hercules opens on Jan. 10,…

The Hobbit 2 a.k.a. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug with Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. The sequel to the Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opened below expectations – and below its…

‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ with James Franco and Michelle Williams. James Franco ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’: Below expectations, but one of biggest March openings ever March 11, ’13, update: Starring James Franco as the magician who becomes The Wizard of Oz, Sam Raimi’s…

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson Breaking Dawn - Part 2 among top six movies in Brazilian box office ‘history’ Jan. 6, ’13, update: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are back together for the last time in Breaking…

The Hobbit with the Gollum a.k.a. Andy Serkis. Starring Martin Freeman as the young Bilbo Baggins, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – the first installment in the cinematic trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s (not all that long) 1937 novel The Hobbit – is…

Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 2: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as Bella Swan-Cullen and Edward Cullen. ‘Breaking Dawn - Part 2’: Most successful ‘Twilight’ movie worldwide? Dec. 10 update: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, is now…

Bella Swan: Kristen Stewart in ‘Twilight.’ Kristen Stewart Bella Swan in Twilight not a ‘feminist’ move heroine: Should that be a problem? When Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games opened last March, some film commentators, usually women, declared it the first real major female movie franchise…

Breaking Dawn - Part 2 trailer Sept. 8 update: The Breaking Dawn - Part 2 trailer – the final one – has been released online. (Please scroll down to check it out.) Two days ago, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner introduced a 90-second trailer of…

July 12 update: Stephenie Meyer Midnight Sun: the unfinished Twilight book to be completed? Stephenie Meyer may or may not finish Midnight Sun, the Twilight book that allows readers to follow the story through the eyes of vampire Edward Cullen. (Image: Robert Pattinson as Edward…

Snow White and the Huntsman with Kristen Stewart. Kristen Stewart & Rupert Sanders ‘cheating’ scandal helped Snow White and the Huntsman box office? July 31 update: In the United States and Canada, despite the loss of nearly 15 percent of its venues, Snow White and…