Ben Kingsley: Talking Like a Dragon
Who can talk like a Dragon? High class British actors! In his portrayal of Drago for Dragonheart III, Ben Kingsley joins the ranks of Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug), Sean Connery (Draco), John Hurt (Kilgarrah the Great Dragon from Merlin), and Rachel Hannah Weisz (Saphira from Eragon). Here’s Kingsley’s take on being a dragon:
Uploaded by Universal Home Entertainment January 30, 2015.
This scene occurs just before the one in the previous posting.
His Real Name is “Hissyoxylammochoganatoss”
But for the sake of easier human pronunciation, “Drago” will do.
Listen to how Drago pronounces it.
Hmph. Sounds like “Hissyoxylammochogunther” to me.
Sir Ben Kingsley delivers a fine vocal performance for Drago, and the animators of Terminal FX Ukraine provide a splendid visual performance. Drago shares his heart with Gareth, played by Julian Morris, who in turn plays Prince Phillip in Once Upon a Time.
Drago comes to Earth inside a giant meteor. His purpose is to hatch a clutch of dragon eggs he’s brought with him, and train the newborns in the defense of mankind. But it’s a risky endeavor, as two of the nine eggs … explode … during the adventure. The direct-to-video story raises questions that, hopefully, will be answered by the filmmakers in interviews. Such as, why would extra-terrestrial dragons care about what happens to Man? Why would Drago land his meteor near a human population? Why not land in a remote area till the eggs are hatched and the younglings can fend for themselves? What has Drago sacrificed in his coming to Earth–distancing himself from family and friends? Have other Dragon-meteors landed elsewhere on the planet? Does Drago communicate with his home constellation? The concept is intriguing, but will the storytellers embellish it?
For the latest in news and video coverage from Dragonheart 3, visit this detailed blog.
Leonard Maltin, George Lucas, Robert Redford Discuss the Art of Film
Leonard Maltin! George Lucas! Robert Redford! Three cinematic titans discussed their love for film at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 29.
Thanks to the power of the internet, you too can see their discussion, “Power of Story: Visions of Independence”:
Streamed live January 29, 2015.
Counter to what Chris Taylor inferred in How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, Lucas says at 35:56, “I really had no interest in science fiction, at all. There’s this whole thing about how I spent my whole life drawing little space soldiers when I never did that. I spent my whole life drawing cars. And I was completely obsessed with cars.”
Film historian Leonard Maltin, who led the discussion, shares a behind-the-stage anecdote on his blog, “Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy.” Click here to read “George Lucas, Robert Redford . . . And Me,” posted online January 30, 2015.
Brent Lang reported the event for Variety, “Star Wars” creator talks future of film with Robert Redford,” posted online January 29, 2015, but for some unknown reason did not mention Leonard Maltin.
Adventures in Microsoft — Inverted Quote Marks
I use Microsoft Word as my word processor. Sometimes when I’m typing, I get inverted quote marks like this:
„I will not bandy words with you.“ when it should be “I will not bandy words with you.”
Why does this happen? I don’t know. But it’s annoying.
Thankfully, there is a bandaid solution. It doesn’t keep the problem from reoccurring, but it does help with getting those quote marks the way you want them.
On the upper tool bar click “Review.”
Select “Set Language” in the Proofing menu on the left side.
A “Language” box pops up. Deselect the language that’s been highlighted and select the language you want, which is “English (United States)” in my case. For some reason, “German” had been highlighted, automatically.
Retype and the quote marks should appear the way you want them.
For now.
See-Threepio’s Replacement
What more can be said?
Artoo-Detoo.
Unstoppable!
Uploaded January 22, 2015.
Tommy Oliver — Agent of HYDRA?
At Wizard World Portland, January 25, 2015, Jason David Frank matches fists with Brett Dalton from Agents of SHIELD. Has the former Green/White/Red Turbo/Black Dino Ranger joined the forces of HYDRA, or is this a clever ploy to save the world?
Update: February 7, 2015.
Oh, my. Jason David Frank is on the outs with Brett Dalton. Will he survive?
How to Make Paper Mache Dragons
Dan Reed is a Seattle, Washington-based artist who specializes in paper mache. Have a look at his dragons:
April 22, 2014
May 29, 2011
September 23, 2014
Dragonheart 3? Yes!
As I research through the internet, I often come across surprises. This is one of them:
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse is a PG-13-rated direct-to-video set for release February 10, 2015 on Digital HD and February 24, 2015 on Blu-ray & DVD.
The latest news, photos, gifs and video clips can be found here.
Top 17 Most Popular Posts, 2014
Looking back at the year 2014, it’s interesting to review the most popular posts aside from my regular pages. Here they are in order of popularity:
The Secret of Storybrooke, Maine
45.89 per cent of all my traffic comes to this page, nearly three times as many that visit my home page. There are a lot of Once Upon a Time fans! This page features a video where the series is filmed, in the town of Steveston, British Columbia.
Tickle Me Spotty
This was the next post after “The Secret of Storybrooke, Maine” so it receives spillover traffic from the OUAT crowd. This features a video application of SpottyWot from The WotWots, with a link in which you can download the app for free.
Joe Hisaishi’s Studio Ghibli 25 Years Concert
Hayao Miyazaki’s favorite composer stages a concert featuring the wonderful work he’s composed for Studio Ghibli.
Ode to 1980s Sci-fi Animation
A visual parody of 1980s cartoons like Silverhawks, He-Man, Bravestarr and Galaxy Rangers–but with lusher animation.
Back, you mewling quim! Loki Comes to ComicCon and Conquers Hall “H”
Tom Hiddleston, in character as Loki, gets the Hall “H” crowd at San Diego Comic Con to pledge their allegiance to him and in return, he will present a trailer for an uncoming Marvel film.
Dudley on Parade
Canada’s Dudley the Dragon becomes a balloon for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York — and suffers a disaster.
“Disney’s Titey”
Link to a Saturday Night Live parody of Disney animated films by J. J. Sedelmeier, starring Whoopi Goldberg as the Mean Ol’ Iceberg.
The Classical Three Little Pigs
Comedian John Branyan tells the story of the Three Little Pigs in classical Shakespearean style. Hilarious!
Space Battleship Yamato, Chapter 5
Two trailers for the theatrical release of Space Battleship Yamato, Chapter 5. Can Yamato’s crew retrieve Cosmo DNA in time to save mankind from radiation poisoning? Only if they can survive the onslaught of the forces of Gamilon. Space battles galore!
Star Wars Want List
The holes I need to fill for my Star Wars collection and for the Star Wars Historical Sourcebook.
What is a Gabblerdictum?
This tribute to an obscure 1960’s space show is surprisingly popular, and rising through the ranks. What is a Gabblerdictum? Click the link and see.
Dudley’s Kids
The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon was a children’s show. Therefore, Dudley needed to interact with kids. But what happened as they outgrew their roles?
The Magnificent Dragon Gate
Click on the link, and you will see how magnificent this Dublin dragon gate is.
A Reunion with Sally
A touching reunion between Dudley the Dragon and his second-best friend Sally in the series’ final episode.
The Star Wars Reference Guide: Progress Report 7/17/2013
A report on my research trip to Skywalker Ranch and Rancho Obi-Wan in 2013. My 2014 visit is reported here.
A Dragon’s Crusade
This is Part Two of a series on the making of The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon.
Smaug Alert
A review of Weta Workshop’s wonderful book, Smaug: Unleashing the Dragon. Highly recommended!
Thanks for visiting my website. Wishing you a great 2015!
How to Desolate a Dragon
In its first two weeks of release, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug became the fourth highest-grossing film of 2013, ultimately earning $958,366,855 worldwide in its theatrical venue.
Do these enormous box-office revenues make the film immune from criticism? Here’s an Honest Movie Trailer:
Posted online on December 16, 2014
And author John C. Wright offers his views on “The Desolation of Tolkien” here, from February 11, 2014.
“I loved the first Hobbit movie and hated, hated, hated the second,” he says. “It was stupid on every level of stupidity.”
Ouch.
