I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
«Lord of the Rings» is back! That’s if Amazon succeeds in luring us back to Middle Earth with a convincing prequel series. «The Rings of Power» is set during the so-called Second Age, thousands of years before «The Lord of the Rings». At that point, the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, has just fallen. But his disciple, Sauron, is already plotting his rise to power. The island of Númenor hasn’t yet fallen victim to the wrath of the gods. It’s where Aragorn's ancestors live, who are blessed with an extremely long lifespan and great wisdom. And the distant immortal land of Valinor is home to the young Elves Galadriel and Elrond. One thing’s for sure: this series has to go through the roof. After all, Amazon is planning five seasons, with a total budget of $750 million. For comparison, all eight seasons of «Game of Thrones» combined cost slightly less than $600 million. This makes «The Rings of Power» by far the most expensive TV production of all time.
Can there be enough film adaptations of Italian author Carlo Collodi’s 1883 children's book? «Nope», says the world – having already seen more than 30 film versions. And Disney agrees, of course. They’re more than happy to cash in several times. In 1940, the children's book was made into a film for only the third time in history – as a feature-length animated film that’s still well known among kids all these years later. So what’s this new movie? A live-action remake, of course. Not a creative move by Disney. Great. But hey, it features Tom Hanks. And Ewan McGregor. And who knows, Disney might have managed to come up with an appealing, modern reinterpretation of the highly moral story of the boy without a conscience.
As Barney from «How I Met Your Mother» has always known, not Daniel (Ralph Macchio), but Johnny (William Zabka) is the real hero of «The Karate Kid». At least in the series «Cobra Kai», which was released more than 30 years later and in which the roles of the protagonist and antagonist were cleverly reversed. Suddenly, it’s Johnny, the loser and underdog, who’s the hero and who wants to pull himself out of his misery by founding his dojo. Conversely, Daniel, as a sleazy car dealer, slips into the role of the aloof rich asshole who meets Johnny's positive change with ignorance – until the old rival is struck by a longing for the teachings of his deceased master Mister Miyagi (Pat Morita). Perhaps that's exactly why the Netflix series is so successful and is now in its fifth round: it’s more complex than the rather simplistic films with pure goodies and baddies.
Deja vu? Indeed! «Andor» was already in this list last month. Don't worry, it's not a glitch in the matrix. «Andor» was supposed to start in August, but Disney postponed the launch at short notice and prioritised «House of the Dragon» and «The Rings of Power». Yet, the series sounds promising. It begins five years before «Rogue One». Two seasons with twelve episodes of one hour each are planned. These are epic «Game of Thrones» dimensions that weren’t even seen in «The Mandalorian» before. Three episodes form a so-called blog – a coherent chapter. And each blog is shot by a different director. While the entire first season represents one year, the four blogs of the second season each represent one year. This means, the total is exactly the five years leading up to «Rogue One». And as «Rogue One» is still considered one of the most popular Star Wars films of the Disney era, I have a good feeling.
Marilyn Monroe isn’t a person, but a screen character – according to the trailer – whose glamour and myth were the downfall for the blonde woman who was born as Norma Jeane Baker. Because no matter how hard the 36-year-old tried, Jeane aka Marilyn could never free herself completely from her image of the naive, attractive and lascivious blonde. «Blonde» is director Andrew Dominik’s attempt to shed new light on this complicated life. I'm curious, especially since I've had a high opinion of leading actress Ana de Armas since «Knives Out».
This is probably the most absurd story I’ve heard lately. And it’s true. New York, 1968. John «Chickie» Donohue has had enough of sitting around doing nothing while his childhood friends are risking life and limb in the Vietnam War. So he makes a decision that’s certainly not the smartest, but not the worst either. He decides to travel to the war zone as a sign of his support, to bring his friends a little piece of home – best American canned beer. Soon, however, Chickie is confronted with the reality and controversies of war. What begins as a well-intentioned plan ends as the adventure of a lifetime. Starring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe. I’ll watch it.
Almost 30 years ago, «Hocus Pocus» was one of those Disney films that started out as terrible flop in theatres and only developed into real cult films in the years that followed. Maybe that's why it took Disney so long to conjure up a sequel. Fortunately, however, they did so with the original cast, who already played the Sandelson sisters years ago. That’s Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. Today, as then, the three witches are still out to suck the life out of young teens in order to gain immortality. After all, their curse only keeps them alive for one day – Halloween, when someone lights the black-flame candle.
