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Netflix’s ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ is an Epic Masterpiece

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The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

On August 30, 2019, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will premiere on Netflix with a star-studded voice cast and a return to the amazing Jim Henson Company puppetry that made the original film an instant classic when it debuted in 1982.

The dark fairy tale-like series is made up of ten episodes, each nearly an hour long, packed with enough action, adventure, intrigue, and fantastic landscapes and characters to transport the willing viewer from our humdrum lives to the mystical world of Thra.

Set many years before the events of 1982’s The Dark Crystal, the new series focuses on the growing strife between the varied clans of Gelfling and the Skeksis who have assumed control of the Crystal of Truth.

The Crystal’s power has darkened under the Skeksis stewardship and that darkness is seeping out into the world of Thra. Rian (Taron Egerton), Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel), and Brea (Anya Taylor-Joy), three Gelfling from different clans, have discovered a new insidious plot by the Skeksis and they set out to unite the Gelfling to fight this new threat.

Director Louis Leterrier worked in tandem with The Jim Henson Company to recreate the world of Thra much as we knew it in that original film with intricate, lifelike puppetry, textured hand-sculpted sets, and a bare minimum of CGI effects to give it the feel of a classic production.

What’s most incredible about the series is that, after only an episode or two, one begins to forget that these are puppets at all. Certainly they are completely unearthly beings, but they seem alive and the more alive they become, the more immersive Thra becomes.

The attention to detail in creating the world of Thra is evident in every single scene and setpiece.

Beyond the physical spectacle of the series, the writing is stellar. Jeffrey Addis (Life in a Year) and the writers have expanded upon the mythology of The Dark Crystal, creating a story that is compelling and answering questions that have lingered for 37 years about the Gelfling, Mother Aughra, and the Skeksis and Mystics.

Likewise, music for the series composed by Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse) and Samuel Sim (The Spanish Princess) is nothing short of glorious. Together they created an evocative soundscape that ranges from symphonic swells to deceptively simple folk songs.

For their part, the talented voice cast is more than up to the challenge of embodying the denizens of Thra.

It would be a daunting task to point out the pitch-perfect performances of all the actors in the series. Egerton, Emmanuel, and Taylor-Joy are joined by the likes of Lena Headey, Harvey Fierstein, Eddie Izzard, Helena Bonham Carter, Toby Jones, Simon Pegg, Jason Isaacs, and Gugu Mbatha Raw to name just a few.

Each brings their own dynamic talents to their roles, breathing life into these characters with seeming ease, but there are two performances that must be pointed out.

Mark Hamill is deliciously evil in the role of the Skeksis Scientist. The actor has proven his talent as a voice actor time and again and this role is no different. Whether he’s feeling petulant, vindictive, or power-hungry, there is never any doubt that he is a dangerous enemy to have.

Likewise, puppeteer and voice actress Donna Kimball proves she was more than up for the task of bringing Aughra to life. In fact, the similarity between her performance and Billie Whitelaw’s in the original film is downright uncanny. She fully embodies the ancient, powerful mistress of Thra at every turn.

Donna Kimball gives a masterful performance as Aughra in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

And then there’s Thra, a mystical world with a life all its own.

Thra breathes; Thra sings. Thra can nurture; Thra can kill. Thra mourns, and Thra can die which leads us to the heart of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. It is a reminder to all of us that those in power are not always right and those who rebel are sometimes the true heroes.

If I had one complaint about the series as a whole, it is that I found the pacing a bit uneven at times. Certainly exposition and character development are fundamental to any story, but there are ways of doing that while maintaining momentum, and there were one or two episodes where that forward-movement slowed quite a bit.

Fortunately, these issues are not enough to detract from the series as a whole.

In fact, by the end of the series, audiences will almost assuredly find that they have been on an epic journey that is both nostalgic and new. It also leaves you with the feeling that there are more stories that Netflix could tell within this world, and all eyes will surely be on the streaming platform to find out if this adventure will continue.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance premieres August 30, 2019 on Netflix.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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