HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is Live-Action

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from writer/director Dean DeBlois, DreamWorks and Universal Pictures is the returning tale of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.

On the island of Berg, Hiccup (Mason Thames) is a young man that doesn’t quite fit in, especially when it comes to fighting the one thing that plagues his village – dragons! It is even more difficult to fit in when your father is Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler) the chieftain of Berk. Hiccup mainly spends his time in the workshop of Gobber (Nick Frost) the blacksmith and being pushed out of the way when dragons attack. Except during the most recent attack, Hiccup hears something and knows if he can bring down a Night Fury, his life will get better yet, when he does, no one believes him.

Stoick is dead set on finding the dragons lair and getting rid of there dragon problem once and for all. Before leaving on that journey, Gobber talks him into letting Hiccup go into dragon training as a way of giving him something useful to do and staying under the watchful eye of Gobber. When he arrives for training, Hiccup is met with the groans of Astrid (Nico Parker), Fishlegs (Julian Dennison), Snotlout (Gabriel Howell), Ruffnut (Bronwyn James) and Tuffnut (Harry Trevaldwyn) who see him as a hinderance and not a help to the village.

In between training, Hiccup decides to go look for signs that he caught a dragon. There, in a small opening in the woods, he sees the Night Fury struggling and shortly realizes his tail is damaged. When a friendship is struck and he discovers a way to help the Night Fury, Hiccup realizes that he can’t and won’t hurt other dragons. As the two become inseparable and he learns from the dragon named Toothless – Hiccup also becomes a surprise during training much to the suspicion of Astrid.

She learns Hiccups secret but also realizes that the villagers truly don’t understand dragons. When Stoick returns, everything comes out and now Hiccup and Toothless are separated while finding the dragon’s lair. Hiccup enlists the help of Astrid and the others to do what needs to be done – saving his father and the other Vikings!

Thames as Hiccup is a young man trying to find his place in the Viking village of Berk. Keeping himself busy with making inventions that no one really pays attention to, he thinks its time to get a dragon. The one thing Hiccup doesn’t count on is realizing that getting to know dragons is the answer to the villages’ problem. It’s unfortunate that Stoick isn’t interested in hearing about it. Thames is charming and captures a bit of the animated Hiccup but it works smoothly and that’s what is important.

Butler as Stoick is the only person that returns from animation to live-action. The fact is that nobody could voice the chieftain better than Butler and he is fun to watch in full Viking regalia. That makes playing the role much easier since he pretty much already knows the lines. The challenge I think would be going from being only a voice to a full-fledged Stoick on screen. He is funny, challenging, and the scene where he gives Hiccup his mother’s helmet is awkward and lovely at the same time.

Frost as Gobber is the peg-legged, one arm blacksmith who understands Hiccup’s predicament referring to him as “all this” of problems with a mixture of loyalty to Stoick as well as a trusted friend. Frost gives his character sarcasm and wit that I secretly enjoy and delivers. Parker as Astrid giving the strong minded and strong-willed Viking who believes she must beat every one and everything in order to be seen as a leader. Hiccup is an obstacle to all that as she feels that being the son of the chieftain is a point she can not get over. Parker delivers on the right bad attitude of her character until she begins to see the other side of the story. Well done.

Dennison, James, Trevaldwyn, and Codd round out the added cast as the other trainees of dragon camp. They might see Hiccup as a problem-child in the beginning but, like Astrid, learn that there is more to their small world than they could ever imagine. Each of these actors are a sweet addition to the live action story.

Other cast include Peter Serafinowicz as Spitelout, Naomi Wirthner as Gothi, Ruth Codd as Phlegma, Andrea Ware as Burnheart, Anna Brophy as Retcha, Marcus Onilude as Snorti, Peter Selwood as Drul, Daniel Williams as Fungi, Kate Kennedy as Flatula and Murray McArthur as Hoark.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is, of course, the live action version of the 2010 version of the same name. The cast brings together that version of the story nicely with a few changes here and there but most following the formula that made the animated film such a success. That is important for the success of the film because, and let’s be honest here, when a story changes drastically, fans get a little edgy.

Toothless remains animated and everything my family loves about the Night Fury. Needless to say, there are plenty of Toothless items around our house because that is the amazing impression this character has made. He is a combination of a strong willed, free spirited, protector of a black cat and its absolutely wonderful. That’s how I’ve always seen Toothless and this film doesn’t change that about him one bit.

The film is fun, lots of laughs, and exactly the summer feature that families can have an amazing time at the theatre with. There is something for everyone bringing some of us back to 2010 and introducing a new generation to the same fun in a different way with the story of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.

In the end – the legend is real!

AMAZON PRIME: Truth Seekers

From brilliant masterminds Simon Peg and Nick Frost along with James Serafinowicz and Nat Saunders comes an eight-episode series about a paranormal investigating team who look for ghosts around the U.K. The panel moderated by Chris Hewitt of Empire Magazine gets the scoop.

Nick says what the show is about, "It's about a man seeking - lets look at another clip! I think its about Gus, he's lost I think and he's looking for some truth in many aspects of his life. He gets put together with a lovely man at work and together they form a wonderful alliance and pick up lovely friends along the way."

Simon says, "I think you have to not make fun of the horror. It's fairly easy to parody something and you can fold your arms and go 'naaww'."

James "We started talking about this, me and Nick, along time ago. We've always been interested in ghosts and UFO's and all paranormal stuff. We are always texting each other stuff we've seen. So we thought how could we harness our obsession with the paranormal with the show. We started just talking about it. We tried to couple the world of fascinating broadband with ghosts".

Nick, "Simon and I talked about how it would be cool to have a ghost hunting job. This has all been building for a while really".

Influences are, for Nat, "A mixture of X-files and pulling from different places and like Simon was saying we wanted to take the horror seriously and make the comedy funny. There might be things that you recognize from films and other television shows but hopefully we have put a spin on them and add some laughs to it. James brought this collection of leather paranormal books and we spent hours pouring over these books looking. There is spontaneous human combustion and an old ladies foot charred in a fireplace.

Simon, "I thought it was amazing that those images of people who died of spontaneous human combustion but they were always near a fire. There was always a telling thing next to a fire or something."

James, "They were always these silly names of people Arthur C. Clark and mysterious powers."

Nick, "Like watching exorcisms on YouTube and you get a chill wondering if that is real."

Pegg, "There are a couple of good scares that you might find in a horror movie that look real but they are not."

The character Gus is a YouTuber, "Gus with his YouTube he just likes it and not bothered about followers. He is desperate to be taken seriously but Gus is alone. He lost someone very close to him and his love of the paranormal came from her and when she died he picked up the reigns so to speak for a chance to see her or hear her again in another realm. That's his drive, he has to get up and go."

Simon as Dave is Gus' boss, how is that, "I was the one deal breaker for me in playing Dave is that I wear a terrible wig that made me look like a mannequin. There are reasons for everything in TRUTH SEEKERS and there is truth behind every façade. It was a lot of fun. He is relentlessly positive. I crop up in a few scenes every episode and gives Gus their assignment for the episode which is usual to install broadband somewhere. He works for a company called Smile, a multinational broadband provider which may or not be nefarious in their deeds."

Nick, "That wig cost us eight grand!"

What was it like reuniting on this? Pegg, "It was alright".

The old time horror show feel to it says James, "There was going to be a lot of practical effects versus CG. We looked for haunted places, and even the lens' were used on Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's got an old feel and there is something really authentic about it".

"It's always fun, its like coming home. I always feel cozy when we are on set together. It's very easy. I didn't do my bits till the end of the shoot so Nick and the gang were very much ensconced and it was like walking into a new school. Him being there made it very easy. It's my baseline."

Nick, "It's like wearing an old pair of pants and sliding right in. It's always nice to have Simon on set. It's always nice to see him. I love to look on the call sheet and see that Simon is in because you are always going to have a laugh and chat and work with my best mate."

There are other characters like Elton, Malcom McDowell, Emma Darcy who plays Astrid, Susan Macoma as Helen playing an agoraphobic slightly tense sister of Elton's character - everyone is great says James. Doing strange and weird roles is something they are proud of and won't say more because they want it all to be a surprise. "Everyone bought into the spooky, creepy fun of the show and brought something special to their part".

Nat, "It was a joy working with Malcom McDowell to listen to his stories."

Pegg, "Me and Malcom bonded over Star Trek and he told me a funny story about William Shatner from Generations. It's not repeatable."

Nick on stories on the set, "Once Simon came in we did some comedies. We got to shoot in great places. There was a ladies house with a Tudor interior and we shot a lot of stuff there."

James, "We shot in a bio-lab once and the terrifying chilling clinical cages and gas chambers within was strange.

Simon and Nick went ghost hunting, did you find any? Simon, "We'd go to an Abby or church and knock on the door saying 'hello ghosts'.

Nick, "There was a place where a bell rang constantly and there have been a lot of thing. The one where we found the station in the forest."

Simon, "It was like we stepped into this unknown world. It was like Brigadoon, it just appeared".

Nick, "It was just waiting for us".

Simon, "Nick knocked himself out and I left him there, he's never forgiven me for it. I thought he's really committed to it. I left and he came knocking on the door saying 'You left me!'."

Do you believe in ghosts and the paranormal?

Pegg, "No, well I believe in aliens but if an alien died I don't believe he'd come back as a ghost. Nick and I went to Area 51".

Nat, "I believe in UFO's and aliens. A friend and I saw a UFO landing at an airbase and we recorded it as proof and found out if was an FO".

James, "I've seen a UFO. Me and my friend and these two girls went down to the beach to look at the moon and it was all overcast on the sea and couldn't see anything but this big shining light. It was almost like it was strobing and lightening up the sea. It went faint and then came right back and went over our heads. It was like a big rectangle and had domes on the side and lights. Not only did I see it but all the people there saw it. It was a shared experience. That's why I believe in it.".

It’s all Out Wrestling When FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY

Jeri Jacquin

This week on Bluray/DVD and Digital from writer/director Stephen Merchant and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a story of family, friends and a little bit of wrestling when FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY.

The Knight family is a little different than most families living in England. Led by Dad Ricky Knight (Nick Frost) and Mom Julia (Lena Headey), their kids Zak (Jack Lowden) and Saraya (Florence Pugh) go around the country with their own brand of wrestling to take care of the family.

Their goal is getting the WWE to watch a tape of their wrestling so that Zak and Saraya can get their shot. In the meantime they all do their part and even teach other kids about wrestling.

One day they get the call they have been waiting for when the WWE come to town giving Zak and Saraya a chance to show what they’ve got. Getting a few pointers from The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), they are excited to begin. Judged by Coach Hutch (Vince Vaughn), it doesn’t take long before a decision is made and Saraya changes her name to Paige and heads to Florida to NXT training.

The Knight family is beside themselves and their business also begins to pick up. Paige is having a difficult time with training and isn’t sure who she is in this wrestling world as it’s nothing like back home. She isn’t getting much in the way of friendship from the other girls Jeri-Lynn (Kim Matula), Kirsten (Aqueela Zoll) and Madison (Ellie Gonsalves).

When it all seems to be falling apart, Paige must learn who to trust, who to listen to and what to believe about herself if she is ever going to be a true Diva!

Pugh as Saraya aka Paige is a fighter that comes from a family who believe in everything wrestling. They live and breathe it only wanting to be a part of something that they see as their salvation. Pugh portrays Paige as a young woman that wants to please everyone and at the same time doesn’t quite know how to fit into this world she was raised on. Her performance is strong and sweet at the same time, just like her character.

Lowden as Zack believes in wrestling with his heart and soul. Putting everything into it and then expecting a family of his own, he wants to succeed and make their lives easier. There comes a time when he sees his life turning on him and after losing one brother to prison could quite easily follow. The truth isn’t easy but needed to be heard.

Vaughn as Hutch is a hard-ass coach who doesn’t take excuses and certainly doesn’t dish out sympathy. He has one job and that’s to make the incoming WWE wrestlers steadfast and with their eye on the prize. Vaughn gets a chance to show that he can play someone who doesn’t have the luxury of being emotional. I like him in this role.

Frost as Ricky is a Dad who came from a questionable early life but turned it all around. He raised his family to do everything together, include wrestling, and doesn’t mind one bit if they all seem a bit different than everybody else. Headey as Julia is a Mom to beat all Moms, seeing wrestling as something that saved her life she also is a Mom who wants her children to be happy no matter what ever path they chose to follow.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gets a chance to steal a few scenes and I loved when he was. Especially the scene when Zak and Paige meet him for the first time – a geek out moment that he responds to as only he can.

Other cast includes: Thea Trinidad as AJ Lee, Paul Wight as Big Show, Stephen Farrelly as Sheamus, Josh Myers as Bruiser, Stephen Merchant as Hugh, Hannah Rae as Courtney, Jack Gouldbourne as Calum, Elroy Powell as Union Jack, Mohammad Amiri as Ez, Leah Harvey as Hannah and a special appearance by John Cena.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

The Bluray/DVD Bonus Features include Deleted & Extended Scenes, Gag Reel, A Family’s Passion: A Making Of, Learning the Moves, and Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Stephen Merchant.

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY is a look at an unusual family I see as not so unusual. They definitely have their own style and outlook but they have found something that joins the family together. What makes me laugh the most is they don’t care who doesn’t understand their love of wrestling and personally go out of their way to explain it all and reel in almost anyone.

Each member of the family believes in the other no matter what mistakes are made and reaches out to those who see themselves as different embracing them. I just love watching Zak and Saraya teach these kids how to be part of a group, a team and don’t believe in limitations.

It’s an amazing story about a family to be sure but also about Paige, a young girl who takes on the WWE world but takes a tough road to find her place and that makes the victory all the sweeter.

In the end – meet and outsider who changed the game!