NEWS!
-Stranger Things is getting a continuation of their comic series and hopefully will give us clues on Part 3.
-Axl Rose releases his first song in 10 years called "Rock the Rock" with a Looney Tunes cartoon and it's actually pretty solid. Space Jam 2?
-Tool is finished with the vocals on their new album which still has no release date.
-Carmen San Diego is getting a reboot on Netflix.
-Aquaman passes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, and Venom in box office sales.
TRAILERS!
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Captain Marvel- Captain Marvel received it's third trailer this week and it's much more of the same. I do have a feeling from this trailer that the film will lie too heavily on Nick Fury and less of Carol Danvers. Hopefully this is just in the trailers to get the face recognition. It's going to be a fun movie and interesting to see how her story intertwines with the rest of the MCU's and we get a good explanation of why she has not shown up yet. She could be in space, lost in the quantum realm, or even dead. Who knows, we'll have to wait until march to find out.
REVIEWS!
"The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm" by Christopher Paolini
"The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm" is the fifth book by Christopher Paolini set in the world of Alagaesia. It is a collection of three short stories through the eyes of Eragon and Angela after the events of the Inheritance Cycle.
The first story "The Fork" follows Eragon struggling with his new position as the lead dragon rider and leading and training a new generation of Dragon Riders. He has become distraught on all of his duties and responsibilities. Luckily he has Saphira and the Eldunari to help him through his tough time. They give him a vision of his half brother Murtagh and his adventures. It was really nice to see what he has been doing through this time. Everyone else in the story had a clear path at the end of the last book except Murtagh. The vision also doesn't answer all the questions and hopefully leads to more information in a future installment of these anthology storylines. The vision also allows Eragon to see the world in a different light and know his brother is still out there and safe.
The second story "The Witch" starts with a conversation between Angela and Eragon. Angela gives Eragon a story to read so the middle section of the book is through the words of Angela. Christopher Paolini's sister (also named Angela) actually wrote that section which is super interesting and feels like another person writing in a different character's perspective. Although this is a cool concept I didn't much care for Angela's story, she was not my favorite character in the main series so it just didn't ring true for me.
Part 3 titled "The Worm" started off slow and was another tale within a tale. This was about the people who lived on Arngor Mountain before Eragon and the dragon riders settled there. There was a legend about the people who lived there and a Dragon who protected the mountain. The dragon was nicknamed "The Worm" and there is a great vengeance story that inspires Eragon and leads the ending of the book which leaves us with a great feeling and resolves Eragon's issues in "The Fork".
This is a great collection of short stories that continue to flesh out the world of Alagaesia and continue the stories of the characters I love. It leaves things open for other characters to have short stories written and continue our adventures through Alagaesia. Of course this going on my ultimate bookshelf. Especially my copy who will be signed by Christopher Paolini at the end of February!
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Poppins Returns is a fantastic sequel that nobody expected but nobody was upset with. Unlike some Disney sequels that seem excessive and unnecessary (Lion King and Toy Story 4), this film makes sense as a sequel. I feel like this movie brings the magic we've been lacking in the Disney films of 2018. Ralph Breaks the Internet was technology based, there were loads of Superhero films (Black Panther, Incredibles 2, Avengers: Infinity War, and you can make a case for Solo), and the other live action films (A Wrinkle in Time and Nutcracker and the Four Realms) were awful. Christopher Robin was the only one that sort of crossed the line into magical but I haven't seen that film yet so I can't comment on it.
Mary Poppins Returns takes place in 1935 which is 25 years after the first film. Michael Banks and his three children live in the house from the first on 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Unfortunately their mother passed away earlier that year and the family is now coping with that burden with the help of Jane Banks who is a single activist in London. Although in the first few minutes of the film, trouble arises in the Banks household and who else but Mary Poppins to help.
The rest of the plot is classic Mary Poppins with whimsical musical numbers and colorful adventures that you never truly know if Mary Poppins truly is magical or just an amazing person. It's really quite an enjoyable film with a generally good plot, great music, and some phenomenal acting. But let's get into the best part of the film, the music!
At first I didn't love some of the songs but the more I thought about it and listened to them the more I really enjoy it! The best part is the score which sprinkles in melodies and bits from the original songs such as "Let's Go Fly A Kite" and "A Spoonful of Sugar". But let's get into my favorites from the film and why...
The film opens with Lin Manuel Miranda's character (Jack) singing "Lovely London Sky". This song has to do a lot such as set the scene, tone, and set the plot of the film in motion. Lin does a great job on this song and gives us a slightly ominous tone. After the characters are established Michael Banks sings a song called "A Conversation" which is about Michael dealing with their predicament without his wife at his side. This is one of my favorites in the film and is a great and heartfelt performance from Ben Winshaw. Finally Mary Poppins shows up and the entire film gets a new flavor with "Can You Imagine That?" The motive in this song is found all throughout the film's soundtrack and at first I disliked the song, but the more I listen to it the more I understand the purpose of the song and why it is great for the film. Next the children and Mary Poppins go on their second adventure where Mary Poppins and Jack perform my favorite tune in the film "A Cover is Not the Book" which is a fantastically fun song and features a fantastic patter song section from Jack. There are some other songs in this film but I feel like those four are the most notable.
This is not my favorite film but I don't see a whole lot of musicals so I will put it on my ultimate shelf to diversify it a little bit and also keep the original film a bit of company on the shelf. It's a really fun time if you like musicals and a great film for anyone who is still a kid at heart.
Alright I know this has been a big post but there are some house keeping stuff I need to do.
1. I am starting a YouTube channel with a video version of these reviews. Every Sunday will be the previous post's video review so please check it out. There is also a podcast in the works as well so keep an eye on that.
2. Thrak Attack is on Facebook and Instagram (I tried twitter but couldn't get into it) so please follow us if you want to hear my one gripe about Mary Poppins Returns.
3. Thank you so much for reading!
All the Best, Ross
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