Universal Pictures; PG-13; 98 minutes

Now available to own on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the fantasy-adventure Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire.

Directed by Patrick Syversen, the film stars Tom Rhys, Jessamine-Bliss Bell, Andre Eriksen, Richard Cordery, Martin Hutson, Turlough Covery, Delroy Brown, Lewis Mackinnon, Marte Germaine Christensen, Orjan Tormod Gamst, Daniel Berge Halvorsen, Stig Frode Henriksen, Tamzin Merchant, and Patrick Stewart as the voice of Dargo.

The original Dragonheart was released to theaters in 1996. It received positive reviews from critics and was mild success at the box-office. A direct-to-video sequel Dragonheart: A New Beginning was released in 2000, but was shunned by critics and fans, mostly due to the bad CGI effects and silly storyline. The franchise seemed to be dead until a direct-to-video prequel, Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse, was released in 2015. Despite the prequel's low budget, the CGI effects for the dragon were impressive.

The second prequel, Dragonheart: Battle For The Heartfire, picks up many years after the ending of the third film. King Gareth and Queen Rhonu (and the dragon she was connected to) are both dead. The dragon Drago (now voiced by Patrick Stewart) shared a heart with the king, but somehow survived after the King's death. The King's only son had left the kingdom years ago and since then had died, but he left behind twins - a boy named Edric and a girl named Meghan.

The twins were born with a connection to Drago, who had only noticed their existence after the King had died. Due to their connection with the dragon, the twins have supernatural powers. Edric has superhuman strength and Meghan can control fire.

With Drago's help, the kingdom locates Edric and crowns him the new king. Unfortunately, Edric has no time to enjoy his new life, as his sister has sided with an army of vikings. She's determined to take the kingdom for herself by stealing the power of the heartfire that lies within Drago.

Bonus Features on the Blu-ray are:

• The Making of Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire

• The Magic Behind Drago

• Inside the Castle

Join an all-star cast as they find fantasy, action, romance and adventure in the Emmy winning® The 10th Kingdom! Beyond the mortal world lies Nine Kingdoms where the fantastic land of fairy tales and magic are brought to life – and reinvented. The themes and ideas of folklore and mythology perform fully as the classic characters enter a vortex at the edge of the mortal world which leads them to The 10th Kingdom…Central Park!

This ten part mini-series tells the tale of Prince Wendell (Daniel Lapaine) and the evil queen (Dianne Wiest) who has doomed him to spend the rest of his life as a dog. In order to recapture the throne Prince Wendell travels through the portal to the mythical kingdom of Manhattan and finds two ordinary mortals Virginia (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and Tony (John Larroquette). Together they battle the evils of the parallel universe, and defend themselves from vile trolls, goblins and every fairy tale character imaginable! Stunning visual effects and a stellar cast create an epic adventure that will enchant audiences of all ages!

An all-star cast featuring a wealth of Emmy®, Oscar®, and Golden Globe®-wining and nominated talent including: John Larroquette (Boston Legal, The Practice), Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Nashville, Father of the Bride), Scott Cohen (Love and Other Drugs, Jacob’s Ladder), Ann-Margret (Bye Bye Birdie, Tommy), Rutger Hauer (Batman Begins, Sin City), Daniel Lapaine (Double Jeopardy), Camryn Manheim (The Practice), Ed O’Neill (Modern Family, Married with Children) and Dianne Wiest (Edward Scissorhands, Parenthood)!

Tomorrowland
Director: Brad Bird
Cast: George Clooney. Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy and Hugh Laurie
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 13, 2015
Retail: $39.99
ASIN: B00WAJ8OLG
Running Time: 130 minutes
Rating: PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday from Walt Disney Home Entertainment is the fantasy-adventure Tomorrowland. Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), the film stars George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy and Hugh Laurie. Bonus Features on the Blu-ray includes Remembering The Future: A Personal Journey Through Tomorrowland With Brad Bird, Animated Short: The Origins Of Plus Ultra, Casting Tomorrowland, A Great Big Beautiful Scoring Session, The World Of Tomorrow Science Hour - Hosted by Futurologist David Nix, Deleted Scenes, Brad Bird Production Diaries, Blast from the Past Commercial and 4 Easter Eggs.

Loosely inspired by the Disney theme parks' Tomorrowland attraction, the film centers on a Florida teenager, Casey Newton (played by Britt Robertson), who has a niche for technology and science. She also has a wild streak that gets her into trouble with the law, which doesn't sit well with her father (played by Tim McGraw), a  NASA engineer.

After being bailed out of jail, a police officer hands over Casey's belongings. She quickly notices that one thing isn't hers - a strange-looking pin that is embossed with a "T" symbol. When she touches the pin, she sees a glimpse of a futuristic world!

With a quick internet search, Casey finds no information on the pin, except that a Houston memorabilia store has been looking for it. She is determined to find out what the pin is and travels to Texas, but upon arriving she is attacked by robots. Luckily for her, she has a new-found friend - an Audio-Animatronic robot named Athena (played by Raffey Cassidy).

Now with more evil robots hot on the trail, Casey and Athena must seek out the inventor Frank Walker (played by George Clooney) to help them travel to Tomorrowland save it from extinction.

The Age Of Adaline
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Cast: Blake Lively, Michiel Husman, Kathy Baker, Harrison Ford, Ellen Burstyn
Studio: LionsGate
Release Date: September 8, 2015
Retail: $39.99
ASIN: B00ZPH4SIS
Running Time: 113 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:
 
I read romantic novels from time to time, as most of my blog readers already know, but for some reason I don't care much for watching romantic flicks. However, there was one movie that caught my eye when I saw it advertised back in the spring, it was titled The Age Of Adaline, which is arriving on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow. The film is directed by Lee Toland Krieger and stars Blake Lively, Michiel Husman, Kathy Baker, Harrison Ford and Ellen Burstyn. Special Features includes an audio commentary with director Lee Toland Krieger, A Love Story for the Ages, Style Throughout the Ages, Discovering Young Harrison Ford: Anthony Ingruber, an Online Sensation and deleted scenes.

The film centers on 29-year-old Adaline Bowman (played by Blake Lively), who had died for a few minutes in a freak car accident. From that moment on, she no longer ages. She attempts to live life, but as her daughter Flemming grows older than her, she decides that she must never stay in the same place for very long. She must change her identity from time to time, so nobody will catch on to who she really is.


Fast forward to the present day, Adaline is once again planning on changing her identity that is until she meets a Ellis Jones (played by Michiel Huisman) at a New Year's Eve party. Despite the attraction, she is determined to ignore her heart and precede with moving away, but Ellis pursues her and eventually she lets down her guard. Taking advice from her aging daughter (played by Ellen Burstyn), Adaline agrees not to runaway again and begins a relationship with Ellis.

Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse
Director: Colin Teague
Starring: Julian Morris, Jassa Ahluwalia, Jonjo O'Neill, Jake Curran, Tamzin Merchant, Dominic Mafham, Ben Kingsley
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Retail: $34.96
ASIN: B00P7RWOF0
Running Time: PG-13
Rating: 97 minutes
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Wow! I had completely forgotten about the 1996 fantasy adventure Dragonheart until I heard about the the direct-to-video prequel, Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse, was being released this year. The original was an underrated medieval dragon tale with Sean Connery voicing the last dragon, Draco. I recall watching it several times in my late teens; actually, I think I might even still have it on VHS (Remember those?). A direct-to-video sequel, Dragonheart: A New Beginning, was released in 2000. I recall watching it once, but I didn't care much for it due to the cliched plot and cheap CGI effects.

Considering it has been fifteen years since the sequel, I'm surprised that Universal 1440 Entertainment would produce a film. Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse arrived on Blu-ray and DVD last week (February 24, 2015). Directed by Colin Teague (Doctor Who, Torchwood, The White Queen) and stars Julian Morris, Jassa Ahluwalia, Jonjo O'Neill, Jake Curran, Tamzin Merchant, Dominic Mafham and Ben Kingsley as the voice of Drago. The only bonus feature is "Bringing Drago to Life."

Set years before the original film, The Sorcerer's Curse centers on an aspiring knight named Gareth (played by Julian Morris), whom is in dire need of money, so he can buy his knighthood. After witnessing a falling comet, he goes in search for it as he has heard rumors that comets contain gold, but he finds something else - a dragon named Drago.