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)!

Son of the Dragon
Director: David Wu
Cast: David Carradine, Rupert Graves, John Reardon
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Retail: $9.98
ASIN: B00XK713SS
Running Time: 178 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:
 
I'm trying to catch up on several reviews that I've delayed for one reason or another, including a few Mill Creek Entertainment titles.

Son of the Dragon was re-released to DVD this past summer. It originally aired on the Hallmark Movie Channel in 2008, which was first film to be shown in HD on the cable channel. Directed by David Wu, the film stars the late David Carradine, Rupert Graves and John Reardon. There are no special features or extras on the two-disc set.

The film puts a new spin of the classic "The Thief of Bagdad" story. It centers on a young thief named D.B. - "Devil Boy" (played by John Reardon) and his teacher Bird (played by David Carradine). Ever since he was a kid, D.B. has stolen goods from the rich and given them to the poor.

D.B. and Bird make plans to steal the royal court's jewels. Well, that is until D.B. sets eyes on the Governor's daughter, Princess Li Wei (played Desiree Siahaan) and quickly falls in love her. Unfortunately, the Princess has another suitor, Prince of the North (played by Rupert Graves), whom wants to make sure that D.B. stays away from her forever.

The Summit
Director: Nick Copus
Starring: Bruce Greenwood, James Purefoy, Rachelle Lefevre, Mia Maestro, Christopher Plummer.
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Retail: $9.98
ASIN: B00XK713T2
Running Time: 179 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD on Tuesday July 21st is the 2008 Canadian miniseries The Summit. Directed by Nick Copus, the miniseries stars Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), James Purefoy (TV's The Following), Rachelle Lefevre (TV's Under the Dome), Mia Maestro (TV's The Strain) and Christopher Plummer (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). There are no special features or extras.

The Summit centers on an upcoming annual G8 Summit meeting that is taking place in Canada. After a biological weapon experiment goes terribly wrong, politicians try to cover up the incident. A documentary filmmaker (played by Rachelle Lefevre) and a mother (played by Mia Maestro) losing her son who was exposed to bio-terror, combine forces to try to unravel the mystery of whom is behind the possible outbreak. They must race against time before the G8 Summit meeting starts as the U.S. President and the Canadian Prime Minster are set to appear at the event.

On Tuesday, October 8, 2013, BBC Home Entertainment will release last year's creep mini-series The Secret of Crickley Hall on a single-disc DVD, which is based on the novel of the same name by author James Herbert. The ghostly mini-series is coming out just in time for Halloween and stars Maisie Williams from HBO's Game of Thrones and Olivia Cooke from A&E's Bates Motel.

The mini-series aired in three one-hour parts last fall on BBC America and on UK's BBC One. It switches back and forth from the year 2006 and 1943. It begins in London, where Gabe and Eve Caleigh's young son, Cameron (or as they call "Cam"), vanishes without a trace. Eleven months go by and there is still no sign of the boy. Wanting to get away from the one-year anniversary of Cam's disappearance, Gabe, Eve and their two daughters, Loren (played by Maisie Williams) and Cally, move to the north part of England, aka Crickley Hall - a former orphanage.

Flip back in time to 1943, Nancy Linnet (played by Olivia Cooke) begins teaching school at the Crickley Hall, which is owned by the strange Augustus Cribben. A young Jewish German student named Stefan refuses to speak English and Nancy notices unusual markings on Stefan's hands, markings that match the size of the cane that belongs to Mr. Cribben. To make matters worse, she begins to believe Mr. Cribben's sister, Magda, is a little to close to a teenager student, Maurice Stafford. Nancy tries to get others to believe the children are in danger, but no one believes her, except for the ground keeper, Percy Judd. The children are in danger and Nancy will give her life to save them.

Dinotopia & Journey to the Center of the Earth - Fantasy Double Feature
Directors: Marco Brambilla, George Miller
Starring: Tyron Leitso, Wentworth Miller, Katie Carr,
Treat Williams, Jeremy London, Tushka Bergen
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: January 8, 2013
ASIN: B00A2XQTV4
Retail: $9.98
Running Time: 430 minutes
Not Rated

Review:

It seems that lavish television mini-series is a thing of the past, except for the occasional western or period miniseries on cable. As a kid I look forward to watching them, normally airing during the sweep months on February or May. Mill Creek Entertainment has recently released the three-part Dinotopia and the two-part Journey to the Center of the Earth in a 2 disc set. Both miniseries were produced by Hallmark Entertainment (now known as Sonar Entertainment).

Dinotopia is based on the children books by James Gurne. It aired on the Wonderful World of Disney in 2002 and later spawned a short-lived spin-off series. The miniseries drops the books' steampunk atmosphere and focuses on two half-brothers, Karl and David Scott, who finds themselves stranded on the strange land of Dinotopia after their plane crashes into the sea with their father. They meet a mysterious man, Cyrus Crabb, who leads them to the capital of Dinotopia, Waterfall City. David wants to try and learn the ways this new world, where as Karl just wants to find a way back home. They befriend Zippo (a Troodon) and a young woman, Marion. As Karl and David are assigned dinosaurs to bond with, their new home may become extinct.