We interviewed Dale Forde, the producer and co-executive producer of the upcoming, St. Philip -centric TV show Route 10 at the launch of the show and it’s companion book, The St. Philip Book at The Crane Resort.
Be sure to tune into CBC TV 8 at 9:03 PM every Thursday starting September 22nd.
Pete’s Dragon is the 2016 remake of the 1977 musical, live-action/animated film of the same name, both of which were produced by Disney. Written by David Lowery and directed by Lowery and Tony Halbrook, the film stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence and Robert Redford.
“For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliot. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliot seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.” – Disney.
This movie, oddly enough, reminds me of last year’s Room; both feature a little boy who grew up isolated from the outside world and is then thrust into it and has to adjust. Obviously the two films are very different but that was one area of similarity I found.
I 100% did not get the story I expected I would at all. I didn’t know much of anything about the film going into it. But judging from the title I had certain expectations and it really didn’t go where I thought that it would. That doesn’t hurt the film in any way, however. It’s just different. The story I did get, though, was pretty predictable; you can see almost exactly how it will unfold and moments that are supposed to leave you guessing have no tension at all.
I also found it rather strange that Pete mentioned Elliot a good few times after being found, but no one really took it as seriously as I thought they should have. For all they knew Elliot was another little boy trapped in the woods that needed rescuing. They didn’t really do anything about it.
Bryce Dallas Howard and Oakes Fegley were the two standouts in the film (which is appropriate given that they are the leads). I bought their emotions and the budding relationship between Grace and Pete. Howard does a very good job of making the audience trust her character and Fegley really embodies Pete’s fearless, direct and earnest nature.
I didn’t feel much chemistry between Bryce Dallas Howard and West Bentley. Their relationship was not as developed as it could have been and Bentley’s character, Jack, is forgettable and Bentley himself doesn’t really do much with the role and is kind of just there.
Karl Urban’s character Gavin, was not very authentic. The way he behaved coming on to the end of the film did make sense in the situation and the film did show the audience why he was acting the way he was, but it still came off as almost cartoonish and it’s a bit too much. However this assessment may be based on the fact that as the viewer, I was privy to more information than he was.
Elliot is cute and lovable but it felt like I didn’t get to spend that much time with him or really get to see and learn more about his relationship with Pete. It is established to some extent in the beginning of the film but I feel like they could have delved into it a bit more. Nevertheless, their bond was sweet to watch.
Pete’s Dragon is a very enjoyable movie that is well made, with lead characters that you can identify with and a core relationship that pulls at your heartstrings. Although a little iffy in the middle, especially during the last act, it pulls itself together in the last few minutes to deliver an ending that is heartwarming and uplifting.
Premiere date: September 25th
Network: ABC
Cast: Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Jared Gilmore, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Robert Carlyle, Emilie de Ravin and Colin O’Donoghue.
Synopsis: This is Fairy Tale Land. It’s filled with magic, monsters and all of the characters we all know from stories growing up. It’s real, and so are the people in it. But unlike the “happily ever after” you may have heard about, their stories continued, and The Evil Queen cast a Dark Curse over the land…This is Storybrooke. It’s a quiet, little, New England town filled with people who go about their everyday lives with no idea who they really are. The Queen’s Curse has trapped them here and placed her in near-complete control. They have no real memories and no real hope. Once Upon A Time is, at its core, a story about hope. – ABC.
Why We’re Watching: Once Upon a Time has a tendency to be nauseatingly cheesy, predictable, not particularly well acted and some of the story arcs leave a lot to be deserved – looking at you for those last two Frozen. But even so, the main line-up of characters is loveable and it is always fun to see Emma and co. embarking on a new adventure and how the writers will adapt our favourite fairy tales, stories and Disney movies to fit into the world and its narrative. And come on, who doesn’t want to see Regina battle Regina?
Recapped by: K.F. Cumberbatch
Look out for the full feature story on Tricia Hercules coming this Sunday where you’ll learn more about this young entrepreneur and what she does at Bright Life Family Center, but until then — here are 10 things about Tricia Hercules!
Our innovation masters over at Apple Inc have once again blessed us with the annual announcement of two spanking new iPhones for us to embrace into our hearts. No need for any more speculation about the upcoming product, we finally have the official word on specifications and features of these well sought after devices.
Now let us breakdown the top three (3) things you need to know about the new iPhone 7 and 7 plus, from the good, to the downright bizarre:
Design Innovation
From the naked eye you cannot tell the difference between this model and the previous year’s release. Not that Apple needed to in the first place, the current iPhone has a slick design that at least to my eyes is quite beautiful. “The high-gloss finish of the jet black iPhone 7 is achieved through a precision nine-step anodization and polishing process,” as stated by Apple is all for naught because the phone apparently is easily scratched. So much so that Apple has strongly advised in investing in a protective case for the phone. Yes, after spending at least 700 USD for a phone, you need to go buy a case for the same beautiful body the manufacturer wanted to brag about…
No Headphone jack
Yes folks, all of the rumors were true. Apple has done the unbelievable and removed the headphone jack from their flagship phones. According to the Senior Vice President of worldwide marketing at Apple Inc., Phil Schiller, it was out of “Courage” that they decided to move on from a universal and reliable standard, to a proprietary one. Only Apple devices use this lightning port, which means users will have to make use of adapters in order to use other earphones with the device. This makes it more cumbersome than it needs to be in order to listen to your own
music. Speaking of cumbersome, let us take a moment to talk about the new wireless solution Apple has created for its customers, the Airpods. Ignoring how easily they can be lost, ignoring how they look, some may be forgiven for thinking these Airpods were not designed for practical daily use; as $159 can easily get you products with higher quality and a better value for money.
Price with Performance
The iPhone 7 family brings with it the new A10 processor, the most powerful microchip to be found in any current smartphone, atleast according to Apple. The two high-performance cores are said to be 40% faster than ones found in the previous generation of phones. For an added bonus, the new processor is said to be more frugal with battery use; this should address a common complaint end users tend to have with the non-plus variant. The good news continues as the prices for the models practically remain the same as last year. The iPhone 7 starts at $649 and for the first time there is no longer a 16GB storage option. Instead, you can choose from 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB. The jet black color only has a 128GB and 256GB internal storage option. The iPhone 7 Plus starts at $769 and also has the same storage options. This is a good move by Apple, and in theory it should influence potential buyers into purchasing these phones early in their release cycle.
Analysts are predicting a noticeable decrease in iPhone sales this year, the result from the sales of these new iPhones will determine whether these statistics will prove to be true.
Premiere date: September 22nd
Network: ABC
Cast: Viola Davis, Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, Karla Souza, Billy Brown, Charlie Webber and Liza Weil.
Synopsis: The brilliant, charismatic and seductive Professor Annalise Keating gets entangled with four law students from her class “How to Get Away with Murder.” Little do they know that they will have to apply what they learned to real life, in this masterful, sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller. – ABC.
Why We’re Watching: How to Get Away With Murder has proven to be an exciting and intriguing series with a stellar cast – led by the immensely talented Viola Davis – and good writing. Season 2 may not have been as good as its predecessor, but it was good enough to leave fans wanting more – especially with that cliff hanger at the end of the season. We can’t get enough of Annalise Keating and her ever bumbling, ever nervous students.
Recapped by: K. F. Cumberbatch
Premiere date: September 21st.
Network: FOX
Cast: Damon Wayans Sr., Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster, Kevin Rahm and Keesha Sharp.
Synopsis: Combining action and drama with friendship and humor, Lethal Weapon reboots the hit movie franchise, as it follows classic cop duo Riggs and Murtaugh, who are working a crime-ridden beat in modern-day Los Angeles. Grief-stricken after the loss of his young wife and unborn child, ex-Navy SEAL-turned-detective Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford, Rectify) moves to California to “start over” at the LAPD. He’s paired up with Roger Murtaugh (Emmy Award nominee Damon Wayans, Sr., My Wife and Kids, In Living Color), who’s just coming back to the job after a near-fatal heart attack. Riggs’ penchant for diving headfirst into the line of fire immediately clashes with Murtaugh’s prudent, by-the-book technique. It’s clear from the moment they meet, this partnership could be lethal. – Fox
Why We’re Watching: Lethal Weapon is a classic buddy cop movie from the 1980’s which starred Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. The first movie was filled with great action and comedic moments of which the subsequent sequels tried to retain. Hollywood being Hollywood is now trying to make a TV series out of the franchise; no surprises there. However, the trailer for the series looks very promising, so giving it a chance to impress may be worth it…hopefully.
Recapped by: Zamfir Waltz.
The hype for the most anticipated Android device of 2016 hit a major speed hump this week after Samsung issued an unprecedented recall of the product. Several online postings from buyers of the new Galaxy Note 7, revealed the phone combusting while charging and in a surprising response, Samsung quickly took action to address the situation. Is it truly a surprise that a manufacturer is issuing a recall on this scale? Well to be quite frank, yes. Usually if reports filter in about problems with a product, the company in question would offer a refund, or offer to exchange the device with a brand new unit. Bloomberg reported that it will cost close to $1 billion to replace the over two million devices that have been shipped in the recent weeks.
That is a lot of money for many of us to fully grasp, but for Samsung, the damage to their reputation could be far worse. Issuing the recall certainly has made them look noble in their customers’ eyes, but combustion of a phone is never a good reputation to take on in light of increasing competition from other companies such as Apple and Huawei. Even after reading this, some of you may still believe that your Note 7 is good because it has yet to overheat correct? Well if you are planning to fly soon, it would be wise for you to also know that the U.S Federal Aviation Administration recently issued an advisory warning for passengers to not use their Note 7s on flights because of their known fire hazard. Not only them, but other agencies in Europe and other parts of the world have issued such warnings for the device on flights, so yes, this is indeed a serious matter of which Note users should take heed to.
The Galaxy Note 7 is arguably the best Android phone released this year, with glory reviews from multiple sites and individuals. It is surely Samsung’s hope that this incident does not totally overshadow what is still considered to be an A class product.