DRAGON CRUSADERS 2011

So, there I was bored and unemployed, scrolling through the unwieldy Netflix app on my Wii. I spotted this thing and it wasn't the dragons that got my attention. It was the Templars. USually, I just watch these things to see how badly they get it wrong.
Luckily for me, that didn't happen.
Dragon Crusaders tells of a small band of Templar Knights. I assume since they are on the run from the king's men that this is the king of France and it's shortly after the trials for heresy. Our intrepid band of holy men have been on the run for while.
Then they come across a village being attacked by pirates. What they don't know is that the pirates have captured a cute little witch and locked her aboard their ship. She has begun a chant of a curse that says that if a man has spilled blood and sets foot on the deck of the ship they will become gargoyles.
Fortunately, our Templars are pure of heart, well, sort of. None of them change immediately, but they will change. Unless, they can find the sorcerer that penned the grimoire that the witch took the curse from. Yeah, that would be The Black Dragon and when he's not a wizard, he's a dragon and he has more dragons to boot.
With the odds stacked against them the Templars, the witch and a fighting maiden Aerona who has sworn to protect the withc make their way to the lair of The Black Dragon.
I really expected nothing of this, but with Cecily Fay as Aerona who makes Xena look like a girl scout and Dylan Jones as the leader of the Templars, John. This became a movie that took its 90 minute running time and ran with it.
Sure, you could complain about the CGI, but it's no different from the rubber monsters when I was a kid. This is more than effects. This is a group of people who have sworn an oath to defeat this curse and nothing will stop them from accomplishing this task.
In other words, this was a good movie. I hear about The Asylum and how people talk down about them, but this was well done. They used some great locations to make it work and the acting was spot on.
Dragon Crusaders is one of those movies I'm glad I took a chance on and will tell everyone they should check it out.

HOLIDAY DVD ROUND UP!

We here at Penguin know you love to give DVDs as Christmas presents. Luckily for you I have many suggestions to make it a Merry Christmas!

THE LANDLORD

Tyler has a little place with three apartments to rent. Renting is easy. Keeping the tenants alive when you have a pair of 5000 year old demons haunting the place, is a different matter. A fun little flick!

HORROR EXPRESS

The classic prehistoric alien on a train with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas flick gets the BluRay treatment from Severin. This is the best this movie has ever looked and this is the version that your weirdo relative wants for Christmas.

MAKE BELIEVE

A documentary that follows six teens all following the same dream; to be crowned Teen World Champion by Master Magician Lance Burton. If magic is good enough for Neil Patrick Harris, then it's good enough for me.

DOLPHIN TALE

Dolphin with a busted tail gets a new one to swim into your hearts. Isn't this the same basic premise as HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON? Only that one had vikings and dragons. Here we get Harry Connick Jr. and Ashley Judd. I smell a ripoff!


A CINDERELLA STORY:ONCE UPON A SONG

So, a sequel to the Hilary Duff flick without Hilary Duff? I think executives love that there is no author to pay for this story that has already been done better.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

The classic Rankin/Bass cartoon gets the Blu Ray treatment. This is gonna seem pretty pricey for a flick that runs 24 minutes. And no DVD combo? What the?

THE SMURFS HOLIDAY CELEBRATION

Now this is better! Two Smurf holiday specials on one disc. We get Tis The Season To Be Smurfy along with The Smurf Christmas Special. With the recent popularity of The Smurfs with the feature film, this should fly off the shelves.

FROSTY'S WINTER WONDERLAND

The Bride of Frankenstein sequel to the original Frosty special. The kids get together and make Shelly Winters for Frosty so they can all have adventures together. This time they have managed to tick off Jack Frost so, look out! At 24 minutes, this should have been put in a double disc set with Twas The Night BEfore Christmas.

AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK/THE ABCs OF LOVE AND SEX AUSTRALIA STYLE!

These two new releases actually won't hit the shelves until January so they would have to be late Christmas presents. A pair of Mondo style looks at sex and perversion in the land down under. Save some of that Christmas cash for these two releases.

TOM AND JERRY'S FUR FLYING ADVENTURES VOL. 3

Normally, I would tell you how I feel about all these repackaging and double dipping, but it's Christmas so I won't. It's a cat trying to kill a mouse kids! Fun times are had by all!