Here’s the back cover portion for the wraparound cover I got to illustrate for THE ART OF BLACK WIDOW! Get your copy today! Taskmaster, the Red Guardian, Yelena AND Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will be returning in the upcoming THUNDERBOLTS film. It’s like it’s a Black Widow sequel & these these movies are connected or something! ;) It’s gonna get interesting 😬 #blackwidow #taskmaster #conceptart #characterdesign #costumedesign #visualdevelopment #marvel #scarletjohansson #florencepugh #rachelweisz #davidharbour #olgakurylenko https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn7RpBqpyM7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Eragon (2008)
While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...
My craving for new Star Wars stories has reduced me to looking up knock-offs of the popular franchise. I’ve seen all kinds of stories, but most ended up being simply generic sci-fi/fantasy tales or movies that had a last-minute coating of laser swords, robots and blasters added onto them. What I was looking for was Eragon; a Star Wars rip-off so blatant you could write the script yourself - just remember to substitute “lightsaber” for “dragon” and there you go!
It’s all set in Middle-earth... I mean a world named Alagaësia, home to humans, elves, dragons, and dwarves. Actually, there aren’t many dragons. Years ago, all the wizard/knight dragon riders were betrayed by the evil Galbatorix (John Malkovich), who killed them all and now rules unopposed. Our hero is Luke SkyPotter... I mean Dragon... I mean Eragon (Ed Speleers), a 17-year-old boy who finds a dragon's egg stolen from Galbatorix by Princess Leia, I mean Arya (Sienna Guillory). Eragon and the newly-hatched Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz) meet with Obi-Wan Kenobi... I mean Brom (Jeremy Irons), who sets them on a path to save the kingdom.
The comparisons to other franchises are obvious. A Star Wars-like story structure, set in the world of Lord of the Rings, complete with Uruk-hai chasing our hero, ringwraiths, elves, etc., there’s a dash of Harry Potter thrown in with the scar on Eragon’s hand and his spellcasting abilities. I already started poking fun at the movie in my synopsis, but you would too if you'd seen the film. “Alagaësia” is no "Middle-earth", Galbatorix sounds like the name of an anti-depressant, and other wild titles like Durza, Murtagh, Nasuada are all lost upon audience members who have not read the books.
Eragon sounds silly and looks ridiculous. Granted, the dragons and flying monsters are convincing but everywhere else, the word of the day was “cheap”. I feel terrible for Djimon Hounsou as Ajihad, forced to wear a bad wig or a ridiculous hat in every scene. All the costumes look like they’ve been dug out of every generic fantasy setting, or are so wild they make you wince. The armies of Urgals (the orc-like creatures) are just a bunch of dirty barbarians with war paint. If they had horns, yellow-ish gray skin, or their own language or something, then this movie would begin to stand out.
This movie is a mess. Events that should take years take days, none of the characters are interesting, and the world isn't the least bit immersive. Even if you forgive the unoriginal plotline or get past the inherent silliness, the story’s just not well told. Eragon's bad decisions don’t make him look like an overeager youth, they brand him as a colossal fool. The magic is easily recognized as a plot device whose “rules” only apply when the plot demands. It feels like a bad fan-fiction.
Scenes are so badly assembled they become confusing. At one point, Eragon and his mentor see a group of villagers being attacked by Urgals. Eragon exclaims that they need to help them and instead of doing anything, they go off to train. I understand you can't jump into a fight without being prepared, but those people are being killed right now! After the training montage… the people they were training to help are never seen again! I guess Brom or Eragon took too long to get through those lessons? If you're writing a story like this, have the heroes arrive right as the massacre is ending so Eragon can lament that he could have done something and then have Brom tell him that after this training, that statement will be true!
I will give Eragon this. It’s so derivative, so poorly directed/written and so easy to ridicule I’m upset we didn’t get a sequel. I’d love to see another one of these movies! Doesn’t the idea of dragon riders make you excited? Even badly done, it gets your adrenaline flowing. If you want a movie that’s easy to make fun of, and I mean REALLY easy, watch Star Wars to see what a good movie is, and then see Eragon. It’s a trainwreck but one I watch with affection. (Fullscreen version on Dvd, January 1, 2016)
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Hi there Rachel fans! Life has been a bit hectic and I'm no longer able to keep up with this account the way it deserves. I'm hopeful one (or a couple) of you is interested in taking it over.
Message me if you're interested 😊
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#rachelweisz #geek#constantine https://www.instagram.com/p/ChGSl9RuldX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Aaahhhhh, can't tell ya'll how excited I am for this lil lot from @karenhallionart !!! I didn't get to attend but my friend HAPPENED to be in the area and she was able to get the LAST print of this beauty! I freaking looooove The Mummy movies... I wanted to be an Egyptologist at one point of because of the only 2 Mummy movies that exist 😅 Did a movie ever steer you on a career path or ignite a new interest? #karenhallionart #sdcc2022 #themummy1999 #brandonfraiser #rachelweisz #poster #sticker https://www.instagram.com/p/CgcwZ3EvrwQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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This is the cover I illustrated for the upcoming “THE ART OF BLACK WIDOW“ book. I know these are late & a lot of you ask about these. Don’t fret! They’re coming… I loved leading our Visual Development team on this film & I can’t wait for all of you to see the amazing work done by all the artists who gave their all for this project! #blackwidow #yelena #scarlettjohansson #florencepugh @florencepugh #rachelweisz @dkharbour #conceptart #characterdesign #costumedesign #illustration #makingof #bts #marvel #marvelstudios #poser https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdn-g3dLH3F/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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