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‘House of the Dragon’ plays a less-addictive game for an earlier throne

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‘House of the Dragon’ plays a less-addictive game for an earlier throne

Working from writer George R.R. Martin’s prequel “Fireplace & Blood,” the brand new collection has the drawback of being set virtually two centuries earlier than the important thing occasions in “Sport of Thrones,” going down 172 years previous to the beginning of Daenerys Targaryen. That ratchets up the strain to sink or swim — or fairly, soar or sputter — strictly by itself phrases.
The present occupant of the Iron Throne, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), is considerably feckless as monarchs go, a lot in order that he is known as weak by his brother Daemon (Matt Smith, enjoying a really totally different prince from his function in “The Crown”), a ruthless libertine who overtly lusts for energy.

Largely, Viserys yearns for a male inheritor. Together with his spouse once more pregnant, his teenage daughter Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), an completed dragon rider, realizes that her destiny hinges on whether or not a son is born, as does her uncle’s as one other potential successor. (As an apart, all these flowing blond-white Targaryen locks ought to lock up a hairdressing Emmy, if nothing else.)

Virtually everybody appears to be enjoying angles that counsel they seem to be a step or two forward of Viserys, together with the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who wields quiet authority with out elevating his voice above a hushed whisper.

Martin shares created-by credit score for the present with Ryan Condal, a newcomer to the “Thrones” world, with Miguel Sapochnik (who directed a few of the most memorable episodes, amongst them “Battle of the Bastards”) additionally working the present.

But whereas HBO has clearly cracked open the piggy financial institution to make sure the look is as luxurious as one would anticipate — and composer Ramin Djawadi’s evenly modified rating goes a great distance in rekindling the temper — such collection are constructed on characters. Merely put, the occupants of this kingdom initially pale subsequent to the likes of Tyrion, Arya, or certainly any of the Lannister or Stark youngsters.

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Engineering a decade-long time soar midway by way of the season, the story regularly turns into extra compelling over the six episodes previewed, boasting moments as brutal and bloody as something “Thrones” produced. There’s additionally the obscure menace of struggle on the outer edges of the dominion, and the periodic use of dragons as the final word weapon in Center Ages-style aerial warfare.

The vigorous debate that surrounded “Sport of Thrones’” last season considerably obscured the exalted place that the collection occupied till then, sustaining a virtually unmatched degree of excellence. Notably, it signed off in 2019 earlier than the launch of a number of streaming providers which have considerably upped TV’s degree of ambition and funding within the fantasy realm.

Again when the unique started, the character of Cersei famously stated that if you play the sport of thrones, “You win, otherwise you die.” In a method, that mantra mirrored the large wager, and big rewards, made and reaped by the present itself.

“Home of the Dragon” tries enjoying an identical recreation, however 11 years after the primary collection made its debut, the TV world has modified. And at its finest, each this collection and HBO will possible need to accept a smaller, extra certified, less-decisive victory.

“Home of the Dragon” premieres Aug. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, which, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.

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Movie Reviews

Movie review: “The Watchers”

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Movie review: “The Watchers”
“The Watchers” is a horror/thriller movie that is Isha Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut, released in 2024. It is based on the book The Watchers by A.M. Shine. There is a hint of fantastical elements throughout the movie and lore that would have made for a great overall story, but unfortunately,…
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How did Travis Kelce know he was falling for Taylor Swift? He offers a 'genuine' answer

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How did Travis Kelce know he was falling for Taylor Swift? He offers a 'genuine' answer

Travis Kelce isn’t afraid to share his love story.

It turns out that Taylor Swift’s unexpected behavior during the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears in September tipped the relationship into this-is-the-real-deal territory, he said on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast.

Kelce explained that they had already been seeing each other privately but that her attitude toward taking things public impressed him.

He offered her a security escort into the stadium, but she brushed it off and walked in with the rest of his guests.

“She really won me over with that one,” the tight end said, describing how Swift preferred to “be around family and friends and experience this with everybody” instead of getting celebrity treatment.

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“She’s very self-aware. And I think that’s why I really started to really fall for her, was how genuine she is around friends [and] family. It can get crazy for somebody with that much attention … and she just keeps it so chill and so cool.”

The two have kept the intimate details of their relationship under wraps but are notably more public than Taylor has been with past boyfriends. Their passionate kiss after Kelce’s Super Bowl win in February effectively broke the internet, and he joined her onstage in London over the weekend, spicing up the Eras tour.

Kelce says he wants to “keep things private,” but “at the same time, I’m not here to hide anything … that’s my girl, that’s my lady.”

He did admit there have been a few downsides to entering her spotlight — notably, random fans showing up at his pad in Kansas City, Kan.

“I’ve had fun with just about every aspect of it. It’s just when you’re at home you want privacy, and you don’t always get that,” he said.

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The wild online speculation is another annoyance. The athlete said that his father would come across crazy tabloid stories from time to time and call him to fact-check.

“He’d see something so f— out of the blue, like something about me and Taylor, he’s like, ‘Hey, you guys OK?’”

Kelce always has a reply at the ready: “Get the f— off Facebook, Dad.”

And for those still wondering — KillaTrav’s favorite TSwift songs are “Black Space,” “Cruel Summer” and “So High School.”

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Movie Review: ‘Summer Camp’ is an entertaining disappointment

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Movie Review: ‘Summer Camp’ is an entertaining disappointment

Nothing forges a friendship like treating an arrow wound. For Ginny, Mary and Nora, an ill-fated archery lesson and an injured classmate are just the beginning of the lifetime of trouble they’re about to start.

Ginny is a year above the other two, more experienced in both summer camp and girlhood, and takes it upon herself to somewhat forcefully guide her younger friends. Mary cowers in the bathroom away from her bunkmates, spouting medical facts, while Nora hangs back, out of place. When their camp counselor plucks them out of their cabin groups to place them in the new “Sassafras” cabin, they feel like they fit in somewhere for the first time.

50 years later, “Summer Camp” sees the three girls, now women, reunite for the anniversary reunion of the very same camp at which they met. Although they’ve been in touch on-and-off in the preceding decades, this will be the first time the women have seen each other in 15 years.

Between old camp crushes, childhood nemeses and the newer trials of adulthood, the three learn to understand each other, and themselves, in a way that has eluded them the entirety of their friendship.

I really wanted to like “Summer Camp.”

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The opening scene, a glimpse at the girls’ first year together at Camp Pinnacle, does a good job at establishing Ginny, Mary and Nora’s dynamic. It’s sweet, funny and feels true to the experience of many adolescent girls’ friendships.

On top of that, this movie’s star-studded cast and heartwarming concept endeared me to it the moment I saw the trailer. Unfortunately, an enticing trailer is about the most “Summer Camp” has to offer.

As soon as we meet our trio as adults, things start to fall apart. It really feels like the whole movie was made to be cut into a trailer — the music is generic, shots cut abruptly between poses, places and scenes, and at one point two of the three separate shots of each woman exiting Ginny’s tour bus are repeated.

The main character and sometimes narrator, Ginny Moon, is a self-help writer who uses “therapy speak” liberally and preaches a tough-love approach to self improvement. This sometimes works perfectly for the movie’s themes but is often used to thwop the viewer over the head with a mallet labeled “WHAT THE CHARACTERS ARE THINKING” rather than letting us figure it out for ourselves.

There are glimpses of a better script — like when Mary’s husband asks her whether she was actually having fun or just being bullied, presumably by Ginny. This added some depth to her relationship with him, implying he actually does listen to her sometimes, and acknowledged the nagging feeling I’d been getting in the back of my head: “Hey, isn’t Ginny kind of mean?”

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Despite all my annoyance with “Summer Camp,” there were a few things I really liked about it. I’m a lot younger than the main characters of this movie, but there were multiple points where I found myself thinking, “Hey, my aunt talks like that!” or, “Wow, he sounds just like my dad.”

The dynamic of the three main characters felt very true to life, I’ve known and been each of them at one point or another. It felt especially accurate to the relationships of girls and women, and seeing our protagonists reconcile at the end was, for me, genuinely heartwarming.

“Summer Camp” is not a movie I can recommend for quality, but if you’re looking for a lighthearted, somewhat silly romp to help you get into the summer spirit, this one will do just fine.

Other stories by Caroline

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Caroline Julstrom, intern, may be reached at 218-855-5851 or cjulstrom@brainerddispatch.com.

Caroline Julstrom finished her second year at the University of Minnesota in May 2024, and started working as a summer intern for the Brainerd Dispatch in June.

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