Charting the Rise and Fall of the Blackberry in a Near Perfect Biopic

What makes this movie special is in how it celebrates the victories and the impact the Blackberry had. It’s a shame it couldn’t adapt with the times.

Blackberry Movie PosterPlaying May 5th at the Chicago Critics Film Festival (tickets) before opening worldwide May 12th.

Jay Baruchel must love playing the underdog. I’ve seen a lot of movies he’s starred in, and these characters may seem meek at first, but by the end, they’ve come out on top in one way or another. In Blackberry, he’s Mike Lazaridis, the father of the smartphone, and what I see is a person being pushed around by greedy b*astards. Had he partnered with other people who were just as visionary, I’m sure this device might have evolved with the times instead of becoming a relic of early century.

Although his company, Research in Motion, created the first generation of smartphones, what’s presented in Matt Johnson‘s film is about three figures who led this research house through all its ups and downs. That is, not everyone has a good sense for business, and I believe that was key to this company’s eventual demise. However, this movie is not about what they did. Instead, it’s about how he and Doug Fregin (played by Johnson) would struggle to be the true heart of the company, while another individual attempts to usurp them. If this plot sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve seen it in The Founder (movie review).

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In Conversation w/ Finn Wolfhard at Fantasia Fest’s Free YouTube Broadcast

In Conversation with Finn Wolfhard and Jay Baruchel as he discusses his debut short, Night Shifts in this free Fantasia 2020 YouTube event!

Finn WolfhardYouTube Link
Scheduled for 29 Aug 2020, 2pm EDT

Come join Fantasia Fest 2020 with a free to view YouTube broadcast with the talent of Finn Wolfhard at hand! He has a local connection as he’s from in British Columbia, and it’s super that he’s moving on to bigger and better things.

This actor and musician burst onto the world stage in the culture-shifting Netflix series Stranger Things. With subsequent performances in the IT films, The Goldfinch, The Turning and The Addams Family, among others, and forthcoming roles in Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson’s recently announced Pinocchio, Wolfhard has solidified his standing as a major international talent.

Now, at the age of 17, he’s completed his debut as a writer/director, the clever character-driven comedy short Night Shifts, premiering in our lineup this year. To celebrate the launch of his move into storytelling, Fantasia will be presenting a live virtual artist talk with Finn Wolfhard, in conversation with none other than How to Train Your Dragon/Popular Science for Kid‘s Jay Baruchel!

A Homecoming is Happening with How to Train Your Dragon on December 3rd!

Finn Wolfhard
Preorder the Homecoming on AmazonFinn Wolfhard

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

DVD Release Dec 3rd
NBC Broadcast Dec 14th, 2019

After Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States of America, a “homecoming” is set for How to Train Your Dragon fans. I’ll be headed to my local Walmart to buy the Bluray and hope there’ll be more than just this animated short. On Amazon, apparently only the DVD release is available.

To see Astrid, Toothless and gang continue to celebrate the yuletide season can mean anything for this aspect of the franchise. This work looks like it’ll reflect upon those wonderful memories in lest we forget. It’s safe to assume the team will get together again.

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Unearthing the Details of HTTYD: Hidden World’s Home Video Release

Image result for the hidden world blu ray
Available to preorder on AmazonFinn Wolfhard

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Releases May 21, 2019

The future is wide open for where the How to Train your Dragon saga will go next. Astrid Hofferson confirms it in her recap of the saga in 60 seconds in the home video release of Hidden World. There’s no need to cry, as there are fans who are not ready to part ways yet. While Hiccup and Toothless’ story is over, other stories can continue on, especially when considering this film reveals the next generation.

This release also offers some behind-the-scenes moments and discusses the emotional journey the cast and crew went through in the past ten years. Most of the artwork presented in this disc can also be found in Dark Horse Comics’ Art of Hidden WorldFinn Wolfhard book. The only difference is in how much material is available from these 5 to 8 min featurettes versus a 175-page book.

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How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World Home Video & AR Game Release Revealed

How to Train Your Dragon The Hidden World Blu-Ray + DVD
Nearly ten years after the first movie wowed audiences around the world, Hiccup and Toothless are back. How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World concludes the trilogy and it’s slowly making its way out of theatres and into home video. The best is being saved for last as this physical release comes with a bevvy of extras! The release is coming to Digital on May 7, 2019, and to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray™, DVD, and On Demand May 21, 2019, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

The physical release features over an hour of exclusive behind-the-scenes bonus content including an alternate opening, two DreamWorks animated shorts, deleted scenes and more.

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