1. Bartok: The Magnificent (1999): Russia is being terrorized by an evil witch known as Baba Yaga (voiced by Andrea Martin); the only one who is not afraid of her is Bartok the Magnificent (voiced by Hank Azaria). Bartok, an albino bat, has just arrived in Moscow and is impressing everyone with his performances, including Tsarevich Ivan Romanov (voiced by Phillip Van Dyke). However, one person is not impressed; Ludmilla (voiced by Catherine O'Hara) finds Bartok annoying and naive. After Bartok's show, a violent bear suddenly attacks. Bartok saves everyone by stunning the bear with dust and then knocks him over and traps him in a wagon. Delighted with Bartok's bravery, everyone around him rewards him with gold, including Prince Ivan, who gives him a royal ring, much to the displeasure of Ludmilla, who reminds him that the ring is only for members of the Romanov family, not commoners. She asks that he take the ring back, but Ivan disagrees, saying it is time for a change. Ludmilla, seeing that she cannot dissuade him, reluctantly allows it and they leave. Ludmilla is still upset that Ivan has given a ring to a commoner, especially since it was a street performer, and believes it will encourage them. Ivan retorts that that was his intention and Vol, Ivan's friend, agrees that Bartok was funny. Ludmilla, on the other hand, believes that Ivan needs to respect his duty to the crown, which incites Ivan, who is tired of listening to her, to say that he will do as he pleases and it is she who must respect the crown. Meanwhile, Bartok is counting the money he received when the bear wakes up and scares him. It turns out Bartok's amazing rescue was just another act - the bear is Zozi (voiced by Kelsey Grammer), Bartok's partner in business. Zozi is apprehensive about Ivan's ring and agrees with Ludmilla, that the ring should be returned. Bartok stubbornly refuses to give it back since it was a gift. Back in Moscow, Ivan is kidnapped by Baba Yaga, which leads to an immediate investigation. Ludmilla finds an iron tooth (Baba Yaga has iron teeth) and informs the people what has transpired. When she asks for someone brave enough to rescue Prince Ivan, two children (voiced by Kelly Marie Berger and Zachary B. Charles) nominate Bartok. Bartok and Zozi are on their way to St. Petersburg when Zozi spots the Cossacks coming after them. The pair become worried because they assume that Ludmilla wants Ivan's ring returned. Bartok tries to conceal his identity, but is brought before the people, who explain that Ivan has been taken by Baba Yaga and they are relying on him to rescue their prince. Bartok reluctantly accepts and he and Zozi head to the Iron Forest to confront Baba Yaga and save Prince Ivan. They find Baba Yaga's hut, but must answer a riddle to enter. When the riddle is answered, Baba Yaga successfully captures Bartok and explains that to save Ivan, Bartok must gather three items from the forest: Piloff, Oblie's Crown, and the Magic Feather. However, these tasks aren't very easy: He gathers the objects demanded, but Baba Yaga still needs something from Bartok himself. He offers everything he can think of, including a hair from his own head, but Baba Yaga rejects everything and bursts out laughing. Bartok, outraged, begins to yell and upsets Baba Yaga by accusing her of lying, cheating and claiming everyone hates her. After he talks to her, she starts crying and Baba gets the most important ingredient: tears which are from Bartok's heart. She makes a magic potion from the items she had Bartok collect and reveals that she never took Prince Ivan and that the potion she madewas meant for Bartok himself. Bartok and Zozi return to town and lead Ludmilla and Vol (voiced by Diedrich Bader) up to the top of the tower where Ivan is imprisoned. However, when they arrive, Ludmilla locks Bartok and Vol up with Ivan and reveals she had Vol kidnap the prince (Vol misinterpreted her orders to get him out of the way as meaning to lock him up, when Ludmilla really wanted Ivan dead) while she framed Baba Yaga as part of her scheme to take the Russian throne. She steals Bartok's magic potion and leaves Bartok, Ivan, and Vol in a room filling with water. The potion doesn't work on Ludmilla as she expects and she transforms into an enormous, pink-purple, wingless, three horned, fire-breathing dragon. Upon this discovery, she begins to destroy Moscow. Bartok escapes thanks to Zozi, who then saves Prince Ivan and Vol. Bartok battles the dragon and tricks the dragon into climbing the tower and releasing the water. When it gets to the top, the tower starts to become unstable and causes the top of the tower to fall halfway on to the flooding streets with the Ludmilla/Dragon still on it. This was enough to put of the fire in the village. As the townspeople gather around the Ludmilla/Dragon's dead body, Zozi reveals that Bartok is a true hero...not because he stopped Ludmilla but Bartok showed Baba Yaga compassion. Bartok returns Ivan's ring and Baba Yaga appears, writing, "Bartok, The Magnificent" in the sky. Bartok and Piloff hug Baba Yaga and they leave waving goodbye to Bartok.
2. Van Helsing (2004): In Transylvania, 1887, Doctor Victor Frankenstein (Samuel West) brings to life the Frankenstein's monster (Shuler Hensley) with the aid of his deformed assistant Igor ( Kevin J. O'Connor), and financing from Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). Dracula reveals he helped Frankenstein so he could use the Monster to bring his undead children to life. He kills Frankenstein when the latter refuses to help him. The Monster escapes to a windmill which is burnt down by a pursuing mob. The mob flees as Dracula and his brides arrive, mourning the loss of the Monster. One year later, legendary monster hunter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) hunts Mr. Hyde (Robbie Coltrane) in Paris. Their confrontation results in Hyde's death whilst fighting atop Notre Dame. Van Helsing returns to the Vatican where he reports to the Knights of the Holy Order, who protect the world from the unholy. Van Helsing lost his memory and was taken in by the Vatican monks. Van Helsing's duty is to defeat evil creatures and bring them to the Order, but he prefers to kill them. The leader, Cardinal Jinette (Alun Armstrong), sends him to Transylvania to kill Dracula and prevent the last of the Valerious family from falling into purgatory; the family swore to kill Dracula nine generations ago and is unable to enter Heaven until they succeed. Jinette gives Van Helsing a torn piece of paper, with a Latin inscription that reads 'Deum ac ianuamimbeat aperiri' ('in the name of God, open this door'). It has an insignia that matches Van Helsing's ring. Van Helsing is joined by Carl (David Wenham), a technologically-savvy friar who provides Van Helsing with several anti-vampire weapons, such as a gas-powered crossbow. Arriving in Transylvania, the two meet Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), the last remaining Valerious family member, her brother Velkan (Will Kemp) having seemingly died whilst fighting a werewolf. They save her from Dracula's beautiful brides, Verona (Silvia Colloca), Aleera (Elena Anaya) and Marishka (Josie Maran), and Van Helsing kills Marishka. Anna takes the two back to her castle where Dracula once lived, and encounters Velkan, now a werewolf himself, and soon to be under Dracula's control. After Velkan flees, Van Helsing and Anna track him to Frankenstein's castle, finding Dracula attempting to give life to his children using Velkan as a substitute for the Monster. Anna frees Velkan but he becomes a werewolf again. Dracula confronts Van Helsing, recognizing him. While escaping, Van Helsing and Anna fall into a cave where they find Frankenstein's Monster alive. Van Helsing decides to take him to Rome so he can be protected. The brides and Velkan pursue the heroes who are in a carriage, but they use a decoy carriage full of explosives to kill Verona. Velkan is killed by Van Helsing, but has already bitten him; when the next full moon occurs, Van Helsing will become a werewolf. Anna is captured by Aleera and taken to Budapest. In Budapest, Van Helsing hides the Monster before he and Carl head off to save Anna. They rescue her but the Monster is captured. They return to Frankenstein's castle only to find all the equipment removed. At Anna's castle, Carl explains that Dracula was the son of Anna's ancestor. Dracula was murdered, but made a Faustian Bargain and was reborn to right the wrong. Carl explains that although Anna's ancestor made the vow, he couldn't kill his own son. Instead, he banished Dracula to an icy fortress from which he should not have been able to return, but the Devil gave him wings (the power to shapeshift). Which makes little sense, as he vowed to kill Dracula or else doom his family to purgatory. Had Dracula stayed at the icy castle, then he would never be killed. Anna's ancestor left clues in the castle, so that future generations would be able to kill Dracula. Carl also found a picture of a werewolf and vampire fighting, but is unable to explain it. Van Helsing finds a portal to Dracula's castle disguised as a wall map, completed using the paper that Van Helsing brought from Rome. They enter the portal, emerging on a cliff near Castle Dracula. They somehow manage to climb the cliff, even though it was supposedly impossible without wings. The trio encounter Igor and take him hostage. They also see the Monster being lifted to the laboratory, but are unable to free him. The Monster tells them that Dracula has a werewolf cure before he is lifted out of reach. Carl realizes the moving picture in Anna's castle showed that only a werewolf could kill Dracula. Dracula uses werewolves to do his bidding, but needs a cure in case they have the willpower to turn against him. Making his way to the laboratory, Van Helsing frees the Monster, then becomes a werewolf and is attacked by Dracula as a winged demonic bat. For some reason Dracula doesn't think to impose the werewolf cure on Van Helsing, even though thats why he made it. Anna and Carl retrieve the cure but are attacked by Aleera and Igor. Igor is knocked off a bridge to his demise. Aleera chases down Anna, but before she can bite her, Carl tosses a silver stake to Anna, who kills Aleera with it. Dracula reveals that Van Helsing is really Gabriel, the one who originally murdered him. He offers to restore Van Helsing's memories, but Van Helsing replies that some things are best forgotten and bites into Dracula's throat, killing him and his offspring. The werewolf Van Helsing kills Anna just as she injects him with the cure. Anna is cremated, and as her body burns, Van Helsing sees her and her family in Heaven, at peace thanks to Dracula's death. The Monster departs on a raft into the ocean, having been allowed a chance at life by Van Helsing and Carl.
By Richard Moody, Tanya Ross & Greg Ross
No comments:
Post a Comment