Four years ago today, Dauntlessmedia first went online. As is explained in our About section, there have been many changes over the years, including the domain name. So I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone — visitors, contributors and collaborators — for their part in the evolution of Dauntlessmedia.net.

Because for now, and the foreseeable future, dauntlessmedia.net is back, and here to stay. The current structure represents a model I’ve had in mind for a couple of years now and have, finally, been able to put into action. There are many additions planned for 2008, including: the completion of the Star Trek: TNG and Battlestar Galactica Sites; a Star Wars site is already under construction; more image galleries will be added, including an avatar gallery; as well as a regular stream of articles and pages to reflect an increasing volume of content for visitors to explore.

So happy birthday, Dauntlessmedia!

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They had drifted five doleful days under the humid oppression of a tropical sun without so much as a sigh from the wind. The ship was silent, and the sails were impotent.

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Topics: Literature
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New Line Cinema has released a statement that says:

* MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.

* Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.

* Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.

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Topics: Movie News
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Dauntlessmedia has a nascent collection of image galleries, now available for viewing on its own webpage!

Most of the current movie reviews have been updated with an image gallery. In the future, move and television reviews will also likely be accompanied by a collection of images. For easier navigation, a permanent link has been placed in the Dauntless Pages directory to your left.

Topics: Images
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Dauntlessmedia.net is proud to announce that its Pirates of the Caribbean page is now online! This is just the first of many movie and/or franchise specific web pages that Dauntlessmedia will feature. These pages, permanently linked to the left, differ from the Dauntlessmedia Websites in that they are native to this, the main portal page. If, further down the road, any web page accrues enough content to warrant a full site, an “upgrade” will be made at that time.

But, for now, please feel free to visit the Pirates of the Caribbean page. It will link you to a review and image gallery for each movie.

Enjoy!

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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (AWE) is a resounding letdown. The simple fact is, the creators of AWE could not recapture the magic of the original film, The Curse of the Black Pearl (BP). And, in fact, the mistakes and problems that were introduced in Dead Man’s Chest (DMC) have been amplified.

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Topics: Fantasy, Film Review, Pirates
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For starters, Dead Man’s Chest (DMC) is not a better movie than The Curse of the Black Pearl (BP). DMC is darker, edgier, and packed with a lot more action. The VFX are solid (with a few blips, most notably Jack’s climactic scene) and the cinematography is superb. The actors all do their parts quite well. But the clear difference between the two flicks is the story. And, perhaps, DMC suffers a bit for being a middle chapter. It has to reintroduce all of the old characters as well as new ones. And it has to set up a story that will carry us for two movies. Overall, DMC succeeds, but if you asked me which movie is better on its own merits, it’s clear that BP wins out.

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Topics: Fantasy, Film Review, Pirates
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Every so often a movie comes along that surpasses your expectations, entertains you from start to finish, and becomes an instant classic. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl did just that. On a personal note, I have always been fascinated with pirates and piracy (I’ve even written my own script – started long before Curse of the Black Pearl, I assure you). But in the world of action-adventure, pirate movies are a rare occurrence. And good pirate movies are rarer still (I’m looking at you, Cutthroat Island). One could go so far as to say that, in the past 30 years or so, the best pirate movie was Muppet Treasure Island – until Pirates of the Caribbean, that is. Not only is Curse of the Black Pearl an incredible pirate movie, it’s an incredible movie, period.

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Topics: Fantasy, Film Review, Pirates
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George Mitchell’s report to Major League Baseball on steroids and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) has been revealed. And I think it’s important to take a moment and reflect on the news, and on the history of the problem, before we all move on with talking about what to do next. Baseball needs to get its house in order with respect to history, to legacy, and individual accountability. In other words: individual statistics and records.

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Topics: Baseball, Essay
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The Star Wars Companion is now online. The site will be under heavy construction for the foreseeable future. It will feature articles and essays from all six movies as well as updates (and later reviews) on both new Star Wars television series. Multimedia will include the Star Wars Ultimate Soundtrack, as well as an image collection.

More will be added as time goes on…

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