[dukesmom]

Wolfen was kind of cool. It actually felt more like a 70s movie than early 80s to me. Not sure why.

Has anyone seen the promos for The Spiderwick Chronicles? Looks like fun but since I'm a little old for it, I'll wait for the DVD.

[Cryostar]

I thought it looked nice too....kinda like a modern day bedknobs and broomsticks.

[Raonaild]

Originally Posted by dukesmom (View Post) There's currently a lot of controversy about The Golden Compass movie (and the series of books on which it is based). I still plan on seeing it, maybe this weekend if I can fit it into my schedule. Like so many times before, I wonder if the boycotts, etc., are actually going to encourage more people to see it just to see what all the fuss is about.

I didn't end up seeing this movie over the holidays (just too busy lately), but I did read the books. I liked them well enough, although after I finished I felt like there was something I missed, something fundamental in the trilogy that didn't quite work. I still can't put my finger on exactly what it was. There were definitely some cool ideas in it though, like the concept of the different parallel universes, in particular Lyra's universe where every person has their own animal-shaped daemon.

I did think the story was fairly blatantly anti-organized religion. Not that I was bothered by that, but I could see why religious groups would be upset about it. My understanding of the movies though is that they did play down the religious overtones to the story, aware of the controversy it might cause.

On a related note, on a flight to Europe last week, I saw two recent fantasy films: The Seeker: The Dark is Rising and Stardust. The Seeker was pretty bad, nonsensical and generic - I watched it mostly for Christopher Eccleston. I quite liked Stardust though, a quirky fairytale with a great cast.

[dukesmom]

Since I was pretty much confined to my house with a recovering dog, I didn't get to see The Golden Compass either. Will rent the DVD when I can. My understanding was that almost all of the anti-religious aspect of the book was not included in the movie. The bad guys were instead an all-powerful government.

I have read bad reviews about The Seeker but plan to see it anyway, primarily because of Eccleston. I've read nothing but good reviews about Stardust and plan to see it eventually, as well.

[Cryostar]

I saw Stardust in the theatres....it was fabulous....and I have great praise for everyone involved. Wonderful fairy tale.

I'm not so down on Golden Compass....though I wonder who they play the end of the first book in the movies, if memory serves, they kill "god" in the end of the first book, correct?

[Raonaild]

Originally Posted by Cryostar (View Post) I'm not so down on Golden Compass....though I wonder who they play the end of the first book in the movies, if memory serves, they kill "god" in the end of the first book, correct?

No, that's in the third book. The first book ends with Lyra's father tearing a hole to a parallel universe. I had thought the movie would end just before that, either when the children escape from the facility at Bolvangar, or when they go to the bears in Svalbard.

[Cryostar]

Hrm, okie, I'll have to go re-read.....I'm confused these days....damned kids are sucking my brains out with disney.

Maybe I'll go to the movies soon and see it.

[sum1]

Originally Posted by dukesmom (View Post) I didn't really like Spider-man 3. I found it too long and cliche-ridden.

It was absolute dreck. None of the Spider Man movies have been good but this one was exceptionally bad.

[Cryostar]

I don't know....the second one seemed fair to mid....though I've never been a spiderman fan.

[dukesmom]

I saw Scanners today. It's a 1981 film starring Michael Ironside, Jennifer O'Neill, and a bunch of people I've never heard of and was written and directed by David Cronenberg, the man behind A History of Violence and Eastern Promises, among others. The story, about people with enhanced powers of the mind, was interesting and some of the acting was okay but it was dragged down by the lead, Stephen Lack. The end wasn't completely shocking but it wasn't what I was expecting.

[Cryostar]

Is that the one where they could make peoples heads pop? I think I remember that, though I get that and flatliners confused all the time.

[dukesmom]

One head did pop. Other deaths were more conventional.

I sort of have Metropolis in my possession. I say sort of because I did receive it from Netflix but I loaned it to a co-worker who needed to watch it for some class he's taking. Poor guy had no idea it was in B&W and silent until I told him even though he had copied the description from Netflix to refresh my memory.

[Cryostar]

Heh, was he surprised?

[sum1]

Why is there a series out centered on Amanda Tapping? Her acting was the worst on Stargate.

[dukesmom]

Originally Posted by Cryostar (View Post) Heh, was he surprised?

Although he already knew the movie was made in 1927, it didn't seem to click that the movie would be in B&W and silent. When he looked in up at netflix.com he noticed that a lot of people had rated it "Not interested" and asked if I knew why. I told him it was probably because a lot of people have no interest in B&W movies and even less in silent. That's when he finally caught on. However, he keeps forgetting to take the DVD home even though his assignment is due on Tuesday so he still hasn't watched it.