207 replies to this topic

[Skudor]

Ouch...

[Harmsway]

A bit of religious controversy didn't exactly hurt The Davinci Code, did it?

It won't hurt THE GOLDEN COMPASS either, but I doubt THE GOLDEN COMPASS will be the kind of movie to inspire fanatical following.

[Royal Dalton]

(You're a good Bond, Danny, but shut the up.)

Now, now. No need to blaspheme.

[LadySylvia]

Here is a link to some photos from the movie:

"The Golden Compass" Photos

[Eva]

Anyone interested in seeing the first 5 minutes of the film can see it here

http://movies.yahoo....0/video/5305481
(features Daniel's character & Eva's voiceover).

In Harry Knowles review of the finished film he says

"Every moment that Daniel Craig is in this film as Lord Asriel

[LadySylvia]

I don't think it's wise to judge a film based upon a critic's review. I say . . . watch the movie and form your own judgement.

[Agent Ostlund]

I'm wanting to see this movie quite a bit. If there is a movie that has DC in it and freaks out a bunch of zelous christians...than I'm going to see it.

[zstoneVII]

went to see film because of girlfriend (she'd read books) and im not going to turn down opportunity to see DC in something else...

film - fine
more importantly DC - standardly cool. portrayal of Lord Asriel made him look powerful, knowledgeable, confident.

couple moments in th film very DC-Bond-esque i thought?! one where DC is walking and his servant 'Hunter' walks up behind him. without any fluster he js says 'Hunter' to acknowledge him bein there - typical cool, direct DC

also, when there is a clip newly shaven he did his classic tilt head to th side and pout look which we're all familiar with after CR!

re: film - not waste of money, bit of fantasy and some good moments!

[LadySylvia]

went to see film because of girlfriend (she'd read books) and im not going to turn down opportunity to see DC in something else...

film - fine
more importantly DC - standardly cool. portrayal of Lord Asriel made him look powerful, knowledgeable, confident.

couple moments in th film very DC-Bond-esque i thought?! one where DC is walking and his servant 'Hunter' walks up behind him. without any fluster he js says 'Hunter' to acknowledge him bein there - typical cool, direct DC

also, when there is a clip newly shaven he did his classic tilt head to th side and pout look which we're all familiar with after CR!

re: film - not waste of money, bit of fantasy and some good moments!

Sounds like a good movie. I'll go see it.

[MarcAngeDraco]

It strikes me as rather ironic that these Catholic groups who call for boycott etc are exhibiting the exact controlling/oppressing behaviors that are criticized by the books...

And the truly ironic part is that these groups don't understand that...

(Although I'd wager that the vast majority of the opposition haven't read a single page of any of these books)

[Harmsway]

THE GOLDEN COMPASS is a failure as a film. It's dull, awkward, and remarkably anticlimactic. Shame that such a phenomenal book got turned into a very weak film.

[Mr. Du Pont]

It strikes me as rather ironic that these Catholic groups who call for boycott etc are exhibiting the exact controlling/oppressing behaviors that are criticized by the books...

And the truly ironic part is that these groups don't understand that...

(Although I'd wager that the vast majority of the opposition haven't read a single page of any of these books)

Horse. You're talking about Bill Donohue of The Catholic League, and not once in regards to this film or any other work has he called for censorship. Calling for people to refuse to give their cash to flagrant anti-Catholic bigotry is an exercise of free speech and education, not censorship.

As for your wager, you'd lose that bet. He, along with many others who are critical of Pullman, have indeed read and studied his trilogy. The Catholic League put out a pamphlet that used, almost exclusively, quotes from Pullman himself and the fans of his work - quotes that show Pullman to be a disingenuous liar when he publically denies the very things he said in on the record interviews.

If there's one thing I hate, it's dishonesty. Pullman and his fans can be rabid anti-Catholic bigots and militant atheists if they want, but don't try to deny it for the sake of a buck.

In fact, it's many of his own fans that are angriest with the movie because it isn't overt enough in its raw hate.

[Double-0-Seven]

I saw it tonight. I thought it was pretty good. It wasn't half as bad as a lot of people are making it out to be. The only disappointment for me was that Daniel Craig and Eva Green were in much less of the film than I expected, however, that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I thought all of the cast did an excellent job.

[Santa]

Naughty, naughty boy

It strikes me as rather ironic that these Catholic groups who call for boycott etc are exhibiting the exact controlling/oppressing behaviors that are criticized by the books...

And the truly ironic part is that these groups don't understand that...

(Although I'd wager that the vast majority of the opposition haven't read a single page of any of these books)

Horse[censored]. You're talking about Bill Donohue of The Catholic League, and not once in regards to this film or any other work has he called for censorship. Calling for people to refuse to give their cash to flagrant anti-Catholic bigotry is an exercise of free speech and education, not censorship.

Er, he didn't say anything about The Catholic League. You did.

[DamnCoffee]

Going to see this one either just before Christmas or just after, my Nana fancies seeing it, so I will accompany her.

[Agent Ostlund]

It strikes me as rather ironic that these Catholic groups who call for boycott etc are exhibiting the exact controlling/oppressing behaviors that are criticized by the books...

And the truly ironic part is that these groups don't understand that...

(Although I'd wager that the vast majority of the opposition haven't read a single page of any of these books)

Agreed.

[Mr. Du Pont]

Naughty, naughty boy

It strikes me as rather ironic that these Catholic groups who call for boycott etc are exhibiting the exact controlling/oppressing behaviors that are criticized by the books...

And the truly ironic part is that these groups don't understand that...

(Although I'd wager that the vast majority of the opposition haven't read a single page of any of these books)

Horse. You're talking about Bill Donohue of The Catholic League, and not once in regards to this film or any other work has he called for censorship. Calling for people to refuse to give their cash to flagrant anti-Catholic bigotry is an exercise of free speech and education, not censorship.

Er, he didn't say anything about The Catholic League. You did.

Er, he said "these Catholic groups who call for boycott." That is the Catholic League. Way to dodge the actual substance of the post though. Very Pullmanesque of you.

[Santa]

Naughty, naughty boy

It strikes me as rather ironic that these Catholic groups who call for boycott etc are exhibiting the exact controlling/oppressing behaviors that are criticized by the books...

And the truly ironic part is that these groups don't understand that...

(Although I'd wager that the vast majority of the opposition haven't read a single page of any of these books)

Horse. You're talking about Bill Donohue of The Catholic League, and not once in regards to this film or any other work has he called for censorship. Calling for people to refuse to give their cash to flagrant anti-Catholic bigotry is an exercise of free speech and education, not censorship.

Er, he didn't say anything about The Catholic League. You did.

Er, he said "these Catholic groups who call for boycott." That is the Catholic League. Way to dodge the actual substance of the post though. Very Pullmanesque of you.

Riiiiiiight. So that's the only Catholic group around then, is it?

[Mr. Du Pont]

Naughty, naughty boy

It strikes me as rather ironic that these Catholic groups who call for boycott etc are exhibiting the exact controlling/oppressing behaviors that are criticized by the books...

And the truly ironic part is that these groups don't understand that...

(Although I'd wager that the vast majority of the opposition haven't read a single page of any of these books)

Horse. You're talking about Bill Donohue of The Catholic League, and not once in regards to this film or any other work has he called for censorship. Calling for people to refuse to give their cash to flagrant anti-Catholic bigotry is an exercise of free speech and education, not censorship.

Er, he didn't say anything about The Catholic League. You did.

Er, he said "these Catholic groups who call for boycott." That is the Catholic League. Way to dodge the actual substance of the post though. Very Pullmanesque of you.

Riiiiiiight. So that's the only Catholic group around then, is it?

Never said it was, but it's the one that the media has covered and it's the only one Pullman himself has reacted to.

Way to dodge the substance of the post, yet again though. Don't you have to get back to reading Mein Kampf now? Or maybe it's Birth of a Nation on DVD?

Actually the only people "censoring" the movie are the moviegoers. The Golden Compass has been a miserable failure at the box office and books 2 and 3 don't look to be coming off the shelf. Which is probably a good thing since Pullamn sacrificed coherent story-telling and consistency as the trilogy progressed for the sake of cramming his ideology down the reader's throat instead.

Edited by Mr. Du Pont, 09 December 2007 - 06:30 PM.

[Santa]

Way to dodge the substance of the post, yet again though. Don't you have to get back to reading Mein Kampf now? Or maybe it's Birth of a Nation on DVD?

I can't agree that a film I haven't seen is anti-Catholic, and this makes me a fan of Mein Kampf? As it happens, I am a Catholic, and I'm afraid it's people like you that give Catholicism a bad name.

Pullamn sacrificed coherent story-telling and consistency as the trilogy progressed for the sake of cramming his ideology down the reader's throat instead.

Yes, I'm sure shedloads of children who enjoyed reading the books agree with you. Let me point that out again: These books are aimed at children. That said, I read the first one and I'm fairly sure I'd have noticed something being crammed down my throat at the time.

[bond 16.05.72]

I have to agree it's not the Cinema event it could well have been. A lot of the problem lies with not having a Director with real vision like Peter Jackson or Guilmero Del Toro for example. Chris Weitz is clearly out of his depth and like Chris Columbus was with Potter 1 &2 not very interesting and fumbling with the responsibility.

A Director with more visual style & ability with actors is required for the further films, it's likely this will be filmed back to back I would have thought with probably a 3 year wait for Subtle Knife in 2010 & Amber Spyglass in 2011, all depending on boxoffice for GC and also if the original titles survive unlike the original GC title Northern Lights

Peter Jackson just had far more vision & determination to bring as a faithful version of LOTR trilogy to the big screen that Weitz is just lacking in comparison.

The film just suffers from being condensed too much and the dialogue like the first 2 Potter movies is rather kidified. I just hope GC is the trilogies Philosopher's Stone & Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass be more like Prisoner of Azakabahn

The film is not a complete disaster and I still found it a fairly entertaining 2 hrs or so, the Polar Bear fight is thrilling, the key characters seem to have been cast well. The visuals represented sumptuously, will be interesting to see how Gassner's touch will differ to Lamont's on 22.

Kidman, Craig & Elliott are fine in their roles, I definitely see more than a touch of the Asriel in the book in DC's performance, Kidman was always gonna be the perfect Mrs Coulter & Eliott makes a more than likeable Lee Scoresby.

I also felt Dakota Blue Richards conveyed enough of Pullman's heroine feisty nature to convince as Lyra Belaqua. She certainly shows more promise than Daniel Radcliffe did in HP 1 although his leap quite recently
to a more than competent actor.

Mckellen's voicing of Iroek Byrnson is fine, a fine cast of British talent is on display.

All in all a bit of a disappointment but not as bad a some reviews have said, I'd definitely would watch it again over Lion Witch & The Wardrobe and the EP 1 , EP2 & EP 3.

Quite cheeky the one moment of speaking on the TV spots shown here in the UK has DC quoting dialogue from the trimmed original climax of the book.

I can understand from a financial point of view why they went for the decision to do this but it robs the film of a climactic ending and just kind of wimpers out like all 3 Jurassic Park films did.

Hopefully the price paid here will benefit the Subtle Knife and give it a suitable jump off point they have obviously chose as the 2nd book isn't going to be to easy to visualise.

I hope they get to correct their mistakes with the subsequent books but please no more Mr Weitz.

Edited by bond 16.05.72, 09 December 2007 - 06:45 PM.

[Harmsway]

That said, I read the first one and I'm fairly sure I'd have noticed something being crammed down my throat at the time.

You wouldn't in the first one. THE GOLDEN COMPASS isn't preachy. It's just a damn good book. It's what makes Pullman's descent into didacticism so tragic.

By the time you get to the AMBER SPYGLASS, Pullman is in all-out preaching mode, sacrificing story to didacticism. His agenda is no longer subtext. He's got characters outright saying Christianity is nothing more than a convincing lie, and nevermind that the story events themselves are (rather overtly) set up as a assault on the Church and the Christian God.

[Santa]

I didn't like the first one that much anyway so I haven't bothered to read the others - nothing to do with anti-Catholicism, I'm just not into child books for adults. I can't do Harry Potter either.
Actually, I need to apologise for getting into silly religious arguments. I moan about others doing it because I don't think this is really the right place for that kind of thing, and then I leap in and do it too. Sorry, thread readers.

[Mr. Du Pont]

Way to dodge the substance of the post, yet again though. Don't you have to get back to reading Mein Kampf now? Or maybe it's Birth of a Nation on DVD?

I can't agree that a film I haven't seen is anti-Catholic, and this makes me a fan of Mein Kampf? As it happens, I am a Catholic, and I'm afraid it's people like you that give Catholicism a bad name.

Pullamn sacrificed coherent story-telling and consistency as the trilogy progressed for the sake of cramming his ideology down the reader's throat instead.

Yes, I'm sure shedloads of children who enjoyed reading the books agree with you. Let me point that out again: These books are aimed at children. That said, I read the first one and I'm fairly sure I'd have noticed something being crammed down my throat at the time.

If you are Catholic, then it makes your defense of Pullman's tripe even more disgusting. Way to stand up for your Faith. Thank God the Church has people like you to give Her such a good name.

And as for your reading "the first one," I said "as the trilogy progressed" (ie. books 2 and 3).

Again, what The Catholic League and "other Catholic groups" have argued from the beginning is this movie will lead people to the books. And if you want to know why that is problematic, Pullman does the Catholic League's work for it in all the interviews he's given.

Now, again, if rabid anti-Catholic bigotry and militant atheism are good things in your mind, then so be it. But don't deny that that is what it is; even Pullman hasn't denied that. Don't sit hear and tell me Catholics shouldn't defend themselves and that His Dark Materials isn't exactly what the author claims it is. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

[Santa]

Yes, carry on. I have more interesting things to do.

[Mr. Du Pont]

Yes, carry on. I have more interesting things to do.

Sayeth the man who has no argument.

That's okay. It's tough to argue for something that Pullman himself won't argue for.

[killkenny kid]

I didn't like the first one that much anyway so I haven't bothered to read the others - nothing to do with anti-Catholicism, I'm just not into child books for adults. I can't do Harry Potter either.
Actually, I need to apologise for getting into silly religious arguments. I moan about others doing it because I don't think this is really the right place for that kind of thing, and then I leap in and do it too. Sorry, thread readers.

indeed, santa. That is why I stay away from all threads that deal with race, religion and politics.

Well back to the movie at hand. Mrs. K. and I, went to see it this afternoon. And I sorry to say. It was the most painful dreg, I have seen in my life. But, on the up side I continue to be impress with Mr. Craig's work. (imo.)

[Qwerty]

The film got three stars in the local newspaper today. Was faulted for trying to please everyone with it's convoluted storyline, but generally succeeded in the fantasy department.

[LadySylvia]

It's sad that so many have dismissed this movie as a failure. Anyway, here is my review:

"HIS DARK MATERIALS: THE GOLDEN COMPASS" Review"

I might as well make one thing clear . . . I have never read Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy, "His Dark Materials". But this did not deter my interest in seeing the movie based upon the first novel, "THE GOLDEN COMPASS". And quite frankly, I am glad that I had seen it.

Directed by Chris Weitz, "THE GOLDEN COMPASS" opened with the beginning of the "HIS DARK MATERIALS" saga. In it, a young girl named Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), lives at Jordan College (of Oxford University) in an alternate dimension of Great Britain. She saves er uncle, world explorer/scholar Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) from being poisoned by the Magisterium (the dimension's religious ruling body) after he has revealed his discovery of elementary particles called Dust - something that the ruling body consider a threat to their authority. After her uncle departs upon an expedition to the North to find more Dust, Lyra befriends another scholar and explorer named Mrs. Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman) during a dinner held at Jordan College. While visiting Mrs. Coulter in London, Lyra learns that her hostess is a member of the Magisterium and has participated in the kidnapping of young children, including two of her friends - a kitchen servant named Roger, and a Gyptian boy named Billy Costa. She also discovers that Mrs. Coulter wants her hands on the last alethiometer, a device that resembles a golden compass. This device, which was given to Lyra by Jordan College's Master, is able to reveal the answer to any question asked by the user.

After escaping Mrs. Coulter's London flat, Lyra is rescued by the Gyptians, who plans to rescue Billy and the other children. They take Lyra to the Norweigian town of Trollsund, where she meets an aeronaut named Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot). She also meets Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green) who is a queen of the witches, and an armoured bear named Iorek Byrnison (voice of Ian McKellan). With her new friends, Lyra embarks upon an adventure that leads her to a conflict between her friend Iorek and the false king of the amored bears, Ragnar Sturlusson (voice of Ian McShane); and to Bolvangar, an experimental station in the North where the Magisterium are severing the Gyptian children from their daemons. Before the movie ends Lyra learns that Lord Asriel has been captured by Magisterium spies and that Mrs. Coulter plans to assassinate him. She, Roger, Scoresby and Serafina set out to rescue the endangered explorer by the end of the movie.

Like any other movie, good or bad, "THE GOLDEN COMPASS" has its flaws. There were three of them that I found noticeable. One, the movie's plot seemed rather vague on Lord Asriel's fate after he was captured by the Magisterium's spies in the North. Serafina gave a brief explanation to Scoresby near the end, as they set out to find Asriel. But still . . . I found it vague. Two, the editing by Anne V. Coates seemed a bit choppy in a few spots. And most importantly, the movie's pacing . . . at least in the first third, seemed very rushed. Some people have complained that too many aspects of the story had been stuffed in the script. I personally feel that Weitz had simply rushed the story. By the time Lyra and the Gyptians reached Trollsund, the director seemed to have finally found a natural pace.

However, I must admit that "THE GOLDEN COMPASS" had turned out to be a lot better than I had expected. Honestly, it is quite good. The story was intriguing. Chris Weitz did a decent job in adapting Pullman's novel for film, even if he did rush the first third of the story. I simply adored Henry Braham's photography and Ruth Myer's costume designs - especially Nicole Kidman's elegant, 1930s style costumes. But I must commend Richard L. Johnson. Chris Lowe and Andy Nicholson for their sumptious art direction - especially their view of London in Pullman's world. And Dennis Gassner deserves an Oscar nomination for his production design, as far as I am concerned.

The actors were first rate. What does one expect from a cast with the likes of Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Sam Elliot, Jim Carter, Tom Courtenay? I especially have to give kudos to Craig who seemed like the embodiment of the ruthless, yet enthusiastic scholar Lord Asriel. And Nicole Kidman brought great style, charm and ruthlessness to the role of the villainous Mrs. Coulter. But she also gave the character a much needed pathos, when the lady revealed to our young heroine that she was the latter's mother. It was quite thrilling to see Eva Green as a woman of action in her portrayal of the queen witch, Serafina Pekkala. Ian McKellan and Ian McShane were excellent as the feuding armored bears. And Jim Carter (who is married to HARRY POTTER actress Imelda Staunton) was most intimidating as the Gyptians' king, John Faa. Seeing Sam Elliot's portrayal as the charming aeronaut, Lee Scoresby, reminded me why I have remained a fan of his for so long. His scenes with young Dakota Blue Richards really crackled. He seemed like the embodiment of a fine wine that has aged very well.

"THE GOLDEN COMPASS"'s center . . . the character that held the movie together was none other than first-time British actress, Dakota Blue Richards. This young lady was a find. She was absolutely perfect as the charming, yet bold and cunning Lyra. Some Washington D.C. critic had compared her unfavorably to another actress named Dakota - namely Dakota Fanning. Granted, the latter is an excellent actress, but so is Miss Richards. She managed to convey all of Lyra's complex traits without turning the character into an adult in a child's body. She was simply superb.

I am sure there are fans of Pullman's novels who are disappointed that the movie did not turn out to be an exact adaptation of the literary version. All I can say is I am sorry, but I have never heard of any movie being an exact adaptation of its literary source. And if you are hoping to find one in the future, you will be disappointed. Yes, "THE GOLDEN COMPASS" has its flaws. What movie does not? But it certainly has enough virtues, including a superb leading actress, that made it enjoyable . . . at least for me.

[HildebrandRarity]

Well I saw the movie this afternoon with my 11 year old who has the book (but could'nt get past the half way mark..."boring...not exciting enuf...") knowing that the screenplay would add some degree of entertainment value.

We both enjoyed the film for the popcorn flick it is. I'm Catholic but a relatively non-practicing one. Nothing in this movie, to my mind at least, has any notion of being anti God.

In fact, I would even suggest the opposite: "The Magestrium" seems Luciferian and anti-choice and evil.

I suspect the book will become a best-seller at the Vatican store in much the same way Da Vinci Code has and the hoopla will expire soon enough, paving the way for (hopefully) parts 2 and 3 on the Big Screen.

......

On another note, I have not posted in quite a while because of volatility in the world's financial markets...but I intend to start a new thread predicting Bond 22's box office and linking the prediction to the events which have effected the value of the US Dollar.

Edited by HildebrandRarity, 10 December 2007 - 02:48 AM.