I just don’t have it in me to subject you to a trade round-up this week. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, news happened. But I’m not going to insult your tastes or waste my time by relaying that James Caan left the David O. Russell movie he was shooting after a fight with the contentious director, or going into any detail at all on the fact that Bai Ling has joined the Crank sequel. I don’t even know what role she’ll play; all I saw was the headline before I blacked out.
So this week I’ve got nothing but trailers. Don’t worry; for those of you looking for your daily fix when it comes to something to bitch about, the round-up will return in this slot next week. But for now, just sit back, watch a few clips, and relax:
First up this morning is the latest trailer for Prince Caspian, due out May 9. The previous film in the Narnia series, 2005’s The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, was a surprisingly decent family fantasy movie, and this one looks to be on par:
Next is the clip for Henry Poole Is Here, a drama starring Luke Wilson about a man who learns to deal with faith and local celebrity when people claim to see the face of Jesus in a stain on his wall. It’s out July 25:
Here’s the red-band trailer for Hamlet 2. It was attached to my screening of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which meant I had the catchy and probably more than a little blasphemous “Rock Me Sexy Jesus” in my head all day. It hits theaters August 22:
Also in the world of red-band previews, here’s the clip for The Babysitters, set for a May 9 release, about a high school girl who starts turning tricks to earn extra cash. And it’s a comedy! Just kidding. It’s a pretty bleak-looking drama:
Young People Fucking. Out sometime this summer. I don’t quite know what else to add:
This isn’t a movie trailer, but a promo for an online series called “Flipper Nation.” Enjoy:
I’ll cap things off today with a pair of trailers for films that might prove hard to find. First up is American Fork, a painful-looking comedy that’s played a variety of festivals but as yet doesn’t have a set release date:
And here’s the clip for Shotgun Stories, which saw a limited release in March but will probably have to wait until DVD to find an audience:
Daniel Carlson is the managing editor of Pajiba and a low-level employee at a Hollywood industry magazine. You can visit his blog, Slowly Going Bald.
Ah! I was recently wondering if "Hamlet 2" was going to vanish 'neath the waves after the festivals passed for who knows how long, so I'm quite pleased to see an actual date.
Ok, come on, Bai Ling has come home to Crank. Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, she's swooped down to roost in the bosom of an irredeemably stupid movie.
Um... some of these look kind of good. Are you sure they're not from the alternate dimension of good movies?
Also, you Pajiba bastards, I finally saw Juno last night and every one of you that loved it was right. Holy crap that was great.
So now I've got that and 'There Will Be Blood' taken care of, but I have a survey question. How bad is 'No Country for Old Men'? Is it 'Fargo' bad or 'History of Violence' bad because I can do Fargo again but I think I can only handle one 'History of Violence' per decade or so.
Posted by: twig at April 24, 2008 7:25 AM
... and yes, obviously I don't mean bad bad, I mean 'oh shit he just killed that guy with a cattle stunner' bad.
Posted by: twig at April 24, 2008 7:27 AM
I for one needed some big handcrafted chicken tenders and sweet cornbread after I saw it.
It wasn't as soul-dissolving as "Happiness"
BUT WHAT IS?
But I still think the air gun isn't the most insidious weapon in the movie. I've only seen "Fargo" once and haven't seen "History of Violence" but, while "No Country" does have a wry sense of humor running through it, I'm pretty sure "Fargo" was funnier.
Have something cheerful you can do after, don't watch it last thing at night. But that's me, I don't rebound well from heavy shit so I tend to avoid it until I get suckered with "Oh it was so great!!" I appreciate Mr. Carlson saying "this looks bleak". Skip!
Are you sure they're not from the alternate dimension of good movies?
Yeah, conversely the trailers I saw before Sarah Marshall felt like the summer I don't want to live through.
Hah, that scene from Henry Poole Is Here, with the miraculously restored eye sight happened to my sister. She woke up one morning and her eye sight (shortsighteness) was restored. Turned out she just forgot to take her contact lenses out.
Posted by: ChrisD at April 24, 2008 8:12 AM
twig - it wasn't that bad.
I can't ever watch the trailers at work! Damn you!
Posted by: Kolby at April 24, 2008 9:02 AM
ChrisD something like that happened to me. I got hit in the face with a soccer ball (go indoor soccer!) and thought I lost my contact. Put in a new one and took both out that night to go to bed. Woke up with perfect sight in the eye that the soccer ball hit. I was about to have my friend kick a soccer ball into my other eye till I realized that the contact hadn't fallen out, it had just gotten stuck behind my lid somehow and had gravitated back down overnight.
In slightly more on topic news; I need to re-read the Chronicles of Narnia. And I will probably have to see Hamlet: 2. I'm going to hell anyway.
Flipper Nation will probably last half an episode even online. It is bad. It's as if someone thought they could rework the concept of The Office only not bother with character development or funny lines.
Posted by: PaddyDog at April 24, 2008 9:17 AM
Boo and Hiss to your trailer filled round up, Sir! I can't copy and paste YouTube clips into a word document that I can then read at my leisure while I pretend to work on it.
Re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia may potentially be a Very Bad Idea Rusty. I absolutely adored the series as a child but as an adult they really bother me. Especially the treatment of Susan because she is IMPURE and a HARLOT. Read the Neil Gaiman short story about her instead.
AlextheOdd, I haaaated that short story. 'Fragile Things' was not the book 'Angels and Visitations' was. *sigh*
Although I am rather enjoying the movies tendancy to pack battle scenes in anywhere they can get them. I remember reading something one of the writers from the first one said. "Well, and I had to have the minotaur fight the centaur. Who doesn't want to see a minotaur fight a centaur?"
Who indeed.
Kolby if the movie ends and me in the fetal position, I'm blaming you.
Posted by: twig at April 24, 2008 9:31 AM
I recently re-read the Narnia books and quite enjoyed them, actually. Tolkein is the one I simply cannot make it through anymore.
Also, Youtube is blocked at my office, meaning I have no idea what any of these trailers are like.
Add me to those who have woken up after forgetting to take their contacts out the night before (me drunk? nah...) to a split second of "sweet! I can see again!!!" only to realize you are a huge idiot...
and shame on you TV Whore for discriminating against those who cannot watch trailers at work!
shame!
Posted by: Bethy at April 24, 2008 9:44 AM
Alex you may have a point. That's probably something I wouldn't have noticed as a kid, but would drive me into a seething fit now. Maturity is fun like that.
But I'm a sucker for short stories, so I'll check out the Gaiman book the next chance I get. My foreseeable future is filled with trying to memorize a whole lot of Irish and then writing essays.
Twig, is this one of those by bad you mean good things? Because I can't be the only one who loved both Fargo and AHOV? Fargo is definitely more humorous, though Tommy Lee Jones cracked my shit up in NCFOM more than a couple of times. The acting is stellar. As for AHOV, I am so taken with Viggo (and Cronenberg for that matter) that I might not be able to be trusted.
The trailers? I'm just going to pretend I'm doing a drive-by and not even look out the window.
I can't copy and paste YouTube clips into a word document that I can then read at my leisure while I pretend to work on it.
Omigodtupus...that is brilliant, Alex! And here I am, hiding my browser whenever possible. As it is, I type up my responses in an email...making it look like I'm doing real work.
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at April 24, 2008 9:57 AM
What Gus here is sayin is that "A History Of Violence" left her feeling the effects of a dementor attack and she wants to be forewarned and forearmed.
(that's how I read it at least)
(No, I think I'm the only one who doesn't really care about "Fargo", but I was recently told to watch it again as it can open up on a re-viewing and become a lot more fun)
Slacking is what I do best Shadows, I'm very inventive when I have to be.
Posted by: Alex the Odd at April 24, 2008 10:03 AM
twig - to be honest (and I know I might catch some shit for this) I found it pretty meh. I mean, it was a well-crafted, well-acted movie, but afterward I was all, "Yeah? So? Is it time for bed yet?"
Posted by: Kolby at April 24, 2008 10:15 AM
Dementor attack, that's a pretty good way to describe it. 'Fargo' and 'History of Violence' were both excellent movies - especially HoV - but I can only take so much realistic excellence before I need to go detox.
Viggo Mortensen acts the shit out of everything he's in. Man, so good.
Speaking of dementor movies, the trailer for The Life Before Her Eyes looks like another one of those good movies I just can't see. Couldn't read the book either.
Posted by: twig at April 24, 2008 10:16 AM
I've never read the Narnia books..are they worth visiting if I don't have any childhood nostalgia for them?
Either way, I really enjoyed the first movie (talking beavers, whee!), so I can't wait for this next one.
Posted by: Julie at April 24, 2008 10:21 AM
Julie, depends on what you expect from them. Certain books are stronger than others. A friend of mine who was into the books was surprised they didn't skip Caspian entirely for Dawn Treader, which has a stronger story. Magician's Nephew is also supposed to be fairly good.
Last Battle gets more than a little "HEY I THINK THIS IS A PARABLE! DO YOU THINK THIS MIGHT BE A PARABLE!?" but um... it's more interesting than staring at the wall? And there's talking horsies.
Posted by: twig at April 24, 2008 10:29 AM
Julie, if you don't mind the subtle Christian overtones and classic children's fantasy style of writing, then I would heartily recommend them. And shame on you for not having read them before!
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at April 24, 2008 10:29 AM
My whole life is a subtle Christian overtone.
And there's talking horsies.
Hee.
I don't know how I didn't read these as a kid, I read every god damned thing I could get my hands on. ...I may have been too involved in the world of Kristy and the gang from The Babysitter's Club.
Posted by: Julie at April 24, 2008 10:35 AM
Every time I signed in __ Bigblackconnect.com __ and there were always many women would talk to me ... It is a funny and interesting place to talk to these thoughtful women.
Posted by: Shanu at April 24, 2008 10:39 AM
new spambot! sweet!
Posted by: Bethy at April 24, 2008 10:40 AM
Fuck off Shanu you god damned cum dumpster.
Posted by: Julie at April 24, 2008 10:45 AM
Viggo Mortenson rocks. I highly recommend Eastern Promises even if one doesn't like violent movies because there is a long scene with full frontal Viggo naked in a sauna. I re-played it so many times, you'll be disappointed if you end up getting the Netflix disc I rented because I may have worn it out.
Also, A History of Violence pairs him with Ed Harris who is my secret older man boyfriend.
Posted by: PaddyDog at April 24, 2008 10:46 AM
Aw, Julie, spambot's just a lonely 'bot lookin' for love. Don't be so harsh on the little fella.
Posted by: TK at April 24, 2008 10:48 AM
Good to know that spambots have equal opportunity employment.
Posted by: jM at April 24, 2008 10:50 AM
TK, if the bot is so lonely then he should buy a damned vacuum already and get to the electronics lovin.
Also, A History of Violence pairs him with Ed Harris who is my secret older man boyfriend.
Mine TOO. He's such a great actor, and so very sexy.
Posted by: Julie at April 24, 2008 10:54 AM
Poor sweet Bai Ling. After reading her blog I just want to wrap her in cloudy rainbows and set her to sail on Godtopus' loving green ocean...Seriously, I've got a soft spot for her ever since The Crow. And I think I've developed a slight crush on Jason Statham. Anyway. AHoV is in my Netflix queu after 300. I am in serious need of some naked fighting men in my life.
Posted by: osmate77 at April 24, 2008 10:58 AM
osmate77 I can pretty much say with utmost certainty that it does not get better than naked fighting men
Posted by: Bethy at April 24, 2008 10:59 AM
OK, I wasn't gonna say anything but... people. Come ON. A History of Violence is fucking terrible. Seriously. It has an awesome first 45 minutes or so, but then it just turns horrendous. And don't get me started on the final shot, which made me feel like I'd been completely cheated. Ugh. I love Cronenberg, and I certainly admire Viggo, but sheesh - what a disappointment that was.
Shotgun Stories looks good.
I really like Michael Shannon - he has kind of an Austin Nichols meets Ted Levine thing going on.
Posted by: slightlyfey at April 24, 2008 11:17 AM
Osmate77:
I disagree with TK and think AHoV is a great film (maybe a little weak at the end, but for anyone who has ever wanted to pick up a carafe of coffee and fling it at someone, I highly recommend it). BUT for the naked fighting men, you need to add Eastern Promises to your Netflix queue. Did I mention full frontal Viggo? Just the memory makes me weak at the knees.
Posted by: PaddyDog at April 24, 2008 11:20 AM
[channels Viggo the Carpathian]
Find me a child so that I might live again!!
Posted by: Julie at April 24, 2008 11:23 AM
Viggy Viggy Viggy... you have been a BAD MONKEY!
[/thread derailing]
Posted by: TK at April 24, 2008 11:26 AM
Julie, I agree with twig in that you can get a lot out of the Narnia books but it does depend on your expectations. I never got the whole Susan thing, I always figured she was underrepresented just because she was too old for the world and (even though I'm a big Gaiman fan I hated his Susan story). But I have to say, I have been rooting for the Caspian move to get made and do decently just so they will make the next couple. Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair are two crazy/awesome quests with great characters that actually grow and develop plausibly and if they do the effects decently they could potentially be awesome. But Caspian was always one of my less favorite books.
Posted by: Anne (in Reno) at April 24, 2008 11:27 AM
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Viggo..... [floats off into Bethy-land]
seriously people....you are just feeding my bad habits
do they have rehab for fantasizing about hot men?
no! screw that!
I don't want to change!!!
Posted by: Bethy at April 24, 2008 11:29 AM
Heeeeeee TK.
Anne, I'll definitely consider reading them at some point...they just seem like a lot to take in. For now I would rather just reread Harry Potter :p
Bethy, if you change I will slap you.
Posted by: Julie at April 24, 2008 11:33 AM
slightly different note, but I just headed over to Pink's amazon.com wishlist and half her items are "no longer available"
bastard amazon natzis.....
Posted by: Bethy at April 24, 2008 11:33 AM
Hee! I just saw that the bigblackconnect spambot also posted in the horse racing thread yesterday letting people know where they could meet nice horses. Anyone else thinking Enumclaw (the Seattle bestiality story)?
Posted by: PaddyDog at April 24, 2008 11:35 AM
Julie, I neglected to mention the Narnia books are much less of a commitment than Harry Potter - I don't recall any of my childhood set having spines more than a half-inch thick, and I don't think that's true for a single HP book.
Posted by: Anne (in Reno) at April 24, 2008 11:37 AM
Heh, I think after Harry Potter I'm always going to assume that all epic children's books are at least 700 pages long.
Paddy...dammit, now I have to Google that.
Posted by: Julie at April 24, 2008 11:40 AM
Also, I think the spambot is BarbadoSlim in disguise. BS? That you?
Posted by: Anne (in Reno) at April 24, 2008 11:41 AM
Having already seen Young People Fucking, let me assure everyone that it is goddamned hilarious and well worth your moviegoin' dollars if it opens anywhere near you. Which it probably won't.
Posted by: mightygodking at April 24, 2008 11:44 AM
hmmmmm, not feelin getting slapped by Julie, guess I am staying the same
anybody who has already sent Pink something from her amazon wishlist, how does this work? Trying to send her a book all about the exploits of Frank Lloyd Wright (girl's got good taste), but I am only getting options to ship it to myself
and if I get that option one more time, I just might, book looks damn interesting
Posted by: Bethy at April 24, 2008 11:56 AM
Bethy, if I remember correctly, you need to be signed in, and then go to her wish list, and at some point in the order process it asks you if you want to ship to her... it won't show her address, of course. I dunno, it worked for me.
Posted by: TK at April 24, 2008 12:00 PM
Back up a second, I'm sorry...Alex The Odd what's this about Susan being a harlot? I mean...there's not alot about Susan in any of those books but I always figured it was because she was too old to care about Narnia as much as Lucy and Edmund and the cousins but...is it a hypothesis that it's because she lost her virginity? Cause I'd be way more impressed with that character if that is the case as she always seemed prudish and up-tight to me. I've read the Narnia books a few times since the first time I read them in 3rd grade and I always enjoy them. Short, sweet and exciting. I've never read Gaiman's short about Susan (didn't know it existed actually) but may have to track it down just to know what we're all talking about here I guess.
Posted by: Jen Vegas at April 24, 2008 12:02 PM
The Narnia books are really short, you can race through them in about 2hours each (I reread all mine after the first film came out). I was mostly disapointed by The Last Battle. SPOILERS.
It was just seemed so short and the whole country seemed to get shot to hell in about 5 minutes. It seemed a bit ridiculous that someone could march in in a lion suit (and a badly made one at that) and take over the whole country. And I thought CS Lewis was being really patronising about all the talking animals being so trusting and 'you can't expect to understand Aslan, he's not a tame lion'. I couldn't help interpreting it as a class thing with the talking animals supposed to be the 'working class' and being nice but stupid.
If you want to reread something of his, also go for the Screwtape letters. Letters from a senior demon to his nephew on how best to tempt and corrupt his victim.
Posted by: ChrisD at April 24, 2008 12:05 PM
Where the hell is BSlim anyway? I know I haven't had as much time to dedicate to Pajiba as I would like, but I swear we haven't heard from him in weeks (unless I'm just missing the comment threads in which he is commenting). It's weird. And wrong.
Posted by: tamatha at April 24, 2008 12:08 PM
Hmm...she was always my favorite...I heard she's single now. You can find her on F a n t a s y V i x e n s G o n e W i l d . c o m. Ask for Susan
Posted by: Spambot of Dakaron at April 24, 2008 12:10 PM
I think that Slim has been taken away by maniacal overlords of an evil kingdom and is being held on an island surrounded by sharks with laser beams attached to their heads.
Posted by: Melody at April 24, 2008 12:12 PM
TK, ok I got it to work that time, I think my computer was just spassing out before....
thanks!
Posted by: Bethy at April 24, 2008 12:15 PM
Jen, Susan is described as being interested "in nothing nowadays except lipstick, nylons and invitations" in The Last Battle. Even my nine year old self got a little pissy about her being excluded from the magical kingdom of light and joy because she had the audacity to have a social life befitting of someone her own age.
But then you may want to take my comments with a pinch of salt as I find C. S. Lewis to be kind of vile.
Posted by: Alex the Odd at April 24, 2008 12:17 PM
Dammit!
Sharks with lasers: 1
Pajibans: 0
Posted by: jM at April 24, 2008 12:17 PM
Am I the only one who's excited by Prince Caspian just because Reepicheep is in it (if only for a few scenes)? I keep searching the trailers for little mice with swords. Julie - I for one wouldn't go past book 5 if you're gonna read the Narnia Chronicles. The Last Battle, Magician's Nephew, and to some extent The Silver Chair are all a little dark and depressing compared to the other books (although I really like The Horse and His Boy for some reason).
Posted by: s. pisaster at April 24, 2008 12:24 PM
Holy shit, I just looked it up and apparently Reepicheep is voiced by Eddie Izzard.
Holy shit, I just looked it up and apparently Reepicheep is voiced by Eddie Izzard.
[passes out in an orgy of excitement]
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at April 24, 2008 12:34 PM
Yeah, I didn't read the Narnia books until I was 17, and they just made me so MADDDDD. I couldn't get past all the moralizing and thinly veiled preachy anti-feminism. My favorite part? When Susan is given a weapon and told specifically that she needs to have it, but that she really should avoid using it, because she's a woman and it's not her job to fight.
Of course, I'd previously read Mere Christianity Lewis's attempt to convince the "thinking man" to be a Christian, and a lot of his arguments in that book are in the Narnia books, under the guise of wise life advice from the Professor and others. *vomits*
So yeah, I kind of hate C.S. Lewis, too, AtO.
Posted by: Smithy at April 24, 2008 12:44 PM
Thanks, Alex, for turning me on to what became a distracting and fascinating journey of discovery through the googles and the wiki. Neil Gaiman's short story is scanned and posted out there, and I'd feel bad about reading it if I wasn't going to run out on lunch and buy the book. But wow, yeah, interesting stuff. I refuse to give more details- the finding is the fun.
I haven't gotten my feminist dander up in a day or so, so good times!
Posted by: lilianna28 at April 24, 2008 12:49 PM
Eddie Izzard?
no shit!
squee!!
when's this movie coming out again? (can;t watch trailers at work)
so that's how you keep your zombie hoards fed and complacent TK....I was wondering
Posted by: Bethy at April 24, 2008 12:57 PM
TK- Agreed on History of Violence. I thought I was the only one who didn't like it. Not only was it disappointing in the second half, it was just fucking boring and predictable.
Posted by: Riles at April 24, 2008 1:34 PM
Granted, the beginning of HoV was great, and looked to be shaping up to be a good movie. Then it nose-dived. Hard. And the ending made me so angry I almost threw my TV out the window.
If I want Viggo goodness...I'll watch Hidalgo.
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at April 24, 2008 1:50 PM
If I want Viggo goodness...I'll watch Hidalgo.
o.O
In what parallel universe of Utter Wrong is Hidalgo better than HoV?!
Seriously, man!
Posted by: twig at April 24, 2008 1:54 PM
This thread has been cracking me up because just this morning I started reading Fragile Things. I haven't yet gotten to the Susan story.
As far as sweeping British fantasy goes, I do prefer Narnia to LOR simply because I find that reading Tolkien is akin to reading the Old Testatment. Weirdly, I prefer the LOR movies to the Narnia ones.
I loved this round up. I'm the girl who sighs "Why does it have to end?" when the last trailer rolls before a feature film.
American Fork will make me cry like an idiot so I'll see it at home.
I'm psyched about Shotgun Stories. Damn, there's not been a decent hillybilly feud film in a long while. Maybe I can get my hands on a jar of some real Tennessee white lightning and send it out to Ted for an authentic Boozehound review. And a sleeveless black t-shirt with a logo featuring skulls, guns, and the Confederate flags he can wear whilst watching to complete the experience.
Maybe it's the overabundance of physical, slapstick comedy, but I have my reservations about Hamlet 2. I'm just not sure...
My least favorite part of HoV was William Hurt's performance. Not menacing at all, just full of scenery-chewing insanity. Meh.
I've still never seen Eddie Izzard perform. I need to get on that.
Posted by: Julie at April 24, 2008 1:56 PM
I find it interesting that the Narnia films are using what looks like some of the same computer imaging techniques pioneered in Lord of The Rings... rather fitting, seeing as Tolkien and Lewis were BFFs back in the day, drinking beer and discussing medieval literature. I still wish they'd gone a slightly different direction and made everything a little bit more overtly magical, which is how Narnia works as compared to Middle Earth.
AtO, while Susan is excluded at the end, I've heard it explained that the line "Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia" means that once Susan passes through her adolescent self-indulgent phase, she will be accepted into the perfect world Aslan created without question.
The fact that I like that explanation probably makes me a bad atheist and a bad feminist, but it makes more sense to me on the whole.
Am I the only one rather annoyed that they're going out of order with The Narnia Chronicles? I get that The Horse and His Boy has very little to do with the Pevensies and therefor doesn't help with the branding of the franchise for a new generation but I love that book and hope they don't skip it completely. Not to mention The Magician's Nephew. I was obsessed with puddles of water for a large part of my childhood, hoping against hope if I jumped into one I'd end up in some other world.
I get the criticism of the books from a modern day, adult perspective. Feminism, atheism, bla bla bla... But as a child, they fed my imagination and rekindle that spirit each time I re read them, all grown up-like. Something to be said for that...
Posted by: Beckylooo at April 24, 2008 2:01 PM
I find it interesting that the Narnia films are using what looks like some of the same computer imaging techniques pioneered in Lord of The Rings
Both from WETA.
Hee, bad feminist. If Susan wants to get her Paris Hilton on, it doesn't make me feel any more annoyed than... well, Paris Hilton. Less, actually, as Susan goes away when I close the book.
Posted by: twig at April 24, 2008 2:06 PM
Ignatius P. Reilly + Zoloft = American Fork.
Juss sayin.
Also, I did not see TLTWATW Narnia movie (I heard it blew gravy) but that Prince Caspian business just blew my socks off.
Posted by: that bees chick at April 24, 2008 2:08 PM
AlabamaPink:
I'm with you on Hamlet 2. It looks as if it has great potential, but I hate all the "hitting in the face" and "banging against the wall" schtick. It's unnecessary and crosses the line from light satire to stupid farce.
Posted by: PaddyDog at April 24, 2008 2:11 PM
They're not out of order. Time-wise, yes, the series was out of order (Magician's Nephew should be first, Horse and His Boy after Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe). However, they were released in the order they're in for a reason, to introduce the world slowly to new readers through the eyes of familiar characters
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at April 24, 2008 2:14 PM
Oh I completely agree Beckyloo which is why I know deep down that I will never enjoy them as much as I did as a child so I will never read them again. Also I know certain elements will end up upsetting me and I really don't want to ruin the memories of the books for myself...
I did love Narnia, why else would I have a homage to the Jadis tattooed on my back? ;)
I imagine that they'll skip out the less marketable stories which is a massive shame as The Magician's Nephew was definitely the book that stuck with me the most - it's still the clearest in my mind after all these years. Just remembering the city crumbling to dust gives me chills.
Oh AtO, I knew I dug you in a "she kinda scares me but in a good way" way, but you sealed the freakin' deal with the revelation that you've got a Jadis tat. Bananas!
I went to a Christian school for 12 years and my favorite priest taught religion through CS and the Narnia Chronicles. It was rather progressive considering how conservative my home town was. I've always felt the approach enforced all the awesome parts of Christian faith: empathy, love thy neighbor, forgiveness, stewardship of the planet. And it's a large part of why I still drag my ass to church every so often.
But I completely understand not wanting to sully the memories of your childhood experience by reading with adult eyes...
Julie Eddie is touring in the US, I believe. I was thinking about trying to catch him in NYC myself.
While I liked AHOV quite a bit, Eastern Promises is definitely a step up, both in acting and story. I think Viggo would have had a shot at that Academy Award were it not for the genius DDL.
Posted by: Cindy at April 24, 2008 2:37 PM
Why is every line of dialog in that Young People Fucking a platitude?
And there sure are a lot of unnecessary brassieres.
Oh AtO, I knew I dug you in a "she kinda scares me but in a good way" way, but you sealed the freakin' deal with the revelation that you've got a Jadis tat. Bananas!
Well, she's a more colourful interpretation of Jadis but she's Jadis all the same! Imperious expression, big assed crown and fur lined gloves included. Speaking of! I'm going to get my ass eKicked by boo if I don't get my latest photos online. That wouldn't be fun.
Read the Narnia books for the first time at 22. I don't know who said they have "subtle Christian overtones", you clearly need to look up the word "subtle". More like they hit you over the head with the Bible until you cry for Lion-Jesus-Christ-Aslan. Oi. And where-the-fuck-is-Tilda-Swinton?! I don't remember if the White Witch was part of Prince Caspian but I also don't remember all the CGI battles.
Young People Fucking...*sigh* I just can't be arsed.
The Babysitters Daddyfuckers film would have been much more interesting as a comedy.
Hamlet 2 looks awesome. I've always thought that Jesus was quite sexy. The man could turn water into wine, that alone is enough to get you all the tail in the world! Yea, I'm going to hell, even my mum says so.
Posted by: Joker at April 24, 2008 3:58 PM
Julie: Sorry I have to gloat! I have tickets to see Eddie Izzard in New York in June! Neeener Neener! To make it the perfect weekend Lyle Lovett is performing the next night so we're hitting that show too!
I may just die after that.
Posted by: trixie at April 24, 2008 5:50 PM
Somehow I missed the Narnia books as a kid. I don't know how, I was the kid at the library everyday in the summer consuming every series of books I could find. I read everything from Beverly Cleary's books to the Bobbsey Twins. I read Narnia for the first time when the movie came out. My impression was kinda meh. Maybe they are more magical when read as a child.
Posted by: rlr260 at April 24, 2008 5:55 PM
Young People Fucking! I swear I bought that on DVD last month, but it had a lot of 18 year olds in pony tails. I dont recognize the scenes in the trailer from that movie. Oh well.
This one has Carly Pope from Popular. Where the fuck has she been?
Is it wrong that I'm going to see this movie just to see Diora Baird's huge rack? Is it wrong if I take my 4 month-old daughter? It is so tough to get a baby-sitter these days and I don't think its fair to my wife to make her stay home.
Posted by: JP at April 24, 2008 8:24 PM
i saw Hamlet 2 at a movie preview (which are usually shitty) and it was surprisingly very, very entertaining.
Posted by: Leah at April 24, 2008 8:35 PM
These comments crack the shit out of me. Shanu the spambot? CUM dumpster? It's too much.
"And where-the-fuck-is-Tilda-Swinton?! I don't remember if the White Witch was part of Prince Caspian but I also don't remember all the CGI battles"
*SPOILER*
Caspian's uncle is whooping their collective ass, so some of Caspian's men try to summon the White Witch to fight back; she's "there" in spirit for like a second. As for the battles, I can't remember, there are like 2 major ones, and then the rest of the time you're with the Pevensies. They probably added a few smaller fights that they don't explicitly tell you about in the story, skirmishes that were talked about later.
Love the Narnia discussion here. Love the books, enjoyed the first movie. Opposite for LotR: love the movies, couldn't make it through even half of the first book.
Dawn Treader is up next, and let me assure you: it is quality.
Posted by: Mick J at April 24, 2008 8:47 PM
What, did you miss me saying "WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME EDDIE IS ON TOUR????" a few weeks ago?
Still don't really believe I'm gonna see him, one month after actually seeing The Kids in the Hall. If my Career Ladder's actin verkochte at the moment my entertainment is GOLDEN.
Am I the only one disappointed that Rock Me, Sexy Jesus isn't actually a rewrite of Rock Me, Amadeus? Rock me, sexy Jesus- nah nah nah nuh nah nah.
Posted by: megaera at April 24, 2008 9:02 PM
But I ain't digitizin' jack shit! Just needed something that would work with my receiver. I'm quite pleased with the price (Best Buy was 20 less and they took another 10 off when they messed up my pickup order) and results.
Pretty good, pretty good. Actually it's like what I thought "The Delivery Man" was going to be (I was subsequently a bit disappointed). So I'm certainly more excited now about the damn tornado-delayed show.
And yeah, the status of troll or not was a Cindy commenting in the "Expelled" thread. If that ain't you then there's two!
Trolls don't ask about Elvis Costello, do they? I've got to get caught up on him.
I don't think I was in that thread, but I'm off to take a looksie.
Posted by: No-Troll Cindy at April 24, 2008 10:50 PM
Well shit, there are two of us.
Posted by: Cindy at April 24, 2008 11:07 PM
OK, what the fuck? a hundred fucking comments about Narnia and no one thinks to bring up Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy? Blasphemy! I read The Chronicles of Narnia in middle school and loved them, but I haven't been bothered to read them since. I read The Golden Compass and company in middle school, and again in high school, and again in college just before the movie came out (which blew, don't use that as a meter for the books). Plus it is so much less subtle about its religious overtones (on the opposite side). There is a literal war with Heaven.
Also: cum dumpster = hilarity. Next person I see is getting this label.
Posted by: the_wakeful at April 24, 2008 11:23 PM
the_wakeful, good call on His Dark Materials.
Now that I think about it, I'd rather reread those than reread Narnia again. I feel little to no connection with anyone in Narnia; it's like watching something grand but from far away. HDM, on the other hand, gets EAR DEEP in some serious shit (that's a good thing), and the end of Amber Spyglass gets me every time.
I have yet to see the Golden Compass and probably never will (lost potential pisses me off).
Questions: how dumbed down was it, and how much of the religious overtones did they take out? I must know.
Posted by: Mick J at April 25, 2008 1:36 AM
Dumbed down enough to make you cringe. Oh and what religious overtones? Religion? What's that? God? Noooo. Well they basically made it seem like they're fighting against a big bad church which reminded me a lot of the Catholic church. But they didn't mention that the plan was to kill God. I can already see the posters "God is dead. And no, we're not quoting Nietzsche", "God must die" in middle America. *giggle*. That would actually be funny.
Posted by: Joker at April 25, 2008 2:13 PM
William Baldwin sounds so much like his brother Alec, it's uncanny.
Seriously. Listen to him say the name "Tracy" and tell me that's not a soundbyte from "30 Rock"
Posted by: Faye at April 25, 2008 10:12 PM
I read The Chronicles of Narnia many, many times when I was younger. It was one of my favorite series. In fact, it and Anne of Green Gables were in a perpetual fight for top billing. When His Dark Materials came out when I was older, I read it as well, and loved it.
I could see the religious under(over)tones in Chronicles when I read it, but I didn't care, it was a freaking awesome series, and I still think so today. It was...craftsmanship, that's the best I can describe it. It was a beautiful, wonderful world to run around in as a child, with wonderful characters to run around with. Now that I'm older and have lost religion (sorry, Lewis), Chronicles and its religion still doesn't annoy me, even though Materials' religious questioning resonate more with me now. Every author has a message in the book they write. Especially children's books authors, I would say. These two are simply a little more...blatant. It doesn't mean you have to take it into your life-that's part of the fun of reading, seeing other people's takes on life, the universe, and everything, and then deciding how you think about it.
At heart, the beliefs and values espoused in both Narnia and Materials are good, they have value, and any parent should be glad for their child to take them to heart. Narnia didn't make me religious, and Materials didn't make me...whatever I am now. Hmm, didn't mean for this to sound ranty, it's just my approach to reading.
Um...yes, so this thread may not have started out as a children's book discussion, but it is now! Woo hoo!
Ah! I was recently wondering if "Hamlet 2" was going to vanish 'neath the waves after the festivals passed for who knows how long, so I'm quite pleased to see an actual date.
Coogan, Keener, Shue and Poehler!