another public service announcement or three

[jazzfish]

Go see Stardust. It's a lot of fun. It isn't really much like Princess Bride at all but it's more like Princess Bride than any other movie I can think of offhand.

I'm seriously considering going again next Satyrday morning at Springfield mall, since it's only $4. This would make Stardust the first movie I've seen twice in the theatre since, um, Sin City? Totally worth it, for the pretty and the fun and Robert De Niro's Captain Shakespeare.

(Just close your eyes during the trailer for The Dark Is Rising. Better yet, leave the theatre and come back when it's done.)

Also and unrelated, for those of you still near Blacksburg, there's a white groundhog hanging out in a suburb northwest of Roanoke.

Comments

[tango.livejournal.com]

But I've enjoyed the trailer for The dark is Rising both times I've seen it...

[vond.livejournal.com]

So you haven't read the books then? I haven't seen the trailer yet, but there's no reason to since my wife refuses to see any movie in which Will is an American.

[tango.livejournal.com]

I only know there is a book because of the trailer. I'd never heard of them until I saw the trailer.

[plumbob78.livejournal.com]

I could actually make the movie next Saturday.

[jazzfish]

Excellent. Will keep you informed.

[isolde-deely.livejournal.com]

is the preview that bad or are they destroying the book?

[jazzfish]

Both. Objectively, the movie advertised in the trailer bears only passing resemblance to the book (they have replaced the reserved Will Stanton with an annoying American child of the same name, and the pagan and Arthurian ambience that's absolutely necessary for the last two books is nowhere to be found). Subjectively, I would have thought it a pretty bad trailer for a pretty bad movie even if it weren't based on books I loved as a kid.

[ndkid.livejournal.com]

I have problems believing they did that. I mean, since when would Hollywood take an obviously British magical character and make him into an American? Next you're going to tell me they'd hire Keanu Reeves for the role or something...

[idoru.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the books, and I don't think the trailer looked particularly enticing.
That said, though, the choice of an American child may have been made to attempt to avoid parallels drawn between this protagonist and [British] "OMG I have magic wot, I'm 11" Harry Potter?

[jazzfish]

That's possible. I'd rather watch a Harry Potter rip-off than another instalment of Annoying American Brat, though. With any luck the movie-going public will agree with me and we will be spared the misery of watching the other books get mangled.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I loved The Dark is Rising when I read it in, oh, elementary school, but it's been so long that I have no idea how the movie differs (based on the trailer.) As such, I think the trailer looks fine. :]

[shadowsong.livejournal.com]

i was quite excited to see eccleston in the trailer for elizabeth: the golden age in the hopes that it meant he was in one non-crappy movie this year. then elizabeth got on a horse in plate armor in front of her army. at least they aren't butchering a beloved children's book with this one.

[shadowsong.livejournal.com]

although according to imdb i may have hallucinated him.

[jazzfish]

Elizabeth Of Arc was a bit much, granted. On the other hand, Clive Owen as Walter Raleigh.

[salzara-tirwen.livejournal.com]

they are confusing elizabeth with joan of arc??

[idoru.livejournal.com]

I saw that [Elizabeth: Golden] trailer, and was like "seriously how many times are they making this movie?", because while Elizabeth: 1998 was gorgeous, and I'm sure Elizabeth: 2007/2008? will be as well.. um, ? Clearly, it's not like her life only spanned a couple key points or something, but. Also I thought briefly that Cate Blanchett was Tilda Swynton.

[jazzfish]

Tilda Swinton is someone I had never heard of until a couple years ago (in Narnia) and who I now think is AWESOME.

I think this Elizabeth movie is a sequel to the one from 1998. I base this mostly on the fact that it looks like Geoffrey Rush is playing the same character (Burleigh?).

[idoru.livejournal.com]

Did you see Tilda Swinton in Constantine? ALSO awesome. I'm in awe of her capacity for duplicity, for androgyny, for.. everything? Just. Wow.

I think you're probably right re: Elizabeth, but the trailer made me think THE SAME MOVIE, WHAT IS GOING ON?! because of course I haven't seen the first one for a good seven-to-ten years, so for all I remember she might have been dead at the end of it. Unlikely, but.

[merseine0613.livejournal.com]

It isn't really much like Princess Bride at all but it's more like Princess Bride than any other movie I can think of offhand.

It's like Princess Bride meets Narnia mixed with Pirates of the Carribbean. And (for those SF fans out there) with a good measure of Amber thrown in.

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Want to see it again now.

[lizthefair.livejournal.com]

This was the best movie I've seen in quite some time. I expected to like it, but I had no idea of how good it would be.

[vond.livejournal.com]

That movie was much better than the trailer made me think it would be. Was the book better?

Also while I was doing my post-movie IMDB crawl, I was inspired to do a search and discovered that they're currently writing a movie adaptation of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. That could be pretty good because I thought the book moved a bit too slowly.

[jazzfish]

The book has gorgeous art by Charles Vess. The words are pretty good too. There's no Captain Shakespeare; there are a number of other minor characters that are just as delightful, though in different ways. The ending is slightly different, as is the end of Tristan's mother's enslavement. Victoria's less of a shallow bitch. Yeah. I'd say the book is different in a lot of small ways, and in general they're for the better.

Wow. I am really curious to see what they do with a movie of Strange & Norrell. That could be pretty decent. (I thought the slowness was part of its charm as a book; it'd get tedious /real/ fast in a movie.)

[ndkid.livejournal.com]

It was when I was walking out of a movie a couple of weekends ago and say the poster for that... thing... (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0484562/) that I realized how horrible it must have become.
1) It needed a title change? The Dark Is Rising wasn't enough for them? Ohgod ohgod ohgod, the producer who got this greenlit is going to hell...
2) There was no bearded old man on the poster, but there were three kids. I don't know what that says, but it does not bode well.

[jazzfish]

Confusion between "series title" and "movie title" is an okay reason to change the movie title. I guess.

Merriman and the Rider actually look decent. Too bad they're going to be overshadowed by that annoying twerp. I have no idea whatsoever who the other two children might have been. If one of them is female she may be playing the part of Jane in later movies. *sigh*

[ndkid.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my best guess was that they were somehow mixing Over Sea, Under Stone in with The Dark is Rising to make a single (bastardized) story (Though it could be Greenwitch mixed in, for that matter)... But my brain keeps channeling a Hollywood producer: "hey, Merriman has a female 'niece'... wouldn't it be *great* for her to be a love interest for Will?"

[laughin.livejournal.com]

It looked Terry Gilliam-ish. Was it?

[jazzfish]

. . . you know, it kind of was. It doesn't have the nasty bite that Gilliam's films tend to, but there's some of the feel of Munchausen or Time Bandits or even Brothers Grimm in there.

[rbandrews]

Based solely upon your trashing of that preview, I am about to go buy that book.

[jazzfish]

The plot is pretty thin but the magic and atmosphere are both gorgeous. _The Grey King_ is the best of them (and I'm not just saying that because it won a Newberry, or because it's set in Wales). The first one (_Over Sea, Under Stone_) isn't very good but is worth reading so that you have some background for the third.