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

[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.