|
Author
|
Topic: The Golden Compass
|
Barry Attwood
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1411
From: Enfield, U.K.
Registered: Aug 2003
|
posted December 10, 2007 02:55 AM
I saw this last night, and I enjoyed it, but there are one or two things that are bugging me about this film. I've not read the book, so I can't say what's missing, but some of the editing is a little odd. When we first see "The Magistareum" we see a shot of Albert Finney as one of the top men, but he doesn't even get a line in the film, why hire an actor like Finney, and not even a line. The ending seems a bit wrong as well, I won't spoil it, but I'm sure there was a reference to a different ending in the trailer, as there are scenes in the trailer that are just not in the finished film. I heard a rumour a few months back that the running time would be around 2 1/2 hours, but at 113 minutes, is this where the other ending has gone. Perhaps they are saving this segment for the start of the next film in the series. The special effects are excellent, but it's Dakota Blue Richards who plays Lyra the main character who steals the show, and to think this is her first acting job. Well worth a watch, in my humble opinion.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted December 10, 2007 02:11 PM
I can give a different perspective, so to speak. I saw it as well, (The funny thing is, as a Christian, I automatically want to see anything main stream Christians say "no" to!)
Though the full series of books leads up to the "Kill God" thing, (which is absurb, of course), the story itself is for the most part devoid an anything that would offend at all. It's quite nice and quite frankly, it's an entertainment, for petes sake!
and by the way, 97 percent of everything that comes out of Hollywood is ani-god, so what's the big beef? It's a good film.
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Steve Klare
Film Guy
Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
|
posted December 10, 2007 08:57 PM
Interesting Michael,
Isn't the moral of "the Wizard of Oz" that there is no place like home?
Since I haven't seen "Compass", I won't put it in this category, but I keep an eye on the awful crap we allow the media to pump into our homes and then into our kids' heads and I'm a little scared for them, and us.
Modern media is like fast food: make a quick buck with shoddy ingredients and workmanship, don't worry if the consumer gets sick from it. If you look at the great stories from cultures throughout history, they have strong human values: love, kindness, truth, loyalty, courage, principal, maybe a sense that rightness should triumph in the end. These were told by great storytellers and have become timeless.
Today's media, especially what the electronic babysitter is channeling into our kids' brains and souls contains only the sugar and fat of storytelling: sex and violence. These are everything needed to get the hormones pumping and hold the attention span through the next commercial. Nothing more is required.
Nothing is gained, nothing is learned....well at least nothing worth knowing.
God help us!
--------------------
All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...
| IP: Logged
|
|
Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
|
posted December 11, 2007 01:33 AM
The film has not been released here yet, although I have been running the trailer a lot, and it looks good, don't know much about this film or the story but it is expected to do well and is due out soon as a mid-summer release.
Regarding movies that influence young minds, I remember years ago I took my son who was about 8yrs old at the time to the re-release of "Lawrence of Arabia" I was pushing my luck to expect him to understand or even to sit through it, ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) well he really surprised me, he did, and to this day he still remembers all the details, I think at times as adults we underestimate what kids can take in, and unfortunately the likes of Hollywood and TV these days is made to be as simple and easy to follow, without much thinking required, in the misguided belief that this is all they will take in.
Graham.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted December 11, 2007 11:08 AM
Update : The film isn't doing as well as they had hoped. While it did have a decent opening weekend, (26 million), it is far below what they were hoping for, (being that the film cost 160 or 180 million, (my gawd! and my film I want to shoot has a 20,000 dollar budget!!!) and they are hoping that it will pick up a lot more business over the holidays. But usually, if it has a less than stellar opening weekend, it will tend to make less than expected ...
... but then, there's always the extra dollars made upon DVD release, so a lot of it will be made up.
The big problem for big budget films is that, unless it has a lot of marquee value, (suchg as the upcoming Indiana Jones 4, which will obviously be a big hit, hands down!), there's no real promise that it will even make back it's negative costs ect.
That's why low budget film, (such as the feature that I'm trying to build support for over here in the states) should be the way the big studio's should go. Yes, thewy don't have the benefit of some big star in them ...
But the low budget films have the clout of young lean actors that are HUNGRY to get thier talent on the big screen without the ego (and audacity) to ask 20 million dollars for just appearing on the damned set! You don't have the financial
worry.
Hell, if you have a , lets say meager budget, (in the big studio's) of, say, 20 million (which is small for the big studios!), and it becomes a decent hit, making even twice what it cost to make, (advertising and all), it is a much bigger hit than the lavish big budget films you see bombing all the time.
That, and you have the problem of our Burger King culture, (with the attention span of a lima bean), that literally demand something new every weekend at the box office!
We film collectors must be a reel curiosity to this generation, watching our cherished prints over and over again!
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
and have done very well out here . ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic
