Movie #283 - The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass
2007 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 53 min
Director: Chris Weitz
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Freddie Highmore, Ian McKellan, Eva Green, Sam Elliott, Ian McShane, Christopher Lee, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kathy Bates

First thing's first, this movie is not as good as the book. More so than usual.  I mean, the book is always better. But in this case, the changes and edits they made in the screenplay really messed up the story line.

If you haven't read these books, I highly recommend them.  The Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman establishes a fantasy world that's truly unique.  The daemon/souls, the parallel worlds, the alethiometer.  I loved these books even as an adult.  And I wish the movie had done a better job so they'd make all three.  The first one isn't even the best one. 

While the movie is fine as a stand-alone, it's a poor substitute for the book.

Movie #56 - Batman Forever

Batman Forever
Warner Bros. Pictures
1995 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 1 min
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell
New Batman, new director, new look... kinda. These films are still a dark interpretation of the comic series, without being 100% comic. Some of the modern hero movies / graphic novel movies seem straight off the page, a really interesting and aesthetic approach. The Batman movies seem to get lost in the pages... maybe that's my problem with these earlier movies.

Anyway, Val Kilmer is not as gritty a Batman as Michael Keaton (or Christian Bale for that matter) but he plays the suave Bruce Wayne pretty well. Is it intentional that the Harvey Dent that was Lando Calrissian in the first movie is now Tommy Lee Jones? Or are we okay with it because there's a new Batman? Whatever.

Anyway, Jim Carrey is just... weird. Not sure why he's in this movie. Jones is pretty gross looking and definitely has split personality issues, but that's to be expected. I hear being drenched in acid can make you go nuts, so I'm not going to judge him for that. And if he wants to have a girlfriend for each side of his face, more power too him.

The one thing that really does bother me about this movie is Nicole Kidman's character Chase Meridian. She's supposed to be this big, smart psychologist who wants to study Batman's psyche and diagnose his inner pain. She makes all these comments about how he probably has a troubled past. Then she talks to Bruce Wayne about his troubled past. Somehow, she can't connect the dots. I wanted to shake her a couple of times.

Otherwise, this movie wasn't terrible...

Movie #42 - Australia

Australia
Twentieth Century Fox
2008 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 45 min
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham

Back to the A's!

This was my second watch of Baz Luhrmann's epic tribute to Down Under. The first time I saw it, I remember thinking "Wow! How many times can they end this movie?" It could've been because I was preggo and uncomfortable sitting for so long.

This time, I found a new appreciation for this film. I really saw what Luhrmann was trying to do - present an epic tale in the style of early cinema about his beloved home country. I saw elements of Gone with the Wind or Lawrence of Arabia. He was telling a story here, one based on people with real problems at a pivotal time. The movie continues until that story has been told. In this case, we're really following the young half white / half Aboriginal boy Nullah. The action, adventure, and romance are all the backdrop for what is really his journey to acceptance. It's beautifully told and very compelling. I hate when people describe films as compelling (it's like calling modern art "avant garde") but this one really did compel me. I promise.

Definitely worth the watch, even though it is a bit long.