Young Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) finds an unlikely bodyguard -- Lorek the Ice Bear (Sir Ian McKellan) -- in "The Golden Compass."

Peter Jackson, listen up: Just because a film details an epic adventure doesn’t mean it has to last three hours. That’s right, J.R.R. Tolkien fans “The Golden Compass,” a likable, visually impressive adaptation of Philip Pullman’s 1995 bestseller, has all the intrigue of Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy but none of the yawn-inducing running times. If anything, “The Golden Compass,” which clocks in at just under two hours, ends too soon, leaving viewers eager, right then and there, for more. (Call me batty, but this reviewer can’t remember a single person leaving a “LOTR” film and remarking, “Gee, that movie ended way, way too soon.”)

“The Golden Compass,” though, does weave a fairly complex plot which requires some explanation. At the heart of the film is Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), a spritely young girl and prankster who spends her days scaling the rooftops of the university where her uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), teaches. Her carefree days come to an abrupt end, though, when she meets icy Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman), agrees to travel with her to the North and discovers Coulter is part of a sinister underground organization that kidnaps and experiments on young children including Lyra’s best friend Roger (Ben Williams). Lyra makes it her mission to rescue Roger, and she gathers a unique assortment of helpers along the way. There’s Lee Scoresby (the always watchable, husky-voiced Sam Elliott), a tough-as-nails pilot; Iorek Byrnison (Ian McKellen), a gruff “polar bear for hire” of sorts; and Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), a mysterious but good-hearted witch. Helpful, too, is Lyra’s alethiometer, or golden compass, which reveals the true answer to any question … and only Lyra possesses the power to use it.

Like any book-to-film adaptation, some things in “The Golden Compass” get lost in translation. There are potentially intriguing, rich characters (like Scoresby and Pekkala in particular) about whom we know very little; they feel like collateral damage in the effort to pare down length. The most controversial element of Pullman’s book — the figurative “death of God” in society — gets watered down, perhaps to increase the film’s marketability. As reimagined by director Chris Weitz, “The Golden Compass” is a film about the quest for truth and knowledge (called “dust”), a quest the ruling body (dubbed the Magisterium) would kill to stop. This concept works swimmingly in a coming-of-age movie like this, but the blunting of the book’s sharpness is disappointing nonetheless.

However, these are minor quibbles with a movie that’s as thought-provoking as it is thrilling to watch. The animation is well-done and occasionally inspired, particularly the scene where two polar bears battle for rights to a kingdom — perhaps the tensest moment in “The Golden Compass.” The acting is solid as well, with Kidman perfectly cast as the frigidly menacing Coulter and Elliott sinking his teeth into what might have been a throwaway bit part. Roberts is a major find, a plucky young talent with an expressive, open face and a Tom Sawyer-like curiosity about the world. She’s one to watch.

There’s little doubt that there will be people (aren’t there always?) who won’t see “The Golden Compass” because they believe it’s a dangerous work of heresy. What a shame that is, for this stunningly beautiful, intelligent adaptation is meant to be experienced. The film is not some bitter, topsy-turvy argument in favor of atheism. No, “The Golden Compass” is a grand journey, a film that reminds us, gently and quietly, that the quest for knowledge, for truth and purpose, must be an individual pursuit. And ultimately, the idea explored in “The Golden Compass” is a familiar, timeless one: Is the unexamined life really worth living? Plato knew that, but viewers will have to decide for themselves. There are no pat answers to be found here. Still, that’s not bad for a film where nothing gets pitched into a volcano (sorry, Tolkienites).

Grade: B+

Rolul lui Alice din noua productie regizata de faimosul Tim Burton le-a facut sa viseze pe multe dintre actritele tinere aspirante de la Hoolywood. Toate acestea l-au asaltat pe regizor, au venit la auditii, dar numai una este Alice cea adevarata. Printre posibilele zvonuri ca ar fi putut fi tanara Alice au fost Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried ( din filmul Mamma Mia!) si Dakota Blue Richards (eroina filmului The Golden Compass). Dar regizorul si-a facut alegerea in functie de alte coordonate.”Am facut multe auditii pentru actori, explica Tim Burton, dar, in final, alegerea mea a fost Mia Wasikowska, caci ea poseda o forta emotionala, un fel de as mentine moralul si de a rezista criticilor ce ii sunt aduse care mi-a facut impresia ca are de fapt un suflet batran intr-un corp de tanara si asta este perfect pentru personajul Alice”. Tanara actrita australianca in varsta de 19 ani este cunoscuta dupa rolul pe care l-a avut in seria ” In Treatment” in rolul Sophiei. Insa cu acest film ea cu siguranta va accede pe scara starurilor.

“The Golden Compass” is a fantasy film, the first of a trilogy based on a series of books, I have never read the books so have no idea whether the movie is true to them or not.

The premise of the film is that there are many worlds (dimensions) all along side one another, similar but different, they are joined together by a magical element called “dust” which most people cannot see, in one of these worlds peoples souls live outside of their bodies in the form of animal spirits or Daemon’s, linked to them, if you hurt one they both feel the pain. In this world were created the golden compass’s, these devices let people who can read them see the truth of anything, the governing body in this world doesn’t want the populace seeing the truth and has had the golden compass’s destroyed, all but one.

At the start of the movie we find Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) visiting a young girl in her school, the child is Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) and she is the one who can read the remaining compass, shortly after the visit of her uncle Lord Asriel, she has another visitor, Mrs Coulter (Nicole Kidman). It turns out that this Mrs Coulter is in fact a baddie and means no good.

Amid plots to kidnap children amongst other things we meet the Gyptians of the water, the Witches of the air and the Bears of the ice, who could resist a talking, armoured, battle bear. Lyra, along with various allies heads to the Land of the North, the home of the Bears of the ice (Polar Bears) and sets about rescuing the stolen children.

The effects are very good and the movie pops along at a good pace, the cast is pretty good and young Dakota Blue Richards is charming as Lyra in the lead role, well worth a watch, I liked this movie and I’m looking forward to the planned sequels making up the trilogy.

As you know, I recently finished His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. That made me think about the publicity surrounded the movie. The publicity was negative and hence, the movie wasn’t as watched as Lord of the Rings. It was kinda the same with Inheart. It’s a part of a book trilogy and was made into a movie. But like The Golden Compass, it wasn’t watched as much as Lord of the Rings. That made me think about why that was. For Inkheart, I think it’s because it didn’t get as much publicity and the fact that the book series isn’t well know. I say that because I don’t really remember seeing the trailers for Inkheart on tv or in the theaters much. Plus, I never even heard of the series until the movie came out. The same sorta happened with His Dark Materials. However, with His Dark Materials, it didn’t help much that the movie got negative publicity but of the controversy surrounding it. I think that the only reason why Lord of the Rings became popular was because it’s been around for like 50-60 years. Because of that, many people have read the books, and the books/movies didn’t stir up any controversy.

I just finished reading The Amber Spyglass, the third book in His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. Now that I’ve finished the trilogy, it made me think about movie version of The Golden Compass. Anyway, I’m kinda torn about how the movie was criticized as being atheistic. Well, in terms of the movie being faithful to the book, I wish that the ending of the book was included in the movie. I also wish that the fight between Iorek and Iofur was put back where it was supposed to be and that the whole spiel with the witches council was also put back in. Now, as for the movie being “atheistic”, I really don’t get why it could be construed as being atheistic. Because it’s not like the Magesterium is a religion. I consider it to be more like communist or dictatorial regime. And that it’s not just the Catholic Church that can be considered to be dogmatic and that tried to “eliminate” heretics. There are other religions that are dogmatic and whatnot. Anyway, that’s just my opinion.

2007: The Golden Compass di Chris Weitz

Critiche (inspiegabilmente) molto positive per quest’opera: “Dopo tanti fantasy vecchi e nuovi ma sempre per bambini, eccone uno capace di incantare anche gli adulti…” (Il Messaggero, 14 Dicembre 2007), “…un’impeccabile macchina da spettacolo” (Il Corriere della Sera), “…fantasioso e inventivo, capace di dare grandi sensazioni di meraviglia” (La Stampa).

Il genere “fantasy” è sempre più di moda, anche perché, meglio di altri, giustifica il massiccio impiego di effetti speciali e la possibilità di sequel (entrambe cose graditissime all’attuale cinema americano che non brilla per originalità).
Ultimo arrivato è La bussola d’oro che negli USA ha incassato meno del previsto (e il motivo forse è da ricercare nel messaggio “forte” e “serio” che è alla base della storia: la lotta tra ogni forma di autoritarismo e lo spirito libero).

Tecnicamente e formalmente il film non delude i fan del genere: messinscena, fotografia, colori, musica… sono al meglio. Latitano invece emozioni, atmosfera fiabesca, magia, fantasia… Un’operazione fredda che stenta a coinvolgere gli spettatori.
Una storia come quella raccontata dallo scrittore Philip Pullman, così ricca non solo di avventure ma soprattutto di sottigliezze psicologiche e di temi importanti ed essenziali, capace di far sognare e al contempo riflettere il pubblico (il che, naturalmente, non è da tutti), meritava un regista più illustre e geniale dell’anonimo Chris Weitz.

La bussola d’oro difetta anche nella protagonista: Dakota Blue Richards ha il solo merito di avere un corpo che probabilmente tutte le coetanee le invidieranno, ma è piuttosto scialba e incolore, poco accattivante (e regia e sceneggiatura non hanno saputo dare spessore al suo personaggio).
Quanto alla superdiva Nicole Kidman… c’è da chiedersi chi è, negli ultimi anni, a suggerirle i ruoli e i film: da interdire.

Pubblicato su FilmAgenda
tuttelerecensioni

Regia: Chris Weitz
Sceneggiatura: Chris Weitz
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Eva Green, Jim Carter, Tom Courtenay, Sam Elliott, Christopher Lee, Edward De Souza, Simon McBurney, Magda Szubanski, Derek Jacobi, Clare Higgins, Charlie Rowe, Steven Loton, Michael Antoniou, Mark Mottram, Paul Antony-Barber, Jason Watkins
Fotografia: Henry Braham
Montaggio: Anne V. Coates
Musiche: Alexandre Desplat
Produzione: New Line Cinema, Scholastic Productions, Depth of Field, Rhythm and Hues
Distribuzione: 01 Distribution
Paese: USA (2007)
Genere: Fantasy, Avventura
Durata: 120’ circa
Uscita Italia: 14 Dicembre 2007
Uscita USA: 7 Dicembre 2007

Sito Italiano
Sito Ufficiale

Trama:
Lyra, ragazzina orfana e ribelle di 12 anni vive al Jordan College presso l’Università di Oxford, in un mondo parallelo che somiglia al nostro che ma che è evoluto in modo un po’ diverso. Lyra ha come compagno Pantalaimon, il suo daimon, un essere capace di assumere diverse forme animali. Il mondo di Lyra sta cambiando, l’organismo governativo globale vuole assoggettare sempre di più il popolo…

In originale The Little White Horse, poi il titolo diventa The Secrets of Moonacre, ed infine, in esclusiva per il popolo italiano, ecco il più brutto di tutti, Moonacre – I segreti dell’ultima luna… Ma perché sempre ’sti sottotitoli?… vabbé, ci siamo abituati…

Sottovalutato tanto per cambiare; i media preferiscono pubblicizzare idiozie nostrane, pallosità intellettualoidi, o kolossal statunitensi, mentre il cinema per i più piccoli viene lasciato in secondo piano. Che per i giovani, il primo film resta impresso particamente per sempre, e sai la differenza tra un Chicken Little (BLEAH!) e un Ponyo sulla scogliera, o tra un Moonacre e un Estate ai Caraibi?

Finché le pellicole del Giffoni le proiettiamo due settimane all’anno come marchetta del festival, oppure quando ci sono buchi nel palinstesto, che razza di cultura cinematografica possiamo offrire ai ragazzi?

Comunque Moonacre è una fiaba per ragazzi (quindi, cari adulti, non rompete le balle e andatevi a vedere Terminator Salvation, grazie), ed è fatta pure bene. C’è l’ambientazione, un’atmosfera misteriosa e affascinante, dove il castello e  la foresta sono luoghi per antonomasia. La narrazione scorre non troppo veloce, ma permette di seguire senza perder pezzi. I toni sono sempre leggeri, con punte di divertimento (per me il cuoco era grottesco e fuori luogo, ma immagino che ad un bimbo possa risultare il personaggio preferito) e un attimo di paura: ho temuto per la sorte di Maria: il regista era lo stesso di Un ponte per Tarabothia! Ovviamente c’è un lieto fine, forse troppo repentino nei mutamenti degli atteggiamenti dei protagonisti, ma sì sa, è una favola, e non abbiamo otto ore a disposizione.

Soprattutto c’è la morale ed il fatto che, se all’inizio sembra essere Tim Curry il villain, piano piano ci si accorge che non è lui, bensì l’orgoglio e l’avidità dell’uomo, che mettono a rischio l’amicizia, l’amore, la serenità, e già che ci siamo, il mondo (perché non mi dite che se la luna si schianta sulla terra, è solo quella valle a risentirne!).

Nota di tristezza: purtroppo ci scommetto, sia il film che il libro di Elizabeth Goudge da cui è tratto, che verranno ricordati solo come “alcune delle fonti di Harry Potter”… magari ci sono abituati puro loro…

Sarà nelle sale italiane il prossimo 17 aprile Moonacre – I segreti dell’ultima Luna, un nuovo fantasy in arrivo dall’Inghilterra per la regia di Gabor Csupo, apprezzato regista di Un ponte per Terabithia. Guarda la galleria fotografica.

Dopo la morte del padre, la piccola Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards), é costretta ad abbandonare la vita agiata di Londra e trasferirsi nei territori di Moonacre insieme alla sua tata. Sarà ospite di un lontano parente, del quale ignorava persino l’esistenza. La casa é l’antica dimora della sua famiglia e come tutte le vecchie case é ricca di storie e di segreti… Scoprirà, infatti, di essere l’ultima principessa della Luna e che sulle sue spalle pesa la responsabilità di riparare agli errori dei suoi antenati, altrimenti il regno di Moonacre sprofonderà nell’oceano…

I don’t know how many versions of this I have on this site now. Consider this the final draft until I write my next one. These wishes are really in no particular order.

There may be some SPOILERS here. I’m not moving this to my Twilight page because at this particular moment I am thinking that if you’re surfing for Twilight stuff, specifically stuff on New Moon, you don’t mind spoilers so much. If you do, surf elsewhere for now. But do come back later.

Dear Summit Entertainment, Chris Weitz, et al,

I’m happy to hear that New Moon will be filming in Vancouver AND Italy. If you can’t film in Forks, Vancouver seems ideal. Not only is it one of my favorite places I’ve been, but they are used to the film and television industry up there. From what I heard, Portland was a little overwhelmed. It’s strange but I’m not terribly concerned about the continuity of having the same high school or the same Cullen house, or even Bella’s same house. In all likelihood you would have chosen different shots, and it would have seemed like different places anyway. Who knows, maybe you can even shoot in such a way that it feels like the same places even though they aren’t the same places. It will be interesting to see how that turns out.

So, Wish #1 is already taken care of. I was really concerned that you were going to fake Italy. I hope if you don’t shoot in Volterra that you pick an Etruscan town at least. I’ll be able to tell if you don’t. It will bother me and “take me out” of the movie. I don’t like these kinds of distractions. While I’m on the subject of Italy, Alice really needs to steal a yellow Porsche.

Which leads me to Wish #2: More Cullens! I was pretty disappointed that we didn’t get to know the Cullens much in Twilight. I think the script could have been much tighter to include these wonderful characters. They are truly a family, and I didn’t get that feeling from them in the movie. Also, Jasper’s gift was never even discussed. There is some catching up to do in this regard, now, if we are to fully feel the emotional impact of Bella’s birthday. I’m happy to help in any way I can. Have your people call…well, me. I don’t have people yet.

Wish #3 is better dialogue. Please don’t fail the actors again. They’ve had a rough couple months if they are reading the endless flaming in the blogosphere about their “wooden” acting. They can only do so much with the words you are putting in their mouths. Yes, I’m aware that most of what is said in the books is actually being said in Bella’s head, but you’ve chosen to adapt the Twilight Saga to the screen so you really need to figure out a way to translate what’s in Bella’s head into dialogue and stage direction. And please, enough with the voice overs. Remember, show, don’t tell.

Wish #4. Like Edward, I’m wishing for more time. What’s your rush? I know you want either a holiday or summer release. I know you don’t want to go up against Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in July. I know you don’t want to wait another whole year. Why not a May 2010 release? You could be the Memorial Day/Early Summer blockbuster and not compete so heavily with Harry Potter for the summer box office. It would give you another six months. Would six months be so bad? I think it would really help. We’ve all been pretty forgiving about Twilight because we understand that it was originally this little indie film and that the fan base exploded during filming. We won’t be so forgiving this time. This time you knew in advance what kind of film this was going to be. If it’s not budgeted, scripted, and filmed accordingly you will not get the return on your New Moon investment that you did with Twilight. I’ll see it twice, tops, if you mess it up. I’ve seen Twilight 7 times, and you can check my blog for what I thought of that one to begin with.

Oh boy. Here I go. Wish #5 is better direction. Catherine Hardwicke, again, we disagree on what the basics of story are. I have to say once again that I appreciate your willingness to step back when you didn’t get the time you wanted for pre-production. I’m with you on  this one. I just hope that Chris Weitz is up to the task. I watched The Golden Compass, which I think is one of the worst adaptations of a novel to screen that I’ve ever seen. I was highly entertained, don’t get me wrong, but I could tell there was something missing. When I read the books immediately after seeing the movie I understood just how much was cut away. It was almost unrecognizable. New Moon won’t have a completely fantastic setting to awe the audience into submission, and the fans are a bit more rabid than your average His Dark Materials fan. One thing I did think was good about The Golden Compass was the acting. I found all the characters believable and engaging. There was some big talent there, sure, but I’m certain that some of the credit goes to Chris Weitz. There were some pretty young actors, including the star of the film, Dakota Blue Richards, who I see has no other credits before this film listed in IMDB. I have high hopes for Chris Weitz’s handling of actors here. To tell the truth, I was hoping for David Fincher. He directed Panic Room…and Kristen Stewart.

Wish #6 is for KStew herself. I like you. I have been working on a blog post just about you for some time now. I’ve been catching up on your movies since Twilight came out. I’ve been one of your biggest supporters. I just can’t take the stammering. Did you just not learn your lines properly? Where you encouraged to ad lib? Please get this under control. It’s very distracting. I don’t see you doing this in other films, but I do see you doing this in interviews. Please, get more into Bella. You have a very emotional performance coming up. If you do it right, we’ll all be crying with you. If not, we’ll just be crying.

Wish #7 is a faithful script. I am one of the few who did not like the whole treetop thing in Twilight. Visually dynamic, blah, blah, blah. It was out of character for Edward to allow Bella to go climbing around in treetops. He can’t fly. If she were to fall, there is no Superman/Lois Lane “you’ve got me?!? Who’s got you?!?” scenario. There is so much to this wonderful story. At over 500 pages, you should not be lacking to the point of needing to create new scenes.

We all know what happens for 379 or so of those pages. Wish #8 is a faithful script. Yes, I’m wishing this twice. Do not diminish Bella and Jacob’s relationship by having Edward hanging around over much, if you know what I mean. If you are too nervous about a lack of Heart ThRob, then give us a few cut scenes to show us how miserable he is. Don’t over do, though. We want to feel this pain. It’s the heart of the story. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

As I sit here listening to the Twilight Soundtrack, I am reminded how terribly important music is to a film. Wish #9 is, and I cringe to say this, no soundtrack. Sure I’d love another killer CD like this one, but Bella just really doesn’t like music during this particular phase of her life. I really want a soundtrack though. So, if you could, just give us a few snippets, maybe while Jacob is learning about Bella’s aversion to music, that would be great. I vote for Kristen Stewart covering Radiohead’s Creep, as I’ve stated in a previous post. Other than these few snippets, and some mood music, I really think this film should be pretty quiet. I think an absence of music would go a long way toward the mood, as much as I’d like another Supermassive Black Hole moment. Hey, maybe the whole soundtrack can come from before Bella’s birthday and after Volterra. The dark spot inbetween would be pretty powerful, I’d bet.

I think 10 wishes is enough, for now. Wish #10 is better wardrobe for the Cullens. The character quirks in the Twilight Saga are what really make if for me. Jasper’s inner struggle to satisfy his physical and emotional cravings. Emmett’s love of both Rosalie and irritible grizzlies. Rosalie’s love of Emmett and auto mechanics. Carlisle and Esme’s love for each other and their work. And Alice’s love of couture. She is the personal shopper for seven very wealthy vampires. We are forever seeing French tags on clothes. Please, pay more attention to the clothing, or Alice will be very put out. I’m going to throw Jacob’s wig into this category. You can do better.

All right, so I’m turning it up to 11. Wish #11 is that everything not be blue. I love blue. Twilight has long been my favorite time of day because everything turns blue. But Forks doesn’t exist in eternal twilight. It’s not in Alaska. It’s in Washington. If I go to Forks and find that every building I visit does indeed have a blue interior, I will recant this wish, but until then, please, give us some natural light.

Let’s just make it an even dozen and talk about effects. Wish #12 is for better special effects. You have a bigger budget this time, but I know a chunk of that is going toward locations and higher salaries for the actors. I know you are already thinking in terms of effects, but please, if you can’t improve on Edward’s sparkle, don’t feel compelled to make him sparkle at all. And for heaven’s sake, no more cheesy wire work for running through the forest. Just keep it real, and save the effects budget for fur-sploding werewolves.

What’s on your Wish List?

Dustbin Baby is one of the relatively few books by Jacqueline Wilson I haven’t read. I’d hoped to catch up with the book before Sunday’s television drama on BBC1, but in the end I gave up. Whether I’d have cried more or less with the book behind me, I don’t know. This was good for anyone who likes damp hankies.

Daughter, who had read the book, complained noisily about the casting of Dakota Blue Richards as April, and moaned over Juliet Stevenson, but in the end she didn’t seem to mind. The witch thought Dakota did a good job as April, and with no book to compare with, felt entirely happy with the whole thing. This was the second time in a row for me with Juliet Stevenson doing an inadequate mother figure (Place of Execution), and she does that so well.

Dustbin Baby was very much about families, and the different shapes they come in. Parent figures are allowed to be a bit lacking, but they can still be good. (The witch has been a weird parent for years, but as Offspring were born into this scenario, they don’t know anything else.)

I think we may need more televised Jacqueline Wilson.

Released amid a haze of dumb-assed criticism from religious groups and lame fear-mongering, 2007’s The Golden Compass turned out to have less bite and drama than ever thought possible. Indeed, the Chris Weitz film adaptation of the Phillip Pullman book is convoluted, needlessly multifarious, visually featureless, and less than persuasive. There are a few bright spots to be sure, but the overall process is tiring and much too average to be notable.

The groundwork for The Golden Compass was laid with the success of the Lord of the Rings series of films. In February of 2002, New Line Cinema entered into the process of turning Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy into a movie series. Script troubles plagued production from the beginning and the final product would wind up being the most expensive New Line production ever and would lead to restructuring within the company.

The Golden Compass concerns an alternate universe in which people live with their souls on the outside of their bodies in animal form. These souls are called dæmons in the Pullman universe and are representative of the person’s qualities. As we drop in on this alternate universe, we learn that Europe is controlled by the Magisterium, an organization with Church-like structure and statutes. It is interesting to note that the term “magisterium” refers to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. Pullman’s books carry central themes of questioning authority and notions of faith, which in turn brought out a great deal of controversy.

In Oxford, we meet a young girl named Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards). She is our heroine and her rambunctious spirit leads her to many adventurous situations. Lyra’s uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig), visits her at the college and reveals evidence of particles of “Dust.” Asriel does this much to the chagrin of the Magisterium and a plot to kill him is overthrown by Lyra and her dæmon. As we learn, the Magisterium is very much interested in “Dust” after all and wants to control the spread of information.

Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) arrives at the college and takes Lyra off on what sounds like a marvellous adventure at first. Eventually, however, Coulter’s true nature is revealed and Lyra must fight for what’s right, resist authority, convert to atheism, start sacrificing babies, and locate her best friend. She is given an alethiometer to help guide her to the truth and ends up meeting a fighting bear with armour and Sam Elliot.

The film’s 113-minute runtime simply isn’t enough to cover all of this ground, for starters. Weitz crams an awful lot into the allotted time, for certain, and key moments aren’t given enough time to build or come to natural fruition. Instead, the project feels hurried and the source material loses much of its punch. In trying to make The Golden Compass appeal to a broader, principally American/Christian audience, Weitz was forced to pull out a lot of the red meat from Pullman’s saga.

As an effects driven fantasy, there just simply isn’t enough here. The animals or dæmons often look fake or stiff, taking away a sense of wonder and replacing it with cheesy designs. The armoured polar bears or panserbjørne also look silly. The showdown between two bears that formulates an action centrepiece lacks toughness and grit, instead coming across as a Coca-Cola Bears Gone Wild clip. The fact that the majority of the sequences take place on a dowdy grey-white-black backdrop doesn’t help the film gain any vividness or colour.

Tortuous and filled with mediocre effects, The Golden Compass is a disappointment. The meat of Pullman’s story is left on the sidelines and New Line’s attempts at making a “big” fantasy epic for families feels ineffective in comparison to the LOTR, Harry Potter, and Narnia flicks. While Richards does make for a spunky lead as Lyra and Kidman’s Coulter is suitably chilly, there is nothing noteworthy about any of the characters or the actors playing them. In the end, The Golden Compass doesn’t sit well and, unhappily, lacks direction.

2.9/10

Trailer:

The logo of the so-called “bathkidslitfest”

Today was my first real day at the Bath Festival of Children’s Literature. I worked at a couple of smaller events earlier in the week but today spent the entire day as a volunteer at the festival headquarters (or “hub” if you prefer that word).

My work today was as a runner. I repeatedly wittily defined this as “doing all the jobs that higher-skilled people are too busy to carry out” because I am, in fact, the font of all humorous comments. The actual work involved packing bags, moving equipment, handing out free newspapers, crowd control, taking photos of events and various other interesting jobs. And it was very enjoyable.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to visit the festival, I’d advise doing so (it runs until the 28th September; booking can be done online or by phone). It’s a great atmosphere, there’s some big names and it’s a great thing to be involved in. And it get’s kids reading, which is obviously very important. As well as the various public events, the festival will run about 75 events at local schools in the next five days, including one at my own institution.

Joe Craig – because I have to put a picture of
someone famous in this article.

Today, I was able to get involved in a few big events. The first was talk by Joe Craig, the author of the Jimmy Coates series. I’ve never much had time for his books, waiving them off as irrelevant reinventions of the Bourne series by Robert Ludlum. Although I still hold this belief, I have a great much more respect for the man. He’s a fantastic speaker and really gets his audience involved in what he’s talking about. He’s also surprisingly witty at times, getting chuckles even from po-faced me.

The second event was an interview with Dakota Blue Richards, the 14 year old who stared a year or so back in the Golden Compass as Lyra. Despite being so young, she was a very good interviewee, saying all the right things to get the crowd going and was very amiable at the signing she did afterwards.

The third event was the signing from Meg Cabot, having totally missed her speech. Meg is the author of various books celebrated by tweenage girls (such as the Princess Diaries) and was incredibly popular with her ‘fore mentioned clientèle. The queue for her signing was massive, full of fans (and very few parents). She was, again, very kind to all the people there, very chatty and appeared as a very nice person.

So, all in all, I had a very good day. The festival is an amazing place with some brilliant guests and high national acclaim (although only in its second year). For all those visiting, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. For those not, look into it next year!

“It is the Alethiometer. It tells the truth. As for how to read it, you’ll have to learn by yourself.”

We went to see this one because there are a lot of great actors involved [see tags below - not going to list them all twice], the effects looked cool and… okay… I’ll admit that the hype made me want to see it more. If I hadn’t heard about the religious issues, I would have never thought this movie had any such ‘deep’ message about killing God, etc. To us, it was like any other fantasical story – it has an evil empire it’s up against… [we didn't read the books, so maybe they were more blatantly biassed on the side of atheism?].

The movie was very entertaining. Dakota Blue Richards did an excellent job as Lyra. Sam Elliot was perfect. He was… Sam Elliot. Daniel Craig could have been in it more – I’m hoping he will be in the next one, and Nicole Kidman did a good job as that mysterious character that seems to be both for and against the protagonist. We don’t know her deal – is she good, or evil? Being animal lovers, we loved the little animal ’spirit guides’ the kids in the story had. It was a fun journey that takes place in another dimension, and the compass is something that can guide people to other worlds. Just so you know – it’s part one of a trilogy I believe [don't quote me on that - I did NOT read the books], so the end isn’t really the end. E didn’t know that going in so he was a little pissed with the cliffhanger ending. This movie felt like Lord of the Rings for kids, but just as good for us ‘big’ kids, too. A little more light-hearted, a little more story-book like. 

I’d give this 3 1/2 out of 5. Definitely worth a rental, especially if you liked the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the Narnia stories. 

~ HELENA

Add’l Info: Released: Dec 7, 2007 • Runtime: 113 minutes • Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence

El próximo 11 de junio, Tripictures pone a la venta el DVD de La brújula dorada, la película más taquillera de las pasadas Navidades, con una recaudación de 12.5 millones de €.

En la edición especial de 2 discos se podrán encontrar más de 150 minutos de extras de la película dirigida por Cris Weitz y protagonizada por Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue-Richards, Eva Green y Sam Eliot.

En el primer disco podemos encontrar los extras audio de los comentarios del director y guionista Chris Weitz, además de los subtítulos en castellano o inglés y los audios a elegir entre: euskera, catalán, castellano o inglés.

En el segundo disco se incluyen tres documentales: “La novela del autor Philip Pullman, y las consecuencias de la curiosidad”, ”La adaptación del guionista y director Chris Weitz” y ”Buscando a Lyra Belacqua y presentándoles a Dakota Blue Richards”

Basada en la trilogía de Philip Pullman, La Materia Oscura, se trata de una aventura llena de fantasía en la que los seres humanos van a acompañados de su alma en forma de animal. La historia se desarrolla en un ambiente victoriano, donde una pequeña niña, Lyra, emprende un emocionante viaje para rescatar a su mejor amigo.

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385752/

This review contains Spoilers.

I had read the novel that this film was based on (and the two subsequent sequels) prior to seeing the movie so I admit that that may have had an effect on part of my review. I did however, go into the film with a very positive outlook and did not have any preconceived notions about the quality of book adaptations. With that said, even though i sort of enjoyed the film (mostly because I enjoyed the novels so much that I associate them to one another) it had many flaws, and if I had never touched the novels prior I would have disliked the film even more.

My biggest problem with the film was the pacing and amount of information that is thrown at the viewer (they are closely linked so I consider them one problem). I realize that it is very hard to avoid this when your adapting a novel, especially when you plan on doing more than one film since you can’t simply write-out characters for simplicity if these characters will play important roles in future films. However it has been done before and with pretty good success. At no point during the first Harry Potter film ( I use this as an example since it is the most widely seen) did I feel like the film makers were rushing me or bombarding me with story points. It’s true the golden compass is much longer and they couldn’t assume that most people had read the novel (which is a pretty fair assumption with the harry potter series) which would have allowed them to be less in depth, but the pacing in this film was still needlessly bad.

The entire film feels like your taking a tour guided by an auctioneer. They leave no time to breath let alone process what’s going on. If I hadn’t read the book in advance I would have only understood the basic plot; in an alternate universe where people have souls that look like animals, there is a girl who can read a truth machine and then she runs around meeting random people trying to save her friend who was put in a facility up north. Oh and there’s bears.

In order to get through the large amount of concepts and characters in the novel they had to squeeze odd introductions and unnatural sounding dialog into the film. Character introductions played out not unlike that game you played back in school where you stand up, say your name and then state something about yourself. These people show up on screen for a single scene, sometimes two and then you never see them again until all of a sudden near the end they’re partaking in the giant battle alongside the main heroine and all the other one dimensional sidekicks.

Now this next fault is not really a fault unless you’ve read the novels but it’s bad enough that I feel the need to include it. The ending in the film was complete trash compared to the ending of the novel. to be fair I did hear that they filmed both and test audiences thought the original ending was too sad or something. I would liken it to the ending of The Empire Strikes Back. Not much is resolved and it seems really bleak and yes, depressing but that’s what made it so good! not everything needs to be the nice happy ending, especially if there is going to be a sequel. If you just watched Empire you would be far more likely to rush to watch Return of the Jedi than you would be to rush to watch Empire after seeing A New Hope. That is the whole idea behind cliffhangers.

As with most movies, this one had a few redeemable qualities. Daniel Craig is the perpetual badass and with between his piercing eyes and his harsh dialog I enjoyed every scene he was in. And there is not much that can compare to the awesomeness that is two large polar bears battling to the death in armor. To top it all off the battle ends the winner ripping off the other bears jaw and then breaking his neck with his teeth. I am impressed that they would even show this sort of violence in what I assume was being marketed as a kids movie. I think that bears battling to the death is the most extreme sport I’ve ever seen.

So, should you see this movie? I would recommend it if you are an 11 year old boy with ADD.

For everyone else I recommend the novel, it was excellent.