Movie of the week

[Buffy]

Okay, for those of you in Europe, you'll have to wait a few weeks on this thread, except for Harry Potter, which those of us here in the States have to wait until Friday for.

Remarkable film of this week that both me and my daughter loved: Zathura. Its Jumanji over again with some different twists, but its really good. Oddly enough it will make a good *date* movie for you teens too: it is actually *not* a kid's movie (my kid is a little more sophisticated than your average 10-year-old...).

4 Stars, Joe Bob sez "Check it Out"....

Cinematically,
Buffy

[Jay-qu]

Cool! might see that - but I already want to see Saw 2, Harry Potter and Doom

[Buffy]

Oh and even if you have to travel long distances, be sure to see Chicken Little in *3D*: its honestly the best-done 3D flick I have *ever* seen (and not just because you can find my step-brother in the credits!)...They may come to an agreement on terms but there are some inside Disney animation who say "We don't need no steeenking Pixar!"

Cheers,
Buffy

[IrishEyes]

Saw HP4 first show, first day it was out. Much better thant he third, to me.
Today, took the eldest to see P&P, with Kira Knightley. Not nearly as good as the 6 hour one of a decade ago, and moved MUCH quicker than the book, but actually quite a cute romp through the classic. No sex, no overtly offensive language, no violence, just a nice afternoon with my quickly maturing teenager, who actaully understood what was happening, even if she didn't quite catch all of the nuances of "why" it was happening. If you have a young teen girl, this is a safe and enjoyable bet for a girls afternoon out. All in all, a PERFECT end to the "Black Friday" madness!!

[Buffy]

Quick catch-up reviews:

Harry IV: Boy are Harry, Hermione and Ron gettin' old! Scary! Like watching your own kids grow up! Mine totally related to those hormones that are starting to kick in for her... We still think Azkaban was the best film version of the series so far...

Narnia: Go see it! Ignore the silly commentary in the papers about marketing to Christians (if you're looking for the "Book of CS", you'll be disappointed, if you're not really looking hard for stretched parallels to the Bible, you'll never see any (even CS said they really weren't there!)). They've dropped very little from the book (CS had a knack for brevity that neither JRR nor JK ever had), and the effects, while stunning are not the center of the story. The unknowns are really good, and Tilda makes a marvelous White Witch. Buffy sez check it out....

Shopgirl: Its a semi-serious, fifth-story-line of LA Story. Its not for everyone, and its unintelligible if you're not a big-city-denizen. Forget the blather in the reviews about the age difference between Claire and Steve: its really almost meaningless in the story line. Its about unrequited love, and although its humourous and the ends are too neatly tied (something Steve has always had a problem with as a writer), its really an enjoyable film. Also, if you read the novella, the movie is completely different (something you're allowed to do if you're writing both the book and the screenplay.

Next up: King Kong. We're gonna go to Hollywood to see this one....

Cinematically,
Buffy

[Jay-qu]

king kong was great - i just saw it the other day. Again Peter Jackson has taken breathtaking sets and special effects (CGI) to a new level! cant wait for him to do Halo now

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

king kong was great - i just saw it the other day. Again Peter Jackson has taken breathtaking sets and special effects (CGI) to a new level!

Most of the reviews I've read go gaga for it, but for a contrarian view, read Mick LaSalle in the SF Chronicle. Mick is *not* anti-sci-fi, in fact he raved about Narnia and all of the LOTR trilogy (so its not like he hates Peter Jackson either....). In general I agree with Mick most of the time....

Cheers,
Buffy

[sanctus]

Originally Posted by Buffy

:

Narnia: Go see it! Ignore the silly commentary in the papers about marketing to Christians (if you're looking for the "Book of CS", you'll be disappointed, if you're not really looking hard for stretched parallels to the Bible, you'll never see any (even CS said they really weren't there!)). They've dropped very little from the book (CS had a knack for brevity that neither JRR nor JK ever had), and the effects, while stunning are not the center of the story. The unknowns are really good, and Tilda makes a marvelous White Witch. Buffy sez check it out....

^
Aren't the choldren there called "children of Eve"? Wasn't it C.S Lewis' purpose to integrate christianity and mythology?
But I agree as it is supposed to be a book for kids Narnia is sure less religious than the "Cosmic trilogy", which is a very interesting reading but also the most religous non-religious book I ever read.

[Buffy]

She's the Man: Okay, first off, its a tweener chick-flick. Its rated PG-13, I *think* because of a hilarious tampon joke at the beginning that had us girls rolling in the aisles, although I can imagine a few dads having pretty uncomfortable trips home with their kids... There is off-screen nudity, but that can't be it...I think. I tell ya, I *really* am amazed at the *prudes* at the MPAA. My kid certainly didn't have a problem with it...

Anyway, its really good, as long as you go for this sort of thing. Amanda Bynes is an *amazing* actress: comedic acting does not get the appreciation it deserves, and she's a *master* at it. Comparisons to Lucy are perfectly valid.

The story is an adatation of Shakey's "Twelfth Night", so it does not suffer from the aimlessness and repetition thats so common in movies these days. The "new" material--like the tampon joke and the really strange things that come out of the headmaster's mouth--really is creative.

Four stars, one soccer ball to the crotch, two off-screen breasts, one off-screen penis, 4 no-tongue smooches, Joe Buffy sez, check it out.

Let's play some football like a bunch of girls!
Buffy

[Buffy]

Ice Age: The Meltdown Kids will like this one, its got the jokes, and its worth it for the price of the squirrel and his acorn (although Twitchy in Hoodwinked is still way better according to me and the kid). We didn't think it was as good as the first Ice Age, but its fine family fare, and we both gave it a 7.5.

Now the interesting thing is that with all the kerfuffle about the religious overtones in Narnia, this one's got 'em in spades too: there's an ark and the "rapture" scene at the end is pretty blatant. But before you assume this thing has been infiltrated by religious zealots, realize that its really pretty neutral, although some of it (like the last scene) actually borders on parody. I liked it *because* it was neutral and accepting. Cool. Its very un-conservative though because the real bad guy in this picture (and this shouldn't be much of a spoiler), is global warming. If you think that denial of global warming is a family value, skip this movie.

No chopped off heads, no breasts, furry but anotomically androgenous nekkid animals. Mammoth longing. Three stars. Joe Buffy sez, check it out.

He puts the 'stink' in extinction,
Buffy