I’m not sure if I ever imagined it as a film, but one of my favorite books of all time is about to be made into a movie.  Have any of you ever read David James Duncan’s The River Why? If not, add it to your nightstand or wish list immediately.

The decision to adapt this novel for the big screen must have been, at least in part, due to the moderate success of Into the Wild. Although they are very different stories, both follow a man as he explores his life through nature. Without giving too much away, I can report that The River Why ends on a far happier note than Into the Wild.

So far, there is only a very basic site for the movie, which is currently under construction. And although casting hasn’t been announced, rumor has it that Zach Gilford (QB1 Saracen on Friday Night Lights) is set to play the lead. That just might work…

Read More

Finally, an extended trailer. Click here to visit the official movie site for The X-Files: I Want To Believe and view the latest footage.

On July 25, you know exactly where I’ll be.

If you live in the Bay Area and are interested, I’m thinking about organizing a large group to attend on opening night (followed by analysis over cocktails and coffee, of course).

{* Correction: I am a dumb ass, and forgot that I’ll be at Comic-Con in San Diego from July 23-27. Thus, I will be seeing this film on 7/25 in SD by myself instead. Doh!}

By the way, it was just announced that Gillian Anderson is pregnant with her third child. Which answers the frequent inquiry…where has she been and what has she been doing?

And here is what our own little Scully & Mulder are up to…

Um, I just became the girl who posts photos of her cats on her blog. Crap. My apologies. 

Read More

It was:

• Entertaining and exactly what I expected.
• Great cinematography accompanied by cheesy dialog.  

Shia LaBeouf was a pleasant surprise, and Cate Blanchett was hysterical and perfect as the villain.  Karen Allen looked like she had the most fun filming the movie, and perhaps the best time of her life. I don’t care how old Harrison Ford is; he fills the iconic hat and role like no other.

The end.

Read More

“Things Never Happen the Same Way Twice.”
- Aslan

I was given the opportunity to
see a special screening of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and
Jo asked if I would like to post a review. With next-to-zero history in blogging
(apart from comments), I obviously accepted.

My plan is to keep the review
spoiler-free, but give a complete review nonetheless. I’ll leave out the
synopsis since those can be found online if you are so inclined to search them
out. I also find that anything that is not in the trailer should be left as a
new experience when you watch the film for the first time. So here we go…

I remember repeatedly watching
the 1979 animated version of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe as a kid
and was excited when the live-action version came out by Disney in 2005. Never
having read the books by C.S. Lewis, the follow-up film was an unexpected
journey for me since I had no idea where the fantasy-adventure went post-The Lion, The Witch, and the
Wardrobe. 

I found the film very engaging
a la Disney style and was repeatedly caught up in the tale as it unfolded. The
cheesy Disney dialogue poked it’s head up every once and awhile, but if you take
it with a grain of salt and realize that the film is geared more towards the
younger audience, it is understandable and pleasant in a light-hearted way.

Moments in this film share the excitement and anticipation of the open-field
battles in Braveheart and head-to-head titan clashes in Gladiator, but of
course in a PG fashion without the excessive blood and gruesome death scenes.
Remember that the Kings and Queens of Narnia are portrayed by young actors and
actresses, so the fighting scenes lack the punch (pun totally intended) that you
may be used to from other fantasy films. 

There are also wonderful
performances by Peter Dinklage (of The Station Agent; highly recommended) and
Eddie Izzard, who lends his unmistakable voice talent to a swashbuckling Chief
Mouse. Recent Oscar winner Tilda Swinton also reprises her role as the infamous
White Witch, and you obviously can’t have dwarfs in a movie without the
legendary Warwick Davis brilliantly playing one. The Spanish influenced
Telmarines (unfavorable humans that occupy Narnia) offer a sharp contrast to the
English influenced Pevensie Family (Kings & Queens): Peter, Susan, Edmund
and Lucy (which itself offers a subtext that is probably too long to get into,
but I had to mention it). Even though both sides deliver acting performances
that are less than Oscar-worthy, it does not detract from the effectiveness or
enjoyment of the film.



All in all, I had a great time
watching it. The special effects were wonderful and I would recommend the movie
to kids and adults the same. The first film adds context to the second, but is
not a viewing requirement. Is this where I’m supposed to give it a thumbs up,
or stars, or two shakes of a dogs tale with a biscuit?  If so, it has my stamp
of approval.

Additional thoughts for those that look deeper into
the film..

Often times the films (and originally the books) are referred
to as a Christian allegory, but I think that singling out the Christian
influence sells the effectiveness and longevity of the fantasy adventure short.
Let’s not forget it also incorporates Greek and Norse (or Scandinavian)
Mythology, English folk lore, and wherever you classify magic and fantasy. C.S
Lewis included influences from multiple legends to form an adventure that has
withstood the test of time and circled the world with great success.

This
formula has been used repeatedly – isn’t that part of the lure in LOST? We all
watch and eagerly analyze the influences week after week on Jo’s LOST blog –
from the Alice in Wonderland nods to Peter Pan’s Lost Boys. Let’s not forget how
over the head LOST is with character names (Christian Shephard: Christianity,
John Locke: Enlightenment Philosopher, etc). Since we praise LOST (or other
mediums) for doing so, the same should be true for The Chronicles of Narnia; for those of us that like to delve deeper than the surface, there is a plethora
of themes for us to enjoy. 

I think that is a wrap. Hopefully
I didn’t include anything that will take away from your appreciation of the film
and maybe added something positive to your future experience. I would appreciate
any feedback (positive/negative) from those that took the time to read this
since I am looking to start my own BLOG for runners in the near future. I’d also
like to thank Jo for giving me the official chance to be long-winded on her
forum.

—

Special thanks to Brian for his detailed preview! I didn’t have plans to see movie, but after reading his review, I am adding the first Narnia film to my Netflix queue and will do the same when this one hits DVD. Feel free to leave feedback about his thoughts or your own as comments below.
- Jo

Read More

As requested, here are the movies on my summer schedule, by release date. Of course there will be some glaring omissions (i.e. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), as a wide variety of other films will be released between now and July, but I’ve weeded through the coming attractions to select the ones which will earn my $10+.

Click on the hyperlink in each paragraph to view the trailer in a new window.

  

SPEED RACER
May 9

Because it was directed by the Wachowski brothers, the geniuses behind the Matrix trilogy. Because the trailer is visually stunning. And because Matthew Fox (Dr. Jack Shephard on Lost) is Racer X.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
May 23

Because the theme song alone conjures up a rare rush of childhood joy.

SEX AND THE CITY
May 30

Because I watched every episode of the television series, and it will be a guilty pleasure afternoon of estrogen among a sea of summer testosterone.

THE HAPPENING
June 13

Because M. Night Shyamalan is one of the only contemporary directors who creates films that actually scare me. And because it co-stars Zooey Deschanel.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK
June 13

Because it has to be better than Ang Lee’s recent version. And because this one stars Edward Norton.

WALL-E
June 27

Because it’s a Pixar production. End of story.

WANTED
June 27

Because Angelina Jolie + James McAvoy = H O T. And because it looks like a kick-ass action movie.

HANCOCK
July 2

Because it’s Will Smith and Fourth of July weekend. And because it co-stars Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron (who were hysterical together when she guest-starred on Arrested Development).

THE DARK KNIGHT
July 18

Because director Chris Nolan has revitalized the Batman franchise. Because Christian Bale is the perfect man for the bat suit. And because Heath Ledger is absolutely mesmerizing in the new trailer.

MAMMA MIA!
July 18

Because I grew up listening to Abba. Because the stage adaptation was great. Because Meryl Streep plays the matriarch, and she’s never looked better. And because it will be fun; a necessary, therapeutic alternative after experiencing The Dark Knight.

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE
July 25

Because this date has been circled on my calendar since it was announced. Because ten years ago I gathered twenty friends to go see the first installment on opening night. Because before Lost, this was my obsession and favorite show of all time. Because my cats are named Mulder and Scully. And because I heart Gillian Anderson almost more than Kate Winslet.

So…which summer films are you looking forward to the most? Any that aren’t on this list?

Read More

[spoiler alert: if you have not seen this yet, minor details that may be considered spoilers are contained below; read at your own risk]

The arrival and success of Iron Man marks the end of a long drought in the cinematic landscape.  It has kicked off what is destined to be a summer of blockbusters, and reinvigorated both the industry and a sea of eager fans who have been crawling along the movie desert without an oasis for quite some time now.

Directed by multi-hyphenate Jon Favreau (who’s previous stints behind the camera have included Zathura and Elf), Iron Man is action packed and tech savvy. It maintains a decent pace, and the story is compelling enough to fill the two hours without thinking about the length as you watch.

I expected to be entertained, but was pleasantly surprised by the acting in Iron Man. After all, most comic book adaptations are known for stellar performances by the CGI teams, and not the humans who play-act in front of green screens.

Despite Robert Downey Jr.’s personal issues, his talent has always been obvious and admirable. He has clearly shed lingering demons for this particular role, and offers up a franchise superhero with more wit and intelligence than most of the flawed men who jump with capes and powers from the small pages to the big screen.

Jeff Bridges makes an excellent corporate villain. It’s amazing how much a bald head enhances one’s menace. Although many will forever align Bridges as The Dude from The Big Lebowski, I’ve always been partial to 1984′s Starman.

It’s no secret that I have never been on Team Gywnnie, but Paltrow is actually pretty tolerable and likable in Iron Man. She more than holds her own as a female Alfred to Tony Stark, Iron Man’s emotionally unavailable alter-ego. And Terrence Howard plays the perfect patient sidekick to Downey’s crazy genius; I look forward to more of him in the sequel.

pop culture tangent

Lost fans may recognize actor Faran Tahir, who plays lead terrorist Raza in Iron Man. He appeared briefly in “The Shape of Things to Come” two episodes ago, as Widmore’s man in Iraq (the one that Sayid killed when he cornered Ben).

Everyone has their favorite superhero and/or cartoon, and so they view movie adaptations of them with specific personal criteria. Mine just happen to be acting, story and cheese factor. I am a big fan of the Superman, X-Men and Batman film franchises (especially the reinvented Chris Nolan series), and loathe the Spider-Man trilogy and Transformers.

     

To me, the acting in Spider-Man just killed all three films, whereas horrible dialogue, gratuitous violence and sexism ruined Transformers.

What I love about Iron Man (at least compared to the movies above) is that it combines seamless special effects with a good script and performances, plus eye-opening technology that doesn’t seem unrealistic and campy. In addition, the relationships between the main characters aren’t forced or insincere, and there is an actual and obvious heart and humanity beneath the machinery and superhero facade.

Overall, I highly recommend Iron Man
for almost everyone. The film landed a PG-13 rating (for gun and war violence),
but I think it’s pretty tame family fare for ages 10 and up. 

** NOTE: Although I was not aware of it at the time and thus did not stay for it, there is an extra scene after the credits roll for Iron Man, so stay in your seats for the duration!

Read More