Hi.
I just saw HDM: The Golden Compass in the cinema with Karl and uh 'his lot' and it was great.

Unfortunately, due to me having tensions with Karl right now and everyone ripping into the film as soon as we left, I felt I couldn't really express to anyone how JAW-DROPPINGLY AWESOME THIS MOVIE IS.



At last, another film digging into the untapped goldmine that is the Steampunk genre. It's a rare pleasure to see this kind of Sci-Fi universe being shown to the public, and in a way I'm glad that it remains a sort of niche market, a generally un-graspable concept to the majority public. (Apart from those who have read the books, I wish I had read them now!)

All the environments and Locations and machines were top-notch in creating a Steampunk world, and the added touch of the talking animals everywhere was inspired and...god, I just don't know how they managed to get it past studio control and commissioning editors.

The characters mainly, are great - and you never really get a sense that sweet Lyra or the GIANT BEAR ever say anything ridiculous - it's all seriously done and 'tough' I suppose.

And they left it open for sequels.....I think sequels rock, and anyone who says no will be struck by a bolt of lightning.

Also, unlike MANY films and TV shows made for kids recently, there is no 'dumbing down'. Everyone's probably heard me use this phrase about kids TV a zillion times, but jeez, when I was a kid we got Nightmare, and in Primary School we watched films like Jurassic Park and Aliens (not IN school, but, that age y'know) - kids don't want people talking down to them. Why skimp out on the violence and the horror? These are the things you remember when you grow up....not the frolicking amongst the daisies and everything's going to be alright bullshit.
I'm so fucking glad that BBC2 gave us things like Sliders, Buffy and Farscape before the watershed.

But ever since....I mean now we've got Doctor Who and Narnia and CBeebies getting out of hand in it's numb, mellow, pillow-like storytelling, where nothing happens and anything vaguely violent gets hidden or exchanged for....I dunno, flowers and marshmallows.

And not Grim Fandango flowers either - those were decent flowery deaths! I wish we could expect something of that calibre!


Okay rant over.

Go and see The Golden Compass...it's a kid's film done well, and there's a lot for adults there too.

Dakota Blue Richards is so un-corny and tough it makes me have hope for this series. Not like Jake Lloyd's "I'M A PORSON, AND MY NEEM IS EEENAKIN!"

(how the fuck did that kid ever get to be Darth Vader? UGH.)

Okay I guess my rant resurged.


Sweet Steam Dreams.

-Des

P.S. - why aint there anyone around who actually LIKES these films when I go to the cinema? I need someone to talk to about all this cool stuff!

P.P.S - I saw a guy on the Bus the other day wearing what seemed to be a black 'fashionable conversion' of a redcoat tunic. Goshdarn cool, and I want one.

Only Boring People Get Bored

Some great news!!!

Nicole Kidman has been cast in the first part of His Dark Materials film trilogy The Golden Compass reports Teletext.

Paul Bettany will play Lord Asriel, and he has persuaded friend Kidman to play Mrs Coulter. The pair worked together on Dogville and an executive said: "They get on".

Claire Higgins has also been cast in the film by director Chris Weitz.