The Golden Compass

[Albereth]

Sorry SSS but I saw this one and didn't put it up except for mentioning it in my I am Legend posting.

Really well done movie and would appeal to a lot of people. Small kids may be a little scared though.

There has been a lot of hype about the possible anti-christian message but I couldn't find it.

Graphics are really well done and it was cool to have Saruman and Gandalf in it. Christopher Lee is a bad guy (Really?) and Ian McKellan is a huge polar bear, or the voice for it.

I rate this movie highly and say it was probably the pick of the Christmas bunch for me - not as good as Stardust though.

[Flangenimblick]

I found it lacking, it was well-made but seemed rushed, like they wanted to get the story out as soon as possible. I have many christian friends who asked me not to see that movie because of the "anti-christian propaganda" - I found nothing of the sort.

I do recommend this movie to any fantasy fans, however I would not watch it again.

[TG]

The "anti-christian propaganda" is because the author is an atheist... or so I'm told.
If he was a happy clappy (no offense intended), I'm sure the movie would be just wonderful.

[Voicy]

yeh everyone made a hell of a hype about the movie where a kid is supposed to kill a god in the movie ...

a) i didn't find any of it
3) if there was a god in the movie, its quite apparent that it's not the christian one ... so the kid would be killing a false god, ergo doing the christians a favour
vi) if there is summing like that happening, it'll only take place in the 3rd installment of this movie, seeing as its painfully obvious that it will be part of a 3quell.

I expected alot more from the concept that the movie had... they couldve made it alot better, so much so that i fell asleep twice while watching it. The only cool part was the bear fight with the surprise finish.

*yawn*

[Vortex]

I have to say that there was plenty 'wow' stuff (graphically), enough to make me want to read the book, but in my opinion the movie itself was somewhat weak.

[senorblinky]

I'm fixing to see this, but on a side note - you can find the devil in anything, from a cup of tea, to a rooi rose calendar. I even showed my mother the devil in a Trustbank Cheque just to show here she was being ridiculous about something.
Also, the bible is a big book, i'm sure if you look closely you can find a wimpy or a standard bank in there, and please don't think i'm being blasphemous or inflammatory, i'm not, it's just it really annoys me that when something is open for interpretation that people would automatically go for the worst possible explanation thereof.

I don't know when the golden compass was written, but i think it's safe to assume that films like stardust, narnia and now this compass thing are out to make money, not to spread messages about killing Jesus. These films are riding the success of the lord of the rings and the harry potter franchises.

Look at Alvin and the chipmunks - i could easily take alvin, simon and theodore back to the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit - but i don't, because it's NOT!! IT'S CHIPMUNKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I get gatvol of people (and please, not any of you, this rant just follows a conversation i had with an extremely naive friend) who believe everything they hear and the dismiss something they know nothing about based on that hearsay. That's like the road to ingnorance, and ignorance equals intolerance equals racism. I'm I taking it a bit far? no, i don't think so, because let's face it, if you can't think for yourself, then if i tell you black people don't go to heaven, you'll probably believe that too, because i'm a relatively credible source.

The bottom line is that i doubt that a film will start a revolution. To my recollection (and based on what i know about film, which is relatively a lot - plus Flange can help me out here) a film has never inspired a revolution, yes, we have cult films where people quote the lines for years to come, perhaps even inspired some hairstyles, but that's IT!

The beautiful thing is that little kids don't have the intimate knowledge with the Bible, or such a huge frame of refrence that they could intuitively see that someone is actually killing Jesus onscreen. And older people, who CAN see it (if it's there, which i doubt) are old and wise enough to dismiss it.

Man, some people just need to be smacked around a bit, cause talking doesn't always help.

[Rizzy]

I tend to agree that people go all out with this sort of thing, whenever heaven or some sort of god is mentioned, people automatically get defensive, and raise their shackles.

I've read the first two books, and am planning on starting the third in a couple days, and without giving anything away, it does get better... and I have to admit that the whole debate does appear to get more of a standing as the story goes on.

But I still disagree with the whole hoo haa. If you look at The Chronicles of Narnia, its a complete archetype of the christianity. A Lion, who's father made the world, dies for the sin of another, and because of his ultimate sacrifice, is resurrected to create freedom for all. Why wasn't there a stink about the links between ancient mythology and christianity?

My opinion... see the movie and decide for yourself, if you are not comfortable, then clear it form your mind, but one mustn't impose one's judgement on others because of irrational fears.

[senorblinky]

Nice one Ash
My question is just - why not just see it for entertainment value - isn't that why we go see movies anyway?
Isn't that what they're built for?

[Voicy]

Very well said, Blinkers and risenashes.

I agree with your boys whole-heartedly. I friggen hate people who look for the devil in everything. Hell, we even had old tannie in my church going on about sabc1's simunye " we are one " slogan being new age and whatnot. in the end their bigotry and down right ignorance got to me.
Needless to say, im no longer part of that church.

risen makes a good point about narnia relevance to religion... there are countless similarities between greek/egyptian/norsk methology that relates to christianity yet none of them are scolded.

But that's just typical of people today... i even had a friend tell me not to watch the movie because its satanistic and whatnot, so i asked her what was so bad about it - she said she hasn't seen it yet, but she knows it is. okay, you got me convinced there champ.

Again, like blinkers, im not trying to bash any religions... but people love quoting scriptures out of context to suit their arguments... one such lovely one is +/- "whatever is not for God is against Him" ... by that theory BattleField2 is satanistic.

Like Obi Wan Kenobi once said "Only the Sith deal in absolutes."

[Rizzy]

Ain't that the truth

There's too much of this hype and deconstructionist bull, I say they should make more of those National Lampoon's movies, and just rip everything to shreds, so that there's nothing to get your panties in a twist over because you're too busy laughing at some dude who accidently set his ass on fire:booty: :rofl:

[TG]

Can I just say that it is very possible that this thread can lead off into places I wouldn't want it to go, so please think before you post.

Otherwise, I tend to agree with your posts.

[Voicy]

Thanks TG, will do.

[senorblinky]

I was waiting for you to make an entrance dear TG, you're absolutely right, but i think everyone is on the same page, that we sorta HATE close-mindedness.

There's a time and a place, you know?!

BTW Voicy, love the Ben Kenobi quote, but i really ripped myself when i read that Simunye thing - i completely forgot about that, HAHAHAHAHA!!

On an interesting side note, it's funny that people want to perceive evil wherever they can, but shows like South Park and the Simpsons get ignored for being OUTRIGHT blasphemous, sacrilegious and all round offensive to every and all minorities (for goodness sakes, did you okes see the one where they got the whale to the moon? i laughed my bum off, but it was still pretty disturbing!)

The stuff that's in your face is labeled as non-threatening and dismissed, but the stuff with a possible underlying pretext - that stuff is from the devil! people are weird.

[Voicy]

Blinkers ... it reminds me of poetry / literature class back in school.

We'd read books like "to kill a mocking bird" and what other poems ... the discussions started off interesting but ALWAYS ended up super lame as soon as it got to the "So what do you think the author was trying to tell the reader " part.

"well, the kids egg'd the scary man's house because they have racial hatred towards people theyve never seen before and they hate him for killing his parents even though he didnt really and they justified their actions by publically ridiculing the man in the community for his adverse agenda on current politics in the socio-economic spectrum of the slave movement" ... no you idiots, the kids were on holiday and were just acting like typical naughty little shits.

i HATE open interpretation of something written by someone who isnt there to justify/defend his statements. We need to stop acting like chicks. If I say nothing is wrong, i mean everything is fine, i dont mean i just killed the guy up in union avenue with the pitchfork that i soaked in amonium and dumped in the garden of that oke who still owes me R10 from last night's pool game, but i dont want to tell you because you never listen.

</rant>

**NOTE: post edited to make it TG_friendly

[senorblinky]

HAHAHAHAHAHA, you have the potential to open another can of worms there with the bird debate, IE

MEN VS WOMEN
Man says: "What's Wrong?"
Woman says: "Nothing..."
Woman means: "If you don't know, then i'm not going to tell you, you bastard, it's all your fault for making me feel this way, i can't believe you're not more sensitive to my needs!

Same scenario, role reversal
Woman says: "What's Wrong?"
Man says: "Nothing..."
Man means: "Nothing."

I think it was Walt Whitman ( i may be corrected, but it was some literary genius) who was asked what he meant with a certain passage.
The author wrote - what does the passage say?
The questioner quoted the passage laden with metaphorical possibilities and the author simply said, "Exactly what i wrote there"

You're right voicy, you're absolutely right.
i think people write something beautiful, then someone else goes and adds meaning to it afterwards. Do you really think someone writes a poem and then writes a 60 page document on a 14 lines sonnet? no... i don't think so, i think writers very seldom have control over the breakdown of their work. unless it's directly inferred or stated afterwards.

[Rizzy]

I remember when I was in school. We we given a poem, and told that the poet was coming later to discuss it with us.

When we studied it, it was about a landslide or something , and the teacher told us that it was about the fall of the social regime etc, etc. When the dude came round to school, we asked him what the poem was about, and he said, "It's about a landslide, look at the title". Just shows to go you...

[Voicy]

abstract art is for fairies.

[senorblinky]

Fairies don't exist dude...






:rofl:

[Vortex]

What? Fairies don't exist?

/me goes off to mourn the loss of his last childhood dream..
:cry:

[senorblinky]

Vorty, i thought you're going to tell me to clap my hands to bring a fairy back to life!
Come on! Anyone seen hook? with Julia roberts as tinkerbelle? no one?
damn...

[rainy]

Got the DVD, maybe a bit too quickly. It's sort of nice in a roundabout nice-ish way, but nothing really to write home about. While I like both Daniel Craig and Eva Green, their performances in this one seemed a tad out of place, as if they couldn't warm up with the fantasy/fairytale setting. There have been worse fantasy movies in the last years (Eragon anyone?) but also better ones (Stardust!!!).

[TG]

I'm reading the books at the moment. I don't see that it will translate too well to the big screen, quite honestly. They left a whole whack of the story out of the movie, particularly a rather crucial bit at the ending.