The Zone

by **Maui** on Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:06 pm

December 7th Tapes!

I'm very keen on seeing this film having just finished the book.

by **tapehead** on Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:18 pm

When I look at the main site, there's a banner ad saying 'In Cinemas Friday'. Do those in the Northern hemisphere see that? Maybe it opened in Australia today!?

by **Al Shut** on Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:29 pm

Well I see an add that says December 7th

IMDB says Australian release is December 26th

by **tapehead** on Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:31 pm

It is December 26th. I wonder if it opens anywhere today?

by **DaleTremont** on Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:33 pm

tapehead wrote:It is December 26th. I wonder if it opens anywhere today?

Maybe it's one of those things where one theatre somewhere has a special screening. And if that's the case, it's probably in LA. [haha.]

by **Cpt Kirks 2pay** on Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:49 pm

GUYS!!! Check the movie presses or anywhere else on the net over the next couple of hours onwards!! The Golden Compass premieres in Leicester Square, London tonight!!! Expect reviews to be leeking early, soon. Maybe.

by **Maui** on Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:51 pm

Oh man!!! I have to wait til Dec 7th!!!!!

Few things I hope for.

The armoured bears dont look fake.

The little girl who plays Lyra can deliver the part perfectly. I don't want a wimp.

They will leave some church bashing scenes in the movie.

That is all.

by **Cpt Kirks 2pay** on Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:55 pm

Maui wrote:They will leave some church bashing scenes in the movie.

Just in time for Christmas!!!!

Er..

by **Maui** on Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:10 pm

Well, they did the same kinda crap with 'The Da Vinci Code'.

Got their undies in a bunch they did. Now they are doing it again with 'The Golden Compass'.

Annoys me, it does! :evil:

The catholic church thinks it will lose power because of these movies???

by **Tyrone_Shoelaces** on Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:41 am

Check your local listings, they're sneaking the flick this Saturday and Sunday in some areas.

by **tapehead** on Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:44 am

DaleTremont wrote:
tapehead wrote:It is December 26th. I wonder if it opens anywhere today?

Maybe it's one of those things where one theatre somewhere has a special screening. And if that's the case, it's probably in LA. [haha.]

AHA! I KNEW IT!

Maui wrote:Well, they did the same kinda crap with 'The Da Vinci Code'.
Got their undies in a bunch they did. Now they are doing it again with 'The Golden Compass'.
Annoys me, it does!
The catholic church thinks it will lose power because of these movies???

I doubt the 'Catholic Church' as such is more than vaguely aware of this movie. What I mean is I think it's more a matter that Christian Morality Groups and Political Pressure groups attempt to exert their influence upon. It's nothing really compared to the shenanigans that went on when Scorcese released 'The Last Temptation of Christ' of Godard 'Je vous salue, Marie'; then there was picketing at theatres and The Vatican did actually voice it's opinions on the matter.

And then there are bodies like Walden Media, largely responsible for getting films such as 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' made through their financing.

by **DaleTremont** on Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:10 am

tapehead wrote:
DaleTremont wrote:
tapehead wrote:It is December 26th. I wonder if it opens anywhere today?

Maybe it's one of those things where one theatre somewhere has a special screening. And if that's the case, it's probably in LA. [haha.]

AHA! I KNEW IT!

This is where Smugness gets me...

by **Cpt Kirks 2pay** on Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:06 am

3 reviews up at the main site for this film. Ch-ch-ch-check it homeboys. Homegrils!

by **Peven** on Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:13 am

Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:3 reviews up at the main site for this film. Ch-ch-ch-check it homeboys. Homegrils!

complete with loser-filled tb

by **Maui** on Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:23 pm

Cpt Kirks 2pay wrote:3 reviews up at the main site for this film. Ch-ch-ch-check it homeboys. Homegrils!

Read them - some complaints about the animated bears, choppy editing, and the young actress perhaps not excelling in her role as Lyra.

I'm will be the judge however, when I see this.

by **Maui** on Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:26 pm

tapehead wrote:I doubt the 'Catholic Church' as such is more than vaguely aware of this movie. What I mean is I think it's more a matter that Christian Morality Groups and Political Pressure groups attempt to exert their influence upon. It's nothing really compared to the shenanigans that went on when Scorcese released 'The Last Temptation of Christ' of Godard 'Je vous salue, Marie'; then there was picketing at theatres and The Vatican did actually voice it's opinions on the matter.

Very true Tapes! This sort of thing just annoys me to no end.

by **Keepcoolbutcare** on Thu Nov 29, 2007 9:12 pm

with the London opening and with the early screenings going down this weekend, moving this to movie reviews...

by **Keepcoolbutcare** on Mon Dec 03, 2007 7:32 pm

it feels a little strange to simultaneously bemoan a films paltry, anemic and utterly â€œsafeâ€

by **Lady Sheridan** on Mon Dec 03, 2007 7:35 pm

Oh dear, KC. You've confirmed all my worst suspicions...

by **Keepcoolbutcare** on Mon Dec 03, 2007 7:44 pm

Lady Sheridan wrote:Oh dear, KC. You've confirmed all my worst suspicions...

sorry. I don't know, I may be in the minority on this, but the two ladies I saw it with, both fans of the books, didn't seem too keen on it either.

there is some quality stuff in the film, and I may have been unduly harsh in no small part due to my utter love of the source material...

but of all the spectacular big-budget Fantasy blockbusters (LOTR, NARNIA) this one is by far the weakest.

by **doglips** on Mon Dec 03, 2007 7:53 pm

Damn, if Weitz hasn't got this quite right what the fuck is he going to do when he has to tackle the Mufela???

Still looking forward to seeing what gets put onscreen but I worry for The Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass.

by **Maui** on Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:28 pm

I found myself bored at times watching 'Compass' as well.

The armoured bear fight was spectacular - that certainly didn't let down the crowd.

The distant shots of Lyra riding Iorek Byrnson to the house where Billy Costa lay were absolutely horrible. Sloppy claymation is an exaggeration - but yikes it was bad.

Lyra didn't feel like enough of a tough cookie to me. You get a real sense of her as tomboy when you read the book and although she runs around with the boys and throws mud - I still didn't get that rebellious feel from her character that I wanted to.

Craig as Lord Asriel was ok. I pictured someone darker, more mysterious - darn Craig's blue eyes anyways.

Kidman did a rather good job of portraying the evil Mrs. Coultier (I did want her to have black hair though). I also felt the intercision scene was heartbreaking - to see the separation occurring between Lyra and Pan - as well as Kidman (in slow motion too) running to stop the machine. A solid dramatic moment!!!

That battle scene was an absolute mess. It was like a 1000 kids playing dodgeball in a gym - with no teacher supervision. Terrible direction!!!

I also thought Serafina Pekkala didn't get enough screen time. Oops - there she is - lands on Lee's balloon. Oops - there, she's gone! We didn't even get to see her glorious daemon either.

The Golden Monkey daemon was the worst of all the daemons. I really thought all the transformations that Pan went through were great.

Not sure if Subtle Knife and Spyglass will get an opportunity to hit the big screen.

6 out of 10

by **Seppuku** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:00 am

"Harry Can't Quite get This Golden Compass Thing to Work, But it Sure Is Pretty and Fun"

Also, I just took that Meet Your Daemon quiz he mentions, and ended up matched with Raina, a female fox. Let's hope one or two of you end up as poultry...

by **darkjedijaina** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:23 am

seppukudkurosawa wrote:Also, I just took that Meet Your Daemon quiz he mentions, and ended up matched with Raina, a female fox. Let's hope one or two of you end up as poultry...

I took it as well. I got Brynn, a raccoon.

by **tapehead** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:34 am

Having just read Harry's review, I'm still hoping that this movie can maybe get the kids in (something the first Harry Potter succeeded in, although fans of the books don't love it that much), giving the franchise to get darker and heavier in the successive instalments... maybe.

Keepcoolbutcare wrote:but of all the spectacular big-budget Fantasy blockbusters (LOTR, NARNIA) this one is by far the weakest.

Oh shit - if it's not at least as good as Narnia, I'm really disappointed. Any chance, as Harry mentions, a LOTR extended Director's cut might make amends?

Book Spoilers -

Also, reading the books, I always assumed Anbaric power was electricity, but derived from some mysterious source we don't find out much about in the first book. Anbaric Parks and Mines get mentioned at various points, so maybe it's generated the same way as it is in our universe.

by **DaleTremont** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:41 am

darkjedijaina wrote:
seppukudkurosawa wrote:Also, I just took that Meet Your Daemon quiz he mentions, and ended up matched with Raina, a female fox. Let's hope one or two of you end up as poultry...

I took it as well. I got Brynn, a raccoon.

Myron the Ocelot. Oh quizzes. Where do they get it? I always halfway suspect most multiple choice quizzes give completely random outcomes. Like perfectmatch.

by **bastard_robo** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:23 am

Never even heard of the book before the movie was announced, but I'm looking forward to it.

Im hoping hight.. and Hoping that its not Eragon again.

by **Keepcoolbutcare** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:26 am

bastard_robo wrote:Im hoping hight...

best. sentence fragment. ever.

by **Lady Sheridan** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:30 am

I have Myron the Snow Leopard. I had a Tiger originally but everyone said it didn't fit, so I retook it...but my snow leopard is exactly the same personality...

Now I'm confused!!

by **DaleTremont** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:34 am

Lady Sheridan wrote:I have Myron the Snow Leopard. I had a Tiger originally but everyone said it didn't fit, so I retook it...but my snow leopard is exactly the same personality...

Now I'm confused!!

You can't have Myron. He's mine! Daemon fight! Or better yet, I'll just sever the bond between the two of you with my crazy guillotine-like contraption!

by **bastard_robo** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:37 am

Its times like these I wish that Jeramey Thatcher: Dragon Hatcher was being made into a movie.. NOW THAT WAS A FANTASY BOOK!

by **Lady Sheridan** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:40 am

DaleTremont wrote:
Lady Sheridan wrote:I have Myron the Snow Leopard. I had a Tiger originally but everyone said it didn't fit, so I retook it...but my snow leopard is exactly the same personality...

Now I'm confused!!

You can't have Myron. He's mine! Daemon fight! Or better yet, I'll just sever the bond between the two of you with my crazy guillotine-like contraption!

I'll take the Tiger, don't sever us! It's settled now!

I doubt there are really the 57,000 daemons, sounds like there's about...5. I want to know why I got a snow leopard with the same attributes as a tiger.

Why am I even wondering, given how the movie has turned out!

by **Keepcoolbutcare** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:44 am

tapehead wrote:Any chance, as Harry mentions, a LOTR extended Director's cut might make amends?

not for the directorial missteps it won't.

Big Red's right about the ending though, it's very flat and abrupt. He also mentioned the golden CGI daemon dustings, which were pretty nifty...the first couple times. After that initial wow, though...they grew kinda stale.

I can see it improving somewhat if a lot of the cuts are character building moments, but without the book's ending and coupled with even longer scenes of directorial incompetence?

it may improve it, but not by much, I reckon.

by **DaleTremont** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:51 am

Keepcoolbutcare wrote:
tapehead wrote:Any chance, as Harry mentions, a LOTR extended Director's cut might make amends?

not for the directorial missteps it won't.

Big Red's right about the ending though, it's very flat and abrupt. He also mentioned the golden CGI daemon dustings, which were pretty nifty...the first couple times. After that initial wow, though...they grew kinda stale.

I can see it improving somewhat if a lot of the cuts are character building moments, but without the book's ending and coupled with even longer scenes of directorial incompetence?

it may improve it, but not by much, I reckon.

Sounds like a classic "can't polish a turd" situation to me. But I'll reserve final judgment till I actually see it.

by **tapehead** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:53 am

Me toos - kinda still hoping there might be a future for the other books as movies, but it's looking unlikely it will be any time soon.

by **DaleTremont** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:59 am

tapehead wrote:Me toos - kinda still hoping there might be a future for the other books as movies, but it's looking unlikely it will be any time soon.

Wait another 30 years and I'll bet ya they do a remake of it. Marketed as HDM the way Pullman wrote it- much like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

by **judderman** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:43 am

The original book had a very abrupt and swift ending too, though I can't comment on whether the movie's ending was more so, since I haven't seen it (I loathe, loathe, loathe the other two books in His Dark Materials, even though I love the first one, so I'm kinda staying away from the movies).

by **TonyWilson** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:48 am

Well, fuck that then. I knew Weitz was a shitty choice to direct this. Gah.

I can start work on my script for it now. Hahaha.

by **so sorry** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:08 am

judderman wrote:The original book had a very abrupt and swift ending too, though I can't comment on whether the movie's ending was more so, since I haven't seen it (I loathe, loathe, loathe the other two books in His Dark Materials, even though I love the first one, so I'm kinda staying away from the movies).

my thoughts exactly. Although I would be inclinded to use the word "flat" when describing the ending in the book.

This will be on my rental schedule for sure, but its not getting me in the theater.

by **RogueScribner** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:17 am

seppukudkurosawa wrote:"Harry Can't Quite get This Golden Compass Thing to Work, But it Sure Is Pretty"

Also, I just took that Meet Your Daemon quiz he mentions, and ended up matched with Raina, a female fox. Let's hope one or two of you end up as poultry...

My daemon's name is Aspadora and she is a lion! ROWR!!!

by **stereosforgeeks** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:29 am

Mine is Azaria - a snow leopard. Modest, spontaneous, solitary, inquisitive, and fickle.

by **Maui** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:30 pm

I've convinced myself that my cat, Sammy, is my daemon!

and here he is!

by **judderman** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:06 pm

Aaw she's adorable!

I wish I could have a pet, but I can't stomach keeping one in an apartment; animals need space.

My daemon is a cat, definitely. A big studly lazy cat.

by **Maui** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:47 pm

judderman wrote:Aaw she's adorable!

Awe, thanks!!! He's my bud!

by **Cha-Ka Khan** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:32 pm

I can't wait to see how this movie fares with the church groups rallying against it. What's going to happen?!?

by **Flumm** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:41 pm

Cha-Ka Khan wrote:I can't wait to see how this movie fares with the church groups rallying against it. What's going to happen?!?

Hilarity!!!1111111133111kittens11

One supposes that it may depend on which side of the line one is standing, however...

by **Cha-Ka Khan** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:46 pm

Flumm wrote:One supposes that it may depend on which side of the line one is standing, however...

It's always interesting, that's for sure. Back in the late 80s I worked in a local art-house theater. We were showing "The Last Temptation of Christ" and we had picketers outside the theater. They would scream and shout at me as I walked into the building that I was going to Hell.

At one point during the film, a woman came running out into the lobby, dropped onto her hand and knees and started shouting "Not my Jesus Christ! Not my Jesus Christ! NOT MY JESUS CHRIST!!!" over and over.

Weirdest thing ever.

by **Keepcoolbutcare** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:52 pm

Cha-Ka Khan wrote:I can't wait to see how this movie fares with the church groups rallying against it. What's going to happen?!?

based on the poll, God has told them not to see it.

so apparently, God is also a sage movie critic...

by **Cpt Kirks 2pay** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 6:17 pm

If this film wins Best Picture Oscar, will God destroy us all!?

by **Flumm** on Tue Dec 04, 2007 6:23 pm

I'm guessing firstly a period of complete inactivity, to lull us all in to a false sense of security... followed by COSMIC BAM!!! - an extendered period of no divine intervention whatsoever, just to fuck with our heads.

But who's to say, word on the street is that he's all mysterious and such... so I could be wrong.

EDIT: And I would still gladly share a mince-pie or two with (most) of those who thought otherwise...

The Zone

The Golden Compass (now with Reviews!)

Golden God or Pyrite Pile?

The Golden Compass (now with Reviews!)

Re: The Golden Compass (now with Reviews!)

The Golden Compass (now with Reviews!)

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