The Golden Compass (now with Reviews!)

[TonyWilson]

ok.

Russel Crowe as Lord Asriel
Natasha McEllhone as Mrs Coulter
Timothy Olyphant as Lee Scoresby
Rachel Weisz as Serafina Pekkala
James Cromwell as Farder Corram
Tamsin Greig as Mary Malone
Joseph Patterson as John Parry/Jopari

I need to think about voices for Pantalaimon and Iorek Byrnison

[magicmonkey]

Lord Asriel - Billy Bob Thornton. Lyyyyyoora, cuuumb baaaacccck.

I do think the casting of Serafina kinda needs that northern european look, how about the lead singer from the cardigans, mmmm, she'd rock my world. Nina Persson, yup she's even got a cool name too.

[Lady Sheridan]

Weird, I said Nicole Kidman but I honestly never saw her in the role. I always pictured Catherine Zeta Jones.

I like Paul Bettany but he is all wrong for Asriel. Its got to be someone very physically imposing and sexy--everyone's drawn to him in the books, he has to look like he can command a giant force.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

Serafina Pekula has been cast, and she's GORGEOUS:

Click for EVA GREEN

Hottie!

[magicmonkey]

Not bad casting, cheers for the pic Zomb, I was a little unsure as to who she was.

[Peven]

what strikes me is the radical variance in peoples' opinions on these books. some seem to love them to death, while others say that after the first book, they go downhill fast, that the 3rd one is utter shit, and overall the trilogy is waaaaay over-rated. are they worth my time and money to read or should i just wait and see the movie?

[magicmonkey]

READ THEM!! I really enjoyed them all, I had a few very minor quibbles with the later books (they are kids books and they weren't written by Kubrick afterall), but the breadth of the distinctivley different imagination on display is worth your time, perhaps even twice over. Oh yeah, they are utterly gripping too.

[doglips]

Serafina Pekula has been cast, and she's GORGEOUS:

Click for EVA GREEN

Hottie!

That's some encouraging casting, Eva's a good actress. Great in both The Dreamers and Kingdom of Heaven, she's also the new Bond girl.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

Yes, YOU MUST READ THESE BOOKS. Its absolutely essential. I like to
think of them as the Anti-NARNIA; it will help to clean any lingering relgious
indoctrination still clinging to yr soul; help you free yr mind...

For me, the final book is the best. Although Pullman does stretch out the
denoument a little too long, its all quite literally an amazing and brilliantly
concieved story with a very important message...

[junsocko]

Yes!!!

i guess the "Kidman as mrs Coulter" was point for me hehehe

as for eva green as Serafina PEKKALA, that was nicely done by the guys at New Line.

i've finished the Subtle knife some weeks ago but something's happening with me and the amber spyglass, i just can't push myself to keep reading as fast as a did the first two. my main problem are those two angels! WTF is the point of those two? can somebody explain them to me?!

and another thing...isn't Quint like buds with some people at New Line? i mean when are we gonna get a Fudging pic of this dakota girl? c'mon new line! show us the girl!

[magicmonkey]

The angels are a tale of epic sadness and tenderness. Gay characters in childrens literature are pretty rare I guess.

[junsocko]

i wasn't talking about them being Dumbledore characters, that's fine with me, but plot-wise what do they bring to the whole story

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

Serafina PEKKALA

Wow, thanks. Relax ever?

[TonyWilson]

www.bridgetothestars.net says that Ian McShane has been cast the voice of Iorek Byrnison, well they say King of the Bears so I suppose is could be Iofur, but McShane seems like a cool as fuck choice for Iorek

[magicmonkey]

Well, I'll be happy if he puts on a Von trier accent...

Seriously alot of this film is about northern european mystery, that icy landscape, the northern freaking lights. Please gives these guys an accent and we'll all have our own veitable trip to Lapland, and I'll be lapping it up(ughhh).

[doglips]

I was thinking this morning that Daniel Day-Lewis would make a fucking great Lord Asriel. I wonder if he would come out of hiding for the role?

[magicmonkey]

I hear Steven Fry was eagerly pumping iron and drinking protein drinks for the role...

Ladies and gentlemen, as Lord Asriel we have... Arnold Schwarzenegger, I jest and pray to Crom this won't happen.

I reckon Day-Lewis wouldn't be bad, perhaps, and normally I hate the guy, but how about Julian Sands?

Would love to see Harry Dean Stanton as Lee Scoresby.

[doglips]

Julian Sands, good pick Monkey. WTF does he look like nowadays?. Has he been in anything recently?

[magicmonkey]

I last saw him as the masseuse in "Time Code". I'm sure if he worked out and dyed his hair, he could maybe get the intensity going as well as the charming lovable nature of the character.

[doglips]

He's been in episodes of 24 recently aswell.



Looks the part, does he not?

[magicmonkey]

Gotta say, he does look the part there. Give him a beard et voila!

[junsocko]

PERFECT!

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

Lee Scoresby is the Han Solo of the His Dark Materialsverse...

Discuss.

[junsocko]

Nah, Iorek is!

but keep the disscusion open

[doglips]

Lee Scoresby is the Han Solo of the His Dark Materialsverse...

Discuss.

I can see where you are going with that ZZS, but when I was reading the books, I always pictured Scoresby to be something like Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII.......But I suppose you could compare Solo and Highwind too.

[magicmonkey]

Lee Scoresby is the Han Solo of the His Dark Materialsverse...

Discuss.

I can see where you are going with that ZZS, but when I was reading the books, I always pictured Scoresby to be something like Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII.......But I suppose you could compare Solo and Highwind too.

HAHAHAHA, that is so trippy! I was imagining a final fantasy character too, I'm having trouble remembering the name though, think it was vincent from (ffviii), or perhaps the guy who flew the rocket into space? or, just maybe I'm thinking of Cid, whoever the sniper character was. Anyway,I guess its kinda the mythology of a wild frontier man is what he latched onto, just like the game makers did. Scoresby's that kinda guy I guess. Solo, didn't really come in to it for me. Come on Zombie, explain! Discuss!! Certainly weird, how you relate characters and character types to what you know.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

Not exactly like Solo, but close enough; rougeish independent pilot guy;
vaguely reminiscent of Rhett Butler (southern reconstruction hero feller) but
without the date rape; Texan cowboy cool (but not 'Man With No Name'
cool).

I see the Final Fantasy thing a little bit, but only cause he has an airship
reminiscient of FF art design...

Iorek is Chewbacca; big furry beast friend hero; good at fixing things, etc.

Lyra = Leia
Will = Luke

(but w/out the incest)...

[magicmonkey]

Heh, its nice to live in a world where everything boils down to Star Wars.

[judderman]

Lee Scoresby is the Han Solo of the His Dark Materialsverse...

Discuss.

If anything, he's the Obi-Wan. He's the first character to demand that everyone else jump onto the "Kill God" bandwagon.

[Peven]

Lee Scoresby is the Han Solo of the His Dark Materialsverse...

Discuss.

If anything, he's the Obi-Wan. He's the first character to demand that everyone else jump onto the "Kill God" bandwagon.

so, does that make God the Emperor?

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

But ObiWan is more like a buddhist warrior monk / wizard; he's all about
discipline and calm. Scoresby is more the rougeish scoundrel hero vis-a-vis
Han Solo (imho).

GOD is the Emperor, clearly; Metatron would then be Vader (sans
redemption).

Asriel is harder to pin; I don't think he has an easy STAR WARS analogy.
Ditto Ms. Coulter.

[Peven]

who is Lando? C3PO? who are the jawas? who is Greedo and does he shoot first?

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

who is Lando? C3PO? who are the jawas? who is Greedo and does he shoot first?

Lando = King Ogunwe
C3PO = Baruch and/or Balthalmos (the g@y angels)

Dunno about the Jawas or Greedo.

[judderman]

Anyone else feel that Asriel was badly handled in the series? I started out really hating that character, and then all of a sudden I was supposed to be on his side, with no explanation given. I never finished book three but I don't think Asriel ever received any kind of comeuppance for murdering Roger in cold blood. I suppose it was because I couldn't buy Asriel as a cross between Winston Churchill and Aleister Crowley that ultimately I couldn't go along with the premise of the later novels, even though I'm not a religous person.

[Peven]

are the books about anything else but attempting to tear down established religious views? i mean, did the author sit down and just try to write an anti-bible, or is there a real story and character development that doesn't rely soley on trying to discredit organized religion?

[tapehead]

are the books about anything else but attempting to tear down established religious views? i mean, did the author sit down and just try to write an anti-bible, or is there a real story and character development that doesn't rely soley on trying to discredit organized religion?

please don't be too swayed by the anti-God, anti-religion interpretations - these elements are there, but there is much, much more - they are definitely not an anti-bible.


There really isn't much to the 'It's just Like Star Wars' theory either.

[Peven]

are the books about anything else but attempting to tear down established religious views? i mean, did the author sit down and just try to write an anti-bible, or is there a real story and character development that doesn't rely soley on trying to discredit organized religion?

please don't be too swayed by the anti-God, anti-religion interpretations - these elements are there, but there is much, much more - they are definitely not an anti-bible.


There really isn't much to the 'It's just Like Star Wars' theory either.

ok, thats cool. when i am finished reading through my latest haul of sf/fantasy aquisitions i had tentatively planned on picking this trilogy up to see what all the fuss is about. guess i will keep it on the board.

[tapehead]

You can also get an idea if you might like it by checking the fantastically excited zoners posting in the first page or so. I think there's also another thread here somewhere for the books only.

[junsocko]

I got it! the gallivespians are the ewoks!

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

Its basically a quest story; a story of revenge; a coming of age story; a
journey of discovery; a story of science; a story of true spirituality that
sidesteps the spiteful malicious dogma of organized religion; all with the
extra added bonus of gleefully dismantling the pernicious lies of the Church.
Its pretty much the best fantasy story I've ever read; tying into science,
pagan agrarian spirtuality, and gnostic spirituality; all of which are at odds
with the Church. It pwns Potter, Narnia, and LOTR easily.

Of course, the analogies made to STAR WARS are there simply because
STAR WARS uses very simple iconic character types that can plug into any
number of similar narratives, not because its a knock off or anything. You
can pretty much make STAR WARS analogies with anything, I reckon.

In short, I never made any "Its just like Star Wars theory." So, do please
relax.

[Keepcoolbutcare]

Anyone else feel that Asriel was badly handled in the series? I started out really hating that character, and then all of a sudden I was supposed to be on his side, with no explanation given. I never finished book three but I don't think Asriel ever received any kind of comeuppance for murdering Roger in cold blood.

SPOILERS IF YE' HAVEN'T READ THE BOOKS



no comeuppance, and while I see your point, I took it that he was a desperate man, trying beyond all reason to do the right thing and forced to do something utterly horrible in the process. Wasn't he imprisoned, cut off from all he hoped to accomplish? He was heartbroken when he saw Lyra at his doorstep because he would've been forced to kill her if Roger hadn't been available. Not an excuse, mind you, nor a justification, just trying to explain why I felt it worked.

The "explantion" was given in further detail later...he's waging a war against a totalitarian regime.

And in many ways, Lyra performed his comeuppance with her actions in the third book ('cuz she felt responsible for Roger's death), with Asriel returning the favor by sacrificing himself for her. One can argue his actions only furthered his cause, but what a cause it was...

[Bob Samonkey]

I just started reading the first book and I like it so far. And she has not even left the college yet. I always enjoy finding new books I did not know about so thanks Flumm. Mainly so I can read them before the movie comes out and ruin the movie for me. (ie - What the hell was that? Why did they leave this out?)

[dark wesley]

DANIEL CRAIG IS LORD ASRIEL. The news hit on dark horizons.

[doglips]

DANIEL CRAIG IS LORD ASRIEL. The news hit on dark horizons.

Well, that's actually an OK piece of casting. At least he's a badass.

[Keepcoolbutcare]

yeah, I can see him in that role. Piercing, haunting blue eyes and a face that looks like it's seen a lot.

Inspired casting, even.

[Lady Sheridan]

Whoa, where'd my post go?!

[Bob Samonkey]

Its in the book thread not the movie thread

[Keepcoolbutcare]

Whoa, where'd my post go?!

fuckin' n00b!

[tapehead]

Hey, I'm itchy....
Daniel Craig? A+

[lyra belacqua]

Its pretty much the best fantasy story I've ever read; tying into science,
pagan agrarian spirtuality, and gnostic spirituality; all of which are at odds
with the Church. It pwns Potter, Narnia, and LOTR easily.

I love you.

That said, Daniel Craig was NO WHERE on my radar of Asriel, but I'm thinking that it could be good. Sadly, my only problem is that I totally saw Asriel as dark, not the blond Craig. I hated that critque of Craig-as-Bond so I guess I need to get over it, but still...