Austin Improv

It's here this weekend! Wahoo I can't wait. I think it's coming out on the 7th!! I plan on seeing it Sunday night. I don't have times yet because they aren't listed, but somewhere around 9:00 p.m.

Anyone up for some compass this Sunday?

If that's not enough to intrigue you. I believe Jason Vines will be making an appearance....

Whoo, hoo! sounds like fun.

annwilson wrote:If that's not enough to intrigue you. I believe Jason Vines will be making an appearance....

I am officially intrigued.

I am going to go see this, but would rather go to a matinée. Anyone want to go during the day when the prices are discounted?

I just thought this was gonna be another goofy CG movie about polar bears with helmets, but then I caught all the crazy stuff going on with the author and the protests and whatnot, and I am all kinds of down for this. Gotta support the godless peeps, and all that.

majcher wrote:Gotta support the godless peeps, and all that.

The atheist forums are abuzz about the "anti-Narnia". It seems the director toned down the rhetoric of the book to make it palatable to a wider audience. Still managed to annoy Christians, tho. No better publicity than that.

That said, I hope it's a good movie.

mpbrockman wrote: The atheist forums are abuzz about the "anti-Narnia". It seems the director toned down the rhetoric of the book to make it palatable to a wider audience. Still managed to annoy Christians, tho. No better publicity than that.

Indeed. It's getting me out to see it, anyway.

Here's one of the less raving Christian overviews of the whole thing, for those who give a flip about it:

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1065

Some parts in there just make me have to laugh like hell.

He gets a few points for not being reactionary, but his comments re the Fall show the depth of his unfortunately common delusion.

He mentions that he's not afraid of a war of ideas. He should be.

But I'll keep that off of this forum. Check out the Sam Harris or Richard Dawkins forums for more discussion in this vein.

Speaking of which, here's a good ol' dose of cognitive dissonance.

Despite everything, before I even knew this controversy even existed (and what I was originally going to post before looking into all this), it's still a children's adventure movie with CG animals that rips off Narnia harder than Eragon ripped off Star Wars or every WW2 shooter ripped off Saving Private Ryan's beach landing scene or Call of Duty ripped off the battle of Stalingrad from Enemy at the Gates. And I bet they won't even make a witty rap song about it!

Producer: Our studio needs money. What should we make?
Pitcher: How about a movie where a man and a woman fall in love?
Producer: I like it!... So, what happens?
Pitcher: Ok. So we have this mystical, magical alternative universe, and it stars a little kid, and the little kid is all, like, going around and stuff, and... uh... there's talking animals, and they have sophisticated civilizations! And it's steampunk, so there'll be airships and swords and old-timey dresses and whatnot! Oh, and there's wizards! Wizards make everything that much more awesome!
Producer: We'll be r- But what about the love story?
Pitcher: We'll fit that in somewhere. We'll add it during the reshoots.
Producer: We'll be rich!

That, and it's currently got a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Note: My criticism has nothing to do with the controversy. It has to do with the fact that it's a movie where James Bond, Satine, and some little girl going on a quest involving CG animals and golden MacGuffins. Plus, it's got CG polar bears in the snow, and if that isn't a subliminal Coke ad, I don't know what is.

Spaztique wrote:Note: My criticism has nothing to do with the controversy. It has to do with the fact that it's a movie where James Bond, Satine, and some little girl going on a quest involving CG animals and golden MacGuffins. Plus, it's got CG polar bears in the snow, and if that isn't a subliminal Coke ad, I don't know what is.

David, I share your lack of enthusiasm for this film.

Spaztique wrote:it's still a children's adventure movie with CG animals that rips off Narnia harder than Eragon ripped off Star Wars or every WW2 shooter ripped off Saving Private Ryan's beach landing scene or Call of Duty ripped off the battle of Stalingrad from Enemy at the Gates.

Producer: Our studio needs money. What should we make?
Pitcher: How about a movie where a man and a woman fall in love?

I have yet to make my own opinion about the movie, but know that it comes from a trilogy of books Pullman wrote, not some greedy studio exec's lair of rip-off writers. The books have some overlap with The Chronicles of Narnia, but they seem to draw a lot more from Paradise Lost than anything else.

The decision to make the first book into a movie shortly after the success of the first Chronicles of Narnia movie could have definitely been influenced by the Narnia series' early success. However, the source material is quite unique, profound and critically acclaimed. Don't write off the books as some knock-off of C.S. Lewis. Pullman might gut you for that.

If the movie itself is poorly executed, then so be it. It looks like this might be the case.

bradisntclever wrote: The decision to make the first book into a movie shortly after the success of the first Chronicles of Narnia movie could have definitely been influenced by the Narnia series' early success.

I think it's more the success of Lord of the Rings. Every possible fantasy franchise is being made into movies right now.

My favorite story is that they're turning Terry Brooks's Shannara series into movies. However, they're starting with the 2nd book, The Elfstones of Shannara, because the 1st book is too much of a blatant rip off of Lord of the Rings to get away with.

they're also making that Dragonlance cartoon movie.

I found the book kind of difficult to understand until I finished the trilogy. But this is not Narnia in any way. I hope the movie is good, I am looking forward to it, but don't judge it only by a few images that the marketers decided to put into the trailer.

When is that football fantasy movie coming out?