Christianity Today: 2 1/2 stars (out of 4) for "Prince Caspian"
Are you looking forward to the appearance of Bacchus in Prince Caspian?
Alas, you won't see that scene.
That's just the beginning of the cuts that concern Peter T. Chattaway in his review of the movie at Christianity Today.
Wow.
Chattaway does find the film quite entertaining.
But I just wish that efforts like this one, and like Alfonzo Cuaron's extraordinary film Children of Men, would do away with the label "Based on the book." Rather, they are new stories, "Inspired by elements of the book."
I love what was announced at the beginning of the film The Name of the Rose: "A Palimpsest of the Novel." That tells you right there that this is *not* going to be the story written by Umberto Eco. Rather, it's commercial entertainment in which someone else's premise was reimagined, shaped into something new.
Now, contrary to how it may seem, I'm not "out to get" Prince Caspian. It sounds like an exciting action adventure. I'm just questioning any filmmaker or publicist who talks about bringing C.S. Lewis's story to the screen. Because if the reviews I'm reading are true... they didn't do that.
Sean Penn Disqualifies Cannes Films that Don't Reflect "Current Climate"
Aaaaaaaand they're off!
The Cannes Film Festival has begun, which means Indiana Jones is suiting up for his first big-screen adventure in twenty years, and a crop of great works of art destined to be almost ignored in America are about to screen for very lucky audiences.Read more
"The Defanging of Aslan"
Steven D. Greydanus interviews the men behind Prince Caspian.
And he finds them making some rather dubious claims.
Unlike presidential candidates, the films' producer, Mark Johnson, doesn't even want to talk about change ... at least when it comes to Narnia.
"I've produced a lot of movies based on books," he said, speaking at a New York press event with other Narnia filmmakers. Citing titles from The Natural to The Notebook, Johnson said, "We made big changes in all of those in order to adapt them to film. It's clear with The Chronicles of Narnia that you just can't tamper with them that way. They're too important to too many people. They are in many ways written almost filmicly. I think the themes and just the world of Narnia ... you tamper with it, you make changes at your own risk."
Is this spin? Well, yes. The fact is both films "tamper" with the books ... Prince Caspian even more than the first film...
I can't wait to read Greydanus's review of the film. Nobody I've read thought more carefully about the deviations of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, changes that weakened the character of Aslan considerably.
Alas, right now only subscribers can read that piece, which is called "Lewis Lite." The intriguing teaser reads "Prince Caspian Is Inspired by the Second Narnia Book but Fails to Adapt It."
UPDATE: Meanwhile, at the C.S. Lewis blog, (via The Hogs Head) Dr. Michael Ward interprets some of what Prince Caspian (the book!) is all about. Man, I'd love to read Greydanus's assessment of that!
The Browser, 5/14: Brooks on "Neural Buddhism"; Fraggles; Scarlett Johansson; Why I'll Miss Dubya
Brooks on a new challenge for those who believe in a "personal God"
David Brooks talks about why believers' debates with Richard Dawkins are "just a sideshow," and that the real revolution is something like "neural Buddhism."
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Fraggle Rock is here to stay
Cory Edwards is bringing back the Fraggles. Here's his announcement, and a quick Q&A.
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Scarlett sings
Josh Hurst reviews Scarlett Johansson's album of Tom Waits covers.
You can probably guess where the weakest link can be found; it certainly isn’t the material, which is, of course, stellar...
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Why I'll Miss George W. Bush
I'll miss George W. Bush because everytime I see him, I'm reminded of this. Yeah, I know, you've seen these. But these never gets old.
Badder Lieutenant
The Hollywood Reporter is trying to ruin my day, claiming that Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant is being re-made by Werner Herzog, with Nicolas Cage stepping into the role already owned by Harvey Keitel.
But it couldn't possibly be true. Cage would know better than to ruin (*cough* Wings of Desire *cough*) an already legendary movie (*cough*The Wicker Man*cough) by creating a mediocre imitation... right?
And what will Herzog, with his particular worldview, do with that profoundly spiritual conclusion?
(via Cinematical)
Lord Save Us From Your Followers
Comedy writer/filmmaker Dan Merchant wrote a book called Lord, Save Us from Your Followers, chronicling what happened when he journeyed across the U.S. and asked people questions about the divisiveness of religion.
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Unbearable "Noise"; CGI vs. Ye Olde Fashioned Way
I watched Noise last week. I was assigned to review it. I was excited, because it came from writer-director Henry Bean. Bean made The Believer in 2001, an intriguing movie about a neo-Nazi starring Ryan Gosling a few years back. But alas, I should have looked closer. Bean also wrote Basic Instinct 2.
Sure enough, Noise is awful. The more I watched, the more I was frightened by what happened to me. While the central character slowly descended into madness and rage, so I too descended into madness and rage... not at the urban chaos that enraged our "hero," but at the movie itself. Before long, I was ranting like a madman in need of serious therapy. That is to say... like Bill O'Reilly on any typical show. And I'm not proud of that.Read more
Is the World Going to Hell in a Handbasket? Let's Hear From Gregory Wolfe.
Image's Gregory Wolfe, with a little help from Annie Dillard, starts Monday morning off right, asking, "Is the end near?"
I feel a responsibility to alert you whenever my favorite Annie Dillard book, For the Time Being, is quoted online.
Reader!!!! Mail!!!!
This week's blue-ribbon-winning letter from a reader comes in response to my review of No Country for Old Men, which was published at CTMovies.
The reader writes:
Morefield on "Lars and the Real Girl"
Yesterday, Kenneth Morefield posted comments on Lars and the Real Girl. He gets so much of what I love about this film. And his thoughts make me eager to rent it and see it again...
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