Charming and exciting, The Golden Compass has every ingredient for the perfect fantasy movie.  The story is larger then life with such imagination that watching the movie quickly becomes synonymous with wishing you were in the movie instead of in the theater.  Adapted from the best selling novel known as Northern Lights, written in 1995 by an English writer Philip Pullman as the first part of “His Dark Materials” trilogy - followed by The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. The talented cast includes Nicole Kidman who manages to perfect beauty on screen in this feature, Daniel Craig the blue eyed charmer, Eva Green the sexy as ever finance manager and traitor love interest from Craig’s Casino Royale, and the unknown Dakota Blue Richards.  The powerful and easy to love exiled armored bear boosts the voice of none other then the regal and audibly intense Ian McKlellen.

Take the ridiculous zealot interpretation that the children’s Daemons (pronounced demons) have even the slightest antireligious tone and toss that silly crap right out the window.  There is nothing that isn’t pure innocent imagination in this movie.  The story line’s conceptual model of the daemons is so charming and fantastical, so reassuring and comforting in the most good natured of ways that I was left was a wish for a Daemon of my own!  Which you can can get at www.goldencompassmovie.com, at least, a graphical one by answering a few personality questions.  

It’s absolutely beautiful, the effects are spectacular, and the story is compelling.  Rumor has it the next two films are only slated with the caveat that number does well.  So I urge you all to head to the theatre this holiday season with all your friends and family suspend your belief or rather your lack of and get a good dose of feel good adventure. 

In case your curious, which naturally I was….here is my very own Dawngrrl Gametart Daemon.  If you see me walking around downtown Christmas shopping and there is a raccoon on my shoulder, don’t be too alarmed, he’s a good friend and has a keen eye for hot shoes.

Kiss Kiss,

Dawngrrl Gametart

We all have it.  That morbid and excited curiosity that comes with engaging in the stories of killers.    We are fascinated by the high, or the sexual gratification, or the power euphoria displayed when the homicidal sick and twisted do what they do best. 

Perhaps it’s just disgust.  Maybe its in the mystery of a humans ability -the fear of the dark side of our nature and it’s potential.  Is it the ultimate sin for the ultimate high?   Whatever the reason we find ourselves so bewitched by the tales of serial terror, we share and revel in this deplorable seduction by absorbing all the stories of their lives and the tales of their sick deeds.  We write thousands of books on the best killer stories our imaginations can provide and we make blockbuster hits and watch in awe as the worst kinds of crimes are acted out before our eyes.   

Riding on the coat tails of such existing societal interest, Mr. Brooks takes that fascination to a new level.    He will make it plausible, explainable, understandable, and he will do that without being much more then slightly discourteous.    This film is one of the best, if not the most uniquely written stories about a serial killer I have ever seen.  The acute spins are so likeable and the development of the character connections and their turns are so smart, that is was like finishing a really great book, left immediately looking around for the sequel. 

Not known for his broad acting ability, Kevin Costner manages a depth and complexity of character that demands adoration on least some level.  His supporting playfellows were brilliant cast, including William Hurt, Demi Moore, Dane cook, and a short but wonderfully sculpted character played by Danielle Panabaker. 

I want to discuss how intricate William Hurt’s take on his role was.  I want to discuss the story line with you, and I want to talk to you about the things left unsaid, and the deliciousness of an antagonist and a protagonist being the one in the same wrapped up so matter of factly in such a brilliant and well played personality.  Alas, I also want you to get the same enjoyment I got out of it, hence I won’t leave any spoilers here.  But do, find your way to the nearest RedBox or get Mr. Brooks in your Netflix queue right away, and let me know what you think.

Kiss Kiss,

Dawngrrl Gametart

Everyone loves Americas favorite wedding singer, Adam Sandler, for his stellar comedic performances in box office hits such as Anger management, The Waterboy, 50 first Dates, and Big Daddy.  His average Joe persona mixed with a unique tone of voice that always sounds a bit like baby talk, or alcoholic induced slur-ege makes a great character foundation for funny films.  The first time I watched “Click”, I was almost offended that a movie with laugh-only expectations brought me to a teary-eyed state of sadness. 

While I hate admitting that I was a victim of emotional response, I have to give Adam snaps for this genre switch, it suits him.   Recently released on video “Reign Over Me” is uncomfortably well done.   Much like bondage (not from experience of course), it’s that your forced to watch even though the longer you do, the more painful it gets but somehow provides a sense of comfort…or morbid curiosity.  I suppose it makes the ending sort of a release, although I still have mental ligature marks. 

My reaction to it notwithstanding, Adam does a bang up and very believable job of being a cool guy trying to survive the emotional effect of deep personal tragedy.    It twisted and whacky, but powerfully heartfelt and sad with tons of emotion invoking moments, all thanks to Mr Funny Man himself.  The supporting cast is brilliant, and includes sexy Liv Tyler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Donald Sutherland. 

It’s still ruminating about in my head and the idea of deciding its rating has me stymied.  The acting is great, but the story was hard to watch in a “I can’t imagine that happening to me or someone I love kind of way.”

Kiss Kiss,

Dawngrrl Gametart

Long before the realities of the world turned my carriage into a pumpkin and before the realization that clicking my heels 3 times would not take me home, and when despite all my efforts, a fairy godmother never responded, I believed in Fairy tales.  

Once in a great while, a movie comes along that inspires all those delicious magical feelings of lands far far far away and an inspirational example of true love and pure good that overcomes all the bad intentions of evil and the heinous acts of the would be wrong doers of the world.  Stardust’s trip to fantasy land was just that spectacular and for 128 minutes, I believed in fairy tales again. 

A “star” studded cast includes screen hotshots Clair Danes who shines like a diamond, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett and Robert De Niro who will steal your heart with his hilarious portrayal of Captain Shakespeare, a rough and tumble sky boat caption with a dirty little secret.  Combined with Charlie Cox as Tristan, the dashing hero, and narration by the most astute of fantasy voices Ian McKellen, the on screen talent was out of this world. 

This was such a bewitching film with an imaginative story, excellent acting and beautiful cinematography set in a vibrant colorful world where anything is possible!  I was truly charmed and recommend you take the time to get a good solid dose of feel good fantasy with Stardust. 

Kiss Kiss

Dawngrrl Gametart

I had heard the grumblings and groaning years ago and even still I never had much of an inclination to see it. Boy Genius had picked it up some time ago on DVD during one of our regular collection trips to Hastings after which it became part of the dusty shelf. It made its way upstairs one night in a 3 option selection of something to watch while we worked on our laptops and went to bed.

I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to “review” this movie. There are no technical, story line, or acting boundaries in which one can lay down some opinion that outweighs the point, other than to say it was very well and very realistically made. The visual retelling of the story is so intense that any debate or picking apart of “good movie attributes” becomes a moot point, and any debate over quality at all is merely a matter of historical true or false for the religious and atheists to brawl over.

Intense is really not strong enough of a word to use when describing the emotion portrayed by the Mary’s (Jesus’ mother and mar Magdalen), the turbulence and internal struggle of the governor, the pain in Judas, the fear in Peter, the poignant revelation and horror of the witnesses, the list goes on even down to the calculated peppering of the perfectly portrayed androgynous Lucifer trying to lure Jesus from his faith. It is these responses to the persecution and crucifixion that lent a powerful and painfully disturbing connection to the movie. A mother watches her son tortured, a woman watches the man she loves brutally beaten, chastised, and heinously murdered.

As with all of Mel’s endeavors, he has a unique way of making severe violence come to realistic life on screen, and does so completely with final days of Christ’s (Jim Caviezel - brilliantly cast) life. The brutality was unmatched - no gratuity, just solid true raw torture. He was tormented and beaten so cruelly that it was horrific to watch. This could have been any known criminal in our day and still the repeated violence was almost unbearable. It’s difficult to imagine, impossible really, that another person would be gleeful and content in the torture of another, as the guards and the angry Jews in Passion of The Christ were. Religious or not, Jesus represents good, love, compassion, and forgiveness, and so the crimes against him are that much greater, that much more unforgivable. I cried.

With regard to the great debate of 2004: no I would not allow my child to watch this movie for any reason. I don’t think any child needs those images for any purpose of religious prominence or historical teachings, or any purpose at all. I recommend you watch it - matured adults with a strong sense of self, but this is not for innocent eyes and hearts.

Aptly named, The Passion of the Christ was powerful, profound, and provoking in every sense and I will never watch it again. I wasn’t converted and I didn’t having a blinding religious experience, but I dont think that was in anyway the intent of this film. Though I do feel…bound now… to this story, both historically and by way of acknowledgement to its religious effects. I feel in sympathy (in my agnostic way of thinking) to all those faithful souls who were heartbroken as they watched this horror all those years ago and to all the pious people who painfully mourned through Mel’s reenactment.

Kiss Kiss

Dawngrrl Gametart