23rd
June
2008
This movie has kinda crept up on us without a lot of buzz or hype - the new CGI Star Wars movie which will be released on August 14th in Australia (one day before America). I first saw the preview in the cinema just a couple of weeks ago but before that hadn’t heard anything about it. Apparently this will be the lead in to a new series on Cartoon Network.
Here’s the preview which I just found at Hello Internet. As Ben points out it’s a bit strange seeing Lucasfilm and Star Wars with a Warner Bros intro instead of 20th century fox
Tags : Movies, star wars, trailer, Video, youtube
Categories : Movies, Video |
26th
May
2008
Went and saw the 4th instalment in this series yesterday with my brothers and dad. Don’t have time to write a full review but my advice is that if you even mildly enjoyed the other movies, you should definitely go see this one. It recaptures the whole vibe and feel of the series well, and the storyline and action sequences are what we should expect from the team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. They include plenty of in-jokes and references to their other movies - and not just the Indiana Jones ones - even Close Encounters and Star Wars get a look in. Harrison Ford does well, slipping back into the character like into a comfortable old suit. And they manage his advancing age very smoothly - at no point does the age factor seem stupid or unbelievable. So go see it - a fun and nostalgic way to spend a couple of hours.
Now we’re just waiting for the Lego Indiana Jones computer game to be released. Owen especially can’t wait to see that one…
Tags : Games, indiana jones, lego, Movies
Categories : Games, Movies |
21st
May
2008
Along similar lines to my last entry about wild west cowboys to be blamed for legalism in 20th century evangelical/fundamentalist churches, one of my favourite bloggers Fred the slacktivist weighs in with his take on C.S. Lewis’ book Prince Caspian :
I haven’t seen Prince Caspian yet, but since it was the “No. 1 Movie” this weekend, let’s revisit what that wonderful little book was about:
Prince Caspian is about beer.
He then goes on to quote Lewis from Mere Christianity discussing this very issue of legalism, especially relating to alcohol. And Lewis, as you may or may not know, enjoyed his beer. Fred’s interpretation of Prince Caspian is that the bad guys (Telmarines) represent excessively legalistic “anti-beer Christians” and the mission of the Pevensie children is to help Caspian and Aslan restore joy and wildness to the land.
It’s a long long time since I’ve read the book, and I’m also yet to see the movie (not sure when it comes out here in Australia) but it’s an interesting take on a classic children’s book. I’ll have to try and revisit it sometime soon.
You can read Fred’s post here.
Tags : beer, books, c s lewis, Christianity, fundamentalism, Movies, narnia
Categories : Blogs, Christianity, Movies, books |
5th
May
2008
We watched a couple of movies over the weekend, both of which I quite enjoyed, although for different reasons. I’ll just mention them briefly and you can check them out if you want.
Into the Wild was the first one. This is a true story of a young guy named Chris who, upon college graduation, decides to leave his troubled family life behind and disappear, living life as a “supertramp.” 
Ultimately he finishes up living a solitary existence in an abandoned bus in the wilds of Alaska, but on the way we share in his journeys across America and the people and places he encounters. As the story progresses we learn more of the back story of his home life that led to him doing this, and also of the anguish of those he left behind. This is a brilliant movie - one of the best I’ve seen in a long while. Amazing scenery combined with fantastic performances as the odd-ball characters that Chris encounters along the way. It is a classic road movie but with an emotional intensity and depth few road movies can match. Nevertheless it’s added further fuel to my burning desire to get out and travel again, particularly to America - I just can’t wait to get back over there!
The icing on the cake of this already excellent movie is the wonderful soundtrack by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder - a bunch of original acoustic folky songs that fit perfectly with this film. I got this soundtrack (from iTunes ironically) last year before my last trip to Africa and have been looking forward to seeing the movie ever since.
Briefly, the other movie we watched was Run, Fatboy, Run! This is an English take on a romantic comedy formula you’ve probably seen at least half a dozen times before. You know, the one where the slightly screwed up nice guy who goes for regular visits with his child meets the new boyfriend of the child’s mum, who he is still carrying a torch for. The new guy is always “perfect” on paper - wealthy, good looking, great job, apparently good with kids. And then the rest of the movie shows how the dad works at keeping his kid, regaining the love of the mother, and generally proving that he’s at heart a better man than Mr Perfect. Run fatboy, run takes that tested formula and delivers it in the manner of the standard British comedy, set in London with a range of colourful supporting characters. Simon Pegg does a good job as Dennis, the main character, and he’s well supported by a good cast including Hank Azaria who plays the American interloper Mr Perfect (”Whit”). Interestingly, this movie was directed by David Schwimmer (who I assume is the same guy as Ross from Friends?), yet it still retains that British film-making feel. It’s a predictable movie, but still worth watching for a bit of fun.
Tags : into the wild, Movies, run fatboy run
Categories : Movies, music |
