I went to see
Denzel Washington's latest movie
'The Book Of Eli' the other day, having been somewhat intrigued by the trailers. It was quite a strange experience, actually. While there wasn't much wrong with the movie, I really couldn't say that I enjoyed it very much. I really can't even put my finger on why I didn't enjoy it; it was an intelligently written, well acted, beautifully shot piece of science fiction with philosophical overtones... on paper, it's a movie that could have been made with me specifically in mind. For some reason, though, it just didn't make a connection with me and I left the cinema completely perplexed as to why I didn't enjoy the movie more than I did. I wish I could explain it, but I'm at a loss. It's such a well-made movie, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others... I just couldn't get into it myself for some reason. Weird.
Having had more than a bit of a crappy day yesterday, My Lovely
Fiancée™ and I decided to cheer ourselves up in the evening by watching the
'Meet The Parents' and
'Meet The Fockers' DVDs we got for Christmas back-to-back. It's not that commonly known, but the version of
'Meet The Parents' that most people are familiar with, starring Ben Stiller and Robert De
Niro, is actually a remake of a rather unsuccessful indie movie of the same name made about a decade earlier. I'm afraid I can't do any kind of comparison as the original
'Meet The Parents' had an extremely limited cinema release and has never received a video release, either on VHS or DVD. I'd like to get hold of a copy one day, out of sheer curiosity, but I have a feeling it may be nothing more than a pipe dream. The much more famous remake was notable for the casting of Robert De
Niro in a very rare comedic role. This was something of a coup for the film-makers as it drew a lot of attention to a movie that could easily have been dismissed as just another Ben Stiller film. That's not to say it's not funny; it is a very amusing film and anybody who has ever been in the situation of having to meet their other half's parents for the first time (which, let's face it, is most of us) will be able to empathise with Stiller's character's plight. The humour is not what you'd call high-brow, with a lot of the gags revolving around the fact that the
protagonist's name is 'Gaylord
Focker', but it does mine a universal seam of so-painful-it-can't-help-but-be-funny comedy gold. I do have to say that, seeing as this DVD is promoted as an
'ultimate special edition packed with hilarious extras', the bonus features are actually very thin on the ground. They don't even warrant a second disk! The movie itself, however, doesn't disappoint.
Moving straight on to the sequel, as we did last night, it quickly becomes evident that what you have with
'Meet The Fockers' is that extremely rare thing: a sequel that is actually better than the original. There are more funny lines, the pacing is better and you have that incredible cast. As much as getting Robert De
Niro was something of a coup for
'Meet The Parents', being able to add Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand to the cast for the sequel must have had the film-makers unable to believe their luck. However they managed it, it works extremely well. You totally believe Hoffman and Streisand as both a couple and as Stiller's character's parents. The chemistry between all the members of the cast is what elevates this movie above and beyond your standard comedy sequel fare. I also think that this is a sequel that serves a genuine purpose, as it gives the story a real sense of resolution in a way that the first one didn't. Having said that, I can't help but feel that, if the planned third movie in the series goes ahead, it will really have a hard time not feeling like a totally
unnecessary addition to the story.
I'm sure
'Prince Caspian' has recently become the second most widely read of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books, thanks to it being the only other Narnia tale to date to get a movie adaptation. To me, however, it's just another of my beloved Narnia stories and one that I love just as much as all the others. Re-reading it this week, I've noticed how much Lewis has borrowed plot-wise from Shakespeare. I'm not quite sure how I've missed this before, but there are blatant parallels with both
'Hamlet' and
'the Scottish play' (hot potato, orchestra stalls, Puck will make amends) very much in evidence here. I can't bring myself to make this a criticism, though;
usage of Shakespeare's plots is so widespread in literature that it almost always falls into the homage camp rather than the plagiarism camp. It's great to see all four of the
Pevensie children back from
'The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe' in this book. It makes reading
'Prince Caspian' feel like putting on a comfortable pair of well-loved slippers. Actually, one of the highlights of the book for me is when Peter and Susan find out that they won't ever be able to return to Narnia as they are too old. As a child, I found this part absolutely heartbreaking, imagining how I'd feel if I was told the same thing. My lip still gets a bit quivery, to be honest, even now, as I read this bit, but it's ameliorated by both my adult
perspective and the fact that I've now read
'The Last Battle'. All in all,
'Prince Caspian' is another wonderful chapter in a truly magical series.
I went to see Denzel Washington's latest movie 'The Book Of Eli' the other day, having been somewhat intrigued by the trailers. It was quite a strange experience, actually. While there wasn't much wrong with the movie, I really couldn't say that I enjoyed it very much. I really can't even put my finger on why I didn't enjoy it; it was an intelligently written, well acted, beautifully shot piece of science fiction with philosophical overtones... on paper, it's a movie that could have been made with me specifically in mind. For some reason, though, it just didn't make a connection with me and I left the cinema completely perplexed as to why I didn't enjoy the movie more than I did. I wish I could explain it, but I'm at a loss. It's such a well-made movie, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others... I just couldn't get into it myself for some reason. Weird.
Having had more than a bit of a crappy day yesterday, My Lovely Fiancée™ and I decided to cheer ourselves up in the evening by watching the 'Meet The Parents' and 'Meet The Fockers' DVDs we got for Christmas back-to-back. It's not that commonly known, but the version of 'Meet The Parents' that most people are familiar with, starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, is actually a remake of a rather unsuccessful indie movie of the same name made about a decade earlier. I'm afraid I can't do any kind of comparison as the original 'Meet The Parents' had an extremely limited cinema release and has never received a video release, either on VHS or DVD. I'd like to get hold of a copy one day, out of sheer curiosity, but I have a feeling it may be nothing more than a pipe dream. The much more famous remake was notable for the casting of Robert De Niro in a very rare comedic role. This was something of a coup for the film-makers as it drew a lot of attention to a movie that could easily have been dismissed as just another Ben Stiller film. That's not to say it's not funny; it is a very amusing film and anybody who has ever been in the situation of having to meet their other half's parents for the first time (which, let's face it, is most of us) will be able to empathise with Stiller's character's plight. The humour is not what you'd call high-brow, with a lot of the gags revolving around the fact that the protagonist's name is 'Gaylord Focker', but it does mine a universal seam of so-painful-it-can't-help-but-be-funny comedy gold. I do have to say that, seeing as this DVD is promoted as an 'ultimate special edition packed with hilarious extras', the bonus features are actually very thin on the ground. They don't even warrant a second disk! The movie itself, however, doesn't disappoint.
Moving straight on to the sequel, as we did last night, it quickly becomes evident that what you have with 'Meet The Fockers' is that extremely rare thing: a sequel that is actually better than the original. There are more funny lines, the pacing is better and you have that incredible cast. As much as getting Robert De Niro was something of a coup for 'Meet The Parents', being able to add Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand to the cast for the sequel must have had the film-makers unable to believe their luck. However they managed it, it works extremely well. You totally believe Hoffman and Streisand as both a couple and as Stiller's character's parents. The chemistry between all the members of the cast is what elevates this movie above and beyond your standard comedy sequel fare. I also think that this is a sequel that serves a genuine purpose, as it gives the story a real sense of resolution in a way that the first one didn't. Having said that, I can't help but feel that, if the planned third movie in the series goes ahead, it will really have a hard time not feeling like a totally unnecessary addition to the story. 
I'm sure 'Prince Caspian' has recently become the second most widely read of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books, thanks to it being the only other Narnia tale to date to get a movie adaptation. To me, however, it's just another of my beloved Narnia stories and one that I love just as much as all the others. Re-reading it this week, I've noticed how much Lewis has borrowed plot-wise from Shakespeare. I'm not quite sure how I've missed this before, but there are blatant parallels with both 'Hamlet' and 'the Scottish play' (hot potato, orchestra stalls, Puck will make amends) very much in evidence here. I can't bring myself to make this a criticism, though; usage of Shakespeare's plots is so widespread in literature that it almost always falls into the homage camp rather than the plagiarism camp. It's great to see all four of the Pevensie children back from 'The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe' in this book. It makes reading 'Prince Caspian' feel like putting on a comfortable pair of well-loved slippers. Actually, one of the highlights of the book for me is when Peter and Susan find out that they won't ever be able to return to Narnia as they are too old. As a child, I found this part absolutely heartbreaking, imagining how I'd feel if I was told the same thing. My lip still gets a bit quivery, to be honest, even now, as I read this bit, but it's ameliorated by both my adult perspective and the fact that I've now read 'The Last Battle'. All in all, 'Prince Caspian' is another wonderful chapter in a truly magical series.
2 comments:
3rd movie is confirmed. 'Little Fockers'. Out next summer.
I knew it was in the works, but I've learnt over the years never to count a movie as a 100% sure thing until it actually appears in the cinemas.
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