(no subject)

[rymenhild]

Via ortsorfragments: The extended preview of The Golden Compass.

Five minutes isn't enough to tell whether the movie's perfect, but it's enough to show us the world as the filmmakers imagine it, and the world looks right. Look at their Oxford: it's recognizably, absolutely Oxford, and it has zeppelins. Look at everyone's clothing. (Well, don't look at Nicole Kidman's clothing; that sparkly gold thing seems several decades off from where it ought to be.) Look at Lee Scoresby and Roger and Lord Asriel. (I have my doubts about Serafina and Iorek and the gyptians.) Look at Lyra, young and clear-eyed and courageous, watching everything all of the time.

At least we have a chance of one decent movie based on a book I love this winter.

Comments

[ajodasso.livejournal.com]

...I was going to say, Kidman's clothing strikes me as distinctly Not Right. Also, the zeppelins are a bit too "futuristic" looking in design; if they'd toned down those tail-fins just a little, they'd fit in a lot better.

I have my doubts about Asriel, Serafina, the Gyptians - as for Iorek, I need to see more. I'd call Lyra and Oxford the only things that feel spot-on to me so far. The daemons still worry me a little, but then, they haven't really shown much of them. Asriel just makes me cringe - is that the guy from the newest James Bond movie? Why?

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I don't have that problem with Asriel because I haven't seen the newest James Bond movie. He doesn't look like James Bond to me.

To be honest, though, of everything in the film, the thing that matters most to me is Oxford, because I know it and I love it, and the trailer Oxford looks like Oxford.

[ajodasso.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen it, either - only the previews. Even in those few clips, listening to him deliver the lines, it doesn't sound like Asriel. So it has nothing to do with me thinking he looks like James Bond, actually.

I think Nicole Kidman is good for the role she's in, though.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I'm realizing why I'm so enthusiastic about this trailer. I mean, I may have problems with the idea of Marisa Coulter in a gown that doesn't look like 1910, but at least she's recognizably behaving in a manner appropriate to Marisa Coulter. There are tiny nagging details that bother me in the trailer -- but for the most part, that trailer shows that the filmmakers have read and care deeply about the book. Because I'm heartbroken about the upcoming Dark is Rising film fiasco, I'm willing to give The Golden Compass a number of free passes for making a good-faith attempt at depicting the original story.

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

While there are a few things here and there I might have done differently, and when I see it I will undoubtedly wish they'd made some different choices, all in all, everything I've heard about these movies has been good, and I'm breathless with anticipation for seeing it. I mean, there are things about the LotR trilogy that are far from perfect, but all in all, it's a masterful effort as an adaptation and they're also highly worthy movies in and of themselves... and that's pretty much what I'm expecting from these.

The fact that the author is completely gung-ho for the movies (as opposed to being, well, publically neutral and/or discreet about something they may hate but which will, ultimately, make them a fair bit of money whether they like it or not) is also a positive sign. He talks about them not just in interviews, but on a children's lit e-mail group I'm on, and he thinks they're amazing. Pullman has always been good about keeping an open mind for (and his hands off of) other people's interpretations of his work (specifically when it comes to literary criticism, anyway).

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Fascinating. So where is this children's lit email group?

[bluesbell.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I very much like the look of the trailer. I love that Nicole Kidman is Mrs Coulter- I always thought she'd be perfect for that role.
My only complaint is that Lee Scoresby looks way too old to me. I don't remember if the books said anything very specific about his age, but I imagined he'd be in his early forties or something.

[cupenny.livejournal.com]

... wow

Yeah, it does look like they did their best to follow the books, and follow the spirit of the books, so they're getting a bit more leeway from me on the parts that aren't going to be exact.

That said, the trailer looks lovely- and it may totally make up for the horror of That Other Movie.

[jezrana.livejournal.com]

...Thre are a couple of things that make me go "whaaat?", among them Lee Scoresby's balloon, which I'd always thought of as a regular hot-air balloon and not a weird steampunk whatsit affair.

That said? Eeeeee. Eeeee.

[larryhammer]

Oooo. Sweeeeet. This movie, I'm enthusiastic for.

Serafina seems on, though I too have doubts about the Gyptians. Asriel, we don't get enough of for me to judge. Lyra, though, is ON.

---L.

[meadb.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope it's good enough to make up for all those camera crews being in my way every time I needed to use to Bodleian (grumble, grumble, grumble). But after seeing the trailer, I am pretty excited...

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Heh. No wonder they got Oxford right!

Gorey icons?

[lyonessnyc.livejournal.com]

Excuse me. This is apropos of nothing in the post I'm commenting to. You don't know me, but many people have credited you on their icon pages for making their awesome Gorey icons.

Do you have a Gorey generator program, or do you do them all by hand? I've seen a half-dozen so far today (all on shaenon's blog, attached to her wonderful Trek/Gorey parody), and they all credit you.

Help? If you don't have an autobot to make them, could you possibly point me at the font and source images? I could probably scan my Gashlycrumb Tinies, too, to make one while I'm thinking of it.

Anyway, big compliments on the icons. Very spiffy!

Re: Gorey icons?

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you. I made the icons by hand one day when I felt especially full of ennui. The font is Gorey, here, and I found all the pictures via various searches on images.google.com. I can't trace them all at the moment, but there's quite a lot of Gorey's work available on the Web. The Gashlycrumb Tinies may be seen here.

Re: Gorey icons?

[lyonessnyc.livejournal.com]

Thank you thank you! Ooh, the font even works on Macs, yippee!

I think I shall be iconmaking later. Thank you again.

I hope you saw shaenon's Gorey tribute -- it was glorious.