Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is possibly the best movie adaptation of a novel I have ever seen. I was worried that like the Lord of the Rings they would have to sacrifice some of the secondary stories to fit within it's 2 hour 20 minute running time but that does not appear to be the case. Somehow everything is there, and it all works.

Anyone familiar with the BBC Narnia series may be happy (or possibly sad) to know that gone are the 4 foot tall beavers and odd wolves that always seem to stand on their hind legs, not to mention the complete and utter lack of badly hand draw Griffons, Phoenix' and other flying creatures. Instead all the talking characters are replaced with CGI that is second to none. It's so well done that it's almost impossible to tell where the CGI animal begins and the real one ends. That goes double for the human hybrids such as the centaurs and fawns.

The acting, both voice and the traditional kind, is just perfectly done. It's always a bit of a gamble when the leads are all children but they all seem to fit into their characters seamlessly. And Tilda Swinton does just an amazing job as the White Witch no matter if she is just riding around on her sleigh or in the midst of a sword fight.

While there are a few scenes which are very dark and could be scary for younger viewers, the theatre I was in was filled with kids of all ages and none of them seemed to have too much of a problem with it. This was probably aided by the fact that most seemed familiar with the story and knew how everything would turn out.

I have no doubt that this will be just the first of the Narnia books made into a major motion picture and while they may not make all seven, I wouldn't be surprised to see 'Prince Caspian' some time in early 2007. There will be a lot of people anxiously waiting. I wonder if Warwick Davis will be available.

5 out of 5
(although I know for a fact MacDaddy disagrees)

Friday December 9

Well, the club may be back in full swing. This is two weeks in a row where we've managed to have an outing. This weeks movie was of course, The Chronicles of Narnia.

And once again, although it's already 3 o'clock, just to make it official:

Movie: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

Time: 10:35
Place: South Keys Cinemas

Movie Review: Just Friends

'Just Friends' was so close to being a really good comedy that it almost hurts. Of the entire cast, only Reynolds, Marquette, Smart and Ewanuick are worth watching. With the exception of Amy Matysio's, 'Darla', (who has so little actual dialogue that I don't group her in with the other four), all the other characters are poorly written and in most cases even more poorly acted.

Anna Faris is extremely miscast as the 'Britney Spears' character. She just doesn't have the necessary look to make it believable. And Chris Klein, while not my favourite actor, may also just be unlucky enough to have to share half of his scenes with a group of kids who, if they represent the up and comers in Hollywood today, just help show why Dakota Fanning seems to be in so many movies these days (that sounded mean just typing it but trust me, it had to be said).

Essentially, if you go to the washroom, snackbar or leave to make a phone call whenever someone besides the original four actors I mentioned are on the screen, you'll get to see a great comedy with good jokes and great deliveries. If, like me however, you tend to stay in your seat and watch the whole thing, you'll spend much of your time muttering the phrase "why God, why" to yourself.

I would like to give this movie a 3 out of 5 (or possibly a four if I could manage to cut all the other actors out of my memory) but I just can't.

2.5 out of 5

Friday December 2

Has it really been that long since our last outing?

I guess it has. Someone really has to put a stop to all this 'work' thing and focus on what is really important on Fridays, blowing off a couple hours in the middle of the day to watch cheesy comedies or gore filled horrors (and the occasional Scarlett Johanson flick).

Since I had free passes to Aeon Flux last night (watchable but not the greatest sci-fi movie ever made) it looks like the movie for today will be Just Friends.


Time: 1:15
Place: Silver City (of course since I'm actually writing this on Monday, it's probably a little late for anyone to join, but I figured I may as well make it look official)