The Golden Compass (2007)

               The Golden Compass             

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  After overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it’s part of her destiny. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Sam Elliott co-star in this fantasy-laden family adventure based on the first book of the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials.

REVIEW:  I never expected that all the fascinating detail of Philip Pullman’s novel could be fully translated into film.  That said, Weitz and crew did an fair job of whittling the often confusing narrative of the first book into a straightforward plot line. It’s just that, well, he ended up not doing a very good job of telling the story. There’s a lot to tell, granted, but segments are stuck end-to-end in jarring succession, character development receives barely a nod, and some of the most important elements of plot and theme are trivialized. The “daemons” so crucial to the essence of Pullman’s story are here described as a part of a person’s soul, in animal form, living outside their body.  A necessary simplification, perhaps, but rendered in cutesy Disneyesque fashion, minimizing their power and significance.  Quite disappointing…but I must say, the armored bears are definitely cool.

Nicole Kidman is perfectly cast as the icy and vicious Mrs Coulter, the prime mover in the sinister Ministerium’s plot to kidnap children, take them to the Far North, and render them separate from their daemons (thus keeping them “safe”).  Daniel Craig, while a strong presence as Lyra’s uncle-protector and estimable opponent of the Coulter/Ministerium agenda, appears only briefly.  His character plays a larger role in the later books of Pullman’s trilogy.

Overall I enjoyed the movie, just wish it had been better executed. I would like to see the other two books in Pullman’s trilogy, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, brought to film. Unfortunately, The Golden Compass did abysmally at the box office, and the series’ film future is undecided.  Doesn’t look too bright, though.

3.5 stars
Kym

Harvie Krumpet (2003)

              Harvie Krumpet             

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  Geoffrey Rush voices the titular character in this claymation film about the life of a man who has terrible luck. Even after being born with Tourette’s Syndrome, losing a testicle, getting struck by lightning and developing Alzheimer’s disease, however, Harvie is still able to look on the bright side of life and appreciate the valuable things he’s seen and learned along the way. This film won of the Best Animated Short Oscar in 2003.

REVIEW:  I unabashedly love this odd little gem from Australia. Harvie’s not for everyone, though, as the reviews at Netflix will attest. It’s a darkly comic parable, perhaps a bit obvious on the surface, but endearing nonetheless. Geoffrey Rush’s softly nuanced narration strikes just the right tone of empathy. Poor Harvie’s life is incredibly unfortunate, but I had many laugh-out-loud moments, mostly from the “fakts” displayed between segments, and delightful bits of animation.

At 23 minutes, Harvie Krumpet is perfect to Watch Instantly; unfortunately, Netflix hasn’t yet made it available in that form. The film seems to be largely unavailable by the usual method either, as it’s been in my Q for months on Very Long Wait. I caught it on cable, and thus missed the extra shorts on the DVD — apparently character sketches of Harvie’s relatives — which other reviewers say are even better than the main story.

5 stars
Kym

Besieged (1998)

             Besieged             

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  An African medical student exiled in Italy, keeps house for Mr. Kinsky, an English pianist and composer. When he besieges her with declarations of his love, can she make him sacrifice all to rescue her political prisoner husband?

REVIEW:  I am generally an unabashed fan of Bernardo Bertulucci, and I even loved the mostly critically panned Stealing Beauty. So, since I love his work so much and am largely willing to forgive the faults of his point of view, I’m going to start with the good.

Few films can compare with Besieged in terms of pure visual beauty. Press the pause button on almost any frame, and you will see a work of art worthy of hanging in your home. Lustrous hues, exquisitely wrought shadows and an eye for lighting that must make even Ridley Scott weep; even the dust motes floating on a ray of sunlight help construct an intricate piece of art. Besieged is almost worth seeing just for the quality of the direction and cinematography.

Unfortunately, the story neither elevates the incredible visual quality of the film, nor is it elevated by it. As Ebert says in his review, every plot point exists merely to further the shallow, almost insulting storyline. The fact that Shandurai’s husband languishes in an African jail, the victim of some petty dictator, has nothing to do with anything, except to make the housekeeper more titillatingly unavailable. When Mr. Kinsky, the employer, begins to sell his art collection to finance the husband’s defense, it seems to be more about trading in all his other objects of beauty in order to purchase another, human, object. I’m going to cut Bertolucci a break and assume that he means for the audience to see this as a romantic, humanitarian gesture, but it doesn’t come across that way to me. If Bertolucci hadn’t chosen to grant Mr. Kinsky so much power over Shandurai, I think this would have been a beautiful film about love. Instead, he reduces it to a rather adolescent sexual fantasy, except, considering that he is a director who usually films sex with unabashed frankness, there isn’t even much of a payoff, except that we get to see Thandie Newton’s breasts at the end.

So, while I can mildly recommend this movie for its visual artistry, I’m afraid the lowbrow plot keeps this Bertolucci film from standing up next to The Dreamers, Last Tango in Paris and The Last Emperor as a great movie.

3 stars
Lori