Things get more emotional, and more intense, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This is the fourth and middle installment in J.K. Rowling’s seven-part series, and it is, in a sense, the fulcrum on which the entire saga rests. Each of the previous stories concerned a mystery that took place over the course of an entire school year, but despite a few loose threads here or there, the mysteries were basically resolved in the end. This new story... Read more
My review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is now up at CT Movies. Apparently it was there all day yesterday, but I hadn’t expected them to post it until today, since today is technically the release date. But I note that many other reviews were published early, too — apparently because of the midnight screenings. Read more
Just got home from seeing the film version of Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent. It isn’t kosher to review films before the date of release, so I won’t comment on the movie itself just yet. But for what it’s worth, I reviewed the live theatrical version for BC Christian News seven years ago, and I hadn’t seen, heard or thought about it at all since then — so it was interesting how, at a couple points in the film, the characters... Read more
That’s what Left Behind producer Peter Lalonde apparently said to the New York Times about the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia movie. Personally, I’d be surprised if he’d even seen the movie, so this may be one of those out-of-context things. But still… I mean, I’d be very happy to say there’s nothing biblical about the Left Behind movies, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say there is nothing Christian about them. Objectively, of course, there is. It may... Read more
My preview of the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, featuring junket interviews with Joaquin Phoenix, Waylon Payne, Reese Witherspoon and director James Mangold, is now up at CT Movies. Read more
He sang gospel songs, but he also wrote darker tunes like the one in which he assumed the persona of someone who shot a man “just to watch him die.” He was a country star who found his greatest success after he teamed up with a producer of rap albums. He produced a haunting music video shortly before his death at 70 that offered a stark, unflinching look at human mortality, yet he had — and continues to have —... Read more
Variety reports that AnnaSophia Robb — the young co-star of Because of Winn-Dixie (my junket report; my review) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — will star in an adaptation of Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia. Robb will play Leslie Burke, the progressive thinker and athletic girl next door who introduces a boy named Jess Aarons to an imaginary world. I was a huge, huge fan of this book in Grade 6. I bought a copy for myself after Miss... Read more
Here are the figures for the past weekend, arranged from those that owe the highest percentage of their take to the Canadian box office to those that owe the lowest. Water — CDN $494,516 — N.AM $494,516 — 100%Pride & Prejudice — CDN $337,629 — N.AM $2,804,000 — 12.0%The Legend of Zorro — CDN $4,268,428 — N.AM $39,489,000 — 10.8%Prime — CDN $1,967,115 — N.AM $18,998,000 — 10.4%Derailed — CDN $1,266,926 — N.AM $12,800,000 — 9.9%Jarhead — CDN $4,047,817 —... Read more
Eight weeks ago, KongIsKing.net posted a “production diary” QuickTime file on all the work that Howard Shore was putting into composing and conducting the score for Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong. Four weeks ago, Shore was dropped from the project and replaced by someone else. Now, this week, KongIsKing.net has posted a “production diary” on all the work that James Newton Howard is putting into composing and conducting the score for Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong. Very interesting.... Read more
Whew. Yesterday was Harry Potter marathon day. In the morning, my sister and I caught a preview of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which I will review later this week. Then, we joined a few friends for a DVD marathon of the first three movies in the series. I was amazed, once again, to see how the children have grown up — not just Harry and Ron and Hermione, but Neville and Seamus and Fred and George and... Read more
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