Golden Compass (movie)

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Being friends with Tolkien, not good enough for you?

I'll accept Lewis was a kewl dude in his own way, but I was never wild about the Narnia books (Id read a little) and the movies didnt appeal, no.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi
It's got Kidman and the Bond girl from Casino Royale. Does that count?

Well Id never diss Kidman, but I think Ive still got some films higher on my list.

[DirtyMartini]

Books were pretty good. Like others have said book 1 > books 2 and 3.

I thought the timing of the movie release was interesting given that there have been several recent books by atheists/about atheism at the top of the NYTimes best seller list (God Delusion) etc. Probably just coinincidence though given the lead time required for the movie.

I can't really see how the movie could have anything left after the anti-Chrisitanity bits of the story are taken out. That was pretty much the bones. For one thing, I would think Lyra would have to be completely rewritten. Without the context if her as the anti-chrisitian heroine, she'd come off as a bit of a brat. Might see it just to see how they tackle those issues. That can wait for video thankfully.

Do go see "the mist" though. There's a good anti-religion movie.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Jon Miller

other religions are growing faster than the population growth rate.

JM

QFT

[Elok]

DM, she came across as a horrible brat from the first page anyway. I wanted to smack her for the entire series, just like Holden Caulfield.

[DaShi]

I agree. And it was obvious that Pullman was in love with the character.

[Q Classic]

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi
It's got Kidman and the Bond girl from Casino Royale. Does that count?

It has Daniel Craig too, so it's got Bond himself.

[Nostromo]

Are the books really anti-Christianity or are those Christians who have condemned the books only making fools of themselves?

Man, I'm sick and tired of religious folk who can't seem to get that we live in secular States. They banned the Golden compass books from some school libraries here in Canada, BTW. Don't know if these were public school libraries, though.

Anyway, the movie sounds boring as hell. Talking animals? Talking polar bears? I don't think so...

[Alexander I]

Just saw it with my wife, who has already read all of the books.

I'm still not sure if I loved the movie or hated it. I'm thinking that maybe it's both.

[Elok]

Originally posted by Nostromo
Are the books really anti-Christianity or are those Christians who have condemned the books only making fools of themselves?

No, the books are pretty explicitly anti-religion in general and anti-Xian in particular. The first book concerns a plot by the church to kidnap little kids and rip their souls apart from their bodies, and the third involves the heroes waging war against heaven and God sort of dying in the process. Lucifer is actually praised as a freedom fighter or something, though he's never introduced as a character. Plus Pullman's gone on record dissing C.S. Lewis, etc.

Now, the movie had all the blatant atheist junk removed, it seems, so the Magisterium is presented as some nondescript fascist authority. The Christian community still trashed it for fear that like of the movie would lead little kids to read the books. I guess the lesson is to not half-ass it but to go full steam with the atheism in the now-unlikely event that there's a "Subtle Knife" movie. I might actually watch the unlikelier-still "Amber Spyglass" movie, just to see the Ambiguously Gay Angel Duo. I loved those guys, they were much more entertaining than some tin-plated bear.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Well, they're anti-organized religion, not anti-religion in general. Spirituality comes off pretty well, I think...church groupthink and abuse of power are the real targets.

[Elok]

In America, religion and organized religion are all but synonymous. Certainly for the purposes of this argument; non-organized religions don't form organized boycotts AFAIK.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Well. I think lumping religion and organized religion together just goes toward making fools of themselves, but that's me.

[DirtyMartini]

Originally posted by Elok
DM, she came across as a horrible brat from the first page anyway. I wanted to smack her for the entire series, just like Holden Caulfield.

Agree. But in the context of the anti-Christian theme,, she is the anti-Chrisitan hero who does "bad" stuff (lies, cheats, and steals) and is still good. (Compare her to the Narnia angels). Without that as a backdrop, her brattiness really has no purpose.

Also -- those angels weren't ambiguously gay.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi
Well, they're anti-organized religion, not anti-religion in general. Spirituality comes off pretty well, I think...church groupthink and abuse of power are the real targets.

So my synagogue in Virginia where the services start on time, thats the Eevil, but my synagogue in Baltimore, where everything started late, and on at least one occasion we all stood outside, cause like no one knew who had the KEY we needed, and where they held Purim on the wrong night cause somebody forgot to check a current Jewish calendar, THAT was okay? Or did that not meet proper levels of disorganization?

dont take it personal, but it pisses me off when somebody says theyre "against organized religion" only. My religious tradition involves having a prayer quorom of ten people to say memorial prayers for the dead. To read from a handwritten Torah scroll on Sabbaths and holidays (something each household generally cant afford for itself) And generally doing things together with a community. "Individual spirituality is kewl" is supposed to show that somebodys unbigoted, but it in fact privileges some religious POVS (usually Protestant ones, sometimes east asian ones) over others. I realize that privileging is often unconscious, but it still sucks.

If what you dont like is certain kinds of things associated with certain sects or institutions, then say so.