*Sigh*....not really a surprise, but still sucks to hear it...

Plans for a sequel to fantasy film The Golden Compass have reportedly been axed following a series of protests from the Catholic Church.

Scholars slammed the children's movie last year for being anti-God and anti-religion - and even officials at The Vatican stepped in to criticise the film, which stars Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman.

Now author Philip Pullman, who wrote the His Dark Materials trilogy the film was based on, has confirmed he has not been contacted over a follow-up, adding to industry speculation a second installment will not be made.

He says, "When the first film was in production, I was talking to the studio and to (writer/director) Chris Weitz and producers quite frequently. I'm sure I would be now if the sequel was in production."

But he admits he still has high hopes for another film: "I know everyone would like to see a sequel and I know I'd like to see it."

Film studio New Line Cinema is refusing to discuss the future of the trilogy.

The only possible good that can come from this is that I won't have to worry myself with questions like "will that scene be left in there?" or "will the person they cast as so-and-so do a good job?".

Cover Art for DVDs of "The Golden Compass" released

^^Snazzy

^^boring

the first is the two disc collector's edition, and the second is the single disc edition. I'll probably buy one of them, but I'm still hoping that they'll release an extended edition or director's cut (UNLESS they make the sequels...). The DVD hits stores sometime in April.

New Line Cinema may film the "Golden Compass" sequels after all!!!

now that those idiots in charge of the first production are getting thrown out, this would be a good thing. And no offense to director Chris Weitz, but I hope they get another director (though I wouldn't mind Weitz adapting the screenplays..).

Golden Compass reaches 246 million in worldwide profits!!

we could actually get The Subtle Knife filmed after all!!! In the article linked below, it lists the films overseas profits as 187 million. This is true, so just add the 59 million it made here and of course you get = 246.

The Numbers

Golden Compass' box office points overseas

The film easily took the number 1 spot at the box office with $26.1 million in sales, but this was a bit of a disappointment considering the $180 million dollar budget. New Line was hoping for an opening in the range of $30-40 million. However, the film got a much warmer reception internationally (surprising...not really...) with $55 million. With X-mas break approaching, I just hope Compass can have a lot of "legs" and make more money and that the overseas profit helps the film break even. Dammit I want to see the other two books get made into movies!!!

The Golden Compass - REVIEW (the day of judgement)

I could structure a meticulous and really well written review....or I could just do this:

The Bad: at times it's too fast paced for it's own good. When Lyra goes with Mrs. Coulter (Kidman) she discovers too quickly that she's a psycho-bitch. There isn't enough time to really be seduced by Mrs. Coulter's charms and worldliness. Also, the change of Serafina (Eva Green) first appearence feels a little random (basically she just pops out of the sky and tests Lyra before she can catch her breath). One or two of Dakota Blue Richard's lines come out kind of bad. Other characters (well, really just Lee Scoresby/Sam Elliot) appear a little too conveniently. The switch of two key action sequences (bear fight and the rescue of the kids) opens up room for some small plot holes.

- some nuances/developments are weakened (Lyra learns to read the aletiometer pretty damn fast) but it could never be as good as the book so it's not too bothersome.

- that original song still sucks, though it's not as godawful as when I first listened to it online)

The Good:
- first, it looks GORGEOUS. Everything. Absolutely everything. Pullman's inventive world has been stunningly brought to life on screen. The blend of real people, daemons, armored bears, flying witches, and fantastic landscapes is seamless save for one split second shot of Lyra next to a group of armored bears during the big fight(though that's 100% forgivable).

- The script doesn't try to force the star studded adult cast in too much (the book and its sequels have ALWAYS been Lyra's story above all). They have small amounts of screen time, but they are effective and wonderfully done. Nicole Kidman and Ian McKellan (best. voice. ever.) are two superb standouts, with Sam Elliot in 3rd place.

- Dakota Blue Richards kicks ass. Aside from that handful of lines mentioned above, she's wonderful (I'm not talking award worthy or anything) especially considering she's never acted before. She blows all the Potter and Narnia kids (on their first attempts) out of the water. I was most excited about seeing Nicole Kidman in this movie, because I knew she could do the role the right way. I had huge doubts about Richards based on her monotone in the trailer but even when Kidman was off screen for big stretches, I was never disappointed to see her go; Richards was completely worth watching.

- A key scene (no spoilers...let's just call it "the intercision") near the end helps make most of the breakneck speed become nothing to worry about because it's so nerve wracking. It's like the emotional connection you have with Lyra sneaks up on you, and you don't realize how much you care until this scene comes about.

- As a die hard fan, I was PISSED about the ending "shift" (the last 3 chapters of GC will now start the second movie--the Subtle Knife(2009)..if it is made--for continuities' sake) but I actually thought it worked well and I wasn't disappointed (though I knew about it 2 months before now..many fans probably don't know) and the last shot is a visual dazzler and makes you hungry for the next installment, even in our sequel drenched cinemas.

- The small group of actors who play the key "Magisterium" officials (Derek Jacobi, Tom Courtenay, Christopher Lee) are all very effective.

- after expecting to be let down by Desplat's score, I really thought it was very pretty if at times too loud.

side note: was it ever going to be as good as the book? Duh..no....

Grade: A- (though I can understand and respect why other might think it deserves a much lower grade)

Nominations: Best Supporting Actress - Nicole Kidman (#3) Best Supporting Actor: Ian McKellan(#5) Best Adapted Screenplay (#5 I never EVER thought I would give it this...)Best Editing: (#5) Best Cinematography (#1 WINNER) Best Art Direction (#1 WINNER) Best Costume Design (#1 or 2 WINNER..?)Best Original Score - Alexandre Desplat(#2) Best Sound (#1 WINNER) Best VFX (#1 WINNER)

Christmas has come early(for this His Dark Materials fan at least)...

Kenneth Turran of The LA Time RAVES The Golden Compass

good to see another strong review from our side of the pond from a well respected critic and not some back of the alley website (....like mine...hehehehe). Though the review makes it seem as though Mr. Turran has read the books, he doesn't mention the ending change (although films and books are different mediums so maybe...whatever I'm not a mindreader). Anyways, he really has nothing bad to say about except

- Daniel Craig's role is brief.



.....that's it. Yes he says that the deeper philosophical/religious concepts and the nuances won't be as strong as they are in the book BUT they remain intact enough so that it still works.

The positive:

-...um.......almost everything but these two standout..:

1. " Much more friendly, at least on the surface, is the ice queen Mrs. Coulter (a delicious turn for Kidman)"



and

2. "Of all the people whom Lyra bonds with, however, the most exciting, as he is in the book, is that majestic, bad-tempered but fiercely loyal fighting bear Iorek Byrnison. McKellen's captivating performance might be the most memorable pure voice work since James Earl Jones took on Darth Vader."



Here's the whole thing: LA Times Review



by the way, the film has been fluctuating in the 40-50 range on rottentomatoes, but as of a grand total of 5 minutes ago, I've sworn off looking at the site(that bad reviews don't say anything new now), and for the most part any site that would have reviews for my oh-so-curious brain. That said, I think's it's nice to do this on a (VERY) high note.....and yes, I acknowledge that what I'm doing is extreme and pretty silly but hell, why not. I am a deranged His Dark Materials Trilogy fan and by GOD (ironically) I am proud of it! If I had a heart this would be the perfect time for me to sew it on my sleeve...

First 5 minutes of The Golden Compass

well, this does confirm that Dakota Blue Richards was a great find for Lyra. The way she carries herself through the whole "lying" sequence with the Gyptian kids is exactly how the Lyra in the books would've acted.

US Catholic Bishops ENDORSE "The Golden Compass"

...wow...that is impressive. Of their commentary/review (they also liked the film a lot), these two paragraphs really stood out for me:


"To the extent ... that Lyra and her allies are taking a stand on behalf
of free will in opposition to the coercive force of the Magisterium,
they are of course acting entirely in harmony with Catholic teaching.
The heroism and self-sacrifice that they demonstrate provide appropriate
moral lessons for viewers."

"Is Pullman trying to undermine anyone's belief in God? Leaving the
books aside, and focusing on what has ended up on-screen, the script can
reasonably be interpreted in the broadest sense as an appeal against the
abuse of political power. Will seeing this film inspire teens to read
the books, which many have found problematic? Rather than banning the
movie or books, parents might instead take the opportunity to talk
through any thorny philosophical issues with their teens."

ah, and somewhere, Bill Donahue (head of the Catholic League) is crying himself to sleep.

Full Review

"Hollywood Reporter" and "Variety"

and, like almost EVERY MOVIE, they disagree. Variety's is negative (though not scathing), a surprisingly gives Kidman her first review that isn't glowing (though it seems his problem is more with the way the character is written). Hollywood Reporter is much more positive, only citing that some characters pop up a bit too suddenly (ie: the "jumpy editing" problem) but overall the film is a success.

Variety

Hollywood Reporter

this changes the tally to 9 good vs 3 bad

Early tally: majority of Golden Compass reviews are good!

so far reviews have come from these sources

The Bad:
The London Times
Time Out (never, ever heard of it)

The Good:
The Sun
Emmanuel Levy
Fox News (which is.....surprising...)
The Daily Mail
The Telegraph
The Guardian
This Is London

Though yes, more negative reviews will eventually arrive, all signs point to a generally good consensus on the film. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Emmanuel Levy's Review of The Golden Compass

so, the first major US critic has a review and it's....good *whew*! He gives the film "B" and says that the original ideas and good characters outweigh the flaws in the direction and editing. He also says the film is lifted by "uniformly high level acting" and that Dakota Blue Richards (Lyra) does a really good job (fyi, he's read the books and loves them).

Emmanuel Levy's Review

5 new Golden Compass clips!

I couldn't find them on youtube, so here's the link to the whole collection of them. I just hope your computer has better speakers than mine...I could barely make out what was being said...(that aside, it looks great)

5 new clips

Golden Compass TV Ads 8 and 9

8 is pretty good, and the much hated "just let them try and stop us" line of dialogue actually doesn't sound that bad.


9.....well # 9 is just flat out great.

4 Golden Compass clips.

And my favorite....

The Guardian gives The Golden Compass 4/5 stars! YAY!

Looks like critics who haven't read the book (ie: most of them) seem to like the film better than those who have (The London Times writer gave it 2/5 and praised some aspects but said it couldn't live up to the magic of the books). If the praise the reviewer bestows on Nicole Kidman is echoed in other reviews, her chances at getting a Best Supporting Actress nomination are going to skyrocket.

The Guardian reviews The Golden Compass

Another "Golden Compass" review and it's generally comforting

This is from Bridge To The Stars.com, which could more or less be described as "His Dark Material"'s most official website. They say that the performances are surprisingly good, but they think that at times there could have been a tad more coherence between scenes. However in the end (well...actually they summarize in the beginning...) the say that the film as a whole is very enjoyable. Since the site would probably have a tendency to be somewhat more "purist" in approach, I think it will be easier for me to enjoy the film.

The Review!

Another "Golden Compass" review and it's more positive!!

unfortunately, I don't have the review itself (in a day or so hopefully) but someone on the IMDb message boards saw it in a Spanish Magazine. Here's what the user said about the magazine's comments on the movie!!

"I have read an spanish magazine "Imagenes" and they comment like if they have seen it. They like it, and they say the best is the cgi because it's really realistic, you don't realise you are viewing "cartoon". And the bad think for the magazine is the violence!! They say the there is no necessity for this story to be so violen, they say the film show "Disagreeable scenes". They say Witz have tone the film for a teen/adutl view and absolutely not for children.!! But they say the film it's really new, a fresh air to the fantastic cinema, they love it. (apart for the violence).The best think for them is the part SPOILER........


when Lyra is to be separeted from her daemon. And they also say the city of London is really great, diferent, mystic and another caracther to the story.. They also say they have done a complicated story, not for childre, that is difficult to understand, which I thing is great.


So, I thing it's very good news. I have to say the magazine is well respected in spain..."


YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

first review for The Golden Compass

the reviewer seems to like the movie overall, but he just seems surprised that big stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig have such limited screen time (she is supporting and Craig's character doesn't have many scenes in the book in the first place). Obviously he hasn't read the book but that's okay. He also says that Dakota Blue Richards is good as Lyra but that she sometimes falters with the Cockney accent. He also says that some of the dialogue is a bit stilted but he gives good marks to the production values, the special effects, Sam Elliot (yay!!!), and even director Chris Weitz who he says "proves he can handle big CGI sequences". I still take this review with a grain of salt though because The Telegraph also gave Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix a mixed review while I thought it was flat out fantastic. Let's hope the same is true here.

The Telegraph's Review

New TV Spot CONFIRMS PG-13 rating for The Golden Compass! WOOO!!

5 more TV spots for The Golden Compass were unveiled today, with the last 3 having a nice piece of news: the film is rated PG-13 for "sequences of fantasy violence". *whew* Now, TGC isn't as "action-y" as say, The Lord of the Rings, but it does have its fair share of action scenes, which all deserve to have justice done to them. A PG-13 rating should ensure this seeing as it allows for a much higher level of violence that would be necessary for the big polar bear fight near the film's end. It's nice to see that the film hasn't been turned into another Narnia, or worse, Eragon *shudder*. Anyways, here's the best of the tv spots that features "rated PG-13" stuck on at the end.

The only weird thing about these ads is that New Line obviously wants to try and make the movie feels accessible, so the marketing (though not the structure of the film) has been altered into the "the quest for powerful object x." However, it's perfectly fine seeing as in one of the other spots (it might have been 3, 4, or 5..maybe 7...) we can hear Mrs. Coulter mentioning "the authority" which is good news for anyone fretting that religion had been completely wiped from the story (it never was completely removed, just toned down a notch).