Movie Reviews

Word of the Post
Today's word is: prestidigitation
/pres`ti*dig`i*ta"tion/, noun
This is a combination of the French word for nimble, and the Latin for finger; sleight of hand, manual dexterity in the execution of tricks.
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Speaking of magic, I have been dwelling on many areas of the subject. My friends joke with me about my "religious studies", but really, they are not far off. How better to know the enemy than to observe their strategy? Is it magic to work computer graphics into a dragon for the purpose of a movie? We refer to people who do their job well as "working their magic". Is it possible that magic really exists in the world? After all, God, when speaking of the "other gods" to the Jews, did not discount them. He didn't say that they were figments of imagination, or that they were powerless. He said that they were inferior, that He is the One True God. Does worship make a thing a god? God thought so, as He told us in the 10 Commandments not to have any god before Him. Our new god can be money, power, or even a fairy tale. If it comes before the real deal, we are committing idolatry. Kind of a scary thought.

On Tuesday, I saw the movie Eragon with my friends. It was a good movie. It was not the book. I am disappointed in that second thought. I knew that the book, being my first impression of the story, was going to be the strongest. I knew that there was a lot of traveling in the book, and that would be the fastest way to cut time out of the movie. If you are looking for an excuse to hate the movie, that is coming. If you are looking for a positive review, that is actually coming too. If you don't want to know any more about this movie, or the Night At The Museum, then you need to skip the rest of today's post. You have been warned.

If you have not read the book, I recommend that you see the movie first, and then read the book. This will get you confused until you see more into Eragon's head. The reasons are kinda fuzzy in the movie, but it all sounds better from the book. If you have read the book, then you will understand the rest of this little tirade. I first noticed that Saphira grows in one moment in the movie... there is no sneaking food from the farm, no discussion with Brom about the names of the great dragons gone on before, and no anger/hurt of Brom for Eragon picking the name of Saphira. In the movie, she announces her name. Yeah, that cut down on the time. The next thing I noticed, besides the quick pace (and therefore leaving out A LOT of the plot), they left out the "cat" Solembum from Angela's shop. That comes into play in the second book. Ah, well, my favorite characters are always the overlooked. Happened with Nearly Headless Nick's Death Day Party in the Harry Potter movie, too. I just like stuff that others think unnecessary.

The computer graphics were excellent on Saphira. She looked almost real enough to ride. And they did a great job with her blowing the heat onto Brom's gravesite, to make it ageless. The previews make it look like Saphira blew fire outside of the mountain, but that is a flashback to the older dragon wars, and not her. Saphira blowing fire was inside the mountain, but the open chasm of the fight in the bottom of the cavern was HUGE, and kinda looked like a night fight out in the open.

I liked Eragon, and I will likey buy it when it hits DVD. Mostly because it is attached to the series, not because it was so awesome. I am hoping that they give the second one a bit more of a chance. I am still anxiously awaiting the third book. I think I have to keep the books and the movies separate in my mind, in the way I do with Harry Potter. Both are good on their own, and besides the title, they share little in common. I guess that is what happens when you let too many people touch your work, and let the Hollywood crazies do your screenplays. I hope now you are intrigued enough to at least see it at the dollar theatre, and that you will give it a chance on your own, and not let the reviews (even mine) or the previews make up your mind for you.

On Friday, Jeff and I went out on our Date Night money from Christmas. Thank you, Mom and Dad! We had a way-too-filling dinner at Chili's, and then saw Night At The Museum. I was not sure what to expect from Ben Stiller. I don't so much like many of his movies. But, I went in with the open mind (kept that from Tuesday) and had a great time. This is a funny movie, with a little bit of heart. The dinosaur bones of "Rexie" looked like the left-overs from Jurassic Park, but that made it even funnier. It doesn't really have the romance plot, but there is romance in it. There is adventure, and challenge, and fights, and imagination. I think you will be surprised to find out that Dick Van Dyke is in it, and you might be surprised by his character traits. This one was good, and better than Eragon for me. I have no book to compare to, and it made me laugh more. I only hope nobody is plotting a sequel... they get old after 3 or 4.

As for the jokes about my "religious studies" I will just bid you farewell, in a Charmed fashion:

Blessed Be.