This, that, and the Turkish delight

[cleolinda]

New Narnia Heroine Addict icons. As a Sagittarian, I'm a teensy bit obsessed with archers, so... sorry about that. But there are Lucy icons in there as well.

The official Narnia movie site has some fun 360-degree walkthroughs and games. You get to play Tumnus's flute and try to save Edmund and read excerpts from the book, all in the search for "tokens" (which will unlock bookmarks and wallpapers and blah blah I'm not sure all what, but pretty pictures whee!). Also, one of the tokens? Unlocked a recipe for Turkish Delight. I have to say, the movie succeeded in making it look less nasty than I've heard. If you are in the mood for something that looks like Turkish Delight but doesn't taste "like soap," you might try Fruit Jewels over at Swiss Colony, which basically sells gifty-basket food. I think it's the same principle as TD, only with fruit. This is an innovation whose time has come.

(Or... you can buy real Turkish Delight here.)

(Also, Skandar Keynes [Edmund] is apparently the great-great-great grandson of Charles Darwin. Both anne_jumps and I think this is hilarious.)

(Also, more on Tilda Swinton, who is... well, "rebel" doesn't quite cover it. If you want to look into more of her work, start with Orlando [omgsogood] and The Deep End. You've probably seen her in Constantine, Vanilla Sky, or possibly The Beach and not realized it.)

You know, I have to say, I think we've had a really great year for movies. I mean, even the summer movies were better than usual, or at least Batman Begins certainly was. Either last year or the year before I tried to make a top ten list, and realized that not only could I not come up with a top ten I'd seen, I couldn't even come up with an any ten I'd seen--I bottomed out at nine. This was mostly a function of my not getting out much; now that the Lovely Emily is back in town, we tore it up this year. Assuming I do go see King Kong next Wednesday and the earth isn't destroyed by the mighty hand of Xenu first, here's what I've seen this year:

Phantom of the Opera
The Jacket
Sin City (2x)
Star Wars
Batman Begins
War of the Worlds
Fantastic Four
Mad Hot Ballroom
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2x)
Look at Me
Junebug
The 40 Year Old Virgin
The Constant Gardener
The Brothers Grimm
Elizabethtown
Proof
Harry Potter (3x)
Pride and Prejudice
The Chronicles of Narnia: LW&W

and then King Kong next week. That's right: twenty movies. *flexes* I'm not going to try to do any kind of recreational ranking until after Christmas, though.  

Speaking of Kong, reader Isaac emailed me the other night and said he and his wife were going to a preview, and would I like him to report back afterwards? I'm never one to turn down a movie report, so here's part of what he said:

Cleo,

I need to get this out of my system:

OMGTHEBESTESTMOVIEEVERSSQUEEEE!!

It's hard to find a place to begin except to say that it is highly recommended that you see the original movie if you don't know it particularly well so that it's fresh in your mind when you see this version.

First and foremost Peter Jackson raises the stakes left right and center:

The acting is phenomenal
The setting is lush and breathtakingly realized
The action is relentless with only enough breathing space to allow the relationship between beauty and beast to flourish.
The camera work is...hard for me to describe as a layman.  Suffice to say it's good enough that you don't spend a lot of time going, "wow that was a really great shot."  Everything is in the service of the story. The whole movie is unbelievably faithful to the original, but raises the stakes overall.

It's brilliant and breathtaking and nothing I could write here could do it justice.  There is wonderful character development, some great comic moments, moving drama, dynamite action sequences, and plot twists like you would not believe.

I didn't read the rest because, as he warned me, it was something of a blow-by-blow full-length spoiler, and I feel like I know so much about this one--it being a remake and all--that if there really are twists and surprises, I'd like to save them for the theater. I have, however, suggested that he send the spoiler on to The Movie Spoiler, which would either be glad to have it or will have one already, so those of you who are kicking me for not sharing it, you'll have access to one either way.


More linkspam:

RIP Richard Pryor.

Damon and Barroso Expecting -- And Married Too.

Photographer Hits Back at Aniston. AKA "Hello, I am an asshat."

'King Kong' sixth most expensive Hollywood film. (Note, if you will, that the top three most expensive involved large water sets. I maintain that water sets, particularly water battle sets, are the leading cause of runaway expenses in filmmaking.)

Katrina Deaths Lead to Real-Life 'CSI'.

Trailer for Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst. It's set to the music of... New Order. ("Age of Consent." I actually feel like there is nothing wrong with this trailer that could not have been fixed by using "Regret" instead. I'm kind of a famous queens buff, and after reading Antonia Fraser's MA bio, I feel like Dunst is actually pretty good casting. Jason Schwartzman doesn't seem... hapless enough, but I guess we'll see. Norma Shearer's Marie Antoinette is pure romantic fantasy-fluff [and yet... not entirely without basis], but that movie's Louis is really, really good, going by what I've read of him.)

Pictures from the set of Lost taken earlier this week.

Satirical blog comment picked up as news.

Barbra Streisand cancels newspaper subscription. Why is this news?

Pat the Bunny for the 21st century. I think the article's work-safe, but the concept certainly isn't.

barrelgoddess: "Ack, some disturbing news that relates to the Sony rootkit thing. Since you've been posting stuff about/following this, I thought I'd let you know. Apparently, they've been caught in another DRM snafu."

Comments

[rhapsody.livejournal.com]

I could never understand why Edmund would betray his siblings for Turkish Delight of all things.
Cake? I understand.
Cookies? Sure.
Chocolate? WHERE?
But Turkish Delight? Not happening.

[etherealshores.livejournal.com]

Archers are teh awesome. I'm obsessed with them myself, so I've snagged a bunch.

I'm in total agreement on what a good year in films this was - the Oscar race should be incredible to watch. I'm following it with interest.

I've only seen GOF twice. I'm a bad person...*le sigh*

[kvschwartz.livejournal.com]

I clicked "'King Kong' sixth most expensive Hollywood film" and got an article on Richard Pryor.

[callmesyd.livejournal.com]

SO MANY PRETTY SUSAN ICONS SQUEEEE *cuddles them all*

I'm a total archer whore, too. I'm not a Saggitarius, though, so I have no idea what my excuse is.

So, so, so happy to hear that Kong is as good as it looks. Now I can definitely go give the giant monkey my money. :D

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd sell my sister down the river for some Lindt PDQ.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

I've given up on following the Sony debacle any further. It's just expanded and broadened to the point that I try to keep up on Boing Boing (http://www.boingboing.net/) and I don't let music CDs made after 2001 anywhere near my computer.

And despite Edmund's hunger for it, "Turkish Delight" just never sounded appetizing to me. I could never hear it without thinking of Airplane! ("Joey, have you ever been to a Turkish prison?") The connotation just will not go away. It still sounds like prison slang for an act of reprehensible perversion of the like you don't see outside its own LJ community.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Actually, I just got an email to the effect that Brokeback Mountain won the LA Film Critics Top Prize. Everything I'm hearing says that BM is far and away the best movie, just in terms of sheer quality. But I can't figure out what the political climate of the Academy is right now--so exasperated with the Bush administration that they'd give BM the Oscar just to spite conservatives and to hell with the fallout afterwards, or still so cowed (or conservative itself; the Academy is largely older people) that it would rather go with a crowd-pleaser. I'm still kind of shocked that Million Dollar Baby won last year, just because they don't usually go with a movie that bleak. I can think of a dozen good movies that could get the feel-good/lightweight slot this year, the way Four Weddings and a Funeral or Sense and Sensibility or Chocolat did--Pride and Prejudice, Narnia, any number of things.

[rhapsody.livejournal.com]

My brother stands no chance between me and some Tiramisu.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Fixed! They changed the article at that URL, fnarr.

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

Must have archer icons....

[silvermoon13.livejournal.com]

i've actually had turkish delight and it's pretty good - however, no way i'd betray family for it. but tiramisu? let's just say they're as good as gone.

[princessstarr.livejournal.com]

Just got back from Narnia...SO GOOD. Gaaah. There was a damn good reason why I read that book throughout fifth grade (and on), and I'm happy about that.

(Honestly? I thought Turkish Delight was like, candied turkey slices. Seriously.)

And big ol' RIP to Richard Pryor.

[edda.livejournal.com]

Tilda Swinton should play Cate Blanchett's sister in a comedy just like Kyra Sedgewick did for Julia Roberts in Something to Talk About. And she should definitely show her alleged third nipple.

Re the movies w/water sets being more expensive thing, I read somewhere (it's been a while, can't recall specifics) that the shortest and most expensive screenplay direction possible is "The fleets meet."

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I friended you-- I've been meaning to for 100 years plus or minus.

[bluedragon716.livejournal.com]

In the book it's magic Turkish Delight that, once he's started eating it, makes him want more and more and more. The Queen plays this trick on him so that he's enslaved by his desire for more Turkish Delight. I think it would have done the same thing had he asked for toast and jam or a candy cane or a roast beef sandwich.

[scornedsaint.livejournal.com]

You may have already seen this, but this pic from GFY (http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/go_fug_yourself/2005/12/the_lion_the_wi.html) of Tilda Swinton is... interesting. "Rebel" indeed.

(It's a pretty outfit, but just a wee too similar to her costumes)

And I am all about the Marie Antoinette trailer. Anything with Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst is very awesome.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hell, I maintain that Jadis is Galadriel's cousin on the side they don't talk about.

[irishmastermind.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that it wasn't the fact that it was turkish delight, but that it was enchanted to make whoever ate it want more.

[edda.livejournal.com]

I am easily the most boring person on LJ and prone to whinging. This is information I feel in good conscience that you should have.

That aside, thank you! You'll get the press kit and decoder ring in short order.

[edda.livejournal.com]

You pwn.

Oscar Race

[skyblade.livejournal.com]

There's no clear winner at this point

Brokeback is in. Regardless of political affiliations, Ang Lee does okay at the awards circuit, and it was the first Oscar-contender--at least that hasn't lost steam.

Walk the Line has survived in the game by virtue of the Academy really wanting to look for a blockbuster to support. However, King Kong is beginning to look like a much better tolken in that arena.

We have three political thrillers; Munich, Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck. All three have their support, but there seems to eb something....dispassionate about all three movies--Munich is still very much in the game though.

I'm waiting to see what The New World does. Malick has his supporters out there. And there's also Match Point, which many are considering Woody Allen's return to form.

Regarding the light movies...I don't think Narnia will get in the Oscar door. It's doing quite well in the populist arena, and its reviews are good, but it just doesn't have that...extra fire catching you could say. Likewise, I don't think Pride and Prejudice is going to get a best picture nom, though Knightly is definately on the short list of Best Actress contenders...especially since Zhang Ziyi is probably out.

[callmesyd.livejournal.com]

She's the black sheep, don't you know. That little Oompa Loompa-y dwarf she keeps around? Creepy. We don't talk about what happened the one time she brought him home for Turkey Day.

Re: Oscar Race

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, I wouldn't have said Chocolat was a Best Picture candidate, either. That's what I meant by the "lightweight slot."

(I'm still waiting for Munich to throw some weight around. I cannot believe an Important Spielberg Movie would not make a dent at all.)

[chocotaku.livejournal.com]

Your Narnia experience may have been cool, but here in Austin at the Alamo Drafthouse, moviegoers had to first walk through an actual wardrobe with coats and such and walk through a small fake snow covered forest past a lamppost to get to your seat. Then you could order whatever is on the menu, INCLUDING turkish delight. Remember to visit austin sometime and check out our drafthouse theatre chains! A movie nut like you would love it. XD

Re: Oscar Race

[skyblade.livejournal.com]

But Chocolat had the Mirmax machine. They're usually the ones who can get lighter movies thrown in the mix. (Obviously, that's not going to be an issue this year, though) The problem with Pride is that Focus is going to throw their most concentrated effort behind Brokeback.

Important Speilberg is a force to be reckoned with. But not invincible--remember Amistahd. It's already making a dent--people are talking. Some, however, are dissapointed.