Movie Review: Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
rated PG for epic battle action and violence
Film rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Moral rating: Good

Ah..... the fresh aroma of a good summer movie! I absolutely loved Prince Caspian, for many reasons besides the obvious fact that it is one sweet fantasy movie....This movie was based on the second book in C.S.Lewis's beloved series. While The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe is a very straightforward book to make a movie out of, Prince Caspian is a bit different. The book would make a very long, very boring, and very uneventful movie if it had been made as written. Personally, it is my least favorite book in the series, so I was looking forward to what would be done with the story to make it a presentable movie plot.

Director Andrew Adamson and Producer Douglas Gresham have fashioned this adaptation so brilliantly that I went to see PC twice on opening day. This movie added a castle raid, reorganized some events, and created a more epic battle than what the book had to create a movie that reminded me in many ways of the first time I saw the Fellowship of the Ring.

Prince Caspian, played by newcomer Ben Barnes (who sports a Spanish accent), is the rightful heir to the throne of Narnia. Unfortunately for him, his wicked Uncle Miraz wants the throne, so he is determined to kill Caspian. Caspian blows the magic horn of Queen Susan and the four Pevensie children (straight from the first movie) end up in Narnia again to help Caspian and Aslan take back the throne. One catch though....for the Pevensie's it has only been a year since their first visit to Narnia, but it has been over 1000 years for Narnia. I am sure you can imagine what kind of complications this would make.

PC was better made than LWW, and was grittier, more intense and darker. As Trumpking the dwarf says "You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember." And that is true. This movie definitely pushed the PG rating....the only reason it did not get higher was the relative lack of blood in the violence.

The effects and music in PC were both great, and featured an original score by Harry Gregson-Williams, as well as effects by Weta Workshop- the magic makers behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy and LWW.

Overall, I was very pleased with Prince Caspian. The filmmakers took an already weak story and made and epic and powerful movie out of it. My verdict: Go see it.....many times. It is just that good.

Signing out, The Buckland Fiddler

New Reviews Coming Soon!

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to view Speed Racer for a review. Never fear, however, because an all new review of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will be available this weekend!

Lord of the Rings Battlefront?

Just the other day, I was playing Star Wars Battlefront 2 with a friend when i made the comment that they should make a Lord of the Rings Battlefront. Well surprise! It has just been announced that next gen consoles are going to see this sort of game after all. IGN.com has a really cool inside look at Lord of the Rings: Conquest, which is a fantasy version of the Battlefront saga.

In this game you have HUGE maps, can play as monsters like trolls and Balrogs, and get to control heroes from the movies! In addition, EVERY major battle from the movie trilogy will have a level, plus you get to play levels that present what would happen if evil had won. Picture yourself as a Ringwraith trampling hobbits underfoot as you invade the Shire! Shudder!

Check out the article at IGN.com for more and an interview with the game makers.
The release date is TBA and will be available for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Signing out, The Buckland Fiddler

Two-Face officially in The Dark Knight

It was hinted at before, and the second movie trailer gave a brief glimpse, but now we have an official picture to confirm Harvey Dent's Two Face IS in the movie The Dark Knight!

Be warned though, as Ledger's Joker is shocking, so is Two Face!
Yikes!

Movie Review: Iron Man

Iron Man
rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content
Movie rating: 41/2 out of 5 stars
Moral rating: Better than Average

Iron Man is the first comic book movie to be released this summer and is the film that critics claim "will kick off the summer movie season." After making over 100 million dollars in the first 3 days, it is safe to say that the critics were right! And it is easy to see why!

Iron Man is in my opinion one of the best movies that Marvel Studios has produced yet. Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Iron Man tells the story of millionaire inventor Tony Stark, who is captured as a hostage by a band of Afghan terrorists known as 'The Ten Rings' and forced to build weapons for them. The rest is well known, however, as Stark secretly builds a suit made of iron to escape in. After returning to America, he vows to shut down his weapons factories and builds a new and advanced suit to use to help fight the injustice going on in the world.

Downey, Jr. is in my opinion the reason why Iron Man excelled. He gave a solid and memorable performance as Stark and had a great witty personality that is easy to love. The supporting cast was not as great, though far from forgettable. Gwyneth Paltrow returns to the big screen for the first time in 4 years to take on the role of Starks' handy assistant, Pepper Potts. Terrence Howard plays Starks good friend James Rhodes, and Jeff Bridges is Obadiah Stane- Starks former mentor/current enemy.

Jon Favreau has definitely made a name for himself, as his previous movies include Elf and Zathura. Iron Man was superbly directed and paves the way for future comic book movies including The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, Captain America, and Thor. Be sure to stay during the credits for a sneak peek reference at the Avengers movie.

Morally speaking, Iron Man was actually pretty decent. During the first 30 minutes there is a bit of innuendo and some brief sexual content, but this type of behavior leaves Stark after he returns from Afghanistan and vows to change. Language was fairly mild, only featuring a few uses of h***, d*** and b****. The only other potentially problematic thing was Starks constant use of alcoholic beverages. Both before and after he is constantly seen drinking..both publicly and at his office.

Overall, I was very impressed with Iron Man. I enjoyed it more than the first Spider-man, and in my opinion, it is the best comic book movie kick-off film to date. Apparently America agrees with me, hence the 100 million dollar opening and the go ahead for Iron Man 2, set to hit theaters in 2o10.

Signing out, The Buckland Fiddler.

[art rampage: sequence]

After a long hiatus for a hectic 19 school hour semester, I am back with a fresh approach at Bilbo's Red Book.

While the reviews will continue, I will begin a more personal, artistic entry series title [indistinct chatter] that will offer an inside look inside me, and the band Will Tell, as we hit the road and experience our first really big record experience.

For now......Some reviews of a different type:
Literature

Adam
by Ted Dekker
Adam is one of those creepy books that sneaks up on you and ends up on your bookshelf without you realizing it. Then, in that dark hour of the night when you can not sleep, you pick it up and read your heart out....literally. The latest thriller by Ted Dekker, Adam deals with demon-possession, NDE's or Near Death Experiences, the occult, and assisted suicide. So....this book begs the question....Is this really a Christian novel? Believe it or not, this is. Disturbing or not, these subjects are generally never tackled by authors and I appreciate the guts that Dekker had to actually do that...and in a disturbing storyline as well. While Dekker has been controversial for years for his books Three, Obsessed and House, this one certainly pushes the limit, with a character named Daniel who is searching for a serial killer who calls himself Eve. Every month Eve kills a woman and Daniel has become obsessed with hunting this killer down. When he is killed however, things come full circle as demon possession and the after life become involved in the plot. While this is not for everyone, Adam is certainly a chillingly good book that as the author himself admits "is no beach read". This book should be approached with a clear mind and interest.....

Music

Ampersand EP
Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken

This EP from the husband/wife team of Webb and McCracken is one of my favorite cds to ever be released. The sound combines honest lyrics with the themes of love and devotion with a sound that is like Jon Foreman and Bob Dylan met Sheryl Crow. At times it sounds more Alison Krauss and sometimes it sounds like Caedmon's Call. One thing is sure though, the melodies on this cd are beautiful, with gentle guitar and certain instruments such as banjo added at times for an almost-but-not-quite-country effect. Check this one out on iTunes.

Stay tuned for more! I have returned!

News from Will Tell

A thousand apologies to all the fans of this blog who have been eagerly awaiting another review!
I have not had the time, due to an immeasurable amount of school, to get to the theaters.
Please be assured that there will be PLENTY this summer!

On a different "note".
Will Tell, my experimental newgrass band, has just completed its second CD title Nobody. Photography for the packaging will begin soon, so look for a release sometime this summer.

Also, keep an eye out for our Myspace, set to go online very soon!

Will Tell now has a new bassist...Everyone welcome Mr. Ben Murray!

Signing out,
The Buckland fiddler