Another Day in Paradise...
Dec. 14th, 2005 09:20 amWell, it's Wednesday and I just sent in one of the last three things I have to do for the semester. Felt pretty good, feeling pretty accomplished. Now, just ten more pages of a paper and one more part of an EDIS final and I'm good to go. Whew.
I also had a great time last night with my EDIS class. Man, those are 12 fun people, including our teacher who was awesome enough to show up for a bit. We all went out to BW3's and had a blast; food, drinks, pool, good times. I have to say, they mix some damn good Grey Goose screwdrivers there! So, it looks like we might all try to make this an ongoing thing a couple times next semester. Woot. I see many games of Chicken in the Henhouse in my future...(trust me, its not as kinky as it sounds! ;^).
I also saw Narnia this past weekend. Very moving. Of course, he's very different from his friend, Dr. Tolkien, in that he makes no bones about his allegories being as explicit as possible, hell, Tolkien actually argued with him on this subject. Tolkien, in his introduction to The Fellowship of the Ring, states that "I cordially dislike allegory in all of its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of the readers" (Foreward, 7).
Effing right! I'd much rather have the freedom to apply what I wish to the story so that it may not just have one meaning but MULTIPLE and unending meaning for me. I love Chronicles, don't get me wrong, but its been a while since I've read TL,TW,&TW and back then, I didn't have the basis for comparison in order to establish the proper analogies. The symbolism was obvious enough, but it wasnt until I saw the pagan altar on which Aslan was sacrificed (by a WOMAN of course *grumbles*) and the two women of the story mourning until the tablet breaks that the *inescapability* of the Christian symbolism hit on the head like a sack of bricks. I could have spoken aloud with Susan at that moment, knowing that she would say, "Where have they taken them?". Hell, they could have just named them both Mary and it would have had the same effect, since it so perfectly imitated, even in language, the scene where the women go to the tomb of Christ and find him missing.
Far be it from me to criticize someone of Lewis' literary, religious, and philosophical *gravis*, but I do think that being that obvious does take away from the experience. Regardless, I definitely think I need to go back to the novels and separate movie from literature, but from what I remember, they captured it fairly well, although I did wish that we could have gotten to know the other combatants in the war a little better. We were emotionally invested in the wars of LOTR because we had intimate knowledge and background of all the races and even the people involved. I didn't get the same sense here, except for concern for the children's welfare and that of Peter's First Lieutenant, the Centaur oresiea.
Otherwise, that's all the criticism I have for the movie. The casting of the children was inspired, ESPECIALLY little Lucy, Georgie Henley. MAN that child deserves an Oscar. I haven't seen that range of emotion in an actor in a while. Tilda Swinton chilled me to the bone as the White Queen. Hot damn, she's great. I loved her since I saw her in Constantine. The voice casting was great and visually it was stunning. Oh yeah, and I nearly fainted when I saw them shoot a phoenix out of that arrow. MADE my night.
Overall grade? A (with some minor quibbles over the "applicability" of analogy).
I also had a great time last night with my EDIS class. Man, those are 12 fun people, including our teacher who was awesome enough to show up for a bit. We all went out to BW3's and had a blast; food, drinks, pool, good times. I have to say, they mix some damn good Grey Goose screwdrivers there! So, it looks like we might all try to make this an ongoing thing a couple times next semester. Woot. I see many games of Chicken in the Henhouse in my future...(trust me, its not as kinky as it sounds! ;^).
I also saw Narnia this past weekend. Very moving. Of course, he's very different from his friend, Dr. Tolkien, in that he makes no bones about his allegories being as explicit as possible, hell, Tolkien actually argued with him on this subject. Tolkien, in his introduction to The Fellowship of the Ring, states that "I cordially dislike allegory in all of its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of the readers" (Foreward, 7).
Effing right! I'd much rather have the freedom to apply what I wish to the story so that it may not just have one meaning but MULTIPLE and unending meaning for me. I love Chronicles, don't get me wrong, but its been a while since I've read TL,TW,&TW and back then, I didn't have the basis for comparison in order to establish the proper analogies. The symbolism was obvious enough, but it wasnt until I saw the pagan altar on which Aslan was sacrificed (by a WOMAN of course *grumbles*) and the two women of the story mourning until the tablet breaks that the *inescapability* of the Christian symbolism hit on the head like a sack of bricks. I could have spoken aloud with Susan at that moment, knowing that she would say, "Where have they taken them?". Hell, they could have just named them both Mary and it would have had the same effect, since it so perfectly imitated, even in language, the scene where the women go to the tomb of Christ and find him missing.
Far be it from me to criticize someone of Lewis' literary, religious, and philosophical *gravis*, but I do think that being that obvious does take away from the experience. Regardless, I definitely think I need to go back to the novels and separate movie from literature, but from what I remember, they captured it fairly well, although I did wish that we could have gotten to know the other combatants in the war a little better. We were emotionally invested in the wars of LOTR because we had intimate knowledge and background of all the races and even the people involved. I didn't get the same sense here, except for concern for the children's welfare and that of Peter's First Lieutenant, the Centaur oresiea.
Otherwise, that's all the criticism I have for the movie. The casting of the children was inspired, ESPECIALLY little Lucy, Georgie Henley. MAN that child deserves an Oscar. I haven't seen that range of emotion in an actor in a while. Tilda Swinton chilled me to the bone as the White Queen. Hot damn, she's great. I loved her since I saw her in Constantine. The voice casting was great and visually it was stunning. Oh yeah, and I nearly fainted when I saw them shoot a phoenix out of that arrow. MADE my night.
Overall grade? A (with some minor quibbles over the "applicability" of analogy).