I never read the underlying books of this series (which people like very much)--but I did marginally like The Golden Compass. It is an atheist-agnostic's answer to the Narnia series. I don't find the premise that the Magisterium (as Christianity or the Catholic Church) as some force of evil in the world that compelling (nor consistent with world history), but every drama needs some bad guys. It is easy enough for me to envision the Magisterium as a group of politically woke secular control freaks you might come across in academia or politics. To the extent it plays on John Milton's Paradise Lost, fair enough. I like the classics--even if Philip Pullman misses the point about Satan.
I have only watched the first episode (there are seven more to come) but so far the lead child actor Dafne Keen is miscast. She is not that compelling (at least not so far) and even a bit annoying. The production levels of this BBC and HBO joint production are excellent. The daemon spirit animals are well done. I also enjoy seeing favorite actors from Narnia (James McAvoy and James Cosmo), Game of Thrones (James Cosmo and Lucian Msamati), and other productions get more work.
I will give it a shot--but so far I am not thrilled. I am also not impressed so far with HBO's Watchmen, as I have watched more of it. They are not terrible--but just not very good.
As fantasy shows go: I was a huge fan of GOT (until Season 8--which ruined the series). I always though the Harry Potter films did a good job adapting the books. I very much liked Pennyworth--which has that steampunk vibe too (mixed with swinging sixties London).
I will give it a shot--but so far I am not thrilled. I am also not impressed so far with HBO's Watchmen, as I have watched more of it. They are not terrible--but just not very good.
As fantasy shows go: I was a huge fan of GOT (until Season 8--which ruined the series). I always though the Harry Potter films did a good job adapting the books. I very much liked Pennyworth--which has that steampunk vibe too (mixed with swinging sixties London).
Rotten Tomatoes: His Dark Materials (it gets mostly good reviews here--but so far for me, meh).
Hollywood Reporter: A strong cast and decent effects help, but it lacks from the books
Collider: A work that is visually good but doesn't quite come together
New York Magazine: Gorgeous visuals in need of a purpose
Vanity Fair: A Passionless Adaptation
AoSHQ: Morning Report 11.05.19
Variety: Ok, but not great
Political Clown Parade: Babbling Fool Warren SNL and Flowing Curves Of Beauty
Blazing Cat Fur: Yazidi warn ISIS women are the worst and Everyone believes Hillary is crazy now
Hollywood Reporter: A strong cast and decent effects help, but it lacks from the books
Collider: A work that is visually good but doesn't quite come together
New York Magazine: Gorgeous visuals in need of a purpose
Vanity Fair: A Passionless Adaptation
AoSHQ: Morning Report 11.05.19
Variety: Ok, but not great
Goodstuff's: 291st Ed
Woodsterman: Baywatch
357 Magnum: Sunday Links
Hogewash: Quote of the Day
Bacon Time: Sunday Linkage
AoSHQ: Morning Report 11.04.19
American Power Blog: Lauren Summers
The Right Way: Rule 5 Saturday Link-O-Rama
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A View from the Beach: Rule 5 Saturday-Paige VanZant
Diogenes Middle Finger News: A Good Monday Morning
Pirate's Cove: If all you see..., and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup
Pirate's Cove: If all you see..., and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup
Political Clown Parade: Babbling Fool Warren SNL and Flowing Curves Of Beauty
Blazing Cat Fur: Yazidi warn ISIS women are the worst and Everyone believes Hillary is crazy now
American Elephants: Some basic information from scientists, Guess who is building a wall?, and Trump did not betray the Kurds
Mark Steyn: Judy, The Socialist Generation, Baghdadi Bagged, Downton Abbey, and Michael E Mann, Loser, Liar, and Scoff Law
The Feral Irishman - Vintage Heat, It's Twosday!! All Natural, No Fillers or Additives ... also nsfw, This Is CNN, Dixville Notch, and Facebook
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TOM: flesmiH lliK t’ndiD nietspE, Police Arrest Ibraheem Yazeed, 29, in Disappearance of Aniah Blanchard, 19, Harvard-Educated Sociology Professor Charged With Brooklyn Hate Crime, Anti-Trump Book Is Spectacular Flop, ‘Crimes Against Nature’, In The Mailbox: 11.05.19 (Evening Edition), UPDATE: Beshear Claims Victory in Kentucky; Bevin Refuses to Concede, In The Mailbox: 11.05.19 (Morning Edition), The Covington Boys Election, New ‘Terminator’ Flops at Box Office, Americans Murdered in Mexico, Democrats Are Brainwashing Children, ‘The Heresy of Equality’, ‘The Heresy of Equality’, The Myth of Social-Media ‘Meddling’, NBC: The Rape Network, ‘The Most Vulnerable Among Us’, Trouble for the Anti-White, Anti-Male, Anti-Heterosexual, Anti-American Party, In The Mailbox: 11.01.19, How #StickToSports Became the New #LearnToCode — Deadspin Is Dead
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I liked the movie, and then read the books. First book really was the best, the other two books just seemed more word-count than anything. Good luck watching the series, if they follow the books it will just go downhill from the first episode.
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