Inkheart

I like Brendan Fraser. I liked him in Scrubs (he was my favourite character, despite only appearing in two episodes), I liked him in the Mummy films, and I like him in this (perhaps a little less than in the Mummy films, although the effects are just as good).

Based on the trilogy by Cornelia Funke, Inkheart concentrates on Mortimer Folchart (Brendan Fraser), a man with a love of books and a strange ability. When he reads aloud, things leave their books, and are swapped with something from this world - as he finds out to his dismay when he accidentally swaps his wife for the villainous Capricorn.

Mo, and his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett), begin fleeing from Capricorn, while searching for another copy of the book, Inkheart, in order to read their wife and mother out again. This is further complicated by Dustfinger (Paul Bettany), who wants Mo to read him back into Inkheart, and Capricorn, who, as well as chasing Mo, has no intention of ever returning to his former world - and so seeks to destroy every copy of the book.

All of the actors did well in this film - particularly Eliza Bennet, who is very young - but I mainly noticed Paul Bettany and Rafi Gavron, who played Farid. Gavron is very good - his accent is noticeable and effective, but not irritating, which can be hard to pull off. Sienna Guillory also deserves congratulations - she did brilliant things with a role in which, for the most part, she literally has no voice.

It is curious to note how many film studios copy each other. Finding Nemo and Shark Tale, for instance. And recently, Hotel For Dogs, Bolt and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Inkheart is out currently, along with Bedtime Stories. I cannot reasonably compare, since I haven't seen the latter, but I think it's the better of the two.

The film is rated PG, which I'd agree with. The Shadow might be quite terrifying to extremely young children, but generally, no one will be too traumatised.

Bridge to Terabithia

I think I'm in love with a twelve-year-old.

Not in a kinky way. But AnnaSophia Robb's portrayal of Leslie Burke in Bridge to Terabithia is eminently lovable - all you want to do is protect her, and hope that she stays happy forever and ever. It's clear why her parents are so happy. She seems luminescent almost, lit by an inner glow. Almost intangible, at times.

Inducing that kind of emotion from the audience is perfect for this character, and makes the film far more powerful. Good for her. It also made the twist far more painful.




Generally speaking, Bridge to Terabithia is quite suitable for the PG audience it is designed for - until the last twenty or thirty minutes. I don't want to give the ending away, but very, very sad things happen, that had me in tears, nevermind an eight-year-old. To be quite fair, I also cry at Casper the Friendly Ghost, but this was more upsetting.

The trailer also misrepresents the film slightly. It seems like a Narnia or Harry Potter copy, about two children who find themselves in a magical world. That's not exactly the case, and this may be why it took me over a year to get around to watching the film. It's about the friendship between two children, and the imaginary world they create together - and how this gives them the strength to cope with things in the real world.

This one's going on my DVD list (incidentally, the DVD has a bunch of extras, including two sets of commentaries). And I've already reserved a copy of the book from my library.

Igor

Not every film needs a romantic subplot.

I'll repeat that, for the many people who may have missed it. Not every film needs a romantic subplot.

That's something a lot of filmmakers seem to have trouble with. Well, I promise you, directors, writers and producers of the world - the earth will not stop turning if the male and female lead of your movie don't end up together at the end. You will not - well, for the most part - lose ticket sales without a big romance. And no, it's not necessary to have everyone pair off in order to create a touching ending.

I'll repeat that, too; it's not necessary.

It is especially not necessary in a film like, recent Exodus Productions creation, Igor.




Igor is about a city of Mad Scientists, all competing to create the most evil invention in order to win the evil science fair, and be the most evil. Or something. Evil.

The word evil is thrown about like a brand name in this movie, as you might have guessed. To be quite honest, that made me cringe every single time. Evil is not a brand name; it's not even a simple concept, except to the very young. It's an opinion.

To be fair, this film is animated, and is (in the UK) a PG. This would, theoretically, enable one to forgive the abuse of the word 'evil', since those two facts indicate that the film is indeed intended for a young audience. However, to understand the underlying humour of the film, it helps if you are familiar with the hammer horror tradition of the slurring Igor lisping "yeth marther!" in reply to a loud cry of "pull the switch!". And one might get even more out of it if one is familiar with Terry Pratchett's tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the Igors native to the Discworld (a large family who pass on spare body parts like other families do old clothes, and have a number of traditions). I may not be giving them enough credit here, but I'm not certain the eight to twelve year olds I picture as a 'PG' audience will get as much out of those parts of the movie as older viewers.

Scamper the bunny (voiced by Steve Buscemi), one of Igor's inventions, is also fairly adult in style. He's an immortal, depressed rabbit - leading him to attempt to commit suicide every other minute, in a variety of ways. That dark, bleak humour is amusing, but maybe not for the more delicate types. Fans of The Book of Bunny Suicides will be happy, though.

I did enjoy the film, I won't deny that. Some elements of it - such as Scamper - wouldn't be entirely out of place in something like Tim Burton's cult classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, while others will appeal to children. But, these two parts don't gel particularly well. The film seems confused as to who its audience is, meaning that, in many ways, it's too juvenile for adults while many jokes will probably sail over a young audience's head.

But anyway, back to my first point. A romantic subplot was not necessary for this film. The essential message of friendship, loyalty, truth to oneself and choices would be equally well served with a simple friendly relationship - instead of complicating the movie with a romance between an Igor and his creation. That's rather Freudian. Especially when one considers the jokes, around Igor's paternal feelings for Eva - early on in the film, he remarks that he feels like a father sending a child off to her first day of school (to learn to kill people).

So, to reiterate;

Romantic subplot; not necessary.

Romantic subplot, in fact, pretty damn creepy.

However, it is probably worth taking a look at the wiki articles for Discworld Igors and Hammer Horror.

Bartelmy