Paradise Reel

While scouring the web for more movie tibbits, I stumbled onto “Ernesto Esteso Animation Mentor Blog” and he alerted me to a few new animation projects on Disney’s plate. One of note is a new envisioning of the Rapunzel fairytale title “Rapunzel Unbraided”. The film is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2008 so a lot of the information might change from now till its release. But judging from the concept pictures is seems that the House of Mouse has learnt a thing or two from Pixar after their departure. “Rapunzel” will be directed and supervised by Grand Master Animator, Glen Keane who is basically a rock star amongst animators. He has worked on some of Disney’s most famouse traditional animations pieces like “Aladdin”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Treasure Planet” and “Beauty and the Beast”.

The story revolves around a wicked witch who is sick and tired the constant happy endings in Fantasy-tale land and decides to bring some “real world” reality to her realm in the form of two unwitting teenagers and throw them into the roles of Rapunzel and her prince charming. For those who are unfamiliar with the Rapunzel fable (shame on you and go to the library!) can check out this abbrieviated verion of the story here. This follows the trend of post-modernist interpretation of classic fairytales set forth by “Shrek” but it is a guilty pleasure for me to revisit the stories and fables that has occupied my head for most of my pre-school days.

Check out some of the concept art!

Broken Flowers

I need to state for the record that I tried, extremely hard, mind you, to watch Bill’s Oscar effort “Lost in Translation”. I rented the film and even invited a few friends over to bolster the spirits but we only made it through to the 29 minute mark before the last one of us drifted off to La-La land. So, you could say that I was not exactly jumping out of my seat to watch Mr. Murray in his latest “dry comedy”. It was only on the insistence of my good friend, pseudopoestess that we catch the free screenings of “Broken Flowers” and “Happy Endings” at our college theater. The latter would have been my choice of the two movies but it was not screening then. So it was the former for me on that chilly Friday evening and after the film was over, I’m gently reminded once again why I have stayed away from movies by Bill Murray since the film “Lost in Translation”.

“Broken Flowers” should honestly be renamed “Lost in Suburbia: A Thesis in Awkwardness”. The film starts off innocuous enough with a letter addressed to a Don Johnston (Bill Murray) telling him that his philanderous bachelor days (actually, he still IS a bachelor in the film) has resulted in a teenage son that he does not know about. Piqued by his subdued curiosity and on the insistence of his self imposed best friend and neighbour, he goes on a quest to locate the mother of his son. This of course leads him through a mess of entanglements that are just as exciting as a rock in a frying pan.

As mentioned before, this concept behind this film is awkwardness and the sense of profound displacement the audience feels because of that. Even if it is not, it should be. Every scene in the film seems to be meticulously crafted in such diabolical detail to evoke the utmost sense of awkwardness. There is a scene in the movie where Bill Murray (“Ghostbusters” and “Groundhog Day”) contemplates his purpose of going on this quest. There is not inner monologue, no movement of camera or any movement in that shot for that matter. Don just sits at his sofa with his stereo blasting Mulatu Astake’s equally displacing “Yerkemo Sew” as the soundtrack. I seriously wonder if they had a time quota to meet and had to drag that redundant scene for longer.

The pacing of the film is totally off the marker. Even “Lost in Translation” has some semblance of a storyline flow but “Broken” appears as if most of the scenes were composed as an afterthought. Jim Jarmusch tries to duplicate the style and pace of “Lost in Translation” but fails what is already a slow and plodding pace to a film with any kind of subject matter. Perhaps he is trying to evoke a compelling sense of displacement in the viewer which then I must say that he succeeds tremendously. Or that he was over zealous in portraying the awkward feeling in the main character that we are ‘supposed’ to identify with. Either way, there are a host of replicated scenes or ones that have absolutely no bearing on the story at all. Some of which are there purely for shock value or to appease that teenage male who just so managed to sneak into an R rated movie.

Jessica Lange (“King Kong” and “Cape Fear”) and Sharon Stone (“Basic Instinct” and “Catwoman”) provide the female entanglements that Don has to wade through to discover the ex girlfriend who mothered his child. Although they were both accomplished actresses in their day, they are given little to do here. Sharon is the ex girlfriend widow with a daughter (Alexis Dziena of “Havoc” and TV’s “Invasion”) who has no qualms being in the buff in front of her mom’s ex boyfriends. Jessica Lange is an “animal communicator” (basically she talks to animals) with a lovely secretary to fend of pesky ex-boyfriends is played to administrative perfection by Chloë Sevigny (“American Psycho” and “Boys Don’t Cry”). The only gripe I have here is that one is presented with a wealth of good actors and actresses but they end up being as effective as lice on a tick. It would have been a lot more engaging if there was a plot for these actors to latch on to.

I loved Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman in “Ghostbusters” and his other later comedic efforts but subtle comedy does not seem to bode well with this actor. He does possess that disenchanted look which allows for him to do very little to incite laughs but this film milks this to its very marrow that it stops being funny altogether. The film “Lost in Translation” really lost me to a bunch of sheep jumping over a fence and now this serving of yet another “keen-eye-for-the-awkward-guy” clone falls flat on its face as it too seem to have lost something in its translation.

A pair (definitely no pun intended) of trailers to announce today. First off is the trailer to yet another video game to film adaptaion, D.O.A.: Dead or Alive. The good news is that it is helmed by Corey Yuen. You may remember him from his Hong Kong directorial days of “Du Sheng” (aka “All for the Winner” starring Stephen Chow in one of his most memoriable roles) and “Fong Sai Yuk 2″. Hopefully the powers that be will be allow him to lend his talent for directing engaging action sequences to the film which should result in a pretty decent summer action flick when it comes out. The downside to this little tale is the involvement of a certain Paul W.S. Anderson ( just waiting to sink another sucessful gaming franchise I’ll bet) as a producer of this film. Any further rants on this blinkin’ sod can be read here. Anyway, the great guys at comingsoon.net managed to score the trailer for the film so now the fanboys can stare at some real mammaries instead of digital ones.

Click here or the picture above to view the trailer.

The second discovery is the teaser trailer to Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest”. I do believe that this teaser was not meant to be released this soon so check it out before the house of mouse decide to close the rat trap on this one. Although the quality of the footage is somewhat similar to that of a vid cam cinema copy, it does feature all the main cast members and the a certain Jack Sparrow traipsing through the tropical jungle, trying to avoid all manners of death. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly return and it is reported that Geoffrey Rush is back too which is kind of puzzling since he met his timely demise at the end of the first one. Oh well, the more zombie pirates the better! The Russians have proved to us again that they are not only proficient in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages but also in getting the scoop on this little morsel. The site is completely in Russian but one does not need a degree in Russian literature to figure that “medium resolution” refers to the trailer in question.

Click here to check out the website or click the picture above.

Update: Yahoo! Movies has just released an official version of the POTC2 trailer on their website. Check it out here!

North Country

I have to confess I did not purposefully seek out to watch Charlize Theron’s Oscar winning performance in “Monster”. For a good portion of her career, my image of her was that of a classy leading lady with a penchant for straight forward roles which require her just to look pretty while looking pensive. Then came along “Monster” where she decided to jettison her classy façade for the more gritty and rugged character of Aileen Wuornos, the lesbian street hooker with an affinity for murder, which nabbed the 2004 Best Actress Oscar for her. And here we have “North Country” where she plays a blue collar divorcee who returns to her family’s home to start anew with her two kids. I will admit that the trailer for this film had a pro-feminist slant towards the film but I soon realized that it was true to a certain extent but at its core, “North Country” is really a dissection into the relationships between parents and their children.

There are two aspects of this film that really shine through. The first of which is the acting and “North Country” boasts some of Hollywood’s and Britain’s best character actors in show business from the likes of Charlize Theron (“The Italian Job” and “Aeon Flux”) to Frances McDormand (“Fargo” and “Almost Famous”) to Sean Bean (“Flightplan” and “Lord of the Rings”) to Woody Harrelson (“Natural Born Killers” and “The People VS. Larry Flint”) to Sissy Spacek (“Carrie” and “In the Bedroom”). Throw them all into a family/courtroom drama with the case that initiated the implementation of women’s rights in the workplace as a backdrop and you have the makings of a potentially great ensemble film.

Charlize has always been portrayed with an air of class in most of her roles but she seems to be gathering more accolades for her portrayal of unglamorous women in the recent years. Not only does she look the part of an abused single mom with two kids in tow but she manages to instill a sense of righteous determination in the rather hopeless situation of working in a male dominated arena. The character of Josey Aimes was inspired by Lois Jenson when she filed a class action lawsuit for sexual harassment against the corporate owners of Evenlth Mines. Josey may be fictional but Charlize brings to this role a touch of humanness. I concur that Josey is no Erin Brocovich but that is what make the character so intriguing. Here we have a working class mom, fending off the sexual degradation of the company of her male co-workers whilst re-establishing herself in her hometown where she holds some shady history. If I was not convinced that she deserved the Oscar for “Monster”, I am now.

A true mark of a great actor is the innate ability to bring to true life any character bestowed upon them no matter how simple the character may be. Frances as the plucky union women’s leader and Sean as her supportive husband are no exception to this as they bring to their otherwise would be straightforward roles multiple facets that gives the characters a casual uniqueness that allows them to carve a portion of the film for themselves. This is the same for Sissy Spacek and Richard Jenkins who play the parents of Josey. Although Ms. Spacek’s role is basically that of a dutiful wife who aims not to stir up any trouble in her home town begins to show, during the course of the film, a quiet resilience to the abuse that her daughter has to endure.

Director Niki Caro’s previous film was the hit coming-of-age drama “Whale Rider”. The concept behind “North Country” is that of defying one’s social limitations should be familiar ground for her to tackle as “Whale Rider” revolved around a young girl who has to challenge years of tradition to be the first female chief of her Maori tribe. This may be Ms. Caro’s first Hollywood outing, she still is able to apply her deft hand at balancing a wealth of issues and conflicts for the characters to engage in and yet still weave a cohesive story amongst all of them. She is able to allocate due attention and screen time to the different actors and actresses so that one never feels cheated of any interaction with them. What is even more remarkable is that she accomplished all of this is slightly over the two hour mark (just 6 minutes to be exact).

This was for me a very enjoyable movie experience as it speaks on a level that most can relate to. This is a film about the underdog and the injustice that befell a working class woman trying to make good on her promise to her children that she will do anything to take care of them. On top of that, you have a host of actors and actresses that are some of the best in the industry to bring these characters to life. The film engages you in the same way a good book entices you to read just that one page more before going to bed.

You just want to keep going.

Frankly, I had never heard of the fantasy novel “Eragon” till Hollywood decided to turn it into a feature length movie (that goes to show how much read books). The interesting thing about this film is not so much the story but the fact that it spent 61 weeks on the NY Times best sellers list when it was first published. Now what is even more amazing is that the author, Christopher Paulini wrote this novel when he graduated high school at the age of 15. Yes, you read me right, I said fifteen years old. Heck, my head was still buried in comic books and console games when I was 15 (well, I’m still a comic book fan and I do take a jab at the controller every now and then). Christopher has just released a second novel in the “Inheritence” triology which debut at the top of the best sellers list.

There was a short behind-the-scenes featurette that is circling the internet but I do believe that it has not been sanctioned by 20th Century Fox for release thus highly illegal so do grab it quick before it disappears. Last time I checked it is still there. 20th Century Fox will be producing the film and it stars Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Speleers and Robert Carlyle. This would be the first film for director Stefen Fangmeier but he was the visual effects supervisor at ILM (I.ndustrial L.ight and M.agic) for films like “Lemony Snicket’s”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Master and Commander” just to name a few. What I’m really interested to see is how a visual effects artist, when thrust into the director’s chair, will conceive the film.

Click here or the picture to download the featurette

It never fails to bring a smile to my face whenever I stumble across little tidbits about the works of Neil Gaiman’s getting the film treatment. The latest uncovering is the adaptation is his fantasy tale that was published in 1997 titled, “StarDust” which still remains as one of my all time favourite books. It tells of a boy who leaves his village and ventures into the magical wilderness to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved. As with any true fantasy story, his quest leads him through many adventures of the fantastical nature, encountering witches, gnomes and really bad weather. The film will be helmed by fellow Brit, Matthew Vaughn who just released “Layer Cake” and it will be produced by Dimension films.

With all the fanfare for the latest Harry Potter film and the upcoming “The Chronicles of Narnia“, it is no wonder that Hollywood is turning to one of our greatest, and my definite favourite, modern day fantasy writer for original material to adapt. And I only have one thing to say to that…

“IT IS ABOUT BLOODY TIME!!”.

The Legend of Zorro

First off I must say that I enjoyed “The Mask of Zorro” back in 1998 that starred Hollywood’s most famous Hispanic import Antonio Banderas (”Mambo Kings” and “Evita”) and the lovely Welsh debutante, Catherine-Zeta Jones (”Ocean’s 12″ and “The Terminal”). It was, for its time, a typical mentor/mentee type story of an ageing Zorro training his disciple to take his place. And with all action/adventures, there is always a huge conspiracy waiting to be uncovered that threatens all of humanity (in this case, the humanity of California in its infancy) and with a damsel in distress to boot. Seven years later, the same creative team behind that action blockbuster is back with a Zorro’s second Hollywood screen outing. The key players are back, Banderas is still very famous and Catherine is looking twice as lovely. Martin Campbell (“Goldeneye” and “Beyond Borders”) is also back in the director’s chair and in a genre he should be well familiar with but there are some noticeable changes with “The Legend of Zorro” that makes it a slightly lesser but still worthy sequel to “The Mask of Zorro”.

For starters, one thing that stands out is the emphasis on the comic elements in “Legend”. Gone is the gritty lawless world of the Wild West, only to be replaced by a sanitized interpretation of California during its bid for inclusion to the United States. One thing that I did find interesting was that that Zorro apparently does not ‘kill’ anyone in the entire film. You see men stabbed (sans blood) or falling off a cliff into a river but never an actually deliberated death (the first one featured a severed head in a transparent jar to intimidate Antonio’s character). This in turn makes “The Legend of Zorro” rather kid and family friendly which is not necessarily a bad thing.

There is a new addition to the swashbuckling husband and wife duo in the form of Adrian Alonso who plays the unbeknownst son of the infamous Zorro. Adrian portrays the spawn of Zorro/Alejandro to spunky perfection. The twinkle in his eye coupled with his face of defiance makes him a worthy offspring of California’s 19th century crime fighter. Catherine and Antonio both slip back into the roles which catapulted them into superstardom with little difficulty. Mr. Banderas is one of the few actors who can portray characters in both the dramatic and comedic genres, sometimes even at the same time. And this ability lends itself here in Legend which adds to the Zorro character a more human aspect. Zeta-Jones is just as pristine and elegant Elena from the first film and although she does not stretch much of her acting abilities in this one but she is still a joy to watch.

Rufus Sewell has to be one of the most underrated actors of Hollywood’s pool of artisans. I first took notice of him in the reality challenging film, “Dark City” (which predates “The Matrix by a full year). There is a quiet intensity about Rufus Sewell that adds a sense of mystery to any character that he plays. Armand benefits from this as the character is portrayed to be aristocratic and terribly private. As a villain, Rufus’s calculating and charismatic Armand is a formidable counter to Antonio’s fly-by-the-seat-of-his-chaps Zorro.

I must remind those who are gearing up to watch this sequel to “Mask” that this is not the kind of Zorro film that you might be accustomed to. The first movie contended with the creation of the Zorro character. He had to tussle for onscreen exposition time with his mentor (Anthony Hopkins) and vying for the hand of his mentor’s daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta Jones). In this film, Zorro is a family man who must grapple with a conspiracy to destroy New California and at the same time, untangle the knots of his dysfunctional family. There is an insurgence of comic superhero films that delve into the post-modernist aspect of what really goes on behind the mask like “Batman Begins” (2005), and The Incredibles (2004). “The Legend of Zorro” does not offer us anything new in this aspect and it only shows that the De la Vega household is just as screwed up as the next ‘superhero’ family.

One gripe I have with this movie is the blatant use of caveats throughout the film. There were countless times when a character is in dire peril and someone or Zorro himself will appear out of the thin air to rectify the situation at hand. Once is bad enough but there were so many peppering the film that it became rather predictable. This film is made in the same vein as other famous action adventure films like “Indiana Jones” and “Mummy” but just like the latter, it suffers from a terrible case of lazy scriptwriting. There are just so many caveats one should employ within a movie and this one utilizes it liberally.

Even though this film lacks a compelling story line and smart scripting, it is at the bottom line, still rather entertaining. There are a host of action spectacles that lives up to its genre class and should keep you in your seat till the credits roll. Granted that one would probably not be looking for intellectual matter in a formulaic summer flick like “The Legend of Zorro” in the first place, it would have been refreshing to actually have a solid plot and storyline to accompany the action set pieces and special effects. Because at the end of the day, it is the story that will sell the film and not the fluff that surrounds it.

I had just recieved news of a film being produced based on the hit Konami game, “Castlevania”. Everything was fine till I read the part where a certain Paul W.S. Anderson is slated to write and direct. Will someone please shoot the bugger before he mucks up another popular franchise?

This is the same guy who sissified “Aliens VS. Predator”, dumbed down “Resident Evil” and turned “Mortal Kombat” into a kiddy film. This is the joker who singlehandedly relegated the genre of video game films to the bottom of the movie barrel. He is the exact reason why “Doom” and “Halo” have such steep hills to climb when they are released. What was that bugger thinking? I can just imagine this sod sitting at his oak wood desk in some posh studio, plotting which franchise to torpedo next. I have been waiting for a film on Castlevania ever since I slotted that cartridge into my Nintendo some 15 years back. But now I have to contend with this bloke’s videogame-to-movies touch of death… sigh.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

As with all continuing chapters of big movie franchises, Goblet rides with high expectations on its back. For starters it is the largest of all the Potter books adapted, almost twice the length of the third book. The film is supposed to introduce, and take away, certain key characters in Harry’s universe and it is directed by the first ever British director for the series who has up till now only sharpened his teeth on dramedies such as “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Mona Lisa Smile”. It will be very easy for me to pile on the expectations and then tear this film apart frame by frame but something told me to take that handful of thoughts and shove them to the recesses of my mind before embarking on Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts. Not doing so would be doing an injustice to the film, or any film for that matter.

Before I continue I must emphasize that when I review any film, that film is my main focus. I do not agree with comparing the body of the film to its different incarnations in different mediums. I critique everything that I see onscreen and not what it was adapted from. A straight forward visual retelling of the book’s contents would yield nothing new to the audience and reading the book would be far more interesting (ie. The first two Harry Potter films). A film has to strive to be a film first and foremost and not just a filmic novel.

Harry’s latest adventure has proven to be his most daunting yet with the re-introduction of a very prominent figure in Harry’s life thus far and not to mention his journey through the trappings of teenage angst. There seem to be a lot in Harry’s goblet to fill it twice over and Mike Newell does, for the most part, give credence to each plot point and twist which should satisfy the majority of the Potterheads. But there in doing so, he has created a bland monotony in the pacing of events of the fourth film. There is a constant struggle within the film between the plot of the Tri-Wizard tournament and the budding problems of teenage-hood. Although I must admit that it is quite amusing to see Potter pluck up the courage to ask his crush to the champions’ ball or Ron gawking over the elegant Fleur Delacour but at times the “Greatest Tournament a wizard will ever face” feels a tad overshadowed by the daily squabbles of Harry and his band of not-so-merry wizardlings. Mike Newell has shown that he has an expert grasp on the inner workings of human relationships with his attention to the intricate complexities of a growing adolescent but it still feels padded just to fit into the grander scale of things.

It was reported that Warner Bros. wanted to split this film up into two separate films released back-to-back but Mike Newell convinced them that it would be better to release Goblet as one film. Although the idea is enticing, watching the final film makes me wonder if it would have been beneficial in halving the novel to attend to a more complete film. Either that or they could have dropped a few of the subplots and focused on Harry and the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Both would have resulted in a better film but the latter would have probably had the rabid fans cry bloody murder.

One of the attractions for most people to this series I feel is not only about the story of Harry but the story of the three child actors who are growing to adulthood, tracing their every step from when they first donned Hogwarts robes and waved their new wands to battling dragons and the opposite sex alike. As they have grown, so has their acting ability. Radcliffe shows a lot more emotional range in this outing and his innate awkwardness to whatever situation he finds himself in reflects perfectly the transition Harry is experiencing. Emma and Rupert are born to play the characters of Hermione and Ron. The lovely Ms. Watson has sharpened her sarcastic wit over the course of the three films before and here we have a very delectable Hermione who not only serves up her role as the class “insufferable know-it-all” but finally gets to show another side of her we never had the pleasure of meeting. The character of Ron feels a bit sidelined in this film as this outing is more about Potter and his trials of the tournament, not to mention the reappearance of a certain dark lord that shall not be named. But the classic blasé Ron never fails to incite a good laugh.

The crowning achievement for this film has to be insurmountable Ralph Fiennes (“The Constant Gardener” and “The English Patient”) as the murderer of Harry’s parents and ultimate dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. Even when Voldemort is deemed the most vile and feared being in the whole Potter universe, Ralph manages to infuse an aura of charisma and false dignity to his character that adds more weight to the feats and atrocities that this villain is said to have accomplished. Although brief in appearance, Mr. Fiennes has solidified the image and menace of Voldemort for the rest of the series.

Another addition to the series the initial trio of Tri-Wizard champions Fleur Delacour, Victor Krum and Cedric Diggory. Although they do not contribute much to the plot other than provide healthy opposition for Harry on his trials, I must say that the filmmakers did a splendid job of casting the lot of them. Cedric is convincing as a student with the makings of a head boy at Hogwarts. Fleur is genuinely graceful and poised and Victor exudes the persona of might in lieu of mind. The one thing that never ceases to amaze me about the Potter films is how they always manage to get the right person for each and every one of the characters that populate the novel.

A slight departure in terms of character for the role of Albus Dumbledore as Michael Gambon’s (“Sylvia” and “Layer Cake”) performance left me scratching my head in puzzlement. The Dumbledore in the previous films were more like a mentor and guardian to Harry and even when they had to switch actors for the third movie, the character remained the same. However, “Goblet” portrays Dumbledore as a very exacting Headmaster, different from the compassionate and wise sage we have come to know and love. There was a scene in particular where I actually exclaimed to myself that the Dumbledore of the previous movies would never have done. So unless this is some deft foreshadowing for the following films to come, I have to say that I am slightly disappointed in the depiction of the headmaster of Hogwarts.

One glaring change to the series is the absence of master composer, John Williams. He, who has immortalized the orchestral themes for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws and even Superman, has left the task of composing to Patrick Doyle (“A Little Princess” and “Donnie Brasco”). It was reported that John Williams had to bow out in order to finish scoring the Steven Spielberg film, “Munich” which was scheduled to open before the year is over. On a more positive note, John Williams is slated to score for the fifth Harry Potter outing, The Order of the Phoenix.

The Goblet of Fire is laden with some weighted themes and it is the only film in the series that actually ends on a very somber note. The other films all left us something to look forward to at the end but Goblet reminds us that true to the tagline for the movie, things are going to change. As the characters themselves endure a transition from child to adulthood, so do we as an audience have to grapple with the shift in gears to a more mature and ‘realistic’ fantasy world. I must confess that I enjoyed this film tremendously despite its shortcomings. At the end of the day, this is a film about a boy’s adventure, through life and school and all other things in the manner of magic. So, sit back, relax and try your best not to fight the overwhelming sensation of fun when the movie commences. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, let the seasons of change begin…

Acclaimed novelist and advocate of all things quirky, Neil Gaiman has updated his website on his next project (well, not exactly his “next” project but he will definitely be involved very closely!). Here is an excerpt from the post…

“In this case, the person making the film is Henry Selick, who will be making an entirely stop-motion version of CORALINE (all stop-motion, like his most famous film, TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, which some people mistakenly think that Tim Burton wrote or directed).

Henry and I got to talk last night. It’s been a long few years — Henry read the book a year before it was published, and has been holding his breath for the last six months to find out what would happen. Right now he has ideas about, well, everything really, from the cast to the songs.

He wants it to be faithful and funny and smart and spooky. I’ve told him he can use me, bounce ideas off me, or whatever, but that ultimately it’s his movie. I just want to sit in the audience at the premiere, with a thing of popcorn on my lap, grinning like a goof”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the hardest working actress under the age of 12, Dakota Fanning (”I am Sam” and “Dreamer”) will be supplying the voice to the title character. The story is about a young girl who moves into a new home with her executive parents that have no time for her. She goes to explore the house only to discover a whole alternate world that resides within. Trouble ensues when the inhabitants of the alternate reality refuse to let her return to her own world. If you have not read this already, go borrow it immediately! It is not terribly thick, has lots of pictures (by Dave McKean) and is diabolically imaginative.