coraline

[oddpod]

any one ealse sean this yet?
scared the crap out off me!!!

[eytanz]

I saw it last night. Overall, I thought it was very, very good. Not quite an absolute classic - I don't feel the need to watch it again anytime soon - but a really good movie experience. Everything just worked really well together, and the visuals were absolutely amazing. It is a perfect marriage of Neil Gaiman's imgination with Harry Selick's imagination, and it is both beautiful and creepy.

I saw it in 3D, but I felt that the 3D added little. Not nothing - there were a few scenes where the 3D did allow for some cool effects (the opening credits, perhaps, the best example), but I think that the experience in a 2D cinema would have been virtually identical as far as the main selling points of the movie. Which is just to say - if you can only see this in 2D where you live, don't feel like you're missing out on something important.

[Poppydragon]

I saw it last night. Overall, I thought it was very, very good. Not quite an absolute classic - I don't feel the need to watch it again anytime soon - but a really good movie experience. Everything just worked really well together, and the visuals were absolutely amazing. It is a perfect marriage of Neil Gaiman's imgination with Harry Selick's imagination, and it is both beautiful and creepy.

I saw it in 3D, but I felt that the 3D added little. Not nothing - there were a few scenes where the 3D did allow for some cool effects (the opening credits, perhaps, the best example), but I think that the experience in a 2D cinema would have been virtually identical as far as the main selling points of the movie. Which is just to say - if you can only see this in 2D where you live, don't feel like you're missing out on something important.

Would agree with this, particularly about the 3D. I really enjoyed it, thought it good old fashioned cautionary tale. It did give my 16 yo daughter the heebie geebies though, I think its an eye thing  It's up there with Nightmare Before Christmas for me in terms of marrying the visuals and the story line. Mind you there were some tiny's (5 - 6 yo's) in the audience who loved it too, so maybe not too creepy.

[MacArthurBug]

I liked it- Elder daughter wants to own it, younger daughter thought it was too scary.  I thought it was certainly pretty, and accurate enough.. Kind of missed Coraline being self sufficient though..

[DKT]

I finally saw this last night (DVD, 2D version) and fell head over heels in love with it. Absolutely creepy and charming. Pretty much everything that makes horror fun for me, I think.

Although, I wasn't sure why Henry Sellick decided Coraline needed to be saved at the end by Wybie (though I felt the rest of his inclusion to the story was well done). I mean, he even smashed the Other Mother's hand. Duuuuuuuuude. That was Coraline's job.

Other than that, it really made me want to go back and reread the book, then come back and watch the movie again. It's definitely the best Gaiman material we've seen onscreen, I think.

[stePH]

I finally saw this last night (DVD, 2D version) and fell head over heels in love with it. Absolutely creepy and charming. Pretty much everything that makes horror fun for me, I think.

Although, I wasn't sure why Henry Sellick decided Coraline needed to be saved at the end by Wybie (though I felt the rest of his inclusion to the story was well done). I mean, he even smashed the Other Mother's hand. Duuuuuuuuude. That was Coraline's job.

Other than that, it really made me want to go back and reread the book, then come back and watch the movie again. It's definitely the best Gaiman material we've seen onscreen, I think.

What, you didn't like Neverwhere? 

[DKT]

Nope 

I did like Stardust and Beowulf, but I think Coraline was better. Mirrormask was...okay.

His A Short Film About John Bolton was kind of funny, though. 

[stePH]

Beowulf? 

[izzardfan]

Beowulf? 

Yep.  According to IMDB, he co-wrote the screenplay for the Angelina Jolie/Anthony Hopkins vehicle AND was one of the executive producers.

[stePH]

OK, so then does Princess Mononoke count?  I understand he's responsible for the dub script.

[Bdoomed]

dub script is not at all the same as co writing a screenplay.
anyone who wants to put in the time and energy (and knows japanese) can do a dub script.

[stePH]

dub script is not at all the same as co writing a screenplay.
anyone who wants to put in the time and energy (and knows japanese) can do a dub script.

Yabbut not all can do it well. 

[stePH]

Saw this last night.  Somewhat disappointed, particularly by the inclusion of Wydie (during his first scene I said "Who the fuck are you?" [prompting my wife to say, "Not in the book, I take it?"]) who added nothing to the movie -- the cat was enough and didn't need an "owner".  Gaiman wrote a fine story that didn't need the major alterations.  This was almost like a pre-Scanner adaptation of a Philip Dick story.

Stardust was a better adaptation and a better film.

[MacArthurBug]

Saw this last night.  Somewhat disappointed, particularly by the inclusion of Wydie (during his first scene I said "Who the fuck are you?" [prompting my wife to say, "Not in the book, I take it?"]) who added nothing to the movie -- the cat was enough and didn't need an "owner".  Gaiman wrote a fine story that didn't need the major alterations.  This was almost like a pre-Scanner adaptation of a Philip Dick story.

Stardust was a better adaptation and a better film.

Agreed across the board. I hated Wydie. And still myke elder daughter grumptious when we watch the movie by making crude gestures when he comes onscreen.

[DKT]

Eh, I disagree Wybie added nothing to the moive. He was inserted into the movie to allow for some much needed exposition. I didn't hate him, but I was certainly annoyed he saved the day instead of Coraline.

[Scattercat]

Wybie was very necessary, in my opinion.  Coraline the book was very focused on Coraline's internal world and perceptions.  You just can't do that very easily in film.  There's only so long a camera can follow a silent protagonist around while she does inexplicable things.  Complaining about Wyborn in Coraline is like complaining about the Elves at Helm's Deep in the LOTR movies; sure, it's different, and it mucks with the canon a little bit, but sometimes you just can't DO the same stuff in film that you can in a book.

I don't know that it's accurate to say that Wyborn saves the day instead of Coraline; they both contribute to the ending.  If you're going to complain about Coraline's relative lack of agency, the earlier parts of the movie are a better place to mine, in my opinion.  Subtle changes in each of the magical threats she faces end up making her almost incidental to their resolution, which was a little troubling. 

[DKT]

Wybie was very necessary, in my opinion.  Coraline the book was very focused on Coraline's internal world and perceptions.  You just can't do that very easily in film.  There's only so long a camera can follow a silent protagonist around while she does inexplicable things.  Complaining about Wyborn in Coraline is like complaining about the Elves at Helm's Deep in the LOTR movies; sure, it's different, and it mucks with the canon a little bit, but sometimes you just can't DO the same stuff in film that you can in a book.

Yeah, you said exactly what I was trying to say about this, but much better.

I don't know that it's accurate to say that Wyborn saves the day instead of Coraline; they both contribute to the ending.  If you're going to complain about Coraline's relative lack of agency, the earlier parts of the movie are a better place to mine, in my opinion.  Subtle changes in each of the magical threats she faces end up making her almost incidental to their resolution, which was a little troubling. 

No, not so much complaining about Wybie's general influence in events. More frustrated that in the very end, Coraline needed to be saved. I was fine with Wybie (or Other Wybie) pulling Coraline out of the Other Mother's...time out. I just didn't like it that Wybie was the one who smashed Other Mother's hand. Like I said earlier, that was Coraline's job, dammit. 

[Portrait in Flesh]

Beowulf? 

Yep.  According to IMDB, he co-wrote the screenplay for the Angelina Jolie/Anthony Hopkins vehicle AND was one of the executive producers.

"It happened that I had just finished co-writing a screen adaptation of Beowulf, the old English narrative poem, and was mildly surprised by the number of people who, mishearing me, seemed to think I had just written an episode of 'Baywatch.'  So I began retelling Beowulf as a futuristic episode of "Baywatch" for an anthology of detective stories."
--Neil Gaiman, on the origin of his short story "Bay Wolf"