![inkheartpic1[1] by you.](https://i0.wp.com/farm4.static.flickr.com/3320/3211502979_a5f63dc624.jpg)
Go Change. Someone Just Called You Mrs. Doubtfire !
~ Hello Everyone ~
Welcome To Daniel’s Critical Corner !
Today’s Novel Idea: Inkheart
January is such a gloomy month. The winter winds blow, the skies
are grey, and the movie theaters are a barren wasteland… Devoid
of good movies as the trees are devoid of leaves ! (At least that
was the case last year around this time).
We were treated to such charmers as “Over Her Dead Body” and
“In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale”. But it is looking
like spring might be hitting us early. No… I am NOT talking about
“Hotel For Dogs”. I am thinking more along the lines of “Defiance”,
“My Bloody Valentine 3D” and, much to my surprise, “Inkheart”.
As it so happens, “Defiance” is what “Valkyrie” should have been.
(Will someone please call Tom Cruise and tell him that he sucks) !
I’d love to do it myself, but I seem to have “misplaced” his phone
number. Pity. Anyway, “Defiance” wasn’t the infuhrerating mess
“Valkyrie” became… I realize the latter was a modest success at
the box office, but I am not a fan of that particular S S hit.
Do not adjust your computer screen folks. I DID indeed insinuate
that “My Bloody Valentine 3D” was enjoyable… If nothing else,
“MBV3D” is a thrill ride of sorts. I was impressed that it managed
to capture the feeling of the original cult classic, all while adding
some new “dimensions” of its own.
For example, this updated version boasts huge 3-D BOOBS. Yep.
Boobs. Folks were actually reaching out for ’em. (To avoid any
confusion, please remember “Valkyrie” is not in 3-D). That film
features just one boob, and he is flatter than a pancake.
Now… In regards to “Inkheart”, its flaws are many and its flaws
are obvious. Nonetheless, I rather enjoyed watching this flick.
Sometimes, the movie is whimsical. And at other times, flimsy.
I guess that makes it “flimsical”.
Brendan Fraser returns to the big screen, and once again he is
playing second fiddle to some CGI Gods and Monsters. Brendan
is delightful as Mortimer “Mo” Folchart, a guy with a passion for
old books. His love of literature is shared enthusiastically by his
cute young daughter, Meggie. The pair travel around the world
trying to locate hard to find writings, having a blast while doing
so !!!
![inkheart-0[1] by you.](https://i0.wp.com/farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3222168408_9bb567c84b.jpg)
I Can’t Believe Borders Threw Us Out !
Mo has spent several years searching for an out of print book
titled “Inkheart”. At first, Meggie does not have the first clue
as to why her father is so obsessed with coming across it. She
just sees him as a bit of a loon, and leaves everything at that.
Imagine her surprise when she finds out the old book holds a
secret to her past, involving her long lost mother ! We learn
that Mo has a magical gift… He is a “Silvertongue”, someone
who can bring a character to life from a book just by reading
it out loud ! He actually pulls them out of the story into this
world (but it creates a vortex that forces someone out here
to be sucked in at the same time).
It’s a good thing he found out about his powers before he
read something of a questionable quality. There are three
books that a Silvertongue should probably NEVER read out
loud from:
****************************************
Sex ~ by Madonna
Me ~ by Katharine Hepburn
Garfield Goes to Waist ~ by Jim Davis
****************************************
Madonna: Hard Candy… Or Soft Serve ?
Anyway… Meggie’s Mom is stuck in the book (or so it seems)
and all sorts of characters are running amok. Some are good
guys, like the hippie flame-thrower “Dustfinger”. Now that’s
a name !!! (I guess there are worse fingers that he could be
be associated with)…
In the evil villain department we are treated to “Capricorn”,
played wonderfully by Andy Serkis (Gollum in “The Lord of
the Rings” trilogy). His plan is to enlist Mo’s help in reading
a creep known as “The Shadow” out of “Inkheart”. He will
stop at nothing, and conjures up a number of beasts to do
his bidding ! With the aide of a stuttering Silvertongue, he
manages to wreck some havoc on the countryside.
Meggie and Mo are not alone, as Dustfinger, a unicorn, and
even Toto from “The Wizard of Oz” do battle with the group
of wretched scum. I’ve got to say it. Toto is CUTE. I can
be such a sucker for an adorable dog in a flick… One extra
point, right there ! LOL !
Also helping our heroes is Meggie’s eccentric great aunt,
“Elinor Loredan” (played with a crazy perfection by Helen
Mirren). This nut would give “Cruella Deville” a real run
for her money !
Yes, some hijinks ensue as all types of oddballs drop out
of the sky… Including Rapunzel, who resembles Christina
Aguilera in hair extensions. The Shadow does show up of
course, and it starts to look like curtains for Mo and the
gang. As expected, a grand battle plays out at the end !
When all was said and done… I would have liked to have
seen more famous fictional characters flushed out ! This
movie stayed focused on the same few the ENTIRE time…
Another miniscule gripe I have was about the locations.
All of the events transpire at Capricorn’s castle… But a
magical story (featuring such a broad imagination) really
should have had a broad backdrop as well ! Regardless,
it is all in good fun… And it sure beats the heck out of
that “Prince Crapstain” nonsense.
Worn edges aside, “Inkheart” has the write attitude !!!
~
Would I Recommend This ? Yes
Daniel’s Critical Rating: “7” out of “10”
Daniel's Critical Corner 
OMG! Inkheart got a good review from you! I am thrilled to no end!! I plan (hope) to see it this weekend! I love the books and have been waiting very impatiently (since I got to meet Andy Serkis, well over a year ago) for the release of this movie! I realise the movies rarely live up to the books but it’s all icing on the cake for me, I just enjoy seeing how it compares to what I imagined.and it’s always good. Maybe not great but always I enjoy the movie. Glad you gave it a thumbs up Daniel!!!
After seeing “Inkheart”, I figured that it would be a movie you would really enjoy.
Very COOL about meeting Andy ! (Any pictures ? Send ’em to me)! I haven’t read
Cornelia Funke’s novel yet, but you can rest assured I will !
Interesting – sounds like a combo of Never Ending Story and Wizard of Oz. I may have to check it out!
It does at times give off a “Never Ending Story” vibe. In the movie “Australlia”,
“The Wizard of Oz” was a continuing theme… But “Inkheart” actually features
a few of the characters ! (We are even treated to a pretty awesome tornado
scene) !
I have just started seeing previews for this movie and it looks really good. I’m glad you liked it. Now just to find someone to drag to the theatre with me.
LOL !!! Once people read this review, they will FLOCK to the theatre with you !!! 🙂
Interesting. I never give Fraser flicks any thought (his movies don’t really draw me in), but now I am wondering…would my kids enjoy it? I wouldn’t see it, but maybe they might like it. And as for MBV In 3-D…I’m curious…were the boobs in Double 3-D? Or just a D? LOL
Your kids will LOVE it (and you will probably have a good time as well).
A flick like “Hotel For Dogs” is entertaining for the grade school group
and nothing more. LOL @ the “D” boobs… It’s all fun and games until
someone pokes their eye out !
Speaking of which, the first movie I ever saw in 3-D is coming out on
DVD complete with glasses… “Friday the 13th part 3” will be available
in 3-D February 3rd. Looks kind of cool !
Considering Madonna is 50 years old, she doesn’t look that bad at all.
Hmmm… Looks like one vote for “Hard Candy” ! LOL !!! Yes,
she sure looks nifty for fifty ! My favorite Madonna singles:
1. Secret
2. Rain
3. This Used To Be My Playground
4. Frozen
5. La Isla Bonita
6. Hanky Panky
7. Bedtime Story
8. Miles Away
9. The Power of Good-Bye
10. Hung Up
Well I saw Inkheart!! They used quit a bit of “creative license” to change things around to fit it into 1 hr & 45 min movie but they stayed true to the storyline. It seemed like a lot was missing, again a time limit thing.. but I did enjoy the movie! Thought Brendon did fantastic and I wish they would do the other two movies, but I am betting they won’t… for one thing they hung this movie up for a year and a half making “meggie” two years older now then when she made that movie.. book two picks up where book one ends.. no “years inbetween”.. ah well I will take what I can get..
Here’s an old post I did when I met Andy.. a few pics of him on stage talking to the audience..
http://herethereandeverywhere2ndedition.blogspot.com/2007/03/there-and-back-again-part-4.html
can’t say enough, what a nice, nice man he is!
…grrr I fogot.. i’ve been reading a lot of comments when anyone mentions this movie, that they don’t think Brendon Frasier is a good actor..they should rent Gods and Monsters if they want to see him in a different light.. though I will say he did have a chance to play “Mo” more seriously then being chased by mummies (but I think he did those just fine myself)
Those are great pictures Pat ! I think they could pull off a sequel… I hope they do, but
I guess we will have to wait and see. I made a subtle reference to “Gods and Monsters”
in the review above. That was such a remarkable film. I’ve always found Brendan Fraser
to be a very talented actor, and likable as well. I’m looking forward to seeing “Crowley”,
a medical drama due out in 2010 starring Brendan and Harrison Ford !
Very funny review..I LOVE the Mrs. Doubtfire line! I absolutely love your Madonna list, except it’s not posted on the front page hehe 🙂 I am kind of excited to see this movie, and you described the characters well enough for me to picture what to expect. I think this choice for me beats the 3-D boobs. LOL.
Thanks Gayle ! That IS a pretty sweet Madonna list I’ve got goin’ on there… The next big 3-D
movie coming out is “Coraline”, featuring stop-motion effects similar to “The Nightmare Before
Christmas”. Something tells me it will be “boob-free”.
I want to see My Bloody Valentine 3D so bad!!! However, there isn’t a “3D” version of the movie at the theater near where I live. I am extremely disappointed.
Ugh ! I hope you somehow get a chance to catch “MBV3D” in all of its gory glory !
oh woof! Harrison just gets better with age. I hadn’t heard of that movie but you can bet I will keep my eyes and ears tuned to it now! lol
LOL ! Nice to see Harrison Ford still has it ! (I was worried that he may have left it in the Temple of Doom) ! 🙂
Daniel, I just cannot get enough of your reviews. You are so funny! It amazes me how you can create such wit, and always find light in some dark films.
Thanks Gayle ! There is always a little ray of sunshine in
ALL reviews found here at “Critical Corner” !!! LOL !!! 🙂
Sorry was busy with work ..
awesome review like always 🙂
I wonder if it has released in india yet
Thanks Arvind !!! I hope it will be in India soon !!!
Dude I watched Inkheart, loved it, Thanks for sharing.
Awesome !!! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it !!! 🙂