On a lighter note, I just saw a great little film, "Hogfather" (2006), based on the book by Terry Pratchett - and I have no idea how I've missed it until now!
Actually, I'd characterize it as a low-budget, quirky, dark-holiday for older-kids movie - but that puts it squarely into cult, and the themes are great for adults with a mind toward such. At times part "A Christmas Carol", at times more like "Sleepy Hollow", it's now on my shelf along with "Nightmare before Christmas" as a seasonal classic.
The "Unseen University" reminded me so much of a dysfunctional Winter Covenant I bust out loud laughing several times, and the various "realms" that the story flowed thru echo strongly of regiones both magical and fae. The characters, both mundane and supernatural, are great inspiration for any storyteller, with some complete reworkings of several non-predictable archetypes - respect to Pratchett for that.
While this movie perhaps was too off-beat for any awards, there's more than enough to amuse and entertain on several levels, and, on the off-chance that I'm not the only one to have missed it, I have to recommend it as one of those "gotta see once", if only because there's really no way to explain it all. And there are more than enough plothooks to alone justify a once-over - if you know Pratchett's work, you know what I mean.
Not sure when the 32nd of December comes around for everyone else, but Happy Hoggswatchnight everyone! Things that end in "-olly" to one and all!
Yeah, I got to chime in and extol this film. An excellent piece of work, and something I could definitely see working into an Ars Magica Christmas session
I think that very image is what turned a lot of folk away from the box office. Like "Holy Grail", you just can't explain it to anyone who's not seen it - best just to say "See it, you'll like it!"
And it is hard to describe. When above I said "low budget", it's not poorly done, not at all - just not a big-studio production, no CGE when blue-screen (or a rubber mask) does almost just as well, and even works better with the script. I think I see something of Time Bandits there, and other "tongue in cheek" tone works where there's a sense of humour that moves like a guiding hand over more dire surface action.
(It only came out a year ago, so maybe some distribution rights just expired or something.)
I had no idea that they made a movie of this! I loved the book. Thats so cool that I had to check the link that CH posted to make sure he wasn't pulling a prank.
Well watched part 1 and i must concur it was brilliant. a wonderful adaptation in true British tongue in cheek fashion. Loved the wizard segments, it was like watching a group of Jerbiton's hesitantly venturing to fathom the works of a Verditius without an instruction manual lol.
It's low budget as in "made for television because Terry's not convinced that Hollywood can translate one of his books into film without murdering it." Because of the tight budget it brings out the best of everyone in it; nobody is allowed to sleepwalk their way through their parts and everyone obviously did it for the love of the piece. All that comes out in the movie but it never looks cheap. IMHO it looks real.
Terry himself is in it, playing a toymaker.
I saw it recently on DVD, and my two kids (three and "almost five") loved it. The wife and I bought the special edition as we're both big Pratchett fans and Terry and I were once members of the same RPG club...
