C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia, never wanted his books turned into movies. Who can blame him? Was the cinematic technology really present any time other than now to bring his world to life? (I don’t know the answer to that, but the rhetorical question sounded cool, and asking questions sure is easier than answering them). Anyhow. Having read the Chronicles of Narnia twice, once as a rather young lad, the descriptive word “beloved” certainly rings true to my ears. Let me back up a few paces and describe to you how I ended up seeing the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

I bought advance online tickets (a first for me … and what a horrible experience, too) to a sold-out show of King Kong at the largest screen in Minnesota, the Marcus UltraScreen. Yes, in my quest for Friday entertainment, I was determined to see the biggest movie of the year on the biggest screen, taking the biggest hit to my wallet possible. I succeeded on the last point. You see, Mykala and I made it to the movie, were admitted, and walked into the theater … but couldn’t find a seat. Except for a nice pair … in the front row, on the faaaar left of the theater. Now, watching a movie from the front row is one thing (I saw Castaway and just remember it as being very very wide), but watching a movie at some bizarre angle on a screen three times the height of a normal movie screen is like going to an Imax theater and laying upside down in the aisle. Or something. Bad analogy. So, I stormed out of the theater, ready to erupt like Mount Vesuvius on Pompeii back in the day when the pyroclastic flows used to beat the heck out of towns and townspeoples. Mykala, willing to endure to the risk of being covered in ash and soot, suggested we see a gasp different movie.

So we ended up here, at the Chronicles, and … by golly it wasn’t a let-down at all. I paused mid-way through the movie, wondering why there wasn’t a giant gorilla scaling a building, but immediately returned to the wonderfully crafted Narnian story. The effects were seamless (the talking beavers were hilarious and stunning realistic in the way their entire mouths moved when the spoke) and so earned the name “special effects”. My favorite part was the arrival of Santa Claus: perfect timing with the season we are in now and a great plot twist from the novel I had completely forgotten about. I would watch this movie again … it’s good for a small Friday night gathering, but may fall flat when screened to a larger group.

Also, I saw a Saturday Night Live parody of the Beastie Boys in which they rap about going to see “the ChroniWHATcles of Narnia” and even though it’s stuck in my head … it’s still funny.

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Hollywood’s commentary on current events is doomed to be packaged into a format that will sell tickets, avoid details required to truly make points, and a feeling of detachment due to the time required to make a movie. Nevertheless, if a standard could exist by which films could model their political statements, Syriana would be a good start. Certainly, I will have to see it again when it comes out on video to fully understand (or at least make a better attempt at fully understanding) what is going on in the movie’s plot.

What Syriana refuses to do is preach or present a one-dimensional view of the problem it centers around: oil on Earth is a limited asset and it is a societal instinct to fight over limited resources. The character sketches (they can only be sketches as there are many players in this vast political game) are well thought-out, giving us a chance to bounce their personalities off one another in our own heads. That is, the movie is rich enough to be continued in your mind, after the projector shuts off and you unstick your feet from the floor of the theater.

As a thriller, Syriana is not perfect: it lacks the intrigue and slamming rapid twists and turns I expect from my thrillers (The Da Vinci Code, ahoy!) … but I expected it to be more thought-provoking than adrenaline-pumping. I found it in the vein of The Constant Gardener in that you were forced to listen to the dialogue, make connections, actively participate in the movie.

Want to think? Think about the future? Talk about the world with some people who are (hopefully) level-headed and not rabies-infested politically indoctrinated folk? See this movie.

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These were a gift from my mom to my sister and me (is that correct English?) I know mine (the one not wearing blush) will go on my Christmas tree.

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I think I got this when I got my tonsils out.

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Crazy Japanese Case - Beautiful, with a bamboo water color, hand fit joints, and shoji doors. Phenomenal.

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