Still fresh on the site this week are our bunch of Contest Corner giveaways, including chances to win The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh and The Best Of Casper. Our Surf’s Up coverage includes an interview with the film’s directors as well as a full review of the movie itself. Our most recent DVD Reviews cover the deluxe attention given to She-Ra: Princess Of Power alongside takes on Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, Defenders Of The Earth, Arthur And The Invisibles and Tex Avery’s Droopy: Theatrical Collection.
The latest news going around about Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia franchise is that Michael Apted has signed on to helm the third picture, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader.
Apted is an interesting choice for the series, which Andrew Adamson will continue involvement with in a producer capacity. The movie is set for a May 1 2009 release, following Prince Caspian in 2008. Disney and Walden surely feel they have a winner in the Narnia films, though it remains to be seen if Apted is the right man for the job. His credits include the revolutionary Seven Up! documentaries and many fine films, such as Gorky Park, Gorillas In The Mist and The Coal Miner’s Daughter, as well as his most recent film, Amazing Grace, made for Walden Media’s sister company Bristol Bay Productions, hence the move onto their biggest franchise. But…can you see any other major franchise pictures in there? While Apted is undoubtedly a strong director, the only film that has taken him close to such fare was the 007 adventure The World Is Not Enough, arguably the weakest of the Pierce Brosnan Bonds, with a rather baggy opening chase down the River Thames and several other technical issues throughout the film.
However, it can be said that the performances and personal relationships between the characters in TWINE are perhaps the strongest in any Bond feature, even more so than the recent Casino Royale. Apted is certainly a man who can coax out the most authentic portrayals from his actors, and this is perhaps where he will score major points, with a mostly young cast. Reprising their roles from the previous films are Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes and little Georgie Henley, already the breakout child star of the first film as Lucy. Added to this is Apted’s participation in the dramatic HBO/BBC series Rome, for which he also directed the first three episodes, which clearly familiarized him with the intracacies of special effects filmmaking.
I look forward to seeing how his take on the material pans out. After what was for me a rather lackluster adaptation of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, I’m hoping that the films get better as they progress. With Dawn Treader, it would be nice to see him manage to do what the contemporary British director Mike Newell was able to do with Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. He’s another who has made striking, performance-led character pieces in the past though went on to make a great film from already popular literature that played well for both readers and cinemagoers alike.
– Ben.
