2010

So 2010 draws to a close, I sit, still trying to figure out the randomness that was the Doctor Who Special and I am covered in small white dog hair. I should probably stop picking up the poor wee pup, but he's just so darn pick-up-able. It's been a decent Christmas, I think the moment that will mark it for me is when my mother teared up at the gift I'd arranged for her. Probably the first time I've inspired tears in a good way.

I look back over the year and I wonder if it was one well-spent. I've transitioned from second to third and final year at university, I turned 26, I was in a play again, I've done so much writing, I've considered the plans of the future and I've tried to change the way I live my life. Now, traditionally, as New Year looms, we consider what we want to change. This takes the form of resolutions for the coming year. Shall I make some?

1) Try to go back to the New Order laid down in October.
2) Try to run November's Children in Newbury once a month.
3) Try to stop trying and start doing.
4) Keep Writing, you're doing good, get Imperia published!
5) Blog more.

I figure I should start doing book reviews as well as films, or possibly instead of them, depending on how it all goes. I am trying to read more as well. Seems like I'm all change, but I'm not really, I just think it's time to do some tweaking. Hell, it's always time to do some tweaking.

Enough of this, to Narnia!

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA:
THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER.
(and Narnia in it's entirity)

It was only a matter of time after the massive awesomeness and success of Lord Of The Rings before other Fantastical Classics would be mined for their movie potential. As with most follow ons after immensely popular franchies, what follows would normally be crap. I don't think this was so with Narnia. For a start, the grounding in the reality of World War 2, with the blitz, relocation, enlisting and rationing all present, makes for an even greater sense of escapism.

The story of four kids being transported to a magical land where animals talk and mythical creatures hold sway, is a true classic, depsite its overly religeous connotations. When I first saw The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, I thought that it was one of the best films I'd ever seen. I think I've toned down that opinion since then, but it still holds a special place. It still does everything right, in my opinion. I didn't see Prince Caspian at the cinema, which annoyed me somewhat.

The problem with Narnia, I think, is that it's too much of a kid's story for all that religious suggestion. At the end of the Dawn Treader I visibly cringed when Aslan went into the part about having another name in our world, which I think is overly doctrinating for a young audiance, but I can kind of understand, if not fully appreciate.

Also, kids irritate me. Just because this is a fantasy story about dwarves, witches, talking lions and kids growing up, doesn't mean that this is a true kids story. Or it shouldn't be, anyway. Things like this are too good for them, if you ask me, they won't quite understand what it's trying to tell them, which is somethnig of a risk, if you ask me.

But my conclusions so far:
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - Awesome
Prince Caspian - Okay
Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Very Good

The creatures are great, the narratives are simple but powerful and the acting (for a bunch of kids) is actually okay. The voice acting for all the various animals is what it's all about, of course. With Liam Neeson, Eddie Izzard, Simon Pegg, Ray Winstone, Dawn French and Rupert Everret all lending their voices at some point or another, as well as the storming performances by Tilda Swinton (she was born to be that Witch) and Jim Broadbent, as well as a moderately acceptable show from Ben Barnes.

All in all, Narnia may not be the best of franchies, with its ups and its downs, its various troubles with Disney and Andrew Adamson pulling out, but I think that the series is holding well together and it's still got four more books to go. It'll never be the rival of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, but I think that there's a good chance that it'll be a decent series after all. Besides, we all need a little more epic fantasy, don't we?

It was a good way to end the year.

AND SO...

What now? What for 2011? Well, I'll see how I feel. See you all next year and, well, for those that did, thanks for reading.