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Harry's look at Gil Kenan's CITY OF EMBER at Skywalker Ranch!

Awesome! by Knuckleduster	Mar 1st, 2008 04:38:14 AM
Loved Monster House. Cannot fuckin wait.
I sort of got a Dark City vibe from early descriptions. by Knuckleduster	Mar 1st, 2008 04:49:06 AM
But this sounds even better. Anything with Bill Murray is great in my book. Except that Garfield movie.
That sounds really great. by Zakari Paolon	Mar 1st, 2008 04:50:32 AM
Something else to add to the list. Yay!
Did you ever actually come to Ireland? by vadakinX	Mar 1st, 2008 05:17:33 AM
yeah I know, I really should be talking about the movie, but dammit I love my country too much (though Belfast isn't technically in my country...Tiocfaidh Ar La etc). If I'd known you were coming over I could have given you the grand tour and shown you the countries only arthouse cinema (yeah, we have a grand total of one). Here's a shock, in Ireland (at least where I am) a daytime screening of a film costs the equivalent of about $3...and a night time screening costs about $5.
Sounds cool by kwisatzhaderach	Mar 1st, 2008 06:17:42 AM
Nice to see something that isn't a sequel, prequel or remake.
I am definitely diggin' it... by Sparhawk38	Mar 1st, 2008 06:46:28 AM
Bill Murray is so great when his skill is used in the right ways. This sounds great.
I have been waiting to see this by red_weed	Mar 1st, 2008 07:16:36 AM
since i first heard about it. Wasn't tom hanks attached in some capacity at some stage, this was ages and ages ago... maybe i'm thinking of something else. Anyway since I stumbled across the stills on IMDB I thought it looked cool and was glad it was finally happening. Monster house rocks and i can't wait to see how this turns out.
The book borrowe from a lot of different sources... by FlickaPoo	Mar 1st, 2008 07:52:43 AM
...both literary and film...in addition to Harry's film references, there is a big dose of Lois Lowry and The Giver, some Ursula LeGuin etc, but it all pulls together into a unique stew and a very exciting young adult novel...I'm sure it will make a good flick. Only one small concern...in the book it takes quite a while for the reader to realize that there is no natural light in this world (it's the only world these people know, so nobody thinks to mention it and because it isn't a film you can't see it...it makes for a good reveal half way through). Also, in the book nobody really knows about the generator, so the kids are accused of sky is falling type histeria...a big part of the fun is in the mystery of the kids putting together the puzzle that is their world...
Hmmm...missed a "d" in my subject line.... by FlickaPoo	Mar 1st, 2008 07:55:00 AM

Saw you at SFO on Thursday by Avenging Disco Godfather	Mar 1st, 2008 08:20:22 AM
Dude, you need a couple cases of SlimFast...either that or walk instead of use that wheelchair. Seriously take care of yourself.
Book Was Fine. Movie Will Tank. by georges garvaren	Mar 1st, 2008 09:09:57 AM
Kids want Potter or Narnia. Maybe a lesson has been learned from the string of poorly received children's book adaptations? Maybe not. On a side note, IMDB has a link on their homepage to an LA Times piece about Skywalker Ranch. Very interesting article; someone should option it!
Too bad we need a "It's Die Hard in Rainbowland" description by Drath	Mar 1st, 2008 09:26:23 AM
Sounds interesting, but it's so sad that we need to list off a line of similar movies to explain a new movie--as if our ability to understand fantasy has become more derivative than the movies themselves. Do real kids even know about Logan's Run or has that film become totally esoteric?
Wow by indiebum	Mar 1st, 2008 10:13:22 AM
Harry loves the movie... b/c he was invited to the set. If Paris Hilton had invited him to "The Hottie and the Nottie" he would have been praising it as well. I loved "Monster House" and this sounds great, but Harry always just seems to overexaggerate just because he has "privileges." Or I'm just jealous...
Harry by Philvis	Mar 1st, 2008 10:49:51 AM
I saw that Tim Robbins was in it at Doon's father. In the book he only had one or two lines. Did they give him a bigger part in the movie? Also the mayor in the book really didn't have too much dialogue, so I was wondering if they really expanded on him. It looks like the older characters may have more written for them instead of just being sidenotes like they were in the book. My wife and I loved the book and are now reading The People of Sparks. I have high hopes for this movie because it is a simple book but very in depth at the same time.
who gives a shit tell us about the ranch!!!!! by _SnakePlissken_	Mar 1st, 2008 11:18:06 AM
tell tell tell
BORING! by sevadro	Mar 1st, 2008 12:14:19 PM
Huh, did somebody say something? All I heard was City of something.
According to Google Maps... by red1701	Mar 1st, 2008 12:42:34 PM
I live 9.4 miles away from SkyWalker Ranch....go figure. funny story...years ago, i went to watch SPEED at a local theatre and George was there with his kid to watch the same movie. around here no one bothers or freaks out when we see a celebrity (Metallica, Barry Levinson,The remaining "Dead" members and such)...anyways, the lights go dark in the theatre and there in all its glory is the THX logo and sound....with the man responsible for it and worth 6 billion dollars sitting a few seats away...now that was a surreal.
Gil is a really cool guy and Monster House by s0nicdeathmonkey	Mar 1st, 2008 01:01:22 PM
rocked my world. I honestly think Monster House is one of the best kids movies in years and years. Like The Goonies, but actually good!
s0nicdeathmonkey.... by FlickaPoo	Mar 1st, 2008 01:08:42 PM
..."Like The Goonies, but actually good!"...???!! you shame yourself and your family.
Belfast by tig.Valen	Mar 1st, 2008 01:43:55 PM
Thanks to scenes being filmed around the Malone road area last year I was late for a bloody appointment with a bloody important client!! (Me shakes fist at Tom Hanks)!!
MONSTER HOUSE ROCKED! by Evil Hobbit	Mar 1st, 2008 03:14:41 PM
Realy great, a good horror for kids and a good film for all of us. Genuinely scary at moments.
I agree by milla jovovich	Mar 1st, 2008 03:49:20 PM
another vote for "Monster House sucked."
What? Tim Burton didn't direct this? by skywalkerfamily	Mar 1st, 2008 03:52:22 PM
Sounds like something he might do.
doesn't have a Tim Burton feel at all by HEADGEEK	Mar 1st, 2008 04:12:12 PM
there's a quirk - but not a caricature feel. More Jeunet, than Burton.
SoylentMean by kwisatzhaderach	Mar 1st, 2008 04:32:12 PM
Seconded. About time THE KEEP got a DVD release too. Are you listening Paramount/Michael Mann?
Who is Ember by skywalkerfamily	Mar 1st, 2008 04:40:55 PM
If it's the City of Ember, do we get to meet Ember?
Ember...as in a very small coal that keeps a fire.... by FlickaPoo	Mar 1st, 2008 04:48:12 PM
...alive. Not a person. You can't meet it.
The Ranch by I_Snake_Plissken	Mar 1st, 2008 05:30:39 PM
Best part of the Ranch, the Stag theater – great place to see a film. The worst part of the Ranch, the softball field – when you’re playing in the outfield there’s the occasional foot deep hole you need to avoid stepping in while chasing down fly balls (and it’s hard to see them since the grass was always pretty long). Other than that, with the possible exception of the archives the actual grounds themselves are not all that remarkable – it’s a bunch of nice Victorian houses that serve as office space – no movie sets, no large AT-AT walkers patrolling the grounds. So, your imagination is probably better than the reality.
Harry by Munro Kelly	Mar 1st, 2008 05:31:27 PM
I hope I'm not jumping the gun on your follow up article about Skywalker. I have a question. I know they have six mix stages named after directors. I knew three, you told us the fourth. I knew of - David Lean, Akira kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick and you told us of Willim Wyler. What are the names of the other two?
Thee screening started just under two hours ago by MistahSilvah	Mar 1st, 2008 06:51:29 PM
at the Pacific Winnetka in Chatsworth, CA. The screening was scheduled for 3pm. I got the automated call about its screening late last night so I couldn't reserve in time to see it. Be interested to hear what someone other than Harry thought.
Looking forward to it. by TattooedBillionaire	Mar 1st, 2008 07:08:47 PM
Bill Murray is semi-retired, and has stated he'll only do movies now if they really blow him away. So, yeah, I'm excited for this one.
Socialist Chum... by masterbrocksamson	Mar 1st, 2008 08:10:30 PM

Based on a Great Book by Larry of Arabia	Mar 1st, 2008 08:20:48 PM
Check it out. It's fabulous children's sci-fi.
Only 45 Minutes? by alynch3	Mar 1st, 2008 10:17:12 PM
So they're test screening it later in the day, yet they only show you 45 minutes of it? Why don't they show you the whole thing?
You know what I'd love to see? by Jackie Boy	Mar 2nd, 2008 12:34:50 AM
"HEAD GEEK HERE... now the director- we spoke over email- wanted me to fly out to Ireland...in Europe...to visit the set of the film- where they were filming. Now I had some family shit to take care of- that's shit with my relatives, if you will- so I had to stay stateside- in America. Seeing his chances of buying off the site- a fairly common practice nowadays, blame Bush- slip away, he instead asked me to visit Skywalker Ranch- to see some post production work- of the film. Now Skywalker Ranch- named after Luke Skywalker from STAR WARS... I own a 16mm print- was such a magical place... George Lucas- we shook hands once, we're pals... Jar Jar... my cameo in Clone Wars as Jabba the Hut- no relation to Pizza Hut, but I love me some chocolate pussy juice covered cheesy crust- sex with Yoko on Tatoonie with Banthas...I wouldn't mind falling into her Sarlaac Pit...um, what? Oh yeah, City of Ember. Anyways- this means I'm moving on now- maybe I was so caught up in the joy of being at Skywalker ranch...or maybe I could still taste his DNA from the last time we pimped Monster House... that I was underwhelmed-that is to say- disappointed. Visiting the mixing suite- where they mix tracks etc.- was dull and they didn't have...anything exciting...to show. They said they were preparing- that is, getting ready- for a screener later on in the day...but they only showed me 45 minutes...of their film. I wasn't even invited- to the screener- at al. -...- Also one guy was eating... out of those boxes of Entemann's mini chocolate covered- but no pussy juice- doughnuts...and he didn't offer me... my own box. ...-... So- fuck these cocksuckers. How dare...they."
so at least by Jackie Boy	Mar 2nd, 2008 12:38:43 AM
there wont be any posts about the shit the director took after taco night and how it was so visionary and how they can't wait to smell it.
Shilling for ANOTHER fantasy movie, Harry? by Merriman Lyon	Mar 2nd, 2008 01:24:41 AM
Remember that glowing preview you gave for that priceless turkey THE DARK IS RISING? And all because you were invited to the set. Even in that promotional puff-piece you wrote it was clear you hadn't a clue about the book it was based on - and how the movie was butchering it. Funny how you never mentioned the movie again. And Harry: the director of City Of Embers is NOT your friend - note that you WEREN'T invited to the actual test screening. He easily bought you off by inviting you to the "ranch" and showing you some footage. And have you subsequently posted any reviews from the test screeening? Thought not.
Go watch Goonies...it's a terrible movie. by s0nicdeathmonkey	Mar 2nd, 2008 02:54:18 AM
It really is.
The guy knows spielberg right? by y7jver01	Mar 2nd, 2008 03:20:54 AM
Im guessing "RAIDERS OF THE CITY OF EMBER AND ITS CRYSTAL SKULL"
leobloom by Merriman Lyon	Mar 2nd, 2008 07:20:35 AM
Hmm, guess that would be Harry in his promotional blurb - sorry - "review" of The Phantom Menace...?
frigging Morse Code by PotSmokinAlien	Mar 2nd, 2008 09:38:29 AM
enough "-"s and "..."s in there to be a god damn WWII spy communique. Commas, single periods, even the occasional semicolon or colon: too much to ask? also, sorry about your dad, i hope he's recovering OK.
sounds like The Gift. by Bekindrewindme	Mar 2nd, 2008 10:51:18 AM
well at least it reminds me of that book.
Another children's book turned Hollywood. by Rakafraker	Mar 2nd, 2008 11:02:11 AM
Hoo-ray! I mostly enjoyed Monster House. Luckily, the kids love watching movies with me (not so much with Mom), so I can justify watching movies like this (and enjoying them). Like I've said in other TBs, there is a whole other (technical) world to watch for in family films, so I don't really need any other justification (okay, also to rub it in their Mom's face. That's enough. A bit bitter today I sup.). Let's face it: When Bill Murray signs on for a film, he's either been offered a stupid amount of money (Garfield), or it's truly a masterpiece (nearly everything else he's done in the last decade, IMHO). Mr Murray can nail whimsey like no-other (Scrooged, Groundhog Day (which I hated at first, but now is one of my faves (maybe more brackets within brackets? (Why not!?))), etc.), so I'm pretty sure I'm gonna dig this one!
gotta mention Harry's caricature in the Entourage comiccon episo by lsleelee	Mar 2nd, 2008 12:22:51 PM
And will continue to do so until Harry stops doing this.
LUCAS IS WORTH $6 BILLION? by BringingSexyBack	Mar 2nd, 2008 01:59:58 PM
Gimme some.
Lucas is a rich man. by skywalkerfamily	Mar 2nd, 2008 02:06:36 PM
THX, Skywalker Sound, Lucasarts, he pretty much boosted Hasbro/Kenner toys, ILM, had a small part in PIXAR.
The giver by Staldo	Mar 2nd, 2008 03:06:23 PM
somebody said this sounded like The Gift. Which is funny because I immediately thought of the book The Giver.(also known as anti-conformism 101)
oops by AllieJamison	Mar 2nd, 2008 06:03:13 PM
http://tinyurl.com/322eyh : >>Harry Knowles, who runs the movie fan site AintItCool.com (his official title is Head Geek), says he first saw a bootleg version of the trailer online, then the official version online, and then saw it twice in theaters. There were cheers in the theater when the familiar theme song kicked in, Knowles said, and comments on his Web site have been positive. "People generally really, really loved the trailer," he said. "Some people think it's a little more cartoonish-looking compared to the prior (films), with him whipping the lights and swinging on them and stuff. But at the same time, it seems that everyone is extremely excited that there's a new 'Indiana Jones' film. The excitement for it is palpable. It's much more aggressively anticipated than anything else that's coming out right now.
so... by AllieJamison	Mar 2nd, 2008 06:26:11 PM
Oh well ...and this CITY OF EMBER thing looks interesting. Can't wait for Harry to shed some more light on his Skywalker experience. Even though every internet-schmock seems to have been to Skywalker Ranch these days...and there has been an inflation of illustrated reports on these experiences online. Concerning Harry's cameo in this AP piece on the IndyIV trailer, I just had to put this in here when I stumbled across it. Harry may have done a good job in recapping the trailer reactions... if it is actually possible for a human mind to recap the usual extraordinary talkback craziness that took place after this poorly put together mess made its way online...magical pants and all.
Harry.. by nolan bautista	Mar 2nd, 2008 07:11:52 PM
..i wish your Dad well and i pray that he is recovering..
"Assignment Day" by Abhimanyu	Mar 2nd, 2008 11:44:12 PM
That concept seems to me to have been reipped off from an Asimov short story I read a long time ago. It was called something like "Profession" or "Occupation" or something. Anyone else know of what I speak?
"I just got back from Skywalker Ranch"? by Motoko Kusanagi	Mar 3rd, 2008 01:30:26 AM
Sombody's crying for attention here...
Skywalker ranch? Was Supershadow there? by Darth Macchio	Mar 3rd, 2008 12:01:39 PM
That guy's a legend man! A legend! I can't wait until the fan written and fan directed episodes 7,8,9 come out so I can pluck my eye out with a fork and kick it a few aisles over at the local Wal-mart. Nothing like hearing people scream when a strange and gelatinous eye lands on their shoulder from out of nowhere.
Munro Kelly by kwisatzhaderach	Mar 3rd, 2008 01:05:27 PM
It's Len Wiseman and Brett Ratner.
by vadakinX by emeraldboy	Mar 3rd, 2008 03:03:02 PM
and that really pisses me off. One arthouse cinema. its a joke. It takes forever to get there. So by the time you want to see the film in our only art house movie. its over. I live in Dun Loaghaire. I have only been in that cinema a couple times. There is access cinema. Which is a bus cinema. Which goes from place to place. Its a bus which was converted into a cinema.
Harry by The Belligerent Irishman	Mar 3rd, 2008 09:58:37 PM
For a big guy, you sure are long-winded. Once you got to the goods, about the flick, well...it sounds pretty good. And I'm new to the message board, by the way. Name's The Belligerent Irish. Good to know you.
godamn it by lucky slevin	Mar 4th, 2008 10:40:49 AM
i thought we had star wars news
If Lucas ever wanted to make more money by skywalkerfamily	Mar 4th, 2008 03:23:34 PM
he could open up the Ranch for tours.
kwisatzhaderach by Munro Kelly	Mar 5th, 2008 11:14:20 PM
That was a good one.

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Harry's look at Gil Kenan's CITY OF EMBER at Skywalker Ranch!

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