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4 articles from 2007

20 December 2007 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Catholic Church officials at The Vatican have condemned Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig's new family film The Golden Compass, stating the movie is anti-Christian. The religious leaders claim the movie, based on author Philip Pullman's fantasy book Northern Lights, promotes a cold and hopeless world without God. In an article in The Vatican's newspaper l'Osservatore Romano, Pullman is also heavily criticized for writing the book. Catholic leaders urged the faithful to boycott the movie when it was released earlier this month. The Golden Compass director Chris Weitz stripped all references to the church from the movie, fearing he'd offend religious film fans. But it seems his efforts weren't enough. In Pullman's fantasy world, the Church's governing body is linked to cruel experiments on children. In The Vatican newspaper editorial, the film is dubbed "the most anti-Christmas film possible."

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7 December 2007 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Some analysts have suggested that the very future of Time Warner's New Line studios -- and almost certainly its chairman, Bob Shaye -- may hinge on the performance of The Golden Compass, which reportedly cost $180 million to produce and another $60 million to market and distribute. Nevertheless, even the studio's own executives are making modest predictions about the film's fortunes this weekend, with New Line president Rolf Mittweg telling the Hollywood Reporter: "We should do somewhere between $30-40 million." But L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke quoted unnamed "box-office gurus" as predicting that the movie "is going to be a huge bomb," and open "in the high $20 millions." Although the film is being compared with Disney's Narnia franchise, analysts have pointed out that while those films received a considerable boost from church groups, just the opposite is the case with Compass, which has been targeted by the Catholic League, the country's largest Catholic lay group, as an introduction to the atheistic views of Philip Pullman, the British author who wrote the book on which the movie is based. In an interview with today's (Friday) Orlando Sentinel, Compass director Chris Weitz said that although he had expected some controversy to develop over the movie, "I didn't expect quite as vicious an attack as the one that has come from Mr. Donohue. I suppose I spend half my time being bemused at being accused of having a 'hidden atheist agenda' and the rest of the time just appalled by it."

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26 November 2007 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Casino Royale star Daniel Craig has come to the defense of The Golden Compass after the book on which it is based was ordered removed from school libraries in the Canadian province of Ontario. Catholic lay leaders in Canada and the U.S. have denounced the book as anti-Catholic in particular and antireligious in general. Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, the largest Catholic lay group in the U.S., has called Compass "atheism for kids." Kurt Bruner, author of Shedding Light on His Dark Materials, told CNSNews.com, a unit of the conservative Media Research Center, that the book and movie reflect "a story which is all about Satan overthrowing the authority of God." But in an interview with the Toronto Globe & Mail, Craig, who has a featured role in Compass, said, "These books are not anti-religious. I think that mainly they're anti-misuse of power -- whether it's religious or political." Toronto bookseller Ben McNally noted that he found the actions of the school authorities curious given the fact that the books have been available in Ontario schools for more than a decade and are just now attracting controversy as the date for the movie's premiere approaches. (It is due to open on Dec. 7.) "I mean, where have these people been?" McNally asked. And in an interview with the Christian Post, Golden Compass director Chris Weitz remarked, "I think it's a shame that people are reacting to a movie they haven't seen by attacking a book they haven't understood."

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5 November 2007 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Religious activists at the Catholic League are urging Christians to boycott Christmas family film The Golden Compass over fears kids seeing the movie will give up on God. The film, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, is an adaptation of one of the stories from atheist author Philip Pullman's controversial His Dark Materials trilogy. And Catholic League officials fear children who watch the film will be tempted to read the books, which they claim "bash Christianity and promote atheism to kids." League president William Donohue tells America's Entertainment Weekly magazine, "Parents might be inclined to say, 'Hey, our kid really enjoyed the movie, why don't we buy him His Dark Materials for Christmas?' (It) introduces the kid to atheism. (It's) a stealth campaign." But writer/director Chris Weitz welcomes the criticism - the Catholic League also boycotted the movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, which went on to become one of 2006's biggest cinema hits. He says, "It will make more people see the film."

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4 articles from 2007