Weekend of above-average movies

1. The Golden Compass. It was about as good as I expected it to be. It felt a little bit rushed, but it did have a lot of ground to cover. It's on a par with the first Harry Potter film in that regard. Lovely production design, excellent use of Nicole Kidman's eerie soullessness, Sam Elliott is excellent in the role of Sam Elliott as Lee Scoresby. They got the witches exactly right. A word of warning: After spending the evening watching Derek Jacobi, Christopher Lee, and Jim Carter, and listening to the voice of Ian McKellen, you too will be stuck in Large Ham mode for hours.

2. Elizabeth:The Golden Age. The critics absolutely ripped this one, but I thought it was a fine successor to Elizabeth. Maybe I'm just favorably disposed because one of my favorite actors (Geoffey Rush) returns to play one of my favorite historical figures (Sir Francis Walsingham). catherineldf made the excellent point that Elizabeth spends a lot of time throwing tantrums, but even considering that, the film was much better than expected.