Literary Hype and Narnia

So, you may have noticed I have a new website (literaryhype). It made up today's column, but I also advertised it on the home page. I've decided to put what's new out there every day, so make sure you visit there first. (In fact, soon you'll have to, as I'm making it impossible to get to all the other sites except through the main one. Sort of a John 14:6 kind of thing). I was sad no one noticed my dancing squirrel, but maybe next time.

As for THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, I totally wanted to go tonight, but alas. I asked my mom of all people, since she was the one who got me into the books. She wants to wait. Grendel was all excited, but is now in Korea. Ajax had a lame excuse (something about a 7:00 feeding), and Marcellus is still missing, presumed kidnapped.

Of course, there are several women who would gladly go with me, but that would make several other women very unhappy, and I live by the principle that women are crazy, so try not to make too many of them unhappy at once.

So that leaves me sans friend to go see it with. I could go myself, but it just feels like one of those movies you'd want someone along with you; you know?

Like I said, I first got into Narnia becuase of my mother. I loved the books, found them very magical and fun to read. Much has been made about a Christian allegory, and yeah, that's there, but for the most part that never got in the way of the story. (Except for book 7, which I hate with a passion, but more about that another time.) In my opinion, all good story will have natural allegory, and I don't think C.S. Lewis was trying to indoctrinate kids, but merely write good stories for them.

(Side note: in the best year for movies in 59 years, 1993 saw two superb peformances from Anthony Hopkins, one of which was his turn at C.S. Lewis in SHADOWLANDS. You should definitely check it out.)

My favorite book, by the way, was #2 Prince Caspian, so that one holds great promise to me, but I'm still stoked about this one.

However, alone or not, I'll sit by myself and get leprosy to see KING KONG next Wednesday, although it would be fun to have a friend. If you live in Canada and want to go, drop me a line.