A Series of Unfortunate Events

A Must see movie, is now out in theaters! Based on the book series by Lemony Snicket, The movie "A Series of Unfortunate Events" is terrifyingly funny. I've been reading the books for about a year now, and I also listen to them on audiocasset when I sleep. (Tim Curry Performs the books on some of the audiocassets and Lemony Snicket on others.) They sometimes bring godawful nightmares to my little head. But, I can't stop. They are such good stories. I have to hear them all till the end, I have to find out what happens to the Baudelaire orphans. If you are interested in reading the book series, here are the names of the books in order:

The Bad Beginning (Book The First)
The Reptile Room (Book The Second)
The Wide Window (Book the Third)
The Miserable Mill (Book the Fourth)
The Austere Academy (Book the Fifth)
The Ersatz Elevator (Book the Sixth)
The Vile Village (Book the Seventh)
The Hostile Hospital (Book the Eighth)
The Carnivorous Carnival (Book the Ninth)
The Slippery Slope (Book the Tenth)
The Grim Grotto (Book the Eleventh)

Movie Review- A Series of Unfortunate Events

The macabre, multi-million-selling children's books about three ill-fated orphans arrives on the big screen. Starring Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep and Billy Connolly

In the devilishly dour language of narrator Lemony Snicket (Law), Violet (Browning), Klaus (Aiken) and Sunny (the Hoffman twins) Baudelaire are the "three clever and reasonably attractive orphans" whose woes are only just beginning when their parents die in a house fire. After being told of this first "extremely unfortunate event" by Mr Poe (Spall), the useless executor of their parents' will, they're whisked away to live with the evil Count Olaf (Carrey), a whiskery ogre whose approach to childcare tends towards the unorthodox. Making children houseslaves, or leaving them in a locked car on a level crossing - as a steam train chugs oppressively down the track - suggests a guardian more motivated by inheritance money than care and concern. And so it turns out, as the children spend the film trying to flee his murderous clutches, using Violet's knack at invention, Klaus' knowledge of books and baby Sunny's two-tooth bite to break free. Adapted from the books that have sold 27 million copies in 30 countries, Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events is a gorgeous evocation of a very macabre world. A brooding set of landscapes takes its cues from Victorian austerity, German Expressionism and Edward Gorey's drawings; every scene is tinted in sepia browns, charcoal greys, dull silvers, and muted blues. This palette suits the film's wilfully sinister character, a mood that all great children's literature - from the Grimm brothers to Roald Dahl to JK Rowling - relishes. A primary-coloured prelude about happy children's tales is cut short by the first of the doom-laden monologues from Lemony Snicket. The viewer is warned to leave their cinema or airplane if they're expecting cheer and joy. Law's delivery is perfect, his English phrasing sounding delicious around such rakish sentences as "there is no good moment, of course, for a notorious villain to arrive". After the children's first escape from Count Olaf, they're sent to live with their Uncle Monty (Connolly), a lovable, if eccentric, folk-singing snake fanatic (watch out for the scenes in his snake room - and be prepared for some frights). During their stay there, clues start to emerge about why the Baudelaires' parents died. More surface when they stay in leech-infested Lake Lachrymose with Aunt Josephine (Streep), a former lion-tamer who's now scared of fridges and doorknobs. Sadly, these clues are never fully developed, and it's unsatisfying that this thread isn't tied up. Carrey's Count also weakens the narrative. Reprising the same act he used in The Mask and The Grinch, Carrey's overblown shtick feels tired and listless. He's proved he's a talented actor in straight roles in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and The Truman Show, but his comic persona is embarrassingly one-dimensional. Such hamminess aside, Lemony Snicket is entertaining as well as being beautiful to look at, and blessed with some inspired touches. The subtitling of baby Sunny's gurgles, Count Olaf's gothic gang and the young leads Emily Browning and Liam Aiken - especially opposite the brilliant performances by Connolly and Streep - are all things to savour.

Verdict- Despite a stalled storyline and Carrey's irritating tyrant, Lemony Snicket is a gloriously gloomy treat for wicked adults and children. A feast for the eyes and a host of shocks for the nerves.

The Cast-

Klaus Baudelaire: Liam Aiken
Violet Baudelaire: Emily Browning
Lemony Snicket: Jude Law
Count Olaf: Jim Carrey
Mr. Poe: Timothy Spall
Uncle Monty: Billy Connolly
Aunt Josephine: Meryl Streep
Director: Brad Siberling

must see site: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/lemony_snickets/
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