pogofan

I loved the Vaughan/Chiang "Paper Girls" series, and I thought the first episode of the adaptation got off to a decent start---minus the huge hole left by the omitted time-travel scene. (Three of the girls were conscious; what did they think was happening? Why did the capsule stop if Heck and Naldo wanted them to get back in immediately? How come there was subsequent dialogue between Erin and the others about what she'd missed while unconscious?)

But starting with the second episode, the show started departing from the source material, de-emphasizing the imaginative, science-fictional elements and emphasizing the interpersonal drama. In particular, the relationships among the girls had less cameraderie, and less humor in the dialogue, and more contention and angst. And don't get me started on the repetitive scenes with the Prioress!

For me, episode 5 was the final straw. Two big things happened that definitely did NOT happen in the comic, and again, both added to the show's overall "heavy," grim tone. A friend who's also read the series has watched two episodes so far; if he gets past episode 5 and tells me that it gets more enjoyable after that, I'll give it another try. But I'm guessing he'll give up by then also, if not sooner.

Both my wife and I gave this film three stars out of five when we saw it last night at filmfestdc. We might have enjoyed it more had it been described more accurately: though it has a few humorous moments, mostly near the beginning, it is _not_ a comedy. For us, the best things about it were the beautiful lead actress, whose face was evocative and touching, and the depiction of rural French life.

One correction of a previous IMDb review: there _is_ a very brief sex scene (just a few seconds, though preceded by a somewhat longer scene of oral and physical foreplay). I would also disagree that the movie is "about necrophilia," though certainly that plays a major role in the plot. And though the main character is definitely buttoned-up--the arc of the movie is about her becoming unbuttoned, so to speak--I don't think she should be called prudish; a prude would not have tolerated Pattie's stories of her sexual escapades. Sorry for the quibbles, but after last night, I want to see the film described as accurately as possible!