Grade: B-
"Truly delightful. Best Potter yet!" That was my instant review of the latest installment of the Harry Potter saga. It was 2:40ish in the morning on July 15th, and I had just seen what I still consider to be one of the better Harry Potter movies. I have read all 7 of J.K. Rowling's masterpieces multiple times, so it is impossible for me to simply view this movie as a separate entity from the books. Were I able to view this film purely as the 6th installment in a series of movies, I would have given it an A-. As it stands, I cannot say that I really liked this movie. I have to chalk my initial review up to excitement and exhaustion.
All in all, this movie was fine as the 6th installment in a long sequence of movies. As the embodiement of the 6th book in a series of fantastic tales it falls far below what was expected. The trailer for this movie depicts action and adventure, which makes for a good trailer but doesnt exactly depict an accurate portrayal of the film.
Please be warned that there are spoilers in this review. If you have not seen the movie please watch for the movie spoilers sign and stop reading. If you have not read the book, get off the internet and start reading something real. Seriously, what is wrong with you?
The 6th Harry Potter film starts where the 5th one left off. Death and destruction in the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort's return is now widely known, and rumors of Harry Potter's legend abound. The beginning of this movie was true magic. Harry Potter is growing up and it is undeniable. Daniel Radcliffe has played his role well throughout his Harry Potter career, and he is no longer the little boy with glasses. Sure the glasses are still there, but there is no way to look at this person and see a boy. If his physique and 5 o clock shadow dont convince you that Harry is all man, then his interaction with a beautiful waitress will do the trick.
This film covers Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The 6th year at Hogwarts brings new challenges to the students in the classroom, they are now on specific tracks toward their career aspirations. Harry's worst subject, Potions suddenly becomes a lot more interesting when he stumbles upon an old Potions book belonging to someone who calls themselves The Half Blood Prince. In addition to higher level N.E.W.T. classes, Harry is captain of the Quidditch team. Outside of school activities he is enlisted to help Headmaster Dumpledore on a quest to find out as much about the life of Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort as he is more commonly known, so that he may eventually be destroyed.
I think this movie falls into two categories, parts I liked because they depicted what I saw in my head when I read the book, and parts I hated becuase they purposefully went away from the well written story it was based on. There is, admittedly, a smaller more obsure portion of the movie that would fall into a third category: parts I liked even though they deviated from the story I love.
WARNING BOOK SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!
The beginning sequences of this film, in fact the first 15 minutes or so were spectacular! They perfectly set the tone for the rest of the film. The world is not a safe place any longer, even Muggles are noticing that something is not quite right in the world. The first scene is shot in Imax and that choice immediately throws the viewer into the action. Instead of sitting back and watching destruction, you are experiencing the destruction.
From here the movie takes a turn. A lot of people have complained that nothing happened in the movie, and to some extent they are correct. However this stayed true to the book, granted in the book you get a lot more ventures back in time to see glimpses into who Tom Riddle really is. There are two books in the Harry Potter series where Lord Voldemort himself does not appear, the Prisoner of Azkaban and the Half Blood Prince. They are also, interestingly, the only books whose titles refer to an indivudual person. These books are more character stories, than action stories. In the Prisoner of Azkaban we learn all about the friendships of Harry's parents and their fellow Maurauders. In the Half Blood Prince the story focuses more on Harry and his group of friends. The development of the Harry and Hermione's friendship on a fraternal level is key to elements in the last book. The development of Hermione and Ron's romantic relationship, or lack of one, is a story that readers have been yearning for.
If you have not seen the movie, and are the type of person who watches the Harry Potter movies without partaking in the joy that is the book series, I suggest that you stop reading here. For the film viewer, this movie is quite good. Go into it expecting to see a personal story of love and friendship and I think you will enjoy yourself. There will be more Harry Potter excitement in the next two movies, but this one is definitely a character study, or at least it is supposed to be.
If you havent seen the movie yet because you are like me and love the Harry Potter books so much that you have trouble really enjoying the movies, keep reading fellow Potterite, keep reading.
There were several classic scenes from this tale of complicated high school friends and enemies that were recreated on the silver screen very well. Ron playing Quidditch was hilarious, and Cormack McLaggon is the perfect specimen of the boy you love to hate. Jim Broadbent nails the role of Horace Slughorn, he hits that exact strange mark between good guy and power grubbing creep that is Horace Slughorn. Jessie Cave will thrill you as Lavendar Brown, her delivery of the line "Where is my Won Won?" is everything you faithful readers have been waiting for. I could truthfully go on and on about all the ways that this cast delivered the characters of this movie in ways that are still blowing my mind. The acting is superb, they truly transcend the characters off of the screen and into your hearts.
While the acting was spot on, the directing and screenwriting were shoddy at best. Scenes like Katy Bell's bewitchment and the cave will chill you to the bones, they are evocative of the graveyard scene in the Goblet of Fire where possibly the scariest moment in Potter history was brought to life better than we ever could have hoped for. Other scenes like Harry and Ginny's first kiss and the showdown between Death Eaters and Dumbledore flopped like lifeless fish as it seemed that the director just didnt nkow how to handle them. I have said before that the brilliance in Harry Potter lies in the details. JK Rowling paints a picture beautifully, tying together so many elements, really allowing the reader to live in the world she has created. When the creative team behind these movies decides to walk away from the scenes laid out by their Muse, they do a severe injustice to themselves.
And that's the way I see it.
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Ugly Truth
Grade: B
No offence to the big wigs in Hollywood but this summer has been a little lacking in quality movies. During a typical summer I would probably not be willing to shell out the cash for a movie like this one. Luckily for me the theater in my town offers $5 matinees and I was just in a movie mood this weekend. I truly enjoyed The Ugly Truth and so now I must thank Hollywood for failing to produce anything outside of robot and weird animal movies.
In addition to being slightly bored this weekend, I chose this movie because of the lead actors. Katherine Heigl has been a favorite since her days as an alien in New Mexico. I love Gray's Anatomy and particularly like what Heigl does with her character Izzy. Gerard Butler is incredible. He scared the mess out of me as the Phantom,even if his falsetto will never be on the same level as Michael Crawford. He won my heart as the author of letters from beyond the grave in PS I Love You. Going in to the theater I was looking forward to a nice standard chick flick, I was not disappointed.
The Ugly Truth gets it's name from a cable access television show where Gerard Butler's character, Mike, tells what he considers to be the truth. The gist of his program is that men want women with big boobs, round butts and who are willing to get on their knees occasionally. Well that would be the PG way to describe his advice anyway. Katherine Heigl plays Abby, a Type A television producer who works on a morning show with sliding ratings. She is actively seeking a boyfriend who will meet the criteria on her checklist of the perfect man, examples of which include being successful, liking cats and being into red wine.
Abby and Mike meet when Mike is added to the staff of the morning show in order to boost ratings. In addition to growing the show's ratings like crazy, Mike helps Abby by teaching her to be the kind of woman that a man wants. Through his advice Abby starts dating Colin, the handsome doctor who meets all ten items on her checklist. From here typical chick flick antics ensue.
Now in school you learned that a C stood for average work and that a B represented something that went a little beyond what was expected. You may be wondering what set this movie apart from it's hundreds of rom com counterparts. This movie sets itself apart in three ways for me. First, the lead characters are fantastic, you instantly like them. Next, the supporting cast does a great job of adding color and humour while not stealing attention from the main theme of the movie. Lastly the comedy in the film is superb. Often in a romantic comedy you get the romance shoved down your throat and the comedy falls to the wayside. This movie found a great balance of sentiment of humor.
The on screen chemistry between Heigl and Butler was surprising, I was unsure of how these two dynamic actors would merge on screen, but it worked well. Butler sends out this bad boy with a heart vibe that makes you want to slap him and kiss him all at the same time. Mike is definitely the type of character you want to cheer for. At first you hate him for being a pig and then you get these glances into his actual personality, as it contrasts with the person he tries to be on tv, and you end up rooting for him. This plays well off of Heigl's character who is looking for love on paper but doesn't really know how to deal with it in real life. Heigl is one of the most beautiful actresses in America, yet she manages to make you believe that her character has trouble finding men. You can imagine yourself being friends with this girl, sitting with her at happy hour and hearing the latest story of a date gone bad.
Another winning part of this movie is the supporting cast. The news anchors on the morning show, played by are fantastic and hilarious. They are exactly what you imagine Regis and Kathee were like when the cameras are off. Heigl's romantic interest, Dr. Colin, is the definition of the type of guy you always thought you wanted. The actor in this role did a fantastic job of being the perfect man on paper yet still not being Abby's Mr. Right.
The comedy in this scene comes from both situations and characters. Character traits reveal themselves in uniquely funny situations and are continually funny throughout the movie without getting stale. Abby has a happy dance that makes you want to laugh both with her and at her at the same time. Abby's control freak leaps out during a blind internet date with amusing results. There is also a scene with a personal pleasure device that is a must see. What sets this scene apart from others you may have seen is that the film directors know exactly where the line is and they moan and gasp there way right up to that line but dont cross it.
As a frequent viewer of romantic comedies I have become a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to endings. Going into a film like this, you know that 98% of the time that the leads will end up together. The trick to creating a good ending then is to bring that moment to you in a way that is unexpected or at the very least do so with minimal cheesiness. This movie leads you up to that moment with a lot of promise. The scene is set for a fantastic ending. I wish they had left it there and let us imagine why happened and what was said.
I believe that a lot of yours view of movie come from the mindset with which you go into the movie. If you go in expecting greatness and get something that is only good, you tend to think that it was actually bad. For this film you should go in expecting some stereotypical chick flick scenes. Expect foul language and some comments that would make your mom blush. This movie was good not great, cute not life changing. A decent filling for a few hours to kill at the cineplex when you have already seen Harry Potter.
And that's the way I see it.
No offence to the big wigs in Hollywood but this summer has been a little lacking in quality movies. During a typical summer I would probably not be willing to shell out the cash for a movie like this one. Luckily for me the theater in my town offers $5 matinees and I was just in a movie mood this weekend. I truly enjoyed The Ugly Truth and so now I must thank Hollywood for failing to produce anything outside of robot and weird animal movies.
In addition to being slightly bored this weekend, I chose this movie because of the lead actors. Katherine Heigl has been a favorite since her days as an alien in New Mexico. I love Gray's Anatomy and particularly like what Heigl does with her character Izzy. Gerard Butler is incredible. He scared the mess out of me as the Phantom,even if his falsetto will never be on the same level as Michael Crawford. He won my heart as the author of letters from beyond the grave in PS I Love You. Going in to the theater I was looking forward to a nice standard chick flick, I was not disappointed.
The Ugly Truth gets it's name from a cable access television show where Gerard Butler's character, Mike, tells what he considers to be the truth. The gist of his program is that men want women with big boobs, round butts and who are willing to get on their knees occasionally. Well that would be the PG way to describe his advice anyway. Katherine Heigl plays Abby, a Type A television producer who works on a morning show with sliding ratings. She is actively seeking a boyfriend who will meet the criteria on her checklist of the perfect man, examples of which include being successful, liking cats and being into red wine.
Abby and Mike meet when Mike is added to the staff of the morning show in order to boost ratings. In addition to growing the show's ratings like crazy, Mike helps Abby by teaching her to be the kind of woman that a man wants. Through his advice Abby starts dating Colin, the handsome doctor who meets all ten items on her checklist. From here typical chick flick antics ensue.
Now in school you learned that a C stood for average work and that a B represented something that went a little beyond what was expected. You may be wondering what set this movie apart from it's hundreds of rom com counterparts. This movie sets itself apart in three ways for me. First, the lead characters are fantastic, you instantly like them. Next, the supporting cast does a great job of adding color and humour while not stealing attention from the main theme of the movie. Lastly the comedy in the film is superb. Often in a romantic comedy you get the romance shoved down your throat and the comedy falls to the wayside. This movie found a great balance of sentiment of humor.
The on screen chemistry between Heigl and Butler was surprising, I was unsure of how these two dynamic actors would merge on screen, but it worked well. Butler sends out this bad boy with a heart vibe that makes you want to slap him and kiss him all at the same time. Mike is definitely the type of character you want to cheer for. At first you hate him for being a pig and then you get these glances into his actual personality, as it contrasts with the person he tries to be on tv, and you end up rooting for him. This plays well off of Heigl's character who is looking for love on paper but doesn't really know how to deal with it in real life. Heigl is one of the most beautiful actresses in America, yet she manages to make you believe that her character has trouble finding men. You can imagine yourself being friends with this girl, sitting with her at happy hour and hearing the latest story of a date gone bad.
Another winning part of this movie is the supporting cast. The news anchors on the morning show, played by are fantastic and hilarious. They are exactly what you imagine Regis and Kathee were like when the cameras are off. Heigl's romantic interest, Dr. Colin, is the definition of the type of guy you always thought you wanted. The actor in this role did a fantastic job of being the perfect man on paper yet still not being Abby's Mr. Right.
The comedy in this scene comes from both situations and characters. Character traits reveal themselves in uniquely funny situations and are continually funny throughout the movie without getting stale. Abby has a happy dance that makes you want to laugh both with her and at her at the same time. Abby's control freak leaps out during a blind internet date with amusing results. There is also a scene with a personal pleasure device that is a must see. What sets this scene apart from others you may have seen is that the film directors know exactly where the line is and they moan and gasp there way right up to that line but dont cross it.
As a frequent viewer of romantic comedies I have become a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to endings. Going into a film like this, you know that 98% of the time that the leads will end up together. The trick to creating a good ending then is to bring that moment to you in a way that is unexpected or at the very least do so with minimal cheesiness. This movie leads you up to that moment with a lot of promise. The scene is set for a fantastic ending. I wish they had left it there and let us imagine why happened and what was said.
I believe that a lot of yours view of movie come from the mindset with which you go into the movie. If you go in expecting greatness and get something that is only good, you tend to think that it was actually bad. For this film you should go in expecting some stereotypical chick flick scenes. Expect foul language and some comments that would make your mom blush. This movie was good not great, cute not life changing. A decent filling for a few hours to kill at the cineplex when you have already seen Harry Potter.
And that's the way I see it.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zack and Miri Make a Porno: D-
The fact that I saw this movie is part of the reason that I wanted to start posting my own reviews of movies. I read on some review somewhere that despite the images the title suggests it was actually a cute romantic comedy. Seth Rogen is typically funny, he cracked me up as Bob in his guest appearance on Dawson's Creek. Elizabeth Banks is cute and funny, love love loved her on Scrubs. These things added up to me looking forward to this film.
I expected the leads to fall in love, I expected them to discuss having sex in somewhat graphic terms, I even expected to see nudity. What I did not expect was full on porn during portions of the film. This movie was as raunchy, and disturbing as the title would imply. I am not the kind of person who minds a little blue humor. I am actually the queen of That's What She Said jokes. That being said, you have to know when enough is enough. I dont believe that the word anal has ever been used in a movie more than it was in this one.
The movie starts out innocently enough, Zack and Miri live in a crappy apartment together. They have been friends since high school, they both have crappy jobs and they haven't paid their bills in months. At their high school reunion Miri plans to seduce the high school BMOC, and Zack plans to get hammer trashed and hook up with married ladies. It turns out the the high school stud is gay, and his boyfriend is a gay-porn star in California. He describes the things he does in movies with astounding detail. This scene actually made me dislike Justin Long, a difficulkt task considering Dodgeball is a go-to funny movie fave. When they find that their power and water have been shut off because they havent paid their bills they head to a bar. Surprisingly enough while they can't afford to pay for the services they use, they can afford to pay for several beers at 5 bucks a pop. Instead of choosing to make better choices with their money, because that would make for a more realistic and probably better movie, they choose to produce a porn film and sell it to their high school alums through the mialing list they got at the reunion.
From here the movie chronicles their attempts to find people to star in the movie. They hold auditions, which turn out to be akin to a sexual talent show. Their potential dirty names for the movie are uninspired and unhumorous, I could dream up funnier porn names and I dont get paid to write movies. This movie has made me lose my faith in Kevin Smith and Seth Rogen. I would list Dogma as one of my favorite movies, I love Knocked Up, this did not hold up to the high standards of humor that were estabilshed in those earlier films. Humor in this movie was only delivered through the "Oh my did they really just say/do that?" type of situation as opposed to anything that would actually qualify as a joke.
If I wanted to watch people have sex with each other, I would go to an adult video store and purchase an actual porno. I do not want to watch people have sex with each other, no judgment to those of you who do, it's just not my viewing option of choice. When I watch a movie I want to be able to invest in the characters, to feel like I could be freinds with them. With this movie you learn nothing about the characters (outside of the title two) outside of the fact that they are willing to have sex on film and they have special sexual skills. I felt no closeness to anyone in the movie, you dont get the glimpse into their lives that is needed to connect with a character. When I watch a movie I want to see a good story. The film leaves almost every story line unfinished. They wrap up the main relationship and that is the only closure that you get.
All in all this movie fell flat (no pun intended). It was awkward to watch, I thanked my lucky stars that I chose to view this alone. It wasnt more disgusting than it was funny. I felt no compassion for any of the characters as I was not given any motivation to feel so. The story had no ending. Can I please have the 101 minutes of my life back?
And that's the way I see it.
The fact that I saw this movie is part of the reason that I wanted to start posting my own reviews of movies. I read on some review somewhere that despite the images the title suggests it was actually a cute romantic comedy. Seth Rogen is typically funny, he cracked me up as Bob in his guest appearance on Dawson's Creek. Elizabeth Banks is cute and funny, love love loved her on Scrubs. These things added up to me looking forward to this film.
I expected the leads to fall in love, I expected them to discuss having sex in somewhat graphic terms, I even expected to see nudity. What I did not expect was full on porn during portions of the film. This movie was as raunchy, and disturbing as the title would imply. I am not the kind of person who minds a little blue humor. I am actually the queen of That's What She Said jokes. That being said, you have to know when enough is enough. I dont believe that the word anal has ever been used in a movie more than it was in this one.
The movie starts out innocently enough, Zack and Miri live in a crappy apartment together. They have been friends since high school, they both have crappy jobs and they haven't paid their bills in months. At their high school reunion Miri plans to seduce the high school BMOC, and Zack plans to get hammer trashed and hook up with married ladies. It turns out the the high school stud is gay, and his boyfriend is a gay-porn star in California. He describes the things he does in movies with astounding detail. This scene actually made me dislike Justin Long, a difficulkt task considering Dodgeball is a go-to funny movie fave. When they find that their power and water have been shut off because they havent paid their bills they head to a bar. Surprisingly enough while they can't afford to pay for the services they use, they can afford to pay for several beers at 5 bucks a pop. Instead of choosing to make better choices with their money, because that would make for a more realistic and probably better movie, they choose to produce a porn film and sell it to their high school alums through the mialing list they got at the reunion.
From here the movie chronicles their attempts to find people to star in the movie. They hold auditions, which turn out to be akin to a sexual talent show. Their potential dirty names for the movie are uninspired and unhumorous, I could dream up funnier porn names and I dont get paid to write movies. This movie has made me lose my faith in Kevin Smith and Seth Rogen. I would list Dogma as one of my favorite movies, I love Knocked Up, this did not hold up to the high standards of humor that were estabilshed in those earlier films. Humor in this movie was only delivered through the "Oh my did they really just say/do that?" type of situation as opposed to anything that would actually qualify as a joke.
If I wanted to watch people have sex with each other, I would go to an adult video store and purchase an actual porno. I do not want to watch people have sex with each other, no judgment to those of you who do, it's just not my viewing option of choice. When I watch a movie I want to be able to invest in the characters, to feel like I could be freinds with them. With this movie you learn nothing about the characters (outside of the title two) outside of the fact that they are willing to have sex on film and they have special sexual skills. I felt no closeness to anyone in the movie, you dont get the glimpse into their lives that is needed to connect with a character. When I watch a movie I want to see a good story. The film leaves almost every story line unfinished. They wrap up the main relationship and that is the only closure that you get.
All in all this movie fell flat (no pun intended). It was awkward to watch, I thanked my lucky stars that I chose to view this alone. It wasnt more disgusting than it was funny. I felt no compassion for any of the characters as I was not given any motivation to feel so. The story had no ending. Can I please have the 101 minutes of my life back?
And that's the way I see it.
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