Sunday, November 21, 2010

The END of Harry Potter........part one.

Well, we all knew that this was coming. I swore I would never fall in love with another fantasy movie series since the Lord of the Rings (my fragile heart just can't take the let down), but here we are at the end of the Harry Potter saga with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part one. First, let me just say that all of the controversy over the "nude scene" is ridiculous and blown out of proportion (is it wrong that I was disappointed by that?). In a surreal vision presented to Ron by part of Voldemort's soul in order to make him jealous, we see Harry and Hermonie passionately kissing - apparently nude. The shot is brief and absolutely nothing is shown. Would I let my kids watch this movie? Probably not unfiltered, but not because of that scene. Deathly Hallows is quite dark, creepy, and has more violence than the other Potter movies.

Once again, Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint are at their best, portraying believable relationships that are strained by the impending end of the world. Deathly Hallows is also one of the most faithful film adaptations of a novel that I’ve seen – it varying little from the book and bringing back several characters from the earlier films. Although I was glad the movie was being split into two parts, this turned out to be the film’s greatest weakness as the end offers no resolution whatsoever and feels more like a T.V. cliffhanger than a two part movie. Three stars for the entertaining, but horribly teasing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part one.

Oh yeah, for those who might’ve been at the showing with me, I was NOT crying when a certain house elf died. I wasn’t!!!

Friday, May 14, 2010

This movie has TWO Iron Mans!

The season of summer blockbusters has officially started, and what better way to kick it off than with a super hero movie! I loved the first Iron Man (3 stars) and have been eagerly replaying Iron Man 2 trailers to intentionally stoke the fires of my enthusiasm. After seeing the movie on opening night, I am happy to report that it didn't disappoint...for the most part. The movie begins very soon after the first Iron Man ended with Tony Stark (played by my new man crush, Robert Downey Jr) riding the tide of his increased fame as a super hero while trying to hide from his friends and the world the fact that his arc reactor is slowly poisoning him. Add to the mix the government threatening to take his armored suit technology, his company in chaos, a mad Russian (Mickey Rourke) trying to kill him with a knock off of his own technology, a greedy rival with an inferiority complex, and a falling out with his best friend, and you have Tony Stark's very complicated life and the plot for Iron Man 2. That sounds like a lot to fit into two hours, but director Jon Favreau manages to make it work. Still, while Iron Man 2 doesn't lack for substance, it ironically is slow getting started and stingily doles out the action scenes - the last fight with "Robo-Ivan" is disappointingly short. This and a flimsy resolution for solving Stark's palladium core poisoning problem make the movie slightly inferior to the original. However, even in spite of its flaws, Iron Man 2 delivers enough thrills, intrigue, and impressive visuals (that includes Scarlett Johansson) to qualify as a worthy sequel. 3 stars for the satisfying, but not glorifying, Iron Man 2.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

It’s good Avatar has looks…

To be honest, I didn’t see Avatar in 3-D. I tried, I really did, but it was sold out. I think this turned out to be an advantage as I had the opportunity to judge the movie without being overawed by its stunning visual effects. And stunning they are, so much so that I think I can safely say that they are probably the best I’ve ever seen ( it’s creepy how the actor’s alien counterparts really look like them). And that’s really the reason Avatar is a “must see in the theater” movie. Unfortunately, the plot is far less impressive and can be summed up thus: Evil corporate people and blood thirsty space marines want to get their hands on another planet’s natural resources, but in order to do so they must either re-locate or destroy the peaceful natives (the Na’Vi) and only a benevolent science team led by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) joined by former Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) can help the natives avoid the destruction of their world using a technology that allows them to move among the natives in genetically engineered alien bodies. I admit, the sci-fi Avatar idea is fascinating and original, and had the movie actually been more about that, it might’ve risen higher than it does. Instead, Avatar ends up playing out as a heavy handed “anti-Thanksgiving” pageant with strong environmentalist overtones (it actually reminded me a lot of the 1992 animated film FernGully….yes FernGully). While the majority of the acting is good, most of the characters don’t achieve any real depth - like the character of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) who is laughably cliché as the stereotypical evil military man complete with Texas style drill sergeant accent. And Giovanni Ribisi’s portrayal of the ruthless corporate executive in charge of the space mining operation, Parker Selfridge, is something out of an episode of Captain Planet. Still, in spite of all its hang-ups, Avatar delivers an action packed feast for the senses. Three stars for three hundred million dollars well spent.