Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

It has been just over a week since the much anticipated release of the latest movie in the blockbuster Harry Potter series. Up to this point it has grossed a stunning 608 million dollars worldwide.

Personally I am not a die hard Harry Potter fan. I haven't read any of the books, I don't have any of the merchendise and I haven't lined up for hours to see J.K Rowling. I have however, seen all the movies, and I must say, despite a rather unimpressive first few films, the franchise is really starting to hit its stride.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is not a film that you want to go into if you haven't watched the earlier films, haven't read the books or don't know the premise (you know, if you're a hermit who doesn't like to have sunlight hit your pasty pale skin). There were times that I had trouble following what was going on since the release of the last film just a year earlier.

The biggest change from previous films, and what I found most interesting as a film geek was the visual presentation of this film. The camera was used hand held more often, with noticable focusing, giving us a more personal and raw attachment to the characters. This film revolves around the struggle of the heros as the travel across the countryside to find the "Deathly Hallows" in their journey to destroy the one who must not be named. It is a helter skelter journey filled with suspence and action, what we have come to expect from this franchise. I'd really love to talk about the characters and what happens in the film, but that'd kill the fun for those that haven't seen it, and for the rest of you, you already know these things.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is the best movie in the series so far. It is bringing the journey that so many have followed for years to a head. The ending of this film leave you wanting more. You wish that you could just jump right into the next film... but alas we'll all have to wait. July won't come soon enough.

Go see it.
83%

Doctor Jones, Doctor Jones, Calling Doctor Jones

So there I was, having waited the months since I heard that it was coming out... and then the extra few days until my movie going companions were free, in the theatre, waiting for the film to start. Not just any film. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.

"This is going to be awesome" I said to myself for no real reason, besides the fact that it is neat to talk to one's self.

The lights dimmed.... ads rolled by... Then trailers....

That's when the trouble started... or when the movie started.... burn...... Maybe I was a little too hyped up to be perfectly analytical of the films merit, but that's not entirely my fault. Come on', it's freaking Indiana Jones! and plus, I feel all my points are quite valid, so hear me out. Or don't, your choice I guess.... but I'm going to keep talking....

So short premise here... um, Indy meets Russians who want the skull... they take it and subsequently lose it to some crazy old professor. A kid shows up; tells Indy his professor friend was kidnapped, crazy whatever, and the kid's mom was also kidnapped.. The professor hid the skull. They try to take it back, que ninja southern Americans, Russian shinanigans, Skull has psychic powers. Aliens. The End.

Sorry, I guess I gave away the whole movie. Don't hate me if you haven't seen it. It's good warning to either not go see it, or vastly decrease your expectations.

This film is entirely too campy for its own good. At points it's laughable, and not in the way Spielberg intends. From the ridiculously happy, upbeat teenagers at the beginning. Gee golly whizz, I'd sure just love to race you.... come on! lets race golly golly golly! So freaking happy... Anyways, that was just a little thing that pissed me off... Who does that?... but back to my point.

Lets see, what else.... um... The cartoonish Russian lady; I couldn't take her seriously at all. The fact that not only does Indy survive a nuclear blast in a fridge, while a car much farther away was pulverized, he also gets out of it right after and suffers no amount of cancer causing, skin melting radiation poisoning. Man did it look cool though.... The greaser fight in the soda shop... that was lame. They crash a motorcycle into the library and a kid has a question about his paper... Russians chasing down a professor and a kid down in broad daylight through an anti communism rally, I'm not sure how easy that would have been during the cold war. The kid, after getting hung up in some vines, gets an idea from the monkeys to swing and catch up with racing cars. Then said monkeys attack the Russians; Those monkeys know the deal. And even when the Russian lady gets mad and throws the monkey over the cliff edge, it somehow manages to snag a branch and be unharmed.... Then the coup de grâce... Aliens.... Also, The friend who back stabs Indy and then has an altruistic change of heart, for no reason whatsoever! Falling down endless waterfalls.. Did I mention the Aliens already?

I could pretty much go on like this for a long time... maybe forever... and these are just the stupid campy things that I'm remembering off the top of my head. I'm just trying to block the whole thing out really. Basically I'm saying that my wilful suspension of disbelief wouldn't go anywhere close to where Spielberg wanted it to go.

freaking Aliens....


I didn't even like the cinematography. They really overused some dreamlike filter that washed out the whites.

One thing I had no problem with whatsoever with, was Harrison Ford's age. I think he's more than capable of pulling off this role still. He mentions it's not going to be as easy as it used to be, and then bing, bang, boom, it's the end of the movie, and I guess it was as easy as it used to be.

I even didn't have a problem with his relationship with Mary. Although it was pretty shmultsy for no real reason. From what I remember from the other movies, they should both be pretty gruff and tough, and then they don't see each other for a while and they are love stuck school children.... so maybe I did have a little problem with that...

Shia Lebeouf was fine, I didn't think much of his character, but I like him as an actor, he'll go far, I've been saying so for a while now, and I guess he's made it...

I think we deserved more. We deserved something that had some semblance of realism. Not this pie in the sky, Everything is cool looking, and plus it has Indiana Jones in it, so who gives a crap if it's all nonsense...


I give a crap.

41%
ugh... Aliens....

New TV

This weekend was fairly easy going for me, which is a many splendid thing. So I decided I would do a little job research. I have decided that my first foray into the film biz will be through becoming a Production Assistant, or PA. Basically a grunt, but hopfully I'll get noticed and get bumped up quickly. Anyways, I was doing research on the shows filming around here, and these are some of the new ones.

KYLE XY- When I first heard of this show I thought it wouldn't be around for one season. Apparently it's already in it's second, who knew? I started watching an episode last night to see what it was all about, and ended up watching just about both whole seasons. The premise is; A boy wakes up, naked, in the forest, not knowing who, or where he is, no even knowing how to talk. He is arrested for being naked and a kindly psychiatrist takes him in, oh yeah and he dosen't have a belly button... Fairly ho hum premise. It's kind of a Pretender, Dark Angel mixed with a little Smallville and a dash of some highschool drama... say like O.C or something a little less crappy. I guess Smallville is a highschool drama for the most part too.. It's a fun coming of age show, that should do fairly well. I was impressed.

BIONIC WOMAN- Yeah... what's there to say. It's a throwback to the original show from the 70's and I was not so much impressed with this one. It was very... hm.. lame. I gave it a shot though. The premise is, a woman gets into a car accident, and her various body parts get replaced to keep her alive. It was just very tacky. It seemed cheap, used a lot of sub par visual effects, and it had Katee Sackhoff, whom I dislike. It'll stick around for awhile, as it's got large network funding, but I wouldn't look for more than 3 seasons.

FLASH GORDON- I can't believe they haven't canned this show already. It reminds me of classic shows like beastmaster or sinbad. You know, really cheesey, bad guy's in weird costumes bad lazer effects and the like. Yeah. Not cool, not cool. This show shouldn't stick around, and if it does, I'll be weirded out.

So yeah, three shows looked into, one worth chcking out, If you're into the whole scifi teen drama thing. If not, watch 60 minutes or something

The Kingdom

Welcome to the first blog of the rest of your life. We're going to start this film related blog off with a bang.

Being the connected film tycoon that I am, I got into a prescreening of the film "The Kingdom", Peter Berg's new offering. I have been waiting for this film ever since I heard of it's existence. My friends, naysayers that they are, were all telling me I was getting my hopes up for no reason, that it would be a mediocre film at best. My friends are stupid.

The basic concept is that there is a compound of americans that gets bombed in Saudi Arabia, and an American FBI team is sent in to try and find those responsible. With intense results.

It was awesome. I couldn't even believe it. It certainly is not a film for the young or faint of heart, and definatly earns it's R rating for violence. I would argue that that's the power of films like this. It's no longer the cotton candy violence of James Bond, where killing is something you do at the drop of a hat. This film is viceral and messy. You can hardly believe what's happening as the end of the movie approaches. It's killing for a cause, and even so, it holds no glamour, the way it would be in real life, I would imagine.

There are a few spots where this film rings a little hollow; The montage of fathers playing with their children seemed a litttle forced, but it made sence to the plot, so it's a forgivable sin. The magor flaw, as with most studio pictures, is that it couldn't follow through, in a particular case. One of the team is captured, and is giong to be exicuted. They take their sweet time with a video of threats, he fights and breaks free for a bit, and the camera breaks for a second... just long enough for the team to save their comrade's life. How convient. They do kill off another one of the characters, as to not completely sell out, but still, it's kind of lame. But still, over all, this movie was very well done, save for those few little errors.

Jamie Foxx was well cast as was Chris Cooper. Jenn Garner was better than one would think she should be in this film. Jason Bateman as the snarky comedian was a slightly odd casting, but I enjoyed it. He seems kind of like he should be running the Bluth company rather than talking about bombs and shooting guns however. Fun nonetheless. And Tim Macgraw as the distraught husband of a woman killed in the attack was perfect. That man can play a man falling apart at the seams. For instance, Friday Night Lights as the drunken father, which insedently is another Berg film. Go figure..

I highly recommend this film for anyone who likes war/swat ish type films, or middle east political thrillers and isn't squeemish, as the last half hour gets a little intense.

Even my friend who went into the theatre not wanting to like it, loved it. I tink he may even like it more than I did. Go figure.

77%
Go see It!

Blog power

I don't really feel like posting right now, but this is my new blog on my journey into the film industry, and the industry in Vancouver in general.

Movies are awesome. I like to talk about them. So now this is the best of both worlds.

Peace