Date- Sunday November 11 2018
Time- 11:35am
Location- Cinemark at Stroud Mall
Party- 2 (my mom and I)
Director: David Yates
Writer (book AND screenplay): J.K. Rowling
Composer: James Newton Howard
Returning Cast:
Newt Scamander- Eddie Redmayne
Jacob Kowalski- Dan Fogler
Tina- Katherine Waterston
Queenie- Alison Sudol
Credence- Ezra Miller
young Grindewald- Jamie Campbell Bower
Newcomers:
Grindlewald- Johnny Depp
Theseus Scamander, Newt's older brother- Callum Turner
Nicholas Flamel- Brontis Jodorowsky
Nagini- Claudia Kim
Albus Dumbledore- Jude Law
Leta Lestrange- Zoë Kravitz
Duration: 134 minutes (+8 trailers)
Write-up:
Opening Remarks
There was a bit of hype leading up to this movie... at least among Harry Potter fans. First off because it's another of the series. And it also includes a younger Dumbledore and shows some scenes at Hogwarts. It's somewhat of a homecoming, even though it's only for a few short scenes, including some flashbacks.
The theater was kinda empty at first, but it quickly filled up in that half hour we were sitting there. And it got pretty quiet once the movie started... but we also had to get through tons of commercials and trailers first.
Trailers:
I'd been saying the last few posts that 7 seems to be a common number because it's happened several movies in a row... well, we finally broke the pattern and got one extra trailer. Are any of them worth seeing? ...not really sure. I was expecting a lot of repeats from previous theater trips, but only one repeated.
And it was the "Kid who would be King"- where a bullied 12 year old in private school pulls the sword from the stone and it brings all kinds of monsters (and Morgana) from Camelot into modern day England and they have to fight them.
As for the other 7:
"The Secret Life of Pets 2"- a teaser trailer, really... Leonard the poodle is left at home again and as soon as his master leaves, a dance party ensues with tons of other dogs. And there's this little Chihuahua tries to put on Copacabana and it falls on deaf ears.
(Have yet to see the first one, but I'd like to at some point)
"Mortal Engines"- funny how quickly this trailer started circulating... we saw it and when we got home, it came on multiple times. It's directed by Peter Jackson (of the LOTR/Hobbit franchises) and it looks like his work... really huge visual effects. What I gather is that it's a post apocalyptic story about cities becoming moving machines and London is the bad guy. And the female protagonist has scarring on her face and her mom was involved in this conflict in the past. Nothing about this really grabs my attention- it could be a huge success or huge flop, depending on how many people see it and how well it's written.
"Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse"- this is animated and it's about a bunch of Spider-men in different alternate universes trying to defeat some bad guy. It looks like it'd be fun for kids, but as a superhero movie, there doesn't seem to be a lot to it. Although not every movie has to be as jam packed as the last Avengers film.
"Bumblebee"- this is another installment of the Transformers franchise. And this time, it's a girl (Hailee Steinfeld) who bonds with the machine. But instead of a Camero, like Shia LeBoeuf found all the way back in the first Michael Bay film (15 years ago, I think... wow, a lot's changed), Bumblebee is an old yellow VW beetle. And Michael Bay isn't directing, so it may have a chance to be halfway decent with its story and not being completely overtaken by effects and explosions.
"Five Feet Apart"- kind of an interesting teen movie... it's about a couple of kids who are in the hospital all the time, sick with cystic fibrosis and they fall in love. The guy is Cole Sprouse, who was Cody from "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody"... dang, that feels forever again and he looks so different now, it's crazy. But he's kind got a defeatist attitude about the whole thing and they start taking their meds together and falling in love, but they can't really interact physically cuz they could catch each other's germs and die. It has potential to be good... I just don't know how good.
"Detective Pikachu"- yeah... so many feelings about this one. This is one of those movies that could either be good or be a complete disaster. There's a video game that's been out for a while, my sister has watched playthroughs on YouTube, where Pikachu actually speaks words with kind of a deep voice and he's a detective, obviously. They actually brought Pikachu and the other Pokémon into the real world and they're animated so they kind of look like animated stuffed animals. I cannot begin to say how much I love this franchise, but depending on how this is done (I doubt I'd get to a theater to see it even if I wanted to), I could love it or really hate it. I'm already kinda weirded out about Pikachu talking like a normal person. The trick is that only this one teenager can understand him and they work together to solve a crime. Oh, and Ryan Reynolds is Pikachu, so there could be that whole self-deprecating Deadpool sense of humor (PG-rated, of course, this is a kid's franchise) involved that makes fun of the franchise. It's an interesting match-up, but I won't know until I see it if it's gonna work. At least for me... this is a side-mode game I don't see myself getting into. I personally just love the general franchise. Hard to believe next year will mark 20 years since I started playing the game, starting Blue and going onward. I actually took a break for a number of years, but I got back into it in 2015 when 2DS finally went down in price to $80... just in time for the Nintendo Switch, my timing totally rocks #Sarcasm
"Shazam!"- this has nothing to do with the Shaq movie from the 90's... it's another DC supehero where this teenager comes across this power and everytime he says the titular phrase, he turns into Zachary Levi and has super powers. It looks like it could be funny, but at the same time, I'm starting to get a little sick of superheroes. I don't know about everyone else.
The Main Event-
yeah, we're finally here... I'll put some mild spoilers about the previous Fantastic Beasts, but not so much for this movie...
But I'll cut to the chase in saying that this was the first time in all the Harry Potter franchise that I left a theater disappointed... as far as sequels go, The Twin Towers (Lord of the Rings), Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars)... even the first of the Deathly Hallows movies, all of them felt like they accomplished SOMETHING even though their purpose was to set up for the bigger picture that would come in the follow-up installments.
The title of the movie establishes, of course, that Grindewald is the villain and the whole purpose of this side franchise is to defeat him and throw him into Azkaban for eternity. And Grindewald does show up at the end of the prevous film. I just neglected to mention him (or Johnny Depp) in the cast at all because that would be a huge spoiler for that movie. But the HIstory of Magic, as told by J.K. Rowling (and Bathlida Bagshot, the character who wrote that particular Hogwarts textbook) states that Grindewald was defeated in an epic duel with Dumbledore. Heck, in the actual book, The Philospher's/Sorcerer's Stone, it says on Dumbeldore's Chocolate Frog card that he defeated the great Dark Wizard, Grindewald among his many accomplishments, including discovering 12 uses for dragon's blood and he and Nicholas Flamel studied the stone. I just looked it up... this duel takes place in 1945... meaning that we still have less than 20 years until this happens.
Of course, all of the movies will be leading up to this duel... I just hope more happens within this movies, like story progress, to warrant multiple installments.
I think the thing that really got to me about this movie was that there were a million questions we came into it with. First off, we find out that Credence is still alive... he wasn't killed at the end of the previous film, which I thought was a sad moment because there was a chance he could have been saved. Now, this movie starts with him being revealed to be alive and he's going to Paris to find out who his family is. Multiple explanations are given and they connect him to various Wizarding families familiar to Potter fans... but Grindewald finally gives him answers at the end and we have no idea if he's telling the truth or he's giving him this identity as a way to use him against Dumbledore.
That's just one example of several. But there were so many questions and by the end, very few of them were answered and more questions came up to take their place. Like trying to kill a Hydra. It's pretty dang annoying.
We get to reunite with our old favorite characters from the last movie. Newt Scamander is trying to get his travel ban lifted... and Dumbledore more or less helps him navigate around that. In the end, it makes a lot of sense why he does it this way, but Dumbledore becomes even more engimatic than he already is. He has his reasons behind what he does, but he has a real roundabout way of going about that. The Deathly Hallows had this major conflict between Harry and Ron because Ron was skeptical about Dumbledore sending them on this quest to find/destroy Horcruxes to defeat Voldemort when he's given no clues how to go about it. The answers do become clear eventually, but the lack of a road map is frustrating to him. We're all taught to trust Dumbledore absolutely... and maybe it's because it's Jude Law (who I really like, by the way) and it's a younger version of him, but it was hard for me to completely trust a younger Dumbledore. It's an uneasy feeling...
It's kinda cool to see him teach at Hogwarts. He's actually the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher and he's teaching the kids how to defeat Boggarts- poltergeists that take the shape of what a person fears and they need to use the Riddikulus charm to turn it into something funny to finish it off. Interestingly, he is relieved from this position by the Ministry of Magic- they're trying to find out what Grindewald is up to, but he's not being cooperative. This brings back the running joke that no DADA teacher has lasted at Hogwarts for more than a year. Although we see flashbacks when Newt and his ex-girlfriend, Leta Lestrange were going to school and they were fighting Boggarts then too. So Dumbledore was in this position for a couple years. I do remember when Tom Riddle was in his 6th year at Hogwarts (based on the flashback in Chamber of Secrets) that Dumbledore was a Transfiguration professor. The whole running joke actually started when Dumbledore refused to hire Tom Riddle as the DADA professor... and the position became cursed.
Anyway, I got away from the old characters. Newt is back and we find out the previous movie, he went to America because Dumbledore asked him too. We find out that the Muggle he and the other American wizards befriended... he didn't lose his memory like all of the other Muggles. And he and Queenie have been seeing each other. At the time, it was against the law for people with magic to be romantically involved with Muggles, people without magic. And of course, Newt has his suitcase full of creates and adds a few more to his collection. The Niffler also makes more appearances and it actually has a family now. (The theater was actually selling them for $12 and I was almost tempted to get one... they're so cute!)
And Newt and Tina see each other again, but things are a little tense because she thinks he's engaged to someone else... his brother is actually engaged to Newt's ex girlfriend, Leta. She's alluded to briefly in the previous movie, but we get to know her better here and she's also on a search to find out more about her family. We already knew the Lestranges were pretty screwed up because Bellatrix is a psychopath. She was the reason why Neville's parents, respected Aurors in their time, were driven to insanity via the Cruciatus Curse. She's very sadistic. And her family really has a screwed up history... we did get a healthy amount of history, but some of it was hard to watch. Interesting thing is that she's nowhere near as evil as her descendant was. I read up briefly on Newt's history cuz I thought he was related to some other wizard (the only connection I found, and already knew, was that his grandson married Luna Lovegood). He was expelled from Hogwarts because of something Leta did that endangered other students and he took the blame for it. There were flashbacks with her and Newt and they were fun to watch. The actors they cast looked a lot like them and had the mannerisms down perfectly.
The one thing amiss about this movie was that it is called the "Crimes of Grindewald"... he doesn't really have a lot of screen time and he's really not committing any crimes... not yet anyway. Sure, the movie starts with him being transferred from the American ministry to London's ministry and by extension, Azkaban and he escapes custody (the one thing we learn about prison transfers in movies and TV... they never end well) and a bunch of wizards are killed in the process... and he does have some people killed in Paris in order to lie low in their residence... but with that title, you'd expect something more.
Instead what he does is try swaying Credence to join him and he's reaching out to other Wizards and Witches to join him and commit to "The Greater Good"- that phrase has come up once or twice in the Harry Potter books and goes back to him. His goal is to get the Wizarding world out into the open, to stop all the secrery and hiding from the human world. He also shows visions to his brethen of what he sees is the future- tanks, Holocausts and atomic bombs. He more or less predicts the humans will bring the end of the world with World War II. Funny enough, 1945, which is around the time the war is ending... that's when he's supposed to face off against Dumbledore.
Another character we meet is Nagini. Harry Potter fans know her as the snake that follows Voldemort and ultimately becomes a Horcrux. Here, she's an Animagus that's part of a freakshow cirus. The ringleader says to the crowds that she changes to a snake by night and there will come a time when she'll transform and never be able to change back. Whether that's true or just for sure, it's hard to be sure. I just know that she will eventually become a snake permanently to serve Voldemort. (Speaking of Voldemort, I checked on him and he was born in 1926, so he was a baby when this movie was taking place. And when the duel happens, he's 19... so there is a possibility then that Tom Riddle will appear in one of these movies at some point. There's nothing on his Wiki page that says he was inspired by Grindewald... but JK Rowling could still make a connection somewhere, especially if we see more of Nagini in later moies)
Those who pay attention will see some other cameos of characters that relate back to the other franchise. I noted Jamie Campbell Bower, despite the fact he has no lines, he is shown in pictures alongside Dumbledore and he played him in the Deathly Hallows flashback... I just liked how they kept that continuity... and that they changed his eyes to make him look similiar to Johnny Depp.
There's also a funny cameo from Nicholas Flamel... when Harry Potter was in Hogwarts, Flamel had just celebrated his 665th birthday. This is 70 years earlier, meaning he was just short of 600. He looks pretty ancient as it is :P which is crazy to think he's still alive, but he is staying alive thanks to the Elixir of Life from the Sorceror's Stone. He comments how he hadn't seen any action in decades, but we do see him later in the movie. We find him because he's in charge of the safe house Dumbledore told to Newt. So even then, those two were good friends.
And to fulfill another curiosity of mine, I looked up Dumbledore because I thought Jude Law looked too young to play him when he looked so much older in the Harry Potter movies. I thought maybe he'd be as old as Nicholas Flamel because of how close they are... not even close... the wiki page says Dumbledore was born in 1881. Meaning he was 100 when Harry's parents were murdered and he was 116 when he was killed. So relating it to the Fantastic Beasts timeline, Dumbledore was 45-46.
Ok, that makes a bit more sense.
Going back to the movie as a whole, though, it does start up really slow. A lot of exposition where we catch up with old characters and learn about some new ones. But I don't really know what the point of this movie was. Was it trying to stop Grindewald, and failing? Was it trying to kill or arrest Credence, and failing? From what I can tell, it was about drawing lines about what side everyone was on, the "Greater Good" as Grindewald puts it or was it to remain at peace with the muggle world.
There's some great action with other beasts that Newt befriends, although so much is happening, it's hard to keep track of everything. We start to get some answers about things as we go, but more questions pop up to take their place.
All this movie sees to be is a set-up for future sequels. And I really hope more happens in the next movie to make up for the lack of clarity with this one.
Grade: B- (I get the feeling a lot of other people, particularly non-Potter fans, wouldn't be nearly this considerate)
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Friday, November 23, 2018
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Theatrical Review- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Date: Sunday, November 4 2018
Location: Cinemark Theater in Stroud Mall
Time: 11:35am
Party: 3 (my mom, sister & I)
Directors: Lasse Hallström (in addition to movies like Cider House Rules and Chocoloat, he also did a bunch of ABBA videos... wow!... definitely explains why this movie is so colorful) and Joe Johnston (of "Captain America" fame- the first movie specificially)
Writer: Ashleigh Powell (screenwriter)
Composers: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (of course for the original Nutcracker ballet) and James Newton Howard (for everything else... he's composed so many movies I love, it's hard to figure which ones to list- just check out his imdb profile :P)
Notable Cast:
Clara- Mackenzie Foy (who I hadn't seen since she played Renesme in "Breaking Dawn")
Fritz, Clara's little brother- Tom Sweet
Louise, Clara's older sister- Ellie Bamber (only credit I recognize- she was one of the Bennett sisters in "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies")
Mr. Stahlbaum, Clara's father- Matthew Macfayden (one of those actors who looks familiar but I really hadn't seen his role. Interestingly, he played Mr. Darcy to Keira's Elizabeth Bennett back in 2005- one of many version I never saw)
Drosselmeyer, Clara's godfather- Morgan Freeman
Nutcracker Soldier Philip- Jayden Fowora-Knight (his only other credit is "Ready Player One")
Sugar Plum Fairy from the Land of Sweets- Keira Knightley
Mother Ginger from theLand of Amusements Fourth Realm- Helen Mirren
Hawthorne from the Realm of Flowers- Eugenio Derbez
Shiver from the Realm of Snowflakes- Richard E. Grant
Ballerina Princess- Misty Copeland
Duration: 99 minutes (+7 trailers... it's always 7 at this theater...)
Write-up:
Introduction:
It was my sister's birthday on the 7th and seeing this movie was part of a weekend celebrating her birthday (the previous night, we had an amazing dinner at the Frogtown Chophouse in Swiftwater).
One funny thing I realized when sitting down to see this movie... it's been so overwhelming with all the political ads... I realized that as soon as they go away, a million Christmas commercials were waiting in the wings to take their place. I mean, I love Christmas, don't get me wrong... but I don't want to see any trace of it before December 1. Christmas is a special time of year, but it becomes less special when it's overwhelmed by two solid months of commercialism. I may not be in love with Thanksgiving, but I feel for it being overlooked in favor of all the Christmas stuff. Maybe it's the OCD in me that wants everything to be in their place, in order. It also goes back to college where I was so stooped in studying for finals to make sure I aced my classes (and 4 out of 5 times, I did) that I couldn't afford myself to get excited about Christmas until winter break.
This is also funny because I realized this in theater and not even a second later, they had a commercial for Hallmark movie channel doing a Christmas movie-thon. I swear, I shielded my face like a vampire trying to hide from the sun :P
And of course... it's funny because The Nutcracker is technically a Christmas movie... and I honestly didn't mind making a concession for that.
Trailers:
It's always 7... and the theme continues... oddly enough, a bunch of these movies looked like ones I wanted to see. But I highly doubt I'd get myself to a theater to see them all. Only one is an absolute definite and it'll be the next one.
A Dog's Way Home- I haven't seen "A Dog's Purpose" but I heard it was a bit of a tearjerker. Almost any time there's a movie centering around a dog, it's a tearjerker cuz they often die in the end. I refuse to see "Old Yeller" out of principle for that reason alone. This movie is about a dog named Bella and her owner, how he's gone all the time and she misses him. Then she somehow runs away, gets lost and [spoiler alert] she comes back at the end. They showed the whole movie practically in 2 minutes. But I was happy that they did get together in the end.
Fantastic Beasts: The Trials of Grindewalld- definitely seeing this one. I have no idea how many times I'd seen this trailer, but I feel like I get more out of it each time. I absorb more of what's going on. But I couldn't repeat everything if you asked me to :P I'd be here forever.
Instant Family- there's been a lot of promo for this Mark Wahlberg/Rose Byrne movie where they want a foster kid and the one they want has two siblings so they get three kids. It looks like a sweet movie. They had a new scene where one kid says "thanks Daddy" and the mom goes after her asking if she wants help with anything cuz she wants some of that action and the kid's like "No." So cute.
The Kid Who Would be King- instead of a Kid being in King Arthur's Court, the world of Camelot comes into reality. A bullied kid in a private school finds Excalibur, pulls it from the stone and it brings all kinds of havoc into reality that he and his classmates have to defend their world. It looks like fun, but part of me also thinks the movie might wind up being crap and they glossed up the trailer and edited it to make it look amazing.
The Grinch- there's definitely been a lot of lead up to this and I want to see it eventually. Maybe not buy a movie ticket. Benedict Cumberbatch will be great in this role, although they might have made it a little too comical. Then again, they can't do any worse than Jim Carrey in the live action version. I'd barely seen any of it and I could really do without it. Whoever thought live action Dr. Seuss movies were a good idea should be work in show business cuz it's practically nightmare fuel, seeing the actors' faces in these beloved children's book characters. Not to mention all the idiotic rude humor involved.
Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet- this one looks like a lot of fun. And this trailer finally gave me an idea of what the movie's about. Vanellope's video game, Sugar Rush broke down and she's worried about not having a place in the world. "If I'm not a racer, then what I am?" so she and Ralph go into the Internet to find a part to fix her game. The scene with her and all the Disney princesses looks like so much fun. I just hope we get more out of it than just 5 minutes.
Aladdin- I cannot wait to get more than just this same teaser trailer they showed during a football game a few weeks ago. We just have Iago flying over the desert and Agrabah, the Cave of Wonders opening up and Aladdin reaching for the lamp. The big question mark for me is the Genie. Who's going to play him? Will it be an attempt to pay homage to Robin Williams' version or will it be something different? Robin Williams totally made that movie, which, fun fact, was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. My dad took me to see it. I don't remember much about it other than being really worried during the scene where Jafar throws Aladdin into the ocean to drown. Cannot wait to see and review that one, all while recollecting the original. We got way back ;)
...Somehow the previews always have a way of making me forget what I came to see... it still isn't fair that they show the concession stand ad AT THE END... it makes you hungry and thirsty and chances are, you can't get out in time to get anything. Also, I can't remember the last time I had theater popcorn.
The Main Event:
early Oscar buzz
I can't give everything away, obviously, but for starters, this movie was AMAZING. For sure, it's going to win some Oscars, most likely for Art Direction/Production Design and Visual Effects. I'd like it to be nominated and win for costumes too. Just looking at the makeup job on Mother Ginger, that's another possibility as well.
Originals and Adaptations
As everyone knows, The Nutcracker is a story that's been around for a long time. "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" was written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816. Alexander Dumas (of "Three Muskteers" and "Count of Monte Cristo" fame) adapted it, the main difference changing the heroine's name from Marie to Clara. And Dumas' version was the version Tchaikovsky adapted into the well-known 1892 Russian ballet.
A couple of years ago, my favorite figure skater, Evgeni Plushenko orchestrated his own Nutcracker show. After he withdrew from the Sochi Olympics for back issues and had surgery (he broke a screw supporting a plastic disc in his back), sometime later, he had a dream about doing an ice show for the Snow Queen... of course, changing the gender of the character so he could play the main role. I'd seen various scenes on YouTube, but never the entire show... the people in Russia and Japan were so lucky to see it. (It looks AMAZING!!) In 2015, he did it again, but this time, he did his own Nutcracker. I'm not entirely sure what character he played. It wasn't the main role. But it started with at Christmas with a big tree and Clara gets a Nutcracker for Christmas. Then I think she goes to sleep and dreams about being in the realm where he comes to life. And there were multiple realms. The whole show was on YouTube and it lasted at least 2 hours. My attention wasn't held the entire time, admittedly, but the production looked amazing. He'd been busy with his new skating school (I'd only seen a handful of his students compete so far... ok, just two), but last I heard, he's been working with his 5 year old son, Sasha to learn skating and he's working on his next show- Swan Lake.
The Task at Hand
Now for THIS version... and they did a really good job making this old story brand new again.
First of all, you get swept into the fantasy of it within the first couple minutes. There's an owl flying over London at Christmas time and it's snowing... enough said. Breathtaking!
Clara's family is still dealing with their mother's death. Clara's coping by doing little science experiments in the attic and not hanging around with people. Something her father wants to change as he gathers the siblings to go to a local Christmas party. Conversely, Clara's under the impression that he cares more about keeping up appearances than their mom. Right off the bat, this movie has this theme about family. Which is a pretty big deal around Christmas time. And it's kinda rough when it's the first Christmas without someone you're close with. And also when family members are fighting.
Just before they go to the party, their dad gives them all gifts their mom left to them. Clara's sister got one of their mom's dresses, I forget what her brother got, but Clara got a metallic egg with a keyhole, but no key. Then she deduces who created the egg in the first place.
So they go to the party and it's at the house of Morgan Freeman's character. I'm not sure how he and her mother came to know each other, but Clara refers to him as her godfather. So he did at least look after her mom when she was a kid. She shows him the egg he made and wonders if he has the key. More on this later...
Clara and her father have one last fight and everything comes out. All her father asked of her was to not to disappear, to spend time with other people (I thought her being in the crowd during the ballet performance counted!) and to dance with him. But she doesn't want to dance and they don't leave each other on the best terms.
I thought the next scene was really cool. The godfather announces it's time for everyone to get their gifts. So all of them have a piece of string with their names on them and they followed them throughout the house (the house is huge, btw, and you see little hints of wht Clara will see in the four realms if you pay attention) to find them. Obviously, Clara's leads to the key... but in the process, the movie borrows from Narnia and she goes through a hallway in the house that takes her into fantasy land.
And it goes without saying... unfortunately (and this really annoyed me, what can I say, I get impatient about these things)... that it's not as simple as Clara getting the key and opening the egg... a mouse steals the key. And she comes upon the Nutcracker shortly after. Apparently, her mom discovered these realms when she was younger and by assocation, Clara is being treated like royalty. Does she abuse her power? Maybe, a little bit... in the beginning. She and the Nutcracker try, and fail, to get the key back from the Mouse King (which is a bunch of mice coming together to form a huge monster mice). So they have to retreat to the castle where they meet the leaders of three of the Realms.
The story is that Mother Ginger, of the Fourth Realm, threatened to take over all the realms, so she was banished. And everyone else in the kingdom is forbidden to travel there. And Clara is treated to a ballet that teaches her the history of all the realms. Which is where Misty Copeland comes in and does what she does so well. (She's also a big reason why you should stick around to watch the end credits).
The production on stage is small when you compare it to the four realms, but they use all that space to full advantage, including various intricate set pieces and the floor that lights up with various shapes and colors.
By the end of the movie, I said "all of those people who said Misty couldn't be a great ballerina because she was too old (she didn't start training until she was 13) or she's of color... look at her now!" I mean, they have to be eating their words. She's out of this world. And I'm not just saying that cuz she has a Prince connection- according to Wikipedia, she was in his "Crimson & Clover" video and was at his Welcome 2 America tour (had I gotten tickets to shows at the Meadowlands or MSG, I could have seen both of them in person-- still regretting it cuz that was my one chance to see him, the one time he came close to me from 2007 to 2016). But before I knew who she was, I saw her name in print in an article about him. And I saw them together on the Geoge Lopez show- he performed "The Beautiful Ones" and she was dancing on the piano... their stage chemistry worked really well with that song. Funny thing- I watched this performance for the first time since it aired in 2011 and I wondered out loud if that was her... and sure enough, it was.
She was also a guest judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" and she gave really good critiques without being overly harsh.
Anyway, the story progresses when Clara gets an army to get the key back and she does eventually find what's inside the egg. It initially came with a note that read "everything you need is inside." It doesn't seem like it's worth this trouble at first, but it serves a couple of purposes that does make it so.
Kinda like the egg- in this movie, not everything is what it appears to be and that goes on to affect the plot and some of the characters. It's a good twist, but at the same time, it was something I kinda saw coming.
There isn't a lot of focus on the other realms and we see the other realms briefly in a montage where Clara visits them all and is showered with gifts. We spend the most time in the kingdom with the Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Mother Ginger. Definitely a great cast. Keira Knightley is almost unrecognizable as the Sugar Plum Fairy. I wondered if that was her voice cuz it sounds way too high to sound like it came from her. If it was, I wondered if her voice was sore after filming or it took a while for her to remember how to speak normally. Mother Ginger looked very familiar, so I guess it wasn't surprising to find out it was Helen Mirren. She's really good in anything she does. And both of these women kick butt in the movie.
And of course there's bound to be a little talk about someone of color playing the Nutcracker. There's been so much talk about making movies more diverse, but a lot of time it feels forced. Just having a token person of color so Hollywood isn't accused over being racist or whitewashing everything seems a bit much... my opinion is that a cast shouldn't be diverse for the sake of it. It should be because the actors are right for the parts. And in the case of "This is Us," writing good roles for people of color is a move in the right direction.
In the case of this Nutcracker, Jayden is really good job of it. The character is a soldier so he's made to follow orders. But the nutcracker himself is a character that's always there for Clara to support her and be her friend and this is where he shines. The two of them have really good chemistry on screen.
Even though things stop after Clara's disappointed with the contents of the egg and the villain gets the upper hand, the gloominess doesn't last long. There's a lot of action in the third act. And Clara finally returns home and make things right with her dad...
between the warm & fuzzies, the Christmas stuff and the music... it's another tearjerker of a movie, but they're very happy tears. We had to cheer at the end and everyone else in theater eventaully joined in. (It was an empty theater at first, but by curtains, it got a decent amount of people. A lot of families with kids too. I was half afraid they'd talk through the whole movie or someone would be kicking my seat the whole time... neither came to pass, so it was a good experience overall)
Grade: A
Location: Cinemark Theater in Stroud Mall
Time: 11:35am
Party: 3 (my mom, sister & I)
Directors: Lasse Hallström (in addition to movies like Cider House Rules and Chocoloat, he also did a bunch of ABBA videos... wow!... definitely explains why this movie is so colorful) and Joe Johnston (of "Captain America" fame- the first movie specificially)
Writer: Ashleigh Powell (screenwriter)
Composers: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (of course for the original Nutcracker ballet) and James Newton Howard (for everything else... he's composed so many movies I love, it's hard to figure which ones to list- just check out his imdb profile :P)
Notable Cast:
Clara- Mackenzie Foy (who I hadn't seen since she played Renesme in "Breaking Dawn")
Fritz, Clara's little brother- Tom Sweet
Louise, Clara's older sister- Ellie Bamber (only credit I recognize- she was one of the Bennett sisters in "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies")
Mr. Stahlbaum, Clara's father- Matthew Macfayden (one of those actors who looks familiar but I really hadn't seen his role. Interestingly, he played Mr. Darcy to Keira's Elizabeth Bennett back in 2005- one of many version I never saw)
Drosselmeyer, Clara's godfather- Morgan Freeman
Nutcracker Soldier Philip- Jayden Fowora-Knight (his only other credit is "Ready Player One")
Sugar Plum Fairy from the Land of Sweets- Keira Knightley
Mother Ginger from the
Hawthorne from the Realm of Flowers- Eugenio Derbez
Shiver from the Realm of Snowflakes- Richard E. Grant
Ballerina Princess- Misty Copeland
Duration: 99 minutes (+7 trailers... it's always 7 at this theater...)
Write-up:
Introduction:
It was my sister's birthday on the 7th and seeing this movie was part of a weekend celebrating her birthday (the previous night, we had an amazing dinner at the Frogtown Chophouse in Swiftwater).
One funny thing I realized when sitting down to see this movie... it's been so overwhelming with all the political ads... I realized that as soon as they go away, a million Christmas commercials were waiting in the wings to take their place. I mean, I love Christmas, don't get me wrong... but I don't want to see any trace of it before December 1. Christmas is a special time of year, but it becomes less special when it's overwhelmed by two solid months of commercialism. I may not be in love with Thanksgiving, but I feel for it being overlooked in favor of all the Christmas stuff. Maybe it's the OCD in me that wants everything to be in their place, in order. It also goes back to college where I was so stooped in studying for finals to make sure I aced my classes (and 4 out of 5 times, I did) that I couldn't afford myself to get excited about Christmas until winter break.
This is also funny because I realized this in theater and not even a second later, they had a commercial for Hallmark movie channel doing a Christmas movie-thon. I swear, I shielded my face like a vampire trying to hide from the sun :P
And of course... it's funny because The Nutcracker is technically a Christmas movie... and I honestly didn't mind making a concession for that.
Trailers:
It's always 7... and the theme continues... oddly enough, a bunch of these movies looked like ones I wanted to see. But I highly doubt I'd get myself to a theater to see them all. Only one is an absolute definite and it'll be the next one.
A Dog's Way Home- I haven't seen "A Dog's Purpose" but I heard it was a bit of a tearjerker. Almost any time there's a movie centering around a dog, it's a tearjerker cuz they often die in the end. I refuse to see "Old Yeller" out of principle for that reason alone. This movie is about a dog named Bella and her owner, how he's gone all the time and she misses him. Then she somehow runs away, gets lost and [spoiler alert] she comes back at the end. They showed the whole movie practically in 2 minutes. But I was happy that they did get together in the end.
Fantastic Beasts: The Trials of Grindewalld- definitely seeing this one. I have no idea how many times I'd seen this trailer, but I feel like I get more out of it each time. I absorb more of what's going on. But I couldn't repeat everything if you asked me to :P I'd be here forever.
Instant Family- there's been a lot of promo for this Mark Wahlberg/Rose Byrne movie where they want a foster kid and the one they want has two siblings so they get three kids. It looks like a sweet movie. They had a new scene where one kid says "thanks Daddy" and the mom goes after her asking if she wants help with anything cuz she wants some of that action and the kid's like "No." So cute.
The Kid Who Would be King- instead of a Kid being in King Arthur's Court, the world of Camelot comes into reality. A bullied kid in a private school finds Excalibur, pulls it from the stone and it brings all kinds of havoc into reality that he and his classmates have to defend their world. It looks like fun, but part of me also thinks the movie might wind up being crap and they glossed up the trailer and edited it to make it look amazing.
The Grinch- there's definitely been a lot of lead up to this and I want to see it eventually. Maybe not buy a movie ticket. Benedict Cumberbatch will be great in this role, although they might have made it a little too comical. Then again, they can't do any worse than Jim Carrey in the live action version. I'd barely seen any of it and I could really do without it. Whoever thought live action Dr. Seuss movies were a good idea should be work in show business cuz it's practically nightmare fuel, seeing the actors' faces in these beloved children's book characters. Not to mention all the idiotic rude humor involved.
Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet- this one looks like a lot of fun. And this trailer finally gave me an idea of what the movie's about. Vanellope's video game, Sugar Rush broke down and she's worried about not having a place in the world. "If I'm not a racer, then what I am?" so she and Ralph go into the Internet to find a part to fix her game. The scene with her and all the Disney princesses looks like so much fun. I just hope we get more out of it than just 5 minutes.
Aladdin- I cannot wait to get more than just this same teaser trailer they showed during a football game a few weeks ago. We just have Iago flying over the desert and Agrabah, the Cave of Wonders opening up and Aladdin reaching for the lamp. The big question mark for me is the Genie. Who's going to play him? Will it be an attempt to pay homage to Robin Williams' version or will it be something different? Robin Williams totally made that movie, which, fun fact, was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. My dad took me to see it. I don't remember much about it other than being really worried during the scene where Jafar throws Aladdin into the ocean to drown. Cannot wait to see and review that one, all while recollecting the original. We got way back ;)
...Somehow the previews always have a way of making me forget what I came to see... it still isn't fair that they show the concession stand ad AT THE END... it makes you hungry and thirsty and chances are, you can't get out in time to get anything. Also, I can't remember the last time I had theater popcorn.
The Main Event:
early Oscar buzz
I can't give everything away, obviously, but for starters, this movie was AMAZING. For sure, it's going to win some Oscars, most likely for Art Direction/Production Design and Visual Effects. I'd like it to be nominated and win for costumes too. Just looking at the makeup job on Mother Ginger, that's another possibility as well.
Originals and Adaptations
As everyone knows, The Nutcracker is a story that's been around for a long time. "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" was written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816. Alexander Dumas (of "Three Muskteers" and "Count of Monte Cristo" fame) adapted it, the main difference changing the heroine's name from Marie to Clara. And Dumas' version was the version Tchaikovsky adapted into the well-known 1892 Russian ballet.
A couple of years ago, my favorite figure skater, Evgeni Plushenko orchestrated his own Nutcracker show. After he withdrew from the Sochi Olympics for back issues and had surgery (he broke a screw supporting a plastic disc in his back), sometime later, he had a dream about doing an ice show for the Snow Queen... of course, changing the gender of the character so he could play the main role. I'd seen various scenes on YouTube, but never the entire show... the people in Russia and Japan were so lucky to see it. (It looks AMAZING!!) In 2015, he did it again, but this time, he did his own Nutcracker. I'm not entirely sure what character he played. It wasn't the main role. But it started with at Christmas with a big tree and Clara gets a Nutcracker for Christmas. Then I think she goes to sleep and dreams about being in the realm where he comes to life. And there were multiple realms. The whole show was on YouTube and it lasted at least 2 hours. My attention wasn't held the entire time, admittedly, but the production looked amazing. He'd been busy with his new skating school (I'd only seen a handful of his students compete so far... ok, just two), but last I heard, he's been working with his 5 year old son, Sasha to learn skating and he's working on his next show- Swan Lake.
The Task at Hand
Now for THIS version... and they did a really good job making this old story brand new again.
First of all, you get swept into the fantasy of it within the first couple minutes. There's an owl flying over London at Christmas time and it's snowing... enough said. Breathtaking!
Clara's family is still dealing with their mother's death. Clara's coping by doing little science experiments in the attic and not hanging around with people. Something her father wants to change as he gathers the siblings to go to a local Christmas party. Conversely, Clara's under the impression that he cares more about keeping up appearances than their mom. Right off the bat, this movie has this theme about family. Which is a pretty big deal around Christmas time. And it's kinda rough when it's the first Christmas without someone you're close with. And also when family members are fighting.
Just before they go to the party, their dad gives them all gifts their mom left to them. Clara's sister got one of their mom's dresses, I forget what her brother got, but Clara got a metallic egg with a keyhole, but no key. Then she deduces who created the egg in the first place.
So they go to the party and it's at the house of Morgan Freeman's character. I'm not sure how he and her mother came to know each other, but Clara refers to him as her godfather. So he did at least look after her mom when she was a kid. She shows him the egg he made and wonders if he has the key. More on this later...
Clara and her father have one last fight and everything comes out. All her father asked of her was to not to disappear, to spend time with other people (I thought her being in the crowd during the ballet performance counted!) and to dance with him. But she doesn't want to dance and they don't leave each other on the best terms.
I thought the next scene was really cool. The godfather announces it's time for everyone to get their gifts. So all of them have a piece of string with their names on them and they followed them throughout the house (the house is huge, btw, and you see little hints of wht Clara will see in the four realms if you pay attention) to find them. Obviously, Clara's leads to the key... but in the process, the movie borrows from Narnia and she goes through a hallway in the house that takes her into fantasy land.
And it goes without saying... unfortunately (and this really annoyed me, what can I say, I get impatient about these things)... that it's not as simple as Clara getting the key and opening the egg... a mouse steals the key. And she comes upon the Nutcracker shortly after. Apparently, her mom discovered these realms when she was younger and by assocation, Clara is being treated like royalty. Does she abuse her power? Maybe, a little bit... in the beginning. She and the Nutcracker try, and fail, to get the key back from the Mouse King (which is a bunch of mice coming together to form a huge monster mice). So they have to retreat to the castle where they meet the leaders of three of the Realms.
The story is that Mother Ginger, of the Fourth Realm, threatened to take over all the realms, so she was banished. And everyone else in the kingdom is forbidden to travel there. And Clara is treated to a ballet that teaches her the history of all the realms. Which is where Misty Copeland comes in and does what she does so well. (She's also a big reason why you should stick around to watch the end credits).
The production on stage is small when you compare it to the four realms, but they use all that space to full advantage, including various intricate set pieces and the floor that lights up with various shapes and colors.
By the end of the movie, I said "all of those people who said Misty couldn't be a great ballerina because she was too old (she didn't start training until she was 13) or she's of color... look at her now!" I mean, they have to be eating their words. She's out of this world. And I'm not just saying that cuz she has a Prince connection- according to Wikipedia, she was in his "Crimson & Clover" video and was at his Welcome 2 America tour (had I gotten tickets to shows at the Meadowlands or MSG, I could have seen both of them in person-- still regretting it cuz that was my one chance to see him, the one time he came close to me from 2007 to 2016). But before I knew who she was, I saw her name in print in an article about him. And I saw them together on the Geoge Lopez show- he performed "The Beautiful Ones" and she was dancing on the piano... their stage chemistry worked really well with that song. Funny thing- I watched this performance for the first time since it aired in 2011 and I wondered out loud if that was her... and sure enough, it was.
She was also a guest judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" and she gave really good critiques without being overly harsh.
Anyway, the story progresses when Clara gets an army to get the key back and she does eventually find what's inside the egg. It initially came with a note that read "everything you need is inside." It doesn't seem like it's worth this trouble at first, but it serves a couple of purposes that does make it so.
Kinda like the egg- in this movie, not everything is what it appears to be and that goes on to affect the plot and some of the characters. It's a good twist, but at the same time, it was something I kinda saw coming.
There isn't a lot of focus on the other realms and we see the other realms briefly in a montage where Clara visits them all and is showered with gifts. We spend the most time in the kingdom with the Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Mother Ginger. Definitely a great cast. Keira Knightley is almost unrecognizable as the Sugar Plum Fairy. I wondered if that was her voice cuz it sounds way too high to sound like it came from her. If it was, I wondered if her voice was sore after filming or it took a while for her to remember how to speak normally. Mother Ginger looked very familiar, so I guess it wasn't surprising to find out it was Helen Mirren. She's really good in anything she does. And both of these women kick butt in the movie.
And of course there's bound to be a little talk about someone of color playing the Nutcracker. There's been so much talk about making movies more diverse, but a lot of time it feels forced. Just having a token person of color so Hollywood isn't accused over being racist or whitewashing everything seems a bit much... my opinion is that a cast shouldn't be diverse for the sake of it. It should be because the actors are right for the parts. And in the case of "This is Us," writing good roles for people of color is a move in the right direction.
In the case of this Nutcracker, Jayden is really good job of it. The character is a soldier so he's made to follow orders. But the nutcracker himself is a character that's always there for Clara to support her and be her friend and this is where he shines. The two of them have really good chemistry on screen.
Even though things stop after Clara's disappointed with the contents of the egg and the villain gets the upper hand, the gloominess doesn't last long. There's a lot of action in the third act. And Clara finally returns home and make things right with her dad...
between the warm & fuzzies, the Christmas stuff and the music... it's another tearjerker of a movie, but they're very happy tears. We had to cheer at the end and everyone else in theater eventaully joined in. (It was an empty theater at first, but by curtains, it got a decent amount of people. A lot of families with kids too. I was half afraid they'd talk through the whole movie or someone would be kicking my seat the whole time... neither came to pass, so it was a good experience overall)
Grade: A
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Theatrical Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Date- Sunday November 20 2016
Time- 1:15pm
Location- Pocono Movieplex (honestly, we go there all the time... I should just leave this field unchecked unless I'm going elsewhere)
Party- 4 (my mom, sister, aunt who loves the same books/movies, and myself)
Director: David Yates
Writer (book AND screenplay): J.K. Rowling
Composer: James Newton Howard
Notable Cast:
Newt Scamander- Eddie Redmayne
Jacob Kowalski- Dan Fogler
Tina- Katherine Waterston
Queenie- Alison Sudol
Graves- Colin Farrell
Credence- Ezra Miller
American Minister of Magic, Seraphina Picquery- Carmen Ejogo
Duration: 133 minutes (+3 trailers)
Write-up:
Audience & Coming Attractions
The next time we go to the movies (which will be later today), we need to bring a flashlight or at least light up a smartphone when we enter the theater. It's getting kind of annoying that we can't see where we're going or which seats are taken because the theater is darkened to show a dozen commercials. Seriously, if I want to see commercials, I could just stay home.
Couldn't even see how many people were in the theater, but there weren't as many as we expected. It was miserable and raining outside at the time.
It seemed like all three trailers figured we were all into Sci-fi (almost spelled that like the network... I don't even watch it that much) because they all fell into that category. I didn't even think Harry Potter fit there (it's more of a fantasy type deal, isn't it?).
First: Valerian- which is based on a graphic novel. I recognized Cat Delevingne from "Paper Towns." (Not quite who I pictured to play Margo Roth Speigelman, but she grew on me pretty quickly). The other guy, not so much. But the trailer promoted it more as a Luc Besson film (since he recently had a lot of success with "Lucy" which I've yet to see, but might need to).
The special effects and the environment look amazing. Not quite at the "Avatar" level, but the closest I'd seen in a while. Unfortunately, I have a gut feeling it's going to do about as well as "Jupiter Ascending."
Second: Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson. I'd heard of the animé series it was based off, but I never watched. It seemed too dark and too sci-fi for my personal tastes (just to give a clearer picture of my tastes- InuYasha, FullMetal Alchemist and Bleach were my favorite series on Adult Swim).
But the way this movie is set up and rendered, it looks really impressive. And Scarlett of course playing a kick-ass bad-ass. Something she brought to Black Widow and "Lucy" (yep, that Luc Besson movie I just mentioned) and may have perfected here.
I also remember the major controversy with this movie for casting her because she isn't Asian.
:sigh: will it ever end?
Finally, the trailer Comic-Con probably saw of the new "Power Rangers" movie.
I grew up on that franchise... well, 2-3 years of my childhood was wrapped up in it... I think I got into Pokémon shortly after I lost interest (which was when David Yost was written out of the show- he played my favorite character).
And I get the feeling that I am going to hate this movie because it's going to rewrite the entire mythology of the franchise. Two characters, I heard called Jason and Zack. And it sounds like they found the Command Center and Zordon instead of the other way around. Not to mention they're all "bad kids." That's completely wrong. The Power Rangers were chosen by Zordon because they were exceptional teenagers that were active in their communities. Unless they're opting for the angle "they're good inside, but have just gotten a raw deal in life"... I don't buy it.
Speaking of race, it looks like they might be doing that thing that got an outcry with the original series- the Black ranger was black and the yellow ranger was Asian. Honestly, I didn't really notice that when I was a kid and it really doesn't matter to me either way.
I remember the names of all the original actors except the Yellow ranger, Trini. Only that she died in a car accident. I know how to pronounce it, but I'll probably spell it wrong. Truy Thang, I think. [okay, I was close- I got two letters mixed up in her name- Thuy Trang].
Quick note: IMDB is great for a lot of things, but I don't get how they know the last names of the characters (when they were never mentioned on the show, yet they don't know Zack was the Black ranger and Trini was the yellow ranger).
Anyway, they lost me after they did an entire recast... end of story.
The Main Event in a Nutshell
What you need to know about the basic story: Newt Scamander is a British Magizoologist (studies magical creatures) who travels to America in the 1920's to release one of his magical creatures to its native habitat in Arizona.
But he picks a pretty bad time to go. New York is currently under siege thanks to something dark and destructive. What that is remains to be seen. But it's been terrorizing the Nomaj (American muggles) and the magical world is trying to solve the problem before their world is exposed and comes under fire. It is believed to be the work of a dark creature, which automatically makes Newt the #1 suspect.
Actors and Actresses
I don't know if I imagined the success Eddie Redmayne what have in his career after being in "Les Mis"... but it's been pretty fantastic. His performance of Stephen Hawking, while it was SO obvious he was going to win... I know the man is a super genius, but I gained so much more respect for him after seeing the movie. And he is great in this one as well. There were just some time I wish I had subtitles. He kinda mumbles sometimes, you see.
Dan Fogler, I knew from "Fan Boys" and it's cool to see him in a role like this. The man isn't obnoxious. He's just a lovable Nomaj that is having trouble getting his dream of owning a bakery. He meets Newt at the bank where he's trying to get a loan, but can't due to lack of collateral. He unwittingly becomes part of this journey into the magical world due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not to mention a "comedy" of errors.
The actresses, I hadn't really known before this, so I don't have much to say for them. Tina (Katherine Waterston) had gotten Hermione comparisons. Some of it is well-deserved. She's very smart and calculating. But her talents aren't taken as seriously due to actions taken before the movie begins.
Queenie is a bit of a scene-stealer and her storyline with Jacob is one I hope gets continued in future movies, despite the fact Nomaj are not supposed to be knowlegeable about the magical world. He's just such a great character.
Colin Farrell, I'd had a lot of moments on this blog where I've given him a hard time. My only complaint with him... he's Irish and he's playing an American character. Seriously, what the hell?! He plays a pretty complex character in that you really don't know what side he's on. We see him in the alleyway a lot talking to Credence, the adopted son of a woman who's been trying to organize a witch hunt.
Credence is played by Ezra Miller, who I know from "Perks of Being a Wallflower"... this was a good role for him, although a pretty sad one. He gets a raw deal and it extends past the fact his mum abuses him.
Same World, But a Different Place and Time
David Yates directed the last four Harry Potter movies and did so very well. We have the same visual look here as well, but considering it's New York in the 1920's, it's a bit different. But an interesting good different.
Visual and Special Effects
My other big negative with this movie... the effects are too chaotic in the action scenes. This is a good movie to see on the big screen, but it was still hard to see what was going on.
As for the contents of Newt's suitcase... well, you have to see it to believe it. It's the most jaw-dropping moment I think I'd had out of all the Harry Potter movies and there was a lot of that back then.
The first creature we meet is a Niffer. It looks like a black roly-poly platypus with maybe some echidna-like spines. I think I heard Ron mentioned in one of the books that he'd like to have one because they're good at finding treasures and shiny things. The one Newt has in his suitcase escapes into a bank, so you can imagine the shenanigans it gets into there. Everything else- I don't remember what any of them are called (like I said, Newt mumbles), but they're just amazing to look at. Hopefully we'll get to see more of them in the upcoming films.
What the Future holds...
I was skeptical at first when I heard that this movie adapted from a Hogwarts textbook was going to be make into a five-movie franchise. But taking into account who the ultimate villain of this movie turned out to be, I have a very good feeling I know what the ultimate goal of this new magical franchise is... and there is one very important casting choice coming up.
I'm sure a lot of Harry Potter fans have already figured it out.
Let's just say I got my idea from a Chocolate Frog card..
Grade: A-
(just to give an idea- I'd give "The Sorceror's Stone" an A+, "Prisoner of Azkhaban" an A, and the "Order of the Phoenix" maybe a B+)
Time- 1:15pm
Location- Pocono Movieplex (honestly, we go there all the time... I should just leave this field unchecked unless I'm going elsewhere)
Party- 4 (my mom, sister, aunt who loves the same books/movies, and myself)
Director: David Yates
Writer (book AND screenplay): J.K. Rowling
Composer: James Newton Howard
Notable Cast:
Newt Scamander- Eddie Redmayne
Jacob Kowalski- Dan Fogler
Tina- Katherine Waterston
Queenie- Alison Sudol
Graves- Colin Farrell
Credence- Ezra Miller
American Minister of Magic, Seraphina Picquery- Carmen Ejogo
Duration: 133 minutes (+3 trailers)
Write-up:
Audience & Coming Attractions
The next time we go to the movies (which will be later today), we need to bring a flashlight or at least light up a smartphone when we enter the theater. It's getting kind of annoying that we can't see where we're going or which seats are taken because the theater is darkened to show a dozen commercials. Seriously, if I want to see commercials, I could just stay home.
Couldn't even see how many people were in the theater, but there weren't as many as we expected. It was miserable and raining outside at the time.
It seemed like all three trailers figured we were all into Sci-fi (almost spelled that like the network... I don't even watch it that much) because they all fell into that category. I didn't even think Harry Potter fit there (it's more of a fantasy type deal, isn't it?).
First: Valerian- which is based on a graphic novel. I recognized Cat Delevingne from "Paper Towns." (Not quite who I pictured to play Margo Roth Speigelman, but she grew on me pretty quickly). The other guy, not so much. But the trailer promoted it more as a Luc Besson film (since he recently had a lot of success with "Lucy" which I've yet to see, but might need to).
The special effects and the environment look amazing. Not quite at the "Avatar" level, but the closest I'd seen in a while. Unfortunately, I have a gut feeling it's going to do about as well as "Jupiter Ascending."
Second: Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson. I'd heard of the animé series it was based off, but I never watched. It seemed too dark and too sci-fi for my personal tastes (just to give a clearer picture of my tastes- InuYasha, FullMetal Alchemist and Bleach were my favorite series on Adult Swim).
But the way this movie is set up and rendered, it looks really impressive. And Scarlett of course playing a kick-ass bad-ass. Something she brought to Black Widow and "Lucy" (yep, that Luc Besson movie I just mentioned) and may have perfected here.
I also remember the major controversy with this movie for casting her because she isn't Asian.
:sigh: will it ever end?
Finally, the trailer Comic-Con probably saw of the new "Power Rangers" movie.
I grew up on that franchise... well, 2-3 years of my childhood was wrapped up in it... I think I got into Pokémon shortly after I lost interest (which was when David Yost was written out of the show- he played my favorite character).
And I get the feeling that I am going to hate this movie because it's going to rewrite the entire mythology of the franchise. Two characters, I heard called Jason and Zack. And it sounds like they found the Command Center and Zordon instead of the other way around. Not to mention they're all "bad kids." That's completely wrong. The Power Rangers were chosen by Zordon because they were exceptional teenagers that were active in their communities. Unless they're opting for the angle "they're good inside, but have just gotten a raw deal in life"... I don't buy it.
Speaking of race, it looks like they might be doing that thing that got an outcry with the original series- the Black ranger was black and the yellow ranger was Asian. Honestly, I didn't really notice that when I was a kid and it really doesn't matter to me either way.
I remember the names of all the original actors except the Yellow ranger, Trini. Only that she died in a car accident. I know how to pronounce it, but I'll probably spell it wrong. Truy Thang, I think. [okay, I was close- I got two letters mixed up in her name- Thuy Trang].
Quick note: IMDB is great for a lot of things, but I don't get how they know the last names of the characters (when they were never mentioned on the show, yet they don't know Zack was the Black ranger and Trini was the yellow ranger).
Anyway, they lost me after they did an entire recast... end of story.
The Main Event in a Nutshell
What you need to know about the basic story: Newt Scamander is a British Magizoologist (studies magical creatures) who travels to America in the 1920's to release one of his magical creatures to its native habitat in Arizona.
But he picks a pretty bad time to go. New York is currently under siege thanks to something dark and destructive. What that is remains to be seen. But it's been terrorizing the Nomaj (American muggles) and the magical world is trying to solve the problem before their world is exposed and comes under fire. It is believed to be the work of a dark creature, which automatically makes Newt the #1 suspect.
Actors and Actresses
I don't know if I imagined the success Eddie Redmayne what have in his career after being in "Les Mis"... but it's been pretty fantastic. His performance of Stephen Hawking, while it was SO obvious he was going to win... I know the man is a super genius, but I gained so much more respect for him after seeing the movie. And he is great in this one as well. There were just some time I wish I had subtitles. He kinda mumbles sometimes, you see.
Dan Fogler, I knew from "Fan Boys" and it's cool to see him in a role like this. The man isn't obnoxious. He's just a lovable Nomaj that is having trouble getting his dream of owning a bakery. He meets Newt at the bank where he's trying to get a loan, but can't due to lack of collateral. He unwittingly becomes part of this journey into the magical world due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not to mention a "comedy" of errors.
The actresses, I hadn't really known before this, so I don't have much to say for them. Tina (Katherine Waterston) had gotten Hermione comparisons. Some of it is well-deserved. She's very smart and calculating. But her talents aren't taken as seriously due to actions taken before the movie begins.
Queenie is a bit of a scene-stealer and her storyline with Jacob is one I hope gets continued in future movies, despite the fact Nomaj are not supposed to be knowlegeable about the magical world. He's just such a great character.
Colin Farrell, I'd had a lot of moments on this blog where I've given him a hard time. My only complaint with him... he's Irish and he's playing an American character. Seriously, what the hell?! He plays a pretty complex character in that you really don't know what side he's on. We see him in the alleyway a lot talking to Credence, the adopted son of a woman who's been trying to organize a witch hunt.
Credence is played by Ezra Miller, who I know from "Perks of Being a Wallflower"... this was a good role for him, although a pretty sad one. He gets a raw deal and it extends past the fact his mum abuses him.
Same World, But a Different Place and Time
David Yates directed the last four Harry Potter movies and did so very well. We have the same visual look here as well, but considering it's New York in the 1920's, it's a bit different. But an interesting good different.
Visual and Special Effects
My other big negative with this movie... the effects are too chaotic in the action scenes. This is a good movie to see on the big screen, but it was still hard to see what was going on.
As for the contents of Newt's suitcase... well, you have to see it to believe it. It's the most jaw-dropping moment I think I'd had out of all the Harry Potter movies and there was a lot of that back then.
The first creature we meet is a Niffer. It looks like a black roly-poly platypus with maybe some echidna-like spines. I think I heard Ron mentioned in one of the books that he'd like to have one because they're good at finding treasures and shiny things. The one Newt has in his suitcase escapes into a bank, so you can imagine the shenanigans it gets into there. Everything else- I don't remember what any of them are called (like I said, Newt mumbles), but they're just amazing to look at. Hopefully we'll get to see more of them in the upcoming films.
What the Future holds...
I was skeptical at first when I heard that this movie adapted from a Hogwarts textbook was going to be make into a five-movie franchise. But taking into account who the ultimate villain of this movie turned out to be, I have a very good feeling I know what the ultimate goal of this new magical franchise is... and there is one very important casting choice coming up.
I'm sure a lot of Harry Potter fans have already figured it out.
Let's just say I got my idea from a Chocolate Frog card..
Grade: A-
(just to give an idea- I'd give "The Sorceror's Stone" an A+, "Prisoner of Azkhaban" an A, and the "Order of the Phoenix" maybe a B+)
Friday, November 4, 2016
Batman (1989)
Director: Tim Burton
Composer: Danny Elfman
Songs Written and Performed by Prince
Main Cast:
Batman/Bruce Wayne- Michael Keaton
The Joker/Jack Napier- Jack Nicholson
Vicki Vale- Kim Basinger
Commissioner Gordon- Pat Hingle
Alfred- Michael Gough
Knox- Robert Wuhl
Opening Comments:
I'd been meaning to see this movie again within the month of October. Batman seems to fit right in with the Halloween motif, especially since Tim Burton is helming this particular film. That's part of the reason.
The other reason, I kinda fell into. Opportunity presented itself and I took it.
Batman the franchise:
My feelings about Batman are mixed at best. He's a great character. Bruce Wayne is easily one of the most complex characters in comics. He has a dark past that he lives with every day because it is his reason for becoming Batman. It is his motivation. He's a powerful figure in Gotham, but while he has everything, he has also nothing. Other than his lifelong butler and confidante Alfred, he has no one in his life that's particularly close with. In other words, it's easy for him to get a date, but it's hard to have a long-lasting relationship.
I said my feelings are mixed because I am not a fan of how he's been rendered in most of the films. The TV series "Gotham" is definitely on the right track with their young Bruce Wayne, but I keep waiting for that great epiphany, that transformation that makes him become Batman.
"Batman Returns," I need to give another shot because like this particular movie I'm about to discuss, I wasn't a fan.
Really, my first Batman film was "Batman Forever" and it's still my favorite. Even after rewatching it a few months ago, that hasn't changed. I enjoy it very much and "Kissed by a Rose" is a great song. I don't care what anyone says.
Then Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale and the "Bat Voice" happened and I just haven't been satisfied since. I mentioned in my "Batman Forever" review that I'm one of the few people that HATES "The Dark Knight."
Funny coincidence or brilliant marketing by HBO, who knows, but after Batman, they showed a trailer for the upcoming showing of Batman vs. Superman. I'm willing to give Ben Affleck a chance, but the film as a whole... I don't have a lot of hope for it.
Ok, now for this one.
"Batman" in a nutshell:
Batman is first introduced as this mysterious character lurking in the shadows and taking out bad guys. Taking out means beating them up and terrifying them until the cops show up.
Jack Napier is a gangster, but the night he becomes The Joker, he is double-crossed by his own men and his crime boss Grissom, assaulted by Batman and falls into a vat of acid. Somehow he survives. The same can't be said about the nerves in his face, which have left him with a permanent smile on his face.
Vicki Vale is a photographer who comes to town interested in the rumors of Batman. Immediately, she teams up with reporter Knox, the only person crazy to pursue the lead that Batman presents.
There's a party at Wayne Manor where a lot of government officials are hanging out and having a good time. The two journalists wander off into a room full of artifacts from other countries and meet Bruce Wayne himself. Naturally, Vicki Vale is enchanted by him and the feeling is mutual. But with him being Batman, that comes with complications.
The movie is mostly The Joker wrecking havoc around Gotham and the blossoming relationship between Vicki Vale and Bruce Wayne.
At over 2 hours, the movie runs a little too long for me. Particularly in the last hour where not a whole lot is happening.
Comments on Cast and Crew:
the "Batman" world hasn't been quite the same since Tim Burton left to pursue other projects. Really love the look of Gotham City- something that hadn't really been captured again this well until maybe "Gotham"- but even then, it's not quite the same. Not that comic-booky gothic look.
Michael Keaton plays a good Batman and Bruce Wayne. Strong in the costume and no need for that stupid Bat-voice. As Bruce Wayne, he has an enigmatic personality. He's so mysterious and you don't really know what to expect. You want to pull back the layers, but at the same time, why ruin a good mystery?
As Vicki Vale, Kim Basinger was good... love her tenacity about getting close to Bruce Wayne and finding out about Batman and such. But I just got so sick of her screaming. That had to have been the only reason she was given the role.
At least it's not the Kate Capshaw/Temple of Doom situation...
and Jack Nicholson as The Joker... c'mon... it doesn't get any better than that. except maybe the animated series- I haven't seen much of it, but for me, that's still kinda the standard of what this comic and series should be.
And it's also because of Jack Nicholson that Prince got involved in the soundtrack
The Batman soundtrack:
For starters, Danny Elfman is awesome. Especially when he's doing movies like this where it's all dark and dramatic and stuff. It gives an added dimension to it.
Comparatively, Prince's contributions feel like a footnote.
He's the reason I gave the movie a second chance years ago after my first watch wasn't a big success. Some of those same feelings are true- the pacing gets painfully slow in the latter portions of it.
As far as his albums go, after revisiting it a couple times the last two weeks... he's done so much better. I think the story goes is that Jack was a fan and wanted Prince to get involved. After meeting him, Prince wrote "Partyman" and then wound up doing the entire musical soundtrack.
I have a lot of unless information in my head about him, but this is one of those areas I'm not as knowledgeable about.
Going through the trivia, Tim Burton wasn't a fan of Prince's music for the movie. And critics said his songs were out of place.
Me, I had trouble finding them :P the songs aren't all that great when taking his entire discography into account.
And I agree that the way they were used... they didn't make a lot of sense. I must have missed "The Future" because it was in the very beginning after the opening credits- I had to go out and walk the dog.
During the Wayne Manor party, I think I heard "Vicki Waiting" softly in the background in one scene and "Electric Chair" (maybe my favorite on the whole album) shortly after.
Then there's a huge gap until the infamous "Partyman" scene- where The Joker and his men trash the art museum. That is such a fun scene, even though it's a villain scene, that I hated when they cut the music off.
The way The Joker's men show up with a giant boombox for the music... Prince did something similar in "Under the Cherry Moon" where he and his partner Tricky brought it to liven up a really stuffy night club full of rich people.
I thought I heard "Scandalous" in the score during one scene where Vicki tells Bruce Wayne "we could try and love each other." But it's featured more prominently in the ending credits for maybe 2 minutes.
Then "Trust" you can hear when The Joker has his parade where he says he'll be throwing money into the streets. The dialogue backs it up somewhat (or is it the other way around?) because The Joker asks "who do you trust? me or The Batman?"
The other songs that weren't in the movie at all... "Batdance" is cool, but it wouldn't have fit anywhere.
I hate that "Electric Chair" were just thrown into the background because it is such a kick-ass song.
The "gimmick" of the album was that songs were credited to different characters.
"The Future" is Batman.
"Electric Chair" and "Partyman" are The Joker.
On those two alone, you see that he's really playing up the Gemini perspective of his personality. In this particular case, I like his "Joker" tracks a lot more.
"Arms of Orion"- a duet between him and Sheena Easton is credited to Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale- but the lyrics don't quite work in the context of the movie. It's also one of those universally hated Prince songs. I don't mind it, but it's also very cheesy.
"Vicki Waiting"- I recently found wasn't even an original for the movie- it was written for/about Anna Fantastic- one of his girlfriends. One I don't think I'd even heard of before I heard about her on a podcast. The more I hear it, the more I like it.
"Trust" is very fast paced and fun... but lyrically, I don't quite get it.
"Lemon Crush"... I am still figuring out my feeling on it. I thought I hated it, but the last time I heard it, considering the title being "having a bitter crush on someone"- another thing I picked up from a Prince podcast I'd been listening all this week [Peach & Black]
"Scandalous" is one of his most loved ballads... personally, it's not one of my favorites. It runs a little long in the latter portions, almost like the movie, and the vocal, to me, it's like he overdoes it to the point his voice sounds scratchy. But I think it might be growing on me. A slow seductive ballady love song.
Then "Batdance" is a mixture of dialogue from the movie set to music.
Throughout watching the movie this time around, I picked up nearly every sound bite from it.
So yeah... I'm kinda sorry that I gave myself an excuse to talk about Prince here and it's been mostly negative.
Considering all he did in the 80's and the decades since... this album was cool when I first got it, but in the context of everything else... it doesn't shine all that brightly.
Next year I plan on going through all the albums I own by him and really go in-depth with them. To decide how I'd rank them and my favorite songs. But I'll do that on the blog I began because of him- all the way on dreamypoproyalty.wordpress.com [which has covered more figure skating lately than Prince- but after he died, he has been popping up a lot more over there]
One more thing:
I usually start these posts with awards and accolades. I double-checked really quickly.
"Batman" won an Oscar for Best Art Direction.
And Jack Nicholson was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe... although it almost felt like he had more screentime than Batman/Bruce Wayne
And with the screaming... someone actually asked on Imdb how many times during the film. Kim Basinger screamed 22 times throughout the movie.
I'll be seeing her soon in the 50 shades sequel... first time I'd seen her really since this movie, so it should be interesting on a number of levels. Starting with her being "Mrs. Robinson"- the person that made Christian Grey the kinky sex freak he became.
There are rumors (not sure how true they are) that she had a relationship with Prince. He did compose an album she sung on. But where I was leading with this... if they were together, I hope her screams in the bed were more pleasing to his ears than what she did in this movie. [according the imdb messageboards- it's not her only occasion of screaming too much in her movies]
Composer: Danny Elfman
Songs Written and Performed by Prince
Main Cast:
Batman/Bruce Wayne- Michael Keaton
The Joker/Jack Napier- Jack Nicholson
Vicki Vale- Kim Basinger
Commissioner Gordon- Pat Hingle
Alfred- Michael Gough
Knox- Robert Wuhl
Opening Comments:
I'd been meaning to see this movie again within the month of October. Batman seems to fit right in with the Halloween motif, especially since Tim Burton is helming this particular film. That's part of the reason.
The other reason, I kinda fell into. Opportunity presented itself and I took it.
Batman the franchise:
My feelings about Batman are mixed at best. He's a great character. Bruce Wayne is easily one of the most complex characters in comics. He has a dark past that he lives with every day because it is his reason for becoming Batman. It is his motivation. He's a powerful figure in Gotham, but while he has everything, he has also nothing. Other than his lifelong butler and confidante Alfred, he has no one in his life that's particularly close with. In other words, it's easy for him to get a date, but it's hard to have a long-lasting relationship.
I said my feelings are mixed because I am not a fan of how he's been rendered in most of the films. The TV series "Gotham" is definitely on the right track with their young Bruce Wayne, but I keep waiting for that great epiphany, that transformation that makes him become Batman.
"Batman Returns," I need to give another shot because like this particular movie I'm about to discuss, I wasn't a fan.
Really, my first Batman film was "Batman Forever" and it's still my favorite. Even after rewatching it a few months ago, that hasn't changed. I enjoy it very much and "Kissed by a Rose" is a great song. I don't care what anyone says.
Then Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale and the "Bat Voice" happened and I just haven't been satisfied since. I mentioned in my "Batman Forever" review that I'm one of the few people that HATES "The Dark Knight."
Funny coincidence or brilliant marketing by HBO, who knows, but after Batman, they showed a trailer for the upcoming showing of Batman vs. Superman. I'm willing to give Ben Affleck a chance, but the film as a whole... I don't have a lot of hope for it.
Ok, now for this one.
"Batman" in a nutshell:
Batman is first introduced as this mysterious character lurking in the shadows and taking out bad guys. Taking out means beating them up and terrifying them until the cops show up.
Jack Napier is a gangster, but the night he becomes The Joker, he is double-crossed by his own men and his crime boss Grissom, assaulted by Batman and falls into a vat of acid. Somehow he survives. The same can't be said about the nerves in his face, which have left him with a permanent smile on his face.
Vicki Vale is a photographer who comes to town interested in the rumors of Batman. Immediately, she teams up with reporter Knox, the only person crazy to pursue the lead that Batman presents.
There's a party at Wayne Manor where a lot of government officials are hanging out and having a good time. The two journalists wander off into a room full of artifacts from other countries and meet Bruce Wayne himself. Naturally, Vicki Vale is enchanted by him and the feeling is mutual. But with him being Batman, that comes with complications.
The movie is mostly The Joker wrecking havoc around Gotham and the blossoming relationship between Vicki Vale and Bruce Wayne.
At over 2 hours, the movie runs a little too long for me. Particularly in the last hour where not a whole lot is happening.
Comments on Cast and Crew:
the "Batman" world hasn't been quite the same since Tim Burton left to pursue other projects. Really love the look of Gotham City- something that hadn't really been captured again this well until maybe "Gotham"- but even then, it's not quite the same. Not that comic-booky gothic look.
Michael Keaton plays a good Batman and Bruce Wayne. Strong in the costume and no need for that stupid Bat-voice. As Bruce Wayne, he has an enigmatic personality. He's so mysterious and you don't really know what to expect. You want to pull back the layers, but at the same time, why ruin a good mystery?
As Vicki Vale, Kim Basinger was good... love her tenacity about getting close to Bruce Wayne and finding out about Batman and such. But I just got so sick of her screaming. That had to have been the only reason she was given the role.
At least it's not the Kate Capshaw/Temple of Doom situation...
and Jack Nicholson as The Joker... c'mon... it doesn't get any better than that. except maybe the animated series- I haven't seen much of it, but for me, that's still kinda the standard of what this comic and series should be.
And it's also because of Jack Nicholson that Prince got involved in the soundtrack
The Batman soundtrack:
For starters, Danny Elfman is awesome. Especially when he's doing movies like this where it's all dark and dramatic and stuff. It gives an added dimension to it.
Comparatively, Prince's contributions feel like a footnote.
He's the reason I gave the movie a second chance years ago after my first watch wasn't a big success. Some of those same feelings are true- the pacing gets painfully slow in the latter portions of it.
As far as his albums go, after revisiting it a couple times the last two weeks... he's done so much better. I think the story goes is that Jack was a fan and wanted Prince to get involved. After meeting him, Prince wrote "Partyman" and then wound up doing the entire musical soundtrack.
I have a lot of unless information in my head about him, but this is one of those areas I'm not as knowledgeable about.
Going through the trivia, Tim Burton wasn't a fan of Prince's music for the movie. And critics said his songs were out of place.
Me, I had trouble finding them :P the songs aren't all that great when taking his entire discography into account.
And I agree that the way they were used... they didn't make a lot of sense. I must have missed "The Future" because it was in the very beginning after the opening credits- I had to go out and walk the dog.
During the Wayne Manor party, I think I heard "Vicki Waiting" softly in the background in one scene and "Electric Chair" (maybe my favorite on the whole album) shortly after.
Then there's a huge gap until the infamous "Partyman" scene- where The Joker and his men trash the art museum. That is such a fun scene, even though it's a villain scene, that I hated when they cut the music off.
The way The Joker's men show up with a giant boombox for the music... Prince did something similar in "Under the Cherry Moon" where he and his partner Tricky brought it to liven up a really stuffy night club full of rich people.
I thought I heard "Scandalous" in the score during one scene where Vicki tells Bruce Wayne "we could try and love each other." But it's featured more prominently in the ending credits for maybe 2 minutes.
Then "Trust" you can hear when The Joker has his parade where he says he'll be throwing money into the streets. The dialogue backs it up somewhat (or is it the other way around?) because The Joker asks "who do you trust? me or The Batman?"
The other songs that weren't in the movie at all... "Batdance" is cool, but it wouldn't have fit anywhere.
I hate that "Electric Chair" were just thrown into the background because it is such a kick-ass song.
The "gimmick" of the album was that songs were credited to different characters.
"The Future" is Batman.
"Electric Chair" and "Partyman" are The Joker.
On those two alone, you see that he's really playing up the Gemini perspective of his personality. In this particular case, I like his "Joker" tracks a lot more.
"Arms of Orion"- a duet between him and Sheena Easton is credited to Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale- but the lyrics don't quite work in the context of the movie. It's also one of those universally hated Prince songs. I don't mind it, but it's also very cheesy.
"Vicki Waiting"- I recently found wasn't even an original for the movie- it was written for/about Anna Fantastic- one of his girlfriends. One I don't think I'd even heard of before I heard about her on a podcast. The more I hear it, the more I like it.
"Trust" is very fast paced and fun... but lyrically, I don't quite get it.
"Lemon Crush"... I am still figuring out my feeling on it. I thought I hated it, but the last time I heard it, considering the title being "having a bitter crush on someone"- another thing I picked up from a Prince podcast I'd been listening all this week [Peach & Black]
"Scandalous" is one of his most loved ballads... personally, it's not one of my favorites. It runs a little long in the latter portions, almost like the movie, and the vocal, to me, it's like he overdoes it to the point his voice sounds scratchy. But I think it might be growing on me. A slow seductive ballady love song.
Then "Batdance" is a mixture of dialogue from the movie set to music.
Throughout watching the movie this time around, I picked up nearly every sound bite from it.
So yeah... I'm kinda sorry that I gave myself an excuse to talk about Prince here and it's been mostly negative.
Considering all he did in the 80's and the decades since... this album was cool when I first got it, but in the context of everything else... it doesn't shine all that brightly.
Next year I plan on going through all the albums I own by him and really go in-depth with them. To decide how I'd rank them and my favorite songs. But I'll do that on the blog I began because of him- all the way on dreamypoproyalty.wordpress.com [which has covered more figure skating lately than Prince- but after he died, he has been popping up a lot more over there]
One more thing:
I usually start these posts with awards and accolades. I double-checked really quickly.
"Batman" won an Oscar for Best Art Direction.
And Jack Nicholson was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe... although it almost felt like he had more screentime than Batman/Bruce Wayne
And with the screaming... someone actually asked on Imdb how many times during the film. Kim Basinger screamed 22 times throughout the movie.
I'll be seeing her soon in the 50 shades sequel... first time I'd seen her really since this movie, so it should be interesting on a number of levels. Starting with her being "Mrs. Robinson"- the person that made Christian Grey the kinky sex freak he became.
There are rumors (not sure how true they are) that she had a relationship with Prince. He did compose an album she sung on. But where I was leading with this... if they were together, I hope her screams in the bed were more pleasing to his ears than what she did in this movie. [according the imdb messageboards- it's not her only occasion of screaming too much in her movies]
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2008)
Director: David Yates
Writers: J.K. Rowling (novel), Steve Kloves (screenplay)
Composer: Nicholas Hooper
Cast:
[returning cast]
Harry Potter- Daniel Radcliffe
Ron Weasley- Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger- Emma Watson
Professor Dumbledore- Michael Gambon
Ginny Weasley- Bonnie Wright
Neville Longbottom- Matthew Lewis
Draco Malfoy- Tom Felton
Professor McGonagall- Maggie Smith
Professor Snape- Alan Rickman (RIP 2016)
Hagrid- Robbie Coltrane
Fred and George Weasley- James and Oliver Phelps
Lupin- David Thewlis
Mrs. Weasley- Julie Walters
Mr. Weasley- Mark Williams
Bellatrix Lestrange- Helena Bonham Carter
[newcomers]
Horace Slughorn- Jim Broadbent
Narcissa Malfoy- Helen McCrory
Lavender Brown- Jessie Cave
Write-up:
Opening Comments
Looking over my previous entry, which I wrote about in January... oh man, 2016 needs to end soon... too many great people have died since David Bowie and Alan Rickman... some of old age, so I don't feel nearly as bad about them.
Just please, no one else... Prince was the deepest cut of all, but at least when I listen to him, I can trick my mind into believing he's still alive. His spirit certainly is.
Anyway... onto the movie...
For starters...
By the time the movie came out, I'd only read the book once and it wasn't as fresh in my head. Meaning that I didn't pick the movie apart and say how they skipped a certain scene from the book or reinterpreted some things. If there were any changes, they made sense and the overall story pretty much stayed the same.
If you read my "Order of the Phoenix" post, this might be a bit of a reprieve. Although there are one or two scenes I could nit-pick at. More on that later...
Firstly, there was a mighty big spoiler about this book that has worked its way into pop culture. And by that, I mean it was referenced on "Big Bang Theory." Leonard runs off to Penny's apartment because Sheldon spoiled the main event in the Half-Blood Prince. Then again, Leonard waited until that particular time to start reading the books...
I'm not sure if there's any truth to this rumor, but I heard there was a midnight book release where people were still waiting in line and someone who got their book ahead of them ran down the line and shouted the spoiler.
Seriously, this turn of events was like the major spoiler of Games of Thrones...
By the way, I will be mentioning it further down the line. If not in this entry, then in the 2nd Deathly Hallows post.
The StorySpoilers ahead... read the books!!
The wizarding world has now accepted the fact Voldermort is back from the dead. And it's just a matter of time before the world crumbles apart. The only things keeping things generally stable is that fact Harry Potter and Dumbledore are alive. Because of Harry, there is hope. And because of Dumbledore, Hogwarts is still a safe haven.
We begin our journey with Harry when Dumbledore takes him a trip. His mission: convince a former Hogwarts professor to return. Horace Slughorn is reluctant at first, but because he gravitates towards exceptionally talented students. He even has a shelf of photographs of students he had that later became famous or have connections to famous wizards and witches.
It later becomes clear that Harry is to get close to Slughorn because he has something valuable for Dumbledore's plan to put an end to Voldermort.
On the other side of things, Snape meets with Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy, wife of the now-disgraced Lucius Malfoy and Draco Malfoy's mom.
Draco has been assigned a particular difficult, potentially dangerous task, and Narcisssa asks him to protect him. And he agrees to make this Unbreakable Vow.
While with his friends in Diagon Alley, Harry follows Draco Malfoy to a store in Knockturn Alley called Borgin & Burkes. Based on what he witnesses, he believes that Malfoy has become a Death Eater, one of Voldermort's circle of followers.
Eventually, we get to Hogwarts where a lot is going on. Slughorn is the new potions teacher. Harry is finally doing well in potions class thanks to a used potions book said to be property of "the half-blood Prince" and Snape finally gets his chance to be Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Ron gets a position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a new girlfriend. Hermione also comes to grips with her own feelings about Ron and Harry is doing the same regarding Ginny Weasley.
At the same time, Harry has regular meetings with Dumbledore where they go into Voldermort's past to learn more about him. And thanks to a memory they recover from Slughorn, they learn about Horcruxes--a object a person uses to hide a piece of their soul, which allows them immortality.
Throughout, we also have a number of incidents where Dumbledore was the intended target, but other students wind up getting hurt instead.
HighlightsFor starters, Jim Broadbent is a great addition to the cast as Slughorn. I didn't remember liking this character quite as much in the book. The whole thing about him "collecting" students as if he could take credit for their achievements because he taught them... seemed a bit egotistical to me. At least in the movie, he can have a good sense of humor about things, but also heart in the times that really mattered.
My favorite scene has to be when Harry takes the Felix Felicius (basically a "liquid luck" potion) to talk to Slughorn and he seems to be high on some odd sort of adrenaline. Lots of great comedic lines. But also when Slughorn finally levels it with Harry, it was a great emotional scene and it harkens back to when Harry's parents were killed. Not just Harry embracing his destiny, but more background information.
Draco Malfoy gets a lot of great character development. It seems in the beginning that he was just a pompous bully from a rich family. But he gets more dimension and Tom Felton does a great job bringing that out of him.
Harry, while he was right to be suspicious, you have to admit he goes too far at one point. And I can't help but wonder (as I'm sure a lot of people have)- how the hell did he not get expelled for what he did to Malfoy? Especially since Snape catches him afterwards...The chemistry between the young actors and actresses really shined here. They've gotten so close after spending years working together, you'd think this was just another normal day. The Ron and Hermione relationship really gets tested here, particularly how Hermione feels about Ron.
To his credit, though, Rupert Grint does have a few great comedic moments in the movie. First, I believe, was a scene added for the movie. Harry and Ron were goofing off during a free period where they would have had Potions. Professor McGonagall, in her own dry humor way, breaks up the party. At the end, she adds "take Mr. Weasley with you, he looks far too happy over there."
Then later Ron is crippled by a love potion originally intended for Harry. The sheer goofiness is worth all the laughs. But this being a Harry Potter film, things do have to get serious.
While the climax isn't as substantial as it was in the book, the tension brought in by the 3rd act.... it's catastrophic. The bad guys get the upper hand in the situation and everyone can feel the devastation of it.
The build-up of Harry and Dumbledore's "lessons" on defeating Voldemort leads up to finding a Horcrux. and it's easily one of the most troubling, scariest scenes in all of the movies. Neither of the two goes completely unscathed.
On a final positive note, it's great to see Quidditch back in the Harry Potter movies. We got short-changed at the Quidditch cup and absolutely no Quidditch in the 5th movie (where Harry, Fred and George get banned for beating up Malfoy... at least I think they beat him up, it's been a while since I read the book).
Ron finally gets his time to shine and it happens thanks to a little white lie from Harry.
Lowlights
While there aren't a lot of lowlights in this movie, considering it's based on a great book, there's always going to be nitpicks.
First of all, Harry's first scene makes no sense. He meets a waitress at a restaurant, she's into him and Dumbledore shows up to whisk Harry away for their mission.
In the book, there are a great scene where Dumbledore finally tells off the Dursleys for their mistreatment of Harry. All this movie scene does is kill time and set up the fact Harry is a teenage interested in girls.
I also never really got Harry and Ginny becoming an item. It just felt so random to me... about as random as how Harry and Cho were broken up in the last movie. I would have been fine if Harry never wound up with anybody. At least Ron and Hermione made sense.
Also: Snape finally gets to become Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and we don't see him teach a single class? Talk about a rip-off. All that build-up through the course of the films for nothing. I can't even remember in the book if we had a scene with him teaching.
I could nitpick on Luna finding Harry on the train after Malfoy cursed him... in the book, it was Tonks, who was there to help guard the castle after the last attacks from Death Eaters. She and Lupin become an item in this book, something that was barely touched on in the movie. But for me that was another random coupling... just didn't make sense.
I could live without the "Battle of Hogwarts" scene that led to a couple deaths and Bill Weasley (Ron's oldest brother) becoming a werewolf.
But I can't understand the scene where The Burrow is attacked. It wasn't in the book and really served no purpose other than for Harry and Ginny to have a good battle scene together. The result was the Weasley house being cast into flames... yet the house was perfectly fine in the next movie. To me, it just felt like they decided they needed an extra action scene. And the explanation I found of them needing to bring the fight to Harry to make it more real... sorry, don't buy it.The Elephant in the Room...
Snape killing Dumbledore... that was maybe the biggest blow in the entire series. I wasn't upset about Sirius because I didn't really get to know him until the movies. But this was a guy you thought was invincible. The only wizard Voldemort ever feared. It was one of those things that didn't make sense because you thought he'd always be around. But if we wanted things to get REALLY real for Harry, that was the one thing that made the most sense.
As for Snape being the one doing it... my reaction was "I KNEW IT"... all this time, Snape was meant to be the bad guy. Everyone said how Dumbledore trusted him and therefore we should, but there's just that feeling there where all the pieces only added up one way. Between that scene and the earlier one where he makes the Unbreakable Vow and explains (in the book anyway... I'm sure in the movie if they had the time, they could have done that whole chapter through flashbacks) all the moments he could have killed Harry and why he didn't.
Writers: J.K. Rowling (novel), Steve Kloves (screenplay)
Composer: Nicholas Hooper
Cast:
[returning cast]
Harry Potter- Daniel Radcliffe
Ron Weasley- Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger- Emma Watson
Professor Dumbledore- Michael Gambon
Ginny Weasley- Bonnie Wright
Neville Longbottom- Matthew Lewis
Draco Malfoy- Tom Felton
Professor McGonagall- Maggie Smith
Professor Snape- Alan Rickman (RIP 2016)
Hagrid- Robbie Coltrane
Fred and George Weasley- James and Oliver Phelps
Lupin- David Thewlis
Mrs. Weasley- Julie Walters
Mr. Weasley- Mark Williams
Bellatrix Lestrange- Helena Bonham Carter
[newcomers]
Horace Slughorn- Jim Broadbent
Narcissa Malfoy- Helen McCrory
Lavender Brown- Jessie Cave
Write-up:
Opening Comments
Looking over my previous entry, which I wrote about in January... oh man, 2016 needs to end soon... too many great people have died since David Bowie and Alan Rickman... some of old age, so I don't feel nearly as bad about them.
Just please, no one else... Prince was the deepest cut of all, but at least when I listen to him, I can trick my mind into believing he's still alive. His spirit certainly is.
Anyway... onto the movie...
For starters...
By the time the movie came out, I'd only read the book once and it wasn't as fresh in my head. Meaning that I didn't pick the movie apart and say how they skipped a certain scene from the book or reinterpreted some things. If there were any changes, they made sense and the overall story pretty much stayed the same.
If you read my "Order of the Phoenix" post, this might be a bit of a reprieve. Although there are one or two scenes I could nit-pick at. More on that later...
Firstly, there was a mighty big spoiler about this book that has worked its way into pop culture. And by that, I mean it was referenced on "Big Bang Theory." Leonard runs off to Penny's apartment because Sheldon spoiled the main event in the Half-Blood Prince. Then again, Leonard waited until that particular time to start reading the books...
I'm not sure if there's any truth to this rumor, but I heard there was a midnight book release where people were still waiting in line and someone who got their book ahead of them ran down the line and shouted the spoiler.
Seriously, this turn of events was like the major spoiler of Games of Thrones...
By the way, I will be mentioning it further down the line. If not in this entry, then in the 2nd Deathly Hallows post.
The StorySpoilers ahead... read the books!!
The wizarding world has now accepted the fact Voldermort is back from the dead. And it's just a matter of time before the world crumbles apart. The only things keeping things generally stable is that fact Harry Potter and Dumbledore are alive. Because of Harry, there is hope. And because of Dumbledore, Hogwarts is still a safe haven.
We begin our journey with Harry when Dumbledore takes him a trip. His mission: convince a former Hogwarts professor to return. Horace Slughorn is reluctant at first, but because he gravitates towards exceptionally talented students. He even has a shelf of photographs of students he had that later became famous or have connections to famous wizards and witches.
It later becomes clear that Harry is to get close to Slughorn because he has something valuable for Dumbledore's plan to put an end to Voldermort.
On the other side of things, Snape meets with Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy, wife of the now-disgraced Lucius Malfoy and Draco Malfoy's mom.
Draco has been assigned a particular difficult, potentially dangerous task, and Narcisssa asks him to protect him. And he agrees to make this Unbreakable Vow.
While with his friends in Diagon Alley, Harry follows Draco Malfoy to a store in Knockturn Alley called Borgin & Burkes. Based on what he witnesses, he believes that Malfoy has become a Death Eater, one of Voldermort's circle of followers.
Eventually, we get to Hogwarts where a lot is going on. Slughorn is the new potions teacher. Harry is finally doing well in potions class thanks to a used potions book said to be property of "the half-blood Prince" and Snape finally gets his chance to be Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Ron gets a position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a new girlfriend. Hermione also comes to grips with her own feelings about Ron and Harry is doing the same regarding Ginny Weasley.
At the same time, Harry has regular meetings with Dumbledore where they go into Voldermort's past to learn more about him. And thanks to a memory they recover from Slughorn, they learn about Horcruxes--a object a person uses to hide a piece of their soul, which allows them immortality.
Throughout, we also have a number of incidents where Dumbledore was the intended target, but other students wind up getting hurt instead.
HighlightsFor starters, Jim Broadbent is a great addition to the cast as Slughorn. I didn't remember liking this character quite as much in the book. The whole thing about him "collecting" students as if he could take credit for their achievements because he taught them... seemed a bit egotistical to me. At least in the movie, he can have a good sense of humor about things, but also heart in the times that really mattered.
My favorite scene has to be when Harry takes the Felix Felicius (basically a "liquid luck" potion) to talk to Slughorn and he seems to be high on some odd sort of adrenaline. Lots of great comedic lines. But also when Slughorn finally levels it with Harry, it was a great emotional scene and it harkens back to when Harry's parents were killed. Not just Harry embracing his destiny, but more background information.
Draco Malfoy gets a lot of great character development. It seems in the beginning that he was just a pompous bully from a rich family. But he gets more dimension and Tom Felton does a great job bringing that out of him.
Harry, while he was right to be suspicious, you have to admit he goes too far at one point. And I can't help but wonder (as I'm sure a lot of people have)- how the hell did he not get expelled for what he did to Malfoy? Especially since Snape catches him afterwards...The chemistry between the young actors and actresses really shined here. They've gotten so close after spending years working together, you'd think this was just another normal day. The Ron and Hermione relationship really gets tested here, particularly how Hermione feels about Ron.
To his credit, though, Rupert Grint does have a few great comedic moments in the movie. First, I believe, was a scene added for the movie. Harry and Ron were goofing off during a free period where they would have had Potions. Professor McGonagall, in her own dry humor way, breaks up the party. At the end, she adds "take Mr. Weasley with you, he looks far too happy over there."
Then later Ron is crippled by a love potion originally intended for Harry. The sheer goofiness is worth all the laughs. But this being a Harry Potter film, things do have to get serious.
While the climax isn't as substantial as it was in the book, the tension brought in by the 3rd act.... it's catastrophic. The bad guys get the upper hand in the situation and everyone can feel the devastation of it.
The build-up of Harry and Dumbledore's "lessons" on defeating Voldemort leads up to finding a Horcrux. and it's easily one of the most troubling, scariest scenes in all of the movies. Neither of the two goes completely unscathed.
On a final positive note, it's great to see Quidditch back in the Harry Potter movies. We got short-changed at the Quidditch cup and absolutely no Quidditch in the 5th movie (where Harry, Fred and George get banned for beating up Malfoy... at least I think they beat him up, it's been a while since I read the book).
Ron finally gets his time to shine and it happens thanks to a little white lie from Harry.
Lowlights
While there aren't a lot of lowlights in this movie, considering it's based on a great book, there's always going to be nitpicks.
First of all, Harry's first scene makes no sense. He meets a waitress at a restaurant, she's into him and Dumbledore shows up to whisk Harry away for their mission.
In the book, there are a great scene where Dumbledore finally tells off the Dursleys for their mistreatment of Harry. All this movie scene does is kill time and set up the fact Harry is a teenage interested in girls.
I also never really got Harry and Ginny becoming an item. It just felt so random to me... about as random as how Harry and Cho were broken up in the last movie. I would have been fine if Harry never wound up with anybody. At least Ron and Hermione made sense.
Also: Snape finally gets to become Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and we don't see him teach a single class? Talk about a rip-off. All that build-up through the course of the films for nothing. I can't even remember in the book if we had a scene with him teaching.
I could nitpick on Luna finding Harry on the train after Malfoy cursed him... in the book, it was Tonks, who was there to help guard the castle after the last attacks from Death Eaters. She and Lupin become an item in this book, something that was barely touched on in the movie. But for me that was another random coupling... just didn't make sense.
I could live without the "Battle of Hogwarts" scene that led to a couple deaths and Bill Weasley (Ron's oldest brother) becoming a werewolf.
But I can't understand the scene where The Burrow is attacked. It wasn't in the book and really served no purpose other than for Harry and Ginny to have a good battle scene together. The result was the Weasley house being cast into flames... yet the house was perfectly fine in the next movie. To me, it just felt like they decided they needed an extra action scene. And the explanation I found of them needing to bring the fight to Harry to make it more real... sorry, don't buy it.The Elephant in the Room...
BIG SPOILER ahead
Snape killing Dumbledore... that was maybe the biggest blow in the entire series. I wasn't upset about Sirius because I didn't really get to know him until the movies. But this was a guy you thought was invincible. The only wizard Voldemort ever feared. It was one of those things that didn't make sense because you thought he'd always be around. But if we wanted things to get REALLY real for Harry, that was the one thing that made the most sense.
As for Snape being the one doing it... my reaction was "I KNEW IT"... all this time, Snape was meant to be the bad guy. Everyone said how Dumbledore trusted him and therefore we should, but there's just that feeling there where all the pieces only added up one way. Between that scene and the earlier one where he makes the Unbreakable Vow and explains (in the book anyway... I'm sure in the movie if they had the time, they could have done that whole chapter through flashbacks) all the moments he could have killed Harry and why he didn't.
Meanwhile, my mom reads it and still believes that it's way too easy to assume Snape is the bad guy and there has to be an explanation.
I'll go into this more in the final entry on this film series... but by the end of it, obviously, only one of us is going to be right about him.
I'll go into this more in the final entry on this film series... but by the end of it, obviously, only one of us is going to be right about him.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Director: David Yates
Writers: J.K. Rowling (novel), Michael Goldenberg (screenplay)
Composer: Nicholas Hooper
Cast:
[returning cast]
Harry Potter- Daniel Radcliffe
Ron Weasley- Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger- Emma Watson
Professor Dumbledore- Michael Gambon
Neville Longbottom- Matthew Lewis
Draco Malfoy- Tom Felton
Professor McGonagall- Maggie Smith
Professor Snape- Alan Rickman (RIP 2016)
Professor Trelawney- Emma Thompson
Hagrid- Robbie Coltrane
Fred and George Weasley- James and Oliver Phelps
Sirius Black- Gary Oldman
Cho Chang- Katie Leung
Minster of Magic Cornelius Fudge- Robert Hardy
Lucius Malfoy- Jason Isaacs
Voldemort- Ralph Fiennes
Ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody- Brendan Gleeson
Lupin- David Thewlis
Mrs. Weasley- Julie Walters
Mr. Weasley- Mark Williams
[newcomers]
Mrs. Figg- Kathryn Hunter
Dolores Umbridge- Imelda Staunton
Nymphadora Tonks- Natalia Tena
Kingsley Shacklebolt- George Harris
Luna Lovegood- Evanna Lynch
Bellatrix Lestrange- Helena Bonham Carter
Write-up:
First things first...
RIP Alan Rickman :(
When the news first broke, I was really hoping it'd be one of those Internet hoaxes because it just seemed too soon. Also, we just lost David Bowie a couple days before that. 2016 is not getting off to a good start.
He doesn't quite as significant a role in this film (compared to the 1st, 3rd and 8th films in the series).
Someone on YouTube posted a compilation of his greatest highlights as Snape through the films- a couple of times, I got a little choked up.
I'd also seen/enjoyed him in "Love Actually" and "Die Hard."
However little screentime he has, he does impact the plot and lead to a couple laughs. We also get a little more of his back story, which makes things in Harry's story arc kinda interesting. At least in the books where they went further into it...
The Main Story
When we last left Harry, he saw Cedric Diggory get killed and the return of Voldemort. Unbeknownst to him, the wizarding world hadn't responded the way he would have hoped.
The Minister of Magic is in complete denial, insisting "all is well" and has used his influence over the press to smear Dumbledore and brand Harry a liar.
To make matters worse, the new DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts) professor is from the Ministry of Magic... and she's been endowed with executive power that eventually turns Hogwarts into Harry's personal version of Hell- so to speak.
Meanwhile, Voldemort is after something and the titular secret group "The Order of the Phoneix" [originally created 14 years ago by Dumbledore] is trying to figure out what. And through a series of dreams and nightmares, Harry is likely to reach that conclusion before they do.
Book-to-movie Adaptation- A Box Full of Nitpicks
Tread Lightly: MANY Spoilers are Lurking Ahead
Just as fair warning, this post could go on for a while. The book is roughly 870 pages long and the movie is 2 hours and 19 minutes of footage. There's a lot to discuss...
Even though the subject matter hits a LOT of unpleasant patches, it's my favorite book in the series. Harry's going through a very interesting chapter in his life, what with puberty, his first girlfriend, but without sugarcoating, probably the suckiest part of his life up to this point aside from his parents being murdered when he was a baby. I found the OWLS preparations and examinations enjoyable. Some great Quidditch matches. And even when things seem their bleakest, it was inspiring to hear so many people rallying around him.
We also get to meet some cool new characters and learn a lot about the ones who already know and love/hate/love-to-hate.
I'd mentioned on a couple other entries how I can appreciate some books being streamlined for their film adaptations. And sometimes certain cuts need to be made because certain themes don't need to be beat repeatedly into our skulls...
Some parts of the adaption process I can respect and even accept... but with the wealth of material in this particular book, that can't be the case here.
It's been nearly 10 years since this movie came out... and I am STILL pissed about the fact the longest book got compressed and smooshed into what would be the shortest movie in the series. "The Deathly Hallows" had MUCH less happening and it got split into two movies. It being the final book in the series, I don't know if even that is a good enough reason for me. Sorry :(
I could literally go through this movie with my own commentary, saying what could/have been said. Even going through the deleted scenes on the DVD, none of the scenes from the book I was looking most forward to were ever shot. And other scenes that were never fully realized. They were just left hanging and only people who read the books know all the details that followed.
I'll just go through a list of bullet points... and for the record, I've read the book maybe 5 times since it came out. The last time was in 2012. But Harry Potter is one of my favorite book series, so therefore I absorbed an insane amount of detail. Many Potterheads would second that.
Other Lowlights plus some Highlights
If you're still with me at this point, I applaud you.
My mom groaned that the actress playing Umbridge didn't look like she did in the books. There was a description that she had a "frog-face" and she thought they'd CGI a frog-face over her.
If you ask me, Imelda Staunton is annoying and creepy enough without the CGI. (I didn't like her much in "Freedom Writers" either- where she played a very similar character, but with a lot less authority.
One of my aunts called her the scariest character in the entire series, even scarier than Voldemort himself. At least he was a "merciful lord." Umbridge had this insane God-complex where she felt like she had to change everything at Hogwarts. It was borderline-1984 territory.
And actually, given the state of the world and our country right now, I found some of the pretenses of the movie terrifying this time around. The idea of an important leader discrediting a threat to national security and pretending nothing is wrong. Then with all everything at Hogwarts, it was like she sucked all the fun out of it.
Even worse, in the books, she had all the owls inspected before they could deliver mail. Hedwig got injured in one of these interceptions. She was also watching all the Floo networks. I'm not sure if it was particularly geared towards Harry or not, but the students weren't allowed any contact with the outside world.
:shudder:
But enough about Umbridge and her fetish for kitty plates and pink everything... it's not a perfect adaptation, but there was plenty about it that was done well.
Starting with the casting.
Admittedly, I thought Luna was a little bit of a weirdo when I was reading the book the first time. But when she had her first line of dialogue on the big screen, I was immediately won over. She'd since become one of my favorite characters in the series. She always speaks her mind and is never afraid of that. She's also a great introduction at this point with Harry feeling like even more of an outcast thanks to the Daily Prophet slandering him & Dumbledore.
I must have missed the description in the book where JK Rowling noted how young Tonks was because when I saw her on screen, I was in complete disbelief.
But what I did remember very clearly was her unique talent where she can change her appearance at will. "Metamorphmagus" is what it's called. In the movie, she changes her hair color from purple to orange when she got angry (word to the wise: don't call her by her first name) in one scene and in another, she was changing the appearance of her nose and mouth for show.
She deserved a little more screentime just because she was such a fun character. Although she wasn't quite as fun to be around after this particular book/movie.
And of course Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange... her character is basically a psychopath armed with a wand. I found her extremely intimidating in the books. Then to see her on screen, I think it was my first time seeing Helena Bonham Carter act... she is scary good at her job.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was also a good strong character. And he had a good line in the movie that made the theater audience laugh- "You may not like him, Minister, but you can't deny... Dumbledore's got style."I think it was a line that was originally said by someone else in the book, but George Harris's delivery of said line made all the difference ;)
On another note, I didn't know what to think of the Thestrals when I first read the book. I think the mere idea of them spooked me, but it was cool hearing how they are actually gentle despite their appearance. And seeing them in the flesh in the movie... well done, CGI department!
Final comment
When the book came out, there was word on the street that they were going to kill off a major character. The first major character killed off in the series.
Before that, we just had a DADA professor gone bad, Scabbers (who didn't die, but returned to his human life serving Voldemort) and Cedric Diggory (who we didn't get to know all THAT well. We just knew him as the Hufflepuff seeker and Hogwart's first-announced Triwizard Champion- also the golden boy who did everything right and stole the heart of Harry's first crush).
I didn't really fall in love with Sirius Black as a character until the movies... and I didn't really know who Gary Oldman was before these movies. Heck, I got the third movie and was dumbfounded to find out he wasn't even the bad guy... clearly I must have read the Prisoner of Azkaban WRONG or I didn't read it in full previous to the movie.
But after getting to spend more time with him (and being pretty much ripped off in the 4th movie when all we got was a disfigured face coming out of a fireplace-- good of them to improve that animation in this movie in the one scene we saw it in film)... him getting killed REALLY sucked.
The worst of it was that Harry finally had someone he'd be able to live with instead of his terrible aunt and uncle... and he got completely screwed out of that... I mean, I know life isn't fair, but C'MON!!
The only thing that made the grief easier was the fact Bellatrix Lestrange used the Avada Kedavra curse on him in the movie... in the book, she just wrote he got hit by a spell and got sucked into this veiled archway in the middle of the Department of Mysteries.
There's no way to survive that Unforgivable Curse, but I'm still incensed at that bloody archway. What was the point of its existence? Why did it have to be RIGHT THERE? Even on Pottermore, JK Rowling still hasn't explained WTF it even is and where the souls go that get sucked into it. Ultimately, it felt like a very cheap way to forever mark Harry as an orphan. Bellatrix killing Sirius with simply the Killing Curse would have been enough.
...if you're still with me, congratulations.
I sincerely hope I didn't forget to mention anything...
Writers: J.K. Rowling (novel), Michael Goldenberg (screenplay)
Composer: Nicholas Hooper
Cast:
[returning cast]
Harry Potter- Daniel Radcliffe
Ron Weasley- Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger- Emma Watson
Professor Dumbledore- Michael Gambon
Neville Longbottom- Matthew Lewis
Draco Malfoy- Tom Felton
Professor McGonagall- Maggie Smith
Professor Snape- Alan Rickman (RIP 2016)
Professor Trelawney- Emma Thompson
Hagrid- Robbie Coltrane
Fred and George Weasley- James and Oliver Phelps
Sirius Black- Gary Oldman
Cho Chang- Katie Leung
Minster of Magic Cornelius Fudge- Robert Hardy
Lucius Malfoy- Jason Isaacs
Voldemort- Ralph Fiennes
Ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody- Brendan Gleeson
Lupin- David Thewlis
Mrs. Weasley- Julie Walters
Mr. Weasley- Mark Williams
[newcomers]
Mrs. Figg- Kathryn Hunter
Dolores Umbridge- Imelda Staunton
Nymphadora Tonks- Natalia Tena
Kingsley Shacklebolt- George Harris
Luna Lovegood- Evanna Lynch
Bellatrix Lestrange- Helena Bonham Carter
Write-up:
First things first...
RIP Alan Rickman :(
When the news first broke, I was really hoping it'd be one of those Internet hoaxes because it just seemed too soon. Also, we just lost David Bowie a couple days before that. 2016 is not getting off to a good start.
He doesn't quite as significant a role in this film (compared to the 1st, 3rd and 8th films in the series).
Someone on YouTube posted a compilation of his greatest highlights as Snape through the films- a couple of times, I got a little choked up.
I'd also seen/enjoyed him in "Love Actually" and "Die Hard."
However little screentime he has, he does impact the plot and lead to a couple laughs. We also get a little more of his back story, which makes things in Harry's story arc kinda interesting. At least in the books where they went further into it...
The Main Story
When we last left Harry, he saw Cedric Diggory get killed and the return of Voldemort. Unbeknownst to him, the wizarding world hadn't responded the way he would have hoped.
The Minister of Magic is in complete denial, insisting "all is well" and has used his influence over the press to smear Dumbledore and brand Harry a liar.
To make matters worse, the new DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts) professor is from the Ministry of Magic... and she's been endowed with executive power that eventually turns Hogwarts into Harry's personal version of Hell- so to speak.
Meanwhile, Voldemort is after something and the titular secret group "The Order of the Phoneix" [originally created 14 years ago by Dumbledore] is trying to figure out what. And through a series of dreams and nightmares, Harry is likely to reach that conclusion before they do.
Book-to-movie Adaptation- A Box Full of Nitpicks
Tread Lightly: MANY Spoilers are Lurking Ahead
Just as fair warning, this post could go on for a while. The book is roughly 870 pages long and the movie is 2 hours and 19 minutes of footage. There's a lot to discuss...
Even though the subject matter hits a LOT of unpleasant patches, it's my favorite book in the series. Harry's going through a very interesting chapter in his life, what with puberty, his first girlfriend, but without sugarcoating, probably the suckiest part of his life up to this point aside from his parents being murdered when he was a baby. I found the OWLS preparations and examinations enjoyable. Some great Quidditch matches. And even when things seem their bleakest, it was inspiring to hear so many people rallying around him.
We also get to meet some cool new characters and learn a lot about the ones who already know and love/hate/love-to-hate.
I'd mentioned on a couple other entries how I can appreciate some books being streamlined for their film adaptations. And sometimes certain cuts need to be made because certain themes don't need to be beat repeatedly into our skulls...
Some parts of the adaption process I can respect and even accept... but with the wealth of material in this particular book, that can't be the case here.
It's been nearly 10 years since this movie came out... and I am STILL pissed about the fact the longest book got compressed and smooshed into what would be the shortest movie in the series. "The Deathly Hallows" had MUCH less happening and it got split into two movies. It being the final book in the series, I don't know if even that is a good enough reason for me. Sorry :(
I could literally go through this movie with my own commentary, saying what could/have been said. Even going through the deleted scenes on the DVD, none of the scenes from the book I was looking most forward to were ever shot. And other scenes that were never fully realized. They were just left hanging and only people who read the books know all the details that followed.
I'll just go through a list of bullet points... and for the record, I've read the book maybe 5 times since it came out. The last time was in 2012. But Harry Potter is one of my favorite book series, so therefore I absorbed an insane amount of detail. Many Potterheads would second that.
- [okay, not related to the main topic] They changed the look of the dementors between this movie and their first appearance in the 3rd movie... and I do not like the change
- [another small nit-pick] there were too many montages to show passage of time... this time could have been used given to the chapters that were cut from the movie
- [another change] They cast a Borzoi as Sirius's Animagus dog. In the 3rd movie, he was a mutt that, most likely, was a CGI rendering. However brief the scene was, the lack of continuity threw me.
- There's a scene where Harry dreams/hallucinates seeing Voldemort dressed in a suit on Platform 9 3/4- I realize the nightmares are a thematic element of the movie, but I consider it time wasted. Especially cuz it makes no sense. Almost like a Big-Lipped Alligator moment (google it!)
- Percy Weasley is seen, but not heard in the three scenes he has in this movie. Not that he was particularly missed. But his occupation under the Minister of Magic drove a wedge between him and his family. There was a scene where he wrote a letter to Ron, calling their parents traitors, telling him to sever ties with Harry and it's "not too late" to come to the "right" side. While there were plenty of scenes of Ron supporting Harry in this movie already, that was an interesting scene to watch.
- No Qudditch! Gryffindor won two Quidditch cups (in Harry's 3rd and 5th years) and we never got to see them in any of the movies. Considering this is the biggest sporting event at Hogwarts, that's kinda depressing :/
Plus, there was a big to-do about the Gryffindor team. Umbridge disbands all student clubs in a decree and all the Quidditch captains had to reapply to reform. Slytherin got reinstated first out of favoritism. Fred, George and Harry later got banned for getting into a fight with Slytherin and their brooms were confiscated. [Fred & George took them back in their grand exit] - No mention of Harry doing a tell-all article with underground paper The Quibbler... I don't particularly miss that part of the story, but it would have been funny to see students hiding them behind their textbooks (like they do in other genres with comic books and playboys) after Umbridge banned them
- [sequencing issue] Harry has a nightmare where he witnesses Mr. Weasley being attacked. Dumbledore deduces that Voldemort has been trying to penetrate Harry's mind to control him so he asks Snape to teach Occlumency... but did they have to schedule the first lesson immediately after Harry has this nightmare? The book depicting him having night sweats and violently vomiting before Ron and McGonagall took him to Dumbledore. With that in mind, I felt like it asked too much of Harry at that immediate second.
- The trivia explains this in saying the production department didn't want to spend extra time building a new set... but I miss the scene where Harry, Hermonine and the Weasleys visit Arthur Weasley at St. Mungo's hospital. It gave us a Gilderoy Lockhart cameo as well as members of Neville's family. The movie may be rated PG13, but it might have been too much for the younger Harry Potter fans to see Neville's parents- who were driven insane by an Unforgiveable Curse.
We do get to hear about Neville's parents from Neville in a later scene, so that element wasn't completely lost. - My favorite chapter of the book was "Career Advice"- where all the 5th years have a meeting with the head of their house and discuss their futures. Harry expresses his desire to McGonagall to become an Auror. Of course, with Umbridge having her sticky fingers in all the pies, she had to be present for this scene. This eventually explodes into a HUGE fight between Umbridge and McGonagall that ends with McGonagall saying she'll do everything in her power to help Harry get the grades he needs to achieve his desire.
There is one fight between the two wills in the movie... but it isn't nearly as satisfying- it's just a launching point for our first montage :roll: on the plus side, they didn't tack on Harry's fight with Hermonine on top of this (she went to McGonagall about Umbridge's punishment for Harry against his wishes- it also led to him getting a week's worth of punishments) - The worst transgression this movie made-- how it treated Harry and Cho's relationship. There was all this build-up and anticipation to Harry's first kiss. But they had maybe 10 seconds of screen time as an official couple. There's a scene where Harry takes her to a date in Hogsmeade for Valentine's Day and he kept saying how he had to meet Hermione about some Dumbledore's Army business. They have a huge fight because Cho thinks he and Hermione are more than friends and Cedric also comes up a couple times.
In the movie, they break up because Cho outed Dumbledore's Army to Umbridge. And we hear nothing from her after that. In the book, the tattletale was a friend of hers. I can understand the decision to have Neville fulfill plot points Dobbie carried out in the books. But was it really that much trouble to cast another student just for this one role? Every time I see that scene, it just annoys me to no end that the new screenwriter ruined any chance Harry and Cho could have had any good screen time as a couple - In Harry's 2nd Occlumency lesson, he sees into Snape's head and finds out that his dad bullied him when they were students. This scene comes and goes and nothing is said about it afterwards. It just leads to Harry having another run-in with Umbridge where she says naughty children deserve to be punished... for such a skinny sandwich of a movie, it is WAY too overstuffed with Umbridge scenes.
Meanwhile, we could gotten a bonus scene with Lupin & Sirius reassuring Harry via Floo Powder conference that they were all stupid kids and Snape didn't deserve to be treated the way Harry's dad James did.
Lupin was seen a number of times with barely any dialogue and Sirius only got one scene in the previous movie... he could use all the extra screentime he can get, especially with this being his last movie - There's one scene of OWL examinations and it's pre-empted by Fred & George's great escape... there were some great scenes in the book and we didn't get to see any of them. The "escape" scene immediately segued into the next part of the plot-- the Sirius non-rescue mission. Great for pacing of the plot, but it would have been cool to see a montage of Dumbledore's Army fly through their DADA OWL exams.
- They never reveal in the movie who sent the dementors after Harry... it was Umbridge! She even admits it to him when she realizes Harry and Hermione trick her into following them into the dark forest... I know she does eventually get manhandled by Hagrid's half-brother Gwarp and carried away by irritable centaurs, but revealing that particular truth would have made for a HUGE moment. Instead, that's just a thread left hanging and never addressed again
- HARRY ISN'T ANGRY ENOUGH IN THE MOVIE...
seriously, JK Rowling didn't commit that writers' taboo for nothing... Harry has a couple of moments of fury in the movie, but they're in small spurts. They're never in the scenes that have any significant impact on the plot. Like where Umbridge says he's a liar in her class-- a lot of yelling. But the scene where I felt like it was really needed... when Dumbledore calls Harry into his office after the Department of Mysteries escapade and explains why he kept his distance from Harry that whole year. Harry flipped out on him so hard and Dumbledore just took all the criticism and the onslaught without saying a word.
It might have been too much drama after the entirety of the scene before it, but it was a release that Harry desperately needed-- especially after Sirius died.
Other Lowlights plus some Highlights
If you're still with me at this point, I applaud you.
My mom groaned that the actress playing Umbridge didn't look like she did in the books. There was a description that she had a "frog-face" and she thought they'd CGI a frog-face over her.
If you ask me, Imelda Staunton is annoying and creepy enough without the CGI. (I didn't like her much in "Freedom Writers" either- where she played a very similar character, but with a lot less authority.
One of my aunts called her the scariest character in the entire series, even scarier than Voldemort himself. At least he was a "merciful lord." Umbridge had this insane God-complex where she felt like she had to change everything at Hogwarts. It was borderline-1984 territory.
And actually, given the state of the world and our country right now, I found some of the pretenses of the movie terrifying this time around. The idea of an important leader discrediting a threat to national security and pretending nothing is wrong. Then with all everything at Hogwarts, it was like she sucked all the fun out of it.
Even worse, in the books, she had all the owls inspected before they could deliver mail. Hedwig got injured in one of these interceptions. She was also watching all the Floo networks. I'm not sure if it was particularly geared towards Harry or not, but the students weren't allowed any contact with the outside world.
:shudder:
But enough about Umbridge and her fetish for kitty plates and pink everything... it's not a perfect adaptation, but there was plenty about it that was done well.
Starting with the casting.
Admittedly, I thought Luna was a little bit of a weirdo when I was reading the book the first time. But when she had her first line of dialogue on the big screen, I was immediately won over. She'd since become one of my favorite characters in the series. She always speaks her mind and is never afraid of that. She's also a great introduction at this point with Harry feeling like even more of an outcast thanks to the Daily Prophet slandering him & Dumbledore.
I must have missed the description in the book where JK Rowling noted how young Tonks was because when I saw her on screen, I was in complete disbelief.
But what I did remember very clearly was her unique talent where she can change her appearance at will. "Metamorphmagus" is what it's called. In the movie, she changes her hair color from purple to orange when she got angry (word to the wise: don't call her by her first name) in one scene and in another, she was changing the appearance of her nose and mouth for show.
She deserved a little more screentime just because she was such a fun character. Although she wasn't quite as fun to be around after this particular book/movie.
And of course Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange... her character is basically a psychopath armed with a wand. I found her extremely intimidating in the books. Then to see her on screen, I think it was my first time seeing Helena Bonham Carter act... she is scary good at her job.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was also a good strong character. And he had a good line in the movie that made the theater audience laugh- "You may not like him, Minister, but you can't deny... Dumbledore's got style."I think it was a line that was originally said by someone else in the book, but George Harris's delivery of said line made all the difference ;)
On another note, I didn't know what to think of the Thestrals when I first read the book. I think the mere idea of them spooked me, but it was cool hearing how they are actually gentle despite their appearance. And seeing them in the flesh in the movie... well done, CGI department!
Final comment
When the book came out, there was word on the street that they were going to kill off a major character. The first major character killed off in the series.
Before that, we just had a DADA professor gone bad, Scabbers (who didn't die, but returned to his human life serving Voldemort) and Cedric Diggory (who we didn't get to know all THAT well. We just knew him as the Hufflepuff seeker and Hogwart's first-announced Triwizard Champion- also the golden boy who did everything right and stole the heart of Harry's first crush).
I didn't really fall in love with Sirius Black as a character until the movies... and I didn't really know who Gary Oldman was before these movies. Heck, I got the third movie and was dumbfounded to find out he wasn't even the bad guy... clearly I must have read the Prisoner of Azkaban WRONG or I didn't read it in full previous to the movie.
But after getting to spend more time with him (and being pretty much ripped off in the 4th movie when all we got was a disfigured face coming out of a fireplace-- good of them to improve that animation in this movie in the one scene we saw it in film)... him getting killed REALLY sucked.
The worst of it was that Harry finally had someone he'd be able to live with instead of his terrible aunt and uncle... and he got completely screwed out of that... I mean, I know life isn't fair, but C'MON!!
The only thing that made the grief easier was the fact Bellatrix Lestrange used the Avada Kedavra curse on him in the movie... in the book, she just wrote he got hit by a spell and got sucked into this veiled archway in the middle of the Department of Mysteries.
There's no way to survive that Unforgivable Curse, but I'm still incensed at that bloody archway. What was the point of its existence? Why did it have to be RIGHT THERE? Even on Pottermore, JK Rowling still hasn't explained WTF it even is and where the souls go that get sucked into it. Ultimately, it felt like a very cheap way to forever mark Harry as an orphan. Bellatrix killing Sirius with simply the Killing Curse would have been enough.
...if you're still with me, congratulations.
I sincerely hope I didn't forget to mention anything...
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