HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (2011)
UK/US
Directed by David Yates

CAST:
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter
Emma Watson - Hermione Granger
Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley

PLOT:
     The final chapter begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's four remaining Horcruxes.

REVIEW:
     When the first movie was about to come out in theaters in 2001 I had no idea what it was about so I went and picked up the first book to see what the big deal was. Well needless to say, I went and picked up the other books that were available at the time and digested them as quickly as I could. One of the things that struck me about them that other books series didn't is the passage of time and how it plays into the whole storyline. Here was a series where the main characters and everyone around them grow up and mature. The books matured as well. What is even better, is that the movies followed the books design by following the characters through childhood to adulthood. As the movies did this, the movies also become darker and the world they lived in more dangerous as well. So now that the last movie is out did it do the rest of the series justice?

      I said in the last movie that the younger actors finally came in to their own in the acting area. This movie is different. In this one the older actors give a acting class to everyone and schools them. I'm going to start with Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. Throughout the entire series to he  played Snape as someone that hated where he was at and despised Potter for just being alive. The reason for this is fully explained and with great emotion. Never have I seen Rickman act like he does in this movie and to me he is the main reason to see this movie and the revel that is centered around him. If Rickman had failed in his role, to me, the whole movie would have fallen apart and would not have been able to get back what it lost. Yes, Rickman's role is that important to the film and the overall Potter story. A hint at his true allegiance is when he and Maggie Smith's McConagall are fighting and Snape deflects her shots into the two Deatheaters to the side of him. As for Ralph Fiennes' performance as Lord Voldemort I must admit when I watched the movie I really didn't like him, I thought he overacted and went to far out. Yet here it is almost a week after I watched the film and his role has grown on me. I think part of this is because toward the end of the film there is finally a vulnerability to the character that wasn't there for most of the time Fiennes has played the character. It is subtle, yet it adds so much to his character.

      The best way I can describe the film is that it's a war movie for the most part. Even though most of the main fighting takes place off screen we're given flashes of it and the aftermath. One of the shocking scenes is when we see Fenrir Greyback chowing down on the fallen body of Lavender Brown. It's a small scene but it's still shocking.  Another scene that shows that the series has become for adults more than kids is when Voldemort is walking through the dead bodies of the Gringott goblins, stepping in the pools of their blood. The only real complaint I have with the movie is that it glosses over the actual fight for Hogworts and we miss some of the more prominent deaths that happen, including Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks. Another sticking point I have is that in the books there was a scene with Harry and Lupin where Harry talks a freaked out Lupin out of running away from his wife and soon to be born son, as well as naming Harry his son's godfather. These are small gripes compared to the whole of the movie, yet it is these small things that would have made the film from amazing to something better with the extra human interaction. I know these are small gripes yet I felt I should mention them. Oh well, I can always hope for them to be put back in the movie once it comes out on Blue-Ray.

     For the past 10 years, the Potter films have become ingrained in the mind of movie goers. We actually got to see and grow up with  the actors and actresses of the series as well as see them grow in their profession. Now that time has finished and what is left is a legacy that will not be forgotten any time soon specially with such a strong last movie that wraps everything up like it does.If you get a chance go and see the film in theaters, do so, as this is one of those movies that was meant for the big screen. Just hope you don't get stuck beside a 40 year old lady who jumps up and down in her seat cause she's so excited by what she's seeing on the screen.

BEST DEATH:
     The surprisingly painful and viscous death of Snape by snake.

BEST LINE:
     That doesn't mean we can't delay him. And his name is Voldemort, so you might as well use it, he's going to try and kill you either way.

FUN FACTS:
     Most of the events in this film - from the raid of Gringotts to the Battle of Hogwarts - take place over the course of a single day.

     In the story, Voldemort has created several Horcruxes in an attempt to cheat death. Appropriately, his name is French for "Flight of Death" or it can also mean "Stealer/Cheater of death".

     The filmmakers persuaded Tom Felton to convince his girlfriend, Jade Olivia, to play Draco Malfoy's wife, Astoria Greengrass, in the film's epilogue.

     Alan Rickman, Bonnie Wright, Devon Murray, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Geraldine Somerville, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Matthew Lewis,  Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, and Warwick Davis are the only actors to appear in all eight Harry Potter movies.

     Alan Rickman was one of the few actors from the Harry Potter films to know secrets about his character before the last couple of books were done thanks to J. K. Rowling. She explained to him the reasoning for Snape's protection and bitterness toward Harry Potter stems from when Snape and Potter's parents were both in school at Hogworts.

Top Movies of 2010

My top movies I saw last year are as follows.

1. Black Swan - No words can really describe how messed up and beautifully dark this movie is. Go ahead and do yourselves a favor and go and see it already!

2. Inception - Simply amazing on every level and it makes you think to boot. Shocker there, a movie from Hollywood that makes you think. Close to being my first pick of the year except Black Swan stays with, and not in a good way. Also out Bonds James Bond!

3. Scott Pilgrim VS. The World - Just go and watch it already if you haven't. You'll never have as much fun watching a asshole again!

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - The Potter films grow up and so does the acting.

5. Despicable Me - Just fun all the way through. "Yes! Mine's shaped like a dead guy!"

6. Shutter Island - Even though I figured out what was going on halfway through the movie, the grimy and decrepit atmosphere more than made up for it. Not to mention DiCaprio did pretty good in it.

7. Kick-Ass -  What a fun, violent, and unapologetic movie. Even though I did like the comic more.

8. Red - Loved this movie, and laughed all the way through it. Malkovich is great as the paranoid in this movie.

9. From Paris With Love - Travolta was so much fun to watch in this. He made and owned this movie.

10. How To Train Your Dragon - The story of the oddball does good. Understated in parts parts but full of heart. Besides the dragon reminds me of a cat.

Now the worst movie I saw all year has to be...............

In Search Of Lovecraft

What a piece of shit this movie was. Nuff said!

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (2010)
U.S.
Directed by David Yates

 CAST:
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter
Emma Watson - Hermione Granger
Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley

PLOT:
     As Harry races against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, he uncovers the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.

REVIEW:
     If  you're a fan of movies, great movies at that, you'll love this movie. If you're going into this hoping for full out war in this movie though you're going to be disappointed. This movie is about the characters first and what they can do with spells second. To me, this is the best of the Potter movies hands down. The acting is amazing in it, from the quiet moments to when there's pure chaos, every actor is hitting on all cylinders. Radcliffe has always had a good handle on his character, but this time it's more his quiet pensive moments that are a pleasure to watch, and there are plenty here. Radcliffe has matured as an actor and that is shown in his acting. This is shown more toward the end of the movie when he has to deal with a death that happens when he's trying to escape the Malfoy mansion. Best way to put it is that elves are actually good in this movie and not annoying like they were when they first showed up. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint  have also both matured as actors, and both of them have moments when they shine and are brilliant on screen. Watson's moment hits very early on in the movie, when she has to give up her family and make sure they have no remembrance of her whatsoever and you actually feel the sadness she's going through when she does it. It's one of those quiet moments in movies that hit so well and carries weight. This moment hits her hard later on in the movie and she is amazing to watch when it does. Grint's moment isn't a quiet moment but instead is when he expresses his  frustration and anger not with yells and screams, but with reserved viciousness instead of the characters usual whining. Alan Rickman as Serverus Snape and Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy aren't in the movie a lot, but when they are, they absolutely shine in their scenes and each for the same reason because they understand the situation they're in and are scared of what is happening and how they're trapped in it and cannot break free or help someone even when they want to.

      As for the look and feel of the movie, it should be said it has both. Every scene seems to be downcast and gray which adds to the scenes and fits the movie perfectly. This movie is dark in both tone and look and doesn't try to hide it. Even the happy and fun moments in the movie, which are few, are somewhat downcast but make you smile and laugh. One scene that shows this well is when one of the Weasley twins comes in with a toothbrush sticking out of his missing ear. Priceless scene in a movie full of them. A lot of the darkness in the movie comes from whats going on around the characters. I'll go ahead and tell you that people start to die or are getting hurt quickly in the movie and this keeps on going throughout. One scene I was actually surprised  that was shown is actually the aftermath from a escape. I'm not going to say what it was, but you'll know it when it hits. Every scene though is shot with care. That's not to say Yates' last two Potter films weren't, it just seems like this one looks like every scene took a month to set up. Even when there is action and the camera gets jumpy during those times, it helps pull you in more than disrupt the flow of the movie. At one point in the movie, the film goes to animation, and is it a joy to behold. I was completely mesmerized by it. It's not a happy type of animation like a Disney film, but disturbing and dark. The whole sequence is done in sepia tone with heavy blacks throughout. It is amazing to watch and helps bring the viewer more into the story than ever before.

     The sounds and effects in the movie are well done as well. No one sound drowns out the other. Even in the opening fight the sound was used to help the action and not overpower it. The music is also fantastic in it as it helps pull the scenes together. I especially liked the dance scene in the middle of the movie between Radcliffe and Watson. The scene helps break the tension, but doesn't break the feel of the movie. Instead it helps the movie by showing the friendship of the characters and what they've gone through and will go through. The special effects were fun as well. From the opening aerial fight ( I was giddy during this) to the chase through the forest with the Snatchers, nothing looked out of place, except for one part. That part is during the opening battle when Harry and Hagrid are being chased through a tunnel and Harry gets thrown from his sidecar seat. The colors behind Harry are just a touch to much off. This is just a minor gripe that I noticed and doesn't take anything away from the movie though.

     If there was one movie I was truly looking forward to this year, it was this one more than any other. It didn't disappoint. In fact it went above what I was expecting and truly made the leap into a full mature movie and pulled the whole series with it. Even with all the quiet moments where nothing happens, it still holds the attention, and tension, throughout and never lets go. If there is going to be one complaint toward this movie, it will probably be that the movie just ends. I didn't mind how it ended because it just made me want to see Part 2 sooner and the wait will probably kill me. It should be mentioned that this movie really isn't for kids anymore. Just like how the books became more mature and adult, so does the movies, and this one is no exception. And thank the studio for not trying to dumb it down for idiots like they do with most PG -13 rated movies.

BEST DEATH:
     I'm not going to say who it is, but it will be felt.

BEST LINE:
     Look away. I'm hideous.

FUN FACTS:
      Originally to be released in 3-D, this decision was scrapped just weeks before release, due to the difficulty of converting the film into the format.

     Over 500 wands were created for the film. They were checked out and checked in before, during, and after the filming day was completed. Many came back broken.

      Having Bellatrix carve "MUDBLOOD" into Hermione's arm was not in the script. The idea came from both Emma Watson and Helena Bonham Carter.

     Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro both expressed interest in directing Deathly Hallows.

     This is the first Harry Potter movie to not show Hogwarts as a major set piece.