Friday, July 22, 2011
Winning Season (2009)
The Bad News Bears of high-school girls basketball with Sam Rockwell as the Walter Matthau role, playing a coach at the lowest point of his life. Divorced, borderline alcoholic and trying to reconnect with his daughter, he gets a job to coach a girl baseball team. It's not so much about baseball like Hoosiers and more about a man trying to pick up the pieces of his life with the help of the very girls he at first shuns. Many funny moments driven by Rockwell's frantic energy. Grade: B+.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The Ten Things about Harry Potter I Loved
And what I loved about the Harry Potter world. Again Spoilers abound.
10. Inventive Names - Rowling has a gift for coming up with wonderful wacky names. Horce Slughorn. Dumbledore. Voldermort. Quidditch. They are fun to say and even better fun to see on the page.
9. Wizard school - She's not the first to write about students going to a wizard school but she's done it so well. I love the classes and felt like with every book she expanded on the school idea. The O.W.L.S were probably the best example of her taking a relate able concept and inserting it into her world.
8. Wands - At first the wands are just tools Wizards and witches use to conjure spells but as you learn they are actually alive, bound to only the wizard it chooses. This dynamic greatly gives mystery and depth to the story.
7. Casting - The casting for the films pretty much throughout is pitch-perfect.
6. The Ease to Read - Scholars will be debating for generations if these books are considered Great literature (I'm on the fence) but no one can't deny they're fantastic reads, perfect for almost any kind of reader. We need more of these kind of books.
5. Magic is so cool - I love books with magic and the magic in Harry Potter's world is special, playing off spells and concepts we've seen before but with just that bit of originality to be fresh. That's hard to do.
4. So many great characters - The real reason these books became a sensation isn't because of the story (although it's quite good), it's because of all the great characters she populated her world with that we all kept wanting to read about. Ron and Hermione are complete characters on their own right that balance out Harry's complexities. The teachers are worldly and diverse. And even side characters like Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Rita Seeker become as memorable as the principles. Some have compared her character building as Dickensesque and it's true: sometimes over the top and grotesque but always exactly what's needed for the story.
3. Many wonderful surprises - In almost every book Rowling found ways to surprise her readers. The twists and turns and discoveries are perfectly done. Whether it was finding out that Ron's rat was a Deatheater or that Harry was one of Voldermort's Horcruxes, she has a knack of being unpredictable. It takes a wonderful storyteller to consistently do this so magically.
2. The Death Toll - Rowling isn't a coward. She killed off characters big and small and I applaud her for not taking the easy route and keeping alive popular characters. In war good guys die and she understood this. This is why there's a sense of danger with every turn of the page.
1. Harry - Harry Potter is flawed. He makes bad choices. He gets unreasonably angry at times. This is why we relate to him and continue to root for him. We sympathize with him. He has a good soul but he's human. This balance is not easy but Rowling found a way. Has it ever been more fun to experience a character grow up? I don't think so.
10. Inventive Names - Rowling has a gift for coming up with wonderful wacky names. Horce Slughorn. Dumbledore. Voldermort. Quidditch. They are fun to say and even better fun to see on the page.
9. Wizard school - She's not the first to write about students going to a wizard school but she's done it so well. I love the classes and felt like with every book she expanded on the school idea. The O.W.L.S were probably the best example of her taking a relate able concept and inserting it into her world.
8. Wands - At first the wands are just tools Wizards and witches use to conjure spells but as you learn they are actually alive, bound to only the wizard it chooses. This dynamic greatly gives mystery and depth to the story.
7. Casting - The casting for the films pretty much throughout is pitch-perfect.
6. The Ease to Read - Scholars will be debating for generations if these books are considered Great literature (I'm on the fence) but no one can't deny they're fantastic reads, perfect for almost any kind of reader. We need more of these kind of books.
5. Magic is so cool - I love books with magic and the magic in Harry Potter's world is special, playing off spells and concepts we've seen before but with just that bit of originality to be fresh. That's hard to do.
4. So many great characters - The real reason these books became a sensation isn't because of the story (although it's quite good), it's because of all the great characters she populated her world with that we all kept wanting to read about. Ron and Hermione are complete characters on their own right that balance out Harry's complexities. The teachers are worldly and diverse. And even side characters like Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Rita Seeker become as memorable as the principles. Some have compared her character building as Dickensesque and it's true: sometimes over the top and grotesque but always exactly what's needed for the story.
3. Many wonderful surprises - In almost every book Rowling found ways to surprise her readers. The twists and turns and discoveries are perfectly done. Whether it was finding out that Ron's rat was a Deatheater or that Harry was one of Voldermort's Horcruxes, she has a knack of being unpredictable. It takes a wonderful storyteller to consistently do this so magically.
2. The Death Toll - Rowling isn't a coward. She killed off characters big and small and I applaud her for not taking the easy route and keeping alive popular characters. In war good guys die and she understood this. This is why there's a sense of danger with every turn of the page.
1. Harry - Harry Potter is flawed. He makes bad choices. He gets unreasonably angry at times. This is why we relate to him and continue to root for him. We sympathize with him. He has a good soul but he's human. This balance is not easy but Rowling found a way. Has it ever been more fun to experience a character grow up? I don't think so.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Ten Things about Harry Potter I Disliked
Now that Harry Potter's story has been completed on the silver screen I thought I would devote two blogs on my final impressions of Harry Potter in general (meaning sometimes the issue is with the source material). This one focuses on what went wrong. Spoilers all over the place!
10. The false start. The first two films are so bad and the last six so good it makes for an unfortunate situation. You are forced to watch two bad films to start the story before you can get to the ones that really entertain and are worthy of rewatching. My recommendation is to read the first two books and then start with the third film. It's too bad those first films couldn't have be better.
9. Dobby as a character - When Dobby is killed in part one of The Deathly Hollows, I didn't feel that much sadness. It was a well-executed scene but I don't remember his character that much. He's barely in the series since the second movie. It's too bad he could have been involved throughout. The reason he's not probably has to do with the fact that's he's an unlikeable character; be honest with yourself, he's annoying. He's barely comic relief and he's more a special effect than a character.
8. The Fifth Book's Pointless Mystery. Let me explain. What we learn after the fifth year's story is that Voldermort needs to know Harry's prophecy. Why would he need to know this? Since the prophecy has passed it's useless information. In the end we learn that one of them must die for the other to live. That's the big reveal? That's a lot of conspiring for nothing.
7. Dumbledore isn't really that smart. For being the greatest wizard of them all, he sure isn't that smart. He is easily fooled into letting Harry compete in the Triwizard tournment. He has to use Harry Potter to get Professor Slughorn to admit he taught Voldermort about Horcruxes instead of figuring it out himself. And with all his wisdom he should know how foolish it is to keep so many secrets. I would think a wizard with all his resources would have been able to find out that Ron's rat was really a Deatheater, that Voldermort was hiding in Professor Quinrell's head and would know the locaton of the Chamber of Secrets. I guess in the end he's really pretty clueless.
6. The Snape Mistake - Snape's character is so heavy handed. He wears dark robes, has dark hair, is brooding and always "seeming" to be out to get Harry. Obviously he's a good guy. True, we don't know his back story until the last book but does it matter? The funny thing is, he's probably the best character of the series but we never get to experience it.
5. No Extended Versions. You would think Warner Brothers would have learned by watching Lord of the Rings. Instead of cutting up books four, five and six so much, why not film more scenes with the purpose of releasing Extended cuts just like Peter Jackson did. Hardcore fans would have loved those scenes they missed and you'd make more money. This would have been especially nice for the sixth film where Voldermort's back story is cut.
4. What happened with the Hour-Glass Necklace? Am I the only one who kept waiting for this awesome magical device to make a return to the story? The darker the story gets you'd think some one would say, "Hey, let's use that one necklace so we can go back in time and do such and such. I know the real reason: J.K Rowling realized that with time travel too many plot holes emerge. Still everything other then that device came into play later on. I also always thought the necklace would have been another Deathly Hallow.
3. Quidditch is really a pointless game - I had to read the first chapter dealing with Quidditch twice and have decided it's the worst fictionally sport ever. The way it's set up makes the Seeker the only important member of the team. The Keepers, the Beaters, and the Chasers mean nothing if the Seeker can win the game by simply catching the Golden Snitch. True, when you read about the point structure there's a way of winning without catching the Golden Snitch but that doesn't happen. Instead of creating a great sport Rowling devised an activity where her hero, Harry, could become the victor of a team sport. It's fun looking on film but there's not much suspense when you spend the entire sequence watching two kids flying around on broomsticks trying to catch a flying ball.
2. The Four Houses - I hate the four house structure for Hogwarts. The idea is solid. Four wizards form the school and they name the four house divisions after themselves. What I hate is that Slitherin has the bad guys and Gryffindor has the heroes. The other two houses are pushed aside. I understand that you need to root for one house over the others (but only in the first book) but why so black and white. What if Hermione was in Hufflepuff and Ginny been in Slitherin. What if we had a bad guy in the Gryffindor dorm? This would have made for a better more realistic story. And if the sorting hat can determine which kids are bullies, and have dark ambitions why would any school teach them magic in the first place?
1. What about the Muggles? Am I the only one who kept wondering what was happening in our Muggle world when the Wizarding world was at war? I always felt like Voldermort's true goal was to kill Muggles so when the line between the two worlds blur why not show us the consequences. This is only hinted at. Also, I never liked Rowling's choice never to have an important Muggle character. And I'm not talking about the cartoony and vile Dursleys (although I wish they could have had a moment of redemption.) I think the lack of Muggles is a missed opportunity. A strong Muggle would have shown her readers that you don't need magic to be a hero. In the end the Muggles of this world are powerless pawns and if it weren't for the Isolationists in the Wizarding world they'd be toast. I don't really like that view.
10. The false start. The first two films are so bad and the last six so good it makes for an unfortunate situation. You are forced to watch two bad films to start the story before you can get to the ones that really entertain and are worthy of rewatching. My recommendation is to read the first two books and then start with the third film. It's too bad those first films couldn't have be better.
9. Dobby as a character - When Dobby is killed in part one of The Deathly Hollows, I didn't feel that much sadness. It was a well-executed scene but I don't remember his character that much. He's barely in the series since the second movie. It's too bad he could have been involved throughout. The reason he's not probably has to do with the fact that's he's an unlikeable character; be honest with yourself, he's annoying. He's barely comic relief and he's more a special effect than a character.
8. The Fifth Book's Pointless Mystery. Let me explain. What we learn after the fifth year's story is that Voldermort needs to know Harry's prophecy. Why would he need to know this? Since the prophecy has passed it's useless information. In the end we learn that one of them must die for the other to live. That's the big reveal? That's a lot of conspiring for nothing.
7. Dumbledore isn't really that smart. For being the greatest wizard of them all, he sure isn't that smart. He is easily fooled into letting Harry compete in the Triwizard tournment. He has to use Harry Potter to get Professor Slughorn to admit he taught Voldermort about Horcruxes instead of figuring it out himself. And with all his wisdom he should know how foolish it is to keep so many secrets. I would think a wizard with all his resources would have been able to find out that Ron's rat was really a Deatheater, that Voldermort was hiding in Professor Quinrell's head and would know the locaton of the Chamber of Secrets. I guess in the end he's really pretty clueless.
6. The Snape Mistake - Snape's character is so heavy handed. He wears dark robes, has dark hair, is brooding and always "seeming" to be out to get Harry. Obviously he's a good guy. True, we don't know his back story until the last book but does it matter? The funny thing is, he's probably the best character of the series but we never get to experience it.
5. No Extended Versions. You would think Warner Brothers would have learned by watching Lord of the Rings. Instead of cutting up books four, five and six so much, why not film more scenes with the purpose of releasing Extended cuts just like Peter Jackson did. Hardcore fans would have loved those scenes they missed and you'd make more money. This would have been especially nice for the sixth film where Voldermort's back story is cut.
4. What happened with the Hour-Glass Necklace? Am I the only one who kept waiting for this awesome magical device to make a return to the story? The darker the story gets you'd think some one would say, "Hey, let's use that one necklace so we can go back in time and do such and such. I know the real reason: J.K Rowling realized that with time travel too many plot holes emerge. Still everything other then that device came into play later on. I also always thought the necklace would have been another Deathly Hallow.
3. Quidditch is really a pointless game - I had to read the first chapter dealing with Quidditch twice and have decided it's the worst fictionally sport ever. The way it's set up makes the Seeker the only important member of the team. The Keepers, the Beaters, and the Chasers mean nothing if the Seeker can win the game by simply catching the Golden Snitch. True, when you read about the point structure there's a way of winning without catching the Golden Snitch but that doesn't happen. Instead of creating a great sport Rowling devised an activity where her hero, Harry, could become the victor of a team sport. It's fun looking on film but there's not much suspense when you spend the entire sequence watching two kids flying around on broomsticks trying to catch a flying ball.
2. The Four Houses - I hate the four house structure for Hogwarts. The idea is solid. Four wizards form the school and they name the four house divisions after themselves. What I hate is that Slitherin has the bad guys and Gryffindor has the heroes. The other two houses are pushed aside. I understand that you need to root for one house over the others (but only in the first book) but why so black and white. What if Hermione was in Hufflepuff and Ginny been in Slitherin. What if we had a bad guy in the Gryffindor dorm? This would have made for a better more realistic story. And if the sorting hat can determine which kids are bullies, and have dark ambitions why would any school teach them magic in the first place?
1. What about the Muggles? Am I the only one who kept wondering what was happening in our Muggle world when the Wizarding world was at war? I always felt like Voldermort's true goal was to kill Muggles so when the line between the two worlds blur why not show us the consequences. This is only hinted at. Also, I never liked Rowling's choice never to have an important Muggle character. And I'm not talking about the cartoony and vile Dursleys (although I wish they could have had a moment of redemption.) I think the lack of Muggles is a missed opportunity. A strong Muggle would have shown her readers that you don't need magic to be a hero. In the end the Muggles of this world are powerless pawns and if it weren't for the Isolationists in the Wizarding world they'd be toast. I don't really like that view.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two (2011)
The End is here at last and so far I'd say this is the best Blockbuster of the year. The stakes are high. Harry, Hermione and Ron still have a laundry list of Horcruxs to find and destroy, Voldermort just obtained the most powerful wand ever made and Death Eaters are everywhere. If you were worried that they tried to stuff too much in this film, calm your worries because every piece of the puzzle that is the climax to Harry's story is told just right, none of it is rushed and the action is as exciting as one would hope. If the producers hoped to make a film that would stand the test of time and be one of the best endings to a franchise ever, they succeeded beyond their dreams. Congrats to everyone involved for the many years of creation and determination. It was all worth it (even having to suffer the first two awful films). Grade: A
Spoilers: Finally Snape is given his due and I couldn't be more happy how it played out. I would argue if the previous films had spent more time developing Harry and Snapes relationship the scene would have been even better but thankfully I have read the books. For me there was only one nit-picky error in this movie and that was how Harry and Voldermort fight in a cloud, flying all over Hogwarts. It was a little distracting and the effect comes off as a bit corny but hey, if that's the only cringe worthy moment than that's really good. My favorite scene: Ron and Hermione's kiss. Finally!
Spoilers: Finally Snape is given his due and I couldn't be more happy how it played out. I would argue if the previous films had spent more time developing Harry and Snapes relationship the scene would have been even better but thankfully I have read the books. For me there was only one nit-picky error in this movie and that was how Harry and Voldermort fight in a cloud, flying all over Hogwarts. It was a little distracting and the effect comes off as a bit corny but hey, if that's the only cringe worthy moment than that's really good. My favorite scene: Ron and Hermione's kiss. Finally!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part One (2010)
Warner Brothers makes a smart decision to divide the last book into two movies. Some might see this is as simply a way to make more money (which it will) but actually it is the only way to adapt the conclusion to Harry Potter's saga. Too much of the book is important and any drastic cuts would lessen the impact of the climax. It also helps fix one of the book's major flaws and that is a long drawn out middle where Harry and friends go on an endless camping trip. As stated in previous blogs, David Yate returns as the director and with more time to play with he pumps up the action and delivers a thrilling setup to what I hope is one of the best fantasy film conclusions of all time. Grade: A-.
Spoilers: There are a lot of exciting moments in this movie, from Harry, Ron and Hermione's invasion of the Ministry of Magic (established in the fifth film), Nagini's ambush, and their escape from Bellatrix Lestrange's house. Finally we get to see our heroes use magic instead of learn it and it's real fun, especially when Hermione swells Harry's face as a disguise. I thought Yates handles their camping trip just right with majestic scenery and tense mystery. No film is perfect though. I wish the scene where Hermione and Harry dance wasn't so forced and stiff, I hated the rushed explanation from Ron where he tells us how he found them after being separated for so long (why not show us in a flash back?) and how the Durley's are forever tossed away as insignificant even though I feel they deserve some kind of redemption at the beginning. Dobby's death is expertly handled even though the impact isn't as powerful because of how his character is handled in past films. Since Dobby's only featured in a film three films back, being denied much screen time since then, we're expected to remember how much Harry loved him (of course, all I remember is how annoyed Harry was whenever Dobby was around). I also have a love/hate reaction to the animation sequence where the audience hears the story of the Deathly Hallows. It's nice animation but it feels out of place being the only animation sequence in all the films. I'd rather have the animation be some kind of magical spell Harry and friends could experience in much the same way Harry views memories in the Pensieve. Still the film accomplishes getting one excited for the next film, which I'm seeing in a few days. The last scene where Voldermort grabs the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's corpse is the powerful scene to end with without stating the obvious, to be continued.
Spoilers: There are a lot of exciting moments in this movie, from Harry, Ron and Hermione's invasion of the Ministry of Magic (established in the fifth film), Nagini's ambush, and their escape from Bellatrix Lestrange's house. Finally we get to see our heroes use magic instead of learn it and it's real fun, especially when Hermione swells Harry's face as a disguise. I thought Yates handles their camping trip just right with majestic scenery and tense mystery. No film is perfect though. I wish the scene where Hermione and Harry dance wasn't so forced and stiff, I hated the rushed explanation from Ron where he tells us how he found them after being separated for so long (why not show us in a flash back?) and how the Durley's are forever tossed away as insignificant even though I feel they deserve some kind of redemption at the beginning. Dobby's death is expertly handled even though the impact isn't as powerful because of how his character is handled in past films. Since Dobby's only featured in a film three films back, being denied much screen time since then, we're expected to remember how much Harry loved him (of course, all I remember is how annoyed Harry was whenever Dobby was around). I also have a love/hate reaction to the animation sequence where the audience hears the story of the Deathly Hallows. It's nice animation but it feels out of place being the only animation sequence in all the films. I'd rather have the animation be some kind of magical spell Harry and friends could experience in much the same way Harry views memories in the Pensieve. Still the film accomplishes getting one excited for the next film, which I'm seeing in a few days. The last scene where Voldermort grabs the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's corpse is the powerful scene to end with without stating the obvious, to be continued.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Revisited
David Yates improves as the director to this the sixth film in the Harry Potter Franchise, and makes a visually stunning film that sadly misses the mark a lot of the time. Not to say this is a bad film, it's not; it thrills and continues the story very well. The problem is that they really did cut out way too much from the book. So much is missing its amazing J.K. Rowling didn't insist they read the book again. Harry's investigation about Voldermort is cut up so they could spend more time on the comedic elements of Ron's exploits with girls. Still there is a lot to love and if the climax could have matched the previous film it would have been great. Grade: B+
Spoiler: Much can be written about the ending when Dumbledore perishes. It's mostly well done but lacks the tension the scene could have had. I also hate the slow motion and feel the ending with the wizards and students raising their wands to the sky a little melodramatic. What's really missing though is the battle with the Death eaters. I can imagine they wished to save the Hogwart's battle for the last film but come on, we deserved more. And again they rushed through Harry and Snapes last scene where Snape reveals who the Half-Blood Prince. The scene that I must applaud Yates and company on though is the Cave Lake scene which was as good as anything done in these films. It's a moment of perfection and I can't write enough about how brilliant it turned out.
Spoiler: Much can be written about the ending when Dumbledore perishes. It's mostly well done but lacks the tension the scene could have had. I also hate the slow motion and feel the ending with the wizards and students raising their wands to the sky a little melodramatic. What's really missing though is the battle with the Death eaters. I can imagine they wished to save the Hogwart's battle for the last film but come on, we deserved more. And again they rushed through Harry and Snapes last scene where Snape reveals who the Half-Blood Prince. The scene that I must applaud Yates and company on though is the Cave Lake scene which was as good as anything done in these films. It's a moment of perfection and I can't write enough about how brilliant it turned out.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Cars 2 (2011)
It's really unfair to be the best sometimes. Here Pixar crafts a truly inventive follow-up to one of the more clever animated films made in animation history and it gets bad reviews. But that's because reviewers have set the bar so high for Pixar. Compared to most animated films made by other animation houses and this sequel is quite good. It's funny. It has a exciting storyline and expands the "everyone is a car" universe. The opening sequence alone is better than 90% of what's out there. It does have flaws, which is rare in a Pixar film, but it's not a failure at all. I left the theater thoroughly entertained. What we have is a James Bond movie mixed in with a mistaken identity storyline aimed at a younger audience. I admit Mater isn't necessarily the best character to carry a movie but I love the film's message. A fun family film and proof that Pixar is willing to take a chance even if that means going against the grain. Grade: B+.
There's a lot of chatter on this film being a sell out, that Pixar just made this movie to cash in on merchandise. Honestly this is probably true. Of course this "Cars" world is John Lasseter's baby and if he wanted to do it I say let him. True, I'd have loved to have seen an Incredibles sequel more but this is what it is. I'm going to let Pixar slide on this one.
There's a lot of chatter on this film being a sell out, that Pixar just made this movie to cash in on merchandise. Honestly this is probably true. Of course this "Cars" world is John Lasseter's baby and if he wanted to do it I say let him. True, I'd have loved to have seen an Incredibles sequel more but this is what it is. I'm going to let Pixar slide on this one.
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