Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix

Can you believe that we are here at the fifth film in the Harry Potter franchise? Its release coinciding with the launch of the last book in the series by JK Rowling (probably the best marketing ploy for the franchise…). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was, for me, the darkest and most complicated yet. All fans of the books, including myself, know that this film is based on the longest book in the series which is notable for Harry’s struggle with being an adolescent and having to grow up quickly with big expectations laid on his seemingly narrow shoulders. And of course Harry’s first kiss!

Director David Yates (of TV’s State of Play) manages to competently stick to the dark, detailed and twisted storyline of the JK Rowling’s 800+ page book and convey these troubled times for Harry and co on the screen but The Order Of The Phoenix still left me feeling a little under-whelmed in places.

Haunted by the return of the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and the subsequent murder of classmate Cedric (which we saw at the end of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire) , Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) enters his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry angry, angry, angry, guilt-ridden and angry. I don’t think Harry smiles once during the movie, and the new teacher, Dolores Umbridge (a fabulous turn by Imelda Staunton) certainly doesn’t help the cause with her repeated attempts to get him expelled. Determined to fight back against the oppression of the Ministry of Magic, Harry starts “Dumbeldore’s Army” with the assistance of best friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) as well as Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). But he also has to contend with his own adolescence and his growing up in the eyes of the good and evil sides of the wizarding world. These are difficult, complex and precarious times for our Harry Potter.

The Order Of The Phoenix features much improved performances from its regular (and rapidly maturing) younger cast, and Imelda Staunton and Gary Oldman deliver standout and thoroughly engaging performances - Imelda Staunton is clearly having a fabulous time as the sly, sinister Dolores Umbridge, who accompanies each angry tirade with a delicious nervous giggle. In keeping with the darker tone of the movie, there is some gritty realism to the action. Daniel Radcliffe manages to invest Harry with the confusion and anger of a deeply troubled teenager without making him too dislikeable and shares some genuinely heartfelt moments with Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black. But his relationship with Cho Chang is under-played and only really amounts to the one big sloppy kiss without any chemistry between the two.

The look, feel and special effects are also impressive, maintaining the high standards set by previous movies in the series, and Yates manages to keep up a sustained air of impending evil by some clever use of editing and flashback, building on the excellent early momentum generated by the opening encounter with a couple of Death Eaters.

It’s a shame therefore that the conclusion fails to deliver the rush of anticipation it promises. I saw The Order of the Phoenix with someone who had not read the books and he asked a couple of questions afterwards which led me to suppose that it may be a little ambiguous to anyone who has not read the books. With this in mind, The Order of the Phoenix felt like a means to an end – the middle of the adventure and fully aware that it is a pre-cursor to the end which all know is in two movies time. It is still an enjoyable movie but one with a very real sense that the best is still yet to come.

And some trivia for you – before it was released, Order of the Phoenix was nominated in a new category at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet"; however, the award was won by Transformers (deservedly so!)

Transformers

I loved, loved, loved this movie. I would even go so far as to say this was the most enjoyable movie experience I’ve had this year – and believe me I’ve seen some movies, not just the ones reviewed here on my blog. I am a Transformers nerd from my younger years and the original cartoon series had me getting up early on school holidays to sit in front of the telly and be mesmerised by the theme song and the idea that Transformers were ‘Robots in Disguise’!

So once again I came to a movie with high expectations. I have seen most of Director Michael Bay’s movies including Armageddon, The Rock and Bad Boys (1 not 2) and knew that big budget, big action movies were his thing with his experience stemming from directing music videos for artists including Meatloaf, Aerosmith and The Divinyls. Leading up to my viewing of Transformers I had not been completely convinced that Michael Bay knew how to develop characters to make them interesting and engaging rather than token actors performing to link the action sequences. That meant that I was a little nervous about the big screen adaptation of my childhood memories.

For those of you who may be wondering who and what the Transformers are, some background. The fate of the universe has been at stake for centuries while two races of alien robots – the Autobots and the Decepticons – have waged a civil war. During their civil war, the Autobots and Decepticons destroy their home planet, the battle comes to Earth.

Michael Bay’s movie takes the story up from this point and we soon find out that the fate of Earth and the Autobots (the good guys) rests on a clue that is unknowingly owned by Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). A stereotypical teenager who is worried about girls, cars and sliding under the radar of his parents, Sam is oblivious to the fact that he alone is mankind’s last chance for survival. With the arrival of Bumblebee, a ‘transformed’ Chevrolet to protect Sam, the clue and his friend Mikaela (Megan Fox), our champions find themselves in a tug of war between the heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons.

With robots fighting and throwing tanks and cars around, car chases the effects were fantastic and looked spectacular. While not exactly the same as they were in the cartoon, with the exception of Optimus Prime, who is voiced by original cartoon actor Peter Cullen, all the robots work well. Only one thing annoyed me but did not retract from the film even though it was central to the storyline; the little evil CD player Decepticon was just plain annoying. He reminded me of a monkey crossed with a gremlin and was just too comical and out of place when put in perspective with the rest of the Decepticons.

Transformers was a magnificently orchestrated blend of action, drama, humour, shock, sexuality, and suspense......all rolled into one amazing film that will keep the adrenaline rushing through your entire body from the get go! And you will feel the intensity of this movie long after it ends. Totally recommended – “No sacrifice, no victory”!

Spider-Man 3

Three villains, a doubting girlfriend, a hard-to-resist seductress and some evil alien goop: Spidey has many troubles in this third instalment of Spiderman on the big screen. They say Spider-Man 3 is the most expensive film of the trilogy, but does it give you more bang for the bigger buck?

Simply, the answer is resounding yes. It's still larger-than-life when the action cuts begin. The CGI effects are is nail-biting. The Sandman, Spidey's new enemy, is awesome with his post-particle physics body that alternates between a sandstorm and a human form with perfect ease. The climax is blockbuster stuff. And Spidey still sends a thrill down your spine as he dizzily bungee jumps across the Manhattan skyline.

Spider-Man 3 finds our hero and his alter ego Peter Parker played by Tobey Maguire, having overcome most of his hero woes in Spider-Man 2, as finally happy. He's deeply in love with Broadway actress- girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and plans to pop the big question soon. Spidey is also being accepted by the public and has even become a highly-promoted tourist attraction / poster-boy for New York City. Peter is at the top of his class in college and has drawn the eye of attractive lab partner Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard). Only his shaky friendship with pal-turned-villain Harry Osborne (James Franco) stands in Peter’s way of apparent perfection in life.

But as with anything in Peter's world, his newfound happiness is in jeopardy. A bad review destroy’s Mary Jane’s career, and with Peter focused on his own celebrity she turns to Harry, who hopes to use her against Peter as revenge for his father's death. Entering into these dramatics is petty crook Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) who may have been responsible for the death of Peter's uncle years ago, who is turned into the ‘Sandman’ in an industrial accident. As if we needed more, there's also a strange black ooze from outer space that attaches to Peter's Spider-Man costume and which seems to influence his behaviour for the worse, through the suit, into an alter ego, which ultimately ends up evolving into a villain called "Venom." Whew!

It's surprising, then, that a film with this much activity actually wraps it all up in a mostly satisfying conclusion.

And assisting us on this rollercoaster journey are the special effects which make it all possible. Whether we're watching Spider-Man save Gwen from a collapsing skyscraper or witnessing the birth of Sandman, this film's effects are nothing short of brilliant.

Most of the actors are fantastic – Topher Grace as rival photographer Eddie Brock Jr is an especial standout. Kirsten Dunst was the most notable flat spot in the movie. She was passable but perhaps she was showing signs of a lack of interest in the material after three movies.

But despite a lacklustre performance from Kirsten, Spiderman 3 is still a fabulously entertaining movie. Go see it!

300

The first thing to remember is the movie 300 is not a historical retelling of the 480 BC alliance of Greek city-states fighting against the invading Persian Empire at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. 300 is based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the event – Miller (Sin City) is a renowned comics artist and writer known for hard-boiled stories of almost operatic intensity and stylishly overwrought violence. In his graphic novel, Miller injects his own brand of graphic sensationalism into this ancient tale of national survival. While clearly the graphic novel and therefore the movie isn't interested in being historical, Miller’s is portrayal of the ancient world is compelling.

Regardless as to how historical 300 is, as a movie, it makes an impact! Directed by Zack Snyder, there is a great tale being told by some fine actors, but this may be a little overlooked in the gore. But if you listen and watch between winces, 300 is an amazing experience.

Miller’s strong graphic style translates brilliantly well to the screen and the result is very visual and in a weird kind of way, also beautiful. In spite of the CGI, it’s hard to imagine Snyder didn’t blow the budget on personal trainers – rarely has such a gathering of magnificently hewn thighs, pecs and biceps graced the screen!

Scottish actor Gerard Butler (Trainspotting, The Phantom of the Opera) is truly charismatic as King Leonidas. Our own David Wenham (Lord of The Rings, SeaChange) takes the role of the narrator Dilios and his voice doesn’t make the narration irritating as it can sometimes be. Gerard, David and the other key actors certainly made the effort worthwhile for us of turning themselves into mighty Spartan warriors with rippling eight-packs!

Some may think that 300 is only for the red-meat eating men of our movie going population – I disagree. Yes, I must admit that I was initially reluctant to gone along with my partner to watch this film but as this was the third time he was off to see it, I thought I had better see what all the fuss was about. And yes, I did cover my eyes – but only in a couple of places! This is certainly a great film, a spectacle for the eyes and ears and well worth the ride.

PS Zack Snyder started out as both director and cinematographer of music videos and commercials, before he directed Dawn of Dead which was a 're-imagining' of George Romero's famous zombie film Dawn of the Dead which became one of the top-grossing zombie films of all time.

Pan's Labyrinth

Set during the post Spanish Civil War in 1944, Pan’s Labyrinth is about the journey of a little girl called Ofelia to discover if she is the missing Princess Moanna, daughter to the king of the underworld, who according to legend, became curious about the world above and fled to the surface, where the brightness of the sun blotted out her memories.of the underworld. Faced with an unknowing future after Ofelia’s mother marries a tyrant who is a Captain in the war, Ofelia retreats into her fairytales to escape from the horrors of war around her. A Spanish film with subtitles, the original title in Spanish directly translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun"; the English title refers to the faun-like Greek god Pan, though Director Guillermo del Toro has stated that the faun featured in the film is not actually Pan.

This is a extraordinary and wonderful movie from del Toro who bought us Hellboy, Blade II and Mimic. The same themes from those movies flow through Pan’s Labyrinth where the haunting shadow worlds of imagination and nightmares pale next to the evil of the real world. Drawing on Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio and many other inspirations to create something quite new and wonderful, this is still a scary movie. The creatures from Ofelia’s journey are fantastical and frightening in their own imagery, but do not compare to the controlled fury and violence of the Captain that escalates as it becomes obvious that his side is losing the war to the rebels.

There is a warmth and wonder amidst the brutality of Captain Vidal’s war and terror, especially from the housekeeper Mercedes who adopts and protects the girl while leading a dangerous double life, and an ancient comfort in the ancient and primal fantasy visions that are hewn from the earth and grown from enchanted wood and flora in Ofelia’s visions.

I loved this movie and thought it was one of the best movies I’d seen for a long time. Told through the eyes of a little girl whose imaginary world is inhabited by nightmarish creatures, Pan's Labyrinth is a visually imaginative and allegorical take on the fears she faced in Spain during WWII. And though not for the squeamish or fans of Fascism, this dark enchanting fantasy is a captivating, escapist fairy tale, even if one with a dark undertone.

The Queen

I was one of the billions who was shocked at the sudden death of Diana, Princess of Wales in that tragic car crash in Paris in August 1997. Even though I am not an ‘admirer’ of the monarchy, I too was completely at a loss as to why the British Royal family seemed to be so unattached to their country’s (and the world’s) outpouring of grief for the ‘People’s Princess’. The Queen is a re-telling of this heartbreaking event and attempts to ‘humanise’ the actions of the Windsor family, most notably Queen Elizabeth II played brilliantly by Helen Mirren.

Set during the week from the day of Diana’s death until the day of her funeral, The Queen takes an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the interaction between Queen Elizabeth II and British Prime Minister Tony Blair (played by Michael Sheen) during this period. Stephen Frears the director, focuses on the struggle between the Queen and Tony Blair to reach a compromise between treating Diana’s death as a private tragedy for the Royal Family and appeasing the public’s demand for an open display of mourning.

Through a bit of research, I found the writers had developed the script through extensive interviews with many unnamed sources close to the Prime Minister and the Royal Family. Many of these sources were able to corroborate the accounts of others, allowing enough information for the writers to imagine the intervening scenes. Obviously the film was not intended to be a historically accurate representation of the Queen's role during this time, rather an interpretation of the interaction between key figures dealing with the death of a much loved public figure.

I really enjoyed this movie. Helen Mirren won every Leading Actress award including the Oscar© for her exceptional portrayal of a monarch struggling to separate her personal life from the duties of a Queen during an unprecedented and tragic situation. I found The Queen to be a reflective and real dramatisation of the aftermath of Diana’s death that shocked the world. The use of newsreel footage to bind the story together showing the outpouring of public grief with the controlled behind-the-scenes emotions of Queen Elizabeth makes it a deeply moving and appreciative viewing experience.

The Pursuit of Happyness

What is the pursuit of happiness? Will Smith ponders this statement (“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” coined by Thomas Jefferson for the American Declaration of Independence) and hypotheses that it must be earned, sought and ultimately pursued if we are to truly appreciate what it is to be happy. And boy does Will try pursue happiness. Through his character Christopher Gardner, Will takes us on a journey through a six month period of Chris’ life where we experience his struggles during the early 80’s with homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher.

Loosely based on the real life story of Chris Gardner who founded the giant corporate brokerage firm Gardner Rich, The Pursuit of Happyness is ultimately a tale about rising above the hardships that are thrown at us and achieving our goals. (Don’t worry; it’s a deliberate misspelling of the title which explained at the beginning of the movie.) I am a huge fan of Will Smith from his Fresh Prince days (and I still know the title song from the show) and I’m usually one of the first in line when he has a new movie out. Happyness is a departure for Will from his epic, top grossing sci-fi adventures on the big screen. Will grasps this opportunity to showcase his acting talents as his life on film gets thrown from pillar to post. Nominated for an Oscar© for Best Actor, Will is supported by his real life son Jayden who plays his film son too.

One could be cynical and assume that there is an underlying moral sentiment running through the core of the movie about how through hard work and perseverance anyone can overcome any adversity…. While this may smack of ‘Hollywoodism’ especially with the Hollywood token happy ending but the genuine performance of Will supported admirably by his son overcome the sentimentality without taking away from a truly remarkable real life story.

For any trivia buffs, Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer Simpson on The Simpsons, co-stars in the film as one of Gardner's superiors and requests a donut from Gardener. This is a nod to Casellaneta's animated counterpart who shares a similar taste for donuts.