Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix

I'm not going to post any spoilers, so I'll just say:
- We saw it last night (Friday 13th :D)
- It was the best Harry Potter movie so far by a long shot, I reckon
- Sure there were bits that they changed/deleted from the book, but they did it in such a way and kept the story moving fast enough that the changes didn't annoy me as much as when I saw the others for the first time.
- I'm glad that the same people are making movie 6
- It made me even more desperate to get my hands on book 7

Read More......

Shrek the Third

Although it's not officially released until Thursday, we went and saw Shrek the Third yesterday afternoon. It wasn't as good as the first two. By animated-movies-aimed-at-kids standards, it was still pretty good, but it didn't live up to its predecessors at all. I don't even know how strongly I'd encourage seeing it in the cinema, especially if it's going to be an expensive outing for you. I'm not sure how to quantify why I didn't enjoy it as much... They broke from some of their own formulas - there wasn't as much music, it started with a series of LONG scenes rather than some snappy little thing that set the tone, the jokes weren't as clever or as funny - and yet re-used gags that were done with, like the whole switching bodies thing (I don't think that spoils anything). It kind of felt like they tried to tell too many stories at once, yet somehow there were really slow bits. It didn't start OR end with a bang of any sort. I remember seeing the first one and thinking it was awesome. Then seeing the second and couldn't believe they'd managed to make it even better. If the stories Graeme is telling me about them making a 4th and 5th are true, I really hope they get some of the magic back.
Oh, but the babies, both dragon/donkey and ogre, are totally adorable.

Read More......

Weekend Report

(since people have been asking questions - makes me feel interesting, at least)

Saturday morning we got up and went to the Bedford Park Festival - a little community event on the green (that's what they call all their open park/grassy areas) organised by one of the local churches, at least that's the impression I got. It was one of those things that you kind of walk away feeling it had so much potential and just didn't really live up to it, if that makes any sense. There were craft stalls and a stage and amusements and a 5-a-side football comp, yet there was nothing that enticed us to stay for any longer than it took us to walk from one side to the other.

Instead we went to the high street, grabbed some lunch and some bits and pieces and headed home. We spent some time on the internet - booked our travel and accommodation in Edinburgh for when we go to the Tattoo (we're catching the train :D) then bought some tickets for Ocean's 13. Went and saw it at the local cinema and, apart from the annoying people who insisted on sitting right next to us despite the empty seats and the woman sitting next to me who smelt so strongly of cigarette smoke I started to get a headache, quite enjoyed it. I'm not too sure how I feel about the film - I think the fact that it was their third heist made it quite predictable at times, because you know what sort of tricks they play and how characters will react, but it still had the Ocean's cleverness and humour - the exchange in the airport at the end is classic.

Sunday we did washing and exciting things like that, eating whatever we had left in the house because neither of us felt like going out at all. We decided to order pizza for dinner, proof that advertising works - we were watching The Simpsons (the 400th episode aired last night - a bit ho-hum really) and it's sponsored by Dominos - so we ordered online, using a coupon that gave us 50% off if we spent £30. Yes, that is a lot of money to spend on pizza. And no, we didn't only order pizza - we got salad, chicken things, a garlic bread/pizza, dessert and a drink as well. We had leftovers for dinner tonight it was so much food. Then we played Zelda on the wii. Well, I played while Graeme instructed me how to get past a bit I was stuck at and then he played while I read a book.

And that was our weekend.

Read More......

Weekend Report

On Friday night, we decided we should actually do something this weekend, so yesterday we went to Canterbury. We basically saw the cathedral and that was it. Although our odd tourist luck kicked in once again and we managed to turn up on the only weekend when a bunch of their usually private gardens and stuff were open to raise money for charity - we even saw one of their ministers collecting rhubarb from her garden for dinner. I had a bad camera day though, trying out a bunch of things that didn't really work, so I'm not sure I'm happy to stick any of my photos up - I'll have another look at them in the morning though. And I'll write up a proper report for our website.

Since we were over that side of London, we went back to Bluewater (the big shopping centre), the main motivation for which was that Graeme wanted TGI Friday's for dinner. We wandered the shops but didn't buy much - why are all the clothes at the moment so ugly or expensive or both? Of course, we bought some dvds. That's pretty much our spending staple and the reason we still have a bunch of movies I haven't seen. We had dinner and drove home...

...where we crashed and watched Clerks II. I have to say, I definitely liked it more than the first one. I know Clerks. is all cult-classic and that, but I think the second one was better, although it probably wouldn't be as good if you haven't seen the first. I love how Kevin Smith manages to tie all his films together and use the same actors over again. The fact they work at Mooby's, the cameos he gets, the LOTR vs Star Wars argument - all great. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is easily offended though, but that can probably apply to any Kevin Smith film.

Today we slept in late and then ran some errands, including a trip to Ikea. I don't know why I love Ikea so much, but I do. And I have to tell you I was quite happy when I first found out we had one so close by. I mainly bought storage stuff - I can never have enough it seems, especially when we are trying to live in a space about 1/3 the size of the smallest house we'd lived in back in Oz.

This evening we went back to the same church as last week. I have to say, we're not as keen on it as we were last week. I guess it didn't help that we were tired, but we both had pretty major concentration lapses at various points. It was weird though, because the music was better, but the other stuff was worse. We're starting to wonder if its just the English way of doing things or something, that makes things so routine and, well, boring. We've decided to try out what we'd usually consider a bit of an extreme and see how that compares, because maybe a toned down, English version of something like Hillsong will be what we actually want. Maybe not, but its worth the try. And we'll give the one we've been to twice now another chance or two.

And with that, I need to head to bed - I'm planning on starting my (hopefully habit building) 2 weeks of daily jogging/exercise in the morning and it's technically already Monday...

Read More......

My Fabulous Friday

A nice long walk led to a visit to the local recycling centre/thrift shop where I scored a Wombles pillowcase in fantastic condition, a cool purple scarf and a circular table cloth that I am going to convert into a skirt. Then a bus back to the high street for a pastry for morning tea. On another bus to Shepherd's Bush Market where I got a couple of invisible zippers (for way cheaper than any of the shops I'd found them so far) and some strawberry patterned cotton fabric that I'm thinking needs to be a summer dress, if I can decide how to make it not so see-through (it's white and fairly thin - I'm currently leaning towards a red lining thing). Also bought some roasted peanuts in shells (which they call Monkey Nuts, which makes me giggle immaturely) to take to the squirrels. Since I was in Shepherd's Bush anyway, I went to the Aussie pie shop and got a pie, chips and a drink, plus a packet of Fruit Tingles (mmmm, made in New Zealand) to take away. Caught the bus to Kensington Gardens and found a spot in the shade to sit and eat my lunch. Was joined by a couple of squirrels, who happily hung around and came right up and got a new nut as soon as they finished the one they were eating.

Went for a wander through the park and fed some more squirrels. Spotted a bluish-purple plant (no idea what it was and too lazy to look it up) covered in bumblebees and attempted some macro shooting. They move too fast but this one came out OK...



Up to Oxford street and attempted to do some shopping but was overwhelmed by the crowds. Home via Hammersmith whose charity shops proved fruitless. Settled on the couch with my laptop to check email, websites, etc.

Graeme got home and decided he wanted to see Pirates 3 and couldn't wait another day. Booked our tickets online then headed out for dinner and a movie. After finally finding a parking spot, we enjoyed some Nando's (which is similar to the Australian version only in the fact that it sells Portugese-style chicken) and then headed to the cinema, expecting to have to queue like we did for Spiderman (did I mention we saw that? Dunno...) After getting some icecreams, we walked straight in and got prime seats. Over the next twenty minutes or so the cinema filled to about half and they made an announcement that there would be an intermission because the movie was so long (wusses). The movie finished at about 1.10am, which means we left once the credits started to roll and missed the bonus scene at the end :( I dunno if it would've redeemed how we felt about the movie though, which was slightly disappointed. It was better than movie 2 in that things were actually resolved (and it kind of made movie 2 seem more complete), but you still felt like they were leaving it open for another sequel, because some of the story lines left you with a massive feeling of "...but then what?". Not that I think every film should have a happily ever after conclusion, but basically all the characters head out on to new, not fully explained adventures. Also, it was one of those films where some parts move so quickly you're not sure you're following everything and then other scenes seem to drag on forever without really doing much for the story. I don't know what else to say without spoiling things. All I'll say is that movie 1 was great but 2 and 3 just kind of end up feeling like Disney's way to make more money off the success of the first. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of the humour, action and the confusion over who is good or bad that I liked in the first one. But the story is just so much weaker, that you can't help but feel disappointed. Or maybe I was just too tired and grumpy after my long day, because I'm sure I'll do a Pirates marathon if/when I get the chance.

Read More......

Evita

Not so much a review as a comparison...

We saw this on (the West End - I love saying that) stage in January with Graeme's mum and her partner when they were here in January. I didn't love it as much as some of the other things we've seen, but it was still good. Having now seen the 1996 film version (as in, I started composing this while it was finishing), I think part of the problem was that I can be a very detail-oriented person and the whole thing moves so fast that its hard to follow at times and I got caught up trying to work out what was going on exactly. So, the first advantage to the film: instead of only being able to rely on stage elements - costume changes, set, lighting - there are clips of the events going on rather than just being described, plus the ability to fade between scenes gives a wider feel to the story - I actually felt like I understood what was going on the whole time. The film also has Antonio Banderas, who is just fantastic as Ché, the voice of the people - great voice, beautiful pronunciation (despite the accent, which is very important, considering he basically tells the story) and the right mix of passion and criticism. But then, it also has Madonna - and as much as she was praised for this role, I didn't love her. She looks too old throughout the film, especially considering she is supposed to start out as a 15 year old, and I definitely wasn't sad when she died.

I think probably if I had seen the film first, or at least had a much firmer grasp on what the story was actually about, I would've really loved the stage version. The girl playing Eva in the stage version was great and I would much rather see people singing and dancing in real life than on a film. Because basically, other than the extra film clips that help to tell the story, it is the same show - same songs, similar scenes, different actors.

Read More......

The DaVinci Code

I just realised I never wrote what I thought about this.

OK, so Graeme read the book ages ago, in the very early stages of all the hype. I thought the guy who wrote it sounded like a wanker, and as I do when I am offended by someone or something, I tend to ignore whatever it is they are doing and getting attention for. Not that I was offended by what he had written (I had, after all, never read it and had no right to speak to that [which leads to a tangential rant about those people who criticise Harry Potter without reading it, but I'll let that go, for now]) I was just offended by the instant mass appeal this guy had and how he claimed to be revealing the truth - dude, its a work of fiction and from what I had heard about the plot, it illicited from me a big so-what?

And then the movie came out and I was still rebelling against it. Sometimes, when you don't partake in an element of popular culture, you get stubborn about never participating (right, Sharon and everyone else who has never seen Titanic?). Then it came out on DVD and Graeme, of course, bought it, having not seen it yet because I refused to go to the cinema with him to see it.

So when I decided to do 101 things in 1001 days and added the "Australia's Favourite Books" list to my things to do, I was kinda annoyed that The Da Vinci Code was on it (and especially because it was so high up, but then that was probably because of when the list was made) because it meant I would finally have to read the thing. Usually, I prefer to read the book before I see the film, but Graeme really wanted to watch it, so we watched it a couple weeks ago. The film was OK - enough suspense, didn't spoil the twist early or anything, but nothing very memorable. So the next day I figured I may as well get the book over and done with too, figuring it would be a pretty quick read since I already knew the plot. I actually thought the book was better (as usual) because it took them longer to solve the puzzles and whatnot. It was paced well and kept you guessing, but in the end, it didn't create a massive reaction in me - just more so what? I'm not having a crisis of faith over the contents of a fictional work.

If you're worried about spoilers, I suggest you stop reading here

And anyway, so what if Jesus was married and/or had children? Does that really change who he was or what he did? And so what if the Catholic Church have been trying to hide it for forever - I don't care, because they are whack anyway. Although, I guess I can see why people IN the Catholic Church got a bit pissy, with claims they have been trying for centuries to murder a bunch of people. But again, just because the guy CLAIMED it was based on fact and such, doesn't mean it was.

I'm sure other people have written similar reviews to this, but I'll probably never read them, because it just doesn't affect my life that much.

Read More......

Sky High (2005)

...or why I'm still a kid at heart.

i watched this yesterday, not on the disney channel, but it could've been :)

basically, the plot is, a kid starts his first day at high school. but this high school is for kids with superpowers, and this particular kid is the son of not one, but two, of the most powerful superheroes in the world (where every superhero seems to live in the same suburb and yet still have alter-egos, but anyway). of course, the kid hasn't actually discovered what (if any) superpowers he has yet and wackiness ensues*.

i actually really enjoyed it. sure, it was totally predictable, very tame, and i saw the 'twist' before it should've been obvious there even was one, but it was fun and easy to digest and all that. my sister tells me there is a lj community for grownups who still love everything disney - perhaps i should seek it out and join in. did i mention i've seen High School Musical 3 times?

*"wackiness ensues" being my way of saying i can't be bothered describing the plot anymore

Read More......

Les Misérables (1998)

one of our many dvds that we own and hadn't actually sat down and watched yet. now i really have read the book, seen the play and watched the movie :)

right about here, i was going to refer back to my review of the stage show, but i can't seem to find it... oh hang on, its on our other webpage, and not as detailed as i thought.

anyway, the movie is (like the musical) a fine example of how to turn a (massive) novel into a good film. ok, i admit i have only read les mis once, and it was awhile ago, whereas i have read hp a lot of times over the last few years, but i still hold to my opinion that the makers of the harry potter films should be learning from other book-film conversions. none of the really important storylines were cut (in fact i only actually noticed the missing eponine), i felt the same/similar things about the characters as i did when i read the book and i still cried several times, even though i knew full-well what was coming. obviously, i enjoyed it.

Read More......

And one more thing...

...while I'm in the posting mood.

There's this awesome pie shop in Shepherd's Bush (not too far away from where we live and where the cinema we frequent is) called Jumbucks, which prides itself as an Aussie Pie company. Everyone who works there seems to be Australian and they always have plenty of the local Australian Times on hand (a newspaper published here in London aimed at expats - the also have a NZ one and a South Africa one) so you can eat a familiar dinner, read news from home and hear other Australian accents. My family and friends can feel free to confirm with Elizabeth the awesome-ness of this place, as we went there a few times while she was here. Anyway, the point is, I realised on Saturday that not only do they sell excellent pies, great chips and a drink for a very reasonable price, but they also have a stock of things like Violet Crumbles, Cherry Ripes and other fantasticness that you just can't buy here. So now I have even more reason to eat there.

Also on Saturday (in the same trip), we saw The Children of Men, which is one of those films that you can appreciate and be enthralled by, but not really like, if that makes sense. Because some of the ideas are so harsh and yet so realistic/forseeable, that you don't leave thinking "well wasn't that nice", but more like "shit, I can totally see the world heading down a path like that" (and it obviously wasn't a happy, cheery, stroll through the forest type path).

And that is all. Since it is now past my bed time and I have a pretty full day tomorrow, I should be sleeping.

Read More......

Cars (2006)

This latest offering from Pixar was accompanied by trailers for at least 5 other animated films. No-one does it like Pixar though. Shrek is the only non-PIxar animation that competes with the likes of Toy Story. That said though, Cars is not their best. Of course it is visually stunning, and their ability to make cars look like cars and still seem like characters is fantastic. I just don't think the story carried itself as well as I have come to expect - there were a couple of slow points - and there wasn't as much double appeal as their other films. By double appeal, I mean that ability they have to make the kids in the audience love it, while the adults enjoy it on a whole other level.

Don't get me wrong though, I was laughing hard and embarrassingly loud at times - like when they go "tractor tipping" - and I was so doubled up with laughter during the credits that there was actually no sound coming out. [If you haven't seen it (because I know the UK is like one of the last places on earth to get this film) you MUST stay until the film is completely over. DO NOT leave your seat until the theatre lights come on, or you will miss the best jokes.] The story was sweet and the characters were adorable - I loved Mater, who is so innocent and unassuming, and Luigi the mad ferrari fan. And, like I already said, it is visually awe-inspiring. But why didn't he ever get proper headlights?

Read More......

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

OK, so they made the first Pirates based on the ride at Disneyland and didn't even expect it to do that well, but we all know it was great. Obviously, someone decided to cash in and make a couple of sequels and no-one is complaining about that. Big bummer though that they're doing this whole trilogy thing properly, so Pirates 2 (this one) is actually a second film of three, filling in story, progressing the plot, revealing more characters and more about the existing ones... and resolving basically nothing. You get so into it and excited about whats happening and it ends. And we have to wait til next year to see the third. I guess this is what it was like when the original Star Wars trilogy came out and Empire Strikes Back left you wondering what was going on. In fact, Graeme tells me that they actually based this trilogy on that and he'd know, since he devours information like that.

I was going to do a plot summary, but couldn't work out how without ruining any of the surprises, so I won't - you can go find that somewhere else if you want it.

We watched the first one last night, since we hadn't seen it in ages and on comparison, the second film isn't as good. But maybe thats just because they're building up to the third, like I said. Don't get me wrong though, its still great, just not as effective as a stand-alone film. If you have to see it in the cinema, like we did, then go for it. If its one of those "I'm not too fussed" movies for you, wait til the third one is due out, watch the first two on dvd and then see the third at the cinema. But really, you can't go past Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in a film together, can you?

Read More......

Movie Update

I started to write the X-Men review as soon as I got home from seeing it, but was way too tired (it was after midnight). Then I tried to finish it over the weekend and couldn't think straight. And now, I've seen a bunch of movies lately, so I thought I'd do a quick thing about all of them. I think the sort of movies people enjoy can say a lot about them.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

It kind of feels as though every movie has to be part of a series these days, doesn't it? Unfortunately, like so many before it, the final(?) installment of this series does not live up to the hype and expectations you have going into it. I put the ? after final because they say it is the third and last X-Men movie, but you don't really come out feeling as though anything is actually resolved, just that they killed and de-mutant-ed enough people that somehow the natural order is restored...

Apparently Halle Berry refused to do this movie unless Storm had a bigger role, and she does, but it just lowers my already low opinion of her acting abilities. Most of the other big names are fabulous, as usual, but that is not due to the script or directing, but simply because they are skilled actors who had already established and then portrayed their characters' internal and external battles. Because I don't think the X-Men movies are really about the big battle between 'good and evil' but more about the battle within each person as to how they should react - something this movie does portray well, I think. This one didn't manage the balance of the two though - there almost wasn't enough action for an action film, if you get my drift - they tried to go all deep and meaningful, but didn't manage to get too deep.

Beauty Shop (2005)

I've always thought pretty highly of Queen Latifah, even though I don't know a lot about her. I love that she's a plus-size (I HATE that term, but can't think of a better one right now) woman who plays leading roles in films and is considered a beauty in her own right. Anyway, this movie was on and we didn't have anything else to do, so I watched it. It was pretty good. True, it was very formulaic and predictable, but it was a nice entertainment for a couple of hours.

Sin City (2005)

This film is confusing and crazy, but its really great too. Its based on a graphic novel (or comic book for grown-ups) and is filmed like one. Filmed primarily in black and white, with the splash of relevant colour to emphasise certain aspects, its very arty-looking. But it also has a cool, twisted plot - one of those ones where everything doesn't really seem to fit together til right near the end. They can be frustrating, but I really like them too, because it makes you think and question what you are watching, as opposed to your average rom-com when you know what will happen before the opening scene is finished.

Domino (2005)

One of our new DVDs, Kiera Knightley stars in this based-on-a-true-story film about Domino Harvey, a privileged English girl who moves too America and becomes a bounty hunter. The story centres around them (Domino and her bounty hunting pals) getting caught up in a plot involving gangsters, casino money and two former cast members of Beverly Hills 90210. It was pretty good, and interesting enough that it inspired us to go looking for more info about the real Domino.

Holes (2003)

When I was doing my second Teaching Prac, we were given desk space to use in the same room as the English Book Store. So, of course, in our spare periods when we had nothing better to do, we read. I would never have read Holes if there hadn't been a class set of copies with attractive covers right behind where I sat. But I thought it was great when I read it and immediately thought it would make an awesome film. Turns out, someone else who read it thought the same thing. I've been wanting to see it for ages, especially since I heard that the novel's author also wrote the screenplay, but haven't been able to get my hands on it - until yesterday when I found it cheap in Woolworths (different to the Woolworths back home, but thats a different post altogether).

The film-makers who work on Harry Potter could learn SO many lessons from the people who made Holes. It is as true to the book as you want it to be and really captures everything that makes the book so great. True, I'm not as attached to this story as I am to HP (and I've only read it once - 2 years ago), so I guess I'm not going to be as critical if they change things, but the fact is, they just didn't change enough to affect the telling of the story. One big reason for this is the use of the author as screenwriter, I guess, but also that the film-makers' vision just seemed more about telling the story and less about lining the pockets of WB.

The story is about a kid who gets accused of stealing some shoes and is sent to a detention camp where they have to dig a 5ft hole every day. I guess its aimed at like young teenagers, but is enjoyable by all ages. Its not going to make your brain hurt with its superior intelligence, or anything, but it is a well-told story with the right mix of humour, action and historical background stories intertwining. So yeah, read Holes, or watch the film, or both - they're all good.


I wonder what that collection of films says about me?

Read More......

Amazing Grace (2006, i think)

We went to a film preview tonight. And I don't mean a "the movie's not officially released until tomorrow but we got permission to show it today" type preview.

When we went to see MI3 last week, a guy approached us and asked if we'd like to see a free movie that hadn't been released yet. After confirming a few things with us (in the right age bracket, seen one or more of a list of similarish films, interested from the blurb, etc) he gave us a bit of paper with a number to call and confirm we would come. I rang the number, the guy asked for our genders and ages and gave me a confirmation number. We were told to be there by 6.30 and I'm glad we arrived at about 6.20 because we were close-ish to the front of the queue and got to pick decent seats in the PACKED cinema.

The film was called Amazing Grace and was great. There were no proper titles or credits and they warned us it might be a bit rough around the edges, but it really didn't affect our enjoyment at all. It is the story of William Wilberforce, the English MP who led the charge in the abolishment of the slave trade. It centres around parliament and all the stuff they have to go through to get the bill passed by a bunch of old jerks, I mean Lords, who have financial interests in the slave trade.

I just went and read some stuff from other people who've seen previews and they complained that it didn't show enough about the actual slaves and what they experienced, but I totally disagree. True, they showed very little of actual 'slaves', but they manage to powerfully convey the horrible conditions and circumstances the slaves were put through. And I liked that, even though the final outcome is somewhat obvious, you don't feel as though they're just heading for the prewritten conclusion and trying to give you a history lesson.

The acting was great - some very famous names in the cast list (including Dumbledore and Horatio Hornblower, I mean, Michael Gambon and Ioan Gruffudd) - and the settings and cinematography beautiful. So when it finally comes out, I recommend seeing it. Oh, and the title obviously comes from the song by John Newton, who features as a character almost as much as his song does.

Read More......

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

So, over the last week, we have managed to see both MI1 and MI2 on tv. This, of course, was the perfect excuse to go and see the third movie, especially for Graeme. I must say, even though Tom Cruise totally creeps me out, it was a good movie. Probably the best of the three.
The first one was all about the double cross and the points throughout the movie when you just go "huh? what just happened?". Also, as of last weekend when we watched it, it is VERY dated. The second movie, in typical John Woo style, is all about the big explosions and action. This third installment is a nice balance of the two. I refuse to credit this to Tom Cruise - I personally give all credit to JJ Abrams who took over when the project was failing and turned it into something.
I was going to give a brief breakdown of the plot, but can't be bothered - afterall, thats what imdb is for. I thought Philip Seymour Hoffman was great as the emotionless, scary bad guy and liked the new mission team. If only it wasn't Tom Cruise...

Read More......

Ella Enchanted (2004)

We have pay tv, including the Movies pack. We had pay tv back home too, but we didn't have the movies because they weren't worth the extra money. By the time G got the super-sports package, movies hardly cost anything more, so we got them. And we got sky+ which means you can record things to watch later - soon our harddrive will be full of movies I want to see...

Ella Enchanted is one of those modern classic fairytales. It is set in a fairly classical magical world of fairies, ogres, castles and giants, but then they have put modern twists (I loved the wooden stairs that moved like an escalator). It was predictable in the way that fairytales and young romantic comedies are, but I quite enjoyed it.

Read More......

Ice Age 2 (2006)

We saw Ice Age 2 last night. Our first trip to the movies in a long time. Definitely the first time we've been since we've been in London.
Anyway, I loved Ice Age and the sequel was just as good. I'm not going to say better, because I haven't seen the first one in a while, so its hard to compare. I will say that it is hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny for big chunks of the time. You already know the characters and their little "herd's" dynamics, so it just jumps right in with the story. Basically, the Ice Age is ending and they have to get out of the valley before it floods.
I don't really want to divulge anymore of the plot, so its hard to write too much more about it. Just go see it (but see the first one first).

Read More......

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

I have decided I need to write in this blog more. Since I love critiquing things, I figured I should start reviewing stuff - films, books, concerts, anything I see/hear/observe and have an opinion about (which is most things). I have been thinking about doing this for awhile and decided I should start, now that the first review will be Harry Potter, so here we go...

Much better the second time
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

I knew I'd be disappointed… In case you don't already know, I am a bit obsessive about Harry Potter (I can hear my family and friends laughing at the "a bit" description - they would probably use the term VERY). I have read all 6 books several times and love to draw associations between HP and the 'real' world. Anyway, I digress…

So we did something that I try not to do and watched it first at home on a very dodgy copy we acquired. This was possibly the best thing I did in preparing myself to watch the film in the cinema. I was able to comment aloud on the things they did wrong or totally misinterpreted and come to terms with the things they had changed, with another HP fan beside me to agree and discuss (yes, over the top of the film - I realised how much so when I re-watched and noticed things I had completely missed). I am not going to go into depth about the things that annoyed me, but here are the standouts:

• The whole Death Eater/Voldemort/Barty Crouch Jnr thing was handled pretty badly… They twisted and contorted it so much that even I was confused at times, even though I knew what should be happening. Voldemort wasn't scary - more hyperactive. The Death Eaters weren't really scary either - they just looked like a try-hard mob marching through the campsite - it was the people going crazy that gave the scene its energy.


• Hermione made me a bit sad, and not intentionally. She was a bit too girly-emotional, especially in the Yule Ball scenes. She's supposed to get MAD at Ron, not have a cry over him (although I do reckon this happens when she's alone, but that could just be me).


• The Triwizard tasks - one of the few things they really focussed on - were changed unnecessarily. Why did we need a five minute dragon chase when it could have been just as effective the way it was written. And the scary maze eating the contestants thing was just odd. I am willing to forgive the timing/waiting part of the second task when Harry is under the water with the captives, because they needed to move along with the plot and the rest of that task was done so well.


• Speaking of which, I get overly frustrated when they leave out parts (which I totally understand is necessary) but then, they replace them with scenes that have no basis in the actual storyline. Although I have to admit, it wasn't as bad this time as that stupid bird, the ghosts and the willow in PoA. Plus, I actually really enjoyed some of them the second time around as character examples. Which leads me to the second viewing...
  

I saw it again last night, in the cinema, on the big screen and I loved it. Most of the things that had annoyed me the first time around didn't really matter (I still cringed at the Barty Crouch plot "interpretation" though) and I enjoyed the film more as a slightly twisted adventure with some much loved characters. Sure, many of the scenes and plot lines were skewed, if not completely invented anew, but I really have a place in my heart for most of these characters and it was wonderful to just get more of a glimpse of them.

I loved that Fred and George finally totally stepped up as the comical relief in the movies - a role they have played in the novels since the first trip to Hogwarts. The dancing lesson with McGonagall, while one of those added scenes that usually annoy me no end, was great. The expressions on their faces when told they had to dance, Ron's embarrassment at being singled out, Fred and George interacting with Harry as friends and laughing at Ron's expense, Neville being willing to dance when the rest of the boys pretended they weren't there - it was beautiful.

I thought Neville was fantastically introduced as a more major character to lead into the following movies. I always pictured Neville shorter and fatter but it didn't matter at all. I loved that he found confidence in dancing, not because it was true to the novel, but because he does grow in confidence and stature throughout the series and this was a wonderful way of showing it. I didn't miss the house elves at all really - Dobby always kind of annoyed me, especially in the second film, and I liked that Neville got to help Harry (is it obvious I like Neville?). I laughed so hard when he said "Oh NO! I've killed Harry Potter"

Rupert Grint is playing Ron almost exactly as I see him. The rolling over in bed when Hermione tries to wake him, the hurt 'anger' at Harry. Is it just me or is he the one who's developed the most as an actor? (Or perhaps I am just seeing it that way because he is playing his character the most in-line with my imagination)

Hagrid's romance with Madam Maxime was suitably sweet and strange, although I missed the Giant revelation. I enjoyed the scene of them walking through the forest, just Hagrid and the trio, talking about what a bunch of misfits they were, because I can really see that conversation taking place between the pages of the book.

I have just realised how hard it is to write an objective review of this film, since I am so emotionally involved… I did think the dragons were done really well, in fact the special effects in general were suitably magical and spectacular. The music wasn't up to the standard of John Williams, but at least they kept Hedwig's Theme in part. The film was scarier and darker than the previous films, which is the nature of the story. I appreciated the similar increase in emotion, that made the lighter scenes even better and contrasted nicely with the darker scenes, making them seem comparatively darker.

The tear factor:
(I cry at almost EVERY movie I see, happy tears and sad ones - I get too emotionally involved and have been known to bawl most the way through a film, so I figured I'll let you know when and if that happens)

The first time through, I started blurring up at exactly the point when Lily Potter spoke to Harry - I think it hit that he didn't have his parents or something, I don't know, but I just felt so bad for him at that point, and then he takes Cedric back and can't get over what happens... but then the plotline diverged again and I stopped. There was a tear or two during Dumbledore's final speech.

The second time I saw it… well, I feel like I cried on and off through the whole thing. The first time they see Cedric, when he helps Harry up after the Portkey, when Mr Diggory hugs his son outside the maze, when Harry tells Cedric to get back to the cup but you know its not going to happen, when Harry talks to the shadows during Priori Incantatem, when they get back and everyone works out what's going on, during Dumbledore's speech. OK, so maybe it was basically all Cedric related. I remember the first time I read HP4, it didn't hit me really, but when I read it the second time and had developed more interest in the character it hit me hard. Now, I reckon I started swelling up in anticipation, maybe that was the problem……

WOW - that was long, and I didn't even say everything I was thinking. I'm sure in the future my posts won't be so crazy long-winded, well at least not until the next HP instalment comes out...

Read More......