What I Watched, What You Watched: Installment #67
Rewatching the last four in the Potter series in preparation for number seven
I'll be seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I on Monday evening so it was crucial I finish watching the remaining four Harry Potter films this week. As it turns out I finished the last two on a lazy Saturday night and I must say, it's not exactly asking much of me considering the two most recent films are probably my favorite of the first six… but more on that in just a second…
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) |
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| QUICK THOUGHTS: If you're a film critic you're supposed to say Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best film of the first six. I don't know exactly why this is the case, but that's the general consensus and you're supposed to fall in line accordingly if film criticism is your chosen profession. For this reason I'm not sure what it says of me when I say this one comes in about third on my list. I'll admit it's a rather good installment and perhaps the most important of the first five films in terms of setting up the story for the rest of the franchise, but I just can't kowtow to the popular critical opinion. On the other hand, the trailer for this one is excellent. I love the way John Williams remixes the Bard's "Macbeth" into his own "Double Trouble." |
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| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) |
| Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) |
So that's all I have for you this week. Any of you check out the new films in theaters?
In preparation for seeing Deathly Hallows on Monday…
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – B
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – A-
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (twice) – A
I love the scott pilrgrim thrown in there haha
And i agree one hundred percent with this post
but i got 3 viewings of scott pilgrim down ;)
I've seen Scott Pilgrim 4 times…I just saw it twice this week.
NICE. I wanna get it on DVD. It's such an entertaining movie, especially of you know all the game references
I'm also trying to make it through the previous Harry Potter movies before the next one comes out.
Sorcerer's Stone: Hadn't seen it in years so I didn't remember much about it. I'd forgotten how young the cast was back then. A
Chamber of Secrets: Just now finished this one. Again, I hadn't seen it in a long time. Not sure what it was, but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first movie. It was still quite good though. A-
Megamind: It was alright. Had a few funny parts and a great cast. But it wasn't nearly as good as other similar animated movies. C
Skylike: Did not like this movie at all. It ripped off of other movie, better movies. And I just couldn't get myself to care about any of the characters in the least. The effects were okay. But, it was proof, yet again, that effects alone can't carry a movie. D
I was away in Hong Kong last week, so managed to catch up on some films inflight:
Grown Ups – I guess this is what you would call a generic Adam Sandler film these days. Pretty poor and I don't think I would have got through the whole thing if i wasn't on a plane. D+
Ip Man: The Legend is Born – I've heard rave reviews about this from quite a few people, so was interested to finally check it out. The first hour or so was pretty solid, last 40 minutes I was less impressed with. Still, it's definately worth checking out just for the fight scenes. B-
The Kids are Alright – Very solid acting from all involved, but I just cannot see myself ever revisiting this one. B
Inception (rewatch) – Finally got to rewatch it for the first time since opening night at the theatre. Although it was on those small plane screens, I was still really impressed with it. A-
Going the Distance – Had no expectations, and it was actually rather decent. Charlie from Always Sunny in Philli stole the show here. B
I have been contemplating whether to watch some HP movies or not before seeing DH1 on Thursday. Brad and I just have to agree to disagree on Yates… Just out of curiosity, why haven't you read the Order of the Phoenix?
I have two Danish films to share this week, both excellently directed by Susanne Bier.
Hævnen (In a Better World) – B+
The story centers around two young boys who have to deal with bullying at school and how they find strength and friendship in others. The film explores feelings of loss, sorrow, anger and helplessness and also revenge is a strong theme which is not surprising since that is the meaning of the original title. The story takes us also to a refuge camp in Africa which is a little strange and kind of "off topic" in a way. Similar themes are in play there as well and many sides of the theme are explored. I liked the performance of Mikael Persbrandt as a father and also one of the boys, William Jøhnk Juels Nielsen did an excellent job. He can be this tough little man and a vulnerable boy all at the same time.
Brødre (Brothers) – B+
I knew the story going in because I had seen the American re-make. This was better though, mainly because of casting. I just can't bring myself to take Tobey Maguire seriously… Also this films seems more realistic somehow and the characters more authentic and believable. I was surprised that the re-make was so very similar to the original and now I wonder why it had to be made at all if there was nothing new to add?
I felt the same way when I watched the original version of Brothers after seeing the American remake. I thought they were both good, but it made me realize how unnecessary the American remake was. I guess it was made for people who want big Hollywood stars and no subtitles to read.
Before I talk about my viewing this week I'm going to throw in my tuppence on the Harry Potter films.
For me, it's not necessarily that one has to 'fall in line' and say that Azkaban is the better film (I actually kinda like film 5 myself) but for me it was the point at which the Harry Potter FILMS transformed from being quite slavish book adaptions directed by a competent but not great director (Chris Columbus) and became proper reconceptions and adaptations that were not tied to the books as strictly and literally as the first two films.
Cuaron also brought in a more genuinely cinematic and actually artistic flair to the film than Columbus had, which changed the environment of Harry Potter (note the film for instance totally redesigns the layout of Hogwarts visually and the location of certain places which stuck for the later films) for the better. The film was a turning point in the films which redirected them from that point onwards. And for the better.
Anyway, tuppence out the way!!
This week there was nothing in theatres for me but on DVD –
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (2001): Rewatch – I'm also going through all the previous films in prep for Deathly Hallows on Saturday. I like this film, and very good at establishing the environs but although it accomplishes that well, there's not a lot else in it. It's chapter 1, the set up. The effects are still not bad though.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002): Rewatch – I like this better than film 1. Thanks to what's essentially a mystery/horror plot the atmosphere is a bit darker, the kids are a bit better, as are the effects and set-pieces. It's still feels a bit too much like a straightforward adaption but it's a leap ahead of film 1. And, Branagh is still a lot of fun as Lockhart.
V for Vendetta (2005): Rewatch – I actually watched this last week for Guy Fawkes Night (Nov. 5) and forgot to list it. A great action films with a boatload of discussion topics and themes and thought running through it. They don't always come to fruition because of the action demands but a films that to me, seems to be ageing not too badly because of the ideas underpinning it.
Zombieland (2009): First Watch – This was a real blast of fun. Zombies aren't always my thing and maybe this wasn't anything 'new' as such, but it felt new and different. Great casting all round, I liked that it actually focused on the characters for most of the film and kept the action right til the very end. Unlike most films, this gave me time to get to care for the characters before they hit the finale. I'm sorry I missed this in theatres now.
WALL-E (2008): First watch (BLU-RAY). The first twenty mins or so are about the most beautiful and charming and moving opening twenty mins I've seen in a film in years. I think the film loses a lot of charm as soon as WALL-E and EVE leave the planet for the spaceship and it settles on a lower (but still good enough) level after that for the duration, but visually it was completely knockout on Blu-Ray.
Ratatouille (2007): First Watch (BLU-RAY). I did not really enjoy this very much. Beautiful animation and colours and nice characterisations but the basic story just didn't engage me at all on this one. Glad I watched it finally, but probably won't ever watch it again.
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2010) (2nd viewing)- With this second viewing, I think I like it more than a do The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Being a little more straight forward and not relying on a big mystery whodunit lets the movie flow a little better. 8/10 (no change)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)- With all the love it seems to get, the movie wasn’t nearly as good as I thought it would be. I didn’t hate it, but I really didn’t like it either. 6/10
The Sting (1973)- Great movie overall. The soundtrack and the title cards really tied the movie together. 8/10
Annie Hall (1977)- Of the Woody Allen movies I’ve seen, I’d say this is one of his better movies, but overall I was really disappointed with it. I found Alvy to be highly annoying from start to finish, but Diane Keaton I was impressed with, although I was expecting a little more out of her performance. 6/10
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2010)- A little disappointing. It’s interesting to watch the rest of the story unfold, but it was much slower than the previous two. I was anticipating the movie to be more about the court case, but instead much of it was leading up to the hearings. Once it got into the second and third act, the movie really picked up and had an interesting conclusion. I think it’s clearly the weakest of the three movies, but still good. 7/10
Cube Zero (2004)- I don’t really know what to make of it. I thought it brought a little more light to the original Cube, which I thought was just okay to begin with. I’ll say it’s probably on par with the original and leave it at that. 6/10
Holy Rollers (2010)- This was a nice little find in the Netflix collection. The story was fascinating to watch unfold and had some great supporting performances, especially from Justin Bartha, who I’d really only seen in The Hangover and National Treasure movies. Only seeing him as a funny man previously, I really thought he gave a fantastic dramatic performance. 8/10
Son of Rambow (2007)- After hearing quite a few people discuss how it was one of the best unseen movies of its year, I got a chance to watch it and, to be honest, I can see why it went unwatched. There was a lot of creativity involved and had some fun points here and there, but overall movie just wasn’t great. The script was wasn’t all that engaging and the kids weren’t anything spectacular. 5/10
The Station Agent (2003)- It was a nice little film. I was looking forward to seeing Peter Dinklage in a leading role and I wasn’t disappointed with his performance. I won’t say I was overly thrilled with the movie, but the acting was fantastic all around. 7/10
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – When it was announced that Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as the lead, I was massively disappointed because he just didn't seem like some one who could play the action hero role. Boy, I was wrong. This is a great film, I enjoyed every minute of it. The story, the acting and the action was very good. The banter between the Princess and Dastaan was very entertaining. Overall, great summer flick, glad it made up for its poor US box office gross by raking in the money overseas. 9/10
When We Were Kings – Watched this after reading Brad's article about the best boxing films. Although it had great moments, I feel it loses its way in the middle, when its announced that the fight will be delayed to the point where the fight starts. But it reinvigorated by admiration for Muhammad Ali. He is without doubt the greatest of all time. 7/10
There Will Be Blood – Watched it for the first time and I was completely blown away by Daniel Day Lewis. What a performance. Paul Dano was great too. The sequence where the oil well blows up is beautifully shot and along with the last scene are for me the highlights of the movie. 8/10
The Social Network – I'm a huge David Fincher and he didn't disappoint. I like the way the film is constructed. The way the back story and the hearings are amalgamated is great. The script for me is a winner. Really liked the dialogues and they felt fresh. The acting was great Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield definitely deserve recognition. But I do think that 127 Hours and The Black swan will be far better and more deserving when Oscar time comes around. But when has the word 'deserve' really decided who wins at the Oscars. Btw I was praising the script but the last line of the movie sucks. 8/10
Last Life in the Universe (4/5): Really enjoyed the ending, but the humorous elements added right before the last scene (specifically the one eyed bumbling gunman) threw me a bit.
Tropical Malady (4.5/5): Incredibly beautiful, this is a film I look forward to watching again soon. I'm not quite sure what's keeping it from perfect 5 status. I think it rambled and idled slightly too much. However, the pacing does contribute to its overall lyrical nature. I'll put it on my Xmas list.
Dead or Alive (3/5): I was not prepared for the ending to this film even though I had heard it was supposedly one of the most shocking and bizarre in movie history.
This movie is a bit of a bore in between all the fabulous action sequences. Miike gets points from me because he has the balls to take this film over the edge at the end. It's definitely a risky move to end a film on such an absurd and out of nowhere finale.
Seven Samurai (5/5): My first time watching. I dont think theres anything I can add that hasn't been said before.
Once upon a time in the west (5/5): a new personal favorite. So many wonderful, stylish sequences. And the music is some of my favorite in any film
That's cool you've been rewatching the "Harry Potter" pictures. I've been doing the same, but on a week-by-week basis. Here's what I've got for the weekend:
"HP6" (rewatch)- It's a good movie, but there are some scenes (any with Harry and Dumbledore) that are markedly better than others (the romantic subplots). I found this film worked best when it concentrated on the impending encounter with Voldemort. Two things I did think were great were Jim Broadbent's performance as Horace Slughorn, and the cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel.
"La Vie en Rose"- A relative of mine had been insisting I watch this for a couple of years now. Well, I finally got to it, and I can at least say that I quite admired Marion Cotillard's performance. The story got muddled for me several times (it's told out of chronological order), but she was consistently good.
I've been building my Blu-ray collection lately and also taking advantage of the Criterion sale happening at Barnes & Noble this month.
Re-watch:
Casino Royale – Terrific movie just as I had remembered it. One of the best Bond movies ever made, and makes Quantum of Solace pale in comparison. The movie also looks and sounds terrific on Blu-ray. 4.5/5
Paths of Glory – One of the best anti-war movies ever made, and possibly my favorite Kubrick film alongside Dr. Strangelove. This is one of the movies I picked up this week at B&N and I've been going through the extra features, which are all very interesting so far. It's also a huge upgrade in overall quality from the standard DVD edition that I previously bought years ago. 5/5
Days of Heaven – One of the most visually beautiful movies ever made. I've watched this movie a few times, but this time around I really noticed how haunting Sam Shepard's performance is. This was the other movie I got at the Criterion sale, and I got through all the special features already. 4.5/5
The Thin Red Line – I've seen this movie so many times now it is getting ridiculous. Possibly my favorite war movie of all time, and one of the most beautiful movies ever made, visually and literally. Each time I watch this movie I find something new about it, and I love when a movie can do that to me. It's coming close to topping The Shawshank Redemption as my favorite movie of all time. Criterion also did a great job with this release, but I got it back in September because I couldn't wait for the B&N sale, haha. 5/5
- Grown Ups (1/4) I think calling it a generic sandler film wouldn't be saying enough. All five of the leads have no clue how to work together and it felt like they were all fighting for the spotlight.
- Macgruber (2/4) This was the film that surprised me the most this week. I assumed it was going to be awful, because it was just going to be an extended version of an snl skit that i already don't find to be that funny. Well, it was an extended version of the skit only it was a lot funnier, and if it made me laugh then i guess i should give the film its props.
- Bringing Out The Dead (3/4) This was the first Scorsese film i've seen that i felt lacked a certain edge to it. It was still a fantastically crafted film, however.
- Toy Story 3 (re-watch) (4/4)
- Grown Ups (1/4) I think calling it a generic sandler film wouldn't be saying enough. All five of the leads have no clue how to work together and it felt like they were all fighting for the spotlight.
- Macgruber (2/4) This was the film that surprised me the most this week. I assumed it was going to be awful, because it was just going to be an extended version of an snl skit that i already don't find to be that funny. Well, it was an extended version of the skit only it was a lot funnier, and if it made me laugh then i guess i should give the film its props.
- Bringing Out The Dead (3/4) This was the first Scorsese film i've seen that i felt lacked a certain edge to it. It was still a fantastically crafted film, however.
- Toy Story 3 (re-watch) (4/4)
I don't know anything about mobile hosting or webpages or whatever the term is, but for the record, my iPhone cuts off the Quick Thoughts and doesn't let me zoom out to see them
Morning Glory-B+
I really enjoyed it. Harrison Ford was fantastic!!!
I'm working my way through the Potter films as well, but just started with Sorcerer's Stone last night as I'm seeing Deathly Hallows on Friday. I can rank them based on my most recent viewings, and while the bottom three are pretty set, the top three tend to change their order for me quite a bit.
Chamber of Secrets: I've only seen this twice (will watch it again tonight), but this is the only one I'd say I legitimately dislike. It just feels long and clunky and Dobby is about as annoying as Jar Jar Binks.
Sorcerer's Stone: This one is slowly growing on me. Yes it feels almost like a stage play because Columbus shows almost no artistic flourish, yes the kids are adorably bad, but I still like it for what it is. I think it wraps up just when it's starting to feel long, but I think it helps that, to me anyway, when Harry gets to Hogwarts it feels like the film is still just starting, when actually about 40 minutes have already gone by.
Prisoner of Azkaban: I think the reason this is the one critics are supposed to prefer is because it's the only one that was made by a respected, artsy director. Cuaron gets all the credit for turning the franchise "darker," but really the source material is turning darker anyway. I think what he did, which was mentioned in a previous comment, is that he made a film that stands on its own, as opposed to the lazy literal adaptations Columbus did. I actually think Cuaron maybe went a bit too far as this is certainly the most stylized one of the bunch, and definitely has a unique tone compared to all the others. But I still don't find the story here hugely compelling, which might be why I put it below the most recent three.
As I said, the order of the next three tend to chance quite a bit for me.
Half-Blood Prince: For a while I had this one at the top, and while strictly speaking it may be the best in terms of overall quality (I certainly think it's the best written), to me it just doesn't have the entertainment factor of Goblet or Phoenix. This essentially amounts to a 2.5 hour character drama, with some bits of action here and there. That's quite a ballsy move on the part of Yates and Kloves, as I think they definitely could have trimmed some stuff here and there. But again, by Thursday this might be back at the top for me.
Order of the Phoenix: I really have nothing bad to say about this one, and again from a quality standpoint it's probably a bit better than Goblet, but I enjoy Goblet just a bit more. Interestingly, this is the one I saw in theatres the most…four times. Yes, I'm one of those who goes for several theatrical viewings of films I really like.
Goblet of Fire: I just love this movie. I love the characters, the action, the score (this has my favorite score of the bunch, though Phoenix and Azkaban are close), just the whole spectacle. This is 157 minutes long, but I swear it feels like less than two hours. Part of what movies are supposed to do is entertain, and this strikes the perfect balance of entertainment and artistry for me. It probably goes without saying at this point that I think this is the most rewatchable of the bunch. And I'll discuss this more when I do box office predictions for Deathly Hallows, but I think this is the one that really brought the franchise to the mainstream to stay, after Chamber and Azkaban were a bit down financially compared to the first film.
Last couple of weeks:
Jackass 3D – 4/5 – Pure (juvenile) entertainment
Red – 3.5/5
Due Date – 3/5
The Kids Are Alright – 3/5
Carlos – 3/5
I'll give my two cents on the potter films too :)
The Sorcerer's Stone- B+
The Chamber of Secrets- B
The Prisoner of Azkhaban- C
The Goblet of Fire- A-
The Order of the Phoenix- B
The Half-Blood Prince- A-
And I'll throw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in there for good measure since most people didn't see it:
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World- A
Unstoppable- In this world of remakes, sequels, and reboots, it's hard to find a film with a ounce of originality. Tony Scott's new film provides that, and then some. This is a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish. Like the train it centers around, it doesn't slow down. The title may refer to the Unstoppable thrills it provides! 10/10
Unstoppable: A; Here is a film that was way too much fun. It gets you early on and doesn't let go. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and the performances were great too. Chris Pine is really showing the true chops of an actor coming into his own. Denzel Washington has never turned in a bad performance and this is no exception. I definitely recommend this to everyone.
Layer Cake: A; This is a great British gangster film. Daniel Craig is in pre-Bond mode here and it works. Not saying that he is a bad James Bond, quite the contrary, he is the best since Sean Connery. But it is refreshing to see him out of the tux and into a shirt and tie doing a little bad to get some cash. It is a definite work of art this film. It is definitely worth the time to sit down and watch it.
Sherlock Holmes: D; I genuinely hated this film. The only saving grace for me here was Rachel McAdams. Downey Jr. plays the same part over and over. I just feel like Tony Stark is in 1800s London. It is too stylized for me as well. The slow mo is cool once or twice but every fight scene or scene of action? Come on. Enough is enough.
Morning Glory: B; Speaking of Rachel McAdams. This was a film that wasn't great but it was a far cry from being bad. It is a good film that, in my opinion, would be worth a rental. It isn't worth seeing in the theaters because you don't expect much out of it, and it isn't the type of laugh out loud funny that you would want out of a theater experience. However, the performances are astonishing especially Harrison Ford. He was funny and had some of the best lines in the film. McAdams, like I said, is a saving grace for the film and is so perfect in that role that if anyone else touched it, it would not be half as good as it is.