Title: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009)
Starring: Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Felton
Directed by: David Yates
Written by: J. K. Rowling
Screen Play: Steve Clove
Music: Nicholos Hooper
Director of Photography: Bruno Delbonnel
Score 6 out of 10.
Summary: Director David Yates: "oops..we are 3 minutes beyond our limit of two and a half hours...stop it and roll the credits. We will continue in the next installment".
Plot (I wont spoil it): Harry Potter and his mentors takes on the challenge of battling evil for the 6th time.
I was a bit of an anti-Potter since the first installment came some 7 year ago. I felt it got famous beyond what it deserved. I had felt that J.K Rowling was running away with so much fame just for creating a character which got propelled by good marketing and a crowd that jumped on the bandwagon. Not withstanding my contempt, the movie franchise is turning out to be a money machine. Now the latest installment -the 6th one - is alleged to have made more money than the reigning champion 'Batman The Dark Knight' for an opening day.
But I had became a convert when I watched the 4th in the series (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). I must admit I was also influenced when when 'The Hindu' newspaper known for its balance and restraint wrote an editorial extolling the virtues of this franchise and praising it for giving children a magical story rich with imagination. Having watched most of the movie on DVD, me and my wife thought that this was a good movie to be watched on the big screen and we drove ourselves with the kid last Friday night for a 9.30 show at the AMC in Valco Mall, Cupertino. The bright neon sign on Wolfe road bearing the AMC name brings an atmosphere of yesteryear Hollywood... but I digress.
Although the dark atmosphere of Hogwarts, the flame lit halls of the temple of education majoring in magic and some of more-sinister-looking-than-the-bad-guy Professors can be interesting, it gets tiring after more than a few repeat productions. In fact I got so bored in this movie that when the movie ended abruptly, I found myself feeling relieved that the heavy stuff came to an end.
Having gone in thinking I will watch a magical fun film which gives shape to the imagination of children (of all ages) I kept waiting for it. Most of the story was about dark concepts in life like evil and death and people in the University of Magic seemed immensely serious about looking gloomy and sinister themselves.
In fairness the movie does have excellent visuals, settings and special effects. The locales are beautiful. But they all seem to aid this quest for exploring darkness. The usual suspects in the Potter franchise are here too - complete with their "it-may-look-clumsy but this is the costume I wear always".
The plot involves a character called The half blood Prince. The protagonist Harry Potter seems to be a passenger in a journey along with the bearded sage Prof. Dumbledore and others on the good side who are battling the dark side led by a character called Draco (played well by Tom Felton) with his own band of evil guys. Potter (Radcliffe) still remains a kid and does give a dignified performance. I was impressed by Prof. Slughorn played by Jim Broadbent - a performance which is brilliantly idiosyncratic.
In spite of its great box records I feel Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince falls way short of deserving the attention and accolades it is getting. The biggest letdown was the ending. It leaves you feeling that the director suddenly realized "oops..we are 3 minuted beyond our limit of two and a half hours...stop it and roll the credits. We will continue in the next installment".
I rate it as 6 out of 10
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Review: The Duchess (2008)
Title: The Duchess (2008)
Starring: Keira Nightly, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Ramping, Dominic Cooper,
Directed by: Saul Dibb
Written by: Jeffrey Hatcher (screenplay) and Anders Thomas Jensen (screenplay) ...
Story: Amanda Foreman (Georgiana The Duchess of Devonshire)
Music: Rachel Portman
Director of photography: Gyula Pados
Score: 7 out of 10
I wanted to watch this movie since it was being talked about during the awards season. It won the Best Achievement in Costume Design for Michael O'Connor.
This is a movie about Georgiana who is the daughter of royal family. She is a young and peppy girl. She is playful and we see her having clean fun with other young women and some young men. Such a girl gets sucked into a reluctant wedding. She gets engaged to Duke of Devonshire who is a a middle aged man but more importantly a man with a constipated sense of self and not a bit fun. When G's mom tells her "I heard a rumor that I will be addressing you as Her Grace the Duchess of Devonshire" her response is "But does he love me". This statement basically tells that G would at least be happy with a loving husband. But as the story progresses we get to see more and more of the Duke's serious nature. Over the years they become parents to 2 daughters. G is such a noble soul that she takes in an orphan daughter fathered by the Duke with a maid.
But the Duke gets more and more upset that they are not having a Son. This turns into anger against G and eventually another woman steps in with her 3 sons and starts living with the Duke. I will not tell more of the plot.
The movie itself is very well conceived. Acting by Keira Nightly and Ralph Fiennes is a treat to watch. I enjoyed Ralph Fiennes acting for his very studied performance in portraying the complicated character of the Duke of Devonshire. The Duke seems to have a mix of traits like a sense of self which is undeserving except for the fact that he was born into royalty. He also hides a sense of shame for not being able to Sire a son. And at certain times he even tries to be apologetic of his rude behavior. Mr. Fiennes handles all this with aplomb. Ms Nightly should be credited for a good performance. The movie is engaging and is a good display of acting and period setting. The music and photography add to enhance the effect of the movie.
The movie looks closely into the life of Duchess Georgiana who was one of the earliest female politicians who used her charms to move the people. It is interesting to see that England had a parliament and opposition leaders and elections as far back as late 1700s.
I give this movie a 7 out of 10
Starring: Keira Nightly, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Ramping, Dominic Cooper,
Directed by: Saul Dibb
Written by: Jeffrey Hatcher (screenplay) and Anders Thomas Jensen (screenplay) ...
Story: Amanda Foreman (Georgiana The Duchess of Devonshire)
Music: Rachel Portman
Director of photography: Gyula Pados
Score: 7 out of 10
I wanted to watch this movie since it was being talked about during the awards season. It won the Best Achievement in Costume Design for Michael O'Connor.
This is a movie about Georgiana who is the daughter of royal family. She is a young and peppy girl. She is playful and we see her having clean fun with other young women and some young men. Such a girl gets sucked into a reluctant wedding. She gets engaged to Duke of Devonshire who is a a middle aged man but more importantly a man with a constipated sense of self and not a bit fun. When G's mom tells her "I heard a rumor that I will be addressing you as Her Grace the Duchess of Devonshire" her response is "But does he love me". This statement basically tells that G would at least be happy with a loving husband. But as the story progresses we get to see more and more of the Duke's serious nature. Over the years they become parents to 2 daughters. G is such a noble soul that she takes in an orphan daughter fathered by the Duke with a maid.
But the Duke gets more and more upset that they are not having a Son. This turns into anger against G and eventually another woman steps in with her 3 sons and starts living with the Duke. I will not tell more of the plot.
The movie itself is very well conceived. Acting by Keira Nightly and Ralph Fiennes is a treat to watch. I enjoyed Ralph Fiennes acting for his very studied performance in portraying the complicated character of the Duke of Devonshire. The Duke seems to have a mix of traits like a sense of self which is undeserving except for the fact that he was born into royalty. He also hides a sense of shame for not being able to Sire a son. And at certain times he even tries to be apologetic of his rude behavior. Mr. Fiennes handles all this with aplomb. Ms Nightly should be credited for a good performance. The movie is engaging and is a good display of acting and period setting. The music and photography add to enhance the effect of the movie.
The movie looks closely into the life of Duchess Georgiana who was one of the earliest female politicians who used her charms to move the people. It is interesting to see that England had a parliament and opposition leaders and elections as far back as late 1700s.
I give this movie a 7 out of 10
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Review: Shiver
Title: Shiver (Original Spanish Title Escalofrio)
Starring: Junio Valverde,Blanca Suarez
Director: lsidro Ortiz
Written by: Jose Gamo
Music: Fernando Velasquez
Director of Photography: Josef M Civit
Score: 7.5/10
In recent days I had been watching the Oscar circuit movies. So a good scary thriller was what I needed. Netflix had this Spanish movie Shiver for instant watching. It was really Worthy watching.
The story involves a teenage boy Santi have a nightmare in which, as he comes to Sunlight he gets burnt. The boy has a medical condition called Photo-phobia which makes him extremely sensitive to sunlight. So the doctor advises his mom to move to nearby country side which is thickly vegetated and surrounding by towering mountains. Santi and his mom move to the country side.
They rent a house and as the story progresses we get introduced to various segments of country life. Even though it is sparsely populated there is school, cell phone works and there are also quaint village grocery store locate on cobbled streets. But all these beautiful environment starts revealing a scary underbelly. It starts with a Sheep being killed. It is not just a horrible killing. Somebody has sucked blood out of the animal. Then as the story progresses we encounter a few more gory murders and blood being sucked out of the bodies. This times it is a boy who is the victim. In addition to all there is weird noises and strange happenings in Santi's house. The story proceeds relentlessly revealing little by little. What makes the movie a thrill to watch is the thick jungle setting where the murders happen.
I will not reveal any more here. One should watch the movie for the thrill as well as for the abundantly interesting Spanish country side. I never felt that people were acting. It looked like we were having a front seat view of crime in a village,
The director combines many movie making and story telling techniques. It is a mind bending experience. Two people who watch the movie can have different understanding of what happened. As is usual with murder mysteries there are situations which lead the viewer in the wrong direction but the director maturely handles it so that it does not become just a trick. There is a real reason why the viewer got distracted.
SPOILER FOLLOWS - STOP READING NOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW A KEY REVELATION.
This movie reminded me of Spyder by David Cronenberg starring Ralph Feinnes. What we see may not be the truth at all. The director can employ tricks to mislead the viewer while still being truthful. Since I had watched Spyder I was somehow able to guess the secret. But its possible there is a different interpretations.
I was entertained by this movie.
I give it 7.5 out of 10
Starring: Junio Valverde,Blanca Suarez
Director: lsidro Ortiz
Written by: Jose Gamo
Music: Fernando Velasquez
Director of Photography: Josef M Civit
Score: 7.5/10
In recent days I had been watching the Oscar circuit movies. So a good scary thriller was what I needed. Netflix had this Spanish movie Shiver for instant watching. It was really Worthy watching.
The story involves a teenage boy Santi have a nightmare in which, as he comes to Sunlight he gets burnt. The boy has a medical condition called Photo-phobia which makes him extremely sensitive to sunlight. So the doctor advises his mom to move to nearby country side which is thickly vegetated and surrounding by towering mountains. Santi and his mom move to the country side.
They rent a house and as the story progresses we get introduced to various segments of country life. Even though it is sparsely populated there is school, cell phone works and there are also quaint village grocery store locate on cobbled streets. But all these beautiful environment starts revealing a scary underbelly. It starts with a Sheep being killed. It is not just a horrible killing. Somebody has sucked blood out of the animal. Then as the story progresses we encounter a few more gory murders and blood being sucked out of the bodies. This times it is a boy who is the victim. In addition to all there is weird noises and strange happenings in Santi's house. The story proceeds relentlessly revealing little by little. What makes the movie a thrill to watch is the thick jungle setting where the murders happen.
I will not reveal any more here. One should watch the movie for the thrill as well as for the abundantly interesting Spanish country side. I never felt that people were acting. It looked like we were having a front seat view of crime in a village,
The director combines many movie making and story telling techniques. It is a mind bending experience. Two people who watch the movie can have different understanding of what happened. As is usual with murder mysteries there are situations which lead the viewer in the wrong direction but the director maturely handles it so that it does not become just a trick. There is a real reason why the viewer got distracted.
SPOILER FOLLOWS - STOP READING NOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW A KEY REVELATION.
This movie reminded me of Spyder by David Cronenberg starring Ralph Feinnes. What we see may not be the truth at all. The director can employ tricks to mislead the viewer while still being truthful. Since I had watched Spyder I was somehow able to guess the secret. But its possible there is a different interpretations.
I was entertained by this movie.
I give it 7.5 out of 10
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Review: The Wrestler
Review: The WrestlerSunday, July 5, 2009 10:42 PM
Title: The Wrestler
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marrissa Tomei, Evan Rachael Wood
Directed by: Darren Arnofsky
Written by: Robert D Seigel
Having totally agreed with the choice of Sean Penn for the best acting award in Milk, I was curious to see Mickey Rourke's performance because he beat Penn to the Golden Globe acting award. The sight of him in the Golden Globe ceremony with chains had left me wondering what kind of a character was the Wrestler if Mickey Rourke did well. In all fairness Mickey has given truly nuanced performance. The story is about a proffesional wrestler Randy The Ram who is feeling lonely inspite of his celebtrity in the WWF circuits. He befriends Cassidy ( Marissa Tomei) who is an exotic dancer. She suggest that he should reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachael Wood). How this turns out is the movie. The story itself does not have much twists or turns. But there are many situations which are emotional. The director aided by Rourke have created some very nice and tender moments. Infact what stands out in the movie is the bonhomie between opposing wrestlers who band togethar like a family outside of the ring. There are some nice scenes invloving the interactions between the wrestlers. Inspite of all their bravado, the WWF wrestlers seem to have a tender heart and have the same ups and downs as the rest of us.
It is a well directed and acted movie. But it does not have a very complicated story to tell. For that reason it is difficult to appreicate the movie beyond "well done".
Score: 6 out of 10
Title: The Wrestler
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marrissa Tomei, Evan Rachael Wood
Directed by: Darren Arnofsky
Written by: Robert D Seigel
Having totally agreed with the choice of Sean Penn for the best acting award in Milk, I was curious to see Mickey Rourke's performance because he beat Penn to the Golden Globe acting award. The sight of him in the Golden Globe ceremony with chains had left me wondering what kind of a character was the Wrestler if Mickey Rourke did well. In all fairness Mickey has given truly nuanced performance. The story is about a proffesional wrestler Randy The Ram who is feeling lonely inspite of his celebtrity in the WWF circuits. He befriends Cassidy ( Marissa Tomei) who is an exotic dancer. She suggest that he should reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachael Wood). How this turns out is the movie. The story itself does not have much twists or turns. But there are many situations which are emotional. The director aided by Rourke have created some very nice and tender moments. Infact what stands out in the movie is the bonhomie between opposing wrestlers who band togethar like a family outside of the ring. There are some nice scenes invloving the interactions between the wrestlers. Inspite of all their bravado, the WWF wrestlers seem to have a tender heart and have the same ups and downs as the rest of us.
It is a well directed and acted movie. But it does not have a very complicated story to tell. For that reason it is difficult to appreicate the movie beyond "well done".
Score: 6 out of 10
Review: Revolutionary Road
Title: Revolutionary Road
Starring: Leonardo De Caprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Original Novel: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.
Screenplay Written by: Justin Haythe
Music: Thomas Newman
Director of Photography: Roger Deakins
Score: 7.3 out of 10
There is a very evocative piece of music which keeps coming up through out the movie. I guess it is like the central characters Frank and April keep getting into their disappointments because they see their life is empty and hopeless. This mind you with a typical American middle class family. The couple have all the material comforts they need. They have a nice house in the suburbia, 2 little children, a handsome husband and a wonderful wife. Beneath this trankuil surface there is emptiness and hopelessness.
The movie high lights the plight of people who have a certain vague dream and they do not celebrate their everyday success because they are waiting for the dream to come true. In the movie, the couple get married with one such dream - which we never come to know clearly in the movie. That is good. In real life too we are prone to be running after something which is very nebulous and abstract and feel very disappointed when that exact expectation does not materialize.
The highlight of the movie is definitely the screen play by Justin Haythe. Based on a 50s novel by Richard Yates by the same name, the film is replete with many complex scenes which explore the nature of the relationship between Frank and April. It is shot in closeup. These scenes reveal about the lead characters in an helps a picture of the character evolve in our minds. Leo and Kate's acting brings out the scenes spectacularly. The general aura of the film brings back the 50s America when the post war prosperity can be seen but the movie paints a picture of homogeneity suggesting that this prosperity is not deep.
The director Sam Mendes and the director of Photography Roger Deakins and the music director Thomas Newman get credit for bringing the audience closer and closer to the world between Frank and April. I think Kate Winslet's performance in this movie is far better than her role in the Reader for which she got the oscars.
I give the movie 7.3 out of 10
Starring: Leonardo De Caprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Original Novel: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.
Screenplay Written by: Justin Haythe
Music: Thomas Newman
Director of Photography: Roger Deakins
Score: 7.3 out of 10
There is a very evocative piece of music which keeps coming up through out the movie. I guess it is like the central characters Frank and April keep getting into their disappointments because they see their life is empty and hopeless. This mind you with a typical American middle class family. The couple have all the material comforts they need. They have a nice house in the suburbia, 2 little children, a handsome husband and a wonderful wife. Beneath this trankuil surface there is emptiness and hopelessness.
The movie high lights the plight of people who have a certain vague dream and they do not celebrate their everyday success because they are waiting for the dream to come true. In the movie, the couple get married with one such dream - which we never come to know clearly in the movie. That is good. In real life too we are prone to be running after something which is very nebulous and abstract and feel very disappointed when that exact expectation does not materialize.
The highlight of the movie is definitely the screen play by Justin Haythe. Based on a 50s novel by Richard Yates by the same name, the film is replete with many complex scenes which explore the nature of the relationship between Frank and April. It is shot in closeup. These scenes reveal about the lead characters in an helps a picture of the character evolve in our minds. Leo and Kate's acting brings out the scenes spectacularly. The general aura of the film brings back the 50s America when the post war prosperity can be seen but the movie paints a picture of homogeneity suggesting that this prosperity is not deep.
The director Sam Mendes and the director of Photography Roger Deakins and the music director Thomas Newman get credit for bringing the audience closer and closer to the world between Frank and April. I think Kate Winslet's performance in this movie is far better than her role in the Reader for which she got the oscars.
I give the movie 7.3 out of 10
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