Change Your Image
annoyingryan
Reviews
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Overly compressed, but still good...
It was a blissful Thursday night when I went to the theatre eagerly anticipating the new Harry Potter movie. Luckily, the theatre was not overly packed, and I sat down with my customary pack of nachos and sprite to watch an interesting, but flawed movie.
Firstly, the negatives. Those who have read the novels will notice inconsistencies and omissions. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is known for its flashbacks intended more to explore Lord Voldemort's past than to resolve some conflict or pursue some hidden truth. In fact, the Harry Potteresque plot involving Draco Malfoy being 'up to something' is not only revealed early on (as opposed to being kept mysterious), it's relegated almost to subplot status. In this movie, numerous flashbacks are omitted. Certain information key to the next movies' plot is left out, but by no means all of it.
Secondly, the ending. The vast majority of the action is omitted. However, I considered this a good thing, as the 'excitement' was slightly convoluted in my opinion; but I feel this is a minority opinion, and thus is included in the negatives. Certain key subcharacters to this 'excitement' are better left to the notoriously dark seventh novel; at least the living embodiment of this 'excitement' managed a cameo appearance.
Thirdly, while the novel certainly has its fair share of romantic interaction, the movie seemed intent on translating every last scrap of it to the big screen. In the novel, the presence of the teenage romance is diluted by the vastness of the novel itself. In a movie where everything else is condensed, this makes the recreations have distinct prominence. There is immense comedic value to be had from the numerous instances of teenage romantic blundering, but the 'feel' of the 5th, 6th and especially 7th are intended to be extremely dark. Numerous instances of romance could've been omitted for the sake of atmosphere.
Now the positives!
Numero uno is Tom Felton, the actor responsible for Draco Malfoy's translation to the big screen. His acting eclipses the feeble attempts of the other child stars, though the three main characters have developed quite a chemistry together. I see an actor who could easily break through his Harry Potter days into mainstream acting.
Secondly is the 'cave scene'. The entrance of certain creatures is masterfully done. The tension is literally tangible. ... Okay, I admit it: I jumped.
Thirdly is the fellow who portrayed Professor Slughorn. The nuances of the character are fleshed out wonderfully by the talented actor.
Fourthly is the 'death' scene. I'm not going to spoil it. Just know that it is very nicely done.
Fifthly is Bellatrix. Could anyone have found a better actress to portray this crazy chick?
On a final note, despite my concerns regarding its content and overly compressed nature, I do feel it was one of the best movie adaptations in the Harry Potter universe. 7/10
Carny (2009)
Flawed, but still pretty good
Out of sheer boredom, I flipped the TV onto yet another Sci-Fi Channel B movie, expecting nothing more than pure dreck. Luckily, I was wrong.
Carny has an interesting--if typical--plot. As the story begins, we're treated to brief glimpses of the creature--a snarling, demonic beast. "Oh no," I cry. "It's another one of THOSE films where the creature is only shown in brief, shaky camera shots to avoid special effects costs." Luckily, I was wrong.
Of course the creature escapes, just like you'd expect in a horror movie, beginning a fairly typical "monster on the loose" scenario--because really, you can't make a movie unless the monster is on the loose. Who'd like a movie where the monster just stayed in its cage and ate mice all day??? Bah! There are three things that set Carny apart from the typical Sci-Fi B movie.
1) The characters. Several characters have a fair amount of depth to them. Not a lot, but really, this is a monster-on-the-loose film. The characters aren't -just- there to be eaten; you get a feeling like they're actual people. Additionally--and not to spoil things--but it's not just the monster who's evil in this story!
2) The monster. Ordinarily, beasties such as this look like crap, or look much too powerful. This one looks menacing without one getting the feeling that it's omnipotent.
3) The dialogue. It's not Shakespeare, but like another commenter wrote, it does avoid many clichés and pitfalls of other B movies. And again, monster-on-the-loose flicks really don't require a lot of deep, existential dialogue.
Give Carny a chance. There are far worse out there. If nothing else, feast thine eyes upon the creature!
Death Sentence (2007)
Love it or hate it
Judging from the reviews, this is one of those "love it or hate it" films. Like Death Wish, Death Sentence is a movie about a traumatised good guy opening a can of pure, unadulterated revenge on the scum of society.
Kevin Bacon--apparently a businessman of some kind--takes on the gang which killed his son in a series of back-and-forth eye-for-an-eye killings culminating in a spectacular firefight involving black market guns and gorgeous muscle cars.
Some characters are left underdeveloped. For instance, the killer could have been more than unidimensional; instead we're treated to a smiling, winking, completely irredeemable bad guy.
Like Death Wish, Death Sentence makes you question what YOU would do if you felt the justice system no longer worked, and such is its appeal. Kevin Bacon delivers a very good performance as a man slowly becoming the very thing he wishes to destroy. The rest of the cast is forgettable; the muscle cars featured in the film had more personality. Not that it's really the fault of the actors. The characters were merely cardboard cutouts: loving wife; brotherly-loving brothers; tough gang members with muscle cars, tats and piercings; generic cop; etc. etc.
Kevin Bacon and his character save the movie, making it a truly memorable addition to the Death Wish vein of films.