The Lego Movie

I had been looking forward to seeing this movie since catching the preview some time back in December.  It looked like it would be a lot of fun and Friday I found out if it lived up to its promising trailer.

The Lego Movie features a broad and somewhat bizarre cast of characters. At first I thought it was just so that Lego would be able to sell more movie related merchandise but there is another reason which becomes clear by the end of the film. I'll just leave that there and let you find out for yourself.  One of my favourite characters was Batman.  He is voiced by Will Arnett (Arrested Development) who has the natural Batman voice Christian Bale could only dream of.  Several other famous names provide voices and they are all very well done.

Pretty much everything in this movie is made of Lego. Not just the characters and buildings but the ocean water, the fire, the smoke and so many other things you'd think would be impossible to "build" with Lego.  I heard someone complain that the graphics weren't up to par because everything looked blocky and the characters didn't move like real people. (I could sure use a face palm smiley right about here!) The graphics were impressive. The speed and fluidity with which the Lego were rearranged to build the visuals is something I'm pretty sure hasn't been done before. At least not in this particular way. It was even hard for my eyes to keep up sometimes.

The story is good but contains many standard roles.  There's the underdog hero, the flashy sidekick, the girl wondering which guy to go with, the wise old man and of course a villain who is all business. It's a good story which does have enough original elements to keep it fresh but it's not a plot you'll be thinking about the next day or even by the time you get back to your car.  This is one time where I'd say the movie is not greater than the sum of its parts.  Its parts, which are many, come fast and furious.  It's full of funny and is a boisterous pleasure to watch.  There were so many kids in my theater it was hard to hear the movie sometimes because of their laughter.

So is The Lego Movie just a bunch of childish humor?  True it's not very deep but considering the target audience I guess we shouldn't be expecting Tolkien. Although funny enough we do get Gandalf.  There is also something to warm the cockles of your heart in the end though. So if you haven't already, I'd say go see it for sure.  Just be warned, if you show it to your kids, be prepared to shell out for some of the many movie related Lego sets that are surely sailing across the Atlantic as we speak.  8/10 for me.

breaking dawn part 2

 

It was a Monday night and the place wasn't crowded by any means but still... As I walked up to the ticket counter the girl behind it asked me which movie I wanted to see.  I quickly glanced both ways, leaned in just a little, raised my right hand to the left side of my mouth and whispered behind it "twilight".  She laughed and told me I didn't need to be ashamed so either she was endorsing the movie or the fact that I was seeing it without an accompanying female. I'm pretty sure it was the latter.

 

It seemed that there were an awful lot of chick-flick movies in the previews and I suddenly recalled my very recent conversation with the ticket counter girl and exactly which movie I was about to see and thought "oh, right, duh!"  A couple came in carrying a baby car seat which was completely covered in a blanket and I wondered if they were hauling their newly bought stuff (mall theater) or actually had one of those really miniature babies that doesn't actually require oxygen to continue living.  Right about the first time Jcub took his shirt off we ALL found out they hadn't been shopping so you know the kid didn't last long.  At least mom will be able to tell her friends she went to see the last twilight movie in the theater. Even though it will probably take her three or four more attempts with the DVD six months down the road to actually finish the whole thing.

 

The movie began as usual with some grand scenery shots of the now familiar Pacific Northwest and music which definitely seemed old school twilight to me. After trying various other kinds of musical scores in the flyover films it was a refreshing return to the original musical feel of the first film which I've always thought is the most twilighty.

 

Vampire Bella is distractingly pretty and I'm not just imagining this.  bd2 contains flashback scenes which show her progression through the five films and she is definitely not the same girl she was when Edward saved her from the blue van of death.  Edward looks pretty much the same I think but I'm pretty sure his hair has gotten progressively shorter every movie.

 

It's been four years since I read the book and I've forgotten most of it I'm sure.  breaking dawn 2 is all about vampires and werewolves.  Most of the ordinary human types are absent from this story or reduced to minimal cameo appearances. Charlie does get his cringe inducing need to know explanation but he at least gets to see and hug Bella which was nice I guess. 

 

It is obvious that each twilight film has had more money to spend than the one before and bd2 is no exception.  It is the richest movie of all of them in look and scale. While the money has enabled progressively grander productions the intimacy and cozy feeling of the first movie has had a corresponding decrease I think. It also seemed to me that they are no longer trying to appeal to any wider of an audience than they already hold.  No more explanations of the twilight world. It's assumed that you're there because you want to be or at least that it's not the first twilight movie that you've been dragged to.

 

Baby Renesmee is obviously a CGI baby but thankfully they used a real human for the young girl version. Several other new vampires debut in this movie and it was hard to keep track of them all but I was pleasantly surprised to see Ned the pie maker from Pushing Daisies (Lee Pace) show up.

 

Back to the beginning if I may.  Bella is on screen for several seconds or maybe even a couple of minutes before she says anything. The very first words she speaks are "I love you". (to Edward not Jcub. Isn't it just tragic that I need to actually clarify this?)  By the end of the movie I think I finally believe her.  I don't recall even one time where Bella jumps into Jcub's arms in this movie.  This is mostly due to Jcub imprinting on her baby of course.  In fact probably the funniest scene in the movie is where Edward and the others stand by while Bella lays a beating on Jcub when she finds out. Edwards comments are great during this.

 

breaking dawn 2 is a big production with a relatively small story, or maybe I should say concentrated story.  Like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 it is mostly the build up to and excecution of the final confrontation. While I found DH2 a bit anti-climactic and a let down breaking dawn 2 delivers a bigger ending than is even contained in the book.  It is well done and generously satisfying.  One thing I did remember from the book was Bella letting Edward into her mind at the very end. This scene was also the last scene in the movie and was very well done.  In the end it was just Bella and Edward, each knowing that the other loved them above all else, forever.  Really though, what else is there?

 

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The end credits are some of my favorites ever.  All of the significant characters from all the movies are included and the whole thing is surprisingly nostalgia inducing.  They bring the whole story together and are the perfect end to the five movies.



The Avengers

The Avengers had the biggest opening weekend of any movie EVER, by a huge margin.  Is it the best movie ever? Not even close, but it is a lot of fun and way above average as far as superhero movies go.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's fun for the whole family though.  I saw quite a few very small children being dragged into the theater because, well, even though movie tickets are expensive they are still much cheaper than a baby sitter these days right?  Anyway, not too far into the movie there was some particularly vigorous fighting going on.  I honestly can't quite remember just exactly who was trying to kill who but some kid whose mother no doubt still tells his/her age in months starts crying like, well, a baby.  He/She was apparently yet unable to realize that the great big mean people just over there were just nice rich actors here to entertain us all and that they weren't even going to be coming after him/her next.

The Earth is about to be attacked by aliens (your basic ugly, kinda funny lookin' but not too slimy which is always a plus and overall close to humanoid in shape, kind of the space version of the baddies from LOTR.)  The aliens need a glowing cube called a tesseract to open a portal/shortcut to access Earth. The main villain Loki (Thor's adopted brother) arrives ahead of the main party to facilitate all of that. As far as villains go I quite liked Loki and thought Tom Hiddelston who played him did a great job.  What made him great was the way that he delivered lines like this: (speaking to Black Widow) "I won't barter Barton! Not until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!" Yeah, he was awesome, no wait, I mean bad... bad bad bad.......awesome!

The boss of the good guys, the guy who gathers all the Avengers together wears an eye patch, so you know he is a bit of a maverick himself and will surely at one crucial point disobey a direct order via skype because he knows better than all the suits in the war room.

And finally, The Avengers themselves are gathered from near and far during the first half of the movie.  We learn enough about each of them and their stories that even those of us who haven't seen all of the superhero movies over the last few decades become well enough acquainted with them to gain a vested interest in their fates. (Oh yeah and the fate of the rest of the world too, sorry almost forgot about all us little people.)

They were all awesome, or I guess I should say super, but the easy standout for me and I would guess for many others was Iron Man.  I'm sure they could have considered naming this movie Iron Man and Friends but knew that wouldn't be quite right.  Just as Johnny Depp will always be remembered as Captain Jack Sparrow so will Robert Downey Junior always be remembered as Iron Man.  The role fits him so well I can't imagine anyone else playing it.  He provides most of the humor and maybe more surprisingly, much of the heart for the film. You may recall he gave out a few nicknames to his fellow Avengers.  When I heard him call Thor "Point Break" I first thought I had misheard him, then I realized who had said it and knew that's exactly what he said, how could they have possibly have thought that would work, but it did, and it was brilliant.  All this took about 1/10 of a second inside my head.  Then I laughed along with the others in the room who were old enough to get the reference.

In the end, the Avengers save the world except for everyone who died of course.  The climax is very similar to the one in a pre Pixar Brad Bird movie called The Iron Giant. I'm sure you've seen it. If not you should, right away.  In fact I think, like a good Pixar movie, The Avengers has a healthy balance of story, characters, humor, conflict to overcome and heart.  The obvious ingredients of any good movie that are surprisingly lacking in so many.

Am I a fan of the ensemble cast superhero movie?  Well, I am of this one.  I'm not sure I want them to make a habit out of them though.  Part of the whole superhero gig is the bitter sweetness of being super yet dealing with the loneliness of having to keep it all a secret.  Watching Bill Bixby walk away as the lonely music played, with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder yet again at the end of every episode of The Incredible Hulk on TV in the 70s was always sad.

Now that The Avengers have their super club, others to identify with and understand, well... I suppose it's a good thing.  Apparently at the very very end of the credits there was one more scene (which I missed yet again) of them all having dinner together or something.  I suppose that's fine, just as long as they don't start all going to the bathroom together.

8.5/10 for me.

The Hunger Games (movie)

Spoilers? Oh yeah!

We all know not to judge a book by its… movie, so I guess it would also seem proper not to set expectations of a movie based on its book.  You’d think that after Harry Potter and then twilight (yeah I’ve heard that there have been a couple of other movies over the course of history that have also been based on books) we’d be used to dialing down our hopes for entertainment value of movies to about 60 or 70 percent of what the books provide but it’s just so hard to give it up.  No matter how hard we try to go in with low expectations there is always that sneaky bit of hope that always seems to hide away in some deep dark corner until inevitably the time comes to jump out and wallow in disappointment.  Maybe just this time it will be different, The Hunger Games has been getting great reviews…

Well, The Hunger Games is a great book but the movie version is only a shallow reproduction which lacks most of the emotion and depth of the original story.  I’m not saying that it’s a bad movie, it’s actually pretty good, the actors are believable and the scenes are mostly well done.  There is just not enough of the whole story necessary to bring the emotional highs and lows.

 At 142 minutes it’s not a short movie and it seemed like a good portion of that time was allotted to pre games explanation and development but it just wasn’t enough.  We never really learn enough about the characters and their future dystopia (hey I looked it up so I have to use it now and then) to care like we should when those times come.

The two biggest moments for me in the book were when Katniss volunteered to take the place of Prim at The Reaping and then the death of Rue in the games.  The first scene was done about as well as I could have hoped with the small exception that I thought Katniss took a little too long to volunteer in the movie. In the book, or at least in my memory, she spoke up almost instantly as soon as Prim’s name was called.  Rue’s death in the book was actually the biggest moment for me.  We knew a little more about her and were able to care about her and her fate.  In the movie she peeks around a tree a couple of times, gets killed and suddenly Katniss is wailing and building flower arrangements on the body of this girl we were barely introduced to.

I thought the games themselves were somewhat glossed over and  toned way way down so all the young kids who had already read about all the death and mayhem in the book wouldn’t have to actually see it on screen (cue eye roll).  It almost seemed they were chasing each other around the mall rather than engaging in a fight to the death. 

Jennifer Lawrence was a fine Katniss and that boy from Bridge to Terabithia made a good Peeta, although I thought he could have been bigger.   Just like in the book I felt sorry for Gale, yet another Mr. Right being replaced by Mr. Right Now. He is played by Liam Hemsworth and apparently he is going out with Miley Cyrus so he deserves our pity in real life as well.  I liked Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch better than the real one in the book and Stanley Tucci played a great Regis… I mean Ceasar Flickerman.

I really wish Hollywood would stop with the shaky cam and quick cuts.  It never fools me into thinking the scene is extra realistic and in fact takes me out of the story by making me realize I am watching some trendy editing technique which just makes things more confusing.  The shaky cam footage at the beginning of this movie was particularly baffling.  Nothing was blowing up, no cars were being chased and neither Matt Damon nor Jason Statham is even in the movie. Come on!

 To those who haven’t read the book I’m sure The Hunger Games seems like a fine movie. It’s just that like so many books turned movie before, it could have been so much more.  I can’t really say what I would have had them do differently within the time they had and I’m not sure it’s even anyone’s fault.  It’s just that the end result falls short of the experience one gets from the book.

I will close with my gratitude to you for reading my little review, or if I may quote Katniss with one of my favorite lines from the movie, “thank you for your consideration”.



The Hunger Games 7/10

Hugo

Until now I'd never had the person at the box office comment on my particular ticket purchase but when he smiled and said "good choice" after I asked for a ticket to Hugo I admit that my already high hopes climbed even a bit higher.  Upon entering theater 8 I realized that I had not been the only one who had great expectations for Hugo.  It was surely the biggest theater in the multiplex.  Most of the seats remained empty though as the masses flocked to the latest Jonah Hill and Justin Beaver products. Wait, maybe it was Zac Enron and not Justine Beaver. Which one was the girl in High School Musical?  Anyways she is the one who's in New Year's Eve.

From the opening scenes it is obvious that a lot of heart, soul and 170 million dollars went into the making of Hugo.  It is visually gorgeous and rich.  The 3D (I didn't have the 2D option) was very well done but not really necessary I think.  Technically stunning, I'll be very surprised if Hugo doesn't win at least a couple of those more obscure academy awards that they hand out about half way through the show when viewers are out going to the bathroom or getting a more refreshing snack to counter the salty/sweet ones they polished off during the first half.

Hugo is played by a boy (Asa Butterfield) I've never seen before and he was okay I guess.  He soon meets a girl played by Chloë Moretz (good thing she has the umlaut over the e in her currently twelfth most popular girl's name, otherwise everyone would be calling her Klow right?)  I first saw her in a small part in 500 Days of Summer and then she had a starring role as Hit Girl in Kick Ass. And I'm sorry Chloë but after you've been Hit Girl you just never get to wear a beret in earnest ever again.  In all honesty I just don't like her much.  She seeems to have this annoying quality about her that shines through into any role or character she plays.  Her smiley nature in Hugo is almost creepy in its fakeness.

Other prominent characters are played by Ben Kingsley, a shop owner inside a Paris train station, Sacha Baron Cohen plays a cross between Borat and Inspector Clouseau, you've got Uncle Vernon Dursley hitting on Hagrid's girlfriend throughout the movie, hang on, I thought the Dursleys hated magic folk.  Anyway there are lots of characters and hundreds of extras and the whole thing is just grandë all around. (Hey I've got the ë copied onto my clipboard so I might as well keep using it right?)

The first half of the movie is quite an adventure and things seem promising but the second half kind of turns into early film appreciation 101.  Everything is extremely well done but it just seemed to be missing a heart.  The moments that should have been touching or heart tugging mostly fall flat.

There are many clever bits.  As we laugh smugly at an on screen audience's panicked reaction to a train rushing towards them in an early silent film we forget that we had just minutes earlier held out our hands to catch some 3D snowflakes that seemed to be falling all around us. 

Hugo is not for the young but for the young at heart.  It is a movie about movies, an ode to movies and their earliest beginnings.  On certain levels it is a wonderful spectacle, overall though it lacks a heart to make it work, to do what it is made to do, just like the automaton.

breaking dawn - part 1

Two weeks after opening night the theater still got quite full.  Even the tardy section at the very front below the crossover aisle was full of large groups who were shocked yet again to find that they would not be able to all sit together only because they had walked in just as the lights went down on a Friday night.  I have always been lucky at these twilight films though.  Even when the room is full I have always had empty seats beside me because everyone assumes that surely I wouldn't be there alone and that the woman who dragged me there was just out buying some popcorn chocolate and a diet Coke while I saved her seat and watched her purse which must be hiding under my jacket on "her seat".

It's been quite a while since I read the last book. Once the movie got going I realized that besides my memory of the major plot points and the overall outcome of the story I had forgotten most the the smaller details. I suppose that's a good thing as much of the story seemed new again. The movie begins with Jcub getting his wedding invitation which immediately makes him take his shirt off (I mean REALLY, is he still doing that?) and go off running to prove that this time he really is done and is never coming back again... ever, ever, ever! (or at least until everyone has forgotten that he is still pouting.)   Of course he does show up at the wedding where he makes a scene and a injects a fresh dose of love triangle drama that all the girlies love so very much.  Thankfully even in the movie version of the story Bella doesn't invite Jcub to come along on the honeymoon which was a huge relief to me. I  was actually slightly worried about something like that happening given the blatant and obvious team Jcub nature of the screenplay writers and directors thus far.

The honeymoon on the private island is well done. The one thought that stuck in my mind though was, "so she didn't shave her legs for her wedding then?"  Bella gets pregnant and the rest of the movie is mostly the drama surrounding that.  I was yet again disappointed that the love triangle angle was still so prominent even after Bella becomes Mrs. Cullen.  It seemed most of the time Ed was standing over in a corner while Bella and Jcub got cozy.  Shirley it wasn't this bad in the books because I don't think I'd have been able to finish them if it was.

The highlight of this movie for me was the special effects.  Just writing that makes me sigh but I'm afraid it's true.  Bella's decomposition into her sickly, being consumed from the inside out, skeleton is frighteningly realistic.  Even greater than that though is her transformation into vampire Bella.  The regeneration of her body is done so well and convincingly that seeing her lying there with her still closed eyes I was sure she had never looked better, EVER!  The effects weren't cheesy and obvious either.  Somehow it looked like I was seeing a real transformation, it was impressive!

Ultimately, given its negative synergy status as a "part 1" movie BD1 is at best a satisfactory experience.  Did you ever get an S on your elementary school report cards?  I remember thinking, not knowing what to think.  I wasn't good and I wasn't bad, I was satisfactory, whatever that really meant...

The movie ends at the exact moment I would have ended it too so i can't fault it there but the fact that it's just half the story makes it impossible to be truly satisfying. Satisfactory? Yes. Satisfying? No way!

I'm not a fan of these final book movies being split into two but considering the extra money they bring in I'm sure they're here to stay.

Ah, by the way, apparently there is a scene involving the Volturi after the credits so be sure and stay for that, I missed it.

Double Bill at the Waterton Lakes Opera House

I can't remember the last time I saw two movies back to back in a theater,  I can guarantee that it was some time during the last millennium.

Feeling like a movie last night I had planned to go into town to see Crazy Stupid Love but I decided to check what was playing in Waterton just in case and it just so happened that it was showing there too.  However it was the late show with Midnight in Paris playing at 7:00.  I checked with IMDb and it seemed like MiP might be a good bet as well so I decided to make an evening of it and see both of them.  I would put up with the uncomfortable seats, the small screen, the dim and flickering picture and non sloped floor which means the bottom fifth of the screen will always have a few heads poking up into it in front of you.  I looked forward to once again visiting an antique theater, to buying my tickets at an outdoor ticket booth,  to a cozy room with character and an inconvenient but welcome absence of cup holders.

*****

The first Woody Allen movie I ever saw was Radio Days which I saw in the theater in 1987.  I remember quite liking it even though the style was very different from the kinds of movies I was used to seeing.  That first positive exposure led me to later see Annie Hall as well as Hannah and Her Sisters.  Now, I'm no expert and am certainly not a Woody Allen expert but I think it's probably safe to say that he feels nostalgic about earlier times and maybe even wishes that he'd been born several years or even decades sooner.

Midnight in Paris stars Owen Wilson, the always lovely Rachel McAdams, the obligatory (hey it's in Paris) but perfect Marion Cotillard and a bunch of other great names.  Hey it's even got that head Volturi vampire from twilight, Michael Sheen. However in this movie he is much less powerful although he still thinks he knows everything.

Owen Wilson's character (Gil) is engaged to Rachel McAdams' character (Inez).  He is a writer who owns a nostalgia shop in Hollywood. He is working on a novel but makes most of his living by writing movie scripts. Gil and Inez tag along with her parents on a business trip to Paris.  Inez and her parents are conservatives and so of course are portrayed as these horrid monsters.  The mother is particularly laughably evil in every way that liberal parents surely warn their children about every night when they tuck them into bed.  Really though, at this point, I've come to expect and dismiss all the blatant liberal propaganda in movies. That's just how they roll and we must endure it if we are to watch any movies at all.  I don't think I can recall a single line of dialogue originating from Inez or either of her parents that would give me any reason to understand how Gil could possibly be engaged to her.  It's a good thing she looks so much like Rachel McAdams because she and her parents are truly heinous.

Midnight in Paris is of course a dialogue driven movie.  Lots of talking and a complete and inconsiderate lack of gunfire or car chases.  It kind of reminded me a little of a pair of Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy films called Before Sunrise and Before Sunset which were set in Vienna and Paris respectively. In fact a certain bookstore appears in both Before Sunset and Midnight in Paris. And all this time I had imagined it to be just another pretend store made up and built for a film. It's called Shakespeare and Company, and here it is.

I also saw faint shades of Somewhere in Time in Midnight in Paris. Just because Gil's longing for an earlier time ends up actually taking him there but I guess that's all I should mention about that.

In the end Midnight in Paris shows us that feeling nostalgic for an earlier time is a fairly natural and common feeling that many people deal with or maybe don't deal with as well as they should.  Of course things were different back then but they probably weren't as great as the imagined reality we create in our minds.  It's more important to focus on our own time and live our own lives.

Along with the nice little life lesson Midnight in Paris provides a lot of laughs, some smart  dialogue and some good fun.  I just wish I'd looked up the word pedantic before I watched it.  8/10

*****

Crazy Stupid Love is the movie I had originally wanted to see but after watching Midnight in Paris I was sure it would be the lesser of the two.  I am usually wary of mainstream Hollywood comedies (I admit I haven't seen either of the Hangover movies) especially ones that supposedly involve "romance."  CSL though has three things going for it from the start though. Those being, the always awesome Ryan Gosling, the irresistible Emma Stone and Steve Carell (yeah he's good too).

CSL is directed by Glen Ficarra and John Requa who wrote Bad Santa which as you may or may not know is not your average Christmas movie.  It is quite a dark comedy which is funny and a bit shocking which you would expect but it's also honest and poignant at the same time which is a more rare achievment I think.

Ryan Gosling is perfect as the gifted pick up artist, Jacob (yeah another Jcub who is always trying to steal other guy's girls) who always has the perfect comeback to anything a girl says. He sees Cal (Steve Carell) at a bar moping over the loss of his wife, who wants a divorce, and decides to teach him how to be just like him.

Changes are made, transformations take place but not all changes happen where you usually expect in a mainstream Hollywood movie.  Sure CSL has many of the same funnies that you will find elswhere but it also has that little bit extra, that intangible "it" factor that sets it above the rest, kind of like Emma Stone.  7.9/10

At the end of the evening I was glad I'd seen both movies.  Quite different from each other but both satisfying.  I will see them again when they come out on DVD later this year.

Near midnight as I drove home from Waterton under a clear moonless sky I stopped at a roadside turnout still inside the park, turned off my car and got out to look at the stars away from all the lights of man.  There are so many more stars to see when it's really dark and you let your eyes adjust for a few minutes.  The Milky Way galaxy was looking particularly creamy.  I once read that of all the stars we can see with our naked eyes nearly all of them are within our own galaxy.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

It was in July of 2000 when I finally gave in to Harry Potter mania and picked up the first book.  It was the summer that Goblet of Fire came out and I remember what a big deal that book's launch had become. In the days and weeks following its release, during my nearly daily trips to the Calgary airport, I remember seeing kids and adults alike completely absorbed into this big fat book completely oblivious to the rush of humanity around them.  I decided that a book series that was having this much of an effect on the general population must be at least worth looking into.  I bought Philosopher's Stone which was ossum and then I quickly bought and read the rest of the available books.  Just like Dwight Shrute my favorite is The Prizoner of Azkaban followed closely by The Goblet of Fire.  At that point I joined the longer suffering fans of the series in the nearly eternal waiting game as the remaining books and then movies came out.  Having just seen the final movie I can honestly confirm a feeling that I have feared for some time now.  Although I have enjoyed the entire series of books and movies the highs reached in the third and fourth books were never again attained in the later books or in any of the movies.

Even though DH2 has the advantage of containing several of the "r" words mentioned in my previous post on Catching Fire  (resolution, redemption, retribution etc.) as well as the series climax it just didn't quite live up to my hopes for the final movie.

To be fair, I think one of the main reasons for my waning interest in and general lack of  wonder for the final movies is just a time thing.  It's just been too long.  They tried to stretch HP out  for as long as possible to make as much money as possible but for me it's just been half a decade too long.

Apparently since Harry first entered Hogwart's there have been extensive renovations done inside Gringott's bank vault caverns. What used to be a system of quaint trolley cars is now a full fledged rollercoaster complete with 100% realistic drop of death spur line. (Don't forget your I.D.)  I suppose they figured they could use a new ride at Harry Potter Land in Florida so this explains the selling out  I mean the um differences.

Another thing that kind of put me off of the later movies is the battle scenes.  Particularly the suspiciously ballistic and/or explody nature of the spells being hurled to and fro betwixt the non-muggle types.  I mean why spend seven years in magic school if, when the chips are down, it seems you could do just as well with something like this.

I remember thinking that it's a good thing they didn't have cars at hogwart's or surely there would have been a car chase thrown in there somewhere too. Yikes!

In DH2, as you know Harry finally defeats Voldemort but apparently his timing was just a bit off.  When he returns from his final battle to what you would think would be a hero's welcome everyone is in the middle of high tea and pretty much ignores him. What's up with that?  I guess he should have delayed his entrance until they had cleared the crumpets and crustless sandwiches.

It just seemed like way too little for the reslolution of a seven year struggle.

The kinda-lame climax was followed by a "19 years later" epilogue which was just as out of place in the movie as it was in the book.  I think there were two reasons it was in the book. One was so that J.K. Rowling would have an excuse not to continue the story in more books. Two was to convince everyone that Hermione and Ron really did end up together and Harry did in fact marry Ginny. Her?

I never could fully buy into Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny.  I would have had Harry with Hermione and Ron with someone... else.  As for Ginny, don't really like her much and would probably have just sent her to public school for muggles in London somewhere.

The creation of the forcefield dome over Hogwart's was pretty cool.  It was fun to see Kelly Macdonald as Helena Ravenclaw.  I've always liked her. It was nice to see Snape's true nature revealed. I guess overall the movie was fine but... I found that, now that it has indeed all ended as the movie poster says, I wasn't really moved and didn't really care.  Did I mention that it's just been too long?  I guess I've already moved on.   7/10

P.S. What was with that fourth wall breaking blatant "Aliens" reference in the middle of a Harry Potter movie?  I'm usually fine with the occasional outside reference, especially the ones that don't go over my head, but this one was over the top and took me right out of the movie.  It was so obvious too.  Even though the first few words were slightly different, the situation was nearly exactly the same and even before she finished I was thinking that the next two words out of her mouth better not be what I think they're going to be but of course they were and suddenly I was watching Ripley in that loader robot thing fighting the Alien for the life of poor little Newt.

Catching Fire

Although I'm sure that most of you will have already read this whole series by now...

I finally finished this book today and actually had to search my blog for my The Hunger Games review to see just how long it's been since I read the first book in this series.  Turns out I posted that review on May 10 of last year, exactly fourteen months ago.  So much for my intention to read the last two books as soon as they were both available last August right.  I did start reading Catching Fire several months ago but what finally got me to get serious and finish it was accidentally reading a headline about how so and so is going to play what's his name in the upcoming movie(s).  I hate it when that happens, especially when I haven't finished the book yet because then I always picture the actor in my head when the character appears in the book from then on.  Extra loathing when said actor is nothing like the character I had already been picturing in my head.

Of course Catching Fire starts right where The Hunger Games left off and is very much a continuation of the original story as opposed to a whole new adventure that happens to feature the same core characters.

I did enjoy Catching Fire, very much in fact, just not quite as much as the first book.  The writing was the same and the story compelling but I think it does suffer just a little from middle child, I mean middle book syndrome.  First books are easy to love because they are fresh and new and have the advantage of introducing a brand new story.  I think this is especially true in The Hunger Games case.  Third, or last books have the advantage of containing the big payoffs of final resolution, redemption, retribution, revenge, retaliation, reward and of course the climax even though climax doesn't start with r.

Maybe it was because it is the middle book or maybe it's because this time I read it more in many short stints as opposed to my usual longer but fewer sittings but I just didn't get the same feelings from this book as I did from the first one.  I'm sure the writing was just as good, it seemed exactly the same, but for one, the shock value was mostly gone.  The premise of a future dystopia with its hunger games and kids being forced to kill each other had already been spent in the first book so its effect was greatly lessened this time around.  Although there were new aspects introduced to the story many of the situations which were repeated and that were written in great detail in the first book seemed to have been given significantly less attention this time so they left a much smaller impression. Of course this is probably inevitable but the combination of familiar situations being written in less detail and having less impact and the new aspects of the story also not being nearly as impactful even though they're brand new added up to a grand total unmistakably lesser than the first book for me.

That said, I do realize that the job of the middle book is to make some more money for the publisher and author while advacing the plot just enough to set up the whiz bang grande finale in the last book. Oh yeah, by the way, as was the rumor Catching Fire ends in a severe cliff hanger so I was so glad to have the last book handy and have actually already read the first chapter of Mocking Jay.

Maybe it was the short stints that didn't allow me to get right into the book like last time, maybe my heart is just a little harder than it was last year (I think I can actually feel it slowly turning to stone)  or maybe there just weren't as many or even any real heart rending moments in Catching Fire like there were in The Hunger Games.  I'm hoping I'll find them again in Mocking Jay. I'm betting I will.

Cars 2

I'll admit I didn't have my hopes set too high for this one.  Most of the reviews and reaction I'd read about Cars 2 wasn't very positive.  Many claimed that it is Pixar's worst movie ever, by far! Well maybe they're right or maybe they just didn't get what they were expecting.  If you're expecting another WALL-E, Up or Toy Story the Third then you will definitely be disappointed.  If you're willing to give Pixar permission to take a break from its usual funny with a heavy dose of serious, sappy and heart cockle warming then you might quite enjoy Cars 2.

It all begins with yet another Pixar short before the feature begins.  This one is called Hawaiian Vacation and I think it is the best Pixar short ever, by far!  It stars the cast of Toy Story 3.  It alone is worth the price of admission.

Cars 2 is not your typical Pixar movie, that's for sure.  Many have complained that it doesn't have a heart or at least not one that is nearly rended before it is of course ultimately mended as they always are in Pixar's world.  And hey, don't get me wrong, you know I loves me some heart rending and mending but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for other stuff as well right?

What Cars 2 does have is Pixar's densely packed humour of both the obvious and the more subtle varieties.  Also, in exchange for a lack of sap we are provided with a near James Bond style atmosphere and some great action sequences.  If you realize early on and then can get over the fact that you probably won't have a chance to even split open that cute little pocket pack of Kleenex that you packed in specially 'cause it's Pixar, you might just enjoy Cars 2 for what it is.

A couple of things that I particularily liked in Cars 2.  Remember in the first Cars movie there was that Tom Cochrane song "Life is a Highway" sung by Rascall Flats.  When I first realized that it wasn't the original I was disappointed to say the least.  However, I admit the new version grew on me and I ended up liking it as well.  Anyway, they did the same in Cars 2.  This time the song is "You Might Think" by who else, The Cars.  Of course, how perfect to have a Cars song in a Cars movie.  I could tell it wasn't the original  but had to wait until the credits rolled to see who did the cover.  Turns out it is Weezer, and they did a fine job I think.



One other thing I was particularily impressed with was the sounds of the race cars.  Cars 2 features a variety of race cars competing together.  Stock Cars, Formula 1 cars, rally cars and others.  They finally got the engine sounds right for a change and they don't just all sound the same.  It was refreshing that they took the time and made the effort to make things as authentic as possible for the different kinds of cars.

Is Cars 2 going to be one of your top 5 movies that you'd take with you to a desert isle.  Probably not.  Well maybe if there was a DVD player, TV and and a consistent supply of 110 volts then maybe... actually probably not even then.  What it is is a fun little movie.  It won't keep your two year old from running around the theater screaming while you text your BFF but I'm pretty sure that particular pair of parent and offspring won't be in your screening so you can relax and hopefully actually enjoy Pixar's WORST MOVIE EVER!  7/10