Friday, 19 November 2010 Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Daniel Radcliffe, Emme Watson, Rupert Grint) Posted by joeldfisher at 10:43

The adventures of the great Harry Potter are coming to an end and as the movies increase in their numbers so do the main trio's ages and it certainly shows how far they've come and what they have to face as their ten year journey ends (the actors' ten years, the characters' seven years in case you're counting). No matter how old the actors are now and how old the characters are supposed to be, there's no mistaking the bond between them and the past six movies have certainly been preparing them for this movie because they have an almost sole responsibility to drive this movie like none of the others have before.

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) have left Hogwarts, through no fault of their own and are on a quest to destroy the remaining Horcruxes that contain the parts of Voldermort's soul that make him immortal. The Ministry of Magic has been taken over by the Deatheaters and everybody's lives are at risk, even the muggles.

This is the most grown up Potter adventure yet and it shows, do not expect a fun filled romp with a neatly tied up happy ending because this movie is bleak, there is very little relief from the impending doom that surrounds our heroes and some of the aspects will even test even some of the more stone-hearted adults.

Having read the book (albeit a couple of years ago now) I imagined the book as part Bourne Identity and part something else. I suspect the second part of the movie released in June will have a somewhat different tone to it, less bleak and more action orientated. The first part however is exactly that, a road movie of sorts that takes the trio to far flung territories, some old and familiar, (The Ministry of Magic) and some new, (The Malfoy's House) but each has been stylised to show the foreboding terror that the world is facing, both magical and muggle. The Ministry of Magic is cold and clinical and the Malfoy's house, Voldermort's new base of operations is large, gothic and menacing. I also couldn't help thinking that if everybody who wore only black was captured earlier that there wouldn't have been an uprising from the dark wizards in the first place, but I digress.

The movie seems to be putting in as many cameos as it can seeing as there will be a lot of British actors looking elsewhere for steady employment come July 2011. Bearing that in mind we have short cameos from Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Boat That Rocked) as Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic, Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang and the forthcoming Spider-Man reboot) as Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna Lovegood's father and Sophie Thompson (Gosford Park, Four Weddings and a Funeral and most recently Eastenders) as Mafalda Hopkirk, Hermione's disguise to get into The Ministry of Magic. There's also a reunion of cast, however short, by many beloved characters such as Madeye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), Mr and Mrs Weasley (Julie Walters and Mark Williams) and Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) so every Potter fan should be pleased and even Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones) returns.

However be warned, right from the beginning, the movie bares its teeth and pulls no punches in exactly how adult and serious it wants to be. Younger viewers will be scared particularly by the snake, Voldermort's pet (Nagini, for you trivia fans) and it's evident in the first 20 minutes that the movie was set out to become 3D and was rightfully changed, I would hope in favour of the story, but more likely to bring it more broadly to screens that do not have the 3D option (although this would have been released in 2D anyway). As mentioned before the themes are older and more mature and younger viewers may either become bored, until the action scenes, or not fully understand the more heart breaking scenes (prepare for a tear jerking death scene or two).

In conclusion, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows is a deep and sometimes terrifying movie, not by any means as terrifying as more adult orientated movies but it will definitely stick in the mind as being a vast change in tone and one that older children will enjoy, but without going into melodrama and emotional turmoil that other such franchises rely on to bring in the teenage market.

by Joel Fisher

Thursday, 11 November 2010 The Social Network (Jessie Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake) Posted by joeldfisher at 04:54

How many friends do you have? 1? 2? 6? 3000? Mark Zuckerberg (Jessie Eisenberg; Zombieland, The Squid and the Whale) hasn't got any. Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook and if you don't know what Facebook is then you either don't use the internet (in which case you wouldn't be reading this) or you may think you're too old, or both. The Social Network, however, is not about Facebook, it's about the absolute power that one man can have and the empire that turns against him.

The Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler (Armie Hammer; Reaper) have an idea for a dating website for Harvard students and believe Mark Zuckerberg is the only man that can help them achieve it. However Mark has ideas for his own website and nothing will stop him achieving his dream, so when the Facebook launches, the twins realise that they have a case to sue Mark for everything he has, but that's the least of his troubles.

Mark's best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield; The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Red Riding and the forthcoming Spider-Man movie), Mark's business partner and voice of reason is also suing him, and he also wants everything, and when you're fast becoming the world's youngest billionaire, everything is a lot. But is the price of genius worth more than the price of friendship?

Mark Zuckerberg (as portrayed in the movie) is a loner, an arrogant genius who thinks he's right all of the time and thinks because of his genius he is untouchable, and probably his biggest strength or fault is that he's right. Jessie Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg as the anti-hero, a man who you would hate and probably want to punch in the face after a 10 minute conversation with him but at the same time you know he's right almost all of the time (after all we all know he's not broke and Facebook does still exist) and there are laugh out loud moments at his inept social skills which endear him to the audience. Eisenberg carries the film with charm and wit (thanks to Aaron Sorkin's superb script) and although Zuckerberg is all the things I mentioned before you're still rooting for him because after all, when you're right, you're right.

Andrew Garfield should get a special mention however, his role as the ever exhausted best friend to the world's newest genius is convincing and heartfelt. Even though you see Mark's side of the story, as it unfolds, and the audience probably sides with him more you can't help feel for Eduardo and the world he helped create, become pulled out like a rug from underneath him. No thanks to the charming and influential Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) the creator of Napster, in other words Mark Zuckerberg's idol. Timberlake discards his boy scout image (albeit briefly; see the forthcoming Yogi Bear movie) to play a womanising, drinking, smoking, drug taking, self proclaimed entrepreneur, it's hard to tell who comes out worse in this movie; Parker or Zuckerberg, each having their own distinctive faults but Timberlake takes to the role with ease and becomes just as uneasily likeable as the protagonist of the story.

The film is fast paced thanks to David Fincher's direction and of course Aaron Sorkin's script (The West Wing, A Few Good Men) so the audience does have to sit up and pay attention. It's worth it, however, as you get so involved in the story that you forget that this is a movie that revolves around a website.

David Fincher has wowed audiences since the early 90's and his varied movies (ranging from Alien 3 to Zodiac) have shown audiences his adept filmmaking abilities, making him a popular and bankable director amongst fans and critics alike. The Social Network is another notch on his belt for giving audiences engrossing and detailed stories that draw in an audience on a subject they would possibly not consider so interesting. Fincher's eye to detail is evident here, from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' striking digital age score to the coding the enables Mark to create websites so quickly and professionally. But even if you're not into technology and the internet you can find something in the story, everybody's lost close friends (or deleted them on Facebook) and made mistakes and that's why The Social Network is so relatable.

by Joel Fisher

Tuesday, 9 November 2010 R.E,D. (Starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich) Posted by joeldfisher at 14:23

R.E.D. begins with a love story, Frank (Bruce Willis; Die Hard, The Sixth Sense) is calling a woman who works in a call centre dealing with retirement cheques and Frank has ‘accidentally’ not got his yet again. Yet the real reason is to talk to the beautiful Sarah (Mary Louise Parker; Weeds) who he has formed a bond with and the only person he can really talk to.

However unknown to Sarah, Frank is an ex CIA agent who is about to be targeted by a swat team for assassination. After swiftly dealing with the team (as only Bruce Willis can) he heads to Sarah’s apartment because he fears she may be next. Together they go and find Frank’s old colleagues and as Joe (Morgan Freeman; The Shawshank Redepemption, Invictus) says, they ‘get the band back together’. The now retired team featuring the classy assassin Victoria (Helen Mirren; The Queen, State of Play) and the eccentric and unpredictable Marvin (John Malkovich; Being John Malkovich, Burn After Reading) uncover a conspiracy much larger than the 4 veterans could possibly imagine.

The main cast gel together well, as if they had been together for years and who clearly enjoyed each other’s company during filming and the supporting cast are well put together. Particular mentions to Ivan (Brian Cox; Zodiac, The Bourne Supremacy) who plays a Russian agent with an accent not seen since Robbie Coltrane in Goldeneye and Karl Urban (Star Trek; Pathfinder) as the CIA assassin with a heart. Other cameos from Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfuss albeit short are a welcome addition to the cast and a nod to the audience members of great films in times gone by.

R.E.D. is an action comedy that’s more action rather than comedy, compared to other ‘men-on-a-mission’ movies released this year (The Losers, The A-Team and The Expendables) R.E.D. has a heart and even Bruce Willis opens up about his feelings more than once. The movie is well paced and a far cry from director Robert Schwenke’s previous movies (The Time Traveller’s Wife, Flightplan) but equally as well presented. The action is stylish and slick, as is the cast but maybe there should have been more comedy and less action, or at least a balance of the two as the action scenes in some cases feel like filler. However the story is easy to follow and there are some laugh out loud moments that will stick in your mind long after the film is over (mainly supplied by Malkovich).

All in all R.E.D. is not the most thought provoking, deep and intensely psychological movie of the year (see Inception) but it is one of the most fun, we care more for the characters than in The A-Team and it’s more charming and witty than The Losers and definitely less violent than The Expendables. A more easily stomached movie for most tastes and a great Saturday night entertainment.

By Joel Fisher