One Of The Most Boring Modern Philosophy Works, Cosmopolis Drags.

The Good: Direction is good, Moments of themes
The Bad: Awkward acting, Unlikable characters, Virtually plotless
The Basics: A droning, plodding film about the last day of a tycoon, Cosmopolis is boring instead of audacious.


I like complicated movies. I like complicated and smart movies. In fact, one of my favorite films of all time is Magnolia (reviewed here!) and that film is smart, complex, and exceptionally layered. What separates it from being pretentious is the fact that the characters resonate with genuine human emotions. At the end of it all, the themes explore deeper, universal truths about humanity. It is complicated and smart without being pretentious. I loathe pretentious movies.

Cosmopolis is nothing but pretension. Filled with pretense, characters who speak almost exclusively in riddles, and themes that are presented almost to the exclusion of the characters who embody or articulate the themes, Cosmopolis is a very pretentious film. I suspect that it is solely the fact that writer David Cronenberg’s project that got Cosmopolis made. Cosmopolis is based upon a novel and it is worth mentioning that I have not read that book, so this is a very pure review of the film Cosmopolis.

Eric Packer is a hugely successful young businessman who leaves work in his limo to go get a haircut across town. He spends the ride with his analyst and longtime business partner, Shiner, who assures him the business is secure. He abruptly leaves his limo to meet Elise, a young blonde who insists she likes riding in taxis and seems mostly immune to his charms. After getting back in his limo, Eric has sex with a different woman and continues his trip across town. Over the course of a full day, he meets with anti-capitalist protestors, hookers, and the manager of a black musician who died of natural causes and whose funeral, like the protest, blocks Eric’s way. He meets with Elise again, at a bookstore and at a hotel after he has sex with a different woman.

After night falls, Eric ends up at the barber he set out to meet. En route, he is assaulted by an artist who smacks him in the face with a custard. Impulsively, Eric kills his own bodyguard and gets his hair cut. After returning the graffiti-stained limo to its berth, Eric ends up in the lair of a man who has been out to kill him all day and the two face off for a conversation that reveals Eric’s place in the Capitalist machine.

I’m an anti-capitalist (not as freakish or maniacal as the ones in Cosmopolis), so when I write that Cosmopolis is boring and jumbled, it is not because I do not understand the perspective of the anti-capitalists. Instead, I find Cosmopolis loathsome because the characters are vacuous, largely flat and monolithic, the plot is dull and drags on largely uneventfully and the performances are so stiff as to make Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga (reviewed here!) look positively charismatic and exciting. As it is, though, the film is so deliberately opaque through most of the film that I had to look up what the relationship between Eric and Elise actually was. Sure, they mention being married in Cosmopolis, but they are so passionless, detached from one another and speak in circles so frequently, that it was not entirely clear in the film that they were actually married to one another. Moreover, the fact that Eric has sex with at least two other women in the course of the film did not make their relationship clearer.

I was a bit miffed to see that Cosmopolis is considered science fiction (by some); the only aspect of science fiction in the film by my reckoning is the voice-activated firearm used by Torval. And even that did not seem any more fantastic than the fingerprint-activated firearm used in Skyfall (reviewed here!). The rest of the movie seems to be remarkably straightforward in its technology and themes. When those themes are made clear, about the way capitalism destroys the masses to benefit the few and dehumanizes those who control the wealth of others, Cosmopolis is more than just all right. Unfortunately, it seldom does that.

Instead, Cosmopolis is largely a guy we don’t care about stuck in a traffic jam all day. He uses his massive limo as an office, taking on visitors throughout the day and very few of them are actually interesting or engaging enough to justify the almost two hours of boredom that the film includes. He fucks two women, flirts with two others (one of whom is his wife) and all the encounters are equally unmemorable. In fact, the only bit of amusement in the entirety of Cosmopolis for me was the discussion Eric has with the musician who did not die. The two talk about how it’s almost a shame that the dead rapper did not get to go out in a blaze of glory; he simply died of natural causes.

Throughout Cosmopolis, there are references to the visiting president and currency fluctuations, but Eric receives the news and reacts to it all blandly. This forces Robert Pattinson, who plays Eric, to present a great deal of exposition, which he does with a stiffness that is almost inhuman. In fact, the scene in which Eric is having his prostate examined while flirting is so dryly delivered, it is only the camera angles and intercuts to the doctor that inform the viewer what is happening to the protagonist.

Sadly, the film’s ultimate antagonist, played by Paul Giamatti, comes into the film far too late to engage the viewer. Moreover, in a complete failure of casting, Giamatti’s first appearance on screen is conspicuous. The role of Benno Levin should have gone to a complete unknown; when Paul Giamatti walks by the limo early in the film, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Amid all the pedestrians, I found myself exclaiming, “Hey, that’s Paul Giamatti!” And, given that this is not an Edward Hitchcock film and Paul Giamatti is not assuming a Hitchcockian cameo, the viewer is tipped off early and simply waiting through a particularly droll day for Giamatti to pop back up.

Benno Levin’s part in the film is not one that is hard to be sympathetic to, but it is not incredible-enough to justify the rest of the movie. Had the narrative technique been something more interesting, even a Memento-esque retracing presentation, the film might have been a little more engaging. As it is, the film is stiff and demanding upon the viewer, with little real reward for the viewer’s attention. In other words, it is all pretense, with little payoff.

For other films focused on big business and tycoons, please check out my reviews of:
Margin Call
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Thank You For Smoking

1.5/10

For other film reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Less Than The Sum Of Its Parts, The Twilight Saga Holds Together Poorly.

| | | The Good: Moments of concept, Portrayal of young love, Cinematography
The Bad: Underdeveloped characters, Melodrama, Stiff acting, Belabored plot
The Basics: The Twilight Saga starts as a charming tale of love between a mortal and an undead individual and drags out a dismal series of conflicts for multiple movies.


There are few movie series’ that have been produced in recent memory that have both such loyal fans and such rabid detractors as The Twilight Saga. Based upon a tremendously popular book series that pretty much defined the contemporary teen paranormal romance genre, the cinematic Twilight Saga was one of the smartest bets by the studios in recent memory. It came with a build-in audience, had a sufficient franchise to draw out and had the potential for mass appeal. And it worked: the success of the first two films made household names of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, as well as launched the career of a number of the secondary performers in the films, and inspired the studio to split the final film into two to milk the fan base for additional money and keep the “phenomenon” alive.

But the same things that made the series seem initially strong also gave so much for the detractors to rant about: the films, which feature vampire and werewolf characters, were remarkably bloodless and for a great romance epic, the main couple was shockingly sexless. The acting was mixed and the fact that the film could not keep a consistent director to maintain a singular vision for the films may have worked against it (especially on the press circuit). For my part, I look at what is directly in front of me. Having sat down and rewatched the entire cinematic rendition of The Twilight Saga, there are several things that stand out to me now, looking at the work as a whole. As it will inevitably be viewed as a solid Saga (shocking that when Breaking Dawn, Part 2 was announced for DVD and Blu-Ray, no collector’s series set was announced simultaneously!), it behooves one to consider the entire work.

The Twilight Saga is a rare example where the parts, when put together, make something significantly less than the films on their own. Allow me to explain.

First, The Twilight Saga consists of the films:
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn, Part I
Breaking Dawn, Part 2

For those unfamiliar with The Twilight Saga, the five films follow the exploits of Bella Swan, innocent, pale klutzy high school student who moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington when her mother wants to travel more with her new boyfriend. Forks, a mist-covered rural community, is where Bella’s father lives and works as a sheriff. There, Bella meets the mysterious Edward Cullen. Edward, she quickly learns, is a vampire, but a friendly one. Bella and Edward begin a romance, which puts them in danger when a roving trio of vampires comes through and starts killing humans and attacks Bella.

On Bella’s eighteenth birthday, there is an incident and Edward abandons her, ostensibly for her own safety. At that point, Bella rekindles her friendship with Jacob Black, a local who she slowly learns is a werewolf. Jacob’s protective instinct kicks in and while Bella prevents Edward from killing himself so he is no longer tormented by his love for Bella, the attempt draws the attention of the powerful Italian vampires, the Volturi. The Volturi come to Forks shortly thereafter when the villainous Victoria raises an army of vampires to destroy the Cullens and the werewolves and vampires work together to protect Bella and put down the threat of the rogue vampire clan.

After Bella graduates high school, she and Edward get married and during their honeymoon, the unthinkable happens: Bella gets pregnant from Edward and the spawn is something no one quite understands.

What struck me most about rewatching The Twilight Saga all together was what a weak link New Moon (which I rather enjoyed when it originally was released) was and just what a forced sense of conflict the Saga possesses. The initial villains are dispatched fairly quickly and make way for a far less sensible group of villains. The Volturi are visually menacing and creepy beyond belief, but they are basically superpower vampires who claim to be working to preserve the vampires and keep them off the humans’ radar while being the most obtrusive group of vampires: while the Cullens and the other vampires seen in the Saga generally blend in, the Volturi look like out-of-date elves who kill humans with startling regularity.

The love triangle (a term I loathe because it seldom is actually true – and is not in The Twilight Saga, as there is no emotional connection between Edward and Jacob) between Bella and Edward and Bella and Jacob seems increasingly forced as the film series goes on. In fact, outside of most of New Moon, it is painfully clear to everyone save Jacob that Bella has chosen Edward as her love interest. Even more than any problems with Kristen Stewart’s (who plays Bella) acting, Bella becomes a problematic character for the way she makes her choice, yet keeps stringing Jacob along.

Ironically, Eclipse, which might be the least-respected of the films, is a stronger link in the storytelling. With a compelling villain, a cool effect (the battles in this film are bigger and actually have significance) and a real test for the Edward/Bella relationship where Edward’s solution is not simply to run away, Eclipse actually stands up as a solid and engaging film. It is, when viewed as a whole Saga, also the high water mark of the films.

The final two films seem like much more of a coda comparatively. They seem like a necessary evil to the story, as opposed to a vital chapter, a simple fleshing out of the promise at the climax of Eclipse as opposed to an engaging end to the story. Here is why: the wedding is an inevitable, obvious plot point that was pretty much foreseeable the moment Edward returned to Bella in New Moon. The incident with the Volturi is a forced plot point – in a perfect world with the seemingly endless financial resources of the Cullens and the fact that the Volturi are in Italy, Bella and Edward could have easily avoided them for all eternity – and the conception of Renesmee seems an artful dodge for an audience obviously not prepared for an actual adult relationship. In other words, the first year of most real marriages is, frankly, hell (after the Honeymoon period wears off). It takes a real love and patience to survive the first year of a marriage as two people give up doing everything their own way and figure out how to do things “the Us way.” That, however, is not what the audience who wants to gush over an immortal love between a hundred plus year-old man and an eighteen year-old woman wants to watch. So, the writers and directors provide a much more literal hell (and a less-than-subtle admonishment about the dangers of sexuality!) when Bella’s first lovemaking produces a monstrous pregnancy that (among other things) shatters Bella’s spine and leaves her with becoming a vampire as her only viable chance of survival. Instead of taking the fantasy of immortal love and making it seem more real, The Twilight Saga makes love seem more preposterous and uncomfortable and dangerous.

The Twilight Saga has somewhat inconsistent direction but, oddly enough, a consistent sense of spectacle and quality of cinematography that makes the movies eminently watchable. The pacing for the Saga is off and the acting is inconsistent. However, while Kristen Stewart gets the awkward nature of Bella Swan right in Twilight, it is not until the Breaking Dawn movies that she is given more room to express range, so she goes through most of the Saga stiff and portraying boredom over passion. In rewatching the Saga, it is actually Robert Pattinson who stands out for the poor acting. Whereas Taylor Lautner portrays Jacob Black as an invested, interesting, and passionate guy, Pattinson’s role seems to be simply to show up. Edward Cullen is cold, passionless, and frightfully dull and Pattinson does not make the role any warmer. Instead, he is stiff, gives Stewart almost nothing to play off of and yet, when he smiles, that is supposed to substitute for actual personality.

It, alas, does not.

Ultimately, any one of the Twilight films is fine, but when viewed together as the complete Twilight Saga, it becomes tiresome and more of a mess than it ought to. Fans and moviegoers deserve quite a bit more.

For other film sagas, please check out my reviews of:
The Dark Knight Trilogy
The Harry Potter Saga
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

5/10

For other film reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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More Action Than Romance, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Ends The Saga In An Unremarkable Way.

The Good: Special effects, Most of the acting, Pacing, Direction
The Bad: Light on character development, Unimpressive plot
The Basics: Completing The Twilight Saga on screen, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 focuses on the conflict between the Cullens and Volturi without anything superlative.


Fantasy has been big in teen literature and cinema since the Harry Potter Saga (reviewed here!) and the franchise that has stepped most fully into the niche left by the completion of that movie series has been The Twilight Saga. As Breaking Dawn - Part 2 hits theaters, it is hard not to admit that some franchises work better than others. While I was not a fan of the Harry Potter films when they began, they developed into something I generally enjoyed. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 takes the franchise in the other direction. Like most final acts of a larger story, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is exceptionally dependent upon the films that preceded it. That means that Breaking Dawn - Part 2 will mean almost nothing to those who have not seen Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and/or Breaking Dawn, Part I.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 does what it needs to in terms of completing the Twilight Saga, but fans of the teen-based, supernaturally-themed romance might be less impressed by this installment. Outside the fans of the books and films who are going to see it and praise it regardless of the objective quality, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 works far less to develop the characters and, instead, creates a plot thread that takes the focus well away from the intimate romance and tortured love triangle between the three main protagonists and instead refocuses the story on the conflict between most of the vampire clans and the villainous Volturi.

Following the birth of Renesmee and Bella Cullen (formerly Swan) being turned by Edward into a vampire to save her life, Bella begins exploring her newfound powers as a vampire. Annoyed at Jacob for imprinting upon Renesmee, Bella nevertheless finds some peace in her life as she accepts her new life as a vampire. With Jacob's help she even reveals herself - in a very limited fashion - to her father. As Renesmee ages rapidly, the Cullens work to understand the exact nature of the child. Their quest to understand what she is is cut short when Irina, a vampire who visited the Cullens, reports to the Volturi that Renesmee’s existence breaks the decrees of the Volturi.

Knowing that Aro and Jane, the powerful Volturi, are coming to Forks with the intent of passing lethal judgment on the Cullens, Bella and Edward work to protect their daughter. Enlisting Jacob Black, whose feelings for Bella have faded, the Cullens search for other vampire families around the world to aid them in protecting Renesmee. The forces of various vampire covens and Jacob’s werewolf allies band together to confront the Volturi. Unable to rely upon Jasper and Alice, Bella learns of her new powers as a shield and uses that training to prepare for the inevitable conflict with Aro and the Volturi!

Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is far less melodramatic and sappy than the prior installments in The Twilight Saga. Instead, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is a pretty steady action movie that builds from the exploration of Bella’s newfound powers into what is essentially a battle film. The final conflict puts to shame the battle sequences from the prior movies as well. Director Bill Condon has a strong sense of vision for Breaking Dawn - Part 2. The action sequences and special effects are tighter and more refined than other films in The Twilight Saga. For those who were bored by the ponderous pace of New Moon (especially), will find that Breaking Dawn - Part 2 provides a more consistent sense of dramatic tension and movement.

What Breaking Dawn - Part 2 lacks is a stronger romantic aspect than the prior installments. Those who are into The Twilight Saga for the angsty love story will find Breaking Dawn - Part 2 lacking. The on-screen chemistry between Kristen Stewart (Bella) and Robert Pattinson (Edward) is still alive and kicking, but Condon and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg do remarkably little with it. Ironically, given that The Twilight Saga is made for gushing teenage girls who want to believe in powerful romantic love, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 has a jaded masculine sensibility to it. Many men fear that the birth of a child will change their relationship with their spouse and, with the change in tone in Breaking Dawn - Part 2, that is essentially what the viewer gets. Bella’s priority becomes protecting Renesmee over expressing her undying (literally!) love for Edward. The shift in the movie’s energy when watched immediately after the other films in the Saga is noticeable.

Breaking Dawn - Part 2 re-establishes Bella and instead of truly developing her character, she is redefined in the beginning of the film and then sticks with the new iteration of the character through the rest of the movie. Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is more or less devoid of actual character development for the rest of the movie, though Bella is transformed into something of an action hero in this film. Edward is essentially his unchanging self and Jacob’s transference of emotions is understated, as opposed to creepy.

On the acting front, the ensemble cast is well-honed. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner all expertly execute the roles they originated in Twilight and developed for the four prior movies. This film does not stretch them in any new directions, save Stewart illustrating a slightly more protective instinct. She has played Bella, in the past, as the character who needs protection and in this film, she steps up to play more protective with reasonable success. The real breakout for Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is Mackenzie Foy. Foy plays Renesmee and she has a serious demeanor that allows her to fit in with the more seasoned performers.

Ultimately, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is much more average than in any way extraordinary. Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is not bad, but it does not pop, it lacks a hook that is at all intriguing. While the earlier films had a freshness to them, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 feels much more like a typical supernatural action-adventure story than a truly audacious or interesting vampire-themed romance. Fans will flock to see it, but those who are not already invested in the franchise may want to wait for it to hit DVD.

For other fantasy films, please check out my reviews of:
Snow White And The Huntsman
Beautiful Creatures
Labyrinth

5.5/10

For other film reviews, be sure to check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Best Twilight Ornament Yet! The 2012 Edward And Bella’s Wedding May Not Be Perfect, But It’s The Closest Yet!

The Good: Great detailing on the back of Bella’s dress, Great detailing on Edward
The Bad: Exceptionally minor balance issue, Detailing on Bella, A little pricier than comparable ornaments.
The Basics: "Edward And Bella’s Wedding" is a Hallmark ornament that Twilight fans ought to get excited about, breaking the tradition for the franchise!


The Twilight Saga ornaments have not, historically, done well in my estimation. Consumers also seem to be pretty neutral to them as I have easily been able to find them on the clearance rack at Hallmark stores around the United States even now. But, where the Edward And Bella (reviewed here!) and Edward, Bella, And Jacob (reviewed here!) ornaments were mediocre sculpts that seemed designed to cash in on the Twilight phenomenon, the new Hallmark Edward And Bella’s Wedding ornament is actually worthwhile. It may have taken Hallmark a few years to get up and running for fans of the Twilight franchise, but they have finally reached a quality level that ought to please most fans . . . just in time for the release of Breaking Dawn, Part 2.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” is a holiday ornament that features the first dance Bella and Edward shared as husband and wife in Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (reviewed here!). Edward and Bella dancing in their tuxedo and wedding dress, respectively, is the subject of the “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament.

Basics

“Edward And Bella’s Wedding” features Edward Cullen in his tuxedo, arm around Bella’s waist as she looks up at him lovingly. The ornament, released in 2012, is a great sculpting and coloring of Edward. Edward’s hair includes multiple tones for depth and shading that prevent it from appearing to be a helmet and his outfit is immaculately detailed. Moreover, Edward is perfectly recognizable as Edward.

The same is not quite the case for Bella. While Bella’s facial sculpt is better than some of the prior versions, Hallmark completely miscolored her hair! He hair has never been as light as the reddish brown that this ornament has. Moreover, while the wedding dress is ornately detailed right around where Edward’s hand is on Bella’s back, there is no detailing on the bottom or front of the dress, making it look like the sculptors got bored while making the ornament.

Measuring 4" tall, 2 1/4" wide and 1 1/2" deep, the “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament is one of the pricier character ornaments with an initial price of $17.95 (by comparison, this year’s Gandalf ornament from The Hobbit is priced at $14.95 and the similarly-sized Ghostbusters ornament that has a sound chip is $17.95).

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament that captures the two lead characters from the film without any embellishments.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate fantasy Christmas Tree, the “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament is a great addition. Despite being light on some detailing for Bella, “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” is an overall solid ornament. With a hook that comes out the back of Edward’s head, the ornament only sways when it (or the tree) is bumped. “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament is fairly well-balanced; the weight on Bella’s dress prevents the ornament from hanging perfectly level on its own. But, with only about a ten degree bias toward Bella, this is hardly a dealbreaker for Twilight fans.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have delved into virtually every other collectible franchise in an attempt to cash in on every major license, like Indiana Jones, Marvel Comics and now Twilight. Twilight fans are likely to be deeply satisfied with this ornament in a way they might not have been with earlier ones. This is the Twilight ornament to stock up on if you can find it discounted after the season is over. Otherwise, I suspect this will take less time to appreciate than the prior ones, but it still will require some time before it increases in value.

Overview

The "Edward And Bella’s Wedding" ornament is easily the first big Twilight Saga success story for Hallmark and before the Saga ends on the big screen this fall, it gives fans something to get excited about!

For other genre ornaments from Hallmark, be sure to check out my reviews of:
2012 The Final Battle Harry Potter ornament
2012 Momaw Nadon Limited Edition Star Wars ornament
2011 Captain Jack Sparrow ornament

8/10

For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Why The Harry Potter Collection Isn't All It Ought To Be.

The Good: Movies get better and better, Decent effects, Good overall story
The Bad: Glaring plot and character problems, Lack of consistent effects (especially retroactively)
The Basics: Despite what legions of fans of the Harry Potter franchise might want, the Harry Potter Ultimate Collection is not the greatest cinematic triumph of all time.


I never intended to get into or watch the Harry Potter movies. Then, like magic, I fell in love and the woman I fell in love with was a big fan of the franchise. She had read all of the Harry Potter books and when we got together, the franchise wasn't quite over, so I ended up going through the movies that were out and then the new movies as they came out. The movie franchise has grossed billions of dollars and has a hugely loyal following, so I'm not exactly expecting to light the world on fire with my considerations of the Harry Potter Collection, but for those with an open mind or coming late to the party - as I did - there are some very helpful notes I can provide on the franchise.

First, it is worth noting that I have considered each of the Harry Potter films on their own. Those reviews, which are the substantive content of The Harry Potter Collection, are at:
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Furthermore, it bears repeating that I have not read the books upon which this movie franchise is based and as such, this is a very pure review of the movie franchise. I've heard innumerable times in comments to my film reviews, "well, in the book . . .": This is NOT a review of the book series, it is the film series as it stands up on its own.

Harry Potter is deposited as an infant on the doorstep of his aunt and uncle, the Dursley's, where he is raised as the lesser child. Forced to live under the stairs, he is surprised on his eleventh birthday when he is invited to go study at Hogwart's School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. Previously unaware of his family's magical talents, he is taken under the wing of Rubeus Hagrig who helps him get school supplies and sends him on his way to the private magical school. En route, he meets the poor, bumbling Ron Weasley and the brilliant, booksmart Hermione Granger. Together, the three are inducted into the same House in Hogwart's and they begin studying magic. Harry draws the attention of the school's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, who was instrumental in saving Harry's life the night his parents were killed.

Harry begins to study magic with those around him convinced there is something special about him, more than just the scar on his forehead. Soon, it becomes clear to Harry that he is special; he is the only known survivor of an attack by the great evil, Lord Voldemort. Voldemort, it appears, was killed, but still has followers in our world. Throughout the years, clues emerge that the followers of Voldemort, the Death Eaters, are working to bring the dark lord back to Earth and that Harry Potter has a connection to him. As the forces of evil gather, Harry is tutored in magic to meet his destiny: to stop the dark lord from destroying the magical world and enslaving the human (Muggle) world.

The Harry Potter collection has all eight movies at they were originally released and the Blu-Ray version features so many bonus features, it makes the extended editions of The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy look anemic. Each of the movies, save the last two, has been released as three-disc ultimate collector's editions with additional bonus features and collectible materials and one suspects that there will be an Ultimate Collection which bundles the super-expensive, ultra-packed versions of all eight films together. But for most people, the Harry Potter Collection with the movies, deleted scenes, trailers and featurettes will be enough.

What is worth watching in the set? First, the movies do tend to get better and better, both with storytelling elements and the acting. The first film hinges more on the fact that there was a built-in audience than making a great movie, so it stands poorly on its own, even as an establishing work. Similarly, in the first sequel, were it not for the exceptionally important plot event that occurs within the Chamber Of Secrets, it would be hard to advise anyone sit through the movie. But, the Harry Potter Saga is largely a mystery wherein Harry learns more and more about his potential in each film and then has to confront the ultimate evil.

But therein lies the first strike against the cinematic franchise. The fundamental story is one of a boy being raised to take on the great evil of the age. That is a classic hero story and it could be epic. The problem with this particular epic is that how it is accomplished makes no real sense. Harry Potter is taught incrementally what he needs to know in order to fight the Dark Lord and those around him retain secrets as opposed to being as clear, direct and forthright as possible. In other words, the writer of the Harry Potter Saga was much more concerned with selling the next book than telling a story that makes sense.

What do I mean by this? Harry Potter is seen by Dumbledore, Hagrid, Serius Black, Minerva McGonagall and virtually everyone else in Hogwart's (and the adversaries fighting on the side of Lord Voldemort) as the one chance the magical world has to take down and destroy the evil of the age. Rather than groom the boy and have him prepared to confront the Deatheaters and Voldemort, the forces of good are scattered and only intimate to Harry what he needs to know. This would be most analogous to Obi-Wan and Yoda only telling Luke Skywalker about one or two aspects of the Force in the Star Wars Trilogy or only training him to use a lightsaber, without ever informing him of the Dark Side, the nature of the Force or that Darth Vader was someone he would have to confront. Or, from the fantasy realm, this would be like Gandalf discovering the nature of the One Ring, finding it with Bilbo and then having Frodo wander around with the ring without ever telling him where to go or what to do with it. Despite what fans of the Harry Potter franchise might want to believe, the mechanisms of the storytelling are ridiculous in that it is not until the sixth year and in the wake of the resurrection of Voldemort that the existence and nature of the Horcruxes are revealed. It's pretty shoddy storytelling to have a small army of people who claim to be good who refuse to tell their soldiers how they can actually take on the enemy. Even a "hey, if you ever see, hear about or encounter this thing, let us know," would be better than the ignorance with which Dumbledore keeps his followers. And while some might say that Dumbledore didn't want to insight a panic or scare Harry, I respectfully submit that the time to stop evil is before it materializes, has legions of followers and takes over the world.

Moreover, the Harry Potter Saga become muddied by time travel elements and interpersonal elements that do not flow organically in the films. So, while viewers can clearly see the arc by which Hermione and Ron Weasley overcome obstacles to develop an eventual romantic relationship, the development of a relationship between Harry Potter and Ron's sister is much less organic in the films.

The real strike against the ultimate Harry Potter Collection is the fidelity to the original as opposed to creating a unified Saga. The eight films were directed by four different directors and, truth be told, they didn't know exactly what they were doing all along. The technology exists now to fix up the technical issues in the making of the films and it would do a great service to the fans to do that. I'm not talking about rewriting the movies or even replacing Richard Harris, who unfortunately died between the second and third films, with Michael Gambon who played the part for the rest of the franchise. But, Griphook in the first film and the goblins look nothing at all like what they do near the end of the franchise and unlike the changes George Lucas made to the Star Wars Saga, changes like replacing characters who appear late in the movie series by inserting the refined look to the character types in the early films would lend a greater sense of continuity. When I was reviewing this year's Golden Snitch ornament (that's here!), I noticed even practical effects like the Golden Snitch were redesigned. How is this problematic? Well, Harry receives that magical object in the penultimate film and viewers are asked to recognize it as an identical object to the one in the first film when it is not.

Despite the storytelling problems - and it was only as I wrote this consideration of the entire story that it truly hit me how woefully unprepared Harry is for no good reason other than to drag the story out for more movies - and a few niggling character issues, the Harry Potter Saga tells an interesting story. And, despite the gripe, it is a more engaging story than it might have been had Harry simply been tutored at the very beginning with all he needed to know. The characters do get developed, though it takes several films.

What the Harry Potter Saga does exceptionally well is develop the acting talents of three young actors who grow into the iconic roles as their characters grow. Teamed up with established great actors like Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Brendan Gleeson, Maggie Smith and Kenneth Brannagh, actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson hone their talents from painfully awkward children into powerhouse adult actors who can take on virtually any role that is given to them.

On DVD and Blu-Ray, the Harry Potter Collection includes all eight films, their trailers and limited bonus features. Warner Brothers, which produced the Harry Potter Saga, has shown a complete willingness to exploit its audience. With Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, over half a dozen different exclusive packages were developed to get fans to rebuy the same source material for the exclusive bonus features. By that logic, there will come a time when Warner Brothers sees the point in investing to do refurbished editions of each film wherein the Saga is corrected for effects continuity. Will it be worth the buy? Not if you already have the current Saga. Will it be a better film series? Yes. I say hold out, at least, until all of the Ultimate Editions are bundled together in an exclusive, space-saving package!

For other epic fantasy or science fiction series', be sure to visit my reviews of:
The Star Wars Saga
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
The Indiana Jones Trilogy

6.5/10

For other movie reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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More Sex, Kristen Stewart's Sideboob And Blood: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Is An Awkward Transition Film!

The Good: Engaging plot, Decent supplementary character moments, Effects
The Bad: Primary characters do not truly advance, Moments of shaky acting, Erratic.
The Basics: Partially romantic and genuinely erotic, partly bloody and violent, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is good, but not great like some might hope.


I have, in the past, been a champion of the cinematic Twilight Saga. The truth is, the three movies that have made up the Twilight Saga until now have been all right, though plagued with more of a sense of teenage melodrama than I would, at times, like. The sense of "everything is so important at this age" and a sanitizing of both sex and violence has made the Twilight Saga a surprisingly accessible and unthreatening story. But with the release of Breaking Dawn Part 1 that safety is gone and what results is surprisingly less intense or interesting than it had been.

In recent years, there has been a genre that has sprouted up that I have found entirely distasteful. No, it's not the supernatural romance that became a mainstream genre with Stephanie Meyer's Twilight books, that's fine. In film, there has been a genre that has sprouted up that rather grossly links graphic sex and then graphic violence. Films like Hostel, The Ruins, and Piranha 3-D (reviewed here!) flood the viewer with sexually titillating imagery before turning their stomachs with graphic gore, torture and and/or violence. Breaking Dawn, Part 1 is the sanitized, intended for young adults, version of that genre, much the way Twilight (reviewed here!) was a very sanitized fantasy with no real adult thematic issues to cerebrally challenge viewers, the abstinence-only New Moon (reviewed here!) was a safe romance and Eclipse (reviewed here!) was a remarkably family-friendly action-adventure movie. Vastly less extreme than any of the R or Unrated examples I cited, Breaking Dawn Part 1 erratically transitions from a schmaltzy, still-safe romance into a blood-filled horror that begs the question, "Why not wait?"

The audience that got hooked on the Twilight books was generally 13 - 21 when the first Twilight film came out. That was 2008. That means, if the producers wanted to truly honor the "R"-rated content of the Breaking Dawn novel, the movie ought to have been released in 2013 when that bottom demographic would have been 18 and their parents could not find it objectionable to let them see more of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson than a little sideboob, a little butt and a lot of male chest. That said, nothing stood out in Breaking Dawn Part 1 that wasn't sanitized down to an appropriate PG-13 level and it is hard for me to imagine many of the Twi-Moms not coming away from the theater feeling a little cheated.

That said, as one who has both not read Breaking Dawn and been part of a franchise where most of the big emotional moment one had been waiting years for was left on the cutting room floor, I suspect most Twi-hards will be happy with the resulting film. Unlike Stuart Baird, who left most of the much anticipated wedding between Riker and Troi for deleted scenes on the DVD for Star Trek: Nemesis (reviewed here!), director Bill Condon does not rush the wedding of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Even so, the wedding is treated more like an inhibition to the story actually getting going than a vital event. In other words, the wedding is the icebreaker that the viewer must get through in order to get to the sex, violence and - incidentally - story of Breaking Dawn Part 1.

At long last, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen tie the knot. Their wedding, attended by human and vampire kin alike, is a generally joyful celebration that leads to the pair getting away for their honeymoon. Enjoying her supposed last days of humanity, Edward and Bella finally make love . . . repeatedly. Unfortunately for Bella, the unthinkable happens and Edward manages to get Bella pregnant, sparking the first real fight for the couple when Edward becomes convinced that the fetus cannot possibly be good news. With Carlisle baffled as to how the pregnancy occurred, Bella digs in her heels, committing to the pregnancy.

The pregnancy draws the attention of Jacob's werewolf brethren and the Volturi, both of whom see the supernatural half-breed as a serious threat to their species. As the Cullens close in to protect Bella, she gets an unlikely ally in Jacob. With Bella's body being battered from within by the supernatural fetus, Jacob joins forces with Jasper and the Cullens to repel the threats to Bella's life.

Breaking Dawn Part 1 feels like what it is, a middle act of sorts. What works for it is that it seems to be going somewhere and the setup is a decent one. It is hard to imagine seeing this film and not clamoring to see the finale. That said, it is far from flawless.

Breaking Dawn Part 1 suffers primarily by feeling like it doesn't know what it wants to be. Like any number of movies that desperately try to get the PG-13 rating instead of an "R," Breaking Dawn Part 1 feels like it pulls too many of its punches. Jacob, for example, never seems to be as realistically angry as one might expect when the woman he loves not only marries someone else, but then gets into a situation where he feels obliged to help. Jacob is left with a strange lack of complexity (and an unsurprising lack of a shirt). But, even when Jacob manages to stay clothed, he does not resonate as a real or vital character.

Similarly and most damaging is how Bella does not progress in the course of the film. The pregnancy, like so many things in Bella Swan's story, is just another thing that happens to her. Bella does not become more sophisticated, more intuitive or more interesting, she is just pregnant. Similarly, despite the problems the pregnancy causes, this is not a huge strain on the relationship between Edward and Bella. The coming threat of the Volturi is a menace, but it does not fundamentally change Bella or Edward or the way they love one another. So, after a hundred years of avoiding humans like Bella, Edward tries to stay away from the young woman - for her own good - then his fears are proven correct and he never seems to resent her for her contribution to their strife.

On the acting front, Breaking Dawn Part 1 finds the principle actors with their parts honed and delivering nothing truly new. We've seen Kristen Stewart shake and look pained, we've seen Robert Pattinson look confused and we've seen Taylor Lautner look upset and strong. So, none of the performances sing with anything resonating as beyond the already-established skill levels for the actors.

For his brief part in Breaking Dawn Part 1, it was Michael Sheen as Aro who wowed me. Having seen him most recently in the comedic recurring role in the fourth season of 30 Rock (reviewed here!), Sheen's ability to be commanding and menacing resurfaces to remind viewers what a dramatic powerhouse he can be. It is a refreshing performance, no matter how brief.

As for the special effects, director Condon uses the soundtrack exceptionally well to augment the emotional impact of key moments without overwhelming them. There are a few moments, as near the climax, that the soundtrack telegraphs the emotions a bit, but for the most part, the soundtrack is an actual special effect that helps tell the story. The CG effects are fully honed in Breaking Dawn Part 1 as well, with the writhing fetus in the womb looking surprisingly realistic - and uncomfortable - and the computer generated wolves looking perfect to each hair on the head.

In the end, though, Breaking Dawn Part 1 was fun and the story moved, but the pacing felt a little belabored at points and the plot moved the characters, not the other way around. Outside Jacob - who stood with Bella in Eclipse, so it's nothing truly new - taking a stand, the plot elements happen to the characters more than the characters making the plot turn in a new or interesting direction. While this could be the death knell, there is just enough to make those not already a fan stick it out and be glad they did. . .

. . . and hope Breaking Dawn Part 2 wraps it up better.

For other Twilight-related reviews, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
2011 Bella, Edward And Jacob Hallmark Ornament
Twilight: The Graphic Novel - Volume 1
Twilight trading cards

6.5/10

For other film reviews, be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Even Worse With More Characters, The 2011 "Bella, Edward And Jacob" Ornament Isn't A Good Buy For Twilight Fans!

The Good: Detailing on tattoo/general coloring
The Bad: Animated look, Terrible rendering of Bella, Under-detailed, Seems expensive, Off-balance.
The Basics: "Bella, Edward And Jacob" is a Hallmark ornament plagued by an unambitious sculpt and fleshed out poorly with overly-light color detailing.


Despite what my more casual readers might think, I actually like Twilight merchandise. The NECA figures may be overproduced, but they tend to be pretty awesome sculpts of the main characters from the Twilight Saga films. But I'm not a fan of any fanbase that is exploited. Last year, Hallmark appeared to throw together their Edward And Bella ornament (reviewed here!). The sculpt was lightly detailed and poorly colored and Hallmark can do so much better than that, as is evidenced by ornaments like this year's limited edition Bossk ornament (reviewed here!). Sadly, because Hallmark sold out of their Twilight ornament last year, they were encouraged to continue creating substandard ornaments for the fans. The new Hallmark Bella, Edward And Jacob ornament is that substandard ornament seeking to separate Twilight fans from their money.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, “Bella, Edward And Jacob” is a holiday ornament that features the three main protagonists from the film version of Eclipse (please check out my review by clicking here!). Capturing the conceptual angst of the relationship between the three protagonists, the “Bella, Edward And Jacob” ornament has the two men with their backs to one another with Bella in between with her back to them as well..

Basics

“Bella, Edward And Jacob” features Edward Cullen in his button-down shirt standing with his back to Bella Swan, looking over his left shoulder at her. Bella's right hand is reaching behind her and holding Edward's left hand. Jacob is standing with his back to both of them, not touching either, looking over his right shoulder toward Bella as well. The ornament, released in 2011, is a disappointing ornament that is overly expensive for an ornament of its size. It is weak on sculpted detailing and nuanced coloring for the characters.

Jacob, for example, looks nothing like Taylor Lautner, with a face that is more round and a strangely more prominent forehead than Lautner has. Similarly, Bella looks little like actress Kristen Stewart. Her face lacks the angles and jawline of Stewart. Both characters lack realistic shading and depth to their skin tones. While this might be acceptable for Edward, whatwith him being a vampire, Hallmark has his skin tones more creamy than white.

Bella, Edward And Jacob all have animated looks to them, especially in their eyes which are not painted with the greatest detailing. Instead, Bella, Edward And Jacob stand there with lifeless eyes freaking out those looking at the Christmas tree. To be fair to Hallmark, Edward's spiky hair is difficult to render and they got it looking almost like he was not wearing a strange helmet. Jacob's hair is not so fortunately rendered; it looks like he is wearing a helmet.

On the plus side, the shoelaces on the characters' feet are present in both sculpting and coloring details. Bella's hair has highlights, but strangely this looks less realistic than images of Bella I've seen. The best detailing on the ornament is the tattoo on Jacob's right shoulder. The round tattoo is painted on the character's shoulder and given the ornament's scale, it looks realistic. As well, the jeans and the ground the trio is standing on has decent coloring to it; it is not just monotonal.

Measuring 4" tall, 2" wide and 1 1/2" deep, the “Bella, Edward And Jacob” ornament has not been flying off the shelves locally. This might be because the ornament has a price tag of $19.95, which is more than many of the other character-only ornaments this year.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, “Bella, Edward And Jacob” could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament that captures the two three characters from the film without any embellishments.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake “Bella, Edward And Jacob” ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate fantasy Christmas Tree, the “Bella, Edward And Jacob” ornament is a poor addition. The poor rendering is likely to stand out next to other, better characters who were rendered with more details. The ornament has a standard brass hook loop and I tested five different ornaments. Not one hangs properly from that loop. No matter how I tried to hang the ornament, the ground was never fully level.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have delved into virtually every other collectible franchise in an attempt to cash in on every major license, like Indiana Jones, Marvel Comics and now Twilight. While Twi-hards might buy this up now, one suspects this will be one of the first pieces of merchandise dumped when a better version is later made; last year's ornament is easily available well-below the original issue price. Similarly, I suspect this ornament has been so overproduced that it will be available enough after the Christmas holiday that resellers and investors will be able to buy them up and offer them for less than the original issue price.

Overview

The "Bella, Edward And Jacob" ornament is a disappointment that Twilight fans will continue to feel exploited, as opposed to celebrated. Hopefully, before the second part of Breaking Dawn is released cinematically, Hallmark realizes the fan base could be nurtured with quality ornaments instead of just relied upon for a fistful of dollars.

For other genre ornaments from Hallmark in 2011, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Fleeing The Fiendfyre Harry Potter ornament
Captain Jack Sparrow ornament
"Mirror, Mirror" Star Trek ornament

2.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Don't Enjoy Sports? Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire Will Bore You!

The Good: Acting is all-around wonderful, DVD bonus features, Final fifteen minutes
The Bad: Erratic special effects, Predictable plot/character events, Pacing, Editing, Awkward character development (Ron!)
The Basics: Despite a few decent moments and a great climax, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire is more often a sports-based teen melodrama that will disappoint adult viewers.


I'll admit it right off the bat: I came into Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire biased. The prior cinematic installment, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban had such a huge, glaring plot problem that went unresolved, essentially setting up Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire that it was pretty much agony for me to sit with my wife watching this installment. Viewed on DVD, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire is too erratic for the serious cinephile to enjoy, complete with setups that go unfulfilled and such a lack of tone that it was only when the movie was almost over and my wife asked "Have you figured it out yet?" that it even occurred to me that there was a plot underfoot in the film.

Unfortunately, by this point in the Harry Potter Saga, the elements are so predictable as to be tiresome to even bother reviewing. The action always stems around the heroism of Harry Potter, a young man just learning magic, but with a strong innate ability to do it anyway. He goes from his normal life in the muggle (non-magic) world to Hogwart's school where there is something going on, a new villain rising and a complication that always centers around the new Defense Against The Dark Arts professor. It's always the Defense Against The Dark Arts professor that moves the plot in whatever way it zigs or zags. It's like the way the doctors on House, M.D. always guess "lupus" whenever they encounter a sick character. By Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, the viewer is ready for something different and, alas, we are not treated to it until the final fifteen minutes, long after most of us have stopped caring.

As always, it is worth noting that this is not the book, this is the movie I am reviewing.
As such, the usual "that was explained better in the book" might be applicable, but if it's not clear by the film, it's a poor cinematic rendering. Unfortunately, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire has far too many moments like that.

After dreaming of Peter Pettigrew and another villain in a house with a severely weakened Voldemort, who has been made corporal, Harry Potter awakens horrified and absolutely convinced the dark lord has returned. So, he goes with his friends to the world championship Quidditch match where after much fanfare, the game is played and the afterparty is interrupted by an all-out attack by Deatheaters, followers of Lord Voldemort. Terrified, the Weasleys shuffle their kids, Harry and Hermione off to Hogwart's School Of Wizardry And Witchcraft.

Once there, the school plays host to a dangerous competition designed to test the magical abilities of a champion from each of the three great magic schools of the area. The Hogwart's champion, because it has to be a person over seventeen, is the Quidditch player Cedric Diggory. But the Goblet Of Fire, which chooses the champions, also spits out Harry Potter's name and he is bound to enter the competition. Tutored and guided by MadEye, the new Defense Against The Dark Arts professor and Hagrid, Harry works to survive the various trials and work with Cedric to win the competition. But at the same time, he is plagued by the sense there is something evil underfoot and his unexplained presence in the competition is a setup for something horrible.

In fact, Potter's place in the competition is a setup for a pretty fabulous finale to the film. Unfortunately, most of the film is the competition broken up by awkward scenes of stupid middle-school antics character scenes. Throughout the film, Ron is moody in a way that is never satisfactorily explained, so it comes across on screen as a Degrassi-style melodrama. The investigation into the acts of the Deatheaters in the opening is brushed under the rug almost instantly and so MadEye's place in the film is mostly to guide Harry on the competition.

But even the competition has a sense of obvious melodrama to it that is unclearly presented in the film. Touted as a dangerous series of challenges to each magician, the competition soon becomes harmless. For example, while rescuing friends who are magically trapped underwater, the champion Fleur Delacour loses her magic bubble (her ability to breathe underwater). She mysteriously survives the event, as does the person she was supposed to rescue from her (would-be) watery grave. My point here is that the competition is revealed to be all hype and no substance; if Fleur lost her ability to breathe underwater, the competition truly is illustrated as dangerous if she dies a horrible drowning death, not if she manages to swim an impossible distance back to the surface. As it is, she only loses that test within the overall competition, so the viewer is seriously letdown. This is the basic theory of the hero; the greater the challenge, the greater the hero. Harry, it seems, is not truly in danger - save by his moody teenage friends being upset with him - until the very end.

As for that, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire entirely hinges on the mistake made in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, as it is Peter Pettigrew who appears to be instrumental in making Voldemort corporal again. The Harry Potter films, largely are more about flash than substance. This is almost made hyperbole in this installment when the gang goes to the world championship Quidditch match but after much hype the game is performed entirely off-screen. This first anticlimax comes on the heels of a terrible special effect for the portkey, a magical device that transports people from one location to another. The concept is integral to the final part of the movie, but by the time it comes up, viewers are likely to figure that something is going on given where the movie goes.

What Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire has going for it is the acting. While Rupert Grint is forced to act like a moody, melodramatic teenager with little on-screen cause, he does it quite well, portraying the anger expertly. Similarly, Emma Watson continues to develop as a convincing and impressive acting talent, especially in scenes where he character makes her first few awkward steps forward in dating an older boy. Watson and Grint play the character conflict that causes off perfectly.

Brendan Gleeson joins the cast as MadEye, a hunter of evil wizards and Gleeson is phenomenal. In fact, his performance is so different from any of his other roles that he is virtually unrecognizable in the part. Adult actors like Gleeson, Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Maggie Smith (McGonagall) and Alan Rickman (Snape) fill out the cast wonderfully and play off each other perfectly to create a very adult sense of mature magic-users. Even Matthew Lewis, who plays the minor role of Neville Longbottom, comes into his own in this movie, seeming more confident within his character's nervous skin. In fact, the only performance that seems based more on casting than talent is Robert Pattinson, of Twilight (click here for my review of that film!) fame, as Cedric. Pattinson struts around cocky, but never seems to fit the otherwise professionally-performing cast.

It falls to Daniel Radcliffe to hold the film together at many points and he does it as best he can. Unfortunately, there are moments a digital double is used and it looks absurd. As well, there are times when he seems unclear with what the action going on around him is supposed to be and he does his best, but the plot seems to baffle him at times, too.

The problem here is that there is too much that is unexplained that makes the movie a real tough nut to swallow. Peter Pettigrew getting away at the climax of the prior installment makes no real sense, but given that Hermione has one of the many tools needed to capture him, why no one has is not satisfactorily explained. As a result, this is another special effects epic that is more flash than fun.

On DVD there are a bevy of deleted scenes and featurettes on the special effects and the process of bringing the book to screen. They enhance one's education into the broader world of Harry Potter, but do not make this film any more palatable.

For other films in the Harry Potter franchise, please check out my reviews of:
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

4/10

For other film reviews, please check out my index page for an organized listing by clicking here!

© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Truly Romantic, Remember Me Gets Better The Longer It Goes On.

The Good: Decent acting, Good characters, Good chemistry
The Bad: Initial pretense is pretentious, Editing
The Basics: Overcoming its own maudlin and potentially campy moments, Remember Me is a cinematic love story that actually has good chemistry and engaging characters.


My wife is not big on romantic movies, which I think is funny, but I make up with an appreciation of love in film on my end. And as New Moon (click here for that review!) made its way to DVD, Robert Pattinson was doing his part for promotion by having his new film, Remember Me released to coincide. As a result, he's was doing press for both films and there were just enough to the clips I saw on television to make me go see the film. But for me, the key selling point was not Pattinson (before or after having seen the film). Instead, I was curious how Emilie de Ravin performed in it. De Ravin was noticeably absent from the fifth season of Lost (click here for my review of that) and Remember Me was one of the projects she worked on while on hiatus from the popular television show.

Emilie de Ravin is what sells Remember Me and it is her performance, as well as the on-screen chemistry she has with Pattinson, that makes Remember Me a winner, even if it does have its schmaltzy aspects. And while I could have lived without some of the set-up and initial characterization of Pattinson’s Tyler, I found myself liking Tyler once the initial premise of the film was abandoned.

Ally Craig is eleven years old when she witnesses her mother being killed. This leads her to be something of a free spirit, even years later as she does her best to live each day as if it were her last. At the same time, it seems to make her father, a police officer, more aggressive on the job and he has a habit of roughing suspects up and being protective of Ally. One person he roughs up is a college kid, Tyler, for his behavior when witnessing a crime. When Tyler and his roommate, Aiden, learn that Sergeant Craig has a daughter, who just happens to go to NYU with them, Aiden forms a plan. Aiden pushes Tyler to start dating Ally as an act of revenge.

This contrived concept puts Tyler and Ally together and while Tyler initially uses his charm to worm his way into Ally’s life, it is soon her charm which causes Tyler to become legitimately invested. Disarmed by how Ally eats her dessert first, Tyler realizes he cannot shoulder the responsibility for hurting her and Ally nudges Tyler toward working things out with his own estranged father. She also starts to open him up to the simple joys in life and despite conflicts, they begin to find themselves drawn to one another.

Sadly, for a film that both embraces and rejects any number of clichés – one of the aspects of Ally that is so likable is that she calls Tyler on his b.s. and the lame moves he tries to put on her, upsetting the frequently formulaic nature of the beginning of the movie – the movie goes for a New York City cinematic inevitability which I cannot discuss as it occurs at the climax of the film. Even though the movie ends up somewhere problematically predictable in a Nicholas Sparks-every-romance-has-to-have-tragedy type way, Remember Me makes good use of the time it occupies and it ultimately works. The viewer does not feel cheated at the climax because once the ridiculous “revenge-on-the-cop” plot is abandoned, Remember Me actually becomes a decent character study and Ally and Tyler make good use of their time together.

Part of what makes the romantic drama work so well is the chemistry on-screen between de Ravin and Pattinson. More than in the Twilight movies, Pattinson shows some real charm. And in addition to being realistically playful in the playful scenes, Pattinson holds his own against the stern façade Pierce Brosnan puts on to play his father. Charles Hawkins is a businessman and while Ally lives each day to the last since her mother’s death, Charles seems to have buried himself in his work in order to cope with the suicide of his other son. But until one sees them on screen together, it is hard to guess that Pattinson could hold his own dramatically with a potential powerhouse as Brosnan – who, admittedly, steals the scenes he is in – and plausibly be Brosnan’s son. While their scenes have a wonderfully realistic, awkward quality to them, they work beautifully and the viewer feels the tension of years of conflict between them.

Even so, Remember Me does have its melodramatic moments, starting with the writing. Will Fetters wrote a screenplay which is remarkably on the nose. There are frequent points where the viewer feels they are watching a movie, as opposed to people who are speaking organically. Fortunately, there are self-referential moments that work and as a result, the pretenses fall away at points and both Ally and Tyler become characters who are raw and very real.

Director Allen Coulter does an equally good job with keeping Remember Me visually interesting and long before the end comes, the viewer has a strong sense of time and place. New York City acts as a decent setting, despite the fact that so many films have been set there and the City acts as a plot device at important moments. Unfortunately, Coulter also cuts many of the scenes abruptly and that also adds to the sense viewers are likely to have that they are watching a movie.

Remember Me is a good film for couples and one suspects that it will do well on DVD, as it should, as a date movie. But as post-Oscar season swelled of movies worth watching, Remember Me steped up as a romance worth seeing that does something too few romances manage to do: it tells a story where the characters work and have enough to plausibly develop a relationship. Tyler opens the door on a stupid premise, but soon the reality of sharing similar pain takes the story in a direction that allows the characters to become vital and viable. It’s hard to think what else a romance could do but that.

Now on DVD and Blu-Ray, Remember Me features two different commentary tracks, which are very informative, but ultimately repeats a lot of information from the sole featurette on the making of Remember Me. Still, those who are looking for a lot of depth into the creation of the movie and the cast's impression of the film, there is a lot here.

For other romantic dramas, please check out my reviews of:
Valentine's Day
Going The Distance
Memoirs Of A Geisha

8/10

For other film reviews, please visit my index page for an organized listing!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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