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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011)
Harry Potter's Emotional Finale.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the best movie in the Harry Potter series. More than anything, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 packs an intense emotional punch. The scenes involving Snape's memories, Harry's experience with the Resserctuction Stone in the forest, and Harry ultimately going to face his "death" are all very poignant and moving. Deathly Hallows part 2 is mostly faithful to the book with one major exception and it's a good exception. The biggest difference is that in the book Harry returns the Elder Wand to Dumbledore's grave. In the movie Harry's snaps the Elder Wand in half and throws the pieces into the lake. I like the movie's way of handling the Elder Wand's fate much better than the book's because it makes it absolute 100% sure it really is the end of the line. Not much to talk about casting wise as we've seen them all before expect the children of the epilogue. Daniel and Emma remain fantastic in the lead roles as do Allan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes in key roles of Voldemort and Snape. And of course both the character of Luna Lovegood and her actress Evanna Lynch remain huge personal favorites of mine. The pacing is excellent. It's about a 2 hour movie and never has a slow moment. The music is different to match the emotional nature of the story and it fits well. And definitely loved hearing Leaving Hogwarts return at the end of the epilogue. That was awesome. The story is well presented. Great emotional finale. Faithfulness to the book: 8 out of 10. Pacing: 10 out of 10. Music: 10 out of 10. Casting/acting: 10 out of 10. Special effects/visuals: 10 out of 10.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010)
A Different Side of Harry Potter
The progression of the Harry Potter movies getting steadily darker as they go along, from the charming and innocent Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to the dark and emotionally intense Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is well documented. But Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 goes a step further. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 takes the series outside its Hogwarts comfort zone and on the road. And the Wizarding World is now in the midst of a full blown war. While many of the events that occurred in Half Blood Prince setup the war, now this IS the war. With Harry, Ron and Hermione unable to return to Hogwarts, and, in any case, having to fulfill their mission for Dumbledore, the vast majority of Deathly Hallows Part 1 is set with Harry, Ron and Hermione on the road on the hunt to find and destroy Horcuxes. Thus, this movie is very different from any other in the Harry Potter series. While all the other Harry Potter stories either are school stories or at least have elements of school stories, Deathly Hallows Part 1 has none of that. Instead, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a more like a quest story. We get to some very familiar and beloved characters in a totally different type of setting and story. This both gives a freshness to a familiar series and makes this movie unique within the series. This is a major positive and adds another element to the Harry Potter series. It was also quite refreshing that this movie had none of that retarded romance garbage that was unfortunately included in the previous three Harry Potter movies. This movie keeps its eye on the ball and rarely strays from what's important to the plot. There aren't really any significant cast or character additions in this volume. Instead it's all about those characters we've loved for a long time. Daniel and Emma are fantastic in the lead roles and Evanna and Ralph Fiennes are splendid in their roles as Luna and Voldemort. And Helena Bonham Carter is delicious in her role as Bellitrix Lestrange. The most notable newbie is Bill Nighty as Scrimgouer. While this character does play some important roles such as giving Harry, Ron, Hermione the bequests Dumbledore had left them that proved important late, this character received too little screen time for his casting to be that important although Nighty does a good job in the role. The pacing is appropriate for the story being told. It is slower paced than its predecessors but the story being told here calls for being told at a slower pace much of the time. The music is good. I still would have preferred John Williams to have scored the entire series but the score here is high quality and appropriate to the film. The very best part of this movie is its awesome special effects and visuals. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a beautifully shot film with some of the best production quality you will ever find. The cinematography is perfect. The filmmakers threw an 80 yard touchdown pass with their production work on this movie. The movie is reasonably faithful to the book. Most of the main events are included and portrayed faithfully. The main thing that book readers will notice lacking in the film is that there is much less focus on and less of Dumbledore's back story than in the book. I have no problem with this as the movies have always (rightfully) chosen to focus on Harry's story when doing the book to movie transition so issues less about him get less play. A change that I really liked was not using Polyjuice Potion for the Godric's Hollow trip. This made that part of the movie have more meaning and feel more genuine. You can really feel it when Harry says"This is where I was born. I'm not coming back as someone else. The movie is highly successful at bringing out emotions and this is most obvious during Dobby's death. This is a very moving scene. This movie should only be viewed by people in middle school or older as this movie has some violent parts, including the torture parts at Malfoy Manor that are not appropriate to be seen by elementary school children. Dobby's death is also too emotionally intense for those below middle school. Faithfulness to the book: 9 out of 10. Casting and Acting: 10 out of 10. Pacing: 10 out of 10. Music: 8 out of 10. Special effects and visuals: 11 out of 10. Overall: 10 out of 10.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Harry Potter Grows Up Brilliantly
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is an outstanding movie and a wonderful addition to the Harry Potter series. The book has two main focuses: Voldemort's back story and the setup for the war that occurs in Deathly Hallows. In terms of Voldemort's back story the movie does a fantastic job in bringing to life the memories that were included. The memory depicting the first meeting between Dumbledore and young Tom Riddle is just about perfect. And the way the memories of Riddle getting the information on Horcruxes from Slughorn. The portrayal of Riddle's hesitancy, casualness, and calmness that succeeded in attaining the information he wanted. It is a flaw in the movie that the memory of Riddle visiting the old lady with that unusual name I'd never heard of where Riddle first sees Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's Locket. While the story of the Locket isn't hurt that much in the movie because it's clear when it appears that it is a Horcrux the Cup is the bigger issue. In Deathly Hallows Part 2, viewers who haven't read the books will have had no introduction to the Cup and will be confused about the how and why of it being a Horcrux. When making the book to movie transition I would have cut out that retarded Ron-Lavender and Dean-Ginny stuff and instead included more Voldemort memories, especially the memory where he learns of the Cup and Locket. The memories that were well done and wonderfully brought to life but at least one more should have made the cut. As for the war setup this was pretty well done. This is the volume at which Harry Potter has truly become dark. Sorcerers Stone was charming and innocent. The next four movies were mixed with Chamber of Secrets tilting lighter and Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix tilting darker. But Half Blood Prince is truly and completely dark. From start to finish the tension is palpable as one thing after another leads to serious tone. We start with a muggle bridge collapse, have Katie's tragedy, and climax with Dumbledore's death. The characters come off as hardened by what's going on around them. The last of childhood innocence is gone and everyone and everything has grown up. The acting is great as it always is in Harry Potter. Daniel and Emma are splendid in their main character roles. Love Evanna in her role as Luna. I'd have liked to have seen Luna have a bigger role in both the movie and the book but I tell you what, Evanna does a beautiful and memorable job with what she is given. And although he never reaches Richard Harris performance, Michael Gambon gives his best performance in the Dumbledore role in Half Blood Prince. And of course Alan Rickman is still deliciously perfect as the complex Snape. What's interesting here is that the significance of Dumbledore's death and the circumstances surrounding it and events leading up to it aren't apparent until you've either read or watched Deathly Hallows. This is largely a setup story but you don't really know what's being set up until Deathly Hallows. I like that the cinematography has gone dark to match the tone of the stories. This is well shot film with a fitting atmosphere and color scheme. Nicholas Hooper does a good job on the score but I'll always wish John Williams could have done the whole Harry Potter series. One thing I'd like to single out is that I much prefer how Dumbledore's death is treated in the movie than the book. The students wand tribute is much more genuine and heartfelt than the more formal and stately funeral in the book. The pacing is uneven. The first third and final third of this movie are totally awesome baby! But I do find myself fast forwarding quite a bit during the second third. I really could have done without the romance/sexuality stuff. More Voldemort memories would have been better. Nevertheless I give a full 10 here because this movie is greater than the sum of its parts. The relevant parts are beautifully brought to life. And the movie has an emotional sincerely about it, especially during the tragic climax. Due to darkness and emotional intensity this movie should only be people in middle school or older. The bridge collapse, Katie's tragedy, and especially Dumbledore's death are far too emotionally intense for elementary school children. I don't know why this wasn't PG-13. Also elementary school children will likely find this movie less interesting than the first five Harry Potter movies as it's slower paced with less action and more setup and has no child appeal elements. Overall Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a wonderful movie that earns its stripes. Faithfulness to the Book: 8 out of 10. Casting and acting: 10 out of 10. Special effects and visuals: 10 out of 10. Music: 7 out of 10. Pacing: 6 out of 10. Overall: 10 out of 10. Greater than the sum of its parts.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Harry Potter's Order Achieves an Outstanding O.W.L.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a fantastic movie and the most entertaining movie in the Harry Potter series. David Yates manages to pull off the impossible in staying true to the spirit of the book while also giving the movie a personality of its own. Overall I consider this movie to be very faithful to the book even though it may not include everything. My only complaint is the omission of the traitor Marietta Edgecombe. Cho Chang should have been omitted from the film, not given Marietta's role. The pacing of this movie is wonderful and two hours just seem to blow by because of how caught up you get in this movie as a viewer. Although I like the book, the movie is better. This is largely because the movie moves at a much better pace because unneeded details such as about housecleaning are omitted. And some of the changes they made for the movie work quite well. Some viewers were disappointed that the meeting with Neville at St Mungo's was omitted. Apparently this was because the filmmakers did not wish to pay to build a set for the hospital that would not get much use. What they did worked quite well. Having Neville quietly tell Harry about his parents both allowed for more sense of a Harry-Neville friendship in the movie and Neville's uncomfortableness regarding the topic is retained when he says "I'm not sure I'm ready for everyone to know just yet." Apart from omitting Marietta I'm quite pleased with the book to movie transition. The movie keeps itself going while being true to the spirit of the book. The acting and casting are splendid. I especially love Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood. Her portrayal of Luna is so picture perfect and so awesome that this movie would be worth watching just for that. David Heyman had said that other girls they auditioned could play Luna but that Evanna WAS Luna. This really shows on screen. Ralph Fiennes continued his mastery of Voldemort and Jason Issacs depiction of Lucius was delicious. We have two ruthless cahracters whose true colors show through in their performances and the feeling of danger they present is real. And of course Bellitrix Lestrange passion is awesome captured by Helena Bonham Carter. She really delivers on the madness of the character. We all know how great Daniel and Emma had become in their roles by this stage. Daniel and Emma got better and better with each film in the series and by this point they've totally mastered both the skill of acting and portraying their characters. And even Gambon has improved in his role as Dumbledore. I also like that Harry and Luna are on friendlier terms earlier in the movie than in the book as is evidenced by the forest scene. I always saw a bond between Harry and Luna as a natural so I liked that the filmmakers put some emphasis on that. I can feel the bond between Harry and Luna through the screen. Nicholas Hooper's score is very good albeit not on John Williams classic level. The special effects and visuals are outstanding and the overall production quality is a wonder to behold. The duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort was epic and awestricking. Perfectly shot, perfectly paced, perfectly acted. And I like the progression of darker color schemes as the series progresses as it fits in with the darker tone the stories take. And the filmmakers had a good feel for what fit. The ending shot where the Department of Mysteries Six, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna are all walking to the carriages together was a perfect example of this. This movie should only be viewed by people in middle school or older. Though less graphic than in the book, the Umbridge punishments scenes are still an issue. Harry's dream scenes and flashback scenes would be too intense for elementary school children. And although the movie depicts Sirius's death as less emotional than Cedric's death in Goblet of Fire, Sirius is a known favorite of many fans. Overall Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is an awesome movie! Faithfulness to the book: 9 out of 10. Casting and acting: 11 out of 10. (Bonus point for Luna.) Pacing: 10 out of 10. Music: 8 out of 10. Special effects and visuals: 10 out of 10. Overall: 10 out of 10. Loved it! :)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Goblet of Fire Burns Brightly
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a fantastic movie and a more than worthy addition to the Harry Potter movie series. Ironically Goblet has always been my least favorite Harry Potter book. This movie isn't the most faithful to the book but in this case that benefits the movie. The book contains too much recap of previous stories, too many trivial details, and too many unnecessary subplots. The movie is much better paced than the book thanks to the removal of much unnecessary content. The filmmakers mostly made the right choices about what to include in the movie and what to omit. The main parts of the book are about the Triwizard Tournament and Voldemort's return. All three Triwizard Tasks and Voldemort's return are included so we're in good shape already. Other important scenes such as Moody's first class, the opening chapter, and Dumbledore's speech about Cedric are included. The only thing I would have done differently is that I would have omitted the Yule Ball and instead included more of Barty Crouch Jr's backstory. The Yule Ball is completely unnecessary and adds nothing to the plot or the story. On the other hand it would have been nice to have seen the movie explain more of Barty Crouch Jr's backstory such as how he was smuggled from Azkaban, how he came to return to Voldemort, and how he came to be at Hogwarts. Barty Crouch Jr is an important character who is underdeveloped in the movie. Overall I think this movie was well structured. The casting and acting are outstanding as is always the case in Harry Potter. Amongst the newbies Ralph Fiennes gives an awesome portrayal of Voldemort. That graveyard scene really captured the darker tone the series is starting to take. Voldemort truly feels scary here. And Brendon Gleeson's Mad Eye Moody is so goddamn entertaining. So the new cast members fit right in with the high quality actors in this series. The special effects and visuals are awesome. Obviously the production quality is top notch. But there's more to it than that. The way this movie was made really captures the venture into darker territory Harry Potter is starting to take at this point in the series with its darker colors and cinematography compared with the previous Harry Potter movies. The settings and environments also help capture this. This movie knows what it is and where it is going and brings that out well. Andi really enjoyed how they made Voldemort. Patrick Doyle's score is good but nowhere near as good as John Williams. It's a shame that Williams couldn't score all 8 Harry Potter movies. The score heard here is good but a noticeable step down from John Williams classic scores on the previous Harry Potter movies. The pacing is mostly good. However the Yule Ball scene really drags on. When I watch this movie on DVD I skip ahead from Harry and Ron making up in the aftermath of the First Task to the part where Voldemort says "Let me see it again." and the movie has a much better and more enjoyable pace without the Yule Ball. This movie should only be viewed by people in middle school or older. The emotional intensity of Cedric's death, the entire graveyard scene, Harry having to carry Cedric's body back through the maze, and Dumbledore's speech about Cedric are too much for elementary school children to handle. Faithfulness to the book: 5 out of 10. Casting and acting: 10 out of 10. Music: 7 out of 10. Pacing: 8 out of 10. Special effects and visuals: 10 out of 10. Overall: 8 out of 10.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
The Wonder and Magic of Narnia has Returned
Let me say right up front that I am an atheist and a secularist and as such I don't care about any religious undertones or allegory this series may contain. My review of this movie is based on the book to movie transition and how good it is as a fantasy film.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was a return to what Narnia is supposed to be. Narnia is nowhere near as good as Harry Potter or the Middle Earth trilogies. But the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was a good movie in its own way. Prince Caspian was more disappointing. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader restored the magic and wonder of Narnia. Prince Caspian placed a very heavy emphasis on battle scenes and was darker and more serious than is appropriate for the Narnia series. Narnia is supposed to be full of wonder and magic. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe had it, Prince Caspian lost it, and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader restores it. First of all, while the Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a less literal translation of the book to the movie, it is still very faithful to the book. What will be very noticeable to viewers who are familiar with the book is that the order events occur in in the movie is different from the book and in some cases noticeably so. This is a non issue to me. The fact remains that most of the important events from the book are in the movie. Furthermore, a change in order is actually good for the movie. It works far better cinematically to have Eustace's dragon form occur later in the story. Also, the book is largely episodic so altering the order of events doesn't really alter the meaning or significance of any event. At the end of the day it's still about the quest for the lost lords and the for Aslan's Country. Now we have the issue of content not in the book being added to the film. While I do not agree with the director that a "thrust" needed to be added as I think the quest for the lost lords and Aslan's Country is a perfectly good thrust, I do like the addition of laying the Seven Swords at Aslan's Table. This addition is completely consistent with the original story as the Seven Swords plot line fits right alongside the Seven Lords plot line. On the other hand I certainly could have done without that retarded green mist subplot. The green mist subplot? No. Just. No. The acting/casting was mixed to positive as is typical for this series. Liam Neeson is an awesome voice of Aslan and Georgie always gives a splendid performance as Lucy. On the other hand I've never cared for Edmund in the movies and Ben's Caspian is good but not great. Obviously the main newbie here is Will as Eustace and he's fantastic. He captures the annoying and unlikable nature of the character brilliantly. The Eustace of this movie felt far more real than the Edmund of LLW. The pacing is excellent. This movie gets going quickly and never has a dull moment. But the best part of this movie is the special effects and visuals. This movie is beautifully shot and absolutely breathtaking. This movie has very vivid colors, very realistic looking settings and items, and just about perfect production quality. The special effects and visuals in this movie are a wonder to behold. This is also easily the most family friendly/ child friendly movie in the Narnia series so it can be enjoyed by just about anyone. All in all The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a quality movie that restores the wonder and magic of Narnia. Faithfulness to the book: 8 out of 10. Casting/acting: 7 out of 10. Pacing: 10 out of 10. Special effects and visuals: 10 out of 10. Overall: 9 out of 10.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
Prince Caspian not King of the Narnia Movies
Let me say up front that I am an atheist and a secularist and as such I don't care about any religious undertones or allegory that this series may possess. I'm judging this movie based on the book to movie transition and the movie as a fantasy film.
Prince Caspian is easily the weakest and least enjoyable of the Narnia movies. While the Narnia series is nowhere near as good as Harry Potter or the Middle Earth trilogies both The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader are pretty good movies in their own right. But Prince Caspian suffers from numerous flaws. Let's start with faithfulness to the book. Well plot wise this movie is reasonably faithful to the book. But the problem is the characters. The way several key characters is portrayed is so different from the book that they feel like totally different characters. By far the biggest problem is Peter. The Peter of the book is noble, humble, and kingly and truly deserves the title and position of High King of Narnia. The Peter in this movie is a jerk, whiny, and worst of all, arrogant. This is such a complete misrepresentation of the character that he didn't feel like Peter at all. A similar problem exists on a smaller scale with regard to Caspain himself. Caspian being older in the movie than in the book is a minor flaw. But a much bigger issue is the relationship between Peter and Caspian. In the book there is respect on both sides and Peter even says"I have come not to take your place but to put you in it." This movie depicts palpable tension between Peter and Caspian when there is NO hint of tension between them in the book. A smaller but still annoying issue is that retarded romance between Susan and Caspian. I happen not to be a fan of the romance genre anyway but there is no hint of this in the book either. It seems as though a romance element was added to attract the Twilight/Hunger Games audiences because not only is this not in the book but even within the context of the movie it serves no plot purpose. Plot wise and event wise this movie is fairly faithful to the book but the character portrayals mostly suck. The acting and casting are tough to fairly evaluate here. Georgie is her usual splendid self in her portrayal of Lucy and Liam Neeson is awesome as the voice of Aslan. But William's and Ben's performances are tough to judge. The poor character writing in the script would make it tough to appreciate even good quality acting in those roles. Then there's the pacing. The battle scenes are too long and drawn out leading to a movie that seems to drag. There was a time when I watched this movie after having not seen it for a while when I found myself saying it was better than I remembered. Here's the thing: This movie has a good story to tell and tells it reasonably well but because the battle scenes are so long and loud they tend to dominate the mind's memory of this movie. A better movie would have been produced by simply reducing the length and intensity of some battle scenes. The best part of this movie is its outstanding special effects and visuals. This is a very well made film that is awesome to look at. To address a common complaint: Many people have complained about the"bloodless" nature of the battles in this movie. First, remember that this is fantasy. More importantly, bear in mind that the filmmakers were contractually obligated by the studio to achieve a rating no higher than PG. In fact one scene was altered to eliminate the possibility of implied beheading. In the scene in question the angle of a fallen soldier's helmet was changed to make clear that the helmet was empty and did not contain a severed head. The PG requirement necessities the lack of blood and gore. That said this is still pretty violent and should only be viewed by people in middle school or older. My opinion on this movie is mixed leaning negative. The reason I lean negative is that some of the positive attributes of this movie are damaged by the negative attributes. Faithfulness to the book: 4 out of 10. Casting/Acting: 7 out of 10. Pacing: 3 out of 10. Special effects/visuals: 9 out of 10. Overall: 4 out of 10.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The Wonder of Narnia
Let me say right up front that I am an atheist and a secularist and such do not care about any religious allegory or undertones this movie may possess. I am reviewing it from the point of view of the book to movie transition and how good it is as a fantasy film.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantastic fantasy film. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe has an awesome feel of magic and wonder to it. This movie is reasonably faithful to the book and even makes some improvements on it. I really appreciated that the filmmakers actually showed the kids being evacuated from the wartime air raids. In the book this is mentioned once in passing at the start of the first paragraph. But in the book I never got the sense of children who had been truly affected by the war. The movie, by actually showing the evacuations and making them a decent length scene, and by showing some of the kids emotions in the midst and aftermath of this scene, better capture the fact that the kids are sent away during wartime and how this has affected them emotionally. After that the movie pretty much follows the book and is generally quite faithful to it with one exception. The Deeper Magic From Before the Dawn of Time is eliminated and replaced by Aslan having a "different interpretation" of the Deep Magic From the Dawn of Time. This eliminates a major plot point and alters another. This is not a good thing. Everything else is mostly as you'd expect. The visual work on this movie is fantastic. The outstanding visual work both help capture the sense of wonder and magic of Narnia and make the story feel more realistic. My personal favorite scene was when Lucy first entered Narnia through the Wardrobe. The pure joy and wonder of discovering Narnia is a beautiful thing to behold. And it feels so genuine. The filmmakers had Georgie enter the set of the wintry Narnia blindfolded so that her very first reaction to seeing the set could be used in the film as an authentic first reaction. What a brilliant move! The CGI animals, especially Aslan, look pretty realistic to me. Now the casting and acting were fairly good. Goergie was a PERFECT Lucy and Liam Neeson was an outstanding choice for the voice of Aslan. William Mosley just fit right into the role of Peter. An underrated role is Jim Broadbent's portrayal of Professor Kirke. The only weakness here is that the character of Edmund seems a bit forced and phony but overall the casting and acting are good. The pacing is a bit slow in the first half hour or so but picks up when the children have all gotten into Narnia and is pretty good from there on. To address a common complaint, a number of people have complained about the "bloodless" battle. First of all, remember that this is fantasy. More importantly, it should be noted that the filmmakers were contractually required by the studio to attain a rating of no higher than PG. Thus, we wind up with battle scenes that are violent and intense but not bloody or gory. Now, this movie should not be viewed by toddlers, preschoolers, or kindergarteners due to intense and intensely sad scenes, especially the evacuation scene, the Aslan sacrifice plot, and the epic final battle. This movie is okay for kids in grades 3 and up. For kids in grades 1-2 it depends on the individual. I don't think this movie is as good as the Harry Potter series or the Middle Earth trilogies but it is a worthy part of the fantasy genre and is well worth seeing.
Faithfulness to the book: 8 out of 10. Casting/acting: 8 out of 10. Special effects/visuals: 9 out of 10. Pacing: 7 out of 10. Overall: 8 out of 10.
The New Price Is Right (1972)
Much progress has been made and there's room for more
I enjoy The Price is Right for the play along at home factor and for the big exciting wins. Although there is room for improvement I still feel the show is far better today than it was in the late 2000s. Set updates since 2010 to Any Number, Temptation, Check Game, Card Game, and Clock Game have made the show much more of the 21st century giving it a fresher look and more modern feel. And it's always a great thing when LCD replaces eggcrate. LCD>eggcrate. Fact. I'm also glad that less desirable prizes such as pianos have become less common and more desirable prizes such as electronics are now more common. Meanwhile the creation of some wonderful new games, especially Double Cross with its enjoyable touch screen concept and Do the Math with its simple but substance niche.And the revival of Time is Money with a much better set and much better rules and structure. Some problems of the early Drew Carey era have been fixed. In season 37 there was a time when they would play a car or cash game first in every lineup. While the majority of car and cash games are in fact good lead off hitters, lineup construction becomes much more interesting if there are a variety of games that might be first. Fortunately we have reverted to having more variety in that lead off slot and overall lineup construction is far better than when Mike Richards first started. And around season 37 we also saw a number of retarded showcase skits. The pie in the face being by far the worst of these. Luckily such garbage is no longer part of the show. So how can the show improve? Well first reduce the number of themed shows. In particular, eliminate all playing in pairs shows. The Price is Right was designed as a one player game and should be kept that way at all times. And there's no need for a social media week either. Halloween and Christmas are events that lend themselves to good specials and Dream Car Week and Big Money Week are what the show is all about so I'd keep those. Rank and File episodes could be improved by a few simple adjustments. First, use proper names instead of generic terms. Have George say"Mountain Dew" not just"a 2 liter bottle of soda". Proper names enrich the show whereas generic terms give off a"meh" feeling. Next eliminate gender specific prizes as they are worthless to half of their potential winners. Then, eliminate contestants personal stories (which are of no interest anyway) and go straight from having Drew read the ARP of the contestants row prize to having George read the prize copy for the pricing game prize. This would have save 2-3 minutes per show and allow longer and better end of game buildups. Drew could wait a few more seconds to reveal that final price in Grand Game. The reveals in games like Range Game and Side by Side could be drawn out a 6-8 more seconds. This would create more tension and drama and therefore greater feelings of both excitement about wins and heartbreak about losses. This would also allow better lineups by reducing the need for quickies. The frequency of games like Coming or Going, That's Too Much, and Switch? could be reduced and there would be more time for games with more substance like Take Two, Danger Price, and 10 Chances. There could even be a few extra playings of 3 Strikes and Golden Road. Finally I'd like the full opening restored. "Here it comes. From the Bob Barker Studio at CBS in Hollywood, television's most exciting hour of fantastic prizes. The fabulous 60 minute Price is Right. The full opening was really fulfilling and enjoyable and really got me in the mood for the day's show. There's been some improvement but there's room for more. I'll go with 7 out of 10 here.
Pardon the Interruption (2001)
Pardon the interruption but this is the best sports discussion show on TV today.
PTI is the best sports discussion show on the air today. And it works just as well with the substitute hosts. The thing that really drives PTI is the format. The timed topics structure helps keep the show on a good pace. Because the structure limits the amount of time allowed for any given topic no topic is allowed to drag on too long and each show allows for a good variety of topics to be covered. The rundown list is a nice feature that allows viewers to know what subject is about to come up. PTI is a particularly enjoyable watch on Mondays during the NFL season. If a particularly major story has occurred more time may be allotted to it but still within the context of having a time limit. The second part of the show features either a game or a guest. I generally like the guests and I especially enjoy jaws commentary on the NFL and Barkley's commentary on the NBA during these guest segments. The games are more hit or miss for me. I love What's the Word and Oddsmakers and I enjoy Toss Up. On the other hand I don't care for Good Cop/Bad Cop and I despise that annoying Role Play game. Overall the first part of the show is meant to give a more serious take on the sports happenings of the time whereas the games that often occur in this second segment are meant to be more fun frivolous. The final part of the show includes happy time and the big finish. Happy time includes birthdays, anniversaries, and happy trails. The happy trails part can be funny, serious, or sad (if it is used to acknowledge a death). The big finish is basically a lightning round segment of very short takes on several topics. Oftentimes the big finish will end with Mike and Tony doing a prediction about an upcoming game. All in all the format and structure of PTI are what make it successful by ensuring a quality pace and a breadth of topics. Only my dislike of a few games prevented this from getting the full 10. A well earned 9 out of 10.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Potter Perfection.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is n absolutely fantastic movie in every facet. The main movie is very faithful to the book and the extended version is extremely faithful to the book. The main movie covers everything of importance to the plot in pretty much the same order as the book and the extended versions keeps even more elements, some of which improve how well the extended version captures the emotional depth of Harry's story. Daniel and Emma have shaken off their noviceness and show great acting improvement in their portrayals of the main roles as compared to Sorcerer's Stone. Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltraine are still fantastic as Snape and Hagrid. Sadly, this is our last of Richard Harris as Dumbledore as he died before this film was even released. Harris was clearly the better Dumbledore and captured the wisdom and grandfatherly mentor of the Dumbledore from the books so well. Then the new cast members are fantastic. In particular, Jason Issacs was PERFECT in the role of Lucius and brought out the ruthlessness and self supposed superiority. The pacing is good. While there are some "slow" parts, this is a story that some parts need to be slow in. This movie does a fantastic job of being slow in parts in which the story calls for it, such as when Professor McGonagall is explaining the legend of the Chamber of secrets to the class, and faster paced in parts that call for it, such as the Flying Car scene. The special effects/visuals are massively improved over Sorcerer's Stone. This is particularly obvious in creatures. As opposed to the cartoonish Fluffy and comical troll seen in SS, Aragog is truly scary, Fawkes is truly awe striking, and Dobby feels like a real character. And the set of the Chamber of Secrets itself is much more well done than the chess set and dungeons seen at the climax of SS. Another major plus is that this story, both book and movie, though it retains a strong child appeal element with things like Howlers and Flying Cars it is far less childish than SS and has more emotional depth. The story of people like Hermione, who are looked down upon because of their parentage/background adds more of an emotional twist to the story, as does the danger they face. This leads to another point: There is real danger and real tension in this movie. The tension between Harry Potter and Tom Riddle is palpable and becomes even more palpable when Tom reveals that he is Lord Voldemort. And whereas in SS it really felt all along as though everything would be okay and Harry would triumph, in COS there is a real feeling of danger and a real feeling of doubt as to whether Harry will be able to save Ginny, whether Harry will defeat Tom Riddle, and even whether Harry will survive the adventure in the Chamber of Secrets. A final point is that John Williams fantastic music. The awesomeness of this speaks for itself. I really enjoyed the piece on the DVD where they showed the scene of Hermione's return with the music removed. The scene feels far less fulfilling without music and it was interesting to hear Williams himself talk about this. This movie should not be viewed by preschoolers or kindergarteners because of emotional intensity (Hermione's petrification, the message on the wall about Ginny.) as well scary moments, such as the Aragog scene and the battle in the Chamber of Secrets itself. This movie is perfectly fine for kids in 3rd grade and older. For kids in grades 1-2 in depends on the individual. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is an outstanding movie that earns its 10 out of 10. Make sure to see the extended version at least a few times.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
A Magical Beginning
I am huge fan of the Harry Potter series. On a 5 star scale I would give 6 of the 7 books in the series (all except Goblet) 5 stars. And when it comes to rating this movie, I would it give it a 10 if I were judging it based strictly on how much I enjoyed it. That said, I think on a 10 star scale the most accurate rating for the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is 8. The movie is reasonably faithful to the book. And some of the decisions about how to transfer the story from book to film worked incredibly well. For example, the opening chapter of the book is a chapter of crucial importance. But this scene could not be allowed to drag on for 15-20 minutes in the film. A balance had to be struck between respecting the importance of this chapter and condensing it for time and space. The film struck this balance masterfully by eliminating Uncle Vernon's day and only showing Harry's arrival scene. Since that "day" was really more Uncle Vernon's story than Harry's it was able to be cut without doing any damage and what's left focuses on Harry's story as it should. Plus, cinematically, it worked well to have that whole opening scene set at night. This kind of good decision making was present throughout most of the book to movie transition. The only real flaw is that the main version of the film omits the scene where Harry finds Flammel on the back of the chocolate frog card before Hermione goes to retrieve the book. Hermione going to retrieve the book makes far more sense of the scene of Harry finding Flammel on the chocolate frog card before that is included. This is a deleted scene but it should have been in the main movie. Overall the book is reasonable faithful to the book. The casting is bloody brilliant. Robbie Coltraine and Alan Rickman were PERFECT for the roles of Hagrid and Snape. You can almost feel Hagrid's warmth through the screen when you watch this movie. As you expect, Richard Harris was a great Dumbledore, wonderfully capturing the grandfatherly mentor from the books. It's a shame he didn't live long enough to complete the series because he was so awesome in the role. Daniel and Emma do show some noviceness in this movie but their subsequent performances in the later films proved the casting correct. The special effects and visuals were mixed in this film and are by far the weakest in the series. On one hand, the filmmakers did a fantastic job bringing things like Qudditch, the Great Hall, and the Hogwarts Express to life. On the other hand some of the CGI was too cartoonish. Fluffy isn't scary at all and the troll is downright comical. The best part of the filmmaking was John Williams score. John Williams should have won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for this movie. This is some of the best music I've ever heard. And it's so identifiable. You here this and it instantly puts you in mind of Harry Potter. And the pacing is outstanding. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is an engaging and engrossing movie from start to finish and has very few slow moments. And as the most charming, innocent, and light hearted film in the series, this movie is great for kids.
Faithfulness to the book: 8 out 10. Casting/acting: 8 out of 10. Music: 10 out of 10. Pacing 10 out of 10. Special effects visuals: 6 out of 10. Overall; 8 out of 10.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is the BEST Christmas special
While I gave Frosty the Snowman 10 out of 10 and feel it deserved it,Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is a classic to behold and EASILY the best of the Christmas specials of the 1960's. A good place to start is Rudolph himself. Rudolph is wonderfully voiced by Billie May Richards and is an easy character to root for right from the start. We see a wonderful character progression from Rudolph being mistreated by everyone in Christmastown to him being on the run to him growing older and realizing he has to face his troubles rather than run from them and that he must go home to the big moment where Santa says "Rudolph with your nose so bright won't you guide my sleigh tonight." Rudolph's journey is just fantastic. What the producers have also done with this show is expanded on the misfit theme and added other characters not in the song to obtain a reasonable length show. There's a misfit elf and a wonderful collection of "misfit toys" on the Island of Misfit toys. I especially like the train with square wheels on its caboose. The idea for the misfit toys was bloody brilliant! And then there's the music. All the music throughout this show is wonderful. But I especially love Holly Jolly Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Not many people know that Holly Jolly Christmas was originally written for the purpose of being included in this show and it's still one of the best Christmas songs there is. And Burl Ives's performance of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is far superior to the Gene Autry version of the song. Everything about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is wonderful and classic. I watch this show 2-3 times every December,including every Christmas Eve night. And last November I purchased the mp3 Versions of Burl Ives Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and 3 mp3 versions of Holly Jolly Christmas,including Burl Ives. Rudolph the Red Nosed is a timeless and classic Christmas special that can't be anything but 10 stars. :)
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
The Joy of Imagination
Frosty the Snowman is a true Christmas classic. While my favorite Christmas special remains Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,I have a special place in my heart for Frosty the Snowman and I watch it 2-3 times every December,including every Christmas Eve night. The beauty of Frosty the Snowman is that it's about imagination. How much fun is it to imagine building a snowman and having it come to life. And just around Christmas too! That's the real beauty of Frosty the Snowman. Another strong point of this show is Jimmy Durante's singing of the song Frosty the Snowman. I bought an mp3 version of Jimmy Durante's Frosty the Snowman from this show last November and it is definitely the best version of the song Frosty the Snowman that I've heard. I highly recommend this show as it is a true Christmas classic.