Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

One of the most important events in the history of movies happened this weekend - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was released! I've only seen it twice so far. How was it? In a word - AMAZING.

I wish every Harry Potter film had been broken into two movies. They always seem so rushed and choppy, hurrying through every scene. There's a noticeable change in the pacing of Deathly Hallows; it takes its time. It's what every Harry Potter movie should have been - slowly going through the complex stories and infinite details of the characters and plot. It's full of the little things that make the book so enjoyable. That's not to say that Deathly Hallows moves slowly. It doesn't. The 2 1/2 hour running time goes by in a blink of an eye. What makes Deathly Hallows so good is just how closely the movie follows the book. Small scenes, observations and even dialogue are lifted straight from the book and featured in the movie. As an avid reader of the series, I know that's all I ever really want. The storytelling is so good here and what's even better are the performances by everyone, especially the three leads - Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Each has always gotten better from one film to the next, but they all seem to have really stepped it up a notch here. They were on another level. So good! I have to single out Watson for a moment. Never having acted professionally before she was cast as Hermione, she was a revelation in Deathly Hallows. She really blossomed in this installment and came into her own. Deathly Hallows is phenomenal and I can't wait for Part 2.

Hard to believe, but other movies opened this weekend too. Danny Boyle's follow up to Slumdog Millionaire is 127 Hours. Starring James Franco, 127 Hours is the true story of adventurer Aron Ralston who becomes trapped in a canyon when his arm gets pinned by a boulder. This is a tricky film. How entertaining could it be to watch someone stuck in one place for 90 minutes? Turns out very. Boyle deserves a lot of credit here for transcending that possible boundary. The rest of the credit goes to Franco for carrying a film that's more or less just him in a canyon. Great performance by Franco.

The Next Three Days is a very sharp, nice thriller from the director of Crash. When his wife (Elizabeth Banks) is wrongly convicted of murder, Russell Crowe sets out on a plan to break her out of jail. What follows is a very suspenseful story and just a good, solid movie.

Slacker!

Slacker, thy name is The Q. I've been neglecting my blog lately.

Week of November 5

Due Date was a bit of a disappointment. Of course it was funny, but I didn't find it to be consistently funny throughout, like I was expecting. I'm right in the middle on this one - not great, not bad.






She's not a big box office draw, but Hilary Swank has an awesome knack for playing such strong characters. Her role in Conviction is a nice addition to her repertoire. Really strong performances all around here. Very good flick.





Week of Nov 12

Clearly, I could focus on nothing else this week than a new Rachel McAdams movie. The icing on top? She's romancing Patrick Wilson! The casting gods have smiled upon me! The first time I saw Morning Glory (of course I've already seen it twice!), I was a little disappointed that it wasn't perfect and the best movie of all time. Clearly, my expectations were too high. Upon second viewing though, I very much enjoyed the picture. I found it funnier and much more entertaining the second time. And ugh, could Rachel and Patrick be cuter? Geez!

Megamind was great! I typically avoid these kiddie cartoons, but this one is pretty entertaining and actually rather funny.







I'm surprised to say that Unstoppable is quite good! Super exciting and suspenseful. Who knew a train could be so menacing? Good stuff!