Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupart Grint, Emma Watson
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Country: UK, USA
Genre: Fantasy
Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.
After two films that followed the same formula, a new director stepped in to helm the third installment of the series. Alfonso Curaón, probably best known for Children of Men, turns the frothiness of the previous two films and shrouds it in the dark of night. Where the first two films left audiences with a resonating feeling of sitting by the firelight, Azkaban leaves the audience with the feeling of being lost in the woods at midnight. Gary Oldman steps in, in the perfect way that only Oldman can to any role he’s given, to the notorious role of Sirius Black. The mystique of the Harry Potter series takes a turn for the better here, foreshadowing the long journey to come.
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman
Director: Mike Leigh
Country: UK
Genre: Dramedy
She’s kind of like a Disney character. Isn’t she? Yeah.
I feel weird saying it aloud, but this film challenged me in ways I hadn’t thought possible. It focuses on a character so hell-bent on being cheery that it begins to get a little grating. Immediately I was conflicted over having this feeling for such a well intentioned character, but slowly the layers started to peel back and a chasm of depth was revealed. My pessimistic way of thinking immediately started believing that I was being mislead and that this mostly-happy story could only end in death or some cataclysmic event, but I was pleasantly surprised by its outcome and the message it successfully delivered.
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson
Director: Joel Hopkins
Country: USA, UK
Genre: Romance, Comedy
It’s fun watching two grown adults acting like teenagers in love.
There’s something magical when a quaint formulaic film transcends its expectations and becomes unforgettable. Such is the case with Last Chance Harvey, a familiar love story between two down-and-out characters who have a chance encounter. What really elevates this film is its two stars, Hoffman and Thompson, as they relish in their roles, finding emotions and humor that only seasoned actors like them can. Their chemistry is entirely fun to watch. While the film takes a few stock twists, it really doesn’t matter, because after all, that’s what we’re there to see. Last Chance Harvey is a uplifting and wonderful film that helps fill the void of mid-life romance films.
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent
Director: Edgar Wright
Country: UK
Genre: Action, Comedy
I would have hated to be the editor of the 5,500+ cuts this film has.
Sophomore efforts are always judged more harshly than probably should. When you have a successful debut like this team did with Shaun of the Dead, you have certain expectations to meet. For me, Hot Fuzz at first didn’t necessarily meet my expectations, but more like sidestepped them. I thought it was trying to be too many things at once. But upon subsequent viewings, I’ve come to the conclusion that I think this film is more brilliant than it appears to be. All at once it embraces the humor from Shaun that made them famous, but also separates itself by crafting an action detective story that would fit right in with the Dirty Harry series. And even in that respect, it’s completely an homage, but it’s never derivative. It’s a fun and over the top policeman officer comedy!
Starring: Hugh Grant, Toni Collette, Nicholas Hoult
Director: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz
Country: USA, UK
Genre: Comedy
About a Boy is a story of two boys growing up. One of them just happens to be in his thirties.
Fresh off of their highly successful* 2001 film Down To Earth starring Chris Rock, Paul and Chris Weitz turned their focus on a slightly different type of comedy. About a Boy is a simultaneous coming-of-age story between a boy and a selfish man. One comes to terms with growing up, and the other comes to terms with high school. This film is really sweet, but most importantly, it doesn’t pull any punches. It deals with some heavy issues, (suicide, depression, Mystykal,) and doesn’t water itself down to conform to a general audience. That’s not to imply that it doesn’t have wide appeal, it does, which is why this film is so enjoyable. But you really can’t do much harm when Nick Hornby is your source for story and characters.
* highly successful = not at all successful
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen
Director: Martin Campbell
Country: USA, UK
Genre: Action
There is always going to be an outcry when dealing with characters or films that people hold dear to their heart. Some people have a thirty-some year bond with… um… Bond. So their hesitancy toward accepting a kickass action/intriguing spy flick. When you’re in an abusive relationship, it’s sometimes hard to break away from it. I’m not judging you if Die Another Day is your favorite film, but maybe you should take another look in the mirror. You can’t say you fell down the stairs forever. That being said, Bond is blonde, get over it. Craig steps into the well-used spy shoes and breathes new invigorating life into the franchise. Campbell shapes a well-shot film from the first of Ian Flemming’s books. Its biggest flaw is that it’s a bit long, but if it did’t set up the next in the series, Quantum of Solace wouldn’t have been as awesome as it was. Casino Royale is exciting.
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Danny Boyle
Country: UK
Genre: Horror
Zombies had taken a bit of a backseat in the horror genre for awhile just before the 21st century. Their slow antics and lack of personality eventually made them silly, which is why my guess is there are more zombie-comedies than any other horror creature. But around the turn of the century, the infection evolved into humans instilled with rage, ready to not only eat your flesh, but tear it off your body before beating your skull to a bloody pulp. How appropriate that 28 Days Later begins with angry monkeys, as that’s what zombies have become. When this film came out, it scared me senseless. I still get chills when I think about the church scene. Not only did it make zombies hip again, it raised the standards to which all other zombie films would then be compared. Top notch gory suspense.
This review is also listed at:
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupart Grint, Emma Watson
2004 Films | this guy over here March 8, 2010 | 
Comments (0) 
