Skyfall

It has been four years since the last James Bond movie, and for a while there was a legitimate concern the Quantum of Solace would be the last James Bond movie with MGM going bankrupt.  That would have been a horrible way to end the series.  But here it returns to its glorious form a perfect mix of what we have come to expect from both the character in relation to the series and Daniel Craig's spin on the character.  Skyfall is a perfect blend of what we should expect from James Bond living in today's world.  

No matter what Daniel Craig does with the rest of his time as the world's most famous spy. All of his work will always be compared to Casino Royale.  And in that respect it probably doesn't live up to the near perfect reboot of the franchise.  But if you were to treat this movie independently of the franchise the story is compelling and the actors shine.  The only hint of hindrance comes from some of the moments that every James Bond movie has to have and the audience expects from a movie like this 

At 44 years old you have to wonder how many more movies Daniel Craig has in him.  Already in his third installment in the series they already play up the angle that he may be too old too still be a Double-0 agent.  Yet his haunting blue eyes and slick coolness still aid him in being perfect for the role, for now.  Cool as ever and he is still able to nail the action sequences even if they don't come as often from when he first started the series.  

Sam Mendes does a fantastic job with the story making it more of a thriller than a straight up action flick.  He forces his character to come to terms with who he is for the dramatic parts and still directs terrific action sequences.  Most notably the opening which immediately grips you in.  To his credit he finally gives Judi Dench a role she can firmly grab onto instead of just a bit part.  It is a shame to have wasted all the potential of the character throughout the series but it was wonderful that someone finally let Dench be Dench 

Hitting the 50th anniversary of the series the movie hits the moments that you have to.  From the drink order to the action sequences to the music.  But somehow after all this time it is still impossible to get sick of all the moments that we already know are coming.  What is different about this movie from the previous two installments is that they have fun with some of the cliches that we are expecting the movie to have.  This movie has a self-referential humor about it that was missing from Quantum of Solace.

The best part about this movie though is without a doubt Javier Bardem as the main Bond villain, Silva.  As he walks onto the scene with bleach blonde hair and knowing what he can do as a villain from his time at No Country For Old Men there is a high expectation, and he knocks it out of the park.  He plays the part completely over the top which is what you usually expect out of a Bond villain and that was a fun change of pace for the series.

This movie seemed to provide a solid mix of the realness that the other two Bond movies that garnered Casino Royale such praise with the campiness that we have come to expect.  Like the previous two movies, Craig still plays a darker, harder version of the Bond character. He leaves the over the top acting and many of the one liners to his nemesis   This is a Bond that is updated to the times, and for that I think we can all be thankful.  B+

The Wrath of the Titans

The sequel to the 2010 version of Clash of the Titans is coming out this weekend. Many of you may be wondering, wait didn't that movie suck? Why are they making a sequel? The answer being that while domestically the movie made a little bit more than the budget of the film, around the world the movie made bank. What are you going to do people in Eurasia love action movies. So studio heads fixed all the problems of the first one such as not originally filming it in 3-D, not nearly enough fight scenes, and any semblance of story or accurate portrayal of Greek mythology. What Wrath of the Titans lacks in story it makes up for in visual entertainment and that just may be enough to keep people entertained.

Some of the key actors returned to the movie, notably Sam Worthington as the always straining Perseus, and Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as the divine ZZ top brothers. Many of the roles changed to fit the movies needs, from Andromeda to the director. Andromeda has changed from a lady in waiting to a warrior queen, so it appears they changed the actress to fit the new character and Rosamund Pike does a fine job in the role. Without question though the biggest change is in director as Jonathan Liebesman takes over the helm. With movies like Battle Los Angeles to his credit it is clear the studio knew the direction they wanted the project to take. And with a stable of new writers the team gave the studio what they wanted.

What they wanted was better visual effects and that is what they got. Filmed in 3-D, the visuals are much improved over the 2010 version which converted the movie into 3-D after it was already finished. Everything pops on the screen which is good because the script sizzles out almost immediately. Any semblance of story that is created is used merely to explain how to get to the next fight scene. And even then not all the fights are fully explained, such as a fight with a minotaur who shows up out of nowhere, and leaves before anyone else sees what happened. No doubt the writers chose to use a game of connect-the-dots to storyboard their movie, and with such little space on their single sheet of paper there was even less room for dialogue. The movie's dialogue can be summarized into three lines: "You betrayed me," "The Gods are losing their power," and, oh I don't know a lot of screaming maybe. With all that time saved from by not talking I'm sure the computer animators were able to create an extra monster for Perseus to face.

Lacking in the movie is comic relief, and any attempt by the actors to be funny is quickly stymied. Toby Kebbell is introduced as the initial comic relief but once he enters his first battle he quickly gets captured and after that is only there to fight. Then after the next series of battles our heroes meet Bill Nighy, who is always good for laugh or two. Indeed he does inject the movie with some much needed laughs, but I think once they realize what is going on they quickly dispatch of the character. Good catch boys, that was a close one.

With so little story to tell, and much of the screen time going to fight scenes, the movie doesn't make it past 100 minutes. Which may explain why despite the stories told of how difficult the labyrinth to Tartarus is to navigate, they maybe spend 10 minutes in the maze before they reach their destination. All the action moves quickly, and with no doubt by design. Before you realize what you saw the movie is over and at the very least you can walk out saying well it was better than the first one.

Wrath of the Titans can at the very least say that it was better than the first one. The crew knew what their audience wanted and refused to be bogged down by things like story and dialogue. There is plenty of action to enjoy and to its credit the movie looks good. Just try to ignore what all your other senses are trying to tell you and take it all in. D+

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

It All Ends. With little doubt the most appropriate tag line of the franchise. After seven books and eight films the epic series of the boy wizard comes to a glorious end. The people in front and behind the camera know the expectations are high from the fans. With pressure coming from muggles everywhere the cast and crew bring their A game and provide us with a brilliant end to a wonderful series.

In front of a packed theater of Harry Potter faithful, you would expect the movie to open to giant cheer and screams of jubilation for the long awaited final project, but the film makers allow no time for cheering. The movie opens on a dark and ominous tone, the movie opens where the last one left off, Lord Voldemort standing over the grave of Albus Dumbledore, the elder wand in hand. His killer Severus Snape, now the headmaster of Hogwarts, looming over his students marching into a once happy hall now overcast with dark clouds. If I just ruined anything for you, you probably shouldn't be seeing this movie now anyway. The story jumps right in and without proper context you will be left without the emotional attachment to care who will live and who will die, and you certainly won't know what a horcrux is and why they are so important to the story.

It is a credit to the whole production team that they chose to lay it out this way. David Yates does a wonderful job once again telling J.K. Rowlings story, and picking up the pieces after Chris Columbus bumbled around with the first two movies. He understands the tone of the latter half of the stories and really runs with it. It feels as if he may have even used a gray filter throughout filming, because the whole movie features a dark frame to it. But the real hero of the story may be Steve Kloves who wrote the screenplay for every movie besides Order of the Phoenix. While he says he needed a break he has stated that he regrets not penning that movie as well. He has done a fine job courting not only the diehard fans but the casual movie goers as well. His knowledge of the source material shows and much of the credit for bringing the series alive belongs to him. Similar to Part 1 though, this film is for the fans of the series so it is important that you show up and know what you are getting into.

The movie ran at a brief two hours, I say brief because I thought it would run much longer than that, but with only half a manuscript to go on I suppose it makes sense. Lost from the first one are the explanations and explorations, all we are left with is the final confrontation. With the inclusion of every detail from the original manuscript it is tough not to feel that the movie gets bogged down a little. While watching the movie it felt as if many of these scenes could have been cut, but upon further reflection it all adds to the tension and the fear that the hero shares with his audience. If anything was going to be cut before going into the movie I wish it had been the epilogue, this was the hokiest piece of writing in the series, but visually the ploy works. The decision to stay this loyal to the book works out for everyone.

This movie is full of explosive action with the final battle taking place where else but Hogwarts. They could have gone all Michael Bay with this as that seems to be what the book calls for, but Yates has mastered the tempo of the movie. At one point of intense inner drama he even silences the battle around him which increases the sense of danger our heroes know is coming while death surrounds them. You may want to bring your hankies to your screening as not everyone is makes it out of this story alive and there were many audible sniffles coming from all around the theater. The emotional weight of the movie is high as the audience hangs on our young actors every movement.

It has been a pleasure to watch Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint grow up before our eyes, and once more see how their acting chops have developed. They have spent more than half their lives in this role so it is easy to understand why they are so comfortable now. In fact that may be why they have trouble separating from their roles to try and break out elsewhere in Hollywood. Radcliffe is at his absolute best in this one, as he allows the weight of the franchise to bear on his shoulders just as his character bears the weight of the wizarding world.

A hero can only be measured by his villain and Ralph Fiennes once again is tremendous as he who shall not be named. In this one he even seems more dangerous as Harry and Company continue their quest to destroy his soul and weaken him. Possibly the most important person to this story is Alan Rickman as Severus. With little doubt the most interesting character to the story, it always felt as if his character wound up on the cutting room floor. In this movie, we learn everything about his character and he does not disappoint. It may go a little overboard into the ridiculous during a flashback but the rest of the back story is so good that all can be forgiven. A great casting choice, he has served the character well and all while wearing the same clothes the entire series. Another character that I felt never got her full due was Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, and in the final act she gets a proper curtain call with some great scenes and lines in the movie. There have been a plethora of who's who of royal British Actors and while they don't all get major scenes most at least receive their curtain calls including but not limited to Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall, Miriam Margolyes, and Julie Walters. That is quite the list to be on, and with little doubt you will be able to add the young stars of the movie to the list of great English actors.

The final film does what all that we hoped it would. It wraps up the series on a stirring achievement. It also justifies the creative split of the final manuscript as a move not solely made for monetary reasons. This is a tribute that the series deserves; it soars above being just a movie to become a cultural phenomenon. Fans of the series and of great story telling will not be disappointed. A-