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andrewl-williamson
Reviews
Page Eight (2011)
An all-round enjoyable watch
I'll assume you've read the plot summary, so I won't labour on explaining that. In a nutshell, Bill Nighy is playing an MI5 agent who's responsibility it is to uncover the deceit allegedly led by the British Prime Minister (Ralph Fiennes).
It opens with the quirky, upbeat jazz music and feels a bit 'Alfie-ish' as Nighy struts down the streets of London to his flat, and then we finally settle down into the story. The story is, and I hate to say it, a little thin around the edges and could do with a little more 'oomph' to get it those final couple of stars. If your expecting to see Nighy as the ass-kicking, hard-nut veteran version of James Bond then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. This is about plot and character, not flamboyant action sequences. Speaking of character, there is plenty of that in this film; from Nighy himself to Ralph Fiennes and Michael Gambon- there are stars a plenty to keep the film alive, the acting is brilliantly good and there's a scene between Nighy and Fiennes which I particularly enjoyed, just simple dialogue between two great actors.
Yes it does feel a bit BBCish, but at the end of the day it is a BBC film so I can't really complain! So if you have an hour and 40 minutes to fill, I strongly recommend this film- it's mysterious (yet it probably could have been more so), fun (there are a handful of good laugh-provoking lines thrown in there), engaging and an all-round enjoyable watch. Enjoy.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011)
The end of an era for British filmmaking- and what a good show it was!
Firstly, do not go and watch this film expecting to see the pages of the book replicated word for word and scene by scene- if you do this you will inevitably be disappointed and therefore I am not going to compare the film to the book. I should also point out that I am a huge fan of the series and have grown up watching these films, and expected great things from the grand finale. Did it live up to these expectations? Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then I shall begin.
Let's start with the positives. There are so many throwbacks to earlier films that bring back a hint of the magic that brought the series to life all those years ago, and as a fan it is great to see many of those characters that disappeared into the shadows return for the final curtain, despite a handful of these being killed off. Speaking of the cast, they are (excuse the pun) spellbinding- especially Ralph Fiennes who keeps the malice and evil of Voldemort whilst letting some of that vulnerability play through as Harry and co hunt down the elusive horcruxes. I relished every scene Fiennes appeared in because you literally cannot help but be captivated by his performance. Daniel, Emma and Rupert have also come so far with their acting career and these last couple of films have let that talent shine through. A particular scene near the end comes to mind when the looks between the three of them say so much through so little. I give credit to all three of them.
The film is relentlessly packed with action, after the first 15-20mins (where the story is set-up for the following raid of Gringotts) it is pretty much non-stop and each moment was very enjoyable and exhilarating. The Battle of Hogwarts takes up a large percentage of the film, during which a particular character's secret back story is revealed (which was done very well I might add, but I won't give anything away for the sake of those that haven't read the book).
The climax does not disappoint and, going back on my word at the beginning, for those who do fall into that category of people who want an exact replication of the book- of course it leaves things out and the way things unfold changes slightly so it works for cinema and so the filmmakers could achieve that elusive 12A rating.
Moving onto the nitty gritty details of the film- visual effects are great but if, like me, you know what you're looking for the CGI stuff does stick out like a sore thumb, but for those who remain oblivious (sorry I had to get that pun in there!) it is seamlessly integrated with the live action.
The cinematography is amazing, showing Hogwarts in a much more dynamic manner than before- because in this film, the gloves are well and truly off for everyone. Alexandre Desplat's scores are just so good that words cannot describe them, I loved the whole feel he brought to the Harry Potter world with the music in Part 1, and he steps up to the mark again with Part 2. The direction from David Yates was again brilliant, getting those emotional moments just right and the action scenes adrenaline-pumping and awe-inspiring. Steve Kloves also deserves a mention for managing to squeeze all the important parts of the book into two films, whilst sacrificing that which was not necessary or practical for cinema.
I should probably stop talking about it now before I give anything away, but first we have the small matter of the negatives. To be quite honest, they aren't really very many; they could've given Julie Walters a few more lines just because she's so entertaining, but come on- this is the dramatic climax, we aren't here to have a laugh. But there are a few fantastic lines and funny moments from the likes of Maggie Smith, David Bradley, Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis. Ralph Fiennes also discovers a sense of humour! The biggest negative however is that they bothered to convert the film into 3D. I watched it in 2D after reading a few reviews and opinions of some friends, and I can honestly say there are only a few shots that 3D would have been a benefit to- so save the extra money and stick to 2D. Who needs an extra dimension when 2 was perfectly fine for watching the rest of the series in?
The reason I gave it a 9/10 is because of that 3D issue, but in 2D it's a 10/10 from me. On that note, I'll end this review before I write another 3000 words and give away the whole plot. I hope this review has been helpful to you, enjoy the film should you decide to watch it. This film is the end of an era for British filmmaking, and the start of a new beginning for it's leading cast.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Case Re-Opened: It's Back
Sherlock Holmes- where to begin... This was my first proper introduction to the world of Holmes (I knew the basic story), and it was instantaneously captivating. Guy Ritchie's stylistic approach to film-making enhanced every moment of the film, especially the style in which the flashbacks and Holmes' 'preparations' for an attack are portrayed. His direction is sublime and the cast could not have been better. Mark Strong has a huge on-screen presence as antagonist Lord Blackwood, whilst Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr play off of each other with such ease and perfect timing as Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes. The banter and awkwardness between them is very funny to watch and at the same time very thought-provoking. One thing my Film Studies teacher pointed out was the subtle hints at a homosexual relationship between Watson and Holmes, and when you watch it you will see that play out. Ritchie does a fantastic job of utilising and authentically creating the Victorian-London setting, with a climatic scene happening on an unfinished Tower Bridge. Despite heavy use of CGI, it fits together seamlessly in Ritchie's interpretation of the world of Holmes. To the plot itself, you can expect twists, turns and surprises- there's never a dull moment in this action-heavy detective drama. Witty dialogue, exciting action, dynamic characterisation, mystery and bromance- you'll be wanting to watch it again and again and again. I don't want to give too much away, because there is much more to be said about this film, but I think I'll leave you to discover it for yourself and I hope this review has given you enough of an insight into the film to make you want to watch it. The reason I didn't give it the full 10/10 is because some elements of the plot are, admittedly, a bit far-fetched. But hey, this is film- why not indulge in a little impossibility? And on that note- case closed.
Saw 3D (2010)
It's a must watch to 'wrap-up' the story
I must admit that I have only seen this in 2D, but I know for a fact there were lots of those textbook 3D shots. And whilst they add to the overall experience they aren't necessary and so I don't feel like I have missed out on much. There were a few issues I had with the 'last of the Saw films': firstly the blood is too light to be realistic enough to suspend my disbelief for even a moment (I am an aspiring film-maker & so I find it difficult enough to do this anyway!)- this may be due to the issue of having to light the scene enough so as to add adequate depth of field for 3D, secondly it misses those engaging Tobin Bell monologues that was a huge convention of the previous Saw films (but what can you do when you gave the main character terminal cancer in the 1st film & had to kill him off at some point... and subsequently ran out of flashbacks), thirdly it misses (until the end) that iconic crazy music-video-style editing from Kevin Greutert. Onto the plot itself- its great to see Cary Elwes reprise his role as the, up until now, elusive Dr Gordon who vanished after the first Saw film. I won't spoil it too much for you but, as always with these films, expect a surprise. Again, Costas gives a fantastic performance as Hoffman. This film allows him to be the bad guy now he no longer has to play two sides of the character. But here's the point: there never was 'a bad guy' as such, I didn't view Kramer as the villain and, to an extent, I agree with what he set out to do- make the world a better place. But there may have been better ways to go about it. The point is that he wanted these people to live but Hoffman just carries out a bloodbath in this film where everyone is just being picked off one-by- one and it loses that essence of what Kramer was trying to do, which is what made the films so engaging in the first place. To the positives: We finally get to see the head trap work! Again, I won't spoil it for you but you will not be disappointed. The traps are new and inventive (which must have been difficult to do after 6 films of traps and then to have to keep coming up with new ideas), we get to see some old faces back into play through the Jigsaw Survivor Group and the film ties up all the loose ends very nicely... and then creates new ones! Which means it probably isn't "Game Over" for the Saw franchise. But how could they carry it on? Well, it wouldn't surprise me if at least 1 of the 2 survivors of the Saw V game have their allegiance to Jigsaw whilst the two survivors of the Saw 3D opening trap play a little game of their own. Who knows? Let the games begin...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010)
Very well adapted!
A very nicely executed film, remaining true to the book where possible- although changes made from the book were usually for the best to work on film- such as the limited use of Polyjuice Potion in the film, purely because it doesn't work on-screen very well. The use of Hedwig as the trigger for Voldemort's appearance was a much more successful way than the use of a spell. Much comedy was used throughout- but mainly from Ron or Dobby, who dominated every scene he appeared in (adding much needed tension relief to the plot). Steve Kloves has adapted a much more down-to-earth feel to the Harry Potter franchise in his screen-play of the book, but could be argued that it has lost some of its younger audiences due to heavy underlying issues and complicated plot, which can be hard to follow if you haven't read the book. Saying that, they did cut lots of the unnecessary sub-plots that are in the book, but fans may miss some of these 'meaningful' moments from the it.
In conclusion, the film was very successful in adapting the book to film- especially with its superb performances from Bill Nighy and Ralph Fiennes- whilst adding its own elements to enrich the story. A must see film!