Movie Reviews
I've gone on a mini-movie-watching spree, and, because I have nothing better to do, I present to you my thoughts on:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In my opinion, GOF is definately the best of the films so far, partly due to better acting on the part of everyone (especially Dan Radcliffe and Rupert Grint), great casting (especailly for Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort), and better special effects.
I actually appreciated the things they cut and added to the book, especially Winky and Dobby. I love SPEW and so on in the book, but it would have, as my friend said, added a needless complication to the film. I'm glad that Neville replaced Dobby in giving Harry the gillyweed because he deserved the extra screentime, especially since he's going to be so important in OotP. Not to mention that he's just such a lovable character. He and Ginny were adorable at the Yule Ball, as was pretty much everything else he did.
The first task's expansion was pretty cool, and incorperated some great special effects (I think they did a great job on the dragons). The second task was short and the wax figurines were...waxy, but I'll forgive that. The third task was suspenseful, though I did miss the Sphinx, and Cedric's death was heartbreaking. Dan Radcliffe's acting after he brings Cedric's body back was spot-on and dang near made me teary-eyed (as did Mr. Diggory's reaction).
When I first saw a picture of Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory), I must admit, I didn't think he was at all right for the part of Cedric. But when I saw the movie, he did begin to grow on me. Quite a bit, actually. Though I don't consider him overtly handsome, he does have a certain charm, and I think his portrayal was highly faithful and accurate. They couldn't have done a better job with casting him. I'm glad that I can now perv on two men who play students in Harry Potter without feeling like a bit of pedophile, since both he and Krum (Stanislav Ianevski) are roughly my age. And gorgeous. It's a shame Ianevski didn't have too many lines, though he was a pleasure just to look at.
Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort was very, very different than how I pictured in my mind. Yet it worked. junediamanti is right, he had to have some charisma to gain such a following. Even without the nose, you could tell that he used to be a handsome man (and, we must all admit, Fiennes is a handsome man). She's also right in saying (I think she said this) that we're also going to have a rise of Voldemort smut entering the fandom. Hurrah.
Overall, I loved it. I'm definately planning on saving a place for it in my DVD collection.
and
Pride & Prejudice
Okay, I must admit, I don't fancy myself a Jane Austen fan. Granted, the last, and only, time I read the book was in tenth grade, and since I was forced to, I can't say that I went into it with an open mind. I do love the movies, though, so I'm willing to dive into it again and give it another, fair, try.
As I'm not an Austen devotee, my opinion on the movie definately isn't even close to being the end-all-be-all, but I must say that, from what I remember, it was faithful to the book. Surely, it was condensed, and some parts had to be cut, but I don't think it was lacking at all. I am a fan of the 1995 BBC version, but I think I liked this one just as much. Keira Knightly, contrary to my prior uneasiness, made a fine Elizabeth, and, well, Matthew MacFayden just might replace Colin Firth in my mind as Mr. Darcy. He was that good. And handsome. Oh my, is he handsome.
The cinematography and score are also absolutely beautiful.
Did anyone else think that Mr. Wickham looked like a hung-over Orlando Bloom?
I'm curious about the UK ending, since I've heard that it's different from the American one. I liked the American one...it was cute, and I am a bit tired of double-weddings (it gets a bit ho-hum after a while). But I must know, how does the UK edition end?
Beware of Spoilers.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In my opinion, GOF is definately the best of the films so far, partly due to better acting on the part of everyone (especially Dan Radcliffe and Rupert Grint), great casting (especailly for Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort), and better special effects.
I actually appreciated the things they cut and added to the book, especially Winky and Dobby. I love SPEW and so on in the book, but it would have, as my friend said, added a needless complication to the film. I'm glad that Neville replaced Dobby in giving Harry the gillyweed because he deserved the extra screentime, especially since he's going to be so important in OotP. Not to mention that he's just such a lovable character. He and Ginny were adorable at the Yule Ball, as was pretty much everything else he did.
The first task's expansion was pretty cool, and incorperated some great special effects (I think they did a great job on the dragons). The second task was short and the wax figurines were...waxy, but I'll forgive that. The third task was suspenseful, though I did miss the Sphinx, and Cedric's death was heartbreaking. Dan Radcliffe's acting after he brings Cedric's body back was spot-on and dang near made me teary-eyed (as did Mr. Diggory's reaction).
When I first saw a picture of Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory), I must admit, I didn't think he was at all right for the part of Cedric. But when I saw the movie, he did begin to grow on me. Quite a bit, actually. Though I don't consider him overtly handsome, he does have a certain charm, and I think his portrayal was highly faithful and accurate. They couldn't have done a better job with casting him. I'm glad that I can now perv on two men who play students in Harry Potter without feeling like a bit of pedophile, since both he and Krum (Stanislav Ianevski) are roughly my age. And gorgeous. It's a shame Ianevski didn't have too many lines, though he was a pleasure just to look at.
Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort was very, very different than how I pictured in my mind. Yet it worked. junediamanti is right, he had to have some charisma to gain such a following. Even without the nose, you could tell that he used to be a handsome man (and, we must all admit, Fiennes is a handsome man). She's also right in saying (I think she said this) that we're also going to have a rise of Voldemort smut entering the fandom. Hurrah.
Overall, I loved it. I'm definately planning on saving a place for it in my DVD collection.
and
Pride & Prejudice
Okay, I must admit, I don't fancy myself a Jane Austen fan. Granted, the last, and only, time I read the book was in tenth grade, and since I was forced to, I can't say that I went into it with an open mind. I do love the movies, though, so I'm willing to dive into it again and give it another, fair, try.
As I'm not an Austen devotee, my opinion on the movie definately isn't even close to being the end-all-be-all, but I must say that, from what I remember, it was faithful to the book. Surely, it was condensed, and some parts had to be cut, but I don't think it was lacking at all. I am a fan of the 1995 BBC version, but I think I liked this one just as much. Keira Knightly, contrary to my prior uneasiness, made a fine Elizabeth, and, well, Matthew MacFayden just might replace Colin Firth in my mind as Mr. Darcy. He was that good. And handsome. Oh my, is he handsome.
The cinematography and score are also absolutely beautiful.
Did anyone else think that Mr. Wickham looked like a hung-over Orlando Bloom?
I'm curious about the UK ending, since I've heard that it's different from the American one. I liked the American one...it was cute, and I am a bit tired of double-weddings (it gets a bit ho-hum after a while). But I must know, how does the UK edition end?
Beware of Spoilers.