Daily Archives: 18 July 2011

Film, Views

Flick or Skip: Captain America: The First Avenger (Opens 22 July 2011)

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Wait, another Marvel superhero film? Didn’t we just get two of these back to back? ::checks archives:: Yes, yes we did.

But this isn’t about the campfest or the redemption. This is about that really strange looking superhero film with the creepy Benjamin Button CGI shenanigans.

As always, we will now attempt to decide whether or not it is worth it to see a new release film based solely on the information provided in the trailers. This week’s victim is Captain America: The First Avenger.

There is something really appealing about this trailer.

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Film, Views

Short: I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died

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This eerie adaptation of Emily Dickinson’s poem by animator Lynn Tomlinson is one of my all time favorite short films. It’s a beautiful use of clay on glass technique that creates a dreamlike atmosphere over the entire piece.

And the poem:

I heard a Fly buzz (465)

I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –
The Stillness in the Room
Was like the Stillness in the Air –
Between the Heaves of Storm –

The Eyes around – had wrung them dry –
And Breaths were gathering firm
For that last Onset – when the King
Be witnessed – in the Room –

I willed my Keepsakes – Signed away
What portions of me be
Assignable – and then it was
There interposed a Fly –

With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz –
Between the light – and me –
And then the Windows failed – and then
I could not see to see –

Beautiful.

Film, Views

Guide: Films for a Harry Potter Fan

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Sad that you’re favorite series has finally finished its transition to the big screen? Looking for more entertainment that plays on the themes, storylines, and character types of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy novels? Then have I got the guide for you.

For the Young Harry Potter Fan: Halloweentown Series

Halloweentown is one of the sweetest little series about a young witch you’ll ever see. The series follows the adventures of Marnie, a young girl who has no idea she has magical powers, as she is brought into the training school by her grandmother Aggie. Aggie has an ulterior motive for bringing Marnie to Halloweentown. Something evil is growing in the once good town and Marnie might be the only person who can stop it. While the world is not as expansive as the Harry Potter series, it does offer plenty of fun for young children. It’s also clever and well-made enough to keep adults entertained. There are four films in the series and they all play into the same lighter territory as the first three Harry books and films.

For the Fan of the Fanciful Exploration of Growing Up: The Company of Wolves

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Film, Reviews

Film Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011)

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This is it. The definitive end of a long-running film series. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 ties together all of the characters, stories, and looming threat of an actual attack by Voldemort’s army started all the way back in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I think it delivers in a big way.

It’s almost unfair to review this film by itself. It feels–much like Kill Bill Vol. 2–like someone decided one long film wouldn’t work at the box office. So, we get two films, each over two hours long, that conclude the series. The big Part 2 in the title lets you know that it’s a continuation of the story and it does not lie. The film picks up immediately at the end of the last film, even reusing the shots of Voldemort acquiring the Elder Wand and Harry finishing Dobby’s grave.

From there, it’s straight into new plot developments. The action leads Harry, Hermione, and Ron to the vaults of Gringotts and through the back door of Hogwarts. They still have three Horcruxes to destroy before Voldemort is able to die. Part 2, wisely, opts not to spend too much time on the myriad of bad guys introduced in the conclusion of the story, giving the audience just enough information about them to know who they are, what they’re doing, and why Harry has to fear them. Instead, the focus is on action, plot, and emotional closure.

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