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Being a fan of Harry Potter ever since seeing the first movie back in 02, I was of course looking forward to the final book in the series, but I was also trying to gear myself up for the ultimate let down, when the final page would be read, and knowing there would be no more Harry. I tried to read slowly, but each night I caught myself turning a few extra pages more then I should have, and finally three nights ago, the final words were read, and the book was closed. I think the last time I was this sad to see something end was watching the final movie of Star Wars.
In J.K. Rowling’s final installment of the Harry Potter series (book #7) Harry, Hermione, and Ron, are on the run from the death eaters, and of course from you know who. Even speaking you know who’s name will automatically give their location away and they would be caught right then. Professor Dumbledore has given Harry a final task before he died to help aid Harry once and for all destroy Lord Voldemort. Harry and his companions are to locate, and destroy certain objects called Horcrux’s. They are small objects that house small pieces of Lord Voldemort’s soul. If all are destroyed, Voldemort will die forever, and not be able to resurrect himself.
Along the way they are told of the myths that are the “Deathly Hallows.” Secrets about 3 objects that have tremendous powers. #1 turns out to be the invisibility cloak that was handed down to Harry, #2 is a small rock of resurrection, and #3 is the elder wand, which is said to be un beatable in any duel. As with all the books in this series, there are great interactions between the characters throughout the entire story, but as with the last 3 books, the story lines seemed to have grown more darker in nature. Harry with the older he gets, the more serious he gets, and being faced with the single task of being the only person alive that can destroy Voldemort, becomes more and more melancholy. I’m not going to get to into the story anymore then I have because one thing I do not do on my site is play the spoiler, and there is SO much that happens in this book with regards to who does what, who dies, who lives, and so on that I could very quickly mess things up for some one who has not read the book yet.
I will say without a doubt, that J.K. nailed the ending. As with many books and movies these days, the endings are blown so frequently now, that I just expect a bad ending no matter what I watch or read, but the final ending to the final book was great. All loose ends are tied up, all questions are answered, and while the book itself was bitter sweet, the ending left you with a smile on your face, and a sense of good closure. Yes I am a total kid at heart, but from what I hear, I am by no means the only adult reading this series or that has spent time searching the internet trying to find out when the next movie, or book will be coming out. I look forward to the rest of the movies, and I hope they can continue to retain all the major players until the end. That in itself will be one heck of a task. Goodbye Harry you’ll be missed!
My rating for this book is 8.5 out of 10.00
As with many previous trips to the movie theater, I was talked into seeing a movie I really didn’t have any interest in seeing this weekend. The movie was the latest installment of Resident Evil. Never let it be said that I am against a good old fashioned blood and guts zombie movie, but I guess their appeal just is not what it use to be when I was younger.
For those of you not up to speed with the idea of resident evil, if I remember my facts correctly, this was originally a video game that Hollywood turned into a big screen movie. Basically the earth is over taken by a virus and all infected turn into the typical zombie type critter that hungers for human flesh. There is a small pocket of humans that are not infected roaming the earth searching for each other, gas, food, and of course any possible cure for the virus. There is also a small group of master minds that live deep underground in huge high tech facilities around the globe that report to each other on the prospects of finding a cure. In this installment, there is a doctor who has found limited success with a vaccine that does not cure the zombies, but at least for a short time turns them into controllable workers.
Roaming the roads alone is the main character Alice played by Milla Jovovich. She is an escaped project from one of the evil labs that are doing experiments with the zombies for many reasons other then just a cure. Alice has particular skills, and actual special powers. The fight scenes to me in this movie pretty much resemble Milla’s last big movie Ultra Violet. (I do recommend checking that movie out if you have not already) Alice runs across one of the roaming bands of non infected humans, and they find their way to the entrance to one of the large underground lab facilities. This movie steals from about 20 other movies, as well as from the video game itself which of course you would expect. The zombies some how just don’t seem to change decade after decade.
Resident Evil Extinction is exactly what you think it is going to be. It has plenty of scary zombies, people dieing in horrible fashions, and the good guys violently taking out the zombies in equally gory fashion. Do not take the word “Extinction” in the title of the movie as this being the last installment. Hollywood could probably drag this one out another two or three movies easy. This movie does have its share of good CG, to go along with the blood, guts, and gore, so if this is what you are interested in, you will not be disappointed, and will more then likely enjoy the movie. Myself, I’m wishing I would have checked out a different movie.
My rating for this movie is 6.00 out of 10.00
I have another review for a movie that was recently released on DVD called “Even Money.” Reviews I read from other sites were not too favorable towards this film, but with the cast of actors in this one I simply had to give it a shot.
Director Mark Rydell managed to pull a few mothballs out of the fleet for this dark story. Kim Basinger seems to be making a late career comeback with this film and with The Sentinel, which I thought was a pretty good film. In this movie Kim plays an addicted gambling addict named Carol Carver. Once a prominent author, Carol has hit the writers block wall, and every day she tells her husband she is going out to the local coffee shops to work on her latest novel, but of course ends up at the local casino working the one armed bandits instead, losing her families entire savings, and kids college money. Walter (played by Danny De Vito) is a washed up Vegas Magician who stalks the local casino folks performing tricks for tips. They pair meet up and try to formulate a plan for both of them to get rich quick.
Forest Whitaker plays a local fix it man (Clyde Snow) who is also hooked on gambling, but his particular taste is betting on sports through the local bookies. His case is interesting because his younger brother is an up and coming college basketball star (Godfrey Snow), and of course his older brother Clyde trying to “break even” talks his brother in point shaving in his basketball games.
There are other plots, and people in this film, but the end all of it is gambling, and the effects it has on people, and the lengths to which each person will go just to try and break even. There is plenty of bad acting in this below average script, but I must admit, there were a few bright spots. Basinger, several times makes a believer out of me with her scatterbrained twitchy character Carol Carver. And a few times I found myself truly feeling pity for Danny De Vito’s character as he sadly pretends to be this great magician with a dream of hitting the big time, all the while knowing, he will die lonely and penniless.
There was also some decent acting done by Ray Liotta who plays Carol Carvers husband, Tom. He is pretty sure his wife is not working on the book but instead having an affair behind his back. It’s not until he finds bank account print outs that he realizes what has happened. There is one scene in particular during a storm while the house is dark and he is just sitting alone with his thoughts that I felt was very provoking. I will not even go into Kelsey Grammer’s Role as detective Brunner. His make up, and acting were both ridiculously bad.
Even with this all star cast of actors, this script could not be saved into anything more then a B movie at best. While the sickness that is a gambling addiction is very loudly brought to light, there is no happy ending in the movie, or in real life. Gambling, is in some cases worse then drugs as far as the addiction goes, and it is a hard habit to beat. Even though I have talked down about this movie, I still think it's worth checking out. As I said, there are a few little jewels here and there.
My rating for this movie is 6.5 out of 10.00
I went out this weekend and caught another sneak peek of a movie that will not actually open until next weekend. This one is called “The Kingdom.” In Saudi Arabia there are many Americans that work there on a semi permanent basis. For the most part they all live in a secure compound that resembles any suburban neighborhood you might find anywhere in the U.S. One day a better part of the town is out enjoying time off work, playing a baseball game. Even though this base is heavily guarded, and almost impossible to get into without getting through the check points, and having proper identification, a small group of terrorists get through and start shooting up the town. I can’t describe the situation or what happens next, but lets just say, shooting up the town is the very least of the devastation that takes place that day.
The government ties the hands of the F.B.I. and forbids them to go in and investigate the terrorist attack site in the hopes of catching the one responsible, so a small team lead by Ronald Fluery (played by Jamie fox) makes a deal in private to get permission to land near the site via one of the Saudi Prince’s private airports. Once they arrive they are met with almost total resistance. They are not allowed to do anything at all, but finally after meeting one on one with the Saudi Prince, Fluery convinces him to let him investigate. The investigation takes them deep into the nightmarish realm of the extremist Islamic group responsible for the attack. The F.B.I. group itself is targeted for trying to investigate the attack, but that does not stop them.
The last thing I want to do on a Saturday night at the movies is be totally depressed, but after watching this film and having this serious problem thrown into my face yet again (as If I don’t hear enough about it each day with the car bombings) I left totally bummed out. Even with the depressing factor, I must say the film did exactly what it was intended to do. It brings to light in a very real way what goes on in a lot of the Middle Eastern countries every single day.
While Director Peter Berg’s list is pretty long with what movies, and projects he is associated with, out of that list, this is for sure one of his better films. The movie is shot in a way the really gives you a sense of the desperation of these countries. The over head shots of the towns, the blank scenery mile after mile. Just the “look” of the country side (other then the grand palaces that the prince’s occupy) is bleak and scary. The film as a whole was well done, but when you leave the theater, you do not leave happy, or even entertained. You leave with a sense of helplessness, knowing how the movie ends is exactly how things end in real life. This is not a fantasy movie. This stuff happens for real every day, and it’s a sad world when you face these facts.
My rating for this movie is 7.50 out of 10.00
Occasionally I like to turn back the clock just a little bit, and review a book or movie that is a few years old, but by some turn of events some folks may not have read the book, or seen the movie. I only do this in rare instances where I give the movie or book a very high rating. The movie I’m about to review is a 20.00 out of 10.00. To say I recommend seeing this picture if you have not already, would be the understatement of the century.
“What Dreams May Come.” Is just simply the best film ever made in my humble opinion. I have seen thousands of movies, and while I have never been able to put a true order to them, I do have a top 10 list of the best pictures ever made, and every time I try to figure out which one would occupy my #1 spot, there is only one movie that ever comes to mind.
This film is another one of those strange instances, where it managed to sneak on and off the big screen, be released on DVD, and still manage to sneak under my radar. One day someone mentioned this movie to me, and of course being a Robin Williams fan, I thought “Hey I’ll take a chance on this one,” and rented it. Scene after Scene with my jaw on the ground I watched, laughed, cried, and thought about life as we know it. I just could not believe that a masterpiece of this magnitude had eluded me. I ran out and bought it, and it seems to me that every time I watch it, the scenes I have watched a hundred times before, still invoke even stronger emotions then the previous screening.
Robin Williams plays a character named Chris. He chances to meet his soul mate, fellow American Annie (played by Annabella Sciorra) while both are on vacation in Switzerland. They fall in love, marry, and have 2 beautiful children together. Life is heaven on earth, but that heaven on earth was not to last. Both their son and daughter were killed one morning on the way to school in a tragic car accident. Annie tries to live through the grief, but the grief eventually wins out, and she ends up in a mental institution. Regardless of the pain, Chris trying to be the strong one throughout this tragedy moves on with his life. After several failed attempts to help his Annie get better, he does finally succeed. She comes home and they begin their life as just two soul mates without their beloved children. You would think that in itself might make a great movie, but this is only the very beginning of the story. As cruel as fate is some times in life, Annie is dealt the final blow when Chris is killed in a car accident. She is now left alone with her husband, son, and daughter all dead.
Chris begins his life after death having trouble adapting to the fact that his existence didn’t end the day he died on earth. A special guide (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) is sent to help Chris acclimate to heaven, and with some help Chris finally gets the hang of things except for one problem. His soul mate Annie is still alive on earth, and he is alone without her. As Chris is dealing with his problems adjusting to the afterlife, Annie is dealing with her own. Her entire family gone, she is left with only one solution. Before the doctors can re-commit her into the mental hospital, she takes her life hoping she will be rejoined with her soul mate and family.
The special guide for Chris tells him that Annie has died. He is ecstatic that he will now finally be reunited with his Annie, but this is not how things work in heaven and hell. Suicides do not go to heaven. Chris being faced with eternity without his wife decides that rules must be broken. He refuses to believe that Annie can not be brought back from her own personal hell that she must re-live over and over again forever. Chris sets off for hell in search of his Annie with a tracker (played by Max Von Sydow) and his special guide. At this point in the story I must stop. The rest you must see for yourself. In no way have I spoiled any of the fantastic scenes, or any part of the story itself.
How many thousands of times has a director ruined a movie just trying to tell simple tale here on earth, and yet Director Vincent Ward takes a very complex script as this, and not only does it with Genius at every conceivable angle, but the story is told on earth, in heaven, and in hell. The sets are so masterfully created, that you have no idea at any point where reality ends and C.G. begins. From the joys of each person’s own heavenly realm, to the darkest despairs of a forgotten hell, this movie is the best piece of film ever made.
If you have not seen this movie yet, I implore you. Do not take my word, or the words of thousands of other people who have been moved by this movie. Go buy (not rent) this movie, and watch it a few times. Trust me it will take a few times through to catch all the glory of his work of art.
My rating for this movie is 20.00 out of 10.00 Hey it’s my site I can get away with it just once. :-)
OK it’s time for another book review. I ran across this little jewel while on one of my trips to my favorite local used book store. One of my favorite movies of all time is Silence of the lambs, and usually anything about that kind of subject I find fascinating. I guess that is why I like Dean Koontz so much. Most of his books have some kind of weird serial killer in them. “Chosen Prey” is one of those serial killer books that forever have you turning pages. Since I have only been reading seriously for maybe the last 6 years or so, there are probably hundreds of Authors that I’m still not aware of, but as my search for a good page turner continues, I occasionally run across a name I’m not familiar with. That would be the case with John Sanford. As it turns out Chosen Prey, is just one of a series of “Prey” books, the rest of which I will soon be buying.
Lucas Davenport is the main character in this series, and in each book his is of course the one who is stuck trying to nab the bad man. In Chosen Prey, the bad guy turns out to be James Qatar. (No, that is not a spoiler) James Qatar poses as an artist, and teaches at a local college. He has a lot of secrets to keep. Most have to do with his victims. He likes a particular kind of woman to fulfill his fantasies, but unfortunately for him, he has several bad habits, and fetishes. His taste for fine clothes runs almost as deep as his love for killing.
Lucas Davenport eventually stumbles on a bread crumb trail of murders that lead him towards Qatar, but trying to find the final piece of the puzzle to nail him for the murders turns out to be much harder then anticipated. Most of Qatar’s victims at one point had pornographic pictures sent them, and they are of themselves manipulated by a photo editing software to take the face of the victim and paste it onto the body of erotic woman in a different picture. Qatar even thinks that this is actually a form of art unto itself, but the pictures can not be tied to Qatar. Yet.
This story has its twists and turns as a good serial killer book should have. There are great chapters, and scenes inside the killers head, and what he is thinking about before, during, and after killing a victim. The ending to this book some how eluded me, until the final scene started to unfold, and then I thought to myself as it concluded....Very nice...Good story, good chase, good ending. What more can you ask for.
The “Prey” series by John Sanford I’m quite pleased to say has SEVENTEEN books to it, so I have a lot of reading to do in the near future. Another review I read about this particular book was not favorable when compared to the earlier “Prey” books, so I’m looking forward to finding book #1 in the series “Rules of Prey” and beginning another adventure.
My rating for this book is 7.50 out of 10.00
Over the labor day weekend, I was wanting to go see a new movie, but nothing was out there I really had any interest in seeing, however my brother had mentioned that the local theaters were doing a sneak peek showing of the new Christian Bale / Russell Crowe Movie 3:10 to Yuma, so we rushed down to the theater and checked it out.
Hollywood has not produced a decent western in quite a while, and with the cast of this remake of the 1957 movie, it sounded intriguing. I’m a pretty big fan of both Christian, and Russell so I went into this with eyes wide open having pretty high expectations. While I did not buy into the previews predictions of “Best picture of the year,” I will say that director James Mangold did a fairly good job trying to breathe life into this old story, but it is no where near as good as his last major project “Walk the Line.”
The plot revolves around Dan Evans, (played by Christian Bale) and his family during desperate times. They are close to losing their land due to repossession, and Dan is struggling to find a way to keep his land and family safe. On the way to town to sell, or pawn a family heirloom he runs into a stage coach robbery by the famous outlaw Ben Wade, (played by Russell Crowe) and his band of fellow outlaws. Eventually Wade is caught and is suppose to be taken to a prison train that will take him to Yuma, where he will be tried, and hung. Dan Evans, a civil war vet who lost one of his legs, signs on as part of the posse that will escort Wade to the train and is promised $200.00 which will save his land. The main problem lay with Wade’s gang who is hot on the posse’s trail, and are hell bent on helping Wade escape no matter how many people must die in the process.
The overall acting of the main characters in this film is very good, but there is just something about this film that is lacking. I can’t really put my finger on the problem. I think it is a combination of an old story which was mediocre to begin with, and no real true feeling or look to the movie. The costumes, film locations, props and all are great do not get me wrong with this. They do this time period justice in almost every way, but some how there is just something lost between the story, and the pageantry.
One thing that has always driven me crazy with westerns is the firearms. While all the prop guns look authentic, when fired they just have the billow of smoke come from the muzzle, and no kick back at all. I’ve fired just about every weapon out there, and these old fashion hand cannons they used back in the day, kick like a stubborn mule. Most can barely be fired with one hand! The actors from this movie, and all the way back to the movies in the 50’s shoot these guns as if they are toys, but hey I guess I can’t have everything.
3:10 to Yuma is an action packed movie, and runs the whole gambit of emotions, action, and drama of the old west including a pretty good ending. If you are fan of old western movies you will probably enjoy this. It opens this coming Friday 9/7/07 in theaters everywhere, and I expect the first couple of weeks to produce some pretty good numbers in the box office.
My rating for this movie is 7.50 out of 10:00
Here is a link to the official web site http://www.310toyumathefilm.com/
Being a fan of Harry Potter ever since seeing the first movie back in 02, I was of course looking forward to the final book in the series, but I was also trying to gear myself up for the ultimate let down, when the final page would be read, and knowing there would be no more Harry. I tried to read slowly, but each night I caught myself turning a few extra pages more then I should have, and finally three nights ago, the final words were read, and the book was closed. I think the last time I was this sad to see something end was watching the final movie of Star Wars.
