Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Baggage. Something we can’t help but bring with us to any kind of experience, but that plays an especially important role in a film sequel, or adaptation of which this is both. In fact such is the influence and impact of the Harry Potter series, it is nearly impossible to judge a film solely on its own merits, but then again is that necessarily the best way to go about it? I don’t know but a lot of reaction to the film has been due to people’s expectations and prior knowledge, and my viewing of the film initially was exactly the same. I wonder how they will do this scene? I hope that it is in it… that’s not how that happened! But then something happened, the film drew me in and made me forget all that. And once the weight of knowing the story and the wider context washed away I found myself engrossed in this tightly woven and moving story of growing pains and friendship through darkness. Yes there is a lot missed out, as in previous films, but unlike some of them here I agree with every decision. The hefty book has been streamlined wonderfully and focused (quite rightly) on Harry and his internal struggle to deal with the events of the past and turn towards the future he knows he must face.

Dan Radcliffe continues to improve in leaps and bounds and excels here has Harry, he has become so deeply imbedded in the character that I can now imagine no-one else in the role. Ron and Hermione have less to do this time round but the trios friendship and bond is spot on here, all remain engaging and the slight awkwardness has gone. Newcomer Evana Lynch is note perfect as Luna and makes a fantastic addition to the existing cast. Elsewhere it is the adults that impress with Gary Oldman giving Sirius a wonderful presence and heart and Imelda Staunton stealing the show as the insidious Delores Umbridge whose bureaucratic control over Hogwarts is perfectly realised.

The story moves at a brisk pace and while the darkness is more prominent than ever, the sequences at the school are as enjoyable and well realised as any in the series so far. The sense of rebellion and teenage angst are wonderfully mixed with the students development and seeing so many regular characters back, even if for a line or two helps the sense of familiarity and continuity. The film involved me more than any of the others have done so far and that is largely down to the fact that the feeling and heart of the books have been so faithfully translated. People may complain about the cuts, but truthfully the care and attention that go into each of these films is stunning and the respect for the books almost unparalleled within the Hollywood system. So many events and situations unfold just as I had imagined and there is a giddy thrill from seeing them on the big screen so well realised. The darkness that is imagined on the page is harsh to watch and all pretense about these films being ‘kiddie’ vanish when you realise that Harry Potter has grown up.

Like the books the chance to see these characters over 7 films helps build such a bond with them in the audience and I for one can’t wait to see the events of the last two books unfold. The films are never going to match the books simply due to the sheer amount of information and richness of Rowling’s universe, but more than any of the others this captures the essence of the book and sculpts it into not only a great adaptation, but a great film in its own right. I said at the start about the effect baggage can have on a film, and maybe my knowledge helped me appreciate the film more than some, in the same way it might hinder others. Regardless this is a film worth appreciating and one of the richest offerings in this summer of sequels.

Emboldened with a sense of urgency and danger and tackling the complexities of grief and isolation this is a masterful adaptation and the best Potter film so far. Some cuts do grate, but the emotional impact is genuine, leaving it to stand in its own right as simply a great film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So it all comes to an end. After 10 years, 7 books and thousands of words JK Rowling’s saga has been completed, and as my eyes took in those final pages the enormity of it sank in. Like millions of others I’ve lived with Harry for many years now and despite the popularity of the series it has still felt personal, a quality I believe that has greatly contributed to the aforementioned success. The Harry Potter books were not products of some great corporate machine, they were not money spinning sequels, nor have they been specifically crafted for an audience, they are one woman’s vision, her story shared with the world with themes, characters and ideals that have somehow woven themselves into the public consciousness, into modern society itself. Such a phenomenon does not occur often and it may well be only looking back that we realise what it was we were a part of, and what an unusual and magical situation to world found itself in on July 21st 2007, the day the world paused to read a book.

Now what I won’t do is detail the book with a critical in depth review, firstly plenty of people haven’t read it yet, and secondly it doesn’t need it. The book was a perfect end to the series, achieving the seemingly impossible task of providing a satisfactory conclusion, answering questions and defining the series as a whole It is epic, emotional, fast paced, inventive and full of heart, those qualities that have best suited Rowling’s writing so far. What I took away from it more than anything though was Harry as a character, and his journey and how, quite uniquely, we have been able to follow his growth from an 11 year old boy unaware of his place in the world to a fully fledged leader, who has overcome so much to face up to what he knows was his destiny. The qualities Harry possesses and the depth of courage he displays, along with the way that he shows it, affected me greatly, and more importantly inspired me greatly. You see that is what separates these books for me from other fiction, the inspiration I have found in the actions and deeds of these characters, the understanding and application of self, who we are and how the choices we make are what define us.

If the best fiction in any form is to work it must tell us something about ourselves as people, if it is to last then it must exemplify and inspire that behaviour in those who sample it. I know I can't wait to share these stories with my children in the future and they will remain for me something I will return to over and over again, as bizarre as it sounds the truth that is felt behind Harry gives him strength, and his true gift to the world will be to share with generations to come the value of bravery, courage, determination and friendship in even the most hopeless of situations.

Lifting the Veil

Junk Food Science has an excellent piece up today that counters the recent story (which I'm sure you may have seen) claiming that people with overweight friends are more likely to be overweight themselves, in essence stating that it is something that can be 'caught' and passed on. However despite the widespread reporting of the story when you look at how it was constructed and the rather radical assumptions made you may think again not only about this, but all the other so-called scientific studies that get released and reported on so often:

'ABC news told viewers this morning that having fat friends was bad for you and that fat friends could be spreading the attitude that being fat was okay and making it acceptable to have unhealthy behaviors. The groupthink instantly made it acceptable to publicly make fat people out to be pariahs and no one noticed the hurt it was causing. Let’s not beat around the bush. The key message of this study was to justify and promote the social shunning and discrimination of fat people. Not one health or medical writer, even at the most prestigious consumer or medical publications, has critically reported on this study or even appears to have read it. Not one has made a critical examination and pointed out its unorthodox methods, its findings that conflict with known science and known biological mechanisms, or the flawed and contradictory findings within the study itself.'

The rest of the article can be found here and its definitely worth your time to read, it's a bit complex and in depth but provides a fascinating look at the thinking behind what we see in the news.

Shrek the Third

The summer of ‘threequels’ rumbles on with the release of Shrek the Third, the imaginatively titled second sequel to the 2002 box office smash. Picking up soon after the events of the second film we find Fiona and Shrek standing in for the king of Far Far Away due to illness. When he dies leaving Shrek as his only heir, much to his dismay. However when Shrek finds out about the existence of another relative he sets off with Donkey and Puss in tow to relieve himself of his responsibility so he can retire peacefully to his beloved swamp.

As you would expect from the films this is a fun and fast paced adventure that manages to squeeze in familiar faces along side a couple of new ones. However while it still looks fantastic and does have some good jokes and one-liners, the cracks are definitely starting to show over what is now the serious expansion of a short story. The trouble is, and other have pointed this out as well, that Shrek was never meant to be quite as successful as it was. Sure it looked good and was funny and clever, but it was a self contained story that didn’t need any more telling. Shrek 2 did a good job of expanding the world, but to me it’s a shame that this film follows more in those shoes, than going back to what made the first film so entertaining which was seeing Shrek in his natural environment, and how he reacted to those around him.

However here we spend most of our time once again in Far Far Away at the castle and it feels like a lot of a re-tread, obviously the prospects of Shrek possibly becoming a father do add to the character, but the formula of Shrek et al. going on a quest while he deals with whatever issue he is dealing with, only to be re-united and save the day at the end is getting pretty tired. Not to say that this isn’t done well, just that it seems more derivative than before and with less emphasis and story points on Donkey and Puss, who are literally there simply on side kick duty, this feels like a rather churned out sequel which is a shame as the Shrek films have always stood out from the animated crowd with that extra layer of quality and attention. Having said that this is not a bad film by any means, there are a few funny scenes and the action is well executed, it just suffers from some rather uninteresting new characters, Justin Timberlake’s Artie springs to mine, and a conclusion that stretches believability a bit too far, not in terms of fantasy but peoples reactions.

However the main characters still amuse and being re-united with them for an hour and a half is hardly a bad thing, it just feels like the fresh spark has gone from the franchise and with a fourth and fifth films on the cards some major re-thinking may need to be done if the series isn’t going to fall into cookie cutter territory. One other problems the series has now is that it is stuck with characters and situations that have been introduced before, case in point Donkey and Dragon’s relationship, now this may have sort of worked in the first film as a slightly disturbing joke slash plot device, but now the sight of weird Dragon/Donkey babies is beyond creepy when you actually think about it, and you feel decisions like this that play as a joke, have just created baggage for the series that you feel weighs it down. With an entire fairy tale world to work with and the mischievous mixing of pop culture references to disrupt expectations the Shrek series has a world of possibilities at it’s feet, and maybe that’s why this very safe offering seems like a disappointment, as does the fact that it’s $300 million plus gross so far in the US pretty much guarantees more of the same in the years to come.

Familiar and rather tame this is still an enjoyable and, at times, clever extension of the series, but it also displays worrying signs of stretching an idea too far and the inclusion of bland characters and familiar situations does nothing to assuage this fear. This time Shrek may scrape by on sheer charm, but a franchise like this should not be caught coasting for long.

The Science of Sleep

Michel Gondry is an odd fellow, a true eccentric he first came to my attention through his bizarre but visually creative music videos for artists such as Bjork, you may remember the white stripes Lego advert, that was him. So far he has made two feature films, Human Nature and one of my favourite films of the past few years – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This though was his first film as writer and director and it manages to combine everything found in his work today with his odd creative sensitivities, focusing on dreams and reality in unusual and captivating ways. It is not a mainstream film by any stretch, but I welcomed the unique nature of the films ideas and visuals. The film concerns Stephane a Mexican who returns to Paris after his father’s death. A child-like figure Stephane is an artist who finds it hard to distinguish between his dreams and reality. Within his dreams he enters a television show where he watches and interprets his life, and these dream sequences are wonderfully constructed with liberal use of stop motion and practical effects rather than CG, making the films visuals seem at once more real and also more unique. Stephane’s world is changed though when his neighbour moves in, the charming but shy Stephanie who gradually starts to bond with Stephane, but can he escape his fantasy world to make a real life relationship work? What Gondry adds to the film is a similar mix of child-like wonder and adult cynicism about the world, the people in the film are real, flawed and troubled and he doesn’t shy away from some of the harder aspects of growing up and getting on in the world. However the real heart that made Eternal Sunshine so captivating remains and the tender relationship grown between the characters is charming and effortless. The actors have great chemistry and the structuring of the film often confuses you as to whether a sequence is a dream or not, furthering the overall dream-like nature of the film. There are so many small beautiful moments in the film that Gondry adds that make this one of the most memorable and individual films I have seen this year. What was surprising to me about the film was Gondry’s brave decision to make Stephane such a complex and at times unlikeable character,. He can be childish and self-destructive and the vague and slightly unsettled ending leaves the future ambiguous. However I think that this did temper my feelings towards the film as it does not have a typical romantic conclusion, something we start to desire as, despite his flaws, we can’t help but want the best for Stephane, largely in part to the magnificent and committed performance from Gael Garcia Bernal and the supporting cast who manage to make every character stand out and interesting. Overall this film may well be too strange and inconclusive for many people but if you can embrace Gondry’s unique sensibilities and engage with the world he creates there is a lot to enjoy and hold on to here, dig deep enough and you get one of the strangest but in many ways purest romantic movies of recent years. A strange and affecting tale of outsiders this is a real treat and a true original and memorable film, if you can get past the surreal imagery and sometimes surprisingly uncompromising depiction of the dangers of getting lost in your own mind, this can be a haunting film with a real heart and something new to say.