What a Day That Was

I'm trying to decide what it was about last night's free showing of STOP MAKING SENSE that has turned it into one of the best nights out at the movies I've ever taken part in.

It could be the way the "Psycho Killer" opening was momentarily drowned out by a passing Porter Airlines Q400. I always get a smile when my concentration is broken in such manner during free screenings, since it puts the usual pet peeves like ringing cellphones into perspective.

It could be the way that the blinking LED's of The CN Tower seemed to be following the rhythm of "Burning Down the House" perfectly. Usually the bright lights of the city skyline can provide for a slightly distracting backdrop (slow parts in some screenings cause one's attention to wander). But when blinking reds, greens, and blues suddenly find themselves echoing great arthouse rock, it can actually enhance the whole mood.

It could be the way the concert itself was echoed in the audience it brought in. The movie, if you've never seen it, begins rather unassumingly. David Byrne walks out to centre stage with just an acoustic guitar and a boombox to play "Psycho Killer". No bandmates, no special lighting, no set. Slowly, with each passing song, the set and bandmates begin to fill in. It's an awesome trick, and part of what makes the concert film so very cool. In a way it was parallelled by the audience for the show, which was about half-full when the lights went out, but had grown much closer to capacity by the end of the movie.

Or, quite simply, it could be the way that everybody there seemed to be so into it, that having a ball was an inevitability. People sang, people clapped, people laughed, and people danced...a lot. Some tried and true Heads fans in the back, some kids who wouldn't know the Talking Heads from the Screaming Trees, a slightly "off" lookin' guy who was a little too into it, even the popcorn girl at the concessions stand! All of them let loose to "Burnin' Down the House", "Life During Wartime" and others as if there was no screen up there, and they were in the audience at The Pantages.

Of course, it never hurts to be taking in such festivities with old friends, so I was in quite a good mood for starters...but it just felt like all of these elements came together in such a simple way, that turned just another free screening into something so truly fun.

Just thought I'd share.

Tomorrow Never Knows (TRON LEGACY Teaser)

It's interesting. On one hand, we're given movies that already have entire trilogies in development...they're just waiting to be greenlit by a mondo opening weekend. On the other hand, there are movies where entire generations go by before a sequel is curiously unleashed on the unexpecting.

In that vein, here's a look at TRON: LEGACY...which will arrive a mere twenty eight years after its predecessor...

The Power of Goodbye (Top Five Movie Endings)

As I mentioned yesterday, I spent part of this weekend watch a Richard Linklater double-feature of BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET. As previously mentioned, SUNRISE impressed me with how truly well it has aged. SUNSET on the other hand wowed me for two reasons. First for the fact that it may be one of the few sequels that is actually better than its part one. And secondly, for an absolutely stellar ending!

How amazing was this ending? Even though it is no way a "twist" - it's an ending I never saw coming, and might well be cinematic perfection. It's unexpected, it's interpretive...it sees the creative ante of SUNRISE'S ending and raises it. It's so good, it might well be one of my all-time favorite final scenes.

This got me thinking about some of the others, and got me wanting to build a top five. Endings that for one reason or another define their film, and write a fitting final chapter to these wonderful stories.

My five is after the jump, but of course, they are deeply spoiler-ific. So to keep things honest, here's my list in order...

5. SAY ANYTHING
4. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
3. LOST IN TRANSLATION
2. CITIZEN KANE
1. THE USUAL SUSPECTS.

Wanna know why? Take a look below the jump for more about

Hatter's Top Five Movie Endings

#5. SAY ANYTHING (1989)... Having finally convinced the woman of his dreams that he's the guy for her, Lloyd Dobler packs up and accompanies her to England. Diane has never flown before, but Lloyd talks her through her nervousness explaining that everything that is happening is perfectly normal. After telling her that any minute now the flight will be in the clear and the "Seat Belt Off" signal will chime, they both begin to stare up, just higher than the camera's eye. It's a sweet metaphor for the beginning of young love, and for young adventurous souls trying to strike out on their own. They feel 99% right about everything, but they still want the assurance of something small like that seat belt light to confirm their beliefs. Happily, just as the film cuts to black, they get the assurance they want - complete with the accompanying *bing* sound effect.

#4. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)... This best version of the twisted tale of alien pod people stealing bodies and infiltrating earth's society is a truly eerie one. So how is one supposed to end a story that feels a paranormal journey of sight and sound worthy of The Twilight Zone? By going for broke and making you believe it, that's how. Having been held for questioning after a bout of raving lunacy, Dr Bennell has tried to convince the proper authorities that something otherworldly has gripped their small town. Realizing that nobody is having any of it, he finally snaps...running through the streets and highways screaming warnings to anyone who comes near. Driving home the chilling final dagger, Bennell breaks the fourth wall and yells right at the audience "THEY'RE HERE ALREADY!! YOU'RE NEXT!!!" Got goosebumps yet?

#3. LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003)... Yet another one of my favorite modern endings, given the ambiguousness of it. I know that some out there have managed to figure out what it is that Bob whispers to Charlotte, but I'll die a happy man if I never find out. Whatever it is he tells her, she understands, nods and agrees. It could be "Go back to your husband and be faithful". It could be "When you get back to America, come find me". Hell, it could be "I forgot to tip the maid, could you slip her ten bucks for me?". I'm not sure what I like more, the fact that we don't know what he says, or the fact that whatever it was, she agrees without hesitation. Cinematic perfection.

#2. CITIZEN KANE (1941)... the grandaddy of them all, the one that takes everything you've already seen and puts it into context in one fell swoop. Making it all the more direct, is the way the iconic moment is set up with a seemingly offhanded bit of self musing...
"Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn't get, or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn't have explained anything... I don't think any word can explain a man's life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a... piece in a jigsaw puzzle... a missing piece."
...push to a close up on the furnace.

#1. THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)... Possibly the only modern film that comes anywhere close to Kane's moment of last minute game changery. Without the devious playfulness that the final scene unloads, this is just another whodunnit heist movie. When that twist is tacked on however, it becomes something so much greater. Is it possible to say that this one scene is what elevates the movie from nineties staple to all-time great? Perhaps. I will say this, few other films have spawned so many imitators aiming to yank the rug out with a last-minute twist that saves all and changes context. Proving this film's greatness is the fact that precious few of those imitators actually succeed. THE USUAL SUSPECTS works so well for how unassuming it unfolds, how it teases a certain direction making you sure you have it all figured out. It's right then that it smacks you across the face and shows you how much you've just been played. And just like that *puff* it's gone.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments naming your favorite cinematic endings, along with suggestions for the next top five.

Time After Time

With the new releases taking a bit of an off week, I found myself watching a few older titles this week. Wednesday, I went and caught an outdoor screening of DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN. This is one of those movies that just about every woman around my age has seen, but I've never watched. Honestly? kinda cute, but I'm no better off for now having seen it.

On the other hand, a torrential downpour on Saturday sent me trekking to my local movie rental house of wonder, where I had it in mind to grab BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET (I'll talk a bit more about SUNSET tomorrow - y'all come back now, y'hear?).

BEFORE SUNRISE is now fifteen years old, and still feels every bit as charming as I'm sure it felt in 1994. The main reason for this I think, is that it's a rather timeless story, one that could just as easily be set in 1954. It's a film that doesn't rely on any trendy dialogue, or edgy visuals to compel its audience. Rather, it is content to stand at arm's reach and listen to two people talk about their lives for ninety minutes. I quite enjoyed it and had to give my head a shake for not having seen it sooner.

This is in stark contrast to SUSAN, which if you haven't seen by now, I'd advise to skip it. The story is "okay" at best, and wickedly dated. It's become more of a pop culture fossil than an engaging movie, and looking back on many other movies of the era, it isn't alone. Recently, when I used an image from PRETTY IN PINK as a "Today I Feel Like This" post, fellow blogger Fletch commented that they'd never seen it (or SIXTEEN CANDLES).

Thinking about all these movies in a cluster, it's quite interesting to see how some stories of young love and youthful rebellion age quite gracefully. Others, while they seem so fun and so cool at the time, eventually find themselves the victim of looking too dated, featuring bad acting, or just simply being an all-around weak story.

Just one of those things to wonder to yourself every now and then..."How well, or how poorly, is this film I'm watching going to age?"

Cry Me a River

Today, I feel like this...

Fly Away ( AMELIA Trailer )

Originally, I'd chosen the teaser for Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND as this week's trailer post...but it looks like the folks at Disney weren't too thrilled about that little gem leaking online a few days ahead of schedule (Doesn't it look cool though?).

Moving on we have Hilary Swank in a bio-pic of Amelia Earhart. Looks like it could be pretty good, or it could be the usual over-sappy bio-pic of a 20th legend....

Decade pt. v ( Top Five 00's Movies - 2004 )

I've argued in the past, that in my lifetime, 1994 and 1999 were two of the best years at the movies. When 2004 ended, I started theorizing that perhaps every fifth year, the planets aligned themselves 'just so'...giving us moviegoers twelve months of cinematic bliss. 2004 kept my theory going for another cycle...meanwhile, halfway through 2009, my theory is hanging on by a thread...if it isn't dead already.

But speaking of 2004, it's the nest year up in my Top 00's movie lists. This was the year that even the big ticket movies brought the goods, with summer fare like THE BOURNE SUPREMACY and SPIDER-MAN 2 proving that Hollywood blockbusters could be made without being brainless (Michael Bay, take a note!).

It was also the year that the American right and American left each found a movie to rally behind, with THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST AND FAHRENHEIT 9/11 both bringing in mad amounts of crowds.

It was the year 59,000,000 Americans gave George W. Bush a second term in office (Thanks again for that btw). It was the year that LOST took over our televisions. And it was only time a World Series winning game has ever brought tears to my eyes. Take a look after the jump and find...

Hatter's Top Five Films of 2004

#5 THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES... Before he was Che, he was Fuser: an asthmatic medical student who was rebellious - not revolutionary. It's possible that what makes this movie work so well, is that it focuses almost entirely on the boy Che Guevara was - not the man he would become. It's a gorgeously shot coming-of-age story, features a moving score, and even throws in more than a few surprisingly funny moments. Part of me wonders if THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES is doomed to become one of this decade's most underrated films.
#4. MILLION DOLLAR BABY... In case you're keeping score, and I just know you are, this is the first time the year's best picture winner has made my top five. I count myself a big admirer of Clint Eastwood's directorial work, and this felt like the movie where it felt like everything clicked. In my five for 2003, I called MYSTIC RIVER "surprisingly beautiful in its photography", MILLION DOLLAR BABY proves that the achievement was no fluke (as evidenced by the still shot above). Yet another film that provides a lot of humour early on, only to take that hard left on to Serious Lane in the final act.

#3. THE SEA INSIDE... Seen it? If not, move it up the "to rent" list purely to see Javier Bardem give the performance of a lifetime. He plays Ramon Sampedro, a quadrapalegic fighting for his right to die with dignity. So of course, this means that Bardem is really only working from the neck up...which is what makes his performance so spellbinding. He gives the role a wonderful amount of sorrow, patience, and humour, and he does it by putting all those emotions into his eyes and into his words.

#2. GARDEN STATE... The biggest downside of Zach Braff's directorail debut is that he hasn't been able to follow it up with anything of equal measure yet. Regardless, this one worked, and re-interepereted much of the sense of disillusionment from THE GRADUATE for a new generation. If this list was ranking my favorites of 2004, this would have been tops. Ranking the best however, I can't possibly put it ahead of...

#1. THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND... Easily the best performance by Jim Carrey to date, who leaves the silliness aside this time to tap into something much more moving. Likewise Kate Winslett, who first seems to be the sort of woman you'd want to forget, only to turn around and show us why someone would fight so hard not to. This was a rare event: Charlie Kauffman's story directed by Michel Gondry. Are you kidding me?? Getting these two visionaries to work together has to be an occasion worthy of a commerative stamp! It all starts with that wonderful concept - I mean, who amoung us hasn't wanted to wipe the memory of someone from our mind forever? Realeased early in the year to little fanfare, it became one of those films that stuck with me over the months. And even though it was an impressive year at the movies, nothing seemed to eclipse the bittersweet symphony of Joel and Clementine.

Others on my shortlist for 2004 include THE INCREDIBLES, THE AVIATOR, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, HOTEL RWANDA, CLOSER, SPIDER-MAN 2, HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, A LIFE AQUATIC, MARIA FULL OF GRACE, SIDEWAYS, THE TERMINAL, COLLATERAL, RAY, TUPAC: RESURRECTION, I (heart) HUCKABEES, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, RAY, and HELLBOY. Check in on August 25th for the next installment, my top five films of 2005.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments with your own favorite movies from 2003, along with suggestions for the next top five.

News of The World ii (TIFF Announces Midnight Madness Lineup)

I'll admit that when it comes to The Toronto International Film Festival, the Midnight Madness programme isn't exactly my beat. I'm a bit of a wuss (There - I admitted it).

But given what's on tap for this year, I might have to stay up a little late a few nights and join the rowdy brood. JENNIFER'S BODY, [REC] 2, DAYBREAKERS, and Romero's SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD lead the way. The full slate, copied straight from the email sent out today is below the jump

JENNIFER'S BODY Karyn Kusama, USA (World Premiere)

Jennifer’s Body tells the story of small town high school student Jennifer (Megan Fox) who is possessed by a hungry demon and transitions from being “high school evil”—gorgeous (and doesn’t she know it), stuck up and ultra-attitudinal—to the real deal: evil/evil. The glittering beauty becomes a pale and sickly creature jonesing for a meaty snack, and guys who never stood a chance with the heartless babe, take on new luster in the light of her insatiable appetite. Meanwhile, Jennifer’s best friend, Needy (Amanda Seyfried), long relegated to living in Jennifer’s shadow, must step-up to protect the town’s young men, including her nerdy boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons). Written and executive produced by Oscar®-winning Diablo Cody (Juno).
Watch the trailer: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://is.gd/1G154


A TOWN CALLED PANIC Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar, Belgium/Luxembourg/France (North American Premiere)

An outlandish animation style captures the absurd wit and surreal adventures of plastic toys Cowboy, Indian and Horse.
Watch the clip! http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://is.gd/1FX7w


BITCH SLAP Rick Jacobson, USA (World Premiere)

In this campy action comedy from the creators of Xena and Hercules, three hot blooded women try to uncover some booty in the desert using feminine charms, fists, and machine guns.
Watch the trailer http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://is.gd/1FXhT


DAYBREAKERS Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, Australia/USA (World Premiere)
Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill star in this sci-fi horror about a future populated by vampires where humans are the minority.
Trailer http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://is.gd/1FXvM


George A. Romero’s SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD George A. Romero, Canada(World Premiere )

Master director George A. Romero returns to his world of the undead, this time pitting two feuding clans in the middle of the fallout of a zombie epidemic.


THE LOVED ONES Sean Byrne, Australia(International Premiere)

A troubled teen’s prom dreams are shattered by a series of painful events that take place under the mirrored disco ball, involving syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer in this wild mash-up of Pretty in Pink and Misery.
Trailer: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://twitpic.com/b2xuj


ONG BAK 2 Tony Jaa, Thailand(Canadian Premiere)

Martial arts superstar Tony Jaa stars in and directs this epic tale of revenge set hundreds of years in the past. Featuring a huge cast and hordes of elephants, this prequel takes Jaa’s skills to the next level, showcasing him as a master of a wide range of martial arts styles – while proving him to be a promising director as well.


[REC] 2 Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza, Spain (North American Premiere)

In the follow-up to the acclaimed [REC], a SWAT team enters the old apartment to control an epidemic with terrifying results.
Teaser http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://is.gd/1FZJr


SOLOMON Kane Michael J. Bassett, United Kingdom(World Premiere)

From Robert E. Howard, the legendary creator of Conan, comes this tale of a savage mercenary in 16th Century England who owes the Devil his soul and seeks to redeem himself by fighting evil.
Trailer: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://is.gd/1FZ55


SYMBOL Hitoshi Matsumoto, Japan (International Premiere)

Japanese comedy superstar Hitoshi Matsumoto (Dainipponjin) stars in and directs this absurd and outlandish comedy about a man trying to escape a unique dilemma.
The Teaser http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://is.gd/1FZAr

Everybody's Talkin' 7-20 (Chatter from Fellow Bloggers)

After seeing a fwe more screenings than usual over the last ten days, I find myself a tad bleary eyed again.

Turning the mic over to some of my fellow bloggers and start yet another feature on this humble space worked out pretty well two weeks ago. I think it's time to give it another go. Many of these pieces have been linked over in my sidebar for the past few days, but I thought I'd point a big neon arrow towards them.

So, for your reading fulfillment I give you...

In honour of the 50th 40th anniversary of the lunar landing today, Cinema Viewfinder took another look at THE RIGHT STUFF.

Film Forager re-watched BETTER OFF DEAD recently, an 80's teen comedy I actually dig (there aren't all that many).

The Flick Chick has posted a review of MOON, a movie I've anxiously been wanting to see (maybe this weekend?).

And my good pal C Diddle muses what is actually lost when a movie is descriped as "Too Predictable".

Enjoy!

Review: (500) DAYS OF SUMMER * * * *

Love sucks sometimes, y'know that? Oh sure, love all starts out by comparing what bands you both love, and afternoons browsing around Ikea...but that seldom lasts. Once love has had its fill of Poäng chairs and Smiths records, love will leave you standing there and move on with its day. But not before kicking you in the coins first.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER introduces us to Tom Hanson (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). One could describe Tom as a hopeless romantic, I prefer to see him as a permanent resident on lovesick lane (Takes one to know one). Tom lives an unspectacular life. He wanted to be an architect, but instead has found himself writing greeting cards. He loves The Smiths, The Pixies, Joy Division, and other such bands of unassailably cool caché. And growing up, he misunderstood the end of THE GRADUATE, which led to his lifelong misinformed understanding of love. Then one day, he met Summer (Zooey Deschanel).

Summer's the sort of girl whose favorite Beatle is Ringo. Why? Because Ringo is nobody's favorite, and that makes him her favorite. Summer has a knack for making men fall all over themselves trying to get her attention. Men rent her apartments at lower rates. Men go out and buy albums that features songs she quotes. They've even lined up in droves to buy ice cream from a stand she's worked at. There's just "something about her" as the saying goes. Poor Tom really doesn't stand a chance.

That's not to say that he can't get her attention - he does (eventually, anyway). No, what is bound to doom our hero is the fact that this carefree spirit that is Summer doesn't believe in love. Boyfriends, girlfriends, engagement, marriage...labels of any kind really. She doesn't go for any of it. Tom, on the other hand, lives and breathes it. So as we jump back and forth through the 500 days these two souls have known each other, we must ask ourselves - is there any chance that true love can exist for these two? warm and tender, yet still free of labels?

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER starts out as the sort of romantic movie I've seen a few dozen times already. It's the one where the hapless loser falls all over himself trying to land the girl who knows exactly how alluring she is, while an indie music soundtrack wanders in and out at exactly the right moment. However, this movie actually makes a concerted effort not to be that film I've already seen, and it succeeds.

I have to give the movie credit - there aren't many flicks that could make a dance sequence backed by a Hall & Oates track work. Amazingly though, there have actually been a few moments in my life where I could identify with just such a scene.

This story is determined to tell us more than just what happens when boy-meets-girl. It wants to tell us what happens when we try to deceive ourselves in matters of the heart. Tom's notion of love is truthful; a little tenth grade, but truthful. The relationship he wants isn't the product of a Meg Ryan movie, it's an easily attainable happiness with the right girl. Unfortunately, he projects this on to Summer, even though she warns him that she wants something else.

What she wants is also entirely truthful. She doesn't believe in conventional love, perhaps because she hasn't found it yet. There are a lot of people who could easily say to themselves "Well, maybe I can change her mind on the whole thing". But really - how fair is that? She might be able to tear his heart to pieces, but it's not like she didn't warn him what she was capable of.

I've made much of this movie sound quite miserable, but it actually is a lot of fun, so please don't be deterred. The movie actually uses a lot of devices to illustrate how different these two people really are. There's the overall broken narrative, a high-concept foreign film, some revisionist history, an expectation-versus-reality split screen, and even a laundry list of what Tom loves about Summer/hates about Summer set to the same song. (Sidenote: The song chosen for these lists is a brilliant bit of musical direction).

At first this film may seem like one you've already seen. However, it's the way these devices underscore the hoops we make ourselves jump through for love that turn it into a much more charming movie.

If there's one thing above all that makes (500) DAYS OF SUMMER special, it's what it says about those we love after they've stopped loving us. There are many ways to carry on, and odds are they'll never make sense to the other person. The other person's decision might feel like they're giving the knife another turn. hard as it is to believe though, most often, they're just doing what their heart tells them is right. It won't make sense, it can make us feel like staying in bed for a week, and it might contradict everything they've led you to believe. Unfortunately, it's a part of what comes with being in love. Sucks sometimes, don't it?

Dance To The Music

Today, I feel like this...

Up On the Roof (Free Movies at The Drake Hotel)

Not quite sure how this one got past me for so long, but there is yet another free movie series happening in Toronto this summer. The sad thing about me being late to the party is that half of the movies have already played. So if you're a big fan of TANK GIRL, my apologies. Unfortunately they run them on Tuesdays, so if you're a fan of the free movies at Dundas Square, you'll have some choices to make.

The movie happen on the rooftop patio of The Drake Hotel, which is at 1150 Queen Street West. Curtain for each show is 9pm. They say it's 100% free, but I'm sure they won't be mad if you buy a few drinks from the bar while you're there. Here's what's left of the series...

July 21st: PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE hosted by Richard Crouse
July 28th: THE PARTY hosted by David Moos
August 4th: ROBOCOP hosted by Pablo de Ocampo
August 11th: PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE hosted by Kelly Matheson
August 18th: AMERICAN GRAFFITI hosted by Bruce McDonald

Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE * * * 1/2

Six down, two to go.

Part of me thinks reviewing this movie is a pointless task. We're six films and eight years into this film franchise; by now you're either into them, or you aren't. But for the uninitiated...

HALF BLOOD PRINCE begins two weeks after the events that conclude THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. The wizarding world is at war - some are dying, some are being kidnapped. Even worse is the fact that their war is spilling over into our world. Everyone seems to slowly be choosing sides, and for those on the side of all that is good, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)is beginning to be celebrated as a hero.

While Lord Voldemort does not make an appearance in this movie, as a grown up anyway, his minions are hard at work doing his bidding. Front and centre is young Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), who seems brash and ready to drop his schoolbooks to serve he-who-must-not-be-named. Right behind him, is the ever dangerous Belatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham-Carter) and Professro Severus Snape (Alan Rickman).

Lestrange doesn't think young Malfoy is up for the task at hand, nor does she trust Snape to honourably back him up. Snape assures her that his loyalties are intact, and that when the chips are down, he'll have Malfoy's back. To prove his loyalty, he makes an unbreakable vow (sort if a wizarding blood oath).

Life is no picnic for Harry either. When he's not spending time trying to sort out his feelings for his best friend's sister, he's trying to duck the growing tension between Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), who seem to have taken a shining to each other. Unfortunately, it's in that awkward teenage way that leads to a boy and girl not being able to understand that they've taken a shining to each other.

Teenage dramatics aside, Harry has also been asked by Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to win the favour of his potions professor, Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent). Dumbledore believes Slughorn knows something that can help defeat Voldermort, and asks harry to get far enough into the professor's good graces to learn the secret. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Harry suddenly starts ace'ing potions, thanks in no small part to a used textbook. Many of the text has been scribbled over and amended, all by its previous owner, the mysterious "Half-Blood Prince".


This is one of the better chapters in the film series, though for my money not quite the best. While it is a rather dark film overall, and certainly so in its final act, it has been given a great deal of levity to help offset the troubling times the wizarding world has to endure.

Having re-watched the entire series this week as a refresher for this screening, I've come to the conclusion that the single best actor in the sprawling cast is Alan Rickman. He has a bit of an unfair advantage, given that his voice automatically makes any character sound seven times cooler. For the character of Snape, he measures equal parts distance and disdain, and comes up with a persona that is a question mark of darkness. Of all the movies thus far, HALF BLOOD PRINCE has given him the most to work with, and he doesn't waste a single line. (Sidebar - Quick bit of trivia for you; Rickman has never read the books this mighty series of films is based on).

Credit must be given to screenwriter Steve Kloves, and director David Yates for giving this movie good focus. Of the eight films that will make up this series, the back half are based on especially sprawling stories, providing Kloves a half dozen themes to choose from. He builds this story on the theme of trust, which at this late stage is a good direction to go.

We've watched these characters come together for five films already, this is the point in the relationship where they will begin to question each other. Emphasizing this theme brings the story back to everything we already know, and sets up what we have yet to learn.

Yates builds on this by giving the film a very distinct look. It's another dark chapter in the series, but he already did "dark" with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. This time out, he has turned the volume down a bit, and works with a rather muted palette. Much of the movie lacks vibrancy, which goes a long way to underscore how detached many of these characters must feel during trying times like these.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is a great film, and a brilliant chapter to the overall story. I can't say that I'd recommend it for those who haven't seen the other five, so it's a tad tricky to judge as a stand-alone film. What I can say, is that this series continues to be handled far better than I ever expected. With the past two films, Yates and company have set the bar rather high going into the final two chapters. Here's hoping the can measure up.

Note: I had issue with the way this particular volume was adapted from book to film. However, I have chosen not to focus on those details in reviewing the film. I'm only discussing what the movie is, not what it is supposed to be. - MH

Family Affair (BROTHERS Trailer)

Every once in a while, I find that a good movie is saddled with an awful trailer. This is just such an occasion. Take a look below at the latest offering from director Jim Sheridan, BROTHERS...

News of The World (CREATION to Open 2009 TIFF)

Guess it's a sure-fire sign that summer is in its dog days when the announcements for The Toronto International Film Festival starts rolling in. News-a-plenty today, including a slight switch for opening night. Full details can be found after the jump.

Jon Amiel's bio-pic of Charles Darwin, CREATION, opens this year's festival. The movie stars Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly. It should be noted that it's a slight change of pace for TIFF, who usually choose a Canadian film to open the party.

CREATION joins some thought-provoking titles previously announced.

Today, a few more mainstream titles got in on the party. They include THE INFORMANT!, PRECIOUS, and THE INVENTION OF LYING.

Last but not least, passes are already on sale for all methods of payment.

Is it September yet?

Evil Woman (Please Weigh In)

Damn do I ever feel old right now - it was ten years ago today that THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT was released. It can't really have been a decade since then, can it? I still have tee shirts from that summer! (FYI - They aren't old anymore, now they're "vintage").

I thought about what I wanted to post to mark the occasion, even took a few stabs at doing a top five. After much thought, I wondered what I could possibly have to say about it that hasn't been said in the ten years since I first saw this flick.

Instead, I thought I'd ask what you thought. Did you hate it? Did you love it? Did you love it, then hate it? Has it aged well? Do you have any cool stories about the first time you saw it or heard about it?

Please comment with any thoughts about THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT then and now.

Review: THE HURT LOCKER * * * *

Alfred Hitchcock's bomb theory says that showing a bomb under the table transfers the sense of dread from the screen into the minds of every audience member. I would suggest that few films in recent memory have understood that notion better than THE HURT LOCKER.

THE HURT LOCKER is the story of an EOD unit in Iraq (Explosive Ordinance Disposal). These are the people who get tapped when there is suspicion of a bomb; it's their job to attempt to diffuse the explosive. Seems stressful enough all on it's own right? Well add in the fact that they need to work in plain sight, surrounded by dozens of locals who could potentially be holding the trigger to the device. You'd have to be at least a little off to sign up for this sort of job, right? Enter Staff Seargent William James (Jeremy Renner).

James is assigned to the unit with less than forty days to go in their tour, and to say he doesn't click with them right away would be putting things mildly. He's called "Gangsta", "Rowdy", and "A Wild Man". While they cover his back unquestioningly, his team members Sgt JT Sandborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldrige (Brian Geraghty) constantly fight the urge to smack him over his reckless tendencies. They understand that James works best under pressure, but there's pressure and then there's Russian roulette.

Jeremy Renner truly carries this film. The man seems completely unshakable in combat - the sort of soldier who won't even shoo a fly off his face. Unfortunately, when he takes the armour off, and puts the weapon down, he's a whole other person. Sadly, it's the sort of person who makes phone calls but can't say anything, even though he's screaming on the inside. While his everyman appearance is what helps sell the part, I do hope that this becomes a star-making role for Renner.

What makes THE HURT LOCKER work so well is that it wants to make a different point than most of the other war films we've already seen. Those movies, good and bad alike, often look to remind us that war is hell. This movie on the other hand, takes a different course and tries to emphasize that war is a drug. It presents the idea sometimes the best soldiers for the job, are the ones who get high off the danger that they're in.

Many soldiers return home from conflict laced with post traumatic stress disorder. Staff Sgt. James however, seems off in a whole other way. The man has ice water in his veins as he stares down a ticking timer, but try to get him to live a normal day-to-day and he falls to bits. It's that difficulty with human nature that gives the movie some real weight.

THE HURT LOCKER is a movie built entirely out of tension. The characters are the best at what they do, and are sent into the most difficult of situations. Seemingly innocent people are potential killers, and every explosive device they find can quickly become ten times as deadly. There is an omnipresent sense of dread, as the reality of a war where the enemy sets their own rules hits home. It is perhaps the best film about The Iraq War so far, and likewise one of the best movies I've seen this year.

Review: BRÜNO * * 1/2

Sacha Baron-Cohen had one more kick at the can. One character left that he could unleash on unassuming masses, and draw them into squirm-inducing answers. After burning through Ali G, and Borat in previous movies, only Brüno was left to raise hell and specifically target the homophobic. After Brüno, the man would finally be out of characters.

You didn't really think he was going to go away quietly, did you?

Brüno (Sacha Baron Cohen) hosts a fashion television program named Funkyzeit. It's the highest rated style show in all German speaking nations...except Germany. It's the sort of mindless style program that debates which diseases are "in" or "out" (Autism is in...'case you were curious). During one particularly disruptive trip to Milan Fashion Week, he finds himself blackballed in the style community. Worse yet, he is fired from Funkyzeit.

Downhearted, dumped, and jobless, he decides his best bet is to start anew in America. He journeys to Los Angeles in an attempt to become a celebrity...or get his own show...or both. Essentially, Brüno believes that you aren't anyone in this world if you aren't famous, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that as many people as possible know his name.

Brüno is one funny movie, but overall it feels a bit spotty. There are moments of real muscle, especially in scenes where Brüno shines a bright glaring light on some misguided, or outright hateful, homophobia in America. Likewise there's a scene where he goes to a swingers party - supposedly the den of some tremendously sexually liberated people. Strangely, even these randy folks aren't above gay-bashing.

Unfortunately, the movie isn't eighty minutes of holding a mirror up to society. No, the homophobia is brought to a screeching halt on more than one occasion, by some outlandish nudity and gay frolicking. This is especially counterproductive, since the audience stops laughing with the homosexuals, and instead start laughing at them. The movie tries to play it all for absurdity, but for me it seemed to derail the point of the movie. It takes a surgical strike and turns it into shock-and-awe.

I do have one problem with the character of Brüno. As Borat, Sacha Baron-Cohen tries to lure unsuspecting interviewees into racist remarks and behavior - often of the anti-semetic nature. His theory is that if you give someone enough rope, they'll quite often hang themselves. However, what makes this more clever than hurtful, is that Baron-Cohen himself is Jewish. On the other hand, Baron-Cohen is not homosexual, which has to leave me wondering if the homophobia he stirs up as Brüno isn't crossing a line.

BRÜNO works not only as a reminder of how truly homophobic some people really are, but likewise as a testament of just how unassuming our culture has become. Say what you will about Baron-Cohen suckering his subjects into unfair situations. The fact remains that far too often, people don't have enough common sense to stop and say either "This is wrong" or "This can't possibly be real". It's become the media math of the new millennium - stick a mic in someone's face and the odds of them replying with real intelligence drops exponentially with the amount of time they continue to talk.

Ultimately the movie succeeds, but it is not without its flaws. Looking at the whole character of Brüno, I'm left feeling that he's more effective in short five minute bits, as opposed to carrying an eighty minute feature.I While the film amuses and does indeed prove its point, it relies too heavily on dick jokes and butt-fucking to ultimately rise to its lofty goal.

Sharp Dressed Man

Today, I feel like this...

Everybody's Talkin' (Chatter from Fellow Bloggers)

I'm a tad spent this morning. Last night's free screening of PRETTY IN PINK down by the water was quite fun, though it ran somewhat late for this particular man-child.

What better day to turn the mic over to some of my fellow bloggers and start yet another feature on this humble space. Many of these pieces have been linked over in my sidebar for the past few days, but I thought I'd point a big neon arrow towards them.

So, for your reading fulfillment I give you...

Film Forager's reaction to the brilliant Spanish film ABRe LOS OJOS.

1416 and Counting's review of my coolest find of the summer so far, BRICK.

Plus Trailers' argument that SULMDOG MILLIONAIRE could possibly be the most deserving Best Picture winner of the decade.

and Bitchin' Film Reviews' review of a film I quite dug and think everyone should go see, AWAY WE GO.


Enjoy!

Rock Show (IT MIGHT GET LOUD Poster)

If you're a rock fan, be sure to make a point to catch a screening of IT MIGHT GET LOUD later this summer. It's ooey-gooey-guitar-goodness, and I'm still trying to get over my fanboy spazz out from the premiere at last year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Today, the poster for this rock-fest was unveiled...



...which for me falls under "close but no cigar". I like it, like that the names aren't directly under the appropriate guitarist, and kinda dig the way they've split the graphic between the top and bottom of the poster. But - what I'm not crazy about is how they've photoshopped the three musicians into the one image, especially since they spend half the film focusing on the converstaion between the three.

For your consideration dear reader, I submit my slightly altered version which I think would have been much better...

Armed Forces (Or Why I'm Tired of Hearing About The Upcoming G.I. Joe Movie)

A fellow blogger gave me a smirk the other day when he overdubbed the trailer for G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA with some slightly more appropriate music. I was happy to finally get a bit of joy out of the silliness that this upcoming film is, since I think it looks absolutely awful.

But perhaps the only thing more annoying than the hype surrounding this awful-looking movie, is the amount of rants it is spurring in the blogosphere. Allow me a rant about ranting after the jump.

Permit me a moment to qualify myself - I am this movie's target demographic. The toys on which it is based hit shelves when I was four years old; the cartoon following behind when I turned seven. G.I. Joe was what I watched every day after school, they were what I asked for every Christmas and birthday, and they were what my friends and I pretended to be every recess (I was always Flint).

When this movie was greenlit, Hasbro and Paramount were counting on me, and all my old school chums, to drop our grown up dollars and remember being seven years old. Unfortunately, they screwed up the product along the way, so they likely won't get as many grown up dollars as they would have hoped. It's Hollywood - such things have happened before, and I promise they'll happen again.

Here's what gets me though. Blogger after blogger has gone on and on (and on) about how Paramount in general (and director Stephen Sommers in particular) has mucked with a sacred entity.

To those, I beg - sit down, shut up, and stop it.

This isn't the same as a poor adaptation of an award winning novel. It isn't even the same as a long-running comic book being misinterpreted to the big screen because Eric Bana wasn't a believable Bruce Banner. This is in no way, shape or form a sacred property. This is a movie based on a cartoon that was created for one reason, and one reason only - to sell. more. toys.

To those who bemoan the fact that Sienna Miller will be a horrible Baroness, or that acceleration suits an out and out horrible idea, I have to ask - have you watched that cartoon we grew up on? I mean really watched it...through adult eyes, setting aside all nostalgia? If you haven't, get your hands on an episode - try to make it one of the ten where Duke falls into a coma. You will notice something without much difficulty: it really isn't that good. Further, as a Canadian it's a tad off putting how blatantly flag-waving American they are!

Geeks are ruling the roost in Hollywood these days, but I really think the geeks need to pick their battles better. Not everything The MTV generation grew up with is a holy relic. This is important to remember because as I type, there are adaptations of The Smurfs, He-Man, and Thundercats being tossed around Hollywood. I'd set odds at 5-1 that they all suck when/if they finally hit screens.

They made us happy when we were kids, which is swell, but it's no reason to rail on about how they must be handled with kit gloves when it comes time to turn them into a movie.

Secret Agent Man (THE INFORMANT! Trailer)

Feels like just yesterday that I was sitting through Steven Soderbergh's latest project of self-indulgence. While the guy can drive me to fits sometimes, at least he's productive...no disappearing for five years or so like some directors out there.

His next movie looks like it could get the nasty Sasha Grey aftertaste out of my mouth (yeah, I said it!). It's called THE INFORMANT! and stars Matt Damon as a bumbling corperate spy. Give'r a look-see...

With a Little Help From My Friends: BRICK

Haven't done one of these in about nine months. For those of you new to reading this space, this is a feature that I try to write sporadically. I've asked people I know to recommend some of their lesser-known favorite movies for me to watch.

Once I watch them, I try to combine my thoughts on the movie, with some observations about the recommendation in general. So every once in a while, I'll put up posts like this, which I'm call "With a Little Help From My Friends".

Today, I'm looking at BRICK, at the suggestion of my dear friend Special K. My thoughts after the jump


The Details:BRICK - USA, 2005. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Emille de Ravin, and Nora Zehetner.

The Source: Special K. Dear friend who I haven't seen in a while. A woman with quite good taste in movies, and a knack for finding some of the lesser-known titles that get past me.

The Reason: She actually emailed me a novel's worth of reasons mid-screening, fearing that I wasn't enjoying what I was seeing. Front and centre among the laundry list of awesome points, was the fact that BRICK is essentially a contemporary-looking noir film. The dialogue, set pieces, and characters all seem like they could have been ripped from a 1940's Bogart flick.

The Reaction: Sweet lord did I dig this movie!! K rightly pointed out that while many films try to use young pretty people to update a classic genre, very seldom to they stick to plan. BRICK never strays, making it a very intense and sometimes tricky film to watch. What we get is a murder story, and rather than a fedora-wearin', Camel smokin' gumshoe...we have a gangly, bespectacled highschool senior trying to figure out what has happened to the damsel in distress.

The language in this movie is crackling, often dropping terms that most classic noir films use. The language is so true to form actually, that many viewers may have a hard time keeping up with that's going on. When I wasn't stunned trying to keep up with the script, I was dazzled by the nifty photography. The camera likes to stay back, leaving a lot of negative space...giving a lot of daylight for situations to unfold, and characters to come in and out of the scene. The colour quality is a bit poor, but there's no touching its composition. If I could give any one note, it'd be to render the whole film in black and white.

Adding It Up: As far as this series of recommendations goes, Special K has just taken the top spot on the leader board. The other three films that have been reccomended so far have been "alright", but none of them left me this dumbstruck. When the credits rolled on BRICK I was immediately struck with the urge to add it to my DVD collection...so this time out, my friends have provided more than just "a little" help.

The only bittersweet moment for me, was thinking about how little I've seen Special K for the last while. Especially since I miss talking about awesome finds like this!

Doubleback: ROLE MODELS

Ya gotta love low expectations - sometimes they can allow you to enjoy something a whole lot more. Such was the case with ROLE MODELS. I really didn't think it was gonna be my cup of tea, but found myself pleasantly surprised with how often it made me laugh.

While I'm well past tired of Sean William Scott, and slightly tired of Paul Rudd (who seems to show up in every funny movie lately), both of them got to deliver lives that landed beautifully. I think more of the credit has to go to the kids (Bobb'e J Thompson and Christopher Mitz-Plasse), who in very different ways give Scott & Rudd a real chance to shine.

They play kids who are part of a Big Brother-esque mentoring program, and each one comes in with their own adolescent baggage. Thompson is a thick-skinned brat who seems angry at the world. In my eyes he earned points by making Ben Affleck jokes in Rudd's direction ("You white, so you Ben Affleck"). Mitz-Plasse is a geek in the classic sense, a D&D geek to be specific. Rudd doesn't have the first clue how to relate to him. What he eventually understands though(and tries to point out to the kid's parents) is that embracing your geekiness isn't something to be ashamed of, as long as it makes you happy.

The plot does go in a rather predictable direction, but at the very least it goes in a harmless and non-insulting direction while providing laughs along the way. And really, when it comes to comedy, that's the point isn't it? Once in a while something can come along and change the game, but to succeed as a comedy you only need to reach the bar and not smack the audience in the head on your way up.

Nowhere Man

Today, I feel like this...

Love Revolution (TAKING WOODSTOCK Trailer)

I'm slightly late to the party in posting this trailer (it's been around for easily a month or two)...but I finally caught the clip before my screening of AWAY WE GO.

This might well turn into my new favorite movie!

Review: PUBLIC ENEMIES * * *

I have to imagine that watching PUBLIC ENEMIES is a lot like watching Walter Johnson pitch late in his career. See, The Big Train used to galumph his way up to the mound, and almost comically work into a slow, leisurely wind-up. He’d then unload on the batter with pitches that reached ungodly speeds. Hitters were left baffled, lulled and distracted by the slow effortlessness…then taken aback with the resulting display of power.

Indeed, with his latest film, director Michael Mann has sauntered his way up to the pitcher’s mound…and after a long, deliberate motion, he delivers with a pretty good fastball.

John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is one of the most wanted men in America, given his talent for holding up banks in record time and continually evading capture. Wanting to bring Dillinger down once and for all, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Cruddup) assigns a special task force to hunt him, and taps agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale, who has thankfully left the Batman/John Connor growl at home) to lead the division.

One night at a club, Dillinger falls for a woman at first sight. Her name is Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), and she takes a shining to Dillinger’s direct manner…but not before making him work for her attention. As Dillinger briefly details his life to Billie, we understand what it is that keeps him in business. Many people, including the very ones trying to bring him to capture, have no idea who he is, or what he looks like. Despite being the most wanted man in America, this is a trusting age where information travels slowly. Thus he is able to often walk right past many of the foot soldiers out to find him.

Increasingly frustrated by Dillinger’s talent for evading capture, and likewise breaking out of custody when he is captured, the FBI comes down hard. They pass laws that force Dillinger’s syndicate support network to abandon him, thus forcing him to work with fellow solo acts like Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham). Since Dillinger and Nelson’s methods are so drastically different, this move tips the scales in the feds’ favour, and finally sends Dillinger on the run.

PUBLIC ENEMIES takes a puzzling route to get where it wants to go. The movie clocks in at two hours and twenty minutes, and much of that first hour is a lot of steak with no sizzle. That’s not to say that nothing happens – much to the contrary. The opening sixty minutes gives us one jailbreak and two bank robberies. Curiously though, it all happens in a very cold, quiet, distant manner. While I had the patience to stay with it – patience that was ultimately rewarded – I fear that this subtler chapter will deter some audiences, and cause many to reach for their DVD remote.

However, patience is a virtue, and patient audiences will be rewarded as the second half of this movie really takes off. From the moment of the Dillinger/Nelson heist, director Michael Mann shifts the movie into a higher gear, and suddenly decides to deliver on the sexiness of the story. One of the highlights is an explosive gunfight at a rural Wisconsin Inn, which evokes memories of the downtown L.A. shootout in HEAT. Interestingly, it’s the last pure action scene in the movie. The rest of the way, Mann goes cat-and-mouse and lets the intriguing nature of the manhunt entertain the audience.

One mis-step of the film is the fact that Johnny Depp really doesn’t get a chance to come out and play. His portrayal of Dillinger is almost all business, and it lacks the impish nature that made his portrayal of Ed Wood and Jack Sparrow so very memorable. Depp is front and centre during much of that low-boil opening hour, and much of that time he spends being enigmatic, distant and direct. This was an era where gangsters were rock stars, and one must wonder how much better a film PUBLIC ENEMIES could have been had Depp gotten in touch with his inner Jagger.

PUBLIC ENEMIES is a thoughtful movie, slow execution included. It’s a focused film that relies on intrigue and structure to achieve what lesser films would lean on car chases and tommyguns to do. Unfortunately, it isn’t one that will lure audiences away from the franchises that surround it. This is a shame really, since it’s a solid movie that isn’t trying to muscle its way on to the lists of all-time great gangster flicks. I had high hopes for the film (I actually pegged it as my most anticipated of the year), and even I had to have patience. It’s a movie that delivers, just be sure to stand well back in the batter’s box…and allow the pitch to come to you.

Take Off (Canada Day Top Five)

It's a holiday up here in the great white north, so I'm phoning one in today. I am planning on seeing PUBLIC ENEMIES tonight, so be sure to check in tomorrow morning to read what I thought. For now though, I leave you with a link to a top five I posted last Canada Day.

Please click here to see my list of my Top Five Canadian Films.