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Lea-Ralic
Reviews
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Who are you and what have you done to the plot?
I have just come home from the premiere of the movie in Croatia, and i must say that this is a huge disappointment. No, huge is not the word - enormous.
Let me start off by saying that the movie was so incredibly boring that people actually amused themselves by making fun of it aloud (which as we all know can be extremely irritating when the movie makes any sense) - and the whole theater laughed with them. Just to show that i'm not the only one to be incredibly disappointed.
Before I get to the complete butchering of the plot, which deserves full attention, there are a few things i would like to say about the acting. I'm quite curious regarding the techniques, really - i mean, have they actually shoved brooms up their arses? Neither Harry, nor Ron, nor Hermione were anywhere near portraying their characters truthfully. Dumbledore was even stiffer, and Voldemort looks and acts like he is there for no apparent reason. Loona a.k.a. Evanna delivered the most credible performance, but it was crippled by her most-of-the-time-brainless dialog. Umbridge's main characteristic in the film was that she wears a lot of pink, which should say enough - however Imelda is not to be fully blamed for that, it's the script.
Back to the plot - or better, what's left of it. They managed to cut 90% of it out, and completely change the 10% they dealt with. When i started writing this comment i was prepared to write about everything that was left out, but i had since realized that it would be useless, seeing as it definitely wouldn't fit in the 1000 word maximum. I just keep remembering more and more of the very important parts they left out, and i just keep wondering how could anyone who hasn't read the book understand anything? They could have at least left the parts important for the future plot, but they decided on making the CGI team sweat a little more, and extended the mediocre action and flight scenes. The scenes changed much too fast, the lines weren't at all witty or funny (they didn't even try), and the in-between scenes with the articles from the Daily Prophet which are supposed to explain some things only make it that much harder to understand. The character development is virtually non-existent - even Harry seems shallow 2D and (i quote) "with an emotional range of a teaspoon".
There are a few thongs about this movie worth mentioning. Alan Rickman is the embodiment of Snape, and the CGI team did a pretty good job, and they paid a lot of attention to interior design and details. Music is amazing, as always, and really serves to put you in the mood - but the film is so boring that the mood soon turns to snoring. Loudly.
Seriously, if you've read the book(s) try to refrain from seeing this blasphemy. Just remember how you imagined it, how the story formed inside your own mind, and how the world of Harry Potter looks like to you. We all have different ideas about it, and it's important that they stay different - that is the beauty of books after all. It was a (good) book before it became a (bad) movie, after all.
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
One of the, least said, most interesting films i've seen in a while
I first encountered this film on a foreign TV channel and on an unknown language. However, i was attracted to the TV screen like a bee to honey. I can't really say why, but the film was just very, well, attracting. It has sort of a gloomy atmosphere, and the scenes which changed in front of my eyes were understandable even in a foreign language. It could be because i can relate with the story and the feelings that the boys are going through, but i believe that the reason is that it's just a terrific film. Of course IMDb helped me find the film :) and today it's one of my favorites films. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see a good film, but is ready to see some real life on the screen. The story isn't sweet, nor particularly happy, but it's real and emotional.