Cinema Sweet

I would be remiss in my duties as a movie reviewer if I did not review the latest in the Potter series, so here it is...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman
Director: David Yates
Released: November 19, 2010
As a writer myself, I cannot help but loathe J K Rowling for the sudden and unbelievable success of her Harry Potter novels. That said, I'm a big Potter fan and the release of every new film fills me with great excitement. The seventh instalment in the series was no exception, and I was not disappointed.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows marks the beginning of the end for the Potter franchise. As someone who grew up with Potter, whose earliest memories of the cinema are of the magic and wonder of the first film in the series, and who used to read the books religiously, I sat down with my popcorn this time round with a feeling of both anticipation and dread. The final book in the series is long, complicated and (at times) a little slow, and the decision to split the movie into two parts worried me. However, the Deathly Hallows managed what it intended to do and then some. Not only does it set the scene for what is sure to be the biggest and possibly best finale in film history, but it also stands alone as a fantastic film full of action and suspense, and with a cliff hanger which will leave you desperate for its conclusion.

The seventh film is undoubtedly the darkest yet, as the Minister of Magic (Bill Nighy) admits in the very first line: "These are dark times, there's no denying". Lord Voldemort continues to grow in power and his plans to murder Potter take shape, leaving Harry and friends fleeing for their lives as they search for the Horcruxes which must be destroyed in order for Voldemort to be killed. That said, the film is not scary as much as it is poignant and dramatic.

The real dark elements of the film, for me, come from the political parallels which struck me whilst watching it. The corruption of the wizarding government, the Ministry of Magic, by the Death Eaters who wish to purify the wizarding community by the extermination of 'Mudbloods' (witches and wizards born of muggle parents), is not unlike the reign of the Nazis during World War II. In fact, Voldemort's lust for power and political beliefs practically mirror Hitler himself. In that way, the film which is essentially aimed at children is hauntingly dark and is sure to get darker still in the second installment. The tough decisions made by Harry and co. add another dimension to the film - particularly an early scene featuring Hermione wiping all traces of herself from her parents memory to protect them from the dark days ahead.

As the first film which doesn't revolve around Harry's school year at Hogwart's, the Deathly Hallows is strikingly different from the others, and the action is stepped up accordingly. From a heart-pounding broomstick chase at the start of the film, which features an impressive sequence of  Hagrid and Harry riding Hagrid's flying motorbike through the Dartford Tunnel chased by a Death Eater, to a breathless scene of a Horcrux attempting to drown Harry in a beautifully constructed set of a frozen lake, the Deathly Hallows succeeds at keeping the adrenaline pumping even through the inevitable slow section at the heart of the film.

I've read a lot of reviews accusing the film of being a bore because of its slow-paced camping scenes as Harry, Ron and Hermione run from Voldemort and search for the remaining Horcruxes. And to an extent, I agree with them - the film does sag in the middle. But it is also my belief that it could not be helped, what with the camping and the hiding being such a crucial part of the book, and considering this, I think they made a damn fine job of it. Although the tent scenes do succumb to the problems of some of the earlier films (heavy on exposition; low on action) they also show make the development of the lead characters more profound. Harry, Ron and Hermione are not the kids they were when they first jumped on board the Hogwart's Express - swotty Hermione has transformed into a brave and beautiful young woman, and her closeness with Harry leads to effectively conveyed sexual tension between the two, and jealousy from the underdog Ron. The development of the characters and friendships is conveyed best in a beautiful scene of Harry and Hermione, already melancholy after Ron storms out on them, spontaneously and awkwardly dancing together to a song on the radio, silently reflecting on what has passed between them and what can never be. If nothing else, the slow-pace of the camping scenes only makes the later action more exciting.

There are other, smaller things which make this film stand out from the rest in my mind. One is the small but dazzling moments of comedy - particularly a hilarious scene when several individuals take a potion to transform them into Potter doubles in order to confuse the Death Eaters, including Bill Weasley's fiance Fleur Delacour, resulting in Radcliffe daintily undressing and removing a bra. Then there is the artful touch such as the Tim Burton-esque animation demonstrating the story behind the title, the Deathly Hallows. This in particular was unlike any other installment so far.

The Potter franchise has become so commercialised that the films will inevitably gross nearly a billion a piece, quality aside. Although the films are cherished by millions, not one can really be considered a cinematic triumph. Does that mean the Deathly Hallows is a bad film? Not at all. I loved it. When the ending came (after a heartbreaking death I might add - you must have a heart of stone if you don't cry) I was clamouring for the second half, but I guess I'll just have to wait. Is the splitting of the film into two parts just a means of getting more money? I guess it probably is, but I also think it works and I'll happily pay to see the next part.

Cinema Sweet Rating - 7/10

The first film in our series of Horrifyingly Good Hallowe'en Movies is BeetleJuice!

Starring: Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder
Director: Tim Burton
Released: March 30, 1988

Beetlegeuse, Beetlegeuse, Beetlegeuse! Say his name three times to summon him, or just pop the DVD into the machine to watch Keaton's hillarious stripe-suited ghoul in this brilliant comedy-horror which is so funny you might die.

Barbara (Davis) and Adam (Baldwin) Maitland thought that a vacation spent redecorating their quaint country home in Connecticut would be perfect. Little do they know that their home is about to get a very unwelcome makeover, not to mention their lives. After crashing through a covered bridge and plummeting into the river below, the couple find themselves back in their home with no memory of how they came to be there. When they realise that they cast no reflections, cannot leave the house without entering a terrifying sand dimension populated by giant hungry sandworms, and have been left a Handbook for the Recently Deceased, the Maitlands realise that they did not survive the crash, and are dead.
As if death wasn't bad enough, the Maitlands have another problem on their hands - unwanted housemates. A new family, the Deetzes, is moving in, and the mother, terrible sculpter Delia, and her interior designer Otho want to turn the Maitland's precious home into a gaudy piece of pretentious pseudo art. Hope comes in the form of Lydia (a very young Winona Ryder), Delia's gothic teenage step-daughter who is willing to believe in the ghosts and so is the only one who can see and speak to them.
The Maitland's efforts to scare the Deetzes out of their house prove fruitless, and when their afterlife care worker Juno informs them that they have to stay in the house for 125 years, they are desperate. Enter Beetlegeuse (Keaton) - an obnoxious, disgusting and devious ghoul who claims to be a freelance 'bio-exorcist', able to get rid of the living. After making himself at home in the detailed model of the town Adam has built in the attic, Beetlegeuse gets the Maitlands to summon him by chanting his name three times, despite Juno's warning that he is bad news. Meeting the mischevious character makes the couple understand Juno's warning and they choose not to accept his help... But they forget to unsummon him, allowing Beetlegeuce to run amock and very nearly kill the Deetzes during another attempt from the Maitlands to scare them away. With the fiend safely back in the model and the couple now deadly certain that he is indeed bad news, what could possibly go wrong? But the crafty Beetlegeuse has more tricks up his sleeve and, worse still, he has a crush on Lydia. With the Deetzes now trying to make money by exploiting the ghosts of the house, and Beetlegeuse planning a wedding to die for, the Maitlands have a lot more problems on thier hands than death.

Beetlejuice (the title spelt as the phonetic of the character's name) is a wonderfully bizarre and creative film. The special effects are impressive for a film of its time, and there is a perfect balance of comedy, romance (even in death, the Maitlands are still in love), horror (though tame for the Saw generation), and fantasy. The insight into death is original and intriguing, with a seemingly eternal waiting room for corpses waiting to see their case workers, coupons, and even a handbook. Keaton's portrayal of the devious Beetlegeuse is hillarious and, though the film may have been better with more of him in it, his scenes are the funniest in the movie. The jokes may border on slapstick from time to time, but Beetlejuice is undoubtedly a funny film which will make you want to say the name once, twice, and most certainly three times over!

Cinema Sweet rating: 8/10