Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The saga continues for me as I have now seen six of the films in the Harry Potter series. This film was another great experience although considerably darker than those before it. As I've watched each of these films I've grown to look forward to the next. Not only is the story intriguing, but the growth of each character is exciting.

This film took some steps I feel were needed to solidify the need for future films. Being unaware of the books I can say that the films had allowed enough tension between characters and the love story was primed and ready. This side of the story was not dominant in the film but made sense all the same. I was glad to see the obvious and less obvious love connections that mixed into the film.

Second was the decision to allow a main character to die. Some series cling to the main characters and leave things seeming unrealistic. In the dangerous world of Harry Potter it seemed necessary that someone would die at some point. To avoid being a spoiler I'll leave it at that. I'm sure it was a hard decision for the author and for the filmmakers who knew their audience loved these characters.

Finally, they've continued to take the story out of the classroom. I'm glad to see that the world of Harry Potter is ever expanding. This has lent some realism to a fantastic story since it doesn't confine everything into the grounds of Hogwarts.

I'll also say that the villains are exceptional once again. Being a darker film requires that you have villains that you can really hate. Once again there were the obvious and not so obvious villains. The film also allowed for the villains to have a human side. The idea that fear motivates some people to be bad is one of my favorite in films.

Once again I'm excited to see what happens next. I'm getting close to the end and glad that I'm not seeing any falling off in the making of these films. I would give this film a 4.1 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone.

The Basketball Diaries

The IMDB website describes this 1995 film as "Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction." This film tells the story of a young man with star potential on his school basketball team who falls apart due to his own weaknesses and the influence of his friends.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio this film carries the weight of a film like Precious. The themes are dark and the acting is gritty. DiCaprio solidified himself as a great actor as he portrays the stages of addiction and the climb out. The raw emotion is moving at times and kept me interested as the film got darker and harder to watch at moments. 

The cast around him was also impressive. Although DiCaprio carried the majority of the film he worked with rising stars like Lorraine Bracco, James Madio, and Mark Wahlberg. The characters surrounding Jim were all unique and never seemed like filler. Together, the four boys weave a story of youth gone wild and the consequences of their actions.

Despite being a tough film to watch, the film is very well-made. Having been written as an autobiographical piece makes it a bit slow. The narrative is good though and keeps interest going as you follow the descent into addiction.

I give this 3.7 out of 5 stars.

The Virgin Suicides

Sofia Coppola hit one out of the park when she made this film in 1999. The story of the implosion of a family is remarkable and well-told. Starting with tragedy and ending with tragedy, this is the story of parents who are unable to control the destiny of their children. Told from the perspective of the young men around the five girls, this is a story that kept me interested through to the end.

From the eerie soundtrack to the well-written narrative this film is a success. Having seen it for the first time I'm surprised that it has every bit of value it likely had when it came out. I was also sceptical of the acting when I saw that two teen stars, Josh Hartnett and Kirsten Dunst were in the film. In 1999 I wouldn't have considered either of them for a serious drama like this one. I would've been wrong.

This isn't a film for everyone. The title is likely to prove that. I am impressed with the examination of the family and their roles in the lives of one another, as well as the role that the outside world had on the outcome. It's definitely a major indictment on society and also parental control. I think this is worth watching if you're a fan of serious film.

I would rate this a 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

 

In the fifth installment of the Harry Potter saga I can honestly say that I was excited and anxious to see what would happen next. I wasn't disappointed with the results despite being incredibly surprised. As with the other films, this is an improvement over those that came before it. I think that this might have been the strongest story and also the darkest by far. 

This time around the school ceased to be the center of all activities and the world of magic opened up. The dark plot lent itself to a more scary film style and set design. This film also dealt with some of the obvious questions about the effects of all the danger on Harry Potter. The story also allowed HArry to step out of line and be a bit of a rebel.

One of the great things about these films is the ability to have the same villain and still see an evolution in the story. This wasn't Lex Luthor riding off into the night with vague promises to return. This villain is a truly dark being with means to continue in his pursuit of Harry Potter. In this film he continued his efforts with a new cast of sidekicks. I am ready for number six thanks to the quality of this film. 

Finally, I was glad to see all the same faces, having the cast along for all the films so far has been great. I don't know if that continues but I sure hope so.  

I would say that this is as good as those before it. The films have all been fun to watch and as the actors mature the stories do as well. I give this 4 out of 5 stars.