The Half that is more whole than what a whole would have been: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Review

About 12 hours ago I got home after a great night at the Movie. The Movie that millions have waited for. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. This movie wasn't a whole movie, but it was a whole half.

Part 1 will please the most fans of the books since Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in its true-ness to the books. It was exceedingly true to the books, it was more naturally adapted than some of the recent Harry Potter films, and it was very well paced. This is mostly to do with the wise decision that Warner Bros. made to split Hallows into two films. WB's decision was good for them (more $$$) and good for fans (fewer fans angry about what they left out).

The pace of this film is what made me really happy. In the past 3 films the plot just seemed rushed and I was disappointed about certain things that were missing (especially the key plot points that are now plot holes.) In the Hallows book, the first half is mostly fearful, figuring-out-what-to-do-next camping. It is a little slow and anxious feeling. I believe that the filmmakers did an excellent job creating this feeling and pace onscreen. They really set the tone for the film right at the beginning with Voldemort and his disregard for life. He is really evil.

The acting was phenomenal. Rupert Grint gave us an outstanding emotional performance of Ron. Radcliffe is excellent and Watson is completely rid of her trying-too-hard facial expressions. The amount of care and effort is definitely visible. Also, while watching the credits I got to realize how many top-notch actors this franchise has, all of which are British (of course).

The cinematography is amazing. This film was very beautiful and the scenes were very visually pleasing. New composer for Harry Potter Alexandre Desplat's score is superb. The only thing I wish would have been included was some more of Hedwig's theme from John Williams' original score. There was a little, but I would have like a little more. Other than that little detail, I loved Desplat's work. (I'm listening to it as I type this.)

There are a few scenes from the book I wish would have been included, but I will wait until my next post to divulge.

As a story, it was incomplete. But since that is what the filmmakers were intending, I'm fine with it. It was much better than the split between Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3 as the film was just better. For those people who haven't read the books and are casual fans of the films, this one might be a little tough to follow. That is because it isn't shallow or flaky, it is pure plot meat. Mmm....meat. To the die hard fans, you will be pleased.

Part 1 runs 146 minutes and is rated PG-13. Definitely not a kid's movie. I give it 10 ramheads out of 10.

Heil von Stauffenberg!

This is going to be short and sweet. Valkyrie was a quality historical thriller that delves into the meat of WWII Nazi Germany. It taught me a lot of what I didn't know and thoroughly entertained me as well. Tom Cruise is still a solid actor and his performance here proves it. Even though he's a little crazy, he does a great English speaking rebel Nazi. The intensity of this movie kept me awake even though I was pretty tired. The technical aspects of this movie were also well done. Overall, I was entertained by this film.

The film is rated PG-13 for violence and language...I wouldn't show this to anyone under 13. There is a good deal of violence and language. It runs 120 minutes. I give it an above-average-but-not-the-best-film-I've-seen 7 ramheads out of 10.

Titanic is a Great Movie, So What?

Yeah, that's right. I really enjoyed Titanic (1997) and declare it my favorite "Chick-Flick" of all time. This movie really gets to your heart. James Cameron, the director did an excellent job of movie-making. I read that he was a super perfectionist and I'm glad, he made this movie what it is. I also read this movie was extremely expensive, I'm also glad about this, money helps. On to acting....

Kate Winslet does a sensational job convincing me of her character, her struggle against the upper-class expectations, her situation. Leonardo DiCaprio is just a good all-around actor. He's convincing and easy to like. This movie features a lot of good acting from, not only the main character, but the supporting roles and extras as well.

The thing that really gets me about this movie is the historical accuracy. I don't claim to be a historian, but nothing in this movie is completely absurd and I can comfortably believe it as history or close to it. I read that the center propeller is done wrong, but who cares? I like how they work in some historical characters: John Jacob Aster, Molly Brown, and Thomas Andrews (the ship builder). They even work in some historical people who were crew members and some in smaller roles. Details go a long way. It made me happy to read that some of the smaller roles represent actual people, not just movie fakes. This film really does a good, believable job of representing the time period. The costumes, the attitudes, and the actions of all the characters convinced me that they were in the early 1900s.

I like the history a lot, but the plot combined with history is what made this film the highest grossing film of all time and won it 11 Oscars. The love story. Classic, but not copycatting anyone. It gets you right in the heart. They really excelled in the area of romance and did an excellent job transitioning to the quick survival mode during the hour and a half of sinking. This movie kept me on my toes and didn't lose my interest for one second, even though it was three hours long.

The technical aspects of this movie are excellent as well. The special effects are very good, the sinking of the ship was almost entirely done by computer. For 1997, these are top notch effects. The music was also sensational. I am currently listening to the soundtrack, which happens to have won an Oscar, a Grammy, and became the best selling orchestral soundtrack of all time. It really brings the already amazing movie to the top tier of movies.

Like I said before, I really love this movie. It is rated PG-13 and runs 194 minutes. I wouldn't let anyone too young see it.

Even though this movie wasn't perfect, I'm still going to go ahead and give it 10 ramheads out of 10.