Ballet Shoes
You start watching the film, aware of the awaiting entrance of one Emma Watson and your anticipation can’t help but to grow as the seconds pass before you. When she does appear you are not left disappointed; you’ve expected her performance, and her acting, to be what it always is – beyond excellence. Yet, you are surprised, because you have never seen her quite like this. Normally she has Daniel Radcliffe, desperately trying to steal the attention away from her, and Rupert Grint, succeeding in his attempt of attracting her attention. Now you see that she doesn’t really need the chemistry that she so admirably shares with Grint, because she manages to steal the attention away from the rest of the cast by herself. She has now proven that she’s been in her right element all along. Emma Watson was born to act, and so far she has yet to disappoint. Her eyes set her apart from the rest – suddenly it’s no longer an act, suddenly it all seems real. But whilst Emma Watson is the highlight of this film the rest should not go unnoticed.
The tale itself is very touching, not soon after the arrival of the first orphan you get a feeling of where it is heading. A film of which the core is a tale of three orphans cannot be anything else but moving, and whilst your expectations of the plots direction is on the verge of being high you find yourself quite taken aback by the sudden turning points that come your way. Pauline Fossil, the character who so desperately longs to be an actress of high standards, is the one that takes you the most my surprise. She gives you a sense of awareness, and being the eldest of the three Fossil-children she is indeed the most mature. What makes her so different from what you’d expect is the humanity she brings to the screen. When being inches from fulfilling her dream Pauline can’t help but to let her longing take the better of her. Pauline Fossil’s self obsession is what makes the character human, and Emma Watson is what made her real.
Emilia Fox, the brilliant actress portraying the Fossil’s guardian and mother figure, couldn’t have been a more perfect choice for the character of Miss Brown. There is something so tragic and desperate in her portrayal that you wonder for a second if it really is just fiction. How this woman cares for these three children, brought to her from three different places by an uncle she barely ever knew, is something that can hardly go unnoticed. What adds to the viewer’s sympathy for this character, who is not only poor by health, is her longing for a man who doesn’t seem to share her affection. A simple one-sided love story is always a brilliant choice for a side-plot; it may be easily predicted, but it always works. No one can argue with that.
It’s not that the other two Fossils, Petrova and Posy, go unnoticed, the fact of the matter is that they simply do not make as lasting impressions as the characters of Miss Brown and Pauline. The reason does not necessarily lie in the acting of the two, but may just as well be that the characters just don’t contribute as much to the main plot as the other two previously mentioned. Of course, being two of the three Fossil-children, they do have much importance but the lasting impressions are of Fox and Watson. But it can’t be left unsaid that Lucy Boynton to bring a certain charm to the character of Posy, and her bluntness does make you smile and laugh of loud during several episodes throughout the film.
The peak of the film, on the other hand, arrives just about midway through, and the one responsible for the scene of the film is, in fact, Miss Watson. Breaking down completely she’s the star of the most heartbreaking scene in the history of Ballet Shoes. One can not even imagine how brilliantly she does it; you can’t help but to fall in love with her, even if it is just for a moment. Pauline Fossil may not be what the film is really centered around, but you can’t help but to think that if it wasn’t for the actress playing her you may not have watched the film at all. If it wasn’t for Emma Watson you probably would have missed out on some top of the class acting, as well as a rather brilliant film.
J.K. Rowling – A Year in the Life
She’s all natural – no acting, no adjustments, just the pure truth. You get the chance to see her for what she is, you get to see her as you never have before. What she does is extraordinary – revealing herself for who she is, for what she’s been through – speaking of her depression, her biggest regret, of her mother’s death, speaking of the far from ideal relationship with the father she hasn’t spoken to in years. She’s doing it, and she’s doing it for real. She’s doing it for herself, as much as she’s doing it for the fans. It’s the truth and she wants the world to know it. She’s J.K Rowling – she’s just like everyone else, except that she has the brilliant mind and writing skills no one else possesses.
“Some people will loathe it, they will absolutely loathe it. But the thing is that’s how it should be, and for some people to love it others must loathe it.”
Seventeen years have passed since the widely known author who gave us the legendary Harry Potter series started writing about the wizard that surely changed more than one life. It’s been ten years since the rest of the world got the chance to join her on, at least a part of, this wonderful journey. Hardcore fans, as well as the rest of those interested, finally have the chance to really get the inside scoop of what it’s been like for this last year of one hell of an amazing ride. This well-awaited documentary shows us Jo Rowling as she finishes the last Potter novel – probably the most longed for novel in the world. To finally be able to see it, even if it’s not really real, even though it’s not life, it’s as close as the fans will ever get to the real thing. One will simply treasure this opportunity to enter the world of the woman who changed one’s own.
“I’m really happy with it, and I don’t always feel like that.”
This beautiful documentary is off to a great start, blowing the viewer away with amazing footage of the second Rowling writes the last chapter, the last word, of Deathly Hallows – finishing the series that changed her life, finishing the series of a world she’s lived in for seventeen years. She’s in a room at the Balmoral Hotel, with a laptop in front of her, at a desk covered with papers, notebooks, chewing gum wrappers and coffee cups – her desk is a complete mess. This is what it’s been like, and this is how it all ends. Just to be able to witness the moment that every diehard fan has been waiting for since 1997 is, to say the least, euphoria in its perfect sense. The look on Jo’s face says it all, the feeling of completing something far beyond the extraordinary, and I’m sure that there are no words that could possibly describe what she felt at the moment when she realized that it’s all done. That she decided to film this moment is something that the fans will surely be more than grateful for, this is a point in history that will never be repeated, it’s not possible for something as amazing as this to happen again. One can do nothing less than to thank her for it all.
“Baking really reminds me of my mother, she made fantastic cakes, so that really makes me feel like I’m doing the proper mother thing – baking birthday cakes.”
Watching Rowling, or Jo if you will, as she spends her time in the kitchen, of her huge country house, baking a cake for her son’s upcoming birthday really makes you love her even more. Suddenly she is this very human woman who has changed the worlds of millions because of a talent she was blessed with. She’s normal, despite of all the fame, the glory, despite all the money and the brilliant mind behind the master-piece that is Harry Potter, she is normal. Jo is simply a mother of three, a loving wife, baking a chocolate cake for her son. You knew this before, but now it all seems somewhat more real to you. And while she’s baking, a completely normal cake, she’s talking as freely as humanly possible about the magical phenomenon, about the world she’s created during these seventeen years. In-between the seconds she’s everything but normal – Jo Rowling is brilliance at the peak of its definition.
“In some ways it would have been a neat ending to kill him, a neater ending to kill him. But I felt that it would have been a betrayal, because I wanted my hero, and he is my hero, to do what I think is the most noble thing.”
When watching this we do find out more about the future lives of the Potters and the Weasleys, as well as Luna Lovegood. We do find out the names of husbands and wives, of the children that are the next generation. But what one really has to gain from watching the best footage from this year in her life, when it all sort of comes to an end, really isn’t the knowledge that Ron and Hermione are in fact the Potter-children’s godparents, but what it’s been like for the person behind the success. But it’s always a bonus to find out what happened to the characters after that final chapter. It’s a treat really, now knowing why Victoire got her name, who George married, or why Charlie didn’t marry at all. If you’re obsessed, you’re obsessed, and all the tiny details, no matter how many there are, will just make you happier.
“For years now I have felt that if it all disappeared, and some days I feel like ‘Is this real?’, then this is where I would come back to, this would be my baseline.”
With the camera catching her every move Jo returns to the apartment she lived in when finishing Philosopher’s Stone – the first of seven Harry Potter novels. This almost beats watching the footage from the finishing of Deathly Hallows, watching the gentle mixture of feelings that sweep across her face as she enters this apartment that, to the naked eye doesn’t look any different from the rest, is, to use an overly used word; magical. No one knows it like she does, no one cold ever feel what she feels when entering the place that withholds this amazing significance to, not only this bound breaking author but also, an entire fan base. Only minutes after entering the flat Jo is on the verge of tears, her barrier soon breaks, and she’s trying not to sob as she tells us just how important this flat has been for her. As she enters her old bedroom she spots the four Harry Potter books that are placed in a bookshelf, the tears don’t even have a chance to stop. It is probably impossible to know how this place makes her feel, this is where it all started, this is where she, as Jo herself puts it, turned her life around. This is where she became herself. This apartment, this mere flat, is where it all started. Suddenly one feels a whole lot closer to the true world of Harry Potter.
“It’s the best I can do, it’s how I always planned it to end so that is going to have to be good enough. And occasionally, you think; ‘How can I ever live up to this?’”
J.K Rowling has, by deciding to make this documentary, given herself a chance to speak her mind, to tell us her side of the story. She speaks of the things that matter the most to her, of the journey she’s been through. Truthfully her reaction says it all, the tears she shed when returning to her old flat, the smile when finishing the final book. Sometimes words aren’t necessary, but when coming from her they are a blessing. Jo Rowling will surely be remembered as something so much more than a woman who did the best she could with the talent she had.
Atonement – nothing less than brilliance
This film really is one of its kind; bringing you an experience you might just cherish forever. Every inch of this film, every second that passes is pure brilliance. It’s been a really long times since a film has made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up just because of the suspense it creates, this because of the brilliance you know awaits you and that you can’t seem to be eager enough. Because when watching a master-piece, such as this, you can’t seize to be amazed. The storyline itself is of a kind that I have yet to come across something like it – containing everything that you could come to think would together make the ultimate tale. The brilliance do not only, even though you might come to think so, lie in the way the story is told – a mastermind must be the one behind this, if that is McEwan; the author of the novel, Hampton; the one who made that fantastic work of art into an amazing script, or if it is Wright; the splendid director, is not really a question that one should spend countless of sleepless nights worrying about. This, because it’s probably more to it than just that. Atonement contains so much more than anyone would be able to point out. But what catches ones eye is the damage a single misunderstanding can do, and how one has to choose the lesser of two evils. How a few simple words can change everything , as well the realization of how naïve eyes, one pair of eyes, can never be completely trusted on their own, is something that never seize to astound me.
To all of this they did in fact add a whole lot more than just one ounce of first class acting. The way McAvoy portraits the character of Robbie does nothing more than to, during these 117 minutes, capture your heart in whole, and does not, even for a second, let it go. This leaving you, at the end of the film, feeling rather hopeless, but at the same time filled with emotions there are probably no existing words for in the English language. For the short time that the film lasts for you are completely and utterly sure that you would be his forever, if it wasn’t for one teensiest little detail – C, also known as Cecilia or, if you will, Keira Knightley. As always this astonishingly beautiful woman has clearly put her heart and soul into the character, and you do not, even for a slightest fraction of a second, think that anyone could have done it better than she did it. As for the younger of the two Tallis daughters, Saoirse Ronan’s acting take you to a place beyond anything you’ve quite known before and what she does it that she almost has you convinced that adapting The Lovely Bones for the screen may just not be all that bad, in fact it might just have been a good idea.
Three seconds into the film the tension is already building. Robbie and C have this unwritten history, a story that only they know about but that you, for some unknown reason, already have your hands on, and it’s bloody brilliant to say the least. You can almost feel exactly what they are feeling, even though you’ve never quite felt it yourself before. But whether they have a future together or not, that’s what we’re set out to discover – and that journey is something far from what you’d expect. There are so many unexpected twists and turns in this flick that you will be surprised, even when warned. Although there are certain parts in French, that in itself adds a particular feeling to it all, but leave those who haven’t studied this beautiful language confused, there’s really nothing that one can find to complain about.
One can really just summarize this film in a single sentence; it’s pure brilliance, and that’s the absolute truth.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – the film and clearly not the book
I for one had been looking forward to a roaring hat and some good old fashioned Quidditch, not to mention some definite forehand showing of the future, although for now possible, relationship between the main character’s two best friends. But I got a lot less than I bargained for – a film containing no magical sporting events whatsoever, nor hardly any evidence concerning the witch and wizard we all know are going to be doing some serious hooking up in the seventh, and final, book about the famous Harry Potter.
It started out great – the definition of great being a retarded cousin of Harry’s and some approved special effects, involving a slight remake of both dementors and patronuses. This was fallowed by well awaited, now finally materialised, Mrs Figg – by far being the most adorable squib we’ve been introduced to so far, seeing as Neville has finally proved that he is actually capable of performing a spell or two.
The arrival of the hilarious character of Nymphadora Tonks must be one of the most surprising elements throughout this instalment. Her hair being more purple than the, supposedly, preferred pink, can be overlooked. The charm that this characters puts on you, the second she appears on screen, does not wear off. You don’t even care about the fact that Lupin is missing from the rescue-Harry-scene, because this girl has charmed the socks off you not just this specific werewolf.
Order members and Harry, flying over the midst of a yet nightly lit up London, must be one of the films most beautiful scenes. But the euphoria over this wonderfully made scene is to be interrupted by the irritation of the simplified hidden headquarters – it’s not that hard to just mention the secret keeper deal in passing and show the kid a note. But again, the happiness over something good took over; the house revealing itself must be some of the greatest special effects in cinema this year. Sirius’ place was, for a lack of a better word, perfect. His mean disgusting little house elf even looked mean and disgusting, the staircase was just in the right place, not to forget the hidden portrait of the woman who could scare the shit out of a dementor; Mrs. Black.
We all know perfectly well that muggles, like ourselves, really are something out of the ordinary and extremely interesting people – total bullshit. But someone who actually believes this, to the fullest, is, as we all know, Mr. Weasley. His expression when on his way to the subway is his most hilarious reaction to any kind of muggle event so far. I applaud him, and I must say; “Bravo, Mr Weasley. Bravo.”
From the moment the ministry of magic was described in the book, I was really nervous about how it would look in the film. I must say that Yates took me by surprise – in the positive sense of the word. The millions and millions of fire places, I am of course exaggerating slightly, alongside of the walls, the gigantic space, and the statue – that really should’ve come alive at the end but, of course, it didn’t. But seriously, thumbs up for the ministry – especially the elevator with all the funny little airplanes. Nice touch, Rowling.
From the moment Dumbledore makes an appearance in this film he seriously freaks me out. He’s acting all crazy as soon as he comes in sight, scaring both me, me and, let’s se, me. Dumbledore is supposed to be a calm person whose main job is to calm everyone else down with his freakishly wise wisdom. He is really not supposed to be screaming, not to anyone, his superpower is, unlike Spiderman, that he scares the enemy with his calm wisdom, not by acting like a crazy person.
They aren’t many, but they’re there and they’re amazingly awesome – doing just what they’re supposed to be doing; forehead showing the future of Harry’s two best friends, showing the tension that so clearly hover between the two of them, pointing out the feelings that are slowly rising to the surface. Being a fanatically addicted Ron/Hermione shipper I was of course keeping my fingers crossed for some more of this awaited scenes, adding yet another argument to my disappointment over the left out Quidditch-scenes – not quite believing how on earth they could have overlooked the fact that we, as a very obsessive community, have been looking forward to the screening of the greatest moment in the Order of the Phoenix – the well awaited kiss Ron receives from Hermione before his first Quidditch match, I know that it’s only a peck on the cheek, but in this case there is no such word as only.
The most amazing highlight in this film is the appearance of the most horrible witch throughout the series – Bellatrix Lestrange. I must say that the decision to cast Helena Bonham Carter is the greatest decision any director has ever made during the last four films, apart from the beautiful entrance of Hermione Granger at the Yule Ball in Goblet of Fire. No on else would have been able to portrait this character as well as Bonham Carter, casting anyone else would have been considered a crime, seeing as this would have ruined the film completely. She is the highlight of it all – bringing Bellatrix’s craziness to a level were you know it can’t possibly get any worse, she can’t possibly go even more mad. But then you found yourself mistaken, but hoping that you can just see another glimpse of her again because she’s simply amazed you with her bare presence. What she does in the Department of Mysteries is that she makes you overlook all the little things that bothered you throughout the film, she makes up for all of it – leaving you quite breathless and taken aback, realising that the greatest materialization in the entire film is of a character that you so deeply loath.
But to summarise it all; Luna “Loony” Lovegood, Bellatrix Lestrange and Dolores Umbridge are just three reasons why you should get off your arse and head down to the nearest cinema and buy a ticket to the film of the year. If you’re a nutter like myself and adore the books to the core of the hardback, then yes – you might get hit by the disappointment every now and then throughout the film. But in the end, you’ll end up loving it, because even though Gambon makes an awful Dumbledore and there’s no Quidditch whatsoever, there are always the highlights such as the spot-on-perfect chemistry between Watson and Grint, as well as some excellent fighting scenes. It’s the best one so far – trust me.
