the_lady_lily (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
the_lady_lily) wrote2009-11-22 11:07 pm
the_lady_lily) wrote2009-11-22 11:07 pm
Entry tags:
Filmography
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
I only watched this because it was on the aeroplane in-flight entertainment system and I wanted something a bit brainless. It is a lot darker than the previous films, but then, the book is a lot darker than the previous books - gave the filmmaker something to work with. Also, the sense of Draco as a character Trying Really Hard in Unpleasant Circumstances worked very well. And so did the flying canaries.
That said - it's Harry Potter. I find it quite hard to evaluate it because I know the plot already. I also find the acting rather subpar, to be honest - there are gleams in there, but they're only gleams, they're not fully developed, which is a shame. I think, as usual, that this may have suffered a little from trying to do too much in one film, and trying to communicate some relationships in a very short space that - well, needed more, really.
I suspect that the young actors are going to do very well in the future, once the franchise is over. But in the meantime, I can't help but wonder how the franchise is going to finish. Three stars.
Julie & Julia
I enjoyed this far more than I was expecting to, although it was not without its problems. Julia Child is known and loved in the US as the woman who taught America how to do French cooking properly. Julie Powell decided to cook her way through Child's great cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in a year, and blog about it. The film basically runs the two lives alongside each other - how Child, the wife of a member of the diplomatic service posted to France, got into French cooking and the business of writing a recipe book, and eventually getting that book published; and Powell's trials and tribulations through her year.
Now, I will be honest. I liked Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep to perfection) far more than I liked Julie Powell (Amy Adams). Child was big, boisterous, larger than life, and full of joi de vivre. Her life in France and elsewhere was surrounded by beautiful things. Her love for her husband Paul was deep and abiding; their relationship was solid, nurturing and supportive, even though Paul was interrogated by the House Unamerican Activities Committee.
Powell, on the other hand, seemed rootless, lost, very stroppy, and at points entirely without moral fibre or depth of character. You kind of wondered why you were putting up with some of the frustrations and hissy fits you saw. That said, there were moments of joy, like the excitement of finally getting a poached egg right after multiple tries. However, Child really stole the film, and I wish that the Powell section had felt as if it had more substance to balance it with the Child. That said, the filming was beautiful and the images were striking throughout - especially of the food. Although I don't think I ever want to try boning a duck. Four stars.
I only watched this because it was on the aeroplane in-flight entertainment system and I wanted something a bit brainless. It is a lot darker than the previous films, but then, the book is a lot darker than the previous books - gave the filmmaker something to work with. Also, the sense of Draco as a character Trying Really Hard in Unpleasant Circumstances worked very well. And so did the flying canaries.
That said - it's Harry Potter. I find it quite hard to evaluate it because I know the plot already. I also find the acting rather subpar, to be honest - there are gleams in there, but they're only gleams, they're not fully developed, which is a shame. I think, as usual, that this may have suffered a little from trying to do too much in one film, and trying to communicate some relationships in a very short space that - well, needed more, really.
I suspect that the young actors are going to do very well in the future, once the franchise is over. But in the meantime, I can't help but wonder how the franchise is going to finish. Three stars.
Julie & Julia
I enjoyed this far more than I was expecting to, although it was not without its problems. Julia Child is known and loved in the US as the woman who taught America how to do French cooking properly. Julie Powell decided to cook her way through Child's great cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in a year, and blog about it. The film basically runs the two lives alongside each other - how Child, the wife of a member of the diplomatic service posted to France, got into French cooking and the business of writing a recipe book, and eventually getting that book published; and Powell's trials and tribulations through her year.
Now, I will be honest. I liked Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep to perfection) far more than I liked Julie Powell (Amy Adams). Child was big, boisterous, larger than life, and full of joi de vivre. Her life in France and elsewhere was surrounded by beautiful things. Her love for her husband Paul was deep and abiding; their relationship was solid, nurturing and supportive, even though Paul was interrogated by the House Unamerican Activities Committee.
Powell, on the other hand, seemed rootless, lost, very stroppy, and at points entirely without moral fibre or depth of character. You kind of wondered why you were putting up with some of the frustrations and hissy fits you saw. That said, there were moments of joy, like the excitement of finally getting a poached egg right after multiple tries. However, Child really stole the film, and I wish that the Powell section had felt as if it had more substance to balance it with the Child. That said, the filming was beautiful and the images were striking throughout - especially of the food. Although I don't think I ever want to try boning a duck. Four stars.