Weekend Forecast: The Trouble with Harry
By Craig Kennedy - July 16th, 2009; 12:01 am
“Look, Hermione. The joke about Ron’s nuts is right
here on page 47 of the script. You have to read it.
We’re all grown up now, right?”
While the latest Harry Potter movie sucks all the air out of the multiplex, there are a few other smaller pictures worth checking out if they happen to be playing in your neighborhood. The crowd pleasing (500) Days of Summer arrives from Sundance with mostly positive reviews in hand while another popular Sundance comedy, Humpday, opens in LA and SF after opening in NY and Seattle last weekend. Also, if you live in Los Angeles and you’re in the mood for something different, you might want to give the homemade heavy metal Viking adventure Severed Ways a try.
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Wed 7/15). By the time you read this, the sixth entry in the Harry Potter franchise will be well on its way to $100 million at the box office thanks in part to the record-setting $22 million it raked in from midnight screenings on Tuesday, plus however many tens of millions it made on its first full day Wednesday. Early buzz seemed to suggest something special, but collective critical opinion has since fallen back to the pack. Even so, it’s still among the most well reviewed of all Potter films. How much we like it here at LiC will be inversely proportional to how much Quidditch, Dobby and Hagrid there is, but either way we’re quietly rooting for Harry to knock the awful Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen off its perch atop the yearly box office. I would lovingly spoon Dobby for Transformers‘ full, bloated 2 hour and 29 minute running time before I watched the Bay movie again. Hagrid can’t watch though, or he has to pay a hundred…
Expanding:
- Humpday. Lynn Shelton’s comic Sundance favorite about two aging college buddies who hatch a plan to enter an amateur porn contest by having sex with each other on camera thrusts its way into a few more theaters.
- The Hurt Locker. Do I really need to keep singing this song?
Opening in limited release:
- (500) Days of Summer. As the ad says, this isn’t a love story, it’s a story about love. In fact, it’s a story about hopeless romantic Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the love of his life Summer (Zooey Deschanel), and the 500 days they spent together before she dumped him. Fans who saw the movie at Sundance or assorted film festivals since swear that it’s not your typical smarmy romantic comedy which makes it all the more galling that the studio seems bent on selling it that way. Here’s hoping the fans are right and the studio marketing stooges are wrong.
- A Woman in Berlin. Based upon a diary originally published anonymously to protect the author’s identity, A Woman in Berlin is one woman’s account of eight weeks in Soviet occupied Berlin at the end of World War II. After being repeatedly raped by Soviet soldiers, she trades sexual services to an officer for protection. I’m guessing two months in occupied Berlin make 500 days of Summer look like a cake walk.
- Death in Love. You’ve got your holocaust survivor mom (Jacqueline Bisset) and her two dysfunctional sons: the successful but sexually damaged one (Josh Lucas), and the brilliant but creepy one who still lives at home (Lukas Haas). Nothing good is going to come from this story, but you knew that at “holocaust survivor.”
- Homecoming. This indie thriller is a bit like Misery meets All The Right Moves when the local football hero (Matt Long, Sydney White) returns to his small hometown with new college girlfriend (Jessica Stroup, The Hills Have Eyes 2) in tow only to discover that the ex (Mischa Barton of TV’s O.C.) is still carrying a torch for him. An awkward situation turns ugly when the jilted Barton hatches some big plans for the new girl and they don’t involve shopping for purses and lingerie.
Opening in New York:
- Somers Town (Wed 7/15). The latest from Shane Meadows (This is England, Dead Man’s Shoes) is a comedy drama centering on the friendship between two teenagers, an orphan and a Polish immigrant living in a rundown London neighborhood.
- Off Jackson Avenue. A Mexican prostitute, an Albanian pimp, a Japanese hit man and an American car thief all have their little intersecting stories (I’m guessing somewhere off New York’s Jackson Avenue) as my pleas for a moratorium on interwoven urban dramas continues to go unheeded.
Coming to Los Angeles:
- Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America. This practically homemade adventure epic (inspired by actual 11th century Norse incursions into the New World) sets the story of two Vikings stranded in Eastern Canada to the strains of modern Norwegian black metal. Written by, directed by and starring Tony Stone, Severed Ways is an ambitious piece of work that starts out a little like a goofy metal head fantasy come to life, but it slowly takes on a contemplative and meditative seriousness that threatens to remind you of something made by Werner Herzog. I have some issues with the aesthetics of the first half, particularly the camerawork done almost entirely in claustrophobic close-up with that annoying, choppy, high speed digital they use in football games, but at the same time I can’t quite stop thinking about it. If you’re in the mood for a strange, ruminative Viking adventure by way of Herzog or if you’re a fan of bands like Burzum, Morbid Angel and Dimmu Borgir, you might want to have a look at this. Even if you’re not, Tony Stone is someone to watch out for. Unfortunately, Severed Ways already played in New York and is only now opening in Los Angeles (at the Sunset 5). I have no idea if or when it will play in other cities, but it’s recommended with the above qualifications.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20th, this week’s musical sponsor is Elvis Presley’s haunting rendition of Blue Moon. There are dozens of great versions of this song, but Presley’s was put to memorable use in one of LiC’s favorite movies: Mystery Train. Yes, we know what we said about interwoven stories, but the idea was still cool when Jim Jarmusch used it to tell a tale of Memphis and America. Hit it, Elvis…
Filed under: Weekend Forecast
Inspired musical sponsor. Bluetiful.
I’m down for Potterpalooza with the rest of America. Feeling optimistic about it without setting it up to be the second coming. I think I and it will get along just fine.
Sunday I’ll have a free day in Little Rock. If I leave early enough, that means I get to see movies that won’t ever come here. Summer Hours is playing, as is Cheri, Moon. Don’t know yet what else is opening at the art house theater there, but I’m determined to see Summer Hours at least.
I always love reading your WF’s, Craig, actually look forward to them. It’s a neat blog feature. Thanks for delivering yet again. Though I can’t believe you’re down on Hagrid. Hagrid! :)
I really enjoyed Harry Potter, though I think there was a little too much emphasis on the teen romance. There was also an added fight scene that really served absolutely no purpose. I am still sort of baffled by it all, to be honest.
It was incredibly entertaining, though, and all of the major points that are needed to move onto the next novel are there and are executed very well. Visually, it is beautiful. The special effects are incredible, the costumes and production design are the best of the series, and the cinematography (as I had expected) is absolutely breathtaking.
Aw, Elvis. I’m still partial to Billie Holiday’s version of the song, but Elvis also did a lovely version.
If I get to the movies this weekend I’ll probably see the HP movie just because Book 6 was my 2nd favorite, and the feedback from everyone has been really good so far. And there aren’t too many options out where my mom lives.
The Trouble with Harry wasn’t one of Hitchcock’s best, in my opinion. But I did like With a Friend Like Harry.
We’re making a whirlwind return trip to Klamath Falls this weekend for a memorial and then (hopefully, if stamina holds) seeing the Decemberists on Sunday night at the lovely Edgefield outside Portland. Hence, there’s no movie-going in my schedule this weekend.
If I had the option to pick from this list though, I’d like to see Humpday and (500) Days of Summer. I’ve also been curious about Severed Ways since reading about it last Winter.
Oh, and on the DVD front I just received Cave of the Yellow Dog from Netflix, so I’ll be watching that. I’m very interested in the locale and topic, and this film comes highly recommended by Alexander Coleman.
K, how would you rate 6 to the other 5?
For those of you keeping score at home, here’s LiC’s prefered movie order with the best at the top:
3 Azkhaban
4 Goblet
5 Phoenix
1 Sorcerer
2 Chamber
JB, I’m askeered about you seeing Summer Hours. We can still be friends I hope if you hate the best movie of the year so far. :)
Alison, like I said, this isn’t the best version of the song around (Dean Martin also does a great version and so does Ella), but the Elvis flavor has a place in my heart because of Mystery Train and since this is a movie site…
Joel, Severed Ways was certainly something else. Still not quite sure what to make of it.
Hey, I love Mystery Train. It’s one of my favorite movies. :D
Just sayin!
Azkaban’s the best? I think that one would be in my bottom three HP films, to be honest, which sucks because I really love Cuarón and that’s my favorite of the books.
I’d have to think on the rankings. At the moment (maybe because I’ve just seen it, I don’t know), I’d put it at –
6 Half-Blood Prince
4 Goblet of Fire
5 Order of the Phoenix
1 Sorcerer’s Stone
3 Prisoner of Azkaban
2 Chamber of Secrets
POTENTIAL HBP SPOILERS — GEEK RAMBLINGS AHEAD
For HBP, I really, really wish they had included the Gaunt family. The memories they included were very well done, but I really feel like, without the Gaunts, there are pieces missing from the puzzle. I also wish they would have added the memories of Tom Riddle obtaining the objects belonging to the four Hogwarts founders (which become Horcruxes).
I think it’s a very good film, but If they had included those scenes and cut down some of the romance, it would have been so much better.
Well it looks like we pretty much agree except for Azkaban. You love Cuarón and you loved the book…so what went wrong?
My memories of book six are pretty fuzzy so I’ll likely not miss whatever was cut out. We’ll see how it goes this weekend.
What went right with the PoA movie? It was such a mess.
I liked the darker tone. The fact that Chris Columbus was no longer involved.
I don’t know though. It’s been ages since I saw it. I’ll have to revisit it.
I didn’t like it at all. The only thing that really saved it for me was the introduction to the new cast members — Michael Gambon (sad introduction though), Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson, David Thewlis, Timothy Spall, etc. (even Julie Christie in a small role!)
I was glad for the change of directors (I still don’t know how or why Chris Columbus was even asked) but the PoA film was a mess.
Oldman, Thewlis and Spall are great.
Anything is better than the one with the ghost in the toilet.
My rankings are:
1. Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Sorcerer’s Stone
3. (I can’t actually tell Goblet of Fire or Order of the Phoenix apart from each other, or tell you what happened in either one, so they’re tied)
5. Chamber of Secrets
Also: Yes JB, Hagrid drives me up a wall. Less so in the movies than in the books.
k, are you a big fan of the books? Because my general impression is that for those of us that haven’t read the books, PoA is a solid film on its own with the darker tone but for those that HAVE read the books too much was changed and it’s a mess.
My two cents, cause I haven’t read the books, but I thought PoA was the strongest entry in the series. I’ve seen each Potter movie in the theater but haven’t revisited any of them because I find them to be generally boring. They seem to be made for fans of the books, not a general audience, and so I often find myself scratching my head at things people that are fans of the books love about them.
Considering my girlfriend is a big fan of Harry Potter, I’ll be seeing this one too but I have absolutely no enthusiasm for it, especially after the last two which I found mind-numbingly boring.
As you can see, we completely disagree on these, which I find curious.
Hagrid is MUCH better in the movies than in the books.
I knew that Order of the Phoenix was going to be tough to adapt. I think they even had a new writer on that film, so it was good but not great. With Goblet of Fire, they made a number of changes from the book but it worked better in that film than changes made in the others. The graveyard scene is fantastic. Ralph Fiennes was an inspired choice to play Voldemort.
I have no strong feelings on Chamber of Secrets, which is why it’s last on my list. It’s amazing to me that Chris Columbus managed to make such a bland HP film. The only thing I liked about the film was, again, introductions to new cast members — Jason Isaacs, Mark Williams, and Kenneth Branagh.
ETA: Yeah, I am a fan of the books, but I’m pretty open to changes made for the screen. I don’t expect the films to be perfect adaptations of the novels, but the PoA film was so far from the original material that even I lost my patience. The attempts at humor fell flat (what on earth was that shrunken head doing there?), the drama, somehow, was really dull, and I really disliked how much they cut out of the final scene in the Shrieking Shack (the confrontation scene with Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew).
I don’t know. They had a lot to work with with Prisoner of Azkaban, I don’t know why they chose to stray so far from the book.
It kind of kills me that I don’t like Harry Potter more, because I really want to. Obviously I like them well enough to have read them all and seen them all, but the magic just isn’t quite there for me, no pun intended (ok, maybe a little).
Seriously Alison, I just want to punch Hagrid in the books, except he’s a giant and he would kill me.
That graveyard scene is great, particularly because it’s so strikingly dark and dangerous. It’s the first moment in any of those films where the events felt like they had a serious gravity to them. I think if the earlier films had a better sense of that danger and threat, I might have liked the series more. I’m assuming people that read the books got that implication from the first novel, cause it sure isn’t in the first two movies.
k, I know we’re you coming from, BTW. I generally loved the LOTR movies but I tended to disagree with folks that hadn’t read the books on them.
Generally, I just think it’s great that fans of these books haven’t been seriously betrayed by either film series. Generally, the films have been accepted and appreciated by the respective fans of the books, which is really the most anyone can ask of them.
Ironically, although the Potter release was pushed back to next week here because of the flu scare (and I guess even then it’s not guaranteed…), I’m making my way through the films for the first time, because… they just all happened to be showing last weekend, so I DVRed them all to give them an honest shot. They’re entertaining but so far nothing great… I’m about halfway through PoA.
Anything stand for you so far Michael?
Honestly, I think Sorcerer’s Stone was about 90% exposition, and the actress who plays Hermoine has about three times as much screen presence as all the other child actors together, but beyond that, and the JarJar esque quality of Dobby, not much.
I agree with your comments on Hermoine, Michael. Even in the very first movie I thought she had great presence and I really enjoyed her in it.
Dobby is another one who annoys the hell out of me. I’m not sure who is worse – Dobby or Hagrid.
Emma Watson was at her best in the first film.
Dobby!!!!! Arrggghhhhhhhhhhh
You know what has always bothered me besides the utter inanity of the rules of Quidditch? The one with the Goblet where someone smart, usually an adult tells Harry how to solve all of the challenges. It goes on for like 500 pages. New challenge, Harry scratches his head, someone smart tells him how to figure it out and he moves on. What kind of chosen hero is that??
Or am I missing the point…?
Being a tall chubby dude with a big beard means I can’t possibly hate Hagrid. It would be like hating myself.
“Harry scratches his head, someone smart tells him how to figure it out and he moves on. What kind of chosen hero is that?? ”
I thought Rowling got around that by writing the kid as as an every boy with this great big adventure dropped in his lap (it may break the rules of writing, but that’s the basic appeal of the series). The book Harry was likeable in his ordinary adaptability. The movie Harry is and always has been a chore, because Daniel Radcliffe is a dull, dull, dull almost aggressively, infuriatingly boring screen object. (And he was just as boring supposedly spoofing himself in Extras.) Radcliffe is the English boy version of the hot chick we’re supposed to buy as a geek in teen movies, he’s insultingly bland and NOT geek.
Michael, I’m going to guess, size or not, you’re 56% less irritating than the blundering Hagrid.
Chuck. I guess to me Harry is an everyboy who should BECOME a hero…and he does, but a whole book full of him being instructed on exactly what to do seems like a massive waste of time. The point I suppose is that he ends up getting in over his head and fails in his confrontation with Voldemort…but the book I have in my head could’ve been a lot shorter.
Apparently there’s a lot of fuss among the fans about the end of the movie because it deviates from the book in that Harry’s final actions are his choice rather than being spell induced. That sounds more interesting to me, honestly.
I’d rank them:
6- Half Blood Prince
4 – Goblet of Fire
3 – Prisoner of Azkaban
5 – Order of the Phoenix
2 – Chamber of Secrets
1 – Sorcerer’s Stone
Craig, I suppose it was fate that something had to come between us, I just didn’t expect to be a giant hairy man. Ah, well. It’s been fun. :)
Moviewise, I’d rank them:
1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Goblet of Fire
4. Sorcerer’s Stone
5. Chamber of Secrets
Books:
1. Half-Blood Prince
2. Goblet of Fire
3. Azkaban
4. Sorcerer’s Stone
5. Deathly Hallows
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Order of the Phoenix
I get into the books when I read them, but I can’t say they’re the best written kids lit I’ve seen. Rowling desperately needs a better editor. The fifth and seventh books were so bloated and disorganized, it was tiring plowing through them. I think the Order of the Phoenix is my favorite of the films so far (haven’t seen HBP yet) because a) I liked David Yates’ direction and b) my expectations were so low from the book, I actually thought they improved it with the streamlining.
The Bartimaeus Trilogy is better.
http://www.amazon.com/Bartimaeus-Trilogy-Boxed-Jonathan-Stroud/dp/142310420X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247786880&sr=8-1
Bookwise for me I’d rank them much differently:
5 – Order of the Phoenix
7 – Deathly Hallows
6 – Half-Blood Prince
2 – Chamber of Secrets
3 – Prisoner of Azkaban
1 – Sorcerer’s Stone
4 – Goblet of Fire
“Rowling desperately needs a better editor.”
When you’re a human cash machine, no one is going to tell you your poo stinks, I’m afraid.
I couldn’t have said it better, Joel.
To be quite honest, I couldn’t rank too differently the entries by Cuarón, Newell and Yates.
They’re all very admirable films, and one might say that each of them are for different reasons, but they all seem to reach a limit of potential. They find themselves in this state of not-as-bad-as-Columbus-but-not-as-great-as-they-should-be, with finales that are variations of each other.
OK, I’ll play:
1.) Prisoner of Azkaban
2.) Goblet of Fire
3.) Order of the Phoenix
4.) Half-Blood Prince
5.) Chamber of Secrets
However, HALF-BLOOD PRINCE did contain the most emotional moment in any Potter (for me anyway) an dthat was tragedy at the conclusion.
I read the first three books, then stopped, so I can’t quite partake in that rating.
“That graveyard scene is great, particularly because it’s so strikingly dark and dangerous. It’s the first moment in any of those films where the events felt like they had a serious gravity to them. I think if the earlier films had a better sense of that danger and threat, I might have liked the series more.”
Absolutely. While Cuarón sensibilities far outmatch Newell’s and the ones from Yates, the main reason I might care more for GLOBET OF FIRE is because of that scene.
It openly contradicts the entire film, after dealing with tones that were adventerous and action-pack — dragons, mermaids and kids dancing and labyrinths — it was a delicious change for the franchise to take: to openly kill a kid, show blood plainly in Potter’s arm, and even the moment of leaving a father witness a dead son (usually, it is the other way around). Of course, the performance from Fieenes is a big factor to the scene’s diabolic overtones as well. The kids play with fire, and they finally get burned.
Saw Half-Blood Prince tonight. It’s my favorite film of the series, no question. Not flawless, but a good step forward.
As noted in my review, hated it. I think it helps if you are fans of the books and maybe fans of all the movies. If you really care about the characters, and it matters to you who’s dating who at Hogwarts, you’ll be fine. For the rest of us, it’s a hellhole experience. It doesn’t help that I think Harry is a lousy hero who basically doesn’t do shit and gets praised for it.
I liked the last one somewhat, because I thought it did a nice job of bringing Harry to his first real peek at adulthood, both practically and morally. There’s a moment in everyone’s life where they start viewing adults as adults. I thought Phoenix found that tone nicely. This one is right back to adolescence, and that’s really disappointing.
Goblet of Fire is completely morally screwed up. Couldn’t stand that one either.
Hey Harry, we’re going to potentially drown your girlfriend and see if you can save her. And if you succeed, we’ll cheer for you and give you an award for it. No trust us, it’s perfectly moral to do.
If Hogwarts staff had tried to pull that crap with Bruce Wayne, the whole school would have been eating flies for dinner.
Not that there was a huge difference between that chick and a corpse. But still, it’s the principle.
“Harry scratches his head, someone smart tells him how to figure it out and he moves on. What kind of chosen hero is that?? ”
You. Would. Love. My. Review.
But I know you’ve read it.
Actually, Craig, maybe I’ll send you my Goblet of Fire review from however many years back. I don’t know which is harsher on Harry. But you capture the essence of The Trouble With Harry. And if you have that problem, you are probably going to have problems with this film.
K. Bowen, why don’t you tell us what you REALLY think of those Potters? LOL!!!! Nice exterminations.
Craig, A WOMAN IN BERLIN is definitely the one I will see this weekend, although our friend Broadway Bob is promoting HUMP DAY. I’ll probably see both.
Here is this morning’s review on A WOMAN IN BERLIN in the New York Times:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/movies/17woman.html?ref=movies
A little tardy here, but as I haven’t read a HP book and all the movies blend together in my head (have I seen all of them? I don’t even know), I guess I don’t have much to add to this discussion. But I can appreciate that people are shelling out bucks to see something that isn’t a remake (unless you consider it a remake of the first five movies…I know, I know, it’s not!). Maybe I’ll check it out since my fiancee does want to see it.
Otherwise here we only get Tetro and Treeless Mountain, the former of which I saw and I was mostly unimpressed by. Need to process and read Craig’s review, but at least it was better than Youth Without Youth.
The highlight of the weekend will be no doubt the opening of a new, 55-seat “microcinema” here in Minneapolis tonight. It’s a pretty awesome little space devoted to repertory programming. The first six-film series is devoted to silent Buster Keaton movies, projected in 35mm and accompanied by live musicians in the theater on the accordion, piano, and singing saw. Should be pretty cozy, and fun. Playing tonight are Sherlock Jr. and The Navigator, neither of which I’ve seen.
Thanks to Alison, I’m finding myself checking out TCM a little more, too, so maybe I’ll catch something on there this weekend as well.
Daniel, that Buster Keaton series sounds awesome.
And TCM is definitely the best thing on TV. I encourage everyone to check it out as much as possible. :D
There are some new Criterion announcements for October: Wings of Desire, Monsoon Wedding, and Z, plus a 3-pack of films by Dusan Makavejev.
And on Blu-Ray, Howards End (plus Monsoon Wedding and Wings of Desire).
Yes indeed Jeff. i was just sent an e mail by Jon Lanthier with this info.
Seems like everyone including myself is disappointed with MONSOON WEDDING, and of the Makavejev’s only SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR is truly exceptional. Of course it’s nice to Criterion’s of both the Costa-Gavres and the Wenders, but I’m disappointed yet another month goes by withoutGreenaway’s THE COOK THE THIEF HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER, which I am waiting for with baited breath and the Anchor Bay I hold is insufficient in a number of ways.
If I may ask, which of these are you most excited about, if any? WINGS?
Daniel, the opening of that theatre and the Keaton festival are really something to celebrate over!
Sam, out of that group I’m most interested in Howards End, but I think DVD is probably sufficient for it. I’ll rent the Makavejevs. I only saw Wings of Desire one time and it put me to sleep.
LOL Jeff!!!
Guess what? I am no big fan of WINGS either. It has always been overrated. I love HOWARDS END (it was #1 film of its year) but yes, DVD will probably suffice there. I await the Greenaway!!
KB, even if we don’t agree, I enjoyed your full-blooded Half-Blood review enormously.
I don’t know what to think though, JB loved it, KB hated it….I’ll probably fall somewhere in between.
Wings of Desire is awesome news. It’s an LiC Top 10 Desert Island Favorite. Amusingly Jeff, the first time I saw Wings of Desire in college, it also put me to sleep.
It owns Howard’s End!!!!
Sorry Tetro didn’t work for you Daniel, but you’re in pretty good company. For what it’s worth, I also liked YWY.
The “microcinema” sounds great!
Apparently, the New York exclusive you note above in your Weekend Forecast lineup (above), Shane Meadows’s SOMERS TOWN (in English and Polish) is truly the one to see after scouring through various sources. For one, TIME OUT NEW YORK is promoting it as the “Film of the Week” and they are always the toughest of arbitrators. It is playing at the Film Forum.
I did like THIS IS ENGLAND quite a bit. So I’ll have to get this in by hook or crook.
I’ll keep an eye out for it when it comes to LA.
Saw A WOMAN IN BERLIN back in April, and it’s not bad. Kind of your typical WWII drama, but solidly made, with a fine central performance.
Subjectwise, it sounded kind of grueling, but it’s gotten some solid reviews.
It missed the forecast for NY, but I’m also curious about Died Young Stayed Pretty, the doc about rock poster artists.