Review: The Expendables

The Expendables is a movie out of time. By all rights, everything about it belongs in a movie released sometime around the late eighties or early nineties. Alas, though, here it is in 2010 in all of it's action movie glory. Of course, the benefit of being released this year and in this time period is that the gore levels can be rendered with that much more shocking viscerality (if that's even a word). I think that it's always a good sign when the first few minutes of a film include something either getting shot in half or brutally maimed (see Ninja Assassin for a similar effect).

Watching The Expendables is a lot like getting beat up, I imagine. Things happen so quick you never get to process them, the reasons for everything happening are not entirely clear, your memory of events is blurry afterward, and you end up feeling a lot less masculine when it's all over. The pace of the film is unceasingly set to 'wait? what?' and only manages to slow itself down when it feels obliged to add pathos to our lumbering, cool-talking, fist-bumping protagonists. Speaking of protagonists, did director Sylvester Stallone think he'd being doing us all a favor by subtly jamming the camera approximately four inches from each actor's face during dialogue scenes? If you've ever wondered just how acquainted you could get with Mickey Rourke's punched-out facade or Stallone's wax-dummy skin, The Expendables will surely answer this for you.

The plot is the kind of larger-than-life, questionable odds affair you'd expect from this type of action movie. Somehow five guys with necks wider than their heads are expected to overthrow not just a small dictatorship, but the entire army that defends said dictatorship. I'd be the first to forgive a throwaway excuse to unleash almost two hours of bloodshed, but The Expendables wants to give everything a reason or meaning outside of 'good guys kill bad guys because they're bad'. The ultimate decision to go overthrow this imaginary country is made after an existential soliloquy delivered with surprisingly effective aplomb by Mickey Rourke's character, Tool -- the tough guy with a conscious and a heart. Additionally, the film attempts to flesh out Jason Statham's Lee Christmas for reasons unknown in the framework of a sensitive guy who's had his heart broken. Thankfully, this somewhat superfluous side-plot is completely and utterly saved by the presence of one Charisma Carpenter. Long absent from anything semi-relevant in TV or film, it's comforting to know she can still rock the screen simply by being on it. I suppose the words she speaks are good too. While the chemistry between Statham and Charisma (because I like to pretend I'm on a first-name basis with her) is passable, it's a shame that the romance between Stallone and Statham is hundreds of times more palpable. This is first and foremost a story about bros high-fiving and axe-kicking heads loose from necks together.

The action is great and entertaining and requires no thought process passed marveling at the way a guy's head realistically explodes and how cool it is to watch a guy kill ten people with throwing knives. You may also wonder how old Stallone is (hint: 64!!) and how his hips don't break instantly at the thought of such intense skirmishes. Headaches may ensue thanks to cinematography that sometimes frames action too closely and relies too much on a shaky camera to evoke chaos. All in all though, The Expendables does not disappoint when it comes time to start shooting bullets.

In the end, The Expendables doesn't really live up to it's namesake. In all the chaos unfolding on screen, the main characters never take even one noticeable injury making them anything but expendable. Have you seen Rambo? It's basically Stallone running through the jungle killing everything and being unstoppable. Ok, now divide that one character into five and throw them into a war with an entire army. That's essentially all you need to know about The Expendables. Nameless people die; quips are quipped; seemingly dead leads inexplicably show up in the final scene alive and laughing; and at the end of the day after hundreds have been mercilessly murdered, the most important thing is paying off a joke about how quickly two men can kill.

28 x 28: February Twenty-Five

Review: Shutter Island

Shutter Island is a movie that, for the most part, will likely subvert expectations. Thanks in large part to tonally misleading trailers, the preconceived notions about the film undoubtedly lead to confusion. Shutter Island is the story of Agent Teddy Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule as they take on a case concerning a patient who has gone missing on a maximum security penitentiary for the criminally insane. Apparently, the woman in question vanished from her highly guarded cell leaving not even a trace of the particulars of her escape. Soon, Teddy finds himself losing his own grip on sanity as the island slowly begins to peal away and a saturating air of paranoia settles upon everything.

From the trailers, one would be inclined to think that Shutter Island is somewhere in the horror/suspense category of film. The truth of the matter is that the film is more an exploration of the human psyche under insurmountable stresses and how one reacts in such situations. Right from the opening scenes, it is clear that all is not as it seems and the proceedings lend themselves to this theory very well. Obviously there is a greater underlying mystery at play here, and the biggest grievance I have heard spoken about this particular film is that it is too easy to figure it out early in the proceedings. I believe that director Martin Scorsese never intends for the truth of things to obfuscated, and in fact discovering the cards being dealt only adds to the cinematic effect he is aiming to achieve. The real focus of this film is not the inevitable twist ending as it is in many other films of this nature. Instead, the film is better viewed from a more personal angle. Without saying too much more, the movie is easier to appreciate as a window into perceptions and realities when the mind is introduced to severe stresses.

From a filmmaking point of view, this is clearly not Scorsese's most masterful work, but to think that it was intended to be would be wrong. On a purely technical angle, Shutter Island is a sharp film. From set design to cinematography, the film oozes the proper trappings for the overall tone of the film. Things are chaotic and claustrophobic, shaky and dark when they are needed to be. It would seem that instead of reaching for thrilling cinematic heights, Shutter Island is content to be an adventurous experiment in interesting story-telling. The performances of the actors in this film are all fairly solid. Clearly though this is a one man show. Leonardo DiCaprio is almost the sole focus of the entire film and the director wisely chooses to never take the camera of his main character. DiCaprio's Boston accented character is getting a little old by this point, but that is due more to overexposure in many recent films than any mistake on the actor's part. By telling the story from a very close and personal examination of one man though, the overall plot of the film is only enhanced in ways that won't fully make sense until the movie is over.

In the end, Shutter Island is a decent film. Many film goers, myself included, may have to take a moment to readjust their expectations early into the movie, but this can be chalked up to ineffective trailers. Shutter Island is a story distinctly about the human mind versus the human mind. It asks the questions of what precisely constitutes absolute reality, and who can you trust when you feel like you can't trust yourself? If you're worried about a strong horror element or moments of extreme suspense, Shutter Island will ease those fears. Instead, the movie is content to toil in the fog of mistrust and deceptions. This is a film good for superb aesthetic immersion as well as a decently entertaining plotline that may be more cerebral than audiences were lead to believe.

28 x 28: February Five

Today I'm going to keep it simple and write up a review for what I consider to be one of the best single hours of television to ever air.

Review: Angel: Not Fade Away

'Not Fade Away' is the series finale of the TV show Angel. I believe it aired all the way back in 2003, and it was the perfect culmination off all the character beats, plotlines, and tonal throughlines that had been used throughout the length of the show's five seasons. The basic premise of the show is actually kind of silly at first glance. Angel was a character from another TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who spun off into his own show following the third season of its progenitor. Angel is a vampire who is burdened with a soul which makes him distinctly feel the moral weight of all of the countless people he had killed in his hundreds of years of life. In an attempt to earn redemption he moves to LA and decides to protect the weak and preyed upon. Angel was never a show that soared to new heights on the basis of its premise alone. Through the strong characterization of each member of Angel's group to the often times allegorical nature of many of the episodes, Angel made itself important by hooking the viewer on a very connective level.

Season Five saw the biggest change of status quo to the entire premise. In this season, Angel and company are offered and accept the ownership of the LA branch of a hellish (literally) law firm; Wolfram & Hart. This is an interesting choice considering that for the previous four years, the cast of the show fought tooth and nail against the corporation and its inherent embodiment of evil. The whole hook for the entirety of season five was the question of whether or not these crusaders for good could survive in what amounts to the belly of the beast.

The season saw many interesting moral choices along the way. From having to protect otherwise vile clients in the interest of keeping the delicate balances from swaying to sometimes turning a blind eye to lesser evils, it was clear throughout the course of the season that Angel and friends were fighting a losing war and perhaps losing their moral compass along the way. In the penultimate episodes leading to the series finale, Angel himself seems to be taking a darker trend. He's killed a friend or two, joined an organization that is basically the reality-based proxy for Hell on Earth, and shown an increasing disinterest in the thoughts and well-being of his friends. In the beginning of 'Not Fade Away', Angel makes his play and reveals to his friends that he has not been doing all of these dark things for naught. Instead, it is his plan to kill every member of the Black Thorn organization and destroy Wolfram & Hart's grip of power in this dimension. It's a risky move, but right from the get-go the stakes are made abundantly clear to the audience. At its most basic, this is Angel and his crew versus the greatest evil threats in existence to achieve what is tantamount to spitting in the collective faces of gods.

Perhaps because I was personally late to the party, knowing this was the last episode of the series ever went a long way to offering a sort of no-holds, anything-can-happen sensibility during this last hour of television. Characters make asides that they will likely not survive the encounters and even if they did, the ensuing backlash from their devilish benefactors would likely be enough to destroy them. Of course, being a TV show one would assume that this is all pomp and circumstance, but this would be forgetting that this is a show created by Joss Whedon who if nothing else is famous for his glass half empty attitude towards narrative. The episode unravels slowly at first, showing each long standing member of the cast enjoying what could be their final days on Earth. From there the pace accelerates and never misses a beat as each stage of the literal and figurative finale rolls on. Before long we are witness to satisfying coups at the hands of many of our heroes, and at least one amazingly well done scene of death and defeat. This very scene is almost enough to elevate in my mind the finale to seldom resonating heights. Superbly well acted and richly emotionally rewarding for long-time viewers of the show, I would not be lying in saying that it is one of a few very rare television moments strong enough to elicit a genuinely sorrowful response from me.

Finally in the end Angel and what remains of his crew convene in an alleyway we learn is just a few blocks shy of a location integral to the series. Rain is pouring and it turns out not as many as one would think have returned from the trials of the night. Worse still, we learn another long-standing cast member is mortally wounded as has mere moments left to live. It's in these final few moments, when an army of countless demons is charging down on our vastly outnumbered heroes, that we realize the episode and indeed the show have literally minutes to close up. In one of the finest examples of not holding the viewer's hands, Angel ends with its heroes basically facing inevitable death and things looking bleak to say the best. As the evil armies finally close in on the main characters, we get the sense that Angel has his friends and that they will go out like they came in; fighting for something better. With that and a nicely exaggerated sword-slashing noise, the show and the series end.

Angel was a decent show with lots of rewarding pay-offs and callbacks throughout that rewarded viewers for long time allegiance. 'Not Fade Away' stands as one of the finest finales in TV history because it pulls no punches, and unlike The Sopranos it leaves you satisfied not knowing what will happen to the characters you've spent half a decade invested in. This is owed largely in part to the fact that the ending is so pitch perfect in terms of character actions and the consequences of those actions that the viewer never feels cheated. Would I prefer if there were more story to go onto afterwards? Of course. The point is that the way the show ended not only settles many of the themes and plots of the entire series, but lets the viewer's imagination race with the possibilities. Even if you never watched a single episode of the series, 'Not Fade Away' is one of those few TV episodes that you should sate your curiosity on if ever you get the chance. Far and away, hands-down this is the best final episode to a TV series ever. And that's likely saying something.

Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

It's been a good number of weeks since I saw Fantastic Mr. Fox and it just so happens that I'm getting around to it now. Luckily for any of you unfortunate enough to stumble onto my blog from time to time, the movie may still be playing in a few theatres or it could be on its way to DVD. So that has to be some kind of boon right?

Anyways, Fantastic Mr. Fox is the story of a wily, fast-talking fox determined to live life stealing chickens and engaging in devilish mischief as any proper fox would do. Upon being cornered on a particularly dangerous raid of a local farm, Fox is told that his wife is pregnant. This revelation, along with an earnest urging to give up his life of danger, spurs Fox to retire from the scheme business and get an honest job. The film flashes forward a few years and Fox is working a day-to-day job with an altogether average home life. Of course Fox has never given up the ghost of his past life and it is none too soon that he is up to his old shenanigans once again which leads to inevitable trouble for his friends and family, and the crux of the entire film.

All in all, it would be tough to say that this movie is a fresh story all things considered. The real draw of the film lies in three significant factors. The first and most obvious is the animation style. Utilizing stop-motion and other visually quirky elements, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a very entertaining film to see. While some viewers will likely find the admittedly odd style of the film to be anywhere from off-putting to disturbing, it is safe to say that Wes Anderson stalwarts will be delighted how well this new medium accents the directors approach to movie making. This leads into the next significant draw of this movie -- Wes Anderson. It would be reasonable to assume that if one did not enjoy any of the director's previous cinematic efforts, Fantastic Mr. Fox will not change any minds. Another common mistake in assessing the merits of this film would be to immediately dismiss it as a children's movie. While I would say that a child could see this movie and not walk away with any deep psychiatric scarring liable to manifest itself in adolescence; I would say that older audiences are much more likely to cull enjoyment from the various things Anderson does in this and all of his films. Wes Anderson is quite skilled at creating a universe for each of his movies that feels grounded in reality, but just 'left-of-center'. There's an odd quirkiness inherent in a movie by this director that at once unsettles the viewer while making them that much more engaged in the incredibly detailed world presented. As always, experiences will vary from person to person.

The final selling point in this movie's favor is the superb voice casting. All audio recording sessions were performed in the areas they were appearing in the movie. For example a scene in a barn was audio recorded in a barn. To be honest, it's a small detail that likely will not register in your head as you watch, but upon thinking back I found it to add a nice level of texture to the proceedings. I've always been a fan of George Clooney as a comedic actor. I find his willingness to go the extra mile for a laugh commendable, and as a voice actor he's really able to go for it in a way that tickled me from start to finish. Clooney plays Fox with a manic kind of energy that propels the film and the character scene to scene and stands as perhaps one of the key lynch pins in achieving the tone of the movie. Clooney is joined by Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox who surprises with her great comedic timing and wonderful ability to play straight girl to Clooney's manic show-stealer. Playing their son is Jason Schwartzman as Ash. Schwartzman is at his best when in an Anderson film and this is no exception. Here he plays the part of misplaced and slightly depressed child forced to live in his own father's shadow to both humorous and heart-warming effect. These actors are joined by appropriate and inspired voice casting the likes of Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Wes Anderson himself, Michael Gambon, and Willem Defoe.

There's not much else to say about Fantastic Mr. Fox. Like almost all of Wes Anderson's movies it has equal parts humor, drama, and in the end heart-warmth (if such a thing exists). Without sounding like I'm knocking the film, it's a light affair. Nothing too heavy or emotionally charged, but at the same time this stands as one of those movies that I personally could watch almost any day at any time on a whim. Long story slightly less long? See this movie if you're looking for some entertainment on a level not as low as something like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (which is not by any stretch a bad film), but not as intense as something like Away We Go.

Review: True Blood: 'Hard-Hearted Hannah'

Alright! This is more or less what I've been talking about the last three reviews. I was beginning to get worried that my constant reference to episodes that deliver was just blind confidence in a show that did not deserve it. Thankfully, this week's episode of True Blood, 'Hard-Hearted Hannah', fires on every conceivable cylinder. Everything that has been built up (albeit a little too slowly) the last few weeks is paid off in spades here. This is the kind of episode that is at once so captivating and weird that you can't help but chuckle after the cliffhanger ending gives way to the credits screen.

What happened this week then? Better yet, what didn't happen? Let's begin with Sookie and Bill. In an attempt to better find the captors of Eric's maker Godric, Sookie decides she'll infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun and start reading minds to get to the bottom of the mystery. This seems well-intentioned, but the way Anna Paquin is playing Sookie its clear the whole thing comes from a fair bit of naivety as well. Bill is obviously worried something bad will happen, but acquiesces to Sookie after she reassures him things will be fine. Sookie sets off with one of the Texas vampire's humans; one whom, like her, has the rare perspective of being a human dating a vampire. It isn't long before both of them are tricked, and Sookie figures it all out a little too late. As things escalate from bad to worse, Bill's 'vampire-sense' goes off and he prepares to rush to her aid. Ah, but alas, Bill's maker who showed up at the conclusion of last week's episode ambushes him and we find out that no matter what apparently a vampire can never overpower their maker. Bill is left helpless and it seems Sookie's going to be doing a 'Lafayette' and getting used to a scary basement. We are also treated to a flashback wherein Lorena and Bill are shown in their evil heyday torturing a couple and then having sex in a pool of their blood. This is an excellent scene as it gives weight to Bill's claims he used to be a monster, and it also serves as one of the most visually graphic and disturbing things we've seen on True Blood. Still, it does wonders for Bill's character in terms of his backstory.

It's easiest to transition to Jason now because his storyline more of less skirts just outside of intersecting with his sister's this week. Tasked with building what amounts to essentially a giant stage/gallows used for cooking vampires in the sun and feeling guilt over his tryst with Sarah Newlin, Jason is oblivious to the events unfolding around him. Luckily, Sarah seems pretty determined to take out her marital woes on Jason in the form of illicit affairs in the Church. This may have an added bonus as it seems perhaps her guilt over what her husband is up to may cause her to let Jason in on the fact his sister is locked in the basement. I'm glad Jason's storyline is finally merging with the main one considering a few more episodes like the last few would have started to feel a little boring. It's good we're shaking it up.

Sam and Daphne are where we last left them on a pool table. It seems like Sam is more than a little smitten with his new waitress and for once it seems like he may have found a kindred soul. Meanwhile on the Tara front, it seems Maryann makes a much worse houseguest than hostess. Clearly fraying a little at the seams, we see a whole new, slightly disturbing side of her character. Tara and Eggs send off on a mission to get a part to fix the hot water heater in the house for Maryann, but are waylaid when Eggs starts to have a waking dream of sorts. They wander off into the woods following his hunches only to come upon a bloody campsite that looks like played host to some kind of nasty ritual. Eggs is understandably disturbed and they decide to head home. Driving down a rural side road, Andy is stopped in his tracks when a dog and... wait for it... a pig jump out in front of his car. The dog we recognize as Sam's go-to transformation while the pig should just give pause to anyone in the viewing audience. We cut to now human versions of Daphne and Sam where the latter audibly wonders why his companion changed into a pig this time. It's all very ominous, but so perfectly set up by the rest of this season that the viewer already knows where this is going. Following Daphne, the pair move closer and closer to a distant drum beat. Sam expresses his hesitance when Daphne finally pulls her double cross and he is nabbed by two black-eyed minions of Maryann (we can assume minions because its the same black eyed thing that happens to people at the crazy orgies).

The next scene is pretty much the culmination of all of the weird and unsettling things only being hinted at this season. Tara and Eggs show up only to find Maryann doing her vibrational dancing thing. Through whatever power she has, the two find themselves joining in the crazy sex-dancing-drum endeavor just as Sam is dragged into light with Daphne in tow. Taking her side next to Maryann, it's clear that Daphne has been working for her all along. After putting a minotaur head on Maryann, a knife is presented and Sam is told that its the "end of the line". We can only assume that he's on the block for one heart removal. The episode ends chillingly with Sam screaming and the audience wondering how the fallout of this episode is going to look in the subsequent week.

So basically this is one of those weeks where the dominoes are tipped and we get to watch the chaotic effects of all of the set up of the season. I suspect that next week will still be rolling with the momentum of this week, but likely it will hold longer on individual plot threads in an effort to flesh them out and exploit the dramatic weight. 'Hard-Hearted Hannah' is a wonderful episode that doesn't really take time to slow down, and it's a welcome adrenaline shot just when it was needed. Hopefully between this episode and the next plot moving one we will not feel the drag that we did with leading into this installment. Either way, True Blood is back to full form and we have a laundry list of new developments to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

DISCLAIMER: There are spoilers about the movie and the book in here that also may allude to some of the events of the final book. If you don't want to have even a hint of what's going to happen in the final book, you could probably read the first and last paragraphs and be satisfied.

If there were ever a series short of Lord of the Rings that desperately needed an extended edition when it hit DVD, it would be Harry Potter. Having already started to noticeably chafe under the time constraints of the last two installments, Half-Blood Prince feels like its fingers are brushing greatness and just missing by that much. It's a real shame because this movie more than many of the others before it treads new ground. For once the romantic interactions with the young cast feel real and genuine, unlike the stilted and forced scenes in Goblet of Fire's Triwizard Ball scenes. Unfortunately, these scenes are too few and far between in the course of this overstuffed movie.

Anyone who has read the books knows that Half-Blood Prince deals with a lot plot lines running almost on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other. The movie adaptation attempts to find the most common threads between the important elements and weave them into a nearly three hour movie. To some degrees the formula works, and when it does the movie fires in a way that its predecessors only hinted at. Sadly, for as much as it really clicks, the movie also fizzles at times as certain story beats just aren't played as dramatically as they should have been. For one, the eponymous 'Half-Blood Prince'; an element that by all rights should be front and center, meanders lifelessly in the peripheral of the film. By its portrayal here, one unfamiliar with the books or simply inattentive could not be blamed for wondering why the movie is titled such. Harry's scholastic success of direct consequence to the 'Prince' present in the novel is almost completely gone from the film. Much of the impact, especially that in the final moments of the film, is drained from the cinematic interpretation because of this omission. Besides the oversight of attention to the film's title, the movie never has enough time to explore any of the interesting things happening in its story. The book was bolstered handsomely by the budding relationship between Harry and Dumbledore as they struggled to crack the mystery of Voldemort's ultimate plans, and this was a thread that displayed prominently in the book serving as its spine. Besides the final half an hour of the movie and some early dialogue between the characters, you never get the impression of the respect and admiration the two share in the book.

Ron's Quidditch exploits only get a few minutes of screen time which is understandable. Less forgivable is the fact that after the one scene, we never even hear mention of his further successes that more or less defined Ron for me in the novel. I was also a bit disappointed with the fact that Alan Rickman opted to play Severus Snape a little less ambiguous than I felt he should have been. In the book version, you never really have an idea of what he's up to. Meanwhile from the early moments of the film while he takes the Unbreakable Vow, Rickman plays a not-too-subtle hesitance on his face which gives away his true motives to anyone looking close enough to notice.

Finally we have the issue of characterization; in this case most importantly of our main hero Harry Potter. In the book version of Half-Blood Prince the reader really feels the pressures dumped on Harry to not only solve a mystery that is WAY beyond his abilities at his age, but how in over his head he is when you consider that he now knows that he is the only one who can topple the nefarious Dark Lord. The success in the writing is that Harry also realizes this very thing and it builds his character. He takes on much more responsibility and grows more mature for it, if not in skill than in understanding. When the final moments of the book transpire, we actually believe him when he states he's not coming back to Hogwarts and that he fully intends to finish the work he and Dumbledore began. It's a shame that Daniel Radcliffe's Harry never conveys the fact that his life is fundamentally changing in ways it never has in years passed in the film. For all the strife and frustration Radcliffe is capable of emoting, it still feels like the film Harry Potter is simply reacting to the things happening to him instead of really experiencing them. It's hard to know if this fault comes down to Radcliffe or if the confines of the movie and its limits prevented him from really exploring the real alterations ravaging his character. Whenever he acknowledges the prophecy, you don't get the sense that this is a seventeen year old boy who somehow must figure out how to kill the most powerful evil in his world or how he's dealing with it.

Finally, I would like to mention my displeasure with the last act of the film. In the book, we are treated to an emotionally exhausting scene in which Dumbledore suffers greatly to retrieve what Harry and he believe is a Horcrux. This of course leaves the Professor near death with fatigue and when Harry returns them to Hogsmeade we are jolted by the appearance of the Dark Mark above Hogwarts and the success of Draco's mission. From here we get a much more intense encounter than that in the movie in which a helpless (petrified) Harry must watch Draco disarm a weakened Dumbledore and a seemingly heartless Snape kill him without a second thought. From here is described a magnificent battle between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix wherein the castle is torn apart. This is a crucial scene to the book and the overarching story because innocence is truly lost. Hogwarts for six books had been the safe zone of the story in which nothing disastrous could happen, and in one chapter it becomes as dangerous if not moreso than anywhere else in the wizarding world. It's jarring and it makes the reader feel the desperation and hopelessness of Harry as he chases Snape and is overpowered easily as an afterthought. In the film the whole scene plays much different. Besides Harry and a random guard-wizard, it would seem that no one in the castle had any idea that anything horrible had happened inside. In fact, the Death Eaters simply vandalize the castle before leaving and lighting Hagrid's hut on fire. There's no menace, there's no feeling of hopelessness, and the movie ends on a note of anticipation for the next installment instead of the emotionally spent and lost one of the novel. Sure, the book ended with Harry's vow to finish everything and not return to school, but there was a sense of finality to the proceedings because everything was different now. As far as the movie is concerned, this was just one more unfortunate incident in a line of incidents. I couldn't help but feel cheated by these moments I had so anticipated since first reading the book.

While this review went to great lengths to detail what I had issue with in this movie, I would be lying if I didn't outright say this is probably the second best HP film in the series. By at least having brushes with some real character moments and just glancing some of the epic moments from the book, this film does wonders in building suspense for the final confrontation awaiting in the final two movies. Unfortunately instead of wondering how this fairly average boy is going to ever stop all these bad things, the audience is left certain of his success just lacking the way it all will transpire. Overall I would suggest see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but if you feel intrigued at all by the events on screen head out immediately and pick up the book. You won't be disappointed either way.

Review: Public Enemies

This movie had three things working in its favor from word one for me: a) I have an unabashed bias and interest in anything during the depression era, from music to style to atmosphere; b) a really cool trailer that paints the movie as a kinetic heist movie-turned cops-on-our-heels thriller; and c) both Johnny Depp and Christian Bale leading a movie as two sides of a coin of good and evil. That's a lot of positives nesting in my brain walking into a theatre and, as with King Kong by Peter Jackson, I was fully aware it may slightly slant my opinion of the movie.

So how does Public Enemies fair? Middling at best, I would have to somewhat sadly say. This film absolutely does not know what it wants to be, and chiefly because of this it misses almost every impactful beat it may have achieved. From the promotion of the film we are lead to believe that perhaps this is a character piece on John Dillinger (Depp) and the struggles and mental battles he wrestles with as the age of the FBI dawns and organized crime as it stood began to crumble. I recalled the effectiveness of the Brad Pitt movie The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford more than a few times while watching this film, and it's clear by merits of character study alone that the former outdoes the latter in both acting and clarity of purpose. It would be hard to pin this on Depp alone, though it is tempting. In order for the audience to be drawn in, the chief character be it villain or hero must have a magnetic quality that makes the viewer anticipate screen time with the character. Depp's John Dillinger does not have that at all. Throughout the entire film he plays one beat, and it's hard to tell what the character is supposed to be thinking throughout it all. Besides one scene where he visibly breaks down crying, there are no cues as to his general mindset. As I said, I don't know if Depp can be blamed for this completely. It almost seems to me that he didn't really have all that much to work with in the first place, and the dialogue and emotions he has are based on a very shaky foundation to begin with.

This foundation comes in the form of the first act of the movie which moves so fast that it undermines itself by carrying no weight. The movie touts the early scenes as the "Golden Age" of crime, yet we are treated to essentially one bank robbery that makes it seem that Dillinger and company are untouchable. After that it's pretty much into the just out of harm's way chase of being one step ahead of the authorities. Mixed in with these rapidly contracting options, the film sees fit to shoehorn in a love story for Dillinger. Whether it's meant to be love at first sight, or a commentary on his impulsive attitude the film never clarifies. Instead, a chance meeting, a nice dinner, and some bold words from Depp (over the course of maybe 35 minutes of film) are all we have to go on to assume this man would do anything for this girl. It's a bit much to swallow and it asks a lot of the audience.

As it may or may not be clear, the movie spreads itself thin trying to be a few things. At first, it seems that we're going to get to see the twilight days of John Dillinger's rampage of fun-filled crime as the real world catches up. As I said, the character focused approach is neglected and undernourished. Secondly, the movie seems it may be a historical piece about the end of crime in the Great Depression and how J. Edgar Hoover (an entertaining Billy Cruddup) establishes the FBI as a force to be reckoned with. Again, the movie is too concerned with jumping between moments like this and on Dillinger, and then on the various other characters laced throughout. It may be assumed that perhaps this movie means to make more of the tragic love story. Again, this is only a half realized notion as the movie focuses so little on this facet that whenever the director feels the whim to revisit it, the audience is disinclined to care very deeply. The problem with this film is that it does not know what to be, and to be honest because of this it is hard to decide what it would have worked better as. Personally, I lean towards a character study much like the aforementioned Assassination of Jesse James..., but then in comparison it would feel a lackluster competitor.

To be clear, the movie is entertaining. The final half of the film manages to evoke a sense of fascination at a man who simply will not give up in the face of insurmountable opposition. Of course, this makes the inevitable fate of the character that much more predictable, but you may find yourself unaffected by this and more interested in how exactly it all plays out. The supporting cast does a decent job with what can best be called bit parts. Baby Face Nelson in particular sticks in your mind, but it's hard to accept the character as the actor plays it more as parody of what a gangster was instead of getting to the reality of the person. It comes off very cartoonish.

Finally, it would be a mistake to neglect to mention Christian Bale. In one of my personal favorite performances from the rising actor in recent years, Bale delivers a kind of performance I felt he hasn't in quite some time. It's at once refreshing and, like Dillinger, never given enough time to develop past the initial traits we are fed in the early moments. Because of this very fact, after the credits begin to roll and we are informed that the real life counterpart for Bale's character killed himself a year after the events of the movie, the reaction is more of confusion than sadness. Bale's character is so marginalized that the fact he may have commit suicide comes as a complete shock because the characterization in the movie never once suggests in a meaningful way that he's being greatly affected by his work. It's a shame because one feels that the character may have been much more intriguing in a more focused film.

In the end, see Public Enemies if you're looking for a mildly entertaining diversion from the huge summer blockbusters currently dominating the theatres. Don't expect anything special, and don't expect to be drawn into the drama in the way you might hope for walking into the cinema.