Book Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Let me preface this review by giving you a brief history of my experience with the Harry Potter franchise. As of August of last year, I had not seen any of the Harry Potter films, nor had I read any of the books; that changed in the following month, when I used a wondrous invention (known as "Netflix") to rent the first film.

I had heard warnings that the first couple of movies weren't very good, but I found that to be untrue, as I enjoyed the first film very much, and made it a point to rent the second as soon as possible. Then the third. Then the fourth. Then the fifth. Before I knew it, I had watched all of the available films in around ten days. The sixth film had not yet been released on DVD, but was also not at any available theaters, so I had to wait until it was released in the nearby $1.50 theater, where I viewed it the day it began showing, and enjoyed it immensely. But I wanted more.

Many times, people will tell you that a series of books is better than the series of films that it spawns, and in many cases, that is the truth, so I decided to dive head-first into the books, and I bought a box-set of the first six. (They didn't have a box-set that contained all seven at the time) In the case of Harry Potter, it was true; the books were better. The films still stand up as being good and highly enjoyable, but the books bring much more detail to the world of Harry Potter. The stories are expanded, with more revelations and story-lines, as well as more of the wonderful characters, who are even more fleshed out in the novels.

If you have somehow managed to avoid the series for so long, as I did, I wholeheartedly recommend that you check out the series, whether in book or movie form.

I'd also like to preface this review by saying that I WILL NOT REVEAL ANY SPOILERS. So, let's get to the review.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So, how would I describe this book? In a word: Excellent. The story is as good (if not better) as any other book of the series, and has much in store for the readers: Many questions that readers have had are answered, and there are several revelations in store that J.K. Rowling had planned from when she began writing the series.

The characters remain wonderful, and generally behave as we expect them to; nothing can ruin a character like the author not understanding the character that they are writing. Luckily for all of us, J.K. Rowling knows her characters, and writes them perfectly. With Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling really shows how good of a storyteller she is, and skillfully brings the series to a completely satisfying conclusion.

I know this review is short, but I really want to avoid spoilers. Just know this: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in an amazing end to a marvelous series. If you're a fan, I don't see how you could possibly be disappointed.

**** 4 out of 4

5 Great Movies That You Probably Haven't Seen

Everybody loves a great movie, but let's face it, pretty much everybody has seen all of the great popular films like The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. For this reason, I'd like to focus this article on the subject of great films that you may have never seen, or perhaps have never even heard of.

Dirty Harry

Ok, so you've almost definitely heard of this movie, but have you ever actually watched it? It's fairly likely that you haven't, and that fact reflects poorly upon you, so you should see it as soon as possible. Clint Eastwood is the coolest actor that I've ever seen in film, and Harry Callahan is definitely one of his greatest characters. The original Dirty Harry has an excellent story, with an extremely underrated villain, and several of the most memorable lines in the history of film.

Memento

One of the first films from Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight. The movie features great performances all around, especially from lead actor Guy Pearce. Memento tells the story of a man who has short-term memory loss, and is trying to solve his wife's murder. Now, this may sound like any number of other films that you've seen, but what makes the film so amazing is the unique editing: The story unfolds in reverse order. If you like a good mystery, you owe it to yourself to see Memento.

Oldboy

Oldboy is an extremely unique and well-made film. It comes from Korean director Chan-wook Park, and is probably the greatest foreign film that I've seen. I will not divulge any details of the story, but I will tell you that this movie is definitely not for the faint of heart. It contains some very disturbing themes, and a couple of very violent moments, so if you don't think you can handle that, you should definitely avoid this movie. However, if you can make it through the film, it's well worth it.

Trick 'r Treat

You likely haven't seen or heard of this one, because the studio held on to it several years after it was filmed, and then opted to released it straight to DVD. Instead of telling a single drawn-out horror story, Trick 'r Treat tells four separate stories that overlap on occasion. The fact that there are multiple shorter stories is very refreshing to the horror genre, as most horror movies can't stay interesting for 30 minutes, let alone 90. The film isn't straight-up horror though, there are also plenty of of laughs to be had, as well as several gruesome deaths.

Let The Right One In

This is probably the greatest vampire film made to date; it's a shame that hardly anybody has seen it. The film comes to us from the country of...Sweden? Yes, Sweden. The movie is intelligently-written, and has some of the finest performances I've seen from child actors; it is completely unlike any other vampire film you've ever seen.

Please leave a comment, and give me some feedback!

Movie Review: Kick-Ass

First of all, I'd like to welcome all of you kind souls to my blog. I really appreciate anybody who is reading this, and I'd like to encourage you to please take a minute or two to post comments on my articles, and give me some feedback. I'd like you to know that for my reviews, the highest rating that I give will be four stars, with the star-ratings going by increments of half a star. So, let's get on to the review, shall we?

Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass is certainly a difficult name for a film to live up to, but director Matthew Vaughn has succeeded in doing so, and has also cemented himself as one of the best movie directors in recent memory. (You should also check out his other films Layer Cake and Stardust if you haven't already)

The story of Kick-Ass begins with normal high school student Dave Lizewski, portrayed by Aaron Johnson, who does an incredible job of masking his native British accent. Dave has been pretty much average all of his life, but he begins to wonder what it would be like if somebody tried to become a superhero in the real world, so he creates a costume, and decides to fight crime. Johnson brings a lot to the role, and creates a character that you instantly care about, and sympathize with.

While Dave is starting up his career in crime-fighting, two other characters are also revving up to become costumed heroes: Big Daddy (Played masterfully by Nicolas Cage), and Hit Girl (The fantastic Chloe Moretz), Big Daddy's 11 year-old daughter. Big Daddy and Hit Girl's interactions with one another are excellent; their relationship should go down in the history books as one of the best father-daughter teams in the history of film. The character of Hit Girl has stirred up some controversy, as she is 11 years old, and is seen violently killing numerous criminals, but there is no real reason for controversy. This movie is not a particularly realistic film, and is clearly not meant to be promoting the use of excessive violence. Also, the film is rated "R," so young impressionable children shouldn't be watching it anyway. It is meant to be a fun and entertaining film, enjoyed in a theater with an audience of fans cheering as they watch in amazement as Hit Girl lays waste to drug dealers. And as far as fun goes, Kick-Ass has it in spades.

The main villain in the movie is drug lord Frank D'Amico, played by Mark Strong. He is the cause of much of the crime in the city, and is Big Daddy's primary target. Frank's son, Chris, is played by the very funny Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who you likely know as McLovin from Superbad, and while he doesn't have as much screen time as he did in that film, he is still a lot fun to watch here.

I really don't want to spoil any of the details of the movie, because it really is a film that you need to experience for yourself. Let me just say that the characters cross paths, and interact together in a variety of entertaining ways. Was that vague? Yes. Did I spoil the movie? No.

Kick-Ass has some of the best action sequences I've seen in a long time, a lot of laughs, and even several well-executed poignant moments. If you want to see an action-comedy movie, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one. It's a must-see movie, and it's the most fun that I've had in a movie theater in a long time.

**** 4 out of 4

Thank you for reading, and I'll try to be back soon with another review or article.