Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Finnes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and John Hurt

Directed by David Yates

Release Date: November 19, 2010

There are dark days for Harry Potter and his friends: Voldemort is gaining more influence, Dumbledore is dead, and there is no where to hide from the Death Eaters, Voldemort's wrathful followers. Therefore, the few left to oppose the dark wizard have banded together to stop his brutal takeover of the magical world before it is too late.....

Picking up from "Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince", it has become clear to Harry and his friends that the only way to stop Voldemort once and for all is to destroy all 6 Horcruxes, objects in which Voldemort stored pieces of his soul so he could be revived from death. However, Harry has soon become the target of a mass hunt of magical thugs known as "Snatchers" to catch not only Potter, but all wizards that could oppose the Dark Wizard. While dealing with this, the trio must also face inner conflicts, doubt, turmoil, and frustration in the quiet moments when the battles are over and the waiting seems to be an eternity.

(For the purposes of this review, I will refer to the movie as "Part One")

Part One is a fantastic adventure and is sure to whet the appetites of all Harry Potter fans anxiously awaiting this final chapter of the series. Some reviews claim that Part One is only 1/2 a movie, that there is no real tension/conflict to work through and that there is no climax in the story structure, that this film is only to be viewed as exposition to Part Two's epic battles and resolution. I have to disagree: part one is full of tension and turmoil, where the characters go through so much that it becomes a whirlwind of story development and exciting action sequences such as when Harry and the Order of the Phoenix battle Death Eaters early in the film.

For Harry Potter fans, Part One is a must see. If you're a fan of fantasy and action, I'd recommend you view the series in chronological order before viewing Part One.

Click here to buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (Three-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

Click here for the review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Tron

Starring: Jeff Bridges,Bruce Boxleitner,David Warner,Cindy Morgan,Barnard Hughes,Dan Shor,Peter Jurasik,Jackson Bostwick , Tony Brubaker,Loyd Catlett,Craig Chudy ,Erik Cord,Vince Deadrick Jr.,Michael Dudikoff,Bob Neill,Sam Schatz,Tony Stephano,Jack Manning,Ted White ,Gerald Berns,Mark Stewart,Charlie Picerni, and Dave Cass

Directed by: Steven Lisberger

Release Date: Jul 09, 1982

Within the depths of cyberspace, a malifulous computer program called "Master Control" has been stealing multitudes of computer programs to horde power from. The program is growing out of control, and the only way to stop it is to journey from the real world into the virutal world. Hacker/Gamer/Former Programmer Kevin Flynn may be the only person to end the dangerous software.

Tron is viewed as one of the hallmarks of science fiction in the last 30 years, influencing many other works of fiction and becoming a staple of pop culture history (seen in such works as "Chuck" or "South Park"). Unfortunately, the film was seen as a financial failure during its initial theatrical run. Now, it has become a cult phenomenon that has continued on in the form of video games, toys, and a sequel "Tron:Legacy" premiering Dec. 17, 2010. Nearly 30 years later, the film is still an entertaining adventure with interesting visuals, rich concepts, and dry humor that is superbly delivered by Jeff Bridges. I enjoyed the fact that the movie explores such complex subjects like religion, persecution, and belief where the characters are mostly bits of data personified as actual people from the real world. Sure, the special effects are more dated and simple than from a film made in 2010, but I liked the simplicity of The Grid, as if the reason the world is so block and generic is because Master Control absorbed more and more of The Grid into itself.

A great 1980s action adventure science fiction fantasy with an hero made of data and numbers.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Green Lantern Trailer

okay, so this week was the release of the teaser trailer for 2011's Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds. I watched the trailer last night, and I had a mixed reaction. For the most part, I enjoyed what I saw: the action was interesting, getting me excited for the movie. But, this is a movie about Green Lantern, specifically the most well known GL Corps member: Hal Jordan. Don't get me wrong, I like Ryan Reynolds (usually), but here it doesn't feel like he's the right actor to play a fearless, cocky test pilot. Sure, he got the arrogant part of Hal's character, but I don't feel that he can show that Hal can stare down any challenge that comes his way: maybe I'll be proven wrong when the movie premieres next summer, but that's my initial reaction. Finally, the GL costume seen in the trailer: IT SUCKS. Oh man, it is so poorly animated I couldn't believe how it stands out like a sore thumb. The suit should be made of fabric, not CGI dots. Just see it for yourself. I just can't believe someone in the editing bay saw that brief 2 second moment of the costume and said, "Yeah, it's fine to show to audiences".

What do you think of the trailer?

Forbidden Lie$

Starring Norma Khouri

Directed by: Anna Broinowski

Release Date: Feb 25, 2007

Truth and fiction: some people have a hard time separating the two. Norma khouri is one of those people. In 2003, Khoui published her memoir, Fobidden Love, about the honor killing of her friend Dahlia by her father for besmirching their familiy. Khoui became an overnight sensation, her book flooding the market and making her a celebrity, particularly in Austrailia. In the press, Khouri was seen as a champion of women's rights in Jordan, a woman who fled her homeland a virgin, and whose only concen was to tell the plight of her friend's death. One year later, revelations about Norma Khouri came to light. First, she had only lived in Jordan until the age of 3 (with a 2 week visit in 2000). Second, that she was not a virgin but a mother of two children who she neglected for her cause. Finally, the biggest shock of all: Khouri's memoir was a work of fiction.

Regardless of your opinion of Norma, you know that people are upset with her; she lied in her book, deceived the media, abandoned her children (on several occasions), and tarnished the image of Jordan. I could go on and on, but let's sum it up: Norma is a great con artist, she can say one thing then later say that she was misquoted. In one instance, a Jordanian journalist goes over all the mistakes Khouri made in her book, from the location of the Jordan river to the choronology in the book. What was Khouri's response? To paraphrase, "It doesn't matter where the river is, I'm just telling the story. It doesn't matter if I get all the facts straight, it's the story". Norma can spin tales like no other; if she is accused of lying about her virginity, she says that it was to protect the cause and spread the truth about "Dahlia".

In this story, there are only 5 truths: There was a woman named Norma Khouri, she at one time lived in Jordan, she wrote a book, became successful, and then was accused of deception. In Norma's world, truth is flexible.

This is a fascinating documentary about a 21st century literary hoax, and the author's strange life.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Click Here to buy Forbidden Lie$

The Walking Dead: "Tell that to the Frogs"

"Tell that to the Frogs"

Season 1, episode 3

Original Airdate: November 14th, 2010

Continuing on from last week's episode, we see that things with the Grimes family are far from perfect. This episode, Rick is dedicated into going back for Merle Dixon and to retrieve his bag of weapons he lost in "Days Go Bye". Lori, on the other hand, is trying her best to deal with the revelation of Rick being the mysterious stranger the group located in "Guts", but that Shane had lied to her by saying that Rick had died in the hospital. While Rick and Lori try to rekindle their relationship (in the brief time he's at the survivor camp), we see that Shane may be harboring some pent up rage and aggression, as seen when he bullied Ed into dousing his campfire. "Tell that to the frogs" is a great chapter in the "Walking Dead" storyline: we get to discover more characters in the camp, further explore the characters of Shane and Dale, and see how Rick will eventually become the reluctant leader of the surviors. While I think that the cliffhanger of Merle Dixon's status is somewhat odd, it does fit into what type of character he is and cannot wait to see where he next pops up in Atlanta. Perhaps he'll just return to the survivor camp to await his aggressors.

Rating: * * * * * of 5

Fanboys

Starring Sam Huntington,Dan Fogler,Jay Baruchel,Kristen Bell,Christopher George Marquette,Jaime King,Billy Dee Williams,Carrie Fisher,William Shatner,Allie Grant,Chris Marquette, and Seth Rogen

Directed by Kyle Newman

Release Date: July 31, 2008

It should have been made in 2000, 2001, but as Cheech Marin said in Ghostbusters II "Better late than never". The reason I say that the movie should have been made earlier is because maybe the movie would have been more successful had the movie been made just after Star Wars Episode I was released, but the film still works despite being made nearly a decade after. Sure, you'd have to be a geek to get the majority of the jokes, but that's the target audience for the movie: Star Wars Nerds. The film is a geniune love letter not only to Star Wars, but to comics, film, and even Star Trek (despite our main characters holding a deep hatred for the Federation).
If you're a fan of Star Wars, you owe it to yourself to check out FANBOYS.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click Here to buy Fanboys

Click here to buy Fanboys [Blu-ray]

How I met Your Mother: Natural History

"Natural History"

Season 6, Episode 8

Original Airdate: November 8th, 2010

"Galactic Superstar President McAwesomeville"- That really should be Ted's name for himself. After the lackluster episode that was "Canning Randy", HIMYM is back on track with a great episode exploring the personal histories of the characters. Set against a backdrop of a black tie soirre, the gang is at a GNB celebration hosted by a man who calls himself THE CAPTAIN. Kyle Mclaughlin is hysterically awesome as the captain; he's stuffy, but easy going and I would definitely like to see him return one day. Marshall and Lily have an argument over Marshall's decision to stay at GNB despite his college dreams of being an environmental lawyer. Meanwhile, Barney and Robin have a contest to see who can touch the most exhibits (personally, I felt Robin won when she toted around a stuffed penguin like it was her date). The episode worked really well with good jokes, touching moments, and the sight of Barney atop a stuffed lion.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5