Leaving Hogwarts and the Half-Blood Prince

HARRY POTTER AND the half-blood prince

book 2004   movie 2009   first read 2004   first watch 2009

A sixth-in-a-row return to the school of witchcraft and wizardry, where love is in the air and each laugh is followed by a sob.

Leaving Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix

HARRY POTTER AND the order of the phoenix

book 2003    movie 2007   first read 2003    first watch 2007

A fifth-in-a-row return to the school of wizardry and witchcraft, where I realize the upside of growing up and that Professor Umbridge is really Goebbels.

Leaving Hogwarts and the Goblet of Fire

HARRY POTTER AND the goblet of fire

book 2002     movie 2005     first read 2003?     first watch 2005

A fourth-in-a-row return to the school of wizardry and witchcraft, where I marvel at the fast pace, cleverly constructed plot and the connections to North By Northwest.

ZOOM IN.

Leaving Hogwarts and the Prisoner of Azkaban

HARRY POTTER AND the prisoner of Azkaban

book 1999      movie 2004      first read 2002?     first watch 2004

A third-in-a-row return to the school of wizardry and witchcraft, where I swoon over Alfonso Cuarón's directing style, Daniel Radcliffe's improved acting skills and how Hermione's hair looks from behind.

ZOOM IN.

Also known as "The One Everybody Loves", Prisoner of Azkaban marks the point at which the Harry Potter film adaptions became a force to be reckoned with. Changing out director Chris Columbus, who had approached the previous two films from a traditional "children's movie" perspective, with the darker and more stylized mind of Alfonso Cuarón, stepped up the game quite a bit. It also helps that the three leads have grown into better actors and that their characters are able to develop in a more interesting, nuanced way. Finally, Prisoner of Azkaban connects another two Brilliant Brits to the series with Gary Oldman as Sirius Black and David Thewlis as Professor Lupin.

WRITING ELSEWHERE #2

IS SHERLOCK STILL READABLE?

In the age of Johnlock, slow-mo boxing scenes and a female Watson, why should we actually read Sherlock Holmes?

@ THE ARTIFICE

Leaving Hogwarts and the Chamber of Secrets

HARRY POTTER AND the chamber of secrets

book 1998     movie 2002      first read 2005?      first watch 2003?

A return to the school of wizardry and witchcraft, where I pay my accolades to Hermione's last truly geeky year, sleek-hair Malfoy, Ron's first wand and the old Dumbledore.

ZOOM IN.

Once hooked by the magical world of Harry Potter, I never considered actually reading The Chamber of Secrets as preferred to just watching the movie. It was out there, so why not just slip it in the DVD player (easier said than done, but my birthday wasn't far away). I was young, I was stupid. So when I finally did go back and read the book, about two years after watching the film, I was surprised to find so many new aspects of the story in the book. Whether my surprise was caused by the bigger similarity between the first book and its film or whether I was just too inexperienced to know that things do get lost in translation, I'll never know. The scene that left its biggest impression on me then was definitely Sir Nick's ghost party, which I didn't see coming at all. Speaking of that, the ghosts were rather neglected in the Harry Potter films, am I right (Peeves, anyone)? Still, I do love them.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying

a HOW I LIVE NOW review

Growing up 21st century's Europe has its perks - technology redefines the limits of communication, consumerism and culture, we can travel without having to do little more than showing our passports and politicians seem busy sustaining peace in our own little world as well as the Middle East. It becomes difficult to differentiate between documentations of the World Wars and movies like Independence Day, both depicting horrible, life-threatening situations and ending on a happy note (more or less). I for one find it incredibly hard to believe that my own grandmother fled (mainly by horse waggon) from what was once Pommern (the eastern part of Germany) to the north, and had to work under more or less slavery-like conditions for the Russians. Hell, I can't even fathom there was once a great wall separating Eastern and Western Germany - that fell only 6 years before I was born! However, once in a while, I am reminded of the actual danger that still surrounds every living creature in this world; the animal-esque war of survival that is hidden beneath health care, unemployment benefits and supermarkets. Watching How I Live Now was one of those experiences that made me realize there is a threat of war in my life and the lives of the people surrounding me, and that our little bubble of peace, equality and freedom of the mind could burst any day. 

My Heroes: Scott Pilgrim (or whatever)

I met Scott about a year ago, when I was on my summer holidays in Denmark. It was a hot summer night and stuff, at least for me - he was chilling up in Toronto. Chilling as in "it was cold". My initial plan of the night certainly didn't include Scott, but then again I didn't know him before that night - how could I have known that he would win me over in a second? My telly-companion that night wasn't as enchanted by Scott, however. Every other minute a sigh or differently disapproving sound escaped from her lips until she finally left me alone. Alone with Scott.

The SONSOFBITCHES snubbed Harry Potter!

Wait a minute - did you just see me choosing the film series that won the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in 2011, the film series that was nominated for a total of 12 Academy Awards - the film series that is loved, even worshipped by thousands of people all over the world - for the worst snub ever?

Yeah, I guess so.

Because, although Harry Potter collected many a metallic statue over the 10 years it "lasted", I don't think that it has been getting all the attention it really deserves. Yes, Harry Potter has an enormous fan base, yes, the critical response has been primarily positive over the years, and yes, it didn't get snubbed as in "ignored".

Not in The United Kingdom, that is.

What's always been a thorn in my side - or has been since I started keeping an eye on awards and generally got "involved" with movies - is the Academy Award snubbing. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I wish I could say that their actions and choices are despicable and that I'm not going to support or pay any attention to their little (or big) games anymore. But no, I agree with a lot of their choices, have been watching the ceremony three years in a row and have been trying to catch up on new and old nominees and winners. This research has proven that the Academy Awards might not be as big or as great as they think they are, but they're a great parameter for film history - historically and currently.

That being said, sometimes I really ask myself whether they actually watch the movies. 12 nominees for 8 films, mainly in the art department, could be approvable if one of the films had actually won an award one of these times. But no, Harry Potter is ignored, and ignored - and even with the final movie, no award for the overall achievement. Talk about disappointing. 

HAPPY NEW MONTH: Films of January 2013

The first year with four different numbers since 1987 has begun.

And with it, Award-o-mania, which took hold of me as soon as the Oscar nominations were announced. Having seen each film that's nominated for more than 1 of the precious statues, except for the ones that will be coming to our theaters in February, I'm kind of fed up with 2012 movies right now. It was a rewarding experience though, to watch all these films I had been anticipating, and most of them turned out quite all right. I'm also playing with the idea of hosting a little blogathon about award snubs, something I've been wanting to try for a long time now, except I'm a bit of a coward. If you all promise to consider joining I would take it up on Sunday though.

Otherwise I discovered an awesome tv series this month, with the side effect of me not wanting to watch movies anymore until I've finished the series. Furthermore, I just bought an HDMI cable today, so I'll be able to watch the rest of the series on my TV which is so cool! Not so cool for all the films that want to be watched, but whatever. 

At least I did manage to squeeze in a lot of them last month...

WATCHED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

A Journey in Kubrick or: Kubrick's Cube

January 2012 marked my first visit to the violent, ruthless and magic world of Stanley Kubrick's movies. 

„Here you are, sir, main level please.“ were the cold welcoming words that drew me into a film that I have declared to be one of my favourites - without having seen it another time since then. And now, almost a year later, I happen to have seen all there is to see of Kubrick's work, my journey ending with a word equally precise as the welcoming ones: „Fuck“.

The two quotes are, as you might know (if not, you've missed two great films), from the movies 2001: A Space Odyssey and Eyes Wide Open - respectively. The ironic side of this is that they share the rank of being my favourite Kubrick films. 

"Kubrick". Just listen to the sound of that name. It's a name I've associated with crazy brilliancy even before watching one of his movies. And each movie I saw before accepting the challenge of watching his whole filmography, confirmed this association. The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon - all great films. All favourites. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise then, that I wasn't able to develop the same feelings towards the remaining Kubrick films I watched in the last few weeks. Out of 13 feature films and three shorts, some must be less brilliant than the others. Indeed, only three of those recently watched films are ones I consider to be exceptional or brilliant; Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket and Lolita.

Has my picture of Kubrick being some kind of holy God-like film master changed? Yes, it has. I've seen his (not very impressive) beginnings, development of an own style and voice, as well as I've seen his brilliant side. But while my admiration may have faded a little, my fascination has grown. For Kubrick is one of the most fascinating filmmakers I know - and so are his films.

Perhaps every filmmaker becomes fascinating or interesting once you dig a little deeper - I think this is true for many things in life.

What you should know is that I haven't been researching a lot on Kubrick's personal life. I know that he wasn't good in school, and that he was a friend of Kirk Douglas, until they had a big fight. He also became more independent through his career, but that's not very unusual. And he disappeared for many years.

I'm sure all these things and many more are interesting, but what I want to focus on in this post is really Kubrick's work - his films - not his private life.

Those who haven't seen many of Kubrick's movies and want to be surprised, beware of spoilers, while those who have seen many of Kubrick's movies might think I'm just repeating stuff I've read on the internet - which I haven't. I intentionally haven't researched on the movies, because so much has been written about it and I am afraid of just repeating some of that massive material. 

Whatever, bla bla, here's what Kubrick's movies have touched, moved or provoked in me.

1001 Movies: Finishing Kubrick

185 - 187

Slowly, my Kubrick-film-feast is going to an end... Having watched all sixteen feature and short films of the late director, I feel full of knowledge and enlightenment. That doesn't mean I loved or even liked all of his films - but we'll dive further into that matter when I write my big, grand Kubrick Post with a capital P. All you're going to get for now is three short reviews of my last three Kubrick-adventures, one that disappointed me and two that are officially on the list of my favourite Kubrick-opuses.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

„THE COMPUTERS THAT TAKE THE SITUATION BEYOND HUMAN INTERVENTION HAVE ONLY BECOME MORE CAPABLE. BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID.“

1001 Movies: Heart-shaped sunglasses, greasy hair and suntanned gladiator's legs

#183, a re-watch and #184

Choosing Kubrick's version of Lolita to celebrate the new year cinematically proved to be a perfectly wonderful choice. Provoking as well, to watch the story of an adult falling in love with a 14-year old in the year I'm going to turn into an adult (expectedly). My journey in 1001+ movies continued with a reunion and revision of my thoughts on one of the most-loved musicals ever (Grease), and yesterday's historic trip to slave revolts in ancient Rome (Spartacus) had me forced to finally write about these three movies (as one of my new year's resolutions was to write about each of the book's movies I'd watch).

Lolita (1962)

„[KUBRICK] MANAGES TO DELIVER A PICTURE EXACTLY AS EROTIC, ABSURD, OBSESSIVE, ERUDITE, AND LOW-COMIC AS THE BOOK.“            

Happy New Month: Films of December 2012

2012 is coming to an end, but I still don't have the feeling that it is...

I was just browsing through all the posts I wrote this year... it was definitely a good year. One of the best years ever. A beautiful year with many wonderful journeys, some new friends, a lot of great new art (movies, books etc.). 

And also blogging-wise, I think it was successful. There were of course times when I had to go on hiatus for a while, I even seriously considered closing the blog but then... I just couldn't. This is the only place where I can express myself without boundaries, writing-wise. Well, except for that novel I'm working - yeah, I said it. It was meant to be a secret but then I though I might as well share it with you... I don't know what the outcome is going to be, but I hope to write about two pages everyday from now on. That would mean the novel would be finished in about three months - I guess.

It's funny you know... just when I was thinking of letting go of that pressure to write something "big" (meaning "long(er)"), just waiting for the right feeling to come on a sports game (Murakami) or on the train (Rowling), the idea just came right out of nowhere. 

But enough about that... let's just see what the future will bring, shall we.

And until then, let's talk about movies.

WATCHED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

200 Motels (1971) Tony Palmer, Frank Zappa - USA

I really don't wanna know how many drugs went into the production of this movie... but at least now I have a quite exact idea of what it's like to be stoned. Watch it if you want something completely confusing and ridiculous.

5.0

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

Emma Watson playing Sam in

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

playing Susan Sarandon playing Janet in

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

So, what is this post all about? That's a good question.

I think what made me write the above and find the above picture was a vague feeling of "I need to write about a great movie". And I honestly think that The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the best movies I've ever seen. As usually, those are the movies I find it hardest to write about (coughDrivecough).

Why do I mention Perks again here, then? Obviously, as those who have seen the movie know, there is a strong connection between the two movies, as the gang from Perks are big fans of Rocky Horror and make a kind of show of the movie. And without Perks, I'd probably never have seen Rocky Horror... or I guess I would, but not that soon.

Another connection between the two are the soundtracks. What lingered with me after both movies were the songs, the melodies that made my heart jump and dance with joy. Bowie's "Heroes", The Smiths's "Asleep", and that one special line; "Don't dream it, be it". 

I often find myself day-dreaming about it, ironically. Although I don't think it's about not-dreaming, but about doing what you want, not what others want - like Janet and Brad, who are probably just what their parents and society wants them to be in the beginning. 

The message therefore also resembles that of Perks in many ways - don't dream it, be it. Be what you want to be. If you want to be a dreamer, be it, if you want to write, write, if you want to be gay, be gay.

So, two paragraphs and I think I've written all there is to write. But perhaps there's nothing more to be written. Perhaps all you can do is to get out (of here) and just watch the movies. 

Kind of "Just do it". (Another of my favourite mottos).

The Cate Blanchett Essentials, #1 / 5

Here it is now, the pompous piece that closes the chapter of The Cate Blanchett Essentials and deserves its position entirely.

Elizabeth (1998) Shekhar Kapur

IMDB: 7.5 - RT: 82/85

The reason

„There are countless reasons: Indian director, Cate's breakthrough, acclamation, period drama and so on. I should have seen this one a long time ago.“

Happy New Month: Films of November 2012

Yes, I'm still here. 

Hope you didn't miss me too much, but it's going to continue almost like this for a while. I'll try and write a little more, but I can't promise anything.

Good news is I'm getting back into my film-watching mood/ mode, which really satisfies me more than I would have thought. So even though I don't write much, I do watch more again.

I'm also in SUPER-CHRISTMAS-MOOD/ MODE!

Here's a song for the christmas mood - can't get it out of my head. Need to see Top Hat really soon.

And a video of the christmas choir I'm in, it's from last week. I think we're getting really good. (It's a danish/ scandinavian tradition that girls sing at christmas, with the white dresses and the lights).

Rediscovering the amazing feeling of having watched something new and great

FISH TANK

THE FILM THAT BROUGHT SOMETHING BACK TO ME

„You know that thing when you see someone cute and he smiles and your heart kind of goes like warm butter sliding down hot toast? Well that's what it's like when I see a store [good movie]. Only it's better.“

- My version of the famous quote from Confessions of a Shopaholic 

Re-watching is essential to the art of movie-loving. I wrote about this (The Magic of Re-watching) a few weeks ago, when I realized that I needed to re-watch some movies in order to fully understand my feelings for them. Or just to maintain or re-aflame my connection to them.

However, after having re-watched not-so-few movies these last days and weeks - especially all Harry Potter films - I had the feeling I was losing interest in watching new and unknown films. After all, how can you be sure to like them? How can you be sure not to be bored? How can you be sure you won't be wasting your time? Well, you can't. You can be disappointed.

BUT the possibility of you becoming enlightened, wiser and also entertained, is probably just as high. So it's a 50/ 50 chance. I figured this out, however I still couldn't bring myself to watch many new movies, except from two Indian ones I didn't really like that much. This caused me to stick with season three of True Blood. But you know, there's probably someone out there or up there who knows there's still a movie enthusiast inside me, someone who's craving more and more, new, raw movie meat.

This monster inside me then realized there was still a copy of that Fish Tank on my DVD shelf.

Fish Tank is pretty much the film my monster had been waiting for. After it had seduced me to watch it: "Don't be one of those series junkies. - Just a bite, it's not gonna hurt you!", it knew it had won. I was on the hook, once again. And I still am. 

Watching the film was in itself a great experience, because I didn't know what was going to happen and there were many unusual twists, characters and so on, and it was challenging. But the main thing that convinced me and truly got me on the hook was today, the day after watching the movie. It's the pictures, dialogues and also questions that pop into my head every now and then - actually quite often - that remind me of what it's like to have that amazing feeling of having watched something new and great.

How could I miss this for such a long time? I know I didn't have many spare hours and also I re-watched Harry Potter which was an amazing event, and I watched a very interesting series, but how could I be so unwilling to see new films? 

Perhaps it's got to do with the saying that you only truly value what you had when you don't have it anymore. Could be that inside I knew this and therefore was keeping away from the movie meat. Anyhow, I am super glad to have learned my lesson and excited to get back to movie wonderland. 

Although I am gonna have to watch season four of True Blood too, somewhere in between. But that's not going to change things at all. 

I'm back!

(Ahem, this should not be related to the blogging situation. But it might count as I'm probably going to see some great movies again which will inspire me to stay up late and write about them...?).

Happy New Month: Films of October 2012

A while back, I read a book about a woman who thought that most of the time, less is more. Last month, I applied Coco Chanel's mantra to my movie watching habit.

I already wrote about the things I thought about last month, and my blogging plans for the future, so if you haven't read that yet, please do so. Also, happy birthday to the Large Association of Movie Blogs.

Here's a great tune to listen to while you read about the films I watched last month: 

The Thieving Magpie Abridged.

WATCHED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

Creep (2004) Christopher Smith - United Kingdom/ Germany

Happy New Month: Films of September 2012

The new month starts with an announcement: I will take a break from blogging for a few weeks. 

It's all going great at the time with statistic records, lovely comments and all that jazz. I want to thank you, as always, for joining the discussion of the amazing art of film, for you recommendations, criticism and everything else. My writing, I think, is getting better and better and I have written many things that I'm actually quite proud of. And I'm having fun doing it.

The reason why I want to take a break now, isn't because I want to stop doing what I love - writing - but because I want to do even more of it. I don't want to tell you too much, but I have a little project going on at the time and I would like to devote some more time to it. 

You might now that it's Lime Reviews' 2nd anniversary this month, the 22nd October. Of course I'll celebrate this a little, and update my 100 Favourite Films list some time. But otherwise I'll spend my fall holidays writing about something else than movie - and going to London, which is so great! I have a list of London-based movies I would like to watch, and I've already seen two of them, so at some time I will post something about these movies and my experience. 

Getting back to last month's movie experience: it has been a great month for movies. Especially my Journey to Wes Anderson Land has been a wonderful experience, and the first of its kind to me.

Here's what I've watched...

WATCHED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

A Clockwork Orange (1971) Stanley Kubrick - USA/ UK