Movie Review & Listings - Dark Days at Hogwarts

As the Harry Potter series builds to the final chapter, one can’t help but admire the consistency of the series. While some chapters have been better than others (my favorites are The Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire), the stories have been solid throughout. In addition, the wise decision to keep the cast intact has provided another layer of consistency that has perhaps never been matched in the history of cinema for a series this long.

This preamble brings us to the latest chapter, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Like the previous movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, this chapter is designed to hold the storyline in place while we wait for the ultimate good vs. evil confrontation that comes with the two-part finale.

Instead of a direct confrontation with the evil represented by the dark lord Voldemort in this episode, his presence lurks in the shadows of history.

Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) gives Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) a secret assignment. He must become friends with Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), newly reinstated as a teacher at Hogwarts. Many years earlier Slughorn befriended Tom Riddle (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin), the young wizard who becomes spellbound by the dark side and eventually grows up to be the dark lord. Slughorn knows a crucial piece of the riddle, and Harry must convince him to reveal his knowledge. Also lurking about are Voldemort’s minions Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and Narcissa Malfoy (Helen McCrory), who are assisting in the dark side education of longtime Potter nemesis Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton).

There is also the mystery of the Half-Blood Prince. The title comes from an old book of potions that Harry finds. In the margin is the notation, “The property of the Half-Blood Prince.”

While darkness surrounds the events at Hogwarts, it is not all gloom and doom. These are still teenagers, after all, and raging hormones take Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) into new romantic relationships.

Quidditch is also back on the menu, providing a moment for Ron to shine.

The performances are solid as always, with the excellent addition of Broadbent to the Potter party. Alan Rickman continues his edgy contribution as Professor Snape and Gambon’s Dumbledore takes center stage in this chapter, which ups the emotional connection considerably. My only regret is that Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) is a minor supporting player in this chapter.

While not as spellbinding as some earlier incarnations of life at Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince provides crucial connective tissue to the big finish coming down the road.

Harry Potter and  the Half-Blood Prince **1/2
Directed by David Yates; rated PG

OPENING THIS WEEK

G-Force 3D Guinea pigs are super spies in this CGI kids flick.

The Hurt Locker Director Kathryn Bigelow tries to overcome the Iraq war movie box office jinx with this acclaimed drama about a bomb removal unit in Baghdad. Stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes.

Orphan A psychological horror film about a bad seed orphan who wrecks havoc on the family that takes her into their lives. Stars Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman and CCH Pounder.

The Ugly Truth A rom-com starring Gerard Butler as a TV personality whose male chauvinist pig attitude drives his producer (Katherine Heigl) nuts. Romance blooms anyway.

NOW SHOWING

Away We Go Directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty) from an original screenplay by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, this funny and heartfelt film follows the journey of an expectant couple, plays by SNL’s Maya Rudolph and The Office’s John Krasinski.

Brüno I liked Brüno … I really liked it. It’s as silly and stupid and cringe-worthy as Sacha Baron Cohen’s previous mockumentary, Borat, which I detested. Why the difference in my reaction? One never really knows when one’s funny bone will be activated. I liked The Hangover as well. Does that mean I would now suddenly laugh my ass off if I came across Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy while channel surfing? I don’t think so. As I sat trying to figure out why it was funny, one thought stood out. To a woman, gay humor isn’t as vicious as macho guy humor that sees women as the enemy. In addition, making fun of the obsession with becoming a celebrity without any talent to justify that quest, is a topic that today’s cultural landscape needs desperately. This is S.B. Cohen, so of course it goes over the top (Brüno wants to be the biggest Austrian celebrity since Hitler). It is rude and ridiculous and outrageous and stupid, and I’m sure there are plenty of people who will find it offensive. This time around, however, I was not one of them. I was too busy laughing. ***

The Hangover While it lacks the bite of Peter Berg’s hilarious hedonistic nightmare Very Bad Things, this slightly amusing romp about a bunch of suburban nice guys who travel to Vegas for a wild night of debauchery, before one of them, Doug (Justin Bartha), gets hitched has its moments of absolute hilarity. Topping the laugh list is the bride’s loser brother Alan (Zach Galifianakis), who has an entire tool box full of screws loose. While I’ll give director Phillips and screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore credit for going easy with the scatological humor that tends to dominate “wild night out” comedies, this movie is too soft and fuzzy while presenting behavior that should have dire consequences. These guys didn’t accidentally kill a hooker and cover it up, the premise of Berg’s Very Bad Things. However, when you add up marrying a hooker (played by wonderful Heather Graham), borrowing something without permission from Mike Tyson (who is very funny in a supporting role), stealing $80K from an Asian gangster and stealing a police car, escaping with a bad sunburn, a missing tooth and a black eye is an exceedingly light sentence. Yes, it’s a comedy and comedies tend to sweep logic aside in the name of laughs, but the best comedies manage to do both: earn laughs and place those laughs in the realm of real life truth and consequences. The performances are solid, with a special nod to the droll buffoonery of Galifianakis. As is the style these days in movies, The Hangover features an epilogue as the credits roll, featuring snapshots that fill in the memory gaps for this “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” adventure. Be sure to stick around for those credits since they provide half of the movie’s best laughs. **½

Moon Sam Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, the man on the moon, an astronaut in charge of a space station whose only companion is his robot assistant GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). As his tour is about to end he starts seeing visions as his isolation from human contact takes its toll. The second film by Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie, who was once known as Zowie Bowie.

My Sister’s Keeper This is a made-for-TV movie that rates space in the multi-plex thanks to the casting of the latest superstar kid actor, Abigail Breslin, and Cameron Diaz. However, the real star of the show is Sofia Vassilieva, the talented kid from TV’s Medium as Kate, the teenage daughter with leukemia. Breslin is Anna, the younger daughter, who was conceived to be a donor match for her sister and has been giving up body fluids as needed ever since. Anna is suing her parents so they can’t use her for spare body parts any longer. There is also an older brother (played by CSI Miami’s Evan Ellington), who is around just to show us that nobody in the family ever even thinks about him. Director Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook), who also co-wrote the screenplay, has some interesting points to make about how dealing with a sick child can turn even the strongest family into a dysfunctional mess. He also tries to keep us at arm’s length and not turn this into a by-the-book tearjerker. Problem is, when you are showing us a child who has been dying for a decade, and the strong-willed mother who refuses to let go, it is guaranteed to make you cry. The acting is excellent, but My Sister’s Keeper doesn’t provides anything more than the standard TV movie on the subject.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Ben Stiller returns for more fun and games at a new museum with old pals from history (Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt), plus a few new friends that come to life when the sun goes down. With Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria and Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart. Adams is a delight as the famous aviator but that’s not enough to keep this movie from being a typical sequel: a retread that retraces what was funny in the first film but isn’t anymore since the surprise and delight of discovery is gone. **

The Proposal Yes, this is a cookie cutter rom-com, but despite my critical instincts screaming at me that I didn’t need these empty calories, I was eating the whole cookie and liking it. The movie sends in nearly all the clichés from the romantic comedy playbook — marriage of convenience, opposites attract, bitch boss from hell, city girl/fish out of water setting (Alaska), wacky family dynamics, gorgeous and sweet ex-girlfriend waiting in the wings — but it earns a ton of laughs as it travels this well-worn romantic path. It’s the casting that makes the clichés palatable. Sandra Bullock is still a champ when it comes to physical comedy, and Ryan Reynolds has been a star on the rise since his breakout turn in Definitely, Maybe last year. When you toss hilarious Betty White into the mix as the sly grandma, plus Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson as the parents of the groom-to-be and scene-stealing Oscar Nuñez as the exotic dancer from hell, The Proposal doesn’t give you much time to contemplate the massive mound of clichés the cast is slogging through to find those laughs. Director Anne Fletcher, a choreographer who has found a home in the rom-com genre (she also did 27 Dresses), has a nice feel for both physical comedy (her dance background helps there), and finding those sweet moments of romantic revelation that must be believable to keep the house of clichés from collapsing. A couple of highlights include Margaret saving and then offering a puppy back to a swooping eagle in exchange for the cell phone in the bird’s claws, and the already famous accidental nude scene. Still, leave it to Betty White to pull off the biggest laughs for her “Easter egg hunt” looking for Bullock’s boobs during a wedding dress fitting, and several other moments that I won’t spoil by recounting here. The Proposal is the “female laughs” counterpart to The Hangover, and, like that film, there are plenty of crossover laughs for the opposite sex. **½

Public Enemies Michael Mann’s Public Enemies is so emotionally cool despite a sizzling topic — the life and times of Depression-era gangster John Dillinger — I thought of two movies about the same era, Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde and Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables. The former explores a life of crime from the emotionally and psychologically driven point of view of the bank robbers, seeing them as anti-heroes. De Palma’s movie makes sure the gangsters are seen as vicious killers while providing an emotional connection to the heroic lawmen determined to bring down Al Capone. In essence the movies make us take sides. Mann wants to stay neutral in Public Enemies. That neutrality sucks the life out of his story. The closest we get to a real emotional connection comes at the beginning of the movie while we watch Dillinger (Johnny Depp) help break his mentor, Walter Dietrich (James Russo), out of prison only to have him die during the getaway — and later when Dillinger falls in love with Billie Frechette (Oscar winner Marion Cotillard). Without much character detail, the movie feels like a series of mildly interesting set pieces — one moment full of elegantly dressed swells at a high-tone restaurant or nightclub, a moment later, screaming Tommy guns roaring in the night.

We learn almost nothing about Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) except that he is a straight arrow who believes in upholding the law. He also can’t stand his boss, the politically savvy, ruthless and power hungry J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup). Mann manages to give us hints of the direction Hoover would take law enforcement as an intriguing sidebar to what is supposed to be the main event in Public Enemies, the capture of Dillinger by Purvis. The performances are hindered by the lack of character detail with the notable exception of Crudup, who reeks of ambition. We don’t get a feel for any of Dillinger’s cohorts in crime or Purvis’ fellow G-men. Bale hardly registers at all, while Depp has a few solid scenes that spark to life, only to have the spark fail to ignite a consistent interest in the story. Considering the current economic climate, an audience would love to cheer on bankers getting what they deserve, but Public Enemies fails to give us much to cheer about. **

Star Trek J.J. Abrams has delivered a beautifully calibrated new Star Trek, balancing the expectations of obsessive longtime Trekkies with a slam bang action picture that is entertaining the newer generations of sci-fi fans. Beam me up, Scotty, this Trek rocks. Thanks to Fringe screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman — who either loved the original series or took courses in advanced Kirk/Spock psychology, Vulcanology and Space-Time Continuum 101 — the characters crackle with just enough familiar characteristics to be identifiable as youthful versions of our beloved space cowboys. The whole development of the Spock/Kirk rivalry/friendship is logical and enlightening. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto inhabit the Trek universe with a delightful swagger that blends the old and the new into an enchanting hybrid. As might be expected from the creator of Lost, Abrams has his own unique pretzel logic when it comes to playing the space-time continuum card. It’s not always logical, but if Star Trek has taught us anything over the decades it is to just sit back and enjoy the ride. ***½

Taking of Pelham 123 The Taking of Pelham 123, a remake of a 1974 thriller starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, is a solid action flick. However, with Denzel Washington in the Matthau role, John Travolta as the brains behind a subway car hijacking for ransom and Tony Scott directing, it probably should have been better than average. The film does a terrific job of updating the material for our modern world but beyond that, you could plug in any name actors in the roles and get the same result. Beautifully modernized, yes, but in this modern era, there isn’t anyone who can provide the deadpan style of Matthau and I missed that. **

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen This movie is heavy-metal junk food for CGI gearheads. I can’t imagine that the most forgiving Transformer fan found this sequel to be much more than a WWE smackdown featuring a bunch of big robots, with a bunch of smaller robots around for comic relief. T2 also features a disturbing slice of racism on the side with two Transformers whose jive talk sounded like leftover dialogue from a blaxploitation movie from the 1970s. Did screenwriters learn nothing from the Jar Jar Binks disaster? I suppose technically there’s a plot, but Sam (Shia LaBeouf) spits out the plot points so fast, it’s impossible to keep up. I still don’t understand why we see soldiers involved in this fight (led by Josh Duhamal and Tyrese Gibson) since they can’t do anything to stop the Transformers anyway. They are just on hand to be blown up, except of course for Megan Fox. She is there to look gorgeous. And, really, director Michael Bay, did the movie have to be more than two hours … again? As I noted in my 2007 review of the first movie, “The running time could have been trimmed by 30 minutes, to make my stay in the multi-plex less stressful — my silliness meter goes haywire after two hours.” H

Up This is a film that lives up to its title, a tale of friendship, love, courage, ingenuity — and hilarious talking dogs. The central characters are 78-year-old curmudgeon Carl Fredericksen (voiced by Ed Asner) and eight-year-old Russell (Jordan Nagai). Through a series of events they become adventurers together when Carl attaches thousands of balloons to his home and literally rips his quaint old house off its moorings, sending it skyward. Using this fanciful “soaring upwards towards your dream” premise as the central hub, co-director Peter Docter (Wall-E; Monsters, Inc.) and Bob Peterson (Monsters, Inc.; Finding Nemo), provide an emotionally appealing story that champions respect for the elderly, a beautiful love story (told in four exquisite minutes) and a terrific new friendship. To keep the under-10 set entranced, there are several uproarious confrontations between these new pals and the wild and crazy talking dogs, whose antics will create peals of laughter. Up is a beautifully balanced effort that will take you up, up and away on its beautiful balloons. ***½

Under the Sea 3D This release makes full use of the IMAX format, revealing the beauty of the underwater world. Narrated by Jim Carrey, it might be the best 3D film of this type, with remarkable footage of extraordinary creatures that live near coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean. The most fascinating critters for me were the lovely Sea Dragons and the adorably ugly rock fish. The soundtrack also adds to the fun; Jim Carrey uses his best “National Geographic” voice. ****

Whatever Works I loved Woody Allen’s movies for decades, but for the last 20 years my love affair with the Woodman has faded, eroded by constant repetition of the same themes. Some loved his trip across the pond making films in Europe. I didn’t. Now, he is back in Manhattan with his new film Whatever Works. Larry David is playing the Woody Allen role, the bleak, suicidal Boris who has anxiety attacks about death, talks to the audience and then falls in love with a teenage runaway (Evan Rachel Wood). The film has a few good laughs, and Patricia Clarkson is terrific as the runaway’s mother, but we’ve seen it all before — and much better — in Allen’s glory years. **

Movie Listings
Thurs., July 23 – Thurs. July 30

FRANK THEATRES TOWNE STADIUM
SHORE MALL, EHT. • 646-4700

G-FORCE 3D (PG) 11, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
G-FORCE (PG) 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30
ORPHAN (R) 11:45, 12:15, 2:15, 2:45, 4:45, 5:15, 7:15, 7:45, 9:45, 10:15
THE UGLY TRUTH (R) 11:50, 1:50, 3:50, 5:50, 7:50, 9:50
TETRO (NR) 2:05, 5:20
I LOVE YOU BETH COOPER (PG13) 11:05, 7:30, 10:05
MOON (R) 11:45, 3:45, 7:50, 9:55
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (PG) 11:15, 1:15, 1:45, 3:15, 5:15, 5:45, 7:15, 9:15
TRANSFORMERS 2 (PG13)12, 1, 3:15, 4, 6:15, 7, 9:30, 10
BRUNO (R) 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10:10
UP (PG) 10:45, 3:05, 7:25
AWAY WE GO (R) 12:45, 5:20, 9:45
THE HANGOVER (R) 10:45,11:15, 12:50, 1:25, 3, 3:30, 5:10, 5:45, 7:20, 8, 9:30,10:15
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 (R) 12:55, 7:45, 9:50
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 (PG) 10:50, 3:10, 5:25

IMAX THEATRE AT THE TROP
BRIGHTON & ATLANTIC AVES., A.C. • 1-888-505-1435 EXT. 7321

UNDER THE SEA 3D (G) 3
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (PG13) FRI.-TUES. 12, 4, 7, 10
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE 3D (PG) OPENS TUES. MID; WED. JULY 29-SEPT. 6: 12, 4, 7, 10

TILTON 9 THEATRE
TILTON SHOPPING CTR., NORTHFIELD • 646-3147

THE HURT LOCKER (R) 12, 2:35, 5:10, 7:35, 10
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE (PG)12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5:15, 6, 7, 8:15, 9, 10
PUBLIC ENEMIES (R) 1, 4, 5:30, 7, 8:15, 9:45
WHATEVER WORKS (PG13) 12, 1:55, 3:50, 5:45, 7:40, 9:35
MY SISTER’S KEEPER (PG13) 12, 2:15, 4:30
THE PROPOSAL (PG13) 12, 1, 2:25, 3:15, 4:40, 7, 9:10
ANGELS & DEMONS (PG13) 7:20, 10

REGAL HAMILTON COMMONS
BLACK HORSE PIKE, HAMILTON TWP. • 677-1949

G-FORCE (PG) 12, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 9:50
G-FORCE 3D (PG) 11:30, 2, 4:30, 7, 9:20
ORPHAN (R) 1, 4, 7:20, 10:20
THE UGLY TRUTH (R) 12:30, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:40
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE (PG) 12:20, 12:50, 1:20, 3:40, 4:10, 4:40, 6:40, 7:10, 7:40, 8:10, 10, 10:30, 11
BRUNO (R) (SOME SHOWS OPEN CAPTIONED) 12:40, 3:15, 5:30, 8, 10:25
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (PG) 11:40, 2:20, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40
PUBLIC ENEMIES (R) 12:15, 3:20, 6:30, 9:30
MY SISTER’S KEEPER (PG13) 11:50, 3:10
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (PG13) 12:10, 3:30, 6:50, 10:10
THE PROPOSAL (PG13) 1:10, 4:20, 6:55, 9:45
THE HANGOVER (R) 12:35, 3, 5:40, 8:20, 10:50

FRANK THEATRES MOORLYN 4
MOORLYN TERRACE & BOARDWALK, OCEAN CITY • 399-0006 • *IF

THE UGLY TRUTH (R) 11*, 1:10, 3:20, 5:20, 7:30, 9:50
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE (PG) 10*, 1, 4, 7, 10
ORPHAN (R) 10:45*, 1:40, 4:35, 7:40, 10:10
PUBLIC ENEMIES (R) 11:15*, 5:30
BRUNO (R) 3:30, 8:15, 10:15

FRANK THEATRES STRAND 5
9TH ST. & BOARDWALK, OCEAN CITY • 398-6565 • *IF RAIN

G-FORCE (PG) 11*, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE (PG) 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (PG) 11:30*, 1:20, 3:10, 5:10, 7:10, 9:20
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (PG13) 12:20, 5:10
THE HANGOVER (R)3:10, 8, 10
THE PROPOSAL (PG13) 11:10*, 1:10, 3:20, 5:30, 7:40, 9:50

DELSEA DRIVE IN
VINELAND. • 1-856-696-0011 • DOUBLE FEATURES WED.-SUN.

SCREEN ONE:
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (PG) 8:35;
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE (PG) 10:15
SCREEN TWO:
G-FORCE (PG) 8:30;
THE PROPOSAL (PG13) 10:20