The Fifth Harry Potter Movie (and book number 7)

Every time a Harry Potter movie hits the theaters, along with the usual fan following uprising, I would take my mother to see the films for a Mother’s Day gift.

Harry is getting in the news, soon to plow into print with the final and most awaited installment of the seven part series called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He’s like a magician with hat and wand. You see him everywhere. And Oshkosh will be having its own Hogwarts celebration too.

A new book. A new movie. Everyone must be in Hogwart heaven now.

Harry is getting older. The children don’t look cute anymore, all grown up. There isn’t much of the innocence left that seemed to color the first two films. But the thing is, I’m seem to be enjoying the films more with every outing. Especially in this film entitled the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

My mother, on the other hand, isn’t liking the films anymore. Perhaps they’re too dark for her liking.

But it’s all high sailing on broomsticks for me. I prefer the dungeon-like moods that is pervasive to the story like an uncoming storm, with the greatest of the blackest sorcerers is coming back slowly. His presence is now felt. It’s no longer a child-like fairy tale now. Harry is now dealing with the big boys of magic.

That means those characters with greater magical powers are having bigger roles. The headmaster Dumbledorf. The swashbuckler rogue uncle Sirius Black. They’re stepping more into the forefront. There are often glimpses of Voldermort who invades the magical world like a snake tearing into the garden of Eden.

Even Harry himself has stepped up to the plate to teach several students the routine of magic spells. He has become his own person. With thoughts and feelings like any other person. Even feelings of love. Which would eventually become destructive.

Nothing is safe anymore.

That includes Harry who is being partially controlled by the dark magician himself… terrible thoughts lurking in dreams and thoughts. But he is not a puppet. He does break away from the lord’s influence at the near cost of his own sanity.

But he still carries the guilt that has tainted his family. There has always been the heaviest darkness hanging in the shadows of his family roots.

I must add that Gary Oldman’s performance as Sirius Black is a great one. He has a sentimental side to him not explored before here. He becomes closer to his nephew Harry, shows signs of adoration for his kin. He loves his nephew. Like a surrogate father should. He is an adopted family.

Which makes his own fate all the more sadder. As we are left to believe Sirius Black is no longer with the magic world as he is pulled into some sort of portal. Seemingly leading to a ghostly darkness.

There is a slippery unease in the air. A great feeling of isolation seems to crowd Harry’s life. The darker side of life is pulling at him from all directions. The tense conspiracy flickers in the school of learned magic. Nothing is trustworthy anymore.

Not even the first kiss Harry has with the lovely Cho, a fellow magic scribe. His love for others is being tested.

The other performances are fine. People are still in their character form. Even the smaller characters have roles to play. And there is an army of magicians brewing on both sides. Harry will no doubt lead the forces of good. While the shadowy kingdom continues to reach out like a disease. Everything seems to break out like a battlefield. The lesser known characters in the films are getting more interesting.

Yes, Harry does have a lot of friends at his school. There may be sacrifices in the next two films. There’s a lot of investment before the ending is to be revealed. Falling into an emotional whirlwind.

This has to be one of the hardest books to translate as it is 900 plus pages long. But the film does a pretty good job of not complicating the overwhelming plot. We’re still in for a witch’s flight yet.

But at the time of this writing, the city of Oshkosh is turning into a magical wonder over the weekend as it is transformed, physically, into the world of Harry Potter. With magicians and spells breaking out in colors. Decorative treats will hang in the Main Street area that will caught the attention of those who might be blissfully unaware of the celebration.

If you’re driving passed the Main Street areas, do take a look at the local folks doing their part to augment one of the most successful movie and book franchise. The idea was endorsed by the Apple Blossom’s bookstore manager Candy Pearson who has a fondness for the books. Not just kids like them. Adults too.

What of the author J.K. Rowling of the Harry Potter books? Will she simply disappear like a magician retiring off the royalties of her endearing characters? Or perhaps there might be life after the Harry Potter book number seven comes out now that everything will come to a fated end?

The Cat's Meow

Horror, at its plainest, triggers an emotional symptom people like to call fear. Even in the cradle of humanity, man used to look up the stars with little understanding. As he is frightened by the searing lights in the dark skies. He doesn’t have the weapon of reason to conquer those dreadful feelings.

In some ways, in modern periods, man still has much to learn about the hunger of fear. It paralyzes a human being, brings him to his knees before the black cloud of fate. The only comfort he seeks can be insanity.

Which brings us to the latest episode of Masters of Horror called The Black Cat based off of Edgar Allan Poe.

I have always been a big fan of Poe, having immense admiration of for his excellent prose. I like his short stories far better than his poetry, though part of it is due to the interest of the macabre. As a writer of horror stories myself, I owe my debt to him with a knowing nod. I also managed to see his lowly cottage tucked away in the Bronx area during a visit to New York City during a rainy week in October.

I was met with a curator in the museum piece that was the Poe cottage, looking very much like the old horror scribe with his thick mustache and wavy hair. I could almost mistake him for the actual writer himself.

I can say the same thing about Jeffrey Combs who fits the part of playing Poe in The Black Cat. It’s hard to get over how much he looks like the writer. Combs is one of this generation of horror actors who returns to the field of the macabre to stretch his acting skills. He’s well utilized in this particular episode as he drowns himself in drunken stupors, winces at every shadow that jumps at him.

You might’ve seen Combs in other horror films such as the Re-Animator and From Beyond from the 1980s, both of them excursions into H.P. Lovecraft territory… another writer who is considered one of the horror fiction greats. But here in the Black Cat story Combs is able to explore psychological downfall of a man who has stepped off the ledge of sanity. And into whatever waits for him in the abyss.

This story is tremendous in 1800s period details and searches the fragile relationship between Poe and his dying wife Virginia played wonderfully by Elyse Levesque. He is already a weakened man. He is a drunk, he gambles. He shirks at the ignorance of people who does not appreciate artistry. “Are you a literary man?” he often asks. He finds the cemetery silence of empty streets to be a soothing thing for him as he staggers home in a drunken heap.

But the focus of the story is the black cat. The feline beast that utters a distressful shriek every time the author comes near him. And this creature, like a dark ball of terror, spurs the author into what could be the destruction of his sanity… or one of his greatest inspirations for writing the well known story The Black Cat.

It’s great to see how the author’s mind draws a blank until he finally gets to write down the title of the story on the black page. In inky penmanship.

There are definitely some grotesque portions of the story. What good would be a horror story without heartless violence nagging at the reader? There are plenty of scenes not for the squeamish. Especially if the viewer is a cat lover.

A few howlers about how the author jabs, kicks and hangs the cat up out of sheer anger. The cat drives him to the nutter house in the process. There’s a grisly scene with the man snapping the cat’s left eye out with a penknife and later steps on it like it was a grape. If you have a sick sense of humor like I do, you’ll laugh your head off. Others beware.

Of course, there’s tons of blood and blood mostly having to do with the wife’s sickness. There’s a sea of redness, splashing like tidal waves, that paints some of the horrifying scenes of his wife going down a beaten path to final oblivion.

And the little bloodsucking cat is there stealing her breath away like a four legged vampire.

There’s plenty of sharp direction from Stuart Gordon who is good enough to give us a foray into Poe territory with his immutable style, unflinching interest in grand grand guignol and driving a story mostly on psychological terror. It’s one of his best efforts. And it’s a very cool thing for him to take a break from his familiar territory of Lovecraft to do something based on Poe. A worthy attempt by the director. And it’s a real treat for horror fans everywhere.

This one is one of the best in the series. The acting, directing and story are all on top of the line. Horror has rarely been this good. A literary triumph for the careful adaptation of a most beloved Poe story.

Transform and roll out!

Most folks celebrate their Fourth of July with fireworks and sparklers. Adding a little snap to to the city streets.

I celebrated my fourth by watching the Transformers movie. Caught an early Matinee showing. It’s flooded with loud booms and plenty of sparks. But equally fun.

Yeah, so I’m a geek when it comes to seeing old cartoon favorites made into big, loudmouthed action packed flicks. But this one has heart to it.

If the fact that hearing once again the original voice of Peter Cullen, who did Optimus Prime in the old series, doesn’t lift your spirit, then you must have had a pretty sad childhood life.

A childhood without the Transformers? Unthinkable.

During the height of the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan was raiding the presidency with his idiotic trickle-down economics, I was glued to the TV screen watching strange alien robots shifting shape in what was known as Transformers. Just like almost any other kid my age. That was the highlight of the decade.

Not unless you were a boring kid who liked bean sprouts.

I admit never buying the original Hasbro toy-line that brought out the series of Transformers. But I did enjoy the cartoon like any young boy did. Those older, better toys are now worth a king’s ransom. If you kept your old toys in the boxes and never played them, then you’re a rich man.

But it’s not about money or the toys. It’s about nostalgia.

Which brings us to the Transformers movie.

The film, for the most part, is eye candy to be sure. It is filled with loud sounds and plenty of special effects for three different films. But it captures the heart of the old cartoon series. There are a lot of good, funny moments which sets it aside from the other summer action, blow-them-up, smash-them flicks.

The best summer movie.

Period.

Plenty character development between the human characters fuels the film, which reminds you of the approach made in Godzilla movies. It wouldn’t be a good monster movie if you didn’t care about the people in it.

But Transformers isn’t about a monster. It’s about giant-sized robots stirring from an alien world, bringing with them an age-old classic conflict of good vs. evil. Earth has become their battlefield. And, like any other war, there are casualties. They are ancient soldiers made of metal.

On the human side, I enjoyed the splitting up the stories between several different major characters, some in Iraq, another in the United States. It is these layers of stories that help make the story. I really enjoyed the character of Shia LaBeouf who is a cocky, smart-ass kid who always has a nice punch-line in dangerous situations. He uses his wits in the face of trouble. And trouble does follow him around like a puppy.

He ends up buying a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro from a local auto dealer, finds out that the four-wheeler is, in fact, an alien robot that is part of a never-ending war. He wanted to get a car only so he could get a woman and itches to lose his virginity. Much like most guys his age.

He gets more than what he bargains for.

The young boy is thrown into a massive struggle between robots who want to preserve or dominate the human race. Their forces collide with a solid, in-your-face metal mash. Perfect for the Transformers movie. I couldn’t have asked for more. Except for a huge box of popcorn to eat out of while I sit entranced.

Once again, I became that thirteen-year-old kid who followed the old cartoon saga of the good and bad. It’s an easy enough concept that anyone can enjoy.

I also liked the scenes set in the Middle East where the American soldiers find out the deep-seated secrets of the robot creatures who are bent on taking over the world. That was a very good storyline which rounds up nicely with the kid’s own backstory.

The parts with the leader of the good guys, Optimus Prime, are awesome. He’s a fierce fighter. He has courage and charisma like any other good hero. And it wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t have Cullen reprising his role as the two-fisted fighting hero turning into the semi truck with a road rampage.

The fight scene on the super highway with Prime is great especially when he delivers a double-decker sucker punch into the bad guy. Yeah! I was a kid again.

Call me childish. Call me stupid.

I don’t care. It’s the simple fact that I was feeling like a kid makes all the difference in the world. Not even George Lucas was able to pull that off with his Star Wars films of recent memory.

The director Michael Bay was able to make good on his promise on creating a good movie flick based on a cartoon series. The film doesn’t feel rushed. There’s enough development to make another movie, which seems to be the intention. Thankfully producer Steven Spielberg was there to make sure that the film was done properly without alienating old fans. While bringing in the new.

Most importantly, they kept the familiar sound when the robots changed their appearances. That sends another thrill for the old fans.

The action was A-plus. And I left the theatres feeling pretty good about the film. I wasn’t mad or anything.

The 1980s. You were either that kid lost in that world of the Transformers. Or that other kid munching on broccoli. That’s what Transformers were all about. It was the essence of cool.

Go ahead. Take your pick. Either the Autobots or the Decepticons. Which side are you on?

The End of Who for now....

The third’s the charm as the saying goes.

It could be true for the Doctor Who third season which reaches a conclusion during the last weekend. The final episode aptly titled “Last of the Time-Lords” have garnered a startling 88 percent appreciation figures making it one of the most watched TV shows for Saturday evening.

Not surprising. Since the Doctor Who series is part of the popular culture in England.

For the most part, gaining respectable figures, the series did very well in its storylines that could have proved to be too convoluted… if the story arcs become too complex, it bogs down the rest of the dialogue. But this isn’t the case here. The story arcs, concerning the return of the certain arch nemesis, reached a satisfying ending.

The Master.

Played to the hilt by John Simm who can be also seen in Life on Mars. But here, he plays a maniacal and not-so-nice guy. You couldn’t help but hate the guy.

Even if he had his flaws.

I have to give credit for Russell T. Davies who has grown into a science fiction writer over the third season, particularly the first few scripts he poured into the series. The first story, in my mind, gave us one of the most memorable moments in S-F kingdom, that of a hospital being transported through alien means to the moon. The thought of isolation on that barren landscape. A single, foreboding building trapped on a dead rock circling the earth.

I loved the idea.

Some people call Davies a hack. I disagree. While his S-F ideas aren’t always exemplar, his sharp dialogue forms the heart of the stories. This is where we learn about the characters and their unique qualities. Davies does a wonderful job of keeping the scripts fueled with witticisms.

His “Gridlock” has some great moments too along with some excellent special effects which help to tell a story. It would never overcome the story. Especially the moment where the Doctor hitches rides through the number of caravans trapped in a gridlock, suspended in a coughing, spewing pollution that resembled a dragon’s breath.

Though I must admit the Dalek story for this year isn’t one of the better ones. I believe they should be given a rest. Let them have a vacation. Give them a break. And the mystery will build if you don’t use a familiar face for a while.

To my mind, however, the best stories must be the middle bulk of season three: the two-part “Human Nature” story followed by the wonderfully creepy “Blink.” You only need to see my previous review of Human Nature to know I believe this to be the best tale for the year written by Paul Cornell. But there’s a minor classic in Blink.

A tale that is about the Doctor and it isn’t. You have to see it for yourself. It revolves around his character, you can feel his presence. But he’s really second nature to the story. The main character is Sally Sparrow who must understand the messages the Doctor sends to her through the years as he’s trapped in 1969. And stop a clove of gargoyle statues who knows how to mess around with time. Blink. And you’re dead. Blink again.

It’s a story within a story. And you follow through Sally Sparrow’s journey through the darkest edges of time and space. Some of the scenes involving the moving statues are quite scary. They jump out of sight. They move through time in short quantum leaps. They can send you back and forth in time.

They’re a vicious lot.

But it’s interesting to see a story centered on a different main character while the Doctor himself is relegated to a minor character. And everything unfolds around him with a blooming story that makes it an unforgettable horror story worthy of the H.P. Lovecraft canon. I could see the old Providence scribe piecing together this story like a puzzle.

It doesn't seem a lot of special effects were needed to make the story come alive here. The statues are some of the most dire in the season. It feels more like an old Hammer Horror film crunched into 45 minutes of excellent television. I wish they make more horror stories like this one, bleeding through scares that would make me even hide behind the sofa.

Davies comes back around in full circle, bringing the entire season together into a whole, with his epic storyline in the final three episodes. It shows the greatest of all the Doctor’s rivals coming back in full-fitting form. The Master has been menacing the Doctor ever since the mid-1970s. And he comes back with a trap that nearly devours the Doctor for good. It is like a Machiavellian plot that tightens around the Doctor until he is no longer able to escape.

The Master becomes Prime Minister. Who would’ve thought?

John Simm and David Tennant, playing the Doctor, are interesting opposites of the same coin. They are both like brothers. They are equals. The Master is by far a greater threat to the Doctor as they know each other inside out. They outwit each other like it’s some galactic chess game. With innocent people in the middle of their plots.

When push comes to shove, the Master is the guy. He means business here. He doesn't just go for the throat. He goes for the jugular.

But in the end, good must overcome evil on the grand scale.

I must admit I was slightly disappointed that they may not use John Simm once again in the series as he plays an enormously entertaining Master, filled with passion, hatred, his features blessed with superior intellect. He’s a real prick here. It’s a good comeback for one of the series’ greatest enemies. Please use more of Simm in later episodes.

It is the lead-in conclusion of the final episode that makes me eager for more Who. I don’t think Doctor Who has ever set anything on board the ill-fated Titanic. But it should make for interesting storytelling. As the title suggested, the Titanic is probably a ghost ship. But we’ll have to wait until Christmas to find out.