Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Release Year: 2005
Review: The fourth film in the series, and the best up until this point. The young actors, who marred the previous chapters so much with their poor acting, are starting to come around. They've developed their talent and feel comfortable with their characters, allowing the director to put more focus on them, creating richer scenes. Normally, I take issue with the amount of material they leave out of the films, but this time around they managed to compress the essence of the book very well into an entertaining movie, despite axing a few of my favorite characters completely. My biggest problem with the translation from the page to the screen in this case is the way that Professor Dumbledore is played. In the books he is always very calm and put together, but in this film he is played very angry and frantic which was distracting in every scene he was in. This film does take a much more ominous tone and is full of dark imagery and themes which seem to only make this into a more compelling movie. The film succeeds at capturing the magic of the books and transitioning them into a movie, and is without a doubt an improvement on the franchise.
Rating: 4/5

Fargo

Release Year: 1996
Review: A sort of odd comedy that could only be described as 'Coen-esque', "Fargo" is a bizarre, but oddly endearing film about a kidnapping that goes terribly wrong. For the most part the film was enjoyable, but certain aspects prevented me from really getting behind it. The whole mid-western accent and personality seemed a bit gimmicky, and while the mid-west is where the story takes place, and people from that part of the country may very well be like that, it felt too much like a running joke that eventually went stale. The ever present gloom and misery caused, not only by the circumstances of the plot, but also the setting in the bitter cold and the gray, dull tones, began to ware on me and made some scenes uncomfortable. There were some very funny moments, and the main character, Marge (played by Frances McDormand), is always entertaining and charming. 'Fargo' isn't my favorite Coen brothers movie, but it was certainly worth watching.
Rating: 3/5

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Release Year: 2004
Review: Another year in the fantastic world of Harry Potter and another attempt at reining in the boundless imagination of JK Rowling into a two and a half hour feature film. With each successive film they seem to be getting closer to producing a more sound and compete representation of the book. With this attempt they took more liberties with the plot than any of the other two by far. As the books get longer, it becomes harder to cram all the plot points into a concise children friendly movie, even without all the needlessly long Quidditch action scenes. Building upon the trend started in the previous film, the child actors are given even more acting time, and while they've made some improvements they're lack of acting ability is painfully apparent and is the biggest downside of the film. It feels like the films are going in the right direction, but haven't quite gotten to the level that the books deserve quite yet.
Rating: 3/5

Reservoir Dogs

Release Year: 1992
Review: One of Quentin Tarantino's best films, 'Reservoir Dogs' is a unique take on a botched robbery. One of the interesting things about the way Tarantino approaches this heist film is that you never actually see the crime. In fact, much of the movie is about what you don't see. For a good portion of the movie you are left in the dark, just as the group of burglars are, as to what went wrong. Tarantino masterfully guides the story, not in a linear sequence, but in a sequence that reveals just enough of the story to keep tension high, and the plot exciting. Besides a visually and stylistically brilliant film, 'Reservoir Dogs' also explores the theme of trust and the nature of good and evil. The payoff of this theme in the film's climax is one of the most memorable in Hollywood endings, and the commentary on the subject is profound. Tarantino, working on a small budget, manages to make a film which almost never leaves a single room of a warehouse feel more exciting than a big budget blockbuster. However wonderful his directing was, this film wouldn't have worked had it not been for a superb ensemble cast, each of who made their character believable and every scene enthralling. Everything about this film exudes Tarantino. Highly stylized and perfectly executed it is one of the best heist films around and is endlessly watchable.
Rating: 5/5

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Release Year: 2002
Review: Once again it's difficult to get past the liberties the film takes with the film plot. After just reading the book even subtle discrepancies seem glaring. However, putting this aside and only taking the film in as an entity in of itself I'm still left wanting. My biggest gripe is with the acting which, given the young actors experience, is unsurprisingly poor. However, each has established themselves firmly as their character. It's very hard to think of Harry Potter and not think of Daniel Radcliffe at this point. In the first film there was very limited acting given to the Hogwarts students, undoubtedly because of their inexperience. Instead, the first movie felt like a picture book, where most of the story telling was done through imagery rather than dialog. This film gives a bit more trust to the actors and the scenes are beginning to feel a bit more complete. Overall it was a good attempt to condense the book into a film under three hours, but it still felt a little cheap and a bit empty.
Rating: 3/5

Angels and Demons

Release Year: 2009
Review: I hadn't read the book, so I approached 'Angels and Demons' with an open mind. It certainly isn't a perfect film, but overall it was an enjoyable action adventure. A sort of, slightly more intellectual, 'National Treasure'. A lot of the plot is fascinating, owing of course to the source material, but it did seem that some of it was dumbed down, and parts were over sensationalized, to fit the mold of a summer blockbuster. Ron Howard was very careful to tip toe around the potential controversy the film's subject could ignite and tried to stay as neutral as possible on religion. The entire premise can basically be broken down to the long standing debate of science versus religion, so the film certainly had the opportunity to spark some anger. The pandering to stay politically correct wasn't much of a detriment, but the fact that it was so obvious didn't do much to forward the plot either. The best part of the film is just taking in the beautiful locations which the film was shot in Rome. 'Angels and Demons' may not be a memorable movie, but it was entertaining, interesting and if nothing else, a nice bit of eye candy.
Rating: 4/5

Star Trek

Release Year: 2009
Review: It seems to be the trend reboot popular franchises, setting a distinctively different style to the familiar material. 'Star Trek' continues this trend admirably. JJ Abrams creates an incredible ensemble cast which, while staying true to their roots, are fresh and undoubtedly their own. While the entire plot serves as a vehicle to reintroduce characters and explain the reboot, it none the less is exciting from beginning to end. The way in which they handle the reboot is very clever, clearly pandering to the fans of the original but should leave everyone happy. Every cast member is interesting in their own regard, and has set up their legacy in the franchise nicely. Taking on material as beloved as 'Star Trek' and coming out with something that feels new and quite capable of standing on its own, is an accomplishment. Regardless of whether or not you are a Star Trek fan, this is an enjoyable, exciting and all together well thought out summer movie.
Rating: 4/5