Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, and Saint

First Hit: There are some very important lessons in this film and one has to get past non-actors acting.

I’ve stood in Milarepa’s cave in Tibet and so Milarepa’s story is significant to me and maybe to all of us. He became enlightened in one lifetime after having brought death and destruction to his home village for the way they treated his direct family after his father dies. This is a story about revenge and what really takes place when one tries to make some pay for their indiscretions. I liked this film after I let go of some of the amateurish acting. The story is an important one and it is this that one needs to pay attention to while watching this film.

What did surprise me is that this is a two part film and I have to wait to see the second half.

Overall: I was happy to see this film and knowing the story before you see the film is of some importance.

Rescue Dawn

First Hit: An intense film about a scary situation and definitely worth seeing.

Christian Bale is an excellent actor and, like in The Mechanic, will do what it takes to meet the physical challenges of the role.

This is based on a true story, one most of us will never come close to experiencing. The perseverance to break out of prison and not succumb to the tyranny of the guards is remarkable. The rest of his fellow  prisoners had given up in their own way and had fallen into hopelessness.

Dengler brings hope. Just before they break out, they have a meal of grubs from the jungle. To watch Christian enthusiastically eat the grubs was wonderful. Having served in Vietnam, the trek through the jungle felt real and not many of us would survive the journey.

Dengler’s hope and spirit carry him to freedom. And I must say I loved the last scenes where he is absconded by his old flight team to the carrier was glorious.

Overall, this was a strong good film.

Stardust

First Hit: Nice story, interestingly weaved and some great characters. Pretty good film but not great.

It took me a few minutes to warm up to the story and as I began to slip into it I knew it would be told well. And it was.

Claire Danes, a favorite of mine was a great as a "star". Effects of being a star were well done showing her glow from time to time. Michelle Pfeiffer has a great role and there is one moment when she gives a certain look that gives her the credibility to be the queen witch that she is in this film.

Peter O’Toole’s sons vying to be king was a little funny at times but it wasn’t the better part of this story. The person who almost stole the film is Robert De Niro as a gay pirate ship captain. He is superb in this role.

The visual effects are good and do not take away from the story and always seem to add to it. As over the top as this story can be, I never felt the film went over the edge. It kept being believable enough to keep me interested in how it would end.

Overall: It was interesting, funny, suspenseful and a good time.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phonix.

First Hit: A bit confusing, despite seeing the previous films and not very well acted. Although

Daniel Radcliffe is competent in his reprise of this role, he must carry the film as the rest of the cast is becoming a backdrop.

When the series brings in or highlights a new character it often can make a film series interesting. However the Dolores Umbridge role got tiresome and I kept wondering why she was doing what she was doing. Being a mole for the ministry just wasn't enough.

I also think I am getting tired of the ongoing story. The film felt long and there were times I found myself thinking, can we move this along? This doesn’t bode well for a film. If I’m having thoughts about the film while I’m watching the film, there is a problem. The problem here was there wasn't enough story to make it interesting.

Diehard fans will probably enjoy it and take great pleasure in the film. Others who have not seen the other films and sit through this will find out early it does not stand on its own. It requires you to see the previous films or to have read the books so that you can follow along.

As a medium, any film must stand on its own merit. Each film must be a good full and interesting story. This isn't. Like a couple of the Star Wars prequels and sequels, it is difficult to do a series of films about one story. What makes this story harder is that the background changes very little. It is still about a small town in England, the Castle/School, and the surrounding woods.

A good film will let on slip reality and slide into another. This one does not do this and therefore I was disappointed. This is the worst of the bunch.

Overall: Some of the visual effects are good but to me the story and the point of the story took too long to develop and didn’t play out strongly. I may not even consider seeing the two remaining films.