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Posts Tagged ‘film’

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
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Description
Lord Voldemort has returned, but few want to believe it. In fact, the Ministry of Magic is doing everything it can to keep the wizarding world from knowing the truth – including appointing Ministry official Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. When Professor Umbridge refuses to train her students in practical defensive magic, a select group of students decides to learn on their own. With Harry Potter as their leader, these students (who call themselves “Dumbledore’s Army”) meet secretly in a hidden room at Hogwarts to hone their wizarding skills in preparation for battle with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. . New adventure – more dangerous , more thrilling than ever – is yours in this enthralling film version of the fifth novel in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. A terrifying showdown between good and evil awaits. Prepare for battle!Amazon.com
Alas! The fifth Harry Potter film has arrived. The time is long past that this can be considered a simple “children’s” series–though children and adults alike will enjoy it immensely. Starting off from the dark and tragic ending of the fourth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix begins in a somber and angst-filled tone that carries through the entire 138 minutes (the shortest of any HP movie despite being adapted from the longest book). Hopes of winning the Quidditch Cup have been replaced by woes like government corruption, distorted media spin, and the casualties of war. As the themes have matured, so have the primary characters’ acting abilities. Ron (Rupert Grint), Hermione (Emma Watson), and especially Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) are more convincing than ever–in roles that are more demanding.

Harry is deeply traumatized from having witnessed Cedric Diggory’s murder, but he will soon find that this was just another chapter in the continuing loss he will endure. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned and, in an attempt to conceal this catastrophe from the wizarding public, the Ministry of Magic has teamed up with the wizard newspaper The Daily Prophet to smear young Potter and wise Dumbledore (Michael Gambon)–seemingly the only two people in the public eye who believe the Dark Lord has returned. With no one else to stand against the wicked Death Eaters, the Hogwarts headmaster is forced to revive his secret anti-Voldemort society, the Order of the Phoenix. This welcomes back characters like Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), kind Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), fatherly Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), and insidious Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), and introduces a short list of intriguing new faces. In the meantime, a semi-psychotic bureaucrat from the Ministry (brilliantly portrayed by Imelda Staunton) has seized power at Hogwarts, and Harry is forced to form a secret society of his own–lest the other young wizards at his school be left ill-equipped to defend themselves in the looming war between good and evil. In addition, Harry is filled with an inexplicable rage that only his Godfather Sirius seems to be able to understand.

This film, though not as frightening as its predecessor, earns its PG-13 rating mostly because of the ever-darkening tone. As always, the loyal fans of J.K. Rowling’s books will suffer huge cuts from the original plot and character developments, but make no mistake: this is a good movie. –Jordan Thompson

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Product Description
Studio: Sony Music Release Date: 11/20/2007Amazon.com
Though Beyonce Knowles has earned fame as an actress and a spokesmodel, she is first and foremost a singer, as she showcases in the entertaining concert film The Beyonce Experience Live. Polished, effortlessly glamorous, and a strong showman, Knowles is the Diana Ross of the 21st century. The singer-songwriter is equally comfortable belting out a rocking dancing number or crooning a heart-wrenching ballad. Though she shares the stage at times with her boyfriend Jay-Z and her bandmates in Destiny’s Child, The Beyonce Experience Live makes it clear that she really is a one-woman act. The packaging on the DVD asks, “Are you ready to be entertained?” The answer better be yes, because Knowles gives it her all. Singing, dancing, joking around, costume changes–it’s all there. And Knowles is the type of likable performer who makes viewers feel that even though she may be more talented (and prettier) than the rest of us, she’s really just one of the girls. Then, too, you’ve got to love a gal who celebrates a woman’s right to gain a few pounds (aka “jelly”) in the infectiously catchy hit “Bootylicious.” The film does a good job of including various phases of her musical career, from a defiant rendition (with Destiny’s Child) of “Survivor,” to a funky duet with Jay-Z on “Upgrade U,” to a tongue-in-cheek rendition of “Check on It” (from the soundtrack of Pink Panther). While Jennifer Hudson completely overpowered her in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls, Knowles has a pleasant voice well suited for R&B-tinged pop. She paces her set well and doesn’t overextend herself to the point where she has to rely on audio tracks to supplement her vocals. Many tour films fail in capturing the excitement of a live concert experience. The Beyonce Experience Live is about as good as you can get to seeing Knowles live, but without having to buy a ticket. –Jae-Ha Kim

The Beyoncé Experience – Live!

Description
Schindler’s List, a Steven Spielberg film, is a cinematic masterpiece that has become one of the most honored films of all time. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, it also won every major Best Picture award and an exceptional number of additional honors. Among them were seven British Academy Awards; the Best Picture Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, the National Board of Review, the Producers Guild, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago, Boston and Dallas Film Critics; a Christopher Award; and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe Awards. Steven Spielberg was further honored with the Directors Guild of America Award. The film presents the indelible true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, womanizer, and war profiteer who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. It is the triumph of one man who made a difference, and the drama of those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film, which also won Academy Awards for Screenplay, Cinematography, Music, Editing and Art Direction, stars an acclaimed cast headed by Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle and Embeth Davidtz.Amazon.com
Steven Spielberg had a banner year in 1993. He scored one of his biggest commercial hits that summer with the mega-hit Jurassic Park, but it was the artistic and critical triumph of Schindler’s List that Spielberg called “the most satisfying experience of my career.” Adapted from the best-selling book by Thomas Keneally and filmed in Poland with an emphasis on absolute authenticity, Spielberg’s masterpiece ranks among the greatest films ever made about the Holocaust during World War II. It’s a film about heroism with an unlikely hero at its center–Catholic war profiteer Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who risked his life and went bankrupt to save more than 1,000 Jews from certain death in concentration camps.

By employing Jews in his crockery factory manufacturing goods for the German army, Schindler ensures their survival against terrifying odds. At the same time, he must remain solvent with the help of a Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley) and negotiate business with a vicious, obstinate Nazi commandant (Ralph Fiennes) who enjoys shooting Jews as target practice from the balcony of his villa overlooking a prison camp. Schindler’s List gains much of its power not by trying to explain Schindler’s motivations, but by dramatizing the delicate diplomacy and determination with which he carried out his generous deeds.

As a drinker and womanizer who thought nothing of associating with Nazis, Schindler was hardly a model of decency; the film is largely about his transformation in response to the horror around him. Spielberg doesn’t flinch from that horror, and the result is a film that combines remarkable humanity with abhorrent inhumanity–a film that functions as a powerful history lesson and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the context of a living nightmare. –Jeff Shannon

Schindler’s List