The Wing Kong Exchange (feat. Inferno)

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Thanks guys, again I'm glad you are enjoying them and I'll have the next one up shortly.

 

[Cyrus Riddle]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

No problem at all man, looking forward to it

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

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In the sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, and in both wizard and muggle worlds Lord Voldemort and his henchmen are increasingly active. With vacancies to fill at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore persuades Horace Slughorn tome out of retirement and become the new potions teacher, while Professor Snape receives long awaited news. Harry Potter, together with Dumbledore, must face treacherous tasks to defeat his evil nemesis and learn to deal with the increasingly conflicting emotions he is dealing with as a young adult.

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had given the franchise a clear and concise sense of direction. The dark and ominous tones established within the previous films had become prevalent in it, and the seeds for the main story had nearly sprung to life. Building on that, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince would finish the job, setting the stage for the grand finale. If the first five Harry Potter films were really good, the sixth would ultimately prove to be the first one that I would call great. It manages to be both an excellent stand alone film and also one that creates a real desire for the audience to see the next chapter. In doing so, it also continues on with the tradition of leaving the viewer on a somewhat down note, once again killing a beloved character towards the end. This may seem like formula, and to be fair, it actually is, but for some reason it doesn't feel that way when you're watching it. That's no small feat, and while the best was arguably yet to come, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince easily carves out its own special place in the Potter franchise and does so in grand fashion.

"I will once again out-act everyone else because I rule."

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Once again directed by David Yates and written by the returning Steve Kloves, the film has the difficult task of balancing more teen drama while also telling perhaps the most crucial part of the overall story. Yates manages to handle both of these aspects with relative ease, proving that he was indeed a great choice for director. He also makes concepts that could have come across tired (Quidditch again) seem fresh and new here. His pacing is similar to the last film, though it does appear somewhat disjointed at the beginning. However, he recovers from that quickly enough and once the film takes off its non-stop until its conclusion. Kloves turns out yet another excellent adaptation of the Rowling source material, rife with important expository dialogue and enough humour to balance out the serious side of things. While he still has a tendency to drift off into the childish at times, here he tempers that somewhat and creates a script that manages to seem as real as possible given the events taking place in the film. Perhaps most important of all, he really understands his characters, and that allows all the great actors in the series to have ample opportunity to shine.

"Does this green hue make my face look weird or what?"

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The trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are their usual selves, which is great considering by this point seeing the same characters could have become stale. Thankfully the talents of the three are more than enough to prevent that from happening. As usual, the trials and tribulations of the young adult are on display here, and while I cannot say I particularly enjoyed this round of The Young and the Restless, it was certainly more tolerable than the previous ones. Michael Gambon has an increased role as Dumbledore and makes the most of his screen time, as does the always awesome Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. Tom Felton also becomes more important to the story, and here he really shows a lot of zest as the emotionally conflicted Draco Malfoy. I'd always enjoyed Felton's work in the role, but here he really has a chance to take it to a whole new level and he does not disappoint in the slightest. Jim Broadbent is great in his role as Horace Slughorn and really brings some serious acting chops to the table. Helena Bonham Carter once again steals every scene she's in as the vicious Bellatrix Lestrange while Evanna Lynch does the same as Luna Lovegood. In fact, I mentioned in the previous review that Lovegood instantly got over with me as a great character, and here she nearly becomes my favourite in the entire series. Yes, Lynch really is that good in the role and she does deserve a lot of credit for making a totally over the top character seem believable.

"Luna's Lion costume wins the award for most bizarre outfit in the entire series."

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As I stated above, I was not a huge fan of the teen drama that took place in the last film and while it continues here it is not nearly as annoying or over emphasized. Perhaps that's due to the filmmakers realizing they had to get on with setting up the final act or maybe its just because they finally realized it was making me mad! Regardless, its still here, and it nearly gets out of control in a couple of spots. I think shortening the time spent on this aspect was a very good idea and it certainly helps this film work better than the previous one did. It also helps that most of us can identify with the emotions these characters are feeling, so it doesn't become obnoxious or unrealistic since we can relate. The overall atmosphere and tone of the film is what really makes it work the way it does. That sense of impending doom that one got from the previous films is way more prevalent here, and you can almost sense that major things are about to happen at any moment. Of course there is also the standard Quidditch scene, though here even that scene manages to tell a little sub-story and that makes it a lot more interesting to watch than if it had just been the same old thing again. The one major complaint I had about this film was the myriad of interesting and important things that were removed from the source material in order to make it cohesive, but since I'm not really a Potter fanboy it didn't bother me that much. Sure I would have liked to have seen the fight in the castle or Moaning Myrtle (you know how much I love her) but I can live without them because what is on display is most often fantastic.

"I won, I won, wait, what did I win?"

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Perhaps one of the greatest things about this film is its shocking climax. I'd mention it as a spoiler but I'm pretty sure everyone knows what I'm talking about. The scene itself works to great effect and features some particularly strong music as well. In comparing it to the book version, I think it was handled about as well as it could have been, and the emotional impact within it is quite evident. In time we will come to understand why the events in this scene played out as they did, but I am sure for those who weren't aware of that it would have left a lot of questions unanswered. That is not a bad thing mind you, in fact quite the opposite. After leaving the theatre, I was so mad that I had to wait at least a year to find out what happened in the next part that I went right over to the book store and bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Yes, I spoiled it for myself, and then went and bought all the older books and read through them all. So in essence, this film managed to make me even more of a fan of the franchise than I already was, quite a feat to be sure. In watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince again, I was reminded of all the things I love about the franchise, and while it is debatable which film is the best, I certainly believe that it can be considered for that title. To me, this is The Empire Strikes Back of the Potter series, leaving its audience much the same way Lucas left his all those years before, and that may be the greatest praise I can heap upon it.

"Look out below, wizard on the way down."

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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was shot on a budget of $250 million and grossed over $934 million at the box office, showing that the franchise was getting stronger still. This would be important, as the producers and executives at Warner Brothers decided that if they were going to go out with a bang they were going to make sure they maximized their profits doing so. To this end they announced that the final tale in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, would be split into two parts. Most Potter fans rejoiced at the thought of two more films, particularly the fanboys who whined about all the things removed from the previous films. Others thought it was simply a cash grab but one thing was certain, we hadn't seen the last of the gang just yet, and things were about to get even heavier than they already had. We'll be looking at those two films in the next couple of days, but for now I'd like to leave Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince with a solid 8.5/10 and of course a strong recommendation to watch...immediately.

"Poor Draco just won't be able to live with himself if he misses tomorrow's review."
​

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

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The evil Lord Voldemort's power grows stronger. Soon he has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasely and and Hermione Granger decide to finish Dumbledore's work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. They go off on their own in an attempt to accomplish this quest, but soon find themselves attacked on all sides. Little hope remains for the Wizarding World, but they are determined to succeed no matter the cost.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the book SO BIG one film couldn't contain it!!! Ok, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but nobody can deny that splitting the final Potter film into two parts wasn't a good idea. Not only would the fanboys who cried foul over things like Dumbledore's funeral being removed from the previous film be happy, it would also translate into a double shot in the collection plate. Clearly it could be seen as a ploy by Warner Brothers to maximize their profits, but at the same time the argument can be made that it would ultimately prove satisfying to fans of the series. That's about as win/win a situation as you can get, and so the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released to much fanfare and acclaim. Yes indeed, the story was coming to a close, but the darkness was just about to envelop the entire affair, and the set up for the final showdown between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter was about to occur. It's hard to look at this as its own film as it is simply the first part of a greater picture, but as a stand alone film it still manages to greatly entertain its audience. It also does an excellent job of putting nearly every puzzle piece into a neat place and do the proper "hard sell" for the following and final film. It's not perfect, and the old teen drama manages to rear its ugly head for one last kick at the can, but when it works it works really well.

"Now that's one way to beat the traffic."

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Directed by David Yates (this guy better have been getting points on the box office) and written by Steve Kloves (ditto) the film serves its purpose and does it well. Obviously it needed to do everything possible to entice the viewer into its upcoming sequel, and for the most part it manages that task effectively. Yates is quite comfortable with the characters and settings at this point, so he briskly moves things along while also allowing for more than enough characterization. Speaking of that, Kloves screenplay really goes all out in an attempt to give as many people a chance to do something, though it never becomes cluttered. Once again he does have that tendency to get into the absurd from time to time, but its much more reserved here than it was in past films. I'd also like to point out the excellent cinematography from Eduardo Serra, as it is a refreshing change from the previous films. Serra is a master photographer and really focuses on strong shot composition here. His effective use of lighting also helps to greatly enhance the mood of the film and its easy to see why he is a two-time Academy Award nominee for Cinematography. However the shots themselves aren't what we came to see. It's the great characters that we've come to love over the last six films that drive us to watch.

"Out of Dobbie's way bitch."

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As usual, I won't be spending a lot of time on Radcilffe, Grint and Watson because by this point its kind of like beating a dead horse. Clearly they were perfectly cast in the beginning, and its nice to see them develop as actors along this journey. Unfortunately there's also more opportunity to watch their soap opera acting skills develop as well, but we'll get to that later. Alan Rickman is marvellous as Snape, here not getting a lot to do but clearly making the most of his time. Thankfully it appears he will be playing a much greater part in the second chapter. Imelda Staunton returns to her role as the super-annoying Dolores Umbridge and I have to say that I'm happy she's back. I just love the character and Staunton is so perfect in the role that I wonder sometimes if she's not like that in real life. Once again, Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort and Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange are great in their villain roles, with Fiennes having more of an opportunity than he previously had to act particularly vicious. It was nice to see Brendan Gleeson return as MadEye Moody, though killing him off was kind of depressing, and Robbie Coltrane turns in his usual strong performance as Hagrid. Evanna Lynch returns as everyone's favourite scene stealer, Luna Lovegood, though it is actually Rhys Ifans that steals most of the spotlight as her father, Xenophilius. Ifans really shines in his cameo and does a great job narrating the exposition of the Deathly Hallows story.

"Definitely not for kids anymore."

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Speaking of that, it is a great little piece of animation that provides us with the visual backdrop to the narration and is a great moment in the film for sure. I loved the unique style of the animation itself and felt that the story was perfectly placed within the film for maximum effect. Another thing I really enjoyed in this film was the breakneck pace that it set. Though I was initially concerned that there would be a lot of slow moments, there's really only one area of the film that it noticeably starts treading water. Unfortunately that happens to be the teen drama moment of the day and it is really, really annoying here. In fact, I think the one negative thing this film has going for it is its over-reliance on the peculiar emotional spats between its lead characters. I get it, you are young and are having trouble dealing with your conflicted emotions, but seriously, stop all the crying and get on with it. Plus, Ron once again proves he's a total douche by simply leaving Harry and Hermione because he's feeling left out. What? Why don't you try and assert yourself more instead of acting like a wimp dude? I'd also like to mention how awkward the dance scene between Henry and Hermione is and how I pretty much laughed through the entire thing. Something tells me that's not the desired effect the filmmakers were going for. Luckily this sordid tale of a Bizarre Love Triangle is over before I see you falling and get down on my knees and pray (NewOrder reference FTW).

"What a pair of dancing fools."

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Outside of that particularly slow section, the rest of the film is really good and as I mentioned earlier, does a fantastic job setting up the next and final chapter. I really liked the opening sequence with the chase in the streets and the fight with the Death Eaters in the cafe. As with the previous films in the series, the death of a beloved character is what sticks with us in the final moments, and this time its one of the saddest. I firmly believe that I was more upset when Dobbie died than when Dumbledore did. Even though I admittedly loathed his fits of crying in The Chamber of Secrets, I was really behind him by the end when he was freed from the services of Lucius Malfoy. Luckily Dobbie makes the supreme sacrifice to save his friends and in doing so becomes a martyr of sorts for the young trio to remember fondly. It's amazing to me that I could care so much about a CGI elf that I would be upset when he died and I think that's real strong evidence that Yates and Kloves knew exactly what they were doing here. The final moments of the film with Voldemort finding the wand and firing its energy beam up into the sky are perfect, and totally make you drool with anticipation for the conclusion. I remember being just as frustrated that I'd have to wait to see the next part as I was at the end of The Half Blood Prince, though even more so this time as I already knew how the story played out. Suffice to say, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is one heck of a great movie, even if there's a little too much As the World Turns for my liking.

"Best....sign.....ever."

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was shot on a budget of $150 million and earned over $955 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful Potter films to date. It does a splendid job acting as a "go home" show for the true final act that was yet to come while also being an entertaining movie in its own right. Clearly the Potter franchise was ready to go out with a massive bang, and that stage was set nicely here. Even though it acted as a stopgap between The Half Blood Prince and the final chapter, it is still well worth watching and though there may be some annoying teen drama, its not nearly enough to stop it from being everything you'd want in a Potter film. 8.5/10.

​"See you tomorrow when this all ends."
​

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

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Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. Meanwhile, Severus Snape rules Hogwarts with an iron fist and finds little opposition from his former colleagues. However, soon the school will become the site of a final battle the likes of which has never seen before in the Wizard World, and when the dust settles, nothing will ever be the same again.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the final chapter in the saga of the young wizard and his battle with the evil Lord Voldemort. It was a film nearly 10 years in the making and the culmination of a long and arduous labour of love for its stars and creators. While it promised a thrilling conclusion to the story it was also a little bittersweet in the sense that once it was released we would find ourselves having to say goodbye to these characters we’d come to love. As the saying goes, all good things do indeed come to an end, though at the very least they saved the best for last. While several of the Harry Potter films are good in their own right, it was clear they were all leading towards this one, and the end result here is a fantastic piece of cinema that does everything we expect it to. There's emotion and drama, action and adventure and one moment in particular that confirms how great the entire series is. Yes folks, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the perfect ending to a near perfect film franchise, and though its sad to see it finished the ride on the way was more than worth the price of admission.

"Jerk alert."

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The creative team of director David Yates and writer Steve Kloves returns for their final outing and their work is as solid as usual. Yates finally has a chance to go big with his action sequences and really makes the most of this opportunity. Aside from that, he also paces this film perfectly and makes sure than not a single moment is wasted. In doing so, he creates a wonderful backdrop for all the elements that had been set up in the previous film to come to fruition in a totally coherent way. Finally, at this point it was clear that he felt he needed to do as much of a service to fans of the series as possible, and it shows in his overall effort. I've always loved Yates work (as I mentioned before) but this is far and away the best film he's ever directed. Kloves screenplay is equally up to the challenge and manages to be his best effort in the series as well. He doesn't micro-manage Rowling's source material here as much as he'd done in the past, partially due to the benefit of splitting the films into two parts. However, that notwithstanding, he also chooses the right pieces of dialogue to paraphrase while leaving other more important lines intact. It really is a marvel to see these two men put forth this sort of effort and when its all said and done, I am glad they were the ones to bring this final chapter to life.

"I just run over them with a lawn mower."

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Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson say goodbye to their characters in the best possible way. That would be by showing off all the acting skills they'd learned in the years the films were made and using them to great effect here. The teen drama (for the most part) is gone, because it has to be, and is instead replaced by complex emotions and balanced performances. Michael Gambon turns in another solid performance as Dumbledore (in flashback of course) while Ralph Fiennes is suitably chilling as Lord Voldemort. Helena Bonham Carter rocks it out as Bellatrix for the last time and really goes out with a bang. Speaking of that, while she had a minor part to play in most of the films, Julie Walters finally gets her moment to shine as Molly Weasely. Seriously, the look of satisfaction on her face after she does in Lestrange is one of the great moments in this film, and believe me, there are many of them. Speaking of that, Matthew Lewis also gets his opportunity to show off his acting chops when giving Neville's speech before the final battle begins. I'd always liked the character and it was great to see him get the chance to be a real hero after all the crap he'd suffered through in the earlier films.

"Brilliance."

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However, none of the actors in this film could possibly hope to compare to Alan Rickman's performance as Severus Snape. In less than five minutes he turns in what is easily the single best scene in the Potter series and shows why he is one of the greatest actors of his generation. I realize some people may think I'm overrating his performance simply because I'm a Rickman fan, but seriously, if you can tell me you weren't moved by the shot above then I firmly believe you have no soul. Not just the shot itself though, the entire scene is just rendered beautifully, something I was admittedly worried about when I first read it in the book. Thankfully my fears were put to rest quite quickly and I can safely say that the scene has given me a lump in my throat all three times I've seen it. I think Rickman not only deserves an Academy Award nomination for this film, I think he deserves to win as well. Not just for this scene mind you, more for the entire body of work he's turned in as Snape. I don't think anyone could have imagined how important he would become, but in all honesty, while the film may hold the name of Potter in the title, the series is just as much Snape's as it is his.

"This reminds me of an 80's rock video."

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Aside from that bit of brilliance, basically everything else here is fantastic. The deaths of some more great characters are tempered by the steely resolve of the leads to emerge victorious in their battle with the Dark Lord. I'd also like to mention that the special effects here are way better than they've been in any Potter film before, and the broom chase through the fire was particularly well done. The final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort is also pretty awesome even if it has a tendency to scream "shot for 3D". I was admittedly concerned that the 3D aspect would ruin some of the shots (I only saw the film in 2D) but it never became annoying, which was a welcome surprise. Besides, the story didn't need grandiose special effects to be successful, it did that on its own through simple emotional manipulation. Though the closing moments of the film are sad in the sense that we finally realize its over, we are given hope that perhaps we haven't seen the last of this world. After all, there are so many more adventures that the young Potter, Weasely and even Malfoy children can get into. It's my hope that one day we'll be able to return to the world of Hogwarts and watch these very adventures unfold. However, if that does not happen I will be happy to return to these films over and over again, as I believe they are among some of the most entertaining and magical I've ever seen. For someone who didn't want to buy into the Potter hype, I now consider myself a tried and true fan of the series, and will gladly proclaim that to anyone who will listen. I think its ability to draw people of all ages and walks of life into its simple yet effective story will be its greatest legacy, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ends that legacy on the highest of notes.

"Buck Hunter 3D."

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was shot on a budget of $150 million (shared with the first part) and grossed over $1.3 billion dollars worldwide. With that, the franchise grossed more than $7 billion throughout its 8 parts, making it the most successful in the history of the film business. Yes folks, even the mighty Star Wars and James Bond franchises have to bow down to the might of the little wizard that could and the incredibly smart woman who created him. Speaking of J.K. Rowling, she earned herself a nifty little sum as not only the author of the books but also as a co-producer of the series. I don't know about you, but I'd definitely be considering her marriage material! The Harry Potter franchise was a worldwide phenomena but its easy to see why when you look at how fun the films are, how well the story is told and how high the quality is throughout. While it started out slowly, it built momentum strongly and finished in the best possible way. If you haven't yet seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, you owe it to yourself to do so immediately. As a film on its own, I rate it a 9/10 because its definitely the most technically sound of them all. That concludes this look at Harry Potter and while I'm sad to see it end, I'm very happy you were all here to share in the memories of these great films with me. Expecto Patronum.

"Goodbye folks, and thanks again for reading."
​

 

[TroyTheAverage]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Ron and Emmas kid looks creepy in that last picture.

Since I gave my thoughts on this already before, I won't do it again. I just had to add that.

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Ron and Emmas kid looks creepy in that last picture.

Since I gave my thoughts on this already before, I won't do it again. I just had to add that.

He looks like a ginger serial killer. :

 

[TroyTheAverage]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Well he just proves that gingers have no soul. Hell even Ron and Harry look creepy as older versions of themselves. Emma is still hot though.

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Well he just proves that gingers have no soul. Hell even Ron and Harry look creepy as older versions of themselves. Emma is still hot though.

Harry looks especially perv creepy when he's older. :

 

[TroyTheAverage]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

That he does. And I would still tap Ginny (even though SHE has no soul) and Emma cause I just want to nail her fine ass.

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

That he does. And I would still tap Ginny (even though SHE has no soul) and Emma cause I just want to nail her fine ass.

One character from the Potter films that I'd love to tap would be Bellatrix Lestrange. Talk about an animal in the sack!

 

[TroyTheAverage]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

True, Helena really embraced that character well.

 

[Citan]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

One character from the Potter films that I'd love to tap would be Bellatrix Lestrange. Talk about an animal in the sack!

I thought I was the only one.

 

[Cyrus Riddle]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

I would tap Bellatrix as well, so add me to that list as well. You did a great job with the reviews for the movies too Fuji, I really enjoyed them as I have said before.

 

[TroyTheAverage]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

How about Nymphadora Tonks?