Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince **** (rave)

What can I say?...I love Harry Potter! I loved all the books and I think the movies have all been entertaining and true to the stories. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth installment translated onto film. It is directed by David Yates, (who directed the fifth film, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix) and stars all the original cast members we've watched grow up over the years. And like each of its predecessors, it introduces a couple of new faces to the screen. One of this film's new additions includes Jim Broadbent- playing the potions Professor; Horace Slughorn. He was a humorous addition to the Hogwarts clan and a delight to watch.

In this film, Harry, Hermione and Ron return to Hogwarts for their sixth year of schooling. Harry has been asked by Professor Dumbledore to befriend the new potions professor, in the hopes that Harry may retrieve a very important memory Slughorn has kept suppressed about the dark lord, Voldemort (oops, I mean...he-who-must-not-be-named). During the course of this quest, Harry also conducts Quidditch try-outs, sees flashbacks of Voldemort (oops, I said his name again) as a youth, witnesses the effects of love potions being passed around school, and suspects a very distracted Draco Malfoy (Harry's nemesis) of being up to no good (as Malfoy works on a secret mission of his own). As with every Harry Potter story, the film follows the characters throughout their year of school and concludes with secrets being revealed, plots exposed and some kind of climactic confrontation between good and evil.

Because this movie was based on one of the lengthy books in the Potter series, written by J.K Rowling, it had to cut some stuff out while maintaining focus on other parts of the story. Although, a bit too much attention was focused on 'snogging' for me, I agreed with many of the decisions made by Yates, and I enjoyed the flow of the story-telling. As to be expected by the Harry Potter films; the sets, costumes and special effects were great. And when you've got a stellar cast which includes, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, and Alan Rickman, how do you not enjoy their characters? As for the acting skills of the younger cast members...although there are still moments when I find each of them a bit stiff, ( Bonnie Wright, playing Ginny Weasley, in particular) I think they've all improved over the years. - I've journeyed with them this far so I try to give them the benefit of the doubt . A real stand-out for me in this movie was a new-comer Jessie Cave, playing the love-struck Lavender Brown. Evanna Lynch playing Luna Lovegood, who won me over in the fifth film, was a treat to see again. And because Rupert Grint who plays Ron always gets me laughing, he remains my personal favourite.

Only one more Harry Potter story left to be told on film now. And I'm glad Yates, who is returning as the director, has decided to shoot this last installment (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) in two parts. There's a lot of ground to cover in this final chapter and one movie would not do it justice. I can't wait to see them. But I have to admit, I'll be sad to see them finished. The Harry Potter series, since I picked up the first book years ago, has been truly 'magical' for me. And as I sat in the theater on a Saturday afternoon, surrounded by other 'muggles', I was pleased to see all the other grown-ups who came without kids. Part of the love I've always had for Rowling's stories is you don't have to be a kid to enjoy the imagination, adventure and wizardry these stories have to offer. Luminos!

Public Enemies *** (rave)

Chicago: depression-era - is the setting for Michael Mann's new film Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp (as 'Public Enemy #1', John Dillinger) and Christian Bale (as the determined FBI agent, Melvin Purvis). The film depicts the last year of Dillinger's life, and through the lens of a digital camera, we follow the notorious bank-robber's escapades; meet his crew; his love interest; and ALL the people trying to catch him.

As a fan of Mann's previous work (The Last of the Mohicans/ Heat/The Insider) I anticipated his filming style would be both interesting and unique. With Public Enemies, I both liked and disliked the filming techniques he chose to use in this movie. Shooting with a digital camera, allowed Mann to get extreme close-up shots that kept the movie tense, and permitted the audience to follow ever so closely and freely with the 'gang' (some of the confrontation scenes between the 'cops and robbers', he filmed, were spectacular). But, the footage went in and out of a grainy resolution and occasionally, the sound would increase quite drastically. I found these glitches distracting from the story, and I had to wonder - if Mann's intention was to incorporate a grainy feel to the film, to accentuate the time era, why didn't he maintain it throughout the entire film?

Johnny Depp's acting is solid. And although I've enjoyed many of the quirky characters he has portrayed on film in the past, it was a pleasant change to see him playing someone 'somewhat' normal.(Dillinger might be a killer; but he's no 'Sweeney Todd'!)

Although Christian Bale, had me worried about his acting abilities during his first scene (I wasn't sure if he was trying to do an accent or not), he eventually grew on me. Although his character was ultra-serious and bland, I realised that a man with the name "Melvin Purvis" probably couldn't help but take himself too seriously, and so, I found him believable.

Dillinger's love interest, Billie, is played by Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose). Mann's camera loved her. And she was absolutely stunning.

My biggest critique about this movie, was there were far too many cast members. The cast was vast! And it was very confusing sometimes, trying to distinguish between the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys'. They all dressed the same (fedora; with long coat), many were fair-haired, and they were all carrying heavy artillery. Basically, if I didn't recognize an actor from a previous role, I couldn't keep track of which side they were on while they were engaged in a 'cops and robbers' shoot-out.

Overall, I did enjoy this movie. The sets were great and I liked the pace of the film. I would recommend seeing it on the big screen, just to see some of the impressive footage I mentioned earlier. You'll enjoy it - but don't expect to be "wowed".

In my opinion, while this movie was entertaining; it is not "one of the best pictures of the year, so far".

Personally, I'm still holding out for that one...

The Proposal *** (rave)

This is my first 'chick flick' review - I was in the mood for a little light entertainment and I picked "The Proposal" starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds to see today.

I've got to say... I really liked this one.

Yes, it inhabits the familiar 'romantic comedy' formula we've seen a million times, but the chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds made it really enjoyable for me.

In it, Bullock plays a 'dragon-lady' book editor. She's Canadian (from Toronto, no less), working in New York, and is informed that her Visa has been denied. - She's going to be deported and lose her high-power job. In an attempt to save her position, she coerces her assistant (played by Reynolds) to marry her so she can stay in the country. He agrees to the fake arrangement and takes her home to Alaska, where she meets his family, in the hopes that getting to know him better will help them convince the State that their "love" for one another is real.

I picked this movie because I've always been a fan of Sandra Bullock's. Like everyone, she's made some bad movies (anyone seen "The Net?") But I've always found her funny. And I like that she's one of the 'beautiful people' that can take the piss out of herself. She has no problem acting silly or being vulnerable, and she just strikes me as someone I would like if I met her on the street.

As someone quite unfamiliar with Reynold's work, I was surprised with how taken I was with his character in this film. He was charming, quick-witted, thoughtful, and not too hard to look at either. The two of them kept a stupid grin on my face the entire time I watched their comical escapades and I was really rooting for the 'happy ending' for them (that, of course) I knew I was going to get.

Betty White is one of the co-stars (playing Reynolds' Grandma Annie) and she's got all the unabashed one-liners you'd expect from her. Her character in this movie is very similar to the character she played in "Lake Placid" (except 'Gammie' likes to chant in the woods occasionally).

Watching the film, although it reminded me of another Sandra Bullock film - "While You Were Sleeping" (another movie about a fake relationship leading to a fake marriage), I couldn't help but enjoy it. As far as romantic comedies go - there are no new ideas. Every thing's already been done. But I did find the dry humour throughout the film refreshing. And even though there are parts of the movie that are over-the-top silly, I REALLY liked the characters.

I wanted some light entertainment today, and that's exactly what I got. And I'm happy to report that when I got the 'happy ending' that I knew I was going to get; I couldn't have been happier.