HTTP://WWW.ALLMOVIEPHOTOS.COM
A disclaimer: I am not a huge Harry Potter fan. In fact, I have only read the first two books. And neither do I believe that a movie is necessarily inferior to the book it is based on.
Having said that, the fifth installment in the Harry Potter movie franchise (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) is one of the best of the series and Potter fans can take some satisfaction in a sleek, swift and exciting adaptation of the novel.
The movie begins, as most of the others have, with a spot of unpleasantness at the Dursleys, and ends with Harry facing down Lord Voldemort. The climactic battle between the young wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) and the Dark Lord (Ralph Fiennes) foreshadows a final showdown in Book Seven.
Director David Yates explores the themes of power, deception and deceit, which depicts a wizard world rife with factionalism and threatened by chaos and inflexible authoritarianism.
While Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic (Robert Hardy), maintains his highly suspect denial of Voldemort’s return, a coup at Hogwarts threatens the benevolent administration of Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). Harry, meanwhile, has gone from prince to pariah, smeared in the magical press (where his name is rendered “Harry Plotter”) and subject to cold stares and whispers at school. In this episode, the boy, if you can still call him that, encounters the darker side of fame.
One of the best aspects of the movie is its swiftness (the fact that it is shortest movie of all five in the franchise, despite being based on the longest book). There is no Quidditch, and not many boarding school diversions.
Instead, the movie, which begins like a horror flick with a Dementor attack in a suburban underpass, proceeds as a tense and twisty political thriller, with clandestine meetings, bureaucratic skullduggery and intimations of conspiracy hanging in the air.
Harry’s character development is another highlight of the movie. The movie demonstrates that the pressures of being designated a hero have begun to weigh on Harry, isolating him from his friends and coming between him and the possibility of a normal teenage life. He also experiences his first kiss with Cho Chang (Katie Leung) in one of the few light moments of the movie.
There are some wonderful special effects-aided set pieces—notably an early broomstick flight over London—and the sound effects are not overdone. And the production design and the cinematography are frequently astonishing in their aptness and sophistication.
On the flip side, the first 20 minutes of the film, when Harry is put on trial for performing magic outside of school and threatened with expulsion but is cleared of all charges, does nothing to advance the plot.
The under-use of the cream of British acting—here we have too-brief appearances of Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson, David Thewlis, Richard Griffiths and Julie Walters—is another letdown.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is darker, leaner and meaner than any of the four previous Harry Potter movies. And the message is conveyed clearly to the audience: Harry Potter has grown up, and he is ready to take on Voldemort.
A film by Spain’s Pedro Almodóvar, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown captures the essence of life, love and a certain kind of loss. Pepa (Carmen Maura), who seems emotionally strong to us, is a television actress who has been living with Iván for the past few months and, until recently, in love with him as well.
Maura performs this role fabulously, with the fire and passion we’ve come to expect from stereotyped images of fiery, passionate Spain. Iván (Fernando Guillén), a fellow television actor, is a typical two-timing jerk, who is consistently found sleeping with some new girl.
Pepa was Iván’s round two. He was previously married with children, and had who knows how many love interests prior to “settling down.”
When we come into the storyline Iván has just broken up with Pepa to go on a trip with another woman. He wants his suitcase back, so throughout the film they try to meet at her apartment, which she is trying to sell.
The lack of communication between the former lovers is a strong theme throughout. From the first phone call of the movie, in the first scene, they don’t answer a single call until the last one. Voicemail after voicemail, we follow the further deterioration of the remnants of a relationship already in ruin.
Without spoiling the ending, I can say that it is less than surprising, though quite climactic. The film keeps interest and builds excitement with the crazy, spontaneous humor and fast pace. At only 90 minutes, it never gets boring.
