Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Netflix Synopsis: Returning for his fifth year of study at the venerable Hogwarts, youthful wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is stunned to find that that his warnings about the return of the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) have been ignored. Left with no choice, Harry takes matters into his own hands, training a small group of students — dubbed “Dumbledore’s Army” (after the school’s headmaster) — to defend themselves against the dark arts.

Review: I thought HP5 was fantastic. I heard a lot of people grumbling in the theater and asking each other when it would be over because they were bored, but that may have been because we went on opening night. I think the people who are looking for the same level of action and fight sequences as we saw in the previous films will be slightly disappointed, however in my opinion, the true Harry Potter fans should be just as pleased with this one if not more so, because this movie did the most storytelling of the HP series of movies so far. While Harry is struggling to come to terms with the pain of loss, the demons that haunt him at night, and growing up all at the same time the viewer can relate to Harry on a more of a personal level than ever before. The addition of the new headmistress was entertaining and outraging all at the same time. The scenery is gorgeous, the acting is superb, the storytelling is fantastic and you can feel the tension building as you know the series is moving on to something even more intense. Even knowing that, you do not walk away feeling cheated because this film wraps itself up nicely. I am so impressed with this series, and this film so far has been my favorite.

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Submitted by: Heather 7/28/07

Dreamgirls (2006)

Netflix Synopsis: Twenty-five years after its Broadway debut, the definitive girl-group musical, earning the most Oscar nods in 2007, finally makes its way to the screen with Bill Condon at the helm and a dream cast that includes Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé Knowles. A trio of women have high hopes for fame but end up paying a high price for it. Eddie Murphy plays James Early (in an Oscar-nominated role), and Jennifer Hudson took home the golden statuette for playing strong but slighted Effie.

Review: Dreamgirls has a lot going for it. Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy are particularly strong in their roles, and the rest of the cast is also very solid. The direction is well-done, the costuming is gorgeous, and the music is mostly excellent. Unfortunately, for me at least, there is just too much music. I’m not a big fan of musicals, so take that with a grain of salt, but it seems like there is no dialogue in this film, just a bunch of songs strung together.

I gave Oscar-winning Chicago three stars, and I liked Chicago a touch more than this musical. If you like musicals, then this one is very well-done. I just don’t.

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Submitted by: Lori 6/21/07

Deliver Us from Evil (2006)

Netflix Synopsis: This unsettling Oscar-nominated documentary from filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O’Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. A mix of victim stories and a disturbing interview with O’Grady provides a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining the trust of congregations … all the while betraying so many.

Review: This was a very powerful movie. I watched as the facts unfolded, as the accused discussed their side, as the victims horrible stories continued to pile up. I knew that a lot of sexual abuse took place in the church, I was just not aware of the secrecy, and the lengths at which the church has gone to ensure the priests stay protected. It was appalling to know that even though Father O’Grady admitted his sickness to the church, their secrecy allowed him to continue, and in some ways it could be said that by the church taking such steps to protect him, in a way they were encouraging his behavior.

I stepped away from this film deeply saddened. While I am not a very religious person, I realize there are many who are. If families cannot trust the church and those in positions of power in those churches, what has our society come to? When those who represent the God whose words they preach, cannot be trusted with our children, there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

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Submitted by: Heather 7/25/07

Shooter (2007)

Netflix Synopsis: An expert marksman (Mark Wahlberg) is coaxed out of seclusion by colleagues who need his help in preventing a plot to kill the president. But he soon realizes he’s been set up when he’s framed for the assassination attempt. Can he elude the law long enough to bring the real culprits to justice? Danny Glover and Michael Peña (World Trade Center) co-star in this political thriller based on a novel by Stephen Hunter.

Review: This movie got quite a few not so favorable reviews. I felt it was an excellent addition to the action genre. This was a great movie filled with suspense, intrigue and a lot of edge of your seat moments. The ONLY aspect of this movie I could have done without was a romance that took place, but thankfully they didn’t spend too much time with that. Mark Wahlberg has proved himself a great actor and I hope his career continues to do well for years to come. As far as Shooter was concerned, it is definitely not an award winning movie, but if you are looking for an action packed story that is well written, you will not be disappointed with this one.

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Submitted by: Heather 7/25/07

Miss Potter (2006)

Netflix Synopsis: Blending lush animation sequences with live-action drama, director Chris Noonan constructs this biopic about the personal life of beloved children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. Featuring the Academy Award-winning Renee Zellweger as the title character and co-starring Emily Watson and Ewan McGregor, the film traces Potter’s private life as well as her contributions to literature such as the timeless “Tale of Peter Rabbit.”

Review: This was a cute film, but a bit over hyped. I felt that the story was engaging and intriguing but perhaps someone other than Renee Zellweger might have been a better fit for the lead role. I like Renee enough as an actress, but I continually found things in this film that drew my attention back to the fact that Renee was the actress, the role never seemed a perfect fit for me. The scenery was very pretty and I felt they did a good job making the world they were presenting feel like the early 1900’s. I loved the “girl power” attitude that today seems quite normal, but back then was a very big reason to make everyone talk about you behind your back. Despite all of that, Beatrice Potter made a decision early on to never marry, because she had her art and her art would provide all the love she could ever need. All of the other characters in the movie were nicely developed as well. It was a good story.

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Submitted by: Heather 7/25/07

Stick It (2006)

Netflix Synopsis: When her rebellious attitude gets her in trouble with the law, acerbic 17-year-old Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym), a former gymnast, is sentenced to enroll in an elite gymnastics academy run by notorious coach Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges), where she butts heads with a competitive rival (Vanessa Lengies). But with an important international meet on the horizon, can the girls put their differences aside to win?

Review: I was very disappointed by this movie. It hit all the typical teenage lessons right on, which made it boring, predictable and just plain annoying. There is very little more dissatisfying than a cookie-cutter film. The best part of this movie was probably the opening sequence where we get to see some neat BMX tricks and at the end we get to see a pretty cool gymnastics scene. Everything in-between was pretty much worthless.

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Submitted by: Heather 7/25/07

Flightplan (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: A mother’s sanity is called into question when her child disappears during a plane flight in this tense thriller. Still reeling from her husband’s unexpected death, Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is on a plane heading from Berlin to New York when her daughter vanishes. When the captain (Sean Bean) and the air marshal (Peter Sarsgaard) begin to doubt that the child was ever on board, Kyle realizes she must rely on herself to find her little girl.

Review: I really enjoyed this movie. I thought Jodie Foster did a great job acting. I love stories where the bulk, if not the entire film takes place in one spot. In this case it was on the plane. This helps build tension as you realize the characters, dilemmas and questions are all being developed, hidden and exposed in very close proximity to one another. Each time you felt you knew what was going on in this movie, the story led you in the opposite direction, only to lead you back the other way. I love when a movie can surprise me and by the time you find out the truth, you have so much emotion invested you just feel better to finally KNOW. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who likes an original story in the suspense/mystery genre.

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Submitted by: Heather 7/25/07

The Lake House (2006)

Netflix Synopsis: Speed co-stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves reteam for romance in director Alejandro Agresti’s remake of the Korean film Siworae, exploring a mysterious mailbox that somehow bridges time. After moving away from her peaceful lakeside home, a lonely physician (Bullock) begins writing letters to the frustrated architect (Reeves) who now occupies the building, only to discover that they’re living two years apart.

Review: Reeves and Bullock live in the same house two years apart, yet somehow they write love letters to each other through a mailbox that allows them to communicate through time! Obviously, suspension of disbelief is required in large doses throughout the somewhat tedious and predictable plot — and at just over 90 minutes the film still felt too long. The above synopsis is wrong; this is actually a remake of the Korean film Il Mare (aka Shiweolae). As a side note, I was dismayed that the Lake House never achieved the speed of 55 mph necessary to arm the bomb set by terrorist Dennis Hopper. Pop quiz, ace….

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Submitted by: Randy 7/23/07

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Netflix Synopsis: Returning for his fifth year of study at the venerable Hogwarts, youthful wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is stunned to find that that his warnings about the return of the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) have been ignored. Left with no choice, Harry takes matters into his own hands, training a small group of students — dubbed “Dumbledore’s Army” (after the school’s headmaster) — to defend themselves against the dark arts.

Review: The young actors, particularly Daniel Radcliffe, are growing into their roles very nicely, and the who’s who of British film in the adult cast is very fun without being campy or annoying. Imelda Staunton is particularly wonderful in this film as the incredibly creepy Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. If you aren’t familiar with her work, check out Vera Drake to see how she was robbed of an Oscar in 2004. She definitely gives it her all in this role, and I hated her character more than Voldemort.

David Yates has primarily directed television in the past, and he has no Hollywood blockbuster experience, so his first turn in the director’s chair for a Harry Potter film impresses all the more. I have not read the book yet (I deliberately wait until after I’ve seen the film), but this fifth installment flows much better than Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yates adds some nice camera angles, and makes judicious use of special effects, concentrating more on character and story development until the final action sequence at the end of the movie.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is easily the darkest film in the series thus far, and that may be why is is one of my favorites. There are many funny moments in this film, but even the humor is darker and drier. The main characters are growing up, and the movies are definitely growing up with them. Some of the critics panned this movie for not having the whimsy of the early films, but those critics obviously don’t understand the fantasy genre, as whimsy must give way to more serious matters as the major threat looms larger.

So see it in the theater if you can. This is the best of this year’s blockbuster season, so if you are only going to spend money on one movie outing this summer, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the best choice so far.

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Submitted by: Lori 7/20/07

Deliver Us from Evil (2006)

Netflix Synopsis: This unsettling Oscar-nominated documentary from filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O’Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. A mix of victim stories and a disturbing interview with O’Grady provides a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining the trust of congregations … all the while betraying so many.

Review: Deliver Us from Evil is one of the most powerful documentaries I’ve seen in quite some time. The core of its power is derived from the fact that the film makers managed to extensively interview pedophile Father Oliver O’Grady, and the pure evil he exudes as he recounts his crimes staggers the viewer. I actually felt nauseated more than once as he professed a contrition for his crimes, while at the same time minimizing his impact of the lives of those he molested. My skin crawled every time he used the term “affection” as a euphemism for sodomy and rape.

This is not a perfect film, or maybe that’s my own Catholicism rearing its head, because while the personal stories and the statistics of known abuse victims horrified me, I want to know where they come up with statistics like “ten percent of those graduating from St. John’s seminary are pedophiles.” Maybe the problem really is that big, and I’m in denial, but I just can’t imagine a number that high.

In any case, the rote reading of statistics only encompasses maybe 10 or 15 minutes of what is otherwise a nearly perfect documentary about the Catholic Church pedophilia scandal, and this is a film that clearly deserved its Oscar nomination.

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Submitted by: Lori 7/4/07