Clash of the Titans

Goolphipp Award: 3.75 (See the Cheap Matinee)

Goolsby:
So the original Clash of the Titans came out in 1981 - I wasn't even born yet. But, I do remember watching it later on VHS as a kid. Of course my older brother loved it, and I remember I did too. However, I haven't seen the original for a long time. I wanted to rent the original and watch it before we went to see the movie, but we just didn't have time. So I'm starting off with fond memories of the original and random details - like the metal owl!

First and foremost, the owl was the most important thing to me, haha. I'm a sucker for all things puppets, and the owl used to be basically a puppet or prop. I am glad to say the owl was paid homage in this movie. I literally threw my hands up and cheered a silent yes.

I liked this movie. I had fun watching it. Heck, its' a well known fact that I've got a thing for Liam Neeson. And boy oh boy was I happy, he looked a least 10 years, if not more, younger in this film. The makeup job was done very well. He played a very stoic commanding Zeus and I loved it. The whole cast did a really good job I thought. It was a good mix of people. Ralph Fiennes played Hades, and once again proved that he can be the ultimate villain (he also plays Voldemort in the Harry Potter films).

The action was intense and super fast. I had a hard time keeping up. Very quick. I loved the scorpion scenes. The CG was decent. There were only a few times where it felt the technology was being pushed to its limits. I guess we are having a theme of great wings this week, but once again, we were given amazing CG wings. The Pegasus had these beautiful black wings. Everything about that horse was spot on perfect. No complaints from me, gets an A+ in my books. Medusa on the other hand... her CG wasn't as seamless and left something to be desired.

I enjoyed the film, but it felt there was something missing. It needed some extra sense of umph, but I'm not sure where or how they could have given us that extra zing.

Goolsby overall: 3.75
Almost a 4.

Phipps:
I remember watching the original Clash of the Titans in elementary school. What I remember most is thinking, "that looks fake." But despite being slightly crippled by effects, because the technology just wasn't there at the time, the original had something special. It's been a while since I've seen it, but it had heart.

For this version, all the effects were in order, with the exception of Medusa. Stellar wings again. Everything looked right...and even with all the big names...there was no sparkle. While I normally love Sam Worthington, I just wasn't feeling it...from most of the performances. The exceptions: Ralph Fiennes (as Hades), Pete Postlewaite (as Spyros, Perseus' adoptive father), and Gemma Arterton (as Io).

I appreciated the obvious nod to the original with the robotic owl, and I'm sure there were more that I didn't catch.

This movie was a solid action adventure. There was clean action, comic relief, short skirts, and crazy creatures. It's entertaining. It's appropriate for the family with older kids.

That being said, the X-factor wasn't there. It has to be the performances, because there is no blaming the effects. Give me Harry Hamlin any day.

Phipps overall: 3.75
There was something missing.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Goolphipp Award: 4.25

Where we stand: Both fans, not fanatics

Phipps: I read the books a long time ago, and haven’t read them a second time. I have these overall summaries in my head. I don’t read them before I see the movie to keep myself from nitpicking. The first five had to leave out a ton of stuff because of time, and mostly I agree with the calls made. I felt satisfied every time that they captured the spirit and plot of the book. This movie was different…didn’t feel like the others in terms of satisfaction.

Goolsby: I joined the Harry Potter scene late in the game. I saw the first five movies before I buckled down and read the books. After the fifth installment, I read all the books back to back in about one month. So for this sixth book, I thought I would take advantage of my knowledge and re-read the book to experience something different. So I bring a more book inclined view to the movies, but like most book adaptations, there is a stage of “making peace” that you have to go through. Oh, and of course, we attended the midnight showing.

Audience: Everyone – who doesn’t like HP?

Goolsby: Of course the story of the Chosen One gets darker. Good and evil, and all that jazz. You’ve got your teenage bumpkins in the audience who make stupid snide remarks as the romance develops. I would recommend older viewers to see the movie during a time where “kids” won’t be in abundance.

Phipps: As we go on, the plot gets darker. As a result, sometimes that translates into scary. So parents, know what your kid can handle.

Storyline: The Cauldron starts to boil over…

Phipps: Followed the book, sort of. The focus was the changing relationships, which could have been done in a shorter amount of time. That would have freed up some time to lay crucial groundwork for the next two. My biggest complaint is the end scenes…it didn’t feel right. And according to Goolsby, there were major deviations. And if I felt that way, I’m sure most people will feel it, too.

Goolsby: Well, if we look at the storyline compared to the book, there are obvious deviations. The most crucial being the Gaunt family history, potions class, and the battle sequence. I suspect they will tie up the loose ends of Voldemort’s history in the next movie as flashbacks or something similar. I understand why they left out the potions class, and I have “made peace” with that. The battle sequence, I understand, but don’t see the reasoning. The storyline based in regards to the other movies is however linear and fitting, I’ll give it that. I did however feel the storyline was split too drastically in obvious halves. The first half is the blustering romance and comedic relief. The second half is completely dark. I feel the two halves were not meshed well, but that is minor and expected.

Where’s the Drama: Love, friendship, good, and evil.

Phipps: Y’all know the story. Harry vs. Voldemort; however, this movie is much like the Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry is fighting henchmen most of the time. The love stuff is much more fun in the book, and I feel sorry for the actors as they try to turn their sibling chemistries into romance.

Goolsby: The gusto in this movie was dispersed throughout. I loved the high school drama-ness of the budding love. I also loved the darker side of the film. The subtle rifts between the characters were executed with precision.

Continuity: Hmmm…

Goolsby: I feel this movie was consistent with the last, but had a very different feeling than that last, which is surprising. I think perhaps Yates wanted to strengthen the three amigos before sending them off on the rest of the journey – wanted the viewers to feel that bond in this movie. This movie picked up right where 5 ended, and I greatly, greatly appreciate that. Thanks Yates.

Phipps: This movie generally felt different. While the last 5 were all different there was a x-factor that tied them together. I think Yates wanted to make his own mark a bit too much. Felt a bit choppy too…with love, then dark plot, comedic love, dark plot, etc, but I have a feeling I will like it better the second time around.

Delivery: Expected and surprised

Goolsby: Of course we’re so used to everyone that it is almost impossible to disappoint us. I think everyone did very well. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint are really getting to test out their wings. I was pleasantly surprised by Tom Felton (Draco). In the last scenes I thought he did a great job. I was also happy with the portrayal of Slughorn. Congrats everyone, job very well done. I mean come on, it would be so hard to kiss someone who is more like your sister or brother than anything else. Oh oh, the whole Felix Felicis scene was so perfect it made my heart smile.

Phipps: In true Harry Potter fashion, everyone was expertly cast and portrayed their respective characters so well that this is basically a non-issue for me. Everyone gets an A.

Phipps overall: 4
Solid 4, for now. I’m sure on my second viewing, it might hop up a couple notches.

Goolsby overall: 4.5
First viewing I give it a 4.5. I would like to say it is more, but honestly I was so cheesed that I had to vent out my differences. Overnight I made peace.
Second viewing I still give it a 4.5.

Goolphipp award: 4.25 (No peanuts chucked)

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