Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

If I know my audience (and I don't want to) you're all desperate to see the new Potter flick and refuse to go until I tell you whether it's good or not. You silly, loveable sheep. Well, it seemed cruel to keep people waiting any longer, so here are my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Ridiculously Long Title: Part 57.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

I can't believe we've nearly reached the end of the Harry Potter series. In filmic terms, this decade has belonged to J.K. Rowling's speccy wizard and it'll be strange to not have an HP film to look forward to after Deathly Hallows Part 2 opens in July. Still, enough pondering an' shit. I've got a film to review.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here! It's Harry Potter. He's all bright and shiny and new again- just in time for the Dark Lord."

Deathly Hallows Part 1 again follows the trials and tribulations of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and best friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) as they battle against the evil, snake-faced Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his Death Eaters. The film is turgid with plot, both as a stand alone film and as a continuation of what's gone before. Much like Half-Blood Prince, the film expects you to know what has happened in previous installments and who every single character is. This is fine for die-hard fans, but everyone else may get a little lost. It's a shame too, as I would enjoy the ride up until Thingy from Wotsit came up and my brain would go into IMDB mode, trying to remember who they were instead of what was actually happening.  My usual actor comments would take up the rest of this review considering the sheer Brit thespian power on display, so I'll just say that Daniel Radcliffe didn't annoy me as much in this one. Of the new additions though, Bill Nighy pops up and basically plays Bill Nighy, but asks us to call him Rufus Scrimgeour. Rhys Ifans also makes a welcome appearance as Luna Lovegood's father, Xenophilius.

The one thing you'll hear about this film more than anything else is how "dark" it is. I hate to add my voice to the mooing masses, but they're right. Shit gets dark. The Potter films have always had a macabre edge to them, but this was normally balanced out by classroom shenanigans and general magical mirth at Hogwarts. Deathly Hallows moves away from this, and indeed Hogwarts, leaving the fortified castle walls behind and opting instead for increasingly cold-looking forests. Our trio are constantly on the run and there's little time for arsing about with chocolate frogs this time round. A comparison to a film like The Bourne Supremacy may not be as ridiculous as it may first seem. I would talk about certain departures, but won't just in case I get hit with the "you ruined the film for me" brick again. Suffice to say, the girlier members of the audience may have to choke back a few sobs.

In terms of specifics, there's a lot to like here. The scene that left the most impact on me was the beautiful animated sequence that tells the story of the Deathly Hallows. The shadow marionette visuals coupled with the downright creepy story work fantastically well. The opening action sequence is good too, if only for the novelty of seeing cars getting flipped Hollywood style in a Harry Potter film. The brief but effective fight in a greasy spoon was also great. In terms of sheer oddery though, the dance Harry and Hermione share to Nick Cave's "O Children" takes some beating. It's not bad, it just feels out of place. As I said, there aren't many lighter moments but if the sight of seven Harry Potters ( including one in a bra) doesn't raise a smile, I don't know what to suggest.

"If Voldemort's really taken over the Ministry, none of the old places are safe."

I enjoyed the hell out of Deathly Hallows. Whilst I do feel that the sheer amount of plot is starting to drag the series down, it remains entertaining.You may now go and see it. You even have my permission to start getting excited about Part 2. Jesus, I'm fantastic to you lot.

Jackass 3D

Yes, a review of something which is still in cinemas. It feels like a revelation to me too. Without further ado, here's my Jackass 3D review presented in eye and wallet-friendly 2D.

Jackass 3D (2010)

 I'm sick of hearing myself talking about 3D. I trot out the same points so often it's become second nature to complain about the elevated prices and general crapness of it all. However, I was excited when I heard about Jackass 3D. Why? Well, 3D is a gimmick, not a new and exciting filmmaking technique and it should be treated as such. The Jackass films aren't really films per se, just feature length opportunities to see grown men injuring themselves. A marriage between the two made sense to me. Plus, I was certain I'd see things done with 3D that I wouldn't see (or want to see, for that matter) anywhere else.

"Hello, I'm Johnny Knoxville. Welcome to Jackass!"

Well, there's no plot really, but it'll be a familiar set up to anyone who has caught any of the anarchic TV show or two previous films. Basically, it's a bunch of man-children running about playing pranks, doing stunts and injuring themselves and others on a very regular basis. There's something really pure about the slapstick stuff on display here. The ideas behind the pain are often just shy of ingenious and the anticipation before a prank/stunt is often just as funny as the pay-off. The "High Five"skit is a great example of this. The 3D itself is good, but not really needed. Both the intro and ending are 3D eye-candy but most of the rest would work just as well in normal-o-vision. Having said that, this is probably the only 3D title that will ever contain people vomiting, shitting and pissing in three dimensions.

You can't really analyse Jackass. You either find it funny or you don't. Luckily, I do find it funny and laughed throughout. My face hurt by the time we left the cinema. Every so often I keep remembering certain skits and smiling to myself. One of my favourites was "Electric Avenue"- a small corridor filled with a live tasers and spinning cattle prods, in which the Jackasses have to run the electric gauntlet dressed in prison outfits, all set to that Eddie Grant song that Currys ruined. Even when the skits sometimes look a bit laugh-free like "Ram Jam"- where Steve-O and Ryan Dunn, dressed in marching band attire, attempt to pacify a ram by playing some brass instruments, they can still turn out to be great.

Jackass isn't all about the slapstick buffoonery though. Chances are that you'll spend as much time gagging as you will giggling. The "Sweat Suit Cocktail" bit made me gag several times between guffaws- same goes for the fantastic "Poo Cocktail Supreme", which whilst disgusting, is definitely one of the film's highlights. I get the feeling that people unintiated to the whole Jackass thing may find the stunts amusing, but will draw the line at fecal matter. However, Jackass has been around for about a decade now, so I suppose most people will know what to expect.

"Oh God, why do I have to be Steve-O?"

So, Jackass 3D is very good. It would have worked in 2D, but the 3D does add a welcome additional layer of ridiculousness. When it comes down to it, I laughed much more watching Jackass 3D than I have at any recent comedy film. However, as good as it is, it still wasn't worth £9.35 per ticket (£10.35 if you didn't bring your own pair of 3D specs). Still, it's one of the only 3D films I'd recommend that you see, which marks it out from the rest of the pack.