House of Flying Daggers

I am not usually a fan of subtitled films, but having seen this one I would recommend it to everyone. The cinematography is amazing. The scenery itself is stunning, but along with the camera angles and effects, the film is a master piece. I sometimes found myself so taken by the imagery that I would forget to read the subtitles. In this respect it is a shame it is subtitled because it draws your attention away from the imagery. On the otherhand, I think that if it were in English it would take something away from the film. Not only is this film expertly shot, but it also has a really good twist in the storyline which I thought was unusual in this type of martial arts film.

The Queen

I saw this film the other night on TV. It is based on how the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family dealt with the death of Princess Diana. I was quite shocked by how the Royal Family reacted to the situation. However, the film cannot have been too far from the truth otherwise the Royal Family would surely have considered court action. It puts a good light on Tony Blair which shows just how much opinion has changed about him since the Iraq war. It is a rare and truly insightful look into the life of the Royal Family. It is an interesting film and I thought Helen Mirren played the role of the Queen very well, producing a controlled and understated performance.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I know that the whole Harry Potter phenomenon does not appeal to everyone, but having read the books I thought I would really enjoy the fillm. However, when I came out I was quite dissappointed. Personally I felt that many of the aspects of the book had been left out. I realise that it is hard to make a book that is over 500 pages long into a 2 hour film but I felt that the producers had made some wrong decisions on which parts to include and which to ommit. I went to see it with people who had all read the book. However, I would be interested to know whether anyone who has not read the book, but seen the film, actually understood everything in the film, as so much of the book was left out. On the other hand, the special effects in this film have quite obviously progressed from previous films and were actually quite life-like and impressive. I remember some of the effects from the first film looking like a computer game and therefore unrealistic.