Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009, d. David Yates)

I went in expecting to be disappointed yet again, but I came out feeling like the series had been re-energised in preparation for the big finale. For one, the pacing and structure is much better in this movie, particularly in the first half, than it has been in the previous movies. David Yates’ direction has the urgency and tension that I expected from the last movie and didn’t get. Also, this is one of the prettier HP films, as if someone finally realised how to match the technical wizardry and art direction with the magic of the world of the books.

Characterwise, the cast in this movie was solid. I really liked the way Jim Broadbent played Slughorn, an annoying character in the book that he rescues with interpretation. He managed to show that the bravado, the amorality hiding behind respectability, the constant name-dropping, hid a scared and sorry old man inside. Evanna Lynch continues to be the perfect Luna Lovegood, and steals every scene she's in.

I loved the way they translated the burgeoning teenage relationship mess in the book to film. They even manage to make me like the Harry and Ginny together; I particularly appreiated how Bonnie Wright plays Ginny, the quiet surety of her. She’s got steely cool that matches Harry’s hot-headedness. The Lavendar-Ron-Hermione triangle was portratyed on screen well too; the Ron and Lavendar bits were funny, and Jessie Cave's Lavendar was perfect, good naturedly delusional and hormonally in love. Emma Watson's acting has improved a lot, and I really felt sad during the scene where Hermione and Harry are commiserating over their unrequited crushes on others.

Props where it’s due - Dan Radcliffe has improved in leaps and bounds as well. Harry on Felix Felicitas was hilariously done, the stoner-vibe was a good touch, his voice and demeanour completely altered but in subtle ways. And I really liked Harry in this movie, more than I felt when reading the book - in the book he’s starting to become a hero-figure, something unreal. In this, you can chart his growth as a person, but he did come across as flesh and blood, that gap between child and man.
A really good example was the scene in the cave. Both Radcliffe and Gambon do such good jobs, as the roles between the old and young are reversed, and Harry has to be mature and brave to complete his task.

The Draco plotline of this book was one of my favourites in the series, and while I wished they played up Harry’s obsession with Draco a bit more I also understand that it wouldn’t work as well in the movie, and what they did do helped keep the movie going at a good clip without having to backtrack and exposit about Draco's actions later. I liked the repeated imagery for Draco’s plotline, the pulling down of the cover of the cabinet at each try, the grand gesture of it all. Tom Felton does a good job as Draco, striking just the right tone of petulance, frustration and growing fear in all his scenes.

The ending is a mess though. It completely negates the point of Draco fixing the Vanishing Cabinets if the Death Eaters do not use the opportunity to terrorize Hogwarts, as it happens in the book. By leaving the Hogwarts community intact and safe, the narrative lacks the sense of danger they need to experience to be galvanized into action against Voldemort. However, the killing of Dumbledore retained its heartrending feel - Gambon hit it out of the park with his tired but knowing “Please” at Snape, and Draco’s near-hysteric unraveling in the moments beforehand. The one benefit of the annoying change where Death Eaters are just useless audience members is because without the increasingly frantic chain of events beforehand, the shock of Snape killing Dumbledore has more resonance - it really does seem to come out of nowhere, and the moment has time to make an impact.

There was a weird disjunct between the first and second half, where the first half knows how to go for laughs when it needs to, while the latter is much much darker.
I was disappointed in that dreadfully dull last scene. I guess it was trying to show that they’re growing up, they have to leave the sanctuary of Hogwarts behind and Fawkes flying away was a nice shot but it just seemed an insipid way to end an exciting and mostly dark and unnerving film.

Forever the Sickest Kids / Jack's Mannequin - 25 Feb - The Metro

First act Bayside were loud, and played a solid set of surprisingly tuneful songs.

Jack's Mannequin were poptastic and fun, and very warmly welcomed by the already packed theatre. Andrew McMahon was an adorable muppet, throwing himself around the stage with the same abandon he bashed at his keyboard and sang. Set list was an almost even mix from both albums: Crashin', The Mixed Tape, Spinning, Bloodshot, Dark Blue, The Resolution, Bruised. Thirty minutes was too short a time - I would love to see them headline one day.



Forever the Sickest Kids were enjoyable beyond expectations. They came out to a pre-recorded tongue-in-cheek announcement, with half the band sporting amazingly emo hair, and wearing lolzy band t-shirts (Creed, Nickelback). It wasn't so much their musical ability - a bit shambolic live, which lessened the poptastic impact of their songs on record - but rather their energetic, ironic performance that really sold their show. Frontman Jonathan Cook worked the crowd into a frenzy with his cult leader like posturing, and the blond drummer was fun to watch too, with his endless stream of stick tossing tricks. They were a lot of fun to watch overall.

We decided to not catch RJA, and ended up having a later dinner at the same restaurant in Chinatown as Andrew McMahon, Bobby Anderson, and friends. :)

Fall Out Boy / All-American Rejects / Hey Monday - 21 Feb 2009 - Acer Arena

Despite my misgivings about their youth and relative inexperience, Hey Monday just about won me over with their adorable bouncy show, their bright (if not particularly memorable) pop tunes, and lead singer Cassadee Pope's sweet voice (noticeably stronger in the higher register). I thought Candles - acoustic at the start with just Cassadee and a guitar - was a particular highlight.

The banter for the All-American Rejects was forced and a bit arrogant (as was coming out to the 1812 Overture). The crowd on the floor was really into them though, particularly in the big hits that started the show (Swing Swing, Dirty Little Secret). Musically they were solid, but it wasn't a dynamic set, and it left me a little cold.

This was probably the best I've seen Fall Out Boy live. Pete Wentz was in a fine mood, cracking jokes about being a R.Patz fan, and telling rambling anecdotes about drunkdialling his friends. Lead singer Patrick Stump looked every inch the rock star, and his vocal has improved so much, noticeably when he reached some really low notes in Headfirst Slide...

Cassadee came out to sing on Sugar, and she and Patrick sounded really nice in harmony, and it does make me wish that they could somehow clone Patrick so he could harmonise with himself live.

There were some great surprises, such as Lullabye, a hidden track for Wentz' baby boy on their latest album Folie A Deux, which was lovely though it was a jarring segue from that into the loud singalong that is Arms Race. And they jazzed up the show with some great pyro displays to punctuate their more anthemic songs.

Anyway, it was a really fun, high energy show, pakced with hit after hit, and the crowd obviously adored them.

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
Thriller
16 Candles
American Boy
Sugar
Lullaby
Arms Race
I Don't Care
Beat It
Headfirst Slide
Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner
Take Over, Break's Over
I Slept With Someone in Fall Out Boy...
Disloyal Order
Grand Theft Autumn
American's Suitehearts

Patron Saints
Me & You
Dance Dance
Saturday

TV on the Radio - 24 Jan 2009 - The Metro

Adelaide band Wolf and Cub were an interesting surprise, playing a 45 minute, 7 song set of chest thumping 70s throwback prog rock. The fourth song was an epic twelve minutes long. They were technically brilliant, and the two drummers were amazing to watch as they played in tandem and drove the massive sound of the songs. It did feel a little tedious at times though, particularly towards the end of the set; musically they could be a bit more adventurous. Also, weirdly, the sparse vocals were a detraction and we could've done without them.

TV on the Radio played an energetic, absorbing hour and a half to a rapt, packed crowd. They started with Young Liars, a surprising choice, but it worked as a great introduction to frontman Tunde Adebimpe's awesome style (getting his groove on from the start, dancing up a storm until his shirt turned a light terracotta to a dark brown from sweat), and the falsetto vocal/harmony from Kyp Malone.

Unfortunately, the muddy sound that would plague the entire night was also evident from the start, which meant that at any given time, the distinctive vocals of either singer could be buried under a chaotic wall of guitar-heavy sound. That said, there were still moments of brilliant music from the 7 piece band on stage (two saxophonists rounded out the line-up and helped to add that brassy note that a lot of the newer songs have), with the crowd particularly worked up over the songs from Return to Cookie Mountain.

A lot of the songs were given more muscular arrangments live, which worked really well in the case of the older songs like Dreams and Staring at the Sun. They played a great set stretching back to early EP material, punctuated by a lot of songs from last year's Dear Science; though in my mind the highlight of the night was the back to back pairing of Golden Age, as funky as you could get, and the howling amazing Wolf Like Me. Apart from the disappointment of not hearing Family Tree nor Halfway Home, and even with the bad sound, there was a lot to enjoy from the band, and their tight, high energy, passionate performance that got the crowd moving and singing along.

Young Liars
The Wrong Way
Dreams
Crying
Golden Age
Wolf Like Me
Dirtywhirl
Stork and Owl
Shout It Out
Dancing Choose
Red Dress
DLZ
Satellite

Love Dog
Blues from Down Here
Let the Devil In
Staring at the Sun

Lupe Fiasco - 20 Jan 2009 - Enmore Theatre

From the moment Lupe came on stage, there was this incredible energy in the theatre, feeding the crowd, and feeding off the crowd. The first half - about five songs - was brilliant, starting with an early hit, Kick Push, that had the crowd singing along and dancing to the infectious beat, and ended with his fantastic rapping skill demonstrated in Go Go Gadget Flow, living up to the boast of the chorus. The band was amazing - tight, and as into the performance as Lupe himself, jumping and dancing to their funky selves.

So far, so good. Though the small breaks between songs constantly decreased the intensity of the energy, it was cute to see Lupe to stand at the side of the stage, literally trying to cool down with the help of a fan, leading to Lupe gleefully repeat a sad joke about the audience waving their hands at him - "fans as fans".

But then the night becamed unfocussed, unstuck. Even though the night continued with a string of well received songs, after only fifty minutes on stage Lupe was performing his big hit from last year, Superstar, ending with a drawn out, almost angry outro, milking the popularity of the song for all it was worth.

After a brief intermission, where no one actually left the stage so the audience had no idea whether the night was almost over, or just starting, Lupe reeled off line after line from songs everyone wanted to hear - but a line was all we were going to get. Tease. Then Lupe went into a ramble about Obama ushering in a new and wonderful age by tomorrow morning, and the crowd went nuts, and it served as an extended intro for last song Daydreamin', which featured his awesome guitar player and his falsetto. Right after that the concert was over though, and it was all to soon for my liking.

A solid performance, and the first half was truly amazing, but it just kind of peetered out and felt a little unsatisfying.

Kick Push
Hip Hop Saved My Life
Sunshine
I Gotcha
Go Go Gadget Flow
? (might have been a song here)
Hi-Definition
Paris Tokyo
We Love You
Superstar

Daydreamin'

Stars - 3 Jan 2009 - The Factory

Missed Bridezilla, who played first, but caught second support act, Newcastle band Firekites. They were fine - very young, and intensely quiet in performance, with moody atmospheric songs, largely instrumental. Their stagecraft needs work; the lead singer mumbled into the microphone between songs and I'll be damned if I have any idea what he said.

Stars came on a little late, but threw themselves into the performance from the start. Torq started grabbing bunches of petals from the flowers strewn across their amps and tied to their mike stands, and threw them into the air like white confetti as a mood setter, and they were as idiosyncratic and sweet from there on.

I think they had some minor sound problems, and sometimes the instruments (particularly the keyboard) overwhelmed Amy and Torq's voices, but overall they sounded good together. Especially when Amy and Torq harmonised and sang to each other; I will never tire of hearing how their voices work together. Alone, Amy has a lovely, light tone, while Torq is a little rougher and less polished, but somehow their voices just mesh perfectly.

I really do think their partnership is the backbone of the band; even their banter complements each other. When Torquill started rambling about losing his glasses, and not being able to see into the crowd without them, Amy cut in, saying "I have perfect vision", telling Torq that she couldn't share his gripe. At which Torq said, rather put out (in a joking way!), "Perfect pitch. Perfect vision. Amy Millan, she's just too perfect," or something like that, and made a face. Then he gave Amy the finger and she just giggled along with the rest of us. But he obviously adored her, and spent most of the night either singing to her, or leaning into her space to sing with her.

The crowd was fairly subdued to start with; even during well-known and upbeat tracks like Ageless Beauty there were swathes of people in front of us standing stock-still. This could be explained in part by the fact that a good part of their usual fanbase, the indie hipster crowd, was probably across town at the sold out Fleet Foxes gig instead; something Torq himself acknowledged when thanking the crowd for being here instead of there, or at least for buying a ticket to Stars once FF sold out.

Highlights included the joy on their faces as they let the crowd sing their best-known song, Your Ex-Lover is Dead, to them; the very cute sad robot impression Torq did on Amy's command: "That was your sad impression, where was the robot?" "It's inside."; and the chaos of the penultimate song, Calendar Girl, as Torquill crawled onto the middle of the crowd on the floor, with fans surrounding on their knees, as he yelled the song's refrain, "I'm alive!" over and over again, joyously and manically, to the end. When he finally returned to the stage, his face was so red from the exertion, but he was grinning from ear to ear. The energy they put into the show, and that they drew from the crowd, was amazing, and well worth seeing.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008, d. Danny Boyle)

I originally gave Slumdog Millionaire a three out of five, but thinking it over the past few weeks has made me downgrade it to a 2 1/2 at best. It seems to me that by using a "fairytale" framework, the movie feels free to use plenty of cliche and sentiment. "It is written"? UGH.

I found it predictable - poor urchin overcomes great odds by cunning and a big dose of luck and gets his dream girl and lives happily every after - and the sensationalist violence left a sour taste in my mouth in light of the offhand dismissal of the gritty lives these kids emerged from.

The story itself is hampered by gaping plot holes that are ignored in favour of hurtling toward the inevitable happy ending (and the big song and dance routine, which was fun and the redeeming factor of the ending).

Dev Patel is the weakest link in an otherwise decent cast full of appealing and capable child actors; he appeared to me to be sullen and dull throughout the film, rather than quick-witted and deserving of the fate he lands. Frieda Pinto is beautiful, but the film casts her in that role alone - she is a cypher, a pretty fantasy for Jamal to live his life hoping to achieve, but neither the audience or Jamal is allowed to see or access anything more about her, which makes their supposedly fated connection unsatisfying.

The cinematography is vivid, the sights and sounds of Mumbai - the beautiful tourist attractions as well as the grim of the slums - conveyed with an eye for detail. It was an enjoyable enough experience in the theatre, and the furious pace hides a lot of its sins, but in contemplation the film is as pretty and as empty and hollow as the romance at the centre of the film, and hardly deserving of the hype and praise heaped upon its slight self.