Tomorrow I’m going to go and see Conan the Barbarian starring Jason Momoa, so I have been desperately trying to avoid spoilers of any kind because I don’t want to go into the movie with any preconceived notions. Spoilage is everywhere and it has been very hard not to take a sneak peek at any of the reviews that are being posted like wildfire online. Maybe I wouldn’t care so much if I didn’t have such high hopes for this movie, which is for me the last film of the summer.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to this movie. And despite some extremely unflattering pics (not these ones BTW), I am still willing to give Momoa the benefit of the doubt as far as this movie goes. But I was totally looking forward to Green Lantern too in a big way and I am sad to say that I was disappointed in a big way. So what is the worst that can happen with this Conan reboot? Well, it could suck. Here are 3 reasons why.

1. Jason Momoa – There. I said it. I liked him on Stargate Atlantis and I really liked him in Game of Thrones. He is the epitome of a healthy barbarian. Unfortunately for Momoa the role of the iconic Conan the Barbarian has some pretty huge boots, and those are some pretty huge boots to fill. I’m afraid I might be helpless not to compare him to Arnold who I idolized as a teenager. I have to give Momoa credit though for taking this role knowing exactly what and who he is up against. Can he carry a movie with so much expectation attached to it? Will he disappoint? Or will he swing a sword like it’s nobody’s business?
2. Rose McGowan – Not much to say here.
3. The Story – The screenplay is written by Thomas Dean Donnelly (Sahara), Joshua Oppenheimer (Sahara) and Sean Hood (Halloween: Resurrection). I am in no way saying that they are bad writers. I’m just worried that the story is too completely re-imagined and doesn’t strictly adhere to the original flick’s storyline in ways that matter. I’m worried that my psyche will balk at the new mythology and want strict deference to the old lore. Though they do include some adherence to certain details from the original film and Conan character I’m wondering if that will be enough of the old in the new?

Yet me being the eternal optimist that I am, I want to look at this glass as being half full. So I’ve also thought of 3 reasons why this new version of Conan the Barbarian could rock too.

1. Jason Momoa – He has very big muscles, looks mean as heck, and looks like he can wield a sword like nobody’s business. His scowl alone has me shaking in my boots and he could give Arnold a good run for his money and effectively replace Schwarzenegger in our collective conscious as the archetypal legendary barbarian from here on in.
2. The Effects – CG and the magic of special effects have come a loooong way since the 80′s. I’m betting there will be some pretty amazing, stylish and knock your socks off effects.
3. The Story – Deviating from the original mythology definitely gives the writers room to go big or go home. Freedom to imagine new heights of barbarian glory, battles and colossal awesomeness could be a very, very good thing. Including enough homage to the original film as long as any tributes are strategically placed (think Rise of the Planet of the Apes, my favorite film of the summer, where they did this very skilfully) could only appease fans of the old film and give this new film a well deserved place next to the original.

I’m not usually pessimistic, but I’m afraid that Arnold’s Conan is too well embedded in my mind and that I most likely will be comparing Momoa to Arnie the whole time. I will try my hardest not to though and hopefully I can go into this movie tomorrow completely tabula rasa. Here’s hoping.

So what do you think? Do you think this new version of Conan the Barbarian will suck? What are your reasons? Or do you think and hope like me that it will rock?

Warning! The Red Band Clip is graphic!

Synopsis: The tale of Conan the Cimmerian and his adventures across the continent of Hyboria on a quest to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his village.

ΩPhoto Credits

“The boy who lived come to die.”

I love everything that Harry Potter stands for — courage through adversity, finding the strength within, the power of love and the bonds of friendship, and faith, above all, faith that when the chips are really down, you’ll have the power to conquer any obstacle because of the faith you have in yourself. I did immensely savor this epic finale to a fantastical fantasy saga. The ending was poignant and hard earned by our beloved characters and it was a final installment filled with all the magic and adventure we love in our Harry Potter films.

As part of a whole, and even separately, it does deliver most admirably. This film boasts a score filled with reminiscence of bygone adventures and David Yates and Steve Kloves do pay homage to the themes J.K. Rowling poured into this wonderful work of fiction. The CG was seamless, awe inspiring and masterful, and enhanced the story without overwhelming it. The writing of Steve Kloves was stark and to the point, and the action was fast paced and always moved towards the end with purpose, and without any lulls that allowed the mind to wander. And the end was tied up nice and tight and even had a bow on it, and the only thing left to our imaginations is what will life be like for our heroes now that the peril is over? It is a film that is almost perfect and brings to a bittersweet close an unforgettable adventure that spanned a decade.

The opening scenes of Part 2 set up the calm before the storm and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his faithful friends are regrouping before their final battle. Before long the audience is swooped up into another daring adventure as Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) search for the remaining Horcruxes. There is a sense of urgency that is magnificently conveyed as is the danger of this life and death quest. They’re not practicing spells at Hogwarts anymore. No, this is the real deal where one wrong move can end up costing the lives of those Harry loves.

The malevolence of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his horde of evil doers is fully realized and no longer reduced to shadows and whispers. His reign of fear and tyranny is in full swing and he is indeed terrifying to behold in all his glory. And yet for all this majestic evil unveiled, for the first time we can also marvel in the fact that Voldemort is not invincible and that Harry just might have a chance in defeating him.

In Part 2 our characters are fully developed and both we and they know exactly who they are. They are also no longer children shouldering burdens that the young shouldn’t have to carry; now they are capable, adept and fierce wizards who have grown to adulthood under our ever watchful eyes and they are set to defend Hogwarts where they will have their last stand against Lord Voldemort. Even Hogwarts itself, a place that was once a hallowed, mysterious, kooky and off the wall place, is now a grim sentinel of all that is good in the world.

The most emotionally moving moment of the film comes when Severus Snape’s (Alan Rickman) true part in all of this is revealed. We have the good fortune of going back in time and delving into his most private memories and we see a man with a heart capable of a deep and abiding love and duty. He is a man who has been forced to become the villain. Where once you reviled him as a traitorous killer, you will ultimately see him as a man willing to take the fall and be the bad guy who will do what he must in order to give Harry and his friends a chance to succeed. More than any other character in the movie, he has been sorely misjudged by all and sundry — even Harry.

And Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), the man who seemed to be the magnetic north of these films, the compass by which Harry steered through a life fraught with danger, is a man whose nature is called into question. Were we wrong to trust him all along? Was he so devoted to prophecy and duty that he was the most duplicitous of anyone? Even at the end he is a wizard that will remain a true enigma.

Ultimately in this film the past 7 installments coalesce into one final swell, weaving every nuance and bit of story that we’ve experienced over the years into one whole. It is definitely one of the darkest of all the films with some disturbing and sinister moments and deaths. Yet the way they handled Harry’s questions about death and what is next after life was treated in such a beautiful and peaceful way that it was easy to accept the tranquility Harry felt about these themes and this thing we call life.

We see characters we hate finally get theirs (and we cheer about it), we see our favorite wizarding teachers finally show us what they’re made of, and it’s like a reunion of sorts as we get to see for a final time on the big screen characters we’ve come to know like friends. We even get a deeper understanding of the kind of wonderful people Harry’s parents were and the love they shared and had for Harry.

We see mild and sweet Mama Weasley (Julie Walters) lay it down in a “Nobody messes with my kids!” kind of fashion which is so utterly awesome; and Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) becomes a gallant hero showing us the courage and bravery that lay all this while in his shy heart, and we can be happy for Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch). We finally see true love bloom and blossom between Harry’s best mates and comrades in arms, Hermione and Ron. It’s a love that beautifully culminates in a sudden unexpected, but long awaited kiss that has us laughing right along with Ron and Hermione with pure joy.

It’s also reconfirmed in our hearts why Harry is the Chosen One. His courageous and selfless heart reaffirms for us once again why we have loved this boy wizard from the moment we set eyes on him so many years ago.

Unfortunately, the final battle is shocking in its brevity. Being that this is the moment we’ve been waiting for for 10 years — the final epic showdown between two of the most powerful wizards in the land, the different sides of the same coin — audiences may feel that it should have been more spectacular and filled with such an unbearable tension that by the end of the battle you were weak with relief that it was over. Instead Voldemort is vanquished in a way that seems almost too easy and it’s over before it really started. And moments before, even the death of his terrifying pet snake seemed too easy and slightly discordant, though it did afford Neville the chance to shine.

And the final scene, well, I won’t expand too much on it, but I find it ironic that in a franchise spanning a decade that was all about the most outlandish magic, magical places and mythical creatures, it was here in these final moments where I was most unwilling to suspend my disbelief. Is it because I’m just too sad to see the end of a 10 year story that will live in my heart forever? Or is it because I wish this film would have been a little longer and a little less frantically paced? Or is it because I fear Harry and his crew are now destined for a normal life of ordinary?

It’s the end of an era in film history and yet I do not feel that absolution of spirit that I quested towards for all these years. I left the theater feeling like something was missing; like I was missing that ultimate feeling of overwhelming satisfaction that settles into you after bidding farewell to well loved characters and a beloved story. I was close to it, but mostly I’m just left feeling sad. Afterall I have invested 10 years of my life in this franchise and 10 years of intense emotion.

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the saga of Harry Potter is one in a million and we may never see the likes of it again. And despite the feeling of sadness I am left with, I know that in the end, things ended the way they needed to end for Harry, Hermione and Ron. As far as endings go, I do think that this film was almost perfect. I’m also left thinking about the saying, if you love something, let it go. And though letting go is hard to do, it is indeed time to say goodbye to Harry Potter, the boy who lived.

ΩPhoto Credits

Read more from Kyra Dawson at TheMoviePool

It’s here! And with all the bonus material and extra footage one could ever want! Looks like Christmas has come early for me. Here’s a peek at all the more you will be seeing!

Avatar

Visually stunning, amazing, spectacular, mindbending, stellar, epic, absorbing, and did I say visually stunning? Amazing? Spectacular? Mindbending? Stellar? Epic? Absorbing? Well, I just cannot begin to tell you just how much I enjoyed this movie. I haven’t enjoyed a movie this much since LOTR and believe you me, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE LOTR. Avatar has become in a matter of hours my second favorite movie of all time. And that is saying alot. It is a totally exhilarating 3D experience so real you’ll forget where you are and is not to be missed! So get ready, because I am about to wax poetic and totally indulge my sci-fi/fantasy lovin’ self.

James Cameron has done it again, giving us something so memorable, so believable, so fantastical that you really believe there is a world named Pandora that glows with a breath taking phosphorescence by night, peopled by the peaceful, towering yet graceful and catlike Na’vi who coexist in an almost perfect balance with equally terrifying and terrifyingly beautiful creatures. What would it be like to live in a waking dream? Well, this is a story that makes you wonder. Jake Sully, our hero, takes us on an unforgettable adventure where an unimaginable existence is possible.

Sam Worthington is brilliant as Jake Sully, bringing a childlike wonder to his newly awakened avatar, and then in the end making us believe he has the strength of character to redeem himself. Zoe Saldana is captivating, astonishingly beautiful, and full of strength and fierceness — especially when protecting her mate— infusing Neytiri with such a riveting vibrance you can barely take your eyes off her. It was very satisfying to see Sigourney Weaver, who plays Dr. Grace Augustine, in the skin of the alien Na’vi avatar. Even as her avatar her face was recognizable and it felt like coming home, like she had come full circle from her days as a**kicking Ripley. At peace at last. Who could be more perfect to play the Na’vi and nature loving scientist than her? She was delicious. And Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch was a villain extraordinaire. He was absolutely despicable in a most base and vile and detestable way. In a nutshell, he really makes you hate him. Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge (or Parker Selfish more like!) played the money grubbing exec to the tee, and if he had a conscience, he definitely checked it at the door. And nobody plays tough girl with heart like Michelle Rodriguez as the uber pilot with a heart of gold Trudy Chacon. She’s a gal you know can kick some serious a** if she had to and my only complaint was that she went down in a blaze of glory instead of seeing the battle to the end.

Avatar has been compared to Dances With Wolves, but really, other than someone empathizing with a misunderstood people who happen to have something of value that someone else wants, the similarities end there. Somebody once told me that every story has already been told, and Avatar simply tells a story worth telling.

At the heart of this story is “Jakesully’s” and Neytiri’s love story. Love is the catalyst in this movie. It confirms for me yet again the monumental changes and actions that love is capable of igniting and creating. If not for love, the Na’vi would have been doomed. In all the great stories, time and time again, it is love that makes things possible. It allows people of all races to “see“. People who can “see” realize truth, and how can we say full scale annihilation due to greed is ever the way to go? How can that not be seen as clearly wrong? How can the destruction of everything good ever be worthwhile in the end?

Woven within the tapestry of this story is the plight of Earth. Indeed in this distant future, Earth is a barren rock, humans have succeeded in “killing our mother”, and it is a sad, sad thought. So now humans deem the Na’vi to be lesser people, lesser because they seem primitive and simple to the humans in this tale who take whatever they want because they can. And woe to any and all who stand in their way. It is here that the more vile core of greed winds it’s way to the heart of the matter. The Na’vi are situated on a money pit, and the human race wants it. Against mighty war machines of metal and giant mechanical suits of armor, what chance do the Na’vi have with their bows and arrows and their all encompassing belief in the spiritual power of Pandora?

So ensues the battle for survival, and let me tell you my friends, what a battle it is! The action is riveting and filled with nail biting thrills and the terror of war. In fact, all throughout the entire movie there isn’t a single opportunity for one’s mind to wander. The tranquil lulls are enthralling and the sudden excitement is thrilling as we shamelessly watch Jake becoming a Na’vi, living his dream life with convincing realism, doing all the wonderful and freeing things the Na’vi do on a daily basis. It makes Jake long to be his “dreamwalker” avatar and leave the reality of his wheelchair bound body behind. But wouldn’t you if you could dreamwalk like Jake does? Can you imagine bonding with the very earth, the very flora, the very fauna?  I truly understood the meaning of organic watching this movie. Can you imagine what it would be like living in a perfect balanced harmony, happy just to be and respectful of all living things around you? What a wonderful world that would be.

And what a mesmerizing and wonderful movie James Cameron has created. It was more than I expected and everything I hoped that it would be. After seeing Avatar, I felt like I had been a part of something quite magical and beautiful and the three hours passed as if in a dream.

~P.S.~ James Horner scored this movie, and even tho it was reminiscent of some of his other scores, the music for Avatar is very lovely indeed and captures the essence of the joy of Pandora and the Na’vi.