Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

Decent And Solid Film - 4/5

So I saw this film a few months ago called Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and I thought it was about time I went ahead and reviewed it seeing as the final installment of the series will be hitting the big screen soon. I also thought it would be a good way to go back over the film to ensure I am totally ready and up to date for the big finale in July of this year.

Lets start off by pointing out that this film had it all to do. I thought the sixth Harry Potter film (Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince) was a massive let down and the distinct lack of any real action was obvious to see. Coming off the back of a fairly poor film such as this, one that couldn't even hold its own against the first few films, made it an uphill struggle to bring back the excitement and the mystery that any film based on magic should evoke. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 definitely didn't fail to deliver in this regard. The lack of action that frustrated me so much throughout The Half Blood Prince was improved greatly and we saw some magical special effects once again. The sixth film felt as if it was simply released to

Bill Murray Will Star As Roosevelt

Vulture have revealed that Bill Murray will take on a much more serious role than we are used to seeing him in. He will reportedly star as Franklin D Roosevelt in the film version of 'Hyde Park And The Hudson'. The film is based on a radio play from 2009 by Richard Nelson and tells the story of the first visit by a British monarch to the US and the true-to-life story of an affair Roosevelt had with a cousin. It all sounds very intriguing but I'm feeling wary that Bill Murray is right for the role.

We're used to seeing him in ridiculous comedies mainly and now he will star as a U.S President in what I take to be a very serious film. How do you think he will fare in this one?

Groundhog Day (1993)

WHYY?? - 3/5

So I saw this film two days ago called 'Groundhog Day'. As you will know, when watching any film with Bill Murray you prepare yourself for a few laughs. While this film may have provided a fair few of them at times it still lacked direction and overall meaning. My biggest question after seeing the film was WHY??? It is to my knowledge never explained why Murray's character Phil becomes stuck in a time loop. I was expecting at least that by the end of the film he would have learned some moral lesson and we would be able to assume it was to make him a better person. Give us something to go on! I just couldn't grasp the meaning behind it at all.

Aside from the less than spectacular storyline the film did provide us with some tear jerking moments as we see Murray stuck in a seemingly endless journey of the same day, attempting to kill himself numerous times and still waking up the next morning. Bill Murray has never been an actor I have really ever empathised with but to my surprise he managed to do just that. We as an audience could feel his pain and frustration which partially made up for the lack of direction.
I would also like to mention the skill shown by the actors and actresses who had to repeat their scenes over and over but adapt them according to what Murray said or did, most notably Stephen Tobolowsky who provided us with many laughs with his character Ned.

Overall I would describe this film as over-rated. There is such hype surrounding it and I think most of this must stem from the casting of Bill Murray. However, when you look into the film you see many holes. Unlike the many unanswered questions in the TV series 'Lost', these effectively ruined the film for me. I just wanted to be told why.
Would I recommend it? If you're up for some head scratching.