Movies This Week (7/20)

This week I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (3.5/5) and rewatched Shaun of the Dead (4.25/5), Dark City (4/5), and Dracula 2000 (1.5/5).

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Theater) - As Harry Potter movies go, this one is pretty good. It's fairly dark, but that's what happens when the Dark Lord rises, the Order prepares for war, and the Ministry is in denial and tries to squash all rumors of Voldemort's return. Unfortunately, the story is a little disjointed as we jump from scene to scene trying to fit most of the events in the book in. Many minor characters are introduced to have only a few seconds of screen time (probably just to appease the fans and do a little bit of set up for the events in the next book/movie) and several scenes end abruptly and quickly jump to the next event. As a movie I can't say it's exceptional, but it is well above average. 3.5/5

Shaun of the Dead (DVD) - Shaun of the Dead is probably the greatest zombie movie ever made. It's a hilarious parody of zombie horror movies that takes advantage of almost every horror movie cliche and ties it into a decent plot (as opposed to those parodies that don't even try). This movie definitely stands up to multiple watchings. 4.25/5

Dark City (DVD) - Alex Proyas (director of The Crow and I, Robot) wrote and directed this sci-fi mystery with a great cast (Rufus Sewell, Keifer Sutherland, William Hurt, and Jennifer Connelly) and excellent set design that is both interesting and intriguing (helping to build up the mystery of the film). This is one of my favorite sci-fi films and the style and major story arc reminds me of the Matrix (which released the following year). 4/5

Dracula 2000 (HD Cable) - One of the worst (but not THE worst) vampire movies in recent years rewrites the Dracula tale for modern times. The real fascination of watching this movie (for the second time) is watching it after watching 300 and the last couple seasons of House. Here's why: Gerard Butler (Leonidas from 300) plays Dracula and Omar Epps (Dr. Foreman from House) plays a minor vampire. It's quite amusing to stare at Dracula and try to image him with Leonidas' beard. It's amazing how much facial hair changes the shape of a man's face - but when you focus on the eyes and voice, it's clearly Leonidas. By the time the amusement of recognizing actors (like Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Esposito, and Jonny Lee Miller from Aeon Flux) wears off, enough of the movie has passed that you might as well watch the end. 1.5/5