The Secrets Of Dumbledore

Thank the gods this was an improvement.

I was actually eagerly anticipating the end credits for this cause I wanted to know two things. Who directed it and who wrote it? David Yates returns to direct but honestly it feels so different and is so visually impressive at times that I thought they did get a different director. And wonder upon wonders, I was right! J.K. Rowling had the help of a screenwriter and worked in conjunction with them, and the script works for the better. It's not as bombastic as you would expect, if anything it sets the board for future confrontations between Dumbledore and Grindlewald as more or less they confront one another and know they will have to fight, while Albus recruits the help of Newt and newcomer to the wizarding world Eulalie to help him gain an edge over Grindlewald. Again, not very big stakes and the best way I can summarize it is the first two movies were more in the tone of Prisoner Of Azkaban whereas this movie seems more Order Of The Phoenix or even Half Blood Prince. Which is odd because you have a fair few cutesy moments, but then you see a magical creature get it's throat slit. It just isn't a fun kids movie series at this point, there is history and intrigue in this period of time and they do want to expand on it which I love. Before seeing this I wanted it to cap off at 3 movies, but truthfully after seeing this bring on the fourth film! It does what any good sequel should do, expand on the story, advance the characters, and introduce new elements. Newt is way more sociable and warm, a far cry from his shy and non-human interest in the first film. Eulalie is a warm welcome to this series, she is lovely, I think she's brilliant, nothing but a joy to watch throughout and I can't wait to see more. Jude is outstanding, having so much more time on screen and delivering his own Albus while staying true to the character we originally met, and the dynamic with him and Grindlewald is the best part of the film. Cause you can tell and infer a great deal from Jude's and Mads' performances, they love each other and would prefer not to fight but you can tell there's so much more behind their eyes. I loved it. Plus, I can never have too much Mads Mikkelsen in my life thank you very much. The visuals and cinematography are leaps and bounds better than I dare even say most of the Harry Potter series, the shots they do in this I wish were in the other movies it's done super well. All I wanted was a good movie and I got a good movie that made me want another. I can't ask more than that. 4 stars, 8.5/10, good end to the week!

Booksmart

Man I wish I saw this in theaters!

This was a great fun movie, I pretty much loved it from beginning to end. So this is Olivia Wilde's directorial debut centered around two teenage girls, Amy and Molly who decide to let loose the night before graduation and move onto college, and I have to say I flippin' love these girls. They're funny, they're intelligent, but they're not sticks in the mud or uptight, they act like teenagers, they can be weird and silly but still have real conversations with their friends. I thought the writing for the characters was incredibly well done, and the jokes and humor made me laugh so hard I sounded like a combination of a bull frog and Muttley from Wacky Races. That hard. No movie has made me laugh that hard ever, but not only did I laugh I got emotionally involved quick. Beanie Feldstein who I already loved in Lady Bird had so much time to shine in this movie, and I enjoyed Kaitlyn Dever from shows like Justified and Last Man Standing so I knew she was going to be a lot of fun in this. They have superb chemistry together and their friendship is one that I've experienced before so I grew attached to them and really enjoyed the ride with them. They mainly are trying to get to one big party but of course it quickly gets derailed and they encounter all sorts of weird people and situations, including one person who might be the best part of the entire movie, I'm not exactly sure who she is but she's played by Billie Lourd and is actually the best running gag I've seen in awhile. She just ends up at all these places way before Amy and Molly do, and she is completely off her rocker and I love everything about it. I will say however I had some massive issues with the movie. Now I'll be perfectly clear, I actually liked the fact that Amy was a lesbian, they don't overplay it and it's just a part of her character and I like that. However! The relationship the movie tries to project is just...wrong. So let me lay this situation out, Amy meets up with that bitchy character in every high school and then they argue about not really knowing each other before Amy kisses her on the lips. Hwhat? Granted she was in a bad place at the time emotionally so I can forgive a stupid decision but then they are about to have sex, and then my contempt grows. The situation ends badly and yet they both kinda want to be in a relationship together and I'm just wondering who thought that was needed in the script. Okay fine, it's a relatively new move I've never seen in a teen movie before, hell the closest we got to innovation was the weird quiet girl hook up with the jock in The Breakfast Club, but it just screams wrong to me. You don't try to screw some **** that you hate in high school, it's a stupid decision and I'd give them about 3 months before they break up. Second and most importantly, the ending. The bombshell drops that Amy will be leaving for Botswana for an entire year before she starts attending college and Molly has to say goodbye to her friend. I was having an emotional meltdown suffering friggin' PTSD from Lost In Translation and Her, to the point where I got so angry it almost ruined the movie for me. I mean, they totally don't just go their seperate ways and never see each other again for a whole year, but it dragged it out long enough to the point where I was legitimately concerned they were gonna pull that emotional card on me. That's how much I loved seeing this friendship between these two girls, I was gonna just flip out over a depressing ending to a fun movie, but the other side to that coin was well they just toyed with my emotions and now they can go to hell. I was seriously that upset, very few movies can make me that emotional but this one did. But I stepped away for a few days and gathered my thoughts, and yes you should see this movie. It is great fun, hilarious, and endearing despite the issues I took with it. Yes the ending made me have a breakdown and the relationship angle was just...are you serious, but it's a good movie perfect for a night in with friends. 3 stars, 7.5/10, go rent it and enjoy yourself.