Epic Historical Movie Review: **** Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

 This epic covers the Elizabethan period in England where they were waring with the Spanish.  Queen Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) is single with no children nor prospects.  However she is attracted to Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), who has started a settlement in Virginia.  However Raleigh falls for her handmaiden, Bess Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish).  She becomes ;regnant so they marry.  Raleigh desires to return to America, but the Queen forbids him as she needs help with the Spanish who are coming to make war.  Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland (Samantha Morton) betrayed the queen in trying to have her assassinated by Thomas Babington (Eddie Redmayne).  The queen with the evidence orders her ezecution, giving Spain an excuse to come to war.  Spain had. been using Mary just for this purpose.  However things do not go well for Spain and the Spanish Armada, due to the weather, and due to firing the boats and the fire reaching the Spanish fleet.  

Enjoyable and interesting history, which I must admit I am not very up on European history, but good to see how it all fits in.  

Harry Potter/ Fantastic Beasts Movies Summaries

*****  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  (2001) Introduces Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) who become fast friends.

**** Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (2002) Harry Potter discovers he can talk to snakes, which is not necessarily good. 

****^ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban  (2004) In this movie Harry discovers he has a God-father, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) who did not betray his parents,  That was another friend, Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall).  He also forms and ally with a werewolf, Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) another friend of his father's.  

****^ Hatty Potter and the Goblet of Fire  (2005) In this movie Potter wins the goblet, but really loses.  The co-winner, Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) is murdered by Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes.). Barty Crouch (David Tenant) has snuck into school taking the place of Alastor Moody (Brendan Gleeson) using poly juice potion.

****^ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Harry Potter takes over the teaching of defense against the dar arts, as the Minister's woman with the job, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) refuses to teach but enjoys more torturing children.  Sirius Black is killed in this episode by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter.) 

****^ Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009) Harry Potter discovers a journal belonging to Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) and without becomes very good at Potions.  He learns of Horcruxes from Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and has to retrieve a memory of Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) who taught Voldemost of horcruxes man years ago.  Voldemort uses Draco (Tom Felton) to kill Dumbledore, but Snape does it in the end.

****^ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1 (2010). So begins the journey to destroy Voldemost once and for all.  Harry visits Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) in his search for horcruxes.  Dobby (Toby Jones) ends up dead.

****^ Happy Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Part 2 (2011) This movie leads to a big battle at Hogwarts between the dark forces of Voldemort and the rest of the school.  Both sides do not escape unscathed.  But Harry and Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) and Hermione and Ron are together as friends in the end.

***** Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) who is a student of magical creatures loses a few of them in New York.  Porpentina (Katherine Watterson) starts off his govermental agent but they form an attraction, as does her sister, Queenie (Alison Sudl) with regular guy Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler.) Grinelwald (Johnny Depp) was behind mayhem in New York for which Scamander was blamed.  Grindelwald was caught.

***** Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) Scamander is caught into the fray after Grindelwald escapes and starts amassing his army.  Magical laws do not allow Queenie and Kowalski to be together, so Queenie joins Grindelwald.

 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) Much intrigue and magical manipulation to get to Grindelwald as he is seeking the highest international magical office.  Dumbledore (Jude Law) is greatly involved. Mads Mikkelsen portrays Grindelwald.  

Movie Review: ****^Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

 We return to the universe of Harry Potter but again before Harry Potter is born.  This movie takes place in the period leading up to WWII.  Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is on the rise.  He is absolved of wrong doing and is running for leader of the international magical world.  It is up to Dumbledore (Jude Law) and his cohorts to stop him.  This group includes Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), his brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), Lally Hicks (Jessica Williams), Bunty Broadacre (Victoria Yeates), Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam) and the muggle, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler).  Each has his own reason for being involved.  Kama to avenge his sister's death, Bunty is Scamander's assistant, Kowalski hopes to rescue his girl, Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol) and Dumbledore to remove the pact he made with Grindelwald when he was a youth.  Hicks is a new character in this movie and is recruiting by Dumbledore to combat the rising evil.  

Also in the mix is the history of Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) who is an Obscurus a powerful magical being who formed only under certain emotional conditions.  Turns out Credence is the son of Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth (Richard Coyle).  The plot revolves around the Qilin, a magical creature who can see the soul and suggest who is most worthy to lead.  Grindelwald captured one with the help of Credence, and has killed it and brought it back to life in a manipulated state.  However the Qilin has a twin, that Scamander protects.  How can the surviving twin arrive at the ceremony; and Gindelwald be exposed.  Credence calls him out, and Grindelwald attempts to kill him, while Dumbledore and Aberforth defend.  The crossing curses free Dumbledore from his previous pact.  Grindelwald escapes, but the world gets a better leader.  They all meet again at the Kowalski's bakery shop in New York for the wedding of Queenie and Kowalski, with Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) in attendance who Scamander has missed.

In Theaters: *****Fantastic Beasts: Crimes 0f Grindelwald (2018)

*****Fantastic Beasts: Crimes 0f Grindelwald (2018)  This movie came out for Thanksgiving and I have viewed it three times.  I always love the Harry Potter movies.  Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is really evil.  Not only is he evil, but he has a special magnetism wherein people like him.  Contrary to that is our team of two couples, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and then Tina’s sister, Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol) and Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) who would make a formidable team but they are all breaking up and at odds with each other.  However in this mess, Queenie is enticed by Grindelwald, and the promise of free love with non-magical people.  Two characters play part in this story from Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, a younger version (Jude Law) and Nicholas Flamel (Brontis Jodorowsky).  In fact it is Flamel who saves they day when the aurors, including Newt’s brother, get over their heads trying to confront Grindelwald.  I love every minute of this.  I even purchased the screen plan and read it again so I wouldn’t miss anything.  Great fun!

Movie review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts is the prequel to the Harry Potter.  It is produced and story from J.K. Rowling.  It features the author of one of Harry Potter's favorite books.  Newt (Eddie Redmayne) is a collector of fantastical beasts, which he keeps in his suitcase (magically expandable).  He has traveled to America to release a Thunderbird in Arizona.  However, first one, and then a few more of his beasts get away and cause problems.  Tina (Katherine Waterston) arrest him and takes him to the Ministry of Magic.  She is a disenfranchised Auror and is trying to get in the good graces of the ministry.  However they don't believe her and send her on her way.  Newt befriends Kowolski (Dan Fogler) who is a no-mag (normal person).  They also meet Tina's sister, Queenie (Alison Sudol) and the four make quite a group, and engage in capturing the creatures.  At the same time an obscurus loss in the city, causing great damage and in fact killing people.   This includes a senator.  The head of the Aurors (Colin Ferrel) is very interested in the obscurus, and maintains an investigation outside of the ministry.  Newt and Tina are blamed for the deaths perpetrated by the obscurus, and sentenced to immediate death.  Only with magical creatures, and Queenis's help are the able to escape.
There is plenty of action here, and the creatures are unique and interesting.  They seem to make this movie.  The antics of different creatures are very well done.  I really enjoyed this film.  by the time this film is over, they must erase the memories of the entire town, including Kowolski who is having a romantic relation with Queenie.  However some memories linger in his subconscious.

Movie Review: ****^ Les Miserables (2012)

I have seen a few opinions about Les Miserables from--the best movie ever to too dark.  And after visiting the theater yesterday, I can understand both remarks.  Les Miserables is a dark story to begin with.  However with all the expectations, many were predisposed that it was going to be the best ever even before seeing it.  I wave watched the ten year, and 25 year anniversary concerts over and over.  And granted those were concerts not theatrical productions but they music from those far surpasses that in the movie.  The movie was going for character and story, and took the risk of casting theatrical actors in musical parts.  Sometimes it worked, and others it didn't.  So the pluses and minuses.
Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean worked.  His singing does not compare to Colm Wilkinson, but he carried the roll.  "Hear my Prayer" is the highlight of the show, and although I would have liked to hear Colm Wilkinson, Jackman delivered the emotion of the song such as to be effective.  It is just so beautiful the way Wilkinson holds that last note.
Russell Crowe as Javert did not work.  The song "I Swear by the Stars" sounded more like some one singing in the shower than a prayer to the stars.  Crowe did  make the suicide scene more believable than I had seen it.
The added song of Valjean singing his love to Cosette added depth to the character.  You also can love instantly.  Being a foster/adoptive parent I know this is true.
The three young people, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) Eponine (Samantha Barks) and Marius (Eddie Redmayne) were the highlight of the show.  They carried their trio and other performing parts with energy and gusto.  I left the theater humming "heart full of love."  "On My Own" was also well done.  However keeping with the dark theme of the director, was done in the rain. Marius sang "Empty Chairs," with such beauty and emotion, I think everyone who has seen this has cried with him.
Fantine (Anne Hathaway) was somewhat of a controversy.  Lea Salonga sings which much greater skill, energy and professionalism.  However, in the mood of the film, Hathaway did an incredible job.  The song "I Dreamed a Dream" was presented later in the movie, after arriving at the bottom, rather than just starting the slide, so there was a different tone (darkness) to the song.  I especially like her in the death scene at the end. 
The innkeepers are a welcome comic relief.  The must have worked so hard at coordinating everything.  I especially like their entrance through the carriage to the wedding. 
So there are more things to like and love about this version of Les Miserables than there are to dislike.  The music is worth going to see, the action is well done, the characterization is good, and the sets are effective (except for the sewer which is over the top) and the theme that when we show love to each other, we show love to God is timeless.  Oh Colm Wilkinson does have a cameo as the priest.  His baritone voice resonates, and somehow he is in the final scene at the pearly gates.  A nice touch.  I recommend this movie, but don't go so far as to say it is the best ever.
I would not recommend this movie for children.