Taking Of Pelham 123

Taking Of Pelham 123
Director: Tony Scott
105 minutes
2.39:1

Leave it to Tony Scott to dive into the remake arena of Hollywood and pull off a surprisingly involving thriller.

The Scott-Washington team has worked on three successful films before and this one is no exception. The script by Brian Helgeland is smart and Scott executed it with great comedic and thrilling moments. The cast - John Turturro and Ramon Rodriguez reunited for this film - from the background characters to the supporting characters, are very good. The editing is tight and as usual showcases Scott's penchant of flashy sequences.

The score is contemporary and works well with the film's overall style. Everything else about the production is also impeccable.

This is a surprising film to schedule during the "summer" months but the gamble worked. Taking Of Pelham 123 is one of the better hostage negotiation thrillers to come in a long while.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
Director: David Yates
153 minutes
2.39:1

Puberty and adolescence are such tumultuous times. That's why in Harry's sixth outing, he's a more interesting character.

Much darker than any of the previous films, Half-Blood Prince in that regard because it stamps out any inclination that it was as kid-friendly as the first film. As it should be expected since if the same kid who watched the first film when s/he was six, s/he would be 12 by now and clamoring for more teen fare. Steve Kloves did a great job at picking the essence of the book and David Yates have to be commended for a great work at directing.

The entire cast is excellent, from the main to the bit players that have played their individual characters known all these years. Everything about the production is first rate - set designs, costumes, hair and makeup, special effects, VFX, editing, sound mixing and design.

The Potter saga is coming to an end. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is doing such a great job at setting it all up.