Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

Director: Chris Columbus
Format: DVD
DVD Features: theatrical trailer, additional footage, Hogwarts tour, explore Diagon Alley, catch a snitch, DVD-ROM extras
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Robbie Coltrane, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris
Trailer

Anyone who is just beginning to get into the Harry Potter series will need to start with this movie, or its literary equivalent. The Sorcerer’s Stone is the very first installment of Harry’s adventures and was very much anticipated by fans of J.K. Rowling’s novel. By now, there is hardly anyone who isn’t familiar on some level with the name Harry Potter. However, I resisted the pull of this franchise for years and I imagine there may be others who haven’t yet delved into the story of this child wizard.

Young Harry Potter (Radcliffe) is at the age of 11 when this tale begins. He was orphaned as an infant and left on the doorstep of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, his aunt and uncle. Rather than treating the boy with the tenderness and love a family should share, the Dursleys dote on their fat, spoiled son Dudley (Harry Melling) and force Harry to live under the stairs. One day, a letter is delivered via owl for Harry and although the Dursleys try their best to keep him from opening it, it finally reaches the boy. Much to his amazement, Potter finds that he’s been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Not only that, but he’s told that both of his parents were powerful magicians who died defending him from a notorious evil wizard. Amazed to discover that magic is real in the first place, Harry is greatly delighted to find that there is an entire magic society, carefully hidden from Muggles, or non-magic people.

Our young hero boards the steam train headed for Hogwarts and meets two fellow students. Hermione Granger (Watson), a studious know-it-all and Ron Weasley (Grint), a red-headed boy in hand-me-down robes, will be Harry’s two closest friends. Their first year at school brings several surprises, a few rivalries, and an adventure that sparked a phenomenon.

The magical world of Harry Potter is loaded with wonderful special effects. Pictures that move and speak, chocolate frogs that really hop, floating candles, transforming cats, and flying broomsticks are just some of the enchantments that The Sorcerer’s Stone has to offer. But all of the CGI in the world means nothing without a decent plot or cast.

That’s why it’s so important to appreciate the skillful actors in this film. Most of the main characters are played by young actors, who were relatively unknown before the Potter series began. Naturally, they lack some of the subtleties that the more seasoned cast has mastered and it is nice to have the two ends of the spectrum to balance out the performances. Professor Serverus Snape (Alan Rickman) and Professor Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) are two of the best played roles in the film. Rickman fits into the black robe of the snide, sinister (but not quite evil), professor like a snail fits its shell. McGonagall is prim and proper and sometimes severe, but nonetheless a friend to Potter. As far as the younger members of the cast are concerned, all three are impressive on the scale of child acting. I enjoyed Watson and Grint a bit more than I did Radcliffe. However, Radcliffe has become the face of Harry Potter and I’m not sure that I would readily accept a cast change for his position.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone should win an award for “Most Accurate Adaptation From a Novel”, because it is nearly possible to read along with the movie. I read the novel after I saw the film and I was actually a bit disappointed. I had been seeking something further from the book than I found in the movie, but it wasn’t there. Nevertheless, the series is addicting, despite its target age demographic. While this first film is not as entertaining as some of the later movies, it provides the necessary background to them all. So, if you’re looking to explore this world of wizards and witches, be prepared for a Potter jones until you get your hands on The Chamber of Secrets.

Overall Rating: 4
Hottie Rating: 1 (for Sean Biggerstaff and his adorable Scottish accent)

Alternate Viewing: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
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Big Fish (2003)

Director: Tim Burton
Format: DVD
DVD Features: trivia game, commenatry, featurettes
Starring: Billy Crudup, Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Helena Bonham Carter
Trailer

Since the release of Frankenweenie and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure in the mid 80s, Tim Burton has been cultivating a loyal fan base. Most of his films are very successful at the box office and there are a number of well-known figures in Hollywood who collaborate with him regularly. In fact, part of the appeal to his movies, at least for me, is to see what people like Johnny Depp and Danny Elfman will have to contribute. There is no project in which he is involved however, that does not carry Burton’s unique stamp in one form or another. From the telltale black and white wardrobes and sets to the fairy tale ambiance, when you see a Burton film, there’s no mistaking that style.

In Big Fish, Albert Finney plays the aged and ailing Edward Bloom. Realizing that he might not get another chance, Mr. Bloom’s estranged son Will (Billy Crudup) travels to his father’s bedside in an attempt to find out the truth about the man’s life before it’s over. Will is frustrated because he has always heard about his father’s history in the form of fanciful stories and incredible adventures. He stopped believing the tales when he grew up, but has endured them over and over again whenever the elder Bloom recounts his past. It is through these recollections that the audience is introduced to the young Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor).

As a young man, Bloom was the energetic hero of a small town. When he decides that he’s grown to big for his surroundings, he leaves to explore the bigger picture. He meets up with a giant named Carl (Matthew McGrory) and wanders off through an enchanted forest. There, he finds the small town of Spector; eerily pristine and picturesque. The two travel on and meet a roaming carnival. Under the big top, Edward spots the girl of his dreams, and Carl finds a career. For years, Bloom slaves away, doing odd jobs for the carnival’s boss, Amos (Danny DeVito) in exchange for simple facts about the mystery girl. Finally, he is able to woo her and shortly after the two are married, he is drafted into the war. Taking on the most dangerous assignments, the young hero parachutes into China where he meets the Siamese twins, Ping and Jing. After returning from the war, Bloom takes on a traveling sales job, ending up in the town of Spector again. He finds the town in disrepair and sets about rejuvenating the buildings and the residents. In between these flights of fancy, Will is trying to dig up the truth behind each tale.

Big Fish definitely has star power. Ewan McGregor, Danny DeVito, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, and Jessica Lange give stellar performances as the various and colorful characters in Blooms adventures. McGregor has always been an actor I enjoy. I like that he takes on a wide range of roles and I empathize with his distain for Hollywood. If it weren’t for the way he portrays Edward Bloom in this film, I think the character would have come off as a pretentious jerk. But, McGregor’s treatment of the role with sparkling grin and perseverance in the face of adversity makes Bloom eminently likeable. One other actor of note in this movie is Matthew McGrory. He made it into the Guinness Book of World Records twice; once for tallest actor and in 2006 for having the longest recorded feet.

The very best effect in Big Fish comes when Bloom spots the lovely young Sandra (Alison Lohman) under the big top. The surroundings come to a complete standstill, popcorn suspended in air and cat mid-jump. If you’ve seen the trailers to the film, you might recognize the scene I’m describing. There are some other computer aided scenes in the movie, particularly those of the fish, but they don’t click with the rest of the footage quite as nicely. Most of the visual appeal on screen comes from the very Burtonesque costuming and set design. Keep an eye on Mr. Soggybottom’s outfit particularly.

I don’t think that my enthusiasm for Tim Burton’s films is easily veiled. Because I enjoy the darker side of cinema and the aesthetic texture his movies project, I’d be predisposed to his work anyway. However, there’s a definite way in which he conveys each story and a style in which he directs the actors that goes beyond set design and stop action animation. There have been two disappointments to date in his filmography, but Big Fish wasn’t one of them. Despite the slightly creepy overtones to this film, it remains, much like Burton’s other works, upbeat and fun.

Overall Rating: 4
Hottie Rating: 1 (not McGregor at his hottest)

Alternate Viewing: Pee Wee's Big Adventure
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