Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Dir: Chris Columbus (Only the Lonely, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Rent)
Regular Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis
Additional Cast: Ian Hart, Sean Biggerstaff, Zoë Wanamaker, John Hurt
USA/UK, 2001

Originally Seen: At the Fox Theatre in early 2002. Although I had read & enjoyed the book I was really seeing it as a part of my then-annual 'see anything that has Oscar nominations' race. It was nominated for Art Direction, Costumes and Original Score.

Revisited: May 29, 2009 *

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a wonderful introduction to the world of magic, mystery and muggles (non-magic folk). Although the muggles are nowhere near as interesting as the witches & wizards in the film. We start with a very young Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe) whom along with the audience has their eyes opened this world where school classes are based on different kinds of magic making over math. Hooked yet?

The film has has a wonderful underdog-turned-appreciated feel to it and plays with outsider/insider themes which give numerous opportunities for demonstrating friendship or engaging with enemies. Friendship is a strong theme in the film, and it was fun to revisit this with characters at their beginning stages after we have seen them grow so much over the years. When you consider that source material is the first of seven books by J.K. Rowlings, you know we are in for a long and intricate journey ahead.

Although there are many fantastic characters in the film from the ever persistent Hermione (Emma Watson), the gentle and wise headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris), to the bumbling groundskeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) there is one character in particular who pulled me right into the films world and kept me there from the first viewing. The character is Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) as the teacher who takes no crap and with a performance that is over dramatic, melodramatic and perfect in every way. I giggled in delight every time he is on screen, even though he's the teacher you'd never want to have.

One of the beautiful things about the film is that it blends the magical with the practical. Released in 2001 and mere weeks before Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, it was one of the first times we have seen visual effects so seamlessly added to a film. Instead of showing something extraordinary just to boast talents (creative, magical or CGI) everything shown fits in the world in a perfectly logical way in terms of the world and the story. Each magical moment makes sense and has a specific meaning in the world. This also reflects how well the original work was written and then adeptly adapted.

It was fun to revisit the film in its entirely with focused attention as I did for this countdown, but it made me realize how many times I've seen the film. I watch it during the holiday season while making cookies or wrapping presents, I watch it if I'm down and like Star Trek: Generations it is a film I used to use if I had a bout of insomnia (I know it sound-for-sound for the first 15 minutes). I even have it on VHS which has literally worn out and won't play anymore and has been replaced with a DVD.

Although I'm sure it could be argued it isn't the 'best' film of the series, it I think it will always stay my favourite because it began the series that is all about magic.

Shannon's Overall View:
I love it
I own it in glorious full screen (DVD) and worn-out due to watching so many times VHS version
I'd recommend to fans of magic, fantasy and adventure

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2009

* in anticipation of the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Wednesday July 15, 2009, I am doing a weekly countdown to watch & review of the first five Harry Potter films

Tony Tube 2009

Here's a video round up of the best of Broadway, as seen on the Tony Awards this past Sunday night:

- Another openin', another show ... and what an opening number, a show tune smorgasbord complete with a viral video moment courtesy of Bret Michaels (surely not the first time that the word "viral" has been associated with Mr. Michaels). The Poison frontman suffered a broken a nose, while the unfortunate set piece he smacked into has since tested positive for gonorrhea ...
- Best Musical Billy Elliot rocks its number, while its young stars David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik charm in their joint acceptance speech for Best Actor.
- Christopher Sieber steals the show with his campy Lord Farquaad song from Shrek The Musical, while his fairy tale co-stars strut their stuff in some never-before-seen audition footage.
- Here's the numbers from the other two Best Musical nominees, Next to Normal (introduced by Carrie Fisher and her pantsuit) and Rock of Ages (complete with Liza cameo).
- Best Musical Revival winner Hair brought the house down, led by its two hunky stars Gavin Creel and Will Swenson.
- Also in the Musical Revival category, the cast of West Side Story (including the dreamy Matt Cavenaugh as Tony) go for a "Dance at the Gym", while those Guys and Dolls (which, as I predicted, closes this Sunday) suffer through sound snafus and bad staging in "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat".
- Touring shows were also on hand, represented by the "Dancing Queens" of Mamma Mia!, the sorority gals of Legally Blonde and no less than five Frankie Vallis from Jersey Boys.
- And last, but certainly not least: dapper Tony host Neil Patrick Harris and his already legendary "11 O'clock Number".

Three Way Split: Canadian, North American & UK Box Office June 5, 2009 Weekend

It was anyones guess who would go home with top honours this week and with a three way split hopefully more folks are happy with all their different cinematic choices. Here in Canada Up took 1st place for the second week in a row, but was nudged out every so slightly by The Hangover in North America. Over in the UK Terminator Salvation debuted at number one just as it did here two weeks ago.

Top 20 Movies in Canada for the June 5, 2009 weekend
1. Up
2. The Hangover *
3. Land of the Lost *
4. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
5. Terminator Salvation
6. Star Trek
7. Angels & Demons
8. Drag Me to Hell
9. My Life in Ruins *
10. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
11. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
12. Millenium
13. The Audition *
14. Under the Sea 3D
15. Dance Flick
16. Fast & Furious
17. Easy Virtue
18. The Brothers Bloom
19. Monsters vs. Aliens
20. Watchmen

Top 20 Movies in North America for the June 5, 2009 weekend
1. The Hangover *
2. Up
3. Land of the Lost *
4. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
5. Star Trek
6. Terminator Salvation
7. Drag Me to Hell
8. Angels & Demons
9. My Life in Ruins *
10. Dance Flick
11. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
12. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
13. The Brothers Bloom
14. Fast & Furious
15. Monsters vs. Aliens
16. The Soloist
17. Race to Witch Mountain
18. Obsessed
19. 17 Again
20. Hannah Montana: The Movie

Top 10 Movies in the UK for the June 5, 2009 weekend
1. Terminator Salvation *
2. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
3. Drag Me to Hell
4. Angels & Demons
5. Star Trek
6. Last Chance Harvey *
7. Coraline
8. Hannah Montana: The Movie
9. 12 Rounds
10. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

* indicates opening weekend in noted location, red text indicates Canadian film release

Source: Canada & North America info, UK info

Upcoming Films in 2010

Having a look at the year in film as it lies ahead. Trailers, official websites and additional casting information will be added as they become available. All release dates are subject to change.

Looking for what has already been released? Click here for list of 2010 releases by title or by release date.

Thursday December 16, 2010

The Tempest (2010)
Julie Taymor (Titus, Across the Universe) adapts the Shakespeare play and brings on a spectacular cast including Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond), Ben Whishaw (Bright Star) Alfred Molina, Chris Cooper, David Strathairn, Alan Cummings, Felicity Jones and to top it all off: Helen Mirren as Prospera.
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
previous release date: December 10, 2010

Friday December 17, 2010

The Fighter
Based on a true story of brothers involved in boxing. Knowing it's biopic-y makes me realize that's likely why the trailer looks too spoiler-y, but I don't think I'll be able to resist the sport-centric inspirationalness starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, directed by David O. Russell (I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings).
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

How Do You Know
And let's complete that sentence with 'if you are in love.' At least I think that's where they are going with this romcom Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson. Directed by James L. Brooks (Spanglish, As Good As It Gets, Broadcast News).
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Rabbit Hole
Heart-wrenching drama on December calendar seems pure awardsness, and it feels compelling and haunting from the trailer with a great cast of Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart and Dianne Wiest, is certainly enough to get me interested although dealing with loss sometimes can be too harsh. We'll see. Also starring Giancarlo Esposito and Sandra Oh, directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Short Bus, Hedwig and the Angry Inch).
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Tron Legacy
Sequel to the 1982 SciFi/gaming classic TRON. Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner return to the TRON world alongside Michael Sheen (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans). Feature film directorial debut by Joseph Kosinski, who also has a Logan's Run remake in the works, also to be released in 2010. Tron Legacy will be released in 3D in select theatres
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer, Release Date Source
Previous known as: Tron 2, TR2N, Tron 2.0
Previous Release Date: December 10, 2010

Wednesday December 22, 2010

Little Fockers
Dir: Paul Weitz (About a Boy, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant )
Cast: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Jessica Alba, Laura Dern, Harvey Keitel, Teri Polo, Barbra Streisand
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

True Grit
The Coen Brother's are walking down the remake line and taking on the task of remaking the 1969 western True Grit. Casting includes Jeff Bridges in the role of Cogburn (played in the original by John Wayne) Matt Damon as La Boeuf, Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper.
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
previous release date: December 25, 2010

Friday December 24, 2010

Barney's Version
Based on the Mordecai Richler novel and starring Paul Giamatti in the title role as what appears like a man that goes through different relationships in search for the one. Also starring Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre, Scott Speedman and Bruce Greenwood, by Richard J. Lewis (Whale Music).
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Saturday December 25, 2010

Gulliver's Travels (2010)
Jack Black stars in this redux version of the classic story. Also starring Jason Segel & Emily Blunt; directed by Rob Letterman (Monsters vs Alien, Shark Tale)
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

2011

January 7, 2011

Country Strong
Gwyneth Paltrow stars as a country music star whose looks like she's had her fair share of personal battles and then hits the road on tour with a young ingenue. The story of a fallen singer is one we've seen a lot (Crazy Heart, A Star is Born), but hot dang I am sold on this one because it's got a realness to it as well as an inspirational strength. I can't wait to see it. Also stars Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester, directed by Shana Feste (The Greatest).
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
previous release date: Dec 22, 2010

January 21, 2011

Incendies
Heartbreaking drama from director Denis Villeneuve (Polytechnique, Next Floor, Maelström), a story of family mystery as twins go on a personal history journey to look into their mother's past in the Middle East. Stars Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette and Rémy Girard.
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page
Previous release date: Thursday October 21, 2010 at the Lightbox Theatre in Toronto

Reverend's Interview: Facing East with Playwright Carol Lynn Pearson

The aftermath of the ferocious religious debates over Proposition 8 provides a timely setting for International City Theatre of Long Beach’s new production, Facing East. This unexpectedly moving play, written by Carol Lynn Pearson, opens tonight and runs to July 5 at the intimate, recently renovated Center Theatre in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center.

The play introduces audiences to Ruth and Alex, a middle-aged, upstanding Mormon couple who are reeling from the recent suicide of their son, Andrew. Andrew was gay and had been excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. By the end of Facing East, hidden truths have been revealed, mistakes lamented, and faint signs of hope begin to glimmer.

Pearson relates that the play was inspired by a sadly similar, real-life situation. “The closest person to me that is reflected in the play is a friend of mine, Brad Adams, who passed away a few years ago,” Pearson shared. “He became a member of the Mormon Church in Provo, Utah and loved it. He was expecting to be ‘cured’ of his homosexuality and met each week with the bishop to be prayed over.”

Pearson continued: “After Brad decided he was never going to change, he attempted suicide on the steps of the Provo temple. A BYU professor found him and took him to the hospital. Brad survived and moved to San Francisco, which is where I met him.”


A fourth-generation Mormon herself, Pearson says, “The play is an indictment but also an invitation to dialogue. It has received a very positive reaction where it has played so far, starting with selling out its run in Salt Lake City.” Following that successful premiere, Facing East had productions off-Broadway in New York and in San Francisco.

Talking with Pearson, one gets a sense of how much she has grown in her own understanding of homosexuality. She was married at one time to a gay man, which Pearson did not know initially. They subsequently divorced but remained friends, and Pearson cared for him as he succumbed to AIDS. She recounts this experience in her autobiography, Goodbye, I Love You.

Her personal experiences have taught Pearson the lesson she hopes people take from seeing Facing East. It is, according to the playwright, “to believe in yourself before or more than you believe in anything else.” This applies to faith in religions, churches and even God.

Toward the end of Facing East, Alex expresses a sentiment that Pearson heard many of her fellow LDS church members say in the midst of the bitter struggle in California over same-sex marriage: “The truly awful thing is we are better than that.” Pearson indicated that many of the more moderate Mormons she knows were embarrassed by the Mormon Church’s strong backing of Prop 8.


Pearson’s play has even drawn praise in more official LDS circles. The theatre critic of the church-owned Deseret News publication in Salt Lake commended Facing East as the best local production of the year, tied with the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s Hamlet.

“Everyone there (in Salt Lake) had a story about how this subject interested them,” Pearson recalls. “It’s been thrilling to see how healing the experience of watching the play has been for many people, especially families. I’ve received so many e-mails from people saying ‘In our house, the conversation still hasn’t stopped’.” Pearson also treasures the memory of a lesbian viewer in San Francisco who credits the playwright with saving the life of her partner, who was contemplating suicide before she saw Facing East.

As she looks forward to the Long Beach production of Facing East, Pearson is busily promoting her new book, No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons around Our Gay Loved Ones. It includes many inspiring stories of families finding new and positive ways to relate to their gay and lesbian children.

Renowned author and rabbi Harold Kushner acclaims Pearson and her latest work “for reminding us that the task of any religion is to teach us whom we’re required to love, not whom we’re entitled to hate.” The potent Facing East also succeeds in this regard.

Interview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

New Moon Monday: Cast News & Projects, Vampire Film Countdown on TMN

Let's have a look see on the news of the Twilight Universe and general vampire mayhem this week.

Michael Sheen receives OBE from The Queen at Buckingham Palace
What an honour of recognition for Michael Sheen to be an OBE. See his reaction to the experience over here in a clip over at Wales Online.
Source: Twilight Lexicon, Wales Online

Rachelle LeFevre and Taylor Lautner will be at the Much Music Video Awards
Pretty cool to hear that Twilight cast members Rachelle LeFevre (Victoria) and Taylor Lautner (Jacob) will be at the Much Music Video Awards (MMVAs) on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 9pm EST. I've heard reports that they will be presenting, but the info on the MMVA site says that they will be on the red carpet. Hoping to hear confirmation on if they are presenting soon.
Source: New Moon Movie

Cam Gigandet Picks up a New Vampire Role in Priest
MTV Movies Blog shares the news that Cam Gigandet is playing vampire again, in the upcoming film Priest which stars Paul Bettany in the title role. Based on a graphic novel & currently scheduled for a 2010 release is about all I can gather from the IMDb Page (currently director noted isn't the same name in the MTV post), so we'll have to follow this one to see where the chips fall. I was surprized that the article starts with "We’re certainly disappointed that “Twilight” trumped both “The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man” at the MTV Movies Awards". Disappointed? What an odd thing to say about the results of your own awards show winners.

Vampires and Priests, Deja Vu?
If the vampire/priest connection sounds familiar, you could be thinking of Chan-wook Park's Thirst / Bakjwi which was at Cannes earlier this year. Need to refresh your memory? Check out the fabulous trailers for Thirst over at Twitch. No Canadian release date for Thirst yet but my fingers are crossed and ears are too the ground. More info on Thrist at it's IMDb Page.

Before the Dawn: A Twilight Podcast
Episode 07 is now up. Head on over to Before the Dawn to listen or download the show directly here. This week Marina & I's discuss the News of the Week up to June 5, 2009.

Vampire Film Countdown to True Blood Season 2 Premiere on TMN
True Blood Season 2 premieres Sunday June 14, 2009 on HBO Canada at 9PM EST and in celebration there are lots of vampire films to enjoy on TMN and Mpix this weekend including a few I haven't seen (shock!). Let's have a look:

On TMN Friday June 12, 2009
7:25 PM Bitten
9:00 PM 30 Days of Night (directed by David Slade who will bring us Eclipse)
10:55 PM Lost Boys: The Tribe

On Mpix Friday June 12, 2009
9:00 PM The Lost Boys
10:45 PM John Carpenter's Vampires
12:40 AM The Fearless Vampire Killers

On Mpix Saturday June 13, 2009
9:00 PM Interview With The Vampire
11:10 PM Queen of the Damned

I'm looking forward to catching Bitten and The Fearless Vampire Killers for the first time. Fans of Lost Boys it looks like you can double up and watch the original as well as the sequel, Lost Boys: The Tribe (although it doesn't hold up to the original). If you are aren't yet familiar with the work of David Slade who will be directing Eclipse, take the opportunity to check out 30 Days of Night.

Cinematic Crush: Jason Priestly

Crush object: Jason Priestly, actor/director/producer.

- He catapulted to fame as dreamy boy-next-door Brandon Walsh on the classic 90's teen soap Beverly Hills, 90210, a role that netted him two Golden Globe nominations. In addition to playing Brandon for most of the series' ten seasons, he also directed several episodes and served as executive producer in later years.

- Following his exit from Beverly Hills, he appeared as a regular on the TV series Tru Calling, Love Monkey and Side Order of Life.

- On film, his best known roles are as Deputy Billy Breckinridge in Tombstone, former teen idol Ronnie Bostock in Love and Death on Long Island and sexy bisexual Tony Parker in Die, Mommie, Die!

- He made his feature film directing debut with the documentary Barenaked in America, which chronicled his tagging along with the band Barenaked Ladies on their 1999 American tour.

- In addition to episodes of the original 90210, he has directed such series as The Outer Limits, Grosse Pointe, 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Most recently, he has come full circle to helm a recent episode of the new 90210.