Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Critical Review

Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets (2002)

Director: Chris Columbus
Starring : Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane

Plot: Renee Zellweger stars opposite Harry Connick Jr. in this snow-packed romantic comedy. NEW IN TOWN begins in Miami, home to Lucy Hill (Zellweger), a single, high-powered executive on the fast track... A string of classic suspense films produced in England had earned Alfred Hitchcock a reputation in the United States, and his first American production, REBECCA, cemented his fame. Based on the... Harry Potter (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) has not had a good summer. Not only has he had to put up with his overbearing Aunt Petunia (FIONA SHAW) and Uncle Vernon Dursley (RICHARD GRIFFITHS) and their dread of his magical abilities, but it seems as if Harry’s best friends Ron Weasley (RUPERT GRINT) and Hermione Granger (EMMA WATSON) have forgotten him – as they haven’t replied to a single one of his letters. Then, suddenly and mysteriously, house-elf Dobby appears in Harry’s bedroom and warns of great danger if the aspiring wizard should attempt to return to Hogwarts. Dobby is so keen to prevent the young Gryffindor from returning to the school for witches and wizards, he has blocked all of Ron and Hermione’s correspondence from reaching Harry. But despite the elf’s mischievous efforts, the ever-determined Harry is rescued from the Dursleys’ dreary clutches by Ron and his brothers – with the aid of a flying car! – and welcomed into the warmth of the Weasley household. But when Harry and Ron are suspiciously prevented from entering Platform 9 and boarding the Hogwarts Express back to school, the boys take emergency action to avoid being late for the new term – only to incur the wrath of Professor Snape (ALAN RICKMAN), who calls for their expulsion. Meanwhile, news of Harry’s first year heroism has spread throughout Hogwarts and he finds himself the center of much unwanted attention. His new fans include Ron’s little sister Ginny (BONNIE WRIGHT); first year would-be photographer Colin Creevey (HUGH MITCHELL); and most irritatingly, the new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Gilderoy Lockhart (KENNETH BRANAGH). Outshone only by his own vanity, Lockhart craves the attention that Harry shuns and is only too keen to associate himself with Hogwarts’ young hero. But not even Lockhart can offer an explanation or solution to the slippery and sinister new terror that is gripping the school. Now all eyes are on Harry, and his so-called friends are beginning to doubt him. Everyone, that is, except Ron and Hermione and fragile young Ginny, who has shifted her focus to her mysterious new diary. But Harry is not about to let his friends down and, with or without the support of Gilderoy Lockhart, he will confront the dark force lurking in his beloved school. -- © 2002 Warner Bros.(scoring 82% on rottentomatoes.com)

Review: Serving as chapter number 2 in the Harry Potter series of films, The Chamber of Secrets picks up the second school year at Hogwarts and follows the coat tails of the first installment, The Sorcerers Stone. Like The Sorcerers Stone, The Chamber of Secrets is a light hearted adventure that is pretty safe for the entire family. The acting has improved since year one at Hogwarts and it's clear that the movie makers had a little larger of a budget to work with this time around. The story was a little more in depth and more suspenseful this time around but it made the movie all around better. We were also introduced to a few new characters, mainly Dobby the house-elf who added an element of sincerity to Harry Potter and his gang. Unfortunately this is the only time that we see Dobby throughout the stories and movies that I have seen. I would add that there are still elements of the movie that seemed to have little to no purpose such as the paintings, the quidditch, and the moving stairs. However all of these things just add to the charm of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and make the fantastical school that much better! I really enjoyed this film and will continue to embark on my adventure throughout J.K. Rowling's crazy imagination. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets scores 3.5 stars out of the possible 5 stars and I would highly recommend that you rent/borrow this movie for your viewing pleasure.

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Critical Review

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Director: Chris Columbus
Starring : Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane

Plot: Renee Zellweger stars opposite Harry Connick Jr. in this snow-packed romantic comedy. NEW IN TOWN begins in Miami, home to Lucy Hill (Zellweger), a single, high-powered executive on the fast track... A string of classic suspense films produced in England had earned Alfred Hitchcock a reputation in the United States, and his first American production, REBECCA, cemented his fame. Based on the... As Harry Potter’s (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) 11th birthday draws near, he anticipates little in the way of excitement or presents from the Dursleys, Harry’s unpleasant relatives who took him in following his parents’ deaths and forced him to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs.

But this year, Harry’s birthday will be different.

A mysterious letter addressed to Harry arrives, written in peculiar green ink and accompanied by an owl. Harry is surprised and excited by the curious dispatch, but his horrified Uncle Vernon (RICHARD GRIFFITHS) destroys the letter before Harry has a chance to read it.

The next day, another letter and owl arrive, only to be squelched by the Dursleys. As each day follows the next, letters and owls continue turning up on Harry’s doorstep until the Dursleys, fearing they can no longer suppress the contents of the peculiar correspondence, flee with Harry in tow to a remote hut where they’re confident they cannot be found.

Their plan appears to be working when suddenly a LOUD CRASH carries the hut door off its hinges, revealing the awesome bulk of an enormous giant called Hagrid (ROBBIE COLTRANE). Furious with the Dursleys for destroying the letters and trying to conceal their nephew’s real identity, Hagrid reveals the secret that will change Harry’s life: he, Harry Potter, is a wizard!

Much to Harry’s disbelief, it transpires that the puzzlingly persistent letters are invitations for him, on the occasion of his 11th birthday, to leave the regular world and join his similarly-talented peers at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hagrid goes on to explain that Harry’s parents did not die in a car crash as his insecure relatives have repeatedly told him – they were in fact murdered by an evil wizard who in turn etched the distinctive lightning scar on Harry’s forehead!

Harry is completely overwhelmed by the revelations about his parents and the invitation to Hogwarts. However, faced with another night in the cupboard under the stairs and a life of hand-me-downs, he doesn’t hesitate in accompanying Hagrid to London’s Kings Cross Station, where he discovers the secret Platform 9 3/4 and catches the Hogwarts Express.

Aboard the train packed with wide-eyed first year students, Harry befriends fellow wizards-in-training Hermione Granger (EMMA WATSON) and Ron Weasley (RUPERT GRINT). Together with his new friends, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime at Hogwarts, a wondrous place beyond Harry’s wildest imagination where he discovers his extraordinary talents and finds the home and the family he never had. -- © 2001 Warner Bros. (scoring 78% on rottentomatoes.com)

Review: Having never read the J.K. Rowling books I was fairly skeptical of these movies since most of the hype was coming from the avid readers of the books. At the same time that meant that the whole entire story would be a new adventure for me with twists and surprises around every corner. As the first chapter in the story of Harry Potter, The Sorcerer's Stone had a lot of introducing to do. It was tasked with the tough chore of setting the scene and introducing characters from the next handful of movies, but at the same time had to be entertaining. I would say that the books authors J.K. Rowling and the movies screenwriter Steve Kloves were very successful in this respect. With the main characters entering Hogwart's school at the age of 11, this film also had to work to find a balance between setting the scene for the darker sequels that were forthcoming and keeping it lighthearted and fun for the younger audience that would surely run out to the stores to buy plastic wands and barf flavored jelly beans.

For how young the actors were when they filmed this movie, the acting was actually fairly impressive. Certain actors were better than others but they all had room to grow into their characters over the next few films. Some of the special effects were too fake looking, but when you are embarking on an assignment as risky as this story could have been, I'm sure that the budget was not ideal when it comes to what the director and producers were hoping to portray. All in all I enjoyed this movie and it sparked my interest into the rest of the Harry Potter series. I would have to say that this movie is a little more childish than those in the series that followed it, nonetheless it was enjoyable. I would recommend a rent of this film and have rated it in at 3.5 stars out of a possible 5 stars.

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Public Enemies - Critical Review

Public Enemies (2009)

Director: Michael Mann
Starring :Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke

Plot: Renee Zellweger stars opposite Harry Connick Jr. in this snow-packed romantic comedy. NEW IN TOWN begins in Miami, home to Lucy Hill (Zellweger), a single, high-powered executive on the fast track... A string of classic suspense films produced in England had earned Alfred Hitchcock a reputation in the United States, and his first American production, REBECCA, cemented his fame. Based on the... Johnny Depp and Christian Bale emerge from two of the biggest blockbuster series of all time (Pirates of the Caribbean and Batman, respectively) to star in this crime drama from Heat's Michael Mann. Depp stars as legendary gangster John Dillinger, while Bale plays FBI agent Melvin Purvis. (scoring 67% at rottentomatoes.com)


Review: Well, better late than never! I saw Public Enemies back during its first week of release and am just getting around to the review. Maybe that should tell you how I felt about it :-) Public Enemies was one of those "Summer Blockbusters" that I had been looking forward to since late Spring when the trailers started to swarm the Internet. I am a big mobster movie guy and with this cast (particularly Depp and Bale), I was super excited for this movie to be released. Despite the actors best efforts this movie failed to meet expectations and failed to take the nation by storm as they had originally hoped. Most of that should be blamed on director Michael Mann and the poor path and guidance that this movie followed.

Creatively speaking, the movie was great. I really enjoyed the costumes, props, and acting as they each made you feel as if you were truly back in the 1930's. Unfortunately all of that was completely in vain as the main focus of the movie was completely non-existent? I was never able to figure out what the director was attempting to focus in on as the over-arching focal point. We dabbled in John Dillinger's life of crime, dabbled into his love life, dabbled with his desire to be done, and dabbled into his fall from fame, but never really focused in on a substantial storyline that could be called the main focus of the movie. This was very disappointing to me as I had very high aspirations for this movie. Had they focused on his life of crime and showed more of the successful heists that he pulled while dabbling in love life and desires to be done the movie would have been much better.

In learning a little more about the real life accounts of John Dillinger and this time in US history, it was a little disappointing to see that some of the movie was a bit embellished and fakey. There were some parts that were supposed to have taken place in MN which did not and there was a drive from Sioux Falls, SD to the middle of Wisconsin which in the film only took an hour or two when that drive would take 4-5 hrs today going 70mph.

All in all the movie truly was enjoyable. Foolishly, I had high expectations and the film fell far short of those. It pains me to think of how good this movie "could have been." I'm through with my complaining and would recommend that you do see this movie, in theater or rental. I rate this film 4 stars out of a possible 5 stars.

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!