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Reviews
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Magically Delicious
I feel, next to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the best book-to-movie adaptation that I've ever seen. The sets were stunning - the actors were first rate - the effects were breathtaking. The film flowed quite smoothly in it's transition from page to screen, never tripping on the awkward conventions that other books on film have struggled with. The screenplay, by Steven Kloves, stripped away all unnecessary elements to get to the root of the story. Though many events from the book were excluded, the essential ones made it to the film. And it makes for one smooth story and very enjoyable movie-going experience.
Many kudos to Chris Columbus and the rest of the Harry Potter cast/crew for not turning this movie into what it easily could have become: a 2 and a half hour commercial advertisement for action figures and collectibles, kid's meals and fast food tie-ins, soft drinks and snack products, etc. and instead focused on bringing J.K. Rowling's story to life as accurately and as lovingly as it deserves. There has been much speculation on whether Columbus was the correct choice for the first two installments of the series and I say to that, Yes. I feel that he accomplished what most would have failed. He has proven, at least to me, that Diagon Alley truly exists - if only I could find the right brick to tap on. The world of Harry Potter is no longer fantasy to me, but instead a place where any of us mere Muggles could hope to visit, one day.
One of my favorite moments, is what I'm going to refer to as the Adrenaline Sequence. By Adrenaline Sequence, I mean the sequence in a movie that for all intents and purposes, doesn't necessarily propel the story, but gives the audience a huge theatrical payoff, ala the Pod Race sequence in The Phantom Menace. The Adrenaline Sequence for this particular movie is the Quidditch sequence. I was very happy to finally see the 'hockey/soccer hybrid on a broomstick' come to life. The Quidditch Sequence is, by far, my favorite sequence in the whole film. The scene is dizzying in it's violence and it's one breathless moment after another. My hat goes off to Columbus and his team for succeeding in making this scene as memorable as it should be.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a fantastic movie for children of all ages. Fans and non-fans alike will enjoy this colorful story of good versus evil and the friendships that endure.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Ignore the critics...Make your OWN judgment.
Let me start out by saying that I loved this movie. I went into it expecting something and walked out having seen what I expected. How many times can you make that claim?
I went into this movie with the idea that it would be Titanic meets Private Ryan meets Armageddon, and I was right. It's all of the above. The sweeping love story, the intense battle and a visual style that I can only describe as beautiful. This is what Gone with the Wind would have looked like if there had been MTV. It's a classic tale of young love set against the backdrop of one of the most painful events in American history.
Some people are no doubt going to disagree with me. They're going to take the above paragraph and use the exact wording to point out its flaws. That's what makes this country so wonderful, we can disagree. And those boys and girls at Pearl did their part to make sure that was possible.
Before I went in, people were telling me that it wasn't going to be what I expected. It wasn't a war film - it was a love story for God's sake?! For me, a war story IS a love story, if not for some hot nurse, then for the country the soldiers are fighting for.
I'm telling you, this is no Gladiator, by any means - not everyone is going to see it for the epic it is. There's a stigma attached to films that Jerry Bruckheimer makes. There's a stigma attached to the movies Michael Bay makes. And there are people who will dislike Pearl Harbor for those very two reasons - possibly without having even seen it.
All I can really say, the point that I can try to get across, is that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I liked it for the action. I liked it for the love story. And most of all, I liked it for the way it made me feel as an American. For me, movies like this have to tug on your strings a little, and this one tugged mine, just like The Patriot and Private Ryan did.
Go see this movie. Ignore what the critics have said. Make your own judgment. You may love it, like me, or you may find it to be a piece of crap. But you will have made that decision, for yourself. And isn't that what being an American is really all about.