Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
July 7, 2011
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Action
DVD
C+

Harry Potter regulars:

1. Afshan Azad as Padma Patil
2. David Bradley as Argus Filch
3. Scarlett Byrne as Pansy Parkinson
4. Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown
5. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
6. Louis Cordice as Blaise Zabini
7. Warwick Davis as Griphook/ Professor Filius Flitwick
8. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
9. Amber Evans as Twin Girl 1
10. Ruby Evans as Twin Girl 2
11. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
12. Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort
13. Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore
14. Domnhall Gleeson as Bill Weasley
15. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
16. George Harris as Kingsley Shacklebolt
17. Guy Henry as Pius Thicknesse
18. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
19. John Hurt as Ollivander
20. Ralph Ineson as Amycus Carrow
21. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy
22. Isabella Laughland as Leanne
23. Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback
24. Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell
25. Katie Leung as Cho Chang
26. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
27. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood
28. Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy
29. William Melling as Nigel
30. Nick Moran as Scabior
31. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
32. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
33. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
34. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
35. Leslie Phillips as the voice of the Sorting Hat
36. Clémence Poésy as Fleur Delacour
37. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
38. Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
39. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
40. Anna Shaffer as Romilda Vane
41. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
42. Timothy Spall as Wormtail
43. Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen
44. Natalie Tena as Nymphadora Tonks
45. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
46. Suzanne Toase as Alecto Carrow
47. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
48. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
49. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

Also, Christian Coulson and Ian Hart appear as Tom Riddle and Professor Quirinus Quirrell in archival footage.  Kelly Macdonald of Gosford Park appears as Helena Ravenclaw.  Gemma Jones and Miriam Margolyes are back, although not given much to do.  I put as many people under tags as I could.

While it's nice to see everybody one last time, I do feel that this is the weakest movie in the series since Goblet of Fire, and like that entry, it is sometimes unintentionally funny, as with the horrible makeup that Rickman wears both in present day and in flashbacks.  (I don't care that he was in his 60s.  It's distracting to see his expressive face puttied over like that.)  Also, the finale has far too many action sequences, which was perhaps true of the last third of the book, but there were more moments of humour and pathos.  Not that those elements are entirely missing, but the film does feel off and unbalanced at times.  (I do like Julie Walters's silent reaction to Maggie's Smith's "I've always wanted to do that," as if she still remembers McGonagall as her teacher some thirty years ago.)  The series as a whole still averages out to a B, and it remains an impressive achievement overall.

Lisa Osmond and Mark Sealey were also Gringotts Goblins back in the first movie.  Rusty Goffee was an Oompa-Loompa in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, as well as a Goblin here and in Order of the Phoenix.  Jamie Dunlop is a Wizard, as he was in the first two movies.  Paul Davies is a Death Eater, as he was in Fire, Half-Blood Prince, and DH1.  Death Eaters who are just in the two Hallows parts are Jon Campling, Graham Duff, Emil Hostina, Tony Kirwood (also in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Penelope McGhie, Ashley McGuire, Peter G. Reed, Granville Saxton, Judith Sharp, and Bob Yves Van Hellenberg.  Ninette Finch was an unidentified extra in Prince but is Augusta Longbottom here.  Arthur Bowen was Boy at Chestnut Stand in Prince, but has the more prominent role of Albus Severus Potter here.  Sarah Jane O'Neill was a Ministry Wizard in DH1 but is a Wizard Parent here.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
July 15, 2009
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Drama
DVD
B-

Harry Potter regulars this time include (* for newbies):

1. Afshan Azad as Padma Patil
2. David Bradley as Argus Filch
3. Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn*
4. Scarlett Byrne as Pansy Parkinson (new to the role)*
5. Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown (new to the role)*
6. Shefali Chowdhury as Parvati Patil
7. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
8. Louis Cordice as Blaise Zabini*
9. Warwick Davis as Professor Filius Flitwick
10. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
11. Amber Evans as Twin Girl #1*
12. Ruby Evans as Twin Girl #2*
13. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
14. Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore
15. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
16. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
17. Rod Hunt as Thorfinn Rowle*
18. Ralph Ineson as Amycus Carrow*
19. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy
20. Isabella Laughland as Leanne*
21. Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback*
22. Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell (new to the role)*
23. Katie Leung as Cho Chang
24. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
25. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood
26. Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy*
27. William Melling as Nigel
28. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
29. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
30. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
31. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
32. Anna Shaffer as Romilda Vane*
33. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
34. Timothy Spall as Wormtail
35. Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen*
36. Natalie Tena as Nymphadora Tonks
37. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
38. Suzanne Toase as Alecto Carrow*
39. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
40. Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
41. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
42. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2014/01/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince.html.  And, yes, I consider the movie to be roughly equivalent in quality to the book, although the flaws are different.  As I noted there, the Horcruxes are mishandled in the movie in the sense that Dumbledore says they could be the most commonplace of objects, when in fact this better describes Portkeys (like the "manky old boot") and it's unlikely that Voldemort would entrust pieces of his soul to worthless objects.

One flaw is that, as in Order of the Phoenix, a romance is left unresolved, in this case that of Ginny and Dean.  (Poor Alfie Enoch is once again underused, even as a point in a triangle.)  We're told that Ginny and Dean argue, but we never actually see them break up, so when Ginny flirts with Harry at Christmastime and later, it's difficult to know how to take it.  I will say though that the girls and women are less out of character here than in the book, and I think this is Emma Watson's best performance so far.  (When she attacks Ron with conjured birds, he's not actually pecked and injured, like in the book, just frightened.)

My other gripe is that while some of the shots are lovely and/or haunting, too many of them are dark, which means losing detail on a television screen.  On the plus side, Yates turns out to have a gift for comedy, especially when characters are acting drunk or stoned, most notably Daniel Radcliffe's "pincers" moment.  And the Ron-on-Love-Potion scenes are everything they ought to be, with Radcliffe a fine straight man to Rupert's loopiness and handsiness.

Paul Davies is again a Death Eater, as he was in Goblet of Fire and would be again in both Deathly Hallows movies.  Tabatha St. Vincent was an extra in Order of the Phoenix as well.  Nathan Clarke is a Gryffindor Student, as he was in Order.  Neil Findlater was a Ministry of Magic Panel Member there and is a Wizard Teacher here.

Ifeoma Oboko would again be a Hogwarts student in Hallows I, although not specifically Gryffindor.  Elliott Francis would again be a Slug Club Member there.  Ninette Finch is an extra here but would be Augusta Longbottom in Hallows 2.  Arthur Bowen, who's Boy at Chestnut Stand, would be more prominent towards the very end of the series, as Albus Severus Potter.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
July 11, 2007
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Drama, Action
DVD
B

Harry Potter regulars this time (* for newbies):

1. Afshan Azad as Padma Patil
2. Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange*
3. David Bradley as Argus Filch
4. Shefali Chowdhury as Parvati Patil
5. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
6. Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick
7. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
8. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
9. Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort
10. Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore
11. Brendan Gleeson as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody
12. Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon Dursley
13. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
14. Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge
15. George Harris as Kingsley Shacklebolt*
16. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
17. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy
18. Katie Leung as Cho Chang
19. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
20. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood*
21. Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
22. William Melling as Nigel
23. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
24. Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory
25. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
26. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
27. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
28. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
29. Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
30. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
31. Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia Dursley
32. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
33. Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew
34. Natalie Tena as Nymphadora Tonks*
35. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
36. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
37. Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
38. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
39. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2013/12/harry-potter-and-order-of-phoenix.html.  At the time this movie came out, it was mixed in with the feelings of the pending release of the final book.  Moments like when Voldemort tells Harry, "You're a fool and you'll lose everything," gave me shivers because we really didn't know how this was all going to end.  Also, coming after the disappointments of the fourth movie, this seemed like the best entry after Azkaban.

Now I'd put it on a level with the first two movies.  It generally doesn't wow me, although Evanna Lynch is amazing as Luna, Imelda Staunton makes Umbridge even creepier than in the book by making her "nicer" on the surface, and the Dumbledore vs. Voldemort battle kicks arse.  It's a good, solid entry.  My two main quibbles are that new director David Yates has overdone pulling everyone back from overacting and made some of the lines too soft-spoken (Yates himself is soft-spoken, quite a contrast to blustering Newell); and not only has Michael Goldenberg's script (or at least the editing) lost much of the book (this is always noted as the longest book turned into the shortest movie) but there are stray lines and even subplots that are just left hanging.  Most notably, Harry and Cho's romance, which is less awkward than in the book, fizzles out because of a misunderstanding that's never resolved.  Still, kudos for Yates in getting at the emotional core of the series in a way that no one other than Alfonso Cuarón managed.

Siobhan Ellen Williams was in Hufflepuff in Goblet of Fire but is now in Gryffindor.  Paije Richardson is also in both movies, as an unidentified student.  Sarah Harrison was a Schoolgirl in Goblet and here.  Nathan Clarke is in Gryffindor here and in Half-Blood Prince.  Christopher O'Shea was an unidentified extra in Chamber of Secrets and this one, while Tabatha St. Vincent is an unidentified extra in this and Prince.  Peter Best was the Executioner in Azkaban and is a Death Eater here.  Natalie Hallam was Professor Sinistra in Goblet and seems to be reprising it here, although she's uncredited.  Neil Findlater is a Ministry of Magic Panel Member here and would be a Wizard Teacher in Prince.  Rusty Goffe would again play a Goblin in Deathly Hallows 2.  Arben Bajraktaraj is an Azkaban Death Eater here and would be specifically Antonin Dolohov in Deathly Hallows 1.  Daisy Haggard would again be the voice of the Ministry Lift in Hallows 1.

Richard Cubison was the Head Waiter in Wilde and is a Death Eater here.  John Atterbury was Merriman in Gosford Park and plays Phineas Nigellus Black here.  Sam Beazley was a Very Old Man in Bridget Jones 2 and is Everard here.  Brigitte Millar was a Journalist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and plays Emmeline Vance here.  Samuel Gaukroger was a Child at Church in Grint's Driving Lessons and plays a Hogwarts Student here.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
November 18, 2005
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Comedy, Drama
DVD
C+

This time the Harry Potter Regulars include (with * for newbies):

1. Afshan Azad as Padma Patil* (new to the role)
2. David Bradley as Argus Filch
3. Shefali Chowdhury as Parvati Patil* (new to the role)
4. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
5. Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick
6. Frances de la Tour as Madame Olympe Maxime*
7. Louis Doyle as Ernie Macmillan
8. Alfie Enoch as Dean Thomas
9. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
10. Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort*
11. Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore
12. Brendan Gleeson as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody*
13. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
14. Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge
15. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
16. Stanislav Ianevski as Viktor Krum*
17. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy
18. Katie Leung as Cho Chang*
19. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
20. Angelica Mandy as Gabrielle Delacour*
21. William Melling as Nigel*
22. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
23. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
24. Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory*
25. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
26. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
27. Daniel Radcliffe
28. Clémence Poésy as Fleur Delacour*
29. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
30. Charlotte Skeoch as Hannah Abbott
31. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
32. Timothy Spall as Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew
33. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
34. Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
35. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
36. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

Shirley Henderson returns as Moaning Myrtle, again impacting the plot and flirting with Harry.  And Miranda Richardson plays Rita Skeeter just right.  Unfortunately, she's one of the few.

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/search?q=goblet.  Like I said, this was at the time my favorite book in the series, and the previous movie entry had set the bar very high.  So imagine my disappointment when I saw this mess!  OK, the movie isn't terrible-- none of the HP movies are-- but it took me a long time to reconcile myself to this one.  Over the years, I've gone back and forth on it, as I have on Chamber of Secrets, but on this viewing the things that have bothered me (and many other viewers) over the past almost decade all stood out.  And I'm going to place the blame where I have usually placed it, on director Mike Newell, despite my fondness for Enchanted April.

The biggest flaw is that many of the characters are tonally off.  Even with generally solid performances, like those of Fiennes and Gleeson, there are over-the-top melodramatic touches.  Newell's biggest miscalculation is with Gambon's Dumbledore, who not only has none of the serenity of Harris's, but also none of the whimsy and dry humour of Gambon in Azkaban.  

Oddly enough though, Newell is successful with Wright's Ginny, which was especially important at the time since Half-Blood Prince had come out the previous summer and we now knew she was going to be Harry's love interest.  Wright here transitions well from the shyer, quieter Ginny of the first three films to a girl who is plausibly the sister of the Weasley twins.  Also, Newell merges the Choir Professor with the already established Flitwick, adding another layer to Davis's character, and leading to some funny jokes in the next couple movies, as well as giving him a look that is more consistent with what Rowling imagined than the bearded gnome of Columbus's movies.  Still, this doesn't balance all the characters that Newell gets completely or partially wrong.

The other issue I have with the film, not unrelated, is that there is too much spectacle, particularly in the form of action.  (And why have the very un-canonical dragon chase all over Hogwarts, but omit the Quidditch World Cup?)  Cuarón and to a lesser extent Columbus were able to offer thrills and chills without losing sight of who Harry and the other characters were.  It would be up to David Yates, who directed the second half of the series, to reestablish the importance of emotional authenticity, while still delivering intense chase scenes, fight scenes, and the like.  All that said, I can enjoy this movie in bits and pieces, even if I'm sometimes laughing at it.  (That it lends itself easily to satire is seen in this still funny Soup clip:  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgzrx_harry-ron-slash-on-the-soup_fun)

Siobhan Ellen Williams is a Hufflepuff Student here but would defect to Gryffindor in the next movie.  Sarah Harrison and Paije Richardson would also return in Movie #5, as students of  unspecified houses.  Natalie Hallam, who plays Professor Sinistra, would also be back.  Lisa Osmond is a Quidditch Supporter here, but plays a Gringotts Goblin in both Sorcerer's Stone and Deathly Hallows 2.  Paul Davies makes his first of four appearances as a Death Eater.

Lucy-Anne Brooks, a Beauxbaton Student here, was a Factory Worker in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Campbell Graham was Hamish in the Bridget Jones movies and is a Ministry Wizard here.

Dr. Who reveals his nefarious scheme to turn Cedric Diggory into a vampire.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
June 4, 2004
Warner Bros.
Fantasy, Drama, Comedy
DVD
A-

The Harry Potter regulars this time include (*means newbie to the series):

1. Peter Best as the Executioner*
2. David Bradley as Argus Filch
3. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
4. Violet Columbus as Girl With Flowers
5. Warwick Davis as "Wizard" (see below)
6. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
7. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
8. Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore*
9. Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon
10. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
11. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
12. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
13. Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
14. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnegan
15. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black*
16. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
17. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
18. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
19. Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
20. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
21. Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia
22. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
23. Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew*
24. Danielle Tabor as Angelina Johnson
25. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin*
26. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
27. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
28. Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
29. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley

In addition, Emma Thompson joins the cast as spacey Professor Trelawney.  (Which strengthens the Potter-Austen axis of course.)  This blend of old and new, including the shift of director Chris Columbus over to a producer role, so that the director's chair is filled by Alfonso Cuarón, really impacts the series.  As with Thompson's Sense & Sensibility, having a director whose first language is not English seems to both bring out the universality of what is a very British story and add an outsider's view.  

My review of the book is here
http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2013/11/harry-potter-and-prisoner-of-azkaban.html, but you'll note that I don't regard this as a children's movie in the way that that was a children's book.  This is very much a movie about a younger teen and his two best friends starting to really navigate their way through a more complex world.  The switch in directors also contributes to a less wide-eyed, warier tone.

As for that jump from B to A-, well, I thought then and continue to think that this is not only the best film in the series, but the only one that is on a level with The Wizard of Oz.  Everything is better-- the special effects, the acting, and the music in particular.  (Williams captures all the moods, from bittersweet to whimsical.)  Even the closing credits are much more creative than elsewhere in the series.

Radcliffe is making more effort, not always successfully ("HE WAS THEIR FRIEND" is notorious in fandom), but much better than under Columbus, while Grint and Watson continue to be solid, even as puberty complicates their bickering relationship.  And all the Gambon-bashers who are bitter about the loss of Richard Harris should take another look at his work here, which is much subtler and deeper than in the fourth film.  I also have to make special mention of Thewlis, who is just perfect as the avuncular but flawed Professor Lupin.  The only person who seems to be short-changed is poor Bonnie Wright with her one line as Ginny.  And the only one who is oddly treated is Warwick Davis, who apparently had nothing to do as Flitwick this time and so became the Choir Teacher, which would have a long-lasting effect on the appearance and to some degree character of Flitwick for the rest of the series, as I'll discuss under Goblet.

As for the special effects, it's partly that the CGI and other aspects had two and a half years to advance, but also that Cuarón and his crew are being more creative with them, as with the utterly believable Buckbeak, the Hippogriff who expresses everything from anger to affection to, well, defecation.

Interestingly, when I first saw the trailer for this entry, I had almost the opposite reaction to the trailer for the first.  I thought they'd really screwed up this time.  So it was a revelation when I saw the actual movie, which, yes, has a tone that takes some getting used to but is well worth the initial disorientation.  (And that the film starts with a tasteful masturbation joke was part of the surprise.)  I think the movie continues to hold up remarkably well, both within the series and as a stand-alone.  I was always disappointed that Cuarón did not return, but David Yates would make contributions of his own.  As for Mike Newell, well, stay tuned.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
November 15, 2002
Warner Bros.
Children's, Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, Horror
DVD
B

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2013/11/harry-potter-and-chamber-of-secrets.html.  I have somewhat changed my mind about the movie, but first I want to cover the regulars for this entry.  (Stars indicate newbies.)

1. Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood
2. David Bradley as Argus Filch
3. John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick
4. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
5. Eleanor Columbus as Susan Bones (still not speaking, since she's not British, but she does join Hermione in crushing on Lockhart)
6. Violet Columbus (another of the director's daughters) as Girl with Flowers in one of the moving portraits*
7. Emily Dale as Katie Bell
8. Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick
9. Louis Doyle as Ernie MacMillan*
10. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
11. Scott Fearn as Adrian Pucey (although Terence Higgs before)
12. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
13. Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon Dursley
14. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
15. Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge*
16. Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore
17. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
18. David Holmes as a Slytherin Beater (although specifically Adrian Pucey before)
19. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy*
20. Toby Jones as the voice of Dobby the House Elf*
21. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
22. Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
23. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
24. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
25. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
26. Leslie Phillips as the voice of the Sorting Hat
27. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
28. Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
29. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
30. Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia Dursley
31. Charlotte Skeoch as Hannah Abbott*
32. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
33. Danielle Tabor as Angelina Johnson
34. Harry Taylor as the Station Guard
35. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
36. Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
37. Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley*
38. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley
39. Luke Youngblood as Lee Jordan

Also, Amy Puglia, who was a Quidditch Player last time, is just a Pupil this time.  Maria Coyne and Oliver Lavery-Farag again play unspecified students.  Ben Borowiecki is again a Diagon Alley Boy, here named Angus for no known reason.  (It's not like he has lines or anyone talks to him.)   Christopher O'Shea would again be an extra in Order of the Phoenix.  Jamie Dunlop makes another of his three uncredited appearances as a wizard.  

Shirley Henderson is the most in-jokily cast newbie, as Moaning Myrtle, soon after her appearance as another bathroom-weeper in the first Bridget Jones movie.  (She would return to both series.)  And Bridget's mother, an actual Ms. Jones, Gemma Jones, makes her first appearance as Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse.  Miriam Margolyes was in some of my other movies, and she first appears as Madam Sprout here.  (I had to limit tags, so Henderson and Margolyes are omitted.)

Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith both return (as Snape and McGonagall) and have their moments, although fewer than in the first movie.  Julie Walters, on the other hand, makes the most of the many more Weasley family scenes, in her role as matriarch Molly.

The main one-timer of note is Kenneth Branagh, as the vain Professor Lockhart.  Although not exactly handsome, he makes the role his own.  Along with Jason Isaacs, he shows that you don't have to be in the first movie to be impressive in the second.  (And of course there would be other later additions who would shine.)

I still have some gripes about this movie, yes, including "No Hogwarts without you," but I tried to be fair in my viewing this time.  Even with that scene, the line itself is OK.  It's the standing ovation that Hagrid gets that bugs me.  It is the first in a series of tone-deaf endings, and yet it is slightly balanced by the post-credit throw-away gag about Lockhart's latest book.  (The first movie's ending is just right though.)

The two main things I noticed this time were that the children's acting has generally improved (including Radcliffe's, who's less bland, although not at the level he'd attain later), and the movie is darker (although less than later of course).  I really do feel it is arguably both a mystery that we can solve along with Harry and friends (more so than the first movie), and a horror movie.  The latter is seen in the use of the spiders and the Basilisk.  At the same time, the movie is much more of a comedy than the first, especially in the first hour.  On the down-side, there's the beginning of the use of Ron for comic relief, which I don't resent as much as some in the fandom but it can be seen as a cheapening of his character.

There is less shiny wonder than in the first year, but this is compensated for by the general improvement.  Even the special effects and music are better than they were a year earlier.  (I like "Fawkes's Theme" best, capturing the healing and hope.)  I will admit that the pacing is not as good, but it's never dull.

So basically, it's a movie with growing pains, and good and bad mixed together, as suits the voice-changing twelve-year-old hero.

Near, far, in our motor car, oh, what a happy time we'll spend!

Gosford Park

Gosford Park
January 18, 2002
USA Films etc.
Historical, Mystery, Drama, Comedy
DVD
B+

As with Monsoon Wedding, it takes awhile to sort out all the characters and their relationships in this movie, but fortunately this film holds up even better to repeat viewings.  Yes, it's a mystery, but the whodunnit is just one aspect of the intricate plot.  I also feel that the various threads are resolved satisfactorily, if usually not thoroughly.  The movie was directed and co-written by Robert Altman, so this "ensemble piece" aspect is not surprising.

The setting is a house party in 1932.  We get to know both "upstairs" and "downstairs," and how they sometimes overlap, sexually in particular.  I'm going to mostly just mention the people who are in other films of mine (some of them of course in the Harry Potter series), although they're by no means the only ones giving strong performances.  The closest to a heroine, and the one who solves the mystery, is Mary Maceachran, played by Kelly Macdonald with a soft Scottish burr and very observant eyes.

• Bob Balaban, who plays Morris Weissman, helped come up with the concept for the film and his character is the most an outsider, as a gay, Jewish Hollywood producer.
• Stephen Fry this time plays Inspector Thompson, the bumbling detective, who adds a more farcical element to the movie.  (Most of the rest of the humour is very dry.)
• Michael Gambon, as William McCordle, is very gruff, with none of the warmth or whimsy of his later role as Dumbledore #2.  (Of course, there are Potter fans who see him as just as gruff as Dumbledore.)
• Richard E. Grant, as George, spends a lot of the time sneering at people, but it works much better than when he was sneering at the Spice Girls as their manager.
• Tom Hollander, as Anthony Meredith, is the only happily married man in the movie, although he is worried about money throughout most of the story.  His role of the short and insecure man is not unlike his role in In the Loop at the other end of the decade.
• Jeremy Northam is understated but pivotal as Ivor Novello (the only real character), since he shows the importance of pop culture to "low-class" people, while the upper classes look down on him and it.  He also sings well as Novello.
• Maggie Smith, as Constance Trentham, not surprisingly comes closer to stealing the film than anyone does, making the most of her wonderful lines.  Yet there's a poignancy to her role, since she, too, worries about money.  (And, yes, there's a certain retroactive irony to McGonagall pleading with Dumbledore.)  She would of course go on to the television series Downton Abbey, which was created by one of the screenwriters here, Julian Fellowes.
• Geraldine Somerville as Louisa Stockbridge (the red-haired sister) is very different than in her saintly role as Harry Potter's dead mother.
• Sophie Thompson, as Dorothy, gives one of the messages of the movie, on the importance of loving someone, whether or not the love is returned.

Note:  John Atterbury, who plays Merriman, would be the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

It's so exhausting training new servants.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
November 16, 2001
Warner Bros.
Children's, Fantasy, Comedy
DVD
B

Since this series is known for a cast that is relatively consistent over the course of eight movies, we'd better start with a list of the performers.  And because the number of my tags is limited, I'm going to just use one tag of "Harry Potter regulars" for people who appear in at least two of the eight movies, although I'll note with each film who these regulars are for that time.  This will not include anyone who has made at least two non-Potter films I own, i.e., Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith, who play Professors Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall.  Plus Julie Walters, who plays Mrs. Weasley, would have two later non-Potter appearances.  So here in Stone, we have (in mostly alphabetical order)

1. Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood
2. David Bradley as Argus Filch
3. John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick
4. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
5. Eleanor Columbus (the director's daughter) as Susan Bones
6. Emily Dale as Katie Bell
7. Warwick Davis as a Goblin Bank Teller and Professor Flitwick
8. Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
9. Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
10. Scott Fern as Terence Higgs (but playing Adrian Pucey in Chamber of Secrets)
11. David Holmes as Adrian Pucey (but playing a Slytherin Beater in Chamber, no idea why the switch)
12. Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon Dursley
13. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
14. Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore
15. Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
16. John Hurt as Mr. Ollivander
17. Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
18. Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
19. Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
20. James Phelps as Fred Weasley
21. Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
22. Leslie Philips as the voice of the Sorting Hat
23. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
24. Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
25. Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
26. Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia Dursley
27. Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
28. Danielle Tabor as Angelina Johnson
29. Harry Taylor as the Station Guard
30. Julie Walters as Molly Weasley
31. Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
32. Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
33. Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley
34. Luke Youngblood as Lee Jordan

More obscurely, Ben Borowiecki would return in Chamber as Diagon Alley Boy; Maria Coyne and Oliver Lavery-Farag would be students again in Chamber; Lisa Osmond would be a Gringotts Goblin again in DH2, as well as a Quidditch Supporter in Goblet; Amy Puglia who's a Quidditch Player here, would be a pupil in Chamber.  

Elizabeth Spriggs, who was Mrs. Jennings in Sense and Sensibility, is typecast as the Fat Lady, while Zoe Wanamaker, who was Oscar's friend in Wilde, is Madam Hooch.  Neither of them would return to this franchise.

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2013/11/harry-potter-and-philosophers-sorcerers.html.  Note that I'm not using the alternate titles now, since I am reviewing just the American version of the movie (with everyone saying "Sorcerer's").  Less than two years later, I'm not sure I would describe myself as a huge fan per se.  I see flaws in the books and movies.

To some degree, I agree with those who say that Chris Columbus and Steve Kloves, as director and screenwriter respectively, made this too literal an adaptation of the book.  Furthermore, on this viewing, I'm really struck by what a kids' movie this is, in both good and bad ways.  Columbus did capture the wonder and, yes, magic of this world.  We see things through Harry's eyes and Radcliffe is definitely agog much of the time.  We're being introduced to every person, place, or thing that Rowling created.

There's no room for subtlety, and Columbus is not exactly getting nuanced performances out of the children, especially when they scream à la Home Alone.  But that's OK.  Not every children's movie has to be The Wizard of Oz.  That said, Grint and Watson impressed me even at the time, and they bicker like they've been doing that for forty years.  (Radcliffe gives a blander everyboy performance, but he'd come into his own later.)  It's funny to see the little quirks, like Felton's and Watson's over-enunciation, there from the get-go.

As for the adults, other than Smith and Rickman who are perfect out of the gate and would remain so for a decade, the main stand-out is Coltrane.  It's always a surprise to go back to this movie and see how prominent Hagrid is.  It's a natural, relaxed performance, full of warmth and humor, but also bite.  He becomes Harry's guide and surrogate uncle, far kinder than his relatives, who are also featured much more prominently than they would be later.

It would be easy to go on and on about the movie, but these are the main things I wanted to cover, other than John Williams's score, like so much of the film, is overdone but likable.

The First Wives Club

The First Wives Club
September 20, 1996
Paramount
Comedy
VHS
C+

I really liked this movie at the time, as did many others, including Katha Pollitt, but that doesn't mean we were blind to its faults, faults that are more obvious a couple decades later.  As directed by WKRP's Hugh Wilson, it is very much a cinematic sitcom, with easy resolutions and cardboard characterizations.  Although it's based on a book (which I've never read), the most serious flaws have to do with the writing, many of the implausibilities and inconsistencies centering around Brenda (Bette Midler).  To begin with, is she Italian or Jewish?  If both, why isn't this established earlier?  And how is ir that her husband (Dan Hedaya, for a change in my movies actually typecast) fails to recognize her boss, even the name?  Also, the whole timeline is screwy, from Yellow Submarine coming out in '69 (rather than '68), to the central trio of first wives (Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton) all about 45, although this seems to be contemporary and they've been out of college for about 27 years.  I'm not even clear how much time is passing in the main story, although there's a vague time pressure (even vaguer than in Don't Tell Mom).  Maybe this is all clearer in the book.

The movie is of course notable for its presentation of the exes, particularly the ex of their suicidal friend Cynthia, as being shallow, insensitive, and ruled by their lust for younger women.  (Sarah Jessica Parker is playing against type as a dumb and tasteless blonde.)  But the wives don't come across as much better and, as in The Women almost 60 years earlier, it's unclear why they regret the loss of such awful men.  Yes, I like seeing the cast, and the theme of female friendship and empowerment is good, but it's often lost in slapstick and stereotyping.  And this isn't 9 to 5, where the stock characters are given believability.  There are nice little moments (like how accepting Keaton is of her lesbian daughter), and even occasional insights about how aging women are viewed, and Maggie Smith proves she can do a lot even with a tiny role, but it just doesn't add up to much.

I don't have any other movies with James Naughton but it's a nice touch to make him Cynthia's cheating ex-husband, since he was Angela Bower's ex on Who's the Boss?  (Cynthia is played by Stockard Channing.)  Victor Garber, who plays Goldie's ex, would be Professor Callahan in Legally Blonde.

Anne Shropshire, who's an A Certain Age cast member, was Mrs. Crawley in Tootsie.  Peter Frechette, who plays the Broadway Director, had his big-screen debut as none other than Louis DiMucci in Grease 2.  (He found a lot of other work in between of course.)  Aida Linares also played a maid in Clueless.

Marla Sucharetza, who's Exercising Woman, would be School Reporter in In & Out, while Debra Monk is Jilted Lover here and would be Mrs. Lester there, and  J. Smith-Cameron is Miss Sullivan here and would be Trina Paxton there.  Rob Reiner plays Hawn's plastic surgeon.  And, yes, that's 41-year-old J.K. Simmons in the small role of a Federal Marshall.