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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, a review by Dragonfire

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Uncover the intimate details of the search to cast Harry Potter and his friends. See Daniel, Rupert and Emma's never-before-seen screen tests. Be there with stars and filmmakers walking onto the set of the exciting first day of shooting. Learn about Chris Columbus' critical, step-by-step decisions behind the creation of Harry Potter's world on screen. Look back on an amazing decade's worth of movies with Daniel, Rupert and Emma in new and vintage interviews never seen before. My Thoughts I think I've mentioned before that I really love the Harry Potter books and movies.  So once I got a Blu-ray player, it wasn't long before I picked up this version of the first movie.  I first saw this one in the theater and I don't know how many times I've seen it since.  The movie has held up really well and is definitely worth watching.  It does stay fairly close to the book, though a few things are changed or left out.  I have heard some people complain that the movie follows the book too closely.  I don't feel that way at all.  The first book especially is full of all kinds of foundation that will play a part in the later books/movies, and I think it was important to include that stuff in the movie for things to be set up properly. The plot is very entertaining and not at all boring, even on repeat viewings.  I love all the magical things and how they are used in the movie.  I think there is a decent amount of mystery to what is going on that helps to keep things interesting.  Things progress at a fairly fast pace, though I never felt like it things were rushed.  The sets are amazing and really help to bring the story to life.  This was the first time I had watched this movie in a while, and I had forgotten how different some parts of Hogwarts look compared to how they look in the later movies.  The basic looks is the same, but certain things here and there are a bit different.  I did notice more details in general this time to the castle, but I was looking more closely for things too.  I finally saw the house hourglass things in this movie.  They are really just in the background, but they are there.  The special effects look good and I think they have held up well overall. The cast is wonderful and absolutely perfect.  Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson look like how I imagined the characters when I read the book.  Their acting has a few issues at times, but it isn't horrible..and it gets better with every movie.  I adore Alan Rickman as Snape.  He is perfect in the part.  He puts so much menace into just a look.  Watching this one again made me really miss Richard Harris as Dumbledore.  Michael Gambon has been good overall in the part, though his Dumbledore has felt a tad off to me.  Richard Harris is just better in the part...I think he better fits the character from the book.  He has a bit of a mischievousness to him that Gambon has never attained. This version has a new extra focused on the making of the movie.  Each Ultimate edition of the movies will have a different featurette focused on a different part of making the movie.  The casting is covered and there are interviews with various cast members, some from during the filming and some from during the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  There is some clips of Daniel, Rupert, and Emma from that time early time immediately followed by the newer footage, which really makes it stand out how much they have grown up and changed during the process of making these movies.  There is a lot of focus on the development of the sets and different locations used as well.  The featurette is highly entertaining and I really enjoyed it.  The book that comes with it has lots of pictures, including a few that have to be tied to the last movies.  It makes this version of the DVD/Blu-ray definitely worth picking up. I love this movie and this version of it is wonderful.  I'm so glad I decided to double dip on this one. I did post a review on Epinions back in 2001 after seeing the movie in the theater.  This was only a matter of months after I started posting reviews there.  I am thinking I'm going to update it at some point.  I just haven't taken the time yet. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

(From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on June 21st, 2010)

Torn Curtain , a review by Tom

Torn Curtain (1966/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures (United Kingdom) Director: Alfred Hitchcock Writing: Brian Moore (Writer) Length: 122 min. Video: Pan & Scan 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 1 Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

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Stars:
Arthur Gould-Porter as Freddy
Gloria Gorvin as Fraulein Mann
Paul Newman as Professor Michael Armstrong
Julie Andrews as Sarah Sherman
Lila Kedrova as Countess Kuchinska

Plot:Extras:

• Featurettes
• Photo Gallery
• Scene Access
• Scenes Scored by Bernard Herrmann
• Trailers

I enjoyed the beginning and the end. It suffered in the middle. My favorite part of the movie was the bus ride.
It seems that this is one of Hitchcock's least favorite movies of his.

Rating:

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on August 6th, 2011)

Tom's Glee Marathon, a review by Tom

Glee
Season 2.07 The Substitute
Writer: Ryan Murphy (Created By), Brad Falchuk (Created By), Ian Brennan (Created By), Ian Brennan (Writer)
Director: Ryan Murphy
Cast: Dianna Agron (Quinn Fabray), Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel), Jessalyn Gilsig (Terri Schuester), Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester), Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury), Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams), Lea Michele (Rachel Berry), Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson), Heather Morris (Brittany Pierce), Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester), Mike O'Malley (Burt Hummel), Amber Riley (Mercedes Jones), Naya Rivera (Santana Lopez), Mark Salling (Noah "Puck" Puckerman), Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang), Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holliday), Iqbal Theba (Principal Figgins), Dot Jones (Shannon Beiste), Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike Chang), Chord Overstreet (Sam Evans), Max Adler (Karofsky), Darren Criss (Blaine Anderson), Lindsey Sims-Lewis (Cameo), Loanne Bishop (Waitress), Ashley Fink (Lauren Zizes), Ryan Heinke (Brett), Lauren Potter (Becky Jackson), Alexys Alonzo (Toddler Santana), Lauren Boles (Toddler Rachel), Loryn Shay Charbonnier (Toddler Brittany), Jada Harris (Toddler Mercedes), Evan Kishiyama (Toddler Mike), Matthew Lepper (Toddler Puck)

It has been awhile. Mainly because the current season is so bad, that it put me off the mood to continue with this marathon. It made me forget how much I enjoyed Glee. Especially during the first two seasons.

This is the first episode in which Gwyneth Paltrow guest stars as the substitute teacher Holly. She did a good job here.

Funny moments:
Will seeing the Glee club kids as toddlers. Very funny. Would have liked to seen more of this.
Or when we see flashback of Will wondering, which Journey song they haven't done yet.

Stupid storylines:
It is portrayed as a bad thing, that Sue bans unhealthy food (in this case "potato tots") replacing them with a more healthy alternative. And it is a very unlucky choice to have Mercedes to one protesting this. The only one in the club which would benefit from a more healthy diat.

Notable music:
I liked the first song that Gwyneth Paltrow sang: "Forget You"


I also enjoyed Will's dream performing "Make 'em Laugh" from "Singing in the Rain". And giving Mike the opportunity to shine with his dancing.

And also the Glee club's mash-up of "Singing in the Rain" and "Umbrella". Though that performance breaks the illusion, that the Glee club has no budget, in a big way. How can they afford setting the stage under water? And that even for just-for-fun performance.

Rating:

(From Tom's Glee Marathon on April 7th, 2013)