Movie #258 - Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets
2002 - Rated PG - 2 hr 41 min
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Jason Isaacs, Robbie Coltrane, Kenneth Branagh, Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, John Cleese, Warwick Davis, Gemma Jones, Shirley Henderson

Dobby! And Malfoy's dad!  I remember how excited I was to see this one in theaters. At midnight of course.  It was the first movie to come out after I'd started reading the books and I was psyched. Ahh, memories.

Anyway, this one's another short book so the page to screen translation isn't so bad.  Of course, they take a few liberties here and there, trim down some other bits, but the basics are all there.  You can watch this and jump into the books at #3 if you really wanted to... but who would want to do that?

Movie #257 - Harry Potter & the Sorceror's Stone

Harry Potter & the Sorceror's Stone
2001 - Rated G - 2 hr 32 min
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Emma Watson, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths, Ian Hart, Warwick Davis, Verne Troyer, John Hurt, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, John Cleese, Alan Rickman

A Harry Potter marathon?  Ok, sure!  I've never watched all of these in order - it's a huge undertaking.  But so much fun!

Yes, I'm a fan. And yes, I'm still pissed that I'm a muggle. 

This first movie reminds me of that... and how I never got my letter to Hogwarts. But I digress... from a book-to-movie standpoint, this is probably one of the best films.  Basically, it's the shortest book so they didn't have to cut that much out.  Once we get to the complicated, longer books, I can't say the same.  Sad, but necessary.

The only thing I regret about this movie is that they didn't have the foresight to cast Ralph Fiennes to do Voldemort's voice this early on.  But when this movie came out, I don't think the fourth book had even been released yet. So I guess I can't blame them.

Onward to the Chamber of Secrets!

Movie #229 - Gladiator

Gladiator
2000 - Rated R - 2 hr 35 min
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Tommy Flanagan

Obviously, with a Latin teacher in the house, this is a favorite around here.  What I like most about this movie -- aside from the realistic interpretation of the time period -- is its ability to appeal to different tastes.  It's not just an action film, or a historical film, or a drama film.  It has a unique blend of elements that allow you to get pulled into the story line, root for the main character, and escape to another world for a couple of hours.

It's long, for sure, but it doesn't drag.  That's another bonus in my book.  You really don't mind sitting through two and a half hours, because that's what you need for a thorough telling of this story. 

One critique is the clear-cut bad guy vs. good guy.  No one roots for Commodus.  Maybe you shouldn't, but I always like a movie with a multi-dimensional rivalry and a little bit of gray area.  But I guess there's something to be told for this movie's traditional standpoint.  Stories from that time were indeed clear-cut, so it makes sense this one would be too.

A favorite, since my very first watch. A+

Movie #135 - The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo
Touchstone Pictures
2002 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 11 min
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Starring: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain, Luis Guzman

Okay, so right off the bat, the catch phrase for this movie has me rolling my eyes... "Prepare for adventure, Count on revenge."  Really? Someone went there?

So once I get over that, I don't mind this movie so much.  Does it stick to the original masterpiece? Not exactly.  Is it entertaining? Sure. That's mostly thanks to Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce, who are awesome! And oh, original Dumbledore (Richard Harris) is in jail with Edmond which is kinda cool.  I also discovered that Henry Cavill from The Tudors plays Albert, so that's also fun to see.

Mostly, you just watch this movie for the light intrigue and 'complex' revenge plot that's not really all that clever.  Did you know that if everyone assumes your dead, no one recognizes you when you come back? I feel like they could have done more there, so it's not like the whole 'Clark Kent wears glasses so he can't be Superman' thing... but whatever.  Luiz Guzman also doesn't really fit into this movie... he's not bad, and I give him credit for trying, but every so often he says a line and it pulls me out of the 'atmosphere' of this movie. He seems a little out of place, that's all.

In general, this isn't so bad but I'm frustrated about the ending.  In the book, things don't work out so well for our hero, who learns that seeking revenge has its consequences. In the movie, he gets his revenge and then gets to stay happy... What is this movie trying to say?