Ian-Hart Movie Reviews

One of the most horrible films I have ever seen. I didn't expect to be disapointed by such a wonderful director and set of actors; but the story is simply gross.

I'm sure the kid actor is very talented but I hated the character he plays. Everyone is repulsive in their own special way.

Don't watch this film while eating anything - or if you want to keep your food down in your stomach.

Not sure it's everyone's cup of hair, but THE BUTCHER BOY is an excellent film based on Patrick McCabe's excellent novel.

McCabe, incidentally, plays Jimmy the Skite, who keeps begging for drink money throughout the film. It's a bit part played with flair.

The movie itself, though, is quite serious, despite making you laugh out loud all the time. It's about an Irish kid who ends up in just awful trouble. It's his story of how he ends up in the garage, as they call the asylum for the criminally insane; the film is crammed with horrific irony and hellacious mockery.

A series of losses, betrayals, and childish pranks escalate out of control, although everything flows from what's gone before and his fate is as much society's fault as his. People around the boy tend to react in precisely the wrong way too often, as do we all, alas.

It's set against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the growing cold war fear of the atomic bomb. Toss in an almost-miracle, some sacreligious repartee with a sassy Mother Mary, and much devastating dark humor, and shake hard. Gratuitous profanity, blasphemy, and scatology abound, naturally, it being a light-hearted Irish endeavor. There are concise portraits throughout, and glimpses of life in Dublin and in a small Irish town that reminds me strongly of the coal mining region in Western Pennsylvania where I grew up. Knew many people like those portrayed in the film.

The action's brilliantly narrated and unobtrusively filmed, and the movie itself flows like fresh blood. It's remarkable especially for the performance of Eammon Owens, who plays the lead. He's knocked around quite a bit in the film -- it's a physical role -- and is always dead perfect in his readings, with charisma and charm to burn and a vicious streak that rings true. The cumulative effect is a delicate balance between tragedy, farce, and just plain life.

New favorite of mine, this film. It's from 1998 and it's well worth checking. Tune your ear for brogue and set your brain on stunned. This one's a surprise and a delight.

--Gene Stewart

What do you get when you cross Waking Ned Devine with Leolo and The Poisoner's Handbook? Probably something like The Butcher Boy. I rented the movie not knowing a thing about it aside from the fact it was directed by Neil Jordan. Since I've enjoyed Neil Jordan's other flicks, I ignored the Lord of the Flies-esque cover and took The Butcher Boy home with me.

I'm glad I did, because this film is a masterpiece.

Francie Brady (played by Eamonn Owens) is equal parts Alex (from A Clockwork Orange) and Pollyanna (from the saccharine Disney flick). It's a strange mixture of evil, optimism, and naivete, but somehow, it works. Francie Brady is a happy-go-lucky character who's just as likely to wink at you as he is to try to bludgeon you to death with chains. Heck, he might do both at the same time!

The humour in The Butcher Boy is just as black as in Man Bites Dog, and the dialogue as thickly brogued as in Trainspotting. If you have trouble with Irish accents, you won't catch all the dialogue, but that's okay. The physical acting conveys the emotion.

I am absolutely amazed by the acting abilities of Eamonn Owens. Only when Francie's character was an adult did I question what I had seen. Up to that point, I pretty much believed everything I saw. There was a total suspension of disbelief as I watched Francie humourously and energetically sweep a myriad woes beneath a rug in his mind: an abusive and alcoholic father, a fragile and suicidal mother, abandonment by his best friend, sexual abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest, alien invasions, nuclear war, etcetera. When there was too much under that rug, something had to happen. The mental breakdown of a prepubescent bully is heartrending, horrifying, and savagely hilarious.

Successful labor attorney Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith) has troubles. He attempts to use a videotape of a mafia barbeque party as leverage against a mob boss in a union dispute... little does he know that another video tape is about to ruin HIS life.

While innocently purchasing a Christmas gift for his wife, he unknowingly recieves a film capturing the images of the assination of a senior U.S. senator by high-ranking officers of the National Security Agency... and they want it back!

Government goons, under the direction of a top Agency official (Jon Voight) destroy his life using tracking devices, video cameras, the press, and even satelites to get what they want. Former NSA operative Brill (Gene Hackman) reluctantly attempts to help, without getting killed himself. Throw in quite a few action scenes, great graphic effects, and a suprise ending to boot, and you have an instant hit!

Will Smith usually brings his own brand of silly humor to his characters, but this is not the case in Enemy of the State. His role as a quick thinking attorney is well-played and believable... as the movie progresses, his character begins to take on some of the traits of James Bond (with some assistance from Gene Hackman).

The scary thing about this movie.... What could happen if a high- ranking NSA official had run amuck in real life?

I saw this movie when it first came out, mainly because Will Smith was such a great actor [at the time]. And again, he had another great performance, better than what he had already accomplished in both 'Bad Boys' and 'ID4' combined.

So here's the plot: Will Smith plays a lawyer who is suddenly thrown into a government conspiracy when he is left with a secret to a death. However, he does not know this. Within minutes, the goverment realizes he has the material, and they try to sabotage his life by falsely accusing him of crimes he did not commit. Eventually he seeks the help of Gene Hackman, a former agent, for assitance to get out of trouble.

The film is loaded with tremendous gadgets and special effects. For instance, they talk about how the government can tell the year of a dime sitting atop a car from a space satellite.

The movie mainly shows Will Smith trying to escape the agents while they hunt him down. This calls for a lot of chasing, and a lot of action, which is filmed very well by director Tony Scott. If you have seen the more recent 'The Skulls', it is a lot like that, but 10 times better.

Also, the acting is very good in this movie. But to act well, you need a script, and this film delivers it. The lines are more than just our classic 'Barney and Friends' television series. They really have depth, and it adds to the film.

Another great thing about this movie are the actors in it. I watched this movie when it was first released, and at the time, I was 12 years old. I knew very few actors. But I saw it again--now that I'm 15--with a few friends, and we noticed all kinds of people, many having small roles. Some include Barry Pepper, who has a rather large role. (He played in Saving Private Ryan and The Green Mile). Also, another SPR co-star to appear was Tom Sizemore. In the film, he played a member of the mafia. This might not amaze you, but it certainly added to the film. So watch this movie. No, forget the watching part. Buy it first!

Another greatly produced movie from Jerry Bruckheimer which showcases the talent which Will Smith has not only as a singer but as well as an actor.
With the addition of the legendery Gene Hackman,the cobination produces great specticale for the audience.With the ever evolving plot in this movie,it will be always interesing to watch time and time again.
However one minor disadvantage is that the munes of the DVD could have been improved.
Overall,a great movie to enjoy for evey end of the audience spectrum.

Another greatly produced movie from Jerry Bruckheimer which showcases the talent which Will Smith has not only as a singer but as well as an actor.
With the addition of the legendery Gene Hackman,the cobination produces great specticale for the audience.With the ever evolving plot in this movie,it will be always interesing to watch time and time again.
However one minor disadvantage is that the munes of the DVD could have been improved.
Overall,a great movie to enjoy for evey end of the audience spectrum.

I just finished watching Enemy of the State and I have to tell you that I should have watched it sooner. I love thrillers and this movie hit the right spot. Some great chase scenes but with a good plot which leaves you hanging until the very end. Definitely worth to watch.

When WILL SMITH in this MOVIE who's confronted witch very much difficults problems of a STATE CONSPIRACY, he become a precedence of the elite which is composed of C.I.A. N.S.A. F.B.I. and many other stranges services illegitimates SPYS WHO ARE OBEYING of the orders of influent strange man who has killed his almost friend, and then, these CONSPIRATORS who are ables to kill anybody throught their road so as to ensure an uncovicing PROGRESS whitch consist to have any authority for transgress yhe all of the private life of any body in the AMERICA OR THE WORLD WITH CONSIDERABLES AVERAGES SUCH WHITCH ARE SATELITTES AND EMITTERS, THEN THE YOUNG MAN (WILL) WHO'S JUST A SPARE FOR GOVERNMENT AND A SIMPLE ADVOCATE WHO BEGAIN STRONG WITH A ITALIAN MAFIOSO Who has difficulty whith THE LAW, and after that when he is deprived of his credit cards and many other things , when he is forced in a jift to take away his alls garments with a curious intelligent old man for him but he is very much contented to know the identity suddenly of an ancient efficient best of the bests SPYS whou's BOUND TO SHATTER HIS CONFIDENTIALITY EVER SINCE LONGTIME (GENE HACKMAN) THEY WILL SURPISE EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD OF THESE STRANGES MEN WITH ABILITY TO ASSASSINATION RHEY FORMS STILL AGAIN BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME TWO IN PICTURES HISTORY AND EVERY INGREDIENTS ARE GOODS IN THIS SPLENDID D.V.D.MOVIE NOT DEAD TIME WITH THESE ALL ACTORS WILL SMITH AND GENE HACKMAN ARE VERY GOODS ACTORS

Hubby and I have finally solved our problem of being unable to understand English accents that are other than what one hears on the BBC and are referred to as "posh" or upperclass. We now turn on the English subtitles and watch them that way. It used to be that fifteen minutes into a movie like this we'd be turning it off because we had such trouble understanding them. With the advent of English subtitles being on all DVDs, those days are over. The film is a relationship film set in London and involves rougly 7 different men and women and their attempts to get together through the use of their local Salsa dance club. Every character in here has relationship problems but they tend to be funny ones. There is minimal contact with the world of divorce and even less with the world of single parenting. Instead, these are all singles trying to connect and flopping fabulously at it most of the time. Each character has his or her own eccentricity which is well handled too. I can't say I need to own this film but for an evening's viewing, it was a lot of fun. There are two men who play cab drivers in a restaurant who have some absolutely hilarious dialogues with one another. They aren't part of the other action but as comedy sketches, their scenes together are gems.

I saw this DVD sitting on the shelf at my local movie rental store and the cover sort of turned me off--that faux jovial happy couple look. But then I read the list of actors in it, and I figured 'hey, it can't be as bad as it looks with that cast.' Luckily, I was proven correct. I thoroughtly enjoyed this English comedy! I even watched it twice and got more out of it the second time. Some of the characters are very sharply drawn, and I think Adrian Lester, who plays the catalyst cab driver, is outstanding in his low-key intense performance. Jimi Misti is also comically effective.

Give this film a try!

BORN ROMANTIC cuts a slice of life out of London life that includes a myriad of characters all of whom border on pathological types. And it is this very aspect which makes this tasty little film so addictive. The homing center for these disparate people is a Salsa Club and whether they are committed to the dance routine or not, they weave in and out of each others lives with the salsa music as the glue. One woman is a grave decorator with anatomical phobias in abundance, another is a bisexual who fears relationships, another is leaping toward the bed the moment she meets a new male. The men are equally edgy, from a Scotsman who pines for a truly classy woman, to a ATM robber, to a wonderfully warm taxi driver who serves as a paterfamilias and has the only clear view in the bunch. How they all eventually find each other is the point of hte journey. The acting is excellent, the timing first rate, and if you have any difficulty with the various accents of the Londoners, just turn on the English subtitles and you won't miss a thing. A lovely film full of surprises.

I never read any of the Harry Potter books, but my mother had read the first in the series and enjoyed it, so I treated my parents to an afternoon at the movies.

As my mother had already read the book, she knew in advance who the villain was... but as someone who hadn't read it, it came as quite a surprise.

The special effects are excellent, but are not constant... so this film may be a little too slow-paced and/or cerebral for tiny kids.

Fantasy is fun... and most people go to the movies not only for entertainment, but from escape. I won't go into a diatribe about "New Age" or Witchcraft influences... quite frankly, they are everywhere and I don't want to beat a dead horse... but aside from those concerns, a parent should be concerned with the trend in all child-targeted films (including this one) of making authority non-existent.

Harry Potter has been orphaned and growing up with hateful, loathesome relatives. Too many kids in our society live in blended families or other situations in which there is favoritism and/or verbal and/or emotional abuse.

Harry is "rescued" from his life as the unwanted child by being whisked away to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Parents are not present, nor do they visit. The children at this school live in dorms on campus and there are several "forbidden" rooms that contain monsters or booby-traps and all children are informed that a visit to the library will result in certain death. That school is one scary joint! But the attitude of the film is "let's have fun" and "there are no consequences for disobeying authority" and "if you don't like the ways things are going, cast a spell."

We live in a very selfish society... and the story subtly gives the message that adults are only good for instruction in some areas, but can otherwise be ignored and not listened to.

Yes, it's "just a movie," but in a world where kids are kidnapped from their own bedrooms and terrorists are looming around the corner, kids tend escape further and further into fantasy and have less and less interest or desire for reality.

In a nutshell, if you're going to buy this movie for your kids, then you need to watch the film with them and talk to them about it and ask them questions about what they thought about it. Any movie, including this one, should not be used as a babysitter or as a substitute for exhibiting family values instead of just espousing them.

As for myself (an adult) and for my parents (in their 60s), we found the film to be entertaining, humorous, clever and a good way to escape... but we all agreed that we never needed to see it again. Some films (like Star Wars) can be seen over and over again... this is not one of those films... at least not for adults. Kids who obsess on Potter, et al, may feel differently.

Well, it's finally arrived. The filmed version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" arrived on May 28 in a 2-disc set jam-packed with Special Features. Well, sort of. First, the movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is an adaptation of J.K Rowling's fantastic and successful novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (original UK name; movie and book dubbed in America). When I first saw the teaser Trailer, I was screaming! Harry Potter looked so fantasic on film! But when I saw it in theaters, it was far from the teaser trailer but still, it was a great movie. And the film was so true to the book, probably even more true than Peter Jackson's epic, The Fellowship of the Ring. Almost everything from the book is in there, with a few scenes and a particular character cut for an overlong running time (the movie's 152 minutes). Besides the faithfulness, they've cast some of the best British actors to play Hogwarts Staff and supporting characters. But the actors were looking at is the main trio. Harry is played by the extremely well look-alike, Daniel Radcliffe, Ron by funny Rupert Grint and Emma Watson playing the bossy but clever Hermione Granger. Surprisingly, the children hold up a definite performances, with most emotions expressed. The adults play well too. Maggie Smith plays the strict Professor McGonagall and Richard Harris playing the old and wise Professor Albus Dumbledore. But by far, the best performance of the whole film was Alan Rickman, playing the silky and sinister Severus Snape, the Potion's Master. You simply couldn't get a better Snape. He expresses everything Snape contains, sly, sinister, moody, mysterious and striking. Perfect cast, really. And you simply can't review this film without talking about John Williams' score. He's definitely not been original the last few years but still, he gives off the Harry Potter feel almost fully (Howard Shore's Fellowship of the Ring score takes best). The CGI effects are some of the best in recent filming, from a troll, to a baby dragon, to a CGI villain wizard bent on destroying poor Harry. Though some CGI effects could've been tightened up a bit. You could definitely see poor computer generation when a CGI Harry interacts with the CGI troll and The Quidditch Match. But then, Radcliffe did do most of his stunts. And the transfer from Theater to DVD is nice and crisp, keeping with all of the original colors from the theatrical release. The only problem is the bits of grain and small picture shimmering throughout the film. It's not a huge problem but may affect some people. And now, the "supposedly" greatest DVD ever. The second disc is set up somewhat like a game, as you are a new student in Hogwarts School. The gripe about the second disc is that the menus are so confusing and the small animation effects take too long to load to the next menu. You'll go through Diagon Alley to get your supplies and money but first you'll have to find which bricks to hit. This caused a bit of trouble and was annoying. There is one 10-15 minute interview with Chris Columbus, David Heyman (producer) and Steve Kloves (screenwriter) as with a few crew members. This was disappointing because many were expecting an interview with AT LEAST Daniel Radcliffe or any other actor but they didn't. They did talk about Sorcerer's Stone a bit and a little on Chamber of Secrets. Nothing phenomonal. And you can also access seven deleted scenes on the second disc. Cool so far, until you try to find them, heh. It takes so long to find the deleted scenes and you'll do it all over again when you want to see them again. While the deleted footage is great, it's only about ten minutes...all scenes combined. But they ARE worth it. In the end, it's a five star quality movie but the special features are too simple, as its for kids basically. The deleted scenes are really the only reason I put in the second disc. Let's hope for a "Special" Special Edition later sometime. Only a four star DVD. Could've been a lot better.

A film by Chris Columbus

This is the first film in the Harry Potter series and it is adapted from J.K. Rowling's novel of the same title. A common complaint about movies that have been adapted from a book is that the movie strays too far from the book and that it makes too many changes. This is sometimes necessary as film and novels are two different mediums and need to tell stories in different ways, but sometimes unnecessary changes are made. Happily, this is not the case with this movie. This movie is extremely faithful to the book, and I think the film works because of that.

By now, many people probably have a good idea what Harry Potter is all about. For those who are not in the know, here's the story for this movie. Young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is living with his aunt and his uncle because his parents died when he was an infant. It is obvious they do not want him around as he is forced to live in the closet under the stairs and he is treated like a servant, an unwelcome servant at that. One day owls start arriving at the house and deliver letters to Harry. We see that the letters are from "Hogwarts." Harry's uncle keeps destroying the letters, but more come each day. Finally he has had enough and Harry's Uncle takes the family (including Harry) to a remote island where no letters can reach them. It is at this point that Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) finds Harry, tells him that Harry is a wizard, and that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. See, Harry is a wizard, and is the son of a wizard. Harry's parents were not killed in a car accident (as he had been told), but rather they were killed by the Dark Lord Voldemort, a wizard gone bad. Harry is the boy who lived, which is why he is famous in the wizarding world.

At Hogwarts, Harry makes friends with Ron Weasely (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and makes an enemy of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Ron and Hermione are also first year students and are in Gryffindor House with Harry. Draco is also a first year, but is in Slytherin House (Ron tells Harry that "not a wizard went bad that wasn't in Slytherin"). Harry, Ron, and Hermione become good friends and get into little adventures together. They believe that someone is trying to steal something called the Sorcerer's Stone and since no adult will believe them, they try to figure this out on their own. At the same time, they are in the first year of school, so they have to go to their classes in magic. A little bit of time is spent in each class so that we get a sense of the school and a sense of the magic of that Harry and friends are supposed to be learning.

The movie is very faithful to the book, so most events from the book are included in this movie and while it is a fairly long movie (2 and a half hours), it moves along fast enough that you don't really feel like you've spent so much time. One of the reasons you don't feel the time is that the acting is fantastic. The actors are so perfect for their roles that they are almost exactly how I imagined the characters to be. Two actors who stand out are Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore and Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Rickman, especially, is a delight to watch. This role border's on Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) as one of his great characters. The movie also features Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) and Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick).

Even though I would recommend the book to anyone, I'm not convinced the movie is for everyone. I thought that the movie captured the events and the spirit of the book, but is missing some of the charm. Rowling's novel just sucks you in, but at times I thought the movie was only for fans of the book. I really enjoyed the movie, and I will give it a good rating, but it may not convert people who don't really enjoy fantasy (or movies that have fantasy elements).

I never read any of the Harry Potter books, but my mother had read the first in the series and enjoyed it, so I treated my parents to an afternoon at the movies.

As my mother had already read the book, she knew in advance who the villain was... but as someone who hadn't read it, it came as quite a surprise.

The special effects are excellent, but are not constant... so this film may be a little too slow-paced and/or cerebral for tiny kids.

Fantasy is fun... and most people go to the movies not only for entertainment, but from escape. I won't go into a diatribe about "New Age" or Witchcraft influences... quite frankly, they are everywhere and I don't want to beat a dead horse... but aside from those concerns, a parent should be concerned with the trend in all child-targeted films (including this one) of making authority non-existent.

Harry Potter has been orphaned and growing up with hateful, loathesome relatives. Too many kids in our society live in blended families or other situations in which there is favoritism and/or verbal and/or emotional abuse.

Harry is "rescued" from his life as the unwanted child by being whisked away to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Parents are not present, nor do they visit. The children at this school live in dorms on campus and there are several "forbidden" rooms that contain monsters or booby-traps and all children are informed that a visit to the library will result in certain death. That school is one scary joint! But the attitude of the film is "let's have fun" and "there are no consequences for disobeying authority" and "if you don't like the ways things are going, cast a spell."

We live in a very selfish society... and the story subtly gives the message that adults are only good for instruction in some areas, but can otherwise be ignored and not listened to.

Yes, it's "just a movie," but in a world where kids are kidnapped from their own bedrooms and terrorists are looming around the corner, kids tend escape further and further into fantasy and have less and less interest or desire for reality.

In a nutshell, if you're going to buy this movie for your kids, then you need to watch the film with them and talk to them about it and ask them questions about what they thought about it. Any movie, including this one, should not be used as a babysitter or as a substitute for exhibiting family values instead of just espousing them.

As for myself (an adult) and for my parents (in their 60s), we found the film to be entertaining, humorous, clever and a good way to escape... but we all agreed that we never needed to see it again. Some films (like Star Wars) can be seen over and over again... this is not one of those films... at least not for adults. Kids who obsess on Potter, et al, may feel differently.

Well, it's finally arrived. The filmed version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" arrived on May 28 in a 2-disc set jam-packed with Special Features. Well, sort of. First, the movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is an adaptation of J.K Rowling's fantastic and successful novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (original UK name; movie and book dubbed in America). When I first saw the teaser Trailer, I was screaming! Harry Potter looked so fantasic on film! But when I saw it in theaters, it was far from the teaser trailer but still, it was a great movie. And the film was so true to the book, probably even more true than Peter Jackson's epic, The Fellowship of the Ring. Almost everything from the book is in there, with a few scenes and a particular character cut for an overlong running time (the movie's 152 minutes). Besides the faithfulness, they've cast some of the best British actors to play Hogwarts Staff and supporting characters. But the actors were looking at is the main trio. Harry is played by the extremely well look-alike, Daniel Radcliffe, Ron by funny Rupert Grint and Emma Watson playing the bossy but clever Hermione Granger. Surprisingly, the children hold up a definite performances, with most emotions expressed. The adults play well too. Maggie Smith plays the strict Professor McGonagall and Richard Harris playing the old and wise Professor Albus Dumbledore. But by far, the best performance of the whole film was Alan Rickman, playing the silky and sinister Severus Snape, the Potion's Master. You simply couldn't get a better Snape. He expresses everything Snape contains, sly, sinister, moody, mysterious and striking. Perfect cast, really. And you simply can't review this film without talking about John Williams' score. He's definitely not been original the last few years but still, he gives off the Harry Potter feel almost fully (Howard Shore's Fellowship of the Ring score takes best). The CGI effects are some of the best in recent filming, from a troll, to a baby dragon, to a CGI villain wizard bent on destroying poor Harry. Though some CGI effects could've been tightened up a bit. You could definitely see poor computer generation when a CGI Harry interacts with the CGI troll and The Quidditch Match. But then, Radcliffe did do most of his stunts. And the transfer from Theater to DVD is nice and crisp, keeping with all of the original colors from the theatrical release. The only problem is the bits of grain and small picture shimmering throughout the film. It's not a huge problem but may affect some people. And now, the "supposedly" greatest DVD ever. The second disc is set up somewhat like a game, as you are a new student in Hogwarts School. The gripe about the second disc is that the menus are so confusing and the small animation effects take too long to load to the next menu. You'll go through Diagon Alley to get your supplies and money but first you'll have to find which bricks to hit. This caused a bit of trouble and was annoying. There is one 10-15 minute interview with Chris Columbus, David Heyman (producer) and Steve Kloves (screenwriter) as with a few crew members. This was disappointing because many were expecting an interview with AT LEAST Daniel Radcliffe or any other actor but they didn't. They did talk about Sorcerer's Stone a bit and a little on Chamber of Secrets. Nothing phenomonal. And you can also access seven deleted scenes on the second disc. Cool so far, until you try to find them, heh. It takes so long to find the deleted scenes and you'll do it all over again when you want to see them again. While the deleted footage is great, it's only about ten minutes...all scenes combined. But they ARE worth it. In the end, it's a five star quality movie but the special features are too simple, as its for kids basically. The deleted scenes are really the only reason I put in the second disc. Let's hope for a "Special" Special Edition later sometime. Only a four star DVD. Could've been a lot better.

A film by Chris Columbus

This is the first film in the Harry Potter series and it is adapted from J.K. Rowling's novel of the same title. A common complaint about movies that have been adapted from a book is that the movie strays too far from the book and that it makes too many changes. This is sometimes necessary as film and novels are two different mediums and need to tell stories in different ways, but sometimes unnecessary changes are made. Happily, this is not the case with this movie. This movie is extremely faithful to the book, and I think the film works because of that.

By now, many people probably have a good idea what Harry Potter is all about. For those who are not in the know, here's the story for this movie. Young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is living with his aunt and his uncle because his parents died when he was an infant. It is obvious they do not want him around as he is forced to live in the closet under the stairs and he is treated like a servant, an unwelcome servant at that. One day owls start arriving at the house and deliver letters to Harry. We see that the letters are from "Hogwarts." Harry's uncle keeps destroying the letters, but more come each day. Finally he has had enough and Harry's Uncle takes the family (including Harry) to a remote island where no letters can reach them. It is at this point that Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) finds Harry, tells him that Harry is a wizard, and that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. See, Harry is a wizard, and is the son of a wizard. Harry's parents were not killed in a car accident (as he had been told), but rather they were killed by the Dark Lord Voldemort, a wizard gone bad. Harry is the boy who lived, which is why he is famous in the wizarding world.

At Hogwarts, Harry makes friends with Ron Weasely (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and makes an enemy of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Ron and Hermione are also first year students and are in Gryffindor House with Harry. Draco is also a first year, but is in Slytherin House (Ron tells Harry that "not a wizard went bad that wasn't in Slytherin"). Harry, Ron, and Hermione become good friends and get into little adventures together. They believe that someone is trying to steal something called the Sorcerer's Stone and since no adult will believe them, they try to figure this out on their own. At the same time, they are in the first year of school, so they have to go to their classes in magic. A little bit of time is spent in each class so that we get a sense of the school and a sense of the magic of that Harry and friends are supposed to be learning.

The movie is very faithful to the book, so most events from the book are included in this movie and while it is a fairly long movie (2 and a half hours), it moves along fast enough that you don't really feel like you've spent so much time. One of the reasons you don't feel the time is that the acting is fantastic. The actors are so perfect for their roles that they are almost exactly how I imagined the characters to be. Two actors who stand out are Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore and Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Rickman, especially, is a delight to watch. This role border's on Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) as one of his great characters. The movie also features Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) and Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick).

Even though I would recommend the book to anyone, I'm not convinced the movie is for everyone. I thought that the movie captured the events and the spirit of the book, but is missing some of the charm. Rowling's novel just sucks you in, but at times I thought the movie was only for fans of the book. I really enjoyed the movie, and I will give it a good rating, but it may not convert people who don't really enjoy fantasy (or movies that have fantasy elements).

I never read any of the Harry Potter books, but my mother had read the first in the series and enjoyed it, so I treated my parents to an afternoon at the movies.

As my mother had already read the book, she knew in advance who the villain was... but as someone who hadn't read it, it came as quite a surprise.

The special effects are excellent, but are not constant... so this film may be a little too slow-paced and/or cerebral for tiny kids.

Fantasy is fun... and most people go to the movies not only for entertainment, but from escape. I won't go into a diatribe about "New Age" or Witchcraft influences... quite frankly, they are everywhere and I don't want to beat a dead horse... but aside from those concerns, a parent should be concerned with the trend in all child-targeted films (including this one) of making authority non-existent.

Harry Potter has been orphaned and growing up with hateful, loathesome relatives. Too many kids in our society live in blended families or other situations in which there is favoritism and/or verbal and/or emotional abuse.

Harry is "rescued" from his life as the unwanted child by being whisked away to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Parents are not present, nor do they visit. The children at this school live in dorms on campus and there are several "forbidden" rooms that contain monsters or booby-traps and all children are informed that a visit to the library will result in certain death. That school is one scary joint! But the attitude of the film is "let's have fun" and "there are no consequences for disobeying authority" and "if you don't like the ways things are going, cast a spell."

We live in a very selfish society... and the story subtly gives the message that adults are only good for instruction in some areas, but can otherwise be ignored and not listened to.

Yes, it's "just a movie," but in a world where kids are kidnapped from their own bedrooms and terrorists are looming around the corner, kids tend escape further and further into fantasy and have less and less interest or desire for reality.

In a nutshell, if you're going to buy this movie for your kids, then you need to watch the film with them and talk to them about it and ask them questions about what they thought about it. Any movie, including this one, should not be used as a babysitter or as a substitute for exhibiting family values instead of just espousing them.

As for myself (an adult) and for my parents (in their 60s), we found the film to be entertaining, humorous, clever and a good way to escape... but we all agreed that we never needed to see it again. Some films (like Star Wars) can be seen over and over again... this is not one of those films... at least not for adults. Kids who obsess on Potter, et al, may feel differently.

Well, it's finally arrived. The filmed version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" arrived on May 28 in a 2-disc set jam-packed with Special Features. Well, sort of. First, the movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is an adaptation of J.K Rowling's fantastic and successful novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (original UK name; movie and book dubbed in America). When I first saw the teaser Trailer, I was screaming! Harry Potter looked so fantasic on film! But when I saw it in theaters, it was far from the teaser trailer but still, it was a great movie. And the film was so true to the book, probably even more true than Peter Jackson's epic, The Fellowship of the Ring. Almost everything from the book is in there, with a few scenes and a particular character cut for an overlong running time (the movie's 152 minutes). Besides the faithfulness, they've cast some of the best British actors to play Hogwarts Staff and supporting characters. But the actors were looking at is the main trio. Harry is played by the extremely well look-alike, Daniel Radcliffe, Ron by funny Rupert Grint and Emma Watson playing the bossy but clever Hermione Granger. Surprisingly, the children hold up a definite performances, with most emotions expressed. The adults play well too. Maggie Smith plays the strict Professor McGonagall and Richard Harris playing the old and wise Professor Albus Dumbledore. But by far, the best performance of the whole film was Alan Rickman, playing the silky and sinister Severus Snape, the Potion's Master. You simply couldn't get a better Snape. He expresses everything Snape contains, sly, sinister, moody, mysterious and striking. Perfect cast, really. And you simply can't review this film without talking about John Williams' score. He's definitely not been original the last few years but still, he gives off the Harry Potter feel almost fully (Howard Shore's Fellowship of the Ring score takes best). The CGI effects are some of the best in recent filming, from a troll, to a baby dragon, to a CGI villain wizard bent on destroying poor Harry. Though some CGI effects could've been tightened up a bit. You could definitely see poor computer generation when a CGI Harry interacts with the CGI troll and The Quidditch Match. But then, Radcliffe did do most of his stunts. And the transfer from Theater to DVD is nice and crisp, keeping with all of the original colors from the theatrical release. The only problem is the bits of grain and small picture shimmering throughout the film. It's not a huge problem but may affect some people. And now, the "supposedly" greatest DVD ever. The second disc is set up somewhat like a game, as you are a new student in Hogwarts School. The gripe about the second disc is that the menus are so confusing and the small animation effects take too long to load to the next menu. You'll go through Diagon Alley to get your supplies and money but first you'll have to find which bricks to hit. This caused a bit of trouble and was annoying. There is one 10-15 minute interview with Chris Columbus, David Heyman (producer) and Steve Kloves (screenwriter) as with a few crew members. This was disappointing because many were expecting an interview with AT LEAST Daniel Radcliffe or any other actor but they didn't. They did talk about Sorcerer's Stone a bit and a little on Chamber of Secrets. Nothing phenomonal. And you can also access seven deleted scenes on the second disc. Cool so far, until you try to find them, heh. It takes so long to find the deleted scenes and you'll do it all over again when you want to see them again. While the deleted footage is great, it's only about ten minutes...all scenes combined. But they ARE worth it. In the end, it's a five star quality movie but the special features are too simple, as its for kids basically. The deleted scenes are really the only reason I put in the second disc. Let's hope for a "Special" Special Edition later sometime. Only a four star DVD. Could've been a lot better.

A film by Chris Columbus

This is the first film in the Harry Potter series and it is adapted from J.K. Rowling's novel of the same title. A common complaint about movies that have been adapted from a book is that the movie strays too far from the book and that it makes too many changes. This is sometimes necessary as film and novels are two different mediums and need to tell stories in different ways, but sometimes unnecessary changes are made. Happily, this is not the case with this movie. This movie is extremely faithful to the book, and I think the film works because of that.

By now, many people probably have a good idea what Harry Potter is all about. For those who are not in the know, here's the story for this movie. Young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is living with his aunt and his uncle because his parents died when he was an infant. It is obvious they do not want him around as he is forced to live in the closet under the stairs and he is treated like a servant, an unwelcome servant at that. One day owls start arriving at the house and deliver letters to Harry. We see that the letters are from "Hogwarts." Harry's uncle keeps destroying the letters, but more come each day. Finally he has had enough and Harry's Uncle takes the family (including Harry) to a remote island where no letters can reach them. It is at this point that Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) finds Harry, tells him that Harry is a wizard, and that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. See, Harry is a wizard, and is the son of a wizard. Harry's parents were not killed in a car accident (as he had been told), but rather they were killed by the Dark Lord Voldemort, a wizard gone bad. Harry is the boy who lived, which is why he is famous in the wizarding world.

At Hogwarts, Harry makes friends with Ron Weasely (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and makes an enemy of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). Ron and Hermione are also first year students and are in Gryffindor House with Harry. Draco is also a first year, but is in Slytherin House (Ron tells Harry that "not a wizard went bad that wasn't in Slytherin"). Harry, Ron, and Hermione become good friends and get into little adventures together. They believe that someone is trying to steal something called the Sorcerer's Stone and since no adult will believe them, they try to figure this out on their own. At the same time, they are in the first year of school, so they have to go to their classes in magic. A little bit of time is spent in each class so that we get a sense of the school and a sense of the magic of that Harry and friends are supposed to be learning.

The movie is very faithful to the book, so most events from the book are included in this movie and while it is a fairly long movie (2 and a half hours), it moves along fast enough that you don't really feel like you've spent so much time. One of the reasons you don't feel the time is that the acting is fantastic. The actors are so perfect for their roles that they are almost exactly how I imagined the characters to be. Two actors who stand out are Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore and Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Rickman, especially, is a delight to watch. This role border's on Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) as one of his great characters. The movie also features Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) and Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick).

Even though I would recommend the book to anyone, I'm not convinced the movie is for everyone. I thought that the movie captured the events and the spirit of the book, but is missing some of the charm. Rowling's novel just sucks you in, but at times I thought the movie was only for fans of the book. I really enjoyed the movie, and I will give it a good rating, but it may not convert people who don't really enjoy fantasy (or movies that have fantasy elements).

The movie was good to an extent...I believe how ever more happened between Epstein and Lennon than the movie depicted...being a reader of all Lennon biographies...most claim the relationship was sexual...who knows when both are dead now...The actors were good and I believe both played their characters well. The ending was dumb...I re watched it several times to try to figure if there was a hidden meaning to the ending...I remeber Lennon saying to Epstein "your always so reassuring"...then he walks away and the movie ended...I asume they went on to the bullfights...Is that all???????

Despite the description, this film is not at all sensationalistic or exploitive. It's very sensitive and arty and very in-keeping with both Lennon's and Epstein's personalities. You really feel both characters' frustration: Lennon's at being at a confusing crossroad of oncoming fame and unwanted fatherhood and Epstein's at desparately wanting someone he can never have. It's more a dual character study than anything else. Lennon was fascinating in his angry young man stage and Epstein was hopelessly, pitifully attracted to people and circumstances that could only bring him pain. Lennon was not gay (in fact by all accounts he was downright homophobic at that age) but his empathy for Epstein's plight was so strong. He was torn between his heterosexuality and wanting to ease Epstein's suffering. A relationship would have been completely impossible and they both knew it. This film was quite realistic in not tacking on some kind of would-be happy ending or any ending at all, because with this type of situation, nothing is resolved, nothing ends -- it can't be any other way. If you're a Lennon fan, you really should see this.

I am a big Lennon fan, so I just had to see this movie. I was very pleased, even though the film was a low budget, it was very well done, and the actor who played Brian was exellent for the part(he ws good at complaining) Ian Hart ws also exellent as John. It seems that nobody really knew what happened between John and Brian...other books(The Beatle Anthology) say that he said it was never that kind of relationship, but we will never know. I imagine that what happened might have been similiar to what happened in the movie. The bathroom scene left me without words, but I guess I shouldn't of been suprised, nor am I bothered by it. One thing I don't get is near the end of the movie, it shows Brian and John laying in the same bed together, naked(but semi-covered by sheets)John is asleep, and Brian strokes John's arm... All in all it was very good, and I reccomend it to any John or Brian fan who can stomach a few seconds of seeing them make out.

George is so cool in this flick some people may get the wrong idea about the title but in the end you realize that God can take the devil down a peg or two anytime he gets ready !!!!!!!

I bought the boxset thinking I would be watching stories by Dick Francis... well, beside some superficial similarities there is not much DF here.

Still, these are relatively enjoyable episodes, made for TV mysteries. If you have your heart set on capturing the spirit of the novels you will be disappointed. However, if you just want some nice TV mysteries to watch you will enjoy these very much.

very nicely done mystery, with action, good characters, abit of humor.

These were show on PBS in US, are Canada-Ireland joint effort and are filmed in both countries. My sister thinks McShane is the cat's meow...just does not give the same thrill for this long legged New Orleans lad!! Still the mysteries are nifty, well acted and lots of lovely ladies for the males! McShane is his usual strong self!

Nice package of all three David Cleveland films. Dick Francis buffs forget it - just watch for McShane and forget they are based on Francis' character.