Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

I’m a geek. I love the Harry Potter series. I rush out to see every one of the films just like I do to get each new novel.

That may change.

For me, this film was a bitter disappointment. At just over two hours in length, it’s not a short movie. But it still feels as though the production team went out of their way to make it as brief as possible. Azkaban contains a lot of important plot developments, too many to squeeze into the time that is allotted to this film. I left feeling like I’d watched an episode of "Benny Hill"—everything in fast motion. As a result, certain actions are stripped of their motivations and several crucial details from the novel are left out. For those who haven’t read the book, parts of the movie will be incomprehensible.

But I have to give credit where it’s due. Of all three films, this is the most visually stunning yet. The effects are grand; the camera work is masterful. Lighting is never inappropriate. The crew managed to capture the essence of the novel’s dark yet whimsical tone. If only they’d captured more of it.

Also, the talents of the young actors are really developing. One of my main qualms with the earlier two flicks was with Emma Watson (Hermione), who I’ve hitherto considered a poisonous actress. She does a truly fine job here, as does the cast as a whole. I hope that L.A.P. (Life after Potter) holds good things for all their careers, and believe that it will.

(And just as a sideline, what’s up with the ending? They take a detail from the middle of the book, slap it on the end, don’t bother to explain it, and have the movie abruptly just stop. That was my most hated moment of the film; I just couldn’t think of a segway into it. Hence the parenthetical paragraph.)

As any Pottermaniac knows, there have been five books so far and two more are planned to follow. Naturally, that means seven films in all. I can only pray that future adaptations are given the room to breathe that they deserve. J.K. Rowling’s books are filled with magic; they suck you in and make you beg for more. They leave the reader’s head spinning with delight. As opposed to confusion. Guys, let’s work on that.

(P.S. I just feel the need to confess that I went to see this movie wearing my U.C. Sunnydale t-shirt, which officially makes me one of the biggest nerds in the world. So what else is new?)


Delicatessen (1991)

I first saw this film years ago, and re-rented in on a whim today. I was so taken by it (again) that I had to share my thoughts on it.

Heard of Jean Pierre Jeunet? Maybe, maybe not. Okay, heard of Amelie? That’s a big “probably,” I’m guessing. Jeunet was the director of that marvelous work…marvelous, but not his best. Definitely the most user friendly, hence its success. It’s easy to relate to.

He also did an acclaimed film called City of Lost Children. VERY artistic piece, truly original. But a little too “out there” for mainstream tastes. It’s the Dali to Amelie’s Van Gogh—both beautiful, oh yes, but one more traditionally appealing than the other.

Which makes Delicatessen a…what, a Cezanne? Enough frigging metaphors. What I’m trying to say is that it is a near perfect balance of plot and artistry, falling squarely between the two other films. Although it takes place in a wild and speculative future, the actions of the characters are human and understandable. And funny. Really, really funny.

Jeunet is also a master of making images fit mood, and this film is no exception. Bleak, crumbling sets are juxtaposed with scattered bits of vivid color to show sparks of hope and life within apocalyptic surroundings.

And practically the whole film can be seen as one big Rube Goldberg device. Actions trigger other actions, everything interconnecting. I like that.

I tend to get carried away gushing about it, but I guess that Delicatessen isn’t going to appeal to everyone. Some viewers may find it too gothic and forbidding, despite the comic overtones. And, like pretty much any film involving THE FUTURE (cue echoey,. disembodied voice here) it requires more than a little suspension of disbelief at times.

But if you like a little science in your fiction, a little whistling past your graveyard, and a little foreign in your film, by all means go and rent this one. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry…you just may become a vegetarian. Have fun.
- posted by Jeremy @ 3:32 AM