Just before this movie opened, I picked my son up from a week at camp. Driving home, it suddenly struck me--holy cow! He’s so grown up! That was also my overriding feeling as I watched "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." What a phenomena it has been to watch a whole cast of actors--not only the leads, but their classmates and nemeses--grow up as well. No wonder they feel like a part of the family. We’ve literally known them for years.
"Order of the Phoenix" is the book in which Harry goes from student to teacher and takes his fate into his own hands. It was also the longest book made into the shortest movie, which inevitably means lots of stuff was left out. But it wasn't the missing plot that bothered my neighborhood Potter expert, 11-year-old Erin, it was changed plot. The heart and soul of the Harry Potter books are the relationships between characters--those people you can trust, and those you unexpectedly can or can't trust. So when Harry has his first real girlfriend, and that makes it into the movie, it seems like a plot you have to honor. Erin was upset that the book’s resolution to the relationship didn’t make it into the movie, and Cho got the rap for something that the book explained was someone else’s fault.
Book changes aside, "Order of the Phoenix" does succeed on its own terms. Harry's battle between his anger and his good soul are well played out. Sirius, who was such a shaded character in the last film, only gets to play one note here. (Gary Oldman, exclusively happy and loving? There's something you don't see every day.) Imelda Staunton dominates the movie as the bureaucrat from hell. And I admit that every time I see Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, I get flashbacks to his virtually identical make-up for "The English Patient."
We saw the film in IMAX 3D, and my 10-year-old daughter chose not to come until she got definitive word on the scariness quotient. She was subsequently told by every young person who saw it that it wasn't scary at all, and compared to the other films, I concur. (Only the last part of the movie is in 3D, and as 7-year-old Isaac pointed out, most 3D films delight in having things come flying at you. "Order of thePhoenix" delights in having things fly away from you, an interesting feeling!)
Erin also said her favorite film by far was "the one where Harry first meets Sirius"--and I immediately agreed because it’s "the one where he summons the Patronus." "The Prisoner of Azkaban" was the best. It was the one that was most about the complex, wonderful relationships among the characters. The thing is, those relationships, as well as wonder the size of the Patronus spell, are found in every book. The movies succeed to the degree that they find, and let us experience, these relationships for ourselves.
Ratatouille
If you’ve previously read this column, you probably know that I’m an unabashed fan of Brad Bird, the director/writer of such animated classics as "The Incredibles" and "The Iron Giant" (my all-time favorite animated film). He knows how to spin a vastly entertaining story that contains seeds of morality and great lessons as well. But first and foremost, they are really good, character-driven stories.
"Ratatouille" is much the same. So what if one of the main characters is a rat? He fits right in with everybody else. My husband, who loves to do gourmet cooking in his spare time, felt "Ratatouille" was the first movie that adequately explained a gourmet's love affair with food--the textures, spices, colors, tastes, and presentation. It is an animated film that captures what it is like in the kitchen of a four-star establishment.
The film follows the adventures of Remy, a young rat who dreams of being a chef. His hero is a dearly-departed gourmand named Gasteau. He ends up in Gasteau’s restaurant, secretly aiding the career of a young cook named Linguini. The animation in the film is incredible, and the characters and story are good. (Although, why a rat would consider it stealing for his family to take food out of the garbage when its destined for the dump, and why Linguini has to finally tell everyone a rat is cooking, were points that were shaded at best.)
The problem with "Ratatouille" is that it had a few too many subplots to be a kid’s movie. It lost every kid I had with me 30 minutes before the story ended, and I’m not sure if it got them back or not. (I was ready for its happy conclusion 20 minutes before it actually ended, myself.) In general, animated films aimed at children should not ruminate. They should move happily along. Other than that, "Ratatouille" is a proud addition to the Brad Bird collection.
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Just before this movie opened, I picked my son up from a week at camp. Driving home, it suddenly struck me--holy cow! He’s so grown up! That was also my overriding feeling as I watched "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." What a phenomena it has been to watch a whole cast of actors--not only the leads, but their classmates and nemeses--grow up as well. No wonder they feel like a part of the family. We’ve literally known them for years.
If you’ve previously read this column, you probably know that I’m an unabashed fan of Brad Bird, the director/writer of such animated classics as "The Incredibles" and "The Iron Giant" (my all-time favorite animated film). He knows how to spin a vastly entertaining story that contains seeds of morality and great lessons as well. But first and foremost, they are really good, character-driven stories.
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