Except the Pettigrew reveal in the movie is hilarious. Oldman’s reaction to Ron thinking he’s accusing him of being Pettigrew is perfectly acted.

True, but I think long can be good when dealing with maturing readers. Simple, 250-page stories like Sorcerer’s Stone are great for a younger audience, but the idea of settling into a lengthy Potter story probably made slightly older readers feel more invested and immersed. My kids have each read the entire series…

You should check out Potter World at Universal Studios. It’s flat-out amazing. The attention to detail probably made Disney say “damn!” The number of kids running around in robes is off the charts. There’s an Olivander’s (sp??) where they sell wands (via a matching process like the book) that when pointed at shop…

I agree on the kids part. Rowling intended readers to progress with the characters in the book as they aged, publishing one a year. Sorcerer’s Stone is very much written at a middle-school level. Anyone complaining it’s too simple a story (the book or movie) is bringing their own expectations baggage.  Of course it’s…

There’s no doubt Gilliam would have been a MASSIVE risk for kicking off this kind of property. He could have tanked the whole thing. Even if he was able to pull off making a children’s movie - which the first couple of Potter films certainly are - it would have looked more like Time Bandits and certainly not have been…

I have to assume they’re all financially set for life, which would be an odd experience for a 19 year-old. Watson went of to Brown for four years and made maybe one movie during that stretch.

Goblet, IIRC, really tried to lean into the adolescent moodiness that kids their ages experience and took it a bit too far. But I do applaud the books for being written for kids the same age as the characters. Sorcerer’s Stone is basically an advanced children’s book written for 11 year-olds. By the time you get to…

Pirates ruined him. Deciding he was going to play the role as a gay Keith Richards made for a surprisingly good outcome, but he never went back to playing a normal human again.

There was so much positivity in that role, which I think made a difference.  Wood’s wackiness was basically exuberance that he got to make movies.

I’m still chafed they’re not doing the Worst Of.  Yes, yes, we all need to be uplifting and uplifted right now but that kind of catharsis can be healthy.

Whitford is the surprise here, he seems to have his pick of interesting projects, and I guess Craig Robinson could use the cash since he doesn’t make huge bank per appearance.  But this is a completely wasted cast.

I never got how Lexus really thought they were going to compete with BMW with this design.  I actually like the wagon better, but the sedan was just plain-assed boring and up against probably the best 3-series design ever.

Same. In the late 90s I tested one of these, a C Class and a 325 and there was no comparison.

I’m the other way around. I always thought the IS sedans in this era were badly underdesigned (and that’s saying something when you’re talking Lexus) and this covers up a lot of those design issues.

A quick look also tells me that most of the ones available out there (normal body) all sport around 150,000 miles.

I envision the camera gradually pulling back from his battered body, sort of like Walter White at the end of Breaking Bad.

We’ve seen the Mad Max movies.

Did I mention it was Christine Baranski?

Of all the adapted stage musicals, this seems like the one most destined for failure. A crowd full of children would probably fine this delightful in person.

Not to mention sadistic child bullies, pompous politicians and sexy potential cheaters?