FMJeff
11-13-2001, 08:06 PM
Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc. is a Disney kiddie cartoon with impressive credentials.
This is the next film on the Disney/Pixar assembly line that has included A
Bug's Life and Toy Story I and II. Pixar has more than doubled its computing
power since Toy Story II, adding the ability to enhance the detail on the
movement of things like fur and clothing.
Monsters, Inc. is set in an assembly line factory where doors are
constantly shuttled in and out so the 9 to 5 monsters can step through the
doors into children's bedrooms. They bottle the children's screams to power
Monsteropolis.
Monsters, Inc. is fun the enormous hard work shows. But when they try
to get heartwarming, they fail. Like the monsters in the movie, there is a 9
to 5 feel here. ***
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
A friend of mine recoiled in horror when I mentioned Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer's Stone. He had seen a documentary on the 700 Club that, from
what I could gather, detailed the demonology and evil at the root of Harry
Potter books. I don't know about that, but many industry insiders predict
this could possibly be the biggest movie of all time. The four Harry Potter
books, by former welfare mother J.K. Rowling, have sold over 110 million
copies making it a precedent-setting publishing phenomenon. The books young
readers are reputed to be near fanatical, many reading the books over and
over again. I have read a bit of the books and they are blessed (or if you
watch the 700 club, cursed) with an endless, unequaled imagination.
Harry Potter is a young English boy who is orphaned and then ordained
to live with his nasty aunt and her nasty family. But he is only there until
he comes of age to pursue his destiny. He was born of wizard blood and is
renowned throughout the wizard world. The greatest wizard of them all,
Dumbledore is grooming him.
The film obviously has high expectations as well as controversy tied
to it. If it surpasses Titanic as the biggest-grossing film of all time, I
will be very surprised. But it will probably still do phenomenal business,
no matter what the film is actually like. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone is scrupulously faithful to the book...maybe too faithful. The film
seems scared to go too far afield. The film only really flies during the
broomstick tournament that sustains a high level of excitement similar to
the pod race in Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace. In fact, Harry
Potter has similar problems to Star Wars or Alice in Wonderland or The
Wizard of Oz. So many people can always imagine something that could have
been done better. Could Steven Spielberg have done a better job than Chris
Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone) in bringing Harry Potter to the big
screen? Probably, but Spielberg would have made a similar film. In fact, it
resembles vintage Spielberg productions.
I think the legions of fans will be happy, even with its 2 and « hour
length. Still, there will be a few who would rather just read the book again
and rely on their own imagination. ***1/2
Jeff Shain
WebMaster
http://www.foundrymusic.com
<img src="http://members.aol.com/sabanj666/ass.gif">
Monsters, Inc. is a Disney kiddie cartoon with impressive credentials.
This is the next film on the Disney/Pixar assembly line that has included A
Bug's Life and Toy Story I and II. Pixar has more than doubled its computing
power since Toy Story II, adding the ability to enhance the detail on the
movement of things like fur and clothing.
Monsters, Inc. is set in an assembly line factory where doors are
constantly shuttled in and out so the 9 to 5 monsters can step through the
doors into children's bedrooms. They bottle the children's screams to power
Monsteropolis.
Monsters, Inc. is fun the enormous hard work shows. But when they try
to get heartwarming, they fail. Like the monsters in the movie, there is a 9
to 5 feel here. ***
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
A friend of mine recoiled in horror when I mentioned Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer's Stone. He had seen a documentary on the 700 Club that, from
what I could gather, detailed the demonology and evil at the root of Harry
Potter books. I don't know about that, but many industry insiders predict
this could possibly be the biggest movie of all time. The four Harry Potter
books, by former welfare mother J.K. Rowling, have sold over 110 million
copies making it a precedent-setting publishing phenomenon. The books young
readers are reputed to be near fanatical, many reading the books over and
over again. I have read a bit of the books and they are blessed (or if you
watch the 700 club, cursed) with an endless, unequaled imagination.
Harry Potter is a young English boy who is orphaned and then ordained
to live with his nasty aunt and her nasty family. But he is only there until
he comes of age to pursue his destiny. He was born of wizard blood and is
renowned throughout the wizard world. The greatest wizard of them all,
Dumbledore is grooming him.
The film obviously has high expectations as well as controversy tied
to it. If it surpasses Titanic as the biggest-grossing film of all time, I
will be very surprised. But it will probably still do phenomenal business,
no matter what the film is actually like. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone is scrupulously faithful to the book...maybe too faithful. The film
seems scared to go too far afield. The film only really flies during the
broomstick tournament that sustains a high level of excitement similar to
the pod race in Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace. In fact, Harry
Potter has similar problems to Star Wars or Alice in Wonderland or The
Wizard of Oz. So many people can always imagine something that could have
been done better. Could Steven Spielberg have done a better job than Chris
Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone) in bringing Harry Potter to the big
screen? Probably, but Spielberg would have made a similar film. In fact, it
resembles vintage Spielberg productions.
I think the legions of fans will be happy, even with its 2 and « hour
length. Still, there will be a few who would rather just read the book again
and rely on their own imagination. ***1/2
Jeff Shain
WebMaster
http://www.foundrymusic.com
<img src="http://members.aol.com/sabanj666/ass.gif">