REEL CRITICS

Sara Salam and Mary A. Castillo

Seeing what you read with ‘Harry Potter’

When you think about Harry Potter, a poor young boy with spectacular

magical powers comes to mind. At least that’s what the book tells you.

But in the movie “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” you can

actually see what the author (J.K. Rowling) is creating with her words.

And what is seen is a poor young boy with spectacular magical powers,

who has the conscience to follow his instincts with courage.

Before I saw the movie, I had my doubts. I had read the first three

books, and the movie would be exactly the same (so I thought). And it

was. But it seemed to have more quality than I gave it credit for. Just

seeing the characters and scenery visually made me have a better

understanding of the book. The Quidditch match and Wizard’s Chess were

great in animation and reality, and also had good visual effects.

The actors and actresses in “Harry Potter” match almost perfectly with

the characters in the book. The only noticeable difference is that the

Harry in the movie (Daniel Radcliffe) looked much more clean and normal

than described in the book.

But Hermoine (Emma Watson) is the clever, little girl, Ron (Rupert

Grint) is the boy who makes jokes, Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) is the gentle

giant and Malfoy (Tom Felton) is the stuck-up little brat.

Overall, this movie was OK. What I mean is that it could have been

even better. The beginning seemed to drag on, the events that took place

at Hogwarts weren’t long enough, and the characters solved all the

mysteries quickly with almost no thought at all.

But there were also many high points as well. The effects were done

very well and made the entire scenario seem real. The best part is that

you didn’t need to read the book to understand what was going on. That’s

what made the whole thing worth it.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is rated PG for some scary

moments and mild language.

* SARA SALAM, 13, attends Corona del Mar High School as an

eighth-grader. She enjoys dance and soccer.

A fabulous ‘Amelie’ lights up the screen

First let me state that I am not a fan of romantic comedy and second,

my husband appreciates it. As far as I’m concerned, no film has come

close to the charm of “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” or the self-aware pathos

of “When Harry Met Sally.” Frankly, the only reason why I may see Meg

“Queen of Cute Comedy” Ryan’s upcoming “Kate And Leopold” is one man:

Hugh Jackman.

So the point of this review is that my appreciation of the genre was

vindicated by “Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain” (known stateside as

“Amelie”). It is an urban fable of an introverted girl who revels in

tipping over other people’s boats, but is desperately afraid to rock her

own.

Portrayed by Audrey Tautou, Amelie is a fou-fou haired gamine

accustomed to living alone and given to strange flights of imagination.

But the discovery of a young boy’s box hidden in the wall of her bathroom

ignites a chain of events that take her through a beautifully-filmed

Paris.

Once she puts the box in the hands of the owner, she is moved by his

tearful decision to make amends with his estranged daughter before he

ends up in his own box. At that moment Amelie finds her calling: meddling

and a boy named Nino.

Her meddling is both successful yet unsuccessful and always ironically

hilarious. However, her frustrating catch-me-if-you-can game with Nino

nearly costs her a chance at love. But in the end they share what is sure

to be one of the most quietly sensuous kisses in romantic comedies . . .

ever.

Although actress Audrey Tautou is sure to be compared to the late

Audrey Hepburn, this film is not a “chick flick.” It features talking

photos, a purposefully meandering story line, and a vivid supporting cast

that balances Tautou’s irresistible charm. In other words you will not

find the typical tricks pulled in American romantic comedies: music video

interludes, “the big chase” at the end, and blatant advertising for

Apple, Motorola or Pepsi.

So men, be not afraid to see this movie. In spite of the subtitles,

you’ll laugh -- ahem, you’ll see some “adult situations” -- and you’ll

score points with your special lady because frankly, “Amelie” is a classy

romantic comedy.

“Amelie” is rated R for sexual content.

* MARY A. CASTILLO, 27, is a Costa Mesa resident.