Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Daniel Radcliffe)

(Amazon UK link)

We’ve watched a lot of fairly light films recently, some better than others, mostly somewhat predictable in their outcome. My husband felt the need for something with a bit more action, and suggested that we spend the next eight weeks re-watching the Harry Potter films. We haven’t seen them in quite a while; indeed it’s over eleven years since we saw the DVD of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, and that was  eleven years after we saw the film at the cinema. 

We’re both familiar with the story, of course. I’ve read the book several times, the last time being in 2019. But the film is a different experience, inevitably with some scenes cut and slightly different dialogue. The plot is well-known: young Harry is bundled up and left with his ‘Muggle’ aunt and uncle after his parents are killed by the evil Lord Voldemort. 

We don’t see much of Harry’s childhood (or, indeed, the reaction of his relatives on discovering their charge on their doorstep) but it’s clear, as his eleventh birthday approaches, that he’s seriously neglected, treated as a servant and expected to kowtow to his spoiled, overweight and selfish cousin Dudley. Then the owls start arriving with letters… increasing in numbers in an amusing scene that drives Harry’s uncle almost to distraction. 

On a small, deserted island, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) recalls that it’s his birthday - and as midnight arrives, so does Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), the large man who deposited Harry on the doorstep all those years earlier. And then Harry undergoes a Cinderella-like transformation into the world of wizarding, and the school of Hogwarts.

This book mainly involves his making friends (and enemies), discovering that he has an unexpected skill in flying, and getting into a battle of wits, towards the end. He has befriended Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), the red-headed boy with several older siblings in the school, and the two of them, a bit reluctantly, have also become friendly with Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). Hermione is very intelligent and eager to share her knowledge in rather an obnoxious way at first; her gradual maturing over the course of the film works extremely well, in my view. 

Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris), the Hogwarts head, is wise and friendly, and exerts a positive influence over most of his students, even if a few despise him.  The head of Harry’s house, Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) is wonderful; an excellent deputy for Dumbledore. She’s outspoken, and sometimes abrupt, but always fair. 

There aren’t as many classroom scenes in the film as there are in the book, probably because they don’t really add to the plot. They’re good to read about, establishing the characters of some of the staff and also showing a wide selection of the courses taught in the school. But we see those that are relevant, and I think it works well. There’s an underlying positive theme which comes out towards the end, and the general understanding prevalent in UK school stories that a certain amount of rule-breaking is acceptable, so long as it doesn’t hurt anybody, and is (mostly) done for a good cause. 

The first time I saw the film I was quite shocked at some bad language - nothing extreme, but mild expletives which, I was sure, were not in the book. When I checked the passages in question, the text said something like ‘Ron swore’... to be true to the book then, and Ron’s character, there had to be a few mild expletives. That’s probably why the film is rated PG - that and some quite tense moments towards the end. And yes, even knowing how it was going to end, I still found sections of the film to be quite stressful.

A film is not the same medium as a book, but I’m not a purist; I thought this film was extremely well-made, with great casting, good acting, suitable music (not that I was aware of it most of the time) and superb scenery and costumes.  Definitely recommended, whether or not you have read the books. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews

Raising Helen (Kate Hudson)

(Amazon UK link)

We wanted something light to watch, so we decided on ‘Raising Helen’, a film which we first saw in 2014. My husband had forgotten it entirely; I remembered just an early scene around a dinner table with three sisters, one of whom was going to have a tragic accident. It’s no spoiler to say this, as the whole premise of the film is a young, single career-minded woman suddenly having to raise three children.

However I had entirely forgotten the opening sequences of the film. These are where we see the young woman (Kate Hudson) involved in the world of fashion, where she works as a successful agent, often flying around the country and working many late nights. I was also slightly puzzled that Kate Hudson’s character is called Helen, yet I was pretty sure she was the one who was going to end up doing the raising…

The bulk of the film involves Helen doing what she can to balance work and full-time parenting, something for which she does not feel at all ready. Fourteen-year-old Audrey (Hayden Panettiere) already has a fake ID and hangs out with unsuitable friends; Helen has been her ally up to now, so it’s a bit of a shock to both of them when Helen suddenly becomes an authority figure.

Henry (Spencer Breslin) is the second child, apparently quite stolid, caring more about his turtle than anything else. But while he’s always been keen on sport, in particular basketball, he suddenly refuses to join in anything. And then there’s little Sarah (Abigal Breslin) who believes her parents have just gone away for a while… and appears to be coping but little things can send her into tears of despair.

The children are an absolute delight; we were particularly impressed at Sarah, who is only supposed to to five although apparently the actress was a couple of years older when the film was made, and has gone on to be a popular and talented star. Her facial expressions and moods feel entirely believable and she delivers her lines perfectly. 

There’s a low-key romantic thread too, involving a friendly Lutheran Pastor called Dan (John Corbett - we couldn’t think where we had seen him before and had to look it up afterwards, with a ‘duh’ moment when we discovered that he was the male lead in ‘My Big Greek Fat Wedding’. Helen meets Dan when she enquires about a smaller, friendlier school that the children can all go to as they don’t want to be separated. I liked the low-key Christian thread, and a pastor shown as intelligent, caring, red-blooded and very human with a quirky sense of humour. 

I also very much appreciated that although this film is made for adults, it’s entirely clean. Rated PG, with a warning that some children might be traumatised by the idea of parents dying suddenly, there’s nothing that would offend any but the most prudish of parents. Having said that, there are many scantily-clad women in the fashion scenes; Audrey also likes to wear revealing clothes. There are some scenes that become a bit intense, with some yelling, but there’s no violence or extreme anger.  However there are no scenes of intimacy, or even innuendos.  I don’t recall any bad language, either. 

It’s really not a film for children, even though two of the main cast are children; it’s about Helen and the way she changes - helped in part by her older sister Jenny (Joan Cusack) who is quite uptight and very organised, and also a very strong woman. 

We both enjoyed the film very much and appreciated the ‘bloopers’ and ‘deleted scenes’ that were on the DVD as extras. Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews