The Screening Room
What other critics are saying

Michael Gambon

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'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'

Jack Garner, Gannett News Service: Harry Potter is growing up, and his film series is growing with him. Impressive Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón is new at the helm, and the popular Potter saga is as magical and adventurous as ever. Michael Gambon does a credible job replacing the late Richard Harris as headmaster Albus Dumbledore. (His role here is small, a good way to gradually replace a beloved performer.) Emma Thompson and David Thewlis add humor and texture as the school's two newest professors.

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: The film's disarming blend of freshness and darkness should please the Potter faithful and win new followers. The staunchest J.K. Rowling acolytes may regret some of the film's omissions, but "Prisoner of Azkaban" stands on its own as the best cinematic Potter and a mighty piece of entertainment even for the non-initiates. The actors respond gamely to their characters' heightened demands. Daniel Radcliffe is even more splendidly the Harry of readers' imaginations, and Emma Watson's Hermione is a vision of spirited intelligence. Rupert Grint's arachnid-loathing Ron never dwindles into a simple comic foil.

Christy Lemire, The Associated Press: Harry Potter is 13 now, an awkward age for anyone — even a boy wizard armed with magical powers. But "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," the third film in the series, couldn't be more self-assured. Emma Thompson is a scene stealer as a hippie-chick divination professor, a showy role that's a great contrast with the prim parts for which she's best known.

'The Mother'

Stephen Whitty, Newhouse News Service: "The Mother" is a small British film about a 60-ish woman discovering the joy of sex with a man half her age. It is not, however, a typical small British film. Unlike the usual twee romance, the drama in "The Mother" is very real, and unexpected and messy. The sex isn't coyly hinted at, but sweaty and explicit. It ends, not sweetly or even bittersweetly, but angrily and darkly and with a sense of loss. It's a great movie.

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: In "The Mother," directed by Roger Michell and written by Hanif Kureishi, every element fits together with perfection. The film's staging, the way its settings create a world that allows for striking images that echo the psychological interplay of its people, the way in which every performance could not be any better, is awe-inspiring. There is simply not a false note in this film — every actor looks and behaves so exactly right that it is unthinkable that any other person play his or her role.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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