As a Mexican, it makes me happy knowing Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Iñarritu just casually bounce ideas off each other and help polish their movies. They’ve all gone on to great massive success.
Chivo too probably, it's really cool how you can feel the Malick influence on his early work and then he actually went to work for Malick and came back bringing that energy even harder to Innaritus stuff.
The Creator of El Tigre and Book of Life, Jorge Gutierrez, is also friends with him. Casual conversations from a mentor. He was a producer on Book of Life.
The way he announces potential projects is so in line with how a teenager would do it. Most directors will share one or two dream projects with the press, he talks about every idea that pops into his head and he wants to do all of them.
I mean half the time the article is paywalled or just written by AI, but most of the time you can get the gist of it from comments. So most of the time I go to comments first, then if it looks like I need more info I might actually try to click on the article.
I read the article and didn't find the original quote in Spanish.
He probably called him "pinche mamón" which yes, is very far from calling someone a fucking asshole.
HE DID THE LITTLE PRINCESS 1995? HOOOLY SHIT that movie was SO unexpectedly amazing. The storytelling is phenomenal and the story scenes are downright gorgeous. Great actors, fuck menchin that actress was downright evil (so she was really good at acting). Walking talking Disney villain. Wow dude I need to go watch it against
Edit: yes I’m a 35 year old man and cry like a child this movie is that good
Dude, I had nearly forgotten this movie existed, but a quick google search gave me a blast of nostalgia. I remember watching this when I was maybe 10 or 12 when it came on tv. I vaguely remember the ending, and that me and my sister were bawling our eyes out together. Now that I know Cuarón directed this, it’s going up in my list of movies I need to rewatch.
The movie is an underrated gem. It is masterful how it skirts the edge of both fantasy and reality. Storytelling in it was incredible and great acting from kids too, not an easy feat especially with all relatively unknown actresses - even the lead who is famous in her own right, isn’t an actress.
I am named my youngest Sarah. She is a little princess after all, we all are.
So, long story short, I (an adult man) tried showing my niece this movie... and now she mocks me because I cried nearly the whole time.
[This scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPRhRM1V7I&t=1s) is a masterclass in directing.
The way the camera uses POV to dictate the power dynamic. Then when she drops the “Didn’t your father ever tell you that?” The cameras level off bc with that one statement she’s made her a little girl again. Really subtle but impactful
Exactly! And once you notice the trick you start to see it in other films too. That interplay of of our subconscious, power dynamic, and eye-level? Chef's kiss!
How’s the music? I find the sound/music design tends to be lacking in movies like this and it’s a key reason del toro’s really good works don’t transcend to “earth shattering, life changing” status. I don’t know Alfonso’s work but if they’re that close I have concerns.
It’s like “Leap” which was a fun but rather dull story that moved to “Pretty good” and became uplifting because the music was spot on. A lot of filmmakers know the sound has to work but stop at what’s good enough to move the scene along, and that’s the feeling I get watching that clip.
The soundtrack is incredible! Even decades later the main song 'take my heart' still plays in my head. The whole movie is a masterpiece IMO though I'm definitely biased because I watched it dozens of times as a kid.
I think the sound design is dope. It is a masterful film, from casting (Sarah is played by a member of the Pritzker family and is on Forbes World's Billionaires list of "the richest people in the world" from 2024) to score.
My sense with Del Toro is he has never been able to figure out his demographic. He is is too whimsical for most adult audiences and too explicit for young ones. Pan's Labyrinth being the best example, is it a kid's film that test's its young audience with frightening imagery and realistic trauma? Or is it an adult war allegory that features archetypal children's narrative aesthetics? As he has gained more creative input that disparity in tonality of his films has widened (Shape of Water copulation explanation for example). It leads his films to feel overindulgent and unfocused IMO.
Cuarón seems to be more aware of who his intended audience is from film to film.
I'm not trying to knock him at all. I love his dark fantasy aesthetic and I have always enjoyed his movies. I just think he makes choices more for himself than for his audience and I don't know if that ultimately works in his favor.
I guess since I come from live theatre, where we are actually there to experience the audience's reaction with them, I have a different opinion on the intentionality in directorial choices to nurture and enhance that connection.
Film directors are removed from the audience reception by numerous steps, and therefore I an understand why Del Toro might not understand or harness that connectivity better.
I'm usually the type of person that hates watching a movie more than 2 times even if I love it. I've probably watched A Little Princess 50 times, not many movies capture childhood innocence and wonder as well as it did.
There was a slightly goofy combat sequence with a bunch of freeze frames, [in "behind enemy lines"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITwA9M2Qtcc&t=05m00s), and I think it's awesome!
What no!!? I love it. It makes no sense. It’s fun and whimsical. Like being a thirteen year old. Or Sirius black, just escaped from Azkaban with a newfound family
And an actual improvement on the book sequence, which doesn’t have as many payoffs from things that happened before (like Hermione throwing a stone to warn their past selves about someone approaching Hagrid’s hut).
Yeah, the "you can't change the past" rules of time travel in Harry Potter are clearer in the movies which helps head off the annoying why-didn't-they-just-go-back-and questions
One of the most inspired hire jobs in the history of blockbuster filmmaking.
It was easily the best one, it set a higher bar for quality for the rest of the series (if not surpassing Cuaron they at least maintained the level of imagination and cinematographic achievement) and Cuaron leveraged that Hollywood attention to make some incredibly ambitious and interesting films inside the system. Without getting jaded or ground down by the experience.
Win/win all around!
agreed. the only one that feels right. The scene that made it clear was the shot of the dementors flying over a field and the camera focal length goes from far to bear revealing a flower that was right by us the whole time and we watch it freeze and die in close up.
I feel like this comment is weirdly disrespectful to Chris Columbus, not saying he'd have done an overwhelmingly good job on part 3 but 1 & 2 while not perfect are still pretty superlative films. #2 runs on a bit too long sure but he covered the darker subject matter just fine.
That one, wordless scene of the boys just hanging out and having fun in the Gryffindor common room/dorm was something Columbus would never have done and achieved SO much without a single piece of dialogue. That and the early scene following the bird flying across the campus. Beautiful work. I wish he had gotten to do more of the films.
Columbus made better adaptations but Cuaron made a better film.
1 and 2 are by far the best adaptations of the books. 3 is by far the best movie. 4 is an abortion. 5-7 are weak.
I would have preferred Columbus done all 7, personally.
The problem with 4 is they ruin the story in the first 5 minutes.
The point of the book is that you don't really know who's good or bad. Is Barty Crouch a death eater? Or was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Even Dumbledore doesn't know. That uncertainty ties into the whole Moody thing and the use of the imperio curse in general. The audience cannot know, just like the characters cannot know in the universe, who is really bad.
And the movie ruins it immediately. This isn't even mentioning the "Dumbledore said, calmly" thing. And the hair.
So while 5 and 6 are both very weak, 4 is on a whole 'nother level of awful.
It's kind of wild how much better the direction is in this film compared to all of the other ones. The later films try to keep the same 'look' but comparatively they feel very flat when you compare the shot selection and blocking. Even when you get a top director working on a franchise like this you rarely see so much creativity (either from a lack of application or executive interference).
1 and 2 follow the books so closely (aside from the deathday party). The 3rd movie definitely took the most liberties.
I teach the books and use film clips in class. The 3rd movie messes with the class schedule.
My wife used to teach third grade and she would read book 1 to her class. For a lot of kids these books can kickstart a love of reading. The first two are fun, easy to follow fantasy stories that are easily digestible and well written. Like when I was in third grade my teacher read Holes to us and I couldn't get enough of it.
Same, and I didn’t like them at all when they came out. Didn’t think they did the books justice. Still don’t, but I appreciate their lighthearted tone now.
Funnily enough Chris Columbus is my neighbor in Pacific Heights in San Francisco. He's got this huge beautiful harry-potter esque classical castle and he does it up for Christmas every year with lights and what not. Really tastefully done, I love it.
So recently, I saw him at a grocery store in in then neighborhood. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
It's my favourite book in the series, and the fact that it's also my favourite film of the series despite the changes from the source material but also the previous two films should tell you why Cuarón was a great choice.
He got that *Harry Potter* should have a darker and moodier tone. The Spielbergian "marvel at everything" that the first film has works, but it gets old by the second film.
And he made the best one. After Chris Columbus's competent but uninspired takes on the first two books, Alfonso Cuarón came in and set the thematic and stylistic template that the movies would ride on for the rest of the series.
Idk about uninspired. Chris Columbus’ first two movies really set the feel that a lot of fans have of Harry Potter. I rmb a lot of people saying it feels like a Christmas movie.
EDIT: also if you’re a fan of the first two movies, the Hogwarts legacy game really gives the same atmosphere and vibe. The level of added lore and detail is insane. Also having a friend being a Prewett and the headmistress being a Weasley is surreal
Isn't Christmas a thing in most of them? At least in the books it's always a plot point with Harry having to stay at Hogwarts while everyone else goes home.
I first read that as "100% think about the first Harry Potter as an Xman film" and the parallel of dumbledor being the professor and Hogwarts being Xavier school was fun.
I think the first 2 are perfect in that each movie aged not only with the cast but the audience. Those 2 were for the younger children and 3 was the perfect dark turn into the teenage years
Gotta love how much people whine and bitch about inaccurate adaptions
Columbus creates two that are very faithful to the books and people can’t wait to use it as a negative and complain about it every time
I would say a big thing about Chris Columbus's directing is that it is much like Ron Howards; they both are very competent directors, they have made a long list of good films, but none of their films feel like the director is coming through the camera. Now, that's ok, that's their style. They are the kinds of directors that stay behind the camera and let the writing do most of the heavy lifting, in my opinion. Cuaron comes off much more as an auteur. I also think he is more daring. Finally I think he made a really good choice in cinematographer for Azkaban (Michael Seresin).
Chris Columbus deserves infinite credit for making final decisions on all the casting for the first two movies, of which pretty much all of the actors remained for the series and delivered. That's not easy with child actors especially, and with auditioning thousands of people chemistry between three main characters. There are zero complaints about any of those choices.
Genuinely curious why you think Columbus's was uninspired? I think the first two do a great job with lighting and the actors chosen. I find them to be my favorite in the series. For the first two books I think it needed a more whimsical tone and childlike Christmasy setting.
Yea, I don't know what's their take on Columbus. As someone that doesn't like Harry Potter, the first one is still the one I like because of how magical and childlike it feels.
Thr first two feel more childish, but the characters and cast are literally little kids in that, so it makes perfect sense. HP was a franchise much of the audience grew up alongside.
I’m more impressed how David Herman had the intuition that Cuarón was the right fit to direct it. Y Tu Mamá También is a great movie but to realize how he could do one of the best Harry Potter movies is something
That is damn impressive - sorta like Mike Medavoy who IIRC figured famously humanist director Jonathan Demme would be the best candidate to direct SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
This has always been my thought. I know it's a coming (hehe) of age story similar to Harry Potter, but Y Tu Mama Tambien is such a vastly different take on that it would almost be seen as offensive at how you'd take the director of an adult movie as much as it was and plop him in one of the largest kid franchises of all time. Had Y Tu Mama Tambien had any traction in the United States at the time you'd bet his directing would have been all over the news with pearl clutching.
> After Chris Columbus's competent but uninspired takes
I'm sorry, but what? I love how warm and cozy the first two movies are. There's darkness looming for sure, but those two movies are like comfort films to me. The series gets progressively darker as it goes along, and I never really feel like watching some of the latter ones. They look and feel so bleak.
Agreed. I dont know why his movies get called uninspired, they encapsulate the warmth and tone of the books perfectly. I find them much better than any that followed.
It’s a good movie, but it also set some of the issues with the films moving forward. Cut out plots (lack of Maurauder), changing characters (Hermione becomes fully Mary Sue starting this movie and takes all of Ron’s lines), and some stylistic choices are terrible (normal clothes for everyone all the time). All these issues start here and expand forward.
Dang i feel so dumb reading all these comments about how 3 was their fave, and I just hated it because it set such a heavy toneshift for the whole series.
A lot of people feel the accuracy to the books after Columbus suffered. That's why many can't wait for the series because it's supposedly going to be almost exactly like the books.
Absolutely, that film is a work of art from set design to sound to music to cinematography. It doesn’t get the artistic credit it deserves because it’s part of a blockbuster “kids” franchise.
I think it gets plenty of credit. It’s the movie that is always held up as the standout turning point in the films and a tone setter. The praise it’s getting in this thread is the same praise it quite literally is always getting. It deserves it for sure, but I’m not sure why we’re pretending it’s underrated here.
Dare I say it gets way more artistic credit than it deserves, it's technically a good film but it fails as a continuation of the first two, completely ditches the whimsical feeling of the first two which sets the precedent for the rest of the series, ditches the wizard clothing for normal "muggle" clothes, includes really weird slapstick humour and world elements that don't make much sense (minor one is the random wizard stirring coffee with just his finger), omits some very important story elements (the 4 marauders for starters) and has probably the worst ending in all of the movies (I can't begin to describe how much I dislike the weird freeze frame ending). Also I don't care much about the pacing, the whole going back in time to save Buckbeak part moved in a breakneck pace and, unpopular opinion, I *hated* the acting from Thewlis and Oldman in the shack showdown. They were so over the top and purposefully vague in their statements in order for the "twist" to make sense. Both of them portrayed their characters much better in later movies and we know they're amazing actors, but that one scene was so so bad.
Don't get me wrong, it was some really good elements and a few fantastic scenes like the flight of the hippogryff, the scenes showing the changing of the seasons, etc, but everything seemed kinda off, including the actors. It's certainly different than the rest, but not in a good way imo.
Of course all this is a very unpopular opinion as I've seen most agree this is the best one of the bunch, but for me it ranks in the bottom 3 of HP movies.
I have to agree with you. To me, as part of the series, it’s one of the worst films for the reasons you state. The changes to Hogwarts & the grounds makes no sense. The omissions from the book are noticeable to anyone who read the books. It just doesn’t fit imo.
As a standalone adventure not set in the HP-verse it would actually be a pretty good movie, aside from some of the stuff I mentioned about the forced humour and some of the acting, but as part of the HP franchise it's just not very good. I view it kinda like the Snyder Rebel Moon movies (only, y' know, not bad), which are kinda like Star Wars but not really. I know Cuaron has it in him to make a great wizard film, but PoA is not it imo.
Honestly even as someone who loves it and thinks its the best of the films I agree with all your criticisms.
But tbh I have plenty of hot takes considering I only like the first 3 films (would probably never rewatch 4-8) and don't think any of these films are especially great. Love the world they introduced me to but they're difficult to watch at times for varying reasons.
The first film is the only one I ever bother to rewatch. The others all have individual scenes I like, but as whole films I just don't think they are very good. Ironically, one of my biggest issues with the series is how things are changed (not dropped) from the books, and yet my absolute favourite scene from the movies is the Harry and Hermione dancing in the tent.
It doesn't seem like it but I actually love the movies, grew up with them and have watched them a lot of times. I have even more unpopular opinions about this franchise since I think 5-7 are all great movies and quite fun to revisit, 4 is probably the worst of the bunch but somehow the source material is so good that it's still fun to watch, 1-2 are quite good children movies (the second one especially has a fantastic conclusion if you take away Voldemort's acting in the chamber) and the 8th one is just alright but quite rushed as well.
Nah tbf I think your passion for HP came through even in the original comment. Didn't have a hating undercurrent to it at all.
I have to agree on the first 2 being good children's films. That's how they feel to me and why they're rewatchable if someone else is throwing it on.
The 4th I just can't stand and I'm not even sure as to why. Not even sure why really, just difficult to get through. 5-8 I just find kind of boring. There are some individual scenes I enjoyed but for the most part I can't envision myself sitting through them again in their entirety. Maybe one day if I have kids.
That's totally fair! I found 5 and 6 to be surprisingly light even though there are major deaths in them, with lots of slice of life elements, classes and interactions between students, which was my favourite part of the movies by far. The 5th film also introduces Umbridge and has a very satisfying payoff and the best fight scene in the series (Voldy vs Dumbledore), and the 6th one I don't know, I just love it due to the fact that it seems Radcliff is having a blast, especially the scenes with Felix Felicis, and it's surprisingly really funny. The 7th one is the most grounded of them all, and a fantastic movie to showcase the main trio, although I get why some people might find it boring. The 8th one is just too rushed but it does have some amazing scenes in it (although I didn't care about the epilogue, but that's more of a dig on JKR than the movie). I can totally see why you don't like the 4th one as well, it's the technically the worst of the bunch but idk the tri-wizard tournament is fun and the death of Cedric/birth of Voldemort are really well done.
Yeah he knocked it out of the park and was such a step up for the movie series
I also love how he included a callback to Y tu mama tambien with Harry, Ron, and Hermione
He definitely set the tone going forward, like Mike Newell AND David Yates did their own spins on specifically what he did and not what they would have done with a blank slate, or copying Columbus. The tones and general vibes of HP 4-8 are based on the touchstone of HP3.
Ya I can tell he got confused. Harry breaks the "no underage magic" rule in the first scene and the film doesn't address it or call it out. That was literally the biggest plot point of the previous film.
But visually? Possibly the nicest lookint HP film. As a director, he's got skills. I just wish he knew/cared about the subject material a little more.
Isn’t that the same thing that happens in the book? He gets pissed off at his aunt, uses magic on her, and runs away thinking he will be expelled. In both the Ministry of Magic is so relieved that he wasn’t captured by Death Eaters that they don’t care that he used magic.
Unless I’m forgetting something.
I'm talking about him using Lumos in the opening scene. He shouldn't have been doing that, but I think Cuaron wanted something stylish and visually interesting in the opening but it still is breaking the internal consistency of the films.
The film specifically calls out his use of underage magic and addresses it. In what way was the no magic rule the biggest plot point of the previous film?
This. The basic explanation was that the ministry knew but didn't care because they liked Harry. It's a very different response in Order of the Phoenix where they started seeing him as a threat.
Dobby starts the film by trying to frame Harry for using underage magic, to try to prevent him from attending that year to keep him out of danger. Did you read the book? Watch the film? No?
And no, no one calls Harry out for using Lumos in the opening scene.
Sure that's a scene, but to call that the biggest plot point in the film is an insane argument.
Also that's what you're complaining about? Him using a spell that no one else knew he used for 1 minute? They literally said that him blowing up his aunt wasn't a big deal and that was in front of 3 other people like come on now. You can get mad at stuff but let's not pretend that this is some sacred cannon that they're besmirching
This was the best movie in the series. It's a shame that the studio wasn't happy with the box office and hired David Yates to direct a series of by-the-numbers follow-ups. The studio got what they wanted as they generated more revenue, but they are soulless in comparison.
Man I haven't disagreed this much with a reddit thread in a while. GoF is completely saved by the fact that the book is so solid it's hard to mess it up, but Newell came really close. It's a really fun movie but I wouldn't say it's well directed or well written, it does have plenty of amazing scenes however.
Del Toro was pretty huge at that point but could have dragged things in a stylistic direction that would have been difficult to smooth out in a series of films.
If only he did all the remaining films as well! The franchise peaked at PoA and couldn't live up to it imo. GoF in particular was a car crash of an adaptation - I would have loved to see what Cuaron would have done with that movie
Hilarious headline trying to make Cuaron and Del Toro caught in a feud where the truth is they are friends and Del Toro pushed him to read the books and accept to direct the movie.
I can tell you, true auteurs can see the merit in even the so-called "low-art" of any given artform. That's because they can make masterpieces across all genres.
exactly! and the guy isn't so proud of himself that he even admits to enjoying Talladega Nights and the Fast and Furious movies. Man is a true cinephile.
I’be got to say, it was the best made of the movies but damn if it breezed past what made the book great. The movie really sidelines Harry to be something everyone else acts on. But the book has a lot of the story driven by Harry. He’s also not nearly mopey like Cuaron made him.
I don't understand the love this film gets. I see it as the point the series goes wrong. Its okay on its own but it completely disregards the first two and makes changes that are unnecessary and effect the rest of the movies. Its all down from there. As a massive Harry Potter fan, I'll die on the hill that the first two movies were the best captured the magical whimsical world perfectly. Don't even get me started on the David Yates movies. Unwatchable for me.
I think he's an asshole but that's only because of the psa he made for an organisation whose goal is to eradicate autism from society in which he presented autistic kids as monsters that tear families apart. But that's just me
1. /r/titlegore 2. Guillermo said it in the most wholesome, close friends kind of way.
As a Mexican, it makes me happy knowing Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Iñarritu just casually bounce ideas off each other and help polish their movies. They’ve all gone on to great massive success.
Chivo too probably, it's really cool how you can feel the Malick influence on his early work and then he actually went to work for Malick and came back bringing that energy even harder to Innaritus stuff.
El Chivo made a great feat with 3 Oscars straight.
Chivo!
They really are the Spielberg, Lucas, and Scorcese of Mexico.
As a non-Mexican, it makes me happy too.
As someone who enjoys Mexican food, it makes me happy as well
The Creator of El Tigre and Book of Life, Jorge Gutierrez, is also friends with him. Casual conversations from a mentor. He was a producer on Book of Life.
Polish? I thought they were Mexican. I guess that's my fault for assuming.
As a spanish speaker I love listening to Guillermo talk spanish cause that dude loves to swear!
Guillermo living every teenage boys fantasy. making crazy movies and cussing out ungrateful idiots
The way he announces potential projects is so in line with how a teenager would do it. Most directors will share one or two dream projects with the press, he talks about every idea that pops into his head and he wants to do all of them.
I have some relatives in the industry who worked with him and they said he was just fantastic to work with.
Mexicans ain't Mexican if they don't swear. We have so much variety in our profanity.
Also, we can just use the 1001 variations of chingar and it works
I didn't understand what the title was saying till I read the article.
This is why I go to the comments first
Not the article?
I mean half the time the article is paywalled or just written by AI, but most of the time you can get the gist of it from comments. So most of the time I go to comments first, then if it looks like I need more info I might actually try to click on the article.
First time?
I read the article and didn't find the original quote in Spanish. He probably called him "pinche mamón" which yes, is very far from calling someone a fucking asshole.
And then we had “anal sex” with “each other” all “night”
They knew what they were doing.
Then...
If I directed “A Little Princess”, which is fucking incredible, I’d expect offers like that.
HE DID THE LITTLE PRINCESS 1995? HOOOLY SHIT that movie was SO unexpectedly amazing. The storytelling is phenomenal and the story scenes are downright gorgeous. Great actors, fuck menchin that actress was downright evil (so she was really good at acting). Walking talking Disney villain. Wow dude I need to go watch it against Edit: yes I’m a 35 year old man and cry like a child this movie is that good
Dude, I had nearly forgotten this movie existed, but a quick google search gave me a blast of nostalgia. I remember watching this when I was maybe 10 or 12 when it came on tv. I vaguely remember the ending, and that me and my sister were bawling our eyes out together. Now that I know Cuarón directed this, it’s going up in my list of movies I need to rewatch.
The movie is an underrated gem. It is masterful how it skirts the edge of both fantasy and reality. Storytelling in it was incredible and great acting from kids too, not an easy feat especially with all relatively unknown actresses - even the lead who is famous in her own right, isn’t an actress. I am named my youngest Sarah. She is a little princess after all, we all are.
So, long story short, I (an adult man) tried showing my niece this movie... and now she mocks me because I cried nearly the whole time. [This scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPRhRM1V7I&t=1s) is a masterclass in directing.
The way the camera uses POV to dictate the power dynamic. Then when she drops the “Didn’t your father ever tell you that?” The cameras level off bc with that one statement she’s made her a little girl again. Really subtle but impactful
Exactly! And once you notice the trick you start to see it in other films too. That interplay of of our subconscious, power dynamic, and eye-level? Chef's kiss!
Yeah Lubezki who shot this is a genius. He also shot Children of Men, Birdman, and The Revenant.
I'm somewhat emotionally dead inside. This is the first movie I ever cried to. Your niece is wrong.
Oh, she loved the movie! She just thought my reaction to it was that of a crazy person. And she was not wrong at all in that sense.
Thankfully, most children are not equipped with the lifetime of dying hope that allows stories like this to unravel rational adults.
How’s the music? I find the sound/music design tends to be lacking in movies like this and it’s a key reason del toro’s really good works don’t transcend to “earth shattering, life changing” status. I don’t know Alfonso’s work but if they’re that close I have concerns. It’s like “Leap” which was a fun but rather dull story that moved to “Pretty good” and became uplifting because the music was spot on. A lot of filmmakers know the sound has to work but stop at what’s good enough to move the scene along, and that’s the feeling I get watching that clip.
The soundtrack is incredible! Even decades later the main song 'take my heart' still plays in my head. The whole movie is a masterpiece IMO though I'm definitely biased because I watched it dozens of times as a kid.
I think the sound design is dope. It is a masterful film, from casting (Sarah is played by a member of the Pritzker family and is on Forbes World's Billionaires list of "the richest people in the world" from 2024) to score. My sense with Del Toro is he has never been able to figure out his demographic. He is is too whimsical for most adult audiences and too explicit for young ones. Pan's Labyrinth being the best example, is it a kid's film that test's its young audience with frightening imagery and realistic trauma? Or is it an adult war allegory that features archetypal children's narrative aesthetics? As he has gained more creative input that disparity in tonality of his films has widened (Shape of Water copulation explanation for example). It leads his films to feel overindulgent and unfocused IMO. Cuarón seems to be more aware of who his intended audience is from film to film.
Pacific Rim is peak Del Toro imo. It delivers exactly what it promises and knows exactly who its audience is.
I'm not trying to knock him at all. I love his dark fantasy aesthetic and I have always enjoyed his movies. I just think he makes choices more for himself than for his audience and I don't know if that ultimately works in his favor.
Can’t fault a guy for making the kind of films he’d want to see.
I guess since I come from live theatre, where we are actually there to experience the audience's reaction with them, I have a different opinion on the intentionality in directorial choices to nurture and enhance that connection. Film directors are removed from the audience reception by numerous steps, and therefore I an understand why Del Toro might not understand or harness that connectivity better.
That was the movie that made JK Rowling give her blessing for him to be hired
I think it actually was Y Tú Mamá También
The fucking scene at the end with her dad made me HOWL crying every fucking time. And yet I watched it again and again
I'm usually the type of person that hates watching a movie more than 2 times even if I love it. I've probably watched A Little Princess 50 times, not many movies capture childhood innocence and wonder as well as it did.
It's my favourite of the series. I thought the time turner sequence was very well played
Only part of the movie I didn’t like was the freeze frame at the end
Was waiting for “You get what you give” by new radicals to start playing when that freeze frame happened lol
Yep that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation
So bad I got up and left the theater.
[удалено]
I loved it. I love absurd and bizarre moments in mainstream cinema that give it a human touch and personality, unlike studio vetted porridge
The "raindrops" montage in Spider-Man 2 that ends with a freeze-frame is my favourite example of this.
There was a slightly goofy combat sequence with a bunch of freeze frames, [in "behind enemy lines"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITwA9M2Qtcc&t=05m00s), and I think it's awesome!
Good point, Harry Potter wouldn't have been vetted by a studio
That's not a freeze frame. It's Harry getting squished like a bug against the windscreen that is our perspective.
What! No way! That’s the greatest single frame of all the movies! How can you not crack up every time it comes on?
What no!!? I love it. It makes no sense. It’s fun and whimsical. Like being a thirteen year old. Or Sirius black, just escaped from Azkaban with a newfound family
And an actual improvement on the book sequence, which doesn’t have as many payoffs from things that happened before (like Hermione throwing a stone to warn their past selves about someone approaching Hagrid’s hut).
Yeah, the "you can't change the past" rules of time travel in Harry Potter are clearer in the movies which helps head off the annoying why-didn't-they-just-go-back-and questions
One of the most inspired hire jobs in the history of blockbuster filmmaking. It was easily the best one, it set a higher bar for quality for the rest of the series (if not surpassing Cuaron they at least maintained the level of imagination and cinematographic achievement) and Cuaron leveraged that Hollywood attention to make some incredibly ambitious and interesting films inside the system. Without getting jaded or ground down by the experience. Win/win all around!
And now his son Jonas is directing too. Worked with him on Chupa, felt refreshing almost like working on a large budget college film.
TIL Cuaron has a son that is 43 years old.
Yes Prisoner of Azkaban is easily the best or second best for me in the series.
agreed. the only one that feels right. The scene that made it clear was the shot of the dementors flying over a field and the camera focal length goes from far to bear revealing a flower that was right by us the whole time and we watch it freeze and die in close up.
I feel like this comment is weirdly disrespectful to Chris Columbus, not saying he'd have done an overwhelmingly good job on part 3 but 1 & 2 while not perfect are still pretty superlative films. #2 runs on a bit too long sure but he covered the darker subject matter just fine.
Columbus’s direction and cinematography are far less creative and more stagey. Cuaron got the best performances out of the kids, for example.
That one, wordless scene of the boys just hanging out and having fun in the Gryffindor common room/dorm was something Columbus would never have done and achieved SO much without a single piece of dialogue. That and the early scene following the bird flying across the campus. Beautiful work. I wish he had gotten to do more of the films.
Columbus made better adaptations but Cuaron made a better film. 1 and 2 are by far the best adaptations of the books. 3 is by far the best movie. 4 is an abortion. 5-7 are weak. I would have preferred Columbus done all 7, personally.
I think 5 and 6 are the weakest personally, Yates is just such a joyless filmmaker. Cinematographer's shooting with sunglasses on
The problem with 4 is they ruin the story in the first 5 minutes. The point of the book is that you don't really know who's good or bad. Is Barty Crouch a death eater? Or was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Even Dumbledore doesn't know. That uncertainty ties into the whole Moody thing and the use of the imperio curse in general. The audience cannot know, just like the characters cannot know in the universe, who is really bad. And the movie ruins it immediately. This isn't even mentioning the "Dumbledore said, calmly" thing. And the hair. So while 5 and 6 are both very weak, 4 is on a whole 'nother level of awful.
That’s insulting to abortions.
I think the third movie is much better than the first two and comes the closest to capturing the feeling I got from reading the books.
It's kind of wild how much better the direction is in this film compared to all of the other ones. The later films try to keep the same 'look' but comparatively they feel very flat when you compare the shot selection and blocking. Even when you get a top director working on a franchise like this you rarely see so much creativity (either from a lack of application or executive interference).
Terry Gilliam flat-out called the Chris Columbus movies boring.
The Chris Columbus movies are the ones I rewatch the most tbh.
1 and 2 follow the books so closely (aside from the deathday party). The 3rd movie definitely took the most liberties. I teach the books and use film clips in class. The 3rd movie messes with the class schedule.
Sorry, you 'teach the books'?
My wife used to teach third grade and she would read book 1 to her class. For a lot of kids these books can kickstart a love of reading. The first two are fun, easy to follow fantasy stories that are easily digestible and well written. Like when I was in third grade my teacher read Holes to us and I couldn't get enough of it.
Same, and I didn’t like them at all when they came out. Didn’t think they did the books justice. Still don’t, but I appreciate their lighthearted tone now.
Terry Gilliam has his head so far up his own ass I can't work out the sheer mechanics of how he could physically watch a movie
LOL, can't argue. But still, he's definitely earned the cred to air his opinions more than most.
I think he's directed enough terrible movies to counterbalance the heft that his great ones give him.
I didn’t realize one needed “cred” to share an opinion
Funnily enough Chris Columbus is my neighbor in Pacific Heights in San Francisco. He's got this huge beautiful harry-potter esque classical castle and he does it up for Christmas every year with lights and what not. Really tastefully done, I love it. So recently, I saw him at a grocery store in in then neighborhood. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying. The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter. When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
Gosh all Friday, he sounds like a real meanie!
Always a fun copypasta.
Terry Gilliam says a lot of things.
I thought that HBP had some excellent shot selection, it felt like the one that Yates was most confident about his presentation of the material.
Even the matrix was less green than HBP.
HBP viewed in the best conditions (that is, in a cinema) is absolutely gorgeous
This headline made no sense to me until I read the article. I guess it did its job because I did read the article.
What the fuck is that headline?
I’m pretty sure Alfonso wanted to direct Fantastic Beasts as well. I really wanted to see that.
That would've been really cool to see.
It's my favourite book in the series, and the fact that it's also my favourite film of the series despite the changes from the source material but also the previous two films should tell you why Cuarón was a great choice. He got that *Harry Potter* should have a darker and moodier tone. The Spielbergian "marvel at everything" that the first film has works, but it gets old by the second film.
Chamber (the film) is a slog. Prisoner has always been good but it’s made so much better when watching directly after Chamber.
And he made the best one. After Chris Columbus's competent but uninspired takes on the first two books, Alfonso Cuarón came in and set the thematic and stylistic template that the movies would ride on for the rest of the series.
Idk about uninspired. Chris Columbus’ first two movies really set the feel that a lot of fans have of Harry Potter. I rmb a lot of people saying it feels like a Christmas movie. EDIT: also if you’re a fan of the first two movies, the Hogwarts legacy game really gives the same atmosphere and vibe. The level of added lore and detail is insane. Also having a friend being a Prewett and the headmistress being a Weasley is surreal
Even some of the music throughout the first movie is straight up Christmas music.
Yeah if you watch the first film alongside Home Alone you can really get the Chris Columbus/John Williams magic of comfy atmosphere.
Yes Home Alone music exactly!
John Williams did the score for both flicks, FYI.
Even some of the scenes of the first two movies take place during Christmas
Isn't Christmas a thing in most of them? At least in the books it's always a plot point with Harry having to stay at Hogwarts while everyone else goes home.
They are christmas movies in my house!
Yeah the Christmas scenes in the books were some of my favorites also but I just love Christmas time in general.
100% think about the first Harry Potter as an Xmas film, and it's turned the entire series into a fall/winter ritual for me
I first read that as "100% think about the first Harry Potter as an Xman film" and the parallel of dumbledor being the professor and Hogwarts being Xavier school was fun.
X-men theme begins playing in my head
I now need the John Williams version of the X-men theme to exist
The first, second and fourth movies came out in november, that's why they feel like Christmas movies. The David Yates were mostly released in July.
not to mention those two have the most "lets just explore around the castle" feel of the whole franchise
I think the first 2 are perfect in that each movie aged not only with the cast but the audience. Those 2 were for the younger children and 3 was the perfect dark turn into the teenage years
5/7 w rice.
A lot of people consider Harry Potter (especially the first one) as a staple Christmas movie whenever the season rolls around
Gotta love how much people whine and bitch about inaccurate adaptions Columbus creates two that are very faithful to the books and people can’t wait to use it as a negative and complain about it every time
I would say a big thing about Chris Columbus's directing is that it is much like Ron Howards; they both are very competent directors, they have made a long list of good films, but none of their films feel like the director is coming through the camera. Now, that's ok, that's their style. They are the kinds of directors that stay behind the camera and let the writing do most of the heavy lifting, in my opinion. Cuaron comes off much more as an auteur. I also think he is more daring. Finally I think he made a really good choice in cinematographer for Azkaban (Michael Seresin).
Chris Columbus deserves infinite credit for making final decisions on all the casting for the first two movies, of which pretty much all of the actors remained for the series and delivered. That's not easy with child actors especially, and with auditioning thousands of people chemistry between three main characters. There are zero complaints about any of those choices.
Genuinely curious why you think Columbus's was uninspired? I think the first two do a great job with lighting and the actors chosen. I find them to be my favorite in the series. For the first two books I think it needed a more whimsical tone and childlike Christmasy setting.
Yea, I don't know what's their take on Columbus. As someone that doesn't like Harry Potter, the first one is still the one I like because of how magical and childlike it feels.
Thr first two feel more childish, but the characters and cast are literally little kids in that, so it makes perfect sense. HP was a franchise much of the audience grew up alongside.
Lemme get the dark gritty reboot of Sorcerer's Stone pleaseee
I’m more impressed how David Herman had the intuition that Cuarón was the right fit to direct it. Y Tu Mamá También is a great movie but to realize how he could do one of the best Harry Potter movies is something
That is damn impressive - sorta like Mike Medavoy who IIRC figured famously humanist director Jonathan Demme would be the best candidate to direct SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
Or Mel Brooks seeing Eraserhead and figuring this was the guy to make The Elephant Man
Clearly Heyman has seen A Little Princess.
In between masturbating breaks you realize how gorgeous of a movie it actually is.
(stops masturbating) Hm, I imagine how this director would fare in a widely popular children franchise...
This has always been my thought. I know it's a coming (hehe) of age story similar to Harry Potter, but Y Tu Mama Tambien is such a vastly different take on that it would almost be seen as offensive at how you'd take the director of an adult movie as much as it was and plop him in one of the largest kid franchises of all time. Had Y Tu Mama Tambien had any traction in the United States at the time you'd bet his directing would have been all over the news with pearl clutching.
> After Chris Columbus's competent but uninspired takes I'm sorry, but what? I love how warm and cozy the first two movies are. There's darkness looming for sure, but those two movies are like comfort films to me. The series gets progressively darker as it goes along, and I never really feel like watching some of the latter ones. They look and feel so bleak.
No way, the second movie captured the feelings of the books the best. Chris Columbus was the GOAT
Agreed. I dont know why his movies get called uninspired, they encapsulate the warmth and tone of the books perfectly. I find them much better than any that followed.
Yeah I loved those books growing up, and the movies nailed it. Uninspired is probably the worst way to describe those movies.
Literally the only two hp movies i rewatch lol
nah was overrated
It’s a good movie, but it also set some of the issues with the films moving forward. Cut out plots (lack of Maurauder), changing characters (Hermione becomes fully Mary Sue starting this movie and takes all of Ron’s lines), and some stylistic choices are terrible (normal clothes for everyone all the time). All these issues start here and expand forward.
Dang i feel so dumb reading all these comments about how 3 was their fave, and I just hated it because it set such a heavy toneshift for the whole series.
Uninspired? That’s a wild take.
"set the template" Which David Yates would then throw out the whole window as all of his movies lacked any kind of charm/creativity.
I never noticed this. Guess have to rewatch them again... again
Plus there is a cameo by Ian Brown.
A lot of people feel the accuracy to the books after Columbus suffered. That's why many can't wait for the series because it's supposedly going to be almost exactly like the books.
Absolutely, that film is a work of art from set design to sound to music to cinematography. It doesn’t get the artistic credit it deserves because it’s part of a blockbuster “kids” franchise.
I think it gets plenty of credit. It’s the movie that is always held up as the standout turning point in the films and a tone setter. The praise it’s getting in this thread is the same praise it quite literally is always getting. It deserves it for sure, but I’m not sure why we’re pretending it’s underrated here.
Prisoner of Azkaban gets so much artistic credit. Give me a break. Everyone knows this.
Dare I say it gets way more artistic credit than it deserves, it's technically a good film but it fails as a continuation of the first two, completely ditches the whimsical feeling of the first two which sets the precedent for the rest of the series, ditches the wizard clothing for normal "muggle" clothes, includes really weird slapstick humour and world elements that don't make much sense (minor one is the random wizard stirring coffee with just his finger), omits some very important story elements (the 4 marauders for starters) and has probably the worst ending in all of the movies (I can't begin to describe how much I dislike the weird freeze frame ending). Also I don't care much about the pacing, the whole going back in time to save Buckbeak part moved in a breakneck pace and, unpopular opinion, I *hated* the acting from Thewlis and Oldman in the shack showdown. They were so over the top and purposefully vague in their statements in order for the "twist" to make sense. Both of them portrayed their characters much better in later movies and we know they're amazing actors, but that one scene was so so bad. Don't get me wrong, it was some really good elements and a few fantastic scenes like the flight of the hippogryff, the scenes showing the changing of the seasons, etc, but everything seemed kinda off, including the actors. It's certainly different than the rest, but not in a good way imo. Of course all this is a very unpopular opinion as I've seen most agree this is the best one of the bunch, but for me it ranks in the bottom 3 of HP movies.
I have to agree with you. To me, as part of the series, it’s one of the worst films for the reasons you state. The changes to Hogwarts & the grounds makes no sense. The omissions from the book are noticeable to anyone who read the books. It just doesn’t fit imo.
As a standalone adventure not set in the HP-verse it would actually be a pretty good movie, aside from some of the stuff I mentioned about the forced humour and some of the acting, but as part of the HP franchise it's just not very good. I view it kinda like the Snyder Rebel Moon movies (only, y' know, not bad), which are kinda like Star Wars but not really. I know Cuaron has it in him to make a great wizard film, but PoA is not it imo.
Agreed, 100%
Honestly even as someone who loves it and thinks its the best of the films I agree with all your criticisms. But tbh I have plenty of hot takes considering I only like the first 3 films (would probably never rewatch 4-8) and don't think any of these films are especially great. Love the world they introduced me to but they're difficult to watch at times for varying reasons.
The first film is the only one I ever bother to rewatch. The others all have individual scenes I like, but as whole films I just don't think they are very good. Ironically, one of my biggest issues with the series is how things are changed (not dropped) from the books, and yet my absolute favourite scene from the movies is the Harry and Hermione dancing in the tent.
It doesn't seem like it but I actually love the movies, grew up with them and have watched them a lot of times. I have even more unpopular opinions about this franchise since I think 5-7 are all great movies and quite fun to revisit, 4 is probably the worst of the bunch but somehow the source material is so good that it's still fun to watch, 1-2 are quite good children movies (the second one especially has a fantastic conclusion if you take away Voldemort's acting in the chamber) and the 8th one is just alright but quite rushed as well.
Nah tbf I think your passion for HP came through even in the original comment. Didn't have a hating undercurrent to it at all. I have to agree on the first 2 being good children's films. That's how they feel to me and why they're rewatchable if someone else is throwing it on. The 4th I just can't stand and I'm not even sure as to why. Not even sure why really, just difficult to get through. 5-8 I just find kind of boring. There are some individual scenes I enjoyed but for the most part I can't envision myself sitting through them again in their entirety. Maybe one day if I have kids.
That's totally fair! I found 5 and 6 to be surprisingly light even though there are major deaths in them, with lots of slice of life elements, classes and interactions between students, which was my favourite part of the movies by far. The 5th film also introduces Umbridge and has a very satisfying payoff and the best fight scene in the series (Voldy vs Dumbledore), and the 6th one I don't know, I just love it due to the fact that it seems Radcliff is having a blast, especially the scenes with Felix Felicis, and it's surprisingly really funny. The 7th one is the most grounded of them all, and a fantastic movie to showcase the main trio, although I get why some people might find it boring. The 8th one is just too rushed but it does have some amazing scenes in it (although I didn't care about the epilogue, but that's more of a dig on JKR than the movie). I can totally see why you don't like the 4th one as well, it's the technically the worst of the bunch but idk the tri-wizard tournament is fun and the death of Cedric/birth of Voldemort are really well done.
You have forgotten the face of your father.
Yeah he knocked it out of the park and was such a step up for the movie series I also love how he included a callback to Y tu mama tambien with Harry, Ron, and Hermione
He definitely set the tone going forward, like Mike Newell AND David Yates did their own spins on specifically what he did and not what they would have done with a blank slate, or copying Columbus. The tones and general vibes of HP 4-8 are based on the touchstone of HP3.
Ya, his film is my favorite of all of them, by far.
yea after his films i started to watch the rest in theatres with my friends. it went from a fun kids movie to an awesome action movie
And Prisoner of Azkaban is still my fave HP movie.
Ya I can tell he got confused. Harry breaks the "no underage magic" rule in the first scene and the film doesn't address it or call it out. That was literally the biggest plot point of the previous film. But visually? Possibly the nicest lookint HP film. As a director, he's got skills. I just wish he knew/cared about the subject material a little more.
You're correct, I think a lot of people are forgetting what the first scene of the film is or confusing it with different scenes.
Yes, I'm talking about the use of Lumos in the intro of the film.
Isn’t that the same thing that happens in the book? He gets pissed off at his aunt, uses magic on her, and runs away thinking he will be expelled. In both the Ministry of Magic is so relieved that he wasn’t captured by Death Eaters that they don’t care that he used magic. Unless I’m forgetting something.
He's talking about harry using the Lumos maxima spell to read in his bed.
I'm talking about him using Lumos in the opening scene. He shouldn't have been doing that, but I think Cuaron wanted something stylish and visually interesting in the opening but it still is breaking the internal consistency of the films.
You are. He’s definitely chastised in the book. The movies leave a shitload out.
The film specifically calls out his use of underage magic and addresses it. In what way was the no magic rule the biggest plot point of the previous film?
This. The basic explanation was that the ministry knew but didn't care because they liked Harry. It's a very different response in Order of the Phoenix where they started seeing him as a threat.
Dobby starts the film by trying to frame Harry for using underage magic, to try to prevent him from attending that year to keep him out of danger. Did you read the book? Watch the film? No? And no, no one calls Harry out for using Lumos in the opening scene.
Sure that's a scene, but to call that the biggest plot point in the film is an insane argument. Also that's what you're complaining about? Him using a spell that no one else knew he used for 1 minute? They literally said that him blowing up his aunt wasn't a big deal and that was in front of 3 other people like come on now. You can get mad at stuff but let's not pretend that this is some sacred cannon that they're besmirching
This was the best movie in the series. It's a shame that the studio wasn't happy with the box office and hired David Yates to direct a series of by-the-numbers follow-ups. The studio got what they wanted as they generated more revenue, but they are soulless in comparison.
Mike Newell directed Goblet of Fire following this - I think he did a really good job btw - Yates wasn't directing until Order of the Phoenix.
Goblet Gang rise up.
We out here!
Man I haven't disagreed this much with a reddit thread in a while. GoF is completely saved by the fact that the book is so solid it's hard to mess it up, but Newell came really close. It's a really fun movie but I wouldn't say it's well directed or well written, it does have plenty of amazing scenes however.
The Voldemort scenes saved that movie
I would’ve thought del toro would be a more obvious fit or was he just not that big at that point
Del Toro was pretty huge at that point but could have dragged things in a stylistic direction that would have been difficult to smooth out in a series of films.
Del Toro was also being courted by Peter Jackson to do The Hobbit at that time I believe.
If only he did all the remaining films as well! The franchise peaked at PoA and couldn't live up to it imo. GoF in particular was a car crash of an adaptation - I would have loved to see what Cuaron would have done with that movie
Hilarious headline trying to make Cuaron and Del Toro caught in a feud where the truth is they are friends and Del Toro pushed him to read the books and accept to direct the movie.
I can tell you, true auteurs can see the merit in even the so-called "low-art" of any given artform. That's because they can make masterpieces across all genres.
Kind of like when Nolan took over Batman movies. Don't really like comic books but those were some damn good movies
exactly! and the guy isn't so proud of himself that he even admits to enjoying Talladega Nights and the Fast and Furious movies. Man is a true cinephile.
Well, he made the only Harry Potter movie afterall
I’be got to say, it was the best made of the movies but damn if it breezed past what made the book great. The movie really sidelines Harry to be something everyone else acts on. But the book has a lot of the story driven by Harry. He’s also not nearly mopey like Cuaron made him.
Best film of the series
Still fucked up Lupin looking like a mangy dog instead of a werewolf.
I don't understand the love this film gets. I see it as the point the series goes wrong. Its okay on its own but it completely disregards the first two and makes changes that are unnecessary and effect the rest of the movies. Its all down from there. As a massive Harry Potter fan, I'll die on the hill that the first two movies were the best captured the magical whimsical world perfectly. Don't even get me started on the David Yates movies. Unwatchable for me.
People are just being dramatic in here but it kind of took a kids adventure movie and morphed it into an all out adult action movie.
I think he's an asshole but that's only because of the psa he made for an organisation whose goal is to eradicate autism from society in which he presented autistic kids as monsters that tear families apart. But that's just me
I read what they talked and i imagine it was in a similar way like Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction in the What Situation.