‘Fantastic Beasts’ An Excellent Expansion of the ‘Harry Potter’ Universe

Photo: Bohm Theatre

When I first heard that “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was becoming a theatrical spinoff of that scar-faced boy wizard series, I rolled my eyes and groaned. I interpreted as many folks did, a cash grab that would be thrown together clumsily and without regard to artistic quality. All that mattered was the bottom line, and association with the biggest cultural juggernaut of the 2000s would mean that to meet the monetary expectations, little effort would be needed.

Rest assured, I referred to the “Harry Potter” franchise as I did in the first sentence in ironic jest. Like many of my generation, J.K Rowling gave me some of the fondest memories of my childhood and adolescence. I’ve read each book at least half-a-dozen times and I see the eight films, decent at worst (“Goblet of Fire”) and a masterpiece at best (“Prisoner of Azkaban”), are the standard bearer for serialized, long form cinematic storytelling. The scene in “Boyhood” where Ellar Coltrane and Lorelai Linklater attend the midnight release of the “The Half-Blood Prince” in costume gave me the biggest nostalgiagasm I can remember.

And to potentially besmirch all of that with “Fantastic Beasts,” which was subsequently announced to be a five-film series even before the first was released, is like if Da Vinci decided to do another portrait of the Mona Lisa when she was in her mid-80s, her beauty ransacked by time and age.

Review: ‘The Hateful Eight’

Photo: redcarpertcrash.com

Quentin Tarantino is becoming the new Alfred Hitchcock. Not in the sense of the man, but the name. If one is unfamiliar with “Rope” or “The Birds,” before sitting down to watch it, you can simply say “it’s a Hitchcock,” and they’ll gather a basic cloud of expectation.

Both directors leave such a vivid fingerprint of themselves on their work, their filmographies gain a reputation, and you can never review their films without speaking heavily of the men themselves.

Review: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (Spoiler Free)

Photo: Huffington Post

Foreword: When I say that this review is spoiler free, I mean that I won’t be giving away anything gasp-worthy, or what the trolls have been surreptitiously placing on random Reddit posts. However, I will be giving away background details, as much that’s revealed within the first act, which is my standard policy for reviews. But this is also being published after “The Force Awakens'” opening weekend, so let’s be real, you’ve seen it. I don’t you know why you would be reading this if you hadn’t. But if you are, thanks for the attention.

If the nearly quarter-billion in earnings from the opening weekend doesn’t prove that the release “Star Wars: the Force Awakens” isn’t the most anticipated event in 2015, then our standards of proof need to be re-measured.

I will admit that I chose not to ride the “Star Wars” hype-wing. My distrust of director J.J. Abrams following, at least what I saw, as a butchering of the “Star Trek” reboot quelled my expectations.  And although I was in first grade when it came out, I hadn’t forgotten what happened the world lost their minds for the new first chapter in a “Star Wars” trilogy.