Hollywood Zenith

Chapter 201 Film Critics

The party is on a high note, with Samuel gaining a new friend. For now, this person was more of a person of interest in his mind than an actual 'friend'. Simon and Audrey were surprised when they saw their son arguing with Samuel.

Their son had also taken an interest in Samuel. Sensing an opportunity, they scheduled to meet regularly until the Rothschild family left for England. It would be good if both of them could spend some time together.

The following day most of the cast and crew left for the UK, and the Moore family also left along with them. They wanted to stay within their welcome; Aaron also had a restaurant to run. Taking too much time off could affect their business.

Hannah was reluctant to leave; her puppy eyes almost convinced everyone. In the end, Carol had to drag her away. She was not named 'Carol the Tyrant' for nothing.

Most of the Rothschild family stayed behind because of Eleanor; she would not let her 'prey' escape, not that they were in her 'territory'. Even the mighty Rothschild family had to give a face to the local ruler.

It didn't help that she planned the whole week of activities they would do. Apparently, She was planning this for months. Samuel could have refused, but he knew she would be heartbroken.

So, for a week, they toured around the country. It was more like flying from one big town to another while enjoying luxury. It was Samuel's first time travelling this extensively, and he quite liked the unique experience.

Private jets, enormous hotels, supreme gourmets and reprimanding some ignorant fools they did every single one of them. Through this experience, Samuel realizes the extent of his maternal family.

Eleanor, who was feared when someone spotted her and her daughter, Laura, who got almost the same reception, were a symbol of worship wherever they went. Add to that the flair of Rothschild, and you indeed had a deadly combination.

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After a week, Samuel was browsing through the reviews. He had asked someone to collect every newspaper and entertainment magazine from grasping the film reception.

In this day and era, the print media was still prevalent and had the power to sway people's opinions. It was a day before the earnings release and a perfect time to know his movie's impact.

" Let's look at the online forums first."

He immediately found a trusted platform.

"We are huge fans of Harry Potter. We've read all the books multiple times. We buy Harry Potter-themed games and talk at length about the trials and tribulations of the Harry Potter world.

We held out as long as possible for the movie; fortunately, it was our daughter's 8th birthday when we went to see it.

We are SO glad we did. It is an entirely different experience when you watch a movie in the theatre. My daughter walked away talking about all the parts from the book missing from the film, but she loved it just the same.

We want to give it full stars as we enjoyed being able to keep the magic of Harry Potter alive with a new medium."

It looked like a family person as he described watching the movie with his daughter. Samuel was glad that they liked it.

Thousands of reviews and responses were littered across the internet; every single one was positive. Samuel deliberately looked for someone who didn't like the movie. After a few minutes of searching, he found it.

He wanted to know why they didn't like it and if he could be able to do anything better in the next one.

"I have read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone nine times, and my brother Ben, who is 10, has read it five times. When I heard that there was going to be a film, I was apprehensive that it wouldn't be anything like I had imagined it.

But I needn't have been so worried. I spent the first 20 minutes noticing some of the things they had missed, but then I decided just to sit back and enjoy it.

What was amazing was how much the actors looked like the characters. I thought Hermione seemed precisely right, though my brother thought she was too pretty. She was hilarious and incredibly bossy. Ron was a bit chubbier than I expected, but his face was perfect. I did wish that Harry's hair stuck up a bit more."

" Hair stuck up more? That is their complaint?" Samuel was baffled reading it. He continued.

" I particularly loved all the things in the classrooms. It was great to finally see how they looked, but a shame they kept jumping from one scene to another. When reading the book, you have time to enjoy all the tiny details - like the food in the feasts or the information on the wizard cards. In the film, it rushes by.

I can't believe I'm feeling this, but the problem with the film was that they kept too close to the book. The director has thrown in a little bit of everything, which meant some of the atmospheres of the book were lost because important scenes needed to be longer.

Norbert, the baby dragon, was only in it for a minute and is one of my favourite characters. It would have been better to cut out a few things altogether and let some other scenes run on a bit longer.

Ultimately, we all cheered, and I wondered when I would see it again. I'll not likely watch it nine times, but it will undoubtedly be one of my favourite films.

It was a mixed bag; Samuel understood that it was nearly impossible to include everything from the source material without stretching the movie into oblivion. But he, too, felt that some scenes could be extended to make the event more immersive.

He looked at a funny one who played more like an advertisement than a review.

" Are you one of the book's legions of fans? Rest assured: You'll enjoy the movie. Screenwriter Steve Kloves and director Chris Columbus have taken no chances and no risks, simply transposing as much of Rowling's 300-plus page story as possible into 2½ hours of screen time."

" Was he telling me to solve a questionnaire? Why is he asking so many questions?" Samuel chuckled while reading it.

" Are you suspicious of or hostile to the book's treatment of magic and/or moral issues? You already know you aren't going to see the movie.

Young Harry Potter is still a wizard-in-training, attending Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. He still breaks many rules, and Hermione still covers for him with a pointless lie when there was no reason to hide the truth."

He moved on to the newspapers and shifted through their entertainment sections. Most of them were positive, but one of them stood out.

"To be honest, when I first learned that the Christmas slot offered only one movie, I thought it was a complete disaster. The audience cannot choose their favourite film in the cinema; this is a moral kidnapping.

But I realised the reality when I watched "Harry Potter" from beginning to end. It is no exaggeration that any movie currently waiting to be released will be affected by it. It is bound to completely destroy and annihilate its competitors.

I hope you will witness the birth of a franchise with your own eyes. Replicating the same feat would be hard for posterity."

All newspapers were praising the movie, without exception, it can be said that "Harry potter" has made brilliant achievements so far. With its recipe for success, Samuel could expect good news tomorrow.

While he was immersed in reading, Eleanor snuck into his room. There was little time left before Samuel left for London. She wanted to spend more time with him as they would not be able to see each other for quite a while.

" Sami, What are you doing? Everyone is waiting for you downstairs." Her sudden voice frightened Samuel

" Ah, You scared me."

" Hmm, are you researching something?" She asked, seeing the table filled with papers.

" Nothing like that; I was reading some reviews."

" Oh! Anything interesting?"

" Very positive, the movie is a success!"

" Good." Samuel stood up, getting ready to head down, when a paper fell toward the floor. Eleanor caught it mid-air and gave it a glance.

" Columbus knows his spells as well as Harry's brainy crony Hermione, but he doesn't quite have the little wizard's knack for making magic. Although the director has lovingly re-created the wondrous world of the novel, in the process, its whimsy, immediacy and warmth have gone poof."

" What the hell is this?" She said after reading the first few lines.

" After vowing to remain faithful to Rowling's vision...

.....

.....didn't write a screenplay so much as cautiously string the book's chapters together like imitation pearls."

" Imitation?"

" Although Harry (Sam Moore) confronts all manner of exotic demons over the movie's 2 1/2 hours, he defeats the cruellest of these within the first 90 minutes. Not even the final battle between the hero and the arch-villain, Lord Voldemort, can live up to Harry's earlier escape from his callous Aunt Petunia, his bullying Uncle Vernon and his bratty cousin."

She finished reading it and turned to the first page.

" Grandma? Is something wrong?" Samuel didn't like the look on her face.

" They dared to disrespect my grandson!" She exclaimed.

" What?"

" Washington Post! Those Graham fellows really have the guts to provoke me." Eleanor was saying some dreadful things.

" Grandma, calm down. It's okay. Do they even know my actual identity? Besides, It's a critic's job to be critical, right?" Samuel tried to persuade her. He knew what she could do; she would buy the whole company just to have the last laugh.

" You are right. Sorry, I am a little on edge because you are leaving soon."

" I understand. Let's head down; everyone must be waiting for us."

"Ok"