[Anchor] It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.
[Report]

It’s been 5 years since the last Harry Potter movie hit the screen, and since then, fans of the series have been unsure of what, if anything, was coming next. Well, the long wait is over, and by all measures, it’s been worth it.


Waiting a week so as not to compete at the box office is Love & Friendship, an adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s quirkiest novellas.


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Mike Laidman


Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.


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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016, David Yates)
The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York.


Basing an entire movie on the contents of a book only mentioned a few times in the Harry Potter universe might seem like a bit much, even by Hollywood standards, but don’t let that make you think that this is just a blatant cash-grab. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is good. And not just passable, but genuinely good within the context of the Harry Potter universe and movies in general.


The movie follows the adventures of writer Newt Scamander, author of the titular book, in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.


It isn’t perfect, but the minor quibbles are few and far in between. J.K. Rowling penned the screenplay for this newest movie, and she nimbly introduces a new world while presenting a sophisticated and somewhat dark origin story for her newest main character. The visuals are impressive, Eddie Redmayne shines as Newt Scamander, and the whole project comes off as enthralling and joyous - the perfect reintroduction to the world of witches, wizards, and Muggles after a long five-year wait.




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Love & Friendship (2016, Whit Stillman)
A fun, witty adaptation of Jane Austin’s ‘Lady Susan.’


Set in the 1790s, Love and Friendship centers on beautiful widow Lady Susan Vernon, who has come to the estate of her in-laws to wait out colorful rumors about her actions circulating through polite society. While there, she decides to secure a husband for herself and her rather reluctant daughter, Frederica. In doing so she attracts the simultaneous attentions of the young, handsome Reginald DeCourcy, the rich and silly Sir James Martin and the divinely handsome, but married, Lord Manwaring, complicating matters severely.


Love and Friendship snips out much of the typical romance from Austen’s work, and instead focuses on the witty, snappy dialogue. This is far from the usual staid adaptations of Austen. The humour is a bit acidic, and the ensemble cast comes together perfectly to create a truly funny movie about a beautiful, cunning woman, so adept and comfortable at scheming that it would be a mistake to cross her.