Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - ep 91

Expecto patronum! Expelliarmus! Exfoliate-ess! Journey back to Hogwarts and the early stages of puberty with “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” the third installment in the J.K. Rowling-inspired movie franchise. It’s time to get SERIOUS in Harry Land thanks to director Alfonso Cuaron, hot off that other popular children’s franchise, “Y Tu Mama, Tambien.”

Yes, the future multi-Oscar winner Cuaron injects style and gravitas into the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermoine. Most notably – the movie actually features multiple outdoor locations! The “world” of Harry Potter finally extends beyond the castle walls without green screen (okay, there’s still some green screen).

“Prisoner of Azkaban” is widely regarded as the best movie in the franchise, and the Old Millennials discuss why it’s earned that reputation. Is this really the “best made” movie, or did having Alfonso Cuaron’s name on it boost its critical adoration?

Regardless, “Prisoner of Azkaban” features many memorable additions, including Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, the beginning of Michael Gambon as Dumbledore (replacing Richard Harris, RIP), Emma Thompson and David Thewlis as Lupin (although co-host Tyler might get him confused a few times with Rufus Sewell). Lots of CGI dogs and whatnot in this movie, but we also get a pretty dynamic time travel climax with some major “Back to the Future” vibes. Also Dementors! Those guys are jerks!

Tyler and Angela also have an extended discussion about the film’s “plot twist” involving Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. It’s a scene that left their 9-year-old daughter super confused, and Tyler kinda understands the sentiment. The Marauder Map gets discussed, which is a very morally questionable and powerful magical device where the user can see the location of EVERYONE in the castle at any given time. This world has such crazy powerful magic, and yet Harry can’t see a damn thing without his eyeglasses.

Also, for the third year in a row, Tyler and Angela marvel at the brilliance of Alan Rickman as Snape, and they continue to be sad about Rickman’s permanent absence from Planet Earth.

Check out our previous November episodes on Harry Potter below:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – Episode 23

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Episode 57

Also discussed in this episode

The Middleburg Film Festival
One Night in Miami (2020)
Minari (2020)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

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