'Monsters' fans see a bit of 2 hot films
November 3, 2001
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times

        Fans eager for a sneak peek at the big-screen antics of Harry Potter and Anakin Skywalker got their chance when "Monsters, Inc." opened at theaters nationwide Friday.
        Lucasfilm Ltd. created an exclusive teaser trailer for "Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones" to accompany the new animated Disney/Pixar film.
        About 150 moviegoers--ranging in age from preschool to retirement--turned out for a matinee screening of "Monsters, Inc." at 600 N. Michigan Loews Cineplex. The trailer for "Star Wars" elicited little response beyond a few clapping hands.
        "I thought it was pretty cool," said David Lawrence, 18. "I didn't know [the trailer] would be shown at this movie, though. It was a nice bonus."
        In the 30-second trailer, images of stars Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson and Ewan McGregor flash on the screen to the sound of Darth Vader's trademark heavy breathing. A second teaser for the "Star Wars" prequel (which will open next May) will debut Friday at www.starwars.com. A longer trailer is expected to precede "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which opens Nov. 16.
        A "Potter" trailer also was shown before "Monsters, Inc." "That wasn't a big deal," said Samantha Eng, 15. "I saw that on the Internet a while ago. I wish they'd come up with something new."
        No one left the theater after the previews. A sign at the entrance warned that refunds would not be given for patrons purchasing tickets for "Monsters, Inc."
        Inexplicably, the trailer that received the biggest response was for the little-hyped Pixar animated film "Ice Age." The audience squealed in delight and laughed as a hapless squirrel raced a avalanche to save his beloved acorn.
        After the trailer ended, a teenage boy familiar with rabid fans attending movies just to see high-profile trailers joked to his friends, "Let's leave now."

 Rolling away the stone on film tidbits
November 8, 2001
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times

        It's just eight days before "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" opens nationwide. Are you ready?
        If not--or if you want to bone up on all things Potter--check out the following Internet sites:

        * Reading is fundamental! Let your fingers do the trolling at the official Potter book site: www.scholastic.com/harrypotter. The kid-friendly site provides CliffsNotes-like versions of each book for all you silly parents who don't know what the kids are talking about. There's also a cute discussion chamber where the kiddies can ask pressing Potter related questions. Kiersten, 13, asks: "In 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' Harry has to go through a series of obstacles to get to the precious stone. If you could, what challenge would you make up for the protection of the stone?"

        * There are a ton of images, facts and gossip from the books and film at www.hpgalleries.com/. There's a cool gallery of the various book jackets that were used for different countries. Harry looks like he's about 6 years old on the Lithuanian cover. His face doesn't even appear on the cover of the Czech Republic edition.

        * The message forum at "All Quidditch All the Time" (www.quidditch.cohas) attracts an excitable following of fans.  During a discussion about Emma Watson, who plays Harry's gal pal Hermione, one male got a little too enthusiastic about the young actress. The response? Spider-we033@aol.com said it all: "Yo, sick boy. Emma Watson is 10 years old!"

        * If you think there's going to be some kind of romance between Ron and Hermione, you're wrong, wrong wrong! How do we know? 'Cause we read www.harrypotter.ws/ --which ferrets out fact from fiction.

        * Besides having the cutest name in the world, Mugglenet (www.mugglenet.com/) offers fun, chatty info with easy-to-navigate links. It loads pretty quickly, too, even without cable modem or DSL.

        * Fans have put up some of the most creative Potter Web sites. Check out www.geocities.com/the-pottersite. We're not sure how old the creator is, but kudos for a sparkly, fun site with a thorough selection of collectibles for kids to point out to their parents just in time for the holidays.

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