The Great Harry Potter Liveblog Experiment Begins: Sorcerer's Stone

Somehow, I have never seen a Harry Potter movie before, well, right now. Over the next two days, though, I will be watching all six films leading up to Tuesday night's New York preview screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. And I will liveblog the entire experience right here because, well, why not? I'll be checking the comments if you have any words of explanation or encouragement. OK, let's start this thing with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

12:30 p.m. End credits! Do I have to watch these, too? OK, moving over to the Chamber of Secrets thread.

12:28 p.m. Please, please, someone tell me that the next five movies aren't just five more "House Cup" showdowns.

12:27 p.m. What a cop out ending. Harry, your house finished fourth, but here's some extra points. You actually win. (Also, only 50 points to Ron for self sacrifice -- that seems a little on the low side, no?)

12:24 p.m. Harry even gets old-timey candy in the recovery room. Where do they find this stuff? What if he just wanted a Mounds?

12:21 p.m. Oh, good, Harry won. Though, I would have been impressed if he was killed off somehow, and the rest of the movies didn't even have Harry Potter in them -- like the next Jason Bourne movie.

12:19 p.m. I have to admit, I always thought the stone would be bigger. I was imagining something the size of the one that pinned Aron Ralston in 127 Hours.

12:16 p.m. If someone had a second face on the back of their head, would you be more or less likely to be friends with that person?

12:15 p.m. I feel like I should be drinking alcohol.

12:14 p.m. Alan Rickman was trying to save Harry! I was tricked!

12:12 p.m. If Ron had actually died in this chess scene (I'm assuming he's not dead), would he be considered a martyr by all the Harry Potter fans and not kind of the goofball?

@Katey: Also, googling "lasik" to make sure I had the right spelling brough up images that remind me why I've never had lasik surgery.

@Katey: See, why can't they just conjure up a magic lasik machine?

12:03 p.m. I'm also curious as to why Harry decided, when he was preparing for this adventure involving three-headed dogs and magic trees, "you know, I'm going to wear chinos today."

12:01 p.m. Two hours in, I'm starting to realize why I never watched this movie before.

11:58 a.m. I'm curious, every scene where they say "Sorcerer's Stone," is there a British version where they had to say "Philosopher's Stone"?

11:52 a.m. OK, something that looks a lot like Darth Sidious just showed up.

11:51 a.m. My God, how long is this movie? It's almost been two hours and it doesn't feel like it's anywhere near being over.

11:50 a.m. I remember when my parents used to threaten me with the prospect of being sent off to Romania to live in a colony.

11:48 a.m. Oh, I'm sorry, "norwegian ridgeback."

11:47 a.m. Was not expecting to see a baby pterodactyl hatch during this movie.

11:43 a.m. Honestly, why does having magic powers mean that you have to live without any modern technolgies?

11:40 a.m. That was a nice moment in the mirror with Harry's parents. Not much for conversation, but still nice.

11:35 a.m. I'm not saying whom just yet, but someone at Movieline is getting a sweater with a big letter R on it for the holidays.

11:33 a.m. Could Harry Potter use his powers to correct his eyesight? This is a serious question.

11:30 a.m. Harry Potter has ruined that style of scarf just like Indiana Jones has ruined fedoras. Impossible to wear without being labled a nerd.

11:27 a.m. Alan Rickman trying to sabotage Harry. Or, Alan Rickman -- just doing Alan Rickman sorts of things.

11:24 a.m. This game reminds me of the pod race in The Phantom Menace.

11:23 a.m. If I were Harry, I would have absolutely no confidence that my glasses would stay on the whole time.

11:19 a.m. Good to know: When attacked by a troll, a stick up the nose will defeat it.

11:17 a.m. Whatever this creature is that Harry is fighting, I do like that he took the time to put on a vest before he went on a destructive rampage.

11:15 a.m. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting the amount of vaudevillian prat falls. Yes, this is definitely directed by the guy who wrote Jingle All the Way.

11:11 a.m. The Golden Snitch. I think there was a guy in high school who had that nickname.

11:06 a.m. And if anyone is wondering, yes, this does feel like a movie by the director of Mrs. Doubtfire.

11:05 a.m. By definition, anyone with blond slick backed hair, no matter how old, is an assh*le.

11:01 a.m. Poor Ron. I've never seen this movie but I just knew that he was going to get smacked in the face with a broom stick.

10:59 a.m. Couldn't one of the wizards use their magic powers to conjure up a ball point pen instead of having to use ink and a feather?

10:57 a.m. Alan Rickman. I think this movie just got 70 percent better.

10:55 a.m. I have to admit, I've always been jealous of Harry Potter's scarf. I wish I could look that good in a scarf.

10:54 a.m. It's always nice when a ghost has a good sense of humor about decapitation.

10:51 a.m. Can someone explain to me what this hat is talking about?

10:49 a.m. I should add, until today, I thought the guy's name was "Dumbledorf".

10:48 a.m. I like that the first announcement that Dumbledore gives is something about not going in the dark forest. I have to assume that someone goes into the dark forest.

10:46 a.m. I like that Minerva McGonagall actually wears a witch hat. Sure, it's a little obvious...

@Edward Douglas: How could anyone hate a movie with a young Rupert Grint in it?

10:39 a.m. So this train conductor gets angry because Harry asks where platform 9 3/4 is located, but people running into brick walls is normal?

10:35 a.m. Are any of the owls in this movie related to the owls in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole?

10:34 a.m. Harry's first wand seems to create the same result with one's hair as when I touched the giant electric ball at the science center in fifth grade.

10:32 a.m. You know, If I were Harry, I would have a HUGE ego. Everyone seems to know him and they all have been waiting for him.

10:29 a.m. I kind of like these goblin fellows. I wish I could have one around my apartment to take care of my affairs.

@Erin: Ah, Uncle Vernon. Got it. He's still a d*ck.

10:26 a.m. It seemed a little unnecessary for the Hillbilly Jim looking fellow to give Harry's cousin a tail.

10:24 a.m. "You told me that my parents died in a car crash." See, just like Uncle Owen! Just like Luke's dad was a "navigator on a spice freighter."

10:20 a.m. The kid that they got to play an 11-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, I must admit, looks just like him.

@milessilverberg: I did not read the books. So no blinding expectations...

10:16 a.m. So is Harry's dad kind of like Luke's Uncle Owen in Star Wars? Only without the moisture farm?

10:14 a.m. Harry's father tells Harry there's no such thing as magic. Considering there are seven more movies, I tend to think his dad is wrong.

10:12 a.m. So far this movie reminds of Home Alone, only with British accents and terrible parents.

10:10 a.m. I hope no one ever leaves a baby outside of my door, magic powers or not. I've gone through life being too careful about that sort of thing.

10:07 a.m. Why would a wizard steal light from a street lamp? The guy is asking to be mugged.

10:01 a.m. I'm worried about this first film. Everyone is telling me that's it's terrible? Is this true? Yesterday, someone who was defending it compared it to Sister Act and Beethoven. That did not raise my expectations.

10:00 a.m. According to the rating card, this first Harry Potter movie has "scary moments and mild language." This is good to know.

NEXT

· Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

· Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban