Author |
Message |
Hermione69
Member
07-24-2002
| Saturday, June 05, 2004 - 6:47 pm
Oh, and I thought the guy who played Stan on the Knight Bus was perfect! He was exactly as I pictured him!!!
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Tashakinz
Member
11-13-2002
| Monday, June 07, 2004 - 8:07 am
Three comments: First: Loved it, loved it, loved it! Second: Had a bit of a Mrs. Robinson minute when I saw the twins. They're growing up to be quite good looking young men lol. Third: Couldn't they have spent 30 seconds explaining why Lupin knew about the map?
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Faerygdds
Member
08-29-2000
| Monday, June 07, 2004 - 2:12 pm
quote:Second: Had a bit of a Mrs. Robinson minute when I saw the twins. They're growing up to be quite good looking young men lol.
I thought the same thing and have even told people that the most shocking thing in PoA was the Weasley Twins. Holy Cow! They looked SO different!!! Meanwhile Percy looked exactly the same! But otherwise I loved it BOTH times I saw it!!! Wonderfully done! It felt like they rushed through so much to get to the time turner part, but it all seemed to be worth it! Loved it loved it loved can't wait to buy the DVD loved it
quote:Third: Couldn't they have spent 30 seconds explaining why Lupin knew about the map?
Thank you Tashakinz!!! I complained about the same thing!
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Monday, June 07, 2004 - 4:30 pm
Going with daughter and grand daughter tomorrow. Can't wait!
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Nightcrawler
Member
02-12-2002
| Monday, June 07, 2004 - 7:48 pm
}THE MOVE WAS GOOD)} I wish they could have put more of the book in the move. I would have set throu a 4 hour move.(well 3hr 20min) I also would have liked to see what a blast end scrowt looked like. like Fare I thought they rushed the 1st part of the move. the Quidditch match was cut short to me. but all the same I liked it as the books get bigger I hope the moves get longer nc }}
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Mybbusername
Member
08-22-2002
| Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 12:22 pm
I too enjoyed the movie, but I think that they first two were more "true" to the books. Not that PoA didn't stay with the book, more that it omitted so much that I personally found important. I think they could have touched a little more on the Time Changer that Hermione used, I also thought the first part of the book was rushed. I also thought that so much emphasis was put on the Dursleys reaction to the murderer being loose in the book but the fact was completely ignored in the movie. The actors that portray Harry, Hermione, Ron and the rest of the kids are great, even if they are growing up fast...Ron especially, is perfect. But I was disappointed with Lupin and Black. Neither was quite what I had pictured. Especially Black-I did not find his movie self nearly as frightening as his book image. On the other hand, the movies werewolf was far better than what my little mind had come up with. At any rate, I will be paying to see it again this coming weekend, so I guess I can be added to the satisfied customer list.
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Calamity
Member
10-18-2001
| Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 4:33 pm
Nightcrawler: You didn't miss the skrewts - they don't appear until Book 4 . Well, I finally saw PoA last evening and thought it was fantastic! Flawed, yes, but still fantastic. For me, the first two HP movies were respectable but workmanlike. Processed, factory-line fantasy that just didn't dazzle either my senses or my imagination despite their visual flair and A-list actors. And while as a book-lover I appreciate Chris Columbus' desire to be as faithful as possible to JKR's words...movies aren't books, and his literal approach simply seemed to magnify the gap between the two mediums. Alfonso Cuarón soared where Columbus stumbled because Cuarón was daring enough to take some risks with his story. True, not all of those risks paid off but instead of being stuck on Columbus' kiddie park car ride that never left the track, Cuarón lured the audience into following him into his own bizarre, scary, funny, and emotional vision of JKR's world. (Makes me think of how I'd rather spend time hanging out with the free-wheeling twins than with by-the-book Percy anyday.) I definitely got the impression that this director appreciated the Map's directive that "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The question is: will the plot details he left out cause problems for the future movie sequels? New cast: I liked Gary Oldman's sympathetic but still mysterious Sirius but wasn't as keen about David Thewlis's bland Lupin. I always thought of Wormtail as rather revoltingly pathetic but Timothy Spall played up his coldly calculating and evil side - that last glimpse of his leering grin before he turned back into a rat gave me the shivers. Michael Gambon was a more powerful and inspiring Dumbledore although we still haven't gotten to see much of his character's sense of humor. Emma Thompson's virtual cameo as Trelawney was funny but incomplete and I'm not sure what people who are unfamiliar with the book will make of her prophecy. Returning cast: The kids are all much better in their roles although there's some messing around with their characters that I'm not sure I like. Poor Ron has virtually been reduced to comic relief and Hermione has gone from bookworm to super heroine. I've always been a Fred & George fan and think their talents will play an important role in the upcoming books so I was happy we finally got to see more than a glimpse of their characters (and yeah, they did look very handsome). Hagrid - what happened to him? He was way too calm during the scene leading to Buckbeak's execution!!! I loved Buckbeak; the Knight Bus; the Map; the flying sequences; the classroom scene with the Boggart; the Patronus scene at the lake!!; and the Dementors (well, I didn't love them but they looked perfect and were oh so eerie). Thought they handled Hermione's over-booked class schedule in a clever way too. Fun little touches were Ron's maroon sweater, the cosmic view of the sky in the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling, the ticking that could be heard in the background while Harry and Hermione were in the past, and the wand lighting up the title at the beginning of the movie and then extinguished as the end credits fade. The set designs were fabulous and the outdoor locations really added to the wonder of the movie. Things that bothered me: Harry's happy memory (what the h--- was that? was it one of the examples of foreshadowing that JKR mentioned?); Crookshanks not getting credit for figuring out about Sirius & Wormtail; not explaining James's animagus form or the origin of the Marauders Map.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 5:52 pm
It was okay. Like most movies based on a book, the book is always better.
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Reiki
Member
08-12-2000
| Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 7:36 pm
Just got home from seeing it and it was a good movie, but of course the book was far better. I waited and waited for Lupine to explain the map and the names on it to Harry. I deliberately didn't re-read the book before seeing this movie and it was nice not knowing exactly what should be happening when. I thought the movie moved too quickly if anything and would have like a little more exposition between the changes of season. Also, was this the book we learned about Snapes past experiences with Harry's father and his friends? Or is that the next book? Couldn't remember and thought only people who had read the books would get some of the looks from Snape. In the shreaking shack you could almost see the bullied Severus in the grown Snapes eyes when confronted by Black and Lupine. I did stay for the credits and thought it was very funny to watch the footprints. Watch carefully for a few LOL moments there. I did miss Richard Harris, but he has always been one of my favorite actors and his voice was so unique and so layered with texture. And those twinkling blue eyes revealed humour galore. Ah. This new Dumbeldore was fine, but even he would admit he is not the caliber of actor that Richard was. I will always miss Richard. Can't wait for the DVD!
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 8:31 pm
Saw it today. I sure wish Reader had not made a typo when she said it was a 1 hr. 21 min. movie. I guess she meant 2 hrs. 21 min. I had a hard time staying awake around the 1 hr. 40 min. mark. I think you have to be a big Harry Potter book enthusiast to enjoy these movies. I like but don't love the books. I am more enchanted by Rowling's inventive use of words. Bigdog would have just hated the movie. He has never read any of the books. I went alone. Loved the hippogrif.
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 8:58 pm
I am going on Friday to see the movie. I am a big "opening day" person -- saw the first two on their opening days, as well as all of the LOTR movies. So this is killing me... Can't wait until Friday. I'm always disappointed by movie adaptations of books, and usually don't like them, but am still looking forward to it. (I just read that "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" is being made into a movie and I'm heartbroken.)
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Sage
Member
07-20-2000
| Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 11:12 pm
I saw the movie by myself yesterday, and enjoyed it very much. I noticed the settings seemed to be changed from the previous movies, but I guess that's to be expected with a new director and such. Like Reiki, I didn't read the book beforehand, and was glad I didn't because I have that tendency to make comparisons too.
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Djgirl
Member
07-17-2002
| Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 8:08 am
Reiki, We don't learn about Snape's dealings as a teen until OotP - when he's tutoring Harry to block his mind. That's when Harry looks into the Pensieve and watches the taunting of Snape by his father and Sirius.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 9:21 am
When Harry was riding on Buckbeak and raised his arms above his head I was sure after he yelled 'Wahoo!' he was going to say, 'I'm the king of the world'. My daughter says that it will probably show up on the DVD outtakes.
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Reiki
Member
08-12-2000
| Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 9:21 am
Thanks Djgirl. It's hard to remember which book is which after awhile. Then that was really good forshadowing by Alan Rickman. Snape practically flinched when confronted by Black and Lupin.
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Calamity
Member
10-18-2001
| Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 9:41 am
Yeah, the movie's hurried and at times complete lack of explanation of the Remus/Peter/Sirius/James friendship, their rivalry with school-age Snape, who Moony/Wormtail/Padfoot/Prongs were, and the origin of the Map were serious missteps. (With such a major disclaimer, it sounds as if I should call the movie an utter failure, lol!) Re: Snape - I deliberately didn't comment on him because reiterating my dislike of his character gets tedious even to me. But in the movies, Snape simply doesn't antagonize me the way his character does in the books. That's not Alan Rickman's fault - the movies just never seem to show Snape's most truly awful moments. And in PoA, his p.r. campaign is in full swing again - not only does the movie show him reprimanding Draco (!!!) but it also glosses over his role in Sirius having to go on the run. You're right though, Reiki. As Rickman played him, Snape seemed more defensive and guarded than confrontational in the Shrieking Shack scene. I hate it when I feel sympathetic towards Snape! Oh, one other thing...time travel does tend to be a dodgy plot device when used to "fix" things. But with Harry's often reckless nature, I can't help wishing he'd ignore Hermione and stop the whole disaster from happening! I'm in the "the book is almost always better than the movie" camp too, but still try to keep an open mind. For me, Cuarón succeeded in making a movie based on JKR's book but I get why others may not agree. Last month I watched the (*cough*horrible*cough*) tv adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time and was most put out. Sometimes you luck out, other times you don't! Oh, I forgot to mention the trailers we saw: ~ The Polar Express - movie based on a book I dearly love and, here's payback for ya, the previews I've seen make me very nervous. ~ Around the World in 80 Days - I've read a couple of Jules Verne's books but not this one. Still, just from watching the trailer I'm guessing this movie is not going to be that faithful to the book, lol. ~ A Series of Unfortunate Events - I only know the first book. Jim Carrey looked great though. ~ Also Catwoman and some Cinderella story with Hilary Duff (sp?). Think there was one more but can't remember what it was...must not have been interesting.
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Wednesday, June 09, 2004 - 6:17 pm
OK, so my husband is cool. We already made plans to go see the movie with 2 friends on Friday. We JUST had our plans for tonight cancelled - and my dh decided we should go see the movie tonight cause he knows I'm dying to see it. I thought we'd maybe need to cancel with our friends on Friday, but NO! My dh says we need to go see it twice ... today and Friday. So that's what we're going to do. He's cool. I'll post my thoughts later -- have to go change out of my gym clothes and into my movie-watching clothes!
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Djgirl
Member
07-17-2002
| Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 5:56 am
I got to see it last night and LOVED IT!!!! I wasn't disappointed at all. There is one thing that I do have to say though... For movie fans who haven't read the book it's kind of confusing. I've read POA at least three or four times, but Tim was rather confused about the whole Sirius after Harry thing. He couldn't figure out why Sirius was after Harry in the first place... SPOILER.................. Basically because they didn't explain how he escaped from Azkaban, and that he escaped because he had seen Peter on the front of the Daily Prophet with the Weasley's in Egypt, it really didn't explain anything to Tim. I had to give him the quick synopsis of the whole thing so that he could figure it out. For me, it was fantastic!
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Faerygdds
Member
08-29-2000
| Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 6:38 am
DJ... My husband is also an avid fan of the books... my nephew won't read them, so I found myself trying to explain the story to him about the whole map thing, the whole connection to Sirius and Lupin, etc. My husband mad a comment after the movie which was true, "This movie was MADE for the fans of the books!" He was right. It made sense to all of us, but not so much to those who are not in the know. I heard LOTS of people telling friends and neighbors that to understand that scene (shack) that you have to read the book. The person then asked why they didn't explain it better and was told something along the lines of they spend a few chapters explaining it. So just tell the hubby he needs to read the book!!! Go ahead... suck him into the world of Harry Potter.... I dare you! I double Sirius DOG dare you! 
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Djgirl
Member
07-17-2002
| Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 7:20 am
Faery - I've been trying!!! He's not a reader - his excuse? It puts him to sleep!!! My brother & I will have a sit down tonight to go through the movie and next week will go out to see it again together. You're right, the movie was made for the fans of the books since we're the only ones who can understand the entire movie and not even blink.
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Midlifer
Member
04-16-2003
| Friday, June 11, 2004 - 8:14 am
I saw it yesterday and LOVED it!!!!
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Hermione69
Member
07-24-2002
| Friday, June 11, 2004 - 8:16 am
Yes, Middie and I snuck away from work and went to see it with 3 others. We closed the library and told people we had a "literary club meeting." 
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Faerygdds
Member
08-29-2000
| Friday, June 11, 2004 - 8:24 am
DJ... my DH loves to read, but is a VERY slow reader. Our solution is that I read the books TO him! That way I can do the inflections and voices differently for him. I do a great squeaky Pettigrew! Anyway... A few chapters can often be better than a movie if read right!
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Calamity
Member
10-18-2001
| Friday, June 11, 2004 - 9:05 am
I promise this is my last post in this thread ! Faerygdds: I think your husband was absolutely correct that this movie works best for fans of the book. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much more than the first two (not to say that folks who did love those films were wrong or anything)! I think I'd like to see PoA again but next time I want to go with another HP fan. The guy I saw it with the first time had seen the first two movies and I had explained to him what happens in the book PoA but he really didn't enjoy the movie nearly as much as I did. I feel a little dumb about that now.
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Cyimpod
Member
05-18-2004
| Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 8:53 pm
I went to see this movie yesterday afternoon all by myself - since I have no life right now and nothing else to do - and I loved it! Then a friend of mine and I were going to have a girl's night out, but our original plans fell through - so we went again so she could see it. I was amazed at how many little things I missed the first time around! I'm glad I saw it again. But I have to ask...toward the end of the film something happens with the whomping willow - maybe a bird flies by? - and most everyone in the theater started laughing. I missed it both times - what happened?
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