lists. that's pretty much it.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:
I've seen it twice already. To be fair, I was really compelled to see it a second time because when I saw it at midnight the theater accidentally got the version with subtitles, and everyone (me included) was laughing through all the sad moments because it would say "(intense music plays)" at the bottom of the screen. So I went again, this time in 3D (worth it) - MUCH BETTER without subtitles...
Anyhoo, I was generally very happy, but if I think about it too much I get less happy. I love these books and characters SO much, and this is the last I'll ever see of this interpretation so it sucks when something doesn't go right. Lists are good, so I'll do it that way.
THE GOOD:
- Harry/Dan. I think it was near the end of the movie, when one of the Horcruxes is dying and Harry's feeling it, that I realized I hadn't cringed once at Dan's acting, nor had he made me laugh on accident. I paid more attention in my second viewing and am happy to say that Dan Radcliffe has actually become a pretty good actor - and this is without a doubt his best performance as Harry yet.
- The cinematography was awesome. I think the most visually beautiful scene was with Harry in the water, after they jump off of the dragon. SO PRETTY I loved it.
- The music was really great. Not entirely unique, as there were some moments that I thought I was listening to either the Dark Knight or Star Trek soundtracks, but that's not really a bad thing, as those soundtracks are awesome. Best music moment was definitely 'Courtyard Apocalypse' - when the trio is running through the battle grounds.
- "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" THANK YOU SO MUCH writers. That is probably my favorite quote ever, and I was so happy it made it into the movie.
- Harry and Hermione's age makeup. I have more to say on the others, but they looked the most appropriately aged to me.
- Voldemort hugging Draco. 100% out of character, but I though it was so funny.
- "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Second favorite quote.
- My initial reaction to the Ron/Hermione kiss. YES.
-Harry finding out he has to die. Really, the whole 'Prince's Tale' sequence was amazing and sad, but the end especially. And then Harry's face after he comes out of the penseive totally broke my heart.
- Baby Soul Voldy. Creepy and fantastic.
- The general violence. I loved it. I was really worried that they were going to lighten it up, but it was much better than expected. Nagini and Voldemort walking through the pool of blood at Gringotts, all the dead kids at Hogwarts, Snape's death, Baby Soul Voldy - all awesome.
- The entire Aberforth/Harry exchange was really great.
- Griphook is a really good actor, even under 270 layers of goblin makeup.
- Almost all of the CGI was really great. The dragon was definitely the standout, especially with the trio on it's back as it was trying to fly. Very well done.
THE BAD:
- The whole Imperius curse thing at Gringotts. COMPLETELY UNESSECARY. They had established in the previous scene that they had Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, so why didn't they just show it to the goblin when he asked?!
- The fact that these movies make me forget that Ron and Harry are BEST FRIENDS. I swear to Merlin, the whole Harry/Hermione-ness only bugs me because the writers seem to have forgotten that they are a trio. Since PoA, I think, Ron has somehow become the third wheel, and it makes me really mad. One of the greatest things in the books is the fact that the trio is somehow balanced out. Harry and Ron have their friendship, Harry and Hermione have their friendship, and Ron and Hermione have there...relationship thing. In the movies though, Ron is just the other friend. This entire rant stems from the fact that Harry is going to die, but only Hermione hugs him while Ron just stands all blurry in the background. NOT OK.
- Harry/Ginny. I really love them. Like, a lot. I know it must be strange for the actors to have to pretend to be in love when they've known each other since they were little, but you know what? GET OVER IT. Seriously. That's why it's called acting - PRETEND, DAMN IT, AND STOP BEING SO FRUSTRATINGLY AWKWARD. YOU'RE RUINING IT.
- To be fair to the actors, the writers totally blew it with the Harry/Ginny story-line from the very beginning.
- My delayed reaction to the Ron/Hermione kiss. NO. Why couldn't they just do it like in the book?! Harry's reaction is awesome, and I really wish they would have stuck to the book on that one.
- Everyone else's age makeup, but especially Draco's. SO BAD SO SO SOOOOOO BAD. Seriously, my entire theater started laughing when he came on screen. Let me do the math for you: They are 17, and 19 years later they (besides Ginny, whose a year younger) are 36. Wizards live longer, given the fact that Dumbledore was about 150 years old when he died (and might have lived longer had he died of natural causes). The average human lifespan is about 80 years, so lets just say the average magical person's lifespan is twice that. Their aging must slow at some point, because Dumbledore obviously didn't look 150 years old. My point is, a normal human at 36 still looks fairly normal, so why does Draco have no hair?! And why does Ron have a big belly?! And what is with all their clothes - do the costume people think that after 30 you have to start shopping at the store where all old ladies get those nude colored shoes?! AND GINNY'S HAIR. UGH. Just...ugh.
- That super weird hug/almost makeout/joining/flying thing with Harry and Voldemort. What the hell was that?
- Albus Severus Potter. Okay, I know that's J.K. Rowling and not the movie writers, but still. Never let J.K. Rowling name your children. You'll either get stuck with the above name, with WAY too much meaning, or you'll randomly be named Hugo. HUGO. WHAT. I feel like Ron and Hermione just got into a fight when she was pregnant and Hermione said, "Well, maybe the baby will just be named...Hugo!" and Ron yelled back, "Fine!", and Hermione yelled, "FINE!".
- Oh the poor, poor non-book reading audience. If you asked them simple questions like "Who are the Marauders?" or "Who is Helena Ravenclaw?" they'd be like "What? WHAT ARE THESE WORDS?"
- Speaking of Helena Ravenclaw. First, I don't like how ghosts look now. I liked how Nearly Headless Nick looked a lot more that Helena Ravenclaw. Second, her parting line made NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. It was something like "If you need ask, you will never know. If you know, you need only to ask." ... WHAT.
- I said in the GOOD list that almost all of the CGI was good. Notable exception being the broomsticks in the Room of Requirement. Really choppy.
THE RANDOM:
- We've all known since like PoA that the movies ship Harry/Hermione, which I never cared for, but it made me smile that they decided to ship Neville/Luna as well. Oh, and they were also shipping Snape/Lily hardcore.
- I didn't really get why Blaise went to the Room of Requirement.
- I also didn't get why they decided to change the Elder Wand scenario. Wasn't the whole point that the Elder Wand can't just be broken in half? Also, he forgot to fix his own wand.
- Voldemort's soul getting revenge on Ron and Hermione by getting them wet...OMG EVERYBODY RUN HE'S SERIOUS NOW
- The super annoying screaming girls. You know the ones. Over react much? Everyone else was like "Oh crap, this is scary. I don't really like Voldemort's voice in my head. His whisper is really loud!" and they were like "OMG HIS VOICE IS LIKE A BILLION SPIDERS AND BEES BITING AND STINGING ME OVER AND OVER! WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"
True Blood, 4x04:
- ERIC IS ADORABLE. OMG. I can't-- OMG so adorable. He's drunk and giggling and going "I will kill ALL THE SEA MONSTERS *splash splash*"
- Bill and Portia are related...I guess it's a little weird. The only reason I'm not flipping out is because I think I've been desensitized by the nastiness that is Hotshot. Not to mention I kind of ship siblings in 'The Borgias' at the moment, and that's a lot creepier than Bill being her Great x6 Grandfather. He's done grosser things before.
- I was SO happy Jason escaped. That whole situation was absolutely HORRIBLE. Society doesn't look at men and women in the same way when it comes to rape, but in the end it's horrible no matter the gender of the victim. I have no doubt if it had been a woman in Jason's situation people's heads would have been exploding.
- Crystal is a gross person.
- AUNT PETUNIA, WHY ARE YOU MELTING PAM'S FACE. NOT COOL.
- I'm not really sure where they're going with this whole Sookie/Alcide thing. Personally, I see them as very...siblingy? Or cousiny. Or something.
- Me: KISS YAY KISS KI--DAMN IT, BILL! Why do you insist on ruining everything?!
- Sam is really good with kids, but I seriously do not care about his girlfriend whatsoever. I can't even remember her name.
- Jessica saving Jason. I'm not even kidding, as soon as they showed her face I was like, "OOOHHH Jessica/Jason...I could ship that." Don't get me wrong, Hoyt and Jessica were cute and everything, but first loves don't always last.
- Why is it not Sunday today?
I've seen it twice already. To be fair, I was really compelled to see it a second time because when I saw it at midnight the theater accidentally got the version with subtitles, and everyone (me included) was laughing through all the sad moments because it would say "(intense music plays)" at the bottom of the screen. So I went again, this time in 3D (worth it) - MUCH BETTER without subtitles...
Anyhoo, I was generally very happy, but if I think about it too much I get less happy. I love these books and characters SO much, and this is the last I'll ever see of this interpretation so it sucks when something doesn't go right. Lists are good, so I'll do it that way.
THE GOOD:
- Harry/Dan. I think it was near the end of the movie, when one of the Horcruxes is dying and Harry's feeling it, that I realized I hadn't cringed once at Dan's acting, nor had he made me laugh on accident. I paid more attention in my second viewing and am happy to say that Dan Radcliffe has actually become a pretty good actor - and this is without a doubt his best performance as Harry yet.
- The cinematography was awesome. I think the most visually beautiful scene was with Harry in the water, after they jump off of the dragon. SO PRETTY I loved it.
- The music was really great. Not entirely unique, as there were some moments that I thought I was listening to either the Dark Knight or Star Trek soundtracks, but that's not really a bad thing, as those soundtracks are awesome. Best music moment was definitely 'Courtyard Apocalypse' - when the trio is running through the battle grounds.
- "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" THANK YOU SO MUCH writers. That is probably my favorite quote ever, and I was so happy it made it into the movie.
- Harry and Hermione's age makeup. I have more to say on the others, but they looked the most appropriately aged to me.
- Voldemort hugging Draco. 100% out of character, but I though it was so funny.
- "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Second favorite quote.
- My initial reaction to the Ron/Hermione kiss. YES.
-Harry finding out he has to die. Really, the whole 'Prince's Tale' sequence was amazing and sad, but the end especially. And then Harry's face after he comes out of the penseive totally broke my heart.
- Baby Soul Voldy. Creepy and fantastic.
- The general violence. I loved it. I was really worried that they were going to lighten it up, but it was much better than expected. Nagini and Voldemort walking through the pool of blood at Gringotts, all the dead kids at Hogwarts, Snape's death, Baby Soul Voldy - all awesome.
- The entire Aberforth/Harry exchange was really great.
- Griphook is a really good actor, even under 270 layers of goblin makeup.
- Almost all of the CGI was really great. The dragon was definitely the standout, especially with the trio on it's back as it was trying to fly. Very well done.
THE BAD:
- The whole Imperius curse thing at Gringotts. COMPLETELY UNESSECARY. They had established in the previous scene that they had Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, so why didn't they just show it to the goblin when he asked?!
- The fact that these movies make me forget that Ron and Harry are BEST FRIENDS. I swear to Merlin, the whole Harry/Hermione-ness only bugs me because the writers seem to have forgotten that they are a trio. Since PoA, I think, Ron has somehow become the third wheel, and it makes me really mad. One of the greatest things in the books is the fact that the trio is somehow balanced out. Harry and Ron have their friendship, Harry and Hermione have their friendship, and Ron and Hermione have there...relationship thing. In the movies though, Ron is just the other friend. This entire rant stems from the fact that Harry is going to die, but only Hermione hugs him while Ron just stands all blurry in the background. NOT OK.
- Harry/Ginny. I really love them. Like, a lot. I know it must be strange for the actors to have to pretend to be in love when they've known each other since they were little, but you know what? GET OVER IT. Seriously. That's why it's called acting - PRETEND, DAMN IT, AND STOP BEING SO FRUSTRATINGLY AWKWARD. YOU'RE RUINING IT.
- To be fair to the actors, the writers totally blew it with the Harry/Ginny story-line from the very beginning.
- My delayed reaction to the Ron/Hermione kiss. NO. Why couldn't they just do it like in the book?! Harry's reaction is awesome, and I really wish they would have stuck to the book on that one.
- Everyone else's age makeup, but especially Draco's. SO BAD SO SO SOOOOOO BAD. Seriously, my entire theater started laughing when he came on screen. Let me do the math for you: They are 17, and 19 years later they (besides Ginny, whose a year younger) are 36. Wizards live longer, given the fact that Dumbledore was about 150 years old when he died (and might have lived longer had he died of natural causes). The average human lifespan is about 80 years, so lets just say the average magical person's lifespan is twice that. Their aging must slow at some point, because Dumbledore obviously didn't look 150 years old. My point is, a normal human at 36 still looks fairly normal, so why does Draco have no hair?! And why does Ron have a big belly?! And what is with all their clothes - do the costume people think that after 30 you have to start shopping at the store where all old ladies get those nude colored shoes?! AND GINNY'S HAIR. UGH. Just...ugh.
- That super weird hug/almost makeout/joining/flying thing with Harry and Voldemort. What the hell was that?
- Albus Severus Potter. Okay, I know that's J.K. Rowling and not the movie writers, but still. Never let J.K. Rowling name your children. You'll either get stuck with the above name, with WAY too much meaning, or you'll randomly be named Hugo. HUGO. WHAT. I feel like Ron and Hermione just got into a fight when she was pregnant and Hermione said, "Well, maybe the baby will just be named...Hugo!" and Ron yelled back, "Fine!", and Hermione yelled, "FINE!".
- Oh the poor, poor non-book reading audience. If you asked them simple questions like "Who are the Marauders?" or "Who is Helena Ravenclaw?" they'd be like "What? WHAT ARE THESE WORDS?"
- Speaking of Helena Ravenclaw. First, I don't like how ghosts look now. I liked how Nearly Headless Nick looked a lot more that Helena Ravenclaw. Second, her parting line made NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. It was something like "If you need ask, you will never know. If you know, you need only to ask." ... WHAT.
- I said in the GOOD list that almost all of the CGI was good. Notable exception being the broomsticks in the Room of Requirement. Really choppy.
THE RANDOM:
- We've all known since like PoA that the movies ship Harry/Hermione, which I never cared for, but it made me smile that they decided to ship Neville/Luna as well. Oh, and they were also shipping Snape/Lily hardcore.
- I didn't really get why Blaise went to the Room of Requirement.
- I also didn't get why they decided to change the Elder Wand scenario. Wasn't the whole point that the Elder Wand can't just be broken in half? Also, he forgot to fix his own wand.
- Voldemort's soul getting revenge on Ron and Hermione by getting them wet...OMG EVERYBODY RUN HE'S SERIOUS NOW
- The super annoying screaming girls. You know the ones. Over react much? Everyone else was like "Oh crap, this is scary. I don't really like Voldemort's voice in my head. His whisper is really loud!" and they were like "OMG HIS VOICE IS LIKE A BILLION SPIDERS AND BEES BITING AND STINGING ME OVER AND OVER! WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"
True Blood, 4x04:
- ERIC IS ADORABLE. OMG. I can't-- OMG so adorable. He's drunk and giggling and going "I will kill ALL THE SEA MONSTERS *splash splash*"
- Bill and Portia are related...I guess it's a little weird. The only reason I'm not flipping out is because I think I've been desensitized by the nastiness that is Hotshot. Not to mention I kind of ship siblings in 'The Borgias' at the moment, and that's a lot creepier than Bill being her Great x6 Grandfather. He's done grosser things before.
- I was SO happy Jason escaped. That whole situation was absolutely HORRIBLE. Society doesn't look at men and women in the same way when it comes to rape, but in the end it's horrible no matter the gender of the victim. I have no doubt if it had been a woman in Jason's situation people's heads would have been exploding.
- Crystal is a gross person.
- AUNT PETUNIA, WHY ARE YOU MELTING PAM'S FACE. NOT COOL.
- I'm not really sure where they're going with this whole Sookie/Alcide thing. Personally, I see them as very...siblingy? Or cousiny. Or something.
- Me: KISS YAY KISS KI--DAMN IT, BILL! Why do you insist on ruining everything?!
- Sam is really good with kids, but I seriously do not care about his girlfriend whatsoever. I can't even remember her name.
- Jessica saving Jason. I'm not even kidding, as soon as they showed her face I was like, "OOOHHH Jessica/Jason...I could ship that." Don't get me wrong, Hoyt and Jessica were cute and everything, but first loves don't always last.
- Why is it not Sunday today?