Harry Potter SPOILERS

[dai bread]

I used to watch "Dr Who" with my kids all huddled around me for safety. I have to watch the new series on my own though. My grandson isn't old enough.

[Schmeelkie]

BigJohn - no time to read old posts, eh? Dumbledore was killed off in the Half-Blood Prince. Pretty devastating....

[sarahex]

Since the Harry Potter series do you think anyone will be able to write a good witch based fantasy book? I mean the Harry Potter series is still very popular. So can anyone write a witch based fantasy with out being acused of feeding off of J.K. Rowling's left overs? Did this one series kill the chance of another series? Not that I don't like the Harry Potter books and movies, I do. That is the problem. She has set such a high standard with the books, I just don't know if another author could to the same. Or if people would give them a chance.
________________
market samurai ~ marketsamurai ~ marketsamurai.com

[piqaboo]

I used to watch "Dr Who" with my kids all huddled around me for safety. I have to watch the new series on my own though. My grandson isn't old enough.

To keep you safe?



Sarahex -
sure. Just dont base it in a boarding school. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe didnt kill the genre.

[Schmeelkie]

Sara - just give it 20-30 years. Everything goes in cycles...westerns come and go, sci-fi films come and go... think about Anne Rice's vampire books - I'm sure there were those that said she had the last work on vampire books - now look at the Twilight books...just had to wait a while for it.

[Shapley]

If the series is well written and doesn't borrow from the Harry Potter series, I think it would catch on. Right now, there are millions of readers hungry for 'the next big thing' to follow HP.

There are a number of children's series that deal with witches and wizards, but none are well-enough written to cross the age boundaries. They are children's book, pure and simple.

[Schmeelkie]

Just saw HP and the Half Blood Prince yesterday. Worked 2.5 hours, looked at 2 houses, made it to the 1:30 showing and still was only 10 min late picking up kids from daycare! All in all, a good day!

This movie, unlike the past couple, did a good job of mostly not cutting out stuff you were really looking forward to seeing. Apparition lessons, Harry's detentions with Snape (in fact, all DADA lessons missing) and thus Harry missing that last Quiddich game, and OoP and Dumbledore's Army fighting Death Eaters in Hogwarts were missing, but not much else of consequence that I could see. Harry's first kiss with Ginny was in a different setting, but very effective. Added a Death Eater attack in the middle that didn't occur in the book - probably to add suspense - not sure it was the best idea. Rupert Grint (Ron) did a great job showing his changing feelings towards Lavender and his acting under the love potion was great! Jim Broadbent's Professor Slughorn, was great too - especially the scene getting drunk with Hagrid. Director also did some little things to help lead into the next movies - showing Harry pick up Dumbledore's wand for a moment, changing the opening to Harry in a train station (think it'll be the same one near the end of #7 - you know what I'm talking about), Dumbledore's reaction as Harry touches the ring and gets a reaction out of it....
I have a feeling they'll cut out Bill and Fluer's wedding, but we'll see...

[Shapley]

I saw it last week, and was disappointed overall. Like the previous film, it just seems rushed. I know that's a lot of book to pack in a two-and-a-half hour movie, but they seem to focus on the wrong things. Then, as you note, they added the attack at the Weasley's which was not in the book, destroying their house, for what purpose I do not know.

Missing completely were the Dursleys, Percy Weasley, Bill & Fluer (as you mention), and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry's inheritance of 13 Grimmauld Place (part of Dumbledore's visit to the Dursley's, of course), etc. All important, in my opinion, to the ongoing story. I get the impression that the directors are intentionally moving the story in a different direction than the books. To what end, I cannot understand.

As a visual reinforcement to parts of the book, it does a good job. As far as following the story line, however, I think it falls too far from the mark.

[anikaboleyn]

Since the Harry Potter series do you think anyone will be able to write a good witch based fantasy book? I mean the Harry Potter series is still very popular. So can anyone write a witch based fantasy with out being acused of feeding off of J.K. Rowling's left overs? Did this one series kill the chance of another series? Not that I don't like the Harry Potter books and movies, I do. That is the problem. She has set such a high standard with the books, I just don't know if another author could to the same. Or if people would give them a chance.
________________
market samurai ~ marketsamurai ~ marketsamurai.com

I don't think there is a series as good as Harry Potter. I mean, not even that Twilight thing is better than Harry.

[anikaboleyn]

I saw it last week, and was disappointed overall. Like the previous film, it just seems rushed. I know that's a lot of book to pack in a two-and-a-half hour movie, but they seem to focus on the wrong things. Then, as you note, they added the attack at the Weasley's which was not in the book, destroying their house, for what purpose I do not know.

Missing completely were the Dursleys, Percy Weasley, Bill & Fluer (as you mention), and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry's inheritance of 13 Grimmauld Place (part of Dumbledore's visit to the Dursley's, of course), etc. All important, in my opinion, to the ongoing story. I get the impression that the directors are intentionally moving the story in a different direction than the books. To what end, I cannot understand.

As a visual reinforcement to parts of the book, it does a good job. As far as following the story line, however, I think it falls too far from the mark.

What I like about Harry Potter 6 was the music actually, the movie it wasn't that bad, but I have a lot of things to say that I didn't like. I hope next (and last movie) is better than this one!!!!
The only Harry Potter I LOVE is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban!!!! And not because a Mexican directed!

[Shapley]

Prisoner of Azkaban was the best book and the best movie, in my humble opinion, though all of the books were excellent. It was, to me, the beginning of the decline of the films. As I said, too short of a movie to show such a long book.

I even like the soundtrack, except for the jazzy sequence used with the Knight Bus (though it fit the movie sequence well, it just seems out of place). The End Credits was, in typical John Williams fashion, just a compilation of all the incidental music strung together. It has worked in other films, but I didn't think it did so in this one.

The last film is supposed to be spread over two films, which may be good. It will get them the chance to the do the story justice, except that so much has been left out of the previous movies that I don't see how they can tie it together satisfactorily. Methinks their making the story too films long just to double-dip at the box office, not out of any thirst for artistic purity. We'll have to see.

[Schmeelkie]

The thing is, there are a lot of things that look obvious to skip in the movies, but it you've read all the books, some of this stuff ends up being important. And, to be honest, when they started making movies, all the books hadn't been written so directors had to make their own judgements. Not having Dobby in any films after The Chamber of Secrets and Hermionie's SPEW campaign in several movies might have made sense, but will draw off the significance of Dobby's sacrifice, the impetus for Herminonie and Ron's kiss and the house elves joining the fight in the seventh movie. Although, I did like it better that Neville told Harry about the gillyweed in the movie of Goblet of Fire as it begins to build up the importance of Neville in viewers minds - takes him out of the purely 'comic relief' role he has in earlier films (and the books too - wonder if Rowling decided later on to increase his role, or if it was planned from the beginning?).

[Shapley]

It seems Butterbeer is a big seller at the new Harry Potter's World attraction at Universal Studios in Orlando:

Harry Potter's Butterbeer Recipe Uncovered

Fox News has been kind enough to produce a recipe so you can try it in your own home:


BUTTERBEER

Start to finish: 1 hour (10 minutes active)

Servings: 4

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

6 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

[Schmeelkie]

We're hoping to get up to Toronto for a weekend in August - husband has to pick up his grandfather's desk at his uncle's house north of TO. So, I want to build in a visit to the Ontario Science Centre to see the Harry Potter exhibit there. Got a good review in our paper a month or so ago, and it's there until Aug 22. Keep seeing the ads for the Orlando attraction - kids want to go.... figure it'll be there for years, so we have time...