2004-06-04
Well... what's new with me? Graduated on Monday. Four years of moderately-hard work and I have a piece of paper stating I got my bac es sciences. Yay! Now I can work at McDonald's or WalMart. If they like my resumé. ONe degree down, one to go. Am I excited?? I wasn't really excited at first, then before the ceremony, I was really nervous. Now I'm kinda happy that I've got one degree down... one more to go. Hopefully, that'll only take 2 years. Hopefully.
So, yes, what else is new with me? Saw Harry Potter 3 yesterday. Thank you very much to Chrissy and to Trevor for inviting us. Glad I have connections. Well, my friends have connections. At any rate... my opinion of the movie.
Reading the books, you expect a lot from the movies. This is the first HP movie I've watched after having read the book. I was still in my Anti-Harry Potter mode. I greatly enjoyed the first two movies. The third was good... but I have a feeling that I would have enjoyed it more if I had not read the book first. Here's why.
As many people know, books have an almost limitless capacity to twist plots, develope characters and describe situations and what not. As long as the writer keeps the readers entertained, they can keep their story on for a great while. Movies, as we all know, have many constraits of time and money that limit what a producer and director can do. Movies made on their own are often done very well. Movies made from a book almost always pale in comparison to the originator of the story.
The movie wasn't a bad interpretation of the book... don't get me wrong on that. But I just liked the book better. There were so many things in the movie that were left unexplained. Maybe these things weren't absolutely essential to the plot of the Harry Potter books... but they made the plot a bit more interesting. For example... they don't explain the story behind Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. They also don't explain exactly WHY Snape hates Lupin, Black and Potter... they don't even mention that he does. Just little things left out. But somethings the litle things make a bit difference.
As for the people concerned... I was mostly happy. Daniel Radcliff has come a long way from the first movie. I'm not saying he's Oscar material, but he's a lot better than he was. In the first movie, it almost seemed like he was really only acting when he was talking... that he was just there waiting between lines. He lacked the subtly of a good actor. He's learned a lot over the course of the past two movies... his acting is getting much better and I hope that, if he does the fourth movie, he'll continue to get even better.
I always thought Emma Watson was good as Hermonie, she does a great job at getting across the inner workings of her character's personality, in spite of the normal constraints of film in this matter. Any existing lack in Hermonie's character or mood is not due to the actress herself, I feel, but to the way the character is interpreted in the movie. Rupert Grint makes a great Ron, the perfect mix of loyalty, teenage annoyingness (makes things realistic), lovability and idiocy. Prolly didn't spell that word right. Don't care... it's not the only spelling mistake in my blog. Of course, the other familiar characters do well in their role, Yay to Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman and Tom Felton. And the Weasly twins (Oliver and James Phelps)... they're great!! :D
Now for new characters:
Michael Gambon (Dumbledore): I liked Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and was sad to hear that he died. One of my main concerns about the movie was that the new Dumbledore would not measure up to Harris. As with Hermonie, I felt that any lack in the character was due to the interpretation and not to the actor's skill. I was pleasently surprised to find that I liked the new Dumbledore. Unlike in the previous movies, Alfonso Cuaron did keep a small aspect of the headmaster's mischevious manner (I liked the scene in Hagrid's hut before Buckbeak's execution).
Gary Oldman (Sirius Black): I didn't know who he was when I first started gathering facts about the 3rd movie. Then I found out he was the psychotic-destructo guy in The Fifth Element. At which point I thought, 'Ew... he's Sirius Black?? You can't be serious. (Pun intended. Lynnsey was right on how to prounce his name, I was wrong. It's more fun this way). Once again, I was surprised at how much I liked him in this role. Many Sirius/Lupin fans complained about the movie pairing a skeleton with a gay pirate. I say to S/L Shippers who have yet to see this movie, I don't think you have to worry. They wouldn't look that bad together, and there's a scene in there that you can use to slash to your hearts' content.
David Thewlis (Remus Lupin): Now, this is the character I was the most worried about. You see, my friend Lynnsey LOVES Lupin (in my unfinished "smack upside the head fic", I hug him on her behalf). She had very high expectations for him, and her little heart would be crushed if he didn't measure up. I'm not sure about Lynnsey, but I didn't mind him at parts. At other parts... eh... I always thought he'd be gentler and softer. He seemed kinda harsh at times. Though, Harry did deserve it. Still, not what I'd pictured. And other times, as Chrissy says, he seemed kinda pedophile creepy. "Yeees, Harry... I really liked your mom. Really, REALLY liked Lily. And your father... ah, he was great. And, ooo, I LOVE you're eyes." Actually, I exagerate. Lupin didn't really seem like a pedophile. But his comments about Lily did make me wonder whether or not he had a soft spot for Harry's mom. And now I've got "Harry's mom has got it going on, she's all I want and I've waited for so long..." stuck in my head. And I can just see Lupin breaking out into song. Note to self, must write short fic to this effect.
Hm... long post. I should end it here. Later.
*Harry can't you see,
you're just not the one for me.
I know it may be wrong,
But I'm in love with Harry's mom*
(Though, frankly, I think it's much LESS wrong than Harry and Lupin. Unless you read the right fics. Some of them are cute.) >;)
So, yes, what else is new with me? Saw Harry Potter 3 yesterday. Thank you very much to Chrissy and to Trevor for inviting us. Glad I have connections. Well, my friends have connections. At any rate... my opinion of the movie.
Reading the books, you expect a lot from the movies. This is the first HP movie I've watched after having read the book. I was still in my Anti-Harry Potter mode. I greatly enjoyed the first two movies. The third was good... but I have a feeling that I would have enjoyed it more if I had not read the book first. Here's why.
As many people know, books have an almost limitless capacity to twist plots, develope characters and describe situations and what not. As long as the writer keeps the readers entertained, they can keep their story on for a great while. Movies, as we all know, have many constraits of time and money that limit what a producer and director can do. Movies made on their own are often done very well. Movies made from a book almost always pale in comparison to the originator of the story.
The movie wasn't a bad interpretation of the book... don't get me wrong on that. But I just liked the book better. There were so many things in the movie that were left unexplained. Maybe these things weren't absolutely essential to the plot of the Harry Potter books... but they made the plot a bit more interesting. For example... they don't explain the story behind Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. They also don't explain exactly WHY Snape hates Lupin, Black and Potter... they don't even mention that he does. Just little things left out. But somethings the litle things make a bit difference.
As for the people concerned... I was mostly happy. Daniel Radcliff has come a long way from the first movie. I'm not saying he's Oscar material, but he's a lot better than he was. In the first movie, it almost seemed like he was really only acting when he was talking... that he was just there waiting between lines. He lacked the subtly of a good actor. He's learned a lot over the course of the past two movies... his acting is getting much better and I hope that, if he does the fourth movie, he'll continue to get even better.
I always thought Emma Watson was good as Hermonie, she does a great job at getting across the inner workings of her character's personality, in spite of the normal constraints of film in this matter. Any existing lack in Hermonie's character or mood is not due to the actress herself, I feel, but to the way the character is interpreted in the movie. Rupert Grint makes a great Ron, the perfect mix of loyalty, teenage annoyingness (makes things realistic), lovability and idiocy. Prolly didn't spell that word right. Don't care... it's not the only spelling mistake in my blog. Of course, the other familiar characters do well in their role, Yay to Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman and Tom Felton. And the Weasly twins (Oliver and James Phelps)... they're great!! :D
Now for new characters:
Michael Gambon (Dumbledore): I liked Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and was sad to hear that he died. One of my main concerns about the movie was that the new Dumbledore would not measure up to Harris. As with Hermonie, I felt that any lack in the character was due to the interpretation and not to the actor's skill. I was pleasently surprised to find that I liked the new Dumbledore. Unlike in the previous movies, Alfonso Cuaron did keep a small aspect of the headmaster's mischevious manner (I liked the scene in Hagrid's hut before Buckbeak's execution).
Gary Oldman (Sirius Black): I didn't know who he was when I first started gathering facts about the 3rd movie. Then I found out he was the psychotic-destructo guy in The Fifth Element. At which point I thought, 'Ew... he's Sirius Black?? You can't be serious. (Pun intended. Lynnsey was right on how to prounce his name, I was wrong. It's more fun this way). Once again, I was surprised at how much I liked him in this role. Many Sirius/Lupin fans complained about the movie pairing a skeleton with a gay pirate. I say to S/L Shippers who have yet to see this movie, I don't think you have to worry. They wouldn't look that bad together, and there's a scene in there that you can use to slash to your hearts' content.
David Thewlis (Remus Lupin): Now, this is the character I was the most worried about. You see, my friend Lynnsey LOVES Lupin (in my unfinished "smack upside the head fic", I hug him on her behalf). She had very high expectations for him, and her little heart would be crushed if he didn't measure up. I'm not sure about Lynnsey, but I didn't mind him at parts. At other parts... eh... I always thought he'd be gentler and softer. He seemed kinda harsh at times. Though, Harry did deserve it. Still, not what I'd pictured. And other times, as Chrissy says, he seemed kinda pedophile creepy. "Yeees, Harry... I really liked your mom. Really, REALLY liked Lily. And your father... ah, he was great. And, ooo, I LOVE you're eyes." Actually, I exagerate. Lupin didn't really seem like a pedophile. But his comments about Lily did make me wonder whether or not he had a soft spot for Harry's mom. And now I've got "Harry's mom has got it going on, she's all I want and I've waited for so long..." stuck in my head. And I can just see Lupin breaking out into song. Note to self, must write short fic to this effect.
Hm... long post. I should end it here. Later.
*Harry can't you see,
you're just not the one for me.
I know it may be wrong,
But I'm in love with Harry's mom*
(Though, frankly, I think it's much LESS wrong than Harry and Lupin. Unless you read the right fics. Some of them are cute.) >;)
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