Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

[Drunk Monk]

I've been invited to a screening but can't figure out how to make it a martial arts review. At least I have all the press art.

I have tickets with the fam on the 20th. A few weeks ago, T started rereading the series in hopes of finishing it all before this came out. She's almost done with book for but the damn binding has broken because it's such a fat book.

'Harry Potter' museum set to open in the UK
Exhibit will form part of a new UK base for Hollywood studio Warner Bros
* November 10, 2010

A Harry Potter museum is set to open in the UK, as the studio behind the films, Warner Bros, looks to establish a permanent base in Britain. The Hollywood giant would be the first American company to have a full-time film base in Britain.

It wouldn't only mean a £100 million boost for the UK film industry – Warner Bros hope to make the studio a tourist attraction by creating a film museum celebrating the Harry Potter films, reports The Guardian.

While the Harry Potter exhibit is not expected to be a theme park, the exhibition will feature film sets, costumes, make-up and creature designs from the film series.

It has been suggested the attraction could create 300 new jobs.

It will come as welcome news to British Harry Potter fans, following complaints that a theme park based on the teen wizard's adventure was built in America rather than the UK, where the books were written and much of the filming for the movies took place.

Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Orlando earlier this year.

http://www.nme.com/movies/news/harry-pot...-uk/197129

[The Queen]

I saw the HP "museum" at the WB studio tour here when my parents were visiting a couple of years back. I can see where a kid or a geek who was very into the movies would get a kick from seeing stuff like the "real" sorting hat.

Not very pumped about seeing the latest HP flick. As I recall, the first 2/3rds of DH was deadly dull, mostly devoted to broody teen angst (on a nearly Twi-tard level) vs. actual story, and it wasn't until the very end that it got interesting to see how things got resolved. As DH is being shown in two parts, I'm almost thinking I should blow off part 1 until part 2 is released and then see both.

But I'll wait to see DM's review to see if it's worth abandoning the puppies and leaving the house.

[Drunk Monk]

Wow, that's almost as long as a Bollywood flick. There had better be some dance numbers...

[Drunk Monk]

SPOILER ALERT (which is really silly as anyone following this has probably read the books). The film moves along at a steady clip, all things considered - lots of wand battles, lots of Voldemort-flashback/visions, lots of cameos of past characters, reasonably good action and humor pacing and delivers the compressed story as best as it can. It's mostly about V, Snape, Bellatrix, Malfoy and of course, Harry, Ron & Hermione. Fiennes is menacing as always without a nose. Rickman delivers those great clipped lines and that stoicism, for we know what he's hiding. Bonham Carter is wonderfully over the top. Felton is too translucent, too obvious. But it really boils down to the dynamics of the three - the three luckiest kids in the world who don't have to do another thing ever, if they so choose. But they probably will. Radcliffe, well, he might be the next where-is-he-now-Elijah-Wood, constantly trying to break role, but probably too short to ever escape, no matter how many daring live nude scenes he does. Watson, she's become quite the woman/child, able to deliver a semi-nude erotic scene in Ron's hallucination and still cry like a little girl when tortured by Bellatrix. She's got the most potential because she's the hot girl. Grint is actually the best actor of the three, but then he has to be as he has the most unusual look. We've watched these three grow old on screen, mature into their roles, and their chemistry is precious.

I enjoyed it overall, but I'm a fanboy - it's a family thing most of all. The film had some really funny scenes, and one or two rather dark and creepy ones. I really liked the way the three brothers myth was retold in a gorgeous animated sequence. It's a big screen film, very scenic, as they obviously have the budget to film anywhere and splurge on special effects. The 2+ hours flew by. And there actually was a dance number.

T thought it was too short and should not have ended on a negative note. It ends with the death of Dobby and V securing the 'elder wand'. Dobby's death was well played overall - how sad can you get over a dying puppet? Yoda, where art thou? - it could have been more tearjerking had the whole house elf subplot been included more significantly in the films.

At the end of the film, I overheard someone behind me say "I didn't read the books or see the other movies. Did you understand any of that?" That still amuses me.

[The Queen]

I'll have to talk the anti-Potter into going with me when I get back. Something to tide us over until Tron comes out.

[Drunk Monk]

stupid muggle.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Pretty gosh darn bored. Which funny scenes were you talking about. I think they were two. And they were only funny in the contrast to the dreariness of the rest of the picture.

It was beautiful to look at, but I got the sense they skimped on a few scenes. It bugs me when the newspapers aren't fully animated. Or you see a picture without moving people in it. I can just hear the accountants saying lets save a few bob by skipping that bit, no one will notice. Hence, a lot of scenes in the forest and sitting in tents. But the scenes where it's full on magic are spectacular. I can't wait to spend the extra six bucks to see it in 3-D.

When is Harry Potter actually going to step up to the plate and actually be the hero in these stories? I know this a Rowling problem rather than Film problem, but it always seems Potter spends most of the time whining and not doing anything. It was Hermione who got them out of all the scrapes in this film with the exception of Dobby saving them at the end. The boy wizard never seems to take a stand. He's always being protected by others.

I completely agree with DM about the three brothers story. Still don't like that that's the definition of a Deathly Hallow. Shouldn't a Hallow be some sort of forest glade?

[Drunk Monk]

Come on now, LOTR was a film about walking.

We're re-reading book seven. It's so dense now. Character references are crazy. T recognized one of the Deatheaters that comes after Harry in the Seven Potters chapter. I guess he was on the night bus. Like I'm going to remember that. I can't even remember what all the spells do anymore. And my wrists hurt because the book is so heavy. Whine, whine, whine. Oh why am I the chosen one? Oh why do I have to destroy the ring? Oh why is Darth my dad? Whine.

[Drunk Monk]

Of course it was Hermione. Hello? J.K. is female. Hermione is really the autobiographical character.

I was always hoping that the Chosen One would end up being Neville, but that was a red herring. Nevertheless, it would have been a supreme twist. That being said, the Snape twist was pretty good.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I was totally thrown by them using initials.

I haven't read the books since before the Half-Blood Prince, whichever book that is.

I'm guessing Snape turns out to be a good guy. It's not a Spoiler if it's a guess.

[Drunk Monk]

Half Blood is book six. You stopped one book from the wrist-breaking self-absorbed can't-freaking-edit-me-I'm-freaking-J-K-Rowling finale!

Not to spoil it, but the whole domination of the elder wand is too damn complicated.

You could save yourself the carpel tunnel by just skipping to the epilogue.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Yeah, the too big to edit problem.

Did I mention I just don't care? That way I don't even have to skip to the epilogue.

Still a total guess on Snape.

[Drunk Monk]

I've got my slytherin scarf on right now.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

And nothing else, as you cavort around the offices of KFM, singing pirate chanties.

[Drunk Monk]

For a pro-ninja anti-pirate DOOMer like me, themz fighting words! Well, maybe not, but I still haven't seen the last Pirates of the Caribbean flick and now there's another with Penelope vamping it up? I'm falling behind the times, I say. Arrgh.

I'm very happy with my slytherin scarf, thank you very much. Potter is T's generation, and I would be a sorry parent if I didn't engage it. After all, even my parents saw Star Wars. My dad even liked it.