Half Blood Prince - Page 5

I really should restrict myself from coming into this thread ... way too risky for my liking.

I just spent ages typing up my thoughts in my review blog, so I have no energy to replicate here. I will add later on the camp out experience.

Until then -

Did everyone notice how Dumbledore likes knitting patterns? AWESOME!

Originally posted by: return_to_hades

I just spent ages typing up my thoughts in my review blog, so I have no energy to replicate here. I will add later on the camp out experience.

Until then -

Did everyone notice how Dumbledore likes knitting patterns? AWESOME!

I knew that I could count on you to find that as hilarious as I did. At first glance, I thought he was holding up a Seventeen magazine. 😆

Originally posted by: *Woh Ajnabee*

I knew that I could count on you to find that as hilarious as I did. At first glance, I thought he was holding up a Seventeen magazine. 😆

At first glance, I thought it was Cosmo.

I finally watched the film :D Shall do a review soon. But for now, I'll just say that I absolutely loved it. Yes, stuff was left out. But all the important aspects, that were needed to hold the story together, were present.

Originally posted by: -Neetz-

I finally watched the film :D Shall do a review soon. But for now, I'll just say that I absolutely loved it. Yes, stuff was left out. But all the important aspects, that were needed to hold the story together, were present.

From a movie perspective, the Harry Potter movies are really good. Half Blood Prince is the best of the lot especially. The scriptwriters have done well to preserve the elemental storyline and continuity.

However, from a fan perspective the 'little' stuff being left out is a 'big' deal. Part of the reason a book develop such a fanatical fan following is that even the little things here and there are larger than life. People are charmed by the minor characters and events, it's the silly insignificant details that delight people. My greatest lament with Harry Potter will always be the fact that they did not go the Peter Jackson way and attempt to create something in compensation for the obsessed fans.

Then again in Warner Brothers defense, Harry Potter started as a children's franchise. Children do not have patience to sit hours in a theater or invest in collectors editions and memorabilia. They completely missed how many older people would obsess over the series and be delighted in four hour long collectors edition movies and watch Harryathons.

I just wanted to share my opinions on midnight film releases and camp outs.

Growing up in Bombay, I was convinced no one loved the movies like we did in Bombay. The atmosphere and excitement was electrifying. The last movie I saw in India was Kaho Na Pyar Hain, and I remember the crazy frenzy that feverishly broke out through the theater when Ek Pal Ka Jeena. With girls screeching at the top of their lungs, jaw dropping with drool, I almost thought they would rape the screen.

When I came to the United States initially I was taken aback at how calm the movies were. There are a zillion screens in one complex. You do not have to show up insanely early. Most of the time you share the theater with just a few others and there are plenty of seating space for the army to come in. I thought it was so tame and hopeless. They just do not value their movies here.

That was before I was introduced to the epic film genre. How wrong had I been. The obesession for movies in India is just a fizzle compared to the epic film mania. Lets just say that if DDLJ was an epic film there would be at least ten guys in line playing the mandolin, and forty others with the cap and jacket.

I've waited in line for other movies, but my lengthy camp outs and experiences have been with Harry Potter. Back in the days of the first Harry Potter movies, there were no midnight shows. In fact back then for the Sorcerer's Stone, I had not even read a single Harry Potter book. I watched it due to a friend and that my sister went with her middle school friends to watch it.

I was awestruck by the excitemnt everyone shared. Usually, I dislike noise and kids. However, this was indeed magical to walk into a theater with kids dressed up as wizards running around on broomsticks. The entire theater did the wave. There were cheers, clapping and foot stomping all the way through the credits.

Katie who is the organizer was so enthralled by the books that she could narrate events and refer to exact page numbers they occur on. Harry Potter had brought back the joys of reading to a whole new generation. Something that had not happened since the days of L Frank Baum, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.

I had to come back and read the books. Not only did i get hooked to the books, but to the going to the movies aspect too. JK Rowling is no Tolkien, but this is fantasy fiction at its finest. One that cuts through the gaps of all social strata and generation. Since then I have waited in line for the movies and book releases.

I do not remember when the midnight release trend started. But the most memorable midnight release was for Goblet of Fire. This was released in November in the middle of our bleak northern winter. The line started at noon for the midnight showing. We had set up a couple of tents and we were all huddled in there. We had Rockys pizza, drank soda. We sat and played games, people had their fan fiction collections and there would be a reading of favorites. Most memorable of all was braving the cold. The theater folks told us they would let us in at nine PM, so we had packed up by then. However, they left us suffering till eleven PM. When I got in finally I was so excited. Not for the movie, but for the ability to feel my fingers and toes again. I was worried they had frozen and fallen off.

That was memorable, if you knew midwestern winters you would know why. The book releases have been memorable too. We would get the book at midnight and read through the night, terrified to venture outdoors without finishing it lest someone drop *spoilers*

Over the years the excitement over Harry Potter has fizzled a bit. You slowly grow out of things. The young fans who got me hooked are also older and away with school, jobs etc. However, we still had the largest group in years 55+.

I've come to realize that it is more than an obsession over a book. Its a socializing event. Where else can you get a group of 13-30+ together. A whole new generation of younger generation of siblings joined in this year. Where else can you get people from the entire midwest in one spot as friends, gfs, bfs and relatives join in. Where else can you get so many diverse people as different as chalk and cheese. I look forward to these movie releases all the time to meet people, have fun and talk Potter. Honestly, unless you have camped out you have not lived the ultimate social movie experience.

This is my opinion (in terms of acting):
Best acting:
Dan, Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Rupert Grint (his comedic timing is great but my only gripe is that they ALWAYS high light Ron's comedic side but fail to give justice to his sensitive and emotional side), Alan Rickman, Slughorn dude, Luna (although would've liked more of her).
Acting not-so-best:
Emma Watson is a good actress but she can do the powerful Hermione acting better, when it comes to Hermione's vulnerable side, I think she has the tendency to over-act a bit (but liked the canary scene). Lavender- I really don't think Lavender was ditzy and hyper in the books like she was shown in the movie. Bonnie Wright was a tad expressionless in some of scenes.
Another gripe- I WANTED me some Tonks-Lupin lurrveee.
I have typed other too in the HP section, now don't wanna do it again.😆