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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...
So, I just got back from seeing it and the movie was .... pretty okay.
What I liked:
- The Spinner's End scene. No offense to the youngings, but it was nice to see a scene with experienced actors being awesome. That being said, Helen McCory was woefully miscast as Narcissa. Despite my bitching pre-movie, I was really hoping to find that I actually liked her in the role, I really wanted her to be able to overcome that hair ... but she couldn't. She's a good actress, and I've seen her in other stuff and I liked her, but it can't be denied that she was no Narcissa Malfoy. *sigh*
-> That being said, the Blackcest shipper in me did very much enjoy Bellatrix resting her head on Narcissa shoulder and cooing. They are so totally doing it.
- Draco. Tom Felton was amazing in this movie. He made Draco really, really sympathetic. I didn't really give a shit about Draco in the book, but his storyline was probably my favorite in the movie. Felton really delivered. He's the best of the young actors for sure. Also, I liked his suits.
- The young Tom Riddle's, especially the youngest one. I thought that little kid was really good, very creepy. And I've heard the middle Tom being described by some as like a fancy lesbian or something, but I liked the kid. I liked how fully of affectation he was. Tom's rough childhood accent was became smooth and cultured. I liked the evolution the second actor showed in Tom. And I thought that he was very creepy too, his boyish almost femine good looks making him even creeper because you wouldn't think such an angelic looking kid could become the magical Hitler.
- The scene at The Burrow was pretty cool. Loved Bellatrix being a crazy fuck. Greyback was suitably creepy. When he came up on Ginny all I could think was, "Somebody's gon' get raped" before Harry showed up. It really felt like Tonks and Lupin were thrown in there by the producers to show the audience that they remembered the characters existed though ... which brings me to my next point ...
- Hi, Tonks! Bye, Tonks! Natalia Tena is hot, I would've liked to see her on screen more, but whatever. Also, I liked her other hair better.
- The last sequence with the Draco/Dumbeldore and the Death Eaters and Dumbeldore was awesome. The shot of Dumbledore falling was beautifully shot, and everything leading up to that moment was really well acted and well done.
- Katie Bell was pretty hot.
- Luna was odd and awesome as usual.
- Cormac was smokin'. I don't care if he was a bit of a douche, when he had me at hello. Actually he had me when he licked that whipped cream off of his finger. And while we're at it, Blaise was quite attractive too ... in the five seconds he was on screen.
What I didn't Like:
- Harry Potter 90210. I never really liked Harry/Ginny in the books, and they were just as 'meh' here as they were there. And I somewhat liked Ron/Hermoine in the books, but their love subplot bugged the shit out of me in the movie. I ship (not really, I'd just prefer) Harry/Hermoine in the movies. Emma is far more tolerable when she's around Dan, but then again that could be because when Hermoine interacts with Harry she doesn't have to convey much emotion other than amusement or consternation. And when Hermoine's around Ron, Emma is actually trying to emote ... and failing horribly. As a matter of fact, I'd take Harry/Luna anyday over Harry/Ginny (Bonnie Wright isn't spunky enough! There I said it! She's just not spunky enough. I liked Ginny in the books, but Bonnie bores the hell out of me. Done).
- Going along with the point above ... Lavender Brown *shudder* The actress was actually super good. She acted circles around our main three actually. The character of Lavender was just *excuse me while I go vomit with Hermoine* She's the type of teenage girl that drives me insane. I was so fucking irriated by this character. Again the actress was really talented, the character was just super fucking annoying.
- This isn't specific to this movie ... but I just don't understand how Hogwarts can be the ONLY wizarding school in England. The Great Hall looked downright miniscule in this movie. How can the number of kids we saw in the Great Hall after they arrived on the Hogwarts Express be ALL of the of age children of the wizarding world in ALL of England???? How many new kids are added to each house every year, like twenty or so?
-> Related point: Because of the super small number of students at the school, it really bugged me in this movie that the characters were acting like they'd never talked to people that we SAW them in class with, and whom they'd been going to school with for SIX YEARS? How the hell had Cormac never even said like "Hi" or "Can I borrow a quill?" to Hermoine. How had Ron never even met Romilda Vain when they were in the same potions class? I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!
- Those bastards, they burned The Burrow down! WTF??? It's like, yes it was a cool visual, but I already knew that the Death Eaters were dicks, and where is like Fleur and Bill's wedding and shit supposed to happen next year? Seemed unnecessary to have Bellatrix literally blow the house to smithereens. I'm sure it'll give Molly extra incentive to killinate her in the last movie movie though.
And I'm tired now so I'm going to stop rambling!
FMT/FYT:

What I liked:
- The Spinner's End scene. No offense to the youngings, but it was nice to see a scene with experienced actors being awesome. That being said, Helen McCory was woefully miscast as Narcissa. Despite my bitching pre-movie, I was really hoping to find that I actually liked her in the role, I really wanted her to be able to overcome that hair ... but she couldn't. She's a good actress, and I've seen her in other stuff and I liked her, but it can't be denied that she was no Narcissa Malfoy. *sigh*
-> That being said, the Blackcest shipper in me did very much enjoy Bellatrix resting her head on Narcissa shoulder and cooing. They are so totally doing it.
- Draco. Tom Felton was amazing in this movie. He made Draco really, really sympathetic. I didn't really give a shit about Draco in the book, but his storyline was probably my favorite in the movie. Felton really delivered. He's the best of the young actors for sure. Also, I liked his suits.
- The young Tom Riddle's, especially the youngest one. I thought that little kid was really good, very creepy. And I've heard the middle Tom being described by some as like a fancy lesbian or something, but I liked the kid. I liked how fully of affectation he was. Tom's rough childhood accent was became smooth and cultured. I liked the evolution the second actor showed in Tom. And I thought that he was very creepy too, his boyish almost femine good looks making him even creeper because you wouldn't think such an angelic looking kid could become the magical Hitler.
- The scene at The Burrow was pretty cool. Loved Bellatrix being a crazy fuck. Greyback was suitably creepy. When he came up on Ginny all I could think was, "Somebody's gon' get raped" before Harry showed up. It really felt like Tonks and Lupin were thrown in there by the producers to show the audience that they remembered the characters existed though ... which brings me to my next point ...
- Hi, Tonks! Bye, Tonks! Natalia Tena is hot, I would've liked to see her on screen more, but whatever. Also, I liked her other hair better.
- The last sequence with the Draco/Dumbeldore and the Death Eaters and Dumbeldore was awesome. The shot of Dumbledore falling was beautifully shot, and everything leading up to that moment was really well acted and well done.
- Katie Bell was pretty hot.
- Luna was odd and awesome as usual.
- Cormac was smokin'. I don't care if he was a bit of a douche, when he had me at hello. Actually he had me when he licked that whipped cream off of his finger. And while we're at it, Blaise was quite attractive too ... in the five seconds he was on screen.
What I didn't Like:
- Harry Potter 90210. I never really liked Harry/Ginny in the books, and they were just as 'meh' here as they were there. And I somewhat liked Ron/Hermoine in the books, but their love subplot bugged the shit out of me in the movie. I ship (not really, I'd just prefer) Harry/Hermoine in the movies. Emma is far more tolerable when she's around Dan, but then again that could be because when Hermoine interacts with Harry she doesn't have to convey much emotion other than amusement or consternation. And when Hermoine's around Ron, Emma is actually trying to emote ... and failing horribly. As a matter of fact, I'd take Harry/Luna anyday over Harry/Ginny (Bonnie Wright isn't spunky enough! There I said it! She's just not spunky enough. I liked Ginny in the books, but Bonnie bores the hell out of me. Done).
- Going along with the point above ... Lavender Brown *shudder* The actress was actually super good. She acted circles around our main three actually. The character of Lavender was just *excuse me while I go vomit with Hermoine* She's the type of teenage girl that drives me insane. I was so fucking irriated by this character. Again the actress was really talented, the character was just super fucking annoying.
- This isn't specific to this movie ... but I just don't understand how Hogwarts can be the ONLY wizarding school in England. The Great Hall looked downright miniscule in this movie. How can the number of kids we saw in the Great Hall after they arrived on the Hogwarts Express be ALL of the of age children of the wizarding world in ALL of England???? How many new kids are added to each house every year, like twenty or so?
-> Related point: Because of the super small number of students at the school, it really bugged me in this movie that the characters were acting like they'd never talked to people that we SAW them in class with, and whom they'd been going to school with for SIX YEARS? How the hell had Cormac never even said like "Hi" or "Can I borrow a quill?" to Hermoine. How had Ron never even met Romilda Vain when they were in the same potions class? I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!
- Those bastards, they burned The Burrow down! WTF??? It's like, yes it was a cool visual, but I already knew that the Death Eaters were dicks, and where is like Fleur and Bill's wedding and shit supposed to happen next year? Seemed unnecessary to have Bellatrix literally blow the house to smithereens. I'm sure it'll give Molly extra incentive to killinate her in the last movie movie though.
And I'm tired now so I'm going to stop rambling!
FMT/FYT:

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I thought the director really nailed the mood, and I thought it was the funniest, well-balanced Potter film so far.
I looooved the youngest Voldemort, who, if I'm not mistaken, has the distinction of being named Hero, and of being Ralph Fienne's nephew. The acting is in the genes, baby!
I also thought the middle Tom Riddle was good. I thought he was perfectly malevolent, and the baby-facedness of him just made him all the more creepy.
I agree about Narcissa's casting. It just didn't work.
Did you love the visual of the Unbreakable Vow? I thought that was really cool. I loved the scars it left behind. And you're right. Seeing three veteran, *adult* actors working and playing off each other is a nice break from the raw, untested acting you get from the kids. It's nice to see them really biting into the roles and stuff.
Cormac is a babe! If I was Hermione I'd throw Ron over in a heartbeat for Cormac.
I also agree with you that Bonnie doesn't have nearly enough pluck or moxie to fully inhabit Ginny's character. I've never ever been a Ginny/Harry fan, and I'm way more into the idea of Harry/Hermione.
I too think it's kind of weird that the kids run around and ostensibly don't know each other. Even if you argue that there's a lot of freedom in the classes they take. ALl Gryffindor first years presumably take like, Potions and DADA together. Oh well.
Also, if I'm not mistaken, Katie Bell was recast for this one? She used to be played by a different actor.
I think this film also just *looked* really cool. I loved the beginning, and I had chills when Bella and Fenrir were flying around wreaking havoc on the Muggle bridge and stuff.
I also loved the Fire in the cornfield or whatever the hell, as an alternative to what we had in the books as the penultimate scene happening at Hogwarts and Bill getting savaged by Greyback. I thought it was cool that they didn't gyp us entirely out of an emotionally scary scene just because they'd never really introudced us to BIll or really played up the Order involvement.
This way, we got a scene of Bella being genuinely scary, and I thought it was played really well. It was really tense.
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the point you made about the middle riddle plus the fact that i mentioned slugghorn and not being uncle bad touch, it just occurred to me that there was an air inappropriate student/teacher relations between the 2. that scene played out like a seduction now that i think about it. and now i've really just creeped me out. but yeah, that kid looks like kd lang.
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(Anonymous) - 2009-07-21 15:27 (UTC) - Expand(no subject)
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Personally I think that it's a shame that Bella have so little onscreen time because (even if she isn't really one of my favs) HBC is AWESOME like Bella. Such a shame really.
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agreed. i just can't see it, made her scenes a bit visually discordant to me. HBC, however, is awesome as Bellatrix. it was a pleasure to watch her. and yeah, Bella resting her head on Narcissa's shoulder was adorable. i thought Bella was older than Narcissa though but in the movie Narcissa looks older. am i wrong?
yar, Draco held his own. and his suits are nifty, made him look like a right dapper English gentleman.
oh yeah, the young Toms looked creepy, especially the youngest one. neither of them look to be up to any good. can't understand why not a single teacher saw the evil in their eyes.
haha barely noticed Tonks and Lupin. they're like, here one second, gone the next. Bellatrix was sinister and crazy as heck! Harry should really have better control though. he's so easily baited.
yes lol. i loved Luna. such an odd duck, like she inhabits a world of her own and sees things others don't. having a conversation with her would either drive you crazy or make you laugh madly.
Harry/Ginny does not work for me. pretty blah. neither does Ron/Hermione. ugh! what in the world is Hermione supposed to see in Ron?
is Lavender Brown the one that liked Ron? if so, good lordy. i'd run a mile to get away from that. psycho in the making, that one.
hmm maybe there aren't that many people with magical abilities lol. oh, i had the impression that Cormac and Romilda were new students tranferred from elsewhere. although the not talking to people in your class does happen. kids have their little cliques. course, suddenly you're full of hormones and want to talk to people you've never given two cents about in the past lol.
yeah, pity about The Burrow. it was a pretty visual though lol.
i had a wtf at the end of the movie about the title. it's got half blood prince in the title so you'd think most of the movie would be about him, but no. i haven't read the books so don't know if there's more that's missing. the revelation about Snape at the end was just so out of the blue. the movie title was pointless.
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...I'm bitter.
Anyhow.
Bellatrix may have made this movie for me. Her level of crazy was so much fun. I went opening night with all the die hards and everyones crying pretty much cause Dumbledores dead...And then theres me. Laughing...Because Bellatrix felt the need to walk on one of the tables in the Great Hall and break all the china :)And then she felt the need to sing while they were traipsing through the woods...You gotta love her. You really really got to love her.
Harry on speed aka liquid luck was wonderful :D Harry needs to learn that drugs are bad. That was one my favorite parts.
I still personally think Nicole Kiddman would've been an awwwesome Narcissa. D; I dunno. She might be too young. I think she would've worked out well though.
Draco needed a hug. Really. He did. Tom was nothing short of amazing. For real. I don't remember particularly feeling sorry for him at all in the book. Because he was always an asshole and when you read, you aren't hearing the exact emotions, so I figured he was just being an asshole again most of the time...But Tom...Tom made me feel the frustration and fear he was feeling and I actually felt really sorry for him. For sure.
D: Um. Was the burning of the burrow even in the book? Because I don't remember it at all and I thought it was ridiculous as nice it was to see Bella. Poor Molly. :(
Ginny and Harry...Never have I liked them. Ever.
-LAST BOOK SPOILERS-
I think at the end of the last book Harry should've been married to some chick we never met. "Theres Ron and Hermione and their kids...And then theres Harry and Sarah and their kids. :D" Maybe we could've avoided the catastrophe of names that was Albus Severus Potter then...
-LAST BOOK SPOILERS-
Thats how poor Tonks was in the first film in my opinion. "HEY GIRL WITH THE PURPLE HAIR. Ohhh your name is TONKS. ...Annnd you're gone." D: They never even explained why she could shapeshift. She just...Starting doing it at the table and anyone who hasn't read the book was probably like "Wtf is that..." Its funny. I had to lean over to my friend when Tonks first came on screen in this film and ask who she was...Awesome, right?
Lavender Brown can stay far far away from me. For serious. Holy shit. I'd have fucking killed her.
All in all, best HP in my opinon though. :) I really did like it.
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The feeling I get from reading people's reactions is that the more strongly they remember the book, the more dissatisfied they are with the movie. I sadly don't remember the book that well, so I didn't have set expectations for the movie to conform to. I was happy to go along with the movie's take on the universe.
Soon as I saw Narcissa, I thought she was miscast. But you're right, Spinner's End was great and I inevitably thought of you and your fics. Hooray Blackcest.
As for the kids not knowing each other... that's just a problem with Rowling's universe. One thing I've found amusing about reading
On the other hand, I was -very- disappointed with the noticeable lack of Tonks and other characters. How about Neville (who is a total BAMF in the next book!!) who only appears as a server in the party? I was disappointed that Lavender got so much more screen time :P
Oh well. I was very happy with the characters that were there, though. Draco and Luna, mainly. Of course, (both) Tome Riddle(s) were great. But I absolutely loved Tom Felton. I've always been a Draco fan and I thought the movie handled him very well. The sixth book in general was a triumph for Draco/Harry shippers (which I am) and though the movie didn't convey the extent of Harry's obsession, I still think it did their characters justice. The dynamics between the two are great, even though they're barely explored in the books :P
I think
For me, I loved just about everything they -included-. I loved the actors, the visuals, and the scenes they included. And again, since I didn't remember the book that well, missing scenes/characters weren't as big of a deal.
My biggest problem was 1) The missing Hogwarts battle, which I think would really have brought home the danger of the war and 2) The confrontation between Snape and Harry. Cut waaaaayyy short. But again, those are omissions and I try not to cry too much about omissions when it comes to adaptations.
Anyway, definitely looking forward to the last two!
Rambling is so much fun!
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IT'S CREEPY!!
(Anonymous) 2009-07-21 08:08 am (UTC)(link)Re: IT'S CREEPY!!
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It seemed like there were individual actors/characters that were very well done (Draco, both Toms, Lavender), but aside from those few, the cast really seemed to fall flat. Snape's whole scene of "Yes, I'm the Halfblood Prince" killed me. I love Alan Rickman, but Holy God. I wanted to die. It was like nothing came off well. I didn't even give a shit when the big D died. And I cried when I read the book! But in this, it just seemed like another plot point.
I still think that, out of the two last books of the series, *this* is the book they should have split into two movies. There was so much more information that just didn't get passed on in the movie (and they spent waaaay too much time focused on all the love triangles and *gag*).
I don't know, maybe I'm just a picky bitch, but I really felt let down.
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(Anonymous) - 2009-07-21 18:18 (UTC) - Expand(no subject)
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All I have to say to this is...WUT?
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Nosing In!
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We've already been over my love for TF...
When he came up on Ginny all I could think was, "Somebody's gon' get raped" before Harry showed up. Me too! I was like, "WTF was she thinking? Someone hurry and find her!"
Nat Tena is hot. This. Especially when she has messy hair. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0YHg6ae7Sc&feature=PlayList&p=7E191C6478CA9F93&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=3
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It was nice seeing the young actors deliver a more mature product than previous films, though I also agree that Bonnie’s portrayal of Ginny needs to get spunked up. Luna was once again spot on in her airy, not-quite-there sort of way, and surprisingly, Draco came across as a sympathetic character. Tom Felt’s portrayal of Malfoy’s inner turmoil over his assigned task was perhaps one of the stronger, more genuine characterizations throughout the movie (HBC’s brief stints onscreen as the gleefully insane Bellatrix were also highly enjoyable). Most of all, it would be a definite plus to see the older actors get more screen time rather than the on-stage, walking-across stage, off-stage scenes that seemed all too common in this film a la Tonks, Remus, and McGonagall. They need more dialogue. Yes, there is a very large ensemble to deal with, but this movie in particular struck me as rather random with the cast swelling even more due to the introduction of new characters that don’t really seem to drive the plot forward.
I enjoyed the flashbacking memories to Tom Riddle’s childhood as it provided long-awaited background information on the origins of Voldemort (I have yet to read the books, so it was helpful having the past fleshed out), and both young actors managed to convey a great deal of all-around creepiness. Speaking of creepy, Prof. Slugghorn was mildly disturbing with his after-school dinner parties and mention of his ‘collection.’ Is the collection simply photographs of his top students or something else entirely? Either way he pings my ick-scale.
Overall, I didn’t love the movie as my friends led me to believe I would, but I didn’t hate it, and I look forward to DH.
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(Anonymous) - 2009-07-22 20:39 (UTC) - Expand(no subject)
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Main problem - not enough Snape
In fact, you could easily shoe in HP characters with Star Wars characters - not based on their personalities, but how they function in the story. Harry is Luke. Voldemort is Palpatine. Dumbledore is Obi-wan Kenobi. Ron and Hermione are Han and Leia. Hagrid is Chewbacca. Snape is Darth Vader.
The revelation that Snape is the Half-blood Prince should've been the "I am your father" of these movies. But since OotP, this twist was bound to fall flat.
This surly bastard who's been fucking with Harry and his friends since they were 11 years old turns out to have been a follower of the man who killed his parents! And Harry has nothing to say about it? This same man became a spy for the Order of the Phoenix - or is he a double agent for Voldemort? Who can be sure about his loyalties? Isn't he Slytherin? Aren't they supposed to be cunning and duplicitous? Can he be trusted to keep the Order's secrets? What proof do we have? Harry seems nonchalant about this in the films - he takes this in without so much as a "WTF!?!?!?!" or rather, "I knew it!" - but he certainly wasn't in the books.
And on top of this, in OotP, Harry consents to being alone in a room with Snape while this man attempts to break into his mind. Let me rephrase this. There is a man who hates Harry's guts and could still be a follower of Voldemort who repeatedly invades Harry's mind, and Harry lets him without so much as a token resistance. On purpose.
Granted, OotP had a lot more pertinent ground to cover, but HBP really should've focused on Harry's relationship with Snape (both as teacher and the Half-Blood Prince) a bit more.
But apparently Quidditch tryouts and Ron's romantic misadventures are more important.
So I'm prepared to be thoroughly disappointed in the DH movie.