Our favorite commentator (although Luna gave him a run for his money) reacting to something particularly scandalous in the match.
Tomorrow, someone who can see Thestrals.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
CXIV. Lee Jordan
Our favorite commentator (although Luna gave him a run for his money) reacting to something particularly scandalous in the match.
Tomorrow, someone who can see Thestrals.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
CXIII. John Dawlish
Monday, August 15, 2011
Muggle Monday: Dudley Dursley
Sorry about the lack of posting, my summer semester recently finished but I'm back for the time being with today's Muggle Monday. It's our favorite cousin, Big D!
Tomorrow, the constantly confunded auror.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Harry Potter Movie Series, Remembered
Tonight I will be seeing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two" marking the end of the Potter movie franchise. As such, I thought I would go through the series and talk about its ups and downs. Join me?
Actors/Characters that were amazing:
Robbie Coltrane/Rubeus Hagrid: He’s been consistently perfect throughout the series. I believe he was a personal casting choice of JK Rowling, so there you have it.
Alan Rickman/Severus Snape: Again, perfect and another suggestion from JK Rowling. I don’t know if any actor could play the subtleties of Snape, the sense of duty, the unrequited love, and the resentment quite as well as Alan Rickman did.
Dame Maggie Smith/ Minerva McGonagall: I think another choice by JK Rowling? I love Dame Maggie Smith as it is (watch “Downton Abbey” where she plays a consistently flabbergasted dowager), but I think she did McGonagall wonderfully and can’t wait to see her take charge in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Evanna Lynch/Luna Lovegood: Described by JK Rowling as “perfect” I quite agree. The scene at the end of “Order of the Phoenix” where she talks to Harry in the corridor was perfect and still manages to tug at my heart strings. Since then she’s been producing humorous one-liners through Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows.
Jason Issacs/Lucius Malfoy: How can you hate someone who came up with the idea for Lucius Malfoy’s walking stick? Before Jason Issacs was cast, Lucius Malfoy was going to look like just an ordinary man in a pinstripe suit. Jason Issacs is responsible for the Lucius Malfoy we’ve all come to know and love. The subtlies of hatred in his face during the scene in Flourish and Blotts in “Chamber of Secrets” still makes me laugh.
Imelda Staunton/ Dolores Umbridge: There are some characters you can get away with miscasting, but if they missed the mark on Umbridge for “Order of the Phoenix” the whole movie would have been a disaster. Luckily we were treated with a wonderful performance. Staunton combines the sickly sweet and deviously evil
Julie Walters/Molly Weasley: I just love her. I think Molly Weasley is one of the best moms in all literature and Julie Walters captured the warmth and the strength that the character brings to the story. I think I’m joined by literally everybody in the fandom in my anticipation for her to utter the lines “Not my daughter, you bitch!” on the silver screen.
Minor characters I thought were awesome:
Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown
Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter
_____________________________________________________________________________
Actors I Didn’t Care For:
Helena Bonham Carter/Bellatrix Lestrange: I’m not going to say Helena Bonham-Carter isn’t a great actress (she was absolutely phenomenal in “The King’s Speech” and in my opinion was cheated out of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress) and let’s face it, when you think “deranged psycho-witch you think Helena-Bonham Carter. Here are a couple of things that didn’t do it for me.
The look. When the poofy hair was introduced I went “Okay… She just got out of Azkaban, she probably hasn’t seen a bottle of Sleekeasy Hair Potion in a decade or so… That’s cool. But when she didn’t straighten her hair after that I became a little agitated.
The seduction. Yes, Bellatrix had an obsession with Voldemort but does that have to extend to EVERY character in the book? In Half-Blood Prince it seemed like most of her lines were delivered directly into another character’s ear. On the rooftop scene where Bellatrix is persuading Draco to kill Dumbledore I believe I actually cringed hoping she wouldn’t start licking in her nephew’s ear. Personally I would have loved to see a darker, sleeker Bellatrix. One that is cool and collected and can absolutely snap and go totally crazy at any second and murder anything with a pulse.
Sir Michael Gambon/Dumbledore: I get it, you didn’t want to pick up where Richard Harris left off. I respect that, as a seasoned actor you don’t want to invest your time in six films playing an actor who is playing a fictional character. But could you at least try and be like the Dumbledore in the book. When he grabbed Harry in “The Goblet of Fire” and pretty much threw him against the wall asking him if he put his name into the Goblet I lost all hope.
I do have to say, his battle scene with Voldemort in “Order of the Phoenix” was pretty epic. I also had issue with his costuming as well. Richard Harris was in beautiful robes for the first two movies and Michael Gambon seemed to traipse around in a dirty, silver nightgown. Could we throw in a little bit of variety?
_____________________________________________________________________________
What I Didn’t Like In The Movie Series:
The aforementioned look of Bellatrix Lestrange.
The aforementioned look of (Gambon) Albus Dumbledore.
Professor Flitwick’s makeover. To me it made him look like tiny Hitler. Not to mention he seemed to be demoted from Charms teacher to chorus director.
Narcissa Malfoy’s two-toned hair. I just want it explained. I feel like if someone could give me the reason why they did it, I would be perfectly fine with everything. Was it to show she was a malfoy (blonde) AND related to Bellatrix (brunette)? Can two sisters not have a different hair color? My mother and her two sisters have Brown, Blonde, and Red hair naturally. It’s not that strange.
The Maze in “Goblet of Fire.” I understand movie magic is expensive and takes time. But a maze where your enemy is yourself along with wind and crazy roots? In a movie geared towards young adults? I don’t think so.
The KKK Death Eater hoods in “Goblet of Fire.” It was a bit on the nose, I think. I’m glad they were replaced in subsequent movies.
The priori incantatem wand effect. It was cool in “Goblet of Fire” but they used it in every movie, including during the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore in “Order of the Phoenix” apart from this being the age where we can almost do everything with special effects one would hope that there would be more than one option for epic magic usage. Also, it cheapens the effect of the charm used in the graveyard.
Flagrant use of magic. Again, I understand that scenes that take you through various environs are more dynamic. But if that were true, the wizarding world would be much less of a secret. Remember the broom ride from “Order of the Phoenix” where they passed the ferry on the Thames? What about the Seven Potters scene where the motorbike flew in and landed in London traffic while Death Eaters chased it on broom? How about the scene in the café where after a small stand-off Hermione tells the waitress to simply run? Sound advice considering a Wizard’s duel is probably very commonplace for her.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Scenes From The Book I Wish We Could Have Seen:
Fair warning, my completely biased, Ravenclaw house pride fanaticism shines through in this section.
Tom Riddle’s Memories.Okay, I understand that we don’t need to know EVERYTHING about Voldemort to understand the greater plot of the movie, but it would have been really cool to see the Gaunts and Hepzibah Smith! Although frankly, if we’re not going to get any memories I would have liked Horcruxes explained. I’ve read the books multiple times and even when I watch the movie, I go “Okay…. So what are Voldemort’s Horcruxes?”
McGonagall and Umbridge during class evaluations. I thought this was an awesome scene in the books and given that they had a montage of evaluations in the movies, they could have stuck in McGonagall being “supremely unconcerned.” It seems like the only scene in the movie between McGonagall and Umbridge is where they both argue and McGonagall backs down almost immediately. Boooo, no fun.
The Ravenclaw Common Room. I know, I know. Sets cost money, filming sets take time which cost money. But I want to see it visualized! My Ravenclaw House Pride yearns desperately for this scene.
Animal Patronuses: They’re in a total of four scenes. I don’t really know why they’re omitted from the movie as there really is no explanation needed as to why they are animals. I think the shield type patronuses are just lazy and too similar to shield charms themselves. Not to mention the use of shield/animal combinations makes it confusing as to what’s what.
Weasley is Our King: The comedic possibilities could have been endless! Not to mention Umbridge banning Harry fom Quidditch. Also, I would have liked to see a game played against Ravenclaw. Yes, I know Quidditch costs money and takes away from the overall importance of the story, but it’s also a fixture in Harry Potter.
The introduction of the diadem. Okay, there is a bust in Xenophilius Lovegood’s house of a woman clearly meant to be Rowena Ravenclaw. How hard is it to go “Hey, that’s a sweet bust.” “Oh, that’s Rowena Ravnelcaw.” “Nice crown she’s got there” “That’s her lost diadem, nobody in living memory has seen it.” BAM! Done.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Additions I Liked:
Slughorn’s Story about Francis the Fish. I thought that was a nice touch, it was subtle and lead into the memory collecting scene well.
The Tale of the Three Brothers. Okay, it wasn’t necessarily an addition as Hermione does read it in the book, but what they did with it was amazing. Truth be told, it reminded me a little of “The Corpse Bride” but I still think it was a welcome surprise.
Voldemort snapping Lucius’ wand cane. We all knew it was coming eventually.
Hermione wiping her parents’ memories. It was mentioned in the book but I liked that they actually showed it. Her images disappearing from all of the photographs was a nice touch as well.
Hedwig’s death. Technically this is an alteration from the book, but I actually liked it infinitely better than the book. That’s a rare and singular honor for the movie series. JK Rowling did such a wonderful job giving Hedwig a personality and I think the movie gave her a glorious final moment.
McGonagall gives Ron dance lessons in “Goblet of Fire.” In relation to the book it’s complete and total nonsense. Assuming that McGonagall is showing the Gryffindors how to dance that mean Snape is showing the Slytherins… Let’s all imagine that for a second and laugh to ourselves. Regardless of the probability, it was still a hilarious scene none-the-less.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Additions I Didn’t Care For:
The café scene at the beginning of “Half-Blood Prince.” Voldemort is on the loose, people are disappearing and dying, and Harry’s just out riding trains, flirtin’ with waitresses. You know, as one does. Personally I think this is just ridiculous, considering he could get himself and a lot of innocent Muggles killed. I’m doing nothing to make myself not sound like a total dork, but come on!
The Hogwarts Choir. Once it was fun, but after a while it became a fixture. Why? Who cares?
The burning down of The Burrow in “Half-Blood Prince”. I understand why they did it, but it doesn’t make sense. You have Fenrir Greyback and Bellatrix Lestrange, two of the most blood thirsty murderous people in the Wizarding world pretty much just burn a house down, taunt the Order of the Phoenix in a field and leave. Ohhhh kay? I just imagine Voldemort sitting around going “How can I ruin the Weasleys’ Christmas? Exquisite…..”
All of that being said, I cannot wait to see the next movie! I hope you enjoyed this special entry in the Daily Hogwartian.
Actors/Characters that were amazing:
Robbie Coltrane/Rubeus Hagrid: He’s been consistently perfect throughout the series. I believe he was a personal casting choice of JK Rowling, so there you have it.
Alan Rickman/Severus Snape: Again, perfect and another suggestion from JK Rowling. I don’t know if any actor could play the subtleties of Snape, the sense of duty, the unrequited love, and the resentment quite as well as Alan Rickman did.
Dame Maggie Smith/ Minerva McGonagall: I think another choice by JK Rowling? I love Dame Maggie Smith as it is (watch “Downton Abbey” where she plays a consistently flabbergasted dowager), but I think she did McGonagall wonderfully and can’t wait to see her take charge in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Evanna Lynch/Luna Lovegood: Described by JK Rowling as “perfect” I quite agree. The scene at the end of “Order of the Phoenix” where she talks to Harry in the corridor was perfect and still manages to tug at my heart strings. Since then she’s been producing humorous one-liners through Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows.
Jason Issacs/Lucius Malfoy: How can you hate someone who came up with the idea for Lucius Malfoy’s walking stick? Before Jason Issacs was cast, Lucius Malfoy was going to look like just an ordinary man in a pinstripe suit. Jason Issacs is responsible for the Lucius Malfoy we’ve all come to know and love. The subtlies of hatred in his face during the scene in Flourish and Blotts in “Chamber of Secrets” still makes me laugh.
Imelda Staunton/ Dolores Umbridge: There are some characters you can get away with miscasting, but if they missed the mark on Umbridge for “Order of the Phoenix” the whole movie would have been a disaster. Luckily we were treated with a wonderful performance. Staunton combines the sickly sweet and deviously evil
Julie Walters/Molly Weasley: I just love her. I think Molly Weasley is one of the best moms in all literature and Julie Walters captured the warmth and the strength that the character brings to the story. I think I’m joined by literally everybody in the fandom in my anticipation for her to utter the lines “Not my daughter, you bitch!” on the silver screen.
Minor characters I thought were awesome:
Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown
Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter
_____________________________________________________________________________
Actors I Didn’t Care For:
Helena Bonham Carter/Bellatrix Lestrange: I’m not going to say Helena Bonham-Carter isn’t a great actress (she was absolutely phenomenal in “The King’s Speech” and in my opinion was cheated out of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress) and let’s face it, when you think “deranged psycho-witch you think Helena-Bonham Carter. Here are a couple of things that didn’t do it for me.The look. When the poofy hair was introduced I went “Okay… She just got out of Azkaban, she probably hasn’t seen a bottle of Sleekeasy Hair Potion in a decade or so… That’s cool. But when she didn’t straighten her hair after that I became a little agitated.
The seduction. Yes, Bellatrix had an obsession with Voldemort but does that have to extend to EVERY character in the book? In Half-Blood Prince it seemed like most of her lines were delivered directly into another character’s ear. On the rooftop scene where Bellatrix is persuading Draco to kill Dumbledore I believe I actually cringed hoping she wouldn’t start licking in her nephew’s ear. Personally I would have loved to see a darker, sleeker Bellatrix. One that is cool and collected and can absolutely snap and go totally crazy at any second and murder anything with a pulse.
Sir Michael Gambon/Dumbledore: I get it, you didn’t want to pick up where Richard Harris left off. I respect that, as a seasoned actor you don’t want to invest your time in six films playing an actor who is playing a fictional character. But could you at least try and be like the Dumbledore in the book. When he grabbed Harry in “The Goblet of Fire” and pretty much threw him against the wall asking him if he put his name into the Goblet I lost all hope.
I do have to say, his battle scene with Voldemort in “Order of the Phoenix” was pretty epic. I also had issue with his costuming as well. Richard Harris was in beautiful robes for the first two movies and Michael Gambon seemed to traipse around in a dirty, silver nightgown. Could we throw in a little bit of variety?
_____________________________________________________________________________
What I Didn’t Like In The Movie Series:
The aforementioned look of Bellatrix Lestrange.
The aforementioned look of (Gambon) Albus Dumbledore.
Professor Flitwick’s makeover. To me it made him look like tiny Hitler. Not to mention he seemed to be demoted from Charms teacher to chorus director.
Narcissa Malfoy’s two-toned hair. I just want it explained. I feel like if someone could give me the reason why they did it, I would be perfectly fine with everything. Was it to show she was a malfoy (blonde) AND related to Bellatrix (brunette)? Can two sisters not have a different hair color? My mother and her two sisters have Brown, Blonde, and Red hair naturally. It’s not that strange.
The Maze in “Goblet of Fire.” I understand movie magic is expensive and takes time. But a maze where your enemy is yourself along with wind and crazy roots? In a movie geared towards young adults? I don’t think so.
The KKK Death Eater hoods in “Goblet of Fire.” It was a bit on the nose, I think. I’m glad they were replaced in subsequent movies.The priori incantatem wand effect. It was cool in “Goblet of Fire” but they used it in every movie, including during the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore in “Order of the Phoenix” apart from this being the age where we can almost do everything with special effects one would hope that there would be more than one option for epic magic usage. Also, it cheapens the effect of the charm used in the graveyard.
Flagrant use of magic. Again, I understand that scenes that take you through various environs are more dynamic. But if that were true, the wizarding world would be much less of a secret. Remember the broom ride from “Order of the Phoenix” where they passed the ferry on the Thames? What about the Seven Potters scene where the motorbike flew in and landed in London traffic while Death Eaters chased it on broom? How about the scene in the café where after a small stand-off Hermione tells the waitress to simply run? Sound advice considering a Wizard’s duel is probably very commonplace for her.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Scenes From The Book I Wish We Could Have Seen:
Fair warning, my completely biased, Ravenclaw house pride fanaticism shines through in this section.
Tom Riddle’s Memories.Okay, I understand that we don’t need to know EVERYTHING about Voldemort to understand the greater plot of the movie, but it would have been really cool to see the Gaunts and Hepzibah Smith! Although frankly, if we’re not going to get any memories I would have liked Horcruxes explained. I’ve read the books multiple times and even when I watch the movie, I go “Okay…. So what are Voldemort’s Horcruxes?”
McGonagall and Umbridge during class evaluations. I thought this was an awesome scene in the books and given that they had a montage of evaluations in the movies, they could have stuck in McGonagall being “supremely unconcerned.” It seems like the only scene in the movie between McGonagall and Umbridge is where they both argue and McGonagall backs down almost immediately. Boooo, no fun.
The Ravenclaw Common Room. I know, I know. Sets cost money, filming sets take time which cost money. But I want to see it visualized! My Ravenclaw House Pride yearns desperately for this scene.
Animal Patronuses: They’re in a total of four scenes. I don’t really know why they’re omitted from the movie as there really is no explanation needed as to why they are animals. I think the shield type patronuses are just lazy and too similar to shield charms themselves. Not to mention the use of shield/animal combinations makes it confusing as to what’s what.
Weasley is Our King: The comedic possibilities could have been endless! Not to mention Umbridge banning Harry fom Quidditch. Also, I would have liked to see a game played against Ravenclaw. Yes, I know Quidditch costs money and takes away from the overall importance of the story, but it’s also a fixture in Harry Potter.
The introduction of the diadem. Okay, there is a bust in Xenophilius Lovegood’s house of a woman clearly meant to be Rowena Ravenclaw. How hard is it to go “Hey, that’s a sweet bust.” “Oh, that’s Rowena Ravnelcaw.” “Nice crown she’s got there” “That’s her lost diadem, nobody in living memory has seen it.” BAM! Done.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Additions I Liked:
Slughorn’s Story about Francis the Fish. I thought that was a nice touch, it was subtle and lead into the memory collecting scene well.
The Tale of the Three Brothers. Okay, it wasn’t necessarily an addition as Hermione does read it in the book, but what they did with it was amazing. Truth be told, it reminded me a little of “The Corpse Bride” but I still think it was a welcome surprise.
Voldemort snapping Lucius’ wand cane. We all knew it was coming eventually.
Hermione wiping her parents’ memories. It was mentioned in the book but I liked that they actually showed it. Her images disappearing from all of the photographs was a nice touch as well.
Hedwig’s death. Technically this is an alteration from the book, but I actually liked it infinitely better than the book. That’s a rare and singular honor for the movie series. JK Rowling did such a wonderful job giving Hedwig a personality and I think the movie gave her a glorious final moment.
McGonagall gives Ron dance lessons in “Goblet of Fire.” In relation to the book it’s complete and total nonsense. Assuming that McGonagall is showing the Gryffindors how to dance that mean Snape is showing the Slytherins… Let’s all imagine that for a second and laugh to ourselves. Regardless of the probability, it was still a hilarious scene none-the-less.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Additions I Didn’t Care For:
The café scene at the beginning of “Half-Blood Prince.” Voldemort is on the loose, people are disappearing and dying, and Harry’s just out riding trains, flirtin’ with waitresses. You know, as one does. Personally I think this is just ridiculous, considering he could get himself and a lot of innocent Muggles killed. I’m doing nothing to make myself not sound like a total dork, but come on!
The Hogwarts Choir. Once it was fun, but after a while it became a fixture. Why? Who cares?The burning down of The Burrow in “Half-Blood Prince”. I understand why they did it, but it doesn’t make sense. You have Fenrir Greyback and Bellatrix Lestrange, two of the most blood thirsty murderous people in the Wizarding world pretty much just burn a house down, taunt the Order of the Phoenix in a field and leave. Ohhhh kay? I just imagine Voldemort sitting around going “How can I ruin the Weasleys’ Christmas? Exquisite…..”
All of that being said, I cannot wait to see the next movie! I hope you enjoyed this special entry in the Daily Hogwartian.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Flaw In The Plan
"Hands, softer than he had been expecting, touched Harry's face, pulled back an eyelid, crept beneath his shirt, down to his chest, and felt his heart. He could hear the woman's fast breathing, her long hair tickled his face. He knew that she could feel the steady pounding of life against his ribs.
'Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?'
The whisper was barely audible; her lips were an inch from his ear, her head bent so low that her long hair shielded his face from the onlookers.
'Yes,' he breathed.
He felt the hand on his chest contract; he nails pierced him. Then it was withdrawn. She had sat up..
'He is dead!' Narcissa Malfoy called to the watchers."
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Chapter Thirty-Six, 'The Flaw In The Plan.' Pg. 726 US Edition, Hardcover.
In honor of Deathly Hallows, Part Two coming out this week here's a scene from the book! One of my favorites to be exact. I love character defining moments like this.
Also, let me explain her outfit. In the first trailer that was released for Deathly Hallows we see the Death Eaters standing in the forest, and I believe Narcissa Malfoy was wearing a wide brimmed hat. At first I thought "that's dumb!" And the more I thought about it I kind of liked the idea. Only Narcissa Malfoy would bring one of her hats into the Forbidden Forest. It's actually kind of smart if you think, who knows what could fall on your head in there. So that's why she has a hat. I also think it would be easier to hide her face when whispers to Harry if she has a hat. EDIT It turns out she's not wearing a hat, it's just her weird two-toned hair in shadow. I still like the hat though.
CXI. Cornelius Fudge
You know what I want to know? What happened to Fudge? When last we heard, Fudge was liaising between the Ministry and the Muggle Prime Minister. Did he just decide to go into a comfortable retirement after the war? I must know!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Stumped Sorting Hat Icon
As I have previously mentioned, in the days leading up to the premier of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two" I will be posting a little something extra. Today we have a stumped Sorting Hat icon. You know what I love to draw? Sorting Hat expressions.
Are you an avid fan of the Harry Potter series but can't identify with a house? Not witty enough for Ravenclaw? Too cowardly for Gryffindor? Not ambitious enough for Slytherin or hard-working enough for Hufflepuff?
Or perhaps you identify with two houses. Maybe you're a Slytherpuff or a Gryffinclaw.
Either way you've managed to stump the Hogwarts Sorting Hat and are worthy of this icon.
Are you an avid fan of the Harry Potter series but can't identify with a house? Not witty enough for Ravenclaw? Too cowardly for Gryffindor? Not ambitious enough for Slytherin or hard-working enough for Hufflepuff?
Or perhaps you identify with two houses. Maybe you're a Slytherpuff or a Gryffinclaw.
Either way you've managed to stump the Hogwarts Sorting Hat and are worthy of this icon.
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