HARRY POTTER!! (Order of the Pheonix, Movie-style!)
Whew. Okay, so. I saw Order of the Pheonix last night...
Okay, first of all, a disclaimer. We've all read OotP. We all know it was approximately 10,000 pages long and incorporated about 2,000 different story lines. I was telling Alicia after the movie--I do NOT envy the person whose job it was to write the first edit of that script. It must have been the work of WEEKS trying to whittle that story down into something that would be coherent AND run at less than five hours. So I'll put my one big complaint right under that disclaimer, because I really think that the only fault of the movie was that nothing was given enough time--every bit of information that was crucial was there, but some of it lost the emotional impact in the economy of the telling. I wanted to see Neville with his parents at Mungo's. For that matter, I wanted to see more of the Weasley family's reaction to Arthur being hurt. There was also Cho becoming the betrayer for the sake of convenience (kudos to whatever scriptwriter came up with that. That was a wonderfully economical way of getting from point A to point B and the to-late disclosure of the veritaserum left both her character and the rift between she and Harry intact.)
But here's the thing about my complaint--it's the fault of the book, and not the scriptwriters. They did an absolutely bang-up job considering the task set to them. OotP happens to be my favorite out of the books, because it's the bookiest of the books--it's a tale so Byzantine that it really only could have been told in 600+ pages of text--and for that reasons, it's the hardest to put to screen. So there's my one complaint, and consider it laid to rest with no honor lost to those who tried their best. :)
Now, my many compliments for the movie...
First of all, it is incredibly obvious that Daniel Radcliffe has been working to improve at his craft, and I appreciate that so, so much. Considering his age, he was bloody brilliant. Granted, he's still lacking in some nuance, but he serves the purposes of the script incredibly well. Rupert Grint was still adorable and his chemistry with Emma Watson is lovely--you can see where that relationship is going without it jumping off the screen to strangle you. Though I do have to say that I would have liked to see more of Ron--he didn't have much to do in this installment, but there are two more movies to fix that, especially if Book 7 is going to be as trio-heavy as I think it will. So, in summation: our main three young actors acquitted themselves very well, and aren't we so proud of them! *pinches their cheeks*
(Side note: may I also express my appreciation for Mr. Radcliffe growing up in such an asthetically pleasing manner? It was much appreciated. ;))
Other actors deserving mention: Can we talk about how perfect Loony Lovegood was? Yes? Thanks. Oh, and Professors McGonagall and Trelawney, you didn't have nearly enough to do! But what what you did, you did perfectly. Another instance of near-perfect casting. Umbridge was also a wonderful bit of casting--how incredibly creepy was she? Oh, and how much did I love that the script actually managed to slide in the issue that the way she treated Harry was, in fact, abuse? (A topic that I was horrified when it wasn't dealt with adequately in the book.) In fact, the scriptwriters did a lot of elegant editing--because the arguments between the trio were necessary plot-points in the book, they were included, but with the resolution already there so that we were left with the whole picture of their friendship. But back to the actors... The actor playing Neville was lovely, but he usually is--he's so dolefully normally that the added melancholy seemed natural. In fact, it seemed fairly organic to me. And Bellatrix... Seriously, Helena Bonham-Carter was born to play crazy chicks. I loved her. Honestly, I could go through every single actor and compliment each one. The reality is, the casting directors know what they're doing, and that helps a LOT in fleshing out the seeming brevity of the script, because many of these actors can fill the void with their talent. (Gary Oldman, anyone? Exactly. :))
Now for the techie-bits... Honestly? I think that this movie is a good example of how and when to use a hand-held. The occlumency scenes, the dementor attack, the dreams--they were all given a sense of urgency and immediacy that was needed. Also, the editing and cinematography was superb. I don't think we've ever seen a shot of the landscape around Hogwart's quite like when Harry was standing outside Hagrid's hut. The shot was also put to beautifully inspired use--all those beautiful mountains rearing up around, and here Harry stands, alone and dwarfed by the hugeness of everything. Can I also say that I don't think it's an accident that Harry remained land-bound through the entire movie? Obviously they cut the Quidditch stuff entirely because it would take forever, but it also served another (I'm sure unintentional but still useful) purpose. With Harry being shackled to the ground, a very thoughtful observer might notice that additional feeling of being trapped. In the other movies, Harry had an outlet and something that gave him complete, uncomplicated joy. Without that specific kind of levity, we feel the lack that Harry feels.
This was a beautifully crafted film, from start to finish. I loved that moment in Dumbledore's office at the end when he and Harry share a quiet conversation about Dumbledore avoiding him and it's the two of them in cramped quarters, face-to-face in smokey blue-grey light. Visually, it looked like the exhaustion Harry must've been feeling. (Radcliffe also helped by being slumped so poetically against the wall.) Also, the effects when Dumbledore disappeared from his office was spectacular. (Oh, Shacklebolt! Couldn't resist egging the Minister on, could you? He has style, indeed. *SNERK* I TOTALLY laughed out loud at that one.)
I keep coming back to the structure of the movie. In a way, they did some things better than the book. I particularly liked the retcon when Harry is speaking to Sirius about being so angry and links it in his speech to Voldemort taking up space in his mind. Honestly, I'd thought of that before and thought it a perfectly good explanation for CAPS LOCK!Harry, but it was nice to see it on screen. I also thought this was one case where I was okay with "tell, don't show." We didn't have to see Harry storming about and screaming at things--his low, simmering resentment and frustration were enough for me, and when he told Sirius (with that pathetic, true desperation in his voice) that he was walking around angry all the time, I believed him. (Can we heap kudos on Mr. Radcliffe again? He really was wonderful and did a bang-up job in a very demanding role. That moment after Sirius died was so incredibly painful and he just did such a great job.)
But I could go on about what a wonderful job they did editing, the colors they used, the cinematography, those wonderful scriptwriters who had a Herculean task but what I keep coming back to is that moment in the Ministry of Magic where I sat all the way forward in my seat, peering intently at the screen, and didn't sit back until Fudge stumbled in. If a movie can make me do that, it's worth seeing.
(Oh! And honorable mention to the CGI, which was much, much improved. One assumes because they didn't have to spend half their time on the Quidditch matches. And Hermione telling Grawp to put her down and that he "just needs a firm hand"? Hilarious. And Grawp was both believably adorable and terrifying, in equal measure.)
(Okay, okay, and one last note, because I'm sure someone will mention this: my one OTHER complaint about this movie would be the fact that we were left without some of the emotional payoff because it DID go so fast. But it's like my other complaint--unless they were going to split the movie up into multiple installments, that would have been impossible to accomplish, so personally I don't mind.)
Please tell me what you thought! When I loved the book of OotP, I remember I was the only one at the time, so I'm welcoming the discussion (and argument!) that I know is on the way. :)
***
My last bit of Harry Potter news:
You know your artist boyfriend loves you (and is as much of a geek as you) when he turns (makes) you a wand by hand because you don't have one and you had mentioned (in passing) that you needed one to complete a costume. Handmade maple wood wand, people.
Before you ask: no, you can't have him, he's mine and I won't lend him out--I'm selfish that way.
***
Random--
My brilliant, yet entirely obvious and self-evident thought for the day:
We have to give joy in order to get it.
Discuss. :)
Okay, first of all, a disclaimer. We've all read OotP. We all know it was approximately 10,000 pages long and incorporated about 2,000 different story lines. I was telling Alicia after the movie--I do NOT envy the person whose job it was to write the first edit of that script. It must have been the work of WEEKS trying to whittle that story down into something that would be coherent AND run at less than five hours. So I'll put my one big complaint right under that disclaimer, because I really think that the only fault of the movie was that nothing was given enough time--every bit of information that was crucial was there, but some of it lost the emotional impact in the economy of the telling. I wanted to see Neville with his parents at Mungo's. For that matter, I wanted to see more of the Weasley family's reaction to Arthur being hurt. There was also Cho becoming the betrayer for the sake of convenience (kudos to whatever scriptwriter came up with that. That was a wonderfully economical way of getting from point A to point B and the to-late disclosure of the veritaserum left both her character and the rift between she and Harry intact.)
But here's the thing about my complaint--it's the fault of the book, and not the scriptwriters. They did an absolutely bang-up job considering the task set to them. OotP happens to be my favorite out of the books, because it's the bookiest of the books--it's a tale so Byzantine that it really only could have been told in 600+ pages of text--and for that reasons, it's the hardest to put to screen. So there's my one complaint, and consider it laid to rest with no honor lost to those who tried their best. :)
Now, my many compliments for the movie...
First of all, it is incredibly obvious that Daniel Radcliffe has been working to improve at his craft, and I appreciate that so, so much. Considering his age, he was bloody brilliant. Granted, he's still lacking in some nuance, but he serves the purposes of the script incredibly well. Rupert Grint was still adorable and his chemistry with Emma Watson is lovely--you can see where that relationship is going without it jumping off the screen to strangle you. Though I do have to say that I would have liked to see more of Ron--he didn't have much to do in this installment, but there are two more movies to fix that, especially if Book 7 is going to be as trio-heavy as I think it will. So, in summation: our main three young actors acquitted themselves very well, and aren't we so proud of them! *pinches their cheeks*
(Side note: may I also express my appreciation for Mr. Radcliffe growing up in such an asthetically pleasing manner? It was much appreciated. ;))
Other actors deserving mention: Can we talk about how perfect Loony Lovegood was? Yes? Thanks. Oh, and Professors McGonagall and Trelawney, you didn't have nearly enough to do! But what what you did, you did perfectly. Another instance of near-perfect casting. Umbridge was also a wonderful bit of casting--how incredibly creepy was she? Oh, and how much did I love that the script actually managed to slide in the issue that the way she treated Harry was, in fact, abuse? (A topic that I was horrified when it wasn't dealt with adequately in the book.) In fact, the scriptwriters did a lot of elegant editing--because the arguments between the trio were necessary plot-points in the book, they were included, but with the resolution already there so that we were left with the whole picture of their friendship. But back to the actors... The actor playing Neville was lovely, but he usually is--he's so dolefully normally that the added melancholy seemed natural. In fact, it seemed fairly organic to me. And Bellatrix... Seriously, Helena Bonham-Carter was born to play crazy chicks. I loved her. Honestly, I could go through every single actor and compliment each one. The reality is, the casting directors know what they're doing, and that helps a LOT in fleshing out the seeming brevity of the script, because many of these actors can fill the void with their talent. (Gary Oldman, anyone? Exactly. :))
Now for the techie-bits... Honestly? I think that this movie is a good example of how and when to use a hand-held. The occlumency scenes, the dementor attack, the dreams--they were all given a sense of urgency and immediacy that was needed. Also, the editing and cinematography was superb. I don't think we've ever seen a shot of the landscape around Hogwart's quite like when Harry was standing outside Hagrid's hut. The shot was also put to beautifully inspired use--all those beautiful mountains rearing up around, and here Harry stands, alone and dwarfed by the hugeness of everything. Can I also say that I don't think it's an accident that Harry remained land-bound through the entire movie? Obviously they cut the Quidditch stuff entirely because it would take forever, but it also served another (I'm sure unintentional but still useful) purpose. With Harry being shackled to the ground, a very thoughtful observer might notice that additional feeling of being trapped. In the other movies, Harry had an outlet and something that gave him complete, uncomplicated joy. Without that specific kind of levity, we feel the lack that Harry feels.
This was a beautifully crafted film, from start to finish. I loved that moment in Dumbledore's office at the end when he and Harry share a quiet conversation about Dumbledore avoiding him and it's the two of them in cramped quarters, face-to-face in smokey blue-grey light. Visually, it looked like the exhaustion Harry must've been feeling. (Radcliffe also helped by being slumped so poetically against the wall.) Also, the effects when Dumbledore disappeared from his office was spectacular. (Oh, Shacklebolt! Couldn't resist egging the Minister on, could you? He has style, indeed. *SNERK* I TOTALLY laughed out loud at that one.)
I keep coming back to the structure of the movie. In a way, they did some things better than the book. I particularly liked the retcon when Harry is speaking to Sirius about being so angry and links it in his speech to Voldemort taking up space in his mind. Honestly, I'd thought of that before and thought it a perfectly good explanation for CAPS LOCK!Harry, but it was nice to see it on screen. I also thought this was one case where I was okay with "tell, don't show." We didn't have to see Harry storming about and screaming at things--his low, simmering resentment and frustration were enough for me, and when he told Sirius (with that pathetic, true desperation in his voice) that he was walking around angry all the time, I believed him. (Can we heap kudos on Mr. Radcliffe again? He really was wonderful and did a bang-up job in a very demanding role. That moment after Sirius died was so incredibly painful and he just did such a great job.)
But I could go on about what a wonderful job they did editing, the colors they used, the cinematography, those wonderful scriptwriters who had a Herculean task but what I keep coming back to is that moment in the Ministry of Magic where I sat all the way forward in my seat, peering intently at the screen, and didn't sit back until Fudge stumbled in. If a movie can make me do that, it's worth seeing.
(Oh! And honorable mention to the CGI, which was much, much improved. One assumes because they didn't have to spend half their time on the Quidditch matches. And Hermione telling Grawp to put her down and that he "just needs a firm hand"? Hilarious. And Grawp was both believably adorable and terrifying, in equal measure.)
(Okay, okay, and one last note, because I'm sure someone will mention this: my one OTHER complaint about this movie would be the fact that we were left without some of the emotional payoff because it DID go so fast. But it's like my other complaint--unless they were going to split the movie up into multiple installments, that would have been impossible to accomplish, so personally I don't mind.)
Please tell me what you thought! When I loved the book of OotP, I remember I was the only one at the time, so I'm welcoming the discussion (and argument!) that I know is on the way. :)
***
My last bit of Harry Potter news:
You know your artist boyfriend loves you (and is as much of a geek as you) when he turns (makes) you a wand by hand because you don't have one and you had mentioned (in passing) that you needed one to complete a costume. Handmade maple wood wand, people.
Before you ask: no, you can't have him, he's mine and I won't lend him out--I'm selfish that way.
***
Random--
My brilliant, yet entirely obvious and self-evident thought for the day:
We have to give joy in order to get it.
Discuss. :)