So I saw Harry Potter, and I thought me some thinks
So I saw me some Harry Potter part the umpteenth tonight.
On a personal note, I forgot my earplugs, which I usually bring to movies with LARGE EXPLOSIONS. Movies with LARGE EXPLOSIONS, which is the typical summer movie fare, usually leave me with headaches from the sound being turned up to ELEVEN, but the Cinnebarre seems to be better about not blowing out my eardrums. So: no headache, yay! and being able to hear the soft parts: also yay!
I liked it better than part the umpteenth minus one, but that may also be my dislike for a book or movie leaving me hanging: it wasn't done, dammit. But now it is finished, and it's given me the best thing: visuals for my fanon. It's a good movie, but it's limited by Rowling's vision, and I have to admit, I'm the sort of Harry Potter fan who likes the source, but I think the fans have really transcended it.
(Ok, they've also - is there an opposite of transcend? Descended to the depths of crapitude, but even the worst of Mary Sue self-insert song fic by the most juvenile of authors is worthy of kudos for the effort. Just don't show it to me. Please.)
Speaking of songfic - the nearest comparison I have for the Potter series is Lord of the Rings: I don't like Tolkein's prose either. Well. His prose I can take just fine. It just annoys the piss out of me when he breaks into song EVERY OTHER PAGE. He's got a leg up on Rowling, the depth and breadth of his world is greater, and he has more internal consistency. But there too, I find the fanfic more readable :)
Scalzi's probably right, there won't be another fantasy movie series like this for a long time. Little else has entered the mainstream consciousness: Lord of the Rings is done. Narnia doesn't follow a straight chronological timeline or the same characters, and it feels like it's petered out, really. Golden Compass doesn't seem to be spawning a proper sequel, and the actress is getting too old to be a direct continuation. George RR Martin's series is certainly catching attention, but I think that he's falling into the same problems Robert Jordan ran into with sequel-itis.
There's perhaps some room for contemporary fantasy... and yes, Lori, I feel your pain: upon seeing the trailer for the new Twilight movie, she exclaimed: "Oh God, there's a part TWO!" It was an expression of pain and disgust: Sparkly vampires take over the world. Now, with more sparkle. (I was certainly amused, however, to see the Summer of Mantitty continue even in that trailer: the wolfboy should feel free to take off his shirt whenever he wants. Though, he really doesn't need to be broody mcbroody pants while doing so. It's a little offputting while I'm trying to ogle.)
Summer of Mantitty should be explained: I was perusing the list of summer movies when we were discussing which we were looking forward to earlier in the year, and I'd seen the trailers for both Thor and Captain America, both of which served up shirtless blonds on a platter, and then I saw that Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex from Stargate: Atlantis) had gotten the part of Conan. Conan on top of a post at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books about romance novel covers, and... well. Nothing to it but to call it likes I sees it: the Trifecta of Mantitty!
(I'm not allowed to say it anymore. (mantitty!) I just grin and Gregg will say it for me. Hee!)
This entry was originally posted at http://mishaday.dreamwidth.org/516066.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
On a personal note, I forgot my earplugs, which I usually bring to movies with LARGE EXPLOSIONS. Movies with LARGE EXPLOSIONS, which is the typical summer movie fare, usually leave me with headaches from the sound being turned up to ELEVEN, but the Cinnebarre seems to be better about not blowing out my eardrums. So: no headache, yay! and being able to hear the soft parts: also yay!
I liked it better than part the umpteenth minus one, but that may also be my dislike for a book or movie leaving me hanging: it wasn't done, dammit. But now it is finished, and it's given me the best thing: visuals for my fanon. It's a good movie, but it's limited by Rowling's vision, and I have to admit, I'm the sort of Harry Potter fan who likes the source, but I think the fans have really transcended it.
(Ok, they've also - is there an opposite of transcend? Descended to the depths of crapitude, but even the worst of Mary Sue self-insert song fic by the most juvenile of authors is worthy of kudos for the effort. Just don't show it to me. Please.)
Speaking of songfic - the nearest comparison I have for the Potter series is Lord of the Rings: I don't like Tolkein's prose either. Well. His prose I can take just fine. It just annoys the piss out of me when he breaks into song EVERY OTHER PAGE. He's got a leg up on Rowling, the depth and breadth of his world is greater, and he has more internal consistency. But there too, I find the fanfic more readable :)
Scalzi's probably right, there won't be another fantasy movie series like this for a long time. Little else has entered the mainstream consciousness: Lord of the Rings is done. Narnia doesn't follow a straight chronological timeline or the same characters, and it feels like it's petered out, really. Golden Compass doesn't seem to be spawning a proper sequel, and the actress is getting too old to be a direct continuation. George RR Martin's series is certainly catching attention, but I think that he's falling into the same problems Robert Jordan ran into with sequel-itis.
There's perhaps some room for contemporary fantasy... and yes, Lori, I feel your pain: upon seeing the trailer for the new Twilight movie, she exclaimed: "Oh God, there's a part TWO!" It was an expression of pain and disgust: Sparkly vampires take over the world. Now, with more sparkle. (I was certainly amused, however, to see the Summer of Mantitty continue even in that trailer: the wolfboy should feel free to take off his shirt whenever he wants. Though, he really doesn't need to be broody mcbroody pants while doing so. It's a little offputting while I'm trying to ogle.)
Summer of Mantitty should be explained: I was perusing the list of summer movies when we were discussing which we were looking forward to earlier in the year, and I'd seen the trailers for both Thor and Captain America, both of which served up shirtless blonds on a platter, and then I saw that Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex from Stargate: Atlantis) had gotten the part of Conan. Conan on top of a post at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books about romance novel covers, and... well. Nothing to it but to call it likes I sees it: the Trifecta of Mantitty!
(I'm not allowed to say it anymore. (mantitty!) I just grin and Gregg will say it for me. Hee!)
This entry was originally posted at http://mishaday.dreamwidth.org/516066.html. Please comment there using OpenID.