Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

There are a few things in Deathly Hallows Part 2 that bothered me, but overall they do not stop the movie from being an amazing adaptation of the book. It's a well-paced, action packed movie that takes place almost entirely on the one day of the Battle of Hogwarts and the Gringott's break in.

Some of the events are reordered, the events around Neville's sorting hat discovery are expanded a bit into greater action sequences, and the investigation to find Hepzibah Smith's cup is definitely rewritten (and the backstory is cut), but it's all done in a way that serves the plot and ensures that the events are clear to movie fans who have not read the books.

Kloves knew which moments to keep to avoid fan mutiny (like Molly's famous line). He also added in a few moments for the fans-- and here is where I'm bothered. A character in the book who had an implied bite from Fenrir but was not killed ended up dead and Kloves inserted a non-canon ship for the sake of fans-- one that I'm convinced would be a disaster, even if I adore these two characters. 

One other thing made me raise an eyebrow. "At the close" (which will mean nothing to non-book fans and therefore be spoiler-free) Harry mentions makes a reference to Teddy, a new character that was never mentioned or introduced or lead up to in either of the Deathly Hallows movies. It's especially jarring as the timeline of the last book, as indicated by the seemingly cold weather, seems to be condensed down. There was no room for a pregnancy there and Teddy's father never told Harry "I'm a dad" at any point. I'd have rather they left him out than make people who didn't read the books go "when did that happen?" The fact that these are my only complaints about the movie, however, proves how amazing of a job Yates, Kloves, and the whole team did.

Every shot was like a painting. The sets were all monumental. The costumes were well designed. As usual, Luna's blonde hair and pastel dress among the sea of brunettes in black robes makes her the focal point of every shot she's in.

Deaths were handled with respect and an appropriate level of performance. There were quite a few tears in the theater and the girl behind me probably just needed a whole box of tissues. The top performances of the film were Ala Rickman as Severus Snape (Stop crying, Alan Rickman, you're breaking my heart!), Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort (he never stoops to just playing angry and evil. There are levels of panic and vulnerability in his villian that made him captivating to watch), and Kelly MacDonald as Helena Ravenclaw.

As for the epilogue. I read that they reshot it with less makeup, trusting the audience to trust that 19 years later statement. The makeup I had seen on the first shoot was too old. 19 years after Harry is 18 is 37, not 50. I'm glad they fixed it. The whole scene was very nicely handled and trimmed down to the essentials. Little Hugo was absolutely adorable!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) was a great adaptation and a wonderfully entertaining movie for fans and casual followers.

Oh, yeah, and the 3D was the best 3D I have ever seen in a live action film. It wasn't at all distracting. If you feel like paying the extra money for Harry Potter-shaped Real 3D glasses, go for it!

@Nimbuschick: "I enjoyed seeing all of our favorite canon characters back, like Nigel & random black kid from divination."

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Dear Netflix

I have to chime in on the trending topic, though I don't have time to do it eloquently as I have to be at work and then roller derby, so I won't be home for the next 14 hours...

Dear Netflix Users Who Are Complaining,

Netflix didn't pull a bait and switch on you. If you really believe that, then know that the movie studios pulled a bait and switch on Netflix. Netflix contracts for rights to rent content run out this year and the studios, who thought Netflix was a wild idea when they signed those contracts, have decided that Netflix is a great idea-- and they wish they owned it.

So Netflix is being charged exorbitant rates for content they had the rights to, content you're used to seeing, content their business revolves around. They have to pass on the cost or it would destroy them. Meanwhile many of those studios are starting their own copycats (like Hulu, etc) and the ones who aren't, still know that the films have a higher value to Netflix now that they're established and need them. They're holding the entire company ransom for higher payout.

Here we are, complaining about $5 a month. If you actually use the 2-disc plan actively, then you're saving WAY more than that, still, by not renting from Blockbuster or BUYING DVDs. I've saved HUNDREDS by not buying DVDs, and thousands by not having cable. I stream Netflix, so I still save over $40 a month, not having TV.

And the truth is, this is NOT the same service that started off at $14.99 with streaming. There are more convenient ways to stream since I signed up (Ps3 to my TV!) and WAY WAY WAY more movies and TV shows. The insta-queue used to have a lot of indies and maybe one out of every 6 big releases. Now the majority of movies you can think of are instant or will be 6 months after DVD release.

Get over it. Prices go up everywhere. This is not their fault or their nefarious plan. Netflix is a business and cannot operate in the red.

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10 Worst Cast Characters in Harry Potter Films

When you're casting an already loved world, you have to be careful to be faithful so as not to anger fans. This list was harder to make than I thought it would be. The casting directors actually did a really great job with most of this series. 50% of this list is stretching to make a 10 to counterpoint my Best Cast list. I LOVE some of these actors, even if I think they don't match the book. I think most of my gripes are with the Prisoner of Azkaban. None of these castings were bad from a talent standpoint. This is really about embodying the character that Rowling created in a physical sense.

Very few of these castings make detrimental changes to the story itself. Really, for the majority of this list, it's all about the look. This list is far more superficial than I thought it would be and it only really matters for a handful of characters. I actually had to strain my brain to think of 12. I guess my real beef with the movies are the plot omissions and the random action sequences added in that take away time from things that shouldn't have been cut. Fiona Weir (casting) did a pretty good job.

10 Worst Cast Characters in Harry Potter Films

10 & 9. Oliver and James Phelps as the Weasley Twins
Do not get me wrong: the Phelps twins give a great performance. I just find it annoying that the movie castings made half of fandom forget that the Weasley twins are not tall and lanky in the books. Rowling specifically states that Bill, Percy, and Ron are tall and thin and that Charlie, Fred, and George are short and stocky. I guess it's easy to forget that when you have a couple of tall, weedy brunettes playing them for eight movies.

At least hair dye can fix the brunette problem. I just find it hard to believe, as awesome as these guys are (I followed them on Twitter for a while and they seemed really genuine and funny) that they couldn't find talented twins who weren't so dang lanky.

8. Sir Michael Gambon as Dumbledore
There were a lot of people pushing for Sir Peter O'Toole to replace Sir Richard Harris after his death. I guess you have to be knighted to play Dumbledore? What bothers me about Michael Gambon's performances is that he immediately took the whimsy out of it.

Also, I don't think Gambon cares about the role. I mean at all. When asked if he'd read the books, Gambon said  there was “No point in reading the books because you’re playing with [screenwriter] Steve Kloves’words.” When he first signed on for the role he was quoted telling an interviewer 

"I just play him as myself, I don’t ease myself into any role really. I stick a beard on and play me. Every part I play is just a variant of my own personality. No real character actor, of course, just me."

While I can't find the quote for you, I remember reading a couple years back that Gambon thought Dumbledore was a what-you-see-is-what-you-get character. He obviously has no respect for what he is playing and it shows in his performance. Dumbledore is wise, temperate, compassionate, quirky, and yet powerful. If you read the books you know that he also carries a lot of guilt over his friend Grindewald and that he burdens himself with Voldemort as well. If you watch Gambon you get that he's old, smart, and yells an awful lot. I think that a good  Dumbledore would save yelling for 1 (and only one) moment over the span of the whole series.

Michael Gambon is a great actor. I liked him in Layer Cake. I just don't think he gives a damn about Harry Potter. He's collecting a paycheck and it shows. Seeing how I adore Harry Potter, how I've made a lot of great friends through the common interest, and how many of my pre-college achievements were made because of my involvement in the Library because of Potter... it does make me pretty mad that he can be so disrespectful of the material that so many millions love.

7. Stanislav Ianevski as Viktor Krum
Viktor Krum is supposed to be tall, awkward on his feet, with a hawk-like appearance. He is supposed to have a big, hook nose. I feel like the casting director read that he's Bulgarian and that girls are jealous of Hermione for dating him and then just threw away the rest of it.

Ianevski is broad-shouldered and very conventionally good-looking. He's no Viktor Krum.

6.  Robbie Jarvis as Young James Potter
James and Harry are supposed to be nearly identical, except for the eyes. With so little face time in the film, why couldn't they go on a D-Rad look-alike hunt? The guy would barely have to be able to act and they could coach the accent for the one, weirdly edited line he had anyway. Why did they just cast a skinny kid with obviously brown hair when they could have easily found a closer likeness?

5. Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour
I really do adore Bill Nighy. He's amazing. But he's no Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour is supposed to look like a lion and Bill Nighy most certainly does not. Were Sean Connery and Sir Christopher Lee not available?

4. Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback
This one is really bad. A werewolf who is at least a generation older than Remus, and they cast an actor who is the same age but looking younger for his age? Why did they cast a wrestler? They should have a creepy, skinny, crazy-looking older man. I understand that werewolves and wizards may age slower, but then why does Remus look fifty?!?

3. Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy
This is one of those castings that I think changes the character. Narcissa is supposed to be blonde, blonde, blonde, and very delicate and sharp-featured. She's supposed to be young and beautiful, suggesting that she was a prissy, rich, young bride. Instead they cast the woman they wanted to use as Bellatrix. WRONG! And they didn't even make her totally blonde!

Rumors circulated that Naomi Watts got the role. She would have been perfect! Narcissa is supposed to be the sister who looks the least like her siblings. She's the little Black family princess. Why did they cast Helen McRory? Why are all of the adults in this series at least 10 years too old?

2. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
I'm going to settle this once and for all. Harry's parents were 21 when they died. It says so in The Deathly Hallows and they could have asked JK Rowling if they were curious. That means that in Deathly Hallows, Remus, Snape, and Peter should have been 37. David Thewlis is 48.

Remus was supposed to have sandy hair (that slightly obscured the fact that he was going prematurely grey) and be in his mid thirties for this series. They cast a man in his (then) mid-forties with dark hair. Now he just looks like he's going seriously grey.

*bang head on desk* They messed up the whole generation. I guess my problem really extends far beyond Remus here.

1. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
I love Gary Oldman. He's a great actor. Now that this disclaimer is out of the way... WHAT? WHAT! WHY? Sirius is supposed to be the good-looking bad boy. A tall, good-looking bad boy. Gary Oldman is 5'9" (below average height for a caucasian male) with a weak chin and is 5 years older than even David Thewlis.

MissVarlou on DeviantArt

Ok, so prison aged him. Did prison shrink him?

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Jeremy's Mother is a Vampire

Jeremy's Mother is a Vampire is a short story by Kyle Strickland (the husband). It is being sold now for the Kindle and Nook. Jeremy's Mother is a Vampire is also going to be included in a later collection of vampire short stories alongside full illustrations by Carly Strickland. This collection, Say No to Sparkles will be available in the early spring of 2012.

Check out some of the illustrations below the jump, courtesy of Carly Strickland's site.

Click to enlarge:

Sign up for email updates at Matter Deep Publishing to be notified when Say No to Sparkles is released.

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10 Best Cast Characters in the Harry Potter Movies

Another casting countdown. Over the years I've griped and cheered about casting in the adaptation of my favourite book series. Now, as it is coming to an end and we've met all the cast there is to see, I finally put my thoughts on paper... well... on paper if any of you decide to print this post.

The 10 Best Cast Characters in the Harry Potter Movies

(And don't tell me I forgot Alan Rickman. As fabulous as he is, he's wayyyy too old for the role)

10. Sir Richard Harris as Dumbledore

It's really sad that the knighted actor only got to complete 2 films (and he had a double for the second in many places) because he was the perfect Dumbledore. Harris had a sort of whimsy in his Dumbledore-- fitting of a man who likes ten pin bowling and wears purple robes-- and a respect for the character.

He was pressured into accepting the role by his granddaughter, and I'm glad for it. Richard Harris lost his life in 2002 to Hodgkin's Disease at the age of 72.

9. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy

When they first cast Isaacs, I had a "whaaaat?" moment, because I forgot about things like hair dye. Once I saw him in the costume, I was sold. Isaacs has the sharp nose and the cold blue eyes, but most importantly, he has a silky, sophisticated, menace about everything he does. Isaacs is one of those actors who will always be remembered for his villians.

8. Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort

It seems like an odd choice to cast a man with a larger-than-normal nose as the one character in the book who doesn't have a nose, but CG can do wondrous things these days. Ralph Fiennes was a brilliant choice for the big bad Voldemort because he is a smart, dedicated actor who knows not to take a role in a "children's movie" lightly.

I clearly remember a post Order of the Phoenix interview where Fiennes discussed the particular madness of a man as evil as Voldemort. It would be easy to just play evil, menacing, snarly man. It would be boring. Ralph Fiennes is a great Voldemort for the same reason that Heath Ledger was a brilliant joker. He broke up his script and found strikingly different levels. He snapped between calm and calculating, maniacal and gleeful, and screaming rage like a true psychopath.

Nearly anyone could shave their head and don the makeup to look like Voldemort. His snake nose and bald head are pretty iconic. Fiennes knew that to act like Voldemort, he couldn't just tale the role lightly. He had to embrace it.

7. Julie Walters as Mrs. Weasley

Julie Walters has crinkled brown eyes that show genuine warmth with every smile. She screams motherly affection. And she's a real ginger!

Of course, Molly Weasley is the mother of six rowdy boys, and Julie Walters has the right presence to believably keep six boys and Ginny Weasley in line. When she snaps to scolding, we all turn our heads to check for our mothers. When she fawns over Harry, we all can almost imagine the smell of that dinner in the oven.

Presence. Sincerity. Warmth. Julie Walters is a perfect Molly Weasley.

6. Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody

Brendan Gleeson kind of reminds me of one of those dogs with the muscly shoulders. He looks like a pug or a pitbull. Maybe he's capable of warmth and affection, but he's much better at scowling and scaring off cats. 

The same goes for Mad-Eye Moody.

Gleeson is a revered, talented actor. Like Ralph Fiennes, he didn't say "Kid movie!" and slack off. He's committed to making sure that Mad-Eye is the same gonzo, paranoid guy he is in the books. He looks the part and he plays it well.

5. Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks

The right age, the right look, and my God, her voice is wicked cool.

4. Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid

He's like a big furry teddy bear. Robbie Coltrane is another one of those actors who has a genuine soul that exudes warmth. Sure, I've seen him play mean and menacing, but he's so lovable as the simple half-giant.

Coltrane has been with the series for all eight movies, but he never seems tired of the role. He has kept up his commitment to the character. It's a good thing. I think he'd have to look over his shoulder for an angry Dianne Rowling if he butchered her favourite character. I think Hagrid might not have survived the Battle of Hogwarts if JK Rowling hadn't feared that very same thing.

3. Dame Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall

The fact that she has been Knighted should tell you that her acting ability is not in question. Maggie Smith has a tendency to be cast as stern women (I first saw her as a strict nun in Sister Act). She continued the type with the no-nonsense McGonagall.

It's easy enough to be a tight-haired teacher. Maggie Smith was sure, from the start, to make sure that McGonagall showed hints of compassion through her tough exterior.

2. Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix is crazy, dark, and evil. Who better to play her than Tim Burton's baby mama? When Helen McCrory dropped the role due to her pregnancy and Carter filled in, I was ecstatic. Voldemort is the big baddie of the Harry Potter series, but I would rather be locked in a room with him than Bellatrix Lestrange.

Carter actually managed to make her character more maniacal and bipolar than Voldemort. Combine that with her frizzy hair, unusual beauty, and big dark eyes and you have one absolutely spot-on casting for the role.

1. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood

When I first saw photos of Luna I thought that she looked freakily like a younger version of my room mate.

Then I saw this video. She IS Luna. Rather than talk about it, I'll just let you watch it.

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Reinventing the Book: 10 Improvements eReaders Have Made on the Conventional Book

1. BOOKMARKS ARE OBSOLETE! Never scrounge around for a random paper to hold your place and then later go looking for that important gift card/social security card/police report and be unable to find it. eReaders keep your place!

2. YOU CAN EAT AND READ! Ever do that awkward dance of trying to hold a burger with two hands and hold the book open with your elbow? (see illustration below if you've never had this problem) Then the mustard drips on your page and your perfect book is ruined. eReaders generally have accessible Next Page buttons and the screens can be wiped off.

3. YOU CAN CARRY A WHOLE LIBRARY! You don't need to worry about running out of shelf space. You can download books anywhere and carry them with you. Bring three books on your vacation and still have space in your carry on!

4. FOLLOW LINKS IN BOOKS! Hyperlinks in books can bring you to references, sources, and similar content!

5. BUILT IN DICTIONARY! Reading The Invisible Man? Not sure what that word akimbo means? They keep using it!!! Oh, look. [Click] It means standing with elbows out and hands on hips. Now I know!

6. NO SHIPPING! Free shipping. No wait. Don't wait for Barnes & Noble DHL shipping to take 9 days to bring you your book and not have tracking info until the last 4 (a recent experience of mine). Instantly delivered via whispernet (Amazon) or what-have-you. Don't wait for that book you're jazzed to read now.

7. KEEP YOUR BOOKS NEAT! So many of my books are wrecked from traveling in my purse. My leather Kindle folio and my Kindle are two years old and they are in great shape.

8. SAVE MONEY! Yeah, a Kindle costs at least 100 bucks, but when you start cutting out shipping and cutting out printing costs, you get cheaper books. Over the life of your eReader you will easily make it up. Buy 99¢ books from indie authors who would otherwise have to sell them for $13.99 print on demand. The money saving feature of eReading means that we get to see brilliant indie authors who might otherwise get lost in the publishing house shuffle.

9. BE DISCREET! Don't want anyone know you're reading a romance novel, or a self help book for that embarrassing problem, or Twilight? Nobody has to see what you're reading! Of course, if you're a snob and carry around a Quantum Physics textbook just to look smart, this won't help you.

10. SAVE THE TREES! Reduce your carbon footprint by consuming less paper! 

Speaking of eReaders, did you know that you can read Kindle Books on an iPod, Blackberry, iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC...? And if you're lucky, you can read MINE FOR FREE!

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Release Date Announced

Coming Saturday, July 16, 2011

Available from the Amazon Store at matterdeeppublishing.com on July 16 or on your Kindle or Nook.

Enter to win a Kindle copy here.

Read more about it at http://olympia-heights.com

YOU CAN FIND THE FREE EXCERPT AT OLYMPIA-HEIGHTS.COM

(look in the News section)

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