[HPFGU-Movie] Re: Washington Post review (ouch!)
rvotaw at i-55.com
rvotaw at i-55.com
Thu Nov 14 20:33:51 UTC 2002
> Regina wrote:
> > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51493-2002Nov13.html
>
> > I have heard that COS has a few problems, but he found nothing that
> > he thought was redeeming.
GulPlum wrote:
> That's not entirely true. He thought that the SFX were good (which
> they are) and admitted that the actyions sequences were well
> executed. His basic problem (as a non-reader of the books) was one
> with which I agree wholeheartedly (as someone who's read the books).
Well, I didn't agree with a thing he said. He obviously didn't have a clue
what Harry Potter is actually about, and I highly suspect that he was writing
something else while watching the movie, thus not understanding what on Earth
was going on.
I have thus far today written to both Todd Leopold (who wrote the article on
CNN) and to the Washington Post. I'm in quite a rare mood. The kids were
horrid today. Someone please remind me why I chose this profession? Anyway, I
got a nice reply back from Todd Leopold and he added a comment in his list.
The comment added in parentheses was thanks to me. :) My claim to fame. It
was: (though Rowling hinted at the "Chamber" premiere that she's almost done
writing)
I hate ill informed writers who don't properly research before writing.
Richelle
----------
Regina wrote:
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51493-2002Nov13.html
> I have heard that COS has a few problems, but he found nothing that
> he thought was redeeming.
That's not entirely true. He thought that the SFX were good (which
they are) and admitted that the actyions sequences were well
executed. His basic problem (as a non-reader of the books) was one
with which I agree wholeheartedly (as someone who's read the books).
This quote from his review:
"It's just a bunch of happenings that ape the progress of a story but
never quite reach the threshold of narrative"
is basically a parahraphrase of my "it's just a series of set-pieces
which lead nowhere in particular with no sense of narrative drive".
He wasn't sure whom to blame. I primarily blame Columbus. Apart from
seeming not to realise that he has to tell a STORY, he has absolutely
no sense of rhythm - one of my HUGE objections to the movie as an HP
fan which excellently illustrates this point is that the huge
narrative climax (THAT anagram) falls down completely flat because
Columbus can't see beyond the letter of the book.
Coulson's magnificently rendered speech (ending with "Lord Voldermort
is my past, present and future") makes the tension in the air
palatable, but this is immediately completely lost because of the
virtual eternity he spends writing his name in the air. As I've said
before, Riddle's diary is at his feet (well, in Ginny's hands, but
she's at his feet) with his full name embossed on it. Why on earth
didn't he use that as a basis for the anagram?
I haven't yet had the opportunity to discuss the movie with people
who've not read the book, but that will change on Saturday when I
visit my sister, and we're all going together to see it (her, her
hubby and their two kids, 6 and 3, none of whom have read beyond
PS/SS). I suspect right now that the one who'll enjoy this movie the
most will be the 3 year-old. He won't have a clue what's going on,
but he won't see the need to look beyond the set pieces and
scrumptious cinematography; his older brother will, and will sit
there scratching his head trying to work out, for instance, why on
earth Harry thinks Tom Riddle's diary knows anything about the
Chamber.
I'll report on their impressions when I return on Tuesday. :-)
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