Definition of a "good movie" for me

[huntergreen_3]

florenceklecka wrote:

>>The main reason I joined this discussion group was because after my
husband and I saw PoA, we sat there in disbelief, muttering, "Oh,
*hell* no!" that this was the way to end a movie that had been at 
least a half hour too short and so different in focus, 
characterization, and "feel" of the book.<<

Just curious, what did you think the feel of the book was? Because 
personally, I thought it fit the overall feel of the book quite well 
(CoS, on the other hand, was butchered).

>>I'm happy for the people who enjoyed it, and can understand why. 
Yes,there were some enjoyable parts. Yes, there *is* no funnier line
than "You tell those spiders, Ron." And yes, it does improve on a
second viewing, once the shock of all the unnecessary changes has
worn off.<<

I think I liked it so much not because of the 'movie-changes' but 
because I liked the story so much. Of course, I like all aspects of 
the book (including the many things that were left out), but the core 
story was still there on screen and that was what drew me to the book 
so much (its easily my favorite of all of them).

>>But the thing that makes the movie disappointing for me is this:
things that don't make sense.<<
You know, I expected a list of really-nitpicking things, but looking 
through the things you mentioned they were things that I noticed (the 
first viewing) as well.

>>Examples: 
pumpkins being huge in spring/summer, long before they're
in season;<<
I thought of those as sort of ornamental (like they weren't 
*growing*, but just were there) 

>>the absence of Hedwig's cage;<<
When? It was there in the beginning at least, at the Dursleys.

>> Sirius, thrilled to see Harry, growling and barking at him (and 
yes, just about everyone on the planet except Cuaron can tell the 
difference between an angry dog and a friendly one);<<
Yeah, that was a little off. Someone suggested that he might have 
just been shocked by Harry's similarity to James, so I looked for 
that in my next viewing, and its definetely growling. Doesn't make 
much sense. 

>> Harry (who does not cry) crying <<
Could be a difference between movie-Harry and book-Harry, maybe movie 
Harry does cry (I agree, btw, that book-Harry wouldn't break down and 
cry like that)

>> Tom being a prosperous and well-dressed, professional innkeeper 
suddenly turning into Igor <<
What *was* that about? Not only is it inconsisent with the previous 
Tom (from PS/SS), and it doesn't make sense (for the character-
beacause Tom isn't a simpleton) and was sort of annoying.

>> Lupin inexplicably waiting endless seconds before realizing that 
Harry is next in line and has conjured up a dementor, then 
inexplicably admitting that he expected something else even more
horrifying to the rest of the class *but not doing anything about it*
such as, oh, I don't know, maybe skipping Harry's turn completely
(what a great idea! Why didn't someone like J.K. Rowling think of
that!)<<
My explanation on that was that he mistook the dementer for 
Voldemort, otherwise it doesn't make sense at all.

>> Harry having absolutely no curiosity about how several people
know what the map is <<
I don't know about that. When Lupin reveals he knows about the map 
he's in the middle of scolding Harry, so its understandable that he'd 
keep his curiosity to himself (yes, i know he didn't in the book), 
and when Sirius said something about the map, it was another tense 
situation, so it makes sense for him to not ask about it there 
either. Remember Lupin does state (in the movie) that James was a 
trouble-maker, and he knows Lupin was James' friend, so he could have 
easily just assumed that they came across the map the same way Fred 
and George did.

>> shoeprints to show Pettigrew in the film, yet in the credits, 
pawprints to show Sirius <<
Yes, but those are the credits. Could have just been for effect/just 
for fun. 

>> Crabbe and Goyle suddenly being played by different actors in 
different scenes, as if no one will notice <<
They're still being played by the same guys. (in fact there are a few 
interviews with the kid who played Crabbe on the-leaky-cauldron.org). 
Its just that they added a new member to Draco's "gang" (you can see 
Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and the new kid together in the Care of Magical 
Creatures Class scene). For some reason the new kid is there instead 
of Goyle in a few of the scenes, but he hasn't replaced Goyle.

>> wand magic being performed during the summer, with no
consequences <<
Again, I think that's the movie world being different than the book 
world. In the movie-world, perhaps its alright to do "small" spells, 
like Lumos, and Reparo (as Hermione does in CoS), just not big magic, 
such as attacking your uncle or your cousin (they frown on that sort 
of thing).

>> Pettigrew's clothes on the floor... <<
Oh, yes, what *was* that?

>>And yes, the list does go on.<<
Out of curiosity, what else was there? (aside from Flitwick being so 
changed, of course...I know he's just listed as "wizard" in the 
credits, but who else *could* he be? he's clearly a teacher, and if 
he's not Flitwick, then where'd Flitwick go?)


-Rebecca