WOW! new trailer clips are amazing! do NOT go past spoiler space !

[susanmcgee48176]

The clips posted at The Leaky Cauldron are stupendous. Warning! Some 
of you may not want this much of the movie previewed......Also gives 
insight into how the film differs from the book...Now spoiler space 
for anyone who wants to see the clips first and read about it later...
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Okay, first and foremost, the ferret/Mad-Eye Moody is HILARIOUS! I 
love it, love it, love it. And part of the scene is definitely for 
grownups! ---
When Moody says at the end "He might have mentioned it" my partner 
and I howled, and our 8 year old fanatic, who corrects us about HP 
details, and who loves most comedy, didn't get it at all.

SERIOUS SPOILERS AHEAD


McGonagall is wonderful. Mad-Eye is great.
I have caveats.
I like the departure from the film of Malfoy taunting Harry. It was 
fine to take the Malfoy's taunt from another part of the book, and 
add Lucius on to it, but why do they keep on muddying the self 
defense issue?
In the book, Malfoy insulted Molly Weasley. Ron was restrained by 
Hermione and Harry. Harry insults Draco's mother, but does not shove 
Malfoy. Malfoy then pulled his wand and actually curses Harry - harry 
feels something white hot graze the side of his face. 

THEN Mad Eye turned Draco into a ferret.

In the film, Draco insults Harry, Harry shoves Draco, Draco pulls out 
his wand, then Mad Eye turns Malfoy into a ferret. A whole different 
scenario.  

Sigh, this is a sore spot for me. Self defense is justified, but it's 
gotta be real self defense. 

This reminds me of my critique of the Prisoner of Azkaban -- in the 
book Aunt Marge is really, really horribly nasty to Harry over a 
period of time, we know she's done it for years, we see Harry ignore 
her and ignore her and ignore her before he loses his temper. It's 
hard for me to laugh heartily in the film -- because it ridicules 
Aunt Marge so thoroughly and doesn't present enough justification for 
Harry's anger.

I also thought it was far more effective for Moody (having been 
informed that professors were supposed to speak to Heads of Houses 
and give detentions rather than using transfiguration) to respond to 
Draco's mumble about his father "Well, I know your father of old, 
boy...you tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son...you tell 
him that from me...now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it? 
Antother old friend...

This was far more cool than having Mad Eye chase Draco around and 
threaten him. Not in Auror character. 

LOVED LOVED LOVED where mad eye put the ferret! - loved Goyle's face 
when "Malfoy" bites him...loved Harry's laugh and Cedric's 
laughter..fun, fun, fun...

******************
Okay. Clip where Ron and Harry start the argument. Very well done if 
not canon. Ron acts extremely well, looking sullen, disgruntled and 
unhappy.

***Two other clips with Ron and Harry and Hermione

    There's a scene where Hermione is acting as go-between because 
the boys won't talk to each other? Why? Waste of space.

****Then there is the scene in Snape's class. Most of the changes 
were delightful. Fred's mime asking Angelina to go to the ball works 
beautifully and I love his acting. 
Ron's beginning to ask Hermione to go to the ball in mime is 
wonderful acting. Ron's condescending comment to Hermione is 
wonderful. BUT...both these scenes make Ron look like a real prat.
I worry that the same thing is happening to Ron in the transition 
from book to film that happened to the character of Dr. Watson. (In 
no way was Watson a buffoon in the books, and his bumbling oafish 
silly qualities really are created in the movies in which Nigel Bruce 
and Basil Rathbone play  Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes)

I don't like the way Ron was portrayed as such a coward in the second 
movie..it's fine for him to have a phobia about spiders, but phobias 
are quite different than being chicken....


****Loved Wantogototheballwime... In particular, it's priceless when 
Harry   says "fine. okay. great" Not only great acting; but a great 
portrayal of a teenage boy.

****LOVED the scene at the ball....wonderful new line by Ron when 
Padma asks him..is that Hermione Granger? LOVED Viktor's bow to 
Hermione......  

***did not care for Hermione's conversation with Harry about 
Viktor...could have done without the non-canon commentary about 
Viktor...particularly interested to see what others here think about 
that...

Sorry about my long windedness...

Susan

(If you are 40 or over, and interested in joining Harry Potter for 
Grownus Over 40, please email me at SusanGSMcGee at aol.com We talk 
about books and movies..it's low volume. List is not affiliated with 
this one.)