movies vs. books. The 4 HP movies...

[geebsy]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, Valerie Flowe 
<valerie.flowe at v...> wrote:
>
 >
> Hmmm...POA too artsy? That what's so fabulous about it (IMO!) I 
was 
> just thinking about it today, and how, despite the chopping of the 
> storyline, it is still probably my favorite movie (and book).
> I wouldn't say GOF lacks emotional punch! It's often more 
emotional 
> than the book! (mainly the dead Cedric scene.) Many people have 
> complained about how rushed it was. I didn't really feel that. In 
fact 
> I was noting that the cinematic ploy that Cuaron used with 
the 'time 
> theme' (huge clock tower, ticking clock, time turner, changing 
seasons 
> of the Whomping Willow, etc.) is still carried through in GOF. 
Perhaps 
> more subtly than POA, but in IMAX I really noted for the first 
time the 
> clock ticking, the clock tower, etc. This serves to pull the 
audience 
> along the timeline, denoting the passage of the school year (in 
this 
> movie the year is sectioned by the 3 specific tasks).
> Being an HP fan, I would prefer that the movies remain as faithful 
to 
> the books as possible. Removing extraneous side story, one can 
still 
> tell the main story, artfully filmed and emotionally acted.
> 
> Valerie


I didn't snip you Valerie, because I believe you are right on all 
accounts.  I agree you about PoA.  I like its artistry; the seasons, 
the clock, the clothes, the Hogwarts grounds.  It is a beautiful 
movie, and perhaps the best filmed. 
What I did not like about #1 & #2 where some of the horrible shots 
the Chris put us through.  I wince when I watch the quiddich scene 
in #1 and the camera stays on Harry's face as he holds up the 
snitch. Poor Dan looks like he has a toothache and the shot just 
goes on and on and on.  The ending did not satisfy me as much 
either.  In CoS, there were some really good things done.  Brannagh 
was incredible as Lockhart.  In the dueling scene his beautiful 
coiffed hair, tailored clothes and sweeping cape were well juxiposed 
with Snape's dark looks.  Then when Harry and Draco start hurling 
hexes at each other the image is suddenly reversed. I did not like 
the ending here either.  It was rather limp.
Gof left me with mixed feelings.  Yes, I thought that the return 
with Cedrics body was highly charged. The celebration and horror 
playing together made for a very intense emotional moment--but for 
me that was the only one.  The graveyard scene was well done and 
Fiennes was spectacular. I loved the intense, almost smouldering 
sensuality he used to convey V's return to his body.  As for the 
other parts I felt it was a well put together action/adventure 
movie, that was possible due to CGI.  Yes, I was on the edge of my 
seat in the dragon scene, but Harry is not action hero.  He depends 
on his friends and it is those little human things that make the 
books and ultimately must make the movie. They were there--
the ferret scene, because despite it all, that is a human moment:   
Ron and Harry making up (Who could understand the logic?)but there 
needed to be more of them.    
I have only seen the movie twice though.  It took me a while to warm 
up the PoA and I could shift my views on this movie as I watch in on 
DVD a few hundred times.  

Roxane