Other People

[Adan]

--- In HPFGU-Texas at yahoogroups.com, "Severus" <pbyrd at m...> wrote:
> Oye!  Other Texans.  *looks at people reading this who've not 
>posted yet*  Yes you.  Come on... speak up.  What say you about the 
>movie, about the books, about theories, or about completely Off 
>Topic malarky (sp?)?
> 
> Patrick

Well!  That evil eye wouldn't have to last so long if people - 
meaning me - would remember to check this site more often.  Honestly. 
There just aren't enough hours in the day.  But thankfully, now that 
my A/C is out, this witch is parked in front of the fan and the 
computer with an ice cold drink, hotly ready to chat. 

I, like others, wished they could have explained the Marauders, and 
their Map, a bit better.  Would it have killed Harry to ask Lupin how 
he knew about it and how it worked?  I don't think so.  A nice, off-
hand "Because I created it. With Peter and Sirius. And your father." 
or some such as he was walking out at the end would have done just 
fine by me.  The Map itself was perfect.  I could never picture it in 
my head.  It always came as a flat parchment, which didn't feel 
right.  I loved what they did with it.

I only disapprove of the Shrieking Shack scene because it was so 
short. (And Ron was shafted, but that's for another time I think.)  
It wasn't as wordy and expository as the book, but I felt it conveyed 
the history between Lupin, Black, Pettigrew and Snape -though not so 
much James- just fine.  Cuaron was great at showing and not telling, 
and I picked up much more in the second viewing when I wasn't 
concentrating so much on what was changed.

Lupin's boggart being so obviously a moon bothered me, but I decided 
it was a bit of shorthand.  

The one thing I would have liked was to have Sirius seem more of a 
threat, a menace.  No attack on Ron in his bed. No "he's at 
Hogwarts", which I guess couldn't be in there because they didn't 
really go into his escape.  I did appreciate the non-mention of his 
having "killed thirteen people with one spell". Everyone was 
terrified by him, yet the "worst" he was guilty of was betraying his 
friend. That made the betrayal that much more important, that much 
worse.  Though I bet the jaded didn't get why he was so feared.

Now to stop moaning and talk about things I liked:  Gambon as 
Dumbledore. I think he brings more of the eccentricity, more latent 
energy and power, more "gray". Richard Harris portrayed the wise 
grandfather Dumbledore of the first books quite well. I think Gambon 
will be able to better show the ambiguity of action and motive that 
comes next.  Emma Thompson was perfect as Trelawney, even if they 
didn't show her to be the seemingly fraudulant seer she is usually.

All of the returning actors were fine.  Grint is showing some great 
comedic timing.  Being as that is all he is given I'd say that's 
good.  Hermione, though still a line/action stealing wench (thanks to 
the screnwriter being in love with her), didn't annoy this time. 
Harry, although DR doesn't cry on cue very well, is portrayed as I 
see him in my mind.  And Alan Rickman will always be Snape to me, 
which bothers me not at all.

I liked the new Hogwarts.  The "normal life" scenes. Especially where 
the Gryffindor boys are in their dorm room eating the animal sweets, 
to me it just emphasized why Harry loves Hogwarts as he does. He is 
actually happy. It's his home. It's not just because he isn't with 
the Dursleys.  And the change in scenery. I loved the cragginess, the 
lushness, the way the forest seemed to envelop them. And, oh, how I 
love the Whomping Willow. My son said it had to do with similar 
personalities. Then I whomped him.

Overall, I really, really like - perhaps love - PoA, both book and 
movie.  They are two different things and that is fine.  I wasn't too 
pleased after the initial viewing, but the second one did it for me.  
An IMAX viewing is in the works.

Oh, if you've gotten this far I suppose an intro is needed.  Since I 
never did.  I'm antisocial that way.  I am usually joking and being 
sarcastic, so please bear that in mind.  Me: 34 yo divorced mom-o-
one, living just outside of San Antonio.  A HP fan from way back 
(that uses her now 10yo son as a cover among the uninitiated) that 
has read the books more time than is sane to admit, just like 
everyone else here.  It's a happy group that way.  I never got into 
the online thing until recently and still don't really post on the 
main HPFGU because it's practically impossible to feel caught up and 
know whether something has already been discussed to death.  But that 
could change. From the length of this post, I think it's changing 
already.  

Adan, who hopes she is doing this right and bets that the list will 
refill with tumbleweeds now that she's decided to join in.