The Deathly Hallows

Just put Avi to bed, settled onto the couch and was flipping looking for something to watch. Stopped on Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban for lack of anything better to watch.

During the first commercial break, these scenes came up as part of ABC Family's Harry Potter Weekend.

Fool me once with bad Harry Potter movies, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on me again. Fool me three times, and I must really loves this series of books.

I love that it looks like they got the Shell Cottage scene correct. There is no more important moment in any of the books than when Harry makes the decision while digging Dobby's grave, Horcruxes, not Hallows.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So I tried this once already, and it did not work. I cannot find the Video on Youtube, even if Carly claims she found it no problem.

If you want to see a first look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part one of which comes out at Thanksgiving of next year, you can see it here...

Needless to say, I am unbelievably excited about this. Count me among those who have thoroughly enjoyed films 5 and 6. I think they are finally starting to understand which parts of the books to trim away and which are absolutely critical to be left in the films (I am speaking directly at you, guy who cut out any explaination in film 3 of the relationship between the map and James Potter, or why Harry's Patronus was a Stag, or who the effing Marauders were) except for that stupid scene in Half-Blood Prince with the attack on the Burrow, which made no sense and was simply a waste of time and money.

Let the countdown begin. I guess I'll have to read book 7...again.

Awesome Read

http://www.collider.com/2009/07/16/exclusive-producer-david-heyman-talks-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-and-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows/

I love what I am hearing about both parts of #7.

I have surrendered myself to the knowledge that these people are taking good care of my books.

By the way, I am re-reading Deathly Hallows, again. Awesome.

I want to see Half-Blood Prince again.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

*****Spoilers Contained Within***************

So it took two tries but I was able to see the highly anticipated (by me) sixth installment of the Harry Potter series both last night and today.

It's a long story but needless to say, I saw the friggen thing, and was in no way whats so ever disappointed.

I loved the movie. From the opening sequence, Dumbledore placing his uninjured hand on Harry's arm and ushering him to saftey after the happening at the Ministry that concluded the fifth film through the films final shot, I was absolutely captivated.

I will say only this in criticism, I don't think there was a need for the added scene where Death Eaters attack the Burrow. It wasn't needed there, and doesn't make a ton of sense. Aside from that, I am totally ok with all of the additions and subtractions that were made.

Many of the things that bothered me in the past were centered around the important details that were left out (who made that darn Marauder's Map anyway?) and the poor acting or directing, specifically with the adult characters and Michael Gambon's Dumbledore.

I had no issues with these factors in this film.

Snape was his best, Dumbledore was great, Slughorn although different from what I pictured was wonderful.

This according to Salon.com:

"By the series' completion, Yates will have directed half of the "Harry Potter" movies, and that mutes the surprise element a bit. But "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" at least ensures that the franchise's remaining movies are in good hands. Yates understands the bond, and the continuity, that's so essential between the old and the young. In one of the movie's loveliest scenes, Broadbent's professor Slughorn, slightly sozzled, describes to Harry a piece of magic worked by one of his former students. He describes this wonderful, delicate feat so vividly that his words are more effective than visuals would be. And, as it turns out, this bit of magic had been worked by Harry's long-dead mother, Lily. It was, Slughorn tells Harry, peering at him as if through mist, "the most beautiful magic." That's a measure of how subtle a spectacle Yates has given us with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." The most beautiful magic in it is left unseen. And still, it emerges with absolute clarity."

The scene with the "Lilly" was perfect.

The subtle changes to the plot did not ruin the film.

The thing that I liked the most was the humor. The film was very funny without being a comedy. The young people, specifcally Ron, were hilarious. I really loved this film.

I think that it will be interesting to see how they mix in some of the plot items that were left out. We never learned about Marvolo Gaunt or Hebsibha Smith, we didn't see Bill Weasley and Fleur.

The film ended with a little hint about Ron and Harry growing apart a bit, which will be interesting to see how that develops.

I love that they have about five hours of film time left to bring this all together. And I now have complete faith in David Yates and company, I was happy with Phoenix and loved Prince.

Worth the wait. It was perfect. And Harry has the fever.

Agreed

http://www.totalfilm.com/features/12-things-they-cut-from-harry-potter/kreacher-s-hoarding#content

12 things they should not have cut from the Harry Potter films.

One of these in particular jumps off the page at me. At the end of the 3rd movie, it was just plain laziness that led to them not spending 4 minutes between Harry and Lupin where Lupin could explain the origins of the Marauder's Map and the friendship between himself, James, Sirius and that slimy git fuck Peter Pettigrew.

This was THE key plot point to the third book, it begins the idea of Harry connecting his life, and his fight against He Must Not Be Named, to the fight that his parents undertook.

Watching the 3rd movie the first time, I was shocked they left this out.

The other major thing they left out was hiring a Dumbledore who didn't refuse to read the book, and who understood that my Dumbledore would never yell at a group of students, or take Harry by the shoulders and shake him.

Movie 6 in like 3 weeks.

Four Weeks

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be released in four weeks.

The LA Times has an interview up with the screen writer (butcher) who wrote the screen plays for films 1-4 but not 5. I actually didn't know this, and it makes me a bit unsettled, as movie 5 was the one that I thought they did the best job of adapting to screen.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/06/countdown-to-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-steve-kloves-talks-up-the-final-moments-between-.html

I won't spoil the contents of the article for you, but I will say this... If they left out Dumbledore's funeral, which it sounds like they did, I am not sure how I am going to feel about it. That scene marks the beginning of Harry's transition to independence.

The transition that sees is completion with the scene at Shell Cottage where Harry makes the final choice between Horcruxes and Hallows. I am going to take a wait and see approach.

So far the Summer of Movies has not disappointed.

Wolverine...Check
Star Trek... Check, Check
Terminator... Check
The Hangover... Check, Check

Next Week, Transformers.

I'm Like You Tom, I'm Different

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

My excitement is building for this.

I am on record having said that the 5th movie was head and shoulders the best of the lot. I still have issues with the series in film. Most of my issues center on Michael Gambon and his refusal to read the books. If he were to read them, I am sure he would come to the same conclusion that I have, the dude sucks as Dumbledore.

The Summer of the Movie continues.

Here Lies Dobby, A Free Elf

Location filming of the "Shell Cottage" scenes for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are underway.

Above is a shot of Harry digging *********SPOILER READ THE BOOK ASSHOLE******** Dobby's grave.

I actually teared up writing the title of this post. The section of the book that takes place at Shell Cottage, to me is among the most powerful in the series. While digging Dobby's grave Harry makes a decision that will directly effect not only his life but the lives of all that he loves and cares about.

Horcruxes or Hallows? Harry, for the first time in the series, has no one to turn to, no Dumbledore, no Sirius, no Hagrid to help him with his choice. Horcruxes or Hallows.

I recently finished reading book 7, and this scene was more powerful this time than any time previous. I was never a fan of Dobby and actually found him a bit irritating. Until he sacrificed his free life, to save Harry and his friends.

A Free Elf Indeed.

The Last One

This is the final trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which releases either July 15th or 17th.

I can say in all honesty that the hair on the back of my neck stood up through all of this video.

I am about 100 pages from finishing this book for about the sixth time. I think this book is so good because it marks the end of a major part of the series. Until the end of book 6 and the beginning of book 7, Harry could always rely on Dumbledore to act as his guide post. This part of the story ends with the "lightning struck tower" and Dumbledore's death. It is from this point forward that Harry must figure out his path for himself. This culminates with the chapter at Shell Cottage in book 7 where Harry has to come to a final decsion while burrying his fallen friend, Horcruxes or Hallows?

I just finished the chapter last night in which Dumbledore is imploring Harry to see that he does not need to have great power to defeat Voldemort. Harry replies that the Prophecy states that one of them must die, and Dumbledore responds that Harry continues to put too much store into the prophecy, that had he never heard the prophecy he would still want to see Voldemort killed, and would want to be the one to do it.

At the end of the chapter, Harry thinks to himself that walking into the arena facing his own death is much better than being dragged into it, and that made all the difference.

It is in this realization that we see the seeds being planted for Harry's ultimate decision to face his own death by walking back into the forest, along side his parents, Sirius and Lupin near the end of book 7. I can't wait for this movie.

Xeno Lovegood

www.the-leaky-cauldron.org is reporting that they have cast Xeno Lovegood's character for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows double feature.







In my opinion they could not have chosen better. Xeno is a tragic character, and spike is as tragically Punk Rock as they come.

If Only I Lived in Germany

http://www.elbenwald.de/news.php?news=n3218_Harry-Potter-Shirt-Collections.html

I love these shirts. Badly.

Ouch Babe

The release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has been delayed from November of this year, to July of 2009.

The reason the studio gave...wait for it....

...The Writer's strike.

According to Warner Bros., The writer's strike caused an upheaval in the lineup of films that were scheduled to come out next summer. Leaving a void for big name movies.

The studio is claiming that it is for this reason that they moved the film from November 21st (which would have allowed the Gilmore Family to go see it Thanksgiving night, like they have for all of the Potter films that have been released in the fall) to July of '09.

The real reason for the change, as I have discovered.

Danile Radcliffe's Penis.

That right, his penis. Radcliffe is performing in the play Equus which opens in New York this fall. In the play, Radcliffe has a love scene with a woman, and a love scene with a horse. Neither of which the studio would like to see having anything to do with the fall release of the 6th Potter film.

Every interview Dan did for the Potter film, would contain questions about the play.

So I guess for now, I will just have to keep watching the trailer over and over again.

It's Here!

Yes, that is MY motorcycle, in MY driveway.

I just spent more time, just hanging out in my garage, than I have in the last year plus that I have lived here.

Growing up, basically until today, I never understood how guys could just hang out in the garage all day, drinking bad beer and watching a race on a 13 inch TV.

All I wanted to do for the last hour was stand, one hand itching my balls, the other wrapped around a Genny Ice, a pointless race on in the background, and just stand and look at my bike, grunting occasionally.

I finally understand.

side note.... if you look closely in the picture above you will see my newly painted wheels on my Man Wagon. I went from sort of gay, soccer dad wagon, to completly bad ass international man of mystery, all with a few cans of paint and some patience.

God, I am bad ass.

Finally

I do this to myself everytime.

I am as excited for this film as I have been for just about any to this point.

The Deathly Hallows

On the first anniversary of the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" I feel I have to get some things off my mind.

Let me preface this by saying that I am the biggest Harry Potter fan that I know. I suppose it is silly to say so, because if you are reading this you probably know me already and you would know that.

Driving home from Cape Cod two weeks ago, Kate (my beautiful, wonderful sister and reader of Terry Gilmore's Head) was with me and we listened to book 7 on CD, which was amazing.

Sometime during the book, I think around the Chapters that take place at Xeno Lovegood's, that it dawned on me, and Kate can attest to this moment of staggering genius, the story of the Three Brothers is an allegory of the Harry Potter series as a whole.

I know, genius right, let me explain.

In the story that Hermione reads to Harry, Ron and Xeno, there were once three brothers (one of whom Harry is the last descendant of) who cheat death, then meet Death who awards each of them a gift. The first brother chooses an unbeatable wand, which he uses, brags about, and gets murdered in his sleep.

The second brother wants to bring a dead lover back from the afterlife, so Death gives him a stone to return her. He goes mad and kills himself.

The third brother asks for an invisibility cloak, so that Death cannot follow him. He lives a long life and meets Death as an equal.

It is in essence a morality tale. In the universe of Harry Potter, it is rumored that when these three objects, or Hallows, are combined they will make the user immortal.

Harry comes to learn that he is in possession of two of these Hallows. and SPOILER ALERT!!!! He is the rightful owner of the third.

The giant brainstorm that hit me while listening to Hermione tell this story is that Harry, Dumbledore, and Voldemort are allusions to the Three Brother's from Beedle's tale.

During the chapter, "Kings Cross" (which is tied for the best chapter in the series with "The Forest Again", the imagery, the word usage, the change in perspective as Dumbledore is scared, sad, and begging for forgiveness as Harry questions him with a calm, cool, collectedness that demonstrates just how much he grew as a person walking back into that forest), Dumbledore explains to Harry that Voldemort only ever knew about the Elder Wand, never any of the other Hallows.

The first brother wanted an unbeatable wand which he believed would make him invincible. Similarly, upon being beaten by Harry, a seemingly helpless child, Voldemort seeks out the Elder Wand. Unknowingly Voldemort takes the wand from someone who is not the rightful owner, he is never able to make the wand work for him and is defeated by his own hubris, just as the first brother was.


Dumbledore goes on to explain in "Kings Cross" that he discovered the "Resurrection Stone" in the ruins of Marvolo Gaunt's home, where Voldemort hid it after making it into one of his Horcruxes. Dumbledore explains to Harry with tears in his eyes, that upon finding the stone, he attempted to use the stone to bring back his deceased family. Dumbledore, who should have known better, wanted so much to see his loved ones again that he attempted to use the stone which had a curse placed on it, the curse that would ultimately lead to his planned death.

Like the second brother, Dumbledore was overcome by his desire to be reunited with the people that he loved that he was willing to sacrifice his own life to do so.


Finally there is Harry, who never desired to gain invincibility through possession of the Elder Wand, a decision he made when choosing to speak with Griphook prior to speaking with Mr. Ollivander while at Shell Cottage. Harry was faced with the prospect of being reunited with his parents when gazing into the Mirror of Erised in "Philosopher's Stone". At that time Harry took professor Dumbledore's advice when he told Harry, "It does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live". Harry, who desired above all else to see his parents again, used the stone, not to bring them back from the dead, but to help him join them. He used the Cloak, to become invisible and meet Death as an equal.

It was because of this act of self sacrifice (wait, I thought Christians hated "Harry Potter") that Harry is able to ensure the safety of those that he loves, as well as sow the seeds of Voldemortss demise.

I have a ton more to say about this series, I enjoyed writing this so much, expect to see more of it.