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[ThatObviousUser]

OK I gave in.

Early test screenings yielded complaints that the whole movie focused on romance and that the action was backgrounded. These complaints are, amazingly, right and wrong at the same time. Yes, the focus on the film is about the romances between the characters, but these romances don't happen in a vacuum. Outside of Hogwarts things are getting dark, as Death Eaters have begun waging terrorist war not just on the magical world but the Muggle one as well. Things are looking downright apocalyptic, but the film knows that ill-fated romance can seem just as apocalyptic when you're 15. In many ways this film reminded me of the better seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where the interpersonal dynamics reflect the larger, mythological stakes.

This movie was compared to Buffy favorably.

I cannot possibly be more excited.

 

[Sanjuro]

From the reviews it sounds like Transformers all over again. I'll wait for the IMAX3D VHS version.

 

[Cyan]

From the reviews it sounds like Transformers all over again. I'll wait for the IMAX3D VHS version.

Seriously. And what are they thinking with that pair of jive-talking, buck-toothed house elves?

 

[gnarkill bill]

Hmm, this may actually be the first Harry Potter movie I see in the theaters.

 

[Raistlin]

Devin's Review at CHUD. He gave it a 9.5.

And Drew McWeeny calls it the best one made so far as well:

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-motion-captured/posts/2009-7-6-the-motion-captured-review-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince

Sounds all good so far. I'm game.

:O

OK I gave in.

Early test screenings yielded complaints that the whole movie focused on romance and that the action was backgrounded. These complaints are, amazingly, right and wrong at the same time. Yes, the focus on the film is about the romances between the characters, but these romances don't happen in a vacuum. Outside of Hogwarts things are getting dark, as Death Eaters have begun waging terrorist war not just on the magical world but the Muggle one as well. Things are looking downright apocalyptic, but the film knows that ill-fated romance can seem just as apocalyptic when you're 15. In many ways this film reminded me of the better seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where the interpersonal dynamics reflect the larger, mythological stakes.

This movie was compared to Buffy favorably.

I cannot possibly be more excited.

I CAME

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Hm, yes. The reviews are encouraging.

I got burned bad with Goblet of Fire, but I believe I will see this.

 

[BorkBork]

Those reviews are nice, but they don't really address the major issues from last year's screening.

I remain skeptical until I see the actual film. Got burned the last two times.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

I like the 6th book a lot, and I think that that review quote about the teenage drama underscoring the very real danger in the world at large is dead-on. Even if the movie focuses on the teen romance a lot, I'm fine with that; the romance is a very important aspect of the book.

 

[Scarecrow]

I've never read the books and finally saw all 5 movies back to back last year, but Snape always seemed like a sneaky/corrupt character, so this pic doesn't surprise me in the least.

Same with me. However, Snape always seemed like a dick with a heart of gold. He's like a british Wolverine, doing what he has to in order to toughen up the kids. I'm wondering how the story plays out with him, due to the, "you know part".

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Same with me. However, Snape always seemed like a dick with a heart of gold. He's like a british Wolverine, doing what he has to in order to toughen up the kids. I'm wondering how the story plays out with him, due to the, "you know part".

Pretty much my view.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

I have such a raging nerd boner right now, you guys have no idea.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Two more reviews added. They're both...



































Drum role please...






















FRESH!

(7.5/10)

It's hard not to feel like this is little more than an interim piece in the overall story, presumably leading to something much bigger next time around.

ComingSoon.net

(9/10)

I have to say, this was the most satisfying book-to-film transfer of them all. It never felt rushed. They took time to tell the story. The effects were wonderful, but not overdone. With a few exceptions, they included the major plot points from the book.

JoBlo.com

Still 100%.

 

[DrForester]

any word in those reviews about whether or not

Spoiler

the funeral

is in the cut?

Regarding the scene that people wonder if it's been cut.

Interview with Radcliffe in January.

There Be Spoilers Here

Spoiler

There is a short article as well, featuring a new interview with Dan, where he mentions filming Dumbledore's funeral. The piece reads: "Shooting Dumbledore's funeral was another tough scene for Radcliffe, as it took on the personality of an Irish wake thanks to some not-so-mournful extras: ''Because there's a lot of people there, it's one of those things that takes on a party atmosphere.'' As fans will recall, earlier reports had stated this scene was not in the film.

 

[flintstryker]

I have hated all the movies thus far, this one however i am slightly more hopeful for.

 

[brandonh83]

I never did think that Half-Blood Prince was a suitable subtitle for this installment. Always thought it should have been called something else, despite how cool it sounds.

flint: I don't think you can hate all the movies and suddenly enjoy this one :lol

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Regarding the scene that people wonder if it's been cut.

Interview with Radcliffe in January.

There Be Spoilers Here

Spoiler

There is a short article as well, featuring a new interview with Dan, where he mentions filming Dumbledore's funeral. The piece reads: "Shooting Dumbledore's funeral was another tough scene for Radcliffe, as it took on the personality of an Irish wake thanks to some not-so-mournful extras: ''Because there's a lot of people there, it's one of those things that takes on a party atmosphere.'' As fans will recall, earlier reports had stated this scene was not in the film.

Fuck.

Yeah.

 

[flintstryker]

I never did think that Half-Blood Prince was a suitable subtitle for this installment. Always thought it should have been called something else, despite how cool it sounds.

flint: I don't think you can hate all the movies and suddenly enjoy this one :lol

yeah that's why i am only slightly more hopeful.

 

[brandonh83]

Harry Potter and the

Spoiler

Unbreakable Vow

would have been a really good title, IMO, as that scene, particularly, drives the most powerful core and event of the story and relates to

Spoiler

Snape, Draco, AND Dumbledore's death

.

 

[PBY]

I have hated all the movies thus far, this one however i am slightly more hopeful for.

If youve "hated" all the previous films, this one probably isnt going to change your mind.. this will probably be a mild step up from the previous one, very good, but not soulshakingly different from the previous ones. just saying.

 

[Memles]

Harry Potter and the

Spoiler

Unbreakable Vow

would have been a really good title, IMO, as that scene, particularly, drives the most powerful core and event of the story and relates to

Spoiler

Snape, Draco, AND Dumbledore's death

.

Rowling isn't nearly sharp enough as an author to be smart enough to let the title be something we have defined in one way but that gets changed and given extra meaning throughout the text. The titles are all pretty well MacGuffins, mysteries that once solved really don't take on any extra meaning.

 

[NetMapel]

Rowling isn't nearly sharp enough as an author to be smart enough to let the title be something we have defined in one way but that gets changed and given extra meaning throughout the text. The titles are all pretty well MacGuffins, mysteries that once solved really don't take on any extra meaning.

Ok... HP haters complaining about the title of the book now !?

 

[brandonh83]

Rowling isn't nearly sharp enough as an author to be smart enough to let the title be something we have defined in one way but that gets changed and given extra meaning throughout the text. The titles are all pretty well MacGuffins, mysteries that once solved really don't take on any extra meaning.

I think they're all great titles, but this one just doesn't compliment this installment that well, is all.

 

[Wes]

The titles are all about things that are introduced/explained at some point during the books.

Whats wrong with that?

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Ok... HP haters complaining about the title of the book now !?

This branding of people who disagree with you as "HP haters" should stop.

 

[Cyan]

This branding of people who disagree with you as "HP haters" should stop.

Bugger off, HP hater.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Bugger off, HP hater.

Blimey, but you're a right proper berk, you are.

 

[NetMapel]

This branding of people who disagree with you as "HP haters" should stop.

It's ok to not like the Harry Potter series for reasons such as having different taste. But nitpicking something so small and then proceeding to insult J.K. Rowling is the clearly something only a hater would do.

Do you nitpick the title of a Wheel of Time book ? Normal people wouldn't.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

It's ok to not like the Harry Potter series for reasons such as having different taste. But nitpicking something so small and then proceeding to insult J.K. Rowling is the clearly something only a hater would do.

I think you're making a lot of assumptions there. For all you know he owns and enjoys all the books but just thinks they're simple and unsophisticated pop literature. That's a legitimate perspective.

I'm only bringing this up because it's not the first time I've seen you do this.

 

[BorkBork]

Rowling isn't nearly sharp enough as an author to be smart enough to let the title be something we have defined in one way but that gets changed and given extra meaning throughout the text. The titles are all pretty well MacGuffins, mysteries that once solved really don't take on any extra meaning.

You can't really say any of the titles are MacGuffins, can you? Each thing/person is pretty important to each book and subsequent books. I guess GoF and the PS would come closest, but still.

 

[Cyan]

Do you nitpick the title of a Wheel of Time book ? Normal people wouldn't.

Gathering Storm is a terrible title.

 

[NetMapel]

I think you're making a lot of assumptions there. For all you know he owns and enjoys all the books but just thinks they're simple and unsophisticated pop literature. That's a legitimate perspective.

I'm only bringing this up because it's not the first time I've seen you do this.

Perhaps, that is possible. I just get angry at little nitpicking Harry Potter series get just because it's popular. Of course, it is perfectly fine to dislike the series if it's not your cup of tea. Heck, I don't like the Chamber of Secrets movie and thought it's boring.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Perhaps, that is possible. I just get angry at little nitpicking Harry Potter series get just because it's popular. Of course, it is perfectly fine to dislike the series if it's not your cup of tea. Heck, I don't like the Chamber of Secrets movie and thought it's boring.

Cool.

 

[Memles]

Whoa, okay, that set off a really large firestorm when I had no intentions for it to do so - anything but a hater, people, read all seven books, seen all the movies, will be there for this one close to if not on opening day.

You can't really say any of the titles are MacGuffins, can you? Each thing/person is pretty important to each book and subsequent books. I guess GoF and the PS would come closest, but still.

First off, Macguffin was a really bad word choice, but it was all I could think of with this thesis-riddled brain. For me, when the books were simpler, the titles felt like they really fit the content of the book. Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, etc. They were simple titles, stuck to formula, and one can't particularly complain about them.

However, as the books grew in scale, the titles didn't, and I found it most frustrating in Half-Blood Prince where it felt like Rowling was placing too much dramatic tension around "Who is the half-blood Prince?" when there are far more interesting things happening in the text, including things that wouldn't be used for the withholding of information and the creation of cheap tension. I think it was one of the reasons I found the book so frustrating on my first read through, as I found the entire

Spoiler

potions book sections

to be one long tease that I began to associate with the title.

Order of the Phoenix wins points for being a nice point of phrase, while I think Deathly Hallows is a really cool phrase, a really intriguing idea, but unfortunately connected with a huge plot disappointment in the final installment.

Perhaps, that is possible. I just get angry at little nitpicking Harry Potter series get just because it's popular. Of course, it is perfectly fine to dislike the series if it's not your cup of tea. Heck, I don't like the Chamber of Secrets movie and thought it's boring.

That's understandable, it really is. For me, I think the books were an extremely cohesive and enjoyable series right up until about Order of the Phoenix, where I felt that Rowling's ideas were growing in scale but she had less control over her material. The result was some really strong ideas, but some frustrating execution (the ComingSoon review quoting this as a transition film is not the film's fault, I'll put it that way). I really do like what she's done, and certainly respect her as an author, but there was a point in time in the later books where I think the complexity of the story went before her ability as a writer. Just my opinion, is all - sorry that my horrible combination of not explaining myself and terrible diction.

As for whether it's nitpicking or not...well, it's what happens when a TV Critic/English Major gets ahold of book, really. Nothing mean-spirited, I assure you.

 

[Raistlin]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/dor/o...lood_prince/videos/potter_hb_clip_052109.html

:lol :lol :lol

PERFECT

 

[Neverfade]

Cruella DeVille is in this one? Sweet.

 

[Regulus Tera]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/dor/o...lood_prince/videos/potter_hb_clip_052109.html

:lol :lol :lol

PERFECT

Rupert Grint is the perfect Ron Weasley.

 

[Zoso]

I'm pretty pumped to see this one, although to be honest I'm going in with low expectations.


My sister, girlfriend, and I all made Tshirts for the midnight showing :lol

 

[Ashhong]

Regarding the scene that people wonder if it's been cut.

Interview with Radcliffe in January.

There Be Spoilers Here

Spoiler

There is a short article as well, featuring a new interview with Dan, where he mentions filming Dumbledore's funeral. The piece reads: "Shooting Dumbledore's funeral was another tough scene for Radcliffe, as it took on the personality of an Irish wake thanks to some not-so-mournful extras: ''Because there's a lot of people there, it's one of those things that takes on a party atmosphere.'' As fans will recall, earlier reports had stated this scene was not in the film.

awesome.

and looking at premiere pictures, when did emma watson get hot?

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/red-...-the-half-blood-prince-uk-premiere/fp#photo13

oh and something i always found weird, didnt the kids in hogwarts always wear their robes unless leaving to hogsmead in the book? in the movie they wear like jeans and tank tops when not in class

 

[Regulus Tera]

awesome.

and looking at premiere pictures, when did emma watson get hot?

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/red-...-the-half-blood-prince-uk-premiere/fp#photo13

That quite frankly a horrible dress.

oh and something i always found weird, didnt the kids in hogwarts always wear their robes unless leaving to hogsmead in the book? in the movie they wear like jeans and tank tops when not in class

They didn't in the first two movies, unless it was their pajamas and inside the dormitories.

 

[Ashhong]

That quite frankly a horrible dress.



They didn't in the first two movies, unless it was their pajamas and inside the dormitories.

didnt notice anything wrong with the dress. but then again i wasnt focusing on it. i dont remember the first 2 movies, but i do remember it being common in OoTP i think. i just thought it was weird. i dont even remember the book having uniforms like they have in all(?) of the movies. it was always just a robe no?

 

[Danthrax]

awesome.

and looking at premiere pictures, when did emma watson get hot?

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/red-...-the-half-blood-prince-uk-premiere/fp#photo13

she's been hot, mang. she's been hot.

 

[Memles]

didnt notice anything wrong with the dress. but then again i wasnt focusing on it. i dont remember the first 2 movies, but i do remember it being common in OoTP i think. i just thought it was weird. i dont even remember the book having uniforms like they have in all(?) of the movies. it was always just a robe no?

Azkaban was the movie that really introduced the more casual dress, which for me felt like it fit the books' tonal shift pretty well. At a certain point, the films took the aesthetic route, a decision that was for the best in my eyes.

 

[Cheebs]

There is no way this will be better than PoA. I would be shocked if that was the case. PoA is the only great movie of the 5 so far. Beautifully done by Alfonso Cuaron, the only good director who has done a Potter movie so far.

 

[ivysaur12]

I am so unbelievably pumped for this. Reviews sound epic.

 

[gdt]

Edit: Argh, just open those images in a new tab if you can't see them.

 

[ckohler]

New two minute clip from the movie available from iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=322041709

 

[whytemyke]

They should make the James Bond Jr cartoons into a movie and cast Danielle Radcliffe. That'd rule. :lol

New two minute clip from the movie available from iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=322041709

Awesome.

 

[Twilight Princess]

dumbledore's actor seems more calm this time and less of an angry old man like he was in the previous two hp movies.
watson's too pretty for the role, and not smart enough

 

[Torquill]

WTF at Narcissa Malfoy. Lucious would have a hot wife, WTF IS THAT?!?!?!?

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

There is no way this will be better than PoA. I would be shocked if that was the case. PoA is the only great movie of the 5 so far. Beautifully done by Alfonso Cuaron, the only good director who has done a Potter movie so far.

oh, quiet, you