(no subject)

[icarus]

Happy birthday, cursive! (There's one I'll never forget.) ;)

Hooray, you get to see GoF after all!

WG took me to see GoF. Well, I paid for the tickets and the candy. And the parking, come to think of it. But he drove.

Our verdict?

Forgetable.

We were talking about dinner and what videos we should pick up on the way home. I was looking forward to creating a spreadsheet for my winter classes.

Yeeah. Not exactly earth-shaking.

I think when you cut all the low points out of the story and string together all the tense moments, it falls a little flat. WG called it "an action movie" and I agree that the story was reactive, driven by the plot rather than the characters. It wasn't funny or playful like PoA (or the books).

But I did like the new Hogwarts, the Scottish hills, and this is Daniel Radcliff's best performance yet. For the first time I believed him as Harry Potter. Also, Rupert Grint stopped mugging for the camera, and Emma Watson is playing a character instead of just herself (thank goodness).

So, I'd dump the director (he's known for light comedy, Four Weddings and a Funeral, what?) and look forward to Order of the Phoenix. With the improvement in the acting all bodes well for the next part.

Oh, and I'm so slashing Harry/Cedric. ;)

Comments

[goseaward.livejournal.com]

Dude, yeah. "The fifth floor prefect's bathroom is a great place to have a bath" or whatever that was.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Let's not forget the shoulder-to-shoulder action when they were running for the cup.

Icarus

[noblerot.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! And, er, what about Ron/Krum?

[mad_maudlin]

Happy birthday, Ick! (It's still the 18th in your time zone. :-))

I'm feeling a little left out by all the GoF squee, myself. I mean, I have this vague interest in seeing it because everyone else is seeing it, but--it doesn't feel like HP, you know? I't like the vague interest I have in Stargate. It's like this whole other thing. I guess I'm just a party pooper.

[mark356.livejournal.com]

Yay, Harry/Cedric!

[jaded-angel8.livejournal.com]

*sniffs* I loved it. Oh yeah, I agree on the Harry/Cedric. Far too much chemistry between those two. Twin love was funny, as was Severus.

JA

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

I think Cuaron had way more "style" than Newell, and PoA was darker, but I liked the humor in this one. And there was a feeling of depth to the wizarding society that I never got in othe movies. (That might just be cumulative, but I don't think so.)

I'm going to see it again on Sunday so I will see if I am squeeful then.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It was more British, and the storyline of GoF where we get a sense of the larger wizarding world -- that would have to happen or else you've filmed the wrong book. ;)

The humor was sitcom-ish. It was all broad and obvious, and lacked the clever observations from the other films, largely because the writing was just terrible. Not even Maggie Smith could save that bibbity-bobbity-boo line in the dance class for example. And Rita Skeeter's lines would cause me to hit the Back button if they appeared in a fic. She's a hard character to ruin but they managed it. The way Dumbledore was written he came across more like Merlin the magician than twinkly Dumbledore (though maybe that was Michael Gambon's performance). GoF wasn't clever and unique. It was a standard romantic comedy/B-horror film.

I don't understand why they dumbed the writing down to this degree.

There was one really good moment with the spider, where Moody (Barty Crouch) had the spider dangle over some water ("shall we have her drown herself?"). That choice to call the spider Her gave the whole sequence power.

But on the whole, no, this was a return to the Christopher Columbus days, minus the sense of magical playfulness.

Icarus

[jennifus.livejournal.com]

... I've heard this a lot, actually.

But I'm so still going because I'm a big, dorky fangirl.

:-)

Happy belated Birthday!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, there was no way I was going to miss it. But I'm hoping that the Box Office sales slump a bit so Warner Brothers goes back to picking directors for their ability, not their nationality.

And thank you! It was a lovely birthday.

Icarus

[abigail89.livejournal.com]

*breathes sigh of relief* My feelings overall about the film exactly.

I was massively disappointed. The best parts were the graveyard scene and the bath with Myrtle (totally hilarious).

Harry/Cedric--so there.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Fortunately I wasn't disappointed. I actually had a feeling it was going to be bad. I knew the moment they replaced Cuaron for no better reason than they wanted "someone British" that the result couldn't possibly be an improvement.

Though I feel grateful on Rupert Grint's behalf. Cuaron was pretty nasty about Rupert in interviews (just didn't seem to like the kid), so I can only imagine what it was like to work with him day in and day out.

I tell you though, I'm very worried about the next two films. They appear to be determined to have "British" directors regardless of the results in this film.

I think that just like you don't have a doctor operate on a family member, and just like you don't have lawyer represent his family, I really believe the Brits are far too proud of HP as a "British icon" to do very well with the films. I think the rest of the films are all gonna be just likc this: okay, but ham-handed and missing a sense of magic.

The girl who plays Myrtle is brilliant. She lights up the screen every time and is hilarious.

Icarus

[presently.livejournal.com]

Totally agreed. I wasn't drawn in at all, so.. honestly? I didn't really pay much attention after the first 10 minutes unless I was directed to look at the screen instead of um.. My boyfriend. Erm. Yeah. I dunno. For some reason I just wasn't looking forward to this one like I looked forward to PoA (which is my favorite so far.).

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It was better than I thought it might be. When I heard they'd changed directors simply because they wanted "someone British" I knew there was no way it could be an improvement.

Icarus

[theemdash]

I thought it was funny, if not playful. PoA is definitely the better movie.

And yes, I'd love for them to dump the director. And possibly the screenwriter—I can't believe that the same person did the screenplay for PoA and GoF. The PoA screenplay was much better. Of course maybe it's the fault of the editing, I don't know.

[bluemoon02.livejournal.com]

There's a new (still British) director for OotP....And, gasp shock, a new screenwriter....Same guy doing HBP, though (Yup, they've decided who's doing that ALREADY!)

Had never heard of the new director, but when I imdb'd him I saw he'd done a couple of TV shows I'd seen and liked....One of them was a kind of se7en-esque thriller, so hopefully should be good

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I'm worried about having these British directors do the films. Part of what's wrong with GoF is that it takes itself too seriously. I'm worried that the Brits are so proud of "their" Harry Potter they're gonna ruin it.

Thank god for the new screenwriter. The screenplay was almost as bad as some of the cheesy special effects.

Icarus

[bluemoon02.livejournal.com]

*Shrugs* the reason I had no appreciation for the American director, Chris Columbus, is because he kept putting such cheesey nonsense in there...The end of CoS still makes me want to wretch! Just a person opinion, but I think that European directors would have - have had - more respect for the feel of the books and for being true to the books, rather than just making something that will earn them a quick buck.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh GoF was much more in the direction of Chris Columbus. The best so far was Cuaron.

You'd think that the British director would have done a film with wit. Alas, not so. GoF had all the subtlety of Benny Hill.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is interesting:

Cuaron was asked to direct GoF, but he turned it down because he'd still be working PoA at the time (the result of the production schedule being bumped several months due to the death of Richard Harris).

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I agree with wildernessguru that it wasn't fun.

When I remember moments in PoA when the Knight Bus bumped a Muggle car and set off the car alarm (and then the wizard shut it off with a silencing charm), and I compare that to GoF where Maggie Smith says the equivalent of "bibbity-bobbity boo," I have to say that the British director created a rather dull-witted film lacking in magical fun. Here, all the magic was "impressive" and "cool special effects." This director just doesn't understand the HP universe, and no, I don't think being British automatically gives one a sense for HP, or else we'd ask Prince Charles to direct.

Icarus

[bluemoon02.livejournal.com]

Prince Charles is German....We *real* Brits are way cooler!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

All the more reason for him not to direct the film. Though maybe he would have done a better job.

As soon as I heard people were picking the next director based on nationality rather than qualifications (Four Wedding and a Funeral, yeah sure, that has a lot to do with the HP genre) I knew it was gonna go downhill.

Icarus

[dancing-moon.livejournal.com]

Actually, I liked this one the best. Well, the Philosophers Stone was my first meeting with HP, so that one holds a special place in my heart, but I know it's not that good.

But here, the pacing and the neccessary cuts felt much better than in the previous books. The props have always been gorgeous in all the movies, and I'm a bit torn about the new dark Hogwarts, so it was mostly timing which made me like it. And the many hilarious innuendo moments really

But the fight against the dragon was too long, too much... they could have added a smattering of good one-liners and stuff like that instead.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Couldn't disagree more.

I was tired when I wrote this review, and as a result much gentler with it. The screenplay was terrible, the twins were given an excessive amount of time, one scene after another was tense and overwrought. The whole movie took itself too seriously. Michael Gambon, whom I liked in PoA, was dreadful this time. Not a twinkle or moment of humour -- I think Gambon was playing Merlin or Gandalf the White, not Dumbledore.

The director had a deft hand with the sitcom moments (as one would expect from the director of Four Weddings and a Funeral) and the Yule Ball was wonderful. If the relationships between the characters are the staple for the viewer, the film was a smashing success.

But the director spent way too much time on unnecessary special effects, lingering on the roiling tongue of the Dark Mark, adding flying sparks when Durmstrang boys arrived (the Beauxbaton girls' arrival was simply weird). I get the impression that the director "whahoo! Special Effects! Let's PLAY!"

The movie lacked both wit and charm. I laughed at the sitcom moments. I didn't so much as smirk at Rita Skeeter, and it wasn't the actress' fault. Her lines were terrible. Instead of it becoming clear through her actions that she was a rapacious reporter she had to flat out say: "What torrid secrets do you hide?" while clawing Cedric's hair. Could she possibly have been less funny?

I can't think of a single line that's even remotely subtle.

There other terrible moments that are solely the fault of the screenplay. Even Maggie Smith couldn't save the "bumbling" alliterative line in the dance class scene, and far from letting us forget it, the screenwriter had the twins repeat it as if it were the height of cleverness.

I disagree also on the set. That set looked so much more like an English boarding school. And hooray! The dreadful misty weather that defines Scotland. The clusters of huddled kids in mufflers, shivering in the wind. Yes. That's Scotland all right.

I have to say that I loved the realtionships and the romances. Those were handled beautifully. But the movie lacked a sense of playfulness and "fun."

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Though I do take back one thing: although the inside of Hogwarts did look more "British boarding school" it resulted in a real lack of magical texture. I think you're probably right there.

Icarus

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Oh, and, unrelated -

Happy birthday!!!!!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*beams* Thank you!

Icarus