The end of life as I know it (a.k.a the end of Harry Potter)



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SPOILER ALERT: This entry is about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. If you haven't read the books or seen the movie, stop reading now please.  I will be going into an in depth discussion about the entire story.

After all the buildup and anticipation, I think I am probably going to disappoint with this blog entry about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.  You see, I've never liked the Harry Potter movies as much as I have liked (loved) the books.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE all of the movies for what they are -  but I am flat out obsessed  with the Harry Potter books, to the point where I start crying or laughing or breathing heavy (from fear) just thinking of them.   So here is a pre-summary, and then you can decide if you'd like to continue reading this entry or not:  As a movie, HPDH Part II was absolutely phenomenal, but in comparison to the book it just didn't match up.  So there you go, a brief summary.  Now let me explain in more detail.

I remember first purchasing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at Borders in New York City in the summer of 2007 the very day it came out, as was my tradition.  It was a Friday, I believe, and right at the tale end of my time in the Samsung Fresh Films competition.  My teammates were a bunch of fellow Harry Potter fanatics, and I remember Saturday being a difficult day to get any work done knowing that there was a big fat piece of literature bursting at the seams with unbelievable new adventures waiting for me in my hotel room.  I had been waiting two years for this book, after all, and I didn't feel like waiting one more day to read it.  I was thirsty for it right then. Somehow I made it through the day, and couldn't get back to the room fast enough to start reading.  The next few days went by in a flash, and I was hardly aware of what was happening around me.  I constantly had my head buried in my book, but somehow managed to make it home from NYC, and plop myself down in my room for the next three days.  As usual, I only left my room for the bathroom and food. 

It felt like I couldn't read fast enough. SO much was happening.  (Here come the spoilers so you better stop now if you don't want to know more!  I'm serious. If you have never read the books for the love of GOD do not read any more of this entry.)  Hedwig's was the first death, and I actually had to put the book down for a little while to recover.  Next came Mad-Eye which for some reason was easier for me to cope with.  But that was only the beginning.  The entire 7th book was an emotional roller coaster for me, right up until the very end where my uncontrollable sobbing at 3 am woke my mother up.  When I finished the last Harry Potter book (it is still hard for me to type that phrase) it felt like the end of my life.  I am extremely over dramatic when it comes to Harry Potter. I didn't know what my life would be like without a new book to anticipate every couple of years.  At least then I still had the movies to look forward to, like a small glimmer of hope in my ever-so dismal future.  Now, even that part of my life is over.  But let's not dwell on that right now. 

In stark contrast to the emotional roller coaster of the books, I felt that the very final installment in the Harry Potter movie series managed to only invoke one emotion in the audience: excitement.  Well, whats wrong with excitement?  Nothing, really.  I just think there was the potential for a lot more than just one real emotion in a movie that was based on a book that had literally covered every emotion on the spectrum.  I went into the theater for the midnight premier with half a box of tissues stuffed in my purse, and actually never had to take any out.  Don't get me wrong, I definitely cried.  I just didn't cry nearly as much as I had anticipated.  The parts of the book that really got to me failed to spark much of a reaction from me in the movie.  For example, when Harry is on his way to face Voldermort and "die," I could barely continue reading the book.  Seeing him say goodbye to his best friends who had been with him through EVERYTHING, then finding the stone in the snitch that brought back the ghosts of his loved ones, and then Hagrid carrying Harry's lifeless body all the way back to Hogwarts - all of it bombarded my brain and forced every tear out of my eye balls.  In the movie I cried for a different reason towards the end.  I was more upset that this was it, that it was over, that there would be no more Harry Ron and Hermione in my life.

I feel that the first and second parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows just brushed over events from the story that I would rather have had them focus on a bit longer. In particular they really brushed over the deaths during the final battle - Tonks, Lupin, Fred, Snape, Colin Crevey (did they even show it? I don't remember.) The list goes on and on.  They only zoomed in on the bodies of the dead for a few seconds, show a bit of the Weasleys crying, and thats it.  I mean I guess they shouldn't dwell on it for too long, but a littler longer than what they did would have been much appreciated.  I needed more time to process.  I'm crazy.  It's ok.

On a positive note: I saw the movie in 3D which was the absolute coolest thing ever.  First of all, the 3D glasses were Harry's glasses!!!!!!!! Best idea ever.  Second of all it was such a cool experience in that it wasn't the kind of in-your-face 3D that gives you a headache and makes you motion sick.  Rather than making the film seem chaotic and crazy, it enhanced the movie, making it more exciting and enjoyable.  The best part was towards the beginning where it is slowly zooming in on Hogwarts and it is surrounded by dementors.  As the camera gets closer it's like the dementors are floating over the audience all over the theater.  Sooo awesome.  I loved it.
 

Anyway, that's really all I have to say about the end of my childhood.  If anyone has anything else they'd like to discuss, please leave comments!!!!!

Coming up next:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I'm in the middle of this book right now and it is absolutely fabulous, I can't put it down.  I'm off to read! Enjoy the preview:

now go read the book!






P.S. for an entry that focuses more on the movie (rather than a comparison) check out my other blog! http://jilltalksmovies.blogspot.com/

bear with me folks, i'll stop obsessing soon!

I sense a new obsession coming my way...

J.K. Rowling's newest creation, and a brand new trailer!

I am a wee bit late reporting the news, you may have already heard, but something BIG is happening on the Harry Potter front.  J.K. Rowling has a new site coming soon - Pottermore.com.  What is it about? We don't know! They aren't telling!! It's apparently "breathtaking," whatever that means.  How can a website be breathtaking? I haven't a clue.  This coming Thursday, the 23rd of June, Rowling will be announcing SOMETHING on the official Pottermore twitter account,  twitter.com/pottermore.  Stay tuned!!!

For more information, check out this article.

New bloggy baby

Check out my new blog - Jill Talks Movies! Unlike the blog you are currently visiting, my new blog is strictly about movies.  As they are released in theaters I will go see them and then let you all know if they are good/bad/so-so and if they are worth seeing in theaters or not!  Become a follower, leave comments, or just stop by from time to time if you are trying to make a movie decision!

David Heyman to get the recognition he deserves!

According to an article I just read on the Hollywood Reporter (see link above), David Heyman, Producer of all of the Harry Potter films, will be honored as Producer of the Decade at the CineEurope Trade Fair in June. Heyman's other films include I am Legend starring Will Smith, Yes Man starring Jim Carey, and the most depressing movie ever - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. (right sarah spaz?)

(from SnitchSeeker)

Is there life after Potter for Heyman? You betcha.  He produced the soon to be released drama Paige Eight  starring Ralph Fiennes (Voldermort!) and Rachel Weisz.  He also produced the upcoming film Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.

Anyway, I pretty much just love this guy because he did such a wonderful job producing the Harry Potter movies.  It is very difficult for movies to be as wonderful as their book counterparts, but these movies came very close!  We'll have to see if this continues with the FINAL Harry Potter event of my life...

Oh and if you were wondering, June 27-31 in Amsterdam... in case you want to go.

This is turning into a Harry Potter blog... but I'm ok with that.

I found this article  today on Entertainment Weekly, and I enjoyed it, though it makes me very sad.  I would also like to mention that whenever I see the trailer for the new movie,  I get all squirmy and excited.  And sad.  SO MANY EMOTIONS!  It's a lot to handle.


(Via Coming Soon)



Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows - Part 2

The most successful film franchise ever finally draws to a close

Jun 01, 2011

The Great Hall — the cafeteria of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry — is the oldest standing set inside Leavesden Studios, the drafty Harry Potter movie factory located outside London. So much drama has been staged inside its towering walls of ersatz stone over the past decade, from the ritual of the Sorting Hat to the intrigue of the Goblet of Fire. But its days are numbered. On a dreary afternoon in March 2010, the fabled hall is seeing some of its final moments of action, as is one of the characters, Severus Snape. We are witnessing the first salvo in the Battle of Hogwarts — the very beginning of the final act of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2. The Great Hall's long tables and benches have been shoved aside for Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and a small army of allies — including Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) — to rumble with Snape (Alan Rickman), the apparently loathsome professor of potions. The day's work involves Radcliffe and Rickman exchanging a couple of snarls and threatening quips, and the stunt doubles for Rickman and Smith engaging in a wand duel that resembles an Olympic fencing match. Filming lasts late into the evening. When his part is complete, an emotional Rickman quietly acknowledges the ovation from cast and crew and quickly exits without comment.

During a break, Radcliffe takes a seat in Albus Dumbledore's chair at the head table and shakes his head in disbelief. ''Alan Rickman's last day. Bizarre,'' he says. ''For years, we felt: 'It's never going to end!' Now it's all starting to sink in.'' With his days as a boy wizard coming to a close, the young actor says one of the hardest challenges of shooting the last Harry Potter film has been relishing the moment and taking nothing for granted. ''I've become particularly aware on this film that I'm not always going to be able to play these action-hero-type parts,'' he says. ''You really have to enjoy it, make the most of it, have fun with it.''
Fans of Harry Potter should embrace that wisdom as well, because this is it, friends. The End. The climactic installment in the biggest movie franchise in Hollywood history (total domestic gross to date: $2 billion), and the final movement in a cultural phenomenon that began in the U.K. in 1997 with the debut of J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter novel. Part 2 — adapted from the second half of the author's seventh novel, which was published in 2007 — finds Harry, Hermione, and Ron (Rupert Grint) preparing to take their fight to snake-snouted despot Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) after spending much of Part 1 on the run. The estimated $200 million-plus production Deathly Hallows — Part 2 begins where Part 1 left off, with Voldemort raiding Dumbledore's tomb for the Elder Wand, one of three Deathly Hallows that can grant him immortality. Meanwhile, Harry and his friends, reeling from the heroic death of liberated house elf Dobby, are on the hunt for magical objects called Horcruxes that hold fragments of Voldemort's soul. The quest brings them back to Hogwarts, now run by Snape following the death of Dumbledore a couple of movies ago. ''The new film is just a relentless action movie,'' says Radcliffe. ''It. Just. Does. Not. Stop.''
Okay, it stops a few times — but for some of the most pivotal emotional moments in the saga. A ghostly reunion of departed friends and family. An encounter in limbo with Dumbledore's specter (Michael Gambon), who reveals dark secrets about his past. And, of course, Ron and Hermione's kiss. ''It has to be the most anticipated moment between the two of them in the whole series,'' says Watson. ''In general, though, Part 2 is just plain hell-raising and scary. I get to get my Lara Croft on.''
Both parts of Deathly Hallows were shot simultaneously over 261 days. Keen-eyed Potterphiles will note a number of tweaks to Rowling's climactic tale. The filmmakers have added a new structure to the sprawling Hogwarts campus — a glass boathouse where a certain iconic character will perish. (Hint: In the book, the scene takes place at the Shrieking Shack.) The final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort — a wand duel in the novel — has been expanded to include a chase through Hogwarts and a very physical brawl as the two foes ''apparate'' (i.e., teleport) toward and away from each other. At one point, the rivals seem to fuse, creating a striking, symbolically loaded visual effect.
One of the trickiest sequences for the filmmakers was the movie's epilogue, set 19 years after the heroes' graduation from Hogwarts. Director David Yates first shot the scene during the middle of production, with the young stars wearing makeup to look like the adult versions of their characters. ''I didn't want older actors,'' says Yates. ''If you spent seven movies with these guys, you know these kids, and you want to end with them.'' But looking at the footage, he felt the epilogue fell short of magical. ''We ended up with a scene that, for all sorts of reasons, not just the makeup, just didn't work,'' says the helmer. So late last December, months after the end of principal photography, Yates called the actors back for a do-over. ''We came up with a very simple solution — simple makeup, which may be enhanced slightly with special effects — that's really charming.'' According to producer David Heyman, the new epilogue also led to a change in the portion of the film that plays during the closing credits. ''We thought about a nostalgic look back at how the kids have grown over the previous films,'' says the producer. ''We decided against it because this ending captures all of that.''
Of all the moments in Deathly Hallows — Part 2, the one that may exude the strongest sense of closure comes right before the epilogue, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione stand on a bridge outside Hogwarts, looking back at the school. ''I like it very much because it wasn't just the actors playing the scene, it was the kids reflecting on growing up in this moviemaking world, and I believe a bit of that has ended up on [film],'' says Yates. ''For anyone who knows them or can identify with these three, as characters or actors, it's quite moving.''

Now they're all moving on — into adulthood as well as to new projects. Just a year after relishing his last moments as an action hero inside the Great Hall, Radcliffe is singing and dancing on Broadway in a well-reviewed revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying — and Harry Potter already seems to be in the actor's rearview mirror. ''My grieving period has come and gone,'' Radcliffe told EW last month. ''The end of Potter is exciting in its own way.... It's a [new] beginning for me.'' For the rest of us, graduation is still a few months away. (Additional reporting by Aubry D'Arminio)