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Monday, July 23, 2007

Harry Potter

This was Harry Potter weekend for many of us. We went to see the newest Harry Potter movie, and I have to say that I think it was very good. The screen writers obviously took a very lonnnnng book and did their best to compile it in a short timespan of only a couple of hours. Given their limitations, they performed admirably.

Three of my favorite actors, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, and Emma Thompson, made a repeat performance but sadly none of them were given as much screen time as they should have been accorded. The newest addition to the ever-changing cast is Imelda Staunton, who also proves herself to be an adept actress. Bless her heart, she has taken on a formidable task and has now made enemies of every Harry Potter fan out there. However, she plays the character so beautifully, it is still a treat to watch.

Of course the latest (and supposedly last) book in the series came out this week, too. I have my copy and I'm faithfully tackling it, in between all the adult duties I must undertake. I wish I were simply a child out of school on summer break so that I could read it through in one sitting. And, ultimately, that is what Harry Potter is all about for those of us who are adults: We are recapturing our childhood throughout this wonderful series.

8 comments:

Ed said...

This maybe a stupid question but are Harry Potter books any good to read as an adult? I haven't seen any of the movies or read any of the books and during times like this, I sometimes feel I am missing out until the whole things dies down in a week and I forget completely about it. I can probably buy the books at a garage sale fairly cheaply if that truly is the last one.

Saur♥Kraut said...

Ed, It's very interesting: You can see the author grow and improve in her writing as time goes by. Her first couple were rather poorly written, but as she grew as a writer, the books were more enjoyable to read. On the other hand, you really need to wade through the first couple to get the feel for the characters that really bloom beautifully in the later versions. As for the movies, they're every bit as good as the books or better, IMHO.

Anonymous said...

Saur,

I was out front putting my $100 worth of fake hinges and handles on my garage door, carriage house look, when the UPS boy drove up Saturday with my book. He let me look in the back of his truck and it was all Harry Potter books.

I'm thinking about writing a book about 7-Elevens.

Excellent post.

The Lazy Iguana said...

So...who croaks? Who kicks the magical bucket and is never going to ride a broom again?

You are right about the evolution of the Harry Potter books. Even the crazy ultra right wing evangelical crazies who used to denounce the books because they glorified "witch craft, wizards, and other stuff" warmed up to them.

I think they finally came to grips to the fact there is no such thing as magic, wizards, flying brooms, magic wands, or secret wizard schools.

Anonymous said...

I bought the book yesterday for my youngest and she hasn't taken her nose out of it yet! I won't get to my copy until we return home from vacation but I did plan a day of nothing but reading pleasure before returning to work! :)

As for the movie I will wait until it comes out in DVD and add it to my collection. I am not much of going to the movie fan. I can't sit still long enough! But I have been assured that it will be worth the wait!

Anonymous said...

Good post.

I pre-ordered books for my grandson and daughter-in-law. They are fans of the series. Gator "69" was right. They came UPS on Saturday to the delight of all. I can wait. I'll read it after they do.

daveawayfromhome said...

Got ahold of the book Saturday night, and finished it Sunday afternoon. Yes, I slept in the middle. Terrific book, as is the whole series. The first ones arent that badly written, they're just simple. I think she wrote these with the idea that each year the child could read the next one, as they increasingly deal with more and more complex issues.

My wife saw the movie at midnight when it came out, but didnt care too much for it. Described it as "choppy", which is understandable considering the size of the book it's based on (I'll be waiting for the extended version on DVD with anticipation).

SPOILER ALERT! Lazy, they all die in the end due to using atomic bomb-scale magic. It's a cautionary tale, very sad.

Meow (aka Connie) said...

I haven't seen the new movie yet, but just this afternoon finished my book !! (in between doing "adult" stuff ... how boring !!). I thought it was wonderful, and was quite sad it finished. Hope you enjoy it.
Have a wonderful week.
Take care, Meow