SturgisPodmore

After seeing OotP again, I found I liked it considerably better than the first time, though of course there are still some big plot holes. I would rate the Potter films: -PoA: A- -OotP: B -SS: B- -GoF:C -CoS: D+ ~Sturgis

Nice! ~Sturgis

Hint: it's called The One Where Everybody Finds Out. ~Sturgis

Ain't that the truth! ~Sturgis

Friends and Seinfeld are two of the most beloved comedies of recent years. I've heard conversation about both here, and wanted to know which people like the most. I say Friends. Although it had great moments and great episodes throughout, I find the best material to be Seasons 4-7, with the peak of the best writing being Season 6. What about the rest of you? ~Sturgis

What an ass. Did you smack him? ~Sturgis

Well, you have to kind of generalize the composer, so I guess it's "what one kind of music characterizes them best?" Assuming you meant people were ignorant in their descriptions, that is. ~Sturgis

During my second veiwing, I kind of wished I hadn't gone again. The effects are stunning of course, but after the first time, the awe factor is kind of gone and you're stuck checking your watch. ~Sturgis

Arrogant? ~Sturgis

James Newton Howard - chord changes featuring beautiful string swells underlined by subtle piano and harp. ~Sturgis

Yes, but that scene is probably the weakest Star Wars celebratory finale, as well, so the score is appropriate. ~Sturgis, who just thinks it's kind of dumb fun (apart from the Emperor's Theme, which is . . . cool fun)

"Augie" is of course a brilliant re-working of the Emperor's theme. I know a lot of people here hate "Augie" as a celebratory track, especially when compared with "The Throne Room," but it scores a parade and it sounds like parade music, plus it includes that kinda subtle twist on the Emperor's theme. The laughing is weird, though. ~Sturgis

You're welcome, ~Sturgis

And God bless us, every one! ~Sturgis

Well, I am not in fact submerged in water; I meant overwhelmed. ~Sturgis, who may have to take a shower, though

My vote is of course for JNH, and though I think an Elfman score would be interesting, it seems he would do a more fairy-tale fantasy as opposed to reality-based, like the Potter movies are fast becoming. ~Sturgis, who always thought that parts of Doyle's "The Story Continues" sound Elfman-esque, especially the statements of his Voldedmort theme

Ah, the welcoming atmosphere around here is just a treat! ~Sturgis, whelmed by this thread

It ain't just authors who do that. :cool: ~Sturgis

Well his minions killed hundreds. And OMG I missed Bertha Jorkins in the GoF movie. Her "disappearance" was a brilliantly disquieting touch in the book. ~Sturgis

I think it looks intriguing, but I know nothing about the original show. ~Sturgis

I think I obsess over film music as much as anyone obsesses over their favorite music; people know a lot about the music they listen to. So, in terms of liking film music, I would say no, because it's just another type of music. (Sheesh, enough musics?) Now when it comes to things like Harry Potter, I am definately a geek. A lot of people, even Potter fans, don't remember as much as I do about the books, which probably comes from me having read each countless times, having a darn good memory, and lvoing the books with all my heart. So I think I'm definately geeky in that way, but with film music, not really that much. ~Sturgis

With PoA (though I think it could have been longer), the stuff that was trashed wasn't all that important (with the exception of some Marauders backstory); I don't think Sir Cadagon is that important, though he actually is in the background during the Portrait Gallery sequence, just to appease people. CoS is longer, sure, but it drags big time and could have used more cutting. There has to be a happy medium between a) what needs to be cut for lack of purpose, and b) what needs to stay in, even though the story can get by without it, but makes it more cohesive. Kreature, for example, was important in the book, but for the treatment they gave him in the film, he should have just not been included; more time could be spent explaining the much more important issues of the prophecy, and Harry and Voldemort's connection. I really don't think most people would mind a longer movie, especially if it explains things clearly. By the way, on a somewhat unrelated note, JKR has said this is her favorite Potter movie so far. ~Sturgis, looking forward to seeing OotP again now that the shock factor is gone

Saw it mid-day today, and the initial reaction is: it's not bad. With Potter movies, I always have to see it once to let everything sink in, see what they cut out, appreciate the funny bits, etc. Then I often see it again to get a better picture of how it works going from book to screen, and thinking about how the things they left out work in the film. What I noticed upon the first viewing: Yates has moments of really interesting style, and overall the film is nice to look at. A lot of speaking parts were difficult to understand; they should have made sure the dialogue was more comprehensible. Of course, the bits with Luna were brilliant and her words of wisdom were wonderful. Umbridge was exquisite, going from a prissy annoyance to a genuine threat to a truly evil woman, and her hilariously over-sweetened tea was an exemplatory delight. The montage of her interviewing the teachers was a treat, as was the Dumbledore's Army montage (and did anyone else notice that the barman at the Hog's Head, who is of course Aberforth Dumbledore, appeared to be played by Michael Gambon?). Speaking of which, I thought Gambon was great in this movie; his avoidance of Harry was disconcerting, and his interaction with Voldemort was, while no where near the greatness it was in the book, good nevertheless. And that seems to be the general trend of the movie, really. They appeared to have stripped things to the bare minimum, while everything else hit the cutting room floor. This wasn't a problem in some ways. However, some subplots were introduced, but then cut off without any real tying up of loose ends. The movie, like PoA, would have benefitted greatly from being just ten minutes longer, just stopping to breathe a moment and explain some things. It would have been great, for instance, to know that Snape had warned the Order about the kids being at the Ministry, and thereby basically saved them; this is an important plot point for him. Also, to know that Trelawney had made the prophecy would have been nice, too. The last scene with Harry and Dumledore, especially, would have benefitted greatly with a few more minutes of explanation, as mentioned by Marion, and of course, the scene with Hagrid and Umbridge and McGonagall, as viewed from the Astronomy Tower, which is arguably the most exciting moment of the book, wasn't included. Dumbledore's escape, while certainly a delightful scene that had me smiling, wasn't quite as thrilling as it could have been. Nor was Fred and George's departure, or the scene in the Ministry at the end. Sirius's death was nice, I thought, a little sudden, but that was realistically jarring, and I liked Harry's reaction to it. The Dumbledore/Voldemort fight, while certainly dazzling, wasn't quite as awesome as in the book, though I was certainly delighted that Dumbledore called Voldemort "Tom", which of course is a brilliant moment in the book. I thought performances were pretty good all around, Radcliffe in particular did really well. Ron was a good sidekick role, and Hermione didn't overact too badly, which is something of an improvement from GoF. They took a backseat in this movie, which is fine, considering this is a more personal story for Harry. In this vein, I liked Harry's bonding moments with Luna and Neville, which were subtly moving. And Snape was wonderful, as usual. Overall, the film was pretty good, though it wasn't long enough. I'm all for taking creative liberties, but too much was left out to make it a great movie. B- ~Sturgis, who very much liked the Daily Prophet interludes (especially the first one), which were reminiscent of those great "hot-off-the-press" sequences from old movies

It does indeed look awesome. ~Sturgis, who was shocked and chilled when he saw that trailer in the theater

Not really - there was the introduction to the "pure-blood" mentality and oppresion of Muggle-borns and House-Elves. That was a major point in the plot. The first book mainly dealt with setting up characters, locations and getting adjusted to the magical world. The sense of discovery and wonder is toned down from the first book, but the film for some reason was wasted with reaction shots of Harry witnessing magic and pointless scenes. <_< ~Sturgis