Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 5-film series

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's not allowed to have more than one screen name!

[Jay 37,249]

@Dcasey98 - You were banned for 3 weeks for insulting board members with foul language which isn't allowed here.  You're also not allowed to create a second account ( @hihihi12345) to get around a ban (or for any other reason), so I've added another week to your ban.

 

You're welcome to come back when your ban is over in a month and and continue to discuss things civily, but if you break the rules again, either by insulting members again or by creating another account (or for any other reason), you'll be perma-banned.  

 

Your duplicate account has been suspended forever.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Still.  Nice to know the troll account was a fan of Wings.

 

 

 

[Pieter Boelen 740]

9 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Pieter Boelen isn't al alternate account though.

Indeed not. I'm real.

 

I suppose I am quite silly though for trying to come up with a sensible response to what seemed like quite a bizarre message to me.

But I must admit it is quite hilarious to see the guy apparently object to me liking the Harry Potter books.

Despite him apparently liking them too. For reasons that are apparently 100% opposed to my own.

 

The glorious thing about books is that personal interpretation matters greatly indeed; that much is very obvious again.

I read those books wanting fun, adventure and magic, along with some measure of deeper meaning.

And I've been able to get exactly that out of them.

 

But probably when hihihi12345 read those books, he did so wanting the darkest darkness that ever darked. And he was able to get that too!

I'm glad for him that he managed to get out of them what he wanted and so did I. Pretty awesome, really.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

He just seems really insecure about Harry Potter not being taken seriously enough and overcompensates by trying to characterize them as even bleaker than they are. On the Fantastic Beasts IMDb forum he made a thread about the fact that the film and all the Harry Potter movies were labeled "family" on IMDb in addition to being included on a Wikipedia list of kids' movies but that Star Wars movies aren't considered "family" on the site, and he also seemed to indicate that he tried taking off Potter and/or adding Star Wars to the Wikipedia list but his edits kept getting refused by whoever was moderating the page.

 

I mean, I get that. I think it's probably deemed not quite as "cool" for adults (more specifically adult men) to like Harry Potter as opposed to something like Star Wars, LOTR, DC, Marvel. I think there's less of that now than there was before the back-half of the series came out and the films started getting PG-13 ratings, though. When the books were first coming out in the 90s there was a lot more condescension, mockery from stand-up comedians etc about middle-aged dudes reading Harry Potter on the subway, to the point where Bloomsbury even put out more subdued-looking "adult" covers for the series in the UK. 

 

I think Casey/hihihi's looking at it the wrong way, though. I think it's a great thing that the Harry Potter series is generally considered suitable for 10-year-olds, because it does push those boundaries. People always complain about the fact that children's entertainment lacks edge, isn't confronting them with reality in a way that's appropriate, isn't helping to engage their sense of empathy through moral issues and dilemmas. Potter is great for that and I think that's something that I do commend Yates for toward the end is that he did manage that line between PG and PG-13 pretty well. It's interesting to me what a 10-year-old would think about a movie like Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Surely many would find it too boring or scary to finish but I bet it blew a few young minds, to see a movie that quiet and still for long stretches. That'd be their first time experiencing an aesthetic like that.

 

Aside from the literal, the darkness isn't really my problem with Yates so much as the bleakness. Harry Potter was never bleak in my eyes, it was always hopeful, compassionate, and exuberant. Yates's sensibilities always clashed for me whenever he would try to introduce a little slapstick or jokey dialogue, whereas in the book it felt about right when McGonagall transfigured a bunch of school desks to charge into battle even when some brutal major deaths were a handful of pages away. It was just a matter of tone and energy and dynamism. I wanted to see Neville heroically scream "DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY!!!!" to the crowd. I wanted to see Harry put his arm around Ron, holding back tears after destroying the locket. There were still worthwhile moments like that in the films, but I still felt something missing in crucial moments, some palpable fear or joy or anger or passion. The emotional highs felt suppressed, the lows dulled. Of course writing, performances, music, editing, cinematography, sound design all factor in.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

Sounds about right! 

 

Actually, I'm 30 now and I'm not going to deny that I LIKE the Harry Potter books.

Those and the Hornblower series are probably my favourite series of books ever because of how much I enjoy reading them.

They're quite well written, are entertaining, often pretty darn clever and yet also contain a lot of truth.

 

I never liked those adult covers for the Potter books though. Same goes for the US ones.

But the UK children versions are pretty great by my reckoning!

 

And for whatever reason, I always appreciated the early Potter films far more than the later ones.

Because of them being more child friendly? Or despite of it? I honestly do not know.

Maybe it truly is just because of John Williams' glorious music for them!

[mrbellamy 6,270]

2 minutes ago, Pieter_Boelen said:

Maybe it truly is just because of John Williams' glorious music for them!

 

I'm telling you, they're so much better this way! 

 

 

[Pieter Boelen 740]

Yep, that really does work very well!

Though really, I doubt I'll ever get used to Second Dumbledore....

 

What I wouldn't give to see the Potter films as they should have been!

Williams and Richard Harris for the entire series. Scripts somewhat closer to the books.

Actual cool wizard battles instead of "wisps of smoke circling each other".

A variety of strange magic and that sphinx during the Third Task plus the tap dancing scene in the Ministry of Magic.

The fountain of gold figurines coming to life and buildings jumping out of the way of the Knight Bus. The list goes on.

That is imagination at its best and it would have been absolutely incredible!

 

For me, anyway.

Might not have sat so well with the "regular young adult crowd" though.

But then.... I was never a regular young adult! 

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

The books are dark in a superficial way. They are extremely imaginative but are still ideal for younger audiences because of how simplistic they are, simple in their world views, with clearly defined good and bad sides, the moral rightness of the good side firmly established etc. etc. Simplicity and directness is a luxury often lost in adult fiction (but adult fiction offers other pleasures). The books need not be didactic, but in a way they are as they teach values of tolerance and are this ideal for young readers (depending upon how you want them raised).

 

So basically dark is an extremely misapplied euphemism for adult, the two do not mean the same thing at all (somebody tell this to the DC film fans). 

 

Now adult books are actually those which kinda liberate the reader from the above simplicity and plunge the reader into the bewildering ambiguity and complexity of adult life. When nothing is clearly defined, when there's no good or bad, when morality becomes subjective and not absolute and when heavy uncertainty infuses every action and thought - that is when you know you are reading an adult novel because you have to think. And think with the realization that there is no one answer. 

 

I think the Harry Potter books are entirely uncomplicated and very good for kids and young adults. The cleverness in plotting of the earlier books also render them pleasurable to adults.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Well said!

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Johnny Depp Will Star in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sequel, Has a Cameo in the First One

 

Sigh...

[Jay 37,249]

Lol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Brilliant! 

[Bilbo 3,709]

Damn. 

[mstrox 6,637]

I am so tired of Johnny Depp

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,249]

He should play Guy LaPointe

 

[Pieter Boelen 740]

16 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

Johnny Depp Will Star in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sequel, Has a Cameo in the First One

 

Sigh...

Did not see that coming!

[Alex 2,833]

Not particularly enthused by this to be honest

[Jay 37,249]

Johnny Depp is playing Gellert Grindelwald in the series

 

Makes perfect sense. 

 

For those that don't recognize the name, he's the former friend of Dumbledore that turned dark and tried to start a giant war in the 1940s before Dumbledore ultimately defeated him. 

 

 

Edit: here's a nice summary of his story :

Quote

 

 


Grindelwald, born circa 1882, was a highly skilled, brilliant wizard that was kicked out of Durmstrang (that’s where Victor Krum went), a Scandinavian school that still embraces the Dark Arts more than almost any other magical institution. Following his expulsion he relocated to Godric’s Hollow in late 1898/early 1899, where he became fast friends with Albus Dumbledore, himself an ambitious and supremely talented young wizard.

Dumbledore was living there, like a bird trapped in a cage three sizes too small, taking care of his troubled sister Ariana, who had been attacked as a young girl by Muggle boys. It left her broken and unable to control her magic, and ultimately destroyed the family. Her father struck back against the Muggle boys and was sent to Azkaban for it (though he didn’t reveal his motives, in an effort to shield his daughter from being committed). Later on, Ariana accidentally killed her mother during one of her fits. Ariana’s other brother, Aberforth, believed he was best suited to care for her and he was okay with not finishing his education at Hogwarts to to do so, but Albus insisted his brother go back to school.



It was a noble attempt by Albus to do what he thought was right, but one that wasn’t best for anyone, because he wanted so much more from the world than little Godric’s Hollow and the responsibility of caring for his unwell sister could offer. That’s why when Grindelwald showed up it changed everything for Albus forever.



The two realized they had much in common. They spent the next few months plotting how to gather the famed three pieces that made up the Deathly Hallows so that they could lead a worldwide revolution, one that would bring peace, but would also end the International Statue of Secrecy and see a magical government in place that would rule over Muggles.

Dumbledore wished to gain power to make the world safer, greatly influenced by what had happened to his sister, and Grindelwald believed only they could be trusted to fix things. “For the greater good” was his ethos, and it would prove to be as dangerous as it sounded ominous, since he would do anything to implement it.

Dumbledore, who later came to realize how horribly misguided his thoughts of a revolution were, would admit to Harry he knew in his heart Grindelwald’s motives were not as seemingly well-intentioned as his, but he didn’t accept it until it was too late. (It could be because, as J.K. Rowling has since said, he was in love with Grindelwald.)



It became too late one night when Aberforth, angry at how his brother Albus had been neglecting their sister while plotting with Grindelwald, confronted the ambitious young boys about their plans for world domination, about their quest to unite the Deathly Hallows and become Masters of Death, and especially about their plans to take sick Ariana with them on their endeavor. A fight broke out, with Grindelwald attacking Aberforth with the Cruciatus Curse. Albus stepped in to defend his brother and all three began to duel.

To this day, no one knows who of the three accidentally killed Ariana, but after her death Grindelwald fled back to continental Europe, and Dumbledore realized the error of his ways, though he would feel tremendous guilt for the rest of his life.



Albus would become Professor Dumbledore, turning down multiple chances to become the Minister of Magic because he knew the desire for power was his weakness and he was not to be trusted with it.

Grindelwald had no such qualms, and in his quest to lead that magical revolution at all costs, he obtained the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world and one of the three items constituting the Deathly Hallows. He acquired it by stealing it from the wand maker Gregorovitch, not by killing him. He and his army then began terrorizing Europe, and while the details are sparse, he was considered the most dangerous Dark Wizard of all time until Voldemort came along. Genocide, mass-killings of Muggles, a prison for his enemies, his rise was most likely kept hidden from the Muggle world because World War II was raging. While there are obvious differences between the two, his rise mirrors Hitler’s in many ways, right down to when they were both defeated.



Because that came in 1945, when Dumbledore, after long ignoring pleas for him to face his former friend, finally accepted something had to be done, and he was the only one capable of stopping him. What took place is considered the greatest duel between wizards of all time, a three hour fight that saw Dumbledore best Grindelwald, who was then jailed in his own prison, where he stayed until being killed (in the books) by Voldermort, himself seeking the Elder Wand, in 1998.

 

Quote

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

And has already been briefly seen in the movie universe in Deathly Hallows Pt. 2!

 

I still think Depp is a mistake. I'd love to be wrong, it's been so long since I enjoyed a performance from him.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Depp is a brilliant actor! Has no one seen Bennie and Joon? Edward Scissorhands?

[Pieter Boelen 740]

So he actually plays an important character too? Wow!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Hm. I kind of did not want to know that.

[Jay 37,249]

He was already in the trailer 

 

[Bilbo 3,709]

1 hour ago, BloodBoal said:

So, I'm guessing Depp's character will show up at the end of the film (to prepare for the sequels: "Mister Scamander... I am Gellert Grindelwald, and I need your suitcase to take over the world! Muhahahahaha!" Cut to end credits), andn the fifth-film franchise will probably end with his defeat, and the good guys being all like: "Well, we have defeated the greatest dark wizard in the world. Now we can have eternal peace!" Cut to black, as we hear a demonic laugh... Voldemort's laugh... End credits.

 

Sounds like the MCU and Thanos!

[mrbellamy 6,270]

 

[Jay 37,249]

JWFan member @Richard has seen the film: http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24637-what-is-the-last-film-you-watched-newer-films/&do=findComment&comment=1288659

[BloodBoal 7,538]

And you, LeBlanc, have you listened to the OST? Thoughts?

[Jay 37,249]

This is the thread for the film, not the score!

And nope, I haven't listened to a second of it yet!

 

I will likely listen to it on Spotify later on today.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

7 minutes ago, Jay said:

This is the thread for the film, not the score!

 

I know, but I thought it'd be simpler to ask you here rather than say: "Could you please check the thread for the score? I'm gonna ask you if you've listened to the OST there. Thank you."

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Interview with David Yates and David Heyman

 

On the sequel:

 

Quote

“We do go back to the U.K. in the second film as well–it’s U.K. and Paris. I’m not sure where Jo is setting the rest of the movies, but they’ll be European-centric. I think it will be difficult to ignore America, but the next one is predominately Europe.”

 

"Currently the beasts feature slightly less in the second film. Currently. But we love the beasts so much. There’s an amazing beast in the second movie–a Chinese beast, actually–that is featured. We’re exploring how we can get a couple more beasts into the second film, with Jo."

 

 

On Johnny Depp (I'll put in spoilers just in case anyone still doesn't know/want to know who he's playing)

 

Spoiler

Quote

 

"The whole principal of casting the movie was go with the best actor. Go for the most inspired, interesting, right fit for that character. And as we approached Grindelwald we thought, ‘who’s going to take this in an interesting direction?’ In this business, it’s a weird old business. You’re brilliant one week, people are saying odd things the next, you go up and down. But no one takes away your pure talent.”

 

“Johnny Depp is a real artist. He’s created several characters who have really resonated in our popular culture. He’s a really brilliant, brilliant actor. We were excited about seeing what he would do with this guy, the character. He’s fearless; he’s imaginative; he’s ambitious. We thought he would do something fun and special. So we went for him, purely on that selfish basis. We don’t care if he’s famous or not famous. We just know he’s interesting.”

 

David Heyman jumped in with a few words to say on the subject. “Grindelwald is an iconic character, so it was important to have someone who had that weight. There’s a reason why he has that weight. It’s because, you know, he’s a fine actor who makes unexpected choices.”

 

 

 

 

On Dumbledore:

 

Quote

"In the second movie Dumbledore comes back. There are a couple good scenes with Newt. We just have to find out who would play him. Any thoughts?"

 

The Davids then jokingly asked for suggestions. With a laugh, Jared Harris, Richard Harris’s (Dumbledore in the first and second Harry Potter) son, was tossed around the table as a fan-favorite. The Davids did confirm that it would NOT be Michael Gambon. David Yates said firmly, “No it’s not going to be Michael Gambon. No, we need a younger Dumbledore. But, Jared Harris is a fine actor. But, yes? Any recommendation.”

 

Man, Jared Harris would be great! They'd be stupid not to ask him first.

[Bilbo 3,709]

Yeah, I think it would be a great piece of casting for many reasons!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Wow, I didn't know that either!  I've been enjoying his performance as George VI in the Netflix series The Crown this week. Great actor!

[mrbellamy 6,270]

13 minutes ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

Yeah, I think it would be a great piece of casting for many reasons!

 

Great actor, the Richard Harris connection, he's only two years older than Depp too, so perfect age. Red hair as young Dumbledore was described in the books. Weird to imagine him sharing the screen with Johnny Depp, in wizard's robes no less, but somehow I feel like that could be interesting.

 

Only thing is that I could see him being uncomfortable with the idea since it was his dad's last role, and he'd probably have to commit to the rest of the series. Hopefully he wouldn't need persuading but surely he'd have to be their #1 choice.

[Jay 37,249]

25 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

Wow. Didn't know Jared Harris was Richard Harris' son. MIND=BLOWN!

 

Ditto!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Michael Gambon was Dumbledore!

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Where's Michael Gambon's look-alike son!?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Alex 2,833]

Jared Harris would be a very good choice 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

3 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

He might be a tad too young to play the role: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1194694/Dumbledores-daddy-Sir-Michael-Gambon-68-father--mistress.html

 

Dumbledore! You dawg! *high five*

[crumbs 14,287]

On 11/5/2016 at 3:29 PM, mrbellamy said:

 

 

That is some woefully generic blocking, framing and cinematography. Christ, I cannot wait until Yates is off this series of "magical" films; he literally sucks the life of every "magical" element out of it with his pedestrian, dreary direction.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

David Yates says he's directing all five Fantastic Beasts films

 

[Jay 37,249]

Of course he is. 

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Actually looking at the article itself, it seems the reporter may have misheard him and just assumed he was doing them all when he said he "wasn't daunted" and is taking them "one at a time." There's no exact quote saying he's doing all five.

 

But I wouldn't be that surprised if he just kept doing it.

[Jay 37,249]

If they keep making money, and he wants to keep directing them, the job is his. 

[mrbellamy 6,270]

I'm not sure they'd be able to find a really great replacement, anyway. I mean, who knows, but I feel like there was so much intrigue around HP that they were able to get names like Cuaron, Gilliam, Spielberg, Matthew Vaughn etc interested. If Yates left we'd probably end up with, like, Francis Lawrence.

[Arpy 4,145]

I'm excited by the prospect the films will return to Europe. Having it set in New York for five films seemed daunting to me, not that the change of scenery was unwelcome!