The weekend of the Muses, Part the Third

[jlh]

So now that I don't have a million people in my apartment, I'll say a few more nuanced things about seeing the film Friday.

I was invited to a screening of SS/PS by a magazine, which finally kicked my butt to read the first book. I woke up at 8:30am, read the book, then walked right into the noon screening. The screening was all about the kids--there were hundreds of them all over the place. I went alone. Somehow, it wasn't something I wanted to drag a friend along to see, although I did have an extra ticket. Even though I had only just read the book, I had very firm mental images in my head of everything and everyone except Ron. So the Ron in my head is, to a large part, Rupert. There could be worse things.

Needless to say, this year was an entirely different experience. I watched it with eleven people I know and loff. We screamed and yelled, but never over any lines (we were very very good). I wasn't in the bad place as much as I expected to be, but yeah, when Harry is stepping up and giving consequences--damn.


I only say things no one else has said, that I've seen:

I was struck again by how Dickensian the whole universe is. I liked how in the F&B scene, the faces of all the Weasleys (and Harry) were still smudged with soot--in contrast to the Malfoys.

Who decided to cast Siegfried as Crouch? Speaking of which, what is up with Draco's accent? He sounds like a farmer from All Creatures.

Every music cue in this film must go. John Williams is a hack. eccentricfemme's suggestion of Danny Elfman is a great one. He certainly would have made it more magical and he knows how to kick ass.

They missed a great opportunity during the B&W scenes to do some serious imagery--shadowy corridors, etc. Also, I thought Dumbledore looked far too old. I don't think he was all grey eminence quite yet.

It's crystal clear that Emma Watson hates her character. Draco's moment with the Mandrake was precious. Aja is right, Dan Radcliffe really is Harry in this movie--then again, Harry is really Harry in this book, if you get my meaning.

But, and it pains me to say this, I think the only one of the kids who can really act is Rupert. He was brilliant. He knows where the joke is and his timing was impeccable. It pains me deeply that Ron's one big font-of-knowledge moment, in Hagrid's shack, was given to Hagrid. In fact, that entire scene was a sacrilege, and all of you who love canon!ron should be outraged.


I should have said that the weekend really started on Thursday night, when fate led me to epicyclical, ali_wildgoose and ivyblossom in Port Authority. Ivy is a woobie. I am in love with her Canadian accent.

Soon: last night. Yeah.

Comments

[rabican.livejournal.com]

I have definitely thought for a while now that Danny Elfman would be extremely cool for Potter. On the other hand, the cue problem isn't entirely Williams' fault - the Potter soundtracks aren't his best, but frequently a lot of the new, and frequently very cool material he made for this movie somehow disappears almost entirely in the movie itself. The CoS soundtrack better by a long shot than the PS soundtrack.

But Danny Elfman would still great.