25 Days of Jack: Day Seven

My Harry Potter obsession is becoming hazardous to my health.

During Wizard Week I had mentioned J.K. Rowling's new interactive website Pottermore.  It doesn't open to the public until October, but July 31st to August 6th she is giving a million people the opportunity to register early and get into Pottermore a month or so earlier.  All you have to do is answer a trivia question.  Easy right?

Well, easier said than done.  Registration opens each day at a random time, so my friend Michelle and I found ourselves constantly refreshing the page until four o'clock in the morning!  The question wanted to know by how much the Gryffindor team was beating the Slytherin team in the third Harry Potter book.  The answer was 60.  We had to multiply that number by 35, resulting in 2100.  That number had to be put at the end of a web address they provided, which took us to another website where The Magical Quill was waiting for us!

For those who don't know, The Magical Quill senses whenever a magical child is born and writes it into a big book.  Professor McGonagall checks the book every year and sends the Hogwarts acceptance letter to those children who will be eleven years old.  So basically, finding The Magical Quill means that we are magic and can enter Pottermore!  So we thought we had succeeded.

We hadn't.  We were supposed to make the quill levitate by moving our cursor left to right under it.  No matter how much we tried, it never levitated.  It kept telling us to try again.  For almost an hour we tried, cursing at the stupid computer all the while!  Finally we started searching online for help, and lo and behold somebody had posted the link to the registration page (that we would have been directed to had we levitated the quill properly).  So we did it!  We registered, were given usernames, and received an email with further instructions on getting into Pottermore!  My name is NimbusStone3!  Isn't that awesome?

Just agree with me.  It's awesome.  Although I am now thoroughly exhausted from staying up all night.  Luckily I had Michelle to make the late hours more fun.  And speaking of Michelle, she correctly told me I was born in 1986 so she won yesterday's Joaquin the Chihuahua sticker!  Today's sticker can be yours if you can be the first to email me (jjgarcia3@live.com) the answer to this question:  Would I rather watch HGTV or ESPN?

Why Jennifer Loves Harry Potter:

Wizard Week Movie Review: End of an Era

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie poster, image property of Warner Bros.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 AWESOME!

Sometime towards the end of 1999 I found myself looking at books that were being sold at the Book Fair in the school library.  I was 13 years old and in eighth grade.  For my first hour class I would go and help out in a second grade classroom at the nearby elementary school.  We had taken the kids to look at the books, and that’s when I spotted J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time.  I bought it.  I read it.  I loved it.

To this day I’m not really sure what made me buy it in the first place.  It wasn’t exactly my proper reading level.  And where did I get the money?  I guess I’ll never know.  But for some reason I did, and I’ve been a huge Harry Potter fan ever since.  I loved the blending of fantasy with reality.  I loved the quirky characters, strange locales, and the mystery of it all.  I loved the surprise twist at the end of every book!  I was sure Snape was the bad guy, I never dreamed that Ginny would have opened the Chamber of Secrets, and who wasn’t thoroughly convinced Sirius was a murderer?

For the past ten years we’ve been treated to a new Harry Potter film almost annually.  Ten years is a long time.  When the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone first came out in November of 2001, I was fifteen years old.  I was a sophomore in high school.  I saw Prisoner of Azkaban the summer after I graduated, the fourth and fifth installments were released while I was on a mission in Chile, and just last night I found myself in my mid-twenties—with a job and a fiancé—watching the final half of the final film.   I marvel at just how much of my lifespan has been experienced with Harry by my side.

But after the much-anticipated movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was over and the credits were rolling, I was left with a very odd feeling.  Why wasn’t I beaming with sheer joy??  Why wasn’t I screaming my excitement from the rooftops??  I have been obsessing over the movie for a full week on this blog, and yet there I was, riding home from the theater in Salt Lake City, filled with such a melancholy that I feared that perhaps I hated the movie. 

But in reality it was a very good movie.  I just wanted more somehow.

The movie was over all too quickly, partly because it was the shortest Potter film yet (only 130 minutes) and partly because it had a very quick pace.  It also didn’t feel like a complete movie, which I had to remind myself was because it isn’t a complete movie.  Part 2 is the exciting climax that Part 1 was leading up to.  I feel like if I had seen both parts all together, as one cohesive story, I would have left the theater feeling more fulfilled.

However, looking back on it, I feel like the movie got a lot of things right.  The Battle of Hogwarts was done very well, with spells both beautiful and terrifying.  People were dying, heroes were made, and the stakes definitely felt at their highest.  While war was raging all around them, the trio had to find and destroy the last of the horcruxes.  Then Harry ultimately had to confront his fate.

Daniel Radcliffe was on the top of his game as far as acting is concerned.  I thought Harry’s decision to die was handled very well, as was the otherworldly scene in King’s Cross.  The only thing that bothered me a little was his final battle with Voldemort.  I just felt like it was a bit anticlimactic.  Some details were changed from the book, but I’m not necessarily mad at that.  I just don’t understand how simply disarming Voldemort caused him to crumble away like he did.

Alan Rickman’s performance as Snape was hands down the best he’s ever done.  Snape’s death was tragic to see, and I really thought there was a good connection between him and Harry during those final moments of life.  Even before seeing the memories in the Pensieve, I felt like Snape and Harry came to an understanding.  The flashbacks that showed us the full complexity of Snape—his love for Harry’s mother and his true allegiance to Dumbledore—were very moving and in my opinion, artfully done.  Seeing Snape weep over Lily’s dead body was one of the saddest things I have seen onscreen in a long time.

The score by Alexandre Desplat was very good, and I was grateful that he used so much of John Williams’ original score.  Since this movie was like the final bow for all of the characters we’ve come to love, it was very nostalgic to hear bits of “Hedwig’s Theme” and even “Harry’s Theme” which we haven’t heard in a Potter film for many, many years. 

I also thoroughly enjoyed the epilogue, where we were able to see that peace and order has been restored to the wizarding world.  The now grown-up Harry giving words of comfort to his own son was lovely, and I was impressed with the makeup and costuming.  They really did look nineteen years older.

Now, back to the odd numbness I felt after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ended:  It wasn’t about the movie necessarily.  The movie was everything it could have been and more.  I guess I just expected the end of an era to feel more earth-shattering or life-altering or important.  But in the end, it was just me sitting in a dark movie theater.  It was just the close of a book.

Love movies?  Check out my Movie Page!

Wizard Week: Contest Winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my Harry Potter Contest!  I hope it was fun playing the little game, because it sure was fun putting it together.  Sixteen of you guessed the mystery word correctly and were entered into the random drawing.  And the winner is...

Wizard Week Chihuahua Comics: Harry Dearest

He's serious, you guys.  He's going to Avada Kedavra your butt if you keep using those wire hangers!

Wizard Week: The Prophecy

In the fifth book (and movie) we discovered that Professor Trelawney had once made a very important prophecy.  That prophecy led Voldemort to kill the Potters, attempting to kill the young Harry.  The prophecy led to the lightning bolt scar, marking Harry as Voldemort's equal... The Chosen One.

Why Joaquin Loves Harry Potter:

Wizard Week: Reviews for 'Deathly Hallows Part 2'

Daniel Radcliffe says, “[Deathly Hallows Part 2] is pretty spectacular.  I mean, I really don’t think anyone is going to be disappointed.  I think the action is all fantastic… Lots to look forward to!”   

Emma Watson seems to agree, enthusiastically saying, “Bloody hell!  It was so much more than I could have ever anticipated it to be.  It’s a remarkable film, and I’m like the most critical person ever!  It exceeded all my expectations.  Epic… it’s like epic times four!”

And movie critics can’t find anything negative to say either!

“My, how the children have grown—and the movies too.” –Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“It has been extraordinarily fun, and now the decade-long saga has reached its grand finale. The best has been saved for the last.” –Claudia Puig, USA Today

“Well done, Harry! You've saved the best for last.” –Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

“It's virtually non-stop action, though director David Yates, who has taken good care of these final four, ever-meaner Potter adventures, does a very crafty thing, following adapter Steve Kloves' screenplay.” –Michael Philips, Chicago Tribune.

“This movie is impressively staged, the dialogue is given proper weight and not hurried through, there are surprises which, in hindsight, seem fair enough, and "Harry Potter" now possesses an end that befits the most profitable series in movie history.” –Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 puts a triumphant capper on a decade of Pottermania.” –Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“A fitting, expertly made final chapter, freighted with hard-won emotions, shot through with a sense of farewell, and fully aware of the epic stakes involved.” –Ty Burr, Boston Globe

“Part 2 is a magnificent finale for this fantasy opus, one that pays ample justice to Harry's long-in-the-making showdown with He Who Must Not Be Named, a battle in which life and death, the past and the future, precariously hang in the balance.” –Nick Schager, Village Voice

“It's wonderful. Epic and heartbreaking and just as grand as it needs to be.” –Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

“Everything a summer blockbuster should be but rarely is - a whip-smart, slam-bang piece of entertainment where we deeply care about the fate of the central characters (and many subsidiary ones who return for their last bows).” –Lou Lumenick, New York Post

“In the end the thing works like, well, magic...” –Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies

“The thrilling conclusion to a phenomenal cinematic story 10 years in the telling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is proof that authentic movie excitement is its own form of magic.” –Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

“While 'Deathly Hallows: Part 2' offers long-promised answers, it also dares to pose some eternal questions, and it'll stay with you after the final chapter has closed.” –Christy Lemire, Associated Press

“HPATDH 2 works like a charm.” –David Edelstein, New York Magazine

“An outstanding capper to the most lucrative film franchise of all time.” –Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

Why Sydney Loves Harry Potter:

Wizard Week: My Favorite 'Harry Potter' Movie

Not long ago I ranked all of the Pixar movies in order from my least favorite to my most favorite.  With the last Harry Potter movie opening tomorrow (or tonight at midnight rather) I decided to do the same with all of them.  Are you curious to know which is my favorite?  Well, you should be!

7  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I love all of the Harry Potter movies, but this one has to be my least favorite.  I feel like the filmmakers struggled condensing all of the events into a comprehensive movie.  It jumps quickly from one task to another, leaving a few loose ends unattended.  And those boys need to cut their hair!

6  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This one has a lot of the same problems as Goblet of Fire, but manages to handle things a little bit better.  Seeing them form Dumbledore's Army is a lot of fun and who doesn't love to hate Professor Umbridge?  She's so evil!

5  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Chamber of Secrets is a pretty cool movie, I must say.  It has a great score, a fun mystery to solve, scary basilisks, flying cars and giant spiders!  Harry, Ron and Hermione are a tad bit older now and starting to feel comfortable in their roles and Professor Lockhart is gleefully fun to watch.

4  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

This movie may sport some of the worst special effects of the series, but Sorcerer's Stone still remains so endearing and magical.  This was the movie where we were first introduced to the wizarding world and it was so much fun discovering it alongside Harry.  Director Chris Columbus laid the groundwork for a fantastic franchise and the score by John Williams is superb. 

3  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I feel like this movie was either love it or hate it amongst fans, but I happen to love it.  I was surprised at how funny Half-Blood Prince was with all of its romantic subplots.  There was also plenty of drama especially involving Malfoy's character.  Tom Felton really did a fantastic job.  On the technical side I was very impressed with the lighting and composition of this movie.  There was a really beautiful play with light and shadow.

2  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

What I loved about this movie was the raw emotion of the characters, the beautiful cinematography, and the slower pace.  Although skeptical at first of the decision to split Deathly Hallows into two films, I now see that it was a good idea.  I feel like there was a closer attention to detail in this movie because of it.  I liked the somber mood and I felt they all really gave fantastically mature performances.

1  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Since its initial release Prisoner of Azkaban has been my very favorite and it hasn't changed over all these years.  I thought director Alfonso Cuarón brought such a new look and feel to the series; it was edgier yet more whimsical all at the same time.  Part of what makes the aesthetic so great is that he didn't rely one hundred percent on CGI images for the special effects.  The blowing-up of Aunt Marge and the transformation of Professor Lupin are both perfect examples of this.  I also really love the use of visual foreshadowing, such as the swinging pendulum to hint at the time travel at the end or the shots of the Whomping Willow that not only mark each season but play up the tree's importance later on.  So good!  As far as artistic filmmaking is concerned, Prisoner of Azkaban simply trumps the rest.

I wonder where Deathly Hallows Part 2 will rank... I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Why Brian Loves Harry Potter:

Wizard Week: Silly Song Spoofs

It seems I'm not the only one excited for the new Harry Potter movie.  I can't log in to Facebook anymore without seeing that so-and-so posted a Harry Potter this... or what's-his-face commented on a Harry Potter that...  The obsession seems to have bitten us all!

A lot of the fun videos my friends are sharing are spoofs on popular songs.  My friend Trevor and my cousin Tyisa both told me about this music video by Brigham Young University's Divine Comedy.  It's called "Firebolt" and it's based on the Katy Perry song, "Firework."



Another video I've come across was mentioned by sisters Mikell and Madison.  It's based on the song "Friday" by Rebecca Black, and it's really pretty hilarious.  It's done by The Hillywood Show.



And just yesterday I saw two of my friends, Wes and Jason, had both posted this fun version of the song "Hello" from the Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon.  I watched this one from my phone on break, and it was definitely the highlight of my 14-hour workday!



Ha ha!  I love that Harry Potter is wearing a blue bow tie like Daniel Radcliffe wears in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  He also lovingly caresses a stuffed horse and then stabs it to death just like Daniel Radcliffe's role in Equus.  And Hermione disappears and then reappears with short hair just like the real-life Emma Watson.

I hope these silly song spoofs made your day!

Why Kayla Loves Harry Potter:

Wizard Week: Composer Alexandre Desplat Talks 'Deathly Hallows Part 2'

Recently one of my favorite Harry Potter fan sites, Mugglenet, shared an interview with Alexandre Desplat who was the composer for Deathly Hallows Part 1 and is continuing to do so for Deathly Hallows Part 2.  I’m glad he’s finishing the second half, because I thought his score was fantastic the first time around.  When asked what he thought about Part 1’s score, he said, “It was great. I think the essence of what it portrayed—the sense of loneliness and a loss of childhood—were very strong, and I think it was a great first part.”

For this next movie, he says that he will be using snippets of scores from previous Potter films as well, especially the iconic “Hedwig’s Theme” composed by John Williams in Sorcerer’s Stone.  “Now we're back in Hogwarts where the battle takes place, and all the friends are there so it made sense to have [“Hedwig’s Theme”] there.  Also, at the end of the film when we say goodbye to these three kids who are becoming adults and are looking towards a new life, the John William's theme is present.  It's one of the most wonderful themes ever written for films, so it's a delight to work with it.”

Agreed!  John Williams is a brilliant composer!  His work for the first three films was quite genius in my opinion.  But Desplat didn’t just reuse Williams’ music.  He composed quite a lot of it on his own.  His favorite piece of music for Deathly Hallows Part 2 is entitled “Lily’s Theme”—which is of course, named after Harry’s mother.  Desplat said, “Yes, I think Lily's theme, which opens the film, might be the one I like the most because it has the kindness and mysteriousness that we need to feel when the movie starts even though everything isn't explained yet about how Lily influenced Harry and other characters' destinies in the film, so it’s the theme that I think I like the most and cherish a lot.”  

So what’s the theme like?  “I think the goal was to find something as gentle, as sweet, and as kind as a lullaby with a guilty touch to it. It's a very simple melody that anyone can hum, child or adult, and we found this incredible singer, Mai, who has a very pure voice, almost like liquid gold. So it will haunt the film and Harry all along the last episode.”

He continues, “Death is very present in the Harry Potter story from the beginning because it starts with an orphan who lost his parents, and, actually, the theme of death is very present in this episode, since Lily, Harry's mother, is the lead character of this episode.  We start the film with hearing Lily's theme, which will kind of ghost the film all along and be the music thread that will take us from the beginning to the end of the film.  So that's one element of death, the people that you miss, the people that you long for, the sorrow, and the question about death and the resurrection stone and how you cope with the death of the people you love.  That's very present in the themes that are used and you see it when you see the film and hear the soundtrack that I've tried to be very sensitive and emotional on these matters.”

The soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is now on sale wherever music is sold.  Currently, Amazon is selling the MP3 download for just $6.99!

Why Vanessa Loves Harry Potter:

Wizard Week Ask Joaquin: Triple the Potter Questions!

From Jennifer:  How do you predict that J.K. Rowling will add to the series?

Well, I would love it if she came out with a series of books that followed James and Lily Potter’s generation.  I would like to see them in school with Lupin and Sirius and all that.  Rather than a series of books following the adult Harry, I just think it would be fascinating to see more of the back story to these characters that we already know and love.  In the few memories of James and Lily in their younger days, they just seem like such opposites.  James seems like a jerk actually, so I would like to gain a broader perspective of his character.

But I doubt that will ever happen.  An encyclopedia of the Harry Potter universe has been rumored for some time though, so I’m thinking that might be a logical prediction.  J.K. Rowling has recently announced a new interactive website called Pottermore that’s supposed to fill in a lot of the details that she has in her head that have never been written down.  Here she is explaining what Pottermore will be:  

From Michelle:  What parts are you looking forward to watching in the last movie?

A lot of really exciting things happen in the last half of the seventh book that I am excited to see on the big screen.  The big battle at Hogwarts with the giants and the suits of armor…  Molly Weasley dueling Bellatrix…  The final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort…  SO MUCH ACTION!  I’m also really curious to see how they handle the otherworldly scene at King’s Cross and the epilogue at the end when the kids are all grown up with children of their own.  But the scene I want to see the most is where they explain Snape’s past.  I loved that part in the book so much!  Snape is such a fascinating character!

Honestly, I will probably enjoy every millisecond of this movie.  In fact, this reminds me of a spoof The Onion News Network did.  You should watch it if you haven’t already… it's hilarious!

From Elyssa:  If you were the author of the Harry Potter series and you were able to make some revisions to the plot, what would they be?

It’s really hard to answer this question because I love the Harry Potter books so much!  How could a measly mortal such as I attempt to alter the godlike work of J.K. Rowling?  But since you are so curious, the first thing I would do is have Hermione end up with Victor Krum.  Sure he was a little dimwitted, but he’s a professional Quidditch player!  Come on!  Athletes are stinking rich!

Another change would be to have Ginny end up with Dean Thomas.  Have you seen interracial babies?  They are adorable!  Besides, with Ginny and Hermione both dating other people, it frees up Harry and Ron… so they can fall in love with each other!  It’s so unfair that Dumbledore was the only homosexual character…

Speaking of Harry and Ron together, have you seen this YouTube video yet?  Amazing what a bit of editing can do!

Wizard Week: The Twins Talk Acting

The Guardian recently featured an interview with James and Oliver Phelps who play Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter movies.

SPOILER ALERT:  If you haven't read the books, stop reading!

While the Weasley twins are usually used as comic relief, Deathly Hallows puts them in some serious situations.  In Part 1, George lost his ear in a Death Eater attack.  And in Part 2, Fred will die. Oliver Phelps, who plays George, said, "It was horrible," when asked what it was like pretending his brother was dead.  "I was trying to get myself into this emotional state. You had to put yourself in character, and seeing your brother lying there, pale, was quite hard. I think we did about four takes."

Luckily his brother isn't really dead!  Although I'm sure life would be nicer at times if Oliver didn't have a twin brother.  Sometimes it's hard to be seen as an individual.  They are both trying to further their acting careers, but they don't always want to do things as a duo.  "We want to continue acting but not necessarily together," says James. "We've had a few meetings with casting agents in the States but there is a perception that we come as two. I said I want to do individual stuff and one guy just said 'Oh no, I don't see that happening'. I shut off as soon as he said that, I wasn't interested."

I feel a little guilty that I always refer to them as "the twins" all the time.  I don't even know which one is which.  But even though they resent being seen as a combined unit, they don't regret being cast as the mischievous duo in Harry Potter.  James says, "I'm very aware that I'm lucky to call it my job."

Fred and George Weasley.
Promotional image for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Why Yasuko Loves Harry Potter:

Wizard Week: Dancing with the Stars

So Brian's mom got me addicted to this most recent season of Dancing with the Stars.  Before that I think I had seen maybe half an episode... yet alone a whole season.  But I was hooked, and one of my favorite contestants was Chelsea Kane from the Disney Channel show Jonas.  She didn't win, sadly, but she did make it into the top three!

So what the heck does Chelsea Kane have to do with Harry Potter?  Well, when she and her partner Mark Ballas danced the Viennese Waltz they performed it to Hedwig's Theme by composer John Williams!  It was so magical... Check it out!

Wizard Week: Four More Online Clips!

Tonight on CNN I watched Harry Potter: The Final Chapter hosted by Larry King.  It featured an exclusive clip of Harry talking to Griphook about the Sword of Gryffindor and the possibility of breaking into Gringotts.  I tried to find the clip online to post here but I couldn't find it!  Sorry guys.

Apart from the ten online clips I posted earlier, I did manage to find four more!

• Clip One:  Draco and his cronies confront Harry in the Room of Requirement (0:51).
• Clip Two:  Voldemort hits Harry with the Killing Curse in the forest (0:29).
• Clip Three:  Ron and Hermione destroy a horcrux in the Chamber of Secrets (1:16).
• Clip Four:  The Trio encounter the Gemini Curse inside of Bellatrix's vault (0:49).