A little more chatter about The Wizard
Dan and I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix yesterday - our first night out since having the boy. I haven’t worried about leaving the girls with babysitters for a long time so it wasn’t until about halfway through the evening that I suddenly remembered I had a baby and he might be crying at that very minute. He wasn’t though, apparently he did just fine. But back to the movie. My biggest complaint with this series has always been what I think is too much restraint during dramatic segments. For example, in the first movie Harry is about to fall off his broomstick and plummet 150 feet? Ho hum - let’s wince a little and clutch our robes nervously, but that’s about it. I had expected mass pandemonium and hysteria but either magical children are better disciplined than those in real life or they are more indifferent to imminent death. The franchise has come a long way in six years and Order of the Phoenix had a lot more emotional weight than Sorcerer’s Stone. But there was still an aura of restraint in a scene that would have had me screaming and sobbing and frankly, freaking out. It brought me just the tiniest bit out of the story and reminded me that it was only a movie after all. I don’t know if this is because most of the actors are British and the English seem to be naturally a bit more restrained Americans, or if the filmmakers knew that over-the-top emotion in every scene would be worse than too little emotion. Perhaps. Perhaps that’s why I don’t make movies since mine would most likely be a three-hour scream and sob fest. Ironically, I cannot adequately express how much I miss Richard Harris’ Dumbledore, mostly because the new Dumbledore seems to have not enough restraint. He lashes out at the most inappropriate times and what’s worse, he lashes out at the children. In the books Dumbledore is the one voice of composed reason when everything else has fallen to pieces and Richard Harris portrayed that unruffled authority perfectly. The new actor - not so much. Regardless of my complaints, the film was still miles beyond most other movies. The sets were amazing, the music was enjoyable and appropriate, the special effects were jaw-dropping, and the story was engrossing. Overall, I liked it. There. Now you’ve got my review, a mere five weeks after the release date and when the film is already getting booted out of the premiere theaters. You’re welcome. Now a word about movie theaters. I rarely see movies in the theater (maybe two or three per year) and last night was an abrupt reminder why. The start time was listed as 7:00 and we got there right on time and then sat through over 30 minutes of commercials, trailers, and approximately eleventy-hundred little snippets to tout the surround sound, the high-def, the diamond-encrusted screen, the polyester seat cushions…whatever. I’m surprised they didn’t have a graphic proudly proclaiming that the exit signs used genuine Duracell batteries. The commercials bother me the most. 15 to 20 minutes of commercials when I’ve already paid for a ticket? Ridiculous! And that was after the lights went out. If we’d gotten there when the house opened it would easily have been another 15 minutes or more. Since when does going to the movies and paying $7 per person mean you should have to sit through almost an hour of advertising first? I protest a little bit by taking my own snacks. Theater owners are making plenty by selling me as a captive audience member to advertisers, why should I contribute further by buying their price-gouging concessions? I don’t even try to sneak it in. Last night I carried my water bottle in plain sight past six employees. If anyone had mentioned it, I’d have throw it away but at $8 per hour I’m betting there aren’t a lot of employees willing to get worked up over a water bottle. No wonder I usually prefer to rent DVDs and see movies at home. Oh, to those of you waiting anxiously (so I hear) for the story of the air conditioner, it’s coming.
3 Responses to “A little more chatter about The Wizard”
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August 13th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
I’m now TWO Harry Potter movies behind. That’s right, I haven’t even seen the fourth. I’ve seen the first three, but only on DVD.
Movies very rarely match up to my expectations of books, so I’m not usually in a hurry to see them.
August 13th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
I’m with you - never buy snacks at the theater. I remember my mom sneaking the snacks in her purse for our whole family of six, and here I am, doing the same thing. (Okay, just to clarify, I did that twice, because that is exactly how many times I have been to a theater in the last five years. EEK!)
August 15th, 2007 at 7:36 am
You won’t believe this, but I think I am the only person in the USA who hasn’t seen ANY of the Potter movies. The movie thing really rubs me raw too with the prices, no way am I going to pay 5.00 for a bowl of popcorn and 3.50 for a soda. COME ON! You know they are raking in the cash with prices like that! There is 6 of us so if we do go see a movie its at the cheap theater and we bring our own candy.