Anyone else waiting for June 4th with some anticipation?

[jobycom]

I have two reasons, and a dilemma.

Harry Potter's previews look great. The new director might finally add a little heart and soul to the films. The books have it, but Christopher Columbus somehow never seems to get it. Some of the clips show a bit more passion than the last two movies have had. Hard to trust clips, though.

Still, I can't wait for the movie! Anyone else? (Yes, I'm 39, and too old for that stuff, but I can hide behind my daughters as an excuse!)

But my dilemma is that I'm flying to Disney World (actually Tampa) on June 4th. The flight leaves at 6:20, and arrives at 10:35. So unless I find a late showing in Tampa, I won't see it until I get back from DW. Sigh. I guess I'll find things to do in the meantime. (Not that I like DW, you know, it's the kids again. That's all it is! :-) )

[BlondieK143]

1. This solves your problem.

I'll go to DW and babysit and you can stay here and watch the movie. :)

[jobycom]

5. Nice try!

:-)

[Mikimouse]

2. Hey! There's nothing wrong with Harry Potter...

I am considerably older than are you, and I am not ashamed to say that I bought both of the other films for myself and my wife. We love them, and watch them frequently. They are very well written, imaginative, and funny at times. When compared to the crap that Hollywood routinely puts out as a 'remake', Harry Potter stands head and shoulders above the crowd.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. I'm waiting on pins and needles

It's weird, I know, but I love Harry Potter! And thank God COlumbus isn't directing any more. Always thought he was a poor choice of director, and while the first two movies are good, they aren't as good as they could have been: even assuming the scripts were kept exactly as they are, a better director would have found, as you said, more passion and intensity and less "rah rah special effects" and "action action action action".

Hurry up June 4!!!!!

And when's the next book coming out? I haven't heard boo about it, and I'm getting tired of waiting for that, too.

[jobycom]

6. Columbus's biggest flaw is not trusting his audience

He overexplains everything in such a literal manner that he leaves no magic for the audience to discover. He simply lays it down on film, like an accountant spelling out a profit/loss report. In the first movie, when McGonegal punishes Harry and crew, she tells them "The four of you will begin your detention tomorrow (or something like that)." It's very obvious to everyone that "four" includes Draco Malfoy (who is so much like Bush!), but to make sure the audience gets it, he has Malfoy say "Excuse me professor, perhaps I misheard you, but I thought you said four of us." Then McGonegal (I know I'm misspelling it) explains that he has to be punished for being out of his room, too. What could have been a clever scene turns into thirty seconds of wasted film that bores the audience. The audience got it from the first line. And for the life of me I couldn't tell if Columbus was just following the book for no reason, or whether he thought it was funny to see Malfoy's slow realization of his predicament, or if he just figured he had to lay it out in great detail because we are all morons.

Either way, he does that all through the movies, dragging scenes out with too much obvious dialogue and losing any emotional or humorous momentum the scene could have built.

The movies work, but only because of the great story and casting, not because of the directing. IMO, anyway.

That's a lot of words to claim someone else uses too many words, huh? But I've been wanting to grip about him for so long!

[ikojo]

4. NEVER too old to get excited about a movie

I am excited about the new HP movie as well. I hope to go see it with a friend and his son, Kenny who is a MAJOR Harry Potter fan.