But I am the chosen one!

[alexsarll]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the book I remember least - except for the ending, of course. Because it's basically Part One of the two-part series finale, isn't it? And the film's not even that - it's Part One of a three-part finale because they're splitting Deathly Hallows in two. Which is why I was surprised by how brilliant the film was, although I shouldn't be, because unlike the books they do consistently get better each time. The camerawork, the lighting, the locations all contribute to a sense of a widening world, but also a darkening one; the book is pared back mercilessly but sensitively, revealing its core. There's also, bafflingly, a sudden jump in the levels of innuendo, which I would say was just the effect of watching a film with curiousbadger except I've seen people who didn't say the same. Little things outside the director's control play into it, too - Luna Lovegood so effortlessly able to steal any scene she's in, or the lad who plays Draco being at that awkward stage of ageing where boyish good looks have yet to become adult handsomeness and the golden boy temporarily looks lumpish.
Also, have I ever mentioned that in spite of everything, I have even more of a crush on Bellatrix than I do on most Helena Bonham-Carter characters?

Lenny Henry talks about his love for A Matter of Life and Death. The programme is probably of more interest to Lenny Henry fans who don't yet know the film than to fans of the film who aren't that bothered about Lenny Henry. I used to like him, years back in the Delbert Wilkins days, and I suppose he still has the Neil Gaiman association, but it still seems slightly odd that we have the same favourite film. Though he is, after all, British, so nothing like as surprising as the show's revelation was that Martin Scorsese is also a massive P&P fan.

UK Drug Policy Commission's report shows signs of the Commission having seen The Wire, calls for 'smarter' drug policing with a focus on harm reduction; Home Office sticks fingers in ears, sings 'na na na I'm not listening'.

The Isle of Lewis, within two days, had its first Sunday sailing of the ferry, and then its first gay wedding. Less than ten days later, a mini-tornado wreaks havoc on the island. If the god-botherers don't capitalise on this, they're even more stupid than I thought.

Comments

[baphomette.livejournal.com]

"Did you two do it? Did you hide the book?" is still making me giggle at random intervals.

And almost everything Snape said was pretty much a slashfic dream come true, wasn't it? Still, Alan Rickman being evil in a castle is enough for some (although he really does need a beard for the full effect...)

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

For me it's "I'll just escort him out of here - WITH MY COCK."
Snape was always a bit like that in the films, though. I think if the next one keeps all the book's stuff about them mastering each other's wands, the cinemas will get very messy.

[baphomette.livejournal.com]

Aaah, and to think when I saw that bit I thought it was only me shouting "WITH MY DICK!" in my head.

I vote we all watch the next films as a group, possibly at someone's house to avoid being lynched by over-protective parents, and shout the word COCK every time someone on screen tries to say 'wand'.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

But surely we need the big screen to fully appreciate the majesty of their 'wands'?

[baphomette.livejournal.com]

You sayin' my screen is small?

(Because in a very wrong kind of way, I think that's probably a compliment)

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Heh heh 'screen wipe'.

[puzzled-anwen.livejournal.com]

I know that Vue had some over-18s only screenings, though you may find the rabid fangirls will beat you over the head...

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

...WITH THEIR DICKS.

[stephens.livejournal.com]

Oddly I was thinking for the first time that Malfoy was looking rather dashing, but yes Luna steals all with her bizarre awesomeness it is true.

I think some kind of cock-shouting HP marathon is definitely in order.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Really? During the early films I thought he was the one who'd grow up to be the biggest/most messed-up star, and he yet may, but here he was just in that awkward phase.
Though he did have very good tailoring, it's true.

[stephens.livejournal.com]

I think that it was outfit-related, definitely, it gave him a better gothic air.

[myfirstkitchen.livejournal.com]

Have you heard his Feltbeats musical abortion?

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

No, and the name alone convinces me that I should endeavour to keep it that way.

[myfirstkitchen.livejournal.com]

It has no beats on the whole, it's him howling the worst lyrics you ever heard in a Noughties Mockney accent (you know, Jamie T and Kate Nash rather than Albarn) about girls over badly played acoustic guitar. His favourite artist is Jack Johnson.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I like Jamie T!

[myfirstkitchen.livejournal.com]

The accent not the music! If Felton sounded like Jamie T musically and had his lyrical prowess it'd be less of an issue. But you know what I mean about the accent, and in Felton's case it's definitely a musical affectation (his normal voice is posh meets mid-Atlantic).

[monkeyssk8.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it ('arry Potta)! I thought I was just pleased with it because I had such low expectations..

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Based on this book in particular, or the previous films?

[monkeyssk8.livejournal.com]

previous films. I've felt that they usually lack the magic of the books, but saying that the last two books I was very meh about, still liked them loads, but still, meh. I think if I have to wait for anything that long, I'm like totally over it - I had the same feelings for bsg!

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

That did just go a bit doolally in the last season(s), though. Whereas the Potter books, while I had my doubts about 4-6, I thought 7 totally redeemed everything.

With the Potter films, I think they've more and more captured the magic of the books. The first one, I saw at the cinema and enjoyed at the time, but almost as soon as I came out I thought, this is just a theme park ride, not a work of art in its own right. This is the first one since which I've seen at the cinema, because they just increasingly have a feel for the world - and Davd Yates in particular is the director they clearly needed all along.

[stu-n.livejournal.com]

I still think Cuaron made the breakthrough; Columbus was really doing hackwork with the first two, I thought. But Yates has the look and the feel of it dead-on, and if nothing else, HBP was a very good-looking film.

I wasn't that impressed with HBP, to be honest — too much of the plot was condensed, and in particular there wasn't enough of the actual 'who is the prince' mystery. Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman and Tom Felton were really good, though. And I know what you mean about Bellatrix.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Broadbent was pretty good, yeah - he's just one of those actors I feel is often somewhat overpraised, thus making me reluctant to admit it even when he has done good. And I'll certainly give you Cuaron as Yates' John the Baptist. But as for the Prince mystery...OK, it was barely given lip-service, but too much of that was clearly one of the things I found so forgettable in the book.

[icecoldinalex.livejournal.com]

Dude, Scorcese nicks from The Black Narcissus shamelessly! He's like De palma with Hitchcock!

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I think the key issue here may be that I haven't really seen very much Scorsese. Although - no 'The', dude.

[icecoldinalex.livejournal.com]

i'm a maverick, dude, i hammer in a 'the' where a 'the' shouldn't go.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

That's not the only thing you hammer in where it shouldn't go, &c.

[stu-n.livejournal.com]

Scorsese does a lot of the filming to music technique that Powell used (which he learned while making silent films). There's a scene in Goodfellas where De Niro is looking around a bar, to the soundtrack of Sunshine Of Your Love, and all his eye movements and body language is choreographed exactly to the music.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Nabbed Powell's old editor, says the radio programme, which would explain a lot of that.

[sbp.livejournal.com]

The films make it obvious that JK had no serious editing on the later books.

And yes to Luna, and Bellatrix.

I might go back and see some of the earlier films - I've maybe seen 3 out of 6 so far. It's the problem when a film gets so hyped I don't want to see it, even if it's good.

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Also I thought book 6 was when they were tracking down horcruxes - was that actually book 7?

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

That starts in 6, but until right at the end it's Dumbledore's task, which he then passes on to Harry for the main plot of 7.

I think it's good that the final book is going to be two films, as I think that's the first one which really justified its length and where editing would have done it a major disservice. Of course, they all gripped me right through when I was reading them, which is more than can be said for plenty of better-regarded writers' shorter books.