Summer Movies (spoilers)
Harry Potter:
Last night I watched the new HP movie in 3D on an IMAX. Only the last 20 minutes were in 3D, and was more like a special 2D (and not very good).
First off, I was a HUGE HP fan for a while. I had a counter-strike clan named HP (Harry Potter). My handle was HP_Sirius. I greatly enjoyed books 1-4. I totally loved #4. Book 5... Book 5 demonstrated how much of an amateur hack Rowling is. Apparantly not talented in the least and essentially got lucky for 4 books with a cute story. 500 pages of useless drivel. Pages better suited for wiping my back side. The last few hundred pages eventually got on with the story and were good, but the whole first half (and then some) could have been done like this. "We join Harry now as an angsty teenager." That's it! That's all you need. 500 pages of "Harry feels alone in the world", "Harry feels like no one else understands him." gets really old in 500 pages! I haven't read book 6 and have no intention of reading 7 either.
What Rowling really needed 7 years ago was a screenwriter, or director, to act as her editor. That person's role should be to cut out the boring crap. That is what we got with this movie. The exact same story, hitting all of the important (guess what fanbois, leaving out a screaming portrait, or something equally mundane is NOT important) bits, and leaving out the 500 pages of agony. The movie still gets the point across that Harry feels picked on. The movie is good. I really liked it.
It's not something that has to be seen at the expensive theater, but must be seen on a big screen.
Transformers:
Wow! You've already heard reviews and box office totals that tell you enough. You have to see this. If you haven't, just leave now and go watch it somewhere, I'll wait.
Welcome back.
I do have some problems with what they've done to my childhood. GM bought out Michael Bay, and Bay won't admit to it. They killed Jazz, instead of one of the new unknown autobots. They killed off most of the bad guys. Too much for one movie. Defeat a couple of the decepticons, but not Megatron already, what are they thinking? That's like killing Lex Luthor in the first Superman, what are you going to do after that? And they didn't do Starscream justice at all.
Live Free or Die Hard:
Bruce Willis.
What, I already said Bruce Willis. Maybe you need an extra little bit of Kevin Smith. There, that should do it. Go. Go now and watch this one too!
Last night I watched the new HP movie in 3D on an IMAX. Only the last 20 minutes were in 3D, and was more like a special 2D (and not very good).
First off, I was a HUGE HP fan for a while. I had a counter-strike clan named HP (Harry Potter). My handle was HP_Sirius. I greatly enjoyed books 1-4. I totally loved #4. Book 5... Book 5 demonstrated how much of an amateur hack Rowling is. Apparantly not talented in the least and essentially got lucky for 4 books with a cute story. 500 pages of useless drivel. Pages better suited for wiping my back side. The last few hundred pages eventually got on with the story and were good, but the whole first half (and then some) could have been done like this. "We join Harry now as an angsty teenager." That's it! That's all you need. 500 pages of "Harry feels alone in the world", "Harry feels like no one else understands him." gets really old in 500 pages! I haven't read book 6 and have no intention of reading 7 either.
What Rowling really needed 7 years ago was a screenwriter, or director, to act as her editor. That person's role should be to cut out the boring crap. That is what we got with this movie. The exact same story, hitting all of the important (guess what fanbois, leaving out a screaming portrait, or something equally mundane is NOT important) bits, and leaving out the 500 pages of agony. The movie still gets the point across that Harry feels picked on. The movie is good. I really liked it.
It's not something that has to be seen at the expensive theater, but must be seen on a big screen.
Transformers:
Wow! You've already heard reviews and box office totals that tell you enough. You have to see this. If you haven't, just leave now and go watch it somewhere, I'll wait.
Welcome back.
I do have some problems with what they've done to my childhood. GM bought out Michael Bay, and Bay won't admit to it. They killed Jazz, instead of one of the new unknown autobots. They killed off most of the bad guys. Too much for one movie. Defeat a couple of the decepticons, but not Megatron already, what are they thinking? That's like killing Lex Luthor in the first Superman, what are you going to do after that? And they didn't do Starscream justice at all.
Live Free or Die Hard:
Bruce Willis.
What, I already said Bruce Willis. Maybe you need an extra little bit of Kevin Smith. There, that should do it. Go. Go now and watch this one too!
Labels: Movies
posted by BugHunter at 10:24 AM
3 Comments:
I've thought all the HP books were okay. But, I haven't actually read any of them. I listen to the unabridged audio versions. I haven't order the latest one yet, I have to order it through Amazon in order to get the U.S. version with the reader I'm used to, Jim Dale I think. The version sold in Australia is the English version which is read by Steven Fry (voice of the guide in the H2G2 movie). Like I said, just okay. I do like that they don't speak down to kids. Things don't always work out. They aren't overly concerned with fixing every little problem and social injustice they encounter along the way.
Though I have to admit I did want to ask Harry if he wanted some cheese with his wine there for awhile.
And I deleted that post on my blog because the email announcement at work hasn't been sent yet even though more than have the company know by now. I saved the text so I can just repost it once it is announced.
Failed Word Verification Count: 1
My wife is a big fan of HP (She made me go to an HP party on Harry's birthday last week), and we've discussed this a bit, in particular whether Rowling is really any good and if the book really deserve the attention they get.
What we have decided is that the stories (plot and whatnot) are good, not great, but good (I'll continue to really enjoy the movies). There are much much better stories out there. The Cussler (Dirk Pitt...Sahara) stories are really cool, the Abhorsen series from Garth Nix, I like C.S. Friedman, stuff like that are way better stories, but there are much worse. So HP are good stories.
The writing itself isn't terrific though. Rowling is tedious (that's being generous). She doesn't talk down to her audience, which is great, but she feels the need to drive the same tired point home again and again. Heaven help her if she were asked to write a short story. She would have to make each word count for something, which she simply cannot do.
Failed Word Verification Count: 2
Someone ought to fix that.
Hey look what I found: Harry Potter' Author J.K. Rowling Working on Crime Novel
Failed Word Verifications: 0
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