Stranded: Famous People

It's time for another edition of Stranded With...  I'm linking up with Shay and Erika to talk about three things I would take if I were stranded on a deserted island.  This month we're discussing which famous people we would want to be stranded with.

JK Rowling 

I would want to discuss Harry Potter with her and could probably talk her ear off about it the entire time we were stranded.  I would also want to ask her about her writing process.  I've always wanted to write a book but it seems like a daunting task to get started.  And then we'd talk more Harry Potter.

Queen Elizabeth II

I was a History major in college and I've always been a bit of a royals watcher.  I would definitely take the chance to sit down and have a chat with QEII about her life, her reign, and all of the history she has seen.  And then I'd ask about her grandkids and great grandkids because I get the sneaking suspicion that she is a doting grandmother and I'd want to hear all about Prince George's shenanigans.

Lin-Manuel Miranda 

I would totally hop on the Hamilton bandwagon and want to be stranded with Lin-Manuel Miranda.  Along the same lines I would want to know about his process and how he pulled Hamilton together and then I'd ask him to sing all the songs from Hamilton for JKR, QEII, and me!  We could have a Hamilton sing-along.

 

Who's on your list?  Who would you want to be stranded with?

Come back Friday for Friday Favorites, I'll be showing my favorite items from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

xoxoxo

It All Ends

I've seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 twice now. It's kind of like reading the books. When a new HP book would come out I'd race through it, eager to see what happens. Then I'd have to read it again to pick up on the stuff I missed the first time around. I felt the same way about the movie. I was so excited to see how they wrapped everything up that I wanted to go back and watch it again. David Yates and David Heyman did such an excellent job, but what really stands out for me is the score. Alexandre Desplat created something magical. I discovered that the first time I saw the movie. I ran out and bought the soundtrack. Everytime I hear Lily's Theme I want to weep. It's so haunting. The score has always been done well for these movies, but Desplat really outdid himself this time.

As for the acting...the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione were excellent. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, have grown so much in these roles. We've literally seen them grow up on screen. Their acting talents have only gotten better. The real stand outs for me though were Alan Rickman and Helen McCrory. In the books, up to the point of Half-Blood Prince, Narcissa is portrayed as cold and unfeeling. Helen McCrory does an excellent job of portraying that icy reserve, except where it comes to her son - Draco. You can see it in her eyes. One of the most memorable scenes is towards the end as Voldemort starts to realize his downfall. His followers start to disperse. Narcissa takes Draco's hand and the walk away from Hogwarts, not once looking back. Their walk is determined and purposeful. Lucius meanwhile is unsure and continually looks back as he stumbles to keep up with his wife and son.

And now on to Alan Rickman as Snape. Amazing scenes. His anguish is palpable. You get a sense of it from Jo Rowling's excellent writing, but Alan Rickman puts incredible feeling behind it. The pensieve scenes after his death are some of the most poignant, engaging, heartbreaking moments in the film. More so than Harry's conversation with Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus with the Resurrection Stone. Movies like this don't generally get awards consideration except in technical categories, but Alan Rickman is deserving of some kind of recognition for how well these scenes turned out.

If I had one bone to pick it would be this. All through the books, from Book 1 to Book 7, from Movie 1 to Movie 7.2, they make a point of noting how Harry has Lily's eyes. Everyone says it - Sirius, Severus, Remus...so why then could casting not hire a young Lily with the same color eyes as Daniel Radcliffe. She was a darling sprite of a girl with the cursory red hair and dark brown eyes! Dark brown! The first time we see Daniel in movie one it's a close up of his scar and his blue eyes! So casting went with a brown eyed girl. In editing and with all the CGI effects, they couldn't make her eyes blue? They completely missed this in editing. A small point in the grand scheme of things if it weren't for the fact that it's mentioned all the time! It's not a throwaway line by one character in one book.

Apart from that, it's a great movie - they really wrapped up the series well. Points of humor, moments of sadness and resignation, and a point of moving on. Well done.

One Month

There's just one month until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 is released. I can't remember the last time I was so excited for a movie. Squeee!!!!!!!!!!!! My favorite gossip blogger, Lainey, compiled the newly released 30 second tv spots for the movie. If you are a fan you have to watch. I'm sorry, but Warner Brothers puts Summit (the Twilight people) to shame. Check out the clips here, then tell me you aren't on the edge of your seat waiting the next four weeks! I should start rereading the book now.

Movie Review - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

While I was home for Kelly's baby shower (so much fun, more details on that later), Melissa, Louie, Katie, and I went to see HP6. So good! Spoiler Alert...You can tell it was a "bridge" movie and that WB is saving all of the mad action and heroics for the final two movies, but I can say that they did a great job of getting the important things into HP6.

What they did well - Dumbledore's fall off the astronomy tower. It wasn't overly dramatic; and the memorial that immediately followed - while not as formal as the one in the book - was still fitting and full of emotion. Fawkes flying off with the song of the phoenix was touching as well.

Also - the burgeoning romances between Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny. There was heartbreak, and angst as well as some fun and lighthearted moments. It's what you would expect of high school students of a certain age and the director and the actors captured it.

The only wish on my wishlist - while I know they are saving the big bangs for the final 2 movies, I still would have loved it if they took 15 minutes and put in the Battle of Hogwarts. I think that was the only major part of the book that didn't make into the movie that I felt was missing.

Sidenote - I would love to be Helena Bonham Carter for a day while she is filming. Bellatrix Lestrange is one of the craziest characters in film right now and it must be such a blast to just go all out with the crazy. Props to HBC for a mad, crazy, psycho performance of a reviled character. You want to hate her, but you can't not watch.