Back in a Week!

I've been in New York, at NYU for the past month. They keep me on a pretty tight leash, so I haven't had time to see movies. The only one I've seen was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night. You won't see a full review, because I don't see the point in reviewing a movie that came out a month ago, which all of you have probably seen. I will give you some thoughts, though. It's the second best in the series, falling short of Prisoner of Azkaban. The dialogue and characters in this one are, surprisingly, great. I predicted that this would happen, back when the movie was still slated to be released back in the fall, seeing as there is less of an emphasis on action. The acting is all around excellent. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright, and Tom Felton have all grown since the series first started. They are all great. Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, and Helena Bonham-Carter also turn in their usual excellent work. I am disappointed in two things in this movie that pretty much killed the experience for me. First, there is an added action scene, in which Voldemort's Death Eaters attack the Weasly house. It doesn't further the plot at all, and is, frankly, pretty stupid. I guess it was included to give some foundation to the Harry and Ginny's romance, but, seriously? I mean, sure, it looks cool, but what doesn't in this movie. But the big one... They took out Dumbledore's funeral. That's right. The most beautifully crafted chapter in all of J.K. Rowling's books is nowhere to be found. And I can only ask, why? Why? It would be so easy to make that scene. If you, David Yates, had filmed it, you would have seen me in the audience, close to tears. As it stands, you saw me furious at you when I walked out of the theatre. Also, this is movie is way too long. 2 and half hours. Jesus Christ! What I am writing here means nothing. You've already seen this. Don't get me wrong; it's a good movie. In fact, it's close to a great one. But the small deviations from the book bring it down significantly. B

Anyway, I'm back in SF on Saturday. I'll probably see (but won't review) Funny People and (500) Days of Summer. Expect reviews of GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, and It Might Get Loud in the coming weeks. Until then, my friends.