Logo

Cool News

Margo Thatcher the Roof Patcher watches HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

Published at:  Feb 24, 2004 4:15:34 PM CST

Hey folks, Harry here... About a week or two ago Guillermo Del Toro told me he'd seen the latest HARRY POTTER film, which buddy Alfonso Cuaron has been busily creating, and well... He'd said that the film was brilliant and how he was ecstatically pleased for Alfonso, and very glad that he didn't do the movie when asked, as Cuaron was perfect for it. I've also received the tiniest note saying that a fella had seen some of this in Chicago (Where's Capone's Fucking Review?) but other than saying it looked really good... he had no details, and I knew that would get many of the Potheads that love this franchise, disturbed. Well here ya go, a real review and it sounds like it has all the makings of a great summer film. Especially the magical masturbation race! Just kidding. Here ya go...




Hey, there, Harry. I don't know if you even do your own email these days;
you must get a lot.
I check into your site once in a long while, but I just saw something
remarkable and I thought you'd be interested. Sunday 2/23 there was a sneak
of 'HP-3' here in Chicago. Passes were handed out (with no notification of
what the movie was) at the carpool line of my kids' school. I am in 'the
business' in a small way myself, as a cinematographer, but that had nothing
to do with my being there--mainly I'm just a parent of three. No NDA or
anything so I feel free to comment--and I'm sure WB would be happy
considering what I'm going to say.


The movie was shown lo-rez, with many effects scenes only partially done;
lots of shots had red targeting dots still on them for aligning effects; in
some cases there were even graphic tags in the shot noting what effect would
be added: 'A Leaf Falls,' etc. However dramatically it seemed to all be
there and the cut was pretty tight.


The movie is a huge improvement over the first two HP films. It is rich,
deep, and dynamic. Director Alfonso Cuaron really knows how to use the
camera. The camera is constantly in motion, and there are dramatic and some
times extreme angles; but it's not jarring or excessive, everything flows
together beautifully. In the earlier HP movies there was a lot of
pedestrian 'coverage' which is often the result of multiple-camera shooting
to economize on time. This might have had to do with the child actors only
being available for limited hours. Perhaps now that they're older, they can
work longer days, and Cuaron benefitted from that. In any case, the
swirling camera and imaginative angles let you see the world of Hogwarts in
something close to 360' and this makes it seem much bigger, and more real,
than in the prior movies.


There's also a lot more going on, more information packed into the shots,
more subtle development of the characters and their interactions. For
example, Ron Weasley's twin brothers, who barely registered in the earlier
films, get a couple of nice mischievous turns here, talking very fast and
completely each others' sentences. Speaking of Ron, there is a hint---JUST
a hint---of budding teenage romance between him and Hermione. Thankfully
this is not played up for titillation or sentimentality. The principal
actors are much better this time around, either from greater maturity or
Cuaron's touch, maybe both. My 13-y-o daughter described young Harry in the
first movie as walking around with his mouth hanging open all the time; she
used to mock many of the lines from that film. This time all three kids
show a greater range of emotion and they seem to form a real team.


New roles are played by David Thewlis (Prof Lupin, who turns into a
werewolf), Gary Oldman, who makes a late appearance as Sirius Black, the
escaped murderer (or is he?), and Emma Thompson in a hilarious turn as the
flustered Prof. Trelawney, wearing a pair of oversized spectacles which make
her eyes the size of tennis balls. There are some good and more serious
scenes with Harry and Prof. Lupin, where you get asense of the sorrow at
the heart of Harry's life, and the burden he bears. These are handled well,
one of them in a single long take with a slow graceful crane move.


I don't know the name of the actor now playing Dumbledore (there was only
the main title) but he was quite good, very similar physical type to Richard
Harris so it doesn't seem like anything is missing.


The effects which were finished or near looked quite good. My 7-y-o son was
particularly impressed by the 'Dementors' which are black-clad, ghostly
prison guards. Their horrifying specialty is 'soul-sucking,' and when they
are near it gets cold; there's a neat scene early on where their approach is
forewarned by ice spreading across a window and into a nearby bottle. A
smaller effect we particularly liked was the 'textbook' for Care of Magical
Creatures class, which has teeth, claws, and is prone to bite, unless it's
sleeping where all monsters sleep--under the bed! There's a Hippogriff
creature ('Buckbeak') which was nearly done in some scenes and looked great,
in others was only partially done, in some not far from a wireframe, which
was actually quite interesting. Oddly enough if you're into the movie
enough you can overlook an amazing amount, for example kids running through
the 'forest' where you can see that past the first few trees it's a wall of
bluescreens and up above the studio ceiling with hanging spacelights! My
kids are big fans of the 'behind the scenes' section of DVDs, especially
LOTR, so if anything, seeing this movie with some of its inner workings
exposed was a bonus for them.


I think kids are smarter than they're given credit for. Certainly my kids
notice the difference between Lord of the Rings and Cat in the Hat, or
between the Goosebumps and Harry Potter books. In this movie, they had some
minor quibbles relating to parts of the book that were missing, and with
some of the line readings (kids being ruthless about other kids) but overall
they loved it.


As did the rest of the crowd. The audience was appreciative and sometimes
loud. Funny scenes got belly-laughs, scarey ones dead silence. There was
lots of applause at the end and kids and their parents alike were buzzing
afterward.


For my family maybe the best part of the afternoon was seeing Alfonso Cuaron
near the exit and getting to speak with him. He was gracious, soft-spoken
and very attentive to the children, asking them some good questions and
listening attentively. He seemed pleased to hear that 'A Little Princess' is
one of our family's favorite films. How can one director do a big
effects-laden kids fantasy movie like this and also a gritty, hand-held
erotically charged road movie like 'Y Tu Mama Tambien'? Because he's a real
filmmaker, one of the few, one of the best.



Regards,


Margot Thatcher the Roof Patcher



    + Expand All

    Readers Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 4:24:02 PM CST

    The only plant here...

    by chrth

    Is the Whompin' Tree. Where are all the TBers? Are they overwhelmed that there are actual posts today?

    Reply to Talkback

  • that's all I have to say about that.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 4:38:30 PM CST

    Ok

    by rapmaster c

    Sounds good. Now what about Spiderman 2?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 4:39:46 PM CST

    Too much going on in The Real World, maybe....

    by filker-tom

    ... the Morrocan earthquake, Dubya blathering about The Terrible Threat Of Gay Marriage, Education Secretary Paige calling the National Association of Teachers "terrorists" yesterday. Dunno. Lots happening all over. Heck with that for a minute -- HARRY POTTER! YAY! The preview looks tremendous. Between HPatPoA, SPIDER-MAN 2, HELLBOY, VAN HELSING, and THE INCREDIBLES< even if SHREK 2 stinks, it looks like it's gonna be a good genre year, or at least a fun one. (And I agree about Emma Watson. I'm getting that Christina Ricci vibe, and we all saw what happened when puberty smacked into HER....)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 4:40:10 PM CST

    Potter films

    by barry egan

    I'm a Potter fan in my late 20s. I can't wait for this film. Based on the upgrade in source material and direcotr, it should be a terrific movie -- the best so far.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 4:53:41 PM CST

    Harry Potter is this generation's Inspector Gadget

    by mbaker

    Had to be said.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 5:12:17 PM CST

    Thank you.

    by phildogger

    Thank you for placing the Spoiler Warning. I already knew this info, but many probably don't, and it was nice to think of them. Thats what we all need, isn't it? A little courtesy goes a long way...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 5:14:24 PM CST

    Inspector Gadget?

    by zacdilone

    That's the most ill-informed comparison I've heard in a long time. Don't know what you've been smoking, pal.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 5:18:01 PM CST

    Sounds good...the big question is can it follow RotK past a bill

    by minderbinder

  • Feb 24, 2004 5:19:36 PM CST

    I got mitten fluff in my soup!

    by macauley_sulkin

    Where was AICN's BAFTA coverage?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Yeah whatever mate. Can't wait til that Radcliffe twat realises he's a washed-up ex-child star

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 5:43:46 PM CST

    Couple of things

    by thing-fish

    First of all, PLEASE put up a spoiler warning. I've read the books, other have not, and some things this review says ... well, they aren't supposed to be known until later in the story. Second, to the person who compared HP to Inspector Gadget, because supposedly HP doesn't do much himself: that's the point of these stories, HP is defined by his friendships, Voldemort is just empty ego. Third, because the bok is so much better than the first two, we can expect the movie to be much better too, different or same director. This one seems especially promising though, and it's great to read that the kids were loving it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 5:44:46 PM CST

    I guess that that was three things,

    by thing-fish

    ... which is one more than just a couple of things, isn't it? Sorry. My deepest, sincerest, most humble apologies.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 5:58:10 PM CST

    no subject

    by hairy nutsack

    Harry and friends work as a team, Gadget doesn't even know he's on a team, get it? If it were Gadget fighting the Basilisk he would have said "Go-Go Gadget ass pounder" and would have sprung up through the ceiling and then Brain would have finished the big snake off while Penny would have turned into Michelle Trachtenberg and stripped for us in EuroTrip.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 6:15:29 PM CST

    Harry Potter is...

    by mrcere

    the new generation's "Great Brain." Susan Cooper's "Dark Is Rising" series is better fiction.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 6:25:50 PM CST

    Inspector Gadget comparison

    by zacdilone

    Your analogy is still ridiculous. *SPOILERS* It's Harry who stands up to Quirrel, Harry who kills the Basilisk and defeats Riddle, Harry who manages the Patronus spell (hard for even grown wizards) that saves their lives in "Azkaban," Harry who faces up to Voldemort and survives (even managing to return with Cedric's body), Harry who takes off to rescue Sirius in the Ministry of Magic...and I could go on. Despite overwhelming odds, despite the hurt caused by his past, despite the Ministry of Magic's desire to discredit him...Harry prevails. Yes, his friends help out and provide crucial pieces of the puzzle, but that's called teamwork. Gadget is a bumbling fool who stumbles into every victory, but Harry is a multilayered, complex hero (with faults) who stands up in the face of evil and grows as a hero in each book. Your comparison is not only false, it's laughable.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 6:27:08 PM CST

    Inspector Gadget

    by ribbons

    Not a bad description. It's not totally accurate, but his "heroic achievements" that garner him renown are, like Gadget's, borne from tasks that he would not have been able to complete on his own. And the books don't suck, especially the last three, and especially 3 and 4, in my opinion. By the way, for an affirmation of the Gadget thing, read "Goblet of Fire" and look at all the puppeteering it takes from other characters to get Harry to where he is at the end of the book.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 6:30:05 PM CST

    Good Review

    by ribbons

    When a DP praises Cuaron for his camerawork, I'm inclined to believe him.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 7:49:04 PM CST

    Spoiler Warning Please

    by buckna

    Perhaps the reviewer hasn't read the books or isn't aware of the negative effects of spoiling people, but dropping that little tidbit about Lupin is a huge spoiler unless they've changed around the plot for the movie. Also, to the person who asked about Cedric, they didn't cast his character or that of Cho's for the third film, so I imagine they are cutting the little parts out of the plot where they are first introduced and putting them in the next film. Too bad, it would really been neat to have the producers have the forsight to show those characters early in the thrid movie and then use them in the fourth. It would have built greater continuity and increased the shock of what happens in the fourth more. On a related note, anyone know if ther are going to be writing out Neville & Ginny's parts in the later movies, recasting, or reusing the earlier movies actors?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 8:01:25 PM CST

    The Great Brain books were a very cool series, one of my favorit

    by minderbinder

    The Susan Cooper stuff is very cool as well, but it seems silly to say it's better or worse than Potter...stylistically it's so different, it's like comparing Sixth Sense to Ghostbusters.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 8:17:54 PM CST

    P L A N T !!!

    by plantboy!

    I love adding that to the talkbacks!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 8:19:49 PM CST

    harry the head

    by ohiotrespassers

    The first two films were perfect, i'll be surprised (and extremely happy) if the third film is better. I'm looking forward to seeing Sid Vicious as Black. - (www.ohiotrespassers.com)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 8:35:03 PM CST

    Screw this movie,where's The San Pedro Beach Bums film?

    by headless roland

    Football, you bet!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 8:56:20 PM CST

    Y tu sequel tambien...

    by christopher3

    Cuaron's great with juvenile actors. Like Ethan Hawke.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 10:23:03 PM CST

    Plant?

    by damer1

    Jump off the "plant." Even Harry's lover Del Toro liked it, but then again that bloke made the abortion that is Blade II.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 10:27:09 PM CST

    in regards to Harry and Inspector Gadget

    by 007-11

    I completely see where you're coming from with that comparison. The biggest problems with the movies is that Harry never really does anything. He is much more capable in the books than in the movies. Hopefully that starts to come across in this movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 10:43:00 PM CST

    Yay this...

    by dru

    1st off, great review. No major spoilers (the Lupin thing... well, maybe) + a good read overall. I'm more psyched about this movie than I was for the 2nd movie. On the other hand, I liked the 2nd movie more than the 1st movie. But I was most excited about the 1st movie. Hmmm... Inspector Gadget this is not. Harry solves puzzles on his own + usually has to fight to convince people he is right. Gadget has Penny solving puzzles for him + people have to fight to convince him they are right. But don't worry: we'll get through this together. Out.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 10:43:07 PM CST

    On the Inspector Gadget thing

    by cajun lightning

    First of all, I find it amusing how passionate people have become over an off-hand, flippant analogy but that's OK. I think it is interesting, however, than many people see Harry has being in the right place at the right time, so to speak, and I wonder if they've read the 5th book. Harry actually is rather self-aware of the fact that he often miraculously survives, and when he is asked to take on a real leadership role in Order of the Pheonix, he has a few minor freak outs as a result. Harry's got a classic hero arc ahead of him, which means he's going to have to prove himself. It would be no fun if he's instantly capable in Book 1. I honestly thing that's the best thing about Rowling's books. The kids in these stories, despite being in outlandish and melodramatic situations, always still act like real kids. Let's hope they start doing so in the movies as well.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 10:57:24 PM CST

    I Can't wait for Azkaban...

    by shigeru

    Considering the book kicks all sorts of ass over the first 2, and I was quite frankly unimpressed with the first two films. It seemed like the screenplay and the director's SOLE mission was further the plot, and they forgot to have the fun that makes the books great. With a better book to base it on, and a great filmmaker helming it, things look very good. And Alan Rickman FUCKING OWNS. And that boggart scene is in the trailer! Fuckin A! Rickman in a dress!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 10:58:32 PM CST

    Harry Potter is a charolastra!

    by robert blake

    Damn, I can't wait to see that scene in which Harry and Ron french-kiss each other while Hermione does a blowjob on them...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 11:02:58 PM CST

    oh yeah...

    by shigeru

    anybody see Scrubs?? Holy poo it was good.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 11:04:08 PM CST

    They should make a sequel of all Cuaron's movies called The Prin

    by cranialleak

    Seriously, though. Cuaron's a pretty damn good filmmaker. I can't believe that I got A Little Princess on dvd for free a few years ago. A 4-star movie in the giveaway bin at Amazon? Sad times, people, sad times. However, I was utterly bored with that last two Harry Potter installments. I'll catch this next one just like I did the first two -- when I'm forced to babysit my friends' kids. I need to find new friends.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 24, 2004 11:26:46 PM CST

    stroking the book of magical creatures

    by seekshelter

    I'm glad they changed this to putting them under the bed to restrain them. I'm sure anyone that read the books thought that this was innocently(or not) hilarious.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 12:22:41 AM CST

    I think the Harry Potter fad is dying out

    by sexybeast

    I know that the 5th book was a huge seller, but I think it was a let down for many of the fans. I'm not saying it was bad it just seemed to have diluted the Harry Potter hype.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 12:35:43 AM CST

    Harry Potter and the Scepter of Illusive Originality

    by darth_inedible

    I don't get Harry Potter.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 12:53:17 AM CST

    hp spoilers

    by vamp75

    It bugs me when people get mad at spoilers.If your fans of the movies you should read the books.I never read the books before i saw 1 or 2 but I went out to buy them after I saw part 2.It's so popular i'm surprised people still haven't read them.And just out of curiousity, anyone else think Harry is hot even though he's jailbait?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 1:03:43 AM CST

    dark is rising

    by ashokatw

    hey, mrcere...i don't think enough people have read the dark is rising series to know what you're talking about. why they haven't, i don't know. i read that series back in the sixth grade and i LOVED it. i like harry potter a lot, but the dark is rising was better. i accidentally started with the second book and had to backtrack, but damn, that series was awesome. if someone made a movie of those books now, i think most people would stupidly call it a harry potter rip off. glad to know someone else has read that series.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 1:25:10 AM CST

    How long is the movie?

    by lenny nero

  • Feb 25, 2004 1:46:22 AM CST

    A well structured Harry Potter film?? Can it be possible? Thank

    by theginger twit

  • Feb 25, 2004 1:53:49 AM CST

    HP3

    by azkica

    I have to agree with the poster who said that the third Potter book is leaps and bounds beyond the first two. A definate turning point from conventional children's shit to darker (and better) things. Add to that the fact the Cuaron is replacing Columbus (a director responible for some of the most vile images ever to grace a multiplex-- "Bicentennial Man" anyone?) and I can't help but be exicted about this one. I hope anyone who was ambivilant about the first two at least gives this a chance, if only for the adult actors who have thus far almost washed the taste to the kid actor's blandness out of my mouth. And now Oldman? Oh yeah, and I really must second the above poster and say that Alan Rickman indeed owns.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 2:01:04 AM CST

    Dark Is Rising is better, MrCere...

    by annoyyou

    ...as is practically anything by Diana Wynne Jones. And most of their great stuff (DiR sequence, the Chronicles of Crestomanci, Dark Lord of Derkholm, Howl's Moving Castle, Deep Secret, Hexwood) were written long before Harry Potter. If only someone would turn any of these books into films! Forget "His Dark Materials" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" (which actually cancel each other out) -- somebody do some children's fantasy films that are intelligent, funny AND entertaining!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 2:04:03 AM CST

    And just for the record...

    by annoyyou

    ...I know thingy who did "Princess Mononoke" is doing "Howl" as an anime film, but I have no confidence that it will bear any real resemblance to the actual book.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 7:05:17 AM CST

    Sounds peachy ...

    by silver_joo

    Star Wars woud have fared well had this method been employed, getting new direction in for certain films. Cuaron's will look and feel a lot different to the somewhat pedestrian 'Philosopher' and 'Chamber'. They both struck me as having that made by Hallmark feel to them. Too plodding and staged.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 7:11:40 AM CST

    changes

    by beano

    It is just a shame a great director like Alfonso Cuaron has to spoil things by disrupting the narrative flow, by making unnecessary changes to Harry Potter year 3.
    Why has Hogwarts changed both its school and Quidditch uniforms?
    Why are teenage wizards dressing in hip muggle clothing?
    Such a shame that in a few years time POA is going to look terrible dated all because an arrogant director allowed the cast to wear their own clothing. There is a rumour that WB Studio bosses ordered cuts to the Hogsmeade scenes because they believed the producers had allowed Cuaron to overdo the modern clothing part of the movie.
    Glad someone has some brains.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 8:17:17 AM CST

    Just caught a trailer for this...

    by aliceinwonderlnd

    I'm actually pretty stoked for it. It looked good, and the source material is the strongest of the three books. Of all the genre movies this year, I'm looking forward to this the most, and considering that the first two were competent but ultimately underwhelming (Chamber of Secrets was slightly better until its lame ending where the villain spends quality time gloating instead of ball-stomping, thus rendering his demise inevitable) then that's saying someting.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 8:23:18 AM CST

    I don't know if there's anything more pathetic than whining that

    by minderbinder

    Yeah, we heard that fucking whine on the last fifteen talkbacks. Let it fucking go already, the rest of the world doesn't care and it won't effect the movie at all. Not in may and not twenty years from now. (the books are a period piece anyway...fuck, why aren't you whining that JKR will make the books dated by mentioning things like Playstations?) And since when are clothes other than cloaks modern and soon to be dated? It's a hooded sweatshirt...get a fucking clue, Old Navy didn't just invent these, your parents were wearing them thirty years ago.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 8:43:21 AM CST

    Nero, the running time for HP & TPOA is reportedly...

    by excaliburffolkes

    ... less than two hours. Alphonso Cuaron has mentioned that in several interviews so far. Since this is the 3rd movie in the series, they probably assumed everyone knows the story background by now and trimmed out most of the general set up shots and scenes. The pacing should be much quicker in this episode (for better or worse).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 8:59:27 AM CST

    I'm looking forward to this new movie, but yeah I was dissapoint

    by pardon_my_zinger

    It's beyond me why so many people are running around insisting that "Order of the Pheonix" is the best book in the series so far. To me, the whole nearly 1000 pages basically came off as set-up for the remaining two books. It was my least favorite of the series thus far. "Goblet of Fire," on the other hand, was excellent and could easily make the best film in the series. As for the length of that one, supposedly they've decided NOT to try to stretch it out as two movies a la "Kill Bill"; this is good because anyone who read "Goblet" will tell you that wouldn't be necessary. The book can easily be adapted into a single, two-to-two-and-a-half-hour film; it just doesn't have to be as detailed as the book, is all.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 9:15:30 AM CST

    HAPPY NEW YEAR

    by hello dave

    Am I the only one that is getting fed up with Harry's little "Happy New Cartoon". It's nearly March for Christ Sake.Lazy Bastards

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 10:31:59 AM CST

    Harry Pooper and The Peniser of Akzaban

    by itchy

    I could care less about Harry Potter, but that Hermione is pretty hot. I don't care if she is 13, she knows what that broomstick is really used for.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 11:35:44 AM CST

    ONE SEVENTH OF ONE LARGE MOVIE

    by robe

    POA is only 1/7 of one huge Harry Potter movie, therefore it is pretty stupid to keep changing things. At the current rate Hogwarts will have a new uniform in Order of the Phoenix (part 5) and in as yet unnamed part 7.

    If part 7 is ever filmed then it is going to look pretty messy, with uniforms and wizard fashion changing dramatically over only 7 years.

    People who can't spot this are usually members of the Leaky Cauldron site (they make village idiots look smart).

    As for costume changes being "not important" why change them then?

    If the Great Alfonso is such a great director why resort to such tacky acts like modernizing teenage wizard clothing and changing a school uniform. Surely he is so great his directing will do the work for him?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 11:51:40 AM CST

    CONTINUITY

    by hippo

    A list of questions no one has asked the producers:

    1. Why has Harry Potter had two different school and Quidditch uniforms in ONLY three years?

    2. Will the uniforms be changed every time there is a new director?

    3. Or will the uniforms change every time Warner BrotherS have sold enough toys/costumes of the old uniforms and need to make more money?

    4. Why when the books & previous movies had teenage wizards/witches wearing cloaks and/or robes when visiting all-wizard locations such as Diagon Alley, has Alfonso Cuaron been allowed to ignore this?

    5. Do the producers plan to change continuity in the future?

    6. Did nobody advice them that modern clothing looks tacky and naff in 1000 year old locations?

    7. Why does Hermione look like Barbie the Pink Avenger?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 3:41:53 PM CST

    no subject

    by thing-fish

    To whoever suggested Dawn French as Umbridge: great choice! And about those directors, I still think Terry Gilliam would be a great director for the Potter movies. Anybody seen the extras on the "Lost in La Mancha" DVD? Apparently he was Rowling's favorite to direct HP. Now, considering these are children's films, I think Columbus has done a fine job; but considering the later stuff gets a little bit more dark&gothic, Gilliam would be great. Of course, other directors would also fit that bill, like Jeunet.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 25, 2004 5:58:43 PM CST

    Dawn French is already in it, she plays the fat lady.

    by minderbinder

    And are we seriously expected to believe that the multiple "people" complaining about the "modern" costumes aren't all the same person with multiple handles? I guess I haven't watched the trailer obsessively dozens of times, I can't even tell what's different about the uniforms.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 26, 2004 4:54:30 AM CST

    directors

    by robe

    I would rather have an average director who respected Potter than a great director who didn't. That is why Steven Spielberg has not directed any of them.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 26, 2004 2:40:38 PM CST

    moody

    by vampiro

    i think Billy Connaly would make a perfect moody for the GOF movie well not perfect Oliver Reed would be perfect but hes dead so we'll have to make do
    who think patricia routledge (pictured here http://www.bbcprograms.com/pbs/catalog/keepingup/images/0205kua.jpg )
    would make a perfect umbidge

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 26, 2004 10:50:46 PM CST

    To all those whining about the casual clothes in the new HP movi

    by wungolioth

    Go back and watch the first 2 movies again. This is nothing new, there are several times in both that the kids aren't wearing their school uniforms, they do have casual clothes. The only difference is that this time, somebody actually acknowleged it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 27, 2004 3:41:56 AM CST

    Watch the movies yourself

    by robe

    So Wungolioth, Alfonso Cuaron is doing nothing new? Have you read any of his interviews?
    Yes in the previous movies they did wear muggle clothing in muggle areas or during in-formal occasions. Cuaron has they they wearing their own clothing when visiting Hogsmeade.
    Strange they all dressed in old-fashioned clothing when visiting Diagon Alley in the previous movies.
    Cuaron has teenage wizards in hip muggle clothing while in the wizard world. Kindly read the books. Cuaron and the producers would hardly be going around saying to every interviewer how POA now has the cast in contemporary clothing if there had been no change.
    I start to suspect some posters are WB plants

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 27, 2004 8:43:50 AM CST

    The director of A Little Princess vs. the director of Home Alone

    by jollysleeve

    Gee, I wonder if this Harry Potter movie will be better than the other ones? (sarcasm)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 27, 2004 12:49:03 PM CST

    READ THE FUCKING BOOK!

    by whoa307

    It does matter what they wear at certain times. They're baseing this movie on a book so pretty much everything matters. In Hogsmeade they should be wearing uniforms. The directors need to read the damn books and if they already have i'd say they need to work on their reading comprehension.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 27, 2004 1:37:56 PM CST

    costumes

    by reallynow

    In my 10 minutes of looking through the H.P. books for references to what the students wore in Diagon Alley, I only found the bit about Harry and Malfoy getting fitted, which is basically useless. This simply means that Rowling didn't seem to take a stance on it, leaving the decision up to Chris Columbus. He chose to have everyone in uniform, which makes absolutely no sense. Muggle or magical, I don't think that any kid is going to want to wear a school uniform just for the fun of it. This is also very bad artistry, since Diagon Alley is supposed to be bustling with energy, and a black mob of people hardly accomplishes that feeling. Cuaron's decision to allow street clothes in Hogmeade will hopefully prevent me from falling asleep like I nearly in Columbus' atrocities. Granted he could have simply chosen different colored, everyday robes like the adults wear, but this is still a step forward.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 28, 2004 4:27:10 AM CST

    Dark is Rising

    by joe brady

    They must be filmed. Fuck Harry Potter.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 28, 2004 5:07:46 AM CST

    Surprise!

    by robe

    Okay this is really going to shock, but I am going to say mostly nice things about Azkaban. The costumes for the adults all look great, Snape is still his Gothic best, Lupin looks like a schoolmaster from the Victorian era and the new Dumbledore still looks like a medieval version of Merlin, so no contemporary look for adult wizards. The Dementors look like they will kick some serious ass. That person with initials PP does look like a human CENSORED FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK. Hogwarts and other wizard locations still look like something from a Charles Dickens novel. Finally as much as I hate Cuaron the modernizer I can

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 28, 2004 12:53:56 PM CST

    This is the stupidest subject I've ever seen debated on this sit

    by timbenzedrine

    J.K.Rowling has complete control over how the characters and incidents from her books are portrayed on film. The director is allowed to make changes, but she still has veto power. (it's in her contract for at least the first three, possibly all seven ,I'm not sure. Remember, she held onto the film rights even though most U.S. publishers turned down her original manuscript and she ultimately ended up being published by Scholastic Press, a company that normally only prints childrens' paperbacks. Warners lucked into Harry Potter because Scholastic Press is owned by Time Warner. Warners got first shot at the movie rights, but they had to agree to Rowling's original contract.) I presume all costume changes have been made with the author's approval. That's good enough for me.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 07, 2010 1:52:38 AM CDT

    fake watches

    by nenaviovicente

    I would rather have an average director who respected Potter than a great director who didn't.

    http://www.superwatches.net/

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jun 21, 2010 5:44:51 PM CDT

    no subject

    by adam123

    I'm a Potter fan in my late 20s. I can't wait for this film. Based on the upgrade in source material and direcotr, it should be a terrific movie -- the best so far.

    Replica Watches

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jun 21, 2010 5:46:01 PM CDT

    Replica Watches

    by adam123

    I'm a Potter fan in my late 20s. I can't wait for this film. Based on the upgrade in source material and direcotr, it should be a terrific movie -- the best so far.

    Replica Watches

    Reply to Talkback

User Login

Forgot password? Retrieve it here

or register as new user

Quick Talkback Form

Please login to post talkback