2 Bloggers and a Movie...on Harry Potter

The film geeks have returned! And now we're talking about what, to me, was the most anticipated movie of the summer. Hmm, I guess now that I've seen it, I need a new "most anticipated" movie. Any suggestions?

A Conversation with Kate about
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Faith: Hey Kate! It’s been a while.
Kate: Sure has.
Faith: But hey, it’s Potter-mania out there, and we should discuss.
Kate: I'm all kinds of in Book Seven at the moment.
Faith: Yeah, I'm trying to separate my mind from Deathly Hallows at the moment too.
Kate: I'm gonna list some things that I liked and that will probably help reset my mind.
Faith: OK
Kate: Death Eater fight scene in the Department of Mysteries even though it was really short. Um… Luna was PERFECT. Oh...and was that a Mimbulus Mimbletonia that Neville was holding at the beginning? I also liked Helena as Bellatrix; she was awesome. And what's her head? As Umbridge? PERFECT...LOVED HER. And the cats? HAHAHAHA!
Faith: Imelda Staunton.
Kate: Thanks.
Faith: Welcome. I too loved Luna. The only thing that bothered me is that Evanna Lynch (that would be Luna, folks) is obviously no actress. She looked so nervous on screen.
Kate: That didn't bother me, not at all. I think it added to her character.
Faith: I got over it, but it was still there. I think we've got to discuss Imelda Staunton further.
Kate: Sure...shoot!
Faith: She was great! There, I'm done.
Kate: I've loved her in every thing I've seen, but I did have reservations. Her characters have always been too likeable in the past, but she was exceptional.
Faith: I always pictured Umbridge as squatter, but Imelda made me believe in a less-today Umbridge.
Kate: Wait, what?
Faith: Oops. That should've said “less-toady.”
Kate: Ooooooooooooh
Faith: Sorry. Typos are fun.
Kate: I thought you were somehow commenting on Umbridge: just how DID she effect the muggle "war on terror"...or something.
Faith: Haha. Not so much.
Kate: Well, you just never know. I bet Umbridge IS Bin Laden. Think the CIA has considered it?
Faith: Ha!
Kate: She might be more evil than him come to think of it.
Faith: Yeah, because Bin Laden doesn't have a magical wand and an entire government to back him up. Well...I guess he has a regime. Not the same though.
Kate: Disillusionment charms, my friend. That's how he's escaped capture for so long
Faith: Well, damn, the government needs to employ some aurors ASAP.
Kate: YES! I vote Ron and Harry. Then make Hermione the next J. Edgar Hoover
Faith: Perfect!
Kate: He always like dressing like a girl anyway.
Faith: I think we may be taking the political metaphor a little far now.
Kate: Yeah...
Faith: Moving on to other great casting moments. Time to get formal. From the first time I heard that Helena Bonam Carter was playing Bellatrix, I knew it would work, but not until I saw her did I know how well. She was absolutely spot on.
Kate: Yeah...she really was. I also could not have cast it better. I can't stand her, so there was no chance I'd be predisposed to like Bellatrix for any reason!
Faith: I do think she was a bit underutilized. I know she's evil because I’ve read the books, but was her true evilness really apparent in the movie?
Kate: Well...frankly I think everyone but Harry was underutilized.
Faith: Um yes. I've probably talked enough about Ron as the glorified extra. But come on!
Kate: Malfoy, Snape and McGonagal had, what, one line apiece?
Faith: Snape had about five I think.
Kate: Oh, forgive me. But I can still count it on one hand
Faith: Malfoy didn't actually even need to be in the movie for the amount of time he was on screen.
Kate: I think that's (of late) been my biggest gripe about the movies
Faith: The downsizing of character roles?
Kate: Exactly. They cram so much action in that the characters barely register. Not that the movies are "bad"...I generally enjoy them.
Faith: Very true. I think the action actually worked to their advantage in Prisoner and Goblet.
Kate: Why do you say that?
Faith: I felt like I got some character development in Prisoner, and I liked the action of Goblet, but I really missed characters in Phoenix.
Kate: Yeah. I remember thinking Prisoner was VERY rushed. It was like the book on crack…but enjoyable. Don't honestly remember what I thought about Goblet
Faith: Only the first ten minutes felt rushed to me. Maybe it was because the movie zoomed through the first seven chapters in about 10 minutes.
Kate: Order, I thought was good action-wise, but I lost a lot on the characters. I wanted to see more PEOPLE, too.
Faith: I enjoy the movies, but I tend to be reading the books around the time the movie comes out, and I know that makes the experience very different
Kate: Yeah...I concur. I do the same.
Faith: The characters were very much pushed to the side for this movie.
Kate: I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I can't believe they're not doing the LOTR treatment with these movies.
Faith: Just shooting them all at once or reordering the story a bit to make the movies flow?
Kate: Two and a half hour theatrical release and a 57 million hour DVD release for the uber-geeks who want to see more. I'd get it.
Faith: Oooh. Yeah, I'm really hoping for a slew of deleted scenes on the Phoenix DVD.
Kate: *crossing fingers*
Faith: All and all, I find them very entertaining. This one was just a little less entertaining than the others.
Kate: Yes...and all in all, I'd just as soon re-listen to the books! I owe the movies a lot, though. They've given visual reference to a lot of my imagination, which is lovely.
Faith: OK. I guess we're done.
Kate: Seems that way. I've got to run anyhow.
Faith: Oh, OK. We'll discuss some other movies later then.
Kate: Sounds good. Bye!
Faith: Bye!