Wild about Harry- Potter that is!

[Lady Neysa]

I watched the live streaming premiere from London this morning.  It was so exciting and emotional to watch!  I'm going to be a complete blubbering mess next week when we finally get to see it! 

[Lady Neysa]

Oh my goodness...Neville Longbottom certainly did change 

Yes he did, but then they all did, didn't they?  Can you imagine being a young kid growing up making these movies and how it feels for them now that it's over?  It makes you wonder what roles they will get in the future that can possibly top Harry Potter!

[Queen Bonnie]

 It must be so hard for them all- but they are young and I am sure they will get wonderful roles- but nothing will ever be like growing up with Harry Potter.

[Lady Rebecca]

I watched the live streaming premiere from London this morning.  It was so exciting and emotional to watch!  I'm going to be a complete blubbering mess next week when we finally get to see it! 

I'm there with you. This video did me in, especially: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iD6eNTKQ0k&feature=share


And *spoiler alert* - this excellent clip aired last night on ABC Family as part of their Harry Potter weekend. It is pretty much perfect! http://video.the-leaky-cauldron.org/video/2226 - click on the wmv link to the right of the video to watch it in a bigger size.

I am sooo freaking excited! I will definitely be dressing up for the midnight showing - right now I'm wavering between the double feature and seeing it at 12:30 (all the good theatres with normal midnight showings are sold out). My mom has decided to brave the late hours and join me. My dad, on the other hand, is waiting for Friday evening, when we will go see it in IMAX. I'm not sure if I'll dress up the 2nd time as well, or just wear my Remus Lupins t-shirt (It says "Make love, not horcruxes").

[The Lady Mercedes]

Been watching a film a night since Fri...Order of the Pheonix tonight!

[Dustin]

The local history & science museum has an Imax theater. They ran a contest in the newspaper Saturday morning for free tickets, but failed to mention in any of their lead-up announcements that the contest would be for people with smartphones or other QR-reader enabled devices. I made a special side trip on the way to work to get a paper for nothing (I don't have a smartphone), and was a little ticked. I posted my displeasure on the museum's Facebook page, they deleted my post without comment. My wife posted her displeasure, they deleted her comment and kicked her off the list of "fans". Steam rolling out of my ears at this point, I sent off an email to the museum's contact email threatening to go to the media and tell everyone I know just how they treat prospective customers. Today, I got an email from the museum's vice president of marketing and customer relations, asking me to give him a call this afternoon. I did, and we talked things over. In the meantime, I had entered another contest the museum was running, for a VIP prize package for the midnight showing for the "biggest Harry Potter fan in the Quad Cities". The VP told me he really liked my entry, and I was in the running for the prize. An hour or so later, he called back, informed me that while I hadn't won that contest, he was going to give my family tickets to see the movie anyway as kind of a peace offering. I gladly accepted, and we'll be seeing the movie in Imax 3D Saturday afternoon, for free! So, all in all, I think this worked out well for everyone. I won't continue with my negative word-of-mouth campaign, and I get to see the movie for free. I told the VP that while having the contest aimed toward smartphone users was fine with me, failing to mention it caused confusion and inconvenience, and alienated some of their clientele. Hopefully, the museum learned something useful for the future. He really impressed me with the way he handled this.

[Queen Bonnie]

 Yayyy Dustin! Very happy for you!  Glad it worked out well- you handled it well too.
Please no spoilers- or do an alert. I won't be seeing the movie until the 23rd- when a friend is coming to go with me! Can't wait to see it- but sad there are no more! ( Sound of heart breaking- CRACK!!)

[LadyStitch]

Queen Bonnie I will keep my excitement and any spoilers off the board here.  The PP and I are excited about seeing it TOMORRROW night earlier in the evening. I know it will be a blast to see. Still a little sad to see it go but hey what a wild ride along the way. 

[Queen Bonnie]

 Lady Stitch- excitement is welcome! OK I read the book many times. I know what is going to happen- but I don't even watch the previews. i liketo be surprised!
Can't wait- but will. Let us know how you like the movie!

[Dustin]

Here's a really awesome retrospective video, including a great preview for the final movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK2WCPYMERg

[LadyStitch]

Went last night, LOVED IT!!! Great action sequences, very few minor changes. I will say BRING TISSUES!!  Girl or guy you will need them.  I have to say well done all around. 
My only quibble one was section, and that is only because I'm a picky picky costume person.  It is hard to watch movies sometimes because you catch yourself critiqueing the technical stuff.

All around great movie, oh and  one last thing, go easy on the soda because you don't want to miss a momment of it! 

[Queen Bonnie]

 Great to get your review lady Stitch! Can't wait to see the movie- but going next Sat so I will have to wait. I'll bring tissues! I know I will cry.

[Lady Rebecca]

I went last night also. The theatre was packed! We got there just after 9pm for a 12:20 showing. We waited in a line that went outside and wrapped around the building for about 45 mins, slowly feeding its way inside. (And that line was only people going to four of the 18 screens.) We were seated in the theatre by just after 10pm, which was nice. We weren't in one of the bigger theatres, but it felt like a pretty decent size once the movie started.

And now we come to the movie itself. Overall, I liked it. But I definitely did think it had some problems, more so than pt1.


****SPOILER ALERT****



The parts I didn't like -
Firstly, and I think this dates back from a lack of info in HBO and DHpt1, is all the stuff with finding the diadem. Because Harry never saw it in the room of requirement in HBP, and wasn't shown the recreation of it in pt 1 by Xenophilius Lovegood, he really had nothing to go on in order to find it. So the whole bit felt very awkward and forced, and the conversation with the Grey Lady lacked the backstory about Voldemort's travels in Albania and the Bloody Baron, which the book provides. But this is still a book-to-movie problem I could fairly easily overlook.

What I really didn't like was how Harry presented himself in the Great Hall, in front of all the students and Snape. He is supposed to sneak into Hogwarts, and the Carrows are supposed to be attacked in the Ravenclaw tower, etc, where we again find out a little more about the diadem. Putting him right in front of Snape and the Carrows, where they could easily kill him in a moment makes no sense.

And the worst thing, IMO, was the killing of Nagini and Voldemort. I felt like it was such a lack of drama in both situations, even though I could tell they changed it to try to make it more dramatic. But in the book, when Neville kills Nagini, it's such a moment, whereas in the movie, it sort of got lost in the shuffle. And I didn't like that Voldemort couldn't see Nagini die. And then the Voldy/Harry fight was just so strange, especially once they jumped off the castle together (which was stupid in itself). And Voldy's actual death was sooo anticlimactic. It was really a letdown.

A few small complaints I have were the lack of screen time for Fred's death, which is the 2nd worst death in the series in my opinion (after Dobby's), the lack of Percy's reconciliation, and the fact that they didn't use the Room of Requirement as much as they should have (like bringing the Order members in that route, and getting all the students out).

On the other hand, some of the parts that stood out as nearly perfect were Snape's memories, which had me in tears the entire scene, the Resurrection Stone (I actually felt more of an impact from it in the movie than in the book!), and Kings Cross.



****END SPOILER****

After the movie, everyone slowly left the theatre. By the last 5 mins of the credits, I was the only one left, but I just couldn't force myself to leave before the entire movie was over. And then afterwards, I really did feel like I had an empty hole somewhere in my stomach. I think I'm now sort of in denial that it's actually over.

When you go, bring lots of tissues. Or a stuffed animal. I had my owl, Dobby, with me, and I found myself hugging him tightly for a whole lot of the movie. I don't think I would have wanted to be distracted by messing with tissues.

I'm seeing it again tonight in IMAX, so I may post another review once I've had another chance to digest.

[Lady Neysa]

Just got back....I am completely emotionally drained!    Loved it!   Needed lots of tissues.

SPOILER TALK!!!!!!

I agree Lady Rebecca, I was pretty disappointed they didn't show Fred's death onscreen.   The whole sequence with Snape in the pensieve however, nicely done!   I bawled!!!!!   I wondered why they left out Percy's reconciliation?   Then just little things, like at the end, they didn't show the references to Teddy Tonks.  No book to movie is ever going to be perfect.

All in all though, it was just....phenomenal.  I'm going to see it again next week. Once wasn't enough for me to fully absorb it.  

[renfairephotog]

Wizards Hacking Lexington Road Sign
Some messages from the wizarding world showed up on a Lexington road sign early Thursday morning, just in time for the midnight release of the final Harry Potter movie.

Someone apparently hacked into electronic road signs in the Palomar area. An LEX 18 viewer shot photos of the sign around 12:30 a.m. It read "Death Eaters Ahead" and "Muggles Beware."

A short time later, officials fixed the sign and it once again silently alerted motorists to construction in the area.

http://www.lex18.com/news/wizards-hacking-lexington-road-signs-/#!prettyPhoto[gallery]/1/