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HARRY POTTER MONTHJUNE 2007 ARCHIVE |
June of 2007 was designated Harry Potter Month at this site,
and
featured an emphasis of news and filler items concerning the release of
both the fifth Potter movie and final Potter book. Here is an
archive of those news items for your enjoyment and edification.
JULY IS HARRY POTTER MONTH
This month, the fifth Harry Potter film will be
released
as well as the final Harry Potter book. With the rest of the
media jumping on the Pottermania bandwagon, SYGW is taking a stand
against bandwagon-jumping... by stepping lightly onto the bandwagon
instead so as not to disturb anybody. Here at SYGW, July is
officially declared Harry Potter Month. Our reviews of The
Order
of the Phoenix should be filed sometime this month. Until
then,
check out what we think of the other Harry
Potter films.
Enjoy Harry Potter Month, and remember, the third floor
corridor on the righthand side is out of bounds to everyone who does
not wish to suffer a most painful death.
We ran a
special series of "Why We
Love..." pieces throughout the month, but unfortunately we couldn't get
to everybody, so if your favorite Harry Potter actor is not represented
here... there's nothing you can do about it.
WHY
WE LOVE
Daniel Radcliffe ("Harry")
Because from the moment he first showed up on screen as Harry Potter, he never asked for our sympathy, but just won it over naturally. Because one of his biggest idols is Peter Sellers. Because his first non-Harry Potter acting project was not some dumb teen comedy but a stage production of Equus. But we love him mostly because... he sincerely hopes Harry Potter dies in the final book: "I think Harry will die. It's the only appropriate way of ending it... and, on a selfish level, every actor wants to do a death scene ... I'm going to milk it."
WHY WE LOVE
Rupert
Grint ("Ron")
Because he knows how to be funny doing or saying the simplest things. Because he's keeping the Beatles haircut alive. Because his "not me, not Hermione, you!" speech in The Sorcerer's Stone brings that entire film into focus. But mostly we love him because... whereas most rich young stars might go out and buy the coolest car in the world, he bought himself a fully-working ice cream van: "I think I definitely want to continue acting, but I don't know... and if it doesn't work out, I've still got the ice-cream van!"
WHY WE LOVE
Emma
Watson ("Hermione")
Because once she enunciates a word, it stays enunciated. Because she held Warner Brothers over a barrel for months while she pondered whether more Harry Potter films would interfere with her schoolwork. Because in Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione rules. But most of all we love her because... while filming The Order of the Phoenix, she still managed to ace her exams: "There are too many stupid girls in the media... I think sometimes really smart girls dumb themselves down a bit, and that's bad."
WHY WE LOVE
Maggie Smith ("McGonagall")
Because she's
been in everything from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to Sister Act 2, from Shakespeare to Neil Simon.
Because she starred with a pre-Harry Daniel Radcliffe in a TV
production of David Copperfield.
But mostly because... she simply exudes class and
dignity,
and yets knows how to play off of that when needed. But
really,
when you get down to cases, we love her because she's Maggie Smith,
damn it! Got a problem with that?
WHY WE LOVE
Brendan Gleeson ("Mad-Eye Moody")
Because in quick
succession, he appeared in Spielberg's A.I., Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later and Scorsese's Gangs of New
York.
Because he reportedly plays a mean fiddle.
Because
he's a rowdy Irishman. But mostly because... the scene in 28 Days Later
where Gleeson's character's life is changed in an instant by a
random drop of stray blood is the heart of that movie, and is
both
achingly sad and intensely frightening.
WHY WE LOVE
Ralph Fiennes ("Voldemort")
Because we still
don't know how to pronounce his
name.
Because, like many of the Potter stock company
members, he's
well-versed in Shakespeare. But the real reason we love Ralph
is.... because he's just so evil! Seriously, some actors
don't even get to
play one classic villain in a lifetime, and Ralph has played at least
two. Lord Voldemort is the obvious one, but is there any doubt that He
That Must Not Have a Nose would be quaking in his boots (assuming
Voldemort wears
boots) if he came up against Nazi Amon Goeth from Schindler's
List,
the most frightening character in a Spielberg film since Bruce the
Shark?
WHY WE LOVE
Alan Rickman ("Snape")
Because as The
Sheriff of Nottingham, he made Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves worth watching all the way through.
Because we've accepted another Dumbledore, came close to
having
to accept another Hermione and Sirius Black, but we could never
really accept
another Severus Snape. But most of all we love him
because.... Die Hard. His Hans Gruber is one of the
greatest villains in movie history, and it is no wonder that, good as
they are, no later Die Hard
film could top the first: " I wanted this to be professional,
efficient,
adult, cooperative. Not a lot to ask. Alas, your
Mr. Takagi
did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for
the rest
of his life."
WHY WE LOVE
Robbie Coltrane ("Hagrid")
Because he was in two James Bond films.
Because he
starred as Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the classic detective series Cracker.
Because he'll be supporting his young "mudblood" friend Emma
Watson in her first-ever non Harry Potter film, the animated The Tale of Despereaux.
But mostly because... J. K. Rowling personally
wanted him to play Hagrid. And after that scene in The
Sorcerer's Stone
when the giant Hagrid kicks down the door, strolls into a cottage
looking very
menacing and then says "Sorry about that!", is there anybody
who doubts she made the right choice?
GIVE 'EM HELL, HARRY!
July 22nd
Finally,the second
big event of Harry Potter Month has happened: the release of
J. K. Rowling's final novel in the series Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows.
John B. has filed a book review in our Ready for the Closeup
section and don't worry - it is relatively spoiler free.
Certain
scenes from the book are described, and certain characters are
discussed, but the review does not reveal the answer to the ultimate
question - does Harry live or die. But we will tell you this
-
DOBBY KILLS HAGRID!!! OH MY GOD! DOBBY KILLS HAGRID!!! - Just
kidding.THIS JUST IN: BOOK KILLS MOVIE!
This past weekend, Harry
Potter and the Order of the Pheonix lost a huge chunk of its
audience. Those in the know believe that most Harry Potter
fans who would otherwise have gone to see the film were instead reading
the newly released final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
You would think Warner Brothers, having invested so much time
and money into the movie series, would have realized releasing
a Harry Potter movie only one week before the release of the most
highly anticipated Potter book could not possibly be a good idea.HARRY POTTER MONTH ENDS!
July 31Fittingly, our month long celebration of the world of Harry Potter ends on a very special day - author J. K. Rowling's birthday. It is also, not coincidentally, the birthday of her fictional hero Harry. Also born on this day: Dean Cain, Curt Gowdy, Wesley Snipes, Geraldine Chaplin and Gary Lewis. And billions of other people.
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Copyright © 2008 John V. Brennan, John Larrabee