My problem with Cuaron's film is that it has several instances where its style completely pulls me out of the story. For the most part it was good, but some of those transitions were just killer.

I bought my "Harry 5" ticket today when I checked out Transformers and when i left the theater at 5p there was already 5 in line for the 12a show. Fuck that shit. 1 hour is the most I'll line up for any movie.

Re: Cuaron's film:
it's not really fair to say this but as someone who heard the unabriged audio book version, it really pained me to note alot taken out for the cinematic version, but that's how the cookie crumbles...

word is that there a major deletions made for film version of 'Order of the Phoenix' - I know it's a time constraint thing, but if I were director I'd film as much as possible and just reinstate the missing story elements/scenes for the expanded TV cut/DVD version.

I would assume so. OoTP was the longest book (100+ pages longer than GoF), but it has the shortest movie running time.

Firenze (the centaur from the first book) makes a come back in OoTP, and I really hope he is in the movie, but I have a feeling he will be cut.

I just hope Sirius Black has a bigger part than he did in the GoF movie. ALL of his book scenes in GoF were cut from the movie, except for that one brief scene where he talks to Harry through the fireplace.

I thought this looked significantly cooler than the way he talks to Harry in GOF.

I thought we'd settled on "HPV". Nobody? hmmm...

Saw it. Liked it, but didn't feel the same energy off of this one that I did the previous two installments. Like GOF, a lot of material was omitted, in fact, I felt like I was getting a major cliffs notes version of the book. Granted, I know that's what movies are supposed to do in adaptations, but this really felt rushed. I guess it's just that both Azkaban and GoF had individuals in the director's chair that were making films first and foremost and mixed some interesting style with the narrative. This one was done by a TV director and it really does show. It's got a major "just shoot what's storyboarded" hired gun look to it. I am not saying it isn't entertaining, it very much is, but I just felt it lacked. Also, I saw this on DLP so I know the picture quality was the best it could have been. That said, it seemed like this director didn't know how to put light into a scene. It was like everything took place in the dark. I know it's somewhat of a dark movie in tone, but I don't see why it had to look that way. Everything was pretty drab.

The performances were good all around, but I don't think I've ever seen a series that uses top notch English actors for what almost seems like bit parts. Guess they do it for their kids, and it is about Harry and his friends. Did anyone else find Helena Bonham Carter's performance a bit over the top? Bellatrix is supposed to be the most dangerous death eater around, but Carter seemed to want to play her as a comic villain. Maybe it was just too little to work with this time around.

I give it a solid B. Entertaining, but I liked Transformers better.

Just got back from a midnight showing, absolutely loved it. Seriously, I think it's my favorite one yet, and I wasn't a big fan of Book 5...will discuss more later, but need sleep...

Luna is a very interesting new character. I think she was wonderfully played. I loved that Moody was back, since he was my favorite character in pt. 4. I do like where the series is going.

One thing I hated. Half of the theater was screaming during every little cool scene, while the other half was shushing and shouting to shut up. I wish those idiots would realize if they want to hear the ENTIRE movie, to not go to a fucking midnight showing. God, what morons. Kinda dragged down my experience.

They're morons because they wanted to hear the whole movie??

I just got back from my midnight screening as well. I enjoyed the movie, but my favorite is still POA (pt. 3). I agree with the cliffnotes statement above.

I was sad to see the score done by someone else again with John Williams only being mentioned for "Hedwig's Theme".

I also have to agree about the sound level in these midnight showings... and after listening in to the people in front of me in line I realized that high school kids are idiots... at least all the ones that show up to midnight screenings.

Well, as I have to wake up in less than 3 hours, I better hit the sack.

Different strokes I guess. Just saw it, and I thought it was probably the best of the adaptations so far. Luna was perfect, and I liked the pacing, and a return to the magical inside Hogwarts. The ending I thought was terrific and very well realized. Me personally, I would rate this way way above the Transformers, and I liked the Transformers. As for the "cliff notes" thing, there is a lot of details left out but I really thought it hit eery really important note in the movie. Biggest thing I missed really was Mrs. Dursley admitting more knowledge of the wizarding world than she has ever let on to. The interview, "Wealey is King", Lavendar Brown, and some other plotlines really were not huge deletions. HOWEVER, for the life of me I do not understand why they don't film a bunch extra stuff for each film, and release Extended editions that follow the books better. But for this film, high recommendation for me.

Just got back and I was kinda "meh" while watching it. It's not that I didn't like it or enjoy seeing the characters/actors because I did. I guess I'm just at the point where I'm ready for whatever's supposed to happen between Potter and V-mort to happen. Every movie, I'm guessing like the books, seems to be the tease of things to come and I'm ready for it to happen sooner than later.

I'm tired of having "Blue balls" from being teased for 2+ hours in these Potter movies.

But still, as a "potter" flick it was decent. I think a lot of that was because the characters are older so things are getting darker/more serious.

I think this is the best score in the series. Good riddance to John Williams, I say.

I liked it. I especially liked the newspaper transitions. I initially didn't like the casting for Umbridge because she does not look like what was described in the book, but it turned out brilliant, IMO.

That's not why he was on trial. It was for shooting that blue blob thing.

A bit harsh, don't you think? Whether or not he as as great as he once was may be debatable, but John Williams gave us Close Encounters, Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., Superman, Home Alone, Amazing Stories, Jurassic Park, and a host of other great scores. His body of work as firmly established him as one of the greatest score composers of all time.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but by "blue blob thing" do you mean a dementor? In the book, Harry was attacked by a dementor in the muggle world, and when he counterattacked with magic, that is what got him in trouble.

yeah, thanks for getting that song stuck in my head now

"Somewhere in my mem'ry,

Christmas joys all around me,

living in my mem'ry,

all of the music,

all of the magic,

all of the fam'ly home here with me."

More than anything else, this is why I have a problem with the newer, abbreviated, "artistic interpretation" movie versions of the books. So much is cut that people don't even understand what a Dementor is.

a what?

My pleasure! Anything else I can do to for you? I've got some salt I can pour in a fresh wound...

I think he's talking about the patronus.

A Dementor is a soul-sucker.