Hogwarts, Up or Down

[karlhenning]

Unadorned answers, thank you.

[karlhenning]

-- Though I guess there need to be replies, or the thread sinks 

[Greta]

Yea, and not ashamed!

Can't go unadorned, though, books genius all-round, movies: III great, I and II fun, IV boring, musical scores I and III fantastic.

And what is your reply, mijn vriend Karl?

[Sergeant Rock]

I'm not sure how to vote. I haven't read any of the books but I have seen the films. Mrs. Rock, like Greta, is an unapologetic fan; she's continually urged me to read them...she claims I'm missing most of the humor among other things. Maybe I will someday but my stack of unread books is already daunting.

Sarge

[Bogey]

My wife, son, and I (daughter too young) love the whole thing Karl....books considerably more than the movies.

[Harry]

Books and movies I am afraid, though I see the dvd 's in my own moviehouse.

[PSmith08]

Neither the books nor the movies. I don't "get" them.

[Mark G. Simon]

Snape harries Potter.
Voldemort harries Potter.
I don't.


(I just read the books, and am looking forward to reading the last of them soon)

[karlhenning]

Snape harries Potter.

But . . . he may be a friend anyway, right?

[orbital]

I have not read the books, but I was forced to see the first three movies. They were all very very bad IMO. And each time I am promised that we will not go and see the next one.
Now that this one is out, the vibes around the house started to favor a viewing: ("This one is probably bad too, but the effects look cool", "Perhaps we can just go and check it out, to compliment popcorn if nothing else", etc) 

[Sergeant Rock]

I have not read the books, but I was forced to see the first three movies. They were all very very bad IMO. And each time I am promised that we will not go and see the next one.
Now that this one is out, the vibes around the house started to favor a viewing: ("This one is probably bad too, but the effects look cool", "Perhaps we can just go and check it out, to compliment popcorn if nothing else", etc) 

Freshly made theater popcorn is a good reason to see any number of bad films. Go, orbital!

Sarge

[orbital]

Freshly made theater popcorn is a good reason to see any number of bad films. Go, orbital!

Sarge

Once the Gates of the Popcorn are open, there is no telling where it will lead to  Next stop... DieHardville ? 

[Kullervo]

The books are fun but I couldn't care less for the movies or the hype surrounding the series.

[Tancata]

The books are really fun to read, real page-turners.

The movies IMO are a disaster. They're reasonably well-made, but they can't get around one simple fact: children being heroic can work brilliantly on paper, but is always absolutely terrible on the big screen.

[Bonehelm]

Someone convince me HP novels aren't children's fairy tales!

[karlhenning]

Hey, I have no quarrel with children's fairy-tales . . . .

[Lethevich]

I'm another who finds the films fun when they appear on TV (wouldn't want to spend money on them) but wouldn't waste time on the books.

[Sergeant Rock]

Someone convince me HP novels aren't children's fairy tales!

I'll ask Mrs. Rock if she'll volunteer. We had a HP discussion during dinner. She said the first book was indeed a children's book but it quickly developed into a series suitable, maybe more suitable for adults. I haven't read any of the books entirely but I did pick up the fourth once and read the first chapter...very dark, very terrifying. A children's fairy tale? I don't think so.

Sarge

[The Mad Hatter]

Someone convince me HP novels aren't children's fairy tales!

I don't think that they really have a great deal in common with fairy tales in general - they're much more elaborate, and the fantastical element is 'normalised' a great deal more in HP.

Yes, I am really looking forward to the next book, by the way. I find them very well written (reading a chapter as a reward right now every time I finish a paragraph of my essay on Lutosławski), and very accurate as both portrayals of teenage life and works of satire. Plus the plot is great fun.

[PSmith08]

Freshly made theater popcorn is a good reason to see any number of bad films. Go, orbital!

Sarge

Whoa, whoa. Popcorn has been the only redeeming part of several movie experiences that I've had.

In fact, fresh popcorn - cooked in a stirrer kettle, with industrial-grade coconut popping oil, doused with Flavacol - makes everything better. I made popcorn for a summer as part of a complicated and non-linear volunteering experience, so the various intricacies of popcorn manufacture are burned into my brain and forearms. It mostly comes down to oil-to-kernel ratios, time in the kettle, and Flavacol usage. (Unsurprisingly, moderation in the first and third, with a subjective judgment on the second.) There is still some experimentation to find the perfect balance. Salty enough to be delicious, but not so salty that it burns.

So, how 'bout those Harry Potter books?