I do know from reading an interview with either the director or screenwriter last week (can't remember which), that JKR made sure that they included (relatively minor spoiler for Book 7!) Kreacher in this film, since he's apparently going to pop up in Deathly Hallows in an important scene.

::plugs ears and goes, "LA LA LA!" while y'all talk about watching movies you din't pay for::

edit: funny story... one time a guy came in and gave us $300 in cash. He said he was going through the twelve step program and he needed to atone for all the times he snuck into movies when he was abusing. I said, "wow you must have really worked at it!" We donated the money to a charity that renovates libraries and runs a reading program for kids.

Emmett and I saw OOTP today. It was excellent. Daniel's acting was much improved - much more contained but sad. Not one note.

Rupert's not mugging at all in this, and Ron is back to being a stalwart friend instead of a git and a fuckup.

Emma was okay. Charming in parts, though she does tend to do too much Eyebrow Acting.

Oldman was heartbreakingly warm and present as Sirius.

It was difficult to watch Dolores Umbridge because she was basically exactly like my evil boss at my last job. Sugar coated malice.

Luna was perfect. The actor who plays Neville did an excellent job. I liked Ginny.

They did the LoTR trick (though too a much smaller degree) of simply alluding to scenes from the book that they cut. For example, having Percy obviously siding with the ministry and hauling Harry in.

Eyebrow Acting

Oh my God! Is this a Thing, cause I totally thought I made it up! Hahahahahahaha

Oh my God! Is this a Thing, cause I totally thought I made it up! Hahahahahahaha

Somebody was complaining about her overactive eyebrows over at the Leaky Cauldron, but I always think about Joey Trebiani's acting advice. "Just pretend you got a fishhook in your eyebrow."

Eyebrow Acting

Oh my God! Is this a Thing, cause I totally thought I made it up!

You don't remember A Follicle Prepares, by Konstantin Stanibrowski? And the opposing school - The Tweezner - founded by none other than Sanford Tweezner?

Aimee's whitefont makes me realize how much I've forgotten from the books. I really need to read the SparkNotes to catch up before next weekend.

I just got back from the movie, and I thought it was really good as a chapter in the series. It had this dark, drab look to it, more of a realistic tinge. Luna was pretty much perfect, and Umbridge was as perfect as you could get with a human (I always pictured her as more grotesque and with a throatier kind of voice, like...well, a frog). I think it was pretty well directed, but poorly edited at times. Scenes randomly ended with no apparent resolution or felt sort of shoehorned in.

I thought the usage of the Daily Prophet to move the plot along was pretty awesome.

You don't remember A Follicle Prepares, by Konstantin Stanibrowski? And the opposing school - The Tweezner - founded by none other than Sanford Tweezner?

t loves Juliana

I found OotP to be really good, but the first third or so felt choppy. It was like, they knew they had a crapload of pages to compress into the time available so they dove straight in running and took a while to really hit their stride.

I thought some of the choices they made for time compression were interesting if unexpected, primarily making Cho Chang the one who ratted out the DA. I can see some of the sense of it, but given the strong statement that Umbridge was interrogating students using veritaserum, I couldn't tell if she voluntarily gave it up or did it under duress...if under duress, then the rest of the students' reaction later on (blowing her the fuck off) seemed a little unfair. But c'est la vie. I couldn't stand Cho in the books, so I was more than a little glad to see her shoved out the way as quickly as expedient.

Loved the parts they chose to dwell on like the DA training montages. I do wish they'd expanded more on Mr. Weasely's injury, if only so we could have seen Neville's parents in St. Mungo's. I like Neville, so I would have liked to have seen him do even more.

Overall, though, my nits are much like Aimee's; things I would have liked to have seen, but their absence didn't really detract from the movie. As I told her in the car afterward, I might have made a different movie, choosing different things, but it wouldn't have been a better movie.

I was going to come in and rave, but lo, I am full of gronk.

Instead, I will point up and say "What They Say." I definitely agree with MM's statement that

I might have made a different movie, choosing different things, but it wouldn't have been a better movie.

Whoever said that they just shook a book until Luna fell out is exactly correct. Same with Umbridge and Bellatrix, who both gave me the heebie jeebies.

Spoilery: There was not enough Lupin for my liking. Sirius looked like the wizarding equivalent of Hugh Hefner (which is a good look for him). Bellatrix using the Avada Kevadra, which was somehow blocked by the arch? (it was late and I was tired) was NOT liked by me. Though I'm pretty sure I heard Sirius call Harry "James" in the thick of the fight, which killed me dead. All the evil guys have very nice suits. Daniel Radcliffe is incredibly hot, and did a good job keeping some of the tortured emo out of his sadness and isolation.

Best one yet. I can't wait to see it again.