Just saw HP:

I actually shook my head when Bill introduced himself to Harry. I think it is a crime that he hadn't been seen in any meaningful way prior to this film.

Beau has not read the books, but has seen all the movies and he did not get this latest movie at all. He thought it was confusing and made no sense. He also asked me: "what is wrong with the man with the long blond hair?"

I followed the movie well enough but I think they could have cut some scenes in favor of giving us more Hogwarts, etc. Even though that isn't in the book. The wand exposition really overburdens this story something serious. And I remember reading about the Deathly Hallows, saying to myself: this is how HP will be able to live and conquer Voldemore!

I think they needed to make more connection to some of the random things that seemed to be brought up and the bigger picture.

I have a deep fear that the second movie will not feature the badass scene I was hoping for at Hogwarts. I think they are going to fuck up the battle scene and it should just be really epic. Some of the camera work in this movie was kind of bad and I'm trying not to be fearful of what this might mean for important scenes in the future, but I don't want to get my hopes up.

It has two previous iterations, in neither of which was the Hornet an idiot and the fight scenes were good on the TV show. I find this new incarnation deeply irritating. I can't wait until I'm no longer presented with the promotional material.

If Green Hornet has anything as insulting as Kato somehow having less chops than either Burt Ward or Adam West, I'll be on the outrage train. Otherwise, NSM.

Dude, Megamind was excellent. It had so many throwaway visual gags and offhand comments that cracked my shit UP. ("That door really WAS exciting!" Oh, and Donkey Kong!) This may be the only time I actually liked Will Ferrell.

I'll be on the outrage train. Otherwise, NSM.

It's not race fail--Kato was always an excellent character on the show. However, I've yet to see a fight scene from the movie that's undoctored. Sure, I know, they're not going to live up to Bruce Lee, but you really gonna FX the hell out of KATO? Come on, people, just make a who new movie. This is like Mission:Impossible or I Spy.

Also, we saw a preview for a goddamn Justin Bieber movie. Ack! All I could think of was how many Justin Biebers I could take in a fight. (23, for the record.)

This may be the only time I actually liked Will Ferrell.

Elf ? Stranger Than Fiction ?

HP7 below:

I found the tent dancing scene almost unbearably awkward to watch. Not quite at the level of "Ginny submissively ties Harry's shoe, but still pretty cringeworthy IMO. I got what they were trying to do, but man, I did not enjoy it at all.

What's wrong with that blond man, indeed! I know that scene plays out more or less the same way in the book, but rendered visually, you have to assume all of the Malfoys were repeatedly dropped on their heads as children not to say "You know, this guy looks like Harry Potter except he's a little puffy. Also, Ron and Hermione don't really have any other friends, so...let's take him to Voldemort just in case, yes?"

(Other really stupid plan that somehow worked out - the "let's all disguise ourselves as Harry" thing. WTF is the point of decoys if you're ALL FLYING TO THE SAME PLACE??? Again, not the movie's fault, but on the page it's less obvious what a thoroughly dumb plan this was. At least, to me.)

This may be the only time I actually liked Will Ferrell.

Elf ? Stranger Than Fiction ?

Much like my aversion to Jim Carrey, I avoid movies with Will Ferrell in them like they are the Black Death.

Stranger Than Fiction was good. I've been told Talladega Nights should be watched, but I have a hard time believing that. STF was sufficiently different from the rest of his ouevre that it wasn't a problem, though.

Jessica - I haven't reread recently, but I thought that the seven Potters were flying to different locations and then portkeying to a central location. But they changed that in the movie. Another change that comes off as not caring about the viewer. Though, if they had followed the book there they would have had to have the Tonks - more characters plus another set...