The Penultimate Potter

I've been to see the latest HP flick twice now. Once in a super-overcrowded theatre space with uncomfortable seats and highly annoying audience members, like the small child who keeps asking her father questions, and the father that keeps answering his small child's questions, and the completely daft woman who keeps exclaiming the obvious like "Oh, so he has it!" in a less than hushed voice. And once with the B-Team, in gold-class seats at the West Bubblefuck cinema (who in a long string of cinema-based stuff ups, tried really hard to stuff up our tickets, but we didn't let them).

And I thouroughly enjoyed both viewings.

There are those that say that splitting the last story into two parts is a money grabbing attempt by the studio to strangle some more cash from the addicted masses. There have been some that say that this film is far too long and drawn out, with too many longing looks and slow motion pans of scenery.

To these criticisms, I say "Pah!"

The last book, The Deathly Hallows is fast paced and rich story, but it is incredibly long. And a great deal of that action is actually bound up in frustrating inaction, in planning, decoding mysteries and trying to figure out ways to bring down the great magical tyrant of Lord Voldemort. And our heroes, Harry, Hermione and Ron are on a quest, and the baddies aren't the only demons they have to battle - they also have to deal with their own self-doubts, mistrust of each other and keeping up the motivation to continue. And I think this is why some deranged fools think the film is drawn out - we're not just dealing with the wham-bam-thankyou mam action flick. These critics are suffereing the same frustrations that Ron feels with Harry's lack of understanding of his difficult mission. So I am going to say that this misunderstanding by some douches is actually indicative of the successes of the film.

The whole concept of The Guerillas vs The Tyrant is a well trodden path, in film, books and real-life history. And it is this idea that makes Deathly Hallows so good. The concept of prejudice and power is woven through the tale of Voldemort's rise to power, reflecting the idea that "Might is Right" (also appearing smeared across the windscreen of a redneck ute in enormous slime green letters, seen on the main street of Port Mac - a nauseating sight). This kind of mentality has lead to the success of dozens of tyranical autocracies. Fear, violence and the threat of death is a powerful tool. Ask Poland. Ask Kim Jong Il. Ask Joseph Stalin. The parallels between Hitler's Third Reich and the reign of Voldemort and the Death Eater's are clearly drawn in this film. Down to the beautiful-if-morbidly-disturbing art deco design of the anti-muggle propaganda. The message in this is clear - the power of the mighty is not righteous, and should not be idly watched by the fearful and the meek.

But speaking of the beautiful, this is a stunningly crafted film. Yates has found all of the most gorgeous locations in Great Britain, and our heroes apparate between and across them. Frosted forests, and chalky cliffs, sweeping moors and deep lochs. Breathtaking scenery plays another character in this, the 7th film, as Harry and his buddies break free of the confines of Hogwarts to really explore the world, testing its limitations and their own. (Plus the sneaky shots of Picadilly and Shaftsbury Ave gave me that London Nostalgia that I have discussed before.)

Stunning too is the animated sequence in the middle of the film, telling a Potter-verse fairy tale. It is done in the style of shadow puppetry (and I am ALWAYS going to love some good puppetry), with a Middle Eastern flavour. Directed by Ben Hibon, this section is easily a highlight of the film, and is a highly effective method of exposition/intertextuality. Hermione narrates the story, voice over style, as the shadows meld and twist and flesh out the tale. It is sharp-intake-of-breath kind of cinema. Apparently, Hibon is a named starter for a new Peter Pan feature, and I am intrigued as to what he will do with it.

Also beautiful are the effects, and some of the performances. But we are playing with some of the greatest actors Britain has ever produced. Bill Nighy appears for far too brief a time - though his accent is confused, a little. Alan Rickman is as always spectacular, but again, doesn't get much screen time. Rhys Ifans is new to the franchise, and he embodies Xenophilia Lovegood (gotta love nominative determinism!) with empathy, if perhaps a little too much shouting. As ever, Ralph Feinnes is noselessly brilliant, acting his way around a complete olfactory deficiency.

Of the three main youngsters, there is still some clunkiness. I think a drinking game incorporating the jaw-clenches of Daniel Radcliff, the eye-brow-wiggles of Emma Watson and the exaggerated-gulps of Rupert Grint would be a rollicking good time, but we would all be plastered by the end of the first act. I think Grint has developed into the most mature of the performers. Radcliff and Watson are still a bit reliant on shouting and stomping to convey their emotion. And I think by the time they are 17, the hormonal angst is generally all inverted (based on real life experience) especially for thinky types like these. And sure, I might be slightly biased towards Grint because he is an adorable, funny ranga (it is no secret that I have a tinge of a twinge for a ginge) who has filled out nicely. Hmmm. Oops, got distracted a little...

There are still some great gaping plot holes, old ones from previous films and new ones created. Some have been filled with less than convincing plot-gravel - the introduction of Bill Weasley for the first time? Clunky much?? And  there are others that I am interested to see how they are dealt with. Regarding Lupin and Tonks, and their glossed over announcement from the first scenes. And Lilly Potter has been overlooked again.

If you haven't seen the earlier films, never read the books, and generally couldn't give a snot-flavoured bean about Harry Potter, then don't bother with Deathly Hallows. You will be confused and befuddled, and may need to be oblivated if you are to go on with your life. But true believers should love it. And we can't wait for the next one - only til July this year!

Knife, Ask, Monster: A trilogy of awesome

You might think working in the Boy Factory might lead me to reading more adult or more trashy books when it comes to holidays. But truthfully, I don't think I ever quite left the Young Adult section of the bookshop. All of my favourites come from there, and not in a nostalgic kind of way. And not in a "It's an easy read" kind of way. I love the depth, the symbolism, the sophistication of the modern Young Adult novel. Or series of.



Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy is one such example. A post-apocalyptic coming of age tale, with Todd finding himself and discovering the New World on a developing settlement on a new planet. Sexual politics, racial prejudice, the overload of information in this post-Web 2.0 world, power, responsibility, terrorism... Ness deals with all of this in a delicious way, with stunningly drawn characters and a depth of emotion.

As other reviewers have noted, it is near impossible to discuss this book, or these books without giving away delicious details that are such a joy to discover in the rollercoaster of reading it. Just know this: JK Rowling has done a great deal for the increased publication of quality young adult fiction. Reading Harry has taken away lots of the negative stigma associated with reading kids books. But even more importantly, it is because of the popularity of her books that really excellent quality novels like this one have been published. Then again, I also blame her for the fact that Stephanie Meyer managed to get that vomit-in-the-shape-of-a-book-called-Twilight published. But that is a blogpost for another date...

The classification of Young Adult has generally lead to some heated diatribes, like this from Frank Cottrell Boyce in The Guardian (also loosely a review of the Chaos Walking trilogy). This article from The New Yorker also bellows about the brilliance of Young Adult dystopian novels. The general concensus of those whose opinion is more widely published than mine is that the YA section of the library and the bookshop is not the vacuous wasteland it has been in the past. The voices, the conflicts, the metaphors and the journeys of these books are rich and deep and brilliant in their construction and execution.

And I know this sounds like me trying to justify my penchant for kiddies' books. But seriously, they are just so awesome.

I am so utterly impressed with Patrick Ness and his trilogy. I don't understand why there isn't a copy of this book in everybody's hands, on buses and tubes and train platforms the world over. It is not without its critics. Punkadiddle thinks it is too violent (to which I say 'suck it up, tinkerbell, the violence raises the stakes, the violence is not meaningless, and not gratuitous). Jenny Brooks (a blogger who reads the end first) has issues with the structure and dialect (which is actually what hooked me in the first few pages) but ultimately she has much love for the story.

I wouldn't be overly surprised if this trilogy gets picked up for films. The narrative structure, particularly in the second two volumes, is really filmic... but I don't want to give away too much!

The first two volumes, The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and The Answer, are in paperback - they have been out for a few years. The third, Monsters of Men was released in the last few weeks and at this stage is only in hard cover. This is a recommendation of the Highest Order.

Speaking of Y-A Dystopian... Only six weeks until the conclusion of The Hunger Games trilogy is released. Perhaps a re-read about Kitness is asked for...?

More of a Slide

Gotta say, I thought this was a bit disappointing for Nick Hornby. Slam has a very beige blurb on the back cover. The premise of a talking Tony Hawke poster is lame beyond belief. The tale of teenage pregancy is cliche beyond reckoning.

But High Fidelity and Fever Pitch were such good treatments of what otherwise could be considered cliche topics the midlife crisis of an underachieving music fan (who doesn't know one of them? or isn't one of them?) and the difficulties of being a passionate football supporter. Plus they made for some fanbloodytastic stimulus for films. John Cusak? Hell yeah! Colin Firth? Uh-huh! There is an extra B in Hornby films.

So I decided to give Slam a bash.

And was underwhelmed. Usually, Hornby writes with bite and pith and moments of clarity of recognition of one's own life on the page. With Slam, his first "teenage" fiction he has dumbed himself down. I would have thought as an English teacher in his previous life that he would have known that in order to write a really good novel that will appeal to teenagers you SHOULD NOT DUMB DOWN. EVER.

The crazy narrative structure and time travel governed by a poster that regurgitates the autobiography of the world's most famous skater make the book a little more complex, but not more interesting. Having said that though, the characters were slightly compelling. Not in a Harry Potter or Lyra Belaqua or Eliza Bennett Need-To-Know-What-Happens-NOW kind of way. But in a Oh-It's-Bedtime-I-Might-See-What-Happens-To-These-Kiddies kind of way.

If I had a job in a bookshop, this is NOT one that I would put a staff recommends sticker onto.

Harry Number 6 - The Film

Written 17/7/09 (have been dreadfully slack with postings. seems like July went by without much of a squeak from me)

When HP6 the book was released, it was to resounding disappointment from the action fans – “Nothing actually happens!”.

But for those of us who aren’t into reading for the action sequences, it was fantastic. Infallible. JK was just pulling back the robes a little bit more to reveal that in the 7th book, all would be revealed.

I went to Gold Class with my Gold Class cousins to see the film version. Only the second day of its wide release. Not only because I was excited to see it, but also because I hate being swept up in the hype of a film and raising my expectations, only to have my hopes dashed like waves against a wild cliff facem, and disappointment deflate me, til I am but a wrinkles sinking, loveless helium balloon. That was like what watching My Girl was like. So I try to avoid reviews, I steer clear of “Making of...” shows, and I just try to get my eyes to it as soon as possible. All the while, chanting my lower-your-expectations mantra “It’ll probably be shit” on the way to the cinema.

And for the book, so shall it be for the film. Not a whole lot happens. There are no showdowns with Voldemorte. No huge battle scenes. The few battles from the book seem to have disappeared altogether. The shift in Harry’s attitude from “Bollocks to you all” to “Actually, would you mind...?” is what this tale is all about. Actually, come to think of it, he is still making that transition in Book 7 too. And now I discover that the 7th book will be made into 2 films. So HP6 and HP7 are really being made into a trilogy. Again, JK borrows from Tolkein...

The focus of this film is not really about battling evil, but about connecting with good. It is more about fostering the friendships and relationships you have, forging alliances and gathering together your resources in order to face the epic quest battle that lies ahead in the final instalment of the series. Which I think is a perfectly acceptable reason for not much action. There is a Quiddich game, and a bathroom duel between Draco and Harry that gets a bit nasty. And the Dumbledore-&-Harry-steal-a-necklace-from-a-cave scene is full of tension and excitement. Oh, and there is a really creepy corn field scene. Is wind through corn stalks not the most scary of sounds?

These kids are hitting 17. Their hormones are running completely amok. They are resorting to the vomitous behaviour of teenagers in love, to hilarious results. This is the most successful part of the film, the parody of teenagers in love. It is a highly honest portrayal of the exaggerated emotion and heightened stakes of first, unrequited and puppy love. (I purposefully tried to make sure I had the Danne Quiet Laugh happening so as not to entirely humiliate my teenage cousin. I told her afterwards that I don’t generally inhibit the Danne Loud Cackle for just anyone and she should feel very very special.) In a film that is meant to be about amalgamating the good relationships you have, I thought it was a great feature.

I have heard (through twitter, because I was still avoiding all forms of reviews) that David & Margaret (though I am thinking more that it sounds like something the stuffy David would say) have levelled the accusation that if you haven’t read the books then the film will make no sense at all. And there is some truth to this. Teenage Cousin had not read the books, or seen any film past Azkhaban (still the best film, I think). We had a bit of a tutorial on films four and five so she would be a little less lost (plus the spaces between the chairs in the cinema are so vast it was difficult for her to ask me questions during the film). And yes, she was pretty lost. Vast tracts of exposition have been discarded. And maybe they will catch it up in Film 7, but there is a lot to cram into that film, and so there may not be space for such luxuries as backstory and explanation of character motive. But if you have read the books, you know why Dumbledore makes those choices, and why Snape does the unthinkable with the unbreakable.

On a completely random-observation kind of aside, I have noticed in this film the use of semiotics of hair colour. The mud has been flung at those with a tinge of ginge in their fringe (thanks Tim) in recent years, particularly in the comedy scene. But not so in the HP films. The baddies all have jet black or snow white hair. Narcissa Malfoy has both. But the goodies don’t have such stark hair. Their follicle shades fall into more of a rainbow –with a high representation of the ranga. Of course the Weasleys up the red count, by virtue of the numbers in the family. Tonks sometimes has red, but she can change on a whim. Luna’s hair could be construed as white, but I think of it more yellowy. Hermione in the book has bushy brown hair, but Emma Watson has much more honey blonde tones (though in the potions scene, her hair does become a delicious texture of frizz with the pressure of not succeeding). Dumbledore and Mad Eye Moody are grey, as is McGonagall. Harry, Hagrid, Nevil, Sirius, all shades of chocolatey brown. The black of Snape is there to keep us guessing, perhaps? To make us think the worst of him, as Potter does? But back to my original point about the ranagas. This over representation may reflect the authorial authority – JK being red as they come!