MindsBase

Book 7 Part 2, the series that brought us life, come to life on screen

So, you’ve all picked up your fancy copies of the final Harry Potter movie by now, right? I won’t be spoiling anything by getting into the nitty and the gritty of it, because you saw it at least twice in the theater (once with kids/friends and once with a bewildered significant other) and once or more on your lovely home theater system. Unfortunately for me, the movie shows nearly black on my mediocre screen, and I was too lazy to adjust, so it wasn’t the visual spectacle at home that it was at the movies. Still, the story is why we’re all here, right?

The Story

Let’s be honest. There were criticisms about the meandering length of book 7. I hear that, but for those of us who were really invested, we didn’t mind wading through some dead ends and emotional flip-flops along with our beloved characters. We knew it meant we could spend a little more time with them before saying goodbye. But that would have been disaster in a film. They had to cut, cut, cut and focus the story into two satisfying arcs, and what they chose to do was to make the first arc character-driven, and the second, epic (world-driven). This was a smart choice, in my view.

To back up to part one briefly, to explore the character arcs: I enjoyed the friction and frustration between Harry, Ron and Hermione, and the gelling of their relationships, especially Harry/Hermione as friends and Ron/Hermione as a couple. I loved the moment, after Ron has stormed away and Harry and Hermione are finally forced to leave camp without him, that they apparate to a new area and Hermione begins to cry, while Harry must carry on and cast the protective spells that Hermione usually does.

I wrote in just one extra line in the first movie, as I’m prone to do, and it was this: when Hermione is sad about Ron, Harry takes her hand and dances with her. They laugh a bit and the mood lightens, but then it settles again into sadness. No dialogue is there, and so you could get the impression that Harry is sad romantically for Hermione, that he was making a play for her and it was rebuffed. Well, maybe they wanted that ambiguity, but I think it cheapens the beautiful friendship between them. I would have added a clarifying line from Harry. Simple, clear, eloquent: “I miss him, too.”

As for other emotional arcs, I thought it was important that they kept a bit about Harry’s struggle to keep faith in Dumbledore even as information about him changed. This was one of the strongest themes in book 7. Faith is what you do when doubts come into question. It’s easy to have faith when things are going well, so the fact that Harry decides to have faith in Dumbledore when things get hard… that is what counts. That is what transforms him from a boy to a man.

Oh, and I have to applaud whoever invented the wonderful interlude animation of the Deathly Hallows tale. LOVED IT.

On to part deux. In my opinion, Harry has matured. He’s grown up. He acts as an adult. In part one, he makes that transformation, so when part two opens and we see him interview the goblin and hold his own, then be unafraid to gently accuse Olivander for his weakness, we know we are dealing with a strong hero in this movie. Not the scared boy from book one, not the lucky bumbler from book two. Harry is a man.

So I knew this story would be the best one yet. I like men.

Since this movie was epic (not just action), I was glad they made a point to check in on all of our favorite characters for a bit of closure, and even threw in tons of details and nods from the other books (portraits on the walls, pixies in the room of requirement) for a full-circle feel. Even doing so, it was so lightly sprinkled, the details didn’t slow down the action at all, and I felt increasingly invested in every minute of this film. My kids, too, who were a bit young the the books first came out (read: unborn) found a fresh interest in the series as a result of this movie.

Changes (from the book) that worked well:

• Harry (and Voldemort) can feel the horcruxes. There is a little snakey sound as Harry approaches, even. They are both affected when one is destroyed. This worked well for the film.
• The gold in Bellatrix’s vault did not blister our heroes. Thank goodness… would have been gross. Also they don’t Crucio Harry’s body at the end, which was also a good idea.
• Snape assembles the students into the great hall and Harry appears — this worked great! I loved the dialogue about “somebody grab him!” and then the friends step in. But I most loved the McGonagall / Snape duel. I actually loved every millisecond of McGonagall in this movie. I love her character anyway and Maggie Smith plays her exactly as I imagine.
• Voldemort’s voice: in the book it is loud and booming, but in the movie it is an intimate whisper, which I think is really terrifying. I love the look of disgust on Harry’s face when they first experience the voice.
• They show the Elder wand begin to crack under Voldemort’s hand. This was interesting, and justified his heightened fury. Like.
• And can I just say that I loved the degeneration of Voldemort. His physical movements, wow! By the end, he’s hobbling around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
• A few things are simplified with regards to the snake, all of which I thought were useful changes. Fortunately, they still had Neville kill the snake (though he didn’t know it was a horcrux) which I felt was important, since Neville was the Harry-alternate, had Voldemort decided to “mark” him instead.
• The epilogue was fantastic, and somehow it made the idea more clear even than in the book that Harry achieved immortality, not by horcruxes or even hallows, but through progeny. That was beautiful.

Things that could have been better:

• Ron and Hermione’s kiss. Need I say more? I know, it’s true to the book, but ewwww.
• The pensieve trip into Snape’s memories: this was flowing and beautiful but totally incomprehensible if you’re not a many-time-reader of the books.
• When Harry realizes he has to die, the book speaks beautifully of his awareness of his own healthy heart. In the movie, all he does is clutch his chest, which is a little lackluster. I actually think a little CG could have been artfully done to illustrate his feelings better. Just a little.
• Harry, after his death, asks Dumbledore, “What should I do?” and calls after him as he disappears. Naw. I didn’t buy that. Harry knows what to do. He’s a man now, remember? He doesn’t ask that boyish question. Least favorite line in the movie.
• Voldemort hugs Draco. Whaaaa? Nuff sed.
• The wrap-up: Harry doesn’t get applauded by the portraits!! This is my favorite scene in the book, and I missed seeing it come to life. Harry also doesn’t repair his own wand, which I thought had such wonderful symbolism. In the end scene (before the epilogue), they look off into the distance, which was a little cliche.

Music:

WOW! Even as the DVD menu started, with that tinny music-box reprise of the theme, I knew this score was special. It was lovely throughout. I’m going to own this one. The full-blown original theme plays when Harry first steps back into Hogwarts’ room of requirement, which was fitting. The score is awesome when the stone soldiers awaken, when the attack begins (percussion sounds), and in the pensieve — so sad there.

Cinematography:

Some beautiful work here as well. Our view shifts from under to outside the invisibility cloak in the Gringotts Bank scene — awesome. The dragon was realistic enough not to detract. The shield around Hogwarts and all the attack graphics were very cool. The Death Eater flying-in-smoke thing was again well done. I liked the fiend fire, how it turned into V’s face at the last second. Sweet. But the best part was the pure white of Harry’s death. After such a dark movie, this contrast is brilliant. Literally.

A few great lines:

Harry, to parents and “uncles” Sirius and Remus: “Why are you here?” Answer: “We never left.”

Dumbledore, in the white King’s Cross: “You wonderful boy. You brave, brave man.”

Also from Dumbledore: “Words are our most invaluable source of magic.”

Let’s also note that JK Rowling had producer credit on both parts of HP7, so extra credit to her for an awesome wrap-up of an unequaled series. This one, of course, gets five nods from me. * * * * *

 Enjoy!

Oddly, this is my second post with this title, but this time it refers to the movie Stranger Than Fiction. But maybe it’s not odd, since there are no less than six different films — unrelated — of this same title. But I’m talking about the Will Ferrell one from 2006. The other night, while staying up to catch the lunar eclipse, I popped this movie in. Anyone who writes fiction will love this movie for obvious reasons, but so will everyone who enjoys consuming stories… as well as people who identify with slight obsessive-compulsive tendencies. And IRS agents. And people being audited. Basically, this movie is for everyone.

There are early clues that this story is going to be told in an unconventional way, as writing appears right on the screen during the opening sequence to give the audience a visual display of IRS agent Harold Crick’s (Ferrell) affinity for numbers and counting. Soon, we are introduced to the idea that the soothing female voice doing voice-overs (Emma Thompson) is actually audible to Harold. I mean, he notices her talking about him, narrating his life. The stakes are set when we hear our trusty narrator forecasting an early death for poor Mr. Crick.

From here it gets a little confusing as the story starts some seemingly  unrelated threads of other characters. Don’t worry, you’ll get it on the second viewing.  This is one of those lovely movies that brings it all together at the end and ties a neat bow. This is a feel-good movie that has some intelligent fun with fiction, IRS agents, literary professors and bakers, with a twist of romance mixed in.

You’ll enjoy it. Here’s a cute clip. Notice how Harold sits in the accordion part of the double bus. The whole movie is smart yet subtle like that.

Four nods to this one!

It’s PG-13, but personally I don’t know what age I’d recommend on this one. I watched with my preteens, and since I’m a nazi about people not sleeping together on the first date, I didn’t even have to say anything. They know where I stand. Other than that, I don’t recall language or violence issues — unless you count the multiple ways the narrator imagines of killing herself… but I found those comical. Sick me.

Enjoy!

Family and I are on a wild and crazy trip to Yellowstone National Park this week. Having an absolutely spiffing time!

I keep noticing something, as we see these rather unearthly structures and vegetation and all-around ruggedity. “Wow!” I thinks to meself, “This should be in my next book.”

But the next thought is quite often this: “Hmm, doesn’t this remind me of something?” And in this context, something means some story…

Like the natural hot springs, steam vents and geysers reminded me a bit of the Bog of Eternal Stench from Labyrinth, while the strange fields of low-growing greyish shrubs are obviously snide fields from my favorite Dr. Seuss story.*

So, while I am perhaps not the first writer to want to include Yellowstone’s wonders in my fiction, I’m at least among good friends this week.

Truly, it’s all been done. But never by me, and so I guess I’m okay.**

Enjoy!

* “What was I scared of?” short inside The Sneetches.
** Dark secret about being a writer — you really must have a strong, healthy opinion of yourself to believe that anyone will want to pay money just for the privilege of hearing your lies.

Human / Visitor relations

Well, at the request of my loyal fans, I’ve got some thoughts about the “V” premiere from Tuesday. I shuffled my tail down to my mother’s house for a DVR session on her big screen Wednesday.

I have to agree that it was a little disappointing, but you saw my over-the-top expectations so… in a way, I expected to be disappointed. However, here are the good points of the premiere:

1. They understand sci-fi storytelling pretty well. They answered the important audience questions of believability when they arose, for the most part. For example, when Anna’s HEUGE image first appears on the underbelly of the starship, she speaks in English. I had barely formed the “oh yeah?” question about her speaking English when the scene cut to television images of other cities, where Anna was speaking the native language of each region. Good save, guys. And good implications. These aliens know more about us than we think. They know our languages, yet they’ve just arrived? Hmmmm, she says, with a sinister eyebrow raise.

2. Anna did beautifully in her role. Her interview with Chad Decker (I can’t stop thinking of “Party of Five” when I see him — and what’s with his teeth? Are they dentures?) was wonderfully tense, and made you wonder what Chad is made of. And Chad, in my opinion, is in the most interesting character position, rubbing up directly with the main villain. I’m interested to see what scuffles they put him in and what decisions he makes. I hope they build him into someone more than just a pawn. He’s positioned to be a rook, at least, against this queen. Maybe even a knight.

3. SPOILER ALERT! Alan Tudyk — okay, could they have blindsided us more with his — ahem — reptilian side? Wash is an alien! I was sort of sad, because I love Alan and wanted him with the good guys. Well, my big hope is that his character arc includes him becoming a traitorous visitor and fighting with the humans. Can they twist him back around over the course of a season? I think so, and it would be divine storytelling. But will they? Not sure. Think Alias, guys! Twist those characters! Shapeshift them! We love it!

4. And speaking of traitorous visitors, I am so glad they are setting up more than a good humans/bad visitors dynamic. They’ve hinted at all sorts of shades of gray. Ryan Nichols as the visitor that has gone native, who promises that there are other traitors that will help the humans. Now, just because we see reptilian underbody, we can’t assume they are bad. NICE. Then, we have Erica Evans son, Tyler, joining the young nazis ambassador program and getting entangled with the visitors. Will he be used unwittingly against his people, or even willingly choose to fight with the visitors?

Okay, so there are some great mystery boxes set in place during this pilot. (I’m calling it a pilot, though that may not be the correct term since the show is picked up already [for now].) Here are the problems:

1. Biggest problem, I think, is that it was an hour pilot rather than a ninety-minute pilot. Sci-fi needs those extra minutes to establish a) the world, b) the problem and c) the characters fully. So, we got the world, the problem, but we were a little thin on the characters. All the character threads had to be set in motion, and it’s a large cast to introduce. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Firefly pilot must have been ninety. It had to introduce nine crewmembers, all coming from very different backgrounds and with distinct motivations. “V” needed ninety. In sixty, we got a little about each of the main character’s backgrounds, but we didn’t get more than cliche motivations and value systems. Of course Erica goes running to find her only son at a time of crisis. Of course Ryan runs to his fiance. Ho, hum.

Here’s what I hope: that future episodes explore deeply ONE main character’s conundrum rather than trying to move all the characters forward equally in each episode. Use the story to tell us something deeper about someone. Don’t skim the surface with all of them at once. Trade off. Do I think this will happen? Not sure.

2. Other problem. I saw the story being butchered a couple times. Gives strength to my theory that there may be a lot of cooks in this kitchen. For example, the most important line of the hour, the climax — the thesis, if you will — was this (wording is not exact):

They [the visitors] are forging a terrible weapon here. Devotion.

Waaa? Devotion is not a weapon. You can’t hit someone with Devotion. Devotion is something they give you. The story required the use of the word at the other end of that stick — a much more important word. A word that tells what you (the visitor) are hitting people with. What you are giving them and then turning around and using against them. Do you know what that word is? It’s upstream from DEVOTION. It’s a four-letter word…

Got it? Leave your guess in the comments. Come on. We all know what makes a great story. We are consumers of story all our lives. What word did they need to use there?

And why didn’t they use it?

My theory is that someone thought it would be construed as some kind of political statement. So they sacrificed the storytelling. I found that pretty cowardly. Tell the bold story. People may read into your words things you didn’t intend, but at least they’ll feel something. DEVOTION was a cowardly choice. The story required a word that has been used and misused over the centuries! The same word used by Hitler and Jesus. By devils and gods –  just what the visitors are.

So what word is it?

Oh my gosh. I was a huge fan of the original TV miniseries “V”, which I was shocked to realize I must have seen at the age of 6-7, since it came out in 1983-4. It has stuck with me all these years. I must not be the only one, because you’ll notice it’s available on DVD. Go put it in your queue. I’ll wait. Don’t forget the “final battle” discs.

I have to tell you, I’m stoked about ABC reinventing the series for TV — premiere on Tuesday, November 3. My expectations are thru da rufe, so I hope I’m not disappointed in this promising new series.

But how could I not be excited? Here’s what they have going for them:

1. Major alien girl power

Here’s the original series’ “Diana”:

and now we’re updated with the absolute perfect casting choice of Morena Baccarin (Inara from Firefly) as “Anna”:

I also see that Elizabeth Mitchell from “Lost” is in it, but since I’m like the only non-Lost fan alive, I’ll mention her as a footnote.

2. Character focus

That’s what made the original V great — it was all about the characters, and how they responded differently to the new alien “friends”. On the ABC.com – V site, there’s an obvious character bend to the new series, with character bio links in center stage.

3. Sci-fi writers/producers

Well, this could be a plus or a minus. We’ll have to see. Looks like the writer/producer team is from the original series, as well as a similar series that I never got into called “Alien Nation” and a later one I never saw (but am going to check out) called “The 4400″ about alien abductees coming back to earth.

The good thing is that these guys are obviously committed to sci-fi, but it may mean that they will be a bit formulaic on character development. That worries me. “Lois & Clark” was great because it was created not by marvel comics enthusiasts but by Deborah Joy LeVine who thought she could make it into a romantic comedy. And the new Star Trek movie was so great as it was put in the action-storyteller hands of J.J. Abrams, who is a self-described non-Trekkie.

Sometimes the best things come when you mix genres. So we’ll see. Can they take a great sci-fi premise and create a gripping character drama? I’m crossing my fingers. Especially since it looks like Alan Tudyk is cast as well. All we need is Mal and Zoe and I’ll start shedding tears!

Now, there are rumors that the studio hasn’t liked the new “V” scripts, and other quibbles, so I hope the right persons get their way. Of course, the “right persons” are never the execs, but always the writers.

TiVo it for Tuesday! As a non-TVer, I’ll be checking it out online.