Goodbye Harry Potter Options

[SapphireGypsy]

*gasp* How can you not like the books? There's so much more story in them than the movies! There are large portions of Goblet of Fire that really make no sense unless you know what's going on.

[Gordon_D]

Sapph - it's not so much "I dislike the books" as "once I saw the movies, I kind of spoiled the books for myself". I probably should revisit/start reading the books - after all, I live really close to a library

[SapphireGypsy]

Ah... I follow now. I did that with the first one. My mom tried to get me to read it but I kept telling her it was a kids book... so when she dragged me to the movie I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I had this idea in my head of what it was going to be and then it wasn't at all like that.

I didn't go back and read the first book I simply read from there, until recently that is. I realized that after all this time I'd never actually READ the first book.... and boy was I missing some stuff.

[Lisa Moore]

The audio books read by Jim Dale are pretty awesome if you want to "read" them that way. heh Here's a snippet from the first book I found on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwhZKlWWR3Y

[doombug]

The other thing I forgot with Snape and especially that last book/movie....the whole tease that James may not have been Harry's real father. In the books she's a lot more vague with the hints, in the movie it seemed like they were directly pointing out that Snape could have been his father with the patronus dialogue.

[Lisa Moore]

The other thing I forgot with Snape and especially that last book/movie....the whole tease that James may not have been Harry's real father. In the books she's a lot more vague with the hints, in the movie it seemed like they were directly pointing out that Snape could have been his father with the patronus dialogue.

Wow, I have never heard that theory. Nonsense. lol

[doombug]

Wow, I have never heard that theory. Nonsense. lol

It's not a theory though, it's teased/hinted at in both the last book and this very movie.

James was kind of a dick at the end of the day though. Snape had a legitimate grudge with him.

[Gonzogoose]

Eric, honestly, dude, I think you're high, man, or were when you read the book and watched the film. I say that jokingly of course. But I did not get that out of the book AT ALL. I haven't seen the film yet, but no, I think you're mistaken.

[doombug]

Eric, honestly, dude, I think you're high, man, or were when you read the book and watched the film. I say that jokingly of course. But I did not get that out of the book AT ALL. I haven't seen the film yet, but no, I think you're mistaken.

Nope, there are fans who go on and on about this stuff.

Honestly my personal belief is that of course James is Harry's father but Rowling left that stuff in there to screw with people.

I do find it odd that Lupin and the crew were basically bullies to poor Snape though. it's the one thing I always strongly disliked about the books.

[SapphireGypsy]

Harry could only speak parsel tongue because of the piece of Voldemort's soul... they say that directly in both the book AND the movie.

[doombug]

Harry could only speak parsel tongue because of the piece of Voldemort's soul... they say that directly in both the book AND the movie.

Yeah. I was talking the whole Lilly's patronus being the same as Snape's thing.

Unless you weren't talking to me in which case....hey look! A distraction!

[Dianthrax]

Yeah. I was talking the whole Lilly's patronus being the same as Snape's thing.

Unless you weren't talking to me in which case....hey look! A distraction!

That really doesn't prove anything since a person's Patronus can change shape. It was always my understanding that Snape's changed after he got Lily killed as a sort of tribute to his love and his memory of her, and a reminder of his guilt and why his mission was so important.

Plus how many times do we hear that Harry looks so very much like his father (James) only with his mother's eyes? I've read the books several times & while I have yet to see the final film I can say with some confidence that I've never come across any kind of literary device used to hint at or cast any doubt that James was not Harry's real father.

It also doesn't make sense in the larger scheme of the series as a whole. There's a general theme of the importance of loyalty and family and how love will win out in the end, and even though the divorce rate in the UK peaked in 1990 (when Rowling started writing the series) and she was separated & raising a daughter on her own in 1993, there are no real divorced characters or broken-up families within the series. I can't really think of any, and if there are then they aren't very prominent. In the magical world families stay together until death and honorable characters don't lie or cheat, although they may keep secrets.

There's no way the character Lily Potter would be unfaithful to her husband, conceive a child that wasn't his, then lie to him and to the real father about who his biological dad is. It just doesn't fit.

Plus Harry's Patronus is a stag- the animal his Animagus father chose as his 2nd form, and both he and James were talented Quidditch Seekers. There's no solid evidence that we're "supposed" to wonder if it's anyone else, even Snape.

(Yeah- I'm one of those kinds of people/fans. You think this is bad you should hear me go off about Supernatural

And just for the sake of clarification, I don't read in the tub because I need to get clean and just can't stop reading; I do it because I consider taking baths to be one of my hobbies & reading while soaking in hot water & covered in bubbles is just awesome...

In fact one of my goals is to eventually have the perfect bathroom with a giant marble jacuzzi tub & a big flat-screen TV + gaming system mounted into the opposite wall so that I can watch TV/movies and play video games with wireless controllers while taking a soak too. There'd also be a mini-fridge...did I mention that I'm really into taking baths?

*Sigh* I'd freaking kill to have even just an hour in the Prefects bathroom described in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...

[SapphireGypsy]

That really doesn't prove anything since a person's Patronus can change shape. It was always my understanding that Snape's changed after he got Lily killed as a sort of tribute to his love and his memory of her, and a reminder of his guilt and why his mission was so important.

THIS! Perfect example is when Tonks' changed shape. I think Mad Eye tells her that her new one looks weak and he liked the other one better.

I'm not sure where people are getting this idea that Snape was Harry's dad... but they're reading things that don't exist.

[cougar18]

THIS! Perfect example is when Tonks' changed shape. I think Mad Eye tells her that her new one looks weak and he liked the other one better.

I'm not sure where people are getting this idea that Snape was Harry's dad... but they're reading things that don't exist.

Apparently Harry Potter has now made more money than Star Wars.

I am kinda happy to see this happen, mainly because I so despise the Episodes 1-3. It's like George Lucas dropped a massive turd onto all Star Wars fans when he made them.
The episode of Spaced where they addressed it summed up how many fans felt towards the series even though it only focussed, at the time, on the Phantom Menace. Funny too, since Peter Serafinowicz, who starred in Spaced and Shaun of the Dead, voiced Darth Maul.

What I mostly wish would happen is that people grab a book not written by JK Rowling, or a graphic novel, and continue the journey of reading. Movies always cut and trim something, but the book is often the best source of adventure.

Unfortunately, when a book is adapted, especially with a smaller following than HP, the result is often awful. Don't believe me? Check the latest news where Tom Cruise has been cast as Jack Reacher, One Chance's main character who is 6 ft 5 and muscled. Not a 5ft 7 inch crazy midget.
(Apologies to those who are staturally challenged, no apologies to Scientologists.)

[Gordon_D]

What I mostly wish would happen is that people grab a book not written by JK Rowling, or a graphic novel, and continue the journey of reading. Movies always cut and trim something, but the book is often the best source of adventure.

On that note, let me suggest the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. Imagine a Douglas Adams/Terry Pratchett/Monty Python-esque take on classic literature. And even that is inaccurate. They're imaginative, fun, and I think you'll like them a lot. (Especially if you're a Potter fan, and I promise in return to reread the Rowling books)

Unfortunately, when a book is adapted, especially with a smaller following than HP, the result is often awful. Don't believe me? Check the latest news where Tom Cruise has been cast as Jack Reacher, One Chance's main character who is 6 ft 5 and muscled. Not a 5ft 7 inch crazy midget.
(Apologies to those who are staturally challenged, no apologies to Scientologists.)

And casting a 5'7" midget in the role? A Hollywood producer's idea of "creative risk taking"

[Ron Fortier]

Okay, off the Tom Cruise side-track, please.. It's clearly demonstrated in the books and movies that Snape's love of Lily was unrequited, that she in turned loved him as a friend. Period. It was a love he never relinquished, even when James came into the picture. Her death wounded him forever and
his true loyalty to Harry was cemented from that moment on. As Harry tells his son at the end, "He was the bravest man I ever knew."
Nuff said.

This post has been edited by Ron Fortier: Jul 21 2011, 05:46 PM

[cougar18]

On that note, let me suggest the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. Imagine a Douglas Adams/Terry Pratchett/Monty Python-esque take on classic literature. And even that is inaccurate. They're imaginative, fun, and I think you'll like them a lot. (Especially if you're a Potter fan, and I promise in return to reread the Rowling books)



And casting a 5'7" midget in the role? A Hollywood producer's idea of "creative risk taking"

I never read a HP book, read Lord of the Rings, as well as The Chronicles of Narnia, Discworld, Shannara, and others. Have to thank my brother for saving me from hating reading.

At about 14/15 years old I was nearly turned away from reading. That year, we had to study Oliver Twist, and the teacher we had took the entire year to read the book(seriously), and we still had no idea what the book was about, which was difficult when it came to exam time. Guy barely took the time to touch on the themes of the book, such as the latent anti-semiticism. Had that English teacher for three freaking years, where we studied only two books, Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, and Oliver Twist. No poetry, just that. From what I observed with other students of other English teachers were that they were infinitely superior to the awful teacher we he was. Frikkin' public schools.

My older brother picked up two books, The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett, and Jingo, also by Terry Pratchett. He kept Jingo, but gave me The Last Continent. I finished the book in 5 days, and never put it down. Showed me how diverse books were, and since then I am a book junkie, among other hobbies. I owe him alot for that, and other things.

I'll check out those books, definitley. They sound like fun.