Tag Archives: harry potter

Harry Potter Obsession

J. K. Rowling’s Books

If you are a Harry Potter fan, you have most likely read all of J.K. Rowling’s books. If you are not a reader, then you watch the Warner Bros. movies. They grabbed your attention, and you couldn’t get away. The obsession with the Harry Potter stories is worldwide, whether it’s the books or just the movies, or both. The story is one that the whole family can experience together, and I highly recommend it. When your family decides to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, snuggle up because it’s time to share a much darker and deeper Harry Potter movie than the earlier ones.

Moviegoers’ first reaction to Half-Blood Prince is how much those kids have grown up. They look so much older, and the story grows with them and gets darker. The actors surpassed their adolescence, and the characters have mastered their wizard training. If you have read the book, you are aware of the movie’s overall plot and outcome.

Sure. The story is darker, and Harry Potter learns more about Voldemort’s dark secrets and how to overpower the evil wizard once and for all. One main character in the story will perish, which is a pivotal point in Rowling’s series and may be hard to bear.

Harry Potter Books or Movies?

Those surveyed indicated that 50% had read the books before seeing the Harry Potter movies. The other 50% split between seeing the films and then deciding to read the books, and never reading the books at all.

Yates Directs Harry Potter Movies

David Yates directs the movie, and he is by far the best director of the franchise, as evidenced by his return to finish the last three installments after directing Order of the Phoenix.

Yates’s experience as a British television director keeps the story above the special effects. Yates told IMDB, “I like to create an atmosphere where actors feel safe enough to take risks. I certainly don’t believe in being a macho bully. I’m not interested in frightening good work out of people. It’s bollocks,” he continues. “In an ideal world, I’d bounce between big projects and no-budget TV dramas with fantastic scripts. Many Hollywood films tend to be bloated, bombastic, and loud. At the same time, I do like the infrastructure of making a blockbuster; it’s like having a big train set.”

Young Tom Riddle

In Half-Blood Prince, we discover detailed information about the young Tom Riddle, the boy. He eventually grows up to be Lord Voldemort, played brilliantly by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, the nephew of Ralph Fiennes. Ralph Fiennes plays Voldemort, which makes the casting quite a family affair.

Another new cast member of the franchise is Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, the new potions teacher, a plot-driven character in the Harry Potter story. Broadbent’s resume is extensive and probably one of the most favored character actors in the U.K. and the U.S.

Rowling’s Final Scene

So, sit down with your family and enjoy the sixth installment of the Harry Potter films. At the end of the movie, Harry reflects with Ron and Hermione on the difference between him and Voldemort. It’s a meaningful line and poignant, which is why we read Rowling’s series and flock to see Harry Potter movies.

“Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Mobile Game”

Even though we read the books, watch the movies, and see spin-offs like Fantastic Beasts, a Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Mobile Game offers a chance to play a game set in the franchise. The mobile game is just another way to enjoy Harry Potter.

Play the video promoting the new game, and you will see some reactions to the game from real Harry Potter talent, like one of the Phelps brothers. The game launch at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando was exciting and eventful for those who attended.

It is one of the first games where players experience being a character they choose and a Hogwarts student.

Future of Harry Potter

With spin-offs from Harry Potter stories, the new television series, the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the theme parks, and mobile games, you walk into a Barnes & Noble bookstore and see Harry Potter fandom from the original story, Fantastic Beasts. Anything is possible with such a fantasy story.

Rowling’s work inspires people to dream and to be part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, or to write their own fantasy books where families and friends bond, sharing a fanciful reality.

What We Did on Our Holiday

whatwedidThere are several things that I really liked about What We Did on Our Holiday. It is a Scottish comedy, and it takes place in the Scottish Highlands. The subtle jokes are funny, but you have to be a Scot or familiar with the culture to really understand them. The movie follows three children of estranged parents.  All played wonderfully by Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge, and Harriet Turnbull.

The movie has two directors, Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. After their notable success of their BBC series Outnumbered, they weave an unsteady story about a family visiting their children’s grandfather, played truthfully by Billy Connolly. He is dying of cancer, so his whole family is celebrating his 75th birthday with a huge weekend bash as a final good-bye.

The parents of the three children, Doug, played by Harry Potter’s (David Tennant), his wife Abi, played by Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike, are divorcing and hope to keep it a secret from the rest of their family. They tell their children not to let anyone know about their pending divorce while visiting them over weekend. Keeping a secret or lying about one’s parents has an effect on the children, and they end up telling their grandfather the truth.

The parents are constantly battling over issues such as telling the truth even if the truth is sad or shocking.  It is not just Doug and Abi who are having a rough time.  The children’s aunt and uncle (Doug’s brother and sister-in-law) are going through some rough times in their marriage as well.

The story really gets interesting when the children go to the beach with their grandfather and he passes away on the beach. Before he passes away, he tells them he is a descendent of the Vikings, and he wants to be burned out at sea like his Viking ancestors did long, long time ago.

So, the oldest daughter goes back to the house to tell the parents that grandfather passed away. But, their parents are arguing as the rest of the family is too. They are so busy arguing that they don’t even know the daughter is there and needs their attention. She decides to go back and handle the remains of grandfather instead. The children honor his wishes and burn him at sea like a Viking, which has repercussions in the 21st Century Scotland.

Other theatrics involving the repercussions of the Viking funeral and other family problems are quite funny. The fast-paced editing keeps the story moving and ties together nicely like the ending of a Scottish tale.