On Tuesday, Movieline.com had an interesting piece about how Hollywood stunt people are lobbying for their own category at the Academy Awards. They feel that their contributions to films deserve to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Until I read the article, this idea had never even crossed my mind, but I have to say I am totally in support of it.
There is definitely precedent for adding another category. Every so often AMPAS adds a new category or modifies an existing category. The most recent addition was Best Animated Feature, which was added in 2001. I think it's fitting that the categories evolve as the film industry evolves. There are two categories for sound (Sound Editing and Sound Mixing) and three categories for short films (Animated, Live-Action, and Documentary) so why not add a new category for stunts?
The people who are against this proposition say that stunts are included in the Visual Effects category, but that's just not true. There is a difference between VISUAL effects and SPECIAL effects. Special effects used to be the industry term for everything that cannot be achieved by normal means (space travel, monsters, etc.) but since the dawn of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), the term special effects has been modified to mean the effects that are created on set and visual effects are the CGI elements added in post-production.
For example, take the burning building sequence in Spiderman where Peter saves the baby.Director Sam Raimi chose to use real fire on set as opposed to adding it digitally in post-production (which saves A LOT of money), so the special effects team had to come up with a way to make it appear as if the building were on fire without actually burning it to the ground. It also had to be completely safe so Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe didn't get burned. So here's what they did: They built a building with an interior shell made of concrete so the building wouldn't catch on fire and then hid serrated pipes in the walls. Gas was pumped through the pipes which were then set on fire, thus creating the illusion that the building was on fire. That's special effects. And since stunt people do all their work on set, the category of Best Visual Effects does not include them.
Just like CGI and special effects, stunt people are an integral part of making action movies. No matter how awesome Hugh Jackman's six-pack is (he might be at, like, a ten-pack by now, but anyway...) there is no way the producers of a $100 million dollar movie are going to let him do all his own stunts. No one wants to be responsible for killing Wolverine, so they have stunt performers do the dangerous stuff. Stunt men and women are trained in everything from karate to gymnastics to scuba-diving to stunt driving, so they know how to perform dangerous stunts without getting hurt.
Another argument against adding a stunt category is that stunt people, much like magicians, don't want their secrets revealed. If they do their job right, an audience shouldn't be able to tell when it's the actor and when it's a stunt person. I think this is a ridiculous argument because the same can be said for CGI. If CGI is done well, the audience shouldn't even know it's there. Bad visual effects can distract movie-goers, so the best visual effects are the invisible ones. (Christopher Nolan is a master at this.)
If AMPAS adds a stunt category, there still remains one question: Should the category be Best Stunt Coordinator, which would be an award that encompasses all the movie's stunts, or should the category be Best Stunt, which would highlight just one spectacular stunt? I think the award should be given to the Stunt Coordinator because that would be awarding the stunt team as a whole. It would be really difficult to choose just one stunt. Think about it: most action sequences are a combination of dozens of stunts anyway. It's rare that a stunt stands alone. Awarding an Oscar to one stunt would be like giving an Oscar to one costume.
If you want a really good look at how the stunt coordinator and stunt performers work, I would recommend watching the documentary about the stunts in The Lord of Rings: The Two Towers. If you own the extended editions it's on the fourth disc. It's a really great in-depth look at how hard they work. It's also kind of mind-blowing to watch human beings throw themselves off 30-foot-tall walls and jump up smiling.
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007)
Originally, Helen McCrory was cast as Bellatrix Lestrange, but she had to drop out when she got pregnant and Helena Bonham Carter got the role. McCrory was later cast as Narcissa Malfoy. Hard to imagine anyone else playing Bellatrix, right?
At 7pm EST Warner Brothers released the final theatrical trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This is the last Harry Potter trailer. EVER. I started crying from the very first moment. This is probably the most epic trailer I've ever seen. It's fast-paced, exciting, sad, intense, [insert more hyperbolic adjectives] and it shows just enough to make you want to see more.
This trailer focuses mainly on The Battle of Hogwarts. Aside from the Gringotts break-in, the entire movie is going to be the battle. SO MUCH happens during the battle that it will be easy to fill out the movie, but it looks like the filmmakers have added even more. In the book we only see it from Harry's point of view, but of course there's so much else happening and clearly we're going to get to see a lot more than is written.
So let's dive right in, shall we?
BEWARE OF SPOILERS THROUGHOUT
The trailer begins with Lily talking to a crying baby Harry moments before her death. She says, "Harry. Be safe. Be strong." This got me teary right off the bat because it was so unexpected. I love Lily so much and I'm sad that she's been left out of the movies. Even in death her connection with Harry is very powerful and her influence informs a lot of Harry's actions throughout the series.
Then there are a couple of shots from previous films with the tagline "Every moment he's lived has led to this." There's a shot of the Quidditch pitch from Half-Blood Prince and then there is a GENIUS cut to a shot of the pitch in flames. Hogwarts Castle is clearly going to be unrecognizable by the end.
More lightning fast shots of previous films. There's a creepy shot of dementors outside Hogwarts and we hear Snape saying, "You've kept him alive so he can die at the proper moment." This is from The Prince's Tale. When I read about this particular memory for the first time, it got my heart pounding and my tears flowing because it's the moment when you (and Harry) realize that he must die in order to defeat Voldemort.
Next is a shot of Voldemort saying, "Bring him to me" to Lucius Malfoy. Can I just take a moment to say how amazing the make-up artist for the Potter films is? Ever since his very first scene in Goblet of Fire Voldemort's make-up has been pitch-perfect. He has those creepy looking veins all over his head. Ralph Fiennes is wearing a bald cap and a prosthetic piece on his forehead that removes his eyebrows and gives him that perpetually angry look. His nose is removed digitally, obviously. It's just perfect.
Then there are shots of the Gringotts break-in including the journey into the depths of the bank and the dragon busting its way out. We hear Ron saying, "If we can find him, we can end this." We see the trio on the dragon's back and then they jump into the lake.
I love the next shot of the Death Eaters outside Hogwarts. There are just SO many of them. In the books only about 15 Death Eaters are given names, so sometimes I forget how many followers Voldie has.
As I've said before, one of the things I'm most looking forward to is seeing McGonagall in full-on battle mode. Maggie Smith had been battling breast cancer during the filming of these movies and I was so worried that she would not make it to the end. I'm so happy she got better because, though she has limited screen time, she always makes an impression. McGonagall is the most bad-ass 70-year-old I've ever read about and once Snape jumps out the window and flees, she's in charge. She rallies the other teachers, animates the suits of armor and statues, and casts protective enchanments over the school. Some of my favorite moments from the books are when the teachers take charge. McGonagall in Deathly Hallows is my favorite, but a close second is Dumbledore at the end of Goblet of Fire when he learns Voldemort has returned. He just keeps his cool and starts giving out orders without a moment's hesitation.
So we hear McGonagall say, "Hogwarts is threatened! Man the boundaries! Protect us!" I love that manical laugh we hear during her line. Do you hear it? That must be Voldemort. There are more shots of the suits of armor and then we see Minerva and Molly on the steps of Hogwarts.
We hear Harry saying, "I have to go back. Haven't I?" Who knows when this could be...
We hear someone say, "It's a suicide mission." I'm guessing this is Aberforth Dumbledore. It sounds like an old man and this is probably his pessimistic response to the trio wanting to go back to Hogwarts.
That voice-over plays over shots of Lupin and Tonks reaching for each other. These shots keep getting played in these trailers. I think this is right before they die.
For the zillionth time we hear Voldemort saying, "The boy who lived, come to die." It's a fantastic line straight from the book, but I've heard it so many times that the awesome-ness has worn off and it won't be as exciting in the theater at midnight. Oh well...
Also for the zillionth time we hear that same exact shout/yell from Voldemort. It plays at 1:11 in this trailer (and many other times in this trailer as well). Go back and watch the 2 previous trailers and count how many times you hear it. If you don't feel like doing that let me just say it's A LOT.
There are more shots of the battle raging on in Hogwarts including an cool shot of an angry looking giant with the Death Eaters.
I love this next shot of Lucius Malfoy. He looks so beaten down and battle-worn. I'm excited to see the Malfoy family's plotline in the film. I love Jason Isaacs (Lucius) because he is a ginormous Potter fan. He just genuinely loves the books and he is so great when it comes to interacting with fans and dropping bits of fun information in interviews. He recently did an interview where he said that he and David Yates (the director) came up with a great ending for the Malfoys. In the book we just see them awkwardly by themselves in the Great Hall after the battle is won, but it would be great if they had more of an ending in the movie.
Then we hear Harry saying, "Tell them how it happened that night! How you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him." Clearly this is Harry confronting Snape about Dumbldore's death. They are in the Great Hall surrounded by students. There's one thing I don't understand about this scene: Why is Harry wearing Hogwarts robes? For the rest of the battle he is in that brown jacket and jeans. Does he change or something? Hmmm....
At 1:32 we hear that same Voldie yell again.
Harry says, "I never wanted any of you to die for me."
And now for my FAVORITE shot in this trailer: Ron holding Hermione close to him as they both cry. It's very intimate, but also very sad. The filmmakers completely botched Harry and Ginny's relationship in these movies. Dan and Bonnie were given almost nothing to work with, thus they have very little chemistry on screen. I'm hoping that this shot and the others of Ron and Hermione mean that their relationship stays true to the book. They both have anguished looks on their faces, so I'm thinking this is either when Fred dies (the rubble around them suggests the collapsed wall) OR this is when Hagrid brings "dead" Harry up to the castle. One of my favorite parts of Goblet of Fire is when Harry returns to Hogwarts with Cedric's body after the graveyard. The slow realization of the students and teachers is incredibly chilling. (Fleur's scream always freaks me out). I think the scene where everyone sees Harry's body will be a hundred times scarier.
Then we get to see Harry with resurrected Lily, James, Lupin, and Sirius and they speak lines directly from the book. No matter how many times I read it, this part of the book makes me cry, especially Harry's line when he asks about the killing curse, "Does it hurt?" I hope that's in the movie.
More shots of the battle: Fiend Fire, acromantualas....
And we come to my least favorite part of the trailer. See my prior trailer analysis for my angry rant.
And for the THIRD time we hear that Voldie yell.
More shots of action.... I don't have the attention span to write about it all....
Then at 2:04 we see Ron and Hermione running away from something. This is a new scene that has been added. In the book while Harry is searching for Ravenclaw's diadem, Ron and Hermione go to the Chamber of Secrets to collect Basilisk fangs to destroy the remaining horcruxes. In the movie we get to see them do this. In the Chamber they get chased by some sort of water demon.
For the zillionth time we hear Voldemort say, "Only I can live forever." Stop kidding yourself, Tom...
I really like the two shots of Harry and Voldemort crawling towards the Elder Wand.
And at 2:13 we hear the Voldie yell for the FOURTH time. You're never going to be able to watch this trailer without noticing that now. You're Welcome.
The trailer ends with some zip-bam-boom shots of the battle and then there is a deep ominous version of Hedwig's Theme as the title card appears.
When Warner Brothers released the theatrical trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II a few months ago I assumed it was the last one because new trailers aren't usually released so close to the film release. (It's exactly a month away.) Well, we all know what happens when you assume...
Warner Brothers announced today that the final trailer will be released tomorrow, June 16th, at 7pm EST.
For the last few movies WB has, in my opinion, released way too much of the film beforehand. For Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part I there were so many trailers and clips released that I felt like I had seen so much of the movie before it came out. I had seen so much that I knew what was coming in some of the scenes and that detracted from the experience of seeing the movie for the first time. I really hope this doesn't happen again, but I have a feeling it will. The clips usually start appearing after the final trailer, so my plan is to stop watching things after this trailer.
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE (2005)
Director Andrew Adamson wanted a genuine reaction from Georgie Henley (Lucy) when she first discovers Narnia, so he blindfolded her when she was brought to the set. When he took the blindfold off, he told her to just wander and look around and he had the steady-cam operator follow her and film her reaction.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and THE HURT LOCKER (2008)
Both films shot in many of the same locations in Jordan and you can see some of the same landmarks in both movies. Both films also went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture 46 years apart.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987)
Mandy Pantinkin (Inigo Montoya) didn't get hurt once during the filming of the many swordfights, but he cracked a rib by holding in his laughter while filming the scene with Billy Crystal (Miracle Max).
The number A113 is hidden in almost all Pixar movies. Many of the animators at Pixar are alumni of CalArts, the animation school founded by Walt Disney, and A113 is the classroom where character animation is taught.
Here are a few places it's hidden:
TOY STORY: A113 is license plate number on Andy's mom's van.
WALL-E: A113 is the directive given to the Axiom that says never to return to Earth
UP: A113 is the courtroom that Carl goes to after he hits the man with his cane
THE INCREDIBLES: A113 is a room in Syndrome's lair
The category of Best Original Song was first introduced at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934. Each year the song writers and composers who are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences (AMPAS) nominate 3-5 songs that were written especially for a film and then the Academy as a whole votes for the best one.
The genre with the most songs on my iPod is Soundtrack. I love movie scores and original movie songs. The right song can make a world of difference to particular scene. In the late 80's to late 90's Disney ruled this category, winning it seven times in 11 years. People often refer to this period as the Second Golden Age of Disney.
However, within the last 10 years or so a new trend has sprung up: Instead of the song fitting into a scene in the movie, the song is more of a companion piece to the film and often plays during the end credits. Usually the song will be lyrics set the movie's score or the other way around, with the movie's score being based on the song.
Here are a few of my favorite Oscar-winning original songs:
"Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
By Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer
"Moon River" is one of the most famous songs ever written for a film. It's a song about having a dream, wanting something greater that what you have now. When we first meet Holly Golightly, she seems like a bit of a floozy with good intentions, but then she sings this song. Holly is sitting on her fire escape in very simple clothes (very unlike the high-fashion she wears the rest of the movie) playing the guitar and singing. I love that this is actually Audrey Hepburn's voice. (She was dubbed in My Fair Lady.) She sings the song with such longing and the audience gets to see a new side to Holly.
"When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt (1998)
By Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz has written some of the most famous musicals of the last 40 years: Wicked, Pocahontas, Godspell, Children of Eden, Enchanted and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, to name a few, but this song is his crowning glory, in my opinion. After years of religious education I didn't think there was yet another way to tell the story of Moses, but when I first saw The Prince of Egypt when I was about 11, I was blown away. This movie is so incredibly well done. It appeals to all age-groups and almost everyone I've talked to finds it incredibly moving. "When You Believe" is sung by Miriam, Moses' sister, and Moses' wife, Tzipporah. The Hebrews' prayers to God have gone unanswered and they are beginning to lose faith. This song lifts their spirits (and the audience's) during their exodus from Egypt. The lyrics, which include some Hebrew, are beautiful. The story of Moses is epic to begin with and this song makes it more so. I get chills when I watch this scene.
"Fame" from Fame (1980)
by Michael Gare and Dean Pitchford
"Fame" is another song about having big dreams, but unlike "Moon River" it is upbeat and more confident-sounding. The singer wants, above all, fame and is willing to do whatever is takes to get there. My mom has the original Fame record album and I first heard this song play on my dad's record player in the kitchen of my house. It got me tapping my toes immediately and the next day I went out and rented the movie. The song plays during an awesome scene where all the kids from the performing arts school dance in the streets and on top of cars in New York City. Recently, there was a remake of Fame and, as with most remakes, it was not nearly as good as the first. The original is the only way to go.
"You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan (1999)
By Phil Collins
The music in Tarzan is different from other animated Disney movies. The songs comment on the scenes instead of the characters actually singing them. A bunch of Disney movies have one or two songs like this ("Circle of Life," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight") but in Tarzan every song is like this EXCEPT for "You'll Be In My Heart." Kala sings a simple version of it to baby Tarzan near the beginning of the movie. Since this is the only song sung by a character, it makes it stand out. The song has the universal messages of acceptance and unconditional love. The full version, sung by Phil Collins, is so uplifting and heart-felt.
"Into The West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
By Howard Shore and Annie Lennox
*SPOILER ALERT*
The thing I love about this song is that a lot of the lyrics are straight from Tolkien's original text:
And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.
Those are the final lines of Frodo's journey in the book. There are different interpretations of what happens to Frodo in the West. I believe the Undying Lands are a metaphor for Heaven, thus Frodo is dying. "Into The West" is about death, but it is not sad, it's hopeful. It's about the beauty of death and how dying means a new beginning. Though the song plays during the end credits, the melody is heard throughout the movie. Interestingly, it plays during scenes about death. For example, there is a huge sweeping version of the melody during one of the most memorable moments from the film, Sam and Frodo on the slopes of Mount Doom. Frodo is ready to give in to the power of the Ring and perish, and Sam saves him. "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!" Check it out.
*END SPOILER ALERT*
"Streets of Philadelphia" from Philadelphia (1993)
By Bruce Springsteen
This song plays during the opening credits of Philadelphia. It is set to images of real people from many walks of life in Philadelphia. The song is a rock ballad about love, loss and change. You listen to it and picture a destitute person with hard life and has very little hope left. I love that this is a Bruce Springsteen song because it shows the incredible range he has.
"My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (1997)
By James Horner and Celine Dion
Many people regard this song as a pop cheese-fest, but I think it's a beautiful song. Jack and Rose's story is one of the most epic love stories of modern times and it deserves a powerful, dramatic song. This is a classic case of lyrics being set to the movie's score, which also won the Academy Award. I'm not a fan of Dion's other music, but there is no denying she an incredible voice. This song is so hard to sing (watch almost any season of American Idol for evidence) and she sings it with real emotion and heart.
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" from Butch Cassidythe Sundance Kid (1969)
By Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
A lot of people don't know that this classic song was originally written for a movie. This scene from Butch Cassidy is one of my all-time favorite Paul Newman scenes. Katharine Ross sits on the handlebars of his bike as they ride through the countryside. The thing I love most about it is that the main characters of the movie are gangsters and criminals, but they are also just people who enjoy the simple things in life like goofing around on a bike. The song is so care-free and fun.
MEAN GIRLS (2004)
Tim Meadows broke his hand right before shooting. Since the movie takes place over an entire school year the explanation was that Mr. Duvall had carpal tunnel.
A little over a month ago, Warner Brothers released the final trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. The last Harry Potter trailer. EVER.
(I know this window in tiny, but if you click on the video once it's playing, it will take you to the bigger Youtube version.)
For almost every HP movie Warner Brothers makes a huge deal out of these trailers and rightly so. They announce exactly when the trailer will be released down to the minute. Fans immediately flock to the fansites and to Youtube (this fan included). Mugglenet.com, my personal favorite fansite, strips their site down to just the trailer on a blank page because the insane amount of traffic they get in the first 3 hours or so often crashes their site.
Let me say that this is not my favorite trailer. Certain parts of it make me a little worried. (Can you guess which part I will angrily rant about?) I prefer the trailer released before Part I that included scenes from both movies:
However, there are lots of things I do like about this trailer, so here's my analysis. It's quite lengthy so if you just want to read my angry rant, scroll down to the bold section. BEWARE OF SPOILERS THROUGHOUT
I really like the way this trailer begins. The very simple version of Hedwig's Theme is really eerie sounding. It's incredible how many different reincarnations Hedwig's Theme has gone through from Sorcerer's Stone to Deathly Hallows. We see shots from The Prince's Tale: Snape at the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow and Young Lily and Petunia. I'm so happy The Prince's Tale is included. It is one of the saddest, most amazing chapters from the book. I'm just hoping it isn't fleeting as Snape's Worst Memory was in Order of the Phoenix. Also, we see a shot of Ravenclaw's diadem. If you look closely, you can see part of "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." It's that sort of attention to detail that makes the super-fans happy.
Then the epic music starts. We hear Voldemort say, "Harry Potter. You have fought valiantly, but you have allowed your friends to die for you, rather than face me yourself." This is almost verbatim from the book. It's the speech Voldemort projects to all of Hogwarts and Hogsmead during the battle as he tries to smoke Harry out. During that voice-over we see shots of Voldemort fighting. Now, here's one of the tricky things they often do in trailers: They set voice-overs to shots of entirely unrelated moments that kinda-sorta fit with the voice-over. For example, when Voldie says "you have allowed your friends to die for you" we see a shot of Voldemort walking barefoot through a room of dead bodies, but it is clearly not at Hogwarts. It's Malfoy Manor and I'm guessing these are Death Eaters he's killed in a rage after our heroes escape at the end of the first movie.
Then there are three shots of Harry, Ron, Griphook and Polyjuice-Potion-Hermione-Bellatrix descending into the depths of Gringotts. We get a good look at the dragon blasting it's way through the Gringotts lobby with the trio on its back. I like that they've made the dragon white, as if it hasn't seen sunlight in a very long time.
And then we have my FAVORITE shot from this trailer: The suit of armor dropping from the ceiling after being animated by McGonagall. Isn't it so epic?? I can't wait to see Maggie Smith in full-on battle mode.
Voldemort has another voice-over saying, "On this night, join me and confront your fate." It plays over more shots of Snape, the Death Eaters, and the battle. It looks like they went all-out when it comes to destroying Hogwarts Castle.
At 0:55 we see a wizard on a broom shouting, "Come on!" You can't really see who it is, but my theory is that it's Oliver Wood, the former Gryffindor quidditch captain. According to Sean Biggerstaff's IMDB page he's in the movie, so why not put him on a broom?
Right after Oliver we see another epic shot of an army of animated suits of armor.
Then there's a shot of Ron saying,"We can end this." This could be from anywhere during the battle, but it looks like he's kneeling (see Hermione standing in the background?) so I think he's kneeling with Fred's body after he's been killed.
We hear Harry saying, "I never wanted any of you to die for me." There's shot of Mrs. Weasley and Ron crying over Fred's body. This shot actually made me gasp the first time I saw it. I have a feeling I'm going to be crying for most of The Battle of Hogwarts which, by the looks of it, is going to be most of the movie. (Tissues. Check. Waterproof Mascara. Check. Somebody's shoulder to cry on. I guess that's whoever is lucky enough to be sitting next to me, stranger or not.)
Then there's a shot of Hermione crying and hugging Harry. Now, I've heard two different ideas of when this may be. Some people have told me it's right before Harry's walk to the Forbidden Forest as Hermione realizes what he's going to do. Other people think it's a hug of relief after Voldemort is dead. In the book, Harry doesn't tell anyone what he's doing, but they may have changed it. I just don't know.
At 1:06 we see Tonks and Lupin reaching for each other. I really hope they get a death scene in the movie. It's one of the things I wish was in the book.
At 1:07 there's a wide shot of Hogwarts defenses being broken through. I don't really like how the protective enchantments are made to look like a giant bubble, but then again that's one of those things that is great when you read it, but is not easy to make into a visual.
Okay, now we come to my angry rant. Harry and Voldemort are standing on a ledge and Harry says, "Come on, Tom. Let's finish this the way we started it. Together." He then grabs Voldemort around the neck and pulls him off the ledge and they both plummet to the ground. I do like that Harry uses Voldemort's Muggle name, but other than that, there are so many things wrong with these 5 seconds. First of all, I don't recall reading this in the book. Sure, these movies take artistic license a lot but this is just heresy. Secondly, if Harry has time to say this trying-to-be-epic-but-just-sounding-ridiculous line why doesn't Voldemort just kill him? They are standing SO close together and they both just have their wands at their sides. Wizard duels are all about reflexes, timing and skill and I see none of that here. And finally, the jump. It is SO INCREDIBLY WRONG for Harry to touch Voldemort. At this point in the story, we now know that the reason Harry's scar was so painful when Voldie was near is because of the part of Voldemort's soul that resided within him. This must take place after the forest, so that connection no longer exists, but that does NOT mean that Harry is all of a sudden going to be okay with touching him. The final face-off between The Chosen One and The Dark Lord is what these films have been working towards for the last 10 years and the filmmakers should NOT have messed with it. I'm grumpy.
Really?
There are more shots of the battle (What else is new? blah blah blah) Then we see Ron and Hermione running away from the Fiend Fire in The Room of Requirement and they're holding hands! *fangirl squeal* I hope this means they didn't change the moment when they kiss, which takes place right outside The Room of Requirement.
At 1:27 we see the shots from the duel between Molly Weasley and Bellatrix. This one of my favorite scenes and it is home to one of the most famous lines from all 7 books "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Go Molly. Go Molly.
At 1:28 we hear the exact same shout of "Harry!" from Mr. Weasley that has played in every trailer since the first one for Half-Blood Prince. It's from the scene in HBP when the Death Eaters attack The Burrow.
At 1:30 there's another voice over from Voldemort saying, "Only I can live forever." We all know that's not true, Tom. Why do you kid yourself?
The moment at 1:37 seriously freaks me out. It's Ginny screaming "NO!" and running towards something off screen. This first played in a 30-second TV spot a few months ago and, as it does in the book, it got my heart pounding. This must be when Hagrid is carrying "dead" Harry to the castle.
And finally, at 1:47 we see my least favorite shot from this trailer. "Complete the Journey in 3D." I am so mad that this terrible trend of turning action movies into 3D had tainted Harry Potter. Of course, it will be released in 2D also, but most likely every midnight showing will be in 3D. Grrr.
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
It took the filmmakers so long to cast the part of Scarlett O'Hara that they had to start filming before they had found the right actress. Director Victor Flemming was well into filming the burning of Atlanta sequence before Vivien Leigh was cast.
About a month ago it was announced that the Lord of the Rings extended editions would be re-released in theaters for one day only in order to promote the movies coming out on Blu-Ray. Naturally, when I heard this news I was SO excited. I was 9 when the first one came out. I know tons of young kids saw them in theaters but, at the time, I had no interest. I like to tell people that I was preoccupied with the #1 fantasy franchise of the decade and so the #2 franchise passed me by.
I have a mental list of movies that I wish would be re-released in theaters because I know they will be amazing on the big screen, Lord of the Rings being among them. I think I'm most excited to see Fellowship because I know The Shire and Rivendell (my two favorite locations) will be absolutely gorgeous.
If you haven't seen these movies, this is a great opportunity to get hooked. They are some of the most epic movies ever made and, like most epics, their splendor will be multiplied a hundred-fold on the big screen.
Here are details:
They will be playing in participating AMC theaters across the country. Click here and scroll down this page to find a link the list of participating theaters.
They are being released on three consecutive Tuesdays: Fellowship on June 14, Two Towers on June 21, and Return of the King on June 28.
CASABLANCA (1942)
In many of the scenes between Rick and Ilsa, Humphrey Bogart is standing on a box or sitting on pillows to make him appear taller than Ingrid Bergman. In real life Bogart was about 5'7" and Bergman was almost 5'10". In some scenes, like the "franc for your thoughts" scene, the director had Bergman slouch down to appear shorter.
