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Returning Home - Again

The God Illusion

Going Home

2022

A Change of Direction

Dogs and Pandemics

The Forgotten tenors

Nine Things I will Miss about Thailand

Circles

Just Do It

Ayr on a Shoestring

Oh Lonesome Me

Tipping Point

Movie Reviews

Putting Pen to Paper

A Year to Remember

A Year to Forget

10 Reasons I Cannot Go Home

China Girl

The State of Play

Veggies

Mind Your Language

New Horizons

Injustice

Honeymoon

Taxes and Death

Also-rans

Stinkhorns

Grey is the Colour

Beating Myself Up

Nothing More to Say

Better Late than Never

Staying Put

Musical Chairs

Wanderlust

A Dog's Life

A Sabbatical

A Welcome Diversion

A Guide to Business Ethics

Remembering the Austin Allegro

Our Lords and Masters

In Transit - Part 2

In Transit - Part 1

Nagging Doubts

While Bangkok Burns

An Evening to Remember

Thai Business Malpractice

The New and the Old

Christmas Lights

Groundhog Day

Singapura

Possessions

Adventure is Out There

Education

Grabbing it While You Can

A Few Ups and Many Downs

Limbo

Pack Up Your Old Kit Bag

Salmon

Bananas

Religion

Football

Grateful

Yummy

Ate Two Caesar

Swine Pie

The Thai Rollercoaster

Stuck in the Middle

There's no Regrets

Profit and Loss

Running on Empty

Getting it out Your System

National Mistrust

Bring in the Old, Out with the New

Humility

I am Reviewing, My Situation...

Wat Phrabhat Nam Poo

Today I will Mostly be Eating...

Mortality

The Thai Experience

Wat Khaowong

Reality Bites

Wat Simalais

Amazing Thailand

He Must have a Big Wand

Right Place, Wrong Time

Carousel

Tin

And it does go on

Mangos

Bring Him Home

Resurgence

Protege

Listening to my Reader.

 

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Diary Archive 5.

Diary Archive 4.

Diary Archive 3.

Diary Archive 2.

Diary Archive 1.

 

 

He Must have a Big Wand

Ploy was out yesterday evening so I made a sandwich, opened a bottle of wine, (Semillon/Chardonnay), and before sitting down trawled through our old VCDs to find some movie I hadn't watched in a while. I found a few unmarked DVDs there and put them into the player to see what they were. Yogi Bear, Narnia and finally Harry Potter.

Now I had partially watched Harry Potter 6 the other day and found it so boring I fell asleep in it. This was Harry Potter, The Deathly Hallows Part 1 which offered me the prospect of being left on a cliff hanger finish but with no second DVD. I understand how that works with a TV serial when you have a week to wait, but how does it work when you have months between movies.

I received some criticism from a reader before for perhaps not giving Harry Potter a chance so I sat down with my tuna sandwich determined to make more of an effort. However, if Ploy had not returned mid-movie, I admit I would have given in again, and would have missed our two main protagonists cavorting naked in front of me, although all bits were covered by mist anyway, regrettably in the case of Hermione as she was a huge improvement on the other Harry Potter movie I watched.

I found the whole movie tiresome. Harry Potter is a sort of anti-hero. I would have thought by now his friends and the friends of those protecting him who have died would have realised that he is an imposter. I don't think there was an instance in the movie where he instigated the next move or came up with an idea. Most of the initiative came from Hermione. Ron is the only one who seems to actually be putting any effort in. Those two seem the only ones who care.

I thought about the movie after it finished. I think the reason I didn't warm to it is it is like watching street gangs fight but with wooden sticks instead of knives and guns. Normally my heroes are fighting to save the planet. Superman or Batman or James Bond can be flawed, indeed they should be, but they are fighting for me. Even individuals like John Q who are fighting their own fight are indirectly helping me, (not a great movie, I just wanted to use it to reinforce my point). So I care about them, to a greater or lesser degree. I don't care about Harry Potter and his friends. There is only one real character in the movie I can remember and that is the girl in the coffee shop. She is suitably portrayed as slightly fat and slightly ignorant, (although she can make coffee which I doubt any of our heroes can). Hermione shouts at her to get out of here. I wanted to go to. Yes they are fighting in their own world, a world of vacuous characters with silly names, and I don't care.

The baddies don't seem bad to me. The special effects are repetitive, they run away from those Death Eaters when they appear to be able to just transport themselves wherever they wish. The film is grey and completely lacking in colour as if that is supposed to add to the 'atmosphere'. It has a who's who of British acting talent but even they seemed constrained by the material. Maybe because it is a children's book (and therefore movie) we are not allowing the characters to give full vent to their emotions. But not a single baddie even pulls the wings off a butterfly. People die in the movie in the same way the coyote 'dies' in Road Runner. There is a scene in which Bellatrix appears to 'eat' Hermione's arm, for some time, but when we see her again she has a mark on her arm that looks no more severe than a love bite, (and not one from Harry because he kisses the same as you might kiss your slightly smelly old aunt at Christmas).

One thing I did get from the movie is the male characters are weak. Any interest in the characters comes from Hermione, the only one with any gumption on the goodie side, and Bellatrix (I guess a play on Dominatrix judging by her attire), on the baddie side. The men/boys are portrayed as pathetic idiots. Ploy tells me Harry Potter is handsome. I know my step-daughter loves him. I find him intensely irritating and pathetic.

Of course, this movie is not aimed at 54 year old male cynics. But intelligent movies can target a varied audience; think of The Incredibles or Shrek or Nemo, kiddies movies that have jokes to suit all ages. Or Tom and Jerry for that matter. And talking of the Incredibles, the kid brat that is the villain gets his due comeuppance at the end, a worthy message to the children watching. In Harry Potter I am assuming he will win out in the end, a message that to be pathetic and without ideas or nous will get you far. At least in fairy land. In the real world it is rather different.

 

 

 

 

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