Pot(ter)s and Pans

Pardon my extended hiatus. I type that like there’s a fan-base foaming at the mouth for my diatribes on everything about nothing. (Hi Mom!)

I must say, I was wary of Harry Potter when the series initially appeared. I remember when the first two films went into theaters. I was less than interested, which is odd since I grew up loving everything magic. Then, at the insistence of my all-things-British-loving college roommate, I started in with the books just before Alfonso Cuaron’s PRISONER OF AZKABAN was released. I literally devoured the first four novels and gleefully lined up for the 3rd film (which is, in my opinion, the best of the series), as I lined up for the 5 that followed.

It’s a hard thing, to adapt a film from a book that’s so well written, loved, and thoroughly dissected. How can a studio ever hope to appease fans when the source material becomes a part of the public consciousness? If anyone is up to that challenge, it’s Warner Brothers (well, mostly). The key element to the movie magic was JK Rowling’s involvement from the get go. The woman is a genius – and anyone who disagrees can suck it. She created a story so layered, characters so believable, and a world so intoxicating – surpassing the work of any other fantasy author before her. Yeah, that’s right. I said it. I’m talking about the novels, not the movies – lets be clear.

And so it all ended this past weekend. Audiences are starving for movies that mean something beyond CGI and gloss. An emotional attachment formed between viewers/readers of the series. Combine those two elements, and I think fans are willing to overlook some of the weaker points in the film and DEMAND it win best picture this year. Lets pump the breaks there, kiddies – that’s a little much. I enjoyed DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 – the effects were fantastic, I didn’t hate on the 3D, the grownup actors rocked the boat. The end was never going to be perfect, but I think the best effort was made to tie the series up in a shiny bow for everyone.

One thing I do see happening, however, is Alan Rickman finally getting his due as Snape. If you’ve read the novels, you knew what was coming. Without spoiling you if you’re not familiar (how are things under that rock?), lets just say people aren’t always what they seem. It’s rare that you meet someone who is, to the core, a truly evil human being. Ralph Fiennes has played it a couple of times now. Alan Rickman had a much more difficult role to play, there was no Robin Hood to rage at this time around. His final scene with Harry, and the Half Blood Prince’s Tale, were about the most heart wrenching moments I’ve seen on screen in a while.

“After all this time? Always.”

It’s a tough thing to watch someone you love run around with a socially awkward, unfunny, arrogant, stupid, slutty alternative. I’m talking about Snape’s view on James Potter, of course. Who did you think I meant? Snape was in a dark place, and he loved Lily Potter so deeply and obsessively that he was willing to protect her son with another man, all because Harry had his mother’s eyes. Alan Rickman conveyed it flawlessly, and the urban legend is that JK told Rickman from the first day of shooting CHAMBER OF SECRETS what Snape’s true motivations were. Talk about a spoiler alert.

Anyway, I don’t know if I’m really saying much here other than to tip my metaphorical hat to Rowling for mobilizing the next generation back to books again. For helping kids use their imaginations again. To Warner Brothers for committing to a series (saga), the likes of which we will likely never see again. I’ve enjoyed the ride, and implore anyone out there who hasn’t read the books to grab a copy, get word-grinding, and stop your hating.

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The Talented Mr. Bat-e-man

In my past life, I worked at a giant movie studio. A movie studio with a questionable recent track record. Regardless of the box office performance of those films (does anything else REALLY matter?), I learned just about everything I needed to know about Hollywood in the 3 years I worked there. Did I mention that I USED TO work in the film industry? ‘Nuff said.

Anyway, the point is that I discovered how hard it is to make a great movie these days. Not because the talent doesn’t exist (it does), or that audiences don’t want to see good movies anymore (they do), but because the people with the dough don’t want to take risks in light of the ‘economic climate.’ If George Lucas pitched STAR WARS today, he would be laughed out of the room. E.T? Forget it. THE GODFATHER? Nice try. We’re lucky if one or two great movies slide through the cracks these days. Last year, we had a few – THE SOCIAL NETWORK, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – but I remember growing up in the 1990’s and every weekend there was a JURASSIC PARK or FIGHT CLUB. What gives?

Wow, I’m really getting off track. But not really. Because a couple weeks ago I sat down to watch a movie which I’d only previously seen snippets of. And I laughed harder than I have in a very long time. Then, I realized I never really read the book either, even though it was written by one of my favorite authors. So, I got into some heavy wording – and laughed – half worried about how god damn funny I found the whole thing. And how NO ONE would ever dare make this movie today, though it was released only 10 years ago. Or publish the book. Which is odd, since all I hear is how disengaged, disenchanted, and dishonest we are as a society now. Thanks Arnold.

The film and book I’m referring to is, of course, AMERICAN PSYCHO. Bret Easton Ellis gives us Patrick Bateman – old money, 27 years old, a Wall Street Yuppie to the highest degree. A man who doesn’t have to work (he only shows up to wear the perfect clothes over his perfect abs/ass), dines out at the most exclusive New York restaurants and clubs, and collects material possessions like they’re going out of style (the horror). Oh, did I mention he’s a homicidal maniac who butchers people in his penthouse during off hours? Yeah, day in the life. I especially enjoy the sections where we get a solid 5 page diatribe on the brilliance of Genesis, Whitney Houston, etc immediately following the most graphic recounting of a murder you can imagine. It’s almost too much. Almost. “Do ya like Huey Lewis?”

Ellis does satire in AMERICAN PSYCHO unlike anything I’ve ever read before. We’re talking comedy so black that it’s really heading off into the other direction. The book is significantly more graphic and disturbing (and hilarious) than the film. I’ve heard that Bret is far happier with this cinematic interpretation of his prose than, say, LESS THAN ZERO. On principle, I loathe remakes of movies that were made in my lifetime – but I honestly think LESS THAN ZERO deserves a 2nd shot, since the book is genius. I recommend it to anyone who is thinking about moving to Los Angeles, as preparation for having your soul sucked out through your left nostril.

Anyway, I hope that you will seek out both the film and the novel. Prepare to have your world rocked, and then come talk to me about it, because there are just a couple of unanswered questions that are worth our time to hash out. Lets leave the axes at home, though.

By the way, I found this site on a google search – and couldn’t stop laughing. The conversation at the bottom is priceless – I love when something goes right over people’s heads. Literally.

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