Resurrection and Harry Potter

Oh hello there!
So, I know it's been a while. This blog was supposed to be for my travels so when I was home I just didn't have the willpower to write another update, but I've missed it! So I think I'll try to resurrect this blog... after all, I'm starting college in a month and I'm sure I'll have some interesting things to talk about.
But before that, let's talk Harry Potter! I'm talking, of course, about the movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, which came out almost 2 weeks ago. I've seen it three times now (no judging) and had some thoughts so I wanted to write them down. Just a warning, not only is it spoiler-filled, it probably won't even make a whit of sense if you haven't seen the movie. I don't like explaining myself.
First of all, my feelings in general. I have to admit that the first time I saw it I didn't love it. I think this is in part because it was the wee hours of the morning, and I just had to get over how different it was from the book. I had just finished rereading HBP so I noticed everything that was different or missing-- I didn't necessarily go "It's supposed to be like that!"-- I would just recognize that they had changed it. That always takes a bit of getting used to. I also felt it was very different from the previous two Potter movies, which went bang-bang-bang, action-important plot point-explosion-more action. This film was definitely slower, with an emphasis on character development rather than action. I definitely love that, but again, it took some getting used to.
After the next two viewings, I decided I really loved the movie. After thinking about it, I can understand how a lot of the changes in plot make for a better movie (not all, mind. I still would have loved to have The Other Minister in there). I know they left out a lot of the memories, which are obviously important to the book plot, but I don't really mind-- I'm sure they'll make it work somehow, and the memories do tend to break up the plot quite a lot. On my first viewing I thought some of the transitions between scenes were pretty random-- for example, the placing of Spinner's End in between a scene in the Burrow and one in Diagon Alley-- but the later viewings allowed to me see the story arc much more clearly. Scenes actually seemed to flow together quite well, even if they were in a different sequence than in the book-- for example the Burrow and Spinner's End scenes mentioned above were loosely linked by a photo of Draco in the paper at the Burrow.
And now, for some random, unlinked and unchronological thoughts:

• There was a ten minute portion of the movie that every time gave me major flashbacks to A Very Potter Musical. (If you haven't seen it, you must click). Draco says he doesn't want to go back to Hogwarts next year and then Ron shovels food into his mouth while Hermione is all worried about Harry... I just saw so clearly where they got all their jokes from.
• I'm not opposed to the scene in the diner at the beginning, but it was just kinda weird with Dumbledore randomly showing up and being all "Oh, btw, you're not going back home blah blah blah." Also, Gambon kept tilting his head and gazing into the distance for no reason. Stop.
• On the subject of Dumbledore, his lines which differed from the book were sometimes spot-on and sometimes totally off the mark. For example, I really liked the recurring theme in his speeches about a boy who had been at Hogwarts and made all the wrong choices (ok, this might be in the book)... the students are Voldemort's greatest weapon, etc. (Especially how they showed Draco not listening at that point. LOVED it.) But then there was the out-of-nowhere questioning Harry on his love-life. I felt like that was just Kloves backtracking on all the Harry/Hermione shipping in the previous movies... he had to have Harry so clearly that she was JUST A FRIEND, especially before that scene on the staircase where he's all comforting. Also Dumbledore tells Harry that he needs a shave right at the end... I mean, what?? Is that supposed to show that they're best buds and Harry will be totes sad when Dumbles dies? Cause it just made me feel awkward.
• On the subject of the scene on the staircase... at first I was thinking to myself "But wait, they don't spill out their feelings to each other! They are British! They keep it locked inside and communicate solely through sly glances!" But then I realized that yes, this is a movie. In the book we "hear" Harry thinking that he is so totally in love with Ginny, and he thinks Hermione knows cause of the looks she is giving him... in the movie we needed that conversation to make it all clear.
  
• And on that subject of book-to-movie translation, I feel I have to comment on the Dumbledore death scene. A lot of people have said that Harry would never have just stood there, it's stupid he wasn't frozen. In part, I agree. But the other part of me recognizes that (as shown in the train scene), a character under Petrificus Totalus is totally boring to watch (not even any facial acting!) and also, it would have been very hard to explain the whole silent-spell-Harry-is-frozen-now thing. The way they did it wasn't perfect, but movie-Harry I think has more trust in Dumbledore than book-Harry. Book-Harry distrusted Snape and wouldn't have followed Dumbledore's orders to stay still, whereas movie-Harry voices that distrust of Snape far less frequently. It's not a change I necessarily like, but it's one I respect.
• Tom Felton and Alan Rickman. Enough said, both were absolutely perfect.
  
• I was so glad Maggie Smith got a bit more to do in this movie, and I think she did wonderfully, as always. She had the (perfect) funny scene with Harry and Ron in the hallway, and then what I thought was a very nice moment at the end in Dumbledore's office. I really liked that McGonagall played a slightly bigger role, as she is pretty important throughout the books.
• Right after the cave scene there is a flash to Draco on his bed, presumably in the Slytherin dorm. All I could think the third time I saw this was... why do Slytherins get some lame beds?? It was an iron bedstead with a tiny mattress... the Gryffindors get awesome four-posters and the Slytherins get those gross beds? I do not think Draco would have put up with that, is all I'm saying.
• The birds, oh, the birds. I liked how they were used for the whole showing-Draco-fixing-the-Vanishing-Cabinet thing, especially how Harry opened the Cabinet near the end to see a bird fly out, thus showing the viewer that Draco had succeeded. But I just can't help but laugh that once again, birds (and their deaths) are the artistic focus of a Harry Potter movie. Do you think Alfonso Cuaron was consulted?
• And finally, ewwww Tonks and Lupin. I never liked the couple in the book and in the movie they just reminded me that a) I don't like either of the actors for those characters and b) Ewwww. They're so mismatched and awkward and I don't like it. Sorry, I feel like I have to be nice because they die. But WHATEVER

And that is it. I'm not going to apologize for it being rambly and long because by now I hope you're used to that on this blog. Good night!