Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

We went to see the much awaited Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 this weekend. Having just read book seven within the past year, I was wondering how they would make this book into a movie.  The first half of the book is full of quiet moments of uncertainty where Harry, Ron and Hermione felt they had no idea what they were doing.  And that exactly what is portrayed in the movie.  The action scenes did not disappoint either with fast-moving magic and effects.  Adam said it was simply "awesome".

Adam and I sat next to each other during the movie and we kept whispering to each other what was coming next.  This was actually the first of the Harry Potter movies that we've seen in the movie theaters.  Previously, I felt that it would be too intense for the kids, although we've seen them all on DVD.  During the movie, I got a little concerned if six-year-old Dova was getting too frightened, but she said it was fine afterward.  Then again, this girl is completely fearless.

*** Spoiler alert past this point! ***

This was the second Harry Potter movie that Adam and I have watched where we have read the books beforehand.  In some ways, this ruins how the plot unfolds, but in other ways, it adds to the anticipation when a bad scene is coming up.  In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince I was disappointed in the scene where they find the locket horcrux.  The book clearly says that the basin is filled with a green potion, yet in the movie, the scene is shot in black and white and the liquid is clear.  They could have at least colorized the liquid green and kept the rest of the scene black and white.  It would have added to the magical effect of the potion. At least that's how I would have done it.


The Deathly Hallows Part 1 had only one disappointing deviation from the book where Harry failed to take Mad-Eye Moody's eye back from Dolores Umbridge's door.  The eye was shown spinning around in the door, but we didn't get to witness Harry's misjudgment in taking it. Otherwise, the movie was remarkably true to the book.

Doug and Dova, who haven't read the books, felt a bit confused about role of Xenophilius Lovegood during the movie.  Since he looked quite different from the wedding scene to the scene at his house, they didn't realize that he was desperate because the Death Eaters took his daughter Luna.  Doug also missed seeing Hogwarts, which we know is coming in Part 2.

The movie covered about 3/4 of the book and ends at the beginning of Shell Cottage, at page 502 of 672 pages. Part 2 will have to spread out the last quarter of the book.  The revelations will be bittersweet and we all can't wait to return to Hogwarts for the last time.

See these links for the contest and quiz on Asian Symbolism in Harry Potter and answers.

PSF - A Walk Through Diagon Alley

We went see the Harry Potter Exhibition a second time with the express purpose of taking photographs in the store.  The first time around, I was gunshy about taking illicit photographs, which kept my camera under wraps in the store as well.  This time, I saw other people taking secret photographs in the exhibits, but I didn't dare whip out my huge DSLR.  I drank in the sights again and noticed a few extra things that I missed, such as the Time Turner, and the fact that dementors do have pseudo pelvis with no leg sockets, where the tail bone extends down several feet below it.

As soon as you walk into the Harry Potter Exhibition store, you immediately walk up to Ollivander's Wand Shop.



Maker of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.



Boxes and boxes of wands to choose from (but really the wand chooses the wizard or witch). Besides taking pictures, I also wanted to purchase Dumbledore's wand (the elder wand). I was going in with an open mind and if Hermione's wand spoke to me I would get that instead. When I tried them out, the elder wand definitely felt right to me, but Hermione's wand spoke to Dova.  Now, I couldn't tell her that only Adam and I could have wands, so Hermione's wand was added to the list of extravagant purchases.



I didn't notice the display of Hermione's and Dumbledore's wands until after I viewed this photograph at home.



Next stop is Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. No robes here, just knick knacks.



You can find clothes at Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. They really ought to be at Madam Malkin's. And no Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop.





You can find the Harry Potter books and DVDs at Quality Quidditch Supplies, but not at Flourish & Blotts. What gives? This Diagon Alley may not be so authentic after all.



For a mere $499.99, you can purchase this wizard chess set. Very cool, but probably not magical.



Look at the detail in those gorgeous pieces!  There was a full size pawn inside the exhibit.



If you can't afford that, this Quidditch chess set is available for $349.99. What a bargain!



Beware of the dark magic objects at Borgin and Burkes!



Down near the Apothecary and Eeylops Owl Emporium, we finally found some treats to eat.



We bought two chocolate frogs, which are chocolate with rice crispies. Even with the collectible card it was hardly worth $3.99.  We got Gilderoy Lockhart (gag me!) and Donaghan Tremlett, bass player with Myron Wagtail, lead singer of a popular wizarding band.  Got the Fudge Flies as well, no flies, just cheap chocolate.



But we knew to stay clear of Bertie Bott's Beans after our previous experience.



There were plenty of figurines, but only Dobby the elf looked real.



I finally found the nicer artifact section with this painting and owl cage, and what's that stone?



A replica of the Sorcerer's or Philosopher's Stone!



The Time Turner would be really cool to have. Especially if it worked.



The Golden Egg was beautiful.



Dova peered into this box with Harry Potter's glasses. Adam really wanted the glasses, but not being prescription would be a problem.



The most chilling piece of jewelry was the horcrux locket.



Complete with the note from R.A.B.

At this point the cashier told me that photography was not allowed as the store was part of the exhibit..  Adam looked at me in shock.  I thought this was ridiculous because you could buy these objects and take them home to photograph.  I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled.  Oops!


Hosted by Cecily

WW - Sorting Hat Says...

Ravenclaw!  Although Adam does exhibit the courage and chivalry of Gryffindors, his personality is definitely more intelligent and clever like that of Ravenclaw.

We went for a second visit of the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Museum of Science over the weekend.  As soon we entered the store, I whipped out my camera and took pictures of "Diagon Alley" and many of the items in it.  Near the end, I was taking pictures of the jewelry, when a cashier said that photography wasn't allowed.

"But it's the store!"

"It's still part of the exhibit."

I would certainly agree, as it was like walking through a set.  But hey, she couldn't very well yank my memory card out of my camera.  Many more photos to come...

Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.

P.S. Back to Blogger comments for now as Haloscan is finally meeting its demise.

Harry Potter Exhibition in Boston - One More Month!

For my birthday, we went to see the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Museum of Science in Boston. It was far better than we could have imagined.  The only downside was that no photography was allowed.  I was tempted to shoot surreptitiously (I love these kind of challenges), but I only had my point and shoot camera and there were too many guards around.  Plus, what kind of example would I be setting for my kids?  They will have plenty of other opportunities to learn how their mom pushes the envelope.  We settled for the program afterwards, where the photography was not quite up to snuff, but still better than just memories.

In 2006, we saw the Star Wars exhibit at the Museum of Science, which was cool, but nothing phenomenal.  Sure, there were ship replicas, droids, and costumes, but it was just a static display, nothing to draw you in.


Adam and Dova in front of the wizard chess knight in the lobby of the Museum of Science.

Walking into the Harry Potter exhibit was like walking into Hogwarts.  It was magical.  From the rich textured fabrics of Harry's and Ron's beds, to the oversize Jack in the Box and the boggart chest, everything was so real.  Walking from room to room brought more and more awesome displays.  The kids' favorite activity was to pull the mandrakes out of the pots, where they screamed and scowled at you.


Image from the Harry Potter Exhibition gallery.

One of the most vivid displays was the dementors.  You can't really see them in the movies (or the program), but inside they are creepy skeletons with long arms and hands, and a long backbone with no pelvis or legs.  Chilling to the bone.

You could walk through Hagrid's hut and see his gigantic kitchen and costume. Turning the corner, was the wall of Education Decrees tacked up to the ceiling and finally the great hall with candles hanging in the air (OK, it was a bit smaller, but it had the same feel).  My favorite costume was Hermione's dress from the yule ball, the fabrics were absolutely exquisite and Emma Watson was so petite!  Even Daniel Radcliffe's clothes from the first movie were tiny, there would be no way that Adam at age 9 could fit into Daniel's clothes at age 11.

The model of the phoenix Fawkes was quite striking as well.  He stood perched eye level with you and his tail feathers almost touched the ground.  His orange and red colors were really vivid and I was tempted to secretly whip out my camera again.

At the end, the store was even spectacular.  There was a display of wands in boxes stacked just like in Ollivander's wand shop.  You could purchase a Marauder's map for $40!!???!!  There weren't even any footsteps in them.  Of course, I caved and bought Adam a (ridiculously expensive) wand and Dova this shirt which she layered for the winter.

 

But my biggest regret was that I continued to think that I couldn't take pictures in the store.  The store isn't part of the exhibit so I should be able take pictures! Pictures of Ollivander's wand shop, of the Marauder's Map, of all the cool wands (plus I need to get Dumbledore's wand for myself... but not because I crave power...).  So we are going back to see it again!  Because I am obsessed!

If you live in the Boston area, the exhibit will be here for one more month until February 21st.  Since tickets are pricey, it is worthwhile just getting the Museum of Science membership (plus you can see the HP exhibit again cheaply if you are obsessed like I am).  It also gets you a 10% discount in the shop if you are compelled to buy wands.  Next stop for this exhibit is Toronto from April 9, 2010 - August 22, 2010.  Don't miss it!

Is It Magic?

What's in this brown box with strange numbers on the end?


It has different numbers on the other end and is wrapped in beautiful ribbons.


Opening the ribbon, is that HP for Hewlett Packard or Harry Potter?


It's Harry Potter's wand in a red velvet lined box!

After we were completely enchanted with the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Museum of Science in Boston, I could not resist buying a very expensive replica of Harry's wand for Adam for $45 dollars!???!!!  For some reason since it was weighted so well, I really believed it was made from wood.



Doug shook his head, and the mechanical engineering brain of mine finally kicked in. Of course these mass-produced wands had to be injection-molded plastic painted to look like wood. But even so, can it work magic?

That night, in our Harry Potter immersion, I downloaded a couple Harry Potter apps for the iPhone.  The free movie app, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (iTunes link), had a Daily Prophet page maker.  Using four photographs, they made an animated gif to put into a template.  I pointed my phone at Adam and asked him to cast a spell.

"Confringo!"  he yelled, wielding his wand.  There was a crash and hundreds of beads fell on the floor.  He had caught the edge of a box full of beads that was on my desk with his wand.  We looked up the spell Confringo (for shame, casting spells without knowing what they mean), and learned that it "makes things explode".  Oh my gosh, he did exactly that!

That awesome smile at the end was taken just after he successfully cast his first spell.  He titled the page, "A Muggle Casts a Real Spell!"


Animated gif created with Picasion.

After that we snuggled up for our every other night reading of Harry Potter.  I believe we read the action-packed Chapter 23 of the Deathly Hallows, Malfoy Manor. He wanted to continue, but I insisted on stopping, just let these last few chapters last.  Soon we will be all done with the Harry Potter series.  It has been our extremely special mother-son bonding time for nearly two years.  Something that I hope he will always remember.  And that's no magic.

Happy Birthday J.K. Rowling

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I learned from my Brainiversity game that today was J.K. Rowling's birthday (who says video games are useless?). Have you pre-ordered your copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard?  The Collector's Edition looks beautiful and probably even smells wonderful being leather bound.  But for mere mortals, the Standard Edition is also sure to please.

I am currently around page 170 of Harry Potter's fourth book.  This might sound way behind to all you literary types, but remember that I am reading all the Harry Potter books aloud to Adam in quiet times without Dova (she has no interest yet!?!). This book is decidedly more advanced than the first three books.  Obviously, breaking the 700 page mark allows for a much slower pace, more details and more backstory that isn't necessarily action-packed every moment.  I am enjoying it much more on an adult level and Adam is still enrapt by the series.

Have you stopped by contest bytes recently?  I have a giveaway for Tees For Change as well as a  book review on Templeton Turtle Goes Exploring and a review of the Brainiversity game. After a slow start, this contest/review site is finally going strong.

And happy birthday J.K. Rowling!

How many glasses do boys go through?

Here's Adam in his third pair of glasses. The first pair lasted a year until he required a new prescription. As a precaution, we had gotten the replacement warranty for them from Pearle Vision, but didn't have to use it of course. The warranty cost $25 and covered 70% of replacement costs. Our total cost with insurance was $55, where retail was $238. For the second pair, we didn't have vision insurance, so I purchased very similar pair of Spongebob glasses at 39DollarGlasses.com for $85 including shipping. It was a lot cheaper than buying from Pearle without insurance, even for lens only, but unfortunately, that pair lasted only 4 months. He lost a hinge screw early on which we replaced with safety wire and then busted the metal part of the rim. We tried supergluing the lens to the rim, but it didn't stay. This time, I purchased a super cheap pair from Zenni Optical for $29 including shipping. After a few days, they are a bit tweaked and crooked and we already had to replace the nosepieces. But at that price, glasses are now practically disposable. It doesn't even pay to have vision insurance any longer!

He is also sporting his Harry Potter scar tattoo in this picture and we are rapidly approaching the end of Book Two. Speaking of Harry Potter, this is our favorite of the Potter Puppet Pals videos on YouTube. Warning, it is very catchy!

Thursday Thirteen #9 - Reading Harry Potter

I know I'm the last person on earth to start reading the Harry Potter books, but I figured it would be good to read them out loud to the kids this summer. Sometimes I end up being hoarse from all the yelling to keep these kids in line. So far here are the antics that I've had to deal with:

1. Dova jumps on me
2. Adam jumps on me
3. Dova jumps on Adam
4. Adam jumps on Dova
5. Dova jumps off the couch as a sport
6. I don't jump while reading
7. Adam lightly touches me which tickles to death
8. Dova puts a different book on top of Harry Potter and says "Read this one"
9. Adam tries to climb between me and the book
10. Dova dances around and starts singing LOUDLY
11. Adam flaps the bookmark near my face
    
12. Dova and Adam fight over the covers
13. Adam blocks my light
    

In the end, it is well worth it because Adam, at least, enjoys listening to them tremendously even though he has all the movies memorized. He even tries to read ahead after I finish a chapter. Dova, well... I guess she is too young to be interested at 3. She loves just about any other book with pictures of course.

Bertie Bott's Beans - What are they thinking?

I picked up a couple of these Jelly Belly Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans because they were half price at the supermarket. One went to Adam's girlfriend Nellie (one of many), who had a Harry Potter birthday party over the summer. The other we kept at home. Adam, who is a picky eater, simply said he didn't like them. So I tried to pawn them off on Dova, who eats pretty much anything. She would chew one and then spit it into her hand and say "I don't like this kind" and I'd tell her to toss it in the garbage. I was desperate for something sweet a few days ago, so I started raiding them. The first one I tried and said, "Hmm, this tastes like bacon." Doug looked at me like I had two heads. Another day, I had one and it tasted like black pepper. Today, I had one and it was simply putrid. Finally, I looked at the tag and saw the flavors.

The one I spit out was vomit flavor. What the heck are these Jelly Belly people thinking?!?!?! Do some twisted kids actually eat this stuff? Or do they simply use it as gags on other people? There should be BOLD lettering somewhere warning people that these are not flavors that normal people would want to eat!! And poor Nell, to think she probably had a few without realizing her fate. No wonder they were half price. Being frugal does not always pay!!

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