Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Counting the Hours Until Half Blood Prince

(Photo from iphonedaily.com)

Elizabeth had provided our family with a real treat: online tickets to the first matinee of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on Wednesday at AMC Mission Valley at 11:15 A.M. We are so thrilled to see this sixth installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise; we have read all the books and listened to them on tape and CD countless times as well as owning all the movies -- again, countless times.

Elizabeth and I were so upset when the original release date of Half Blood Prince was moved from last November (2008) to July 17, 2009. Later it was moved up two days to July 15. Although we had toyed with the idea of seeing a midnight showing, living so far from town does not make doing so very easy. So a matinee will do nicely ... and it's less expensive, too. Keith is taking the morning off work to see it with us, and our friends the Arnolds and perhaps Keith's sister Karen are meeting us there. It's been such a long, long wait.

As she follows filming details on Mugglenet and other Potter fan sites, Elizabeth keeps me updated on the filming of the last two films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 and 2, slated for release in November 2010 and May 2011. The final Potter book simply contains far too much material for one film, so they are filming them together right now. Now that wait will seem downright impossible!

This week the kids and I have gathered together on hot afternoons and evenings in front of the TV and fans to rewatch each film in the series in preparation for Half Blood Prince. Even as I type this post, we're watching Order of the Phoenix; I love Kingsley saying, "...you can't deny Dumbledore's got style." Well, Richard Harris as Dumbledore definitely had more style than Michael Gambon, but that's not to be helped....

So at 11:15 tomorrow morning we'll be impatiently wading through previews, waiting for Half Blood Prince, the second longest of the Potter films at two hours, thirty-three minutes, to begin. (The longest film is Chamber of Secrets.) I am just as excited as the kids, if not more so. The characters and their stories in these books and films have captured my imagination so thoroughly that I am eagerly awaiting each movie with the kids (as well as the new Twilight saga film New Moon coming this November).

We also have a thread on Half Blood Prince at Brave Writer at the Movies where we're also discussing the HBP, even if it's just a bit off-topic. So I'll let you know what I think about this sixth installment of the Harry Potter films after we see the movie tomorrow.

3 comments:

Whole Food Pioneer said...

I'm a big fan of Harry Potter, too. Although you may be a bit more excited than I am.

But how do you reconcile your beliefs/faith with Twilight? I liked the movie, but it was awfully dark. I've seen the book, but I declined from reading it because it seems - well, depressing. I'm interested in knowing what appeals to you about Twilight.

CC said...

Hi! Enjoy the movie! I am really excited about going to see the movie, too. I even asked Caroline if she would rather go today instead of waiting until Friday, but she said "no." She is rereading the book and she wants to finish it before we go. I am excited to see it but, once we do, we'll be waiting for the next one:{ Enjoy the movie... especially since you will get out of the heat for a couple of hours:)

Susanne Barrett said...

Lisa, you need to read the Twilight books in order to discover the Christian themes in it. There's the good vs. evil battle in Twilight that also occur in Harry Potter.

I suggest reading John Granger's blog/website (The Hogwarts Professor). He wrote the book _Looking for God in Harry Potter_, tracing Christian imagery and themes, and he is now doing lectures of a similar nature on the Twilight books.

There is evil in the world, and it needs to be fought with God on our side. IMHO, HP and Twilight are fictional representations of the evil we face each day and which already is conquered in Christ our Lord.

Thanks for asking, Lisa. :)

Susanne

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