Harry a History by Melissa Anelli: A must for every HP fanatics

I recently just finished the a book called Harry a History. As you probably have guessed by now, it has to do with the Harry Potter phenomenon.

The book is quite different, it isn't a fantasy or love story, more like a recollection of everything that has been surrounding the publishing of Jo Rowling's amazing novels.

From the point of you of one girl just like you and I, living in New York, who had finished college and was working at a job that she was not enjoying while searching for what she really wanted to do. In the meantime playing an active part in the harry potter phenomenon, checking message bord, reading fanfic checking the major harry potter sites for news on her favourite book serie.

She ended up becoming the webmistress of leakycauldron.com and reporting for them, her major was journalism. Ending up doing more reporting for leaky than her current reporter job and enjoying leaky reporting a lot more that she eventually made the decision to quit her job and concentrate on reporting for leaky, organizing conferences and pottercast (podcast shows). And concentrating on writing the very novel that I am reviewing at the moment. And ended up flying to england to interview Jo Rowling herself for leaky, reporting the news on on the website for all HP fans, but I do believe it was not just for the website, and was more than that.

Upon reading this book, it made me realize that calling myself a harry potter fan for reading books and watching the movies over and over was a little misguided. There is so much more to this phenomenon. Let's face it, we can call it a phenomenon for sure.
With, fans attending conferences such as leakycon, etc., writing lyrics and composing music based on their favourite parts of the seven different novels and creating a brand new genre of music called: wizard rock, which I just recently found out about and downloaded songs for my iPod. Soon groups like Harry and the Potters, the instigators of the new wizard rock genre, consisting of two brothers who obviously loved the HP serie, The parselmouths, the mudbloods, the whomping willows which oddly enough is comprised of only one member, the moaning myrtles, etc. Organizing tours of different bookstores in several cities, mostly american cities though, to my disappointement. Now I sort wish I lived in the united states to be able to attend one or some of those wizard rock shows.

I also found out that at some conference, they actually play quidditch. Without the flying on broomstick part of course but a muggle version of the wizard game. In an attempt to make the wizarding world of Harry Potter seem real. What am I talking about IT IS REAL, Hogwarts DOES exist. I just haven't yet received my admittance letter to the school of witchcraft and wizardry.

Yes, I do know I am weird. From reading the book I realized that I am not the only one who wish this school existed and feel like they would fit in better in that environment because they too are different and unique.

And I refuse to believe or say the word conventions. It is called Harry Potter conferences. Conventions are for geeks, trekies [not certain if this is spelled this way]. Perhaps a little in denial here. lol

I really felt as though I experienced a little bit of the phenomenon as I was reading the book. If she succeeded in making me feel this way from reading this story, she accompliged her goal and I am certain many more people who haven't had much chances to participate fully in the entire Harry potter phenomenon would feel as though reading this book gave them a sense of being part of something bigger than just reading the books and waiting for the release of the movies by themselves.

I felt like I was not alone in loving this serie so much. And that, is quite comforting.

Well, on that note I think I will end this post by recommending this great book to you if you are a fan of the serie or if you just want to see the extent of this phenomenon. 100% worth reading.

Hopefully I will see you tomorrow.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince *** SPOILERS ALERT, DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE***

So I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this past friday. I was excited just like a kid in a candy stores, I actually brought my Harry Potter wand with me to the movie, wish I had my time turner but I forgot it.

I do not know if anyone is as I am but when I read a book and see the movie I somewhat except the movie to follow the book. Yes I do understand that scenes need to be cut out otherwise the movie ends up being way too long, however from the very beginning of the movie I wanted to yell WHAT really loud whenever I saw a scene that was completely made up and was not at all in the book.

I found it became a little cheesier with putting too much emphasis on the romances. Don't get me wrong I read the book and romance plays a bigger part in this one but I didn't like the way hermione ended up being more about love thinking more about that. I mean to me I always pictured hermione as the brains and know it all if you wish always being ready to help her friends and eager to hear harry's theories that something is going on at hogwarts, I didn't really see that in the movie as much as before.

They got the part of lavender brown falling for ron and acting a a bimbo, right on for certain.

The beginning started allright, showing that now the death eaters were starting to disrupt the muggle world and the scene of the unbreakable vow was dead on. Perhaps cut a little short but that is excepted, can't fit everything in a movie or else it would be too long. I expected helen bonham carter to be scarier perhaps a little as belatrix, I absolutely loved her character and how scared she made me in the fifth movie, however I didn't feel as scared of her in this sixth movie.
But all in all that scene was great and dead on.

I loved that they introduced us to Malfoy's mother, narcissa. I believe that is exactly as I pictured her to be. And of course Alan Rickman was great as usual as Snape, he really gets to make me hate snape, and at the same time crave for more scene with him in it.

One of the parts where I wanted to yell WHAT as loud as I possibly could was the scene where Harry comes in. In the book he is as usual at his aunt and uncle, in his bedroom. And dumbledore is suppose to come and rescue him this time to bring him to the Burrow (Weasley's house). But instead they completely changed that scene and we see Harry sitting at a train station and this completely unknown character is introduced, no one knows who she is, unrelevant to the story, perhaps they wanted to introduce the fact that they are growing up and starting to have teenage feelings.

In my opinion it would have been much more relevant for them to stick to the what was actually in the books. That scene didn't not add anything relevant to this movie except only to introduced the facts that harry has grown up and starting to have feelings and see girls in a different way.

The scene where dumbledore takes harry with him on the journey to recruit persuade professor slughorn to come back to hogwarts was accurate and funny as well. I like the actor they chose to portray professor slughorn, good choice.

The scene where Harry arrives at the Burrow, I supposed it was good though in the book dumbledore was there for a bit and talks to Harry before rather than ginny just discovering his belongings and screaming to everyone that he has arrived. Though it didn't bother me so much, the scene was cool.

Though everyone was supposed to be sleeping and mrs. weasly was greating Harry when he arrived, according to the books.

I am not so upset that they didn't put any bill and fleur delacour's scenes in it, not a relevant I think. That is a scene that wasn't too bad that it was cut out.

The scene in diagon alley I found was perhaps a little short. I absolutely loved the Weasley twins' joke shop. So much that I wish it existed for real for me to explore it.

I loved the scene where the three heroes go on their usual advaenture straying from the group to follow Malfoy, to find out what he was up to. That part was a little short and also I believe it came before they go to the twin's joke shop after they encounter malfoy and his mom at the store to buy wizard robes.

Though short I found that scene accurate and gave the dark mood that I so love to these films.
I absolutely loved that we see malfoy in a more important role rather than just despising harry but getting more and more into the dark side as I always pictured would be the type to do so.
Even if he wanted to avenge his dad or follow in his dad footsteps, as we know Lucius Malfoy was sent to azkaban prison. You would know if you read the books anyway. Wanting to move on to bigger and better things in his mind and carry on the job that voldermort asked him to do.

When they get on the train, we see hermione and ron sitting with harry as usuall but in the books they are supposed to do their prefects duty and patrol the compartments. And Harry ends up sitting with Luna and Neville and get his first invitation from professor slughorn to be part of the slugclub.

In the movie when he gets invited, harry is all enthusisatic about it while in the books it was completely the opposite, he tries to find excuses not to go until he can't find one when he is invited to slughorn's christmas party.

I do understand that scenes need to be cut off but in my opinions some of the wrong scenes were cut off and what in the world is that about, putting stuff that is not even in the bookss?
Or changing the order in which things happen.

And when Harry is discovered under the invisibility cloak that malfoy put over him because harry was spying on him and his friends to find out what he was up to. We see Luna discovering him when that is completely not how it happened in the books.

Tonks finds Harry not Luna.

All I want to say to the screenplay writer for this movie is: READ THE BOOK before you make a movie and make sure you understand it really well.

I personally think too much emphasis was given to the romances, a little is good but don't forget what this film is about, the quest to find voldermort and destroy him.

I am not certain since I am not finished re-reading the half-blood prince book but how harry finds out who the half-blood prince is wasn't entirely like it happened in the movie. They showed that he finds out after Snape killed Dumbledore but I believe he finds out before that scene, I cannot be sure until I get to this part in the book, in my re-read of the book though.

I am not certain either if the scene where Harry tries to get slughorns' real memory for dumbledore was quite accurate but again I cannot be absolutely certain at this point.
For example I am not certain that Hagrid was present for that in the books.

Oh and the scene where Harry appears as if he is slipping the felix felicis potion into ron's drink to make him think he has luck to give him confidence in himself. In the movie Luna is the one pointing that Harry put something in his drink while it was supposed to be Hermione.

I know it is minor details but why change them?
That I do not get. Just seems to me that some people need to read and re-read the books to get the facts right.

I loved the scene where professor dumbledore asks Harry to accompany him to get one of the horcrux and where Harry has to keep making dumbledore drink the potion to get the necklace as well as the battle seen where Draco is supposed to complete the task given by voldermort to kill dumbledore and you can see that he doesn't really want to do it but afraid that he willbe killed if he doesn't then you see snape step in and finish the task. as per the unbreakable vow instructed he'd look after Draco.

It does show that even if you think that dumbledore is all powerful and has no fear, he can also be vulnerable. And one of his flaws is perhaps wanting to see the good in people and trust a little too much, still keeping some suspicions.

As we clearly see he did in Snape's case. believing him but still refusing to give in the post of defence of the dark arts teachers until this very movie.

And also as we saw in the memories, he did the same for tom riddle aka voldermort.

It made me cry still when Dumbledore died, even if I knew from reading the book, it was quite sad. Dumbledore was one of my favourite characters.

But as with sirius's death it had to happen i believe. And Dumbledore teaching Harry all he knew and showing him all the collected memories in order for Harry to be able to survive and carry on the task of killing voldermort.

Almost as if he knew he did not have so long to live. And that it was time for him to show Harry everything he knew.

I loved when dumbledore showed harry the memory of young tom riddle aka voldermort, the actor playing young voldermort looked kind of evil to begin with and how dumbledore told him that stealing or bullying wasn't tolerated at hogwarts and he would have to follow the rules.

That was a great and also accurate scene.

I loved the scene when everyone was around Dumbledore raising their wands in respect although I believe there was suppose to be a white tomb and more to this scene but as it is always the case scenes need to be cut out, I understand this.

And from what I do remember, yes the kiss between Harry and Ginny was supposed to happen perhaps not as it was portrayed in the movie plus at the end if I am not mistaken, Harry was supposed to tell ginny that he could not be with her, because of the job he has to do now that dumbledore is dead and can't finish destroying all the horcruxes himself. And that he would only hurt her or something like that.

All in all the movie disappointed me a little bit or a lot rather. Despite the fact that there were lots that I loved and that were indeed accurate.

Perhaps it is just me, perhaps if you haven't read the book you will think this is amazing not knowing which scenes were completely made up as they were not in the book.

Perhaps I need to see this again to get the full grasp of what they tried to do.

I do not know. But I can't really say at this point that Harry Potter and the Half-blood prince was my favourite of all of them. I think at this point I have to say I preferred Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Sad to say, but it is the first time I feel disappointed about my absolutely favourite book serie and movies.

Almost makes me want to cry a little. I knwo I am silly it is JUST a movie after all, but it feels like it is more than that to me, I don't know if anyone understands.


What I expected to see or thought was really important was:

1. Show that what is going on in the wizarding world also is affectign the muggle world.
2. The unbreakable vow.
3. Show Harry at his uncle When Dumbledore came to get him to take him to the Burrow.
4. Dumbledore and Harry tryign to persuade Slughorn to come back to Hogwarts and resume his post as potions Master.
5. More on Diagon Alley, the Twin's joke shop was great to see, keep that. I think harry, ron and hermione going to madame malkin and seeing draco and his mother would have beena good part to show since it gives a little clue about Draco's death eater mark on his wrist. And would explain why they decided to follow him and believe he was up to something.
6. Get the story right, the person who found Harry under the invisibility cloak WAS NOT LUNA LOVEGOOD it was Tonks. I believe tonks is more important of a character since she is in the oerder of the phoenix.
7. Limit the teenage lovey dovey stuff to a minimum.
8. Show more of Dumbledore teaching Harry about the memories he has collected, and explaining more about the horcruxes.
9. The battle scene… make it a real battle scene otherwise what was the point in draco's mission gettign the vanishing cabinets to get the death eaters into hogwarts if you are going to cut the one of the most important part. The climax scene.
10. Dumbledore's funeral. Show way more about this, I mean he has been one of the most important characters into this in my opinion.

I could be wrong, I am not a film maker or a screenplay writer but I am just going with what I read and re-read in the book and sharing my opinions.

There were great things about this movie but it wasn't what I expected and I am truly disappointed.

You can make comments and share your opinions about what I said, I respect your views, everyone's views.

I mean I don't pretend to know everything or have the absolute truth when it comes to how the film should have been.

It is more what I was expecting according to what I read and re-read.

See you later,

Nancy

Quidditch: Now that is a sport I would definitely watch or play perhaps

A while back I went to my favourite little old bookstore, close to the Bytown Theatre, and found this neat little book - related to the Harry Potter series - called "Quidditch through the ages".

I absolutely had to get it and read this especially since when I first started to get into the Harry Potter series of books and movies, and also when I first saw a Quiddittch game, I loved it. I don't know there is something about this game that is exciting. True it is a rough game and players get hurt quite a bit, but they are wizards, they can mend bones with magickal potions. lol That is one great extreme sport.

I loved the book, and loved it more since it has a seal on it marked "property of Hogwarts library". I kind of felt as if I myself went to Hogwarts and had borrowed it. And the names of the people who had borrowed it before I did.

The way it is written, you would definitely believe that this sport really exist and has teams all over the world who compete for the world Quidditch cup. I caught myself believing that it was an actual sport.

One of the Quidditch team they talked about in the book was the chudley cannons, they reminded me of the montreal canadians or the ottawa senators in the way that they used to be great and always winning the world cup and now they can't seem to win much anymore though the die hard fans still back them up, cheering them hoping for a win.

Hmmmmm... that sounds quite familiar. ;)

Anyways that is a great book. Small, easy to read and interesting especially if you are a Harry Potter fan and love odd sports and believe that magick is all around us and it could be possible that there exist a wizarding world where wizard all over the world would play Quidditch.

Later
Sweetgirl