A: Overall individual creature would have to be Buckbeak. He has such a distinct personality and nearly becomes a part of Harry’s family in a way because of Sirius. He’s an integral part of the Prisoner of Azkaban. He’s loyal. He could be in an ‘I beat up Draco Malfoy’ club with Ron and Hermione.

But I must also mention Hedwig. She’s one of the first links Harry has to the magical world, and she keeps Harry company over his long summers with the Dursleys. And when she *major spoiler ahead!*…

…dies, it’s like Harry is losing his last remaining ‘family member.’

I also have to mention the thestrals as a species. They are the most mysterious and least understood really. And Harry’s moment of being able to see them in Order of the Phoenix was such a strange, creepy moment when I was reading the books for the first time. Order of the Phoenix was the first HP book that I read before seeing the film, so each new turn of events holds a special place for me because I had no clue what was going to happen next, with each page turn.

A: Book 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Because all those little details that you forgot about from books 1-6 come back to mean something important or wonderful in the end. Because while all of our frantic questions are answered and wrapped up in a nice little package, there are still things to ponder that don’t fit inside that package. Because Ron’s character arc is so brilliant and perfect and it broke my heart. Because ‘she’s like my sister.’ Because ‘I thought you knew.’ Because ‘that makes me sound a lot cooler than I was…’ but it doesn’t because he WAS. Because characters who were ‘good’ or ‘evil’ are suddenly somewhere in between. Because Harry makes two of the most difficult decisions of his life. Because you could remove magic from the book and it would still be my favourite thing ever because of the characters and their relationships. Because it all ends here.

A: Ron Weasley, because he is brave enough to completely overcome all of his greatest fears, because he loves with so much honesty, and because he would die for Harry or Hermione. Because his bravery is a choice, like Hermione’s, and not based on loss or forced circumstance. Because he could walk away and never look back. But he looks back anyway. Ron is my hero.

And so it begins.

A wonderfully accurate screen representation of the brilliant start to an amazing series of books, the best books I’ve ever read, and probably the best books I’ll ever read. It’s practically shot for shot and line for line straight from the pages of the first book in the seven book series. The actors, even down to the minor characters, were picked so perfectly. I couldn’t ask for more in an adapted film.

Although the directing, set design, and some of the editing isn’t quite as prime as the future of the series, it gets the job done. It’s more for kids than the other movies, but that doesn’t stop me, a 22 year old, from loving it. The characters in the film/book are 11 here, so what do you expect? As they get older, obviously darker times lie ahead and the sets and direction mimic that feeling and the aging of the characters as they progress through school and through their pending adventures.

If you are one of the few people who hasn’t had a chance to experience this franchise, it’s time you got on board. It really doesn’t matter if you start with the books or the movies. Both mediums are perfectly acceptable and they line up pretty neatly… at least until you get to book four where the thickness of the text becomes a much more overwhelming challenge for the screenwriters to capture in 2 1/2 hours. But, reading the books will help to fill in the gaps as you progress through the series, and if you think this story is for kids, think again. When you reach the seventh book, you’ll be holding your breath and won’t be able to put it down, even if you are 80 years old, as my grandma is proof of : ) Happy reading, fellow HP fans, and see you at the HBP premiere! Can’t. Wait.

I stopped a second to debate whether I’d give this an 8/10 or a 9/10 which is why it’s in the “pretty good” category even though it’s a 9/10.

Casey Affleck… no idea he could act. Obviously I wasn’t properly informed. He did a really excellent job in this film. Also, Ben, you need to write and direct more and stop even thinking about being in crappy movies instead.

The plot wasn’t what I expected. It was an original take on a relatively “done” story. The ending was very cool and the last shot was a perfect last shot. I felt that the twists in the plot were actually worthwhile as well. And the theme of moral choices in this movie was actually developed quite effectively in Affleck’s character and in the story itself.

All the acting in here was gold. Amy Ryan was great as Helene, and I understood why she was Oscar nominated for this part.

Hey, that wasn’t bad.

That’s about how I’d summarize my experience with this film. I thought the best aspects of it were the acting and the fact that you barely get to see the monster… just in glimpses. I also thought that most of the characters’ actions and reactions were fairly realistic, and that for the most part, it’s believable that what is caught on camera (because you see the whole thing through a handycam) is actually what they would have gotten on camera. There were a few points where it became a bit of a stretch, where they were clearly forcing something into the shot just so we could see it in the film, but like I said, for the most part, it succeeded.

A couple things:

I actually really liked how it kicked off. It took a while to get going and the party stuff before the monster attack was very realistic and natural… for the most part.

On the other hand, the ending was a bit weak for me, and I could have done without the random thing after the credits which I won’t spoil for those of you who haven’t seen it. You will most likely… actually… definitely… have to look up what it is after you see it though. It was a little cheesy for me.

Spoilers!!!!

I didn’t like the view of the monster that we get at the end either. I would have rather not seen it up close like that. And the “everyone dies… most likely” ending is getting a little tired I think.

Also, the whole concept of the monster and how it all works is pretty much a repeat of every other movie of this kind. The way you get infected and something grows in you… blah blah… it’s the same old alien/creature stuff we’ve been seeing on screen since it was original in Aliens and The X-Files.

Anyway, the concept was mostly new… I guess you could argue that because of Blair Witch, but I haven’t seen that to compare this to. And I enjoyed it while it was on. I could see myself watching it again. It was solid enough but not great.

And a final note: that poster is stupid.

Oh wow. If you ever want to watch something that just consistently blows your mind with visual awesomeness and editing genius, well, you know… see this.

MG, you’ve done it again. But I never doubted you. Not for one second.

Every glorious minute of this movie was viewing heaven for me. I think I liked it more than anybody else out of the 9-12 person group that I saw this with. I say 9-12 because it was ambiguous as to who exactly made up our group since it was slightly spread across the theatre and was compiled of random friends of friends.

In any rate, I didn’t stop smiling throughout this whole thing. Jack Black was dope. Mos Def was… fantasmic. And the girl… so natural and realistic. I mean, I know people just like her.

People seem to say that the script was a weak point. I disagree. This movie has no weak points. The thing is, you watch Eternal Sunshine to have your mind blown with awesomeness… and to cry… hard. You watch BKR to have your mind blown with awesomeness. Period. It’s all concept mixed in with a slight plot that I actually found to be fairly fascinating. The way it came together really worked for me. And the script fit the characters. Everyone can’t be smart all the time and say profound things left and right. I really wasn’t in this movie for that reason anyway. I was in it for the simple story and incredibly original concept. Which certainly didn’t get old, my friend. I want to watch the full movies now… the full length version of their remakes.

Going to be seeing it again as soon as possible.

So, in conclusion, you rock my world, BKR, you rock my world. Thanks for the memories.

Yep. Saw it. Can I call this a guilty pleasure? No, not really. I was hoping to be able to… but it didn’t exactly live up to what it could have delivered. Let me be honest here. Did I really want to see this movie because I really wanted to see this movie? No. Did I see it as a joke gone too far? Yes. So, honestly, a 5/10 shouldn’t be bad for this kind of viewing experience, should it…

The problem I had with it was that it just wasn’t crazy enough. I wanted an hour and a half of running and jumping and diving and just pure adventure. What I got was a movie that tried to develop a complex plot instead of just going over the top and letting MM and KH run around half-clothed and jump into caves and such for the duration. I don’t care at all about plot when I’m seeing something like this. I didn’t see it to get invested in something… and I certainly didn’t want to have to do any actual thinking while I was watching this. I was, quite frankly, pretty bored when they focused in on the history and such and tried to have meaningful conversations about what they were doing.

Oh, but I’m going to do something I’ve never done before and say that MM actually had one or two moments where I could get a quick glimpse of the fact that he… could… maybe… be a good actor… maybe… and I say this with reservations.

So, to summarize, yes, there were a few moments of fun, but it was basically an easy to watch movie that tried not to be easy to watch. Which was just awkward for me since this was supposed to be pure, pointless marshmallow fluff.

Seriously. I just gave Die Hard a 10/10. I can’t help it. This movie is incredible.

Every year we watch it during the Macarathon. So of course it topped the list this year… but then it came on TV a few weeks back and I said to myself, “of course you are going to watch this.” I sat down, and I enjoyed myself no less than any of the other times before it. I could watch this over and over and really just not get tired of it. Willis is on fire in this. Seriously, he’s at his absolute best. I could watch him shimmy through vents, get so dirty that his white shirt turns dark gray, and sweat profusely through his wife beater all day long. He actually IS John McClane I think. The acting thing is just a coverup.

If you haven’t seen it, you are missing so much it’s not funny. And the fun doesn’t stop here my friend, no. Ready your DVD players for a four-some of entertainment, action thrills, and quality Willis. If they make these movies for eternity I’ll keep buying my tickets, buying the DVDs, and having good time after good time.