Tag Archives: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

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At The Theater 2011 #8: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

For more of my thoughts on the new Harry Potter movie, including who I think are the top 5 actors of the franchise, download episode 2 of my new podcast, The Billy and Bryan Show, available for free on iTunes! While you’re there, download the first episode too!

Unlike when I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, aka Hermione Granger and Red Dress of Awesomeness, I somehow managed to keep my awesome British accent in check while walking around in Harry Potter glasses before seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, which surprised my friends who were bracing for a night full of cockney from me.

Sadly, the red dress of awesomeness was no where to be found in Hermione Granger and the Red Dress of Awesomeness Part 2. But we did get this outfit, so who am I to complain?

The new Harry Potter movie was great; the crowd that was in the movie theater with us was not. A big group of us caught it at the Union Square Regal on the Friday night of opening weekend. I found the staff at the Regal to be nice and friendly, but I cannot recommend going there to see a major blockbuster like this on opening weekend. There were about 8 people ahead of us on line on the sidewalk when we were let in, but somehow there was a mass of people already in the theater when we walked in. It seems that Regal had people queuing up on the sidewalk outside, while also having people on line next to the doors of the theater inside, and other people just hanging around inside waiting to pounce once people started being let in. Line management is not their forte. The other major frustration of the night was that the group of people behind us would not shut up throughout the entire movie. It was like they opened up a Regal Court St embassy in the middle of our theater in Union Square! My friend Sarv almost went all Umbridge on the people behind us!

I’m happy to report that I found the movie to be great. I made the conscious decision to not reread the book before seeing the movie, because even by splitting the book into two movies, I knew there would be some changes, plus I wanted to be surprised by what was happening on the screen. Before the movie started, the only things I remembered from the book were that Harry and Voldemort fight and 19 years later, Harry’s kids are heading off heading to Hogwarts.

Kiss him, you fool!

Speaking of the epilogue, I thought they did a good job with it, but man did they make the Hogwarts crew age in unflattering ways. Ron, what happened to you? Have your wife whip you up a fitness charm and get rid of that gut! Also, how are there any bald wizards in The Wizarding World? I’m looking at you, Draco Malfoy. You’d think male pattern baldness would have been eliminated centuries ago! Time travel? Check! Resurrections? Check! A cure for baldness? “Eh…we’re wizards, not miracle workers.” Hermione needs to tweak that polyjuice potion that went awry and turned her into Catgirl and market it to the folliclely challenged.

No more Hermione?!?! Noooo!!!
I’m going to miss heading to the theater with my friends for new Harry Potter movies. But I’m sure there will be more franchises that we’ll get wrapped up in, and more opening weekend outings. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was the movie I was anticipating since the beginning of the year. Now that it’s passed, I’m not sure what new or upcoming release to latch my excitement onto. Captain America? Cowboy and Aliens? Both look great, but I’m not counting down the days until I see them. Actually, I know what movie has just replaced Harry Potter in my Can’t Wait List…
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At The Theater 2011 #7: Attack the Block

Saw the new Harry Potter and are still jonesing for a cast of Brits fighting against the unworldly? Then you need to go see Attack the Block.

It was hard to get behind the protagonists initially in Attack of the Block. They start the movie robbing a woman at knife point and follow that up by acting like the loud, obnoxious teenagers that they are. I won’t lie, for a little while I was rooting for the aliens to dismember them and took a fair amount of glee when the aliens took out the teen who I found the most annoying. The aliens aren’t picky about who they kill though; a likable character is just as likely to buy it as a highly unlikeable one. Well, maybe not just as likely, but still very high.

The aliens are very cool looking in Attack the Block. They’re these eyeless ape-dog hybrids with rows and rows sharp, iridescent teeth and fur that’s darker than the night. They’re vicious, speedy and deadly, which made for a movie full of great thrills.

Nick Frost is hilarious as a constantly stoned pot dealer.

I’m used to Nick Frost movies being really funny, but Attack the Block doesn’t have as much humor as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz did, and if you go to this movie expecting amount of humor from those movies, you might be disappointed. But it works great as a thriller. If you’re a fan of movies like Gremlins or Aliens, I highly recommend it. Catch it while you can in the theater.
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Talking Posters: Warner Bros Releases the First Teaser Poster for The Dark Knight Rises, The NSFW Poster for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Bus Poster

Unless you’ve been intentionally ignoring the internet today, or are an AT&T wireless customer (zing!), you’ve no doubt seen that Warner Brothers has released the first official teaser poster for the third Nolan-Bale Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.

I love this poster. I really like how the Bat Symbol is formed by the crumbling Gotham skyline. What does this image mean? Is Gotham going to be an even more decrepit place than it was in the last two movies? But wait, the Bat Symbol is a beautiful, blue sky. Does this mean that the Gotham of old has to be torn down, both figuratively and literally, for Batman’s goal of a brighter, safer Gotham to be realized?

I see this Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 poster every day on the side of a bus during my daily commute, and every time I look at it, it just looks weird to be. What’s up with Voldemort’s face? Why does it look like he’s belting out an aria? Judging by Harry’s reaction, Voldemort is tone deaf.

THE NEXT POSTER IS DEFINITELY NSFW. IF YOU’RE AT THE OFFICE OR AROUND LITTLE KIDS, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN’T SCROLL DOWN.

In case you were wondering whether or not the American version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo would have nudity in it, wonder no more, as even the poster for the movie has nudity in it. Your eyes don’t deceive you; that’s a nipple.


I’m putting the chances of you encountering this poster at a theater in the US at somewhere around zero. I’ve been to Europe a few times and never saw a movie poster with nudity there, but my experiences with seeing European movie posters was limited to public plazas and mass transit stations. I’ve never been inside a European movie theater. Is nudity in posters a common thing there? Does anyone know in which countries this poster is running?