J.K. Rowling

[Roshio]

Do you pay at drive-ins or are they free to use?

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I don't know if any drive-ins remain in the U.S. When I was in high-school I went almost every weekend, sometimes we even watched the movie.

A stunning admission for a Christian I know."

Not really. I went to Catholic school. *snerk*

[[deleted user]]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I don't know if any drive-ins remain in the U.S. When I was in high-school I went almost every weekend, sometimes we even watched the movie.

A stunning admission for a Christian I know.

They were..."

There is a drive-in movie in the town next to mine. (I live in AL...so yeah, there's at least one in the U.S. haha)It's next to a regular movie theater. (Run by the same people).

[Mike (the Paladin)]

When I was in high school they had all kinds of extras. I suppose those are still around. The one I went to most had heaters that you could pull in through the window and not have to run your car in cold weather.

I suppose that they couldn't really be expected to hold on.

[Jason]

Seeing Star Wars at the Drive-in would have been awesome!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

A few days after I took my family (at that time wife and baby girl...think of a baby at the drive-in) my wife went to be with relatives a few nights. After work one evening (it was spring or early summer and a nice evening), I picked up dinner at Burger King and went back. I sat through the movie twice more, part of the time laying on the hood of my '64 Barracuda.

[carol. , Senor Crabbypants]

Roshio wrote: "Do you pay at drive-ins or are they free to use?"

They charge admission, Roshio.

[Amanda]

There are at least two Drive ins in Ohio that I know of so make that US total 3 at least :)

[Bill]

Feeling like a GOM today, I'm compelled speak with hubris: The only time I pay attention an author telling me how to pronounce a name is if it's discussed in the novel itself. Otherwise, like what a book means or it genre, I leave pronunciation to me.

[Kit★]

I know of one in Ohio, right by me. Used to go all the time, but it's been a few years since I've been there. But I know for a fact they are most definitely still open :)

[Jason]

Just got back from the movie. I loved it. It was great. My wife was a little disappointed because of some of the things they left out from the book, but it was really good, I thought.

[Tiffany]

Jason wrote: "Just got back from the movie. I loved it. It was great. My wife was a little disappointed because of some of the things they left out from the book, but it was really good, I thought."

Agree! Saw it earlier tonight and I was VERY pleased, even though a few things were changed from the book. Most of my favorite parts (Ron & Hermione's kiss, Severus's memories, Harry's epilogue speech to his son, Neville's big kill, and Mrs. Weasley saying "Not my daughter, you b****!") were pretty much intact so I walked away very content. I recommend it even if you're a super stickler to the book.

[Roshio]

I still wish they would just make Daniel Radcliffe's eyes green! The visual effects were insane in the movie, yet they couldn't make his eyes green. The 19 years later part was a disappointment as well, Emma Watson looked the same and everyone in the cinema couldn't stop laughing.

All in all I second the recommendation. Alan Rickman had me nearly tears, he was brilliant!

[Jason]

Snape's memories were very sad! If you hated him before, you probably fell in love with him after that. Snape is one of my favorite characters and always has been, though, so I could be biased. lol

[Kit★]

Jason wrote: "Snape's memories were very sad! If you hated him before, you probably fell in love with him after that. Snape is one of my favorite characters and always has been, though, so I could be biased. lol"

I've always had a soft spot for Snape too, he's always been one of my favorite people in the books. I wanted to use the name Severus for my kid, as a middle name, but that got vetoed lol.

[Jason]

LOL @ Kit

[Donna]

Colleen, I agree that the good-vs-evil battle of the Harry Potter series is not its best aspect. As a villain, Voldemort was pretty uninteresting, I thought. (Of course, he may have "improved" in the last books that I didn't read.)

I like coming-of-age stories, too, although I hate the term, which to me suggests a missing of the point. Coming-of-age stories aren't about coming of age. They are about a young person's crossing to a stage of greater maturity, responsibility, or a moral realization and change of direction. Something that is not at all adulthood as defined by age.

I regret not liking HP more than I do, because it was rather disappointing to lose interest in it. However, I reserve the right to try it again later and possibly change my mind!

Donna

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Donna wrote: "Colleen, I agree that the good-vs-evil battle of the Harry Potter series is not its best aspect. As a villain, Voldemort was pretty uninteresting, I thought. (Of course, he may have "improved" in the last books that I didn't read.)"

I agree with Steve King's assessment that the most evil person in the books is Dolores Umbridge.

Voldemort is a cartoony villain, and while I enjoy Bellatrix's psychopathy, they are rather one-dimensional. Half-Blood Prince sort of gives Voldemort a more detailed back-story - but (view spoiler)[still shows him as being pretty sociopathic from the outset, so there's not really a great rise and fall or anything. (hide spoiler)]

One aspect of the story I like comparing is the tritet
of Harry, Snape and Voldemort - the three unloved boys. They all have similar back-stories and I think it's interesting to see the comparisons and contrasts between the three.

As to coming-of-age stories, I agree that it's not really an age thing, which is why I include stories like American Gods in its ranks, even though the protagonist starts off as an grown man.

Jason wrote: "Snape's memories were very sad! If you hated him before, you probably fell in love with him after that. Snape is one of my favorite characters and always has been, though, so I could be biased. lol "

I like Snape in the sense that he's definitely one of the more - if not the most - complex character of the series. However, while I agree that Snape's memories are heartbreaking, and put his actions in a different light, I'm still not sure I could ever really "like" Snape. He's still a bully and a jerk, and he never really does fully redeem himself, imo. (view spoiler)[He does everything for the love of Lily, but never really improves himself, as a person. (hide spoiler)]

Another comparison between the three is their ability to (view spoiler)[love and be loved. Lily's love literally saves Harry, and his ability to love, despite everything, is what saves everyone, in the end. Voldemort, of course, is incapable of loving or of accepting the love of another. Snape is, clearly, capable of love, and while it shows the "best part of him", he hides it and scorns it in others. As I said above, he never fully redeems himself because he never fully changes. (hide spoiler)]

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Tracey wrote: "Whatever else Snape is and does, he is still and always a teacher who is vicious and vindictive to children in his care. "

Yes, this. Very much this.

I do think that Rickman's Snape is probably more sympathetic than how he's portrayed in the books - but, still...

If anything I find myself wondering why Dumbledore allowed Snape to be such a vindictive bully, but being as Machiavellian as Dumbledore is sort of revealed to be, he might be of the "it'll help toughen them up" mindset.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Very true. I always wondered about the violence of Quidditch. OTOH, I figured this is from the same culture that has rugby, so there's that, too. ;)

I do think part of it might be because a lot of damage is magically reparable. Fall 30 ft? We can fix that... Short of death, disappearance, of injury via curse, most physical damage seems pretty easily remedied.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Quidditch aside, I have said the same about Snape Colleen. Even accepting that Dumbledore "knows" about Snape I could never reconcile the way he allowed Snape to treat the students. It wasn't just Harry. Snape terrorized any student he seemed to sense as "weak" or "weaker", classic bully. He threatened once to try and force Nevil to kill his pet. The fact that Nevil's bogart turned into Snape, which put the teacher into the same catagory as giant spiders, walking mummies, disembodied crawling hands....and dementores says a bit. It just didn't match up with the persona she was building for Dumbledore.

I knew from from the get go that Snape would turn out to "a good guy". I told people we were supposed to dislike him but he'd turn out to be a spy... but I also said I wished otherwise. I've never been able to like Snape, so what he loved Lilly? His hate for James apparently outweighed that as he also hated Harry (confirmed by Quirrell).

So, while I'm not overall a big fan of coming of age stories etc. we agree on Snape, a petty cruel bully who joined the side of the "good guys" because the "Dark Lord" wronged him. (Note, not that he wronged Lilly, but that he wronged Snape by harming Lilly).

[Roshio]

I've always thought it a mistake to see Snape as a good guy. He is ultimately not a good guy. He's a pure baddie who simply loved Lily. Loving Lily, did not cancel out his dark side. That's what makes it so good. It's pure Heathcliff style.
It also makes a lot of sense that Dumbledore let him be as cruel as he was. No one is going to believe he was a Death Eater if he cuddled the students. Besides being close to Harry was the only way to protect him, Dumbledore therefore must tolerate him. Again, I don't see why he'd have to love Harry just because he loved Lily. He protected Harry and I think him absolutely the bravest character in that book. Harry represents the fact that Lily chose James (everyone mentioned how much he looked like James) yet Snape risked his very life to protect him, fair play to him! Legend of a character.

[Jason]

Colleen, I totally agree that Snape was a bully, and that (view spoiler)[he never truly did anything to improve himself (hide spoiler)], but I still love him. :)

I wouldn't want him as a father or a teacher though. LOL

[Jason]

Roshio wrote: "I've always thought it a mistake to see Snape as a good guy. He is ultimately not a good guy. He's a pure baddie who simply loved Lily. Loving Lily, did not cancel out his dark side. That's what ma..."

Even though we saw Snapes true intentions and what side he was truly on, (view spoiler)[ he was still a double agent. Even in the end, I never pictured him as a good guy. He could not have accomplished what he did, gaining Voldemort's trust, without being a bit of a bad guy, too. This is one reason I like Snape so much. Although he was ultimately good, he was also dark and not afraid or ashamed of it. (hide spoiler)]

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I don't know Jason, while Snape served the "cause" I can't apply the adjective "good". He was with the ones I called the "good guys" (I could have said "white hats" I guess LOL). But he did it for totally selfish reasons. Voldamort hurt HIM. Snape would have been fine with the slaughter of Harry and happy about the demise of James (it would have gotten him out of the way). He obviously thought that "He'd get Lilly". He loved her in a possessive "it's all about me" way. Had Lilly not died Snape would never have been able to build up the tragic love his entire life was circling around as Lilly would never have "run into his arms".

Still that part builds on the Dumbledore as plotter part of the story. I still hit a wall about the way he allowed Snape to treat the students however...

[Jason]

Actually, I think that's what I was trying to say, Mike. LOL :)

Snape's not a good guy. Even though (view spoiler)[he ultimately worked for the good guys. (hide spoiler)]

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Response contains spoilers!!!



Ya. The only time I ever really felt for him (outside a bit of the Lilly situations, and let's face it, when he called her a "mud blood" there wasn't a lot of chance of going back) was when Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him. I think it's probably accurate to say Snape was a weapon Dumbledore used... :)

[Roshio]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: I think it's probably accurate to say Snape was a weapon Dumbledore used..."

That's another good way of looking at it Mike. I like that. He did try to apologise about calling her a mudblood to be fair, but too late I guess.

[Jason]

Jason wrote: "Actually, I think that's what I was trying to say, Mike. LOL :)

Snape's not a good guy. Even though [spoilers removed]"

Ooops, I accidentally put the spoiler as an italic. lol Sorry if I ruined it for anyone. I fixed it, though.

[Jason]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Response contains spoilers!!!



Ya. The only time I ever really felt for him (outside a bit of the Lilly situations, and let's face it, when he called her a "mud blood" there wasn't a lot of chanc..."

Oh yeah, indeed! (view spoiler)[Snape was not only a weapon, he was a highly effective weapon of Dumbledore's! (hide spoiler)]

[Mike (the Paladin)]

In the first movie I remember some of the female quidditch players were shown. I don't know if any of the main characters have...

My daughter tells me that Hermione was shown on a broom in the last movie...I haven't seen it.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

There are various female players in the Quidditch shots - not just the first movie. In Half-Blood Prince you see Ginny flying, amongst others.

Also, you see Tonks on a broom in Order of the Phoenix.

You do see Hermione on a broom in the last movie, which was weird to see since in the books she doesn't like flying. I can't remember from the book if (view spoiler)[she had her own broom. I thought she was on Ron's broom but I guess she can't be since he saves Crabbe or Goyle (whichever one doesn't die, 'cause I can never remember which one of those two is which).

ETA: Hubby looked it up and in the book she is on Ron's broom and they manage to get Goyle on there with them. Bit of a tight squeeze... (hide spoiler)]

[Mike (the Paladin)]

The books never mention Hermione owning a broom. They do say she doesn't like to fly and when they play Quidditch at the Borrow it mentions that Hermione is "terrible".