It's Just Movies

— by JOSUE SANCHEZ —

I have never forgiven myself for not watching the first two installments of the “Harry Potter” series in the theater. I had not read the books and was not knowledgeable of who or what “Harry Potter” was.

I had seen the trailer for the first one and thought it was just a silly kid’s movie. I remember mocking it and its trailer with the older guys at my old job; we thought we knew all about movies. I also remember a co-worker that showed up on that Monday after the premiere of the first one. He told us that he had an announcement.

He then went on to confess to all the guys that he had watched “Harry Potter,” and that he had loved it. It was impressive how he stood up for what he liked. With the passing of time, a second one was released, which I also did not watch in theaters. It was so successful at the box office that my curiosity was raised. When the second one was out on DVD, I then took a chance and rented both the first and second movies.

Of course, I watched on my own, as I usually do when watching a movie if I have doubts about it. From the beginning, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was different from anything I had seen before.

I was really impressed. Heck, I loved it! I remember instantly after watching the first, I indulged myself with the second, “The Chamber of Secrets,” which to me, was even better than the first. I felt so guilty for mocking my friend, (and yes, years later I bumped into him, apologized, and told him I had watched it and loved it, to which he proudly replied, “it’s just good stuff.”).

I understood why he did not care what the other guys at work thought. I was also a fan now and was looking forward to the third installment. You can imagine where I was when “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” was released, right? Yes, you guessed correctly. I was at the movie theater watching it before all my friends. I have to say, this was my favorite of the movies for various reasons. It seems to me, Hermione played her biggest role in this one, and she was my favorite character. Another reason is that I am very fond of anything that deals with time travel. What a surprise
that my first “Harry Potter” in the cinemas dealt with time travel, and it was a very important plot point. Not to mention, the style and darkness of the film and the way it was paced and directed made it the darkest one to date. I really wished Alfonso Cauron had returned to direct another one.

I have definitely enjoyed the movies that followed “Azkaban,” and did so by watching them on the big screen. I Also read somewhere that J.K. Rowling was asked which film was her favorite so far, and she replied it was, “Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.” This was the fifth installment, and it was directed by David Yates. It is no surprise that he returned to direct all the remaining movies.

This brings us to the next film about to be released: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.” This final book will be split into two movies. Part I of “Deathly Hollows” will be released in 2010, and Part II will have a 2011 release. Adjacent to the end of this article are two beautiful featurettes. They include interviews and a behind-the-scenes visit to the sets as well as actual clips from the movie. If you are a fan of the films, this is a must. You will hear from the producer and the director himself. There are clips of Harry and Hermione together and even an explanation of what the Deathly Hollows are. Why are Hermione’s hands all bloody? Will the price for immortality cost the life of one or more of these beloved characters?

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows” will be released on Nov. 19, 2010.

Source: Trailer Addict

Follow Josue Sanchez on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Josue_can.