Less Lupin and No. Mrs. Black

Andrew: Yeah. Moving along, though, "Lupin does not show up with the Advance Guard and receives very little screen time." That’s disappointing, you know, that he doesn’t show up with the Advance Guard. [laughs] What’s going on with that?

Laura: Yeah, it is. I don’t – I don’t see why they couldn’t have him come. There’s no reason not to.

Eric: No, the fact that he doesn’t get any screen time – I wonder, though. They didn’t say specifically if Harry has to go into Umbridge’s office at all to talk to Lupin and Sirius through the fire? Like we don't know if that happened or not.

Laura: I don’t think anyone said anything about that.

Jamie: No.

Eric: We just...

Andrew: Hm. Well, that would – that’s interesting that nobody pointed that out. I wonder if that means he did and it was just fine, or he didn’t and nobody cared.

Laura: You know what, though? Somebody did note that the movie put a lot into establishing the relationship between Harry and Sirius, so I’m betting they had at least one scene where he went and talked to him in the fire.

Andrew: That’s good.

Eric: But, despite the development between Harry and Sirius, there’s no – there is a Black family tree, apparently, but there’s no Mrs. Black and Grimmauld Place is smaller than imagined.

Andrew: Mhm.

Laura: You know what, though? That doesn’t bother me as much because Mrs. Black’s portrait, while it’s funny, it really doesn’t really contribute all that much to the plot, so I think that that’s...

Kevin: Yeah, and it could be very distracting.

Jamie: Exactly. It’s...

Laura: ...an okay thing to cut.

Andrew: Did the reviews say it doesn’t show up at all?

Laura: Yeah, they said that it’s not in there at all.

Jamie: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah, the portrait of Mrs. Black is gone – I think it’s because they already cast Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix, and they couldn’t re-cast her as Mrs. Black, because I...

Jamie: Probably, yeah.

Eric: ... pictured her as Mrs. Black.

Grimmauld Place

Jamie: She’d have been perfect as her, but it’s this next point that really gets me is this one that "Grimmauld Place only appears because Moody hits his stick a few times."

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: I think this is atrocious, because...

Laura: What is that?!

Jamie: That’s awful, because there are certain things – they’re of certain importance to the series as a whole that you have to put them in, and that’s – the Fidelius Charm...

Laura: That’s pretty cheap.

Jamie: ...is so important, because that’s how the Potters got betrayed, and I’m sure it’s going to show up again, and I think that’s - that is just ridiculous.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: I was trying to think up an excuse for that one, like it would add too much time onto the film, but there’s just, like, no...

Kevin: They could get away with explaining that for, like, five minutes.

Andrew: No, no, yeah.

Laura: All they would have to do is do...

Jamie: Or five seconds.

Kevin: Yeah.

Laura: All they would have to do is do a close-up on a piece of parchment paper with the writing on there.

Andrew: Right.

Laura: And then... That’s all! That’s all they would have to do. They probably spent more time having Moody beating his staff.

Jamie: And then Dan goes, "What is this?"

No Prefect Subplot

Andrew: Another thing, no prefect subplot. Does anyone care about that, though? I mean, it’s a shame, but you got to cut something.

Laura: It’s another thing that could go.

Eric: It just gives Harry the opportunity to be...

Jamie: It’s the anger thing, as well. They’re taking out his anger.

Eric: Yeah.

Jamie: Like, you know, the prefect subplot plays one thing that, you know – I bet they’ll take out the stuff when he and Neville – sorry, he and Seamus argue.

Eric: That’s true.

Laura: Yeah, they’ll probably lose all that, but...

Jamie: And it’s – you know, I mean, his anger’s important.

Laura: Yeah, it is.

Jamie: Again, it’s one of those things where – but I mean, his anger’s really important in that it’s, you know? Righteous anger isn’t the thing that carries him through, it’s his parents dying and his love and stuff like that.

Laura: But you know what? They're probably...

Jamie: The anger’s only there to show that.

Laura: They’re going to use Umbridge as the figure for him to project his anger onto for the whole of the movie.

Kevin: Yeah.

Jamie: Oh yeah, completely.

Laura: Like, in the book, we saw everybody – he hated everyone, but he’ll probably just use Umbridge in the film, just because it keeps it a bit more manageable.

Jamie: Yeah. Yeah, I bet he will.

Andrew: Yeah. The O.W.Ls and Neville’s parents are put into the background. O.W.Ls – another thing. I mean I guess it’d be kind of cool to see them taking the O.W.Ls, but it’s not like...

Laura: But it doesn’t really bother me, honestly.

Kevin: Not that it’s going to matter.

Andrew: They’re not going to – yeah, and, like, Movie Six, I don’t think they’re really going to put in the scene where they get the results back. Like, who would even care?

Jamie: No, I don’t know.

Eric: "Oh, I got a W. Well, what does that mean?"

Jamie: But also...

Andrew: You know?

Jamie: Can I – last show, I used a movie term, a MacGuffin, which I, I think, used in incorrect context, and somebody wrote in and told me, so I’d like to point out that the O.W.Ls are a MacGuffin. Their only point is the move the plot forward.

Andrew: Oh.

Jamie: Like, because, you know, Harry gets bored of doing his thing and falls into his dream and then he collapses off the thig and, you know, blah blah blah.

Andrew: Right.

Jamie: Yeah. So, hopefully, I’ve used that in the right thing this time.

Kreacher and the Ministry

Andrew: Kreacher receives little screen time, which, I guess, is a shame.

Eric: If they’re going to... Andre: I would have liked to see...

Laura: Well...

Eric: If they are going to design a new elf and they are going to, like, put him in the movie. [sighs]

Andrew: Well, we’ve heard that those house elves take a lot of money and time, too.

[Jamie laughs]

Laura: Yeah, but this is something I take kind of an issue with, because Kreacher was a huge part of the plot piece.

Eric: It doesn’t really explain...

Andrew: Yeah.

Kevin: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs] And it kind of worries me when I hear that he receives little screen time because I wonder if they used some other cheap tactic...

Eric: Yeah, exactly, or...

Laura: ...to get Harry to the Ministry, you know? Instead of him...

Eric: Well, we’ve already heard that...

Laura: ...trying to contact Sirius in the fire and get Kreacher...

Eric: ...we don’t know why the Death Eaters are at the prophecy hall. Laura; Yeah, they just show up.

Eric: Yeah, they said they just kind of show up and you wouldn’t know who they were if you hadn’t seen or heard previous movies. So, that must mean that Harry is not having dreams of Voldemort, or that, you know, how does the Order...

Laura: No, I don’t think they’d leave that out.

Eric: But how does the Order get...

Laura: I think that...

Eric: ...to the Ministry then, or how does Sirius get there, or how does, you know? That’s a serious issue. And they have Thestrals, I guess, but none of the reviewers actually talked about Thestrals.

Andrew: I still, I’m still kind of upset over no screaming portrait of Mrs. Black. It seems like she would be an awesome part of the film.

Laura: It’d be funny, but again...

Jamie: She would.

Laura: ...that would be a lot of money...

Jamie: The fun stuff...

Laura: ... to put into that.

Jamie: Yeah, and the fun stuff is tailing off now in these films, it has to be serious.

Kevin: Yeah.

Jamie: Although it has to be entertaining and it still has to get, it still has to you know, and impress the fans and be serious.

Kevin: And she would require an explanation and that takes time.

Andrew: Yeah. One reviewer actually said that it is not as serious as the book, which kind of surprised me because all of what Dan has...

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: ... been saying and the director has been saying, Oh, it’s going to be the darkest movie yet.

Laura: They say that with every movie.

Kevin: Now, but just because it’s...

Andrew: They do. [laughs]

Eric: Yeah.

Kevin: Yeah.

Andrew: And then also the hatred between Sirius and Bellatrix is never explained.

Laura: And then she, but then she...

Eric: It should be.

Laura: ...throws him through a veil and it’s like...

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: According to one of the reviewers it wasn’t very well explained what the veil meant.

Eric: Right, and Sirius kind of falls into it.

Laura: He just falls in and that’s it, and you don’t really...

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: If you haven’t read the books you don’t really understand. According to the reviewer.

Kevin: Yeah, but...

Jamie: They didn’t explain it in the book, did they? They didn’t actually say what it did.

Eric: Well they didn’t say what it was.

Kevin: Well, in the books...

Laura: Yeah, but...

Kevin: But I think that were referring to them explicitly stating, you know, he’s dead. But I think based on the other character’s reactions, you know, someone watching the movie who hasn’t read the book should be able to get that impression.

Jamie: Well, we’d hope, we'd hope that they leave that scene in where Lupin, you know, holds...

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: Harry back and he’s like, he‘s dead...

Laura: That’s what I’m thinking.

Jamie: ... there’s nothing you can do.

Laura: I’m kind of worried they left that out.

Kevin: Does it...

Jamie: Let’s just hope they don’t. Andre: Yeah.

Putting Off Plot Elements

Kevin: Does it seem like the directors are sort of putting certain plot elements off for other directors?

Eric: Yeah, well, and what’s going to happen is they’re going to continue doing it for the next two movies and then oops.

Kevin: Right. It seems as though there are certain plot elements that [clears throat] excuse me - that they have to explain...

Eric: They’re just not going to.

Kevin: But they aren’t going to and they’re just going to let the other director that picks up the movies explain it.

Andrew: Well see...

Kevin: And they’re going to put it off. You know what I mean?

Andrew: That’s why I thought David Heyman has been on for all five films so far, and then definitely the last two. So he can sort of provide the continuity that the series needs.

Eric: But, I mean, just the fact that they did...

Laura: Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen.

Eric: Yeah, Snape’s worst memory. You know, they have the Potters as kids, but how does that even work? Because we didn’t even know, actually, if you follow the movies, that Sirius and Remus and James and Wormtail were all friends at school as children. I don’t even think they say...

Laura: Well...

Eric: ...that in the PoA movie.

Laura: I think that was implied, because...

Eric: Well, maybe implied, but..

Laura: ...in the Shrieking Shack scene though Sirius yelled at Peter that you should have died for your friends as they would have done for you.

Eric: Oh, one line. Whoop-dee-do. So now we get to have this really cool memory scene completely wasted.

Laura: Well, they established it.

Eric: Well, I know, I know. But it’s just, you know, that’s what Kevin was saying. It’s just they’re kind of putting things off. And things like the Fidelius Charm, you know, some of that stuff is not going to be in the movies and it‘s not going to make it there. And we’re going to end up seeing they have to change things...

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: ...not just to fit time but to fit the previous movies.

Michael Gambon

Andrew: Michael Gambon, this is from one of the reviewers, Michael Gambon has calmed Dumbledore right down and it works. I’d go so far as to say it’s reminiscent of Richard Harris.

Eric: That made me...

Kevin: Yeah. [laughs]

Andrew: That makes me really excited. [laughs] Because, I mean, I really like angry Dumbledore, and I know we’ve had these discussions on the show already but it will be interesting to see how Michael Gambon can portray a calm Dumbledore and do it right.

Eric: I’m going to put myself out there and say that’s that most exciting thing I’m looking for.

Andrew: [laughs] I think I agree with you, actually.

Kevin: Yeah, yeah, definitely.

Laura: I don’t know, I think he’ll do a good job.

Eric: No, no, seriously. Not because like, it’s not like it’s a big deal. I mean we are getting to the point in the series where Dumbledore has to be powerful and strong and stuff, so... But it still will be nice if he can portray the, you know, the calmer side when he has to instead of being irate all the time. I mean, from what we hear the battle with Voldemort is freaking awesome. We actually haven’t heard anything...

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: ...about the Wizengamot trial, and we’ve heard that the Ministry is really cool, but we haven’t heard anything about the Department of Mysteries. If they had the twelve-door room, if they had the brain room, the astronomy room, the big thing with the shell and the veil. We actually haven’t heard anything about that.

Laura: You know what? Eric, I’m putting, I’m just going to bet one this and say there is going to be a lot cut out of the Department of Mysteries. I don’t think that, I mean...

Jamie: Yeah.

Laura: A lot to the rooms that they went into, especially like the planet room where Harry didn’t even go, that’s going to get cut, we’re not going to hear anything about that.

Eric: Well I think that is safe to say.

Laura: That’s automatically gone.

Kevin: But, I'm interested to see what they do put in. Because what they do put in is going to have to be either directly related to...

Eric: The future.

Kevin: ...the plot, or directly related to the future plot.

Eric: Right, because J.K. does approve these things.

Andrew: Yeah.

Kevin: Right. So we may be be able to assert certain...

Andrew: [laughs] Assertions.

Eric: [laughs] Assert certain assertions.

Kevin: Assertions, yes.

Eric: Quiet, Toots

Laura: But, I mean, do you think - we'll definitely see the Hall of Prophecy and of course we will see the Death Chamber, but do you think they are going to bother leaving in the Time Room or any of that?

Andrew: I don't think - you see, the reason I think that these reviewers didn't mention any of this because it's not in there.

Laura: Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.

Andrew: I think that would have been something to talk about. Either it is not in there or it's not worth discussing.

Eric: Right. But there has to be a separate entity. It can't just be the Ministry has a door in the lobby that goes into the Department of Prophecies - the Hall of Prophecy.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Do you know what I'm saying? Like, it has to be a separate...

Laura: I'm sure they'll have all the doors and stuff, but we're not going to see as much stuff as we did in the book.

Eric: But since there's no hospital and no Neville's parents, we should also infer that there's no Arthur Weasley attack? Do you think? And then there's no dream where Harry is the snake and there's no... So, will they even separate the Department of Mysteries at all? Or will it just be like, "Welcome to the Ministry. To your right is the Hall of Prophecy where you can smash anything. Oh, by the way, hear the whole prophecy even if it wasn't intended for you," because, apparently, all the Death Eaters..."

Jamie: "Enjoy your stay."

Eric: Yeah, "Enjoy your stay."

The Prophecy

Laura: Yeah. Apparently, all of the kids hear the prophecy, don't they?

Eric: Yeah. Uh-huh.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: And it's changed! And it's changed!

Jamie: Oh, that is ridiculous. That is absolutely outrageous.

Eric: It's changed, it's completely different.

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah they like...

Kevin: Yeah, that... Oh1

Andrew: Wait, which one did they cut out? I forget now.

Eric: They cut out like the most important...

Andrew: They cut out the line in the prophecy. Yeah.

Jamie: Sorry. Are they all mad or something? That's like cutting out...

[Laura laughs]

Jamie: ...something ridiculously big. It's absolutely stupid.

Andrew: I just don't understand why. They must have a really good reason.

Jamie: It's like two seconds, as well. It's two seconds that it takes.

Laura: And apparently they have Lucius drop the prophecy. Not Neville.

Andrew: Oh. What!?

Eric: Yeah, well...

Laura: Yeah, I read that.

Eric: ...Lucius drops it and it smashes and everybody just listens. There must be a collective intake of breath as...

Andrew: See, Jason Isaacs is such a big fan. Why wouldn't he protest that? Be like, "No I am not doing this." [laughs]

Jamie: Yeah.

Eric: Well, because he's not in the sixth movie.

Laura: Well, if you think about it for one second, though...

Andrew: I was joking. [laughs] He's an actor, that's what he gets paid to do.

Laura: Well, I kind of - I mean, thinking about it, though, it kind of goes along with the plot that Voldemort is ticked off at Lucius in the sixth book.

Jamie: Yeah, it does. Yeah.

Andrew: Oh.

Laura: It gives more of a motivation if he is the one who broke it in the movie, I suppose.

Andrew: That's true.

Laura: It makes more sense to people who haven't read the books. Byt still...

Andrew: Yeah. I mean, that's what they're really doing it for. They're doing it for the people who haven't read the books. They have to gear towards people that way. I think.

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, they do.

Snape

Eric: Well, they said also, moving on, Snape is not in this movie. Like, he's in it but he's not in it enough to appreciate. You know...

Andrew: But Snape's worst memory is quote, "So perfect, the actors have nailed the performances. Alan Rickman is again great as Snape, but has so little screen time that it is hard to appreciate."

Eric: Hard to appreciate, right.

Andrew: I can't wait for that scene. That's going to be so good. I love Alan Rickman!

Kevin: Yeah, me too.

Laura: That's the one I am looking forward to most.

Eric: I am incredibly excited for that.

Draco

Eric: But at the same time also, Draco has about one line. He does the Umbridge thing...

Laura: What else is new? [laughs]

Eric: No, "what else is new" is exactly what I was pointing out, Laura. I mean, they have to change this. I mean, I understand...

Andrew: The problem I see with that...

Laura: They're not going to.

Andrew: Go ahead, finish, Eric.

Eric: No, I mean for Book 6. I mean for Book 6.

Andrew: Exactly, yeah, that's what I was going to say. The problem I see with that is that he plays such a big role in Book 6. He's just going to come out of nowhere. He's been sort of like...

Eric: Luckily, luckily...

Kevin: Yeah, in the shadows...

Eric: ...even though he does play a big role in Book 6, this is kind of disappointing too, there might not be hope. Because even though Draco does play a big role in Book 6, he's usually off sulking in a girl's bathroom somewhere. And so, even though he's a big character, Harry didn't see him much at all, even in Book 6, besides being on the train, which is a great scene and I hope they keep it, where Harry's spying on Draco and them. But later crying in the bathroom and then obviously the end where he is about to kill Dumbledore.

Back to Snape

Eric: But Snape, you know, Alan Rickman. I mean, he is constantly giving us this great performance consistently throughout each movie, but he is not in it long enough to really matter, so I really hope Movie 6 opens up with Snape, and I really hope they finally mend this because they kind of - if they continue to take out Alan Rickman even when...you know what I am saying, right?

Andrew: Yes. I do see what you are saying. You want to talk about a little casting right now? Since we're sort of on the topic about characters.

Casting: Evanna Lynch

Andrew: One reviewer describes Evanna Lynch's performance as, "The most perfect casting one could hope for. Her interaction with Harry and the others is straight out of the pages of the novel." This really what we've been hearing since the beginning of her casting. And J.K. Rowling loved her and, you know, as I have met her, I can say that she is - she is great, she is really a great girl in general, but she is so perfect for the part. It's really going to be great to see her in the film.

Casting: Imelda Staunton

Andrew: But, moving along. Imelda Staunton, as Umbridge, is described by another reviewer, "One of the most evil creations you will ever wish to see. Staunton has the mannerisms and the voice down to a tee. And I found myself feeling exactly how I felt whilst reading the book. A sense of sickening sweetness. To be blunt, you just want to slap the bleep, which is exactly how you should feel. Her detentions with Harry, which is, thankfully, are exactly like in the book are delightfully evil." Now, that's great. That's another big part I am really looking forward to.

Laura: Yeah, I can't wait to see Imelda Staunton. Ever since I saw her picture I thought she looked great.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: And I am really, really excited to see her.

Andrew: Yeah, and I don't know if we've brought this up on the show before, but as the movie progresses, her outfit turns into a darker shade of pink. Or is it a lighter shade?

Laura: Does it?

Andrew: Yeah, she starts off in a light pink dress and with each scene, I think, it gets darker. It just progresses throughout the movie. It gets darker and darker.

Laura: Oh, that's so cool.

Andrew: Yeah.

Plot Change: Cho Tattles on the D.A.

Andrew: Another big change: Jo is - Jo is the one who tattled on the D.A., not her friend and that's the reason why her and Harry...

Eric: Cho.

Andrew: What did I say, Jo? [laughs]

Laura: Yes.

Kevin: Yeah.

Eric: Jo, Cho.

Andrew: Another big change. [laughs]

Eric: Jo Rowling just comes on the set.

Jamie: Jo, yeah.

Andrew: Another big change, Cho is the one who tattled on the D.A. not her friend and that's the reason why her and Harry broke up. [laughs]

Jamie: But that's so bad.

Andrew: Because Cho getting jealous, just falling apart thing like in the book, the scene with Rita Skeeter, wasn't even in the movie. Rita Skeeter. That's a shame because I like her, too.

Eric: But!

Andrew: I forget the actress who plays her.

Laura: Yeah, Miranda Richardson was very good.

Andrew: Yeah, Miranda Richardson.

Eric: But, but, but, even though Miranda Richardson was good... Sorry, mate.

Andrew: She wasn't going to come back for the fifth film, anyway. She said that on the red carpet.

Eric: Oh, she said that already?

Andrew: She said she wanted to give someone else a chance. What? Forget her.

Jamie: Oh, I know. But shouldn't we point out here that - sorry, I was going to say...

Andrew: The Cho thing.

Jamie: Well, yeah, yeah, the Cho thing. Ever since Cedric died she has been all for the battle against Voldemort: fighting for yourself, fighting against the Ministry if you have to, putting all your resources together and, you know...

Eric: Minor detail, Jamie.

Jamie: It's like a personal fight. It's like - no, no, no, no, it isn't because she approves of what Harry does and that's what the whole series is about, basically. That you fight for what's right. You don't fight for what's easy. And with her tattling on the D.A., it just seems like she is completely against what she believes in in the book.

Kevin: Yeah, completely opposite.

Jamie: I mean, obviously it is a way of cutting out stuff and saving time and money, but it just seems that there are other things they can cut out without - and also, it is quite a big thing, and you can say that some relationships couldn't recover from such a devastating blow.

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: You know? So, even if we thought that they could get together, which obviously they won't now because it's Harry/Ginny, as everyone knows, you know? It's still a thing.

Andrew: I think that was just a cheap way of...

Eric: It really is.

Andrew: ...having Harry and Cho break up. Like it's so...

Laura: You know what? It doesn't bother me, though.

Andrew: Why?

Laura: Because in the book I felt like she - I don't know. In the book I felt like she was just as bad by supporting her friend for doing it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: And I think that this is a way to - It just seems like it's another way to cut out a part of the plot that, honestly, isn't going to have any bearing on what happens in the next two movies.

Andrew: That's true. Yeah.

Laura: Because Cho's character doesn't play a big part. They might not even have her back in the sixth film, because you rarely saw her in the book. She and Harry didn't even talk.

Andrew: Yeah. Well, yeah, it's definitely a good way to cut down on time. But I just think it's sort of a corny plot. That's the reason that they break up. I mean, it make sense, I guess. No, it doesn't make sense, because if Harry was really in love with her why would they break up just for tattling?

Eric: Well, from what we hear, the Room of Requirement isn't exciting at all, anyway.

Laura: Well...if...

Andrew: It wasn't just tattling, it was sort of big. [laughs] But, still...

Laura: Yeah, if someone ratted me out like that I would kick them to the curb like no other, so...

Andrew: Well, you need to sort out your priorities, Laura.

[Eric laughs]

Laura: Oh, I need to sort out my...

Andrew: Awkward.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs]

[Andrew laughs]

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