Oh please never bring Chris Columbus back...

[heidi]

So I'm watching CoS with Harry (who asked me earlier who the 'wind of Slytherin' was, misheading the "heir" and "the air of slytherin") and omg, the timing of so many of the line readings is just attrocious - and I can't blame anyone but the director, as his editing decisions and direction could've mitigated the problems.

Comments

[misako.livejournal.com]

I just want Alfonzo back...but we'll have to see how GoF turns out...

Misako

[lanamariah.livejournal.com]

I was much more appalled with PS/SS than I was with COS. But yes, I agree, Chris Columbus has had his shot, he messed it up, let some better directors lead the way.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Oh, my, yeah. Ask alice_and_lain - when the film ended after viewing #1, I stamped my feet a lot and generally behaved in a manner inapripriate for a mom-type person.

[lanamariah.livejournal.com]

I was excited, to be honest, but that's because I wasn't really concerned with the actual directing the first time around. As I saw it more and more, however, I just became...ugh. I hated it.

[virginia-bell.livejournal.com]

What Chris Columbus did to HP is gag-worthy. I loff the Lucius scenes though...It'll be interesting to see how GoF turns out with that new director.

Signing off, V.M. Bell

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the adults' readings aren't off in the same way, but he probably had less influence over them and they're all more experienced that they can stanch the Badness that is Chris, Sigh.

[shelaghc.livejournal.com]

"Wind of Slytherin!"

That's priceless! You do realize you can embarrass him shamelessly when he's in his teens by bringing that one up to him in front of his friends. *g*

I *have* to share that with offline friends. LOL!

[hermorrine.livejournal.com]

I could not agree more. The editing for both HPSS/PS and CoS is absolutely horrendous and has always been a significant detractor for me. An example: in HPSS/PS when they're going from the flying keys to the chessboard. That instant, violent cut of the wings' sound into the eery silence of the chess scene pisses me off every time.

[empressov.livejournal.com]

I was just watching the CoS DVD last night and, for me, the ultimate screw up is Harry holding onto the sword blade with his bare hands which also has *venomous* Basilisk blood on it!!! It would be one thing if no one had seen that Harry/Dan was handling the supposedly sharp edge of a sword but Dumbledore even says something like "Careful," which proves it was *intended* for Harry to handle the sword that way. No, just no.

*erects Columbus-repelling wards around the future of HP film*

[moon-hunter.livejournal.com]

Actually the sword bugged me as well...not because of Harry holding it or anything, but that it was Far Too Short - I know he's just a kid, etc, etc, etc, but A toy like that would be impossible to kill something with in the way Harry does it... It would just snap. Ok, so maybe they didn't want him to have a full size sword, but it could have been a bit bigger - It was supposed to have belonged to Godric Gryffindor, who I suspect was NOT 12...

Ok Rant over :P

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

WORD! But is there really any risk of him coming back?

[mmichelle.livejournal.com]

Heidi, my dear, do you realize how many LJ friends you currently have?

mmichelle: AHAHAHA
mmichelle: HEIDI CURRENTLY HAS 666 LJ FRIENDS.
ladylisse: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ladylisse: she is evil and pink.
mmichelle: YES.

:))))) *snuggles*

[lnevans.livejournal.com]

*raises a glass* here, here.

My friends and I have been saying it for ages.

[tempestus.livejournal.com]

*agrees wholeheartedly* Goodness, I'd hate to see an HP movie directed by him now, knowing what to expect. Or actually, what not to expect.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

No, no, we must not allow Columbus to come back for OotP. I'd love for Alfonso to direct OotP but I guess we'll see what happens. I've heard there's a petition drive to ask WB to hire Tim Burton to direct 0otP. Knowing Tim's work he could probably do it dark enough, but I love Alfonso so much I'd love to see him have another shot.

[no-remorse.livejournal.com]

I completely and whole-heartedly agree. Also: *coughKlovesshouldretirecough*

[goldie-black.livejournal.com]

*coughKlovesshouldbefired*cough

Do you think that*coughKlovesiswaitingforEmmatoturn16*coughcough*??

[no-remorse.livejournal.com]

No, that would be Heyman.

(Kidding.)

[psychic-serpent.livejournal.com]

Every time I see someone comment on some website or LJ that they want Columbus back because Cuaron "ruined" the third film I want to gag. Of course the adult actors didn't do too badly under Columbus; you'd have to try REALLY hard to make Maggie Smith, Jason Isaacs, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman do a terrible job of reading the phone book. However, as a director of children he is atrocious, giving them no guidance or acting education. Even though Dan and Rupert had some small experience before HP they still need guidance at this stage and Emma had no experience whatsoever, which showed in every single scene because of Columbus's ham-handed approach.

And, of course, I'd MUCH prefer that Neil Gaiman wrote the remaining scripts. :D The only script he's written, AFAIK, Princess Mononoke, has been almost universally hailed as brilliant, in stark contrast to the myriad mediocre projects Kloves worked on before the first HP film. Plus Gaiman is British (although living in the US now) and Kloves is not. I still cannot see a single good reason why Kloves was hired in the first place with the possible exception of maybe having been available. (And these days I think a screenwriter is most likely to be just sitting around waiting for a new project because he's REALLY REALLY BAD, which SHOULD have been a huge RED FLAG.)

Hell, one of my beta readers wrote a better script for CoS than Kloves did (he let me see it). He's not British either. Maybe we can browbeat someone into giving HIM the job. ;)

[no-remorse.livejournal.com]

The only script he's written, AFAIK, Princess Mononoke

Actually Hayao Miyazaki wrote Princess Mononoke. Gaiman was involved in the American dub to some degree, but he didn't wrote the screenplay by any means, he had a finished movie to work with.

I still cannot see a single good reason why Kloves was hired in the first place

He won a few awards and an Academy Awards nomination for his script for The Wonder Boys. (Which sucked IMO.)

[psychic-serpent.livejournal.com]

I have an old friend from college who translates films into English from German, and doing either that (it's usually subtitles for her) or writing dubbing is incredibly difficult work. Kloves' native language is supposedly English but you'd never know it sometimes to hear what comes out of people's mouths in the HP films.

And The Wonder Boys? Are you freaking kidding me? The only well-known film I'm aware of him working on is The Fabulous Baker Boys. (Is that what you meant?) Which wasn't filled with very good writing, either. It was a decent film by virtue of having good actors who did wonders with rather so-so material.

[missmarypotter.livejournal.com]

I second that motion on Chris Columbus.

[tefkas.livejournal.com]

WHilst I agree that Columbus was terrible (I personally think that the bit in OotP where Susan Bones has to introduce herself to Harry is JKR taking a swipe at Columbus for forcing his daughter in to every single classroom scene next to Hermione), I also feel that I-Worship-Hermione!Kloves has a lot to answer for.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should hang, draw and quarter the bloke, but support, sketch and thirding might do the trick.

[casfic.livejournal.com]

Having read the script extract from GOF on TLC, I'm not filled with confidence that Wonder Woman!Hermione is no more, and we all know who to blame for that interpretation of her character. I use the word interpretation in its loosest possible sense, of course.

But yes, please god, no more CC.

[goldie-black.livejournal.com]

The first time I saw COS, I was disappointed. I did not like it at all. I had to see it again to appreciate what little was there. Correction, after my first viewing, I thought Jason Isaacs was THE MAN, but still did not like the movie. HA! I was so sure is was Kloves' fault for giving Hermione more by taking it away from Ron (my favorite character). But after many DVD viewings, I blame them both. Ugh! What's with the editing? PS/SS suffers from this too. You're right. Some of the line timing was really bad. One of the things I loved about POA was that it looked like people, especially the kids, were actually having coversations. Granted they've grown (in years and in craft) but the director made a little difference.

So, one down... one to go???