"Spiders? Why couldn't it be 'follow the butterflies'?"

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of hosting the Third Official Ridiculathon of 2006: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Chamber of Ridiculousness. In one day, myself and some fellow movie fanatics watched all four Harry Potter films. While it was not the longest Ridiculathon I have ever had, it was still over 10 hours of movie-watching, not including breaks. So many thanks and congratulations to Chris, Amanda and Anne, who all made it through the entire day! And a special nod goes out to Laura and Brian who were each able to join us for one of the films.

"It's Levi-OOO-sa, not Levio-SA."

While the Harry Potter books are some of the most entertaining I have ever read the films themselves are actually not as impressive as they could be. I enjoyed watching them, especially in the Ridiculathon format, but I have to admit that they can seem somewhat lacking at times. I’m not sure if that’s because the books themselves are so full of character development and plot or if the films are geared toward a younger audience. Either way they are very entertaining but I think there is potential in the franchise that is going unrealized.

"Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary
member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five time winner
of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."

The fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is helmed by yet another director, David Yates. I am not familiar with any of his work but am hoping that his direction manages to finally realize the full potential of J.K. Rowling’s sensational imagination. The film is currently in post-production and will be released sometime in 2007. Of course, that means I won’t see until it is released on DVD sometime later that year or early in 2008.

My only major complaint about the films so far is Harry Potter himself. I still cannot understand why he doesn’t even open his mouth when the Goblet of Fire produces his name. Despite all the accusatory looks and Dumbledore’s near fury at reading Potter’s name, Harry quietly makes his way to the room with the other 3 champions, not saying a word. Why on earth wouldn’t he immediately state “I didn’t put my name in!”? He doesn’t even try to leave the competition. He doesn’t say a word while Barty Crouch and the others are discussing whether he should compete or not. I simply don’t understand it. There are too many times where Harry decides to keep his mouth shut rather than divulge the truth. Add that to Radcliffe’s poor acting skills and you get a frustrating film version of a beloved character. He certainly looks like the Harry Potter described in the books, but I find his attitude and lack of maturity quite annoying.

"Something wicked this way comes."

On a more positive note I am more than thrilled with Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Severus Snape. I swear the character was created just for him. I can think of no other actor who could hope to pull off the same sinister and mysterious quality that defines Snape. And although Rickman is notorious for playing the bad guy, I refuse to admit that Snape is actually bad. Yes, I’ve read the Half Blood Prince, but I think there is more going on here than meets the eye. Mark my words, Snape will be justified in book seven.

The Ridiculathon itself was very enjoyable. We started the day off at approximately 10:00am and finished sometime around 10:30pm. Everyone was prepared with plenty of snacks and my lovely wife provided a delicious lunch. It was comfortable, it was loud, and it was a blast. And if you missed it, have no fear. When the fifth movie is released on DVD you can be sure that another Ridiculathon will be planned and ready.

"As from this moment, The Triwizard Tournament has begun!"

Next up, the Fourth Official Ridiculathon of 2006: Star Trek: The Search for More Ridiculousity. Stay tuned for details!