Yep, that's right, JKR said that, in writing Book 7, she killed 2 she hadn't planned to, and reprieved one she had originally planned to kill. (I'm still convinced the reprieve is Lupin.) We can bet that a lot more than two will die in the final book.
About the OOTP movie: I saw it yesterday and agree with a lot of the criticism - I don't see how anyone who is not a fan of the books could follow this without being totally confused. Even for a reader, there were a lot of blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments: OK, so that's Tonks... Oh, yeah, Kreacher... Hey, look, it's Percy! ... There was an awful lot of seemingly significant stuff omitted: Percy's falling out with his family, Sirius' family connections (apart from Bellatrix) and the story of Brother Regulus, etc. Assuming everything in the movie happens with JKR's blessing, I took Sirius being hit with the AK first as saying, "He's DEAD, I mean it, now quit asking about veils and magic mirrors and such, he's DEAD!" And I took the omission of any discussion of Neville re the prophecy as "No, there's not going to be a last minute twist where we find out Neville was the chosen one all along, the books are called 'Harry Potter and the...' for a reason!" (Although Neville is definitely going to be heroic and avenge his parents against Bellatrix.)
On the plus side: Imelda Staunton is fantastic (as always). For me, Umbridge is the most upsetting, anger-inducing character in all Potterdom, worse than Evil Overlord Tom Voldypants, worse than fun-to-hiss Melodrama Baddie Lucius Malfoy, because she is the sort of bullying, self-righteous petty tyrant who exists in the real world. I would love to see Imelda get some award recognition at the end of the year. (And the kitten plates were a hoot.)
For the first time, I really wished I'd seen one of the movies before reading the corresponding book JUST because of Luna Lovegood. I had a hard time warming up to her in the book, but Evanna Lynch was so cute, she made her really sweet and lovable instead of just bizarre.
I love Matthew Lewis! How on earth could they have known that the pudgy little kid they cast as Neville would grow up into this tall, gawky, adorably dorky young man? (And I mean that as a compliment.) I agree that it would have been great to see the St Mungo's scene with his parents.
Ron and Hermione ARE the Screwball Comedy Romantic Couple, they have been since they met cute on the train in Year 1, and I really enjoyed everything between them in the movie. I can handle it if JKR kills Harry in the end, but please, oh, please, let Ron & Hermy go off into the sunset and raise the next brood of Weasleys!
I, too, dream of a day in the future when the BBC, or whatever Anglocentric media entity still exits in 30 years, does the series-of-mini-series "Complete Harry Potter." In my Ideal Fantasy World, we might see Dame Emma Thompson as McGonagall and Sir Hugh Laurie as Dumbledore; Lupin will be Hot, Lucius Malfoy will Not, and the GOF adaptation will include my favorite forgotten character of the Potterverse, Ludo Bagman. And I would be around to see it.
"In my own little corner..."
Updated On: 7/15/07 at 08:11 AM