The Great Harry Potter Rewatch: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and (yes, I'm a geek) I've probably read them hundreds of times. Having purchased the box set of films, I've decided to have a Harry Potter rewatch (until we get to the last two films, which will just be a watch as I've not seen them), to see if I can learn to love the films as much as the books (doubtful, but I'll try).

Up next is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which has always been my least favourite book of the seven. I don't know why, but I don't find it as enthralling as the rest. Still, with seven books, there's bound to be one that's less loved than the others.

Despite not loving Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as much as the other books, I did find myself quite enjoying the film.

The Weasley's house is exactly as I picture it in my head, a bit like a cake with too many layers that's still holding on to its structure, just about. Inside, it's as cluttered and homely as I always imagine it to be, although if there's one thing that doesn't live up to my imagination it's Mrs Weasley's clock, which in the books is clearly a clock that can be carried around, and not a grandfather clock.

I also loved Harry's journey by floo powder to "Diagonilly". That moment makes me laugh out loud every time, and it's done really well. As do the Weasley twins, whose brief appearances in this film make me love them as much as I do in the books.

Kenneth Branagh is brilliant as the arrogant yet clueless Professor Lockheart. His look is spot on, as is the scene at Hogwarts where he lets the pixies loose. Branagh continues to be great throughout, going from full of himself to angry to losing his memory flawlessly. This is definitely one of the best acting jobs of the Harry Potter series, and he's got some serious competition, even in this film. Jason Issacs is suitably mean as Lucius Malfoy, while Shirley Henderson's simpering and sulky Moaning Myrtle is as good as she is in the books.

Harry and Tom Riddle's final showdown is kind of creepy and poignant at the same time, and I enjoyed watching the interaction between the two, especially knowing what will happen next time the pair meet.

Knowing how Harry will interact with Dobby in the future also made seeing scenes between the two characters interesting. A good base is set for the two, and I'm bound to need to grab the tissues for their final encounter towards the end of the films.

The most terrifying part of the film for me (arachnophobe that I am) was the encounter between Harry, Ron and the spiders in the forest. I remember seeing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at the cinema, and having to sit in one of the rows closest to the screen because the place was packed. When Aragog, and then his children, appeared, I actually shrank back in my seat. They still have the same effect on me, even though I'm watching on a much smaller screen.

The same can't be said of the Basilisk, which I found distinctly unscary. I felt it was a clumsy puppet that looked a bit ridiculous flailing around.

Also disappointing in this film is the lack of interaction between Harry and Ginny, which is not only important in the telling of this particular story, but also sets the foundations for the way the two interact in books to come.

As in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, I found the Quidditch matches really boring to watch even though I love reading play-by-plays in the books. I think dragging them out makes them unbearable. Additionally, although the Harry Potter stories are all about suspending reality, I found myself distracted in the Quidditch scenes - wondering how on earth the stands didn't collapse as Dobby's rogue bludger smashed away at their foundations. It's a silly thing to focus on, but something the filmmakers should have been paying more attention to.

Also annoying was the clumsy exposition, found mostly at the beginning of the film i.e. "Why, Harry, you've never travelled by floo powder. Let me explain it to you in a slightly patronising manner so the viewers can understand what it is." Luckily it didn't carry on throughout, otherwise it would have been grating.

Overall though, I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In the same way I've come to love the book (although still not as much as the others) I've come to love this film, which definitely has more positive points than negative ones.

Reading challenge book four: Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Book four in my challenge to read one book (I haven't read before) a fortnight in 2012 is Brick Lane by Monica Ali. 

Brick Lane is a bit of a modern classic, and one of those novels that's been on my list to read for years. I was compelled to finally get round to buying a copy when I started working on an area in Tower Hamlets, although I still haven't been to the actual Brick Lane. 

I found Brick Lane a painful read, but in a good way. That may sound oxymoronic, but it's difficult to explain in other terms. What I mean is that my heart ached every step of Nazneen's journey, from when she was a baby to when we leave her at the end of the novel. Even then, happy as she is, my heart still ached for her, a happy ache, but nonetheless one that I could feel.

For a novel that is set largely in one flat, Brick Lane is all about journeys. Thousands of miles are travelled in this book, maybe more, as Nazneen goes on a journey to find herself, only to realise she was where she wanted to be all along. 

It's a novel about strong women, the strongest kind of women. Mothers, who just get on with life. There's Nazneen, who takes on a mothering role with her sister as well as her own two daughters, and the son she loses towards the beginning of the novel. There's Razia, who builds a life for her children when her husband dies, so focused on the material that it causes her to ignore the plight of her son because she loves him so much she is blind to his faults. But when she finally faces the truth about Tariq, Razia is all mother, letting no one get in the way of her son's recovery.

Another reason Brick Lane is so heartbreaking yet so powerful is that it is full of lonely characters. Nazneen, who feels isolated in a strange country; Chanu, who never quite finds his place despite all his efforts and ends up calling the place he left years ago home; Razia, who soldiers on despite others looking down on her; Dr Azad, who discovers love is not enough; Karim, who doesn't know what he wants.

There are many fascinating characters in Brick Lane, but perhaps Karim is one of the most interesting, since we know as little about him as he knows about himself. Although he helps Nazneen to break down her own barriers and learn more about herself, he is unable to let go of the artificial images he creates for himself. He flits from image to image, trying to be the perfect whatever he is trying to be at that time. By the end of the novel we're unsure of his location, a metaphor perhaps for the way Karim disappears a little more every time he tries to be something he's not. 

Brick Lane is a beautifully crafted novel, all feelings and emotions wrapped in a setting that reflects the lives of its characters. It has a charming ending, one that left me sighing in bittersweet happiness, and it's a novel I'm sure I'll visit again.

Glee: The Spanish Teacher recap/review

One of the writers of Glee - I can't remember which - has been quoted as saying this middle block of episodes in season three are all about fun.

And I definitely had fun this episode. Not just because The Spanish Teacher was funny, but also because it was one of those well-crafted episodes of Glee where so much happens while on screen not much seems to happen.

Let's start with the fun stuff. Ricky Martin as the Spanish teacher was fun to watch, as was his interaction with Will and the glee club kids. The reactions when he walked into the room were stunning (I've missed you Sugar!) and his version of Sexy and I Know It had my head bopping.

Also funny were Sue's pronouncement she wanted to have a child (but more on that later), the scene in the locker room (more on Emma later), and tons of other things. I spent much of this episode laughing, and it felt good.

But despite all the fun I had, there were lots of serious moments dotted in between the jollier stuff.

While it was initially funny to hear Sue announce she wanted a child, the whole plot soon became touching, as she revealed she knows how mean she is, that she vibrates with rage all the time, and that she would never want to subject a child to those behaviours. But it was Sue's honesty, with Emma and with herself, that I think would make Sue a good mother. And it's that honesty displayed in the scene between Sue and Becky - another excellent moment between the two to follow on from the one in Yes/No - that makes Becky say as much to Sue. Mean as Sue is, she has acted as a mother figure to Becky, and to an extent all the Cheerios she has taught.

Easier to see as a mother is Emma, but this week she acted as a mentor and  as one of the voices of the programme's voices of wisdom (along with Sue and Kurt). She shows that passion and determination can carry a person a long way, and that she has bucketloads of both, despite all the difficulties she faces with her OCD and her strange parents. Emma may seem like a timid mouse, but she's actually more of a sage or a mentor, there to guide people on the path they need (with fun leaflets). It's brilliantly shown in her words to Will ("I don't need you to take care of me") and her advice to Mercedes and Sam to stop talking and start listening.

Our final voice of wisdom was Kurt, who has been through more than his fair share of hardship in his life. Kurt, out of all the teenagers in Glee (and many of the adults as well) is, I think, the character who knows himself best. His confidence has grown hugely since the first series, and he's in a good position to talk to Finn about the importance of living your life, believing in yourself and not being afraid. He's lived it all, and is practising what he preaches.

Essentially, these three more serious moments were just that - moments. They weren't grand proclamations, there were no signs hanging over them saying: "Major plot development here!" Glee showed a subtlety this week that's missing from all of its worst episodes. Kurt, Emma and Sue's words of wisdom and honesty weren't delivered in a heavy-handed manner. Instead, they were quite moments among the larger chaos of Glee. It was chaos that really worked this week, and meant those quieter moments will stay with us for a long time. 

Glee's playing the long game with its storylines. There's no sudden blow-up over Rachel and Finn's engagement, it's a storyline that I'm actually coming to enjoy because of the slow development. Also notable this week was the Mercedes and Sam storyline, the slow burn of which just makes me anticipate what is going to happen there more. I hope Glee continues in this vein. 

The music
This might be controversial, but I felt the music wasn't that great this week. That's no bad thing, since Glee, while a programme about a glee club, is first and foremost a programme about people, and I would rather the music be a by-product of the storyline than have the storyline revolve around getting a certain song in.

That said, I did enjoy Sexy and I Know It, and I thought Mercedes sang Don't Wanna Lose You beautifully. The boys doing Bamboleo and Hero was fun, although the constant need Glee has for mash-ups annoys me.

Ricky Martin's teacher doing La Isla Bonita with Santana was hot, and Mr Schue's A Little Less Conversation made me laugh in horror. Santana had a real point when she berated Mr Schue. 

What Glee did well
The mix of laugh-out-loud moments and quieter conversations was really well done. 

Next week
Valentine's Day, and we get to meet Rachel's dads.

Reading challenge book three: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Book three in my challenge to read one book (I haven't read before) a fortnight in 2012 is Shiver  by Maggie Stiefvater.

This was actually meant to be book five, as I'm half way through what was meant to be book three and had book four lined up. But when this was sent to me I could only resist for a few days before cracking it open, and once I'd started it was difficult to stop.

Comparisons to Twilight are inevitable, although this has werewolves and there are no vampires in sight. It is, however, a love story, where the female protagonist, whose parents aren't the most observant of people, falls for the otherworldly male protagonist. And of course, Stiefvater is tapping in to the insatiable need pop culture has for other beings, be they vampires, werewolves or something else. But that's where the similarities with Twilight end.

Even though Shiver's target audience is probably teenagers, this is altogether a much more adult book than any in the Twilight series, and I felt comfortable reading it. Characters are well-rounded, the development of the main relationship in the book feels like development, and the emotions are all too human.

The protagonist, Grace, was bitten by wolves as a child. She recovered from her injuries with no side effects (she thinks), but is now fascinated by the wolf pack behind her home. In particular, she is drawn to a wolf with intriguing yellow eyes.

When a boy at her school is "killed" by the wolves some of the townsfolk head into the woods to shoot the wolves. Which is when Grace, running home, finds a boy with hauntingly familiar yellow eyes in her garden.

Taking him in, Grace learns more about the boy, Sam, and his life as a werewolf. Their relationship is, for them and for readers, a slow burn - both go into it knowing pain, physical and emotional, lies ahead. But because both are aware of each other's shortcomings, it's a decidedly adult relationship, something missing from Twilight with the weak Bella constantly pining after Edward.

The mythology here is well crafted, using simple tools. Stiefvater chooses the weather to act as the catalyst for why the werewolves change (guess that's sort of a similarity with Twilight, where the weather also has an influence on some things). Cold makes the humans turn into werewolves, and they stay that way until the weather is warm enough. Grace has spent her summers up until meeting Sam missing the werewolves, without knowing why. 

To add a twist, eventually all the werewolves remain werewolves, no matter what the weather. It's a concept which adds a sense of doom to the whole proceedings, and the tension builds throughout the book.

Stiefvater's secondary characters are well developed. Grace's friends Olivia and Rachel are mysterious and fun respectively, and Olivia especially plays a crucial role in some of the proceedings, although Stiefvater chooses to keep this behind the scenes until near the end. Other characters, such as Sam's mentor/father figure Beck and Grace's frenemy Isabel, are likeable despite their very, very huge faults, but that's because Stiefvater isn't afraid to show the negative parts of their personality.

Shiver is a well-crafted teen novel, which actually deserves some of the attention the poorly written Twilight received. Lucky for me, there are sequels, and I can't wait to read them.

The Great Harry Potter Rewatch: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and (yes, I'm a geek) I've probably read them hundreds of times. Having purchased the box set of films, I've decided to have a Harry Potter rewatch (until we get to the last two films, which will just be a watch as I've not seen them), to see if I can learn to love the films as much as the books (doubtful, but I'll try).

Up first is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which contains dolls playing the parts of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Oops, sorry, not dolls, they're just the very young, extremely tiny Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Let's get this out of the way, the three of them are sweet, and they all look the part, but they can't act for all the chocolate frogs in the world in this film.

The best child actor in this film is Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. From that perfect sneer on his face when he encounters Harry for the first time to his indignation at being given detention by McGonagall to his fear in the Forbidden Forest, Felton's pretty good at embodying the horrid Malfoy.

I love the pre-Hogwarts scenes in this film, because what I loved most about the first book was finding out all about the wizard world. Diagon Alley is one of my favourite fictional places in the world, and this film gets pretty close to how I see it in my head - busy, with surprises in every shopfront, full of strange people. It's like Oxford Street, but with magic.

Also pretty good are the Dursleys, who are just as contemptible as they are in the book, and Molly Weasley, who is just as lovely, even though we only see her briefly. All the Weasleys are pretty cool, and they'll definitely be welcomed in further films.

Hagrid, although I find the scaling odd - sometimes he's massive, sometimes he just looks normal - is played well by Robbie Coltrane (although I'll never stop associating him with Cracker). He's the perfect mix of protective and funny.

Once we get to Hogwarts, I don't feel the film quite lives up to the book. I think the film missed a trick by not including one of Dumbledore's best lines ever: "Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

I was a little bored by the film's Quidditch scene, which I was also bored with the first time I saw this film. Unfortunately, time has done nothing to improve it. Somehow, seeing almost six minutes of high-speed Quidditch played out on screen is less exciting than reading about it.

More exciting are the final scenes with Harry, Ron and Hermione trying to get to the philosopher's stone. The chess scene, in particular, is tense and builds brilliantly to the moment Ron makes his final move. Quirrell turning to ash every time he touches Harry, although not quite the way it's done in the book, is powerful, and seeing the hideous face of Voldemort is actually scary.

There are some essential parts, things I consider essential in the book anyway, missing from the film. I love a bit of angst, so everyone disliking Harry because of the whole Norbert incident is one of my favourite parts of the book, but instead we just get our gang of three getting in trouble for going to see Hagrid. Also not in the film is Hermione solving Snape's logical quiz to get Harry to the philosopher's stone, but maybe this was because the writers of the film didn't understand which bottle got Harry through the fire.

Overall, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a decent adaptation of the first book. It's light on the darker plots that surface later in the series, and heavy on exposition, but in that way it's exactly like the book.

Glee: Michael recap/review

This highly anticipated episode was called Michael, which I personally believe was a shortened version of its working title - Let's see how many Michael Jackson songs we can cram into one episode.

Nine, it turns out. I won't discuss them all, because we'll be here forever, but needless to say this episode was heavy on the music, light on the plot.

There were two main plot strands - Sebastian and the Warblers doing battle with the New Directions, and Rachel deciding whether or not to marry Finn. Most of the other things that happened in this episode can largely be tied in to these two plot points.

Let's take Rachel and Finn first, mostly to get it out of the way. When we left them in the last episode Finn had just proposed to Rachel. She was about as shocked as I was annoyed by this development. Like the 'Quinn wants to steal her baby back plot', teenagers getting married on a whim is a plot that should stay firmly in the realm of trashy soaps.

What I really wanted Rachel to say when we saw her and Finn again this episode was: "No, are you crazy? We're 17, you've just found out your father died an addict not a war hero, and you're trying to fill the hole in your life with me. I love you, but we are too young to get married."

Instead, she thought about it, and then when she thought she'd been completely rejected from NYADA she decided to talk Finn up on his offer, seemingly charmed by his rendition of I Just Can't Stop Loving You (not the best number for his voice we've heard Finn do). I wanted to shake Rachel when she said yes. Not only is it a stupid decision, it doesn't take a genius to work out it's going to end in disaster. Which it will, since Rachel was accepted into NYADA at the end of the episode and now faces the choice between her man and her career.

Talking of NYADA, after all Kurt has been through this season and, oh, every season, it was lovely to see him being accepted (I'm taking being a finalist as being accepted) into the university of his choice. He deserves some happiness, especially in light of what happened to his boyfriend this episode.

Which brings us neatly to the other main plot point of this episode - Warblers vs New Directions. This faux rivalry, orchestrated entirely by the rather nasty Sebastian, was simply an excuse to do a lot of Michael Jackson numbers. Both groups want to sing the King of Pop's songs for regionals (what's the betting neither will?), so a war to see who does Michael best ensues.

The episode opens with the New Directions singing Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - setting the tone for the battle ahead - before we head to the Lima Bean, where Sebastian drops the bomb that he's got the Warblers to agree to change their set list to MJ tunes.

So follows a showdown in a dark car park, where Blaine and Santana look like the kick arse besties I've always wanted them to be. Alas, despite Blaine rocking the line "it's time to see who's bad" before the start of the number, by the end he's on the floor is a screaming heap, the victim of a slushie laced with rock salt thrown by Sebastian (public school kids, or private, should I say, since it's an American programme).

Horrid as Sebastian is (truly horrid), his injuring of Blaine leads the latter to wear my favourite outfit of the series so far (yes, including the leather jumpsuit Kurt sports at the beginning of the episode) - pyjamas and an eyepatch. Seriously, pyjamas and an eyepatch. Imagine Darren Criss turning up to work that day and being handed pyjamas and an eyepatch to wear. Genius.

Unfortunately, it also leads to Kurt, Rachel and Finn singing Ben at Blaine, which is a bit weird. It would have been fine if it was just Kurt (although a love song would have been more appropriate), but I'm not seeing the need for Rachel and Finn to get involved with this.

Blaine's injury also leads to a sing-off between Santana and Sebastian, who rock Smooth Criminal with the help of a pair of phenomenally talented cellists. In my opinion, Santana wins, and not just because the dictaphone she taped to her "underboob" caught Sebastian confessing to tampering with the slushie.

Santana is brilliant in this episode. Her wit and cruelty are pointed firmly in the direction of Sebastian, and she shows that as bitchy as she is, she will come through for her friends. Her and Kurt have some cute moments, and if I can't get Santana and Blaine as BFFs, I'll happily settle for Santana and Kurt.

There were, however, some disappointing moments in this episode. For one, I found it hard to believe that the Warblers, who go to a school famous for its no tolerance bullying policy, would suddenly start assisting in the slushying of people. Secondly, Dalton is meant to be a good school, so I find it difficult to believe a group of clever teenagers would be taken in by Sebastian so much that they pretty much turn on a good friend, especially because at the end they realise the error of their ways (cheesy).

Also strange for me was Artie's outburst. Granted, his and Mike's recreation of Scream and its video was brilliant, but the lead up to it was clumsy. We've seen so little of Artie this season - some appearances as director of West Side Story, which gave him the opportunity to give a speech about how responsibility and trust made him feel like a man; his friendship/relationship/thing with Becky, which gave him the chance to berate the others for not looking more than skin deep (only to turn around and do the same thing himself); and now this, making an angry speech about the glee club standing up for themselves and fighting back. I feel like Artie is the big speech guy, like the writers say: "Ooh, we've got a lesson disguised as a speech, let's get Artie to do it." They wheel him out, literally, and then once he's done they shuffle him to the back again. I love Artie, I'd just like to see him more often with a more consistent plot (although he got to sing a lot this episode - yay!). He did a good speech, but I was a little bit: "Where did that come from?"

Overall, I thought this was a pretty solid episode, although it has to be taken very much as a tribute episode to Michael Jackson, and not compared to some of the plot heavy and better structured episodes of Glee. Like the Madonna episode, it was all about shoehorning the music in, but the writers did a good job of moving the NYADA and Rachel/Finn stories along, even if I don't think Rachel should have said yes. 

The music
Well, lots of Michael Jackson. My personal favourites were Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Bad and Smooth Criminal.

I also loved Quinn's version of Never Can Say Goodbye, as she seemed really connected to the song and it fit well with her plot of finally learning to let go and doing something for herself.

I thought Black or White could have been stronger, although I loved the Warblers (particularly Trent) getting up on stage with the New Directions to bust some moves.

EDIT - I forgot about Mercedes and Sam. I liked Human Nature, but that kiss was lost in the middle of this episode. I'd completely forgotten about it when I got to the end.

What Glee did well
Doing Michael Jackson numbers is a tall order, but props to Glee for trying, and for pretty much pulling it off. 

Next week
Ricky Martin as the Spanish teacher.