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Out of 5 stars, what would you rate The Farseer Trilogy?

5 stars
2
100%
4 stars
0
No votes
3 stars
0
No votes
2 stars
0
No votes
1 star
0
No votes
 
Total votes : 2


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Sun Dec 04, 2016 12:06 pm
Mea says...



Welcome to the Let’s Talk Media Discussion thread! In case you haven’t seen, I’ve started an article in Squills where I review what I’ve read and watched, with one twist - I want you to take part in the discussion, and the place to do it is this thread! I’ll be updating the thread every two weeks with a post linking to my article, as well as a new poll asking you to rate the book or movie out of five stars.


Warning: this is a discussion thread. There will be spoilers.


This first week’s topic is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Now tell me, what did you think?
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Tue Dec 06, 2016 1:57 am
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Carlito says...



Okay you knew I would be first in here :P

SPOILERS GALORE SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

I gave the movie 5/5 not just because I'm a huge fan of the entire franchise, but because I really thought it was a well done film. Let's go back a second though before I get too deep into my thoughts.

I was hyped for this film. I remember when I saw the first teaser trailer that showed virtually nothing but the words "JK Rowling invites you to return to the wizarding world", and no joke guys, I was sobbing. Sobbing. Every new trailer I saw, I cried. I really didn't know what the plot of the movie was going to be other than Mr. Newt letting some magical creatures loose in NYC. I had no idea how they were going to make a whole movie about that, but I didn't care because WIZARDING WORLD.

So I made boy take me the absolute first opportunity I had, which was the Friday night it came out. I showed up in the pouring rain wearing my house colors (Ravenclaw <3), my time-turner, and with my hand-made custom wand. I teared up when I heard the familiar opening music and the title screen so reminiscent of the HP movies and I was teleported for a second back to the HP7.2 release with my closest friends. The opening sequence with the newspapers with headlines we would recognize as HP fans was making me froth at the mouth <3

And then we had the movie.

I loved Newt. When I found out Eddie would be playing him I was so excited because he's such a good actor and he's so dang adorable. I thought he did a great job with the character! The mating dance at Central Park, I mean come on! I liked Jacob more than I thought I would. He ended up being more than purely comic relief which was nice (I heard he'll be in the subsequent movies as well which I'm excited about), but he was pretty good comic relief. Tina didn't do much for me and I'm a little bummed there was no kiss at the end between her and Newt (but that's the romantic in me). I'm hoping she's developed more in future movies. Queenie also grew on me a lot as the movie progressed. At first, I thought she was a bit annoying because she didn't seem to have much depth, but I was happy that her feelings for Jacob were real and she developed as the movie progressed. I was also super happy that the American minister was not only a female, but an African-American female. Even though some of her decisions were questionable, it's nice to see someone other than an old white man in power :)

Plot wise, I really liked the layering. I loved the overlying plot of "omg Newt needs to get all his magical creatures back" with the "OMG THERE'S THIS REALLY SCARY THING HAPPENING IN THE CITY AND EVERYONE'S GOING TO DIE". Not going to lie though, I'm a baby and some of that obscurus/child abuse/cult stuff freaked me out. The layering was definitely needed though because without the obscurous stuff it would have felt like a kiddie movie and without the finding the creatures stuff it would have been really dark and scary.

I didn't not see Credence coming until the very end. I thought that was really well executed and I was really sad that they weren't able to save him. I thought the part with Newt trying to talk to him and pull him out of it was so powerful and I was really sad that Newt didn't succeed. I'm fully in support of the theory that Arianna could have been an obscurous or that she's connected to obscurials in some way. I was thinking about that as soon as I left the theater. I heard that the film series is going to end with the fight between Dumbledore and Grindelwald so maybe we'll find out if there's a connection!

In terms of Grindelwald, I didn't see that reveal coming either. I'm really not a fan that Depp was cast in that role and I hope they change it in the next movie, but I really doubt that will be the case... I'm very curious to see how the next movies in the series will develop plot-wise and if Newt is going to stay the center or what. It's kind of interesting to have HP movies without a book frame of reference to go off of first.

There wasn't a lot that I didn't like. I think I was so struck and so in awe that I was watching A NEW HARRY POTTER MOVIE that things I didn't like didn't register. I'm sure when I re-watch the movie many times after it comes out on DVD I'll think of things that bothered me, but overall I was super pleased and I thought the movie did a really nice job introducing us to the wizarding world in the US. I thought the differences were so interesting and I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing how this new part of the franchise will develop because there are so many directions it could go.

I'll stop there with my preliminary thoughts, but I'm sure I'll think of more things as the conversation starts to pick up :D
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Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:56 am
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Mea says...



In case you haven't been warned enough - spoilers

@Carlito - Of course. :D

Okay, so I went to the movie theater with my Time Turner and a light-up wand (which I had to take the batteries out of so it wouldn't turn on during the movie... you wave it and it turns on which is uber-cool but then it turns on even when you don't want it to...). I went with like 5 other people, and basically we all had our Harry Potter gear on and some people even painted a scar on their forehead. The theater was practically empty (benefits of seeing American movies in Japan), so we got the best seats.

I was too young to be a fangirl and go to any of the previous HP releases. I remember the release of Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (I was 10 or 11, in love with the series but hadn't discovered fandoms yet), and I wasn't allowed to watch PG-13 movies yet, so this was completely my first experience and it was great.

I loved the layering too! I think that was my favorite part, even though at times the movie was so dark. The contrast was what made it work. And oooh, I hadn't heard that about a fight between Grindelwald and Dumbledore! That makes me like twice as excited.

I totally knew the guy was Grindelwald. After that scene where he gives Credence the Hallows sign, at first I thought he could just be working for Grindlewald, but then I thought about how he said he specifically would know if Cadence touched it, and that's way too much like the Dark Mark, so I figured he was Grindlewald in disguise. Didn't call Johnny Depp being him, and not sure I like it either. And I didn't see the twist with Credence coming, and honestly I'm still not quite sold on the ending because it's just so sad that he died, it almost doesn't feel like a happy one.

But yeah, basically I'm just way too excited for the next movie. :D
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Fri Dec 09, 2016 2:16 pm
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haredrier says...



I went to see the movie last weekend with my sibling, and after thinking it over a bit I'm giving it 3/5 stars.

Spoilers below:

While the effects, creature designs and the main character were all great, there were several characters and things that I felt were very 1-dimensional, obvious, or didn't make much sense.

For instance, Tina and her sister only really appeared when they were useful to the plot, and got no characterization. Also, the whole adoptive family of Credence really didn't serve a purpouse other than to say "Hey, these guys are weird, it's no wonder that Credence got messed up in the head!" His "reveal" to be the Obscurus was really unsurprising and could've been done much better. As for Graves, he could have used Credence so much more effectively as a pawn than to just kick him to the dirt once his apparent usefulness was over. As for his whole "making muggles find out about magic" plan, there were so many better ways he could've handled himself.

I'm going to loop back around to Tina and her sister for a bit. If they have someone who can effortlessly read minds on their payroll, why didn't the ministry put her to more use in interrogations? It's almost as effective as Veritaserum unless the person specifically trained against it and infinitely easier to obtain. As for Tina, the only part of her story that we know just shows that the ministry here is not proceeding well at all. In her past, she made one mistake during her career and it got her fired as an Auror. There were no casualties and everyone's memories got erased cleanly, so why did she get demoted? Even if she did, it still stands that she has the knowledge and skills to become an Auror in the first place, and shouldn't get completely ignored by her superiors. Also, since when is smuggling magical creatures a capital offense punishable by death? If that's the case, Hagrid must be wanted in soooo many countries.

Aside from that, there were another few things I'd like to mention: The whole no muggle/ wizard marriage is really dumb and eventually would lead to a Pureblood society filled with all the dirth deformations and things that come along with it(as shown in the Harry Potter books). Another point is that Grindlewald's "reveal" was so anticlimactic and unessecary to the plot that I actually forgot it happened for a while. Also, since Jacob seemed to have an affinity for Magical creatures, Newt could have easily offered him a job as an assistant instead of just saying "this is what must be done". He could even have smuggled him away in the suitcase to make it easier. At the very least, he should have been given that choice.

On a positive note, I enjoyed the creature's designs and personalities and Newt was a fun character to watch. I enjoyes the film for the most part while watching it but it doesn't hold up much during scrutination after you're finished watching.
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Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:48 pm
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Rook says...



I just came here to say eddie redmayne is a very pretty man.
Instead, he said, Brother! I know your hunger.
To this, the Wolf answered, Lo!

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Sat Dec 10, 2016 3:30 am
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Carlito says...



fortis wrote:I just came here to say eddie redmayne is a very pretty man.

But really though.

I can't believe he's married and has a child and is 34!


(I'll come back with comments that pertain more the discussion later :P)


Also, I want everyone to know that the add on the right side of my screen right now, is for Fantastic Beasts.
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Sat Dec 10, 2016 5:24 am
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TriSARAHtops says...



fortis wrote:I just came here to say eddie redmayne is a very pretty man.


Oh agreed.

I really enjoyed Fantastic Beasts! I think it was a good beginning to a new series, and I'm looking forward to the sequels to it.

I thought there was a really good balance between having the familiarity of the wizarding world we know from HP, but it was still something new and different to the original books/films. It was more than different enough that it didn't just feel like a rehash, but it was still recognisable.

Gonna get spoiler-y for a moment, so heads up.

Also, I totally knew that Graves was at the very least connected with Grindelwald right from the start , because of, well, his hair. There's a moment early on where we see the back of Grindelwald's head, then when Graves is introduced it's the same shot and pretty much the same haircut, just his hair is dark. I was quite impressed with myswlf for picking that up.
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Sat Dec 10, 2016 8:41 am
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Wolfi says...



Can I just say that Eddie's cheekbones are fabulous? When this was my avatar I'd just stare for minutes at his perfect cheekbone shadow. nope, not weird at all
Image

I picked up the same thing as you, @TriSARAHtops. Out of the two friends I was seeing it with, I was the only one to notice the hair and felt quite proud of myself. xD It's not a typical hairstyle to the time period.
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Wed Dec 14, 2016 3:20 am
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Carlito says...



I'm so glad we're having an Eddie fan-girl moment. *considers starting a thread in media about him because all of his movies are just divine*

@Mea
I was too young to be a fangirl and go to any of the previous HP releases. I remember the release of Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (I was 10 or 11, in love with the series but hadn't discovered fandoms yet), and I wasn't allowed to watch PG-13 movies yet, so this was completely my first experience and it was great.

I went to the midnight releases of the 6th and 7th book (and cursed child), and the midnight releases of the 5th - final movie.
(I'm old :P)

To the point:

I'm so impressed that so many people called the Grindelwald/Graves thing early on. I must have been waaaaay too mesmerized and excited about another HP movie to notice little details like hair :P

@haredrier
As for Graves, he could have used Credence so much more effectively as a pawn than to just kick him to the dirt once his apparent usefulness was over.

I agree, that turn around with Graves from him coming off as being on Credence's side and then kicking him to the curb was not the best move, and not just because it became apparent very soon after what a grave mistake (haha pun) that was. But, I suppose since Graves is actually Grindelwald we can't be too surprised that he's not very nice to people...

If they have someone who can effortlessly read minds on their payroll, why didn't the ministry put her to more use in interrogations? It's almost as effective as Veritaserum unless the person specifically trained against it and infinitely easier to obtain.

That, is a very good question. Maybe the ministry doesn't know because she only tells certain people? Maybe the ministry has a personal beef with her or is afraid of her for some reason? Whatever the case, I hope we find out in some fashion!

You're totally entitled to your opinions (and you may have figured out that I'm a freak HP fan :P) but remember that the wizarding world in this movie is different than the wizarding world we're used to - different country, different time period. So the weird (to us) laws like smuggling magical creatures being a capital offense or No-Mags not marrying wizards is probably a function of the time and/or place.

Another point is that Grindlewald's "reveal" was so anticlimactic and unessecary to the plot that I actually forgot it happened for a while.

I also thought the reveal was a touch anti-climatic. It happened so quickly with so many other things going on. But, I think Grindelwald is going to play a much bigger role in the next movies, so maybe they did it this was just to introduce us to him? Who knows.

Also, since Jacob seemed to have an affinity for Magical creatures, Newt could have easily offered him a job as an assistant instead of just saying "this is what must be done". He could even have smuggled him away in the suitcase to make it easier. At the very least, he should have been given that choice.

That would have been so nice! I thought the ending was sad compared to how other HP movies have been. I felt bad for Jacob and it would have been nice for the ministry to make an exception for him since he helped save everyone. Or since Newt and Tina don't seem to care about breaking rules, I wish they would have broken the rules for him. But, I've heard that Jacob is going to be in the next movies too, not sure to what extent but it'll be interesting to see what else they do with him.

I might need to watch the movie again when I'm home for the holidays. I have many family members that haven't seen it! :D
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Mon Dec 19, 2016 3:30 am
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Mea says...



Time for an update!

This week's topic: A Christmas Carol



There will be spoilers.

I already talked about my thoughts here, but I thought I'd add a little bit.

I actually have never seen the Muppets' version in its entirety. I know, I know, I need to. :P I have seen the 1970s version just called Scrooge, and I'm pretty sure I saw another live action adaptation when I was in middle school, but I can't for the life of me find it again. (If anyone can think of it, please do tell me!) I remember watching Scrooge as a kid and being scared by the ghosts flying around with chains and the Ghost of Christmas Future.

And I've always thought the Ghost of Christmas Future looks a lot like a dementor. Anyone else? :P

So, have you guys seen any of the movies? How do you think they compare to the book?
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Mon Dec 19, 2016 5:00 am
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DragonWriter22 says...



I love A Christmas Carol and all that it's been adapted into. I haven't read the book for a little while now, so I'll have to put that on my list of over-break reading. I did just barely watch The Muppet Christmas Carol on Saturday. It's got to be one of my favorite versions though it doesn't follow the book exactly. You NEED to see it in entirety. It's hilarious! It does a really good job of telling the story while also adding well-timed muppet comedy.
Anyway, I do agree with you that the Ghost of Christmas Future looks very much like a dementor. It used to creep me out so much when I was a kid! That's not so much anymore, but the ghost of Christmas past has progressively gotten creepier to me as I've gotten older. Especially in the muppet version.
So yeah, A Christmas Carol has been a large part of my childhood and there was a time when my siblings and I were writing our own script version of it that we planned to act out. That was roughly during the time I was studying it in school so I took a lot of inspirations directly from the book though the muppet version was a large part of it as well. We never finished the script, but it was a lot of fun to work on and we had planned on making it a musical. I was the main "songwriter", though all I really did was take the tunes of Christmas Songs and change the lyrics to apply to the scene. I'm kind of sad we never finished it in it's entirety. We kept meaning to do it every Christmas, but the time just flies by so quickly!
I wish I could talk more about the book here, but I haven't read it recently enough. Though the Muppet Christmas Carol is one of my favorite adaptations, I really wish they hadn't cut out Fan. I feel like the scene with her during Christmas Past is really sweet and I miss her character. It puts in a more real connection to Scrooge's Nephew and adds another dimension to his childhood. I understand that things need to be cut out to shorten time however, and the movie is still amazing.
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Tue Jan 31, 2017 9:50 pm
Mea says...



Bumping for The Farseer Trilogy! Link to Squills Article

Discuss away! Some questions for those not sure what to say: who were your favorite characters? What did you think of the plot and the ending? Have you read the sequel series?
We're all stories in the end.

I think of you as a fairy with a green dress and a flower crown and stuff.
-EternalRain

I think you, @Deanie and I are like the Three Book Nerd Musketeers of YWS.
-bluewaterlily
  








I was weeping as much for him as her; we do sometimes pity creatures that have none of the feeling either for themselves or others.
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