1st time:
where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
show: 12:10 pm matinee
costs: $7.25 Ticket + $4.00 medium Diet/Zero ( with Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke + $5.25 small Popcorn + $1.50 Kernel Season's Ranch topping = $18.00
auditorium: 7
seat: 3rd row, 10th column
2nd time:
where: EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16
when: Friday, July 17th, 2009
show: 10:30 am matinee
costs: $7.50 Ticket + $4.50 small Diet/Zero Coke + $3.00 Mint Cookie Dough = $15.00
auditorium: 5
seat: 3rd row, 11th column
3rd time:
where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
show: 10:15 pm
costs: $9.50 Ticket + $4.00 medium Diet/Zero ( with Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke + $4.25 junior Popcorn + $3.99 Safeway Roast Beef & Cheddar Sandwich = $21.74
auditorium: 14
seat: 4th row, 7th column
Raging hormones and rampaging Death Eaters clash in this dark, supernatural teen angst sequel!
Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters are aggressively on the attack in both the Magic and the Muggles' Worlds, even going so far as to threaten the safety of anyone and everyone at Hogwarts. Dark alliances are sealed. And Harry's ( Daniel Radcliffe ) aid is requested of him by Professor Dumbledore ( Michael Gambon ) who's in desperate search of the semi-immortal Voldemort's splintered "Achilles' Heel," the Horcruxes, as he prepares Harry for the impending death match with Voldemort: A missing key in the Pensieve's collection of memories must be retrieve by Harry in time! But making matters more complicated in such an inopportune time is every one's developing interest in members of the opposite gender. And when tragedy strikes at Hogwarts, Harry realizes that, perhaps, his efforts were all for naught!
noteworthy scenes: 1.) The diner; 2.) The "Unbreakable Vow" between Professor Snape ( Alan Rickman ) and Narcissa Malfoy ( Helen McCrory ) witnessed by Bellatrix LeStrange ( Helena Bonham Carter ); 3.) The magic shoppe; 4.) Draco Malfoy's ( Tom Felton ) secret meeting with the Death Eaters; 5.) Harry and Draco on the train; 6.) Dumbledore's speech in the Dining Hall; 7.) Professor Slughorn's ( Jim Broadbent ) Potions class; 8.) The Wool's Orphanage; 9.) The practice game before the competition; 10.) Learning of the old and well-used Advanced Potion Making book's owner; 11.) Drinking at the 3 Broomsticks; 12.) Katie Bell ( ? ), the possessed girl; 13.) The talk over dessert with Professor Slughorn; 14.) The Quidditch Finals game; 15.) Hermione ( Emma Watson ) confiding in Harry; 16.) The "Chosen One" talk at the library; 17.) Draco and Snape in the hallway; 18.) The very infatuated Lavender ( Jessie Brown ) on the train; 19.) The Christmas gathering; 20.) The field chase after the Death Eaters; 21.) The "missing memory" added to the Pensieve's collection; 22.) Ron Weasley's ( Rupert Grint ) box of chocolates; 23.) The infirmary; 24.) The Borgin and Burke's "vanishing" cabinet; 25.) Fight between Harry and Draco; 26.) Off to Hagrid's ( Robbie Coltrane ); 27.) Dumbledore telling Harry about the Horcruxes; 28.) The Secret Cavern; 29.) The defenseless Dumbledore; 30.) The Half-Blood Prince revealed; and 31.) The Fake.
audience reaction: The audience was genuinely entertained by this movie, although no one gave it a "Hands Clapper" at the end.
recommendation: I liked this movie even though the ending left everyone hanging--must be why it was not a "Hands Clapper" ending. Go see it anyway.
spoiler alert! While in the Muggles' World, Harry left the magical tabloid, THE PROPHET, in the diner! When the Death Eaters spiralled around London's Millennium ( Y2K ) Footbridge, causing it to sway and twist ( before it buckled and collapsed ), you could see that the sure-footed pedestrians running for safety neither stumbled nor fell--not one! Since an "Unbreakable Vow" leaves a mark on the hand and wrist of either party entering into a compact, it should have been a dead-giveaway hinting at who was behind Hogwarts' compromised security and safety. Dumbledore could take Harry flying over great distances in a jiffy but, inside the secret cavern, they had to float on a boat across a small body of water to get to an horcrux--Ha!
2nd spoiler alert! Why did Harry not get himself imprisoned or, much less, not get himself expelled for almost killing Draco? In the three times that Harry used the Pensieve to access stored memories, his face was completely immersed in the receptacle for these estimated times in proper order: two minutes and 30 seconds, one minute and 35 seconds, and three minutes and 15 seconds; all accomplished without him first taking a deep breath of air or gasping for air afterwards--Wow! he's got quite a set of lungs. When they left the Inferi-infested lake in the secret cavern, Harry was no longer soaking wet. By the way, the under-the-water scene in the lake only lasted for 33 seconds.
fyi: The animated photos, pictures and portraits gave me the creeps! I remember having both my junior high and senior high class pictures on my bedroom wall at my family's old Oakland, CA house. For years, being the prude that I was, I would NOT undress in front of those pictures--I would hide around the corner to do so ( what with all those leery eyes feasting on my "at-the-peak-of-ripeness" body)! Finally, I mustered-up enough nerve to undress before them, saying to myself, Is this what you want, what you were hoping for. Well, take it all in, you slut-bitches! I know you like it, I know you want it. Yes, you do! So, come and get it! Eventually, I became so ashamed of myself that I took those class pictures down, rolled them both up, and stashed them in a dresser drawer--once a prude, always a prude. Yep ....
word of advice: The skeletal, zombie-like creatures in the Inferi-infested lake in the secret cavern may be a bit scary and night-mare inducing to some, especially the young children, in the audience.
tidbits: At 7:24 am today, I drove by Kinko's on my way home from work to pick up my movie-reviewer business cards. And I already gave two away to former co-workers: One to Danny, at the grocery store across the lot from Kinko's; and, later on that day, to April, at the cineplex just before the show.
This is the first time that I've bought a Kernel Season's Ranch-flavored popcorn topping.
I wanted to go to one of the midnight shows--or even the 3:00 am show, but I had to work.
Mid-way through the movie, I had to switch pens because the one I was using at the time to scribble notes with became inconsistent in its ink-flow. I was glad that I had a "Saturday Night Special" back-up pen handy! I can see well-enough in the dark, mind you; I ain't no "Mr. Four Eyes" for nuthin'.
The title of this movie should be: HARRY POTTER, THE HORMONES YEAR.
There are two ( 2 ) "Chosen Ones" in the movie, actually: The "Chosen One" to wear the only pair of CONVERSE sneakers on the set; and the "Chosen One" to sport an obviously embarrassing, funny-looking tattoo that its owner has to wear long-sleeved shirts and sweaters all the time just to hide it from view! When is Hollywood gonna take notice of my talents and employ my services as a script consultant and/or scene editor? I come cheap--Asian Sweat Shop Labor--for now ( the Union will be pissed-off at me over this ).
2nd tidbits: I went to see this movie again so I could time the submersion scenes.
3rd tidbits: Soon after I got my ticket, the night sky lit up with a fireworks display from across the freeway at the Solano County Fair, across the street from Marine World, the ticket girl at the box office informed me when I asked about it.
They have new napkin dispensers with a "bow-tie" shaped opening. It you stick your fingers in the narrow part in the middle to get at some napkins, your fingers will get stuck! You've just been warned.
This third time is a "trial run." I wanted to see what it would be like to sneak-in a sandwich. The plastic clamshell in which it was packaged was too bulky and made noise whenever something would come into contact with it. I will have to repackage sandwiches in plastic bags on future smuggling trips.
As I recall, back when I was a little kid, my family was in possession of one of those so-called "vanishing cabinets" although it was known to us by another name: The Out-House!
