20. 4 branches
19. rough copy
18. imaginary
17. candy product
16. hygiene
15. techno
14. gimmicks
13. dragon
12. invisibility
11. little questions
10. kids' book
9. english paper
8. virus
7. dangeresque 3
6. unnatural
5. bottom 10
4. record book
3. japanese cartoon
2. the movies
1. independent
Friday, November 28, 2014
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Worst to Best Harry Potter Movies
Just like the books, the Harry Potter movies are all good in their own right. Here's my ranking from least to most favorite.
Order of the Phoenix is a much, much better movie than the book, but to be honest, that's not really saying much. This movie, like the book, is too angsty and has too many terrible (not bad, just evil) characters. Unlike the book, however, the final battle is much better and more memorable--it's probably the best improvement. However, the source material just weighs the movie down too much to truly be great.7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Half-Blood Prince is one of the best books, but one of the worst movies. Now, I'll give it a couple of things: the pincers scene, the intensity of the most dramatic parts, and the overall tone are great. However, it suffers from being the *cough cough* penultimate chapter in a great saga, and it's simply a place for the movies to rest before the epic finale--as a result, it suffers a bit. Also, the unnecessary Burrow destruction to add more action was dumb. They should have shown more Hogwarts battle. And Dumbledore's funeral. That's all.
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Goblet of Fire is passable. It's not the greatest movie, it's not the worst. The Triwizard tournament is a pleasant enough diversion for a while. Its true strength lies in the intensity and power of the graveyard scene, which is its one redeeming factor.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The one that started it all--the one that introduced us to Harry's Wondrous World. Sorcerer's Stone might not have the biggest plot or the best effects (or acting, for that matter), but it creates a wonderfully faithful adaptation of the first book. The cast, the score, the direction. It's a near perfect adaptation, and it's simply magical.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Just like the books, the first two movies are often slighted or underrated for some reason. On the contrary, Chris Columbus's films create a world that perfectly captures the magic of the books, and Chamber of Secrets is no exception. This movie takes everything that Sorcerer's Stone began and builds upon it. It's the last movie in the franchise that's truly for children, but adults can enjoy it too. It's an extremely faithful adaptation as well, perfectly balancing the school with the mystery. Chamber of Secrets is amazing, and it deserves to be recognized as the masterpiece it is.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The moving and incredible finale that was completely satisfying and epic. This movie gets a lot of credit because it's the last, but most of it is credit well-deserved. There are things glossed over, cut, and changed from the book, but the final battle with Harry and Voldemort, the scenes with Dumbledore and Snape, the fate of the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, and the epilogue make this finale everything it promised to be.
The moving and incredible finale that was completely satisfying and epic. This movie gets a lot of credit because it's the last, but most of it is credit well-deserved. There are things glossed over, cut, and changed from the book, but the final battle with Harry and Voldemort, the scenes with Dumbledore and Snape, the fate of the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, and the epilogue make this finale everything it promised to be.
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I suppose it's only fitting that the best Harry Potter book has the best movie. Many of the best parts of the series are in this film, including Lupin, Sirius, dementors, and time travel. The actors are finally hitting their acting stride and the effects are as solid as they've ever been. The movie manages to find a perfect balance between Chris Columbus's faith to the books and Alfonso Cuaron's visionary direction for an amazing movie. Prisoner of Azkaban is the pinnacle of Harry Potter film, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I suppose it's only fitting that the best Harry Potter book has the best movie. Many of the best parts of the series are in this film, including Lupin, Sirius, dementors, and time travel. The actors are finally hitting their acting stride and the effects are as solid as they've ever been. The movie manages to find a perfect balance between Chris Columbus's faith to the books and Alfonso Cuaron's visionary direction for an amazing movie. Prisoner of Azkaban is the pinnacle of Harry Potter film, and I wouldn't have it any other way.Sunday, November 2, 2014
Worst to Best Harry Potter Books
This is one of the most difficult rankings I've ever made. I love all of the Harry Potter books so much, and they all have redeeming qualities. However, I love rankings, so here it goes.
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Much like my ranking of Star Wars a few posts ago, I find it extremely hard to rank this series. However, I place Order of the Phoenix at the bottom for the same reason that Attack of the Clones is at the bottom of that list: it's the least great in an amazing saga. Order of the Phoenix has several issues, including being too long (clocking in at 870 pages), too angsty (death, hormones, and depression), and Dolores Umbridge (enough said). That's all. It's got some good stuff in it--Fred and George's escape and the Room of Requirement come to mind--but there's too much and not enough of it is good.
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Goblet of Fire really only takes this place on the list because of its last hundred pages with the graveyard scene and the revelation of Mad-Eye Moody. The rest of it is really just--meh. There's not much to talk about. The Triwizard Tournament isn't super great. It's enjoyable enough, but nothing to truly rave about. Fred and George are a delight, as always, and their bet and joke shop formation are the best parts of this book.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Sorcerer's Stone is a great book. It's the one that started it all, and it's an amazingly fun read. The only reason this one is here on the ranking is because most of the other books have since surpassed it with bigger plots, more characters, and more magic and expanding the world. It's a great introduction to a magical world, and it really does tell a good story.
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Perhaps the most underrated book in the series, Chamber of Secrets actually succeeds on multiple levels. It's a great "murder" mystery for one thing and has an amazing final showdown for another. It built on the world Sorcerer's Stone created in the way a sequel should. Honestly, it's hard to fathom why it's so hated, because it's really very good.
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Half-Blood Prince is a great book, full of mystery and intrigue. It begins to illuminate upon Voldemort and Dumbledore's pasts and lays the groundwork for the explosive, Horcrux-filled finale. It's also full of plenty of magical mayhem and fun, and it manages to be intense while still containing some of the magical child-friendly glee from the first half of the series.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Deathly Hallows could almost be considered the be-all, end-all Harry Potter book because it manages to wrap up the saga in an extremely satisfying and epic way. It manages to cram more story and action in than Order of the Phoenix (and in fewer pages, too). The story never stops going, and it's always intense, but it still manages to capture everything that's magical about the series. It's an amazing book, and it's only surpassed by one other.
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Prisoner of Azkaban is the greatest Harry Potter book (with Deathly Hallows coming in at a very, very close second). It's the greatest book because it has time travel, an extremely great plot, an amazing mystery that manages to be surprising and fulfilling, and introduces the Dementors, werewolves, and Sirius Black. Need I say more? This book takes everything great about Harry Potter while still managing to have a small location and plot for the story. It's focused and small-scale, but still great. Like I said, Deathly Hallows comes close, but Azkaban takes the cake.
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Much like my ranking of Star Wars a few posts ago, I find it extremely hard to rank this series. However, I place Order of the Phoenix at the bottom for the same reason that Attack of the Clones is at the bottom of that list: it's the least great in an amazing saga. Order of the Phoenix has several issues, including being too long (clocking in at 870 pages), too angsty (death, hormones, and depression), and Dolores Umbridge (enough said). That's all. It's got some good stuff in it--Fred and George's escape and the Room of Requirement come to mind--but there's too much and not enough of it is good.
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Goblet of Fire really only takes this place on the list because of its last hundred pages with the graveyard scene and the revelation of Mad-Eye Moody. The rest of it is really just--meh. There's not much to talk about. The Triwizard Tournament isn't super great. It's enjoyable enough, but nothing to truly rave about. Fred and George are a delight, as always, and their bet and joke shop formation are the best parts of this book.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Sorcerer's Stone is a great book. It's the one that started it all, and it's an amazingly fun read. The only reason this one is here on the ranking is because most of the other books have since surpassed it with bigger plots, more characters, and more magic and expanding the world. It's a great introduction to a magical world, and it really does tell a good story.
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Perhaps the most underrated book in the series, Chamber of Secrets actually succeeds on multiple levels. It's a great "murder" mystery for one thing and has an amazing final showdown for another. It built on the world Sorcerer's Stone created in the way a sequel should. Honestly, it's hard to fathom why it's so hated, because it's really very good.
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Half-Blood Prince is a great book, full of mystery and intrigue. It begins to illuminate upon Voldemort and Dumbledore's pasts and lays the groundwork for the explosive, Horcrux-filled finale. It's also full of plenty of magical mayhem and fun, and it manages to be intense while still containing some of the magical child-friendly glee from the first half of the series.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Deathly Hallows could almost be considered the be-all, end-all Harry Potter book because it manages to wrap up the saga in an extremely satisfying and epic way. It manages to cram more story and action in than Order of the Phoenix (and in fewer pages, too). The story never stops going, and it's always intense, but it still manages to capture everything that's magical about the series. It's an amazing book, and it's only surpassed by one other.
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Prisoner of Azkaban is the greatest Harry Potter book (with Deathly Hallows coming in at a very, very close second). It's the greatest book because it has time travel, an extremely great plot, an amazing mystery that manages to be surprising and fulfilling, and introduces the Dementors, werewolves, and Sirius Black. Need I say more? This book takes everything great about Harry Potter while still managing to have a small location and plot for the story. It's focused and small-scale, but still great. Like I said, Deathly Hallows comes close, but Azkaban takes the cake.
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