Harry Potter Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Jun222011 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Graphicity: What’s next for Harry Potter fans?

Funny Stuff

Related articles Daniel Radcliffe Says He's Done With Playing Harry Potter, Unless... (huffingtonpost.com) Second 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' trailer released (csmonitor.com) Harry Potter Author J.K. Rowling Launches Mysterious New Website (paidcontent.org) New website hints at Harry Potter return (hollywood.com) What in the World is PotterMore? (meetthemagic.com)

Jun142011 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Trailer Trash — Bad Teacher, Winnie the Pooh, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Movies

I don’t have time to go to the movies much any more. So instead I’m going to just review some new and upcoming films based solely on their trailers. Because let’s face it, most movies only have about two or three minutes’ worth of good material anyway. Bad Teacher Ah I see, so it's like Bad Santa but instead it's called Bad Teacher. And Cameron Diaz gets to play the vulgar, ne'er do well lead role that Billy Bob Thornton had. She could pull it off, as she's always exuded this weird vibe of being physically attractive but kind of gross and skanky at the same time. I guess A-Rod is into that sort of thing. If nothing else the supporting cast is solid. Phyllis from The Office is an interesting pick for a co-star, but I'm guessing that Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) ...

Mar112011 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Here’s some stuff I enjoyed this week

Internet, Links

Here’s a fresh batch of some quality interweb finds I’ve come across over the last 7 days: Very cool Super 8 footage of Elton John performing at Madison Square Garden, Thanksgiving 1974. Special guest appearance by John Lennon! (YouTube) Are you getting tired of Charlie Sheen too? Well read this great op-ed about his troubling history with women, anyway. (New York Times) For no particular reason, let's look at a state-by-state breakdown of U.S. passport ownership. (Grey's Blog) Ever wonder how long many different kinds of animals live? Wonder no more. (Clusterflock) For vinyl nerds like myself, this is cool. A random stacking of stereo label logos. (Stereo Stack) One of these days I'll have a use for that stack of Susan B. Anthony dollar coins. (Consumerist) Today is Na...

Oct272010 by Chris Holmes2 Comments

Venture Bros. wrapup: “The Silent Partners”

TV & Radio

I'll get the unpleasantness out of the way right now - the Billy Quizboy/Pete White-centric Venture Bros. episodes need to stop for awhile. Billy and Pete are not nearly as interesting as Jackson and Doc seem to think they are, and diving deeper into their pasts, their relationship, or their neuroses doesn't really make for compelling television. Oh yeah, and I didn't see a Monstroso-heavy plot coming. Not sure they really know what to do with the character, outside of the deep voice and jokes about his size. Isn't he really just a more normal version of Baron Ünderbheit, a character they ditched for a few seasons? (more…)

Sep232010 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

Exciting new trailer for “Harry Potter and the Obscene Bank Account”

Movies

Of course I'm just joshin' ya. It's actually the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (or HP7 as the kids are calling it, and I'm nothing if not down with the youth of today). But I'm not too far off, am I? Anyway, check it out: Très intense, no? Is it really possible that the book came out over three years ago? I'll have to read it again I suppose, since I have little recollection about what happened. I certainly don't remember the bit with the multiple Potters. I also don't remember if Voldemort wins or if he gets his hand chopped off then turns against the Emperor - so don't spoil it for me!

Jul202009 by Chris Holmes6 Comments

GFS at the Movies: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Movies

If it accomplishes nothing else as a film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince provides plenty of grist for the mill of debate over the pitfalls of translating literature to the big screen. Because I think how you feel about this movie will hinge in large part upon your expectations of its fidelity to the source material. So let's get this right out of the way, in case you're one of the dozen or so people who haven't seen the movie or read J.K. Rowling's book - this film is more of an interpretation of the sixth Harry Potter novel than a straight adaptation. I took a rather forgiving approach to the omissions, additions, and changes made by screenwriter Steve Kloves but even I must admit to some puzzlement over some of his decisions. For the sake of brevity I'll mention just a few...

Oct272008 by Chris Holmes6 Comments

Can you handle another trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?

Movies

Of course you can. At least you'll have to, since the movie's release is inexplicably being pushed back until July 2009. Thanks a lot, ignoramus studio executives! Oh yeah, the trailer. It looks even darker than the previous movies, which of course is to be expected, but the touch of humor at the end is most welcome. What's not welcome is the continuing de-evolution of Rupert Grint (aka Ron Weasley), whose face looks like it continues to suffer the ravages of the full moon.

Jul102008 by Chris Holmes4 Comments

Geek alert – new Harry Potter movie photos!

Movies

Courtesy the MTV Movies Blog, we've got four new stills from the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film. I'm sure it will just as entertaining as the previous five movies, but you wouldn't know it from these shots: THRILL as Draco Malfoy broods in a corner! (more…)

Apr182008 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

And the idiot of the week is…

Funny Stuff, People

District Judge Robert Patterson Jr., who admitted (without embarrassment, presumably) that he found the "magical world" of the Harry Potter book series "hard to follow, filled with strange names and words that would be gibberish in any other context." (Judge Patterson, by the way, presided over the recently concluded copyright trial involving J.K. Rowling and RDR Books, would-be publishers of the Harry Potter Lexicon.) Now this is a first - an adult actually claiming that Harry Potter is too confusing. And not just any adult, but one who presumably graduated from law school at some point and is capable of reading and comprehending rather complex legal briefs and literature. And a quick check reveals that, indeed, the Hon. Judge Patterson graduated from Harvard and Columbia Law. Of cours...