Neville's Ear

"Oh yes. She's a sadist. She's very sick. She's got problems. I think she's been in prison a bit too long. But I suspect even before prison she had problems. She's a racist, obsessed with blood purity. Like Adolf. And she's in love with Voldemort, really."

Delightul interview with Helen Bonham Carter here about filming The Order of The Phoenix, a movie where I imagine many of her scenes were left on the cutting room floor. The biggest problem with that movie was that it was way too short. Another hour should have been added to include the Black family back story alone, something that figured prominently in the book but is hardly the stuff to engage the attention of tweens for very long. Such info, along with that very naughty Rita Skeeter, is all through the last book. (I'm about 3 chapters in, but with a promising rainy Sunday, I imagine I'll be plowing along at a nice clip momentarily.)

I still think of Helen Bonham as a Merchant Ivory princess, dragged repetitively all over Italy by a fussy, clucking Maggie Smith (who never ceases to end-up playing my mother in all her ineffectual-fussing roles) hovering over the scowling Bonham Carter and admonishing her not to play Beethoven because doing so inevitably made her "peevish." To which Helen Bonham Carter would only scowl that much more!

I love that word: peevish. Woe to the young turn-of-the-century woman who was too peevish and moody. No decent husband prospects for her. But whatever happened to that yummy Julian Sands? Seems like he of all people would have popped up in a HP role by now.

The Order of The Phoenix

Other than pining for a heroin-chic Gary Oldman to ravish me at some grungy bar one night soon, I was rather, ummmm, unmoved by The Order of The Phoenix. Likely had something to do with too many cute flourishes, no doubt meant to provide a bit of relief to what was a very dark book. While filled with tantilizing tidbits, the movie was just not black enough for me, although the costuming on Helena Bonham Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange was quite gothed-out, as was her unhinged, poisoned acting. Needed more Oldman and more Bonham Carter, less earnest teens. Yawn.

Swoon

Oh my Gawd... how does one wait? The endurance, the ordeal! Four days until Plucky Brit Male Film Fest, otherwise know as The Order of The Phoenix. We've got: Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs (Luscious Lucias Malfoy), Gary Oldman (forever singed onto our hearts as Sid Vicious, of course), David Thewlis, those precious Phelps brothers, and of course, at the risk of sounding like a lecherous old woman, dear Daniel Radcliffe, who will be appearing on Larry King Wednesday night at 9pm. All in one film. Wow. Color me ready to geek the fuck out.