The Great Harry Potter Liveblog Experiment Continues With Prisoner of Azkaban

Somehow, I have never seen a Harry Potter movie before today. Over the next two days, I will be watching all six films leading up to Tuesday night's screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. I will be liveblogging the entire experience because, well, why not? I'll be checking the comments if you have any words of explanation or encouragement. We've got Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets down; now who's ready for a little Prisoner of Azkaban?

5:57 p.m.** OK, that's it for me today. I hope at least one person enjoyed following along. And thanks for all the comments today! They do help!!! Allright, I'll be back tomorrow at 10 a.m. Eastern to do it all again for Goblet of Fire (from what I've heard, ugh), Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince.

5:53 p.m. Honestly, I've seen episodes of Step by Step end better than that.

5:52 p.m. OK, that was the best of the three, but that was a terrible last scene: The freeze frame on Harry's face as he rides his broom.

5:50 p.m. So Lupin has been fired. Is this the episode that he's replaced by Billy Connelly?

5:47 p.m. I think I've figured out why everone likes this movie so much. Harry is wearing a cool ring-tee.

5:45 p.m. I have a lot in common with Harry; I often get myself confused with my dad, too.

5:43 p.m. I want Harry's dad to show up and ask Harry to have a catch.

5:42 p.m. I've noticed, Harry Potter trips over his own feet. A lot.

5:40 p.m. This has been the eighth longest day of my life.

5:35 p.m. Or, perhaps, just fly around the Earth at supersonic speed causing the Earth to rotate in reverse?

5:34 p.m. Wait, couldn't Hermione just use that little trick every time something doesn't go their way?

5:32 p.m. Hermione and Harry just went back in time. Does this mean we're going to be celebrating all of the anniversaries of their trip back over the next 25 years?

5:28 p.m. From Jennifer in the comments, "I found that after the second movie they all went down hill." These are NOT things that you should be telling me at this moment.

5:25 p.m. Ah, so Lupin is a werewolf. And not a fun, I know what I'm doing, werewolf like Alcide in True Blood, it seems.

5:24 p.m. Yes, Timothy Spall.

5:22 p.m. I think the guy that just got turned from a rat into a human is the guy who plays Churchill in The King's Speech.

5:17 p.m. Three movies in and I still haven't gotten used to the fact that everyone cowers in fear when someone points a little stick at them.

5:15 p.m. Ladies and gentlemen, the great Garry Oldman.

5:13 p.m. So, while riding a tree branch, Hermione just picked up Harry with one arm by the shirt. Is this magic or brute strength?

5:07 p.m. Can someone explain Voldemort? I thought that he was the bad guy in all of these, like Palpatine. He was in the first one, briefly, right? Then not again?

5:03 p.m. Well, until she just started doing the ominous, spooky voice.

5:01 p.m. Sybill Trelawney kind of reminds me of a Kristen Wiig character.

4:54: p.m. I just remembered that my first boss out of college loved Harry Potter (I worked at a bank). I hated my boss. Perhaps this is why I've put this off for so long?

4:51 Are the spirits in Lupin's trunk real? Or are they conjured up to just be guinea pig spirits for training?

4:49 p.m. I would love to have an invisibility cloak, but, really, what would I do with it? It seems to have made Harry quite upset.

4:43 p.m. I kind of wish that it would have been Buddy the Elf that threw the snowballs at Malfoy.

4:41 p.m. Floating lolly-pops. Why not?

4:37 p.m. My hope for one of the next four Potter films: A Quidditch match that ends fairly, with everyone shaking hands, saying "good game" after.

4:33 p.m. These guys really like their Quidditch. I like that Harry has a jersey this time. Question: When I see the Harry Potter fans lined up for the books and the movies, how come I never see a Number 7 "Potter" Quidditch jersey? That's the first thing that I would buy.

4:27 p.m. Every time I see one of those movie pictures/paintings, I feel like I just went to the VYou homepage.

4:23 p.m. Also acceptable: Edward James Olmos or Michelle Pfeiffer

4:18 p.m. A new teacher, Remus Lupin. You know who I would like to see as a new teacher in Deathly Hollows tomorrow night? Howard Hesseman.

4:16 p.m. OK, one last time: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, produced by the same man who brought you Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

4:13 p.m. I will say, the effects in this one are MUCH better than the previous two.

4:09 p.m. I like Malfoy's new Billy Zabka haircut. It suits him more than the blond Gordon Gekko.

4:06 p.m. Why did Harry wait three movies to perform his "smoke out of his ears" trick? I think I wish I could do that, assuming it wasn't a side effect from some sort of terrible medical conditon.

4:02 p.m. What's the feeling on Gambon as Dumbledore? It wasn't as startling as I thought it would be.

3:59 p.m. Frog choir? Was that real? Were they holding frogs? I feel I'm imagining things.

3:54 p.m. I like that the Wanted poster is animated. I also love that Sirius Black screamed for the camera. From now on I'm doing that for all photos.

3:52 p.m. I like this new, darker Harry. But, seriously, if there's a Spider-Man 3 type dance number coming -- please warn me.

3:50 p.m. I've been watching almost six straight hours of Harry Potter and I'm not sure I understand it better than before I started.

3:44 p.m. I think I already like this one better. I like angry Harry Potter. And he's not wearing a sweater.

3:41 p.m. And inflates people, sending them off into space.

3:38 p.m. It's always weird that these start out back at home. Though, Harry yells a lot more.

3:35 p.m. This one already feels darker. It starts at night! Under a blanket!

3:30 p.m. OK, I've made it through the two Columbus films. Is this the one that's better? Please?

PREVIOUSLY

· Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

· "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

":http://www.movieline.com/2010/11/the-great-harry-potter-liveblog-experiment-continues-chamber-of-secrets.php



Comments

  • milessilverberg says:

    Alfonso Cuaron directed, of Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men, and A Little Princess fame. Let the debates begin!

  • G says:

    The best one! Despite what your colleague may think.

  • Alison says:

    Prisoner is my favorite movie of the 6 that are out. The first two I feel are much more kid like. Prisoner is where the darkness really takes shape and all three leads start to come into their own. Can't wait for Hallows part 1.

  • jimmy james monkey death car says:

    don't worry. i'll make you an 'it gets better' video for you.

  • G says:

    The Dementors stopped the train from "Unstoppable!" Because NOTHING is unstoppable to a Dementor!

  • Mike Ryan says:

    I appreciate that.

  • Steph says:

    Are your ears bleeding from those effing incessant flutes in the background music??
    Much like the theme to Dr Zhivago... it NEVER goes away. Always made it feel like I'm in a renaissance fair ... or medieval times. Enjoy that!

  • Mike Ryan says:

    Well ... now that you pointed it out...

  • buzz says:

    "Hermione, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Your souls are in danger!"
    "Our lives are in danger, you beatnik!"
    (SLAMS HOGWARTS GATE)

  • Steph says:

    Ps. If you thought the frog choir was bad... just wait until the band in Goblet of Fire

  • jimmycurry01 says:

    Azkaban is stylistically one of the best Harry Potter movies. It marks the beginning of the darker themes, and you can't go wrong with Gambon's Dumbledore. he is much more the character from the books than the late Richard Harris. The fact that Harry must return to his aunt and uncle's every year is actually an important plot element later in the book series, but apparently less so in the film series.
    The sad thing about this film is that the actors quit being cute kids having fun playing make believe on a cool set and become just simply actors. Some of them are really not great actors, and it begins to show here. The movies are still great fun though, i look forward to seeing if you can really do them all in one day.

  • Mike Ryan says:

    Not all in one day. This is my last one for the day. I'll be back at it tomorrow at 10 a.m. for the next three.

  • Holly says:

    Oh, come'on, the guys from Radiohead and Pulp? It was pretty awesome.

  • jennifer says:

    I found that after the second movie they all went down hill.

  • hey now! says:

    Be happy that you're actually liveblogging these turds at ome, rather than locked ina movie theatre with noplace to run.

  • Mike Ryan says:

    But, alas, tomorrow night I will be in a theater.

  • milessilverberg says:

    "5:01 p.m. Sybill Trelawney kind of reminds me of a Kristen Wiig character."
    YES! Now we know where Kristen stole it all from!

  • Scraps says:

    Sorry I missed the live blog. I was in the care of Southwest Airlines for a good chunk of the day. Sounds like you would have rather flown one of their "Greyhound-like" El Paso-San Antonio-Dallas-New Orleans-Phoenix-Las Vegas-Orange County routings than sit through these movies.

  • The Winchester says:

    Are you going to Live Tweet from the theatre?

  • Kelly says:

    Things to look forward to in HP4:
    1) all the teenage boys have identical, stupid, shaggy hairstyles,
    2) bad accents, and
    3) Ralph Fiennes being totally awesome/creepy.

  • Kelly says:

    Hmm... Not sure why it stuck my previous comment as a reply to another. I just meant for it to be standalone. Whatever!

  • Mike Ryan says:

    I WILL look forward to all of those things!

  • Mike Ryan says:

    The third one was OK, actually.

  • Mike Ryan says:

    I feel that WB and the people around me would frown on that.