Beauty vs Beast: Before the Beasts
Monday, November 14, 2016 at 8:40PM Jason from MNPP here with this week's "let's retreat into fantasy for sanity's sake" edition of "Beauty vs Beast" -- you probably saw some people, maybe you were one of them, sharing a Harry Potter meme this week in the wake of the US election. It is timely, what with the next entry in the Potterverse, the first of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, opening - we'd probably have had Muggles Inc. on our minds anyway.
But JK Rowling's fictional creation helped us sort through the Bush years and so it's no surprise that a horcrux joke or two would make their way into the conversation. The series was always explicitly political. And so let's turn our eyes to the endless battle between Good and Evil one more time today to seek out some small comfort among friends...
PREVIOUSLY One week ago we lived in a different place (what would you give to go back there right about now), one where I felt fine making a bold Hillary Clinton prediction (it was my arrogance that ruined everything, no doubt) while joking about Alexander Payne's Election - well the blonde political spitfire Tracy Flick at least got her landslide, with over 70% of the vote. Said Row-bin:
"This is one of two movies I actually enjoy Matthew Broderick in, but Tracy Flick is one of the best realized performances I've ever seen out of Reese Witherspoon. She's so unapologetic in knowing what she wants and is such a great example of well-roundedness in a character."
Reader Comments (16)
@ row-bin
I hope the other one is Torch Song Trilogy...
You have to root for Harry Potter in these trying times...even though Ralph Fiennes is just superb.
Team Hermione! Oh, I mean, Team Harry! Fiennes makes Voldy all kinds of fey fun, but how can you root against "The Boy Who Lived!"? Will always remain impressed by the care and risks Warner Bros. was willing to take with this series.
Jason you are definitely hitting a nerve here, I've been using a lot of HP for this election.
Hermione was a great stand in for A student Hillary Clinton.
Considering the rise of death eaters I think more of us are choosing Harry.
Ralph Fiennes, Jason Issacs, Imelda Staunton & Helena Bonham Carter were great villains.
Sorry Nathaniel I still love this series.
thankfully i'm old enough that the harry potter phenomenon passed me by [my nephews look at me as if i'm from the stone age]
but i'll always vote for daniel radcliffe - he's adorable
Look who is boarding the Orient Express.
http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a814099/penelope-cruz-murder-on-the-orient-express/
Harry Potter makes me crazy. such a cypher lead. everything is just handed to him (plus Hermione always solving problems). I'm voldemort all the way because genre films need great villains.
Team Voldemort because Ralph Fiennes. (I've never seen any of these movies.)
@Paul Outlaw It is! I always found him buggy in Ferris Bueller, too whiny in You Can Count on Me and don't get me started on The Producers, Inspector Gadget and Godzilla. The Lion King is great despite him and I've seen him onstage several times and it's always this nasal, whiny, wimpy vibe.
I normally would vote Voldemort but I CANNOT THIS WEEK
What meme in special u are talking about?
Link please! Thanks 😊
Ooooo, team Dumbledore always!!! Ralph, I love u, but great villains are only Good to see in fiction.
Jon - I wasn't thinking of a specific one but I have seen several; here's a good look at them over the past week. Mostly I saw people bitching about the memes though - that it was childish, turning to fantasy in the face of horrible reality, and I kind of wanted to push a little back at that. I don't think they're mutually exclusive; I think you can work some shit out via fiction! That's what it's there for!
Thank u, Jason!!!! 😉😀😀
I would take Ralph Fiennes anytime, even in full Voldemort make up.
Team Hermione here too!
Reading the books, I always thought Harry was more like a young Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun. Intense and brimming over with talent, and you just crossed your fingers and hoped that he would be able to maintain an even keel and be able to focus his formidable talent.
But the HP casting directors fulfilled their mandate: reliable, appealing kids who wouldn't go into rehab in their teenage years, with sensible and supportive families.
And at the danger point, they brought in Alfonso Cuaron, to guide the kids into a graceful professionalism and thoughtful approach to acting technique. Hermione just turned out to be the best character and the best actress.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I've never liked Ralph Fiennes. Maybe because in the first movies I saw him in, the woman character always dies. Because it's all about Ralph, the women are just collateral damage. That makes him perfect for Voldemort.
Reading the books, I always thought Harry was more like a young Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun. Intense and brimming over with talent, and you just crossed your fingers and hoped that he would be able to maintain an even keel and be able to focus his formidable talent.