Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [the trailer is up, and it looks great]

MSNBC Entertainment ^

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Opting for a producer-only role this time, director Chris Columbus passes the Harry Potter baton off to Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También) for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film in the series. Daniel Radcliffe returns as the bespectacled young wizard who is now in his third year at Hogwarts. After and incident that sees his anger get the best of him, Harry runs away from the school. Unfortunately, the magical wunderkind soon learns that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison and is after him. Along with Oldman, the additions to the cast the third time around include David Thewlis and Michael Gambon, who assumes the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore, previously played by the late Richard Harris. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

[null and void]

Madame Trelawney's prophesy in Order of the Phoenix would appear to make that scenario rather unlikely. However, stranger things have happened...

Really? Read it again. Keep in mind the "mark" that Voldemort places on his vanquisher doesn't need to be visible.

Remember Madam Pomfrey's line about thoughts leaving deeper scars?

[Not A Snowbird]

After and incident that sees his anger get the best of him, Harry runs away from the school.

Actually, he doesn't run away from the school, he runs away from his aunt and uncle's house after blowing up his aunt Marge. (I'm reading Azkaban right now.. passes time on the train!) :-)

Gary Oldman as Sirius Black is going to be fabulous. Nobody does evil like him!

[null and void]

Hagrid - good hearted fat idiot

[retrokitten]

Did you check out the preview? His wanted poster is seriously creepy.

Honestly, I was thinking of a one woman boycott because of the stupid things the director said about the President, but the teaser looks really good.

[Rutabega]

I'm so pathetic (and bored!) that I have mugglenet on my favorites and check it every few days! I read the funniest story the other day (and I looked and can't remember which author it was by!) on sugarquill that was a take off on Bridget Jones Diary and it was Draco's diary. Funny, funny, funny!!! She had the top of each date with how many butterbeers he had drunk, how many times he had looked at the mirror. . .it was just the first chapter, and I think she is going to do the whole fifth book.

[NormB]

A common misconception is that Hagrid is fat. Not true. He is huge, due to him being a half-giant.

But there is no evidence that he is fat.

He is pretty much an idiot, but I think that could be attirbuted to his drinking habits.

Keep in mind, however, that in the HP fat-biased world, you don't HAVE to be fat to be an idiot, (colin creevy, wormtail), but it sure does help.

[StoneColdGOP]

Dementors...

[Rutabega]

Found it! If you want a giggle, try this. . . http://www.sugarquill.net/read.php?storyid=1632&chapno=1
(hope the link works) Draco Malfoy's Diary

[js1138]

The thestrals would have been pulling the carriages that the students rode to Hogwarts in, so presumably, he would have seen them every year.

I checked the earlier books and she made a big point of not being able to see anything pulling the carriages. So either Harry didn't see his parents die, or JK made a booboo.

[Junior]

Please put me in the Potter ping party pronto.

[cgk]

I was pretty surprised, pleasantly, to hear that Oldman is playing Sirius Black. Perfect casting. I enjoyed the first movie, enjoyed the second one less, but then again, I think the 2nd book is the weakest of the series to date. I'm looking forward to this movie and the next one. I hope they use more of the actual storyline and less fluff.

[Ichneumon]

My major concern with the changes betwen the prior two movies and this one is not the loss of Richard Harris (although that does hurt) but that director Alfonso Cuarón has made the comment that he sees Lord Voldemort as being like President Bush. As the series of books goes along, the themes get more mature and sophisticated, so I am afraid a lefty director could slip in some propaganda.

It will be interesting to see what they do with the most recent book, which if anything is the opposite: It excoriates the "PC police", and the villain (other than He Who Must Not Be Named) is a heavy-handed Clintonian bureacracy.

[k2blader]

HP I & II were worth renting. I expect to do the same with III.

But Lord of the Rings easily surpasses Potter in theme and overall quality.

[wi jd]

I checked the earlier books and she made a big point of not being able to see anything pulling the carriages. So either Harry didn't see his parents die, or JK made a booboo.

He didn't see his parents die. It was after he saw Cedric Diggory die that he saw the thestrals.

[retrokitten]

It works! I'm reading it now. It's really cute.

[Poodlebrain]

This would not be the only booboo. Near the end of Goblet of Fire when Harry's wand becomes connected with Voldemort's, and Voldemort's victims emerge in reverse order of death, Harry's father comes back before Harry's mother. Yet in all of the descriptions of their deaths, Harry's father dies first.

[Not A Snowbird]

He didn't see the thestrils when he first got to Hogwart's.

I wondered about that, too. The only thing I could come up with is that he didn't actually see his parents murdered. Thoughts?

[Not A Snowbird]

No, his father came back after his mother. Remember, she said "hold on for your father, he's coming" or something like that.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Honest, they're really, really good. Its a weird combination that works.

I've seen recipes that add black pepper and vinegar to strawberries for a jelly before.

[Rutabega]

But doesn't he hear his parents dying when the dementors are near? I mean, you're always under the impression that Harry-as-a-baby was there when Voldemort killed his folks.