Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

en.wikipedia.org

When we were talking about the first book in class I described how I felt that I have to force my way through this text. Which is true, but I didn't mean that I don't like the story. I find the first book to be slow and hard to read, but I also think it is completely necessary to the rest of the series.

 It took me a while to get into the series because I started with Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. I tried numerous times to read it, but couldn't do it. I eventually stared with the fourth book, Goblet of Fire, and felt the text begin to speed up, and the situations mature a little, which made it easier for me to read. I went back and read all the books starting at the beginning, and found that I liked the first one as part of a collective story. I liked how we can see from the beginning who characters are, and their relationships with one another, which then allows readers to see how those relationships evolve.

I ended up really loving the series, and would place The Sorcerer's Stone in my top three favorite behind the Order of the Phoenix (my second favorite), and my first favorite, The Prisoner of Azkaban.

http://creativityscorner.net

The Harry Potter Experience

Why do we Like Harry Potter? There’s magic, it’s an underdog story, battling of good and evil, but there have been a lot of books contain the same elements and have not reached Harry Potters popularity. I think a reason that this story has become so popular is the experience it provides in the book, and the opportunities to experience the story in our Muggle world.

The Harry Potter series create a world that is magical, but still relatable enough that it can draw in an audience. The students have high school problems. They have sports and clubs, and worry about tests. The society they live in is a lot like ours with banks and shopping but enhanced with magic. There is a feeling that the Wizarding world is not far away from ours. The students' experience, not with magic, is not that distance from what most of us have gone through in high school or understand.

http://giphy.com/gifs/aJICYlVnr6yBy

http://leicesterlovegoods.tumblr.com/page/3
Quidditch

http://evgeniasummer.deviantart.com/art/Hermione-GIF-195599689

The fun thing about Harry Potter is that we people have really been invited into that world, and not just through reading the texts. So much has been created so fans and other people can experience the ideas of the world. We want to identify ourselves by the house we might belong to, and Pottermore provides us with that source helping to feel more connected with the characters and houses. I talked about it in class, but the park at Universal really was an experience and I suggest everyone go at some point. It was so much fun walking around into the stores and shops that you read about it and seeing this world that has been created. The rides were fun, but the atmosphere was what was really special about the park.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lO8ulaMnM70/
Hogsmeade

http://goldarina-wallace.tumblr.com/post/21393464536
Pottermore

I think all the outside influences of websites, fanfictions, shopping, the park, and Quidditch is what has made the Harry Potter series remain popular, and not be as easily forgotten. It’s not a passive story we read, but a world that fans can be actively engaged in imaginative ways.

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/File:OWL_carrying_a_message.gif

Fandom Research Assignment

So, I have never been a big one who is devoted to a fandom, but I did find researching fandom to be pretty interesting. I researched Doctor Who's fandom for my assignment mainly because I found the show interesting, but have not ben invested enough in it, that I felt like I was an expert on the show or my feelings of the show would have been impacted by what I learned from fans. I focused my assignment on theories based around one specific character in the show, but I found it amazing how open, energetic, and invested fans are into the series.

It was really strange to read reaction about the Doctors leaving and new ones coming in. Fans seem to  grieve a loss of the old and try to reject the new, even though this is a process that they have experienced time and time again. Eventually, they become loyal to the new doctor, and will then repeat the cycle again. I find that it is strange how emotionally invested that fans get to a character that they know may not last long, but this gives them an opportunity to theorize and speculate about the version of The Doctor.

http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/jd52bbea1b.jpg

I was impressed with many variety of ways that fans express show their loyalty and love of the show. These forms of expressions, to me at least, seemed clever, normal, artistic, funny, and shocking in my mind. Below are the images that show these forms of fan expression.

http://cdn4.nerdapproved.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/doctor-who-doctors-office.jpg
I love the different images and items around the Doctor's Office referencing Doctor Who

http://theberry.com/2013/11/23/happy-50th-doctor-who-27-photos/
This one doesn't seem extreme to me, just how a fan would wear a costume

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/3c/f3/43/3cf343c21f2e7a60e678ac3872061ca9.jpg
I think this one was of my favorite, because of the detail, and I found it really artistic.

http://globalgeeknews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Doctor-Who-Wedding-Cake.jpg

This final one was definitely the most shocking for me, it's a TARDIS coffin, and corresponds with the story of a 26 year old who had his funeral completely themed to Doctor Who….

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191224/Dr-Who-lookalike-sent-Tardis-style-coffin.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191224/Dr-Who-lookalike-sent-Tardis-style-coffin.html

The website just tells the story of the fan's funeral, which is interesting and very detailed with what was included from the show. I do not by any means think that all Doctor Who fans are invested to this degree, but I do think that it is interesting that the show affects people to extremes, and allows them to be less conventional.

http://www.deantfraser.com/Doctor-Who-Springfield-Punx-Philip.jpe

Sherlock on the Screen

Sherlock Holmes has definitely been a character that people have connected with or at least been intrigued by. Through his actions, behavior, and characteristics he follows the cliche of a man you love to hate. Sherlock's character has been transported from books to television and movies, and has been done and redone, adapted, and modernized over time.

http://the-final-problem.tumblr.com/post/47846214360/
new-gifs-for-a-new-theme-header-background-by

Looking at the different screen versions we looked into in class, it's interesting to see how creative teams each portray Sherlock as a different type of character, but still highlight his intelligence and sarcasm.

BBC Sherlock-

This had to be my favorite version of Sherlock. I really liked Sherlock's confidence (even though he's a jerk). He's completely assured in his abilities and how smart he is, so the behavior of those around him does not seem to surprise him. Out of version of Sherlock, he does seem to be the most unaware of how to interact with other people. I do not believe he's uncomfortable with others, but rather he believe that he's superior to them. He's socially awkward, but content to be that way.

                                      http://youtu.be/Rl41VkyXUmk- Sherlock-Arch Enemy
This clip does a good job showing Sherlocks relationships with others. He knows he arrogant and knows his flaws, he just doesn't care. He seems surprised by the idea that he would have a friend, but it's personally understandable to him that he would have an enemy.

Sherlock Holmes (movie) -
We talked in class about what makes Sherlock Holmes a British story vs an American one. I feel like the movie is more American just placed in Britain. The movie being more focused on action than anything makes me first think of it as an American movie. I also think Sherlock's character is very different from the BBC portrayal. While he's confident and rude, Sherlock in the movie is so (knowingly) dependent on Watson. He is focused on sabotage, so not to lose his friend, and in the movie I believe that Holmes really considered Watson his friend. The two have an interesting dynamic because of Holmes' dependency, which is different because I had always felt that Sherlock was independent and Watson was more of a sidekick.

http://ruhsuzkukla.tumblr.com/post/29631786455

Elementary (Television Show)

This depiction of Sherlock was pretty surprising to me. Forget the fact that Watson is a Woman named Joan who plays a role resembling a social worker, but it's kind of strange to think that Sherlock is using a social worker. This version of Holmes had him coming out of rehab and attending support groups. The show was smart to make all of that involuntary rather than voluntary because I do not believe that Sherlock's character would have gone to rehab or support groups willingly. This version of Sherlock humanized the most. He was fragile in the tv show than in other renditions of Sherlock stories. He still was incredible smart and sarcastic, but he needed a lot more emotional support.

http://i2.cdnds.net/12/37/300x225/ustv_elementary_1.jpg

Backing up a Couple Weeks

I wanted to go back a couple of weeks and write about West Side Story because I was I was disappointed that I missed that class. When we watched Romeo and Juliet I had pretty strong feelings about my dislike for the movie, and how I felt like taking the play and moving it to a modern setting distorted the story too much for my liking.

West Side Story however, has always been one of my favorite musicals, and I really like the story. I think it has to do with the fact that the movie took the story of Romeo and Juliet and adapted it to fit a modern setting, not just by reciting the play over. I actually felt that I got more from the story watching the musical than I did from watching the movie.

There were certain parts of West Side Story that stuck out to me this time because it reflected ideas of the play more then I had noticed before.

The moment that stuck out to me was the song Officer Krupke. I think this scene shows the mockery that the young men have for authority, and the disrespect they have for the law even if they are a little foolish about it.

The second moment is the war meeting between the Sharks and the Jets at Docs. This is similar to the idea that they are making a mockery out of the law system shown by them pretending to get along, but what really is striking to me about this scene is how easy it looks for them all to get along. They are in this battle with each other, but in a strange way protective of each other against the law.

Lastly is the image after Bernardo kills Riff. The shock that he actually has taken his life is upsetting. He reminds me of Tybalt killing Mercutio. It looks like he never believes that their action would have gone that far, and everything before was just talk.

All the images were from West Side Story

Romeo and Juliet

I think in class I made my opinion of the movie version of Romeo and Juliet pretty clear. When watching it for the assignment I had a hard time getting through it. However, knowing that I did have a strong dislike for the movie, I tried to approach this viewing with a more open mind and willingness to find the good in the movie.

To start, the bad ….

1.)The Modern Setting – I really struggle with Shakespeare’s original play set in modern time. It takes away some of the meaning to the story for me, like Juliet’s arranged marriage to Paris, and her parents control over her. If the play took place in a traditional setting then Juliet’s parent would be arranging a marriage to provide her with a stable and secure future. In the modern setting I did not feel like that motive was as clear. That changes the story for me in understanding why Juliet’s parents were trying to marry her to Paris.

http://www.tumblr.com/search/romeo+and+juliet+1996

2.) The Weapon Choice- I know we talked about this in class, but the use of guns bother me in the movie. The primary reason for this is that a gun seems like a reactive weapon, while a sword requires some skill. It seems an easier weapon to use a gun (in the movies) than a sword. 

http://www.tumblr.com/search/romeo+and+juliet+1996

Next, the positives ….

11 .)  The Death of Mercutio and Tybalt - One thing I liked in the movie was the death of Mercutio and Tybalt. I found this to be a really powerful scene, and I think that was because of what we talked about in class, how this was the first moment where someone’s life was lost as a consequence. I really liked the emotions that were portrayed in these sequences of events; from Mercutio’s devastation of dying, to Tybalt’s shock at killing Mercutio, to Romeo’s rage. I think this scene does a good job showing the reactions that come out of their behaviors.

http://www.tumblr.com/search/romeo+and+juliet+1996

2.) Again, Weapons – I know, I said this is what I didn’t like about the movie, but in two scene, after much internal debate. I agree with the decision to use a gun. The first is Romeo killing Tybalt because I like the irrational emotionally driven response Romeo has, and I think the use of guns adds to it. Second, would be Juliet’s death. In a way her death was not as pretty as it usually is shown. It was messy and bloody, which I found to be a good ending commentary on the whole tragic story.

poetry.rapgenius.com