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The Fantastic Beasts Series


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On 4/12/2017 at 0:58 PM, JustaPerson said:

I'm sure Jude Law will do well, but wasn't Grindelwald supposed to be better looking than Dumbledore? With Depp's weird albino look I can't imagine it.

That was always my impression. That Grindelwald was both charming and handsome. It explains why Dumbledore may have fallen for him. Depp's Grindelwald looks neither charming or handsome. It's been said to death but why couldn't they have just kept CF? 

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Wasnt Rowling herself a victim of domestic violence? I thought I had read that somewhere. Which is why I was shocked she was okay with Depp. For all the different types of abuses she covered in her books...I dont how to feel about it.

I was kinda hoping they would pull another reveal, that Depp’s character wasnt really Grindlewald, or that he had found a way to beat the reveal spell so he was still hiding his identity.

I really hope Newt and his friends are the focus of these movies. Not that I dont love Dumbledore, but Newt is extraordinary. He’s different and kind and a Huffle. And Ive had my fill of Gryffindors. From what I read so far, Im shocked that

Spoiler

Leta is married to Newt’s brother. That was a surprising turn of events. I figured he would be a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor but now, I wonder if he was a Slytherin too. 

 

I also read an article where they addressed the Beasts in Fantastic Beasts. As excited as I am to see new beasts, Im also excited for

Spoiler

The return of Niffler and Pickett. Niffler killed me, and it would make sense if Newt still had him that he escapes at least once. Im glad Pickett is still around too. The last we saw of him being angry at Newt, so its great he’s back too.

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10 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

Wasnt Rowling herself a victim of domestic violence? I thought I had read that somewhere. Which is why I was shocked she was okay with Depp. For all the different types of abuses she covered in her books...I dont how to feel about it.

I was kinda hoping they would pull another reveal, that Depp’s character wasnt really Grindlewald, or that he had found a way to beat the reveal spell so he was still hiding his identity.

I really hope Newt and his friends are the focus of these movies. Not that I dont love Dumbledore, but Newt is extraordinary. He’s different and kind and a Huffle. And Ive had my fill of Gryffindors. From what I read so far, Im shocked that

  Reveal hidden contents

Leta is married to Newt’s brother. That was a surprising turn of events. I figured he would be a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor but now, I wonder if he was a Slytherin too. 

 

I also read an article where they addressed the Beasts in Fantastic Beasts. As excited as I am to see new beasts, Im also excited for

  Reveal hidden contents

The return of Niffler and Pickett. Niffler killed me, and it would make sense if Newt still had him that he escapes at least once. Im glad Pickett is still around too. The last we saw of him being angry at Newt, so its great he’s back too.

I heard that too. If it's true, I get the feeling she doesn't want to talk about it, which is understandable. And it's another reason why people shouldn't be so quick to throw stones at her on Twitter. Like I said before, the filmmakers put her in a tough spot. Why she's getting the lion's share of hate instead of hate instead of the director -- whose statement about Depp was WAY worse than hers -- is something I just don't get.

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16 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

 

I was kinda hoping they would pull another reveal, that Depp’s character wasnt really Grindlewald, or that he had found a way to beat the reveal spell so he was still hiding his identity.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

The return of Niffler and Pickett. Niffler killed me, and it would make sense if Newt still had him that he escapes at least once. Im glad Pickett is still around too. The last we saw of him being angry at Newt, so its great he’s back too.

Agreed. It's so easy to do a recast with a movie like this too. We literally know they have spells/potions that let them change identities. Of course I am mindful of the fact that it probably isn't that easy to just boot an A list actor from a role. Nor do I think the higher ups associated with the film want to boot Depp. 

I just find their imagining of Grindelwald so counter to what we know from the books. Granted it isn't much but it isn't anything like what we saw on screen. I suppose they do have time to flesh out the character more. So I'll try and remain positive. 

The rest of the cast and their characters are fantastic though. 

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I find it strange that the problem with Depp centers around his relationship with his ex wife. Yes, that's a problem, but to me, the real problem with Johnny Depp is that he's a bad actor. He's totally one-note, & that's why he shouldn't have been cast. I still don't understand how people involved with this movie don't see that they're going to be getting yet another version of Captain Jack Sparrow.

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1 hour ago, GaT said:

I find it strange that the problem with Depp centers around his relationship with his ex wife. Yes, that's a problem, but to me, the real problem with Johnny Depp is that he's a bad actor. He's totally one-note, & that's why he shouldn't have been cast. I still don't understand how people involved with this movie don't see that they're going to be getting yet another version of Captain Jack Sparrow.

He used to be capable of subtle work, but he's so lazy now. Hearing about the earpiece cemented it for me. If he can't even bother to attempt to learn his lines and just has them fed to him through an earpiece, I don't need him stinking up movies that I want to see.

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I FINALLY got around to seeing the movie and enjoyed it. 

Im intrigued for the second film and I was surprised to see that Leta Lestrange was being played by Zoe Kravitz. The Lestrange Family and their obsession with pure blood, made me assume they were an (acknowledged) Caucasian Family, but perhaps that’s the point, contrasting our preconceived notions regarding discrimination and turning them on their head. 

I do want to learn more about other wizarding cultures. 

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7 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

The Lestrange Family and their obsession with pure blood, made me assume they were an (acknowledged) Caucasian Family, but perhaps that’s the point, contrasting our preconceived notions regarding discrimination and turning them on their head. 

It's my understanding that "pure blood" in this context strictly refers to magical blood (i.e. coming from several generations of witches and wizards, with no known muggles in the mix), completely irrespective of race or ethnicity.

I'm also interested in seeing other wizarding cultures in these films. As much as I love the original series, we really only got to see the wizarding world in the UK (with a few exceptions), and really only a small subset of that, since most of the story took place at Hogwarts. I know Rowling has gotten flack for some of her new ideas, but I really hope that the expanded scope of this new series allows us to see different kinds of magic around the world.

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3 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

 

10 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

The Lestrange Family and their obsession with pure blood, made me assume they were an (acknowledged) Caucasian Family, but perhaps that’s the point, contrasting our preconceived notions regarding discrimination and turning them on their head. 

It's my understanding that "pure blood" in this context strictly refers to magical blood (i.e. coming from several generations of witches and wizards, with no known muggles in the mix), completely irrespective of race or ethnicity

 

Yes you’re very right- that’s whats in JK Rowling’s cannon. It will be interesting on a cultural critique level to see a black woman wax on about blood purity etc (if they go there with the character). 

JK does get flax for that but in the theme of her story it makes sense, it’s mostly about Harry’s coming of age and defeat of Voldemort- it was going to be about him and his World. 

I am not familiar with the backstage details of this series, was Depp always in line to play Grisewald and to impersonate Colin Ferral’s character? I was not familiar with Ezra Miller until Justice League but I liked him in this role too. 

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So I take it everyone's heard about the director saying that Dumbledore's sexuality wouldn't be explicitly addressed in the new movie.  People on the internet are throwing a fit, acting like he said that Dumbledore was going to be straight.  And once again, instead of directing their anger at the director, they're sending angry tweets to JKR instead.  The fact that she's muted these angry tweets only makes them madder, accusing her of shutting out "constructive criticism".  But I think there's a fine line between "criticism" and flat-out accusing her of being a homophobe -- for an interview that she didn't even give!

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I honestly think it's a huge mistake to "de-gay" Dumbledore and Grisewold's relationship.  My understanding is both are going to be main characters for the next four movies (it's a 5 movie series) and in that case, you lose so much of the personal angle between the two.  Plus, it'd be such a missed opportunity to not address what attracted Dumbledore to Griswald.  By addressing that it'd make Griswold more than a one dimensional villain.  

 

Also I can understand why people are pissed.  It'd be like going a bio on Elton John and instead of covering his romantic relationship with his husband, they just paint it as them just being good friends.  It's kind of whitewashing over a portion of who Dumbledore was and I think if this was a heterosexual relationship they would have addressed it (there's just so much interesting angles/drama that this relationship can add to the series).  

 

I could go on but as I found the first movie boring, I hated the missed opportunity of showing the American wizarding community (just the one type of magic instead of embracing Native American traditions, African and Caribbean traditions, Eastern Traditions and even Jewish Traditions, plus other things accounting for America not being England)  I was unlikely to see this movie anyway (plus I really dislike Depp as an actor nowadays).

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Isn't JKR the screenwriter for the FB series? And not some lowly screenwriter who has no say how the movies will turn out,  pretty much the opposite, so, some fans are going to conclude that she is a not-minor reason that this Dumbledore development in FB2 is going ahead (even if that is not the case). Though in the Deathly Hallows book, the sexuality with Dumbledore and Grindelwald wasn't explicitly stated, either, so maybe they're just being consistent...

Edited by Dejana
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JK Rowling's tweet implies that Dumbledore's sexuality will be explicitly portrayed in one of the future movies. And it could totally make sense for Dumbledore's sexuality not to be explicit in this movie because it's a planned series, and this is the very start of the Dumbledore/Grindelwald relationship. Given the time period, Dumbledore could be deep in denial about his sexual orientation and closeted.

However, if that's the case, JK Rowling needs to do damage control by committing to the series explicitly portraying Dumbledore/Grindewald as a gay relationship. She's the one who made it canon! This being coy bit is infuriating for no purpose and makes her look really bad... especially coming after the Johnny Depp statements.

She gets lauded for saying Hermione could be Black - again outside the books and movies.

Rowling said that in support of the casting of a Black actress as Hermione in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, so while yes, it was outside of the books and movies, it wasn't just a theoretical statement. Although I do think it's a good thing when an author explicitly supports the legitimacy of multiple interpretations of a character.

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3 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

JK Rowling's tweet implies that Dumbledore's sexuality will be explicitly portrayed in one of the future movies. And it could totally make sense for Dumbledore's sexuality not to be explicit in this movie because it's a planned series, and this is the very start of the Dumbledore/Grindelwald relationship. Given the time period, Dumbledore could be deep in denial about his sexual orientation and closeted.

 

That was the point I was trying to make. JKR said on Twitter that she WASN'T changing Dumbledore and Grindelwald's sexuality. And if you recall from Deathly Hallows, whatever went on between them was over and done with when his sister got killed, and this movie takes place years after that happened. I'm sure there are still lingering feelings there, but I doubt that Dumbledore is going to say right off the bat "I'm in love with the dark wizard that might have killed my sister." 

Like you said, it's a planned series and I'm hoping it will be explored somewhere down the road. And yes, I do understand why the LGBQT community is upset, they should have representation in the movies. I just feel like trolling JKR isn't the best way to handle it.

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I don't think she created a problem by Hermione being white?

I agree that her saying Dumbledore might be gay outside the text was pretty cheap though. I lost all interest in the depiction of Dumbledore-Grindelwald when Depp took over the Grindelwald character anyway, but I still don't understand how even a series that's set during the period of time when Dumbledore fought Grindelwald and removed him from power (after trying to avoid the confrontation because of his emotions/the past) is going to completely sidestep all the undertones unless it's being erased deliberately--and we all know it is. That said, JKR did write the first FB, and there was a lot of obvious subtext present in the way Grindelwald played Credence.

Edited by TheGreenKnight
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1 hour ago, TheGreenKnight said:

I don't think she created a problem by Hermione being white?

I agree that her saying Dumbledore might be gay outside the text was pretty cheap though. I lost all interest in the depiction of Dumbledore-Grindelwald when Depp took over the Grindelwald character anyway, but I still don't understand how even a series that's set during the period of time when Dumbledore fought Grindelwald and removed him from power (after trying to avoid the confrontation because of his emotions/the past) is going to completely sidestep all the undertones unless it's being erased deliberately--and we all know it is. That said, JKR did write the first FB, and there was a lot of obvious subtext present in the way Grindelwald played Credence.

 

When the Hermione stage casting came along, the FB series was getting slammed for being overwhelmingly white despite its setting, and by that point, HP itself was being re-examined and critiqued in some circles for relegating the characters of color to supporting roles. For the nineties that was diverse enough (especially the interracial dating!), but IMO a children's/YA fantasy series starting out in the 2010s would be more inclusive, with at least one of the Trio or a Snape/Dumbledore-level figure being not white, and you'd probably have out characters, too, unless that was a taboo thing in the universe, but it would be in the story itself, that everyone was not straight. So, anyway, Stage Hermione being cast with a black actress around this time got viewed by the less charitably inclined toward JKR as a strategic move to quell brewing criticism of the universe and the racial politics of its creators. 

 

I feel like the wizarding world JKR presented in the HP books did not seem like a society where it was perfectly fine to be out and proud, but post-books she's trying to claim it is, so it got people's hopes up, only for the FB-verse to (seemingly) shy away from that aspect.

Edited by Dejana
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If anyone here thinks that a past romance between the main villain and one of the heroes would be glossed over or dealt with only in oblique hints if it were a heterosexual romance, please contact me about some prime Florida real estate I have for sale.

Edited by Bruinsfan
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I think Jude Law is a pretty decent actor, I think if he knew about Dumbledore and Grindlewald, I think he would respect that. 

 

Obviously referring to his moment as playing Watson in the last batch of Sherlock Homes movies isnt the same thing as a Dumbledore/Grindlewald’s relationship, but I thought Law played that relationship with Downey’s Holmes really well. I think he could do a really great job as Dumbledore. Unfortunately, I don’t know if he has the same relationship with Johnny Depp.

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I would've been on board with seeing Dumbledore and Grindlewald if Colin Ferrell was still in the role, with Depp not so much. I'm not interested in seeing Depp's over the top one note characters being with Dumbledore. 

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I. Am. Freaking. Out. 

Let’s be honest, I feel like Jacob finding out he’s going with Newt! I love Fantastic Beasts and just rewatched it this weekend. Im still bummed about Depp but Jude Law was just rocking as Dumbledore.

Did anyone else see Credence? I thought he was on the roof with the other wizard. And was that Newt with his brother at the end?? I’m a sucker for sibling stories. I hope Newt’s brother isnt awful, that would make me so sad.

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Jude Law as Dumbledore looks good - intelligent, charming and kind of a troublemaker.  Trailer looks good, I am looking forward to this one.  I think I spotted a Magical Cabinet of Curiosities too,

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3 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

“One day, you’ll read Hogwarts, A History, and perhaps that will remind you that you can’t Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts.”

Since Dumbledore isn't yet headmaster, I'm hoping we learn that the anti-Apparating spell wasn't as strong or wide.  Make it a plot point!

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Jude Law as an awesome younger, devil may care Dumbledore is everything I never knew I wanted. That trailer looks freaking awesome, I loved every second of it. 

The Harry Potter music always gets me. God dang I am the biggest sucker ever. I was apprehensive, but i wont let some dickhead ruin this for me. 

Also really nice seeing Jacob with Newt again, and possibly Newts war hero brother? Yes to all of this!

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The Headmaster can disable it or allow someone to come in if necessary, right? If they're from the Ministry, they might have sent an owl ahead of time. Or maybe the Grindelwald saga is why they put one up!

ETA: New and strange feeling: finding Dumbledore hot. Also, Johnny Depp is there too. That's all I can say about that. 

Edited by JustaPerson
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I just saw the trailer. I am really exited about this movie. I'm glad to see that Jacob is in it and doing something with Newt. They were the best part of the first movie.

Edited by blueray
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Maybe if they keep making movies in the HP verse, they can ask the question that has been bugging me since book one...why do they still use freaking quills and ink in the 90s? Its not like pencils are technology that will short circuit being around too much magic, so whats the deal? Is there some magical reason they use totally impractical and inconvenient writing methods that Muggles ditched decades ago, or is it just because Wizards are so isolated that they have no idea that any other writing utensils exist? Because, I can just imagine some muggle born kid showing up for their first year at Hogwarts and being like "Wait, not only do I have to learn magic, I have to leave all my Number 2 pencils at home to learn how to write with a quill and parchment like I`m in a damn Ken Burns documentary?" Or it it just ascetic, because HP Wizards/Witches are hilariously Extra hipsters. "Yeah, we could admit that its the 20th/21st century and adjust slightly, BUT it would really cramp our style..." 

Seriously, this bugged the 12 year old me SO MUCH as a kid. My mom got annoyed of me asking her. 
 

Edited by tennisgurl
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Magical quill makers clearly have tremendous influence over the Ministry* and keep stalling any attempts at updating. 

*I’ve always wondered where the Malfoys got their money and have theorized that an ancestor created some essential magical product and cornered the market so thoroughly that they can live off the profits. Lucius clearly doesn’t work so I think my theory is correct. Maybe their money is in quills. 

The real reason is Rowling thought it fit the aesthetic but I’d love to see these type of details get brought in and explained. Jacob is a perfect person to do it. 

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Just curious; if magic solves the issues of quills (splitting and refilling) then why move on?

Muggles ditched them as they were impractical compared to pencils and metal quills (AKA fountain pens); magic users don't suffer those downsides.

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4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Maybe if they keep making movies in the HP verse, they can ask the question that has been bugging me since book one...why do they still use freaking quills and ink in the 90s? Its not like pencils are technology that will short circuit being around too much magic, so whats the deal? Is there some magical reason they use totally impractical and inconvenient writing methods that Muggles ditched decades ago, or is it just because Wizards are so isolated that they have no idea that any other writing utensils exist? Because, I can just imagine some muggle born kid showing up for their first year at Hogwarts and being like "Wait, not only do I have to learn magic, I have to leave all my Number 2 pencils at home to learn how to write with a quill and parchment like I`m in a damn Ken Burns documentary?" Or it it just ascetic, because HP Wizards/Witches are hilariously Extra hipsters. "Yeah, we could admit that its the 20th/21st century and adjust slightly, BUT it would really cramp our style..." 

Seriously, this bugged the 12 year old me SO MUCH as a kid. My mom got annoyed of me asking her. 
 

Some pure blood headmaster probably decided to give pencils a try, broke the tip instantly, muttered, "Muggle rubbish" and that was that. Repeat once for each new headmaster.

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On 2/3/2018 at 1:21 AM, doram said:

She gets lauded for declaring Dumbledore gay - outside the books and movies.

That (unlike it not being a plot point in the new movie) never bothered me. The books were 99.98% from Harry's perspective and we only knew what he knew (minus that small bit in the first book), so because Dumbledore purposefully kept so much of his life hidden from Harry (a plot point in the seventh...we only knew of his sister's tragedy after his death) of course we wouldn't know of his sexuality or any previous relationships. 

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18 hours ago, doram said:

Which won't be a problem if a large chunk of Book 7 weren't excerpts from Rita Skeeter's thinly disguised smear campaign biography on Dumbledore that delved into lurid details on the unsavory aspects of his past, with the piece de resistance being a delicious expose about his relationship with Grindelwald. 

I'm probably come across as an apologist, but I think even in 2007, it might have been pushing the envelope a little too hard.  I think the subtext is pretty apparent, and not for nothing, but Elphias Doge and Slughorn are both pretty clearly gay as well.

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On 3/16/2018 at 3:39 PM, doram said:

Which won't be a problem if a large chunk of Book 7 weren't excerpts from Rita Skeeter's thinly disguised smear campaign biography on Dumbledore that delved into lurid details on the unsavory aspects of his past, with the piece de resistance being a delicious expose about his relationship with Grindelwald. 

Also after Harry's death when he's on the Platform Leading To Heaven/Earth Watching Baby Voldemort Crying In His Personal Hell, he talks to Dumbledore. About Grindelwald.

Right, if this were Dumbledore's teen summer romance with a witch gone bad, Rita Skeeter's excerpts would have just said that plainly, without having to resort to hints and confirmations outside of canon. Here we are, more than 10 years later and they still don't want to be too overt. I think it's really cowardly at this point considering that she seems to want credit for being progressive, too. She says this world is LGBT friendly but never showing it really undercuts that argument. 

 

11 hours ago, starri said:

I'm probably come across as an apologist, but I think even in 2007, it might have been pushing the envelope a little too hard.  I think the subtext is pretty apparent, and not for nothing, but Elphias Doge and Slughorn are both pretty clearly gay as well.

The His Dark Materials series started out a couple of years before the first HP book, also straddles the line of children's/YA fantasy and features a same sex pairing with secondary characters. They made the first book into a movie, but the series was never ever on the same level of popularity as Potter and was always more intentionally, inherently provocative and controversial. So, since a retelling of Paradise Lost for kids with the Church as the Big Bad was always too much for moralists anyway, there was the freedom to write in a gay relationship and not have to worry about, "How will this play in conservative countries?" or "What will this do to the toy sales?"

Sure, saying Dumbledore was gay in the story would have scandalized some corners, but probably would have brought in more people who'd dismissed the series as too kiddie for something like that. By 2007, I don't think the idea of an unmarried woman getting pregnant was that shocking for a YA story, yet Rowling hurriedly married Lupin and Tonks in DH despite his extreme reluctance and misgivings, lest little Teddy have been conceived outside of wedlock. If that was apparently too daring to write, I'd think outing a character on the page would have been a far bigger deal for her. Another writer might have done it, though, even 11 years ago.

Edited by Dejana
typos, grammar
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On 3/17/2018 at 3:39 PM, Dejana said:

Another writer might have done it, though, even 11 years ago.

Cassandra Clare basically started her YA career in the same year with an ambiguously gay/bi ship as the Beta-couple. If an up-and-coming writer could do it, JK Rowling sitting pretty on 7 billion could have taken the chance to write one measly line in her book to confirm Dumbledore as gay.

 

On 7/23/2018 at 12:24 PM, Spartan Girl said:

New trailer at Comic Con

 

It really looks much better than the first movie.  More grown-up, so to speak. Also, is Zoe Kravitz's character supposed to be a beast? Say a werewolf or some other changeling creature? That's the impression her line left with me. 

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I saw this just after Thanksgiving, two years ago, and didn't know that Depp was in it. It was a last minute choice to see the movie, because Arrival either wasn't out yet, or it was sold out. We all loved Harry Potter, so we chose this one. I liked it, although I'd never read the book (there is one, right?). I'd like to see it again to refresh my memory on some of it. I loved the end of it.

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5 minutes ago, Anela said:

I saw this just after Thanksgiving, two years ago, and didn't know that Depp was in it. It was a last minute choice to see the movie, because Arrival either wasn't out yet, or it was sold out. We all loved Harry Potter, so we chose this one. I liked it, although I'd never read the book (there is one, right?). I'd like to see it again to refresh my memory on some of it. I loved the end of it.

The book is not a novel.  Its a fictional book about "beasts".

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On 3/13/2018 at 12:21 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Trailer is here!

 

 

Not gonna lie, I wept at the sight of Hogwarts.

And whatever I think of casting, I will not let a shitty man ruin Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts for me.

Hogwarts!! I have goosebumps. I started to read the main books again a year ago, but had other things on my mind and couldn't get into them. I need to try again. And watch the movies. I liked the first Fantastic Beasts, but it all felt separate from Harry Potter, which I suppose is good for the story itself, but I love it when things are brought together.

1 minute ago, Silver Raven said:

The book is not a novel.  Its a fictional book about "beasts".

That's what I thought. thanks!

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