Thor earned $66 million at North American theaters to win the year's first full May weekend, according to early studio estimates. The latest in Marvel Studios' master plan to make a blockbuster film out of every character who has appeared in the company's comic books over the past 50 years, Thor easily trounced the weekend's two romantic comedies, Jumping the Broom and Something Borrowed, while dumping Mel Gibson's comeback film The Beaver into indie hell. The Marvel god-dude registered the second highest opening gross of 2011, behind the $86.3 million scored last weekend by Fast Five. Tuesday, May 10, 2011
71 DAYS!!
Of course you know what I'm referring to, right? Riiiiiiiight? Ugh. I'm talking about HARRY POTTER, you goon! Yes. That's right. Only 71 days until the epic finale of the quite epic in and of itself Harry Potter series. The second part of the last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, debuts on July 15, 2011. The lines going into movie theaters all across America are going to be extremely long. So long, I bet, that it'll set records. Haha, just kidding. Probably not. But it's gonna feel like forever when I'm standing in one. Oh well, it's gonna be worth it. I'm willing to bet on that, too. It's getting down to the wire here people, and I. Can't. Wait! The anticipation is slowly killing me. What's going to happen in this movie, you ask? A whole bunch, let me tell you. Well, actually, let me tell you. Here goes. Most of the information comes from imdb.com. Although, I have tweaked it a bit.
The film begins deep in the Dark Woods; Lord Volemort breaks open Dumbledore's tomb and steals the Elder Wand.
Harry is devastated by Dobby's death, and when he buries him, he does so by hand, without using magic. When they all come out to lay Dobby to rest, they thank him for saving their lives.
(The above is an overlap of the first part.)
After the funeral, Harry questions Griphook about the sword, with which he managed to escape. Harry needs Griphook to help him break into Gringotts bank, because he now thinks that another Horcrux is hidden in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault.
Harry also questions the wandmaker, Ollivander, asking him if its possible to fix his broken wand. Ollivander cannot fix it. Ollivander does tell him, however, that Voldemort really is seeking the Elder Wand in order to evade death.
Soon after questioning Ollivander, Harry begins to truly understand what he's meant to do; he's supposed to destroy the Horcruxes and not try to obtain the Deathly Hallows.
Griphook has finally agreed to help them break into Gringotts. The only hitch is that he wants Gryffindor's sword in return. Harry agrees but inwardly squirms at the thought of his white lie. He will give the sword to Griphook, but he doesn't tell him when.
One night, Lupin shows up suddenly and announces that he and Tonks have had a boy. They've named him Ted, and the group celebrates for one night. Lupin asks Harry if he'll be a godfather to the baby, and Harry agrees.
Their plan to break into Gringott's is simple: Go with Griphook, with Hermione disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange in order to access her vault. As Harry stole Bellatrix's wand during their tussle at Malfoy Mansion, they have her wand and even some of her hair for use in the Polyjuice Potion.
Their plan goes reasonably well; Hermione makes a very convincing Bellatrix, and with only a few snags, Griphook manages to get them down to her vault. It's guarded by a half-blind dragon, but they get past that obstacle fairly easily, thanks to Griphook.
Suddenly, things start to fall apart. They're discovered to be imposters, and the treasure in the vault starts multiplying every time it's touched. Harry manages to spot what they came for: Hufflepuff's cup, which he is sure is a Horcrux. He just manages to get it before they're all crushed to death. Griphook escapes with the sword, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron manage to get back out of the bank on the back of the half-blind dragon.
When the dragon finally gets them down low enough they jump into a lake, somewhere far away from London. Once they've treated their many injuries, they discuss the fact that they lost the sword they so desperately needed to destroy the Horcrux.
Suddenly Harry has a vision of Voldemort, who just found out that they took the golden cup from the vault. His rage is apoplectic. He kills almost everyone around him, and he can't believe Harry knows so much about his past and his Horcruxes. Voldemort now is no longer sure the rest of his Horcruxes are safe and realizes he must go check on all of them immediately to make sure.
As Harry comes to, he realizes that the last physical Horcrux, other than the snake Nagini, is at Hogwarts. That is where they must go next, and soon, because Voldemort will be checking to make sure it's safe.
As soon as they Apparate into Hogsmeade Village, a scream rends the air, alerting the Death Eaters to their presence. They're taken in by the barkeep of the Hog's Head, who hides them from the Death Eaters and makes up an excuse for the alarm going off. Harry suddenly recognizes the bartender as Dumbledore's brother.
Aberforth tells them the truth about Dumbledore's past, and agrees to help them get into Hogwarts. He speaks to the portrait of his dead sister, Ariana. She leaves and brings back none other than Neville Longbottom.
Neville is overjoyed to see them, but Harry is horrified at Neville, who looks as though he recently was beaten almost to death. Neville leads them through an opening behind the portrait, down a long, dark hallway. It's the last secret passageway into Hogwarts. As they walk, Neville fills them in on what's been happening at Hogwarts. It's been horrible, and the three can't believe how different things are at the school.
When they get to the school, they are surprised to come out in the Room of Requirement. There is a cheering crowd waiting for them, and they're all happy to see their old friends again.
There's an argument, however. Harry knows that they don't have much time, but everyone wants to help him. He insists they stay behind, and he gets even more panicked when more and more people start pouring in from the Hog's Head. Luna, Dean, Fred, George, Ginny, Lee Jordan, and Cho Chang all come climbing through. Harry, with some urging from Ron and Hermione, agrees to let them help. He figures out that they're looking for Ravenclaw's long lost diadem, a type of tiara she wore.
Harry goes to the Ravenclaw common room to look at a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing the diadem; he's met by one of the Death Eater professors, Amycus Carrow, who instantly touches the Dark Mark to alert Voldemort that they found Harry.
Harry stuns Carrow and begins to tell Professor McGonagall what they're up to. They tell her that they must find the lost diadem before Voldemort gets into the castle. McGonagall tells Harry that she and the others will secure the castle against Voldemort as long as they can so that Harry can search for the diadem.
As they're walking through the hall, they run into Snape. He and Professor McGonagall duel fiercely with magic so quick that Harry has never seen the like of it. When the other professors show up to help McGonagall, Snape jumps out one of the windows to join Voldemort, who is now just outside the grounds.
The professors immediately begin putting charms and spells all around the castle to hold off Voldemort.
When Harry gets back to the Room of Requirement, he's shocked to see that even more people have shown up, including Lupin, Kingsley, and Ron's whole family.
All the Death Eaters, the Malfoy's, Bellatrix, Snape, and Voldemort group together in the forest by the castle. All the other Death Eaters (around 400) take out their wands and destroy Hogwarts' magical forcefield. They all Dissapparate, except Bellatrix, Snape, and Voldemort. Snape and Bellatrix conjoin their magic and make the largest dark mark ever seen over Hogwarts.
Watching the dark mark from outside, McGonagall informs Flitwick to let all the of-age students stay to fight if they wish but escort the others to Hogsmeade where they can escape to safety.
In the Great Hall, teachers and prefects are sneaking the younger students out of the school before the battle begins.
The Order and the professors have agreed upon a battle plan and start splitting up. Many students who are of-age have stayed to fight, and they're all preparing for the battle that will come soon. The air is tense with expectation, and Harry, who is starting to panic, still does not know where to begin looking for the diadem.
As he races through the hallways, he has an idea. Everyone keeps saying the diadem hasn't been seen by anyone in living memory. That does not, however, include ghosts. He hunts down Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, and asks him about it. Nick points him towards the Grey Lady, who is Ravenclaw's ghost, and Harry asks her about the diadem. She tells him that she was Rowena Ravenclaw's own daughter, and that she was the one who stole the diadem from her mother. She also confesses that she revealed the location of the diadem to one other student, Tom Riddle.
Harry runs into Hagrid after talking with the Grey Lady, and suddenly he knows exactly where the diadem is. He realizes he saw it last year in the Room of Requirement when he went in to hide his Potions book. It's a tiara, on a stone bust, in that junky old room. He can't believe it.
Hermione and Ron sneak into the Chamber of Secrets, where they are attacked by a giant tsunami of Voldemort. They retrieve a fang from the almost decayed body of the basilisk and kill the cup. After the "life flashing before their eyes" moment is over, Ron and Hermione lean in and kiss.
As he's racing to the Room of Requirement, he finally finds Ron and Hermione, who had the brilliant idea to go down into the Chamber of Secrets and get some basilisk fangs, which is one of the only other things that can destroy the Horcrux. He's amazed at their brilliance. Hermione has already destroyed the cup.
The battle has begun, and they race even harder to get there. When they finally get the Room of Requirement open, they begin searching for the stone bust. They're disgusted to find out that Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle and Blaise Zabini are in the room as well.
They begin to duel ,and Harry just manages to grab the tiara before the piles of junk bury it forever. Blaise was disarmed by Harry and then stunned by Hermione. The room catches on fire from a spell and they manage to get out, saving Malfoy and the stunned Blaise Zabini in the process. Goyle is burned to death by the Fiendfyre.
After they get out, they happily realize the tiara was destroyed in the magical fire, but suddenly Percy and Fred come into view, dueling with two Death Eaters in the hallway. Suddenly, the wall is blasted open from the outside, and Fred is killed in the explosion.
Many students (many Quidditch players) fight off Death Eaters in the Quidditch pitch. The Quidditch pitch is burned down afterwards by Death Eaters.
A montage of things show: Gryffindor Common Room being broken into, Herbology Greenhouses being destroyed, Centaurs and elves fight Death Eaters, many ogres and giants destroy what's left of Hogwarts,and Death Eaters start a gigantic fire.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione have to drag Fred's body out of the way, and Harry can't permit himself to grieve. Out of the noisy hall, Voldemort's magnified voice says if Harry doesn't turn himself in within the hour, then he will kill every person who sides with Harry, and then he will kill Harry.
Harry decides to act when he sees Lupin's and Tonk's bodies being carried in. Hermione tries to stop him, but Harry leaves the Great Hall. As Harry is racing out, along with many other students running down the grand staircase, he's stopped by Ginny. Without another word, she allows him to leave.
Snape and Voldemort stand at the boathouse. Voldemort sends several striking spells to the window at the Great Hall from there. After many "reductos", everyone gets out of the Great Hall (with the exception of several bodies, including Fred's) before the Great Hall bursts into a flames and caves in.
While they are in there, they hear Snape talking with Voldemort. Voldemort wants to know why the Elder Wand won't work for him like it's supposed to. He can't do the extraordinary magic that he thought he'd be able to, and he blames Snape for this. Because Snape is the one who killed Dumbledore, Snape is the wand's true owner. He therefore must kill Snape in order for the wand to work properly, and he does this immediately, with no remorse, setting Nagini on Snape, and his body floats into the water.
Voldemort leaves the boathouse, and a hand (Harry's) grabs Snape and pulls him to the dock. Snape quickly pulls out his wand, extracts a memory and gives it to Harry. Then Snape slowly bleeds to death.
A large battle erupts on the Viaduct and Bridge (including a Neville and Bellatrix faceoff). It ends with the bridge collapsing, causing many unknown deaths.
In Snape's (formerly Dumbledore's) office, Harry stuns some Death Eaters wandering around the pensive.
He decides to look at Snape's memory to see what he had been trying to tell him.
What he sees is so shocking that he doesn't even know how to comprehend it. Snape, it turns out, had been in love with his mother, Lily, since he was a boy. He worshiped her, and even though he lost her to James, Harry's father, he never stopped caring about her. While Harry was at Hogwarts, Snape did whatever he could to protect him, and it was all done out of love for his mother.
Harry also sees that last year, after Dumbledore took the ring Horcrux that shriveled his arm, he had a limited amount of time to live in spite of Snape's best efforts to remove the curse. Dumbledore knew that Malfoy had been put to the task of killing him and asked Snape if he would do it when the time came, since he was dying anyway. Events and memories unfold, and Harry sees that Snape was loyal, that he always was, and that perhaps he even cared for Harry in spite of his best efforts to hide it.
Harry also finds out that a piece of Voldemort's soul is inside him and has been since Voldemort tried to kill him as an infant. He must die in order for Voldemort to be truly defeated, and Voldemort has to be the one to do it.
Harry's heart seems to beat harder and with more vigor now that he knows he must die. Now that he knows, he feels more alive than ever, and wonders if it will hurt. As he sits in the office coming to grips with the fact that he must die soon, he knows that he won't duck out. Too many people have died for him already.
He can't bear to say goodbye to anyone, so he doesn't. Harry sees Neville on his way out and tells him that if something happens to him, he must kill Voldemort's snake at all costs.
As he walks across the grounds towards the Forbidden Forest, he's flooded with memories of his time there. Everything is suddenly so precious, and he wishes more than anything that he just had more time to live his life. He realizes suddenly that the Snitch might open now that he is about to die, and when he tries it, sure enough, it opens. The Resurrection Stone falls out. When he turns it, his parents, James and Lily, and Sirius, and Lupin all appear, ghostly white in the night. They stay with him as he walks to the middle of the forest to meet his doom.
When he finally finds Voldemort, it takes only a moment. There is a flash of green light, and there is a slow motion of Harry falling, while the "memories" of his beloved deceased surround him.
When Harry opens his eyes, he is alone in a bright mist. The more he looks around, the more it looks like he's in some domed room. He thinks that he is in King's Cross. He sees a small, ugly crying child, and before he can do anything about it, Dumbledore appears.
Dumbledore tells Harry that he (Harry) is not really dead and explains to him that because Harry let Voldemort kill him, that piece of Voldemort that was inside Harry is now gone. Harry still doesn't understand why he's not dead, however, and Dumbledore tells him that because Voldemort used Harry's blood to regenerate himself, Lily's protection is now inside both of them. His body keeps her sacrifice alive, and it's because of this that Harry is still alive.
Dumbledore also tells Harry about the Hallows, and how all this time Harry has had the magical Cloak from the legend. He explains all about his true past, his duel with Grindelwald, and their quest to obtain all three Hallows for themselves. He is sad and bitter about his past, but is determined not to have any more secrets from Harry.
He also tells Harry that he has a choice to stay or go back, and Harry decides to go back. Before going back, he looks at the child for the last time when Dumbledore tells him to pity the living, not the dead.
When Harry opens his eyes again, he's back in the forest, face-down on the ground. He hears Voldemort, who is on the ground as well, telling someone to make sure he's dead. Soft hands touch his face, and a whisper asks if Draco is alive. Harry whispers that he is, and Narcissa yells back to the crowd that Harry is, indeed, dead. Voldemort makes Hagrid carry him back up to the castle to show everyone Harry's body.
When they reach the grounds, all the fighters of Hogwarts come out. Harry is still pretending to be dead, and his heart hurts to hear their grief for him. As Voldemort tortures Neville for trying to defy him, several things happen at once. Centaurs flood the grounds, shooting arrows at the Death Eaters; Grawp comes bursting out of the forest; and Neville manages to slice off Nagini's head with Gryffindors sword, which he pulls out of the Sorting Hat.
A new battle rages on, and Voldemort runs into Hogwarts. Under his cloak, Harry follows him, intent on ending it for good. The battle is fierce, and Harry winds in and out, determined to get to Voldemort.
Many battle in what's left of the Great Hall. Bellatrix (who also almost kills Ginny) battles Molly Weasley on a table. As Bellatrix taunts, Molly kills Bellatrix.
In the great battle in the Entrance Courtyard, Harry reveals himself before Voldemort kills another person.
Voldemort confronts him, locks him up, and asks why he isn't dead. Harry explains what Dumbledore told him.
Voldemort releases Harry and demands a duel to prove he's the owner of the wand. Harry explains why he is the owner of the wand. Voldemort replies, "Only I can live... forever."
They break out into a slow motion duel. Many voice-overs from all the movies strike while the one-minute slow-motion duel continues. The voice-overs end with, "Only I can live... forever," and small lightning strikes come from the Elder Wand to Harry's wand and then to Voldemort's hand, disarming him.
Voldemort is dead, and Harry is left alive, the true master of the Elder Wand.
After it's over, Harry wants nothing but to be alone. He sneaks out with Ron and Hermione in order to tell them everything that happened. They go up to Dumbledore's office for one last talk with the Headmaster's portrait, and Harry decides to release the Elder Wand because it causes more trouble than it's worth. Dumbledore, it turns out, agrees with him. Before returning the Elder Wand, however, Harry uses it one last time to repair his old broken wand.
19 YEARS LATER
Harry and Ginny have arrived at King's Cross to see their kids off to school. Lily, their daughter, is not quite old enough, but James and Albus are leaving. It's Albus's first year, and he's very nervous that he won't be in Gryffindor like his father. They run into Ron and Hermione, who are also there dropping their kids off. Everything ends happily ever after.
And there you have it! That's the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in a nutshell. You had better be in line on July 15th!
Harry is devastated by Dobby's death, and when he buries him, he does so by hand, without using magic. When they all come out to lay Dobby to rest, they thank him for saving their lives.
(The above is an overlap of the first part.)
After the funeral, Harry questions Griphook about the sword, with which he managed to escape. Harry needs Griphook to help him break into Gringotts bank, because he now thinks that another Horcrux is hidden in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault.
Harry also questions the wandmaker, Ollivander, asking him if its possible to fix his broken wand. Ollivander cannot fix it. Ollivander does tell him, however, that Voldemort really is seeking the Elder Wand in order to evade death.
Soon after questioning Ollivander, Harry begins to truly understand what he's meant to do; he's supposed to destroy the Horcruxes and not try to obtain the Deathly Hallows.
Griphook has finally agreed to help them break into Gringotts. The only hitch is that he wants Gryffindor's sword in return. Harry agrees but inwardly squirms at the thought of his white lie. He will give the sword to Griphook, but he doesn't tell him when.
One night, Lupin shows up suddenly and announces that he and Tonks have had a boy. They've named him Ted, and the group celebrates for one night. Lupin asks Harry if he'll be a godfather to the baby, and Harry agrees.
Their plan to break into Gringott's is simple: Go with Griphook, with Hermione disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange in order to access her vault. As Harry stole Bellatrix's wand during their tussle at Malfoy Mansion, they have her wand and even some of her hair for use in the Polyjuice Potion.
Their plan goes reasonably well; Hermione makes a very convincing Bellatrix, and with only a few snags, Griphook manages to get them down to her vault. It's guarded by a half-blind dragon, but they get past that obstacle fairly easily, thanks to Griphook.
Suddenly, things start to fall apart. They're discovered to be imposters, and the treasure in the vault starts multiplying every time it's touched. Harry manages to spot what they came for: Hufflepuff's cup, which he is sure is a Horcrux. He just manages to get it before they're all crushed to death. Griphook escapes with the sword, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron manage to get back out of the bank on the back of the half-blind dragon.
When the dragon finally gets them down low enough they jump into a lake, somewhere far away from London. Once they've treated their many injuries, they discuss the fact that they lost the sword they so desperately needed to destroy the Horcrux.
Suddenly Harry has a vision of Voldemort, who just found out that they took the golden cup from the vault. His rage is apoplectic. He kills almost everyone around him, and he can't believe Harry knows so much about his past and his Horcruxes. Voldemort now is no longer sure the rest of his Horcruxes are safe and realizes he must go check on all of them immediately to make sure.
As Harry comes to, he realizes that the last physical Horcrux, other than the snake Nagini, is at Hogwarts. That is where they must go next, and soon, because Voldemort will be checking to make sure it's safe.
As soon as they Apparate into Hogsmeade Village, a scream rends the air, alerting the Death Eaters to their presence. They're taken in by the barkeep of the Hog's Head, who hides them from the Death Eaters and makes up an excuse for the alarm going off. Harry suddenly recognizes the bartender as Dumbledore's brother.
Aberforth tells them the truth about Dumbledore's past, and agrees to help them get into Hogwarts. He speaks to the portrait of his dead sister, Ariana. She leaves and brings back none other than Neville Longbottom.
Neville is overjoyed to see them, but Harry is horrified at Neville, who looks as though he recently was beaten almost to death. Neville leads them through an opening behind the portrait, down a long, dark hallway. It's the last secret passageway into Hogwarts. As they walk, Neville fills them in on what's been happening at Hogwarts. It's been horrible, and the three can't believe how different things are at the school.
When they get to the school, they are surprised to come out in the Room of Requirement. There is a cheering crowd waiting for them, and they're all happy to see their old friends again.
There's an argument, however. Harry knows that they don't have much time, but everyone wants to help him. He insists they stay behind, and he gets even more panicked when more and more people start pouring in from the Hog's Head. Luna, Dean, Fred, George, Ginny, Lee Jordan, and Cho Chang all come climbing through. Harry, with some urging from Ron and Hermione, agrees to let them help. He figures out that they're looking for Ravenclaw's long lost diadem, a type of tiara she wore.
Harry goes to the Ravenclaw common room to look at a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing the diadem; he's met by one of the Death Eater professors, Amycus Carrow, who instantly touches the Dark Mark to alert Voldemort that they found Harry.
Harry stuns Carrow and begins to tell Professor McGonagall what they're up to. They tell her that they must find the lost diadem before Voldemort gets into the castle. McGonagall tells Harry that she and the others will secure the castle against Voldemort as long as they can so that Harry can search for the diadem.
As they're walking through the hall, they run into Snape. He and Professor McGonagall duel fiercely with magic so quick that Harry has never seen the like of it. When the other professors show up to help McGonagall, Snape jumps out one of the windows to join Voldemort, who is now just outside the grounds.
The professors immediately begin putting charms and spells all around the castle to hold off Voldemort.
When Harry gets back to the Room of Requirement, he's shocked to see that even more people have shown up, including Lupin, Kingsley, and Ron's whole family.
All the Death Eaters, the Malfoy's, Bellatrix, Snape, and Voldemort group together in the forest by the castle. All the other Death Eaters (around 400) take out their wands and destroy Hogwarts' magical forcefield. They all Dissapparate, except Bellatrix, Snape, and Voldemort. Snape and Bellatrix conjoin their magic and make the largest dark mark ever seen over Hogwarts.
Watching the dark mark from outside, McGonagall informs Flitwick to let all the of-age students stay to fight if they wish but escort the others to Hogsmeade where they can escape to safety.
In the Great Hall, teachers and prefects are sneaking the younger students out of the school before the battle begins.
The Order and the professors have agreed upon a battle plan and start splitting up. Many students who are of-age have stayed to fight, and they're all preparing for the battle that will come soon. The air is tense with expectation, and Harry, who is starting to panic, still does not know where to begin looking for the diadem.
As he races through the hallways, he has an idea. Everyone keeps saying the diadem hasn't been seen by anyone in living memory. That does not, however, include ghosts. He hunts down Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, and asks him about it. Nick points him towards the Grey Lady, who is Ravenclaw's ghost, and Harry asks her about the diadem. She tells him that she was Rowena Ravenclaw's own daughter, and that she was the one who stole the diadem from her mother. She also confesses that she revealed the location of the diadem to one other student, Tom Riddle.
Harry runs into Hagrid after talking with the Grey Lady, and suddenly he knows exactly where the diadem is. He realizes he saw it last year in the Room of Requirement when he went in to hide his Potions book. It's a tiara, on a stone bust, in that junky old room. He can't believe it.
Hermione and Ron sneak into the Chamber of Secrets, where they are attacked by a giant tsunami of Voldemort. They retrieve a fang from the almost decayed body of the basilisk and kill the cup. After the "life flashing before their eyes" moment is over, Ron and Hermione lean in and kiss.
As he's racing to the Room of Requirement, he finally finds Ron and Hermione, who had the brilliant idea to go down into the Chamber of Secrets and get some basilisk fangs, which is one of the only other things that can destroy the Horcrux. He's amazed at their brilliance. Hermione has already destroyed the cup.
The battle has begun, and they race even harder to get there. When they finally get the Room of Requirement open, they begin searching for the stone bust. They're disgusted to find out that Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle and Blaise Zabini are in the room as well.
They begin to duel ,and Harry just manages to grab the tiara before the piles of junk bury it forever. Blaise was disarmed by Harry and then stunned by Hermione. The room catches on fire from a spell and they manage to get out, saving Malfoy and the stunned Blaise Zabini in the process. Goyle is burned to death by the Fiendfyre.
After they get out, they happily realize the tiara was destroyed in the magical fire, but suddenly Percy and Fred come into view, dueling with two Death Eaters in the hallway. Suddenly, the wall is blasted open from the outside, and Fred is killed in the explosion.
Many students (many Quidditch players) fight off Death Eaters in the Quidditch pitch. The Quidditch pitch is burned down afterwards by Death Eaters.
A montage of things show: Gryffindor Common Room being broken into, Herbology Greenhouses being destroyed, Centaurs and elves fight Death Eaters, many ogres and giants destroy what's left of Hogwarts,and Death Eaters start a gigantic fire.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione have to drag Fred's body out of the way, and Harry can't permit himself to grieve. Out of the noisy hall, Voldemort's magnified voice says if Harry doesn't turn himself in within the hour, then he will kill every person who sides with Harry, and then he will kill Harry.
Harry decides to act when he sees Lupin's and Tonk's bodies being carried in. Hermione tries to stop him, but Harry leaves the Great Hall. As Harry is racing out, along with many other students running down the grand staircase, he's stopped by Ginny. Without another word, she allows him to leave.
Snape and Voldemort stand at the boathouse. Voldemort sends several striking spells to the window at the Great Hall from there. After many "reductos", everyone gets out of the Great Hall (with the exception of several bodies, including Fred's) before the Great Hall bursts into a flames and caves in.
While they are in there, they hear Snape talking with Voldemort. Voldemort wants to know why the Elder Wand won't work for him like it's supposed to. He can't do the extraordinary magic that he thought he'd be able to, and he blames Snape for this. Because Snape is the one who killed Dumbledore, Snape is the wand's true owner. He therefore must kill Snape in order for the wand to work properly, and he does this immediately, with no remorse, setting Nagini on Snape, and his body floats into the water.
Voldemort leaves the boathouse, and a hand (Harry's) grabs Snape and pulls him to the dock. Snape quickly pulls out his wand, extracts a memory and gives it to Harry. Then Snape slowly bleeds to death.
A large battle erupts on the Viaduct and Bridge (including a Neville and Bellatrix faceoff). It ends with the bridge collapsing, causing many unknown deaths.
In Snape's (formerly Dumbledore's) office, Harry stuns some Death Eaters wandering around the pensive.
He decides to look at Snape's memory to see what he had been trying to tell him.
What he sees is so shocking that he doesn't even know how to comprehend it. Snape, it turns out, had been in love with his mother, Lily, since he was a boy. He worshiped her, and even though he lost her to James, Harry's father, he never stopped caring about her. While Harry was at Hogwarts, Snape did whatever he could to protect him, and it was all done out of love for his mother.
Harry also sees that last year, after Dumbledore took the ring Horcrux that shriveled his arm, he had a limited amount of time to live in spite of Snape's best efforts to remove the curse. Dumbledore knew that Malfoy had been put to the task of killing him and asked Snape if he would do it when the time came, since he was dying anyway. Events and memories unfold, and Harry sees that Snape was loyal, that he always was, and that perhaps he even cared for Harry in spite of his best efforts to hide it.
Harry also finds out that a piece of Voldemort's soul is inside him and has been since Voldemort tried to kill him as an infant. He must die in order for Voldemort to be truly defeated, and Voldemort has to be the one to do it.
Harry's heart seems to beat harder and with more vigor now that he knows he must die. Now that he knows, he feels more alive than ever, and wonders if it will hurt. As he sits in the office coming to grips with the fact that he must die soon, he knows that he won't duck out. Too many people have died for him already.
He can't bear to say goodbye to anyone, so he doesn't. Harry sees Neville on his way out and tells him that if something happens to him, he must kill Voldemort's snake at all costs.
As he walks across the grounds towards the Forbidden Forest, he's flooded with memories of his time there. Everything is suddenly so precious, and he wishes more than anything that he just had more time to live his life. He realizes suddenly that the Snitch might open now that he is about to die, and when he tries it, sure enough, it opens. The Resurrection Stone falls out. When he turns it, his parents, James and Lily, and Sirius, and Lupin all appear, ghostly white in the night. They stay with him as he walks to the middle of the forest to meet his doom.
When he finally finds Voldemort, it takes only a moment. There is a flash of green light, and there is a slow motion of Harry falling, while the "memories" of his beloved deceased surround him.
When Harry opens his eyes, he is alone in a bright mist. The more he looks around, the more it looks like he's in some domed room. He thinks that he is in King's Cross. He sees a small, ugly crying child, and before he can do anything about it, Dumbledore appears.
Dumbledore tells Harry that he (Harry) is not really dead and explains to him that because Harry let Voldemort kill him, that piece of Voldemort that was inside Harry is now gone. Harry still doesn't understand why he's not dead, however, and Dumbledore tells him that because Voldemort used Harry's blood to regenerate himself, Lily's protection is now inside both of them. His body keeps her sacrifice alive, and it's because of this that Harry is still alive.
Dumbledore also tells Harry about the Hallows, and how all this time Harry has had the magical Cloak from the legend. He explains all about his true past, his duel with Grindelwald, and their quest to obtain all three Hallows for themselves. He is sad and bitter about his past, but is determined not to have any more secrets from Harry.
He also tells Harry that he has a choice to stay or go back, and Harry decides to go back. Before going back, he looks at the child for the last time when Dumbledore tells him to pity the living, not the dead.
When Harry opens his eyes again, he's back in the forest, face-down on the ground. He hears Voldemort, who is on the ground as well, telling someone to make sure he's dead. Soft hands touch his face, and a whisper asks if Draco is alive. Harry whispers that he is, and Narcissa yells back to the crowd that Harry is, indeed, dead. Voldemort makes Hagrid carry him back up to the castle to show everyone Harry's body.
When they reach the grounds, all the fighters of Hogwarts come out. Harry is still pretending to be dead, and his heart hurts to hear their grief for him. As Voldemort tortures Neville for trying to defy him, several things happen at once. Centaurs flood the grounds, shooting arrows at the Death Eaters; Grawp comes bursting out of the forest; and Neville manages to slice off Nagini's head with Gryffindors sword, which he pulls out of the Sorting Hat.
A new battle rages on, and Voldemort runs into Hogwarts. Under his cloak, Harry follows him, intent on ending it for good. The battle is fierce, and Harry winds in and out, determined to get to Voldemort.
Many battle in what's left of the Great Hall. Bellatrix (who also almost kills Ginny) battles Molly Weasley on a table. As Bellatrix taunts, Molly kills Bellatrix.
In the great battle in the Entrance Courtyard, Harry reveals himself before Voldemort kills another person.
Voldemort confronts him, locks him up, and asks why he isn't dead. Harry explains what Dumbledore told him.
Voldemort releases Harry and demands a duel to prove he's the owner of the wand. Harry explains why he is the owner of the wand. Voldemort replies, "Only I can live... forever."
They break out into a slow motion duel. Many voice-overs from all the movies strike while the one-minute slow-motion duel continues. The voice-overs end with, "Only I can live... forever," and small lightning strikes come from the Elder Wand to Harry's wand and then to Voldemort's hand, disarming him.
Voldemort is dead, and Harry is left alive, the true master of the Elder Wand.
After it's over, Harry wants nothing but to be alone. He sneaks out with Ron and Hermione in order to tell them everything that happened. They go up to Dumbledore's office for one last talk with the Headmaster's portrait, and Harry decides to release the Elder Wand because it causes more trouble than it's worth. Dumbledore, it turns out, agrees with him. Before returning the Elder Wand, however, Harry uses it one last time to repair his old broken wand.
19 YEARS LATER
Harry and Ginny have arrived at King's Cross to see their kids off to school. Lily, their daughter, is not quite old enough, but James and Albus are leaving. It's Albus's first year, and he's very nervous that he won't be in Gryffindor like his father. They run into Ron and Hermione, who are also there dropping their kids off. Everything ends happily ever after.
And there you have it! That's the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in a nutshell. You had better be in line on July 15th!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Royal Wedding: Brits rather unenthused
I was doing my daily search on Time magazine's website, time.com, and I found this article about the royal wedding. Since I've posted a few articles about the wedding, this might be of interest to you. I have to think there are probably few of us Americans who actually care about some royal wedding that's not even happening in our country. I am not a royal diehard, but I find their lifestyle interesting. It's the historical aspect, I suppose. Anyway, since the royal wedding affects Britain, don't you think the Brits would care a little bit about it? Well, according to this article, apparently not. There is a small percentage of Brits that are going all-out for the wedding, including tea parties to watch the television coverage of the wedding-- cakes will be served, a prize for best "fancy hat" awarded and "gossiping will be mandatory," but generally, like Americans, the Brits are just sick of hearing about it. In fact, Alex Smith, 56, "a gruff, lifelong fisherman and acquaintance of Stewart's, has no such activities in mind. "There's na a thing in the world I'd like to do less than watch that rubbish," he says in a booming Scottish brogue. "This country needs to get a grip.""
Another interesting piece of information is that even though the Brits have different views on "the entertainment value" of the royal wedding, most of them agree on one thing: the monarchy is nothing to get excited about. Most Brits are indifferent about the monarchy itself; the royal wedding is merely considered an entertaining event or a nuisance, but very rarely considered a serious political event. Time.com offers a few statistics: "In a recent poll of 2,000 British adults, 35% said they planned to watch the wedding on television; the same proportion intends to ignore proceedings, and the rest had no specific plans. A separate poll found that 79% of Brits — including those who will watch the event — were either "largely indifferent" or "couldn't care less" about the royal wedding. And although women were twice as likely as men to have made arrangements to watch the wedding, Stewart says many see it as nothing more than an excuse to throw a party."
Jean Stewart is a 62-year-old retired restaurateur comments in Time.com:
"It's just a bit of frivolity and fun," Stewart explains. "I don't think anyone takes it seriously."
The article continues,
"Well, some do. Republic, a 12,000-strong lobby group that advocates replacing the Queen with an elected head of state, has been pushing its agenda hard in the run-up to the wedding. The group wishes to see the Queen stripped of her remaining "prerogative powers," such as the need for parliamentary bills to have her formal assent before they become law, and her ability to disband the British Parliament and the legislatures of several Commonwealth countries, which her acting Governor General in Australia did in 1975.
"It's the best time for us because the wedding draws attention to the monarchy, and the truth is that people in Britain aren't in love with the monarchy. A majority don't hold strong feelings either way, and they can be convinced," says Graham Smith, the campaign manager for Republic.
Maybe, but Brits have a habit of hiding their passion behind a facade of indifference; in the buildup to the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebration in 2002, which marked 50 years of her reign, commentators speculated that the monarchy had lost touch with Brits following the death of Princess Diana in 1997, but then 1 million people showed up for the celebration. And whatever the polls say, London officials anticipate that hundreds of thousands will line the royal-wedding route in the capital; thousands of street parties have also been planned around the country."
Read the rest at http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2067262-2,00.html.
Another interesting piece of information is that even though the Brits have different views on "the entertainment value" of the royal wedding, most of them agree on one thing: the monarchy is nothing to get excited about. Most Brits are indifferent about the monarchy itself; the royal wedding is merely considered an entertaining event or a nuisance, but very rarely considered a serious political event. Time.com offers a few statistics: "In a recent poll of 2,000 British adults, 35% said they planned to watch the wedding on television; the same proportion intends to ignore proceedings, and the rest had no specific plans. A separate poll found that 79% of Brits — including those who will watch the event — were either "largely indifferent" or "couldn't care less" about the royal wedding. And although women were twice as likely as men to have made arrangements to watch the wedding, Stewart says many see it as nothing more than an excuse to throw a party."
Jean Stewart is a 62-year-old retired restaurateur comments in Time.com:
"It's just a bit of frivolity and fun," Stewart explains. "I don't think anyone takes it seriously."
The article continues,
"Well, some do. Republic, a 12,000-strong lobby group that advocates replacing the Queen with an elected head of state, has been pushing its agenda hard in the run-up to the wedding. The group wishes to see the Queen stripped of her remaining "prerogative powers," such as the need for parliamentary bills to have her formal assent before they become law, and her ability to disband the British Parliament and the legislatures of several Commonwealth countries, which her acting Governor General in Australia did in 1975.
"It's the best time for us because the wedding draws attention to the monarchy, and the truth is that people in Britain aren't in love with the monarchy. A majority don't hold strong feelings either way, and they can be convinced," says Graham Smith, the campaign manager for Republic.
Maybe, but Brits have a habit of hiding their passion behind a facade of indifference; in the buildup to the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebration in 2002, which marked 50 years of her reign, commentators speculated that the monarchy had lost touch with Brits following the death of Princess Diana in 1997, but then 1 million people showed up for the celebration. And whatever the polls say, London officials anticipate that hundreds of thousands will line the royal-wedding route in the capital; thousands of street parties have also been planned around the country."
Read the rest at http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2067262-2,00.html.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Next on the Movie-To-See List? Rio.
I LOVE movies. Seriously. I do. I practically collect them, and I buy pretty much every single one that I even remotely liked. I just recently posted about Hop, the Easter movie. Now I want to tell you about Rio, a movie from the creators of Ice Age. It's next on my list of movies-to-see. Because I don't know much about it yet, obviously, because I haven't seen it, I'm going to give you the story as written on the official Rio site, along with a link to my favorite Rio trailer. Get out to the theater to see it! I will, too!
"From the makers of the hit Ice Age series comes RIO, a comedy adventure about taking a walk on the wild side. Blu is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly, living a comfortable life with his owner and best friend Linda in the small town of Moose Lake, Minnesota. Blu and Linda think he's the last of his kind, but when they learn about another Macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro, they head to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel, Blu's female counterpart. Not long after they arrive, Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by a group of bungling animal smugglers. With the help of street smart Jewel, and a group of wise-cracking, smooth-talking city birds, Blu escapes. Now, with his new friends by his side, Blu will have to find the courage to learn to fly, thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail, and return to Linda, the best friend a bird ever had."Sounds good, right? I think so. too. Here's the link to my favorite Rio commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsGO7nvz0Tw
HOP on Over to the Theater
It's almost Easter, and one of the world's most popular movies commemorates that fact. I'm talking about Hop, the movie starring James Marsden and the voice of Russell Brand. Hop combines live action with state-of-the-art animation. The movie is about a teenage bunny, E.B., who is destined to be the Easter Bunny (his father is the current Easter Bunny, and is about to "retire"). On the eve of taking over the business, E.B. runs away to Hollywood, where he plans to become a famous drummer. He encounters Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker with his own lofty goals, who accidentally hits E.B. with his car. Feigning injury, E.B. manipulates Fred into providing him shelter, and Fred finds himself with the world's worst house guest.
After E.B. causes trouble for Fred, Fred attempts to abandon E.B. in the wilderness, all to no avail. E.B. claims to be the Easter Bunny, whom Fred saw in action when he was a child. To summarize, Fred and E.B. strike a deal: If Fred helps E.B. get to the 'Hoff Knows Talent' show, E.B. will leave Fred alone for good. Needless to say, that doesn't work out so well, especially after E.B. finds out that his father has sent the ninja royal guard, known as the Pink Berets, after him. Essentially, Fred and E.B. are stuck together until they eventually end up back on Easter Island, which is E.B.'s home.While Fred and E.B. are gallivanting around Los Angeles, Easter Chick Carlos and his music-obsessed assistant, Phil, plot an overthrow of the "government" against the Easter Bunny to take over the Easter organization. At the end of the story, E.B., Fred, and the Easter Bunny all come together to rescue each other and stop Carlos from taking over Easter Island.
This movie was the cutest one I've ever seen. Complete with amazing drum solos (all by E.B., of course), catchy music, and Russell Brand's awesome voice (and accent), Hop was a great investment of my time and money. I will definitely be buying it when it comes out on DVD. Just like Christmas movies get you in the feel-good mood for Christmas, this movie gets you all pumped up for Easter!
Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn5aSK5ZLM8.
Monuments Every American Should See
I'm a history buff; there's no doubt about it. I long to see the world's every nook and cranny before I die. I found this article while browsing on yahoo.com. It talks about awe-inspiring American monuments, where they are, and why you should see them. The article ranks the "country’s most epic buildings, monuments, and engineering feats, with advice for navigating them smarter, better, and with fewer crowds." So grab a pen and pencil, mister, 'cause you'll want to write these down! I did!
Golden Gate Bridge- San Francisco, CA
Hollywood Walk of Fame- Los Angeles, CA
Mount Rushmore- Keystone, SD
French Quarter- New Orleans, LA
Las Vegas Strip- Las Vegas, NV
Gateway Arch- St. Louis, MO
And there you have it! Start packing those bags!
Golden Gate Bridge- San Francisco, CA
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the 1.7-mile Golden Gate has since been surpassed in size-but not in beauty. |
Once the world's longest suspension bridge, the 1.7-mile Golden Gate has since been surpassed in size-but not in beauty. Hundreds of people walk the span from San Francisco to Sausalito each day, so you'll want to plan wisely. Bypass the two-hour meters at the overcrowded main lot off S.F.'s Merchant Road in favor of ample free parking at Crissy Field Center (crissyfield.org). There, fair-trade coffee awaits at the Warming Hut Café & Bookstore, a whitewashed shed near the shore that's the perfect place to fuel up for the gentle, half-mile Bay Trail to the bridge. The Golden Gate's best-kept secret: Although it's closed to pedestrians after sunset, gates are opened for star-gazing cyclists.
Hoover Dam- Boulder City, NV
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The now completed Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge (aka the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge) stands 890 feet above the Colorado River. The shot was taken from the Hoover Dam the day after the "Bridging America" event. |
It's never been easier to visit this 75-year-old colossus, which provides 20 million residents of California, Nevada, and Arizona with water and 1.3 million with hydroelectricity. Some new engineering is now helping the flow of the near-million annual visitors: a four-lane, 1,900-foot-long Hoover Dam bypass bridge. This bridge is the second-highest in the nation, perched at almost 900 feet above the rushing Colorado River. Avoid the intense summer heat (as high as 110 degrees) by planning your visit during January or February, when temperatures hover in the low 60s. But be sure to arrive by 3 p.m. to tour the dam itself; visitors aren't allowed to the top of the facility after dark, which comes as early as 4:30 p.m. during that time of year.
Hollywood Walk of Fame- Los Angeles, CA
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It may look tame here, but come Oscar night, the Kodak Theater on Hollywood Boulevard plays host to the biggest event in Tinseltown. |
Each year, another 20 to 30 luminaries are added to the more than 2,400 celebrities already immortalized in pink terrazzo along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. The Official Hollywood Walk of Fame iPhone app tells you exactly where to find Bette Davis, the Beatles, and both Harrison Fords (the other one was a silent film star). Parking in Hollywood is notoriously challenging, so this is a rare moment when L.A.'s subway comes in handy: The Red Line, which runs between North Hollywood and Down-town, stops at Hollywood and Vine; riders can leave their cars at one of the 1,500-plus free parking spots available at the North Hollywood and Universal City stops at the line's western end.
Mount Rushmore- Keystone, SD
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Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt are here, immortalized, both in stone and American history. |
You can't actually clamber over the presidents' heads like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. But the 500-foot-tall Mount Rushmore and the surrounding national forest still pack plenty of cinematic punch, thanks to the spiraling bridges, rock tunnels, and pinnacles of granite that line scenic Highway 89 north of Custer. There's no fee to see the busts (sculpted by 400 men), other than an $11 parking permit that, once paid, is good for the calendar year. Don't miss the equally epic Crazy Horse Memorial, slated to be the world's largest cliff carving, just 15 miles away.
French Quarter- New Orleans, LA
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Jackson Square—once named Place d'Armes, but renamed for Battle of New Orleans's Andrew Jackson— is a French Quarter destination for culture, lined with museums, shops, restaurants, and galleries. |
Everyone knows about the delights of New Orleans in the spring, when Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest turn the 70-block antebellum French Quarter into a rollicking 24-hour party, but an off-season visit delivers far more value. Hotels are a particular bargain during the summer months, when venerable institutions such as the 125-year-old Hotel Monteleone, a favorite haunt of Tennessee Williams, slashes its rates from the Mardi Gras high of $179 down to just $129. The deals don't stop there: The city was named the country's most affordable dining destination last November by Zagat Survey. And as part of an initiative by Coolinary New Orleans, more than 30 ritzy Quarter restaurants such as Antoine's offer three-course lunches for $20 during August and September.
Las Vegas Strip- Las Vegas, NV
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A view of the strip at sunset. This may be the only city in the world where can you find a permanent circus, an indoor sky, and a slice of the Roman Empire. |
Where else in the world can you find a permanent circus, an indoor sky, and a slice of the Roman Empire? Strip's north end debuted its SkyJump attraction, the highest "controlled free fall" in the world. (Think skydiving with a cable instead of a parachute.) Brave souls, who pay $100 for the privilege, can make the 108-story leap as late as 2 a.m. on weekends, when all the glittering lights amp up the drama.
Gateway Arch- St. Louis, MO
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Towering over the St. Louis skyline, the Gateway Arch's impressive stature packs an even bigger punch as it lights up the night sky. |
Some Americans might be surprised to discover that the country's tallest man-made monument isn't the Statue of Liberty (305 feet) or the Washington Monument (555 feet)-it's St. Louis's Gateway Arch, a 630-foot wonder with vertigo-inducing views of paddle-wheel boats steaming down the Mississippi. Two tram services carry the 4 million annual visitors on four-minute rides to the top. Architecture buffs opt for the north leg, which features an exhibit on the arch's construction, while armchair historians make for the south leg, which focuses on 19th-century life along the St. Louis waterfront. Either way, you'll want to avoid gusty days, as the arch's apex can sway up to 18 inches.
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Grand Canyon Skywalk Photo: John Burcham/Corbis |
Grand Canyon Skywalk- Tusayan, AZ
This gravity-defying glass bridge, perched 4,000 feet above the floor of the Grand Canyon, on its western rim, has hosted more than 250,000 visitors a year since it opened four years ago-and the knee-buckling privilege doesn't come cheap. The only way to access the Skywalk is via Grand Canyon West, a tourist area run by the Hualapai tribe on land located outside the Grand Canyon National Park. The most affordable ticket option is the Legacy Gold package, an all-day pass that includes a meal, a tour, and tribal demonstrations along with the Skywalk ticket.
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"Cloud Gate" in Millennium Park. Photo: Bob Krist/Corbis |
Millennium Park- Chicago, IL
This 24.5-acre park in the heart of downtown Chicago opened in 2004, and is a wonderland of cutting-edge architecture and design. Playful, family-friendly, and free attractions include the Cloud Gate sculpture, which reflects the downtown skyline and visitors' faces like a series of fun-house mirrors, and Crown Fountain, a multimedia installation that pairs splash-worthy sprays of water with 50-foot-tall video portraits.
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Ellis Island served as the entry point for millions of immigrating families— and modern American families still pass through here today to learn about them. |
Statue of Liberty- New York, NY
Lady Liberty's crown, which reopened after an eight-year hiatus in 2009, is scheduled to close again in November (along with the rest of the statue) for at least a year's worth of safety upgrades, so act fast to see the famous 125-year-old French gift from the inside. As you exit the ferry at Liberty Island, you'll need to purchase a Crown Visit wristband at the information center. The only thing you're allowed to take inside is a camera. Even cell phones and wallets are no-gos, so travel light and bring two singles to feed the three-hour lockers where you'll stash your goods. (There's no change machine, and to complicate the matter further, only singles and dollar coins are accepted). One wardrobe must: shoes with good grip. Descending the crown's 354 steps can be a slippery affair.
And there you have it! Start packing those bags!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Straightening Hair Bad for Your Health
Out with the curly, and in with the straight. Straight hair seems to be all the rage in the hairstyle department nowadays, and women are going to great lengths to get it. Even risking their health. The recently popular form of straightening hair, known as the Brazilian Blowout, is apparently bad for your health. According to Time.com, "the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a hazard alert on April 11 warning hair salon owners and workers about potential exposure to formaldehyde from using some hair smoothing and straightening products, including the Brazilian Blowout brand. (Formaldehyde helps bind keratin to hair, straightening it.)"
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