I’m going to get overly and nauseatingly nerdy. If this bothers you, just turn away now. Go back. Do not proceed. I had only four hours of sleep last night, so my filters and automatic editing aren’t working terribly well either, and I might meander more than usual.

Let me start by saying that I liked “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (the movie), which I saw this morning. I liked it a lot; I can’t say I absolutely LOVED it as much as I LOVE the books, but I liked it a lot. That said, I will be looking forward to the DVD release for two reasons.

The first reason will be to see the deleted scenes - like the St. Mungo’s scene, for example. They filmed it (according to an interview with the screenwriter) but it was cut for time (I think). They replaced it with Neville making a rather “Basil Exposition”-esque comment to Harry (essentially “Here is why I will want to exact revenge.”), and the other with a cut to a happy family gathering (essentially, “We are your surrogate family, Harry. We symbolize the love and closeness that you possess and you-know-who lacks.”)

Personally, (and I’m not a director juggling many hats and attempting to keep things paced, or a screenwriter trying to condense 800+ pages of highly detailed novel into a 2 hr 10 min movie, or a producer not wanting to shell out extra dough for additional production, etc.) I think the St. Mungo’s scene in question would’ve done a much better job of “showing and not telling,” to use the old creative writing workshop saw.

I think putting it in dialogue form pushed it too much to the front and center and caused it to lose the nuance that had made it poignant and meaningful in the book. The movie could’ve been 30 minutes or an hour longer and I would’ve been fine with the additional time since it would’ve offered more of what I felt were key elements.

I mean, dude, there was time to watch Hobbits steal produce from a field in The Fellowship of the Ring - and we can’t get more than a two-line speech from Dumbledore?

Granted, we’re not talking about Bergman or Kubrick or “Citizen Kane” here, but this has its own value in our culture.

It’s a pretty rare occurrence for a BOOK, much less a series of books (well, James Bond/Ian Fleming sort of did it), to become such a part of our everyday discussions (whether good or bad) and to enthrall so many people (all ages, nations, etc.) and then spin off and find almost equal success in the film world. Especially when the books describe a world with so much vivid detail, provide us with a whole new lexicon, and prompt borderline obsessive reading, re-reading and memorization of this imaginary universe (and I don’t feel I am in danger of the last one - I am certain there are 11-year old children out there who could kick my ass in Harry Potter trivia).

The second reason I am looking forward to the DVD release? Just to re-watch the movie… to do some slow-motion viewing of wizarding battles and the like… to listen to the Helena Bonham Carter/Bellatrix Lestrange cackle… to enjoy the snazzy special effects, especially in the Department of Mysteries… to see what I might have missed when the arse in front of us in the theatre was hacking up a lung. I desperately wanted to lob a lozenge at his head; alas, I had none.

I can see the movie again in the theatre, but I find that being able to pause and rewind provides me with the proper control-freak power I require.

My head is pounding. I had a coffee this morning (something I do not do) to counteract the four hours of sleep, and now I’m paying for it. It’s going to be an early night.