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Jason Lee: It's not easy being the centerpiece in a story where every other side character is more interesting than you are. I think Radcliffe wears the "leading man" mantle well but I don't think he could quite handle the action sequences of Bond (not nearly cold and calculating enough). As for Dr. Who, my memories of that series are rather sketchy so I'll abstain from that part of the question.

Max Braden: I want to say there's no chance Radcliffe can fill the Bond tux, but never say never. Radcliffe turns 20 this week. At the same age, future bruiser Christian Bale was dancing it up in Swing Kids. Dr. Who is more likely but I don't know how big that would play in the U.S. I have only some experience watching the original series, and my impression of Dr. Who is someone with a quick and sharp wit. There again I'm not sure Radcliffe as is could fill that role. I'd actually love to see Robert Downey Jr. play the Doctor first.

I give it my lowest rating. Seven thumbs up.

Kim Hollis: If you've seen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, what did you think of it?

Josh Spiegel: Again, I come to these movies as a big fan of the books; I feel, though, like a relatively rare breed, in that I am completely content with director David Yates (or whichever director not named Chris Columbus is behind the camera) differing from the source material as much as is necessary. So, I really enjoyed this adaptation of Half-Blood Prince, and thought it captured the essence of the book very well. The three young leads have all grown a lot in terms of their performances (I've felt that each one has always had some problems acting in past films), and all the supporting actors did a great job, especially Michael Gambon and Jim Broadbent. I'm sure some fans of the book will have problems with the changes that Yates and writer Steve Kloves made, but I never had an issue with it. I am frustrated with having to wait over a year for the next installment, but that's my only beef.





Kim Hollis: I love the books, too, Josh. Like you, I am completely pleased with this film. In fact, I've been completely pleased with every single movie from Prisoner of Azkaban forward (and I even think Chris Columbus's films are better on repeated viewings). Each one has done such a wonderful job of creating the world and having the characters grow into their roles. I laughed a lot during Half-Blood Prince - and almost came to tears at a point even though I knew exactly what would happen - and it made me very content. I can't ask for much more than that.

David Mumpower: The odd analogy I made on Twitter that I stand by is that it reminds me of season five of Friends. That's the year that Chandler and Monica were a secret couple. The show was almost 100 episodes old, so the expectation was that we knew all of the characters and we were comfortable with them. Somehow, the writers found a new angle that made everything fresh again and created an added level of enjoyment that season. Half Blood Prince works in a similar fashion in that everyone seems so comfortable in their own skin yet a subtle sight gag of Ron wearing a Leatherheads helmet or Luna Lovegood wearing...a lion is very, very fresh. As I said the other day, I laughed more during the first 90 minutes of Half Blood Prince than I did during the entirety of The Hangover and I LIKED The Hangover. I realize that there are some quibbles about the major mystery story of the film (the titular character's identity is crucial to the novel yet almost irrelevant to the film) and it does leave out some key subplots from J. K. Rowling's work. I am not bothered in the least by this, though. I realize that there are still two films yet to go and I'll reserve judgment on things like that until such a time as the series is finished. For now, what I know for certain is that I had a grand time at Harry Potter 6 and it's the rare two and a half hour film these days that didn't feel laboriously paced. Also, my date was euphoric throughout the proceedings, and that always helps aid my movie enjoyment.

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