The O-town Scene

reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews Actors shine in final ‘Potter’ film I want to get this out of the way before I say anything else about “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”: It was the right call to make the final book in the J.K. Rowling series into two films. There are those out there, probably the ones not as invested in the Potter world as I and millions of others have been, who have said it was just a play for more money, or a way to drag the phenomenon out a little lon- ger. Shame on you. Anything that gets kids and adults interested in watching such well-made movies together is a good thing. It doesn’t happen as much as it should these days. onta’s Southside Cinemas on Thursday night after waiting in a line that wound outside to the far reaches of where TJ Maxx will soon open. We were herded into lines for 2D and 3D once we actually got into the building. I went for the 2D because I’ve seen all the previous movies that way. And 3D is so disorienting to me anyway that viewing it with a huge group of people around me would just make it more confusing. While “Part 1” seemed to focus on presenting Hermi- one (Emma Watson) as a strong female character and dedicated friend to Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), this movie had a host of heroes, male Associated Press In this film publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures, from left, Emma Wat- son, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe are shown in a scene from ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2..’ McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Molly Weasley (Julie It brought such a loving and vivid interpretation of Rowling’s words that I could find little to criticize about what was left out or changed. It was an emotional roller coaster for me and the hun- dreds who piled into One- and female. Just to name a few: Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), Minerva Walters). The strongest character of them all is, of course, Harry, who must make choices for the good of the world that those much older than him could probably never make. Radc- liffe has grown and matured through his tenure as the character, with his talent shining through his perfor- mance. He carries the weight of the world and the movie with grace. The world that Harry inhab- its literally crumbles around his feet, and the last layers of security keeping Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his followers at bay fall to pieces. Even in the face of intense moments of death, destruc- tion and chaos, the filmmak- ers brilliantly add moments of humor, providing a chance to ease the tension of the situation. It is a deft hand that can, at one point, make you cheer on your favorites to victory in a fierce, loud frenzy of spell- casting, and the next, bring you to tears for the loss of characters you’ve grown at- tached to that you were glad to see come back for one last adventure. While delivering moments of such sound and fury, the movie also has periods of silence and quiet that take your breath away. Perhaps one of the most important things for me and other fans of the books, this movie did the original text justice. More than that, it brought such a loving and vivid interpretation of Rowling’s words that I could find little to criticize about what was left out or changed. This would not have been possible if the book had been crammed into one movie. This film is a fitting and powerful end to an epic story. It will not be matched for many years to come, if ever. — Adrienne Wise Chocolate Drops impress during Big Pickin’ Weekend There was a good time to be had Friday night at the One- onta Theatre, with the Carolina Chocolate Drops opening the theater’s Big Pickin’ Weekend. Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton kicked off the show with their fiddle-and-banjo-playing skills on display. The pair played some traditional songs, as well as originals. They brought humor and knowledge of the origins of the songs they performed, which they shared with the audience. The same can definitely be said for the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who had audience members tapping their feet and dancing in front of the theater. It was one of the best performances I’ve seen at the venue. 14 O-Town Scene July 21, 2011 The band seemed to fuse seamlessly American roots music with an Irish folk sound and modern R&B. Rhiannon Giddens, the lone fe- male in the quartet, was particularly memorable, with the raw quality of her bluesy voice recalling those you might hear on a vinyl record from the early 20th century. Also impres- sive were the beatbox stylings of Adam Matta, whose voice “played” bass and brass with pitch-perfect precision throughout the night. The most interesting song, and admittedly the only one I was familiar with, was “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!),” originally done by Blu Cantrell in 2001. The track appears on the Drops’ Grammy-winning album “Genuine Negro Jig,” and it sounded amaz- ing. It was totally unexpected from an old-time string band, and was one of the many highlights of the show. Another popular tune, “Corn- bread and But- Contributed The Carolina Chocolate Drops performed to an apprecia- tive crowd at the Oneonta Theatre on Friday, July 15. terbeans,” brought down the house with cheers, stomping and dancing from the audience as part of the encore. _ Adrienne Wise

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