The Rowling Library ‘Secrets’ Issue: Must Read for Fantastic Beasts Fans

April 25, 2022 by 3 Comments

The two websites I take seriously in Rowling-Galbraith fandom are StrikeFans and The Rowling Library (TRL). Patricio Tarantino at TRL as I have written before is that rara avis who is connected to Rowling, Inc., is popular with fandom and conversant with their concerns, and who is a respected member of Potter Punditry and Royal Society of Rowling Readers. The latest issue of TRL’s online magazine is out, a double-helping exclusively devoted to the new Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore film. There are at least seven articles in it that will be of real interest to serious readers here, namely:

10. DIPLOMACY IN THE WIZARDING WORLD: an up close look at what the film reveals about the nature and operations of The International Confederation of Wizards;

17. THE AVADA KEDAVRA SCENE: there’s real problem for readers of Goblet of Fire who watch Secrets of Dumbledore, namely, the blocking of a supposedly unblockable curse.

22. WHERE DOES THE QILIN COME FROM? Readers of Beatrice Groves’ posts on this subject will find a different perspective here that complements and expands in some ways what Professor Groves has taught us.

26. THE MIRROR DIMENSION: The center-piece of the double-issue that reflects (sic) and speculates (again…) on the hidden inner reality or “mirror dimension” to which Dumbledore has access in Secrets. Nota Bene!

33. TO END OR NOT TO END: There has been quite a bit of discussion about whether to end the series here because the box office take has been bad enough that Warner Brothers has to be worried about recouping their investment in this blockbuster bust of a movie. TRL tackles the topic head on.

38. WHEN DOES THE FILM TAKE PLACE? 1932 seems the most credible answer from TRL’s examination of the miniscule typed evidence, but this causes all sorts of problems. Take Buntyy and her memory, for example…

46. PARQUE LAGE:  If you asked, as I did, “What happened to Brazil?” TRL has your answers.

You can download the issue here. Enjoy this collection of great Secrets of Dumbledore explorations — and let me know (and Patricio, too, he’ll read this post’s comments I’m pretty sure) what you think!

Filed Under: Fantastic Beasts

Wild ‘Secrets of Dumbledore’ Theory: Rowling Puts Pro-Trump Message in Script that Kloves Didn’t See or Remove

April 21, 2022 by 6 Comments

This is a wild, which is perhaps to say “wildly irresponsible,” post of rank speculation based on exactly zero actual, y’know, factual evidence and direct testimony. It does include, however, (a) a valuable survey of Rowling’s recent work with respect to the elections and politics shared therein and its conclusions, (b) a pair of contrary allegorical readings of the latest Fantastic Beasts film, Secrets of Dumbledore, and (c) it does factor in both Rowling’s Peter-John Distinction and, the Seventh Crisis, her trials as an opponent of the trend that turns a mental disorder into a civil rights movement.

I have written it up, though, I have to admit, only because I love the idea of Rowling, pushed to the sidelines by Warner Brothers to protect their Wizarding World cash cow, inserting an IED-esque covert message in her “original script” that Kloves couldn’t scrub out and which the Hollywood Screenwriters Guild would find anathema, namely, that there was massive fraud in the 2020 US Presidential election. 

And I have to admit, too, of course, that I have not seen Secrets of Grindelwald yet. This isn’t even my theory and I certainly have little right to comment on its validity or vapidness. ‘Let the reader beware.’

Having noted those several necessary caveats, let me begin. This post has three parts: a review of Rowling’s “obsession” with US Presidential elections and politics (her word), a fixation that includes her acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome and Obama-philia, a survey of the elections featured and politic notes sounded in her most recent work, Ickabog to Christmas Pig, and then allegorical readings of the election for Supreme Mugwump in Secrets of Dumbledore. I’ll lay all that out for you folks who have seen the film to discuss — after the jump! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Casual Vacancy, Christmas Pig, Cormoran Strike, Fantastic Beasts, The Ickabog

MsMojo: Secrets of Dumbledore’s Answered and Unanswered Questions

April 20, 2022 by 4 Comments

TheWrap.com thought Secrets of Dumbledore was a bomb. See their ‘Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore’ Film Review: There’s Little Magic Left in This Sagging Franchise for the full take-down but the high points of their low estimation are that it dropped any connection with the previous film (wasn’t Grindelwald promising to stop WWII?), that the characters are just “story-telling devices” without development or transformation (what happened to Newt Scamander? Tina Goldstein? y’know, the stars of the first two films?), and Yates’ reimagining the story as an “espionage thriller” and the “chilly, desaturated cinematography by George Richmond” don’t give a movie-goer “much to grab on to” “unless you are extremely invested in wizarding elections.” Ouch.

But maybe that was just a hyper-critical journo demonstrating to the guild that he is definitely not on board with “J. K. Rowling’s shameful anti-trans rhetoric”? The key failing of the film after all, in his reporting, is that “it’s hard not to subtract even more points for [Secrets] making the Wizarding World’s only gay love affair indelibly linked with Dumbledore’s brief teenage dalliance with fascism.”

TheWrap.com tells us now in ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise May Be Finished, But J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World Is Not that the box-office was a great disappointment to Warner Brothers and that continuing with the series “may be damaging to the [Wizarding World] brand: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fantastic Beasts

Unicorn Hunting in Secrets of Dumbledore

April 19, 2022 by 6 Comments

Beatrice Groves has talked of the importance of the Asian unicorn – the qilin, and its European equivalent in Secrets of Dumbledore. This is dramatically represented in six paintings of unicorns at battle in the restaurant scene. The clearest images I can find of the final five painting are in the ‘behind the scenes’ trailer posted by Film Riot (hat tip Beatrice!).

Now super sleuth Vincenzo Leone has identified the inspiration behind the first of the paintings (credit again to Dr Groves’s wonderful spot!):

Death of the Consol Publius Decius was painted by Rubens in 1616 as one of a set of eight models for a series of tapestries. The painting depicts the death of Decius in the battle of the republican Romans against the Latins in Italy. At a crucial moment in the battle the Consul sacrifices himself by charging his horse into the enemy as an act of spiritual devotion foretold in a prophetic dream.

Do any of the other paintings seem familiar? Let me know in the comments down below.

Filed Under: Beatrice Groves, Fantastic Beasts, Nick Jeffery

Is ‘Secrets’ Bombing at Box Office? Could This Be the Last Movie in Series?

April 18, 2022 by 7 Comments

From the day of the Beasts 3 premiere to the present, there have been rumors and suggestions that Warner Brothers pack up shop at the third installment and not draw out the agony of films four and five. I was searching for Box Office numbers for Secrets today and stumbled upon the YouTube movie maven above. I confess that while watching it I didn’t know if laughter, tears, or outrage were the right response. I mean, it could be a remarkable work of satire, between the Barbie hair and eyes, the accent, and the clueless arrogance.

What is the peak of that satirical summit? I think it’s a tough call, between her belief that Rowling will stand-down from her position contra the trans-activist over reach if The Presence would just realize it was cutting into her bottom-line and her assertion that Rowling is a proponent of gay conversion therapy, news that would probably come as a surprise to the lesbian women she lunched with last week who think she is only nominally ‘straight.’ This might not be uncut idiocy but a brilliant send-up instead of just how funny wrong-think can be. I doubt it, but I want to be generous with respect to the idea of Rowling selling all rights to the Wizarding World and walking away, the key idea of this video. That may be the craziest piece of the rant.

Anyway, taking a break from the brilliant reviews here the past two days, first from Beatrice Groves and next by Elizabeth Baird-Hardy (didn’t you always want to go to the movies with Edmund Spenser experts?), here are some box office numbers for Secrets of Dumbledore. All three of the number crunchers I found at reputable sources say that it’s time for Warner Brothers to cut their losses and fold up shop: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fantastic Beasts