Say it ain't so Jo !!!!!

Memo to JK Rowling:

LOSE Al Cuaron !!!!!!! Okay, okay .. so Mike Newell is signed to do the next film (whew!!) So, you don't need to "lose" him as such .. you already have. Good Move!!

There were many things to enjoy about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- but....

Okay, good news first.
Certain effects were much, much better than they were in the first two movies (Snape's "throbbing" lumos spell felt more "real." Hagrid finally had a noticeable height difference... effects all around were great) The whomping willow in general (not location- see below) was much more as I imagined it in the book, not just some club-like trunks banging around, but whipping branches and such.

It's always good to reunite with Ron, Harry, and Hermione.. so that's a plus right off the bat.

HOWEVER...

When did Hagrid (Hogwarts groundskeeper) dig up and re-plant the Whomping willow??? Not to mention tear down his hut, take it across to the other side of the school and reconstruct it there? In the books, Hagrid's hut is down a hill from Hogwarts... not down a crevice or mountain slope. It seemed as if Director Cuaron didn't give a hoot about what had gone before, or what was written in the books, he was going to put Hagrid's hut where HE wanted it and earlier movies be damned. Can you imagine The Homestead on Tattooine suddenly showing up in Jar Jar's swamp? Give me a break!
Did Cuaron even READ the books ????????

Trawlany's classroom is supposed to be DARK and smoky, and UP A LADDER! All of this was thrown out for the third movie! It's ironic, actually, much was made of the first movies' accuracy to the books, and yet the third didn't even follow basic settings or character development. That goes for this teenage angst- love interest between Ron and Hermione as well. In the books, we don't even feel that there is any intrest along those lines until at LEAST book 4 --- why bring this in early?
DUMBLEDORE - Richard Harris' death was a loss, and a change was to be expected, but I'm rethinking my past objections to bringing Ian McKellen (Gandalf) into the character. Michael Gabon (The actor that replaced Harris as Dumbledore) has got to lighten up, whiten and lengthen his beard and basically SOFTEN UP Dumbledore! He seems far too gruff, and not nearly the kind of loving, caring headmaster Albus Dumbledore was written to be.
I hate railing on something I love as much as the Harry Potter series, so I'll end here... let's cross our fingers that Mike Newell will being the movies back where they belong!