[ December 30th, 2007 ]
Movie Review: Resiklo
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If you're a Filipino and don't know what Resiklo is, you've probably been secluded from the rest of the world by your own parents because they think you're insane and have chained you to the toilet for the last ten years. But, for you, my psychologically challenged friend, I give a rundown of the year's most effects-heavy movie.
Resiklo is an Imus Productions bang baby, directed by Mark Reyes and produced by Annette Gozon-Abrogar and Vic del Rosario. Mark Reyes might sound familiar, as the guy directed Atlantica and Kamandag. He also did Mulawin: the Movie. Huh. So this guy is into fantasy and sci-fi. He might be the best bet, because this movie is a sci-fi movie and is so far the Philippines' best in special effects, after Exodus (another Bong Revilla Jr. movie). It's also a heavily advertised movie. Here's a trivia for you: in Bubble Gang, movie posters of Resiklo were on the backgrounds of the gags, and Bong mentioned the movie in a scene of his. Now I just had to watch this to see what it was like.
The Story
Aliens have decimated the planet, and humans struggle to survive as they live in hiding. It's a pretty simplistic, futuristic plot, and if I haven't watched similar premises (The Terminator, The Matrix), I would have thought this was cool. Well, it is, just not as cool now that I've seen the story before. Still, it makes for lots of well-placed drama and heroics. Aliens make good villains. Just look at Independence Day! What cut this movie short of being another Independence Day are the damn plot holes. Sometimes, you just don't know how the hell something happened, and how this character ended up in this place so fast. Plus, a lot of logic is lost in some of the fighting sequences, and you ask questions such as 'why did these people have to line up and get off their robots when they're about to go into battle?' and 'why waste lives and resources to fight when they're going to leave anyway?' Although there were some nice plot twists in there, it gets jarring when you stop and ask yourself why you should believe what's happening.
The Characters
In most Filipino action/adventure movies I've watched, I never like the characters. They end up being poorly developed and shallow, and some are just annoying. In Resiklo, there are some characters I liked.
Angelo (played by Dingdong Dantes) is a cool character with an interesting relationship with his father and peers, and badass fighting skills (I chuckled when he danced/fought ala-Christie and Eddy from Tekken). Capoeira? I wouldn't have thought of that. Though it disappoints me that there is no explanation on how Angelo learned it. Nevertheless, he was a cool character throughout, and the best part is, he never gets together with anyone. At least, not as a boyfriend, but as a plain friend. What I don't like, though, is the all-too-quick resolution of his family problems. Maybe the final scene with his father would have been made a few seconds longer, or maybe Angelo would have said more than something along the lines of "Of course I forgive you for not believing in me and insulting me in front of the whole compound."
The 'Boys', as I call them, are good characters too. These are the teenagers who hang with Angelo, and are played by Revilla's lads and Luis Alandy (I think). They make for funny comedy, and it's interesting to note that they kick alien ass at their age. I just wish they had more screen time, especially at the old gas station scene. How would boys like these react when under fire from aliens and one of them wounded? Also, didn't they care that one of their number died? Detail like that would've made the movie more exciting, and it would have given the movie more depth. Maybe we could see some believable and smooth character development in a Filipino adventure movie. That would be the day.
Paolo Contis plays Denz, and is one of the funniest characters in a Filipino adventure movie I've seen. Maybe it's because the comedy isn't about his stupidity or lame one-liners, but rather his over-all silliness. Denz is actually a pretty smart character, and is somewhat the mechanic of the group. Paolo Contis relies on his comedic talent for this character. Although he didn't have much character development, he had enough screen time. Probably second to Bong Revilla in screen time, I think.
For some reason, I like Dos (Bobby Andrews) and Deacon (Benjie Paras). Deacon's human side taking over his alien side may look unlikely, but like he said, "God had other plans for me." His changing sides was not only unexpected (at least to me) until a scene or two before it, but it brings hope that perhaps not all the Mutanos (humans whose wills and minds belong to the Balangs or aliens) have lost their humanity. Dos, on the other hand, I like because he's bad. Maybe I like him because of his 'rivalry' with Angelo. Also, out of all the characters, he's one of the few who actually have a personality. I just think maybe he might show his dislike for Angelo more in at least a few seconds before the actual battle, since Dos looks to me like a Mutano who shows emotion in the form of rage. That would have given his character a bit of depth (and, more screen time). Plus, he's hot. *drools*
...Sorry, that's my fangirl side talking. Back to the review.
There are a lot more characters here, including Crisval (Bong Revilla Jr.), but it'd render this article way too long. Besides, there's too much of Crisval in that movie for me to comment on. The guy has twice the amount of screen time as the other characters combined! ...Okay, that was an exaggeration, but it's pretty close to the truth. Sure, he's the main character and all, but they could have at least balanced it out by giving the other characters just as much love from the camera. I named a few that might have needed necessary character detail and development. *coughdoscough* Oh, fangirl again. Reeeeeally sorry about that. I can't help it.
Cinematography
In my opinion, Resiklo has one of the best cinematographies so far in this year's Metro Manila Film Festival, seconded by Batanes (which is a boring movie if not for the scenery). You just gotta admire the awesome CGI. That is, if you haven't been raised watching movies like Star Wars, Alien, the Predator, and Transformers. You kinda get disappointed when there isn't as much fighting as you'd hoped. They overlooked a detail, too: when the robots step on wet ground, there are no footprints left behind. While the fight between Crisval's robot and the head alien was wonderfully done, the last brawl between Angelo and Dos had left much to be desired. Suddenly, all the fighting around them disappears and we're left with a couple of pairs of guys fighting behind them. That just screams lazy. Or maybe they were cutting down on costs for the effects for their background.
Direction and Script
Average, to say the least. I'd say the great battlefield scene needed to show more people dying. Now I'm not one of those people who like a movie because of deaths. I hate gore horror movies and I didn't watch 300. It's just that it would have been more realistic to show that people actually died in that battle. No one from the good guys even got seriously injured. The worst injury was Ice's (or Strike's, I couldn't tell) leg, and that was only perhaps because Dr. Miles was slicing the wound and playing with it like a kid and her playdough (watch her hands in the scene where she treats the wound, and you'll know what I mean). Crisval's arm? Pfft. That's a flesh wound. He was cut by a damn spinning razor and all he got was a shallow wound. The poison thing doesn't count as an injury, because he didn't get it from a physical fight. I'm just saying that if a character can shoot down dozens of mutated humans without taking cover and not get shot, he needs to get reasonably roughed up to be realistic. Come on, it was like I was watching an old Filipino action movie! Bullets fly (lazers, in this case) and yet no injuries! Not even a little blood? Do I have to beg for people to get seriously hurt in this movie?
And don't get me started on the script. The plot has more holes than a strainer. Seriously, I could drain pasta with it. I appreciate the effort put into explaining the blind girl's powers, but there are too many skipped details and glazed over scenes. For example, I spent a whole minute laughing at the movie's use of a song to glaze over what might have been an action-filled sequence as Crisval roamed the alien base. I only realized later that Crisval didn't encounter any aliens or Mutanos because everyone seemed to have left the ship to attack the humans. Though it still strikes me as strange that Crisval didn't run into anybody when the female Mutano was there with a few Balangs. And there's the gas station scene, too. That was a waste of a good action scene. It concentrated way too much on Crisval, and I kept wondering what the teenagers were doing during most of it. Also, Ice/Strike must've been sleeping on the job if he didn't notice the aliens from his vantage point until the last second.
Some scenes or shots were so unrealistically done (script-wise and direction-wise) that they ended up being quite comical (to me, anyway).
Conclusion
The Filipino adventure movie industry still has a long way to go. However, it might not look it, but I liked this movie. Over all, there are some things to like from the film. Maybe you just have to sit back, shut down your mind and logic, and admire the pretty CG and Dos's close-ups.
[ November 19th, 2007 ]
Oh boy...
Our first fic is from the Avatar: the Last Airbender fandom and called Ransom by Shadowgate31. Parts of the fic will be quoted here, but no way in hell did I write this
Here's how our writer summarizes the story: "When Zuko kidnaps Sokka, will love blossom? Or just a bitter hatred?" *facepalms* You can't believe how much shit is out there featuring these two guys. What I can't believe is how slash spawned from a NICKELODEON show, which caters to 13-year-old kids. Anime I can understand. I mean, the bishies are just asking for it, looking all girly and being twinkley-eyed all the time. You can't blame people when anime guys pose with other guys with their shirts half open . But a kiddie show? *facepalms again* Maybe I shouldn't be surprised after seeing that Spongebob Squarepants slash.
...Forget I mentioned that.
While I pour more potent acid into my skull to get rid of that memory again, here's my 'review' of Ransom.
* * *
Chapter 1 is pretty short, and narrates how Zuko kidnaps Sokka to lure Aang out. Uh-huh... where have I heard that before? Shadowgate31 probably has no idea how many Zuko-captures-Sokka fics there are out there. *shakes head gravely* But let's give the author the benefit of the doubt, coz maybe during the publishing of her story, the idea wasn't so old? But besides the cliche plot, I have some other qualms.
Here's some trivia. The first four paragraphs start with the same word: Zuko. I'd understand two paragraphs, but four? Tsk, tsk.(1)
His (Zuko) ship had landed on a small beach nearby and he was now following a small stream he had noticed. And for some reason his uncle had made him take some rope.... And why did uncle make me bring rope. 'Just when you need it most, you might not have any.'Faultless logic! I'm impressed!
...Yeah right.' "Yes, Katara, I know! You don't have to tell me to wash behind my ears!"The Enter key is your friend. Use it.(2)
He followed Sokka (A/N: I went ahead and used his name because we all know who it is.) to a point at the river where the boy stopped.Whoah. What the hell? Who's A/N? (3)
"Keep struggling and you die." He hissed menacingly in Sokka's ear. Sokka quit biting down on Zuko's hand and went limp. He knew there was no point struggling, and he was too far away for Katara and Aang to hear him if he got a chance to scream.Nah. I'm pretty sure Sokka wouldn't have screamed. He does a sillier sound. Don't take my word for it; watch the series.
Zuko pulled his hand away from Sokka's mouth and used both his hands to pulled Sokka's arms behind his back. He grabbed the rope from his belt and tied Sokka's wrists together. "Smart boy. You know you're too far away for your friends to hear." Sokka didn't answer. He was too busy thinking of a way to escape. Zuko suddenly turned him around and gripped his shoulder painfully. "Don't even think of trying to escape. If you try, you'll pay dearly." Zuko created a flame in the palm of his other hand and held it close to Sokka's cheek.Did you read that whole paragraph? Poor you. What I was only trying to point out was, USE THE ENTER KEY.
"He's a friend of the avatars. I found him while I was out walking. And you were right uncle, I did need rope." Iroh sighed. "Why did you kidnap one of the avatars friends? What is your plan?" Zuko smirked. "Easy. I have one of the avatars friends. He'll come after him, and then we can capture the avatar." Sokka snorted again.Haha. Yeah, I'd snort too, Sokka. That's rock-hard logic right there. I mean, there he was, near enough to hear you TALKING TO KATARA, and he didn't go after your camp, he actually followed you to a river so he could kidnap you while you tried to get your shirt off.
"We'll see. Now continue walking. I'm taking you up to my quarters." This time Sokka walked behind Zuko, having no choice since Zuko had a tight grip on his shirt.Holy SHIT this Zuko is fast. Run, Sokka, RUUUUUN! (also, don't they have cells below deck?)
When Zuko reached his quarters, he wrenched the door open and threw Sokka onto his bed.
Sokka felt like crying for messing up so bad, but he held it in and soon fell alseep, having nothing else to do.Whoah, whoah. Hold on there. Is this THE same Sokka we're talking about? He's more persistent than that, you know. Ropes won't stop him from thinking. He's in a room, he's smart, THERE'S NO GUARD INSIDE.
TBC...Can't argue with that kind of logic.
Sorry to leave you hanging like that. And yes, I do know that most of my chapters end with somebody falling alseep. So what? I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!
Let's pause for a while to give some helpful tips. Those numbers actually mean something.
(1) Dunno if this only goes for journalism, but don't start several succeeding paragraphs with the same word.
(2) Start a new paragraph whenever someone else speaks. And I mean WHENEVER. Makes it less confusing as to who's talking.
(3) Place your notes AFTER or BEFORE the fic, not between. It destroys the flow of the story.
So what have we learned so far, folks?
-Iroh practices divination.
-Zuko is horny and logical.
Now let's go on to the
Sokka was awoken several hours later by Zuko, who had wrenched his door open and slammed it shut, just like before. He had a tray of food in his hands. Sokka watched him warily as he walked to the bed and set it there.It still bothers me that they don't have their own holding cells in the ship. I mean, Zuko's hunting the Avatar, so he should have prepared to keep him, right? What, he plans to keep Aang in his room too? (And the better-than-thou prince is going out of his way to feed a prisoner?)
"Ugh, turn around you stupid peasant. I need to untie your hands so you can eat." Sokka hesitated too long for Zuko's liking and he grabbed the front of the boy's shirt and dragged him forward.Zuko: Dammit, the guards outside are going to hear you and tell my uncle I'm--oh right, I'm just feeding you.
Sokka cried out in surprise and Zuko clasped a hand over his mouth. "Quiet! I'm not hurting you." He hissed.
He opened the door in an almost gentle manner. One of his crewmembers was with him. "Are you finished eating?" He asked softly. Sokka nodded, wondering what had caused this change in the prince.I was wondering about the same thing. He's so different it's scary.
Zuko sat down near Sokka, who scooted away. "Don't be afraid of me. I won't hurt you." Sokka didn't believe him and stayed as far away as possible. "I believe your name is Sokka, is that right?" Sokka nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not going to question you about the avatar.Sokka: YOU'LL NEVER GET ANYTHING FROM ME- what?
"What would be the point of letting me go? With Aang captured, the world has no chance." Zuko was shocked by his words.God, even the characters themselves are noticing how OOC each other is.
When he had first brought the boy here, he was energetic and always seemed to have a come back. Now he looked so melancholy.
"Your country? Honor? How do expect to gain those things back by taking away the worlds only hope?" Zuko punched the wall and flames swirled around his fist. "Don't question me! I'll do as I please!"Whoo! IC Zuko, finally! (Something tells me this will be the last semblance of his canon personality)
Sokka laughed bitterly and a few tears fell from his eyes.So Sokka has turned into a cry baby. Well la-deeh-dah.
"Fine. Gain your country and honor back. But when you do, kill me. I don't want to live in a world with no hope." Zuko looked back at him in surprise. Tears were flowing silently from his eyes down his cheeks, and he seemed serious about what he had said.
TBC...
Not much to say after that, really. Same errors: bad paragraphing, vague and/or random character motivation, OOC-ness...you gotta hand it to Shadowgate31 for being consistent.
Moving on...
All the crewmembers knew to leave Zuko alone while he was meditating. Even if they were curious, it just wasn't worth getting on the prince's bad side. And Zuko indeed did not want to be disturbed. (A/N: But it would defeat the purpose of my title if someone didn't.)Whoever this A/N is, he/she needs to shut up and stop popping out at random parts of the story.
Iroh, who never seemed to fear Zuko's temper tantrums, kept talking to his nephew. "Zuko, perhaps it would be better to let the poor boy go. You didn't exactly leave the avatar a clue that it was you who had taken him."Finally, someone who has sense in this story!
Zuko rubbed his temple. "Uncle, who else would do it?"Don't encourage him, Iroh!
"Well, I'm sure that there are plenty of people. He is a handsome boy you know."
Zuko sighed and leaned against the railing. "He said that when I have captured the avatar, he wants me to kill him, because he doesn't want to live in a world with no hope, and he sounded so sincere."Zuko talking to his uncle like this in season 1? Maybe in a dozen or more episodes.
"Makes sense. Who would want to live in a world were you had no hope for anything at all?" "I suppose. But what am I to do uncle? If I don't capture the avatar, how can I ever return home?""Man, this is confusing." "Who the hell said that?" "I did." "I did?" "I did, you douche bag."
"He is not my friend. And I don't care if he's upset." "Oh, but I think you do care." Zuko snorted again. "What put that thought in your head?" Iroh sighed and wandered off to get some tea.Iroh DEFINITELY has psychic powers. Maybe he got it from the tea.
Sokka was asleep, curled up on the bed. He looked so peaceful and young that Zuko felt a pang of guilt in his heart. 'Why do I feel guilty? For kidnapping him, or for putting him through this?'Sokka looks fine to me. Well fed, sleeping on a prince's bed, nothing to do but lie down and sleep...hell, I'd trade that for a weekend at home. I'm also starting to wonder where Zuko plans to sleep.
He sighed and stepped in, making sure he didn't make a sound. He sat on the edge of the bed, still staring at Sokka's face. He raised a hand and gently brushed a few fingers across the water tribe boy's cheek. Sokka stirred slightly and his eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he just stared up at Zuko, neither hating nor fearing him, then recognition set in.Rape! RAAAAAAAAAPE!
"What were you doing?" Sokka asked. "Nothing, I was just, watching you."Yeah right, and Santa Claus has pot sessions with the Easter Bunny.
Sokka freaked. "Why were you watching me?!" Zuko panicked. "C-calm down, stop yelling. I didn't mean to watch you, I just came in to make sure you were okay." Sokka squirmed away from Zuko, who was attempting to grasp Sokka's shoulders. "Why do you care if I'm okay?"This scene would have worked if it were a whiney girl in Sokka's place.
"Because I'd feel bad if you died while in my care." He said softly. Sokka's eyes widened slightly as the prince's lips met his.OH SHIT. Here it is.
Or not. Whew!
"It's all right, I'm not mad. I was a little depressed earlier, but I'm fine now." He brought his eyes back level with Zuko's. "Why'd you kiss me?"He's gay, Sokka. I expect you to stop being clueless now. It's just not you.
"Oh, now that I've kissed you, you're not scared of me? Is that how it works in the water tribe?" He asked jokingly. Sokka blushed. "No! It's not. It's just, I realized, you're not so bad." He avoided Zuko's gaze.If you listen carefully, you can hear the hundreds of dolphins that die screaming deaths because of gay fluff poisoning. And I told you Zuko would never be IC again.
"Compared to what?" Zuko asked. Sokka thought for a moment then made a face. "Compared to Zhao." Zuko grimaced slightly. "Good point." Sokka tried to stifle a laugh, but didn't succeed. "Ah ha, is that a laugh I hear? And a smile I see?" Zuko was playfully teasing him. Sokka didn't think it was possible for the prince to be playful; it made him laugh harder and a grin spread over his face. Zuko found himself smiling slightly; Sokka's good attitude was contagious. Zuko wished he could stay there in that moment forever.
"Zuko, sir, Zhao's ship has been... has been spotted." The soldier said breathlessly. Zuko cursed under his breath. "Sokka, stay put. No matter what, do not leave this room." Zuko commanded as he left with the crewmember. Sokka stared at the door sadly for a moment before lying down. 'I hope everything's all right. Zhao's evil.'Evil? What, is that all you can come up with now, Sokka? Have you lost your wit? What has that bastard DONE to you? *cries*
Oh, just read the next chapter so I can curl in a corner and weep!
"Zuko, is everything okay?" Zuko sank onto the bed. He looked shaken and tense. Sokka sat up and scooted closer to him. "Zuko?"I wouldn't go near him if I were you.
*CENSORED*Told you not to go near him.
"Yes?" Sokka gave him a tired smile. "I think I might be falling in love with you." He wrapped his arms around Zuko, leaning his forehead on Zuko's chest. The prince somehow managed to untangle the sheet from their bodies and laid it on top of them. They would have to clean up later since Sokka had already fallen asleep. "I think I might love you too." He whispered, letting himself drift to sleep.After you have gagged from the early confessions in this paragraph, you probably start to think something hot happened. Actually, it didn't. There was just an awkward sex scene that showed the author's lack of knowledge of good foreplay and human anatomy. Here's a
Zuko: There's something on your neck.
Sokka: Ew! Get it off!
Zuko: *licks it off*
Sokka: Hey, thanks!
Zuko: No prob.
Sokka: ...
Zuko: ...
Sokka:...
Zuko: So, uh, wanna have buttsecks?
Sokka: Sure!
Zuko: I call top.
Oh, and because of a lack of lube, they had to make do with salivation.
...Yeah, you shouldn't have read that.
The author had this to say:
Well, it certainly was M material. And they haven't quite confessed their love for each other, but they're getting there.What the hell? Weren't those as good as confessions of love already? And I thought guys were all straight talk!
The author is better off writing about straight couples. The big difference between a girl and a guy (bottom) during sex? Natural lubricants. Get your crap to be real hard and dry, then go the the bathroom, and think about it. It'll come to you.
Know what, I'll stop here. Yep. Even if this fic isn't finished and there's a chapter already posted. It's just too much baseless romance.
Like I said, if the writing can pull it off, I'm okay with it. Unfortunately, this piece of work was rushed, and little was actually thought out, especially how the characters should be acting under certain situations. You want to write mush like this, fine. But use other characters that can actually fit in it. I've read better Zuko-captures-Sokka yaoi before.
Seriously, I have.
What?
[ November 17th, 2007 ]
A Message for the Fic Writers of Today
Why not just make another blog, you say? I dunno. Because I'm lazy? Because my blog needed a revamp anyway? You don't need to know.
Now let's get to the topic at hand: bashing fics. Bashing is what me and my friends call the callous tearing apart of profiles in the roleplay sites we're at. We check everything: grammar, spelling, plot holes, logic, length and detail. It is in this way will I scrutinize fanfics I come across on the internet. Why? Wouldn't you like to know. *rolls eyes*
Before anyone finds my fanfiction.net account and reads my old stories, then comes here to diss me for being a hypocrite, I'll go ahead and admit it. I'm a fanfic writer. Not even a great one, or a popular one. Hell, I still a LONG way to go to before being called a "good writer". I'll admit, there was a time in my life when I made self-inserts and PWP, but the great difference I have with the greater number of fanfic writers today is that I did not post those crapfics on the internet. Back then, I didn't even know the internet existed.
That did me good. Because back then, there was no way to connect with other weirdos like me, no way they could fill my head with praise such as "OMG I luv dat paring make more pls" or "This is a great fic keep it up!".
What I got was "You're a fucking pervert" and "Hey, is that character YOU? Pfft." and the very helpful "That went too fast. It was like they humped each other for no reason." (Remind me to thank my friends in high school). And in that period where I was deciding whether to go on writing, a miracle happened. My entire collection of bad stories disappeared, perhaps now in a landfill somewhere, under piles of some other filth. Or maybe it's not, and those pages are now circulating within the black market of my old high school (let's just hope it's the former). It was a sign from GOD. I had to repent! To change my ways and-
Okay. Sorry 'bout that. What I'm trying to say is, fanfic writers should be criticized, and their fanfics should be
So, if you see your fic here, be thankful. I'm doing you (and the world) a favor.
[ November 16th, 2007 ]
A Public Service
What I am talking about, people, is the abomination of Mary Sues. Without proper guidance, teenagers who think they can write (or even those who have an inkling of writing talent) are subject to create drab, cliche, overly-powerful and 'special' characters. And the worst of them appear in fanfiction. Yes, my dear readers, your favorite anime, movie, and game characters are being raped by Mary Sues as we speak. And I mean literally. Have you seen how many 'romance' fics there are on the internet involving a Sue and a canon character? Perhaps not. You are lucky.
Unfortunately, not everyone is. Some people are now suffering from permanent brain damage from reading these atrocities, and sadly, some carry the disease and spread it. Children who thinks writing these Sues are okay start writing them as well, and the chain continues. The worst of the Sues, however, are self-inserts. But we will not go into that. The self-insert stage is a normal occurrence in most children. However, if this continues into adulthood, we know we have a problem.
It is not too late, however. Protect yourself from this plague by avoiding pits of cow dung (http://www.fanfiction.net/). If that is unavoidable,
We can all make a difference.
[ October 23rd, 2007 ]
Rowling just sunk lower
Dumbledore isn't really my favorite character, but you have to admit, he's cool. I'm pretty upset not because he's gay, it's because Rowling says it NOW, after the series, after he's looked so good in our eyes and there isn't ANY evidence whatsoever of his sexuality in the books aside from the fact that he isn't married (which can happen to any straight spinster). It's so obviously a way to catch attention after the series is over. Pathetic and revolting for a writer I admired half a decade ago.
Not to mention that the seventh HP book was so full of
1. Harry is alive. Now I understand this is a children's book of sorts, so the main character should live by the unwritten laws of literature, BUT she's set him up to die since what, the fourth book? (not sure 'bout that) And then the reason for his being alive just comes up and you think, 'what the hell is that crap?' I dunno bout you guys, but there seems to be something lacking in that explanation, like it was some fangirl's fanfiction plot so haphazardly made up. Some might argue that this is to balance the deaths of a lot of characters, but I point out that the deaths are not of MAIN characters at all. Fred is just a support character, and Lupin was only a main character in one book. If Rowling wanted to kill someone off to give a reason to keep Harry alive, kill Ron or Hermione. I'd say that's balanced.
2. The epilogue. So obviously fanservice for the fans of the canon pairings. There was no point in it, as everything would have been wrapped up all right after the last battle. No, don't tell me it would have been an insight into the world after Voldemort is dead, or an assurance that the guy IS gone. It would have been wrapped up like the other books were, with a little scene just after everything. Her last bit of fanservice irritated me.
3. The last battle. Not really fanservice, but crap nontheless. I expected mroe from this. I mean, this was THE end of the end, the icing on the cake, the last Boss battle. And we have a single wave of the wand and Voldemort's dead, not even showing his legendary dueling prowess. Damn.
So yeah, Rowling SUCKS now. Don't be mistaken, I don't regret reading the books. Maybe I regret reading the seventh, but the first ones were cool. Too damn bad Rowling had to let her fans get to her.