I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night and enjoyed it thoroughly. This morning I've been rereading Book 6 to check out the differences. There's definitely much that is different but that's OK. It felt like the screenwriter went through the book to get at the essence of what was happening and then modified, condensed or compacted scenes to make a movie that holds together within the limits of 2 1/2 hours of screen time.
Death Note II was as good or better than the first live action movie. Even if you are unfamiliar with the anime, the story is involving and the characters well acted. It stands up against any of the current Hollywood movies out there. The story is somewhat different from the anime, something which was generally well received by the teenage girls in my party but not by the boys. The movie gives you a lot to think about.