When I was young I wanted to be an author/writer, but after reading this series, my hopes of ever becoming a successful writer have been dashed since I could never write something even remotely as entertaining and creative as the Harry Potter series. Oh well, this seven book series is well worth the price of dashing my youthful dreams; Kudos to J. K. Rowling (rhymes with "bowling") for a fitting end to the Harry Potter saga.
Overall, I thought the book was very well-done! After the first couple of chapters, the beginning kinda lacked until you get into the Deathly Hallows (what they are, what they do, etc) and then the book picks up speed towards a roaring finish. I still have some unanswered questions that were raised in this book, but for the sake of not spoiling Deathly Hallows for future readers, I won't list them here. The book answers all the big questions, including the mysterious "who's side is Snape really on?" in great prose. I wish I could say more, but everything that made the book great might spoil it for those that did not read it. Maybe the best thing I can say is that I'm not a book person, so if an author can get me to read for eight straight hours, I'm impressed. Check it out when you can!
Upon reflection of the series, I'm hoping that like Star Wars, future authors will be able to dabble in the world in which she created and add their own stories to the Harry Potter universe. I think the great thing about Harry Potter is that it has universal appeal, thus why it was able to be so successful. I'm sorry to say good-bye to Harry Potter, but I'm hopeful that the story will continue. After all, George Lucas got bored counting his millions and made three more Star Wars movies (sure he ruined the series, but it's the thought that counts, right?), maybe Rowling will get bored after a decade of counting her millions and get into the James Potter/Severus Snape prequel series. I just hope she doesn't pull a Lucas.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Second Movie Reviews: License to Wed and Live Free or Die Hard
License to Wed:
First off, I'm married, so going to see a Mandy Moore film wasn't my idea. I came into the movie with pretty low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The movie had its comedic moments, had a decent (albeit predictable) storyline, and wasn't too long. Some parts were too "chick flick" for me, but other than that, it was fairly entertaining. Perhaps the best thing I can say is that I did not regret seeing this movie after I walked out of the theatre.
Live Free or Die Hard:
Very good! It lives up to the Die Hard standard of action. Bruce Willis carried the movie (because that's what happens with Die Hard movies), but I was also surprised how well the the Apple guy from the TV commercials did. The story was good if you like the espionage-type thrillers, the action was not over-the-top, and it also had some very funny moments with a Kevin Smith cameo, although I was the only one in the theatre laughing because most of the jokes were Star Wars/Trek related and went over the heads most people. If you got time, check out this one!
Post-Script:
I think I've seen the new Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglass movie trailer "No Reservations" in all four of these movies (the one where she's a chef trying to raise a young girl) and I can tell you now that her movie will probably be the biggest flop of the year. I think the movie title is actually a warning that only people with "No Reservations" for torturing themselves by watching terribly bad movies should see it.
First off, I'm married, so going to see a Mandy Moore film wasn't my idea. I came into the movie with pretty low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The movie had its comedic moments, had a decent (albeit predictable) storyline, and wasn't too long. Some parts were too "chick flick" for me, but other than that, it was fairly entertaining. Perhaps the best thing I can say is that I did not regret seeing this movie after I walked out of the theatre.
Live Free or Die Hard:
Very good! It lives up to the Die Hard standard of action. Bruce Willis carried the movie (because that's what happens with Die Hard movies), but I was also surprised how well the the Apple guy from the TV commercials did. The story was good if you like the espionage-type thrillers, the action was not over-the-top, and it also had some very funny moments with a Kevin Smith cameo, although I was the only one in the theatre laughing because most of the jokes were Star Wars/Trek related and went over the heads most people. If you got time, check out this one!
Post-Script:
I think I've seen the new Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglass movie trailer "No Reservations" in all four of these movies (the one where she's a chef trying to raise a young girl) and I can tell you now that her movie will probably be the biggest flop of the year. I think the movie title is actually a warning that only people with "No Reservations" for torturing themselves by watching terribly bad movies should see it.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Movie Reviews: Ratatouille & Transformers
Ratatouille: Loved it. I was never a big fan of CG films; I didn't like Toy Story, Shrek, or any of the other old CG movies until I saw The Incredibles, so I went to Ratatouille with low expectations and was blown away. The story is fun, the jokes and comedy are solid, and the animation is awesome! It's not a cookie-cutter movie, so it was actually entertaining. Recommended "MUST SEE" movie. What more needs to be said?
Transformers: I read a review on MSN saying that Transformers was "Fun, but overdone." That is an understatement. The movie starts off great when they introduce the first Decepticons and it gets better when they show the first fight between Bumblebee and Barricade because you get your first taste of the Transformers transforming from car to robot and back in the midst of battle. Then it started to go down hill with the arrival of Optimus Prime and the other Autobots: the comedic elements that made the movie fun in the beginning were getting WAY overplayed, there were some scenes that should never have been in the movie, and the storyline also makes absolutely no sense because the writers are visibly steering the plot-line to an unnecessary Battle Royale. Without giving away too much, one scene in this battle depicts the main character Sam (if you know anything about Transformers, the main character should have been Spike) racing a Decepticon capable of flight to the top of a twenty-story building a-la Nick Cage racing to try and signal off the F-18s from destroying Alcatraz in The Rock--Michael Bay directed both movies--and for some reason, the mach-speed capable Decepticon is always a few steps behind. While trying to understand how a human can outrun a three-story robot up twenty flights of stairs, I'm also trying to understand why he needed to run to the top of the building, or why a flesh-and-blood human would be tasked with this mission in the first place!
In short, the end of the movie reeks of the '80s "against all odds" approach to movie storylines, only to the point of making the movie that's supposed to be somewhat realistic into a completely unbelievable debacle. I liken this movie to microwaving popcorn: it started off great and you could smell the buttery goodness as it got going, but instead of taking the popcorn out and serving it up after a few minutes, the producers left the popcorn in the microwave for the full five minutes and completely ruined the entire bag while setting off the smoke alarms. My prediction: Fanbois will love it, but purists like myself will always wonder what could have been.
Transformers: I read a review on MSN saying that Transformers was "Fun, but overdone." That is an understatement. The movie starts off great when they introduce the first Decepticons and it gets better when they show the first fight between Bumblebee and Barricade because you get your first taste of the Transformers transforming from car to robot and back in the midst of battle. Then it started to go down hill with the arrival of Optimus Prime and the other Autobots: the comedic elements that made the movie fun in the beginning were getting WAY overplayed, there were some scenes that should never have been in the movie, and the storyline also makes absolutely no sense because the writers are visibly steering the plot-line to an unnecessary Battle Royale. Without giving away too much, one scene in this battle depicts the main character Sam (if you know anything about Transformers, the main character should have been Spike) racing a Decepticon capable of flight to the top of a twenty-story building a-la Nick Cage racing to try and signal off the F-18s from destroying Alcatraz in The Rock--Michael Bay directed both movies--and for some reason, the mach-speed capable Decepticon is always a few steps behind. While trying to understand how a human can outrun a three-story robot up twenty flights of stairs, I'm also trying to understand why he needed to run to the top of the building, or why a flesh-and-blood human would be tasked with this mission in the first place!
In short, the end of the movie reeks of the '80s "against all odds" approach to movie storylines, only to the point of making the movie that's supposed to be somewhat realistic into a completely unbelievable debacle. I liken this movie to microwaving popcorn: it started off great and you could smell the buttery goodness as it got going, but instead of taking the popcorn out and serving it up after a few minutes, the producers left the popcorn in the microwave for the full five minutes and completely ruined the entire bag while setting off the smoke alarms. My prediction: Fanbois will love it, but purists like myself will always wonder what could have been.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
