Harry Potter and the "3D IMAX Experience"

I wasn't quite looking forward to this movie all that much because Order of the Phoenix was probably my least favorite of the books so far. I mean, yeah, there were a lot of good things in it, as with all the books, but I wasn't too big a fan of angry, yelling-in-capital-letters Harry who was making dumb choices. Yeah, yeah, growing pains I guess.

That said, I thought the movie was actually pretty good. Somehow they took the longest book of the series and turned it in the shortest movie so far, and I have to say that they didn't leave out that many important things. I wish that they would have left in the part at St. Mungos where the kids see Professor Lockhart and Neville's parents, and also the bit with Rita Skeeter and the Quibbler, but I can understand why they didn't. The trial was really well done, all the Dumbledore's Army bits were fantastic, and I definitely loved the Weasley twins' exit from Hogwarts. The flying scenes over London were quite spectacular too.

Other good things: Imelda Staunton as Umbridge and Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood. Just perfect casting. Umbridge really made your skin crawl and Luna was just the right amount of spacey and dreamy. I noticed that most of Luna's lines were lifted verbatim from the book, which was smart because, really, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Also liked the casting for Tonks, though we didn't get to see her much. In fact, I feel like we didn't really get to see much of the adults at all. McGonagall and Snape and Moody and Sirius and Lupin and Hagrid were very much offscreen for most of the movie, which can't be helped, I suppose, but kind of disappointing nonetheless.

Our main trio did a commendable job. Seeing the snippets of the first movie throughout really underlines how much they've grown up and it's kind of nice to see. It's not often that we get such a long franchise with all the same actors. Ron was too much in the background for my taste though, and Emma Watson really needs to stop saying all her lines so forcefully. I know that's pretty much Hermione's personality but I was kind of annoyed by all her heavy breathing.

So...other things I didn't like? I saw the movie in 3D IMAX, and it was kind of less than impressive. I've seen one other 3D IMAX movie (Tom Hank's From the Earth to the Moon) but that was entirely made for that format and was really excellent. This one had a 20-minute sequence near the end in 3D and since it was filmed for both regular and 3D, I feel it wasn't really that successful. Seeing it on the huge screen was nice though.

I thought the beginning was odd. We didn't see the Dursleys at all in the last movie and I still remember them with their funny 50s(?) era clothes from the earlier movies. So seeing Dudley in his sports jersey and big chain was strange. And Mrs. Figg wasn't at all like I pictured her.

Bellatrix Lestrange...I know she's a Death Eater and she attacked Neville's parents and she was in Azkaban and all that but somehow I just didn't picture her as being THAT crazy. Helena Bonham Carter obviously had a blast playing her but I don't know, I thought she was kind of over the top.

And Dumbledore. Sigh. I think this is really the biggest problem in the movie franchise right now, and one that can't easily be fixed. Dumbledore is probably one of the most beloved characters from the books but in the movies he's just ALL WRONG. I know Michael Gambon's a fantastic actor, but he's playing the role as all authority and is totally missing the whimsical bent that the Dumbledore of the books (and that Richard Harris had in the first two movies) has. It wasn't really as noticeably bad as in the last movie and in a way I guess I've become resigned to it, but yeah. Not a fan.

And finally I'm not sure what to think about the ending. Maybe because I knew what was going to happen but Sirius' death didn't have quite the emotional impact I was expecting. The fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore was exciting but I was bit confused by the aftermath with Harry's mind being invaded by Voldemort. I don't remember that from the book at all. And I was also kind of confused by the fact that Harry actually heard the prophecy and actually handed it over to Lucius. Not at all like it happened in the book and I don't see how it really helped move the story along or shorten it or anything.

Hm, I know that sounds like a lot of things I didn't like. But honestly there's no point in going into these movies and expecting everything to be how you want it. Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite film by far, because I felt like it actually had some style, but I'd probably rank this film third, after the first one, followed by Goblet of Fire, and then Chamber of Secrets in last. (In case you're curious, my book rankings are 1. PoA, 2. SS, 3. HBP, 4. GoF and then OotP and CoS are tied for last for different reasons...OotP was the only book I actively disliked but CoS was was really forgettable.)

The final book comes out this Saturday, although there are already copies of it floating out there (silly online retailers). I'll probably be done reading it this weekend but to respect those who won't read it that fast or right away I will wait until probably next weekend to post a review and even then I'll try to lay off the spoilers.

2007 Emmy nominations - surprisingly not horrible!

Sooo...every year I claim to not care about the Emmys but every year I pay attention to them anyway. This year, though, they changed the whole nomination process in hopes of fixing the problem of having all the same shows nominated every year and color me surprised but it kind of worked!

The awesome:

• Jenna Fischer for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series!!!
  
• Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Jeremy Piven, Kevin Dillon, Neil Patrick Harris, Rainn Wilson?! This is so the dream category!!!

The good:

• Nods for Sally Field and Rachel Griffiths on Brothers & Sisters.
  
• Writing and directing nods for Battlestar Galactica (and some other technical ones). Nothing in acting, but we'll take whatever we can get.
  
• Top Chef and Project Runway face off in the Reality Competition category!
  
• Tons of nods for Jane Eyre, which I totally fell in love with earlier this year.
  
• Haha, Mia Michaels and Wade Robson both got nominations for Best Choreography on So You Think You Can Dance!
  
• A bunch of nice Ugly Betty nominations. I wasn't really surprised by this though, the show is pretty Emmy-friendly.
  
• Everything Comes Down to Poo and Guy Love from the Scrubs muscial both nominated for Original Music and Lyrics

The bad:

• Grey's Anatomy for Drama Series, really? Even people I know who love the show agree that this season was pretty bad.
  
• At least Friday Night Lights got a directing nomination, but that's all. Sigh.

The weird:

• What is up with all the love for Boston Legal? I honestly didn't even know it was still on and people were actually watching it. And I mean really, Boston Legal over Friday Night Lights???
  
• Studio 60 got a few nominations as well. I mean, truthfully I did like the pilot but uh, talk about a show that lost steam.
  
• Ugly Betty for Outstanding Main Title Design. Um, if I'm not mistaken, don't they not have main titles? They just follow up an unattractive shot of Betty with a yellow screen and UGLY BETTY in huge caps. I mean, yes, it's extremely effective, but didn't seem like it was really a lot of work...

My So-Called Life on DVD!

I don't know how I missed this news last week, but it's incredible: My So-Called Life is being released on DVD this fall! It's being released by Shout! Factory, who did the awesome Freaks and Geeks set, and it looks like it'll be chock full of extras and have great packaging. (Okay, yes, I'm shallow and I find the packaging of DVD box sets to be important.)

I'm so beyond thrilled! I'd almost given up hope of a re-release but then when I was in London this May, I saw a poster advertising the re-release of the series over there, and I couldn't believe that they'd be doing a Region 2 release and not one here in the States. So I did a little digging, discovered some rumors that a set was coming in the US, and now it's been confirmed!

October 30, mark your calendars!

Check out my review of the series from awhile back here.

So You Think You Can Dance chatter

I'm a pretty active reader (but not poster) over at the Television Without Pity forums which is where I generally gauge other viewers' reactions to the shows I watch. I realize though, that TWOP isn't always the best representation of American viewership, especially when it comes to pop reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance. But anyway, here are the two hot topics that have been floating around the TWOP boards and my take on them.

1. Danny. There was actually a New York Times article on him this week. Read it and take what you will from it, but it basically talks about Danny's background as a classical ballet dancer and how his talent and skill is kind of working against him on the show because he's being perceived by some as arrogant. The judges debated this on this week's show too. My take is that yeah, I'm not really a huge fan. I recognize that he's a really beautiful dancer but I don't think it works on this show. Danny, like all ballet dancers, has this certain posture and elegance and seriousness that isn't necessarily entertaining, and when put next to more outwardly joyful or emotional contemporary or ballroom or hip hop dancing...it just doesn't get received by the general public as well. Watching ballet, to me, is more about appreciating the art than being entertained. And in this contest to find "America's Favorite Dancer"...judging by how much last season's winner Benji was about his personality, I'm not sure how Danny can survive. And honestly, I'm kind of confused as to what he's really doing on this show. Exposure, I suppose, but winning SYTYCD isn't like winning American Idol...there are no record deals or evidence of success because of it. I mean, I don't even remember who won Season 1...
   
   
2. Lauren and Neil. People on TWOP really hate them, and honestly I'm not entirely sure why. No, their performances haven't been that great but I'm not sure what's spawning all this hate, especially for Neil. I kind of do feel like Lauren's somewhat weak, but I kind of like Neil. I feel like with a different partner he could be really good. Which brings me to another point...sometimes it seems like these random pairings are dooming some of the dancers from the start. Maybe good dancers are supposed to be able to adapt to any new partner or something, but I mean, if the chemistry isn't there, it just isn't there. I felt really bad for Shauna this week because I really think she's a great dancer, but she's been saddled with some difficult partners which I think prevented her from the "growth" that the judges claimed she hadn't had. And on the flip side, some of the dancers have been coasting a bit because of their partners, namely Kameron. He's probably the most forgettable dancer for me right now...obviously he's not horrible but he's been overshadowed by Lacey every week and since we haven't seen him do a solo yet, I can't really comment on his talent at all. Soo...I don't know. And with both Shauna and Cedric having been eliminated this week all the couples are remaining the same for the next show...

Bored by Top Chef

Is it still too early in the competition? Because I've sort of been not as interested in Top Chef this season so far. There's no one that's really sticking out for me yet in terms of good or bad which makes reality TV show watching to be somewhat dull. I mean, this week Camille was eliminated, which basically meant nothing to me because they've hardly shown her at all in previous episodes.

I guess I was also not a big fan of the elimination challenge. I find trios to be annoying, and of course it didn't help that most of the courses didn't seem all that appetizing. The shrimp course was the only exception and thankfully that won. I can't believe Hung did a foam though...he must have watched last season since he seems to be friends with Marcel, but evidently he just doesn't care.

The whole dessert thing was really a disaster waiting to happen. I don't remember when a dessert has ever been that successful on the show before...especially when they attempt to bake. I kind of understand Dale's logic that he wanted to take a chance and stand out, but I knew the judges were going to point out that no one said dessert was required. Although I do wonder if the judges would have called the group out for not doing a dessert had a non-dessert 4th course been similarly disappointing.

And I don't understand what the deal with Casey was. I don't remember the immunity thing ever being a problem before but for some reason they were just harping on it to no end this episode.

Ooh, but Anthony Bourdain is guest-blogging for Tom Colicchio on Bravotv!! Yeah, obviously I have a thing for Anthony Bourdain...

So bad they're good: my favorite guilty pleasure movies

Maybe this is just me, but there are these movies that I KNOW are bad but that I will always watch whenever they're on cable. I would probably never name any of them as a favorite movie if someone asked me, but truthfully I've watched them all way more times than is healthy. And really, I will always watch them again...

1. Center Stage: Oy. It's horridly acted, because they hired actual dancers instead of actors, and the story itself is pretty laughably bad too. But dammit if I love this movie! It also features a pre-OC Peter Gallagher (okay, Sandy Cohen the surfer I can buy, but a ballet dancer??), figure skater Ilia Kulik in his one and only acting attempt, and the best so-bad-it's-awesome breakdown since Jessie on Saved by the Bell by Susan May Pratt. But really, the dancing is pretty awesome. Which it should be since all the dancing and choreography was by professional ballet dancers. Geez, who knows why I love dance movies even though I can't dance at all myself.
   
2. Drive Me Crazy: I actually contend that this really isn't that bad of a movie. The story is actually kind of cute, and was based on a book by Todd Strasser, who writes really great teen novels. But two things move this into bad movie territory: the first is the association with the Britney Spears song (which appropriately is one of those bad songs that I secretly kind of like) and the second is Melissa Joan Hart. I mean, don't get me wrong, I watched Sabrina for years, but I doubt she'll ever be taken seriously as an actress. Ironically she was the star vehicle of the movie, while her co-star, a pre-Entourage Adrian Grenier was basically an unknown. Also interestingly Susan May Pratt is in this movie too, hm. She's also in 10 Things I Hate About You which I was almost going to put on this list, but I don't really feel the compulsion to watch that one as much as the others on this list.
   
3. Coyote Ugly: Um, yeah. Really terrifically bad in every sense, but uh, in my defense, the guy in it was hot?
   
4. The Princess Diaries 2: The first movie is a geniune favorite of mine because that was an actually great movie. It perfectly captured a lot of the awkwardness of being a teenager in a genuinely funny and sweet and honest way. The sequel is really hugely inferior but really I love it too. It strays completely from the books and skips forward to Mia as a college graduate and full-fledged princess. Due to some bizarre law she has to get married within thirty days. I know, I know. And of course there is the ridiculous sleepover she throws instead of a bachelorette party inviting all these teen and pre-teen princesses from all the over the world where they, and the queen, mattress surf. Yeah.
   
5. The Cutting Edge:Again, I don't know, I don't think this movie is really that bad either. Maybe I just have a weakness for the figure skating part of it but it's really a ton of fun. I mean, if anything, the "toe pick" scene is classic. Plus Terry O'Quinn is in it, and DB Sweeney and Moira Kelly have great chemistry. I probably saw this movie for the first time in elementary school sometime and to this day I still love it.

my current entertainment obsessions

1. BBC period miniseries. It all started with North & South and now I'm on a Netflix-ing spree. I finished Wives and Daughters last week (also excellent) and now I'm working on the new Forsyte Saga. SO GOOD! Have also queued up Our Mutual Friend, The Way We Live Now, Daniel Deronda, and several more...yay for Netflix!
   
2. Harry Potter. The last book comes out next weekend! My plan is go pick up the book on Saturday morning (no, I'm not crazy enough to do the midnight party madness) and hole up and read it that day. I've been re-reading some of the books and re-watching some of the movies to prepare.
3. So You Think You Can Dance! More posts on this to come, obviously.
   
4. General Hospital?? I used to watch this soap on and off during high school and suddenly I've gotten re-interested in it, thanks to SoapNet. And now SoapNet is going to be running a limited spin-off series, Night Shift, that's going to feature some of my favorite characters (Robin, Patrick, Jason, etc.) and be more of an episodic rather than serial format. Color me interested.
   
5. The trifecta of food reality shows this summer: Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, and Next Food Network Star.
   

Going Greek

Once again this summer ABCFamily and the N seem to be having all the same ideas. Last summer it was Falcon Beach and Beyond the Break (both beach shows) and now this summer it's Greek and The Best Years (both college shows). Beyond the Break definitely won last year's matchup but this year I think it's ABCFamily's turn. I thought the premiere of the Best Years was alright, but the second episode was pretty bad. I think the problem is that they seem to be trying very hard to make the show "realistic" but are getting so many of the details wrong. While the show is set in Boston, it's pretty obvious that the writers are Canadian. In the States it's freshman, not first year. And no one says "residence," it's the dorm. And the thing with Sam's "business class" professor was just bizarre. In my experience, college professors don't go out of their way to personally embarrass and weed out students: they let their papers and exams do it for them. And why is the Dean of Students/Admissions EVERYWHERE? And how many times is Sam really going to get in trouble and then get another chance, really?

So maybe the reason I like Greek better is because I wasn't part of the frat/sorority scene in college at all so I don't know a lot about it and can't really complain about inaccuracies or whatnot. I think the premise of the show is really strong actually: Rusty is the geeky freshman intent on having the full fraternity college experience, and his older sister, Casey, is the pretty, popular junior aiming to be president of her sorority (who hasn't even told anyone that she has a brother). The feel of the show is more fun in general, kind of more reminiscent of the OC, where the drama was heavy but the comedy was generally light, than Dawson's Creek, where everything was angst and everyone took everything too seriously.

Anyway, the acting on Greek wasn't so bad either. There's no one that recognizable in the cast, except for Spencer Grammer, who is Kelsey Grammer's daughter, and Clark Duke, who's recently been making the online video rounds with his series with Michael Cera of Arrested Development fame. Also, Jessica Lee Rose (aka lonelygirl15) made a brief appearance and according to IMDB, she'll be a recurring character. The supporting characters include Calvin, Rusty's smooth (and gay?) rush buddy; Dale, Rusty's Southern Christian fellow engineering honors roommate; Evan, Casey's cheating boyfriend and member of the elite fraternity on campus; and Cappie, Casey's ex-boyfriend and president of the Kappa Tau, the freewheeling slacker frat.

Is ABCFamily on a roll? First I get hooked on Wildfire, then Kyle XY, and now Greek?

Random connections

I was browsing Wikipedia (that and IMDB are probably my favorite browsing sites) and found this kind of interesting but random tidbit:

One of Jericho's creators and executive producers, Stephen Chbosky, is also the author of the extremely popular young adult novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It came out back when I was in high school and tons of angsty emo teenagers were claiming it as the BEST BOOK EVER. I remember really liking bits and pieces of the book but kind of disliking it as a whole for the same reason I'm not a fan of Catcher in the Rye...they're both supposed to be these gritty honest portrayals of teenagers that I really couldn't relate to much at all. Not really a fault of the books themselves, I suppose, but not my thing regardless.

Anyway, I've been trying to think of connections between the two things, but nothing's really obvious at all. I always find it really interesting when people find success with very different things...

Recasting news

I know that parts on TV shows regularly get recast after being picked up and before premiering but there seems to be a heck of a lot of it this year. Anyway, the news is that two of my favorite guys from cancelled shows will be back on TV in the fall!

Jason Dohring, aka my favorite Logan (Veronica Mars), has joined the cast of CBS' Moonlight, which is one of the two Angel-esque shows of this fall. He'll play Josef, an ancient vampire who I believe was supposed to be a sort of mentor to the main character. Interestingly his character was played by a 60-year-old in the pilot. And even more interestingly, David Greenwalt, who co-created Angel, has been brought on as the show's executive producer. Hmmm...?

Scott Patterson (Luke! from Gilmore Girls) has been cast in the CW's Aliens in America, which is the half-hour sitcom about a Midwestern family that hosts a Pakistani exchange student. Patterson will play the dad. I originally thought this show was going to be a disaster but after watching a few previews I think it might actually be really funny, and yay for Scott Patterson!