Let Down!!

Just got back from watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Out of the five movies so far, IMHO, this was the worst! I don't know if it is because I read the book and then watched it. From my last post, you know that I watched all other movies without reading the book. But I don't think its coz I read the book.

The movie looked more like a very long trailer... bunch of scenes put together with not much continuity. The movie jumps from scene to scene very abruptly. Its almost like part of the film got left out in the editing floor. And, thanks to the book, it was obvious that lots of stuff got left out... and worse, some stuff got modified!

But its not all bad... Out of 10, I would still give it a 6.5 - 7. The cast is great. The best part of the movie is Prof Umbridge & Bellatrix Lestrange (even though she had less than 10 minutes of screen time). Coming to think of it, even though the movie was more than 2 hours long, the actual screen time for most of the characters were miniscule. And ofcourse, Harry, Ron and Hermione looked more mature. Maybe they should rush with the shooting of the next two books 'coz the cast is growing up real fast!!

A Very Harry Week

During my college years and into my first few years of employment, I was totally & completely addicted to visual arts (ahem! OK, I admit it... television!!). I wouldn't touch a book to save my life! Considering the very limited time I spend reading my textbooks, I am surprised that I graduated from college. On the contrary, I had a friend who was glued to books. Each time I went to her place, she had a new pile of books to read.

I first heard of Harry Potter from her (I never read the newspapers either... so I did not know that it was a bestseller!!). People (including my friend) were pre-ordering the book!! Whats the big deal?! It's a childrens book for crying out loud! Me, being the "visual arts" addict I was, waited for the movie. I saw the first one. Loved it. Waited for the second movie. Loved it too. Waited for the third movie. You get the pattern, right?

Eventually, in an attempt to curb my TV cravings, I started reading again. But still stayed away from Harry Potter (childrens book, remember? I am a grown-up!!). My friend recently blogged about pre-ordering the much awaited final serving of Harry Potter. And the IT world was abuzz with the Harry Potter spell on Amazon. And on July 1st, I saw the trailer of the Order of the Phoenix. Must have been an Imperius Curse, I guess. The next thing I knew, I was driving to the nearest Barnes & Noble.

I bought the Order of the Phoenix and the Half-Blood Prince. Started reading... I finished reading both of them in 3 days (working days, mind you... all I had was mornings & evenings & sleepless nights). I just couldn't put the book down! The moment I finished the books, I pre-ordered the Deathly Hallows. I still need to read the first four. And to top it all, this was a Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family. They showed the first three movies... And HBO was playing the fourth.

All in all, a very Harry week.

Wear Sunscreen

No, I am not giving beauty tips. Its getting hotter in Seattle but that has nothing to do with the sunscreen tip either.

After a long time, today I heard the song Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen). This song was produced & presented by Baz Luhrmann. The lyrics were written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich.

Midweek Hiatus

I wish all weeks were likt this one... a holiday on Wednesday. I was quite productive at work on Monday & Tuesday since I had today to look forward to. And I expect tomorrow and day after are gonna be good too since the weekend is so close by :)

Its almost 6 PM... and its 83°F outside!! This is one thing I hate about the climate here... Back home, in summer, its usually hottest from 10 AM to maybe 3 PM... the eveings are not so bad. But here, it gets so hot in the evening... I cant keep the windows & blinds open coz of the glare of sunlight on my TV... and I cant keep them closed coz it feels like I am sitting inside a sauna. There is no winning!

Coming to think of it... isn't it ironic... I spend most of my life in a country where summers are long and hot and sweaty (not to mention power cuts & water shortage). and I am cribbing when I'm living in a place where there is barely 2 months of summer!!

Grass... Green... other side... enough said!