Harry Situations
Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):
WARNING: The following begins with a rant:
"Wieso bin ich ich verdammt?"
Warum darf ich einen Scheißemagneten sein? Ist es deshalb viel, um Leben zu bitten, deshalb viel nicht zu saugen? Und warum jetzt? Ist es, weil ich dreißig bin? Ich weiß, dass Leben nicht gerecht- ist, aber kann vielleicht ich mein Glück erhalte, in der anderen Richtung jedes jetzt und dann zu schwingen?
Klar gibt es nichts, das ich machen kann, werde ich nur damit und Hoffnung für das beste leben.
Aber erlauben Sie vorläufig bitte dass mich dies wenig wettert.
By the way, I do not speak German.
Although, by the way: Ich bin der Bote des Teufels. Ich bin die Ausgeburt des Bösen!
Rant over, for the most part.
A co worker of mine helps run a German Short Hair Pointer rescue here in Austin. They are having a micro chipping event at the PetCo on Brodie Lane at the 290 Freeway on August 25, 2007 from 2pm-5pm. It will cost about $25.00 per animal, proof of rabies shots and the contact info for your vet. More info can be found at www.texasgsp.org. By the way, the event if for both cats and dogs.
Check them out; they are good people who work for a decent cause.
By the way: Comic books are dead, long live comic books. I have finally decided to give up collecting comics on a monthly basis, going to the trade instead (with exceptions here and there-mostly for indie books). A couple of reasons why- the trades are usually a wee bit more affordable, by not much, but just a bit (unless you are splurging on those oh-so-beautiful Absolute editions).
And superhero storylines are not as great as they used to be: helped out by the glut of crossovers (Infinite Crisis was good- it’s the follow ups that lost me; Civil War started off okay but too many tie-ins were needed to catch the whole story, World War Hulk is awesome so far by the way and I really hope it ends with the Hulk completely annihilating the Illuminati before reverting to his savage state), event-oriented tales (the Death of Captain America was decent, I could care less about the death of Bart Allen) and the fact that it has been a while since I have found a book that has that ‘re-readability’ factor (I miss Brian K. Vaughn on Runaways although I like to reread most of Warren Ellis’ work).
Plus I will not be able to make it to my comic book store on as a regular basis as I want to anyway (stupid life getting in the way).
It sucks, but I blame the comic book market. Your generally uninteresting stories and rising prices have shoved another fan away. You will still see me at the comic book store every now and then, but forgive if I do not care what happened to the superheroes lately.
Hey, I am still reading something though: Harry Potter Se7en (not where Harry gets Ginny’s head in a box, Morgan Freeman is Dumbledore and what are the seven deadly sins for wizards anyway?)
I finally finished the book (seven days for seven hundred something pages). There was an engaging beginning, a meandering middle act and a finale that brings everything to a head, blows stuff up good, a final showdown, a final secret origin and an epilogue that people will keep talking about for a while just because you want to know more about what happens next.
It is definitely a decent book, a decent capper to the series. As I mentioned before, the Battle at Hogwarts is just plain epic. You get giants, centaurs, monstrous spiders and deaths aplenty on both sides including deaths that you did not see coming or deaths you did not want to see, I mean why did you have to break up the Weasley Twins? They, along with Neville Longbottom are the Boba Fett of this series. On the other hand, the death of Bellatrix was a long time coming.
You also get true love (Ron & Hermione’s snog in the middle of the battle), a pissed off Mother Weasley, the reason you should get on the good side of house elves (watch out for your shins!), Malfoy’s comeuppance and the betrayal of his minions, a spaced out sequence in the land between death and life and that final showdown- the way Harry just called him Riddle just took balls.
But I think, the greatest impact was, although it diverted from the action, was Snape’s not so secret origin. Proving he was the most magnificent bastard there is, his was the most complicated character in the series and ultimately the most tragic. He embodies the entire theme of the series that love is truly a most powerful and even frightening weapon against the dark side.
In the end you find yourself wanting that there was more to the story (despite the bits in this book and the other books that just drag on) the story ends in the right place and the epilogue fills enough to know there is a happy ending, that the sacrifices were not in vain and more importantly, fires the imaginations of readers everywhere with what exactly happens in those nineteen years and beyond (my guess is as valid as yours).
Grading Time:
Harry Potter 1: A delightful, whimsical introduction to a brand new world. But written too much like a children’s book (which it is, keep in mid) which may turn off people to continuing on to reading the rest of the series. Rating B+
Harry Potter 2: The quickest read of the bunch with the most straight forward story of the bunch. It is like Jo wanted to maintain the momentum started by the first book without bogging the story down with too much detail. That said, the back story of Tom Riddle is fascinating though and I guessed correctly with this book that Ginny would be Ms. Potter one day. Still written like a children’s book though: Rating B
Harry Potter 3: The darkening begins and Jo shows incredible atmosphere and bravery in not even including the arch villain in book- just the results and consequences of his actions. Sirius Black being a good guy is my favourite twist in the series. Rating B+
Harry Potter 4: The turning point in the series and one that shows no one is safe in this series. My favourite book of the series. Rating A+
Harry Potter 5: I never finished it, the beginning just dragged on forever with nothing happening and Kreacher just annoyed the hell out of me, turning me off. And we all knew Cho Chang was never the one for Harry. Rating: None as I never finished it (I may one day…)
Harry Potter 6: It hurt my head to read this book. It was one long trailer for the next book and shows that Quidditch had stopped being interesting at least three books ago. To Jo’s credit though, I was able to catch up pretty well to the story despite missing most of the last book. And at least it had zombies. Rating: D
Harry Potter 7: A return to form begun in books 1-4 although by itself it might not be as great. Then again, if you are beginning your read of the series with the last one, you might just be a tad mental. A very effective and logical the end to the series. Rating: B+
The Series As A Whole: We are all used to trilogies. How about a seven-ology? Very ambitious and despite a misstep here and there, it was very good as a whole. And despite what anyone says, it was nice to see kids (and adults) get into something as analog as a book in the age of laptops and Ipods. The series fired up the imaginations and will keep doing so for a long time. Rating: A-
(What’s next? I hope Jo Rowling does other novels set in the universe, but I she is also not restrict herself to that universe. Some short stories and the Harry Potter story as seen through other eyes would be nice as well. But I hope we do not get a glut of the property like how the D&D novels have become).
ALSO SEEN: Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
I am a recent convert to Babylon 5. I had Season 5 for a while due to Neil Gaiman’s episode. I have always wanted to see the rest of the series but they were priced out of my reach for a while. Well, a few months ago I finally got to see the original series in its entirely and enjoyed it immensely (I have yet to see the TV movies and Crusade).
So now after ten years or so, we get a new story into the mix. It all starts off with an awe inspiring opening sequence full of nostalgia and really makes you wish for G’Kar to make an appearance.
First of all you have to take into consideration that this was made with a low budget and that the stories would focus on just a single character from the series. So- there are no interactions between the old cast while the station (and sets) are very sparse. Special effects were nice though- though the dated effects of the original were fine by themselves.
The first story with Lochley was pretty throwaway, but I will leave full judgment for later as it seemed that they were setting this story up to be continued later (Lockley: Warrior Nun?).
The second one though was pretty awesome. Sheridan is still a bad ass. And although the ‘Would you kill Hitler when he was young and has not done anything (too) evil yet’ scenario had been done to death in sci-fi, but the way this story told it was very effective.
In short, this direct to DVD movie shows the strengths and weaknesses of the show. But more importantly for me (and the long time fans) it was more just nice to revisit the universe again.
Nice to see you again Old Buddy: You get a solid B.
PS: The set story in this package however, was the short comic book story included in the DVD if you bought it from Best Buy. At four pages, it was a very touching tribute to the characters of G’Kar and Franklin and the actors who portrayed them.
PPS: To JMS- enough with the sock puppets already.
PPPS: The character of Galen is okay- but he was just a pale imitation of Marcus. JMS, please film the short story you wrote, "Space, Time & the Incurable Romantic", because I would like to see my favourite character one more time. Thanks!
________________________________________________________________________
WARNING: The following begins with a rant:
"Wieso bin ich ich verdammt?"
Warum darf ich einen Scheißemagneten sein? Ist es deshalb viel, um Leben zu bitten, deshalb viel nicht zu saugen? Und warum jetzt? Ist es, weil ich dreißig bin? Ich weiß, dass Leben nicht gerecht- ist, aber kann vielleicht ich mein Glück erhalte, in der anderen Richtung jedes jetzt und dann zu schwingen?
Klar gibt es nichts, das ich machen kann, werde ich nur damit und Hoffnung für das beste leben.
Aber erlauben Sie vorläufig bitte dass mich dies wenig wettert.
By the way, I do not speak German.
Although, by the way: Ich bin der Bote des Teufels. Ich bin die Ausgeburt des Bösen!
Rant over, for the most part.
A co worker of mine helps run a German Short Hair Pointer rescue here in Austin. They are having a micro chipping event at the PetCo on Brodie Lane at the 290 Freeway on August 25, 2007 from 2pm-5pm. It will cost about $25.00 per animal, proof of rabies shots and the contact info for your vet. More info can be found at www.texasgsp.org. By the way, the event if for both cats and dogs.
Check them out; they are good people who work for a decent cause.
By the way: Comic books are dead, long live comic books. I have finally decided to give up collecting comics on a monthly basis, going to the trade instead (with exceptions here and there-mostly for indie books). A couple of reasons why- the trades are usually a wee bit more affordable, by not much, but just a bit (unless you are splurging on those oh-so-beautiful Absolute editions).
And superhero storylines are not as great as they used to be: helped out by the glut of crossovers (Infinite Crisis was good- it’s the follow ups that lost me; Civil War started off okay but too many tie-ins were needed to catch the whole story, World War Hulk is awesome so far by the way and I really hope it ends with the Hulk completely annihilating the Illuminati before reverting to his savage state), event-oriented tales (the Death of Captain America was decent, I could care less about the death of Bart Allen) and the fact that it has been a while since I have found a book that has that ‘re-readability’ factor (I miss Brian K. Vaughn on Runaways although I like to reread most of Warren Ellis’ work).
Plus I will not be able to make it to my comic book store on as a regular basis as I want to anyway (stupid life getting in the way).
It sucks, but I blame the comic book market. Your generally uninteresting stories and rising prices have shoved another fan away. You will still see me at the comic book store every now and then, but forgive if I do not care what happened to the superheroes lately.
Hey, I am still reading something though: Harry Potter Se7en (not where Harry gets Ginny’s head in a box, Morgan Freeman is Dumbledore and what are the seven deadly sins for wizards anyway?)
I finally finished the book (seven days for seven hundred something pages). There was an engaging beginning, a meandering middle act and a finale that brings everything to a head, blows stuff up good, a final showdown, a final secret origin and an epilogue that people will keep talking about for a while just because you want to know more about what happens next.
It is definitely a decent book, a decent capper to the series. As I mentioned before, the Battle at Hogwarts is just plain epic. You get giants, centaurs, monstrous spiders and deaths aplenty on both sides including deaths that you did not see coming or deaths you did not want to see, I mean why did you have to break up the Weasley Twins? They, along with Neville Longbottom are the Boba Fett of this series. On the other hand, the death of Bellatrix was a long time coming.
You also get true love (Ron & Hermione’s snog in the middle of the battle), a pissed off Mother Weasley, the reason you should get on the good side of house elves (watch out for your shins!), Malfoy’s comeuppance and the betrayal of his minions, a spaced out sequence in the land between death and life and that final showdown- the way Harry just called him Riddle just took balls.
But I think, the greatest impact was, although it diverted from the action, was Snape’s not so secret origin. Proving he was the most magnificent bastard there is, his was the most complicated character in the series and ultimately the most tragic. He embodies the entire theme of the series that love is truly a most powerful and even frightening weapon against the dark side.
In the end you find yourself wanting that there was more to the story (despite the bits in this book and the other books that just drag on) the story ends in the right place and the epilogue fills enough to know there is a happy ending, that the sacrifices were not in vain and more importantly, fires the imaginations of readers everywhere with what exactly happens in those nineteen years and beyond (my guess is as valid as yours).
Grading Time:
Harry Potter 1: A delightful, whimsical introduction to a brand new world. But written too much like a children’s book (which it is, keep in mid) which may turn off people to continuing on to reading the rest of the series. Rating B+
Harry Potter 2: The quickest read of the bunch with the most straight forward story of the bunch. It is like Jo wanted to maintain the momentum started by the first book without bogging the story down with too much detail. That said, the back story of Tom Riddle is fascinating though and I guessed correctly with this book that Ginny would be Ms. Potter one day. Still written like a children’s book though: Rating B
Harry Potter 3: The darkening begins and Jo shows incredible atmosphere and bravery in not even including the arch villain in book- just the results and consequences of his actions. Sirius Black being a good guy is my favourite twist in the series. Rating B+
Harry Potter 4: The turning point in the series and one that shows no one is safe in this series. My favourite book of the series. Rating A+
Harry Potter 5: I never finished it, the beginning just dragged on forever with nothing happening and Kreacher just annoyed the hell out of me, turning me off. And we all knew Cho Chang was never the one for Harry. Rating: None as I never finished it (I may one day…)
Harry Potter 6: It hurt my head to read this book. It was one long trailer for the next book and shows that Quidditch had stopped being interesting at least three books ago. To Jo’s credit though, I was able to catch up pretty well to the story despite missing most of the last book. And at least it had zombies. Rating: D
Harry Potter 7: A return to form begun in books 1-4 although by itself it might not be as great. Then again, if you are beginning your read of the series with the last one, you might just be a tad mental. A very effective and logical the end to the series. Rating: B+
The Series As A Whole: We are all used to trilogies. How about a seven-ology? Very ambitious and despite a misstep here and there, it was very good as a whole. And despite what anyone says, it was nice to see kids (and adults) get into something as analog as a book in the age of laptops and Ipods. The series fired up the imaginations and will keep doing so for a long time. Rating: A-
(What’s next? I hope Jo Rowling does other novels set in the universe, but I she is also not restrict herself to that universe. Some short stories and the Harry Potter story as seen through other eyes would be nice as well. But I hope we do not get a glut of the property like how the D&D novels have become).
ALSO SEEN: Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
I am a recent convert to Babylon 5. I had Season 5 for a while due to Neil Gaiman’s episode. I have always wanted to see the rest of the series but they were priced out of my reach for a while. Well, a few months ago I finally got to see the original series in its entirely and enjoyed it immensely (I have yet to see the TV movies and Crusade).
So now after ten years or so, we get a new story into the mix. It all starts off with an awe inspiring opening sequence full of nostalgia and really makes you wish for G’Kar to make an appearance.
First of all you have to take into consideration that this was made with a low budget and that the stories would focus on just a single character from the series. So- there are no interactions between the old cast while the station (and sets) are very sparse. Special effects were nice though- though the dated effects of the original were fine by themselves.
The first story with Lochley was pretty throwaway, but I will leave full judgment for later as it seemed that they were setting this story up to be continued later (Lockley: Warrior Nun?).
The second one though was pretty awesome. Sheridan is still a bad ass. And although the ‘Would you kill Hitler when he was young and has not done anything (too) evil yet’ scenario had been done to death in sci-fi, but the way this story told it was very effective.
In short, this direct to DVD movie shows the strengths and weaknesses of the show. But more importantly for me (and the long time fans) it was more just nice to revisit the universe again.
Nice to see you again Old Buddy: You get a solid B.
PS: The set story in this package however, was the short comic book story included in the DVD if you bought it from Best Buy. At four pages, it was a very touching tribute to the characters of G’Kar and Franklin and the actors who portrayed them.
PPS: To JMS- enough with the sock puppets already.
PPPS: The character of Galen is okay- but he was just a pale imitation of Marcus. JMS, please film the short story you wrote, "Space, Time & the Incurable Romantic", because I would like to see my favourite character one more time. Thanks!
________________________________________________________________________
posted by Catterpillarboy at 3:45 AM
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