The End of an Era

August 24, 2007…approximately 9:05am…riding on the “5 Fulton” MUNI bus on my way to work somewhere between Van Ness and Market Street.

These are the approximate coordinates of where I was when I finally completed the seven year epic journey of the Harry Potter series. I find this a noteworthy accomplishment in my life as I don’t think there are many other things that I have been dedicated to for as long as I was to Harry and his fellow wizards and witches.

Without giving anything away, I am satisfied with the ending of the series and continue to be amazed at the creativity and consistency that J.K. Rowling displayed throughout the entirety of the seven book series. I remain most impressed by the fact that not only did the series trace the teenage years of Harry Potter growing up as a wizard, her writing style seemed to get more complex and intricate as Harry got older and faced more adult problems including girl drama, abandonment issues, betrayal, and responsibility. I always thought that the books were targeted at an audience that was the same age as Harry in each respective book. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was definitely written for younger readers, while the later books used a much more lavish vocabulary and even non-linear dialogues that even I felt lost in the language at times. All of the praise, awards, and financial benefits that Rowling has received over the life of the series are all well deserved in my opinion.

I have been dedicated to the books throughout. After getting into the series late in the game (my brother introduced me to the first three), I have read each subsequent book almost immediately upon release. I have also become a bit of a collector as well and I have used the books as mementos of my travels. I own Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean versions of some of the titles. I even have the UK version of the first book, just because the title is Philosopher’s Stone instead of Sorcerer’s Stone. Although my efforts in acquiring collectibles has waned over the years, I will always hold these books in great esteem (interestingly enough, I have never really been a fan of the movies). Hopefully, I will one day revisit the world of Harry Potter as I pass the stories on to my own little wizards. Until then, perhaps the final words of the series can best sum up my feelings towards the Harry Potter collection…All was well.

She Said...Yes, Yes, Yes

I just learned that Amy Winehouse just checked herself into rehab...um, too easy.

http://www.nme.com/news/amy-winehouse/30350

Another article I read mentioned that headline writers are having a field day with this one. I would agree.

Other than, "She Said..Yes Yes Yes", I came up with "Wino Winehouse Set to Go Go Go to Rehab".

Feel free to drop a quirky headline into the comments should you feel so compelled.

(Incidentally, I meant to write a post about how much I dig her sound. I guess there will be no no show in SF in September now. Ok, I'll stop.)

The Simpsons Movie: The long-awaited film review

(Warning: slight spoilers forthcoming. Do not read if you have yet to see the flick. Read on though if you don’t care.)

The Simpsons have played a significant part of my television watching for a majority of the 19 years it has been on the air. I am known amongst my friends as an expert on the subject and for a period of my life, I received something Simpsons-related every year for Christmas from my friends including a Simpsons chess set, Simpsons dominos, and Simpsons legos.

As with many other things in life, my passion for the program waned and Sunday nights at 8pm are no longer earmarked for watching FOX. Maybe the writing has fallen off, or every plot angle has been retread, or Homer is way too dumb now, or maybe I just simply outgrew it (doubtful), but when I heard that a Simpsons movie was coming out, I was less than enthused.

As many of you know, aside from being a super fan of the show, I am often privy to inside information of the inner workings of the program thanks to one of my closest associates who happens to be a character/layout artist on the program. (The description of my pal is a bit cryptic as he told me that drawing himself or friends into a scene is potential grounds for dismissal, but if you watch Season 13, the “Weekend at Burnsie's” episode closely, you may see your favorite blogger make a cameo or two, so there’s that. I also own a valuable piece of Simpsons artwork, which is only for insiders and is by far the most valuable piece of art I own. Although admittedly the most treasured item on my wall is still my mini-UCLA banner commemorating the 1995 basketball championship. But I digress. )

Thanks to this confidante, I have been able to discuss the process leading up to film release, hear some plot points, and understand better the inner bureaucracy of a show that still is under Rupert Murdoch’s evil clutches. Based on this information, I still felt that a movie based on life in Springfield would be less than enjoyable. I thought that the only way the movie would work would be if the film was simply four episodes, maybe intertwining stories ala Babel or Crash or something, but when I learned of the actual plot, all I could think was that this was going to be a disaster.

Then the hype machine began. Everywhere you looked there were Simpsons movie posters, commercials, magazine articles, internet buzz, and of course the 7-11 stores converted into Kwik-E-Marts. Rather than turning me off, all of this hype increased my excitement for the film and I dropped any sort of weird moral opposition to the movie and embraced it fully. As mentioned earlier, the Simpsons have played a significant part in my pop culture life and I think the show can also be credited with developing whatever comedic spirit I currently have (or don’t have, you be the judge I suppose). In fact, more than anything I slowly began to realize that one of my closest friends is working on a highly anticipated summer blockbuster, and I needed and wanted to support it on opening weekend. We actually had a phone conversation the day before the opening Friday as we tried to predict box office numbers, we both agreed that it would not eclipse Aquaman, but should land ahead of Medellin. (Entourage reference for those not in the know.) $80 million was my prediction.

Making things even more interesting was the fact that I was going to be in Kauai during opening weekend with Natalia and my family, making it difficult to know whether the movie would even be playing anywhere on the island. Fortunately it was and my two cousins, cousin-in-law, the chica, and I were able to catch an opening night showing. One last thing before I give my actual thoughts of the flick. I’m glad we went to an 8:30 Friday night showing. This gave us a chance to see what being a teenager living on Kauai was all about since every kid on the island seemed to be in the theater. I guess they’re just like any other American teenage group, but more mellow. It must be the absolute gorgeous vistas that they deal with every day. Also, we realized that taking a date to a movie in Kauai is still completely affordable. The tickets were $8. Popcorn was $2.50, and candy was $1. You can actually bring a date to a movie and get all the fixin’s for less than $20. That alone gives me reason to move there. Well, that and the aforementioned vistas.

So the movie. I left the theater thinking that the Simpsons movie was probably as good as it possibly could have been. The overall story was kind of lame (but they usually are), but the interactions and side vignettes were very strong (which they usually are as well). I also thought that it looked amazing. There was way more attention to shadows and depth and even more unique camera perspectives than is usually incorporated on the t.v. side, which gave it a strong cinematic feel, unlike say the South Park movie which was visually, just like watching the show on a super large television screen.

There were a handful of laugh out-loud moments including the Bart nude scene, Homer flipping off all of Springfield, and Moe yelling at Green Day. All memorable and hilarious. I thought they did a good job of incorporating a number of the plethora of side characters into the movie as possible, although I did wake up the next morning and came with a list of significant characters that surprisingly did not get enough air time or any at all. The list includes: Principal Skinner, Superintendent Chalmers, Patty and Selma, and Disco Stu. A quick shout out somehow to Troy McClure would have been nice as well. (DVD extras, perhaps?) But again, I do like that a majority of the film was dedicated to the five Simpsons that we have all grown to know and love. I have yet to gauge the pulse of other folks who have seen it, but our party of five seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.

Also, I was glad to learn that it landed atop the box office, proving its relevance with the American public and making the whole endeavor worthwhile in my opinion. The final numbers were in the $72 million ballpark, which is great. Until this week, when Bratz makes $73 million and I will again be forced to think that our world is crumbling at an alarming rate.