Harry Potter

By Ali Drake

My anticipation for the new Harry Potter movie isn't diminished with my own understanding that I will be disappointed.

The last movie left me in a snit. OK, its embarrassing, but I'll admit it. I was furious. I actually went to see the film a second time and brought a notebook so that I could take notes on everything that the filmmakers did wrong. It went something like this:

(***SPOILERS***)

~Where are Bill and Fleur??

~Why did they destroy the Burrow?

~Where is Tonks??? (That one drove me crazy. Her pining for Lupin is the sweetest reveal at the end of Half Blood Prince)

~Don't even get me started on Ginny!

The list is long and I won't bore you with the details. But it was the details that got me down! I love the universe created by Rowling. That's where the magic is, more than in flicking wands and drinking potions. It's that she created a collection of characters, she formed them so completely with hopes, dreams, faults and virtues, that removing them or changing their role for the film feels false.

One thing that I do love about the movies is the visual appeal. Seeing the Quidditch matches, Bellitrix Lestrange personified so terrifyingly by Helena Bonaham Carter, watching Snape be creepy and bat-like, Dobby, the fireworks set off by Fred and George...its fun to compare what I imagined with the films.

I don't think that the movies loose the core elements of the novels, either, like the struggle of good vs. evil, the triumph of friendship and love, the complications of adulthood, selflessness and generosity being the ultimate attributes. I think the movies do well at keeping the main themes and messages intact.

In any adaptation there are going to be differences, and its an extremely rare film that surpasses the book it came from. [There are only two I can think of, Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and What Dreams May Come, but I digress...] I think the first installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has the potential to be richer and more complex than the previous films, just because it has more time to tell the whole story.

I can't believe I have to wait till Wednesday to watch this movie....

Till then, please enjoy dorky Harry Potter links:

JK Rowling's Scrawlings

Deathly Hallows Official Site

New York Times Film Review

My Love/Hate Relationship with Hipsters

By Ali Drake

I am not a hipster. Not only am I poor, nerdy, and categorically uncool, my real downfall is that I care too much. About everything. That being said, many of my dearest friends definitely fall into the subculture. In a bar full of PBR drinkers with ironic t-shirts, skinny jeans (or jeggins), and square, black Weezer style glasses, they fit right in.

When it comes to music, most of my pals talk about bands I've never heard of. Sometimes, the tunes are good and I feel cool for actually liking an "indie" band. But by the time I've heard a band enough to begin to consider myself a fan, the hipsters declare them sell outs.

And sometimes, it seems like they are. Iron and Wine had a song in the Twilight movie. Now, I love Iron and Wine but, man, do I hate Twilight. I'm still torn on that issue.

Anyway, its not just about clothes and music. That mysterious ability to know what will be cool before it actually is, well, that's a trait I envy. The only complaint I really have about a stereotypical hipster is the nonchalance.

There is so much tragedy in the world, and it seems to me that hipsters detach and observe the world through irony colored glasses. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the scope of issues in one's community, let alone in the whole wide world! But that's no reason to give up and stop caring about anything.

Instead of being too cool to care, I'd love to see hipsters make the next cool trend volunteering, donating money to UNICEF, or building a community garden.

How cool would that be?

P.S. This is old, but still hilarious:

Vampires that Don't Suck

By Ali

I'm a sucker for a good vampire story. Also, I have scummed to many a pop culture phenomenon (meaning that I am dying to go to the Harry Potter theme park. For real.). But I cannot understand the obsession with the Twilight Series.


First of all, Bella seems to me the most pathetic, weak willed, dull female character in recent literature. She pines for her vampire boyfriend and cooks dinner for her father. Thats literally it. When her boyfriend leaves her there are BLANK PAGES in the book. Bring back the days of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, an independent and passionate young woman who risked life and limb on a daily basis to save the world, while living one of televisions best tragic love stories.



Moreover, Edward as a love interest, sounds more like the manipulative, controlling, and borederline abusive boyfriend of a Lifetime Movie. He constantly tells her how easy it would be to hurt her, how dependent on him she is for her own safety. He tells Bella that he has trouble controlling himself around her, while perpetually attempting to control her every move. The only time Bella feels that she has any control over her situation or Edward is when she is putting herself in extremely risky scenarios just so that she can imagine his (controlling) response.



Compare that to True Blood's Sookie Stackhouse. When Sookie and Bill break up (as they so often seem to), she continues to live, breathe, and function pretty much normally. Sure she might cry over him, but she goes to work, she talks to her friends, she even dates other people. Which brings me to another issue:


Why doesn't Bella have any friends? The only people in her life are ones that want to have sex with her. Or maybe not sex—since Edward is an abstinence vampire, I guess we can assume that the boys are her school and the werewolf dude, Jacob, are just interested in holding hands, too—but the women in her life are annoyances that she can barely tolerate even for one night at the movies.

I guess it makes sense that Bella would be idolized by generations of women. Who wouldn't want to be an average looking, plain and normal girl who happens to posses some quality that makes every man (vampire and werewolf) fall down at your feet? It's like an abusive relationship fairytale. In all seriousness though: I don't want the next generation of girls growing up and looking for a boyfriend who is isolating, significantly older, threatening, and goes as far as to damage her car to prevent her from seeing her friend.

Bill from True Blood does have his jealous and controlling moments, but because Sookie is a fully developed character with her own set of needs and desires, she does not get lost in what Bill wants. Angel was less controlling, but when he grew concerned about Buffy's safety he left to protect her and to give her a chance at a normal life. That is love: caring so much for another person that you would sacrifice your own happiness to keep them safe.

And hey. I know its just a stupid young adult novel but with readership in the millions, I have to be concerned.

Put Off by Palins

By Bonny

I need to get something off my chest: Bristol Palin really annoys the crap out of me. Talk about overexposure. I mean, she's everywhere, and for what, exactly? Having a crazy, shoots-moose-from-helicopters mom? For getting pregnant at 17? In a world where people can become famous for absolutely nothing at all, she really takes the cake. I think I might have some respect for her if she at least did something worthwhile with her celebrity. Sure, she is a spokesperson for a teen pregnancy prevention foundation, but her aim is slightly off. As a teenager who had unprotected sex and got pregnant, Bristol was given a great opportunity to talk about how sex education is severely lacking in this country. She could have spoken up about how teens should have more access to contraceptives. But no, she is a product of her conservative, so she endorses the idea of abstinence. "Pause, before you play", she says in her ad. Maybe it should be more like, pause, put on a condom, then play. Now that I could appreciate. She also goes on to talk about how hard it is being a single mother. Because I am sure she is really hurting for cash. This from the girl who has been on the cover of People, had a guest starring role on an ABC Family show, and now is on


Dancing With the Stars. Seriously? Give me a break. I just can't stomach her crap anymore. So please, America, stop giving her attention. Sarah Palin is probably going to run for president or something, and one Palin in the news is already too much for me.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la5kAYaHWJQ

Introductions

Bonny and I met when we worked together at a restaurant. When things were slow, we would be our silly selves, writing ironic emo poetry and even once seperating Simaese Potato twins. Don't worry, both potatoes came though the surgery in one piece.

Anyway, after years of constantly amusing each other we've decided to go public.

We plan to cover anything and everything that strikes our fancy, from politics to pop culture, to weird science news. Whatever interests us we want to share with everyone.

Hopefully our nerdy commentary will elicit a chuckle or two, but even if its just us having fun...well...there isn't really anything different about that.