2011: A Summary of a Year

It's been an unusual year. It feels like most of the year I've been so preoccupied with everything else that there hasn't been as much movie-watching as, say, last year.  Still, there has been some gems and discoveries from both this year and previous years.

I found John Hughes (better late than never, right?) and thus added The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off to the list of my all-time favourites. I watched more documentaries than ever before; I bawled my eyes out at Bowling for Columbine and Nuit et brouillard; I was shocked by The Cove and Food Inc. and swore never to see a dolphin show or eat a fast food burger again; I was entertained by Exit through the Gift Shop and Glee: the Concert Movie. One documentary really stood out, but more on that later.

The year's total is 163 films watched, out of which 52 were rewatches, which makes 111 new films. I went to cinema 23 times. And let me add, twice I saw a film with live orchestra playing the music (The Gold Rush (here at home) and the first Lord of the Rings (in Vegas; guess which one was more expensive...)). Here's the full list of the films, from another Inception rewatch to the Sherlock Holmes sequel.

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Here are some of my favourite people of the year.

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My (more or less succesful) New Year Resolution project was a nice spice to the year's movie-watching experience. Sure, due to being in the US I was behind schedule for part of the year, and in the end got to mark only ten of the twelve movies as 'over and done with'. Because, yes, that's what it was like most of the time: an obligation, something I just HAD to do, whether I enjoyed it a lot or not. This of course is NOT the attitude that movies should be watched with, but since I know myself (and what I know is that unfortunately I just often happen to dislike classics), this techinique is the best way to ensure that I watch what every movie fanatic should watch. Anyway, here's how it turned out:

The films I still need to see in 2012: Scarface, Manhattan

The film that I very strongly disliked: A Clockwork Orange

The films that bored me to death: Mulholland Dr., 8½, Goodfellas

The films I might have liked more had I been able to concentrate on them properly: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Blade Runner

The films I kind of liked and properly concentrated on, but that failed to impress me in a way worth mentioning: Sunset Blvd., Citizen Kane

The film that I expected to like the least, but that ended up blowing my mind a little or at least giving me a pretty epic Friday night: 2001: A Space Odyssey

The film that I very much liked and that I will actually see again in the near-future (unlike the previous one): The Deer Hunter

So. Maybe the percentage of the films I actually ended up liking isn't very encouraging, but I will all the same continue this project in 2012. I need to get more classics watched.

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My extremely unofficial TOP FIVE of 2011

My Week with Marilyn

It's Michelle Williams that earned this movie a spot on my list. When I was watching her in My Week with Marilyn, there was a moment when I realized I didn't remember what the real Marilyn looks like. That's how good Ms. Williams is! Other than that, it's a cute, quite harmless little film. A little sad at times, and quite relateble, in some ways, at least for me.

Captain America: The First Avenger

 Haha. Weird? I don't know why I liked this film so much. But I did. I haven't liked a superhero this way since my ridiculous Spiderman phase when I was fifteen. There is something sincerely sweet about Chris Evans's Steven Rogers, and something admirable in the way he develops into a superhero: it's merely a physical transformation, since his mind was the mind of a hero all along.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Well duh. The conclusion of the adventures of everyone's favourite wizard boy was nothing less than epic, even though the conclusion of that conclusion was disappointingly ridiculous thanks to the poor attempt to make the young cast look nineteen years older. Sigh. Anyway! This was the end of another era. But Harry will live on.

The Artist

 This black-and-white silent strike of genius will be my favorite in the Oscar races next year, and I'm not alone with my opinion. It's charming and fun and tragic and just delicious. I loved the creative ways to use sound they'd come up with, in the midst of the good old Hollywood kind of title cards and wonderfully exaggarated acting. It's a love song to the roots of cinema, with a modern twist and a great sense of humor.

Life in a Day

Well, this is interesting. I never saw this little film coming. One day I read about it somewhere, watched it, and whoa, it just blew me away. The idea is wonderful, really, maybe the best idea any filmmaker ever had. People all over the world documented their lives on film in July 24, 2010. The material came together as what apparently is my favourite film of the year. In summary, I cried at people brushing their teeth. I'm determined to finish my post about this, so this is all I will say now.
If you haven't yet, see the film here.

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Well, I guess that's what we can call a mixed bunch; a Hollywood icon, a superhero, a fantasy blockbuster, a silent film and a documentary. But the list is extremely unofficial because there are many films I haven't yet seen that might've easily made the list. I still need to see at least The Help, Hugo, 50/50, Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo... Still, I'm quite confident about number one, at least.

It was a pretty good year, and 2012 will probably be pretty epic. Just saying.

Who would you be?

After a few week's break I though I'd accept the Movie Monday challenge again. Which film character would I like to be? Which fictional universe would I like to live in?

The first idea to pop into my head was very random and weird. And not nearly ambitious enough. I mean, come on, I have the whole universe on my hands; worlds and galaxies full of awesome and exciting milieus and fierce and admirable character executing daring and earth-shattering deeds. No way I'm going with something as lame as my first idea.

So, I naturally thought about Jedis. They're super über cool and can jump incredibly high and have most awesome weapons ever. But the thing is, their lives tend to end way too soon for my taste, or maybe they turn (almost) irrevocably evil just because that happens to be written in the stars or something. Too much drama for me, thank you very much.

Then I thought how wonderful it would be to be a part of the Weasley family and go to Hogwarts and learn magic and fight the Dark Forces. Only if I was a Weasley, it would be illegal for me to marry Ronald. Darn. Strike that.

'Oh but I've always wanted to live in a musical', I thought next. So how about High School Musical then? Bursting into song and dance in the middle of lunch, that would be the greatest thing ever. Maybe I'd get an amazing singing voice on the side, too? Honestly, though, that much positivity and smiling and happy endings and sugary clichees would make my teeth fall out in a day. So no. I decided to rule out every other Disney option too, because I'm always tempted to answer these challenges with Disney, and that's not very normal. (Oh wait! Does this mean I don't get to go with Pocahontas then? Damn!)

What else could it be, then? Superheroes? Other heroes? Dazzling and noble princesses? Revolutionaries who change the world? Mysterious loners or adventurous explorers from strange and exotic worlds or historic eras before ours? Nah. As nothing seemed to satisfy me, I thought 'Screw this', and concluded that I'm very boring, and thus don't long for galaxy-bending adventures or spine-chilling dangers. Not even in fun challenges that are meant for stretching your imagination and dreaming big. No, I guess in the end, real life with a spice is enough for me.

So I went with my first idea. Random and weird isn't necessarily bad.

Easy A is quite a surprising movie, as it's been stuck somewhere on the back of my head since I saw it some months ago. Comedies rarely do that for me. Thus it also happened to pop into my head when thinking about this challenge. I don't necessarily long to live in an American high school for the rest of my life, but the world of Easy A has pros too, and I will now concentrate on them.

Mainly, it's the insane wittiness that pretty much every person seems to possess. I'd love that. You'd just talk to people and say most genius things just like that. Imagine someone was messing with you, and you'd come up with the most awesome retort ever, but instead of proudly reciting the dialogue to everyone you know for the rest of the year, you wouldn't give another thought for your awesomeness, because those fantastic lines just keep pouring from your mouth all day, every day.

Also, as I would be Emma Stone's character Olive in this scenario, I would get a red hair (without having to be a Weasley and thus off Ronald's 'To Marry' list), and I wouldn't mind that. Nor the fact that she's inceribly and refreshingly mature, smart and self-confident for a protagonist of a high school comedy. I could use some of that. Also she has Stanley Tucci as a father. And Stanley Tucci would be a part of the deal, of course. Suck on that, wizards and Jedis, I have a Stanley Tucci father!

And maybe if I lived in the Easy A universe, someone would make funny montages of my boring weekends and actually make them look really cool and awesome, like this...



And for that, ladies and gentelmen, I will thus sacrifice the opportunity to jump unnaturally high, to be considered normal when breaking into a song when queueing at the supermarket, to keep saving the world on daily basis with awesome superpowers, and even to live in the Shire and spend the rest of my life eating and drinking and partying and daydreaming under fabulous trees and owning adorable feet and a terrific hair.

...Oh wait. I hadn't thought about the opportunity of being a Hobbit until now. Can I still change my mind about this and rewrite the whole post?

A Very Potter Musical

In the middle of your Post-Potter depression? Feeling empty? Feeling like a part of you just died and left a gaping hole in you? Looking for something to refill the hole? I might just have the cure!

A Very Potter Musical is a fan-made parody of the world of Harry, made by a group of students (including one Darren Criss, who later would move on to bigger circles and rock the Glee universe as every teenager's dream, Blaine (edit// and who even later might do what all respectable Harry Potters do and star in Broadway's How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying after Dan Radcliffe retires from the show. Love the symbolism!)) in the University of Michigan in 2009. It's seriously funny as hell and the songs are not just catchy but seriously good, too, and it's just seriously fantastic and totally awesome and it makes you want to quote it in every single situation you get into in a daily basis.

I'm not sure if enough people (meaning absolutely everyone!) know about this, so if you haven't seen this master piece before, now's the freaking time.

And it doesn't matter if you've seen it already. One more time is never too much!

(If you ask me: What about after I've watched A Very Potter Musical? How do I fill that hole? Well, let me tell you. With A Very Potter Sequel, of course!)

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"That's the thing about Hogwarts. No matter how long you're away from it, there's always a way back." 

Ah, less than three.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) - goodbye, childhood

 
directed by David Yates / starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Michel Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter

SPOILER ALLERT! for those two people on Earth who haven't read the books yet. (Also, I might advise you to read this post only after you've seen the movie, because I go into details you might not want to know yet.)

I remember when I went to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ten years ago. I had just won a huge box of delicious chocolates on a lottery of some sort, and I ate them before and after. When we got back from the cinema, I was just about to tell my little brother what troll bogey had looked like (yes, that was important at the time), when I hit my toe on a closet door or something and it hurt so much I couldn't say anything in a while. I guess I liked the movie. My age has always been fortunately fitting when it comes to the Harry Potter experience: I read the first book when I was around eleven myself, and grew up simutaniously with Harry (and Dan Radcliffe; we're the same age!) as the books and later movies kept coming. So I didn't watch the first movies as critically as I would now, and only later realised how lousy they are. At the same time, very early I learned not to expect too much of a Harry Potter movie. They should always be judged by they own special standars. And the standards are never too strict, because come on, it's Harry Potter, it'll always be awesome anyway.

Oops, I'm rambling. Point was, it's been a decade since the first movie and that seems so impossible. Moving on, to the topic. I was looking forward to this final movie more than any other before. I knew it would be good; part one was excellent, but failed to give me the sense satisfaction, because, obviously, the story was cut in the middle and no circles were closed. So, what I needed from this film was first and foremost that satisfaction, and closure. So that I could, with reasonably high spirits, accept that there will be no more Harry Potter after this, and move on to look forward to other things. And as sad and wistful and wonderfully nostalgic it was to say goodbye to those characters and to that world (again; I think I've gone through this once before, some years ago...), I guess I'm feeling quite happy and satisfied and I got most of my circles closed. I didn't even cry much!

I've still got something to bitch about, naturally. Most of the bitch-worthy things are quite stupid and unnecessary complaints about why my favourite bits from the book didn't make it to the movie - properly or at all. I often frown at people who geek out and keep bitching about little, pointless details from the book that didn't match with the movie. A movie based on a book is always an interpretation, a version, it's not supposed to be a slaveish duplication. But hey, guilty as charged! I guess I paid more attention on the missing details than usually because I'd just been reading the book all day. (I was in quite a hurry to finish it; I had a good 400 pages to wade through before midnight, they had only just escaped from the Ministry. But I made it!)

Now, let us bitch, shall we! No Percy comeback! Sure, they never set up the story in the previous movies, so they couldn't do it of course, but I love those bits in the book. Fred's death was dealt with far too hastily! I mean, come on, it's Fred freaking Weasley, his death is the saddest death in all the books, I wanted to savour that horrible moment for a bit longer. The brilliant (at least in the book it is) first kiss of Ron and Hermione was so anti-climactic! That was one of the moments I was looking most forward to, and it was gone like that! What is more, no awesome reaction from Harry, none at all. Blah! And not enough Dumbledore! I love how in the book he begins to feel like a vilain at certain point and how Harry is all miserable and angry about it.

Then two of my biggest complaints, which almost ruined the whole thing for me, because they left such a, um, dubious taste in my mouth. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort was just too much! They had tried too hard to make it look climactic and visully interesting and grand, and it took a lot away from the emotional aspect of the scene. Less would've been more... The book had it right; Harry was calm and certain that he would beat Voldemort and made his opponent frustrated by knowing things he didn't. There was no need for running (and flying... sigh) around and hysterical screaming.

Finally... the damn epilogue. I'm one of the people who like the epilogue in the book, I think it's fitting and necessary and sweet. In the film, I wanted to buy it but I didn't. Damn. Where's the CGI when we need it? The 'grown-up' characters looked like teenagers wearing their parents' clothes and too much make-up to get into a club without asked to show their ID. This it what we call FAIL. It was half-comical and half-disturbing and it preveted me from cherishing those precious final moments. (And no "Don't let it worry you. It's me. I'm extremely famous." Boohoo!)

Now, enough bitching. Because I liked most of the stuff, anyway! Here's something I especially liked: Shirtless Rupert Grint (we need more of that in this world!). Gringotts and the dragon and the goblins. Luna ("Harry Potter! You listen to me right now!"), awesome as always. Filch, reporting that students are out of bed, and sweeping the floor after the battle. Neville, for being a total bad-ass and for that amazingly touching speech. Long gone are the days of the whimpy little boy who kept losing his toad. Aw! McGonagall, who I grew to respect and love even more than before on this latest reading round. She just rocks! I loved her reference to Seamus's frequently scorched eyebrows, and that one very uncharacteristic but altogether hilarious line ("I always wanted to use that spell").

Furthermore, I liked the added scene where Harry confronts Snape in front of the whole school. Didn't expect that! The whole Snape storyline was actually handled really, really well, I have no complaints here! Also I loved the clips from all the previous film in the Pensieve. Aww. Wee Daniel. Can't get enough of him and the contrast to the present day version. I always enjoy the bits with the Malfoys, because I'm a big fan, and (more or less) secretly always wanted them to leave the Dark Side and become kick-ass heroes. I love that in the end they kind of turn good, or at least less bad, and that the film remembered to show that as well.

Hermione as Bellatrix/Helena Bonham Carter channelling Emma Watson was brilliant! I love me some Helena! Finally, I found it funny and fitting how they dismissed Ron's sudden ability to speak Parsel tonque with a joke ("Harry talks in his sleep, did you know?"); it always was a bit ridiculous.

I have no complaints about the actors. The main threesome did a solid, good job: Emma Watson seems to have given up her eyebrow acting for good, I couldn't help loving Rupert Grint even if he really tried to suck, and Dan really impressed me a few times. Like after he learns he has to die, that look was amazing. Go Daniel!

The grand battle of Hogwarts was of course the highlight of the film, as that was what took most of its running time. It was epic, yes, but maybe just Helm's deep epic, not Pelennor Fields epic. Anyway, I had lots of goosebumps and the book's rousing mood was there; I love how they all unite to fight a mutual cause. Though I wanted to see the house elfs and Trelawney throwing her crystal balls around. And Peeves! I don't get it why there is no Peeves in the movies!

By the way. I'm a bit disappointed that people weren't dressed up for the occasion! It was a midnight sneak preview after all! I saw only a couple of cloaks and one Gruffindor scarf. Where were all those wonderfully weird and daring people I so much love??

That's that then. I don't feel quite as empty as I expected myself to. I guess I know that the Boy Who Lived still lives on and can always be revisited. This is the end of another era, one that I've been living since before I had my first pimples, one I've grown up with and always enjoyed no matter my age. But I don't think it makes much sense to feel too crushed about its end, because this era really never ends, I'm sure.

Goodbye, childhood. I'll be seeing you.

 "You'll stay with me?"
"Always."

It all ends... tonight

 

Click below to join me on a trip down the most magical memory lane ever.

P.S. It's a long one.

Catching up!

I'm not dead! I'm just extremely preoccupied with everything else but watching movies and blogging. The combination of the most awesome summer job in the world, not so awesome summer studies and the fact that a month from now I'll be in Emporia, Kansas, has kept me quite busy. Anyway, here's something I've been up to:

I'm watching Roswell! Haha, this is weird. I gave in to the odd need that was sparked by Paul and borrowed the first season from a friend. Yeah, I've only seen two episodes so far, and yeah, I haven't been addicted or blown away in any way (I must be too old, after all), but it's still kind of fun. The best thing is that I don't find the protagonist annoying at all, like I was sure I would! First time for everything!

Also, I watched the first season of Sherlock, which is a modern day adaption of the ever so awesome and captivating British detective. And I loved it and I want more, more, more, now please! Team Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman works so flawlessly, and their cooperation is almost more entertaining to watch than Team RDJ/Jude Law's! Almost. I'm still being loyal, so far. Anyway, series two is to be aired this autumn, so yay!

My New Year Resolution is going through a rough time. I'm half way through, but it's not looking too good. I did watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid last month, and yeah, I did like it, kind of, but just fell into the old habbit of cutting my toenails while watching and sharing my attention with several other activities. Which is never good. So I haven't been able to write a post about it, and I've declared June another big FAIL, like May and 8 ½ was. Shame on me, shame on me. This month I should watch Citizen Kane, and I'm only hoping there won't be a third FAIL in a row. Because that would be just pathetic.

Posts about London and the Glee Live are still in their initial stages, but I'm being hopeful. Maybe after tomorrow's exam I'll have break before starting the final assignment of the summer: an essay of eighteen pages. Whoo, can't wait!

And last but not least... The Deathly Hallows pt. 2 is coming, and it's coming fast! I'm in a hurry to finish the book before Wednesday 00:07 am. The end is so near it's almost here! Boohoo! Or hurray! Or whatever. Both, I suppose.

I'm not crying, not crying not crying not crying... much.

The original video from Empire.com.

Also this.

I think it just fully sank in how horribly sad it will be when it's over. Really, finally, no-going-back over. Oh god. Stupid Potty, making me all emotional.

Accio July!

... Oh my.



P.S. Can I begin my Wappu now? The exam book says no. Everything and everyone else says yes. I'm confused!

I am Harry Potter, duh?

You heard him! Make way for Harry Potter!

... Oh my, that fellow can be so freaking hilarious when he wants to. This plus his appareance in Extras is proof enough. I want him to do some really good dark comedy next!


P.S. Just finnished reading The Goblet of Fire. That just might be my favourite Potter book after all! The Deathly Hallows has had the hold of that position for a while, but I don't know... Next, The Order of the Phoenix, that has exclusively been my least favourite since it was published. Oh well. I just don't like the ANGST!!!!! Harry.

A book that goes ever on and on...

I guess everyone has or has had some never-ending projects - a pair of woollen socks waiting to be knitted, an autobiography to be written, an old record-player to be repaired... Or a three-part fantasy epic to be read. Yes, I'm talking about The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even since I saw the first film I've been meaning to read the books, just so I wouldn't feel like a lesser person amongst all the hardcore fans, who could quote Tolkien anywhere, anytime, tell about their day in Elvish and recite the family tree of Aragorn. Twice I began to read the books, twice I made it half way through The Two Towers, twice I got bored at the Sam and Frodo part and twice I gave up and told myself, and everyone else, 'some day, some day I'll finnish the damn books'. Well, guess what? I just did! And it took me much less than a decade! Should I uncork a bottle of champagne to celebrate?

Last New Year, in the presence of multiple witnesses, I made a resolution to finally get the trilogy over and done with. I was determined this time, and decided to try it in English for a change. It wasn't always easy, nor very pretty, and I admit I skipped the introduction and all the songs and the appendices, and as often as it was a joy, it was a necessity, which I waded through one page at a time, but who cares, now it's done and I'm happy and I'm not doing it again anytime soon.

I can almost see all the devoded Tolkien fans glaring at me angrily as they're sharpening their axes, so let me correct myself a little. I'm not saying The Lord of the Rings is a crappy excuse for a book. No, oh no. I hugely respect Mr. Tolkien for the enormous job he's done in creating a new world from scratch, a world full of amazing characters and stories to be told. It is not in any way an insult towards the books when I say I'll happily stick to the films in the future. I know the books are extremely well written. They're just not for me. For me, they're mostly just plain boring. I'm a child of my era - an era that appreciates straightforward storytelling, swift turns of events, and doesn't take the time to describe in fancy words what one had for dinner or what kind of landscape one is passing by or what happened during those three unevetful days of traveling. 

All respect and glory for Tolkien and Middle-Earth, but I'll leave my copies of the novels to gather dust on the shelf for now, and to wait for the day when I might get more out of them, and instead look forward to The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Marathon that I'm planning to execute during the Christmas break. Also, now I'll get to grap the first book of the huge pile of seven books that has been tempting me for the past days. Privet Drive, here I come! It's been too long!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) - please marry me, Rupert Grint!

directed by David Yates / starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes

FINALLY, I saw this. I felt as if I was the last one on Earth to see it. Well, now it's done... And it's time to sit down comfily and prepare ourselves for yet another wait. Sigh. Oh well, it's the last wait. The very last wait. Ever! ... Oh no.

I think I don't have to give you a summary of the plot. The world is an evil and dangerous place, which is made clear from the very first words spoken and they never let us forget it - unlike in the previous instalment, which once in a while felt like a good old cheery romantic comedy (and which I loved, by the way!). The Deathly Hallows is my favourite book of the whole series, because I never felt so many emotions, so strongly, when reading a book - meaning I cry like a baby everytime I read it, and sometimes of joy, too. So, I wanted the film to be good and pretty much trusted it would be, too. And it was, of course. We've come a long way from the 11-year-old squeaky Daniel Racliffe and the clumsy first films.

I am very happy that they split the last book into two films. Squeezing all that into two and a half hours would've been a mission impossible, or alternatively, a very lousy film. I liked that we didn't need to rush from one scene to another. I mean, of course the pace was fast again, but it was no Goblet of Fire, thank god. So we had time for all the the lingering shots of the breathtaking views in the coast and in the woods (I want to go to England. Oh and I freaked out, very subtly though, when they were in London and I saw one of those Best of Britain bears, from the shops where they sell souveniers, and I was like "I've hugged one of those!", and then they said they were on Shaftesbury Avenue and I was like "That's where I went to see the James McAvoy play!", so now I want to go to London too, again... Anyway.).

Also, it was great that there was time for the main trio to actually interact and their relationships to develop a bit. And I loooooooved that little dance scene. And how it fit there so unexpectedly well. Aww. And Godric's Hollow was beautiful. And pretty creepy! I hope I the poor kids won't have nightmares. Oh and I loved that the story of the Deathly Hallows had been animated! Quite clever.

 

Even though they didn't leave as much out as usually, there was still something I was left missing. Most of all, the farewells to the Dursleys. I know they're idiots, but I love that scene in the book. It's a perfect closure for the horrible relationship Harry had to his horrible relatives. And Dudley gets to redeem himself a bit. That I missed the most. Also I hope there'll be more Dumbledore in the last film. However, most of my favourite scenes were there. The funniest bit was the seven Harrys. I can just imagine how fun that scene was to shoot. The last stand of Hedwig caused a little lump on my throat and I was thrilled to see Dobby again. I was very much looking forward to seeing Ron's comeback and him destroying the horcrux, and it was very well made. Creepy. Very 'the-eye-of-Sauron-talking-to-Frodo-through-the-Ring'-like. And Rupert Grint was great. Oh do I get to talk about Rupert Grint now? Yay!

Ron has established his position as my favourite a long time ago (Weasley is my king!), and Rupert Grint always manages to capture the essence of him. He's one of the few characters that in the films correspond with my own mental images pretty much perfectly. (Bellatrix is another one of those. And Snape, maybe.) I always enjoy his sarcastic comments and awkward facial expressions that lighten up the mood, but the gloomy, angry Ronald was awesome, too. All the other actors did a good job, too. Emma Watson didn't act with her eyebrows as much as before, or at least I didn't notice them enough to be annoyed. And that torture scene killed me a bit. Daniel Radcliffe is also becoming more and more natural. And of course I've had a soft spot for him since I saw him in Extras.

There has always been loads of awesome British actors doing minor roles in the Potter films. It's almost distracting if you start thinking about it... All the other films they've worked together in and all the other awesome roles. Once in a while I couldn't stop my mind from wandering, and thus I kept expecting Rufus Scrimceour to start singing "I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes" and Voldemort to smash a phone against a table and yell "YOU'RE an inanimate fucking object!". They didn't, though. Shame.

The downside of the split book turned out to be that I kept glancing at my watch and thinking "oh hurry up, will you, you still have loads of chapters to go". And most importantly, as there was no real ending, the film failed to give me the certain sense of satisfaction - instead there's a bit frustration, because you know you have to start waiting again and there're long six months ahead before we get the closure. But I'm 99,99 % sure it'll be worth it. It can't be nothing less than FREAKING EPIC.

 Also, since it's been a few years since I last read the books, I've hereby decided that as soon as I manage to finally tackle the last chapters of The Return of the King, I sit down, grap The Philosopher's Stone and won't get up before "all is well". Though I might take a nap somewhere after the fourth book...  Anyway. I had almost forgotten how much I love that world and those characters. And it would be a crime to actually let that happen.

P.S. What was the translation of the 'saint-like' joke about? I mean, the book's translation is not worth mentioning, either, but Van Gogh? Seriously??

P.P.S. This post is horribly incoherent and clumsy. Sorry.

"The Elder Wand, the most powerful wand ever made. The Resurrection Stone. The Cloak of Invisibility. Together, they make the Deathly Hallows. Together, they make one master of death."

An invitation: PLEASE come and GLEEK OUT with me!

I'm currently suffering from some, er, post-Pre-Christmas-party-related symptoms. (Should I get out of bead today? Nah. Should I eat today? Something other than crisps? Nah.) Luckily, I have just the right medication: a new episode of Glee! Which bring us very nicely to the actual point of the post.

I created another blog, because recently I've been falling  more and more in love with Glee and I thought I could canalise that love into something concrete. So, a new blog it is! We'll see if it begins to get wind beneath its wings. If no, I can always just get rid of it and pretend the whole thing never happened! Haha.

So. Please Gleek Out! Do check it out, I'd be more than pleased!


P.S. The Deathly Hallows tomorrow!! Judging by all the reviews I've read from other blogs, it will be quite a ride - with a few bumps. Anyhow, can't freaking wait!

Welcoming back a dear friend...

(...And I'm not talking about hangover. Damn, mistä näitä bileitä oikein tulee...?)

It's back! Glee's baaaaaaaack! Hurray! I missed these guys so much and am more than happy that we're back in business. I think season two will be A W E S O M E. (Can't wait for next week and the Britney Spears episode!) In addition to the old favourite characters - like Sue (who's just ruder and more obnoxious than ever and I love it) and Kurt ("So is that a men's sweater...?" "Fashion has no gender." Aw, Kurt, my man...) - there are a bunch of new characters, and I feel unprecedentedly good about them!

First, there's the new football coach, Miss Beiste. There will be some great moments between her and Sue, I'm sure... Sunshine is an exchange student, a little girl with a huge voice. I liked her a lot and hopefully we'll still see a lot of her. Last but not least, there's a new guy, Sam, played by this dude called Chord Overstreet. He's somehow incredibly sweet and adorable and I'm not very secretly hoping he'll be Kurt's new love interest this season. I could totally see that happening and I'm already melting just thinking about it. We'll see, I know I'm not the only one with these thoughts... Also, there was this very funny and random and weird moment regarding Chord's mouth.

"Dude, your mouth is huge. How many tennis balls can you fit in there?"

"I don't know, I've never had any balls in my mouth. Have you?"

...Hahahahaha. No but really, it IS huge, it was the first thing a noticed about him. Damn, just look at those lips!

(One more thing. Someone mentioned this, and now I can't get rid of the thought. Wouldn't he just be the most awesome Peeta? Now, Chordie my lad, stop growing up so that they can cast you to the Hunger Games movie. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have found my Peeta!)

PS. If you yet haven't checked out the new Deathly Hallows trailer, do it now! Novermber can't be here too soon. Hello, goosebumps...

A poster just gave me goosebumbs.

Super cool. That's all.

The Deathly Hallows hype begins... now!

Looks pretty good. Just saying. But I really am looking forward to this a lot. Deathly Hallows is my favourite book (not only of the series, but maybe... favourite book ever? Hmm. Maybe.) and now that they cut it in two, it might have a chance to actually be very very good. And anyway, I always enjoy a Potter film, even they weren't that good. And they usually aren't, haha. But the expectations are high for this one, even though I think the trailer could've been better. It's better than the first one, though. But the pissed off Ron is ah! Sorry, I have a thing for that fellow.

Ps. Watched the season finale of Glee and aww, it was sweeeeeet and man I will miss that show. I don't know when it's comming back, but apparently not this year. I'd almost forgotten what it is like to wait for a new season of a good show. Not nice, but at least I have one good show to wait for... I'm still searching for something to replace Lost. Well, nothing ever will, really. (Insert a theatrical sigh here.)

Pps. Got over my Boy A angst. For now.

London in films: My Top 5 Favourites

In Robin Hood they made a quick stop at the medieval London (too quick, for me!). That's what gave me the idea for this list. London is the setting for numerous movies, and I'll give you five of my favourite portrayals of the city that stole a part of my heart many years ago. (Alright, only four, to be exact...)

I haven't had a chance to travel as much as I'd prefer, but of the places I've visited so far, London is no doubt the number one. I might be biased, as I lived an hour from London for seven months, and have also visited the place before and after that, but I can't get enough of it! I could babble about London all day, but let's move on to the list.

5. Children of Men (2006)

In 2027, no child has been born in 18 years, and alongside of the rest of the world, London is in chaos. Future in films in always somehow pessimistic - usually the world is coming to its end or the machines have taken over. Or both. London in Children of Men is both fascinating and scary. At first glance it might seem like the normal, modern London, but then you notice the full garbage bags and general dirtiness, the gloomy expressions on everyone's faces and well, the exploding cafés.

I sure hope this is not what London will look like in 17 years. Let's keep making babies, shall we!


4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Harry Potters are my favourite books, but the films are a bit... meh. I like The Half-Blood Prince the most so far (I've got quite big expectations towards The Deathly Hallows... Better not disappoint me!), partly because they showed more of London than before! And what's more, it wasn't Hogwarts and Diagon Alley that looked alien and weird, but Trafalqar Square and the office buildings the subway did - maybe because I'm not used to seeing so normal things in a Potter film. I loooooved the run-through of London in the beginning. ("Ooh, I've been there! There I sat drinking that delicious 600-calories-only Frappuccino from Starbucks! That's where we took those dumb pictures!")

And the subway scene... They made it look quite dream-like and the contrast between Dumbledore and a perfume advert is just great. And yet there's one thing they share: magic.

3. Sweeney Todd: The Devil Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

There's a hole in the world like a great black pit and it's filled with people who are filled with shit and the vermin of the world inhabit it... And it goes by the name of London, according to Mr. Sweeney Todd, previously known as Benjamin Parker, who isn't exactly in love with his hometown.

I've only driven past the shady alley on Fleet Street, where the the infamous barber supposingly practiced his noble profession, but I was a little disappointed, because it looked so... ordinary. London in Sweeney Todd is wonderfully Burton-y. It's dark and gothic and gloomy - fitting perfectly in the story of Sweeney. I guess that's what I expected to see on Fleet Street.

Plus one picture of Brighton, Burton style! Mrs. Lovett dreams about a better tomorrow by the sea, and it looks terrifically out of place! One of my favourite music sequences...

2. A Hard Day's Night (1964)

This one is a bit different from the others on the list, because there are no evil barbers or wizards in this London (not that I know of, at least). It is just London in the 60s. I had to take this on my list, because I love this film and if someone invented time travel, this is where I'd go first: in the middle of the craziest Beatlesmania!

That's all.

(I'm planning a re-watch some day now, so I save my praise for that post.)


1. Sherlock Holmes (2009)

I had to make this number one, because the movie is just fantastic. And London looked so charming, really! It wasn't über dark like in Sweeney, but realistically grim, like a place where you don't want to walk alone after dark. The horses and the carriages and the CLOTHES, accompanied by Hans Zimmer's BRILLIANT music, and there you go, that's the number one.

I also liked how they used London's famous landmarks, especially the unfinnished Tower Bridge was just splendid!

(And I refuse to think RDJ had anything to do with this choice. No no no. My subconscious is not like that. No no.)

There. Other nominees for the list were 28 Days Later, Shakespeare in Love, The Prestige and so on. Better luck next time!

Finally, a honorable mention for those films portraying the normal, modern London, just the way it is - Love Actually, About A Boy, Notting Hill, to mention a few. (Oh and mustn't forget the ever so awesome Spice World! GIRL POWER FOREVER!!!) This is the London I fell in love with, and that's the way I like it the most - without global catastrophes, zombies, death eaters and gothic serial killers. Wouldn't mind a Sherlock Holmes, though...

Here's a few more pictures.

I basically had to eat my hands off to stop myself from adding twenty more. Now, let's go enjoy the sunshine! This took me longer than I expected, where has the day gone...


(The four pictures of "real" London taken by me.)