Harry Potter, Daily View 11/21

Ok, so on a whim my friend and I went to see a midnight show of the new Harry Potter movie on opening night. This was not a camp-out-get-tickets-a-week-early-thrill-like-a-damp-thirteen-year-old type situation, this was more like we had nothing better to do and both were interested (honestly, I had fully intended on avoiding the film in New York entirely and seeing it during the turkey holiday in the midwest, where ticket prices and theatregoers tend to be more benign). But there we were, in a packed house full of teenagers—lots of ratty emo boys in packs... passive girlfriends with shining eyes dragging their twitchy, awkwardly athletic boyfriends towards the good seats... young bookish types with hip frames and stripey scarves.. etc. Between the lot of them, they made a fuck of a lot of noise. Oh well.

I have to say, watching the movie was a bit like a drug trip. Puberty... what an odd thing, and what unexpected and giggly subtext it creates. During a tense moment between Harry and Ron, someone down front cried, "KISS!"... and, to be honest, I wouldn't have blinked if Harry and Ron had indeed embraced (though things were hardly in Frodo and Sam territory... come to think of it, someone cried "KISS!" during LOTR too... haha). Meanwhile, poor Hermione didn't have enough to do—Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are clearly going to have to make out at some point and that is clearly going to be extremely uncomfortable for both of them.

Ralph Fiennes was good stuff, of course, though why he had no nose is a mystery to me. He has said in interviews he was doing "lizard meets Hitler"... sure, works for me. I'm just glad he's around. Mmmm, Ralph.

But meanwhile, the teens were a bit outta control. The asshole behind us had clearly never cracked a book in his life (Potter or otherwise) and had to keep grunting monosyllables at his simpering girlfriend asking for explanation or making homophobic cracks. One of his unfortunate friends would periodically yell out stuff like, "Pimp it, nigga!"... which, given the relatively whitebread world of Hogwarts and the extremely un-pimp (non)acting style of Dan Radcliffe, was just stupid.

Fuck. I'm blogging about Harry Potter. This must end now.

Seen today online:

• Am marginally interested in this cable winder, though I am trying to stop buying plastic crap with faces (because, you know, that makes me more mature... sheesh)


• Slate has a slideshow on the late, great Calvin & Hobbes comic.


• People keep asking me wtf emo means. In future I'm just going to send them to Wikipedia and tell them to piss off.


• Uncharacteristic political commentary: How the hell is George W. the first president to go to Mongolia?? All the others couldn't be bothered? If I were president (hahahahaha) my ass would be all sorts of global.


• Monster Scope!! Yes, telescopes are cool but really I just wanted to say MONSTER SCOPE WILL DELVE DEEPER THAN EVER BEFORE, etc.


• See, it wasn't just me—good old Defamer has the obligatory blurb on Potter sexual preferences: "the unexpected subplot involving Harry and Ron Weasley’s classic English schoolboy explorations were just as touching. We would never dream of printing a spoiler about that tender, poignant moment of awakening, but suffice it to say that come Oscar time, Jake and Heath won’t be the only onscreen couple buzzed about." Aww...


• Another Defamer moment: glad to see my old classmate Nelly likes a bit of charity with his strippers. Gotta credit the U. City upbringing, baby. Woo.