July 15, 2009

Today I was on a mission to see the new Harry Potter movie. It is a film series I have had increasing interest in ever since I kinda sorta dated this girl who was obsessed with them, and since I read the entire series of books (except the last one) for myself.

Since I didn't go to the midnight showing last night, I went to the first available showing today, at 10:o0 this morning. It was the first thing I did after waking up. I didn't even eat breakfast until after I bought my ticket. On my way to the movie theater, I came up with the novel idea to try and see more than one movie if I could get away with it. There were two other movies in the theater I really wanted to see, and if I could get away with paying for only one ticket before I had to go to work, then that would really be grand.

I watched the previews while eating my bagel, egg, and cheese sandwich and drinking my iced coffee, that I legitimately brought into the theater without even being questioned. They showed a preview for Sherlock Holmes, due out in 2010, which really excited me. I was so disappointed in the first few trailers they showed, because they included what promised to be horribly revolting movies only designed to perpetuate the downfall of human intelligence, but when I saw the preview for Sherlock Holmes, everything seemed to be ok. Then Harry Potter came on.

This was the first time in the series when I had read the book prior to seeing the movie, and as a result, I think I, of course, had a major let down. Though the movie stretched to two and a half hours long, there didn't seem to be much to it. Granted, I knew everything that was going to happen, but it just seemed to me that the acting was weaker in this movie than in the others, like they were just going through the motions of making a Harry Potter film. They all follow the same formula, and this one was no different, but it left me dissatisfied, like I missed something. I guess the idea is to whet my appetite for the final installment of the series, which I still need to read, and will most likely get to once I finish reading Tom Sawyer. Nonetheless, I could have used a little more magic in the movie today.

After Harry Potter was over, I wandered around the theater to see what else was playing. I caught the last ten minutes of Bruno, which was another movie I desperately wanted to see, having laughed from beginning to end of Borat, which came out in 2006. The last ten minutes was entertaining, but not as funny as I hoped the movie in its entirety to be. I have faith, in Sasha Baron Cohen, though, and I will go back to see the movie from the beginning when I get a chance. But it wasn't in the cards for today.

I did manage to sneak into a screening of Public Enemies, Michael Mann's latest biopic about John Dillinger, as portrayed by none other than Johnny Depp. That movie was great. I was sucked in, right to the end, and as the clock was ticking closer to my start time at work, I couldn't peel myself away without seeing the end of the movie. Fortunately for me, it came just in time, and I was able to take in the entire work of art, before returning to my reality of waiting tables.

Ah, what it must be like to spend your life in the movies. I'm still waiting for that opportunity.

Work was pretty boring at first, but then it picked up. It got steady and we had open mic night in the basement, and we made some decent money. But then my boss made us stay extra late to clean up the place, which is why I'm writing at this hour.

But anyway, I'm back home now, and tomorrow I'm helping my friend move, so I need to save some energy, so I am turning in.