Are we sick of Harry Potter yet? The resounding consensus says, “No.” In fact, with the final movie just ten days away and with the announcement of Pottermore–both exciting and depressing in that it didn’t announce a new installment of the Potter saga–many of us are feeling a wee bit melancholy. Perhaps you’re even drowning your sorrows in a bowl of Chiddingly Hot Pot from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook?
If you are, you aren’t alone, and sometimes I have to stop and wonder why.
I got a hint at the answer from my daughter last week. She turned eleven. As she sat among the chocolate cake crumbs, musical birthday cards, and beautiful presents, I asked how she felt. “Well,” she said. “To tell you the truth. Now that I’m eleven and all. I was kind of hoping for a letter from Hogwarts.”
She’s no dummy. She knows Harry Potter is fiction. Yet there is still that glimmer of hope that maybe, somewhere out there, it’s real. I know I’ve fostered the same hope from time to time, tried “Accio matching sock!” during a laundry-folding sessions, and even wished to disapparate out of a few cocktail parties. The fact is, as you read the books, you are taken into a world that, for all its fantasy, feels incredibly real. Perhaps that’s why Harry and Dumbledore’s final exchange in King’s Crossing gives me such comfort:
“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry’s ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
I’m always a little sad to see summer come to an end. I love the time outdoors, the sunshine, the family getaways, and of course, beach reads and big summer movies! There is a little chill in the morning air right now, the kids are back and school and I find that my reading habits, as well as my movie-going habits are starting to shift. Instead of reading Charlaine Harris’ latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, I’m (again) reading Jared Diamond’s “Guns, Germs and Steal: The Fates of Human Societies.” Instead of watching “Iron Man 2″ in the local cineplex, I’ve been watching fantastic films destined for Oscar nominations, like: “Black Swan,” “127 Hours,” “Get Low,” “Never Let Me Go” and “Conviction.”
Here is a look at some noteworthy upcoming film releases, all based on great books:
I have to admit, when I first heard that this John Wayne classic film was being remade, I was completely and utterly against the idea. I am one of those film purists that believe some films simply shouldn’t be remade. Then came the next part, the part that changed my mind. The incredibly talented Coen Brothers would helm the remake, and had brought on board Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. All I can say is that if remake ever stood a chance of being worth a damn, this one solidly has everything it needs on front end to make that happen. Unfortunately, there is no trailer to show you, but here’s a publicity shot from this Christmas release.
Based on the young-adult novel by Ned Vizzini, the film stars Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts,
Aasif Mandvi, Lauren Graham, and Viola Davis. What’s a 16-year-old boy doing playing music and table tennis with adult psychiatric patients – on a school day? It’s kind of a funny story…It’s @5:00 A.M. on a Sunday in Brooklyn. Craig Gilner (played by Keir Gilchrist of United States of Tara) is bicycling up to the entrance of a mental health clinic; this bright 16-year-old is stressed out from the demands of being a teenager. Before his parents (Lauren Graham [of Parenthood] and Jim Gaffigan [of Away We Go]) and younger sister are even awake, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital and is admitted by a psychiatrist. But the youth ward is temporarily closed – so he finds himself stuck in the adult ward. One of the patients, Bobby (Zach Galifianakis of The Hangover), soon becomes both Craig’s mentor and protégé. Craig is also quickly drawn to another 16-year-old displaced to the adult ward, the sensitive Noelle (Emma Roberts), who just might make him forget his longtime unrequited crush Nia (Zoë Kravitz of the upcoming Mad Max). With a minimum five days’ stay imposed on him by the adult ward’s staff psychiatrist Dr. Eden Minerva (Academy Award nominee Viola Davis), Craig is sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside as he learns more about life, love, and the pressures of growing up.
Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl in Kick-Ass) stars as Abby, a mysterious 12-year-old who moves next door to Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road), a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school. In his loneliness, Owen forms a profound bond with his new neighbor, but he can’t help noticing that Abby is like no one he has ever met before. As a string of grisly murders grips his wintry New Mexico town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl is actually a savage vampire. Don’t confuse this book, or the film as a straight out horror story. There are much deeper themes running through both, about innocence, the horrors of childhood and love.
Let Me In is based on the haunting and provocative Swedish book Låt den Rätte Komma In (Let The Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and the highly-acclaimed Swedish film of the same name. The film stars Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass), Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road), Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Elias Koteas (Shutter Island) and Cara Buono (“The Sopranos”) and will be released by legendary British horror brand Hammer Films.
I am interested to hear what end of the year films you are most looking forward to seeing. Is it “Harry Potter,” “True Grit,” “or something else? What books are on your must read list for Fall and Winter? Leave me a comment…love to hear your thoughts!
Have you ever seen a movie that was filmed on location, where the location was so much a character in the story that you just knew you had to visit there? Or, maybe you’ve read a book set in an exotic destination that is so expertly described that you’d like to be transported there on the spot?
For example, Anne Rice so poetically describes New Orleans that it’s hard not to go there and expect to see her vampire Lestat leading one of the nightly ghost tours. Jim Butcher makes a gritty city like Chicago seem like the most interesting place on the planet, especially when wizard Harry Dresden is your guide. Candace Bushnell makes New York seem like more than a city – it’s one of your best friends.
As a fan of J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter books, I think a trip to England would be a delight. Even though I’m a Muggle, I sure would like to have a tour of Harry Potter’s London and surrounding areas. I can’t believe that London hasn’t been crossed off of my travel bucket list yet, but I look forward to standing on Platform 9 3/4 (there’s actually a plaque in King’s Cross Station that denotes it), where I will imagine the Hogwarts express pulling into the station. Then, I’ll hire a car (because they won’t let non-wizards through the barrier to board the train) to take me to Oxford University and Gloucester Cathedral, where the scenes at Hogwarts were filmed for the movie versions of the book. I’ll head over to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer, which is actually Goathland, a village in Yorkshire.
Maybe Harry Potter books aren’t your cup of tea. Perhaps you are more drawn to books like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, and the movies that followed. A trip to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Square takes on a whole new meaning when you’re looking for statues of Angels to lead you to the Illuminati, just as Professor Robert Langdon did. There are several “official” and “unofficial” tours to be found in Rome for fans of the series, but either way, you’ll see some of Rome’s top sites while guides read passages from the books to remind you of their literary significance, as well as their historical significance.
Do you have a literary journey you’d like to take?
Are we sick of Harry Potter yet? The resounding consensus says, “No.” In fact, with the final movie just ten days away and with the announcement of Pottermore–both exciting and depressing in that it didn’t announce a new installment of the Potter saga–many of us are feeling a wee bit melancholy. Perhaps you’re even drowning your sorrows in a bowl of Chiddingly Hot Pot from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook?
LET ME IN