Lanning : ) (binky013)

Update: 12/21/09: Wow, talk about some serious rewriting. But after the first five installments, this should come as no surprise. My biggest problem still remains, however. To harp on it one more time, the death of Richard Harris after CoS was the biggest blow to the whole HP enterprise. Gambon is but the palest of substitutes. They really needed to search around more for a replacement of the same caliber. Peter O'Toole, perhaps.

It is still a great joy to see these actors grow up in their roles. That is the best thing about the HP enterprise. End update.

Now that they all know how the series ends, it will be interesting to see if that knowledge colors the actors' performances. These last two should be the two best. I can hardly "effing" wait -- to roughly quote Ron Weasley. That and JKR's use of the word "bitch" in DH were unexpected and very pleasant surprises. Now we're talking the intersection of the wizarding world and the muggle world. Do wizards curse? Well, yes in the sense of curses, charms and spells, but what I should ask is: Do wizards swear? Why of course they do : )

While I did not think about putting this on my "Movies I can't finish watching" list, I have to say it came close. It came very close when the whole stereotyping issue with Middle-Eastern plane passengers surfaced, but the problem is that I like Foster a lot, and I'm always hoping that she can pull even the weakest movie back from the abyss. And to a certain extent she did do this, providing an acting intensity that helped overcome what really is a pretty flimsy plot.

Sarsgaard is always a waste of space, so I was hoping Bean would have the larger part. No such luck. Foster was fighting both a lousy plot and Sarsgaard's dead weight, and I must say she didn't get much help from the hardly seen, very wooden Sean Bean.

Unless you really really really love to see Jodie Foster, you should probably save yourself the time and energy of watching this one.

Oh good. For a moment there I thought we were in trouble.

Famous last words from Robert LeRoy Parker (aka Butch Cassidy) right before that amazing run out the door. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are one of the unbeatable male pairs in movies. If you've not seen this one, but saw The Sting and liked their work together, you must see this movie. A good job done by Katherine Ross as well.

Man, do I hope they do a few more together before they call it quits.

11/14/06 update: Just watched this again. One of the aspects that really grabbed me this time, even though I've seen this so many times, is the way you believe, right up to the end, that Newman and Redford might actually get out of this . . . and go to Australia. Beautifully done. I'll say it again: Hope they do one or two more together . . . for the ages.

If I loved you
Time and again I would try to say
All I'd want you to know.
If I loved you
Words wouldn't come in an easy way
Round in circles I'd go.
Longin' to tell you, but afraid and shy
I'd let my golden chances pass me by.
Soon you'd leave me
Off you would go in the mist of day
Never, never to know
How I loved you . . .
If I loved you.

One of the greatest love songs to come out of musical theater. Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones: A Hollywood musical match made in heaven. I wonder if Jones might have broken a few hearts in high school . . .

Carousel's story is different from most Hollywood musicals in several ways, the most significant of which is that true love is won right at the beginning, then is tragically squandered by Billy Bigelow, although not ultimately lost. Besides such memorable numbers as the "Carousel Waltz" theme itself and "You'll Never Walk Alone"--the ultiimate graduation song--, one of my all-time favorites is "When (the) Children Are Asleep," the beautiful duet, shared by Carrie and Mr. Snow on the way to the clambake, in which they dream of their married future together:

When the children are asleep we'll sit and dream
The things that every other dad and mother dream.
When the children are asleep and lights are low
If I still love you the way I love you today
You'll pardon my sayin' I told you so.
When the children are asleep, I'll dream with you.
We'll think what fun we have had and be glad that it all came true.