Harry Potter Marathon...

I had the day off so finished up the Harry Potter series of DVDs...and ...The Deathly Hallows duo caught me up almost as much as The Prisoner of Azkaban. Not so much because of the director but because the producers were wise enough to break the last book into 2 parts -- I know, they only did it to make more money, but it was a smart decision for the story, too. It gave the characters time to breathe and grow and feel...and to me, that made the final hour of the series breathtakingly heartbreaking instead of rushed through.

I worked out most of the plot twists without having read the books or knowing all that much about them, but one took me completely by surprise and I wonder if it was intended. It comes in a throwaway line that goes by so quickly, I wasn't sure I heard it right. But then events strongly suggested I'm right. I may be the only person reading anything into that line...but it worked so perfectly for me, I just know it's right.

It was fascinating watching the growth of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Gint as actors, too. Emma Watson started out as the best of the group, but she got equalled by Rupert and surpassed by Daniel, to my surprise. No, I shouldn't say that; I saw Daniel in The Woman in Black, and he was good in that. Plus anyone who takes on Alan Strang in Equus, on-stage no less, deserves respect. I saw a road show of the play in San Antonio and it was intense.

So in order of like --

HP3
HP8
HP7
HP6
HP4
HP5
HP2
HP1
And a special hat-tip to Matthew Lewis (AKA: Neville Longbottom) for winding up so dashing.

As the saying goes -- some people hit puberty, this guy beat the hell out of it.