I went for the obligatory second viewing of Chamber of Secrets yesterday - it would have been earlier, but it's been consistently sold out on all 3 screens it's showing on in Oxford up to now. Not much to add to my earlier thoughts, but here goes:
- First time around, I felt it was a little bit slow in the middle, but I didn't get that this time around.
- Emma Watson in particular is very good. (/me tries desperately to avoid going to the Bad Place).
- The ending: Ho hum. For me it seems a bit off - unless They Know Something We Don't Know (but is widely suspected) about book 5 (see also below).
- Chris Columbus is SO an H/Hr shipper. Interaction between those two seemed to be overdone at pretty much every opportunity.
- Tom Riddle's exposition during and after the basilisk fight - definitely overdone.
- I liked the late Richard Harris much better than in PS, but I'm sorry to say that I still don't see him as "irreplaceable". As for the suggested replacements, Christopher Lee just wouldn't work for me, and Ian McKellen is just too Gandalf at the moment. I cast my vote for Anthony Stewart Head.
- While Lucius' Avada ... before Dobby stops him is a nice touch in some ways, I really can't see him being stupid enough to use an Unforgivable Curse on the Boy Who Lived at Hogwarts...
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is the sequel to one of the best selling computer games of all time, bringing to your screen more murder and mayhem than ever before. It continues the worthy trend of unnecessary violence, gratuitous carjacking, constant slaughter of innocent bystanders and destruction of property. We love it. Even more side missions means there's plenty to do, and the 80s setting means there's plenty of familiar tunes on the many in-game radio stations. Thoroughly deplorable fun.
A quick comment on
madlori's 12,000+ word "cookie" A Theory of Letters, a future story from her Paradigm of Uncertainty universe. Highly recommended (unless you can't stomach H/Hr) - left me with a warm fuzzy feeling and a barely staved off bout of depression.This will be my last posting from the current incarnation of zorac, my trusty PC. Having put it off for almost 2 years, I've finally given in to the temptation to upgrade. New mobo, CPU, memory and HD should be arriving tomorrow. I've even (reluctantly, I admit) sent a contribution to the Beast of Redmond. All being well, I should be back online by this time tomorrow, but if you hear a loud stream of curses emenating from Oxford...
That's all for now. I'm off to watch LotR with one of the four commentary tracks, probably PJ et al.
