At the movies

As promised, here is a list of the Summer 2008 movies I’m most looking forward to seeing.

Realize that I’ll probably actually get to see very few of these, and those I do see will likely be on DVD, VOD or regular old TV. Heck, I still haven’t seen all of the movies from last year that I wanted to see!

Anyway, here we go…

“Iron Man” (May 2) – I’ve written a lot about this movie already here on the blog. As I’ve said before, in my comic book collecting days I was never a big Iron Man fan per se. But I was a huge Marvel Comics fan, and Iron Man is a major player in the Marvel Universe. It looks like they’ve done a great job with this movie and I’m very anxious to see it.

“Speed Racer” (May 9) – I wasn’t a huge fan of the cartoon, but I do remember watching it a few times as a youngster and I appreciate it for it’s pop culture status and the role it played in introducing Japanese anime to the United States. Plus, it looks cool and the kids are dying to see it. I’m pleased to see Hollywood actually releasing a live action PG movie that it looks like kids and adults can both enjoy. As a parent, I’m still peeved that “Transformers” was PG-13.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (May 22) – ‘Nuff said. This one is the big enchilada. My must-see movie event of the year (or should that be decade?).

“The Incredible Hulk” (June 13) – Up until recently, there hasn’t been nearly as much written about this movie compared to “Iron Man” and I don’t think I’ve even mentioned it here yet. There was a trailer released a few weeks ago and I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Parts of it seemed good, but the CGI looked a little goofy. But there is a lot about this movie that I find intriguing – mainly the notion of it essentially being a “do-over” after 2003’s disappointing “Hulk” movie. And as mentioned, I’m a Marvel fan so it’s my duty to want to see any Marvel movie.

“Get Smart” (June 20) – I loved the old TV show. The new movie has a great cast (Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, The Rock). Let’s hope they don’t screw it up.

“Wall-E” (June 27) – I’ve never seen a Pixar movie I didn’t like. They’re always fun for the whole family.

“The Dark Knight” (July 18) – I didn’t see “Batman Begins” until long after it was released on DVD, but I thought it was fantastic. I’m a Tim Burton fan, but this was better than his take on Batman. It’s become one of those movies I have to stop and watch whenever I stumble upon it while flipping channels. I can’t wait to see the next installment.

“The X-Files: I Want to Believe” (July 25) – I’m not sure if they can pull it off, but I hope this movie is great if only so it can erase the bad taste the last episode (make that the last several episodes) left in my mouth.

Looking a little further down the road, here are some movies from later in 2008 that are also on my want to see list…

“Quantum of Solace” (Nov. 7) – See what I wrote above for “The Dark Knight” and substitute “James Bond” for “Batman.” I actually enojyed the Pierce Brosnan movies for the most part, but there is no disputing “Casino Royale” was the best Bond flick in ages.


“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Nov. 21) – We just got around to watching “Order of the Phoenix” last week, which was decent, although not my favorite Harry Potter movie. “Half-Blood Prince” was one of the most important books in the series, but arguably had the least action. Still, I’m really anxious to see how it translates to the screen.

Potter Puppet Pals

I stumbled across this on the Internets and thought it was just too silly not to post here...

This and that

There’s been a lot going on lately that’s been blogworthy, but I just haven’t had the time to get to it all here…

• Kris and the kids are keeping quite busy this week with Vacation Bible School. Everyone seems to be enjoying it.
• We visited Kris’ parents last weekend. Grandma had redecorated the room the boys usually stay in. The décor includes some of their favorites: the Yankees, Spider-Man and SpongeBob SquarePants. They loved it.
• Along the way we made stops in Schroon Lake and Ticonderoga to complete our collection of commemorative Adirondack pins. Unfortunately, the Ticonderoga Chamber of Commerce was closed when we stopped by. So that’s the only pin we’re missing in the set.
• I finished “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in about a week. Kris is reading it now. I loved it and was very satisfied with the ending. There’s lots I could say about it, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone still looking forward to reading it.
• I’ve discovered a great new show – the BBC drama “Jekyll.” Joe Video has been telling for a while to check this out. It’s written by the same guy who has penned some of the best of the new “Doctor Who” episodes. I believe it recently started running on BBC America. I don’t get that channel. So I had to find it on the Internets. However you find it, it’s worth checking out. Here's a trailer.
  

The Deathly Spoilers

I'm about one-third of the way through "Deathly Hallows," which is why I thought this was funny...

Final Harry Potter Book Blasted For Containing Spoilers

NEW YORK—Harry Potter fans throughout the world were shocked, disappointed, and outraged to learn last week that J.K. Rowling's 750-page...

Picking up on 'Potter' clues

I need to start brushing up on my Harry Potter knowledge as we get closer to the release of "The Deahtly Hallows."

One of the best places for all things Potter is The Harry Potter Lexicon. This great online reference guide indexes evrey person, place and thing mentioned in the books -- no matter how seemingly trivial.

I bring this up because an article on Ain't It Cool News about the upcoming "Order of the Phoenix" movie included this juicy tidbit...

In the original draft of the screenplay for ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, they had decided to remove a character from the story. Rowling read over the screenplay and said “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” that they were free to do whatever they liked, of course, but “if you make a 7th movie you’ll have tied your hands.”

No mention of which character J.K. Rowling was talking about. The filmakers are keeping that a secret.

The first one I thought of was Hagrid's half-brother Grawp. But who knows? Maybe Harry's old babysitter, Mrs. Figg? Feel free to post your own theories...

Potter 7 cover art

This is probably old news, but I stumbled across this for the first time today. It looks like this is the cover art for the final Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deatly Hallows."

HP7, as it's also knonwn, is set for release on July 21.

This promises to be the "Summer of Potter." First the next movie in the series comes out in June (I think) and then this book hits. The book will likely become the second biggest seller of all time after the Bible.

UPDATE: It turns out the cover was unveiled today and it was just coincidence that I saw it the same day on Amazon while looking something else up. Here's a hi-res version that includes the wrap-around back cover, which show what appears to be Voldemort.

The title of the final Potter book is...

..."Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

If you go to J.K. Rowling's site and click on an elaborate series images, you'll eventually get to a hangman game that reveals the title.

Or can just read this Associated Press article like I did.

Still no word on a release date, but it's expected sometime in 2007.

Countdown to Potter 7

We probably have about a year to go until the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter book series. No official release date has been announced, but if author J.K. Rowling and the publishers stick to the pattern the book will probably hit store shelves during summer 2007.

In the meantime, here’s a little bit of Potter news to hold you over. In a recent interview, Rowling admitted that two more characters will be killed off.

Supposedly, she wrote the final chapter of Book 7 years ago—around the time she wrote her first story and decided it would be a seven-book series.

"The final chapter is hidden away, although it's now changed very slightly," she said in an interview broadcast on Monday on Britain's Channel 4. "One character got a reprieve, but I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die."

Although she gives no hints as to which characters will meet their demise, she does discuss what makes killing off the main character of a popular book series appealing for an author.