All the links in the old tags are broken -- anybody have the complete soundtrack for the motion picture "The Social Network?" Thank you so much!

So, I was watching The Dark Knight tonight…I came in at the part where Rachel and Harvey were talking to each other while being held captive at those different spots as bait (which is, ironically, the part where we stopped when we watched it in my Digital Media class.) And we watched it all the way until the end. And I kept thinking…this movie would have been a fantastic, and I mean a fantastic way to end the Batman series.

First of all, the story of Batman (and, in my opinion, something that makes him way more interesting to watch than some of the other countless superhero movies coming out lately) is that he is not a hero. He’s a vigilante, a scapegoat, and, as is mentioned in the movie, “whatever Gotham needs him to be.” And at the end of The Dark Knight, he is needed as the villain while Harvey is left as the cherished “white knight” of the city, a victim of the Joker.

It would have been such a poignant and perfect ending to the Batman series that I can’t even stand it. First, Batman would have been no longer. It is said that he went on to be chased and hunted down as the villain that Gotham needed him to be - someone to direct anger at as opposed to the dangerous and immovable Joker. Second, both Rachel and Harvey would be dead. This would leave no reason for Batman to come back for Rachel, and the death of Harvey meant that Gotham would have a symbol of hope to aspire to live up to - meaning that there was a ray of hope in Gotham’s future. (On top of that, Lucius had already said he was leaving Wayne Enterprises, so there was no need for him anymore.) Third, the Joker was not killed. Those last lines he has? Those lines are absolutely brilliant, and almost twice as poignant when Ledger’s death is taken into account. “I think we are destined to do this forever.” It would have been a great metaphor for the fact that sometimes you can’t just get rid of evil - it will always be there, it will be unstoppable - and aspiring to become better people is the only way to beat it (as the people on the ferries did when they refused to blow each other up.)

It would have left every subplot tied up, and it would have given one of those “on-going story” feels to the end. It would have been the most brilliant and poignant ending to the Batman story that could ever hope to be achieved, on so many levels, not least of which maybe in tribute to Heath Ledger’s memory, as Heath has died, but the character of the Joker (and, as such, Ledger’s mind boggling portrayal of him) will continue to live on forever.

But, of course, we know it’s not going to be the end - they’ve already announced the next one, something about the Penguin? I’m sorry, but not only is this movie never going to live up to the post-Dark-Knight expectations of the audience, but the only way to keep the story going is to completely negate everything set up at the end of Dark Knight.

I don’t usually deal in absolutes or ultimatums like this, especially when dealing with movies. But this one I will stick to until the day I die. If they ever even think about replacing Heath’s Joker…if there is so much as a whisper of recasting the role…I will never, ever see that movie. Never. Not in a million years. EVER. And on top of that, there is a 95% chance that I won’t see the next Batman movie…I really won’t. I love Nolan’s movies, and I like Christian Bale…but I’m sorry. Especially given how Heath Ledger has died, I think I’m just going to pretend like the series did end with Dark Knight. Almost as a somber honor to Heath’s memory. And in honor of good story-telling.

Okay, so...I went to see Deathly Hallows two nights ago for the third time. The first time, I saw it on November 19th, the day of its release, and I saw it again in a little theater in London (I'll get to that in a bit.) But I saw it for the third time last night :)

I'll have to admit, the first time I saw this movie, I was a mess; a complete and utter mess. More so than I realized immediately afterwards, but a few hours later, when the whole film and experience had had a chance to settle in, I was in a bit of a state. I sat in my car and cried, actually. It took me a while to figure out why I was crying so hard; I thought I was just stressed out with the worry of having to pack for my trip to England, and having to get ready for our final color guard competition the next day. But I finally did figure it out... and when I did, it almost made me cry  harder :\

It was the first movie that genuinely felt like the end. It felt like the goodbye party you go to before you have to actually sit down and say, "Okay, I guess this is goodbye."

And I can't tell you how many times I've said, "it's all going to be over", and even in my head I'm starting to sound like a broken record; the words are losing their meaning. But I can't put it any other way; these movies are going to mark a bit of an end of an era, really. I mean, I'm already in my last year of high school. This summer, when the last movie is coming out, will be the summer between my last year of high school and my first year of university. So...it's going to be a really bracing bookend to my childhood, and it's going to be unbearably tough having to say goodbye to it.

But anyway, I guess I should talk about the actual movie, shouldn't I?

One of the greatest things about the movie was that nothing felt rushed. In movie adaptations (where a lot of stuff is going on like in Goblet of Fire or in Order of the Phoenix, especially) it often feels like we're running through the book at top speed. This movie was luxuriously long and therefore spent a lot of time on the details. There were also certain things added here and there that weren’t in the books but really added to the story as a whole and did a good job of portraying the feel of the mood, characters and story that maybe those who hadn’t read the book might appreciate.

For example; the H/Hr dancing scene. I had heard they were including a scene like this earlier on and was quite pleased to hear about it. To be honest, the scene was lovely… it was sweet, it was tender, and it was really fitting to the relationship of Harry and Hermione. But I gotta be honest, looking at the scene from a platonic, friendship sense, Dan was a little too intense. When he walked up to Hermione to take off the locket, the look in his eyes was like dark deep desire I was like, “Woah, Dan. Cool it off a bit.” xD

Another really moving scene was the torture scene. Emma did such an amazing job; it was the absolute peak of her limits as an actress (so far, of course) I know this is really a minute detail, but having her carve the word "mudblood" into Hermione's arm would not be nearly as painful as the Cruciatus curse, like in the book. It's supposed to be complete agony, the utter limit of physical pain. But I guess the way they did it made a more obvious affect on the audience...and the acting was fantastic, so it made up for it.

There was only one thing in the movie that I utterly and completely despised with a burning passion. Other than, of course, the horrendous Harry/Ginny scene where Ginny’s portrayed as nothing more than a you-know-what (and I mean that in an utterly literal sense), the chemistry between them is nonexistent, and their kiss is forced and unendurably awkward.

No, the moment I’m talking about was Luna’s line during the torture scene. Harry is trying to figure out some way to get them rescued down in the cellar, and he reaches into his shoe to retrieve the bit of broken mirror. To add the hysteria of this scene, Hermione is screaming in the background. As Harry reaches for the mirror, Luna says, “That’s a funny thing to keep in your sock,” which illicits a laugh from the crowd. But it was just … I hated it. Hermione is literally screaming with agony as she is being tortured upstairs, and the writers thought this was a good time for a whimsical Luna line? And one that wasn’t even that funny? God, it just … it just really, really got under my skin.

But the movie was fantastic...and like I said, it was horribly moving and beautifully done. I'd say I can't wait for Part 2, but truthfully, I can. I am in no rush.

So...I've sort of just abandoned this livejournal up until...well, right now. And it sucks, because I actually kind of liked livejournal...-ing. But I just kind of got caught up with tumblr, which is kind of addicting. And with Facebook, Twitter, The Dark Arts, PottersWorld, and of course, that wonderful thing we like to call real life, I just sort of forgot about this account. Which I don't like doing. :( 

BUT... of all the times to stop posting in this journal, the time I decided to start not posting was one of the worst in the world. Considering so much has happened to me in the last two months or so. So...I'd like to recap some of the things that have happened. And not - like I did in my own diary - group them all confusingly together. 

So... here goes?

I think I'm having a mini Harry Potter mental breakdown ... 

( Read more...Collapse )

( Read my review of the new episode ... Collapse )

FAVORITE QUOTES

"If anyone were to find out about it, I would be tarred, feathered, and put on one of those websites people check when they're buying a house."
-- JEFF

"HIGH on my OWN DRAMA?!"
-- BRITTA

"Well, Shirley, since you have failed to grasp the central insipid metaphor of those Twilight books you devour, let me explain it to you. Men are monsters who crave young flesh! THE END."
-- JEFF

"There's no way to disprove that! Have you ever SEEN a cat penis?"
-- TROY

Yes, it's true. You heard right.

( Read more...Collapse )

On September 11, 2001, I was eight years old, three months away from being nine.
( Read more...Collapse )