Mini Complaints, Rants, Raves & Reviews

Hey folks,

Got to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last week (or as I've been referring to it Harry Potter and the 10,000 Shards of Broken Glass since that's pretty much the main character of the big climactic battles). Anyway...I honestly don't have much to say about it. It was Harry Potter. Sure, they took the longest book and made it the shortest movie, but they either went too far or didn't go far enough with the cuts. I read an interview (I believe with either the screenwriter or the director) where they stated that Rowling suggested they reinstate a character they had cut because they'd run into problems later in the series. So I sat there watching, trying to guess who it was.

Professor Trelawney (Emma Thompson) was a good choice. She makes an appearance (check off that box) but doesn't really serve any purpose (unless you know the books very well as my wife had to remind me of an important point...but then even she admitted it may have come from Book 6 and not Book 5...and I have yet to read Book 6...and Trelawney was still a pointless addition if you're not gonna specify why she's there).

Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) makes her debut, but for all the backstory you get in the book that was cut or shortened, she may as well have played "Unnamed Follower of Voldemort #6".

There was no reason for this film to be the shortest and it could have easily benefited from an extra 20 minutes or so without any real problems.

Anyway...so...Diamond Select Toys actually has a MiniMate exclsuive they're realsing at San Diego's Comic Con this year. It's a two pack of more Marvel heroes as Zombies to go along with the box set of 5 that comes out soon (all from an interesting "What If" kind of story that was popular recently). The problem with this box set as well as another one that comes out later is that DST is putting out Zombie versions of characters before we get "actual" versions. Giant Man, The Wasp and Black Panther all deserve to have regular versions done and having Zombie versions before a regular version is just kind of insulting.

Meanwhile, DC Direct is apparently putting DST/Marvel to shame. Just looking at their latest announcement for Wave 7 of their MiniMates line tells us that with DC anything goes. We're getting a MiniMate of Ambush Bug for crying out loud!!! A minor character who had a cult following in the mid 1980s is getting a MiniMate...before a number of important Marvel characters...heck, before a number of important DC characters (Sinestro anyone? Black Manta?). Can't wait to see if DC displays anything beyond Wave 7 at Comic Con...but I'm sure they've got some more cool stuff up their sleeves.

Well...that's all I've got for today. It's been a bit crazy around here of late. Family was visiting. Malcolm turned 2 (I can't believe he's 2, but he certainly acts like it). I'm jumping into auditions tonight for a show I'm directing at Curtain Call: Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. Hope we get a good turnout over the next two nights because I'd rather not have callbacks...but we'll see.

Anyway...I'll keep you posted on things as time permits.

Be seeing you.