Damn you, Jim Butcher!

Damn you, Jim Butcher.  I blame you for how addicted I am to your stupid books.  I am such a fan-boy (fan-man…wow that just sounds wrong) and this Tuesday, Ghost Story comes out, and my addiction to this series continues ever stronger. 

It is a little sad just how excited I am to read this book.  Now, I have always been a bit of a nerd, but I like to think I have always handled myself with appropriate aplomb. 

Ok, maybe not…but it sounds good in my head when I say that. 

It started when I was six and I saw Star Wars: A New Hope.  Part of me thinks that my nerd fate was sealed at that point.  Hell, up until about 10 years ago, I still had the ticket stub for that movie.  Somehow it got lost, but those things happen. 

Then I hurt my ankle one summer and could run around like a maniac (cuz that is what nine year old kids do), and I went into the library.  Do you ever just have a moment of clarity and realize that something in your life just clicked.  I had no idea what it meant, but that day changed my life.  I asked the library what would be fun to read and she gave me the Hobbit…which I devoured in about ten minutes.  From there I read the Lord of the Rings. 

Now keep in mind I was nine.  I did not really understand what was going on in the story sometimes.  But damn it, there were elves, and dwarves, and a ring! 

As I got older, my love for the fantasy genre got stronger.  I discovered authors that I still cherish.  David Eddings, Terry Brooks, and C.S. Lewis to name a few. 

 But now I am 40 years old and in my life, four things have taken my nerd and sent it into a frenzy.  Star Wars (obviously), The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter (which is an entire different discussion), and the Dresden Files.

I remember when Chris and Amy (not sure if it was both of them…or just one) said I should read them.  There was not a lot of urban fantasy written at that time, and I laughed at the idea behind the story.  The television show was about to start.  So, I did not read the books at first because of that.  Eventually they convinced me to try them. 

I was hooked.  I would like to say cuz they were superbly written, but that would be a lie. The first two books in the series are not written that well.  Which is funny, cuz I have read them so many times now that I love them regardless of that.  To me the story starts getting better at the end of the third book (grave peril), and the story really takes off in book seven (dead beat).  That could be the necromantic dinosaur talking, but who knows.

Now I am full on addicted.  I got to playtest the rpg that Evil Hat made about the game.  That experience was awesome, and the game is great. 

Let’s see all of the ways that Jim Butcher has affected my life.  The books, graphic novels, the TV show, t-shirts, the rpg, most of my online profile pics are Dresden Files related, and random quotes I love.

Look, I know this series isn’t for everyone.  I get that.  I listen to people all the time say how awful they are.  That is fine, everyone has the right to their opinion….just as I do.  But for some reason the wise cracking wizard, with an oversized view of self-righteousness….just hits home for me.  I feel like this character and I have a lot in common (minus the ability to smite people that annoy me with magic).  Although it has been said that it is a good thing I cannot do that, cuz I may not be the best person to have that kind of power. 

So yeah, I love the books.  I get all excited when they come out.  I get all teary-eyed and emotional when things happen to characters I love.  That is what literature is about, right?  Having something pull us in and care about?  That is what makes novels and movie so powerful. 

So, damn you Jim Butcher.  Damn you and your books that have taken such a foot hold of my life.

Still, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Harry Potter and the end of an era

First thing you need to know about me is that I am a huge fan of the Fantasy genre.  I have seen since I read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings when I was nine.  This is why I started a sci-fi/fantasy book club seven years ago (and it is still going today).   What I love about fantasy is that the premise is usually about people banding together to fight for the greater good.  The actual greater good and not just one person’s definition of the greater good…which can get a bit confusing as it were. 

I remember when the Harry Potter books first came out and I was reluctant to read them at all because they were children’s novels.   I am not someone that does things because everyone else does.  But then I went and saw the saw the first movie and I was enchanted.    Now ten years later, seven books, and eight movies later…it may finally be over. 

I love the books.  I truly do.  Like everyone else, we grew up with these kids.  First in the books, and  later in the movies.  Yeah, not all of the movies were as good as they could be (especially Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire), but overall I still enjoyed them.  Last night we saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2.  I really enjoyed Part 1, regardless of the fact that It was a bit slow from time to time.  But I am also a huge fan of the book…so those things do not bother me as much.  But with something you love, you really want them to end it on a high note.  Whether you are reading a book or watching a movie. 

So, my thoughts on the movie?  I really enjoyed it.  To be fair, I am a bit of an emotional guy, and the movie got me pretty good on that regard.  So, there were a lot of moments in the movies that really hit me.  I think the first one last night was when they got back to Hogwarts and see all of their classmates and then a bit later when the Order of the Phoenix arrived (Go prof. McGonagall). 

From the time they got to The Room of Requirement to The last battle with Voldemort, it was done about as well as I could have hoped.  A few stand out moment?

·         After they left the Room of Requirement, there is a scene where the three of them get caught up in the battle.  I loved this because the music was amazing and had a sense of almost hopelessness to it. Just proving again how vital music can be in helping a scene.

·         How they handled Snape’s memories and what actually meant to Harry.   This was amazing and powerful scene.   

·         I know it was silly, but it was great to Ron and Hermione kiss.

·         The CGI for different things.  The room of requirement and the killing of the horcruxes.

·         Neville!  Yeah that changed how he came to do it, but damn it was awesome to see him get his moment. 

·         Mrs. Weasley getting to get her moment in the sun as well.  I even did a bit of a fist pump.  J

·         The Dragon was sweet!

I  loved this movie, but there a few nitpicks. 

·         How they handled the last fight between Harry and Voldemort.  I am someone that likes CGI, but only to add to a scene.  I feel like they used CGI to make it a completely different scene totally, and it just felt that way.  It wasn’t horrible, but I would have rather seen something more like the end of the book. 

·         Also, it would have been nice for the fight between Mrs. Weasley and Bellatrix to be a bit longer. 

·         The amount of wizard that attacked Hogwarts was a bit too much like helm’s deep.

So my final thoughts are that they did a great job with finishing the series.  Yeah, a few things here or there could have been tweaked, but overall I loved it.