Last night, Greg and I saw -- what else?--
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Warning: Spoilers ahead. It was really good. You can tell that there's a different director. The aura and flow of the movie are so different. Instead of leaving the theater with the feeling that I'd seen the book come to life, I felt that I'd seen a movie
about book three. The acting in this film was the best so far. Emma Watson's Hermione came across as a bit too bossy and young at first. Hermione is now much more confident and bold than before. Not all the blame can be put on Emma, though, because she acts well the lines she's given. My only complaint for her? She's too pretty to be Hermione. :) David Thewlis was excellent as Professor Lupin. I could understand why he formed such a close bond with Harry. Seeing scars on his face midway through the movie, presumably from a violent lupine transformation, I felt genuine sympathy. Gary Oldman made an excellent Sirius. His raw reactions after spending over a decade tormented by Dementors came across with great clarity. He merely wanted justice. The adult actors had less screen time in this movie, but their performances were superb. Michael Gambon isn't the same sort of Dumbledore that Richard Harris was, but his new take on the part is enjoyable.
Even without some more favored moments of the book, the movie tells the story on its own. Vital pieces were minimized or left out, though. When Lupin finds Harry with the Marauder's Map, he not only knows that it is a map, he knows how to use it. Unless he is clearly identified as Moony, non-book reading viewers could be confused. His nickname is apparently mentioned during a rushed exchange between Lupin and Sirius in the Shrieking Shack, but I missed him. I'm sure others did, too. Also, it wasn't clearly explained that a Patronus has shape. Am I the only one who was confused to see not a stag emerge from Harry's wand, but a force field? That Harry's Patronus takes the shape of a stag is important to building the information Harry knows about his father. Lupin's wolf form was skinnier and less hairy than any I've seen, but his ruthlessness was apparent. I suppose a less informed viewer would have connected Sirius in dog form with the "Grim", especially after seeing Scabbers become a decidedly rat-looking Peter Pettigrew, but I can't be sure. Overall, Alfonso Cuaron did a terrific job. Some established settings are different, but the selection of scenes included tell the story of Harry's third year without too much to bog it down, although at a rather quick pace.
You can start reading again now.
Getting paid for being a sort of "cleaning lady" makes the job worth it. I don't want to work during the school year, but I'll still need money. I already feel bad for my parents' loans. The less I have to ask them for, the better. I've never had an actual budget; then again, I never have piles of cash at hand. Without a car and with more studying to do, I'll probably have less opportunity to shop, anyway. Everything will be so new this year. We're all in for some big changes. I honestly don't know if I can handle them all.
Don't worry about my worrying,
Steph. I was thinking about that a few days ago. I think I thrive on stress. I have the awesome ability to find something to worry or stress over
at all times. It sucks. It really does. This year was horrific. I was so worked up that my stress started to manifest physically. It was such a relief to finally go to bed, knowing that I rarely have dreams to interrupt an otherwise placid night. But morning always came, coupled with more turmoil. When one thing finally ended, there was always another.
And now, college. Not living with my parents. Having a roommate. Managing my money. Managing my
time (you see how well that's worked out in the past). Greg, provided the uncertainty of our future doesn't break us apart before I leave for school. Losing almost all privacy. An ocean of new people, many of whom I will have nothing in common with. I know meeting new people is part of college life, but I've done that so many times already. I'm tired of it.
Am I crazy for worrying so much, with school being so far off? Maybe. But I already knew that.
