Harry Potter goes out with a bang

I went to a midnight showing of the final Harry Potter film. It was last-minute decision, but I felt like I was missing out on something important, and it turns out a lot of people felt the same. It's been almost ten years since the release of the first film, I've seen everyone on the opening weekend and picked up the last two books at midnight, so I won't pretend I'm objective.

However, I was disappointed at the pacing of the previous film, and since I'd loved the conclusion to the books, I was concerned as to how it would play out on film. I wasn't thrilled with the way director David Yates directed the action in Order of the Phoenix or Half-Blood Prince, with his style leaning toward the frenetic, confusing style that adds realism to The Bourne Identity but made Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen a jumbled mess.

However, I wasn't disappointed as the film started with action and never let up. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of the characters, and there's no way Part II can stand alone as a piece of story-telling. So this is possibly the best Harry Potter film, but if you aren't serious Harry Potter fan, you're going to be left scratching your head. Heck, even I was confused a few times, and it'd only been six months since I'd seen the previous film. That's one of the reasons that makes this my #3 film of the year. There were some great parts, and few disappointing ones that I'll mention ahead, but they are spoilers, so you've been warned.

Another week of links

Here's a collection of links including a new superfood, an exciting new educational opportunity, posters from the next Harry Potter, an TV spot for Captain America, and the other reason I need a Blu-ray player. Oh, yeah, and a hoverboard will soon be mine.

Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part II trailer leaked

Thank to /Film for pointing out that a teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II has turned up online. The trailer looks awesome and showcases some of the book's best moments. While I liked Part I (it made my top 10 for the year), it dragged a lot and was fairly boring. I still stand by my argument that it should have been condensed into one film, but at least the second part looks like it's going to pack enough punch to make up for all that time in the tent.

20 movies I want to see

There's probably a few glaring omissions, and some of these are almost certain to disappoint. One thing I noticed typing this up. There are definitely too many colons and numbers here (though Super 8 is off the hook), and Harry Potter picks up both of them. See the list after the jump.