Harry Potter V.7.1: The Beginning of the End

With the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One at midnight tonight, the boy wizard my age group grew up alongside will be leaving us. His story stops, but our keeps going.

In elementary school, I began reading Harry Potter’s story. I was 11 years old, as I was reading about an 11-year-old wizard. As the books were released, Harry and I continued to be on the same path (well we were the same age…I wasn’t exactly vanquishing dark lords and such). It’s kind of an honor that I get to be a part of the generation that grew up alongside him. Is my nerd showing??? I think it is.

Tonight I’ll be at the theater at 10 p.m. with the rest of the devoted Potter fans of this city waiting hours for the film’s premiere. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a movie in my life. This will only be surpassed by one other event: The premiere of Part Two.

Obscure Romance

There are so many films made every year that many go unnoticed. Some of my favorite movies fade into obscurity and need to be seen. The romance genre is flooded and overrun by rom-coms starring America’s sweethearts. Some of the lesser know romantic films should be brought to light.

Wristcutters: A Love Story- I’m pretty sure I watched this about five times within the first week of owning this movie. Everyone I knew had to see it also. When telling them it was about a guy searching for his ex-girlfriend in a world reserved for people who have killed themselves, people were skeptical. They were then amazed at how uplifting and sweet the story was. A movie about suicide and the sad afterlife it brings has the ability to leave people smiling and optimistic.

Dakota Skye- This is a very small movie with no-name actors, but an interesting idea. The main character, Dakota, has the ability to tell when people are lying. This has left her cynical and apathetic towards her future. She then meets her boyfriend’s best friend and finally finds an honest person. Love ensues, as usual. It’s a simple movie, no big names, no big laughs, but its worth watching for romance fans.

Love Me If You Dare- This French movie stars two of the cutest international stars ever (in my opinion): Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet. They play lifelong friends that deeply love each other, but hide it behind a childish game they created when they were in elementary school. It has an unconventional ending that causes a mix of crazy emotions that can only be accomplished by a great movie.

TiMER- This is probably the most outlandish of all of these movies, but it kept me entertained. It’s set in the not too distant future when a device is created that pinpoints the exact moment that a person meets their soul mate. The main character, Oona (stupid name), lives by her timer, waiting for it to start the countdown. She finally lets go and tries to enjoy her life when it starts ticking. It brings up a lot of questions about love and society. Not a glorious achievement of film-making, but it’s an entertaining watch.

Finally, A Weekly Zombie Fix

AMC’s The Walking Dead, is the answer to my prayers. There is now a weekly scripted series dedicated to zombies. A dream come true.

I finally got to watch Sunday’s premiere and am very confident that this is going to be a great show. Anyone unfamiliar with the zombie sub-genre of horror, can now get a taste. Anyone who frowns upon all things horror needs to watch and see what it’s all about.

A zombie apocalypse story is more than just a story. It is a social commentary. You get to experience the failure of society to cope with this sudden disaster and a range of emotions from characters put in extraordinary situations. Zombies are so much more than the condescending horror critic thinks.