Vertical Bill

I am super proud to announce the arrival of a much anticipated book Vertical Bill. Its about a friend of Paul and I's - Bill Cuddington - and it was written by another friend of ours - Dave Hughes; making the book a one-two punch of coolness. It is currently available at the NSS office and in their online bookstore. I'm planning on running down to the office and grabbing a copy in the next couple of days.

Bruce, and a movie review

Just trying to add this little graphic to my "Books, Comics, Movies and TV" section. Paul and I watched Live Free or Die Hard the other evening. Good Stuff! If you need an "action movie pick-me-up" its highly recommended. Lots of good action, laughs and sweet cyber-spy stuff. Watching Live Free or Die Hard made me think of all the other Willis movies I like, so I added the only three I have not seen to my Netflix list (Sin City, 16 Blocks and Color of Night). Tears of the Sun was good, Unbreakable, Hart's War is sad, but good, The Sixth Sense - awesomely spooky and then the other Die Hards are all good Willis flicks. I own Bandits, Hudson Hawk and The Fifth Element. That said, one of my top-10 favorite movies would definitely have to be The Fifth Element. Bruce Willis AND Milla Jovovich - with the fate of the universe in their hands - Chris Rock for comedic relief and Gary Oldman as the evil Zorg, how can you possibly go wrong? If you have not seen The Fifth Element I implore you to find it and watch it this very instant! Right now! GO! You can read the rest of this post later...

You back yet?

Action movies are my favorite genre - especially action with some fantasy and a smidgen of comedy. The world is to serious all the time. I like taking a break from reality for a couple hours. Its rather nice to let your mind dip swell and hover in a well crafted fantastical world of a movie for a while. Reality will be waiting again once your done.

Well with 2008 finally in sight there are ton of cool movies coming up with my favorite action heroes! The two best FBI agents ever - Mulder and Scully are finally going be in the 2nd X Files movie (Summer, 2008 hopefully). My favorite archaeologist is gearing up for a new Indiana Jones movie - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22nd, 2008) Off the top of my head - some of my favorite lines... "Junior?!" "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" "We named the dog Indiana!" "And X never ever marks the spot." And I just found out that Dark Knight (a Batman movie) is coming to the big screen too (July 18th, 2008) - although I can't quite picture Heath Ledger as the Joker, or as a bad guy for that matter. But I'll trust in the same writers and directors that made Batman Begins a "I wish I had seen this in the theatre" rental. It was a very pleasant surprise from the flop of Batman and Robin. Sorry George, I like ya - but you were a dorky Batman. And way too many ridiculously silly bad-guys. My favorite line in that movie was Chris' - "Holy rusted metal batman!" Which has been known to pop into my head and out of my mouth without thinking from time to time.

And then there are a couple movies from books that I'm rather ecstatic to see. From one of my all time favorite book series - The second Narnia movie - Prince Caspian (May 16th, 2008). If they do as good a job with it than they did with The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe - its going to be jaw-dropping! And then one of my recently read, well liked fiction books is coming to life with the handsome Brenden Fraiser (who narrated the books on CD) as Mo in Cornelia Funke's InkHeart (September, 19th, 2008) And then of course - Harry Potter and the 1/2 Blood Prince (November, 21st, 2008).

So mark your calendars folks. Paul and I will be in the darkened movie theatre, hopefully in our prime spot - back row, center - for the 1st showing of each of these movies. I'll be bouncing up and down, and Paul will probably be falling asleep (if its a midnight movie I have to drag him to). And I'm not even going to touch on all the cool books I'm not-so patiently waiting for in the new year. Mr. Butcher, Mr. Nix and Ms. Funke - you guys better hurry up!

Word Crack

illustration by Chistian McGrath

I'm finding myself completely and hopelessly addicted to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. I've told anyone who will listen that these books are so good, I call them "Word Crack." I knew I had a real problem when Paul said this morning "You know you need to get off the crack and come to bed earlier." My head hit the pillow last night at about 1:40am today, but I just couldn't put the darn book down!

I eased into The Dresden Files by way of discovering the DVD set from the single season that Sci-Fi produced. Paul and I found it at Target several months ago. We ate through that and then was slammed with the fact that Sci-Fi wasn't going to do a second season. ARGH! Canceled before we even knew it existed! What a bummer.

But then I discovered that the series is based from of a set of books. There's a series of 6 (Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, Blood Rites) and then several novels after that (Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, White Night and then Small Favor - due out in April 2008) I picked up the first one at Barnes and Noble and devoured it in a two days. I went back to the dealer for the next three. A couple days later I was back at the help counter to order the rest of the series just like a good junkie. I'm telling you - WORD. CRACK. Right now I'm on book 6 - Blood Rites - the last one in the series. But I still have a buffer of a few more novels after that. I'm already worried about withdrawal symptoms. I know I'll have to slow down when I order White Night - its still in hardback. But then I'll have Small Favor to look forward to this coming April.

Think of Harry Potter with a seriously adult twist of Guy Noir and a hell of a lot of good vs. evil action, told completely in first person, which is really quite refreshing. Toss some great good guy/bad guy characters - mobsters, vampires, faeries, hired guns, various spirits, demons, Chicago PD investigators and you've got Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. HIGH-ly recommended if you're into that kind of thing. My dealer (B&N) even gives discounts. 10% off if you're a part of the Word Crack Discount Club.

Destination: Hogwarts Castle, Orlando, FL

Apparently (and I seem to be always the last to know) Universal is planning a Harry Potter Theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL! Here's the official press release. I know everyone will be really raking in the dough on this one, but I can't help but be a bit excited about a visit sometime in 2009, especially if they do it up right; And according to the creators of the park, Jo's input was paramount in the development.

I'm Such a Nutter! (HP Spoiler Alert!)

I know, I know I'm a complete nutter for dressing up and going Harry-Potter-Wild, but it was Brilliantly fun! And I wasn't alone in the least....

My fair Jones Valley Barnes and Noble on the eve of the big release.

There was a great Whomping-Willow costume - and an Excellent Cho Chang but I missed getting photos of them. Other than that there was...

The pretty "Fat-lady" in her portrait - and Draco on the side too.

Dobby and Professor Sprout with her horrible mandrakes (glad I remembered my ear-muffs!).

Miss LeStrange, Ginny, and a Hermione.

Although I have to say I think this Hermione is a tad bit better... Hermione does afterall have frizzy BROWN hair, not blond like the movies lead you to believe. And check out Hagrid - this fellow was huge! I thought he was brilliant!

My fantastic fancy boxed version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with totally different slip cover artwork (of Harry, Hermione and Ron on the back of the dragon) an acid-free full cloth cover and extra full-page illustrations for each chapter in the back.

I made it till about 3am, and the bodies started stacking up fairly quickly, but by then my eyes were slamming shut, so I had to forgo reading through the night. Saturday passed in muffled silence as both Paul and I spent the whole day reading...

WARNING! - SPOILER ALERT! - WARNING!
If you haven't finished the book - don't read any farther!

By Sunday I think I was more horrified to learn of the fate of a few of Harry's closest friends than Harry. (I knew he'd be ok - he's the hero for crying out loud! Although I'm rather proud of myself for guessing that he was a horcrux and that he had to die and then somehow come back to life to get rid of the Volde... I mean He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named part - you think I want Death Eaters showing up at my work?) It was interesting to see Dumbledore fall from his all-knowing all-perfect pedestal and regain his grace in the very end. And Snape's involvement which I guessed when the doe patronus appeared. I think the most disturbing death was FW - why the heck did JK have to kill him off?! I think that's my one and only huge complaint - there was no reason for his death ('Ear 'EAR!) I eventually accepted RL & NL's death - I knew when Harry became godfather of TL that that was the kiss of death for at least RL, but NL too? Ouch. Although 19yrs later - you knew that Harry had very much taken him in as family and had provided what Sirius had not been able to for him. And I have NO idea how they're going to turn this one into a movie without it loosing half the story or it being 5 hours long. Warner Brothers has already kind of messed up the story line because the movie that's out right now never showed Mrs. W, RW, HP & HG cleaning out the cabinet at the Black's and Kreature stealing RAB's locket from the trash. Wonder how they're going to cover that? I think I'll reread the last book since I gulped it down so fast and then revisit the entire series. In the end though, I must say JK - thanks so much for the magnificent ride - I feel privileged to have watched Harry Potter grow up first hand and create such a wonderful stir amongst kids and adults alike. And as Ron would say "BRILLIANT!"

PS (1:06 PM): Just found another great (highly recommended) review on a fellow bloggers page: The Caffeinatined Librarian

More Harry Potter Mania

I still need to play catch up - with a trip to St. Louis, and my birthday and some Preston printing and the HCRU Tyrolean (oh - and the Huntsville Grotto newsletter too!), but for now its some more Harry Potter mania. Paul and I are reviewing all of the movies (even though there are some discrepancies and a few major flaws) in hopes to update ourselves before the release of the final Harry Potter book - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It even sounds final doesn't it? Paul's madly rereading the 6th book right now and giving me a cliff notes version in between him reading some chapters aloud in between watching the movies. I'm half tempted to purchase the 6th book on CD - which would be the only possible way I could "read" it before Friday evening. I've only read it one time and the details are a bit rusty. Paul and I will be in the frenzied line at Barnes and Noble this Friday evening waiting with the rest of the world to learn of Harry's fate. I'd like to dive on in and read it through to the last word (Rowling says it's "scar") but then again I feel as if I need to really savour it because with the closing of the back cover Harry's world will be closed to Muggles like us forever. Rereading never gives you that "new-words-high" excitement. Perhaps I could read all of it but the last chapter - so I don't ever really finish it?

oh - on a side note - according to the sitecounter it looks like I'm up to 3,050 visits - I passed 3,000 without evening knowing it! how exciting! I would would have never guessed that so many people have pinged "Brina Bat" if I had not gotten a counter (thanks Laura!) And Thank you thank you thank you for your patronage and comments - comments most of all!

Midnight Tonight

Where will you be at Midnight tonight? Paul and I will be comfortably seated in a 440 capacity movie theatre not-so-patiently awaiting the first showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. When we get home from work it'll be dinner and a nap with several alarms set - just in case - and then we'll drive over to the theatre probably around 10 so we can stand in line for a couple hours and watch all the Harry Potter fanatics in all their garb. When I purchased the tickets yesterday the gal at the ticket counter told me that even though I'm purchasing these tickets - that it does not guarantee us a seat - nor does it guarantee the two of being able to sit together; translation - get there EARLY because they oversell the theatres and expect a massive crowd! So where will you be at Midnight tonight? Tucked into your cozy little nest of a bed - or out with a bunch of crazed Harry Potter Fans?

And then JKR's last book comes out on next week! Barnes and Noble really does it up right with games and prizes for the best costume and drawings and such. I am definitely going to order a butterbeer again if they have them - so I can sip while I wait in line. I'm even happier to be a part of the book craze, for when has one book become so important for young and old alike that fans would wait hours for the chance to know a character's fate? JK has surely done all of us a favor by captivating our collective brain with a delightfully woven tale of good vs. evil. And in this computer media driven age - her books have proven that there is nothing more powerful, more inspiring to the imagination, than the written word.