Toil and Trouble

I watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban this evening. Truth be told, I was recently wondering when it was coming out in theaters since I hadn't seen the trailer in a while. Have I mentioned how often time seems to slip through my fingers lately? It was no surprise that the movie, like the books, topped its predecessors. The children are aging but as the series advances one full year for each volume, it may not be a bad thing. After watching trailers on the disc for the first two, it's even more apparent how much they've grown, some more than others. Radcliffe has a teenaged angst and intensity that really works for the tone of the movie. Watson is turning in to a very fine young woman. And Grint--Grint reminds me of another mythical beast, the toothy Grohl. ::shudder:: Kid can act though, and Malfoy is looking less Richie Rich and more Rick Shroder(NYPD Blue not Silver Spoons). The rest of the cast returns and does a stellar job as always(Rickman OWNS), and Michael Gambon makes for a decent enough Dumbledore, in lieu of the late Gary Oldman and David Thewlis. Oldman is always great, though surprisingly understated here compared to some of his other roles, and Thewlis, the only redeeming factor in the otherwise abysmal The island of Doctor Moreau, was solid.

I'm glad J.K. Rowling decided to let her characters go beyond her books. There was a time when she was against merchandising and the very suggestion of an action figure was anathema. Now, of course, Harry Potter is everywhere. But the movie franchise is coming along nicely, even if IMDB lists Back to the Future II as a reference.

They have been saying reading is down...