{c'est bon!}

Expecto Patronum!

It has been a busy, coffee-filled morning back in Chicago.  The revitalizing side effects of my ten-day respite in Michigan seem to have been counteracted (if not depleted entirely) by my cousin Pete's and my 10.30 viewing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night.  And with a 10.30 start time, I got home at 2am.  It was entirely worth it.

I've enjoyed the HP series immensely, and was excited to see this latest film.  Overall it was well done and enjoyable (especially given that filmmakers had to condense 600+ pages of plot), and definitely one of the best summer-movies out now (along with Ratatouille, which was amazing).  Other thoughts:

• Harry and Ron are getting to be CUTE! Me likey!
• Dude, Ralph Fiennes is the creepiest person alive.   Between his portrayal of Voldemort and the creature from Red Dragon, I'm running like hell if I see him on the street.
• Imelda Staunton's Dolores Umbridge is Hogwart's version of my sophomore year statistics professor, complete with kitten accessories, pink outfit, and apparent glee in tormenting students. Yes.
• Can we have more Ron please? Is it wrong that he's probably only 16?
• Emma Thompson made me cry a little bit, not gonna lie.
• What's up with the tassel on Dumbledore's beard? Who does that besides Johnny Depp?
• Snape is The Man.  If I could have a HP-related wish granted someday, I would like for Alan Rickman to record the message for my voicemail.
• The tone of the film (especially the ending) was a lot happier than in the book.  I prefer the moodier Harry of the novel as compared to the "Voldemort ruined my life again, my father-figure is dead, the Death Eaters are back, my girlfriend ratted me out, but I guess that's cool, let's have a party!" chilled-out Harry of the movie.  Oh, Hollywood.

Avenue Montaigne

If you like whimsical and aesthetic French film, as I do (when I can hunt down a DVD), you might enjoy Avenue Montaigne (original French title Fauteuils d'orchestre), which I saw in its US premiere at the Chicago Film Festival a few months ago.  Avenue is being released in select cities today, and was just reviewed by the New York Times.

At a basic level, the film tracks the lives and intersections of a group of people (on the Avenue Montaigne in the right bank of Paris) who are all in some way affected by the art (in various manifestations) in their lives: a soap opera star seeking the role of a lifetime, a lifelong caretaker of a theater, an aging art collector auctioning off his acquisitions, a son put second to the collection, a grandmother who recalls every touch of luxury in her rather ordinary life, and a young waitress hoping to find her way in the city.   It is at times humorous and poignant, and provides glimpses into the lives of these colorful characters; a slice of life in Paris.