Harry Potter: It All Ended

There is no precedent for this. I can't think of any movie series that has been so long lasting with the same actors, or any other series where we have literally been able to watch the actors grow from children to young adults. It's been ten years now, and because of this, it's nearly impossible to review Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt. II. It's such an exhausting, emotionally satisfying and bittersweet experience for so many people. It's not even really a film anymore. It's the end, the last bit of Potter as it exists now.

Needless to say, I loved the movie. LOVED it. It was never going to capture every detail of the book, but I can't imagine a better capper to this always consistent series. Though largely jettisoning heavy plot for a simple, balls-to-the-wall war/sacrifice story, the movie manages to be the most emotional, gasp-inducing entry yet. Just like the book, this is dark, resonant stuff. I think every Potter fan will be satisfied, and there is no shortage of clap-and-cheer moments... payoffs that only a series of this length can properly produce.

And above all, it's the characters. It's always been the characters, of course, but I can't think of another movie where I've felt more engrossed in the good vs. evil conflict. Sure, I already knew how it was gonna end, but the stakes were HIGH. Crazy high, and shiver-inducing at moments. It's in the expressions of the actors, the filters used in the cinematography and the swell of the music. Fictionalized wars don't mean a whole lot if you don't care about the people fighting. And in DH2, we not only care about the people, but we care about the place, too. Hogwarts has become iconic, as have the hills and valleys surrounding it. To see the castle as a war zone is devastating. To see what happens in the Forbidden Forest later is even more so.

But then there's the ending. It's pretty perfect. Part of me wishes that in a decade or so we'd get a continuation. The rest of me says, don't ruin a good thing.

Final word: go. You're going to go anyway, but go as soon as you can. Preferably with an army of fans.

Speaking of: we attended the midnight showing last night. Got there an hour and a half early (after watching DH1 at home) and the line was already around the entire theater. (Our favorite costume was a girl dressed as the golden snitch - very creative!). The audience was (of course) ridiculously responsive. LOTS of cheers and gasps and even a fair amount of noisy sobs (!). Seriously, there was sobbing in the theater. Very strange.

Ace Fazer - Parry Hotter

So, I was looking around for a Harry Potter remix last night (because... why not?) and I found a lot of crap. I'm in a total Harry Potter mood right now due to the last movie being released in two day's time. I'll be braving the midnight showing tomorrow, sandwiched between two full days of hectic work (that's why there won't be a post tomorrow -- I'll be trying to nap). I'll have my review of the film up on Friday (hopefully). Having been obsessed with everything Potter related up to this point, I'm deliriously excited. But back to the music. Of all the remixes of the theme song I found, this was my favorite. I wanted to hear something very loud and uptempo, and while I think there's still something out there that's even better, this gets the job done. It's such an iconic score, and musician/remixer Ace Fazer makes sure it gets its dancefloor due, with a thumping house beat that pauses in just the right places for some quieter moments. Have you guys heard any HP remixes/mash-ups that you like?

Ace Fazer - Parry Hotter (Harry Potter Theme Remix 2011) (House) by Ace Fazer

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the soundtrack here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

A Summer Drought

So, readers, I sat down to find a song to post today and realized that I couldn't for the life of me think of anything. I wonder if it's just me, but it seems that this summer has been somewhat dry so far when it comes to pop music. I mean, summers are always a little slower than other parts of the year, but this one seems especially so.

It's not that there's not music coming at me. There's plenty, from all directions, but I don't post anything that I'm not absolutely in love with, and I really try not to go into detail on songs that are top-of-the-Billboard-charts well known, either.

Right now, my thought is, where are all the great poppy indie bands? And so my question to you guys (of exquisite taste) is: what are you listening to? And what should I be listening to?

I've never done this before, so I'm interested in the responses I'll get. Who knows, I may find a band or artist worth posting about on the blog!

Also, prepare yourselves for a couple of Harry Potter posts in honor of the new movie this week. I'm thinking HP song tomorrow, no post Thursday (I'll be napping in preparation for the midnight showing of movie #8), and my official movie review on Friday. But new song posts will be up next week, so give me your ideas!

Scientists Of Modern Music - Because If I Die

"I'll be livin' in the clouds without you"

Scientists of Modern Music are an electro pop group from Australia with one album to their name. But it's not that 2008 album I'm interested in. It's the new single, which is excellent. There are strong echoes of the 80's here, particularly Duran Duran. But luckily, it's all brought into the 21st century with a lot of panache. The verses, in particular, have an amazing, glam-rock melody that got me ridiculously excited the first time I heard it. The chorus is a little more standard, but buffered with so many sparkly synths that it doesn't really matter. It's a wonderfully "Summer" single -- top down, beach driving type music. There's an album in the works (according to wikipedia, it's out this year) and I'm quite excited to hear it. There's massive potential to go either way here, but massive potential nonetheless. If the rest of the tracks are up to this standard, I'll be a happy camper.

The Scientists of Modern Music - Because If I Die by viceroyalty

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.