The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

I regarded the Harry Potter series as the Cabbage Patch Kids of the literary world for several years, heaping scorn upon J.K. Rowling and her fans, until I actually read the books and realized how excellent they are. Rowling combines no-nonsense prose, vivid characters and addictive plots with enough escapist fantasy to make it fun, and sociopolitical themes (e.g. the persecution of werewolves, the racist pseudoscience of the "pure bloods" and the quislingism of the Ministry of Magic) of sufficient relevance and sophistication to keep Harry Potter a few steps ahead of the derivative pulp that has been riding on its coattails, so to speak, for the past decade or so.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of 5 fairy tales in the style of the Brothers Grimm with a magical twist, interspersed with M.H. Abrams-style literary commentary supposedly written by Albus Dumbledore in. I like fairy tales, and I liked these stories. However, I think the notes basically act as filler rather than adding much to the story, and in my opinion Beedle is short to the point of laziness--it could have been good instead of quaint if Rowling had put more work into it. I have no problem paying CDN $14.50 for a hardcover book from an author I like. I'd rather not pay the same for 1/4 of a book, thank you very much.

RATING: 65%

(Image from mg.dailymail.co.uk.)

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

I remember really liking this movie when it came out a few years ago, and I've been looking forward to rewatching it considering the director made Children of Men since then. However, it's pretty rough, and there's a lot of tonal irregularities that keep this from being as good as the preceding two movies. The plot is there's this crazy serial killer loose, and Harry and Co. must be careful not to get caught by him or something. There's a lot of dark stuff in this movie, darker than the first two, but the problem is there's a lot of really lame and out of place slapstick humor that just doesn't work. You should probably watch it to know what's happening when you watch the others, but if you don't like movies with witches because that's the devil's work, then maybe you should check out a movie about Jesus instead like Godspell.

RATING: 67%

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Movie)

This was not as boring as I remembered it being when I saw it back in 2003. Oh, 2003! I was teaching seventh grade in Kissimmee back then. Well, to summarize this movie, magic magic magic happy ending.

RATING: 68%

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone (Movie)

I know everybody will think I'm a huge meanie face for saying this, but I have never read the Harry Potter books, nor do I ever plan on reading them. See, I liked the first movie, and figure if I read the books it will ruin what is going to happen in the movies, and also I don't read books of prose. I know I'm cruel or heartless for saying this, and I'm sure they really are very good, I'm just not interested. But the movies are fine, and I just rewatched the first one for the first time since I saw it in the theater, and it's a lot better now. For one thing, I know who everybody is now so I care a bit more, and also I know that it's two and a half hours so I am prepared.

RATING: 67%