It’s so hard to say goodbye: a tribute to my friends at Hogwarts

This was supposed to be a review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  Sure, I could talk to you about the acting – how Daniel Radcliffe has amazingly, thankfully, grown as an actor since he was prepubescent. I could talk to you about the odd additions that the director chose to make to the original story. I could talk about lighting, sets, and script, but that’s all over the internet.

As I watched the film, though, I found it harder to objectively watch and critique it as a film and easier to see it as a very definite part of my growing up coming to a close. I guess what follows here is just a twenty-something blogger reflecting on what it feels like to lose a few good friends.… Read More

Top Five Underrated Disney Songs

Unless you’re a hard-nosed cynic, we all have a bit of Disney inside all of us. Disney’s collection of animated features, even in my mid-twenties, continue to capture that lost child inside of me. I was fortunate enough to be raised during the golden Disney Renaissance, and luckily, I had indulgent parents willing to take me to the movies. When I wasn’t doing my times tables or learning how to spell “Mississippi,” I was usually watching The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and all the others.

For such reasons, I’ve decided to count down the top five underrated classic Disney songs, according to yours’ truly.… Read More

How I managed to avoid Harry Potter (and later regret it)

I have only read the first two books. I could barely tell you Gryffindor from Hufflepuff. To this day, I have still only seen Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. And over the course of about fourteen years, I’ve kind of just let that happen. I’ve never had an outright distaste for Harry Potter. Hell, despite what I lack in Potter dexterity, I’d probably go so far as to recommend it to someone. I’ve simply always felt a sense of indifference toward Harry and the gang.… Read More