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It was ten years ago when I first saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone sitting on the shelf at Borders.

I distinctly remember the front cover illustration, how colorful it looked from afar and thinking how geeky the boy on the cover looked with his round glasses and oddly-shaped scar. Yet, because it was a children’s book I figured it wasn’t worth my time.

The Chosen One

I would’ve never guessed that not only would I read (and digest) every book in the series and watch every movie to date I would finally say goodbye to such a rich and imaginative world and a character that, next to Mickey Mouse, is so well known around the world.

The road to understanding Harry Potter wasn’t so smooth for me. It took some convincing on the part of my best friend’s father, who in his late 40s figured out something that I could not; that children’s books are written for children but also meant to be enjoyed by adults.

Adult fiction can be stressful and complicated, taking itself too seriously at times which is not to say children’s literature doesn’t stray from complicated plots, it’s just written in a manner that even at its most basic level a child could understand.

If you think for a moment of the best children’s stories turned to movie adaptations, sprinkled in there will be films that probably rate high on your all-time favorite list.

A few that come to my mind are:

• The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
• Bambi by Felix Salten
• Jumaji by Chris Van Allsburg

There are several others that have had such a profound impact on all of our lives and to think they all began as stories intended for children.

Moral Alignment

As for Harry Potter, after having read the first book, I had a cultivated initiative to finish the series to the end. It was my goal and since I’ve reached it there are thoughts that have stayed with me throughout the course of the story.

Many of which deal with the fact that Harry doesn’t fit the mold for a hero. He isn’t bulky, doesn’t have strength beyond his wand and depends on the aide of others.

However, he is the epitome of hope and strength to the wizarding world, which shares parallels with groups that in a historical context have been suppressed in every culture under the sun. While Harry never truly recognizes his importance, he remains humble and loving and these are traits that ultimately keep him on the straight and narrow, resilient to the evil that is always at bay.

This struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, decisions based on the protagonist’s moral standing are common threads shared by good literature. Literature that pulls you in, makes you feel sorrow and empathy and lays the groundwork for the ultimate showdown.

A World That Seems Real

While I consider myself a healthy reader there’s never been a series that has captivated me as much as the Harry Potter story has. I’m a lover of fantasy and while the Lord of the Rings books are grandiose, they can be difficult to read because the language itself (explored in depth by Tolkien) is a character unto itself.

The enjoyment of reading Harry Potter stems from the fact that Rowling doesn’t take herself too seriously and instead has fun with her material. I believe that beyond her shy persona is a woman who is witty and constantly imagining things as evidenced in the books. She managed to make reading interesting again for children and that alone deserves attention.

There’s a lot to like about Harry Potter and for that he’ll remain as real as other characters in fiction have become.

The Breakfast Club is a movie that can be taken at face value or you can read into a bit more if you want to.

Which is why it’s an excellent film and one I highly recommend for repeated viewings — if anything to see how much all of the actors (aside from Alley Sheedy and Molly Ringwald) have aged.

Here are some thoughts/notes I jotted down as I was watching The Breakfast Club recently (via Netflix’s Watch Now feature) for the umpteenth time:

• Subtleties in the acting, especially Judd Nelson (as Bender), empowering a dysfunctional character with an emotional performance.
• Principal Vernon’s feelings on the lack of respect he receives from students, which seems a bit too much like self pity.
• The group as a whole coming to the realization that while they all seem different, deep down, they are all the same.
• Segregation by popularity and on the other side of the spectrum, lack thereof, continues to exist.
• The Jock and the Geek seem so different (mind over matter, vice-versa), and yet each share similar traits: parents have high expectations, social norms, segregation.
• The attractions between opposing social “classifications”; rebel and prom queen, jock and mental case.
• Janitor Carl as the key holder; the eyes and ears of the school, disrespected and yet more levelheaded than most.

If you’ve seen the movie please feel free to share some of your observations.

Update: Thanks to the generosity of Joost allowing unlimited invites everyone who added a comment and those who leave a comment from this point on will receive an invite.

For weeks on end I’ve been patiently waiting for a Joost beta invite. Why am I so excited about something that on the surface seems like Tivo™ for the web?

There’s an easy answer for that, so let me spill it. Before I do that however, I’d like to thank Paul for sending me the invite.

Joost Oozes With Quality

It doesn’t take a special decoder ring to figure out what Joost does. The official site describes its functionality quite perfectly:

The magic of television, with the power of the internet built right in. Joost puts you in control, and TV will never be the same again.

This could be construed as a bold claim, as if the creators/developers/masterminds (the people responsible for Skype and Kazaa) behind this operation could not possibly convince themselves otherwise.

Yet, when you connect the dots, evaluating the whole enchilada for a service like this (branding, web site and technology) you can’t help but be enthralled by the polish.

Spectrums, Rainbows and Magic

Have you ever looked through a spectrum? There’s a infinite amount of colors that appear if you hold one up to a light source. It’s interesting that the creators of Joost chose to theme their service around the concept of spectrums and color variety. Although, I must admit they do look a bit like colored Kryptonite, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Earlier today I was doing my best to describe the promotional video on the What’s Joost? section to a friend. Halfway into explaining how cool it was I realized it’s just one of those things you have to see for yourself.

At first glance the demonstration video seems a bit awkward, or at least it did to me. After watching it I realized it seems familiar and that’s because it’s somewhat like a medley of Batteries Not Included, Cocoon, The Last Starfighter and Tron. Like I said, you need to see it firsthand because my description just won’t cut it.

Beta Means Slim Pickings

I would say that my only beef with the service is that the channel offerings are slim at best and the video output ranges from near DVD quality to sub par Youtube quality. One moment it looks great, the next it just distracts from the overall experience but I’m sure in time it’ll improve.

As far as the content is concerned other than watching some “vintage” Ren & Stimpy cartoons with my daughter and a couple Discovery Channel specials on lions and pyramids, there’s nothing else that peaks my interest for the time being.

That will change as Joost continues to sign content providers but in the interim there just isn’t a lot to consume at the moment. Although, this is still in beta so that’s just par for the course. Joost has promised to continue signing content providers; for instance, they just added a variety of shows from providers like Comedy Central, VH1 (the channel you switch on when you’re bored, or, at least I do) and MTV.

Beta Invites

If you haven’t experience Joost yet, well, that’s just not right. I’ll tell you what, leave a comment and I’ll use the magic of the internets (and a handy script to randomly select a number) to choose three lucky people to send an invite to.

Ready, set, go!

KCRW’s The Business hosted by Claude Brodesser-Akner is both a radio show and podcast dealing with the inner workings of the business of Hollywood.

Claude’s interviews with directors, screenwriters, advertising executives and actors/actresses are often fascinating, if not enlightening, especially if you share an interest in how films are created like I do.

In his interview with actor/director Jon Favreau entitled “No Special Effects, It’s Really Director Jon Favreau”, Jon reveals his love/hate relationship with CGI effects and why home brewed effects are still relevant and useful. His philosophy is that while computer generated imagery has its place (namely a toolbox of endless possibility) it can also cloud the visual aesthetic of a movie.

While CGI has improved over the years, providing the backbone for things like sci-fi vistas and mythological creatures as well upping the ante on disaster sequences it’s also — in most cases — immediately recognizable if it doesn’t blend in with live action.

Recently Favreau was chosen to direct the film adaptation of Iron Man, a task not to be taken lightly and even though the film itself has a much bigger budget than his other films, he’s also made the decision to budget the special effects. His reasoning is two-fold; that the film’s budget is targeted at a specific amount and to effectively blend CGI with live action without going overboard.

In all honesty, this is something that I wish more directors (including George Lucas) would come to terms with. Audiences are typically overwhelmed with joy when a superb CGI sequence is pulled off but to echo Favreau’s thoughts, in most cases it’s easily noticed and can take you out of the movie, detaching you from the film’s otherwise engrossing atmosphere and aesthetic.

Yet, to play devil’s advocate I suppose it’s a tricky thing to avoid and I’d imagine why most directors and producers go out on a limb blindfolded, hoping that whatever is put together by their masters of illusion comes across successfully not only in a visual manner but also allowing various CG elements to interact with live action in a realistic way.