Humble Pie

On 2nd June, I wrote

So ... Lakers/Pistons. I suppose we might as well have them on TV - I'm sure advertisers and networks have poured several millions into booking airtime. I say we need not bother - show us some replays instead. Or hold another All Stars tournament. Anything but the all-to-predictable Lakers wins.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Go Pistons! Anything to see uber-egos shattered! I think it was the clash of high-profile players in the starting line-up that led to the demise of the Lakers. I wonder if Phil Jackson will be given the sack.

The Soccer World Cup

Folks like Vodka - and I suspect, a few other US-bashers - hate to hear me say "soccer". "It's football!" they scream, adding "Learn the !@#$ing language". Well I googled around for a bit, and came up with an explanation for the word's origin.

From the website wordorigins.org:

Soccer

Soccer is an abbreviation for Association Football. The Football Association was formed in London in October 1863 when representatives of eleven clubs and schools met in an attempt to standardize the rules of the game. One of the rules prohibited the carrying of the ball, a rule that would lead to the Rugby-oriented clubs leaving the Association several months later. The name Association Football was coined to distinguish it from Rugby.

By 1889, the abbreviation socca' was in use, and the spelling soccer had made its appearance by 1895.

So, Vodka, I can quite honestly say to you, "I do know the language, you Higgins-wannabe!"

Team Survival in Rainbow Six 3

I played my first game of Rainbow Six 3/Team Survival with Nikhil. Or in my case, repeated suicide.

It kinda felt like I'd crashed a LAN party cos the 6 other guys seemed to know each other pretty well. I think they were from Texas or one of the Bible Belt states ... for 2 reasons:

1. The southern states accent

2. The blatant racism/white trash talk

Kinda off-putting, I thought. It'd be better, IMO, to get together with people you know. It'd be a lot more fun, online or in the play-by-play analysis offline.

Erratum/More on Harry Potter

I have been corrected by Arun that Harry Potter summons a Patronus and not a Petronas. Had that happened, some people would've been very surprised to find themselves near Hogwarts, rather than downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Arun goes onto say (slightly paraphrased):

Many of crucial sub plots have been missed.

James Potter/ Sirius Snape conflicts can be found in great detail in the fifth book, but there is some amount of conflict revealed in PoAzkaban. Also, Snape's near death experience in the whopping willow has not found a place in the movie.

Thanks for the e-mail Arun!

There was a point I missed in my review about Harry Potter, and that was that it seemed to be very psychedelic - perhaps more so than the first two. For example - a garish purple bus, where your body gets stretched out (re: passing between the 2 double-decker buses), or clouds taking on the shape of the black dog, Prof. Trelawney's trances (yes, I know its all there in the book, but its very hippie stuff, wot?)

Harry Potter 3 - 9.5/10.0

By all the gods, what a difference Alfonso Cuarón has made to the Harry Potter franchise. The third installment makes the first two look like childrens' cartoons. The new movie is more somber & darker in tone and image - the cinematography is amazing. Faded colors, somber landscapes, and I love the expansion of Hogwarts from a facade into a baroque castle.

The movie is definitely "scarier" than the first two, and features a lot more of character development by tossing out excessive garbage - Quidditch matches, new lessons, etc. I mean, it would've been nice to see Harry call forth the Petronum (Petronas?) in the Quiddditch match to scare the heck out of Draco, but its ommission does make sense in the overall movie progression. It's akin to say, Peter Jackson not filming the Houses of Healing scene for (the theatrical release) LoTR:RotK. That was the only reason my rating wasn't a full 10 on 10.

The new Draco Malfoy is definitely an improvement. He's transformed from a spoilt brat to a sneering malcontent. The sort who (in the Muggle world) would skip classes, wear leather jackets, and smoke in the restrooms. Of equal delight was the new darker Harry Potter. It's like seeing Anakin Skywalker take the first steps towards becoming Darth Vader. I love it! More, I say!

There is a fairly significant plot point - and I can't remember if this is in Azkaban, or in one of the later books - is that Snape's aminosity towards Harry is due to the fact that he was bullied by Harry's father & his gang. If this was revealed in Azkaban, then I'd say it's a major hole that should be plugged in the next installment.

There has been speculation of whether Daniel Radcliffe, et al., would continue to play the Hogwarts gang in coming movies. The current shooting schedule is a little behind the books - Daniel Radcliffe is nearly 15 now - a year older than Harry - and the shooting schedule is definitely going to throw the age difference out of whack. I think that the present cast should continue on till the end. These actors have definied the characters at inception and have indelibly etched themselves in our minds. To me, Richard Harris still defines Dumbledore, no matter how well Michael Gambon may fit the shoes. And besides, its common in Hollywood to have 30 year-olds playing 20 year-olds, or even teens! Why are poeple suddenly queasy about the Potter cast?

In conclusion ... damned fine movie. I would definitely see it again if I had the chance, and will definitely buy the DVD (and I haven't bought the first two!)