Happy New Year!
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I just completed the latest J.K. Rowling book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". It's 870 pages! And yet, I was sad when it ended. I always feel that way after really good books, because I'm sorry that they have ended and I can't read more. At least there are two more in the series of seven that I can look forward to. This one did seem to move a little slower than some of the previous Harry Potter books. I think that she could have magically had about 300 pages disappear and still had a winner. Stephen King is still the only author that I know who can write a novel that long and make it seem too short.
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I watched two really great movies this past week. The first one was "In America". It could windup being best picture of the year. It's about a poor Irish family that moves to Manhattan and the experiences that they have adapting to life in America. It seemed to be a bit manipulative in parts. For example, there's a scene where the girls and her mother attend a Halloween party at school. When they walk-in every one in the room becomes silent because the 2 girls are wearing hand-made costumes while everyone else has a store bought costume. At the end of the party, the nuns give them each prizes for best hand-made costumes to cheer them up. I can't imagine that happening anywhere in America. Poverty isn't that hard to find.
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The second movie was "Cold Mountain" which was perfectly cast with Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger. Jude Law was OK, but I can't see any woman pining for him for three years. Of course, the pickings were kind of slim during the Civil War. Renee was particularly good as a mountain woman who helps the preacher's daughter Nicole tend the farm. I think that Renee may have a great shot at best-supporting actress, particulary since she lost the best actress award last year for "Chicago". Both she and Nicole seem to get better with every role.