Day #33 - January 22

SAM'S CONFESSION AND HIS TAKE ON A HARRY POTTER MOVIE

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN – "I solemnly swear that I
am up to no good."

In the summer of 2000, I officially became the first college-aged male
to read and enjoy the Harry Potter books.  I might be the only one in
history.  While the first two movies were faithful to the books, they
didn't work as movies.  The treacly directing of Chris Columbus and
the heavy-handed, ubiquitous John Williams score didn't help matters.
The movies were fine.  Then Alfonso Cuaron (Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN) was
brought in to direct the third entry, which still stands as my
favorite book of the series.  Gone was the stuffiness of the first two
movies; present was the childish wonder that made me enjoy the books
that summer.  The random ménage a trois moments between the three
adolescent kids also helped matters.  Does that make me a pervert or
the first one in line in the Emma Watson fan club?  I'm as disgusted
by that last line as you (and yet the line remains…).  A darker
popcorn movie than THE INCREDIBLES, but a popcorn movie nonetheless.

SCENE TO REMEMBER: When Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) practices "lighting
his wand" under his covers in the middle of the night.

Mom's note: The last movie I saw with Sam was HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX at the big movie theater (can't remember its name) near the LA airport.  I finished reading the series by reading his books in 2008. 

Reading the last book in the series - check out the print behind me

From the McDowells after the Phillies beat the Dodgers on their way to winning the World Series in 2008: a signed print from Philadelphia Inquirer cartoonist Tony Auth.  If you look closely, you can see that to the left of his signature, he wrote, "Thank you, Sam."