I didn't know exactly what to expect when I saw that the Seeker's Guide to Harry Potter was up on Netflix Instant View, but I thought would give it a try. Part of me is glad I did, but the other part wants to slap me silly.

I am a sucker for this kind of documentary, and I have watched more than my fair share, but the idea of a philosophical look at the themes of Harry Potter looking at both the Christian and Occult symbolism of the work just sounded interesting.

As I expected, the occult perspective came from a Golden Dawn angle. In fact, the host performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram twice.

While there is a lot I could talk about, I can sum it up by saying that the film is Lord of the Rings unnecessary pan shots of locations around Edinborough and in a library that are often not explained. The content borders on the superficially new age, but from time to time they point out something that made me think for a moment.

It is not the best movie, and I cannot really recommend it. I rated it a 3 of 5 stars, or meh. If you find the topic interesting and have patience to endure the slow spots, check it out. But if you don't, then don't feel like you missed much.

Plot / Story:

Based on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7), part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort's immortality and destruction—the Horcruxes. On their own, without the guidance of their professors or the protection of Professor Dumbledore, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart.

Meanwhile, the wizarding world has become a dangerous place for all enemies of the Dark Lord. The long-feared war has begun and Voldemort's Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting anyone who might oppose them. But the one prize they still seek is the one most valuable to Voldemort: Harry Potter. The Chosen One has become the hunted one as the Death Eaters search for Harry with orders to bring him to Voldemort...alive.

Harry's only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him. But as he searches for clues, he uncovers an old and almost forgotten tale—the legend of the Deathly Hallows. And if the legend turns out to be true, it could give Voldemort the ultimate power he seeks.

Little does Harry know that his future has already been decided by his past when, on that fateful day, he became "the Boy Who Lived." No longer just a boy, Harry Potter is drawing ever closer to the task for which he has been preparing since the day he first stepped into Hogwarts: the ultimate battle with Voldemort.

• Release Date:   Part I: 19 November 2010   Part II:  15 July 2011


• Listed as:   Fantasy, Adventure


• Studio:   Warner Bros. Pictures


• Director:   David Yates


• Produced by:   David Heyman, David Barron


• Written by:   Screenplay: Steve Kloves  Novel: J. K. Rowling


• Stars:  Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes

 

Pictures

Harry Potter faces Voldemort

Trailer

 

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer 1

 

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The trailer is just epic.  I'm really excited to see how they translate the events of book 7 into movie.

What parts do you want to see in the movie in addition to the final showdown at Hogwarts?

Is J.K. Rowling considering releasing the Harry Potter Books in eBook Format?  The rumor is yes it's being actively considered.

Neil Blair, partner at the Christopher Little Agency (CLA) which represents Rowling, said the agency was "currently considering all the options and opportunities that this evolving space provides". The agency was "actively" looking, whereas previously it had just been "monitoring the developing area", he said.

Richard Charkin, executive director of Rowling's print publisher Bloomsbury, declined to comment on whether Bloomsbury was in discussions with the author on e-book plans, saying: "That's between us and CLA."

I think it's a lot of wishful thinking and that we won't see it.

Yes it would be very nice to have the Potter books in a format that made it easier for me to carry them around and to reread them.  I love the idea of only holding a light weight iPad or Kindle instead of the much heaver and cumbersome book.

(via Writer's Blog)

Some early pictures were leaked online for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

*******Warning Spoilers Ahead for those who have not read the books******

For those who have read here is a fun set picture showing that they will include in some of the books epilogue.   I found it touching to get to see how the kids ended up and it's nice to know they will do the same in the movie.

It's kind of sweet to see an older Ginny and Harry Potter with the young Potter.

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(via /Film)

IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc., announced today that they have completed an agreement to release up to 20 Warner Bros. films in IMAX’s format over the course of the next three and a half years from 2010 through 2013.

This agreement will bring more 2D and 3D movies to the IMAX format.  The two companies have already been working together on many projects so it came as no surprise to hear the news but why make it a formal announcement?

Other exciting news from the announcement included mention of several movies along with their tentative release dates.  Some of the movies we already knew of and others moved from the realm of rumor into real projects.  Please keep in mind some of the dates are just hopeful ones and not set in stone.  Take for instance the Hobbit, they are still in script work and at the time of writing this they probably don't even have a finalized budget yet.  Though with out any hiccups they could have the movie out by the date listed.

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (3D) November 19, 2010


• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (3D) July 15, 2011


• Hobbit: Part 1 December 2012


• Hobbit: Part II December 2013


• Batman 3


• Superman

Since Batman 3 is in the early stages of development please do several things for everyone's sake.

• More detective elements like in the last Batman movie.


• Study the Levitt Paridigm, please!  We can handle several plots going on in a movie but give us one main plot per movie.  Don't try to cram two movies into one!  This one should be about Harvey Dent who should have been introduced and set up in the last one but now what?

Don't reboot Superman again I liked the last one which says a lot since I usually don't like Superman.  Maybe for fun make Solomon Grundy the villain for this one.

What would you want to see in the next Batman and Superman film?

(via /Film)

After reading about Warner Bros. latest gimmick to get people to watch movies in the theater.  I started to wonder does 3D really enhance your movie experience?

Warner Bros. is Converting  Clash of the Titans and Harry Potter to 3D.  They will be released in 2D and 3D simultaneously.

“We are experienced and have been successful in the conversion of 2D to 3D going back to such hits as The Polar Express, select scenes in Superman Returns and the last two Harry Potter films.” (via /Film)

I get that the studios want us to believe that 3D is the next great thing because it pushes the importance of going to the theater to watch a movie.

My problem is that no matter how visually stimulating a movie is if the story and acting are terrible, abusive, or just empty then what is the point.  I can only hope that the studios are spending as much money, time and effort to fix those issues with movies as well.

Paul Jessup thinks he knows why Science Fiction is dying:

Heinlien. Asimov.  At the latest, Orson Scott Card (but mostly just for Ender’s Game). I don’t see anyone ever looking for something new...

This is why SF is spiraling downward in sales. It’s fans just aren’t buying it anymore. I’ve got mixed feelings about this. I love Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, etc. so I don’t mind that it’s popular and selling. But some part of me wonders- is SF meant to be kept in the past? Is that why Steampunk is so popular right now, because it’s an emulation of the past? I’m not sure. But this is a problem (Paul Jessup).

Is classicism the problem?  Well, it is part of it, but it is only one of many.

Lessons Lost

The biggest problem SF has is that the industry didn't learn from the New Wave SF of the 60's and 70's.  These authors, most notably Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury, didn't allow themselves to be constrained by the limits of industry enforced genre.  There stories were a little bit science, a little bit fantasy, a little bit horror.  The incorporated whatever they thought they needed into their stories to make them good.

Genre has become increasingly rigid.  Publishers forgot that Speculative Fiction is the literature of the imagination.  It once explored the question, "What if" without any limits save those of the author's imagination.  As the genres stiffened, sales have continued to go down.

Lack of Imagination

This genre lock is not the only problem facing SF.  Have you seen any of the marketing for new fiction?  No?  You are not alone.

If a new classic is published and no one knows about it, will it make any sales?  Yes, among the author's friends and family.  That is about it.

Publishers and authors need to find new ways to generate excitement about new titles, but that is not enough.  Fans need to find better venues to share and spread the word about their favorite new books.

Bless me, for I have sinned

I have to admit that I really haven't read any new books in a long time.  With the exception of Night's Knights, Brave Men Run, and Burning Skies.  These don't count because I read them after meeting the authors.  I also don't count the Harry Potter books or franchise fiction.  Personally, I find it too hard to find new books to read.

As a writer, I feel like I am confessing a mortal sin.  I want to read more, but I am not sure where to find new books.

I've thought about reviewing books myself, but I don't feel like I have the time to wade through the weeds to find the books.

So, I ask you.  Where do you find out about new books?  How can we promote SF books better?

Out this week we have one DVD to feature:  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  Do we Love It, Rent it, or Avoid Like Plague?

Owner

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:  A very well crafted movie and the best one of the series to date.  They fully use the movie medium to make it stand on it’s own, making the Half-Blood Prince the first in the series that does not require the audience to have read the books to get the full stoy.  I strongly recommend this move.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince an owner for me.
  
  
  
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    • Special Features: Additional Scenes, J.K. Rowling: A Year In The Life, Close Up With The Cast Of Harry Potter, Get A Sneak Peek At The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, What's On Your Mind?: Q&A, Cast Members Sum Up Their Characters In One-Minute Drills.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Buy it / Rent it
  
  
  • Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  
  
  • Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • More Harry Potter on dashPunk
  
  
  
  

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I was initially intrigued when I saw a post on Sci Fi Wire by Wil McCarthy called: Is Mysticism overtaking science in sci-fi?

It sounded interesting, and I really wanted to discuss the question until I saw the Movies they decided to pick on:

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs


• Paranormal Activity


• 9


• Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince


• 2012

Wait, wait, what?  They picked a:

• Kid's Movie


• Horror Movie


• Fantasy Movie


• Fantasy Movie


• Disaster/Supernatural Horror Movie

They didn't list a single science fiction or sci-fi movie!!

The closest they came is maybe Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, but that is like comparing Spy Kids to a James Bond movie.

Fantasy and Horror are genres that change something about the nature of the world to affect their Fantasy or Horror.  That is the nature of these genres.  Asking them to be scientifically accurate is to ask them to stop existing.

(sigh)  I hope Sci Fi Wire would at the very least go to Wikipedia, and learn a little something about genre before they lose all their credibility on the issue...

How embarrassing!

If you would like to discuss Whether Mysticism is overtaking science in Sci fi, leave a comment below and let's get the conversation started.