On a mailing list I'm on, someone posted links to two reviews of a pre-release screening of the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie. I always find it a little odd when someone complains that people who haven't read the books won't get the movies, I guess because I expect pretty much everyone who's watching the movies to have read the books. I'm sure there are exceptions, like when a non-book-reader is dragged to the movie by someone who IS a book fan, or (as in the case of the people who posted these reviews) if they don't actually know what they're seeing ahead of time. I don't think reading a book should always be a prerequisite to seeing a film based on it. Hell, I've seen two movies in the past week that are based on books I haven't read and probably never will read. Harry Potter kind of strikes me a special case, but maybe that's just because most people I know have either read the books before seeing the movies, or else are uninterested in the whole thing and haven't done either. I guess my point is that I don't think a movie that assumes knowledge of the book is a bad thing, although maybe it should be advertised as such.
Have I already talked about how ridiculous it is when people make a huge deal out of borders and immigration? I mean, aren't all these borders pretty arbitrarily defined in the first place? I'm certainly not saying that anyone should be allowed into any country at any time, but I have to wonder about people thinking more restrictions on immigration and border crossing would result in a significant reduction in terrorist activity. Yes, if someone is actually trying to bring bombs across a national border, or has a known criminal record, that's one thing. But don't most terrorists (and other criminals, for that matter) manage to perpetrate their horrific actions by NOT arousing suspicion? I have a disturbing feeling that a lot of the people who want tighter restrictions on immigration actually want what amounts to racial profiling.
Finally, I saw this in
1. Reply with your name and I will write something about you.
2. I will then tell what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. If you were a fruit you'd be...
4. I will say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I will tell you my first memory of you.
6. I will tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll then tell you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. Put this in your journal.