A Harry Potter Challenge Question #NaBloPoMo #NowPlaying #HP7

Since today marks the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as well as the end of the Harry Potter film franchise, I’m taking the liberty of showing Mr. Potter and his magical crew some love. If you are a fan of Harry Potter and/or his films, let’s participate in Heck Yeah’s 15 Day Harry Potter Challenge. The 15th question in this challenge is "Would you have joined Dumbledore’s army?” and after watching all six of the Harry Potter movies that have been released up until today, here is my answer.

Yes, I would have joined Dumbledore’s army because the more preparation, skills, knowledge and practice that people have to protect and defend themselves against the dark world, the better off they will be. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be among a group of people who share resources, help each other perfect their defense techniques while also teaching them new skills in the process?

It would be silly for me to turn down such an opportunity.....especially with all that has been at stake with Harry Potter and Hogwarts.

Would YOU have joined Dumbledore's Army?

Also, I'm nominating Ron Weasly for next month's king dong spot since he is my favorite Harry Potter character. Maybe he'll win or maybe he won't but I'm taking this moment to put a bid in for him!

Technorati Tags: harry+potter+challenge, heck+yeah+challenge, harry+potter+and+the+deathly+hallows, harry+potter+and+the+deathly+hallows+part+2, nablopomo, heck+yeah+harry+potter+challenge, heck+yeah+tumblr+challenge, heck+yeah+blogging+challenge, harry+potter+blogging+challenge, nablopomo+july+2011, nablopomo+2011, nablopomo+swim, harry+potter+movie

31 Day July Challenge at the Movies #NaBloPoMo #Heckyeah #Blogher

Join me in tackling the 31 Day July Challenge by trying to keep track of most, if not all of the new movies that I watch this summer, along with some extra tidbits that have less to do with them and more to do with my seasonal activities. Many of these movies are not new as in newly release or "Now Playing" but they are new to me since I haven't watched them before this summer. The list here is my attempt at playing catch-up with the days in July that have passed so far in the challenge.

1. What are your summer highlights so far?
Watching "X-Men: First Class" and "Bad Teacher" at the movie theater and taking a trip to New York to attend VISIONFEST 11 for the premiere of Steve Balderson's "The Casserole Club" at TriBeCa Cinemas.

2. It’s the Saturday before the 4th. Are you going out of town for the weekend?

No, because I just came back from New York and decided to spend some time watching movies that I never saw before, starting with Ben Affleck's "The Town" on DVD.

3. What is your favorite summer time snack?
Passion fruit water-ice.

4. It’s the 4th of July. How are you celebrating our nation’s independence?
By watching "Armored" starring Matt Dillon, Laurence Fisburne and Jean Reno aka Leon (or "The Professional") on DVD with my teenage cousin and trying to blog despite the annoying and highly distracting illegal firecrackers that people were blasting off in and around the city of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Police Department and the Philadelphia Mayor, Michael Nutter should be ashamed of themselves for allowing such a public disturbance to occur without enforcing the laws of the city and/or state.

5. Did your plans change last minute last night? Describe your evening.
No, my plans did not change that night because I didn't have any special plans for July 4th. My plans were about the same as any other day.

6. What is your favorite summer time activity?
Private cookouts with family and friends.

7. How do you dress for the summer time?
My summer time dress code is generally casual, consisting of colorful t-shirts with flowers or stripes, tank tops and jeans, with the occasional summer dress thrown in here and there.

Technorati Tags: heck+yeah+tumblr+challenges, 31+day+july+challenge, nablopomo, nablopomo+2011, nablopomo+july, nablopomo+july+2011, summer+movies, heck+yeah+challenge, tumblr+challenges, 31+day+tumblr+challenge, independence+day, july+4th, independence+day+july+4th,

Depressing Movies You Don't Want to Watch

This week’s monday movie meme is all about films that are downers. The Bumbles says to share on your blog movies that make you “totally bummed out,” as Depressing Movies is the topic chosen by Sandy at You’ve Gotta Read This. Here are my selections for the list of movies that do not make audiences feel any better after watching them.

Manic
Having just finished watching this movie yesterday, it ranks right up there with movies that are a downer. In fact, I considered turning “Manic” off about half-way through the film but that was mostly due to the shaky camera scenes that can make audiences dizzy while focusing less on the scene and focusing more on where one can get some aspirin for a developing headache that is just-a-brewing.

“Manic” is about a boy who is sent to the juvenile ward of a mental institution to deal with his violent outbursts, after he beat a teenager with a baseball bat. The depression felt from this movie comes more from disappointment than anything else. Just when it appeared that the main character was making progress, he goes downhill all over again.

Precious
While it garnered some critical acclaim, box office success and put it’s starring actresses and Tyler Perry on the Oscar radar, this movie doesn’t do anyone any good....point blank, period!

A friend of mine told me that she thinks “Precious” is a good movie but it’s one of those movies that you need only watch once because it is not a film that you’ll want to watch again due to the depressing content. Um, I wouldn’t want to watch “Precious” again and that is due to several reasons, so I guess she’s right! I honestly wouldn’t even recommend that anyone who hasn’t already watched this movie do so now because why subject yourself to 100+ minutes of anger and sadness? Just don’t....unless you like watching movies about child abuse, incest, ignorance and the ghetto.

Mystic River
Another reminder of why people should not be quick to jump to conclusions about things because speculation does not always solve a problem or get someone any closer to finding the truth, whatever that may be.

Murder in Mississippi
I bought the DVD for “Murder in Mississippi” a few months ago during an angry and rushed shopping splurge (It’s a long story. Well, it’s actually a short story but I don’t feel like talking about, okay?) and wished that I would’ve just rented it from Netflix or somewhere. This movie makes me question whether goodness can among mankind can ever prevail or if most people are just pure evil while others are cowards who either become part of the problem or just step aside and allow the evil to flourish.

Thank goodness for the Comedy genre. Movies in this category are usually a nice pick-me-up!

Of all the movies on this depressing film list, "Mystic River" is a movie that I would watch again. Not because if it's depressing nature, but because it is a good movie.....Sean Penn, hello?