For those of you that don't know, I am a bit of a Harry Potter fan. I have no shame about waiting in massive lines filled with children and parents and other adult geeks on the opening night of the film or the release of a new book. I even wore plastic Harry Potter glasses at the midnight opening for the release of Book 5. And while I love the books, I have found the first two movies to be very disappointing. First of all, Rowling's descriptions of the characters and places allows a lot of space for imagination and there is something restrictive about seeing the images fixed in stone. Harry Potter is too cute and Hermione's crimped hair in the first movie was a slap in the face to curly haired know-it-alls everywhere (not that I took it personally...). And second of all, the movies are just boring. The books are filled with such style and humor that, no matter how perfect the design of the film was, just didn't translate.

Nevertheless, I still feel a mounting excitement for the 3rd movie. Maybe it is because there is a new director, or because the 3rd book is when things start getting really dark (I think the Dementors are the most terrifying of Rowlings inventions). Maybe it's because I get to see it in France, where the cinemas, with their balconies and plush red seats, recall a more romantic era and where the subtitles will read "Poudlard" for "Hogwarts", "Nick Quasi-Sans-Tete" for "Nearly Headless Nick" and "baguette magique" for "Magic wand", which always makes me think of people swinging around loafs of French bread. Or maybe it's because I will be seeing it with Smilla (who is coming to visit!!!) on opening night, which illeviates the anxiety I was feeling wondering who would go to me, having left my band of Harry Potter faithfuls back in New York. But Smilla was the one who introduced me to Harry Potter and it seems perfect that she will be in Paris for opening night (which is June 2 here.)

Speaking of Smilla and Harry Potter, she sent me a link to the site of someone who is way more obsessed with Harry Potter than me, who has done dozens of illustrations and is even working on a Harry Potter tarot deck (that will be mine once she has finished). For fellow fans, I highly suggest checking out Nasubionna's drawings, if for any reason just to get you excited for the movie and for that warm-all-over-feeling caused by the magical, cathartic effects of these books. Click here to be happy!