Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix is finished - now I can finally read #6! I'm really glad that I re-read #5 because I'd forgotten a lot.

I enjoy Rowling's critique of bureaucratic inaction in the face of real problems. One of my wacky theories about #5 is that all of Harry's frustration with the Minsitry of Magic, Umbridge, her ridiculous Educational Decrees and the denial of Voldemort's return are really Rowling's way of expressing her frustration as a writer at having to restrain herself from jumping ahead to the climatic final battles.

I'm in such Harry Potter mode that I bought the first 3 movies - they were half price and I couldn't resist the deal. Now that I'm immersed in the books I've been wanting to watch the movies again.

I had a free pass for The Island last night, and was really glad that I got to see if for free. I like Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson but the movie wasn't that great, although I didn't hate it or anything. Entertainment Weekly gave it a C, and I agree with that rating. It's sort of like a semi-good B movie that looks really good and aspires to be a thoughtful Sci-fi film about the ethics of cloning combined with a fast-paced Hollywood action movie. I was definitely entertained at times, although I was also bewildered by the plot at other times.

There are some fun scenes when Ewan McGregor plays both Tom Lincoln and his clone Lincoln Six Echo that caused my friends and I to have a silly/fun conversation based on the question:

What would you do if you met your clone?

My friends suggested - and I agree with this - that I'd get along really well with my clone. We'd both be delighted that we like Buffy, Veronica Mars and Anne of Green Gables. I can imagine the lengthy conversations about my favourite topics we could have (eg. a discussion about the evolution of Spike's character could last for days)! The biggest problem I could forsee is that my clone and I would never be able to decide on anything because we like all the same things (I sometimes experience this kind of indecision on my own, so with 2 of me it would be even worse).

Just as the movie was starting and the credits were appearing on the screen, one of my friends leaned over and said: "Wouldn't it be funny if someone walked out now? Like they see Ewan McGregor's name on the screen and are horrified he's in it, so they leave." I found this really funny and am entertained by the idea of going to a movie, and when an actor's name appears on the screen declaring loudly: "Oh no, I don't like Owen Wilson," and then dramatically leaving the theatre. I picked Owen Wilson because I think he's a really likable actor, and it would be funnier if someone reacted negatively to a well-liked actor. I don't think anybody would be too surprised if someone reacted that way to seeing Tom Cruise's name in the War of the World credits (although if I was in the audience and someone did this, I'd marvel at the person's ability to completely ignore the media).