Last night we saw the latest Harry Potter movie. I thought it was a very good movie, better than the first. I’ve enjoyed the books by JK Rowling, the kids have loved them — for a while they were the only books my son would read until my wife took them away and hid them. I’ve read them all at least twice, but I have a hard time keeping straight which stuff is in which book, and I forget plenty of it — I think because they are such fast reads. I think the movies are geared to the same audience as the books — it’s not really a little kid (6 and under) movie, although it seemed there were some pretty young ones in the theatre with us. If you have a spider phobia, you should be prepared to close your eyes a lot during the movie. Other than that, it’s more exciting than scary, and while on the long side, doesn’t seem long. With the exception of Harry Potter himself who seems a bit stiff, I’m impressed with the casting of the movies. I think they did a really good job, especially with the villains. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy is perfect – the understated but clear menace, and both he and Alan Rickman as Severus Snape have deliciously oily sneers. The special effect standard of movies has gotten so good that great fantasy movies can be made now – like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.