Star Wars Blu-Ray

So I finally received my Star Wars Blu-Ray set from Amazon the other day and wow, the film quality is amazing.  A lot of bad things have been said about this set before it was released due to George Lucas's tweaking as well as the absence of the original 3 films in their untouched format.  I however purchased it anyways for both the extensive special features as well as then 6.1 sound upgrade.  I have not been disappointed.  Watching the original Star Wars (Episode IV), the transfer is so detailed that I was able to see the dirt and scratches on R2D2's dome.  The sound of Darth Vader choking the man in the conference room of the Death Star is a sound entity in and of itself, WOW!  While I'm not a fan of most of George's additions to the original trilogy, it is nice to see the scenes he didn't change in such pristine condition.  I still have my VHS editions of the "as seen in theater" versions of this trilogy if I feel the need to relive the joy of the past.  The new trilogy (Episodes I-III) doesn't have many changes although it still looks and sounds amazing on Blu-Ray.  The 3 Blu-Ray's full of extras, especially the documentaries are a nice treat for those of us who have already watched all of the extras from the DVD collections and are looking for more insider information.

The End of Harry Potter

I know I am writing this post a little late as the last installment of the Harry Potter series premiered almost 2 months ago and I saw it opening weekend.  It was a very satisfying conclusion to the epic series and I am sad to see it end.  As with the book, The Deathly Hallows, the first part was ok, slower and not as interesting, but the second part makes it worth the wait.  Snape, played by Alan Rickman, was superb in this last episode.  I hope the academy will acknowledge his extraordinary acting skills and award him with a supporting actor Oscar at this years Academy Awards.  The scene where he walks in on the death of Lily and James Potter, picks Lily up in his arms, caresses her and wails with grief is the most haunting scene of the film.  Combined with the brilliant musical score by Alexandre Desplat, this look into the past of Severus Snape, is my favorite moment of the film.  While I am sad to see the series come to an end, it followed the flow of the book and gave the fans the ending they wanted. Showing Harry and his friends 19 years later sending their own children off to Hogwarts left a warm feeling in my soul.  I love happy endings!!!