I saw two movies today: Bruno, and Half Blood Prince. I'd been looking forward to both, though the latter longer than the former, and was excited to finally do that.

First, Bruno. I went expecting boundaries to be crossed, personal spaces to be violated, minorities and majorities to be insulted, and many a penis to be shown. I was given all of these things, the last especially. Though short, Bruno was very satisfyingly vulgar and I loved every moment of it. Sacha Baron Cohen will, someday, get himself killed doing movies like Bruno and Borat, but until then, I hope he continues to grace us with his waxed, bulging presence.

Now... to the main feature. Swapping our midnight premiere tickets for 12:30 tickets to accommodate a third viewer, we declined the option of camping for seats. Leaving people dressed as Harry, Luna and Draco to continue doing something I stopped doing when I was twelve, we returned at a later hour and found seats accordingly... in the second row. This turned out not to matter, as the movie hardly warranted a choice position in the audience.

It began as Dumbledore wandblocked Harry from a chance at scoring with a hot black waitress, only to drag him across town to converse with an armchair. As far as I am concerned, it really could have ended there. Excited though I was, and bearing low expectations, I remain disappointed. Daniel Radcliffe's ever-talentless "acting" weighs down the film, littering it with forced, waxen emotional outbursts and tight-lipped smiles. This is countered only by Tom Felton's exceptional performance as Draco Malfoy; his emotions are wonderfully portrayed, his torment apparent, and he responds to everything around him in the film as naturally as if he truly was Draco. I am highly impressed and happy to see more of the character in detail; one of few talented actors in the HP films manages to do it yet again. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint stumble behind, rushing their lines and looking confused. The plot is bumbling, not that the original material was fantastic to begin with, and far too heavy in awkwardly exaggerated relationship scenes. Yes, teenagers want to fuck each other, all the time - we understand. Please actually focus more on the story, or rather, what remains of it after you have eliminated such a large portion. Essentially all of the invasion of Hogwarts and the ensuing fight, Dumbledore's funeral and the conversations and meaning which accompany it, several of the memories involved in the plot, displayed Muggle and wizard fraternization in the government - all of these things are unimportant. Please do show me more of Ron's fleeting affair with a background character. I care so much about who Lavender is petting her Kneazle to.

The ending was cramped and felt very much rushed, the emotional breakdown Dumbledore suffers while drinking the potion in the cave is reduced to what is essentially a montage of Harry refilling the cup and Dumbledore making vague faces. Had I not read the book, I would only get the impression it was making him rather nauseous, not resurrecting his most shameful memories and haunting him from within. Oh no, a basin full of ipecac! Voldemort, you rascal!

Overall, though the fan within me was happy to see another Potter film with some, if not many, positive points, that same part of me is deeply disappointed. I enjoyed watching the movie, and don't regret seeing it, but it was not a quality film. Of course, I have two more movies to look forward to... and guess what they're about? Harry Potter goes CAMPING and is entirely useless for almost the whole duration of the story. My god, how interesting that sounds. Excuse me while I fall asleep with excitement.