SimplyMaggies

After two years’ waiting game, the sixth installment of the “Harry Potter” series is finally here. And after watching it twice the first weekend it was showing (is it a bit crazy?), I must say “The Half-Blood Prince” is pretty good in general, however it trails its predecessors by much.

It is definitely a much darker part to the Potter saga; one that in a way lays the groundwork for the grand finale (which I have just found out is supposed to be so big it comes in two parts, so there is still something to  look forward to). Unfortunately, the writers and other makers of this incredibly dramatic book have omitted few too many scenes making it somewhat incomprehensible (unless you’re a total Potter fan and read all the books). Certain events and character portrayals pretty crucial to the plot were either skipped altogether or simply sketched to the point the viewer doesn’t quite realize how devilish Drako can really be or how much he struggled with coming to terms with the Dark Lord’s order. And the part Snape (Alan Rickman) played in the events was a lot more complicated  and a lot more secretive leading to a gasping finale in the last chapters of the book. But the audience does  not get a chance to witness it all, which really is unfortunate.

However, where the film lacks in character display, it makes up for in the comical elements and an extraordinary cinematography. The humor lightens up the dark mood of “The Half-Blood Prince” and the beautifully shot scenes are, at least, pleasant to look at.

Moreover, we get a glimpse (too bad it is only a glimpse) at the new relationships forming among the Hogwart’s attendance. Harry (Daniel Radcliff) discovers he has a crush on Ron’s (Rupert Grint) sister, Ginny (Bonnie Wright) while Hermione (Emma Watson) admits to liking Ron a wee bit more than just a friend…

And the best part about this whole movie was the much bigger part given to Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), who finally resembles the character from the novels as well as from the first two movies. Well done!

All in all, I really enjoyed the movie (heck! I watched it twice in three days!) because, like most good moives, it engages you emotionally making you laugh and cry…

This sequel to the now-famous adaptation of the well-known cartoon series as well as comic books, is pretty well done. Not only does it deliver an exploding amount of action but combined with comic elements, it makes the story moving and fun to watch.

Here again, we meet the familiar cast of  characters with a few addition to the crew, both in the human and transformer variety. Sam (Shia LeBeouf) is about to leave for college. The days of the fight against the Decepticons forgotten, the only thing on Sam’s mind is that new chapter in his life and return to normalcy. His unlikely match with girlfriend (Megan Fox) is blooming despite the approaching separation. Meanwhile, the new alliance formed between the soldiers and the Autobots, called NEST, is cleaning the Earth from the left-over bad guys. Until Sam accidentally touches a shard of the Spark and all hell breaks loose…

“Transformers 2” is your typical summer movie filled with action scenes and visual effects. However, as an intelligent member of the movie-going audience, I found it lacking in the plot-telling area. Yes, it is entertaining and I laughed quite often and was even touched at one point however, there were moments were the story line was simply too far-fetched… even for a superhero movie…

The one thing I really liked was the way the shots were taken, bringing in an element of art, which otherwise would have been lacking.

So if you’re expecting light entertainment, light entertainment you will get. And unfortunately, like in the case of many sequels, the first film was far more superior in nearly every aspect to part two.

I tend to forget that life has these amazing ways of constantly knocking me off my feet (and not only in good ways). Today I had a reminder of that one simple truth.

One of my supervisors at work has been trying to have a meeting with me and my co-worker for about two weeks now but reality is what it is and sometimes it is simply impossible to make such plans happen. However, she finally managed to have a moment to spare and the meeting took place. To our surprise, all three supervisors were present (that is a Training Specialist, a manager and a director). A serious business, one would think but it was basically waste of time. To me at least…

Once again, I had to sit through an hour of pointing fingers and looking for a scapegoat. The worst of it is that I’m tired of paying for somebody else’s lack of qualifications or simply not doing their job, period! I bust my ass every day, perform my duties to the best of my abilities, don’t complain about lack of involvement on the part of my co-worker and here I was again—listening to the supervisors reprimanding us both. And why? Because they do not have guts to say it like it is and put the persons responsible for the screw-ups on the spot.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not looking for some empty praises or people patting me on my back saying what a great job I am doing. However, I would like to be left out of the equation when it comes down to hauling slackers over the coals. Not too much to ask for, now is it?

But the most shocking part of this whole meeting was the fact that one of the supervisors basically lied through her teeth and turned the tables on us, blatantly blaming us for the things she initiated, did and said in the past few months. My jaw dropped and I was so taken aback by the gall of her that I simply couldn’t respond and just sat there starring at her. No matter what we tried to say, it didn’t make a tiny bit of a difference.

So now I’m left utterly sickened by the way my unfortunate management takes care of issues. I also feel let down. The one person that we are supposed ask for help in difficult situations, has obviously turned her back on us and has done so in such an unprofessional and disgusting manner, it makes me not want to speak to her again. 

So I’m left asking myself one question—how am I supposed to even address this woman with work related issues if I cannot trust her as far as I can throw her?