Maine proved a decent camping trip, at least when it wasn't raining. Susan and I went to Mt. Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park. The park was gorgeous, though the wildlife not as plentiful or friendly as it was in the Shenandoahs. We took some spectacular pictures of islands in the Gulf of Maine from the top of Mt. Cadillac; a number of islands were covered in mist, which gave them an eerie, otherworldly look as we peered down on them from the sky. Plus, we actually saw some whales on the whale watch cruise.

However, between the three days of rain and the fact that Susan hurt her foot the week before, there was a lot we couldn't do, so we spent a lot of time at local restaurants and at the movies, which is my idea of a great vacation anyway.

"Transformers" is exactly what you would expect it to be, and the closest director Michael Bay will ever come to making a good movie. But besides the toys, it's also a two-hour recruiting commercial that manages to place the Army in the Middle East and somehow avoid mentioning Iraq. Still, it delivers on the brainless action side, so if that's your idea of a good movie, go and have some fun.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is also a good time, doing a nice job of condensing a thick, densely plotted novel into a two-hour film. The acting is as good as ever, and it's a pleasure to watch these kids grow up, especially Emma Watson. They're even letting Matthew Lewis (Neville) look more like his real self. (I interviewed Matt a couple of years ago when "Goblet of Fire" opened in the U.S.) I can only wonder what lies in store for Neville when the last novel comes out this weekend.

It is clear, though, that corporate thinking has taken over at Hogwarts: Warner Bros. is more of a threat to Harry than Voldemort will ever be. Now that they know the franchise can't lose money, they're chintzing wherever they can. For one thing, they're no longer willing to spend what it takes to get top of the line creative talent. This is the first major film for TV director David Yates. Composer Nicholas Hooper, award winner though he may be, is also largely known for TV work, and his abilities come nowhere close to those of Patrick Doyle and John Williams (whose original "Potter" music is all but ignored in this film.) Also, those of you who remember Sirius Black's appearance in the Gryffindor common room fireplace will be disappointed here; rather than have Sirius speaking directly from the ashes as he did in "Goblet," Yates opts for superimposing Gary Oldman's face over the flames, which certainly cost less, but is far less compelling or convincing.

In "Plague of Dracula" news, the first draft of the video interview has been cut and can be previewed at Dan's LiveJournal: http://thetathx1138.livejournal.com/ Take a look and please let me know what you think.

Tags: harry potter, vacation
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