I was reminded at midnight why I go to HP movie premieres.

So, yeah, I am a fan of Harry Potter - without the wands, the home-made Quidditch robes or any other nonsense accessories other than the books - and I did go with my girlfriends to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. We were those girls - don't worry, we were in t-shirts and jeans, not in full costume unlike some die-hard characters - at ten o'clock for good seat at a midnight showing and got home at 3:00 this morning.

I believe it was the best Harry Potter movie thus far. I think the scenes that focused on the humorous (and sometimes heartbreaking) social lives of the students was a nice break from the dark, heavy tone from the fifth movie. The balance between comedy and action/drama was well done and even if you're not a Harry Potter fan, at least see the movie when it comes to DVD for two characters: Luna Lovegood and Cormac McLaggen.

Luna Lovegood is absolutely adorable. Every scene she's in, my friends and I aww'd and ooh'd (endearingly) because she's so sweet, quirky and cute. Her little dress to Slughorn's Christmas party was so funky I won't be surprised if Forever 21 comes out with a similiar cocktail dress in a few weeks. Hooray for Evanna Lynch and her acting skills.

And now, for McLaggen.

Cormac = Grade-A Tool. And I love it.

I didn't pay a lot of attention to Cormac in my initial reading of HP6 - however, Freddie Stroma took McLaggen's role to a whole new level of pompous prick. I thought McLaggen was just a bull-headed jock, but Stroma made me wish McLaggen was in every scene. He was hilarious! He made a simple role of being a catalyst for Hermione and Ron's romance into a role of comedic assholeness. His hotness almost stole Tom Felton's spotlight. FYI, there were girls in the audience who cried when Malfoy got hexed brutally in the bathroom scene.

The New York Times, however, were crying in the audience because of their impatience with the movie and its upcoming two-part finale of the Harry Potter adventure. TNYT whines about the lag between books and movies, making the franchise slow and tedious. I beg to differ because I find it smart of Warner Bros to make two movies to break up the ending to make more money and to keep the Harry Potter craze alive. Because, Dargis, once it's over, it's over. The fans who were read the book to in elementary school have been living with Harry Potter for years and it's the impatient, weary consumers like you who want this "fad" to be over with and look for something new to bite and swallow without savoring it. The Harry Potter trend is something to be inhaled. When the final movie comes out, it'll be over and the fans - the casual like me and the die-hard alike - will have nothing left of J.K. Rowling's tale to look forward to. Except for those who have turned to the Twilight series for cheap literature security. You and your teen vampire smut obsession sicken me.