19 FILM REVIEWS hurdles in the forward-momentum category. This is the last book but this isnt The End so we know we wont be getting the big final fireworks. Some people could die, and do, and plot points are met that will help push us on to the end, but theres also the feeling of much waiting. Yes, we do indeed get a segment of the movie focused on three people hanging out in a tent and arguing. These arent all bad scenes but they do start to feel repetitive and like theyre weighing the story down. This movie is all setting up the chess pieces but very little of the game. Having said that, the movie has some nice moments theres a scene early in the movie when everyone is readying for battle and Hermione, who has Muggle parents, erases their memory of her to protect them. Its touching and well acted, it gets to the scale of the fight our heroes are about to engage in (in the next movie presumably). Theres some sweet stuff about the romances of the various members of this gang of kids weve watched grow up. Some of the villainy is fun Bellatrix, as Ive mentioned, and also the pink and tidy malevo- lence of Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), who plays bureaucratic evil with aplomb. Pieces of this movie are entertaining and other pieces particularly scenes of the core trio out in menacing corners of the wilderness look so good it almost doesnt matter whether theyre entertaining or not. But the movie doesnt gel into something that is cohesive and coherent on its own because its not, I guess. To get that seeing-the-big-picture feel, well need to wait until July 2011, when the second part and final movie in this series is scheduled for release. Think of this movie a completeists must, a casual fans future rental as the amuse bouche to get you salivating for next summer. B- Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images. Directed by David Yates and written by Steve Kloves (from the book by J.K. Rowl- ing),Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is two hours and 25 minutes long and is distributed by Warner Bros. It opens in wide release on Friday, Nov. 19. The U.S. government is going to have itself a war in Iraq and it is not going to tolerate any naysayers with their questions about the lack of proof of weapons of mass destruction in Fair Game, the story of former CIA agent Valerie Plame. Or, at least, the story as adapted from her book, Fair Game, and her husband Joseph Wilsons book, The Politics of Truth. As shown here, Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) is a good soldier of the American intelligence com- munity. She has operations running all over the world, particularly the extremist-filled parts of the world, and is tracking potential threats to the U.S. Her status as a covert CIA agent, one who often uses other identities to get into a country and make contact with potential sourc- es, is known only to her husband, former U.S. ambassador Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), and her parents. And they know only the broadest strokes that shes in the CIA and, in Joes case, when she says shes go- ing to Cleveland on business, thats likely not true. To the Wilsons friends, Valerie works for a venture capital firm in Georgetown and is the quiet half of the couple, the one who tries to calm Joe down when he turns into a pompous lecturer at dinner parties. But Plames work is vitally con- nected to the run-up to the Iraq war. She is part of the team looking at information that some mostly the White House believe sug- gests that Iraq has an active nuclear program and is getting close to having nuclear weapons. Most people seem not to believe this, including Joe, who is contracted (but not paid) by the CIA to go to Africa and use his contacts to find out if there is any truth to reports that Iraq had purchased yellow cake uranium. These reports were false, Wilson ultimately decided based on his investigation, and so he was shocked when he heard President Bush mention the uranium in the State of the Union address as one of the pieces of evidence supporting an invasion. So he writes an op-ed for the New York Times to explain his position. And in response, at least as its shown here, the White House leaks Plames name, effectively ending her career and calling into question Wilsons report. Naturally, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, George W. Bush, et al. come off pretty bad here. The adminsitra- tion (to varying degrees, depend- ing on who youre talking about) deliberately misread intelligence about Iraq to justify the war. Anad, as the movie explains it, Plames identification leads to the deaths of several Iraqi scientists. Coming, as the movies information does, from Fair Game (PG-13) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 By Amy Diaz For the York Independent The saga of Harry Potter, the boy who lived, and his death match with Voldemort, the evil snake guy, inches closer to its conclusion with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the first half of the final book in the seven-book series. SPOILER ALERT. I mean, if youre seeing the movie its likely you read the book, etc., but in case you havent... The wizarding world is in a shambles as we return to Harrys story. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is about to age out of the protec- tion spell on his aunts house. His schooling is done at Hogwarts, which has been taken over by Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), Dumbledores (Michael Gambon) killer from the last movie. Harry and his besties Ron Weasley (Ru- pert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) head to Rons fam- ilys home for protection and then set out to find the Horcruxes part of the process that will eventually lead to the showdown with Volde- mort (Ralph Fiennes). And, frightening as the prospect is, that showdown will have to hap- pen sooner rather than later. Volde- morts cronies have staged a coup on the wizard government and are now tormenting wizards and non- wizards alike. Their particular ral- lying cry is wizard purity getting rid of all the wizards like Hermione who have Muggle (regular human) family. While Voldemort and his Death Eaters Nazi it up in the Ministry of Magic, Harry and friends travel from one lonely wilderness location to another trying to stay under the radar and figuring out the riddle of the Horcruxes where to find them, how to destroy them and how it will help them to ultimately put an end to Voldemort. What the hell is a Horcrux, you might ask. Ive read (or, OK, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (PG-13) skimmed) the books and I vaguely remember that they are bad magical whosiwhatsits that help Voldemort retain immortality. Destroy the Horcruxes and you improve your chance of killing him. And there are, apparently, four remaining Hor- cruxes that Harry and Co. have to dispose of before he and Voldemort can have their big wand-off. Hor- cruxes are only one of the magical knickknacks in this movie. Theres the magical flashlight Dumbledore left Ron, theres a powerful wand whose existence is explained mostly in exhausting flashbacks (or flash-sides or something), theres a vaguely masonic rune that keeps popping up. Add these to the seemingly endless number of characters Rons whole family including Harrys girlfriend Ginny (Bonnie Wright), the spacey Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) and her father (Rhys Ifans), an assortment of Death Eaters including the pale Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) and the crazy fun Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter giving the movies only real cracking per- formance), and various do-gooder F.O.Harry-types who meant oodles in previous films but are mostly minor parts here. This movie seems like it would border on incompre- hensibility if you hadnt read the book or didnt have at least a work- ing memory of previous movies. There are a zillion little details and the movie is at a stage where it can no longer reintroduce them to you (which is probably for the best; as confusing as it is to try to remember what powers elves have, it would be unbearable to have to sit through a remedial lecture on all the charac- ters and the magical rules). The movie has some pretty big books by Plame and Wilson, this is not surprising. What is rather surprising is what a flaming jerkface the movie paints Wilson as. Sure he felt the gov- ernment was misleading the people and he spoke up. But the movie seems to balance out that good deed with scenes of Wilson jumping at television appearances (both before and after Plame is exposed). We see him run right over Plame and her career without ever really showing any kind of remorse. (And even before that, Plame is portrayed as a capable woman doing her best for family and country and Wilson is portrayed as a self-interested whin- er.) The movie seems to be heading to a well-deserved how could you be so careless takedown of Wilson by Plame (who really comes off as the smarter, nicer half of the pair). But in the end, it sews itself up with a very weak scene of the Wilsons vowing to fight for ... er, whatever, theres some Penn speechifying and then movies over. And hey, check out this real-life footage of Plame testifying before Congress! (Actually, that footage was pretty cool and I stuck around to watch the snippet they played over the credits. The rushed ending highlights the movies biggest weaknesses. She seems from that footage and this movie like exactly the kind of competent individual you hope is running operations at the CIA.) The rushed ending highlights the movies biggest weaknesses. This is a big complicated story that happened over the course of years. Particularly once we get to the unmasking-of-Valerie part of the movie, actions seem compacted and every conversation feels like a compilation of oodles of conver- sations. I was left wanting more of Valerie and how she felt about everything that happened. Despite all the shakiness, the story is fascinating, even if were just getting one point of view about this chapter of history. The perfor- mances are solid Penn is so per- fectly cast as a schmucky know-it- all that its hard to figure out what is the character and what is the actor. Watts is also well-cast. She offers a compelling portrait of a woman who enjoys her challenging job; I would have liked to see more about how she dealt with losing it. B Rated PG-13 for some language. Directed by Doug Liman and written by Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (from the books The Politics of Truth by Joseph Wilson and Fair Game by Valerie Plame. 19 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black WHERE TO SEE THE FLICKS For films and showtimes, call the theater. Wells Five Star Cinema 7 75 Wells Plaza, Wells, Maine (207) 646-0500 Regal Cinemas New- ington 15 45 Gosling Road, Newington, N.H. (603) 431-4200 The Music Hall 28 Chestnut St., Ports- mouth, N.H. (207) 436-9900 Smittys Sanford Cinema & Pub 1364 Main St., Sanford, Maine (207) 490-0000 Smittys Cinemas Biddeford 8 420 Alfred Road, Bid- deford, Maine (207) 283-4500 The Cinemagic & IMAX in Saco 779 Portland Road, Saco, Maine (207) 282-6234 Cinemagic Grand Stadium at Clarks Pond 333 Clarks Pond High- way, South Portland, Maine (207) 772-6023 19 November 19 - December 2, 2010 The York Independent
1 York The Independent The hometown voice of the greater York region FREE Nov. 19 Dec. 2, 2009 Volume 11 Issue 23 April 10 - - April 23, 2010 Volume 13 Issue 7 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black dont miss this editions Local Flavors centerfold! PAGES 12-13 Free www.yorkindependent.net York Teachers Associa
2 Publishers Note COMMUNITY BRIEFS Still teaching after all these years By JEFF RAPSIS The York Independent My family owns a piece of land in backwoods New Hampshire on which sits a dilapidated one-room hunting cabin built by my grandfather during the Great Depression. Its interior walls and floorin
3 yorkme.org. More information about the market and which vendors will be attending on each date will be available soon at www. gatewayfarmersmarket.co Festival of Fostering Trees to be held again this year Yorks 5 th Annual Festival of Fostering Trees will take place from Friday, Dec. 3 to Sunday,
4 4 FRED CHELLIS Q&A THE CHAIRMAKER By Taryn Plumb The York Independent Hes certainly not the La-Z-Boy type. Unless were talking 18th century La-Z-Boys: Fred Chellis of Berwick is an old-fashioned chairmaker. Delicately, laboriously, the former mechanical engineer handcrafts Windsor chairs with a to
5 ally thousands of years old. The Wind- sor chair, its believedalthough theres nothing concrete to verify itoriginated somewhere around Windsor, England, hence the name. But theres no actual written history. The American Windsor is a variation of the English Windsor, and re- ally took off after the
6 Cover Story 6 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black Does the Old Agamenticus School still have anything to teach us? By JEFF RAPSIS The York Independent Whenever York gets some weather, Pamela Wallis wonders. Just across the road from her home, the Old Agamen- ticus school building stands among overgrown tree
7 A heartfelt story I was walking along York Beach when I started having chest pains. I remember think- ing, Im a firefighter. Im in shape. I cant be having a heart attack. I was planning to work the next morning. My son had a differ- ent idea, so I checked into York Hospital and met with Dr. Petrov
8 Continued from page 6 Agamenticus Village began fading a century ago, as logging waned and rural farming life became less attractive com- pared to opportunities in larger cities, or even closer to the coast right in York. The village became a backwater that didnt even get electricity or paved road
9 my kind of town In York, we start them young By JENNIFER L. SAUNDERS For the Independent Giving...thanks! My cupboards are barebut at this time of year, that is actually a good thing. You see, my 12-year-old daughter and her class- mates at York Middle School are very busy right now because, in ad
10 Visual Arts Listings Send us your listings! Got a gallery exhibit coming up? Send the info to yorkindependent gmail.com. Listings run on a space available basis Holidays Past: Sixth An- nual Festival of Trees, Friday, Nov. 26, 5 p.m. through Friday, Dec. 31, at The Dyer Library/ Saco Museum, 371
11 Eat here A weekly column about local food By SARAH GRANT The York Independent Where to pick up pies: If you just cant face making your own pies, or you are simply exhausted from reading the two articles on Thanksgiving pie making in this York Independent, here are a few establishments that will b
12 Join us for Dinner on Friday Nights! D ine n a D ime Every Friday Night Opening at 5PM Featuring fresh homemade desserts, baked goods. soups and fresh salads! L ocal FOOD Comfort Food Done Right! All Entrees Only $10 B.Y.O.B! Due to limited seating call ahead for reservations. The Rowan Tree is
13 Cannot be combined with any other offer. Coupon has no cash value. Must be presented at time of purchase. F lavor s Enjoy your Thanksgiving Dinner served at the Hayloft from 11 am to 7 pm. Reservations recommended but walk-ins also welcomed! 065681 Breakfast Lunch Sandwich Sandwich 50 Off $1 Off
14 Continued from page 13 paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. To combine in a food processor Place flour and salt in a food processor; process to combine. Cut butter into table- spoon sized or smaller pieces. Add butter, and pulse three or four times until mixture resembles coarse meal
15 FOOD A pair of apple pies Two holiday baking projects that bear fruit By SARAH GRANT The York Independent It has been said repeatedly that there is nothing more American than apple pie. This is especially true at Thanksgiving when cold stored apples are still seasonal, local and abundant. And who
16 Listings Send us your listings! List your event in the York Independent for free! Listings are run on a space available basis. Send complete information about your event, including exactly when and where it takes place, any admission charges, and anything else necessary for readers to take action
17 smoking, if you are a Maine resident, is to call the free Maine Tobacco Helpline at 1-800-207-1230. The program offers confidential phone support; you wont need to leave the house! In addition to coaching, the Helpline offers free nicotine replace- ment therapy (the patch or gum) to make quitting
18 CAR TALK BY TOM AND RAY MAGLIOZZI Theres such a thing as taking frugality too far to save a few bucks, Naomi. But at some point, the obsession with saving money can override normal human behavior. RAY: And Im afraid your husband is pushing right up against that line. Whats next? Is he going to in
19 FILM REVIEWS hurdles in the forward-momentum category. This is the last book but this isnt The End so we know we wont be getting the big final fireworks. Some people could die, and do, and plot points are met that will help push us on to the end, but theres also the feeling of much waiting. Yes,
20 THE PET CONNECTION Looking for a home On Saturday, Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., The Senior Canines from the Animal Welfare Society will be kicking up their paws as they showcase that age is only a state of mind when they visit Pet Quarters in Scarborough for National Adopt a Senior Pet Month.
21 NEWS OF RECORD OBITUARIES Kathleen Faye Carpenter Carpenter, Kathleen Katie Faye, 91, of 3 Huntington Common Drive, Ken- nebunk and a long time resident of York, died Friday, November 12, 2010. She was born July 4, 1919 in Lincoln, a daughter of the late Lloyd L. and Har- riet Mae (Smith) Ludden.
$8.00 per 15 words. Payment is due when ad is placed. We accept cash, check and all major credit cards. ADVERTISING DEADLINE Monday by 5:00 p.m. prior to publication date. KEY ROOFING: Gut leaks,repair special- ist. Slate, shingles, rub- ber. Stay Dry! 30 years experience. Call NOW! 603-661-9480. Cl
23 DEMOCRATS SAY THANK YOU The Seacoast Democrats and York Democratic Town Committee wish to thank our donors for their generosity and our volunteers for their hard work and many hours on the phone and at the door talking to voters about the candidates and the issues they care about. Thank you to vo
24 Realty One Office: 439 US Route One York, ME 03909 84 School St (intersection of RT 1) Ogunquit, ME 03907 Each offi ce independently owned & operated & 207.363.2497 Toll Free: 800.272.4366 207.646.4546 Happy Thanksgiving KITTERY Remember to support your local food pantry in this and every season
