It had a lot of the atmosphere of post-war Iraq. Funny that isn’t often mentioned. Wrong analogy, of course. For one generation, it is now, has been and always will be Vietnam.
SONTAG AWARD NOMINEE: “Cuaron’s outspokenness is also new to the franchise. Does the evil wizard Voldemort still remind him of George W. Bush, as he said recently? ‘In combination with Saddam,’ he says. ‘They both have selfish interests and are very much in love with power. Also, a disregard for the environment. A love for manipulating people. I read books four and five, and Fudge’ – Rowling’s slippery Minister of Magic – ‘is similar to Tony Blair. He’s the ultimate politician. He’s in denial about many things. And everything is for the sake of his own persona, his own power. The way the Iraq thing was handled was not unlike the way Fudge handled affairs in book four.’ Cuaron’s scrappiness is either refreshing or worrying, depending on your stock portfolio.” – from Newsweek’s interview with Alfonso Cuaron, the new Harry Potter director.
The Dish 