i saw harry potter and the half-hour too long movie last night with niki.

full disclosure: i’m not a rowling fan and i haven’t read the books, though i’ve seen all the movies to date and i know where the story’s headed. i find the hogwarts universe charming, but always thought harry a rather bland and uninteresting hero; the latest big-screen installment does nothing to change that point of view.

i am reminded that there isn’t an actor alive i’m more happy to see walk into a scene than alan rickman. he’s in that rare category of “never not good.” and with the right material, he is often breathtaking.

even as special effects, lavish art direction and a tongue-flicking helena bonham carter threaten to overwhelm h.p. & the h.b.p., rickman somehow pulls you in again and again with stillness and skillful underplaying.

snape could so easily slip into parody-goth (*ahem* bonham carter) or snide queeniness. rickman does far more with less in a way few actors would dare.