This Week at the Movies

The Harry Potter films have been so reliably good that they put most other studio franchises to shame. Never has this been as glaring as these past few months, during which Hollywood has unleashed one of its worst summer rosters in recent memory.

It’s been 10 years since director Chris Columbus debuted “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which had a certain – for lack of a better word – magic and innocence to it.

Seven films later, the series ends on a much darker and more somber note with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.” Beloved characters meet their ends. Sections of Hogwarts are reduced to rubble. And the film’s characters, many of whom were children at the beginning of the series, are now on the verge of adulthood.

The films, based on J.K. Rowling’s novels, have captured moviegoers’ imaginations not only through CGI-induced wizardry, but also by allowing audiences to watch Harry, Hermione and Ron grow into their characters.

And it helps that the series has been populated by some of Britain’s top thespians: Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Timothy Spall, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Imelda Staunton and the late Richard Harris.

At this point, there should be no need to recap the final film’s storyline. Harry must finally face off against the dark lord Voldemort (a wickedly good Ralph Fiennes). Of course, secrets are divulged, romances kindled and character arcs reached.

“Deathly Hallows Part 2” culminates with a lovely coda during which several of the film’s characters meet at a locale instrumental to the series to send off the next generation of wizards. It’s a nice way to bring this decade-long story to a close.

Truth is stranger than fiction or, at least, that is the case with two new documentaries – “Tabloid” and “Project Nim,” both of which are set in the 1970s.

“Tabloid,” directed by Errol Morris (“The Fog of War and “The Thin Blue Line”), chronicles the strange, sordid tale of former Miss Wyoming Joyce McKinney, who was arrested and imprisoned after she was alleged to have kidnapped a Mormon missionary with whom she was obsessed and forced him to have sex.

McKinney claims she and Kirk Anderson, who is not interviewed for the film, had previously been in a relationship and that he agreed to flee his religion, run away with her and get married.

Postcolonialities | Blog | Call for Applicants- The Robert S ...

Level: Only lecturers and researchers from eligible countries working on their doctoral thesis

The Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program was established in 1982 to honor the former President of the World Bank. The Program annually awards Fellowships to support innovative and imaginative post-graduate research in areas of socioeconomicdevelopment – specifically focusing on issues critical to improving the lives of the most vulnerable in society. To date, 282 Fellowships have been awarded, spanning issues related todevelopment economics, health and population, education, environment, The Program’s funding comes from an investment income earned from an endowment fund set up by contributions from the World Bank and the governments of Bangladesh, China, India, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, and former Yugoslavia.

Fellowships are open to applicants who are nationals of, and residents in, countries which are currently eligible to borrow from the World Bank (See Program website for eligible countries). The research must be carried out in a member country of the World Bank other than the applicant’s own country, or country of residence at the time of application.

The Program provides support to young researchers working in academic and research institutions from eligible countries preparing a doctoral thesis. Research grants cover residence costs for a 5 to 10 month period in a renowned or research center. Fellows are expected to advance their research work mainly by using the facilities provided by the host institution, having access to essential resources such as reference books and research publications, databases, software, etc., attending seminars (and eventually courses), and more generally by interacting with peers.

Period of Fellowship: Fellowships are awarded for a period of five to ten months and must be completed between July 2011 and June 2012.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 28 February 2011

for more info see:

http://web.worldbank.

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