"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

One of the problems with sequels is that if the previous movie was great, it ups the bar for the next one. Sometimes, the expectations are so high that the sequel fails to match the brilliance of the previous one. Such is the case for “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” which is the fourth movie in the series. Sporting a new director, Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”), “The Goblet of Fire” covers the fourth installment of Rowlings’ popular series.

(SPOILERS FOLLOW)

As with the books, the movie covers the year in the life of Harry at Hogwarts School for Witches and Wizards. Harry is in his fourth year, and is an unwilling participant in the Triwizard Tournament. Using his wits and relying on the aid of his friends, and an unknown helper, Harry must survive the three tasks to win the Tournament. And, slowly making his presence more and more known, his arch nemesis Lord Voldemort plots and plans his resurrection and his revenge.

The great difficulty with “Goblet” is that the movie has to deal with a 700+ page book. Unfortunately, some of the details have to be sacrificed to make the movie more manageable and fluid. While some omissions, such as S.P.E.W., Dobby and Winky, Bagman, and the Quidditch World Cup (I must confess I wanted to see this in its entirety; however, I realize that it wouldn’t have added anything to the story except to digress. Still, it wouldn’t have hurt to add it.), others, such as the appearance of Sirius Black, some exposition about some of the details, the ultimate fate of Barty Crouch, Sr., would’ve made the story a lot clearer. I also think the use of the Prophet’s Skeeter was underutilized.

The other problem is that what I liked about “Prisoner of Azkaban” was that the director managed to make the film flow more smoothly compared to the first two movies. I was hoping that Newell would be able to do the same for “Goblet”, but I guess with such a large book, it just wasn’t possible. There are parts where the shift from scene to scene is choppy and abrupt, lacking a sense of coherence.

Finally, there’s the casting, specifically of Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, and Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. I really miss the late Richard Harris. He was able to bring a dignity and presence to the character of Dumbledore, traits that I feel are sorely lacking in Gambon’s portrayal. Fiennes, while a splendidly competent actor, also lacks the menace that Voldemort exudes in the books.

Still, the movie is not without its high points. Many of the key scenes, such as the Tasks and the resurrection of the Dark Lord, took my breath away. They evoked the anxiety and fear that the scenes demanded. When Harry appeared on the tournament square with the body of Cedric Diggory was also a bit of a tearjerker.

The rest of the cast, particularly Dame Maggie Smith as McGonagall, among others, have grown comfortably into their roles that it fits them like a second skin. It’s also nice to finally see Cho Chang (Katie Leung) and the Patil twins onscreen. And, while Cedric Diggory was doomed to die, the actor who portrayed him was okay.

In sum, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is an adequate addition to the series, although I’m wondering how the last three books will be translated into movie form, as they are (and, in the case of the seventh, will be) about as long, or maybe even longer than, “Goblet.”


Looking forward to:

1. “Narnia” – I didn’t realize that it was a Disney production. I’m really trying to keep my expectations to a minimum, but it’s really hard.
2. “Superman” – I’m not sure what the title of the movie’s going to be, but since Bryan Singer’s (X-Men) directing it, I’m sure it’ll be a good one.

Camera Tossing?

Just when I think I've seen everything, something comes up and smacks me in the face.

I found this site while checking out what sites Blogger had to offer today. It's about the fine art of ...camera tossing??!!

The way I understand how it works is that you take an SLR camera, slow down the shutter speed, press the shutter button, throw it up into the air, and enjoy the results. And I must say, the effects are quite striking. Take a look at the pictures on the blog, or click on the links to flickr.

I currently don't have a camera, and I'm not sure if I'd be brave enough to throw it into the air and hope that I catch it, but to get some of the images I saw on the blog, it would probably be worth the risk.

No Rest for the Weary, Ad Infinitum

It's been a busy few days, what with the preparations for the exams and finishing my checking, but a lot of other things have been happening, too.

- Last Saturday, H, G, and I went to Rockwell to check out what was on sale for that weekend. While we started out looking for rubber shoes for me, we wound up buying several items for G: some toys and a few clothes. After Rockwell, we headed for VRPMC for H's OB/Gyn checkup. Unfortunately, we had to swing round Shaw to get back to VRPMC from Rockwell, and wouldn't you know it? The MMDA was conducting road repairs on the side road, reducing it to one lane. Fortunately, we made it before P's clinic hours were over. The baby was fine; the Doppler P used gave out a reassuring throbbing sound, the baby's heartbeat.

After VRPMC, we went over to Galleria to meet up with H's sister. We met at Starbucks on the fourth floor, had some coffee, and headed home after.

- Sunday found us at our chapel to celebrate a fiesta. Since I was part of the choir, I had to be in attendance. After Mass, we headed off to the World Trade Center in Roxas, to go to the International Bazaar. It was incredible. It was like the whole world crammed into an itty-bitty space. Each country had its own cultural wares to sell, and the food items were very interesting. Aside from continuing to fill up our Christmas shopping list, I also picked up some food items. However, since we didn't bring G's nanny, it was a bit tiring as well, as G wanted to be carried the entire time. I guess I couldn't blame her, as there were a lot of people in attendance. Still, it was a tad tiring.

- Last night was Eagle Award night, where the outstanding grade school and high school faculty, as well as the staff members of the various Ateneo units were awarded their Award checks. It was be the first time in a while for H to be at the high school for a ceremony, and it was the first time for G. So much so that she wanted to go up with me when I went to receive my award. That was probably a heartwarming scene for the audience, as I carried my daughter up the stage.

It's now the middle of the week, and exams are upon us (well, actually, the students). The English exam is still on Friday, so that should give me enough time to finish getting rid of my backlog, which is still considerably ponderous.

"2b? Nt2b? ???"

First, read this.

If downloading the CNN page is a little slow, here it is in a nutshell: There's a company in the United Kingdom which plans to condense literary works into SMS text language.

The people responsible for this abomination apparently don't appreciate literature, believing that they can simply condense literary texts into bastardized text language. By doing so, they've ripped out the soul of the work: as author Oliver Kamm said in the article, "the imagery, the irony, the nuance". It's a dumbing down of the text, as if our society needs any more dumbing down. It's bad enough that students who don't deserve to pass are allowed to go on for a variety of reasons.

What's worse is that I can actually imagine my students referring to these things instead of reading the actual text. Book notes are bad enough, but at least they're still written in understandable English. Having the literature in SMS text will turn students away from the actual text, and diminish their appreciation of what makes literature great.

Here's hoping that this travesty doesn't reach the Philippines.

New Blog Name!

Yep, I do need to change my blog's name, considering that my blog's name is a misnomer, because I haven't really been able to post on a daily basis. I welcome any suggestions. Myself, I'm leaning towards a play on Terry Prachett's Wee Free Men, wherein one of the characters is named No'-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock Jock. So, I'm thinking along the lines of Not-So-Daily Musings. I don't think I can come up with something as long as No'-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock Jock. Or maybe something like Not-Necessarily-But-It-Could-Be Daily Musings. I know, I know. I'm in a weird mood.

So, do drop off a comment or two, and let me know what you think.

"The Legend of Zorro"

Movie sequels are always a grab-bag of possibilities. Sometimes, they're as good as or even better than the original, or they probably shouldn't have been made at all.

"The Legend of Zorro", which I watched with H last night, is forunately the former rather than the latter. It's a light, easy movie to enjoy, full of action, drama and comedy.

(SPOILERS FOLLOW)

The movie is set several years after the first movie. Alejandro de la Vega (Antonio Banderas) and Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are married, with a son (a very precocious Adrian Alonso). Alejandro continues to fight for justice and the people's rights as the masked vigilante Zorro, but Elena begins to question his loyalty to his family. With California working to enter the Union of the United States, Alejandro feels that he must continue acting as Zorro, but Elena accuses him of neglecting their sons. It comes to a head when Elena files for divorce from Alejandro.

Meanwhile, evil forces are at hand (when are they ever not?) to interfere with California's entry to the U.S., and, led by the Count Armand (Rufus Sewell), they conspire to break up the Union and keep the U.S. from becoming a world power. Of course, Zorro, Elena and Joaquin are all caught in the web of deceit.

While the story appears to be the basic caper, the movie is enhanced by the acting and the witty script. Antonio Banderas seems born to the role of Zorro; it'll be a while before anybody can replace him, if ever. Zeta-Jones is expressive and always lovely to behold. The young actor who plays the son can be a little grating after a while, but he does have a very expressive face, capable of varying emotions. I also liked Julio Oscar Mechoso as Frey Felipe, Zorro's adviser and sometimes sidekick, and Nick Chinlund gives a ruffian role to the thuggish Jacob McGivens. Finally, Rufus Sewell gives a quiet but menacing air to the villainous Count Armand.

There is a healthy dose of comedy in the movie, properly placed, and providing a breather from the action. The interplay between Elena and Alejandro, Alejandro and Felipe, and Alejandro and Joaquin was fun to listen to.

In the end, it was all about family and its importance in one's life. It's a pointed reminder to us who become so immersed in making a living that we shouldn't neglect our families, as they too are our responsibility in life.

If there's one thing I didn't like, it was the use of special effects on Zorro's horse as they approached a tunnel astride a train. Considering the realistic feel of the movie, the effect (eyes popping wide open) was cartoony and a bit jarring. But it's a small detail.

In summary, "The Legend of Zorro" is a good popcorn movie, and worth spending two hours watching.

Random notes:

I am looking forward to:

1. "Zathura: A Space Adventure" - based on "Jumanji" writer Chris Van Allsburg, think of it as the outer space version of "Jumanji".

2. "Memoirs of a Geisha" - I've never read the book, but the trailer is compelling me to do so.

3. "Chicken Little" - I'm curious (and scared) about Disney's first CGI movie after their partnership with Pixar. The trailer doesn't give me the feel of a Pixar-type movie, although I'm sure I'll take G to watch this.

4. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" - I'm looking forward to this movie, but the question going through my mind is: will the MTCRB give this a GP rating? If so, then they've given up rating movies intelligently. Definitely not for kids.

5. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" - I'm also scared of this movie. It could go either way; it could be a monumental success, or a monumental flop.

A Difference of Three Letters - Passion and Compassion

From Dictionary.com:

Passion - Boundless enthusiasm

Compassion - Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it
It's amazing how three letters can make such a difference in meanings.

I realized this when I was checking papers over the term break, and I came across two compositions wherein the students wrote about their being compassionate about ... basketball?!

I'm pretty certain that what both of them meant to say was that they had passion for basketball, because their compositions rhapsodized about their love for the sport, how they would practice daily, and dedicate themselves to their training.

But it got me to thinking, "What would compassionate basketball be like?" I can almost see the scenarios.

- If someone from the opposing team misses a shot, should the compassionate player tip it in for him?

- If one's team is leading by so many points, do they allow the opponent to drive uncontested to the basket, at least until the game becomes more competitive? Or give the opponents free shots at the basket?

- Nobody would foul anybody?

It might be taking sportsmanship a little too far, I think. But it might be a refreshing change from the "win at all costs" attitude that some teams take.

Is that really me in the mirror?