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Reviews
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Good, but...
I waited with great anticipation for this movie and, sadly, was disappointed in the overall production.
The greatest factor in the books and movies thus far has been the characters and their development. This movie focused on the action scenes, and though very well done, neglected and even changed basic personalities of some characters. As an example, after the names were drawn from the goblet and Harry's was amongst them the following scene shows Dumbledore rushing into the room, grabbing Harry and shaking him while yelling, "did you put your name in?". That was so very wrong of director Mike Newell! Didn't he even read these books? Dumbledore is NOT a raving lunatic; it's his calm, quiet, intelligent way that personifies his character.
The book really wasn't focused on the tournament; it focused on Voldemort and his quest for power. The scenes with Sirius, which further enhances the character development were cut but for the fire scene. If I had not read the book, I would not have understood anything that was happening. Another issue I had was with the early "tell" of who the real bad guy was. Every other movie keeps you guessing throughout and questioning yourself and your choices, but this one gives it away immediately when Moody does the tongue thing with Barty Crouch. Why they bothered to bring in just a small bit with Rita Skeeter I don't know unless the director is a friend of Miranda Richardson and wanted to bring her in the movie. If I hadn't read the book, I would have been wondering what the bird was doing on the windowsill.
The worst part was the end. There is no scene, as in the book, with Harry telling of who he saw at the graveyard with Volemort (incriminating Malfoy & the rest) the head of the Ministry of Magic refusing to believe it, Dumbledore saying that they are alone and must make people hear, and Dumbledore explaining why Harry saw the spirits of his parents and others during the battle with Voldemort. Instead Dumbledore tells him something to the effect that he didn't see them or they weren't there and the scene at the gathering when he speaks to the students telling them what really happened to Cedric Diggory.
As I said, the tournament was well done, but the movie missed the mark by not bringing the important factors of the book into play. The rise of Voldemort and what that entails was only briefly touched on which is what the story was about. Hopefully, Chris Columbus can be brought back to properly direct the rest of the movies.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
Excellent Movie!
This is one of the best romantic comedies I've seen in years, and contrary to opinion it is not a "chick flick". The men in the audience were laughing louder than the women because they could relate to the story line just as easily. The chemistry between the entire cast is flawless. Kudos' to the brilliance of everyone involved in the making of this movie. Kate Hudson proved herself as the `Princess of Romantic Comedy' and heir to her mother's thrown. Matthew McConaughey is, once again, the typical, down-to-earth, sexy, and very realistic male lead. I would recommend this movie to everyone of every age as money and time well spent.
A Guy Thing (2003)
Disappointing
Julia Stiles is a talented young actress, who with guidance from a reputable agent has a lot of potential. Obviously, the person who guided her into this travesty is not someone who cares anything about her career. I sat in the theater surrounded by teenagers who left in droves to find another movie to sneak into wondering who thought this movie would appeal to anyone. It was poorly written, the casting director could only have put 1 or 2 minutes of effort into the characters and the director obviously didn't care.
Batman Returns (1992)
Burtons Best
Movies such as this tend to get bad reputations for there grim nature, mainly because this is supposed to be a childrens genre film. But you must look past the red tape, and realize the sure brilliance of Burton's direction and style. This Batman represents everything Batman should be.I would recommend this movie to any movie goer who watches movies for what a movie should be, and not what a movie is supposed to be. P.S. Tim Burton is god