or, Odette turns movie critic

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In some respects, this is very possibly my favorite of the Potter films: the story is generally well handeled, there are distinct traces of creativity on the part of the director, and even characters who seemed all wrong at first glance (namely Mad Eye Moody) turned out to be spot on.

The beginning had me a little worried that this one would be hacked together in a desperate attempt to fit 734 pages into under five hours (GoF clocks in just over two and a half). Until we get Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons under one roof and the tournament gets underway, the story is little more than a series of flashes, each suggesting that it contains the kernel of a plot point. Riddle House? Check. Our heroes? Check. Portkey, World Cup, Victor Krum, Dark Mark? Check, check, double check. My favorite instance of this actually occurs in the first scene in the Great Hall. We see Moody enter, then flash to one of the Weasley twins. “It’s Mad Eye Moody!” Flash to other twin. “He’s an auror.” Flash to someone else: “What’s an auror?” Flash again, explanation. You don’t get much more condensed than that. It amused me.

Once things really get moving, though, the movie stretches its legs and actually creates a plot out of its plot points. I suspect that an uninitiated movie-goer would be lost as hell amidst the plot holes, but GoF makes a much better attempt than PoA, which never bothered to explain that Lupin, Sirius, Wormtail, and Snape were all at school with Harry’s father. Oops? I really missed Hermione’s triumphant revenge against Rita Skeeter, which might create problems in the next movie, except that I suspect that sub-plot will again get dropped. Sad. The image of Hermione, Rita Skeeter, and Luna Lovegood sitting together is priceless.

One sub-plot from the book that I didn’t miss at all was the presence of house-elves and Hermione’s obsession with SPEW. Neville even got a bit of Dobby’s part, which I thought was nice – the supporting cast who are so influential in forming the background of the books are rarely acknowledged in the movies.

On the other hand, I am liking Michael Gambon’s Dumbledore less and less. I picture Dumbledore as the sort of person who can command the attention of the room with his mere presence, and Gambon is all too easy to overlook. He must constantly exert a great deal of energy to force some semblance of control, which immediately suggests that he is completely out of control. While Dumbledore is indeed out of control of the larger situation as soon as Harry’s name pops out of the Goblet, I think his serenity (or facade thereof) is an important part of Dumbledore’s character. Arm-flapping and shouting is not. And can I add that his costume looks more like a nightgown than a wizard’s robe? The robes they designed for Richard Harris in the first film looked a lot better.

A character who did look right (I thought) was Cedric Diggory. I quite liked him, making the end that much more powerful – the moment that got me was his father’s reaction upon Harry’s return. Actually, I really liked that scene in general. Downright creepy to have Harry return from the graveyard to the brass band and loud cheers, then watch as slowly each character realizes that something is very, very wrong.

And big cheers here: Someone else has said it first, but the Weasley twins really hit their stride in GoF. They get plenty of screen time and they make the most of it!

Categories: Harry Potter, movies
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The GRE is all over and my brain none the worse for wear! I was down to the line in time on the math section as usual, but had no problem finishing verbal. I think my verbal score might have been higher on a paper test though – the computer doesn’t allow you to go back and review your answers or skip questions and go back (my verbal SAT was somewhat higher, but I suspect that’s not a fair comparison – though a tempting one, since they seem to use the same scale). However, I loved being able to take the writing section on the computer – being able to move things around and add things in without a lot of lines and arrows. When the computer gave me my results for verbal and math, I was very confused – math was apparently higher, and I definately felt less confident about that section. Fortunately for my state of bewilderment, the prep book includes a conversion chart of sorts. On average, a 640 verbal puts you in the 91st percentile, but a 670 math puts you in the 67th percentile. So life is normal after all.

Anyway, it was all over by 4:00, so I came home and had time to attempt to make bread (didn’t knead well enough, I think – at any rate it is much denser than it should be, though still tastes good!). I spent the evening with a group of foreign study folks, playing Phase 10 and watching an amusing movie called Bandit. Good times.

This afternoon I actually went to the football game and will even admit to enjoying it… I don’t know when I’ve been to a football game (high school or college) and our team actually WON! Makes it decidedly more enjoyable, though a more dedicated fan might have been bored – the other team didn’t put up much of a fight. They didn’t score until after halftime and never really had a chance, though they might have caught up in a fifth quarter – final score was 34-21, I think. This was the last home game of the regular season, so potentially the last chance to see the band – my REAL motivation for going, especially since one of my roommates is a flautist. They were great! Their show this year is music used in Bond movies (lots of twirling of
batons-on-fire seemed appropriate somehow…). The music nerd in me was well pleased.

Thursday evening, I went to see the theater department’s fall show, which was fun. The play, Moonchildren, is about a group of college students in the ’60s. Odd to see my friends and peers in ’60s styles, but there was also a strong sense of how little college life has really changed in forty years, technology notwithstanding (the irony demons are going to get me for typing a sentence like that in a blog…). But though the plot is full of Vietnam, protest marches, and worries about being drafted, it’s also full of the same concerns about growing up, worries (or lack thereof) about grades, and nasty break-ups that we see all the time here. Also fun because I knew most of the cast! – three of my buddies from England were in it, as well as a handful of others I knew from foreign study, classes, etc. Several of them seemed typecast – or at least like they were playing exaggerations of a part of their own personality (which made one particular romance WEIRD AS HELL – they would never get together in real life). Then of course, there’s one particular theater major who really belongs in the sixties anyway…. But the play was good.

Categories: college
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Fourteen hours and counting until I have to go take the GRE…wheeeee.

But I get to go see a play tonight. Sadly, I have to find someone to take Jen’s ticket, as she’s come down with a nastiness.

Categories: college
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Thanks to Tae for distracting us all…heeheehee!

1. Post a list of your 10 favorite fandoms.
2. Have your friends list guess your favorite character from each fandom
3. When guessed bold the line and write a sentence about why you like that character

1. LotR – Samwise & Galadriel
(bonus points if you get them both)
Aww, Sam. Where would we be without the trusty sidekick?

2. original series Star Trek – Spock

3. Enterprise – Malcolm Reid
(not sure any of you but Pug stuck with this one, but give it a shot)

4. Firefly/Serenity – Wash
(big pughug for getting Firefly to me!)
A close call, all told, but his adoration of Zoe reminds me of something. Must have read about it somewhere, I guess…

5. Harry Potter – Hermione

6. The Phantom of the Opera – the Phantom

7. Star Wars – Leia
This started at a point when the female lead of any show was automatically my favorite character (a bit weird, neh?), but later realized it was justified! Love it when things actually work out that way.

8. The Princess Bride – Miracle Max

9. Camelot/King Arthur – Merlin
(in general, no specific version)

10. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles – Kazul, King of the Dragons
(I know that nearly all of you have read these because nearly all of you borrowed them from me! So I expect you to put up a good guess.)

Now…to see if my favorite characters are as obvious as my favorite movies!

Categories: miscellany
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At this point, you’ve probably all see the Florida quarter. It looks like this, right?

This might be more appropriate.

Categories: just the weather, miscellany
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This falls under the category of “oddball things that other people do – which I wouldn’t repeat, but which amuse me.” As this is a rather lengthy title, it is officially categorized as “miscellany.” So sue me.

But first, go laugh at this Frankensteinian mix of vegetable and machine. Enjoy.

I got it from Agnes…
…well, actually, it was Aaron Williams.  Last link on this list.

As all jack-o-lanterns inevitably must, this link seems to have rotted. Many regrets. -Ed.

Categories: miscellany
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If you are a college student, have been a college student, have ever thought about being a college student, or live within a five hundred mile radius of a college, you need to read this:

Dave Barry on College

Categories: miscellany
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