Today my Mom visited and watched the E-man while my wife and I went on a date to see a movie and dine out. We went to the newly-renovated Carousel cinemas (so much room, no heads or hairdos in the way!) and after much debate decided to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, over Walk the Line.

I had read a review recently, written by someone who hadn’t yet read Book 4. He felt that the movie was too ambitious, covering too much ground without a cohesive thread. Seeing the movie through the eyes of someone who doesn’t read the books or hasn’t read Book 4, I can see how this might be true. The movie tries to accomodate the entirety or at least touch upon the myriad of storylines in the book. Unavoidably, some are ignored while others get only a brief mention. I will say that the 2.5hr movie flew by without dragging, and my wife and I would have felt comfortable watching another 20 or 30 minutes. (Is there some industry research out there that recommends against going over 2.5hrs, such that revenues will be greatly diminished? Why are all movies in the 1.5 to 2.5hr range? Is that due to a human characteristic such as attention span? Oh well).

We enjoyed the movie immensely. It was full of ups and downs, and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort was brilliant - I always thought he was sort of creepy even without a costume or makeup! Mad-Eye Moody, played by Brendan Gleeson, was also well acted. I did miss many of the bit players who only managed a line or two in this movie, such as Draco, Severus, and others. All in all, I would highly recommend the movie, although anyone who reads the books will want to see it regardless of what a reviewer might say!

Afterwards we had a nice seafood dinner, then went home to see the child we’d talked endlessly about and missed so much. He was sleeping on my Mom’s shoulder, resting after a day of play and fun.