Another Random Announcement

I have advance screening passes to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe!!! (I get to see it on Dec 7.) I have to show up early though, because the pass does not guarantee me a seat. They overbook advance screenings to ensure a full house.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Spoiler Alert!)

Just a warning...If you have not read the book or watched the movie, and you don't want any spoilers, don't read this post.
It has been almost a week and a half since I went to see HPGOF for the first time (only one day since the second time), but I've been so busy that I have not had time to blog about it. (What I've been so busy with is an entirely different story which may or may not be covered by some other post.)
First of all, let me say that I thought the movie was great. Second of all, let me say that though I think the movie was great, there were some things that were a little bit lacking, particularly if you have not read the books. (This is understandable though since the book was so long and there was just no way to fit it all into a movie...unless you pulled a Peter Jackson and made the movie just as long as you pleased. But, considering that this is a movie geared to a younger audience, that was not really an option. It already logged in around two and a half hours.)
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson all gave excellent performances. They seem to grow so much with each movie, and not just physically. I was so glad to see some of the more minor characters given a chance to shine, though. I was delighted with Matthew Lewis' (Neville Longbottom) performance. He was used more as comic relief in this film, but it worked. His delight with dancing was hilarious. It was almost like his character was thinking, this looks like something I can do. It's not magic related, so I'm not so worried about screwing it up.
James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) also gave excellent comic performances. You really get to see them for the mischief makers and entrepreneurs that they are.
The special effects were awesome. The dragon sequence was great, with the dragon breaking loose and chasing Harry all around the school grounds. It added a lot of suspense. The underwater sequence was excellent as well. I was a bit disappointed with the labyrinth sequence though. There were no acromantulas, sphinxes, or blast ended skrewts! The hedges moved (and occasionally tried to trap the contestants in their roots), but all in all, it was like, "Ooo, scary trees."
Voldemort looked fantastically creepy as well. The graveyard scene was good, but the explanation of Priori Incantatem was lacking, particularly for anyone who hasn't read the books....well...unless you can figure it out linguistically (priori-prior/previous, incantatem-incantation/enchantment, therefore meaning previous magic). The name of the spell is mentioned, but never explained, and why it happened with Harry's and Voldemort's wands is never explained either.
All in all, the movie was excellent, but those who have not read the books, may want to ask a few questions after the fact.

Stolen from Jonathan, who stole it from Jen, who stole it from Melissa, who stole it from Roland, who knows where he got it!

What have you done... BE TRUTHFUL!
So have you ever ...
1. smoked a cigarette – nope, never wanted to either
2. smoked a cigar – are you kidding? just the smell makes me nauseous
3. crashed a friend's car – it was a moped...and I had help.
4. stolen a car – no way
5. been in love – yes
6. been dumped – no
7. taken shots of alcohol - consumed alcohol? No and yes, though only in small quantities.
8. been fired – No, my bosses have always loved me.
9. been in a fist fight – do fights with siblings count?
10. snuck out of a/your house – no
11. had feelings for someone who didn't have them back – *sigh* yes.
12. been arrested – no
13. made out with a stranger – no
14. gone on a blind date – no, though I've had people try to arrange them for me.
15. lied to a friend – yes, and I'm ashamed of that
16. had a crush on a teacher – thinking back on all my teachers....eww, no.
17. gotten naked in public – definitely not
18. seen someone die – no
19. been on a plane – yes
20. thrown up in a bar – you have to go to a bar before you can throw up in one
21. thrown up on someone – not that I can recall....though I did throw up on the sidewalk outside of a restaurant.
22. miss someone right now – several people, actually
23. laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by – yes
24. made a snow angel – you have to have snow first
25. played dress up – yes
26. cheated while playing a game – probably
27. been lonely – more lately than ever before
28. fallen asleep at work/school – both
29. used a fake id – no, though I did lie about my age once....
30. felt an earthquake – once, though it was just one jolt. It woke me up in the middle of the night
31. touched a snake – yes. Want to meet one in the water? saw a dead water mocassin floating by once...*shudders*
32. ran a red light – accidentally
33. had detention – yes, several times actually...
34. been in a car accident – well, there was the moped incident...and dad rear-ended someone on a road trip once.
35. hated the way you look – on occasion
36. had sex in a car –no
37. been lost – can't find my way out of a paper bag facing the right end
38. been to the opposite side of the country – is Arizona far enough west to count?
39. felt like dying – yes, for an extended period during 11th grade actually, but I got over it
40. cried yourself to sleep – yes
41. played cops and robbers – probably
42. karaoke – no, though I think it might be fun....if you can get over the other people who can't sing to save their lives
43. done something you told yourself you wouldn't – which time?
44. laughed till some kind of beverage came out of your nose – of course
45. caught a snowflake on your tongue - once again, you have to have snow first
46. kissed in the rain – no
47. sang in the shower - yes
48. made love in a park – nope
49. had a dream that you married someone – actually, not that I recall
50. glued your hand to something – no
51. got your tongue stuck to a flag pole – no
52. worn the opposite sex's clothes – do shoes count? because it's alot easier to find a men's size 9 than a women's size 11
53. Been a cheerleader – no, I was a band geek
54. sat on a roof top – we weren't supposed to get on the roof when we were kids, but we did anyway....and I almost injured myself jumping off the roof when I saw dad coming down the road.
55. talked on the phone all night – no, I have an aversion to talking on the phone
56. ever too scared to watch scary movies alone – no
57. been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on – no
58. had a booty call – no
59. been told you're hot by a complete stranger – sadly, no
60. broken a bone – I may have broken a toe once, but I never had it x-rayed
61. had a 3-some? – that would definitely be no
62. laugh so hard you cry – of course
63. used a sex toy – no
64. cheated on a test – no
65. forgotten someone's name – not today....
66. been kicked out of your house – no
67. woken up with marker on you – not that I recall
68. played a prank on someone – It's a requirement for being in my family
69. played in public with your significant other? – *sigh* you have to have a significant other first