Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Written by: J. K. Rowling












I'll save us all a lot of time and say, from the beginning, that this is the Harry Potter book I've been waiting for.  Over the first several books, I found the Potterverse to be entertaining and charming, but not particularly enduring.  The characters felt more like caricatures rather than people, and their adventures served little purpose beyond helping to open up the magical world.  But, with "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," everything changes.

I'll try to keep the summary short: Somehow, Harry has been selected to participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which puts his very life in danger.  On top of that, there are rumors of Lord Voldemort returning to power and his servants, the Death Eaters, have been starting to reveal themselves.  Could the two things be connected?  (Spoiler: They are.)

For the first time, I actually felt like Harry was in some real danger.  Harry was actually in harm's way and, without some well-timed luck, could have been killed.  This is a major development, as previously Harry's adventures had been mostly fun with little or no serious rick.  But not anymore.  Harry comes face-to-face with Voldemort, though their confrontation is cut short.

This is also the first book that felt like part of a series.  The first three books were mostly episodic, with recurring characters and settings, but not much else holding each story to the others.  In "...Goblet of Fire," the finale clearly sets up events to be continued in the rest of the series, while also developing the significance of elements from the earlier books.

I can see, how, how people become totally immersed in the Potterverse.  I struggled to find the will-power to start the next book immediately, and I'm keeping it close by for the first moment I can read it without revealing myself as a HP-newbie.

Pitch Black

Directed by: David Twohy

Written by: Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat, David Twohy










Sometimes, a good movie flies under the radar.  Other times, a movie flies under the radar because it stinks.  Unfortunately, "Pitch Black" is one of the latter.

A ship carrying a variety of passengers, including escaped convict Riddick (Diesel), crashes on a seemingly deserted planet.  Soon, though, the stranded travelers realize that something terrible lurks in the shadows of the planet.  And, just conveniently enough, they've crashed mere hours before an unusually long eclipse.  Can they trust Riddick to help them get off the planet?  Or will these light-sensitive beasts tear them apart before the sun emerges again?

Now, if only the actual script were as good as the summary I just wrote.

I remember when "Pitch Black" originally came out, and although I was intrigued at the time I never bothered to actually go see it.  The rise and presence of Vin Diesel in the action film world had kept this film in the back of my mind for a long time.  Finally, I broke and watched it.

And I regret it.

It's a real doozy of a stinker.  For a movie which hinges on nasty beasts coming out of the darkness, the movie is obnoxiously bright (literally) for nearly half the running time.  Then, when it finally does get dark, there's really nothing to see.  We only get a few shots of the monsters, but they are revealed to be unimpressive.  (The design of the beasts seems to have been culled from the reject pile of "Starship Troopers.")

Now, a movie lacking in action can be held up by interesting characters.  Unfortunately, these characters are more flat than a can of soda left out for a week.  Even the main character - Riddick - doesn't do much more than exist as a tough-guy.  At one point, one of the young characters reveals that "he" is really a "she" - but that shocking fact really has no impact or implications for the story.

Aside from a couple of "jump" moments, this movie was an absolute waste of my time, and I regret wasting precious internet bandwidth watching it.