Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Harry's fourth summer and the following year at Hogwarts are marked by the Quidditch World Cup and the Tri-Wizard Tournament, in which student representatives from three different wizarding schools compete in a series of increasingly challenging contests. However, Voldemort's Death Eaters are gaining strength and evidence shows that the Dark Lord is ready to rise again. In the unsuspecting lives of the young wizard and witches at Hogwarts the competitors are selected by the Goblet of Fire, which includes Harry Potter, who is underage and someone else put his name in. Harry has to face challenges of growing up, facing his fears, and facing the most power dark wizard himself, Voldemort.

I give Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire a solid 85%

I must admit, while I really like this latest installment of the Harry Potter movies, I felt it was lacking in many areas. Let me go ahead and list my peeves to start with. In the first place, I was disappointed that there was no Quidditch World Cup scenes beyond the simple setup that was given. And Winky. I wanted to see Winky even though she was extremely annoying. There was a lot of plot that comes in later movies connected to house elves. Also, the redefining of the plot line with Crouch and his son was kind of annoying. And finally, the whole movie just felt "rushed".

Now I am certainly glad that S.P.E.W. was omitted from the movie. Enough said there. And I do think the dragon scenes in the Tri-Wizard were well done. I wasn't thrilled with the whole roof hanging thing with Harry and dragon, I would have preferred more attempt and evasion, I liked the scene still. Also, the scene with Voldemort rising was exceptionally creepy. I think they did an outstanding job on Voldemort. He would scare me if I saw him. I just had an odd thought. Imagine working in an office with Voldemort as a boss. Not pleasant.

So in all, this was an very good film, though not outstanding. I think I still prefer Prisoner of Azkaban in the series better, but that is just my opinion. Oh but wait, that is what I write here, my opinion. Ok, then, PoA was better than GoF. There.

Some of my favorite movie quotes:

Albus Dumbledore: Dark and difficult times lie ahead, Harry. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right... and what is easy.

Professor McGonagall: Professor Moody! What are you doing?
'Mad-Eye' Moody: Teaching.
Professor McGonagall: Is - is that a student?
'Mad-Eye' Moody: Technically it's a ferret.

Ron Weasley: You're a girl.
Hermione Granger: Oh, well spotted.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) - DVD

Toula Portokalos is 30, Greek, and works in her family's restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, in Chicago. All her father Gus wants is for her to get married to a nice Greek boy. But Toula is looking for more in life. Her mother convinces Gus to let her take some computer classes at college (making him think it's his idea). With those classes under her belt, she then takes over her aunt's travel agency (again making her father think it's his idea). She meets Ian Miller, a high school English teacher, WASP, and dreamboat she had made a fool of herself over at the restaurant; they date secretly for a while before her family finds out. Her father is livid over her dating a non-Greek. He has to learn to accept Ian; Ian has to learn to accept Toula's huge family, and Toula has to learn to accept herself.

I give My Big Fat Greek Wedding a solid 80%

This is yet again, one of those chick flicks that guys can like. The reason is that even though its shown from a female perspective, most guys can see themselves in the position of Ian. We have been there where we had to try to fit in, had to do things we would not really be doing, and in general, have a good time learning about a woman.

I think that one of the more appealing aspects of this movie is that it is a fresh look at mixing cultures. And most of us have all known someone who was really Greek, the kind that always tell you they are Greek. And this movie does not enforce one culture over the other, but affirms each from both Ian and Toula. And each are picked on a bit, but that is ok. It was all in fun.

This is a funny movie that should never be taken too seriously. Instead it should remind us all to laugh at ourselves a bit more, realize we may seem weird to others at times, and in general, not take life too seriously. At least that is what I got out of it. Favorite movie quotes:

Aunt Voula: What do you mean he don't eat no meat?
[the entire room stops, in shock]
Aunt Voula: Oh, that's okay. I make lamb.

Gus Portokalos: The root of the word Miller come from a Greek word, millah, meaning apple, so there you go. And our name, Portokalos, is come from the word meaning orange. So today here, we have, apples and oranges. We all different now, but in the end, we're all fruit.

Toula Portokalos: Why?... Why do you love me?
Ian Miller: Because I came alive when I met you

Doom (2005)

In the not-so-distant future, a portal has been discovered leading from Earth to Mars, where the government operates a research base to examine the ruins of a lost civilization; scientists are studying it, conducting experiments they perhaps shouldn't be, and trying find out what happened. Answer: nothing good. Something has gone wrong at a remote scientific research station on Mars. All research has ceased. Communication has failed. And the messages that do get through are less than comforting. It's a level 5 quarantine and the only souls allowed in or out are the Rapid Response Tactical Squad - hardened Space Marines armed to the teeth with enough firepower to neutralize the enemy... or so they think.

I give Doom a solid 75%.

You will either love this movie, or hate this movie. You cannot be lukewarm about it if you have seen it.

Now I know many people will roll their eyes at that rating. But I am a gamer and I loved this movie. I would rate it higher if for no other reason than I love the game. However in an attempt to keep some objectivity I have given it a healthy rating that I believe to be fair.

What this move is really about is an adaptation of the classic video game Doom to the big screen. So I will dispense with any further explanation of the plot except to point out the differences.

The most major difference is that the monsters in the game come from hell. But in the movie they come from DNA altered humans. I don't find this too much of a problem as it still made for some pretty ugly monsters. The next significant difference is the inclusion of the "ark" which allows teleportation from Earth to Mars and back. There was teleportation in the game, but it was different. And I guess the only other significant difference was that there really is a plot line running in the movie where the game's plot was simply "shoot to kill, and survive".

I think The Rock did a fine performance as the marine sargeant. I think that as he gets further roles, he could become the next Arnie. He delivered a solid performance and was believable and well suited to the part. Kudos to the casting of The Rock.

The two main characters Reaper and Samantha being brother and sister was a cool twist that really made sense in the end. I think the best characters (in terms of casting and acting) were Reaper (Karl Urban), Sarge (The Rock), Goat (Ben Daniels), and Duke (Razaaq Adoti).

One of the outstanding things done in this movie was the attention to the gamer. There are several minutes of first person perspective where the main character is running through the facility shooting zombies and monsters just like in the game. This was what I came for. It was awesome.

The one thing I wish there had been more of was the BFG3000. We gamers all know and love the BFG (in its many forms), and I really wanted to see more of this weapon. When it was fired, it did not disappoint.

I will probably buy this movie when it comes out on DVD simply because I liked the game. I have great respect for the film makers that sacrificed box office numbers to retain the game look and feel. Thanks guys.

My favorite quotes from the movie:

Sarge: You gonna shoot me?
John Grimm: Was thinking about it
Sarge: How much you got left?
John Grimm: [looks at gun] About half a clip, you?
Sarge: [points BFG] One round

John Grimm: [approaching a mangled Scientist] Sir, are you okay?
[scientist turns to face him and bites the head off of a live rat]
John Grimm: Okay...