Harry Potter and the Goblet
of Fire
Walk the Line
Good Night,
and Good Luck
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Rated PG-13; Starring Daniel Radcliff,
Emma Watson and Maggie Smith
Directed by Mike Newell
Walk the Line
Rated PG-13; Starring Joaquin Phoenix
and Reese Witherspoon
Directed by James Mangold
Good Night, and
Good Luck
Rated PG; Starring David Strathairn, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia
Clarkson, Jeff Daniels and Frank Langella
Directed by George Clooney
There’s a scene near the beginning of “Harry Potter
and the Goblet of Fire” where Harry uses his magical powers to fly through the
sky to escape a giant, killer lizard.
The scene, which should be exhilarating for Potter
fans, did nothing for me except get me wondering about how much gas money I
could save if I learned how to fly.
I guess I’ve never fallen under the magical spell that
“Harry Potter” has cast on so many people around the world, and nothing in the
make-believe world of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” came close to
converting me into a believer.
Yet, I’m always willing to admit it when I’ve seen a
good movie and at times “Goblet of Fire,” like the other “Harry Potter” films,
is a very good movie – in a family entertainment sense.
In the forth film in the series, Harry Potter is
chosen as one of four finalists to compete in the infamous Triwizard
Tournament. In order to beat out his
three competitors, Potter must outlast them in a series of dangerous events
that includes a breath-taking (literally) underwater challenge and a killer
(literally again) maze obstacle.
To make things more difficult, Potter, at an age of 14,
is four years younger than his competitors.
Despite these factors, the Triwizard
Tournament is not Potter’s biggest challenge.
Rather, finding a date to go with to the Yule Ball seems to be his
biggest trial. Potter wants to ask Cho Chang (Katie Leung) to the ball, but by the time Potter
works up enough courage to ask her, she has already found a date.
Cho Chang is just one of many memorable new characters
that “Goblet of Fire” introduces.
Perhaps the most memorable new character is Rita Skeeter,
a snoopy tabloid writer who is willing to stretch the truth for a juicy
story. Miranda Richardson, who plays Skeeter, gives a very memorable performance; she obviously
has a lot of fun with the role.
Another notable character that will likely catch
viewers’ attention is Alastor “Mad Eye” Moody
(Brendan Gleeson). Moody, who wears a
rapidly moving glass eye and walks with a removable leg, is a new teacher at
Hogwarts.
Arguably the most anticipated new character for Potter
fans is Lord Voldemort, played by a
nearly-unnoticeable Ralph Fiennes (“The Constant Gardener”). Thanks to his lifeless bald gray head and long
creepy nostrils, Voldemort earns “Goblet of Fire” its
PG-13 rating. The character will likely
scare off some children, thanks to a chilling performance from Fiennes.
Equally impressive are Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who play Potter’s closest friends Hermione Granger
and Ron Weasley.
Both receive less time on screen than in the previous films, but they
both do their jobs in the allotted time: Grint
provides some much-needed humor and Watson provides a necessary level of
seriousness.
The most influential addition to “Goblet of Fire,”
however, is never seen on the big screen.
Director Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”), the first British
director to take on “Harry Potter,” does a fine job at creating a crowd-pleasing
film, although he brings nothing new to the world of cinema.
The same could be said for James Mangold,
who brings the same magical glow to “Walk the Line” that Taylor Hackford brought to last year’s Oscar-winning biopic,
“Ray.”
“Walk the Line” has already received numerous
comparisons to “Ray,” so I’ll keep them to a minimum. I will, however, say that “Walk the Line” is
better than “Ray.” In fact, “Walk the
Line” is possibly the finest of the long string of recent musical biopics/dramas, which dates back to Eminem’s
“8 Mile.”
Perhaps one reason “Walk the Line” stands out is
because the film’s music is superior to that in other recent films, thanks
partially to the bitter sweet sound of Joaquin Phoenix.
Reese Witherspoon is nearly as good in her role of
June Carter, the uplifting entertainer and singer who catches Cash’s fancy
while the duo are on tour together.
Meanwhile, Cash has a wife and three young children at
home, but his home-wrecking relationship with Carter is the least of his
problems.
Cash nearly battles death on a couple occasions, due
to his dependency on alcohol and pills, which lands him a stay at the local
prison.
Arguably the biggest blow in Cash’s life occurred when
he was a young child. It was at this
time when his brother died in a sawing accident. The film suggests that the incident haunted
Cash throughout his life.
Cash also has a torn relationship with his alcoholic
father, who has never been willing to accept Johnny for what he is: a
successful musician.
Other star singers also make brief appearances in
“Walk the Line,” including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings. Their characters add to the movie’s
excitement in the same way that a look-alike contest does.
Another man who contributed to the world of music can
also be spotted: Sam Phillips, a legendary producer for Sun Records plays a
very important role in Mangold’s movie.
It’s Phillips who gives the film’s finest speech, as
he encourages Cash to find his own unique sound. Nobody wants to hear repeated gospel songs,
Phillips says, and he encourages Cash to come back with a song that he’d want
to be remembered for if he only had one hit.
In a sense, it feels like someone gave Mangold that same speech when he signed on to direct “Walk
the Line.”
Although Mangold brings
little new to the story, he captures the character of Cash along with plenty of
exciting camera shots. It’s a big step
up from his previous films, “Girl, Interrupted” and “Kate & Leopold.”
Thanks to the film’s fine direction and standout
musical performances, moviegoers who choose to see “Walk the Line” will likely
have a good night – which brings me to what may be the finest film that is currently
playing in theaters.
George Clooney’s “Good Night,
and Good Luck” is one of the finest films of the year.
Powered by an unforgettable performance by David Strathairn, “Good Night, and Good Luck” demonstrates the
power of good journalism.
Strathairn plays CBS news anchor and journalist Edward R. Murrow, who daringly took on a story that challenged the
motives of
Along with his CBS crew, Murrow
knew that McCarthy’s anti-communist rage was threatening Americans’ freedom of
speech rights, and he was convinced that McCarthy needed to be stopped.
Before long, the opportunity to throw a punch at
McCarthy arises and Murrow and his producer Fred
Friendly (played by George Clooney) decide to take full advantage of it, even
if it means potentially ruining the future of CBS.
Eventually the demoralizing remarks lead to a
one-on-one debate between McCarthy and Murrow – a
battle that Murrow can easily win.
With its razor-sharp story that challenges the quality
of television today, “Good Night, and Good Luck” has one of the best
screenplays I’ve seen all year.
Even more notable is the film’s cinematography, which
reminds us that black and white – when done right – is far more beautiful than
the most vivid colors.
In fact, everything about Clooney’s 93-minute film is
top-notch, including the jazzy tunes that separate certain scenes.
Put simply, “Good Night, and Good Luck” is much like
the news stories of Edward R. Murrow: short, sweet,
smart, powerful, and certainly worth seeing.
GRADES:
Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire: B
Walk
the Line: A-
Good
Night, and Good Luck: A-