A Replacement to Writing? 2005/2006

So.

Before I start this ultra long entry, friends please remember that I detest eating oranges because I have to peel and cut them, which is really troublesome. Plus sometimes it's really sour and all the juice squirts everywhere when I bite into it. So unless the orange is already peeled and cut with nice little toothpicks in them, don't ask me to eat one. Reminds me of peeling prawns and the 1st time a guy, besides my father, actually peeled them for me. It's Jeremy, my friend! I still remember though quite some time ago le.

And eating at Mcdonald's = daylight robbery. Portions getting smaller, price getting higher.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter is not a bad series. If anything, it is really quite wonderful. It was what got me started on fantasy stories. The movie was, truthfully, rather disappointing. Maybe I should have read through the book again before heading to the theatre but there just wasn't enough time (ok, an excuse. I could have read through the night.) I really wouldn't have minded if the movie was made longer with all the details in and excitement properly built up. If one hadn't caught previous movies on this series, you probably really shouldn't watch it. You would get lost right from the beginning till the end - like one would get lost in the maze in the Triwizard tournament.
Details, details. I don't know if the movie should be based strictly on what is in the book or if it should be treated separately, like a separate piece of art on its own.

Details frustrated me. The bubble-head charm thingy should really be over the whole head, not only the nose and mouth section. Dobby didn't appear in a single scene in the movie and it wasn't Neville who stole the gillweed (however it is spelt) for Harry, it was Dobby! I distinctly remember it was so.

And the Quidditch World Cup or something (damn, I'm forgetting all the names) is very short! A bit sad that the details of the play wasn't shown (actually I cannot remember if in the book got show or not but like got lehz) but I guess since it wasn't key to the movie, it really didn't matter.

Then the dance. It is so gross, the portrayal of the scene of the dance. Let's see what's wrong:
1) The room is too small and there seem to be far too little students from Hogwarts attending the dance. In fact, the hall seem different from the previous 2 movies.
2) The portrayal of how Harry, Ron and their dance partners sit alone while the others danced was gross, maybe because the hall (more like a room) was like too small.
3) The tables were empty of food, with only white, empty plates and rubbish scattered on the tables.
Basically, the whole dance scene sucked big time.

The mood of the part where Harry realized that the 2nd challenge involved having to save his friends underwater and where he panics was totally wrong! In fact, there wasn't any sudden realization, no panicky Harry and no excitement. Then that part where Cedric and Harry both reached the Triwizard cup together and Harry wanted the both of them to grab the handles of the cup simultaneously so that they would both win together totally disappointed me. It was a great moment in the book, for me. Harry's selflessness was portrayed quite wonderfully in the book but in the movie it was just, flash, "we'll grab it together! 1, 2, 3!" Then the screen lit up very brightly and it was on to the next scene. Building up to the excitement and suspense was just insufficient.
I guess it wasn't really the director's fault. To squeeze that much pages of suspense and excitement, to build up to the many many different levels of excitement and to convey it properly to the audience, it needs to be much more than 2.5 hours.

But that graveyard scene where Voldemort was resurrected. That was the best. It was what I imagined, the setting I mean. As usual the building up was not what I expected but it was, I thought, better than other scenes. I loved the part where the wands of Voldemort and Harry were connected by this bright light or beam or whatever it is called. It really again was how I imagined it to be. And when the spirits of Harry's parents and Cedric talked to him, I almost cried. Yet, it again irritated me that Voldemort was portrayed as such. He was, now thinking about it, much smaller in size than I had expected, quite a normal man whose followers were taller than him. It irritated me that he had to look level to or up at most of his followers (if I'm not wrong again). He did not looked scary, which he was supposed to be. He was supposed to instill fear, dammit. All I wondered was how they managed to squash the actor's nose and make it disappear, leaving only 2 slits for nostrils. In my mind Voldemort is tall and large-sized with a black hood hiding his face. He would stare down at his followers and instill fear in the audience. Oh, there really aren't enough Death Eaters at the graveyard scene. That irritated me too. It made Voldemort seem quite insignificant, having only what, five followers appear when he called for them through the ... what's the scar on the Death Eater's arm called? Dammit, I can't even remember it.

I started to cry in the scene where Harry brought Cedric back to Hogwarts using the portkey, threw himself across Cedric's body and then started to cry. I almost cried for 2 very obvious reasons:

1) I am a mirror. When actors on the screen cry, I cry. 2) Cho Chang's actions and expression reminded me of the scene at mama's funeral.

This time the pain my my heart was something more than just sorrow for the characters. I could actually identify with the pain, which was really... interesting.

But I managed to hold back the tears. First time I go movie never cry at all. Amazed at myself.

Oh, Cho Chang really isn't that pretty afterall despite looking quite so in the trailers. Actually she is quite cute, just not pretty enough. LY was violently objecting to my insisting in the cinema that she is really quite pretty.

The beginning of the book, Harry's dream, was squeezed into like 3 minutes?! Not even 5 minutes lor, according to my biological watch.

Cedric is really handsome! =D

Neville Longbottom is portrayed to be more good looking than I had expected. Hmm, I can't remember how he looked like in the previous movies.

There are some funny moments in the movie. Like how erm, that female ghost in the toilet (What's her name again?) kept cuddling up to Harry in the bath and how he kept on gathering the soap suds towards his body to hide as much of himself as possible.

And Krum is plump. Dammit, he is supposed to be the world's best Seeker! He's not supposed to have that little tummy.

You know when Sirius talked to Harry through the fireplace (ARGH I'm getting pissed with myself for forgetting all the little details - NAMES!!), his head is supposed to appear in the flames, dammit! The coals in the fireplace do NOT form his face.

Mistake in details irritate me. That's why I don't know if I should judge a movie produced from a book according to the book or as the movie itself. Then one has to consider if the book/movie was famous because of the movie/book it is based on, respectively...

In general, today at the cinema

Plaza Singapura's theatre/cinema. What's the difference? It should be called cinema horz. Haiz. A lot of people there although the show's been on for almost a month. LY and me sat at the 3rd row from the front at the right end. Had a bit of a crick in the neck halfway through the movie but it wasn't bad.
Before that we were just strolling through the arcade (yes, we strolled. Stop laughing.) when we came upon this machine where the soft toys are inside and one tries to pick them up by controlling the erm, pincers?! Don't know what they are called. The arcade arranged this particular one in such a way that 3 winnie-the-poohs were very near the opening but because of the angle they were placed difficult to dislodge. Then there was this thing written on the glass of the machine, "Push into the hole" or something like that with an arrow pointing. Tsk, suddenly I realize how kinky that part is. Shit, somebody sure will think dirty. Haha... Anyway, these 2 office ladies kept on trying then after a few $1 coins, they managed to push one of the winnie-the-poohs in! They actually got the bear! I can't believe it! By then a small crowd had already gathered to watch them do it. It is really quite tempting to try and get the bear because it is so near the opening. Advertising trick. Rather, one to get people to spend the money to try and challenge themselves rather and to get the bear (although people might not actually want the bear), then it will draw crowd, then will increase arcade's revenue. Smart tactic. Smart person(s) who thought of it. I clapped for the 2 ladies...
At the ground level, guess what show is going on...