Christmas and Pic's of Hailee

Brooke, Hailee and I had a great Christmas. Here are a few pictures from the last few days when we have been celebrating, relaxing and enjoying our time. Hailee has a festive new hat, a beautiful Christmas dress (From Blake and Kaleena) and of course many other Holiday outfits.
It was a fun season for Hailee to have her first Christmas. She is beginning to smile, laugh and even giggle a little bit. She is a great baby and even lets Mom and Dad get some sleep.

Happy "Real" Birthday to Krista

Today is my sister Krista's "Real" Birthday. So Happy Birthday to her today, even though we already wished her a Happy Birthday a couple months ago. It's all confusing.

The Da Vinci Code

A new trailer for The Da Vinci Code is out today. I know most of us have read this book and have high hopes for the movie. I have to admit that I have been skeptical ever since I heard Ron Howard was to direct, he seems to be a little too "safe" for me. The Da Vinci Code is controversial and I had hoped there wouldn't be too many compromises.
Go check out the trailer here. Unfortunately it requires the latest version of Quicktime, and I wouldn't do it without a broadband connection. Those who can, let me know what you think.
After seeing this trailer, some of my concerns were put to rest. It is a great trailer and the movie looks really good. I wasn't all that excited to see it before, but I am now.

Fancy Pants

Brooke decided it would be fun to play "dress-up" with some of Hailee's more fancy outfits. So here are a few more pictures of her, and of course a picture of the proud father.

Hailee and her denim outfit, from The Stones.

This is Hailee's "Snow Princess" dress, from The Donahoes made by a friend.

We had to show the back of the dress so you can get the full effect.

Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire (* * * *)

I know most of you have already seen this movie but I did get the chance to get out and see it on Saturday. So finally here is my review of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.

The Goblet of Fire is the best Harry Potter movie yet. I very much enjoyed Prisoner of Azkaban (Regarding my rating policy and right to change ratings as I see fit, through subsequent viewings of the Prisoner of Azkaban I have changed it from 3 to 4 stars) as well as the Sorcerers Stone, but Goblet of Fire just took things to the next level. Much of the reason for this is that the Goblet of Fire book is that much more exciting and interesting. In fact, it continues to be my favorite of all 6. I am giving Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire 4 stars. It will most likely become one of my 5 star favorites, but if you refer to my rating information you will know that 5 star films are hard to come by and rarely are given after just one viewing. As with all of my reviews, spoilers are to follow, if you don't want to be spoiled stop reading now. (however since most of you have already seen it or read the book, it shouldn't be a big deal)

First of all I would like to say that you do not have to be a Harry Potter fan to enjoy this movie. But why shouldn't you be a Harry Potter fan anyway? Read Here to see why. You also don't have to have read any of the Harry Potter books to understand the movie, but it would probably help. There is a little bit of a lack of explanation near the end of the film, but those who have read the book or ask a few questions to someone who has will get the answers they need.

It was obvious when making this movie that there were going to be enormous differences between the book and the movie, and there are. But it's ok, the film makers did an excellent job of taking the important, fun and exciting parts from the book and putting them into the movie. Yes I did miss some of the pieces of the book that were cut, but it really didn't bother me because they told the story so well without those pieces. People who have read the books will probably be a little more critical of this movie, but I am sure will enjoy it all the same. And I will do my best not to turn this into a book vs. movie comparison. Rather just a review of the movie.

The story is actually pretty simple yet somewhat complex but it follows the usual Harry Potter formula. The film begins with the Quidditch World Cup. The World Cup event is funny and fun, with quite a tragic ending as the Death Eaters show up and cause trouble. It is a really good start to the movie. Harry then goes back to Hogwarts, but this year is different and more dangerous for him than ever. Somehow his name is entered into The Goblet of Fire, a magical device that chooses participants from three wizarding schools to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The Tri-Wizard Tournament is an ancient wizarding event that is to test the ability of wizards from different schools in competitions, and of course it is extremely dangerous. Reluctantly Harry competes in the world cup, battling dragons, underwater creatures and a deadly maze. There is also the annual event of a new defense against the dark arts teacher, Mad Eye Moody who has a unconventional way of teaching the students. The Yule Ball is also in the film and done very well. The story progresses and eventually we see Harry and Lord Voldemort face to face. The duel between them is very intense and exciting, for sure one of the best scenes in the film. The scene of tragedy after Cedric's death is very emotional and in fact I heard several people sobbing in the theater.

I think the story of this movie was what made it so great, this is a very exciting story, but there is also so much information given, information about Harry and Voldemorts past. But there is so much information about the kids growing up and their stories turn from one story about the three of them to three stories about each of them. There is even a little bit of romance. There is a lot of what I call "ah-ha" moments, when that light clicks on and the whole Harry Potter story so far becomes more clear. Basically a lot of questions you might have had before this movie are cleared up, but along with that there are new questions to be answered in the future.

Visually the movie is very stunning, the style of the movie creates and sets a mood that really makes sense. The special effects are excellent and even making Madame Maxine look as large as she really is was not distracting. The dragon effects are excellent as well as the underwater creatures. The set they used for the graveyard at the end is also excellent, everything visually is vivid and detailed.

The acting in the movie is also the best it's been in the Harry Potter franchise. As the kids get older they seem to become better actors and it really shows in the film. Some of the new characters are portrayed very well, Mad Eye Moody played by Brendan Gleeson was so great. He is one of those guys that is in a ton of movies and you recognize him all the time, but can't really place him. Well he really stands out in this film and will be remembered. He does such a great job of portraying the madness of mad eye as well as the calm determination and loyalty to Dumbledore. Another new character in this film is Rita Skeeter played by Miranda Richardson, while her part is much smaller than it is in the book she has a significant role and does a great job. I don't think I hated her as much as I should have, but it wasn't her acting, it was her amount of screen time. The new kids in the movie playing Cedric, Viktor, Fleur and Cho Chang also do a great job. Especially that of Robert Pattinson as Cedric. Of course all the regulars are back, some of my favorites are Snape, McGonagall, Lucius, Fred, George and of course Harry, Ron and Hermione. I was disappointed not to see more of Sirius, but his part in this story is much smaller, he only appears in a fireplace. I also am becoming disappointed in Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, he definitely looks the part but I am not sure he shows the personality of Dumbledore as I find it. For example his tone of voice and anger as Harry's name is thrown out of the Goblet, it just isn't the Dumbledore that I know. But it's a very minor problem and easily disregarded. And of course, Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort is amazing and it's not because of the makeup they used to make him look like Voldemort. I hope he can continue to play Voldemort in the rest of the films because I have a hard time seeing anyone out there do what he did for that character. You can just feel the evil and arrogance coming out of him when he is on screen. You just have to go out and see it for yourself but it's a superb bit of acting. That scene makes you forget the whole rest of the movie happened, it's the most memorable part.

There are so many wonderful things I could say about this movie and just go on and on giving praise. But it's time for...

The Bottom Line: Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire is the best movie in the franchise, so far. That's not an easy feat to accomplish because the other movies are great as well. The story, acting, effects and visuals are excellent. There are a few very minor annoyances, such as Dumbledore's over acting, some favorite scenes being left and not enough explanation, but they are easily overlooked to make this a great movie overall. If you haven't already, go out and see this movie, fans and non fans won't be disappointed. Look for this film to be one of the biggest if not the biggest movie of the year, currently (after only a few weeks) it's only third to Star Wars and War of the Worlds, but look for it to surpass War of the Worlds before this weekend is over.

I am recommending that everyone should see this movie, with one exception, small children. There is violence and a lot of scary scenes, it deserves it's PG-13 rating. Parents, see the movie first and then decide if you want your children to see it. There were many young kids at the theater when I saw it and they seemed ok, but I am not sure I would have brought kids that age to see it. It's probably ok to see this movie if you haven't seen the other three, but again, there is really no excuse for not having seen any of the previous films (or for that matter read the books). In fact, if you haven't seen them go out and pick up a copy, they are selling cheap on DVD right now (usually $10.00).

Those who have seen the movie, read the book, or just have an opinion make sure to leave your comments.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Blake and Kaleena today, they had their baby early this morning. She was 6 pounds and 6 ounces, 19 inches long. They had her around 5:00, Cleveland time. Make sure to check Blake's blog eventually for pictures.