AHHHHH! LOOKIT!
'from the South Bend Tribune'
November 19, 2005
Die-hard Potter fans weigh in
"After midnight showings, some believe 'Goblet' best movie in series."
By CHRISTINE COX and KAREN RIVERS
Tribune Staff Writers
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" kept area theaters busy but any lines were short-lived, as movie-goers crowded into the lobbies of Movies 14 in Mishawaka, above, and Showplace 16 in South Bend to stay out of the cold weather.
Tribune Photo/GENE KAISER
As the crowds left Thursday's midnight showing of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" at Cinemark 14 in South Bend, two things became very clear.
One, the boy wizard has not lost his cool.
Two, most Potter fans are giving the film a big thumbs up.
"It was the best (Harry Potter movie) by far," 17-year-old Penn High School student Michael Leslie said.
He added, unabashedly, "I'm still totally into ('Harry Potter') -- probably more than ever."
His friends were quick to chime in that on a scale of one to 10, Leslie's level of "Harry Potter" nerdiness is a definite nine. For today's teens however, that's not a bad thing.
Many, when asked, proudly proclaimed themselves a seven or eight.
Almost all of the movie-goers were high school and college students who started reading the books in grade school and still are fiercely loyal. Although they are obviously very pro-Potter, they can also be the films' toughest critics.
John Henry, 20, said "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the fourth book in J.K. Rowling's series, was one of the best. That, however, made it hard to adapt. There are just so many "great" details that a reader hates to see left out.
Although he said it couldn't capture the vivid storytelling in the book, Henry, a student at the University of Notre Dame, still got totally wrapped up in the action.
"When (Harry is taken) to the cemetery, it's very dramatic. ... You know what's coming, but it's still just heartbreaking," Henry said.
The midnight showing at Celebration! Cinema in Benton Harbor also drew plenty of die-hard fans.
For Julia Mattice, 15, of Benton Harbor (whose friends call her Wormtail), the movie brought together fantasy and reality.
In an October visit to Scotland, she and her family rode the actual train used as the Hogwarts Express in the film. They saw the magnificent lakes, trees, waterfalls and island shown in the movie that were so unbelievably gorgeous, other filmgoers might have mistaken the scenery as computer-generated.
Wearing a shirt that said "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," Julia was actually obeying her parents' orders in staying up so late to see the film. "They said I could go under one condition -- that I go to school tomorrow. Or today," she said, correcting herself as 3 a.m. neared.
She's a sophomore at Grace Christian school in Watervliet. The movie, she said, was "awesome." "It made me laugh, cry," she said, referring to a death, a point at which the theater became absolutely silent.
At many other times, the 242 people in Theater 2's capacity crowd erupted into laughter at details that illustrated the universal humiliations of being a teenager.
Her friend, Jessica Jaeger, 18, of Elkhart, was a bit more of a critic about the film. She liked it, but couldn't help being disappointed when parts of the 734-page book were omitted or changed.
"I'm a purist," she said.
And a "ballistic" fan, her friends said. Her favorite character is Sirius Black, who, she said, did not get enough screen time in the film.
Jaeger said "Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the first "Potter" movie, were her favorites. Both girls said they planned to see the new film multiple times.
At Cinemark 14, the graveyard scene and the underwater scene were cited as highlights, and there were quite a few giggles about seeing Harry in the tub.
As for the PG-13 rating, many felt it was appropriate.
Angie Treacy, 19, seemed a bit shocked by one character's use of a mild expletive.
A more mature Harry Potter tale, however, is only natural. The wizard, after all, is aging along with his loyal readers.
As Treacy said, with a nostalgic look and a hand on her heart, "He's grown up with me!"
November 19, 2005
Die-hard Potter fans weigh in
"After midnight showings, some believe 'Goblet' best movie in series."
By CHRISTINE COX and KAREN RIVERS
Tribune Staff Writers
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" kept area theaters busy but any lines were short-lived, as movie-goers crowded into the lobbies of Movies 14 in Mishawaka, above, and Showplace 16 in South Bend to stay out of the cold weather.
Tribune Photo/GENE KAISER
As the crowds left Thursday's midnight showing of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" at Cinemark 14 in South Bend, two things became very clear.
One, the boy wizard has not lost his cool.
Two, most Potter fans are giving the film a big thumbs up.
"It was the best (Harry Potter movie) by far," 17-year-old Penn High School student Michael Leslie said.
He added, unabashedly, "I'm still totally into ('Harry Potter') -- probably more than ever."
His friends were quick to chime in that on a scale of one to 10, Leslie's level of "Harry Potter" nerdiness is a definite nine. For today's teens however, that's not a bad thing.
Many, when asked, proudly proclaimed themselves a seven or eight.
Almost all of the movie-goers were high school and college students who started reading the books in grade school and still are fiercely loyal. Although they are obviously very pro-Potter, they can also be the films' toughest critics.
John Henry, 20, said "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the fourth book in J.K. Rowling's series, was one of the best. That, however, made it hard to adapt. There are just so many "great" details that a reader hates to see left out.
Although he said it couldn't capture the vivid storytelling in the book, Henry, a student at the University of Notre Dame, still got totally wrapped up in the action.
"When (Harry is taken) to the cemetery, it's very dramatic. ... You know what's coming, but it's still just heartbreaking," Henry said.
The midnight showing at Celebration! Cinema in Benton Harbor also drew plenty of die-hard fans.
For Julia Mattice, 15, of Benton Harbor (whose friends call her Wormtail), the movie brought together fantasy and reality.
In an October visit to Scotland, she and her family rode the actual train used as the Hogwarts Express in the film. They saw the magnificent lakes, trees, waterfalls and island shown in the movie that were so unbelievably gorgeous, other filmgoers might have mistaken the scenery as computer-generated.
Wearing a shirt that said "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," Julia was actually obeying her parents' orders in staying up so late to see the film. "They said I could go under one condition -- that I go to school tomorrow. Or today," she said, correcting herself as 3 a.m. neared.
She's a sophomore at Grace Christian school in Watervliet. The movie, she said, was "awesome." "It made me laugh, cry," she said, referring to a death, a point at which the theater became absolutely silent.
At many other times, the 242 people in Theater 2's capacity crowd erupted into laughter at details that illustrated the universal humiliations of being a teenager.
Her friend, Jessica Jaeger, 18, of Elkhart, was a bit more of a critic about the film. She liked it, but couldn't help being disappointed when parts of the 734-page book were omitted or changed.
"I'm a purist," she said.
And a "ballistic" fan, her friends said. Her favorite character is Sirius Black, who, she said, did not get enough screen time in the film.
Jaeger said "Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the first "Potter" movie, were her favorites. Both girls said they planned to see the new film multiple times.
At Cinemark 14, the graveyard scene and the underwater scene were cited as highlights, and there were quite a few giggles about seeing Harry in the tub.
As for the PG-13 rating, many felt it was appropriate.
Angie Treacy, 19, seemed a bit shocked by one character's use of a mild expletive.
A more mature Harry Potter tale, however, is only natural. The wizard, after all, is aging along with his loyal readers.
As Treacy said, with a nostalgic look and a hand on her heart, "He's grown up with me!"