My name is Terry and this is my blog. 
11/27/2005: "Difficult Times"
music: and one day we will die and our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the seamood: sleeping way too much, again
Possible Spoiler Alert - If you have not see the new Harry Potter film, best to skip this blog entry for now . . . .
On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my friend Mike. I decided not to go home to Pennsylvania for the holiday and despite the initiations of two other parties (reason for turning them down: social anxiety) I felt it was best to just go to Chinatown for dinner and then off to the biggest blockbuster film of the moment. I liked the previous films (the 3rd one being my favorite of the three before) so I was excited to see the new one, by Mike Newell, whose work I've enjoyed (Donnie Brasco, Four Weddings and a Funeral).
So now I have to admit that the new Harry Potter film is now one of my top ten favorite films of all time. Not since Babe: Pig in the City has a film aimed towards the younger crowd captivated me with its magic and charm. The brilliance of the film lies in the balance of exploring the themes of adolescence while delivering the special effects-driven storyline. The kids are growing up and not only are they now realizing the responsibilities that their powers have bestowed upon them, but they also have to deal with other adolescent demons such as jealousy, the opposite sex and all the other insecurities that define early adulthood.
In a film that could easily be bogged down by spectacle and story, there were many subtleties that spoke volumes. The one scene of pure brilliance was after Hermione had just chewed out Ron outside of the Ball, and as Jarvis Cocker (!!!!) crooned "Magic Works," we see the frustrated Hermione sit on the steps and with tears take off her shoes. As if to say she isn't ready for any of this, as if to say that the idea of love isn't what it's cracked up to be. It was so subtle and so pure that I cried.
Mike and I were talking about the films last night as we were driving home from a party and he was talking about how he's been watching them again from the beginning and how much he realized that they were speaking to our current situation. In particular he mentioned a scene in which Harry stares into a mirror where he can watch his parents and Dumbledore tells him that watching them will not bring them back. In the Goblet of Fire, Harry's parents reappear at the final battle and help him defeat the evil Lord Voldemort, and when Harry explains to Dumbledore his vision, Dumbledore gently reminds him that they'll never be coming back. The poignancy of all the films is that while we are made to believe that the possibilities of magic and wizardry are endless, we are also reminded that there are certain impossibilities in life (for Harry it's his parents, for us it's girlfriends) and the only remedy is growing up, difficult as it may be.
Last thing: "Magic Works" by the Weird Sisters plays at the very end of the credits, during all the technical listings, but the song is excellent, so it's worth your while to stick around for it.