Main Topic - Goblet of Fire

Andrew: So, we did mention that on Halloween, the Goblet pulling, name-calling, whatever you want to call it...

Eric: The ceremony.

Andrew: ...did occur.

Eric: Yes.

Andrew: And...

Eric: Cedric...

Andrew: It just so happens, Goblet of Fire is coming out in a couple of weeks.

Eric: Yes.

Andrew: How's that for a crazy conspiracy? Anyone want to crack that one?

Eric: Sure.

Andrew: We going to see an editorial on that one in another week?

[All laugh]

Eric: Well, I think Halloween...

Andrew: But, we've seen, we've seen so much of the movie lately - new videos!

Laura: Yeah!

Eric: We really have.

Andrew: Does it change your impressions at all? I know for one that it changes mine, and I completely understand why it is not a PG-13 movie.

Laura: Yeah, same. [Laughs]

Andrew: Why it is a PG-13 movie. It just differs so much from the other books, from the other movies, and I think Mike Newell is to credit for all of this.

Eric: Ferret Malfoy down Goyle's pants.

[Micah and Laura laugh]

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: That's a PG-13 moment.

Laura: I was curious as to what everyone else thought of that? [Laughs]

Eric: That's...

Laura: That's like the scene that launched 1,000 bad fan fictions. [Laughs]

Eric: Yeah. Laura, Laura, you know Mike Newell...

Laura: No really. Looking, watching all these videos, I'm very impressed because the acting skills. When you compare the acting skills we've seen in these scenes to the Sorcerer's Stone movie, it is amazing how much more in tune the actors are!

Eric: And intense. You know?

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: They're portraying much more intense characters and I think they are doing it right.

Andrew: And, it's just the humor is there in this movie. Obviously, it is a bit more scarier. One of the clips, even though it is not really a big deal to us, there's more cursing in here. Harry, you see Dan Radcliffe playing an older, more frustrated Harry.

Eric: Yeah. Yeah, it's the ferret scene. You see Harry say, "I don't give a *BEEP* what your father thinks!"

Laura: Yep.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: But he doesn't say *BEEP*.

[Micah and Laura laugh]

Eric: "I don't give a *BEEP* what your father thinks, Malfoy!"

[Laura laughs]

Eric: I don't give a flip. Oooh!

[Andrew and Laura laugh]

Eric: All right, anyway. About the movies. I think we're seeing too much.

Laura: I...

Andrew: Yeah, I called this a couple of shows ago.

Micah: Yeah, you did.

Eric: Yeah. There's...

Andrew: I think Warner Bros. is overdoing it a bit this time.

Eric: A little bit just because we didn't get this much of Prisoner of Azkaban and now we're getting like the best scenes, you know? The most anticipated scenes, the ones we really wanted to see including the first and only classroom scene. We're seeing that. We're seeing the Yule Ball. We're seeing Harry and Ron's fight, which I want to talk about in a few minutes, but we are seeing all this stuff, and I want to wait for the movie.

Laura: I know.

Eric: You know?

Laura: And, I felt like they were overdoing it with Prisoner of Azkaban because I remember before that came out there were so many pictures. I made a screensaver out of it, and it is just hundreds upon hundreds of pictures that were released before that movie, and now we're seeing so many Goblet of Fire pictures not to mention all these clips. I mean we've practically seen it. [Laughs]

Eric: It's strange. Harry Potter doesn't need promotion.

Laura: Exactly.

Eric: I think that's the last thing that does. I mean if they would have kept the original trailer, I think people would be tired of the original trailer, but at the same time they would still be just as excited. And, you know the pictures...

Andrew: But, you know what? Warner Bros. has nothing to lose because everyone is going to go see either anyway.

Laura: Mhm.

Eric: Right. And I think...

Andrew: They are not afraid of putting too much out and then some people coming to the conclusion of, "Oh, this movie stinks! I'm not seeing it."

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Because it is Harry Potter.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: It's great. Everyone is going to see it.

Eric: It is great. It is good. This looks like the best movie.

Gambon as Dumbledore

Micah: Well, the one thing I really didn't like was the whole scene with Dumbledore basically shaking Harry to death after his name came out of the Goblet.

Eric: Okay, yeah. All right, what's up? Okay, Michael Gambon. Michael Gambon "?"

Micah: Yeah, I don't like him as Dumbledore.

Eric: That's what we're talking about because...

Andrew: Oh, come on.

Laura: I liked Gambon in Prisoner of Azkaban.

Eric: No.

Laura: I really, I sincerely liked him. I thought he did a wonderful job.

Andrew: Yep.

Laura: But, now that I am seeing... I'm a little... I'm not going to throw out a full-on judgement because I haven't seen the whole movie, but Dumbledore was very calm in the book when Harry's name came out of the cup. He didn't yell or anything. He just said, "Harry Potter!" And then he said, you know, "Go!"

Eric: In this one he backs him up into the big trophy and he goes [in loud voice] "Did you put your name in the Goblet?" Shaking him. Shaking him. And he's like, "No, sir. I swear I don't." And he says, "Swear to me! Swear to me you did not!"

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: This is the Dumbledore that I have been waiting for.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Come on.

Laura: Well, I think...

Eric: But, he's not that way to Harry. That's the thing with Dumbledore! He understands things and as Laura said he was calm. When things happen, when complete...

Andrew: He's too calm!

Eric: No. No.

Andrew: I mean, I'm sorry. I respect Richard Harris, okay?

Laura: I actually like Gambon better.

Andrew: I'm sorry that he passed on.

Eric: I'm not saying I like Richard Harris.

Andrew: Me too. Me too.

Eric: I'm not saying I like Richard Harris. I think Richard Harris was a little too calm, but Michael Gambon is more too violent I think because...

Andrew: He's a powerful Dumbledore. This is how Dumbledore is supposed to be.

Eric: But, he's powerful to the wrong people.

Andrew: I like the feisty Dumbledore because he's the Head of Hogwarts.

Eric: But, he's feisty...

Andrew: He should be angry. He should be yelling.

Eric: Not at Harry!

Laura: You know what I think they are doing though?

Eric: Not at Harry! He's feisty, but to the wrong people! You know? When Dumbledore has to take down the Ministry people, yes, he's feisty. That's the Michael Gambon Dumbledore I want to see, but not towards Harry.

Andrew: Good, so you'll see it in a future movie. Do you want to see Richard Harris doing the final battle? In Book...

Laura: Well, we won't.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Well, I mean, could you...

Eric: Do you want...

Andrew: Could... [Laughs]

Eric: But, do you want to see...

Andrew: Could you picture, could you picture Richard Harris doing...

Eric: Absolutely not! But, do you want Michael Gambon to sit there in Book 5 and say, "Harry, I was an idiot. I held off telling you everything."

Andrew: Yes, because he can do mood swings.

Eric: No, he can't do mood swings.

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: Richard Harris wasn't...

Eric: Everything is angry.

Andrew: ...he couldn't get mad.

Eric: Everything...

Andrew: I don't think he... You're...

Laura: What I think they are trying to do. I actually remember reading an interview with I believe Alfonso Cuaron, but don't quote me on that though that they were trying in Prisoner of Azkaban channel more of the anger that we saw in Order of the Phoenix from Harry. So, that there was a little bit of character development there. I think that might be what they are doing with Dumbledore as well.

Eric: But, I think Dumbledore...

Andrew: Developing the character?

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: But, when stuff goes down, Dumbledore is usually calm unless he has to fight off the bad people. I mean here he is shaking Harry and making him swear things. I think it is very important that we see this lighter side of Michael Gambon because when he does confess everything to Harry, it is going to seem like he's really yelling at him more. You know? And, really he blames himself and Dumbledore is a very self-blaming person, but I don't think...

Andrew: But, first we have to ask ourselves was this Mike Newell's decision to have him shake Harry? To do a little bit more yelling? Did Alfonso and Mike both take advantage of Michael Gambon being the new actor by making Dumbledore a little more feistier? Being a little bit more angry?

Eric: I like the idea that what Micah said was that they are adding more contrast to Harry by changing Dumbledore. And, I actually did like Richard Harris.

Andrew: Yeah, that works.

Laura: Mhm.

Eric: And Richard Harris in Prisoner of Azkaban...

Andrew: He means Michael Gambon.

Eric: ...I did like. I didn't think there was enough of him, but I did like the whole...

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: With the Time Turner scene and him going, "Goodnight!" and just leaving them there.

Laura: Oh, that was perfect.

Eric: That was funny, but I do think he is a little too forceful. You know? A little bit, especially to the wrong people.

Andrew: You know, Eric? I don't agree with you.

[Micah and Laura laugh]

Eric: Okay. Fine! But, no. I think he's... He should be forceful, but not to Harry, not to the wrong people. You know? I mean Michael Gambon can kick serious butt. He really can and I want him to, but not Harry's. That's all I am saying.

Andrew: I said this before and I'll say it again. Warner Bros. does what they want to do to make the movie more interesting. They are not going to keep Michael Gambon being a Richard Harris.

Eric: By putting child abuse?

Andrew: They want to take advantage of this new actor by changing it up, by changing the character of Dumbledore. And yeah, I agree too that it does also affect Harry because you have this new actor who is putting a different perspective on it.

The Rules Are Absolute

Micah: I think there was a lot of just actor abuse in this movie, especially if you look at "The Rules Are Absolute" clip where Snape just continually slaps Harry and Ron on the back of the head with a book. What's up with that?

[Laura laughs]

Eric: Yeah. It's an underlying theme of child abuse.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: That's what makes it so funny. It's not child abuse. Don't even try it.

Eric: No, the guy who reviewed our thing said that it was a scene that was completely out of Snape's character. And, although it might have been funny, it was out of character. It was a good scene for Alan Rickman he wrote, but he just didn't like it because it was not in Snape's character to actually hit somebody. And, I agree. I don't think it is. So, I don't know what is quite going on with Gambon shaking Harry and Snape beating Ron and Harry over the head, and just forcefully shoving their head forward into their books. What's going on?

[Micah and Laura laugh]

Eric: Does Mike Newell, was he abused in the boarding school he went to by these teachers?

[Micah and Laura laugh]

Eric: I mean, I'm think Pink Floyd here. I really am thinking Pink Floyd.

[Laura laughs]

Micah: Oh man.

Eric: It's like the meat grinder when they're walking and they jump in the meat grinder.

[Micah and Laura laugh]

Eric: It's terrible. British schools, are British schools that bad? Please, Brits of the world, e-mail me and tell me if your boarding school was this cruel to you as Michael Gambon is to Harry.

Andrew: This is Hogwarts, Eric. The rules are changed. Anything can happen.

Eric: So, Dumbledore can abuse his students because it is Hogwarts?

Andrew: Yes.

[Eric laughs]

Miranda Richardson

Andrew: But, moving along here.

Eric: Yes.

Andrew: My personal pick for this movie is Miranda Richardson.

Eric: I love that.

[Laura gasps]

Andrew: Forty-seven years old.

Laura: I love her.

Eric: Ohhh! Brilliant!

Andrew: She's... I'm just... This is going to the actor... Like there's always one actor in the movie that I feel just takes command and really is the one you always get excited about seeing in each scene. This is going to be her. The clips that we've seen so far. I remember reading that her...in the...oh, what was it called? That thing that Warner Bros. put out a couple of weeks ago.

Eric: The press thing.

Micah: That 51-page thing. Is that what you're talking about?

Andrew: Right. What was that called?

Micah: I don't remember.

Laura: Me neither.

Andrew: I remember reading in a document released by WB talking about how they dressed Miranda Richardson in the Rita Skeeter, you know? She had the hair. But, in each different scene depending on what she was reporting on, she wears a different outfit, and it relates to that.

Eric: Cool!

Laura: Oh, that's neat.

Eric: Cool!

Andrew: So, I think... Yeah. There's going to be this theme with her each time. Each time you see her, you know what I mean?

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: That's really...I'm going to like it.

Laura: I love Miranda Richardson! She's very funny.

Eric: I'd love her Harry-bashing outfit. If she has a Harry-bashing outfit.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: And has little lightening bolts all over it.

Andrew: Right.

[Laura and Andrew laugh]

Andrew: If only.

Eric: Lightening bolts stilettos.

Micah: I think she's just...

Laura: Ewww!

Micah: She's just one of those people, like Andrew said, that, you know, when you read the books, that is exactly how you picture her, the way she came up on film.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: She's perfect.

Eric: She really is. I like that.

Imelda Staunton

Andrew: How about the rumors swirling about the new actress for Umbridge? I'm trying to look up her name.

Micah: Imelda Staunton.

Eric: Oh that’s...Imelda Staunton, I think...I haven’t seen...I don’t think I’ve seen...

Laura: I looked at her picture and actually, well you know, she’s not obviously not all made up in the picture, but just her facial expression and the way...

Andrew: Has a... Yeah.

Laura: Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing how she turns out because her facial expressions just look exactly like I imagined Umbridge to. So, I mean, I’m not trying to insult her but...

Eric: No. [Laughs] That’s the biggest insult, but no, that’s the thing. When you walk to somebody and you would say, you make a great, you know, evil person or you’re the perfect evil monster, you know, its not very, it’s not a compliment but at the same...

Andrew: I think in Order of the Phoenix, she’s going to be that actress who everyone is going to be looking forward to.

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: Seeing in each...because you know, especially when I was reading that book, the Umbridge scenes - you got afraid...you were...

Eric: Oh yeah. Umbridge...

Andrew: And you just had a hate for her.

Laura: And at the same time you looked forward to them too, in a way.

Eric: Because you knew she was going to meet a sticky end.

Andrew: That’s a good question. When I was reading Book 5, every time Umbridge did something, you know, one of those new orders, I was literally...

Laura: I got so mad, yeah.

Andrew: ...furious.

Eric: No, Umbridge...

Andrew: Is that...it would be a good movie if this Imelda Staunton will be able to portray the same character and make us feel the same way as we did with the books.

Laura: Mhm.

Eric: Yes. Umbridge...

Andrew: That is when we’ll know if she’s successful.

Eric: Yeah. Umbridge was the only character that I ever recall actually beating my pillow after reading a scene with her.

[All laugh]

Andrew: Everyone had a hate for her, it was amazing how J. K. Rowling could write this.

Laura: Ohhh!

Eric: It was a genuine...

Andrew: So people will...yeah!

Eric: Hatred!

Andrew: It was a genuine hate.

Eric: It was the only character that I really, I mean...I don’t like you know, Fudge and stuff and Scrimgeour is an idiot.

Laura: But. I hated Umbridge.

Eric: But Umbridge. Umbridge was...

Laura: I hated her.

Eric: And her ‘hem-hem,’ ‘hem-hem.’

Laura: Urgh!

Eric: Every time she did that and I have the audio book to that and its [puts on high pitched voice] "hem-hem, hem-hem."

[All laugh]

Eric: Oh my god! You just want to beat her face in and be like [fighting noise] and she’d go...

Andrew: That’s probably a fun one to listen to.

Eric: [In high-pitched voice] “hem-hem, hem-hem” [Makes swish swish noise] "Die, shut up!" Sorry. Please cut that out, Andrew.

Laura: It’s too bad Harry didn’t know Sectumsempra then.

Eric: [Groans] Somebody write a fanfic where he just meets up with Umbridge and Sectumsempras her. Zzzz-zzz-zzz [assumingly a Sectumsempra slashing noise!]. I don’t know.

Andrew: Ugh, yeah.

Eric: I don't know. Please, I don’t want to be that forceful on the actual cast, but I really did hate Umbridge.

Laura: Oh, I thought it was good. [Laughs]

Eric: Okay.

Andrew: Okay.

Harry and Ron's Fight

Eric: Harry and Ron’s fight, can we talk about that, in Goblet of Fire? Because we do have the clip where it supposedly starts, but I have to say for one that I was disappointed in the way...it seems that Ron, you know, he’s upset with Harry but in the scene where he confronts him it's not necessarily very forceful or as forceful as it should be because then we see the other three or four clips I think there is, where like the repercussions of their fight happens, and it seems really drawn out and it seems like there wasn’t that big of a bang to support Ron, you know, not talking to Harry and Hermione having to be their owl between them like you know, in the other scenes. I don’t think that the fight was that big, the actual scene where they’re in the dormitory.

Laura: See that scene, it was all right to me, but the scene that really bothered me was where Hermione was playing messenger girl.

Eric: I think that’s cute.

Laura: I didn’t like it because in the book, Ron is just flat out ignoring Harry. He’s not going to come and tell him "Hagrid’s looking for you." He didn’t want anything to do with him.

Eric: No, but it was...

Laura: So I feel like, I feel like in a way he wouldn’t want to give Harry that. He wouldn’t want to help him, especially since in the other clip that we see, in the movie, it looks as though Ron knows about the dragons.

Eric: Well, I don’t think...

Laura: I don’t think he did in the book, did he?

Eric: I’m not sure.

Laura: So he would obviously in the movie, theoretically, know that Hagrid was going to show Harry the dragons and since he’s so mad at Harry about the tournament, why would he want to...

Eric: It was taunting.

Laura: Why would he want to come and give him that information?

Eric: But it was taunting him, it wasn’t helping him. It was more like "I know something you don’t but since you’re the almighty, powerful king who hoodwinked the Goblet, you might as well know this too." And I think you know, the whole, the whole fact that…I think Ron just wanted to tick Harry off and let Harry know that he was still upset with him by getting Hermione to say that because you know, you know what I’m trying to say? I mean I guess...

Laura: I do, but also I can’t see Hermione...

Eric: Supporting that.

Laura: Doing that either, especially when they’re standing 15 feet apart because wasn’t, it seems like there was one point in the book where Harry said...was walking around the lake with Hermione and said, "Well, you can tell him." And Hermione was like "No, I’m not going to tell him anything, you tell him yourself."

Eric: Yeah. That’s true. She is supportive of them in getting, you know, back together and talking to each other so she probably wouldn’t. What I paid more attention to and I think that’s probably why the scene played the way it did was Emma’s acting. A few episodes back I said I wanted to see more a book smarts Hermione and I actually think that we are getting a little bit more of that because the scene with Hermione and Harry on the bridge, where she’s explaining, you know, Victor as this physical person she uses some kind of big word that I don’t even know what it is.

[Laura laughs]

Eric: And I know some words. But so, she’s using this and displaying her knowledge and I think the whole owl thing was a great simile, even if you didn’t like the scene, the whole "I’m not an owl." She is sending messages just like an owl, so I thought it was a great, you know, it shows a little more smarts on her part. So, I was happy. That’s what I paid attention to in that scene, was Emma.

Micah: I agree with you Eric, I don’t think the scene was as powerful as it should have been because it’s really the first fight that we see between these two friends essentially.

Eric: And it’s supposed to last the whole... I mean a long time and it, the resolution, is supposed to be crazy-good.

Micah: Right.

Eric: And for Ron, Ron just sits down in bed and he goes to sleep. He’s like "Harry..."

Laura: He comes off as being more hurt than anything.

Eric: Yeah, than, angry hurt.

Micah: It’s too toned down, that’s what I think.

Eric: And I don’t think Harry...

Andrew: Well, this is another victim of what we like to call Goblet of Fire lasting 147 minutes. Or was it 43?

Eric: No, but the fight could have lasted...well, what could have happened is...

Andrew: No, that’s the point! They can’t make it last on these time restrictions where they have to cut things down.

Eric: Then they should have made it that Ron goes up to his, you know, the dorm and slams the door in Harry’s face and he doesn’t get to defend himself. You know? Something like that. What happened was, Ron lays down and he says that thing to Harry and Harry has time to defend himself. He actually sits there going "Ron, you’re wrong. I never did this and I never did that," and Ron just looks at him in that ‘Hurt Ron Face’ and he lays down and goes to bed. And Harry feels like he has been treated an injustice, but I just don’t think it's powerful. I think they could have done a more powerful scene in a shorter amount of time.

Laura: I agree. I really think that the scene in the book was very powerful because you have, Harry was standing there struggling to try and get that banner that they’d tied around his neck off and Ron just sits there and watches him. And that just…I mean I can’t imagine the kind of pressure that you have, even...it is your best friend, but you have to realize when they’re not getting up to try and help you and they’re just sitting there and watching you with this...just this look of...

Eric: It’s terrible.

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: And here Ron is giving him time to explain himself and not believing a word. And it is an injustice still but at the same time, I think it would have been much more effective if he just came up and said "Oh, you know, you wouldn’t tell your best friend," and then that would, you know, spark Harry into arguing, you know, fighting back. I don’t think there was that much for him to fight back to. I mean it was wrong, but it wasn’t like Ron wasn’t hurt, like angry hurt.

Laura: Mhm.

Eric: He was just hurt.

Laura: Well, in the book Ron just wouldn’t listen, he…

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: Snapped his curtains shut. [Laughs]

Eric: Exactly, which was, you know, completely like unfair and in his face but this one wasn’t, it was in Harry’s face but it wasn’t that powerful. So, I don’t know if the friendship thing will actually be up to par or up to believability because you know, Ron has to go ignore Harry and there’s that whole scene with Hermione and the owl and all that stuff, but I don’t think if that’s the only really big confrontation they have...you know what? I want to know if they have that scar comment in, where you know, Harry says...

Laura: Oh that was...

Eric: It’s what you want anyway.

Laura: Oh I hope.

Eric: Because that is what I think, that’s going to be the only thing that might bring their fight up to believability if they have that big...that’s a big line clash, that’s the thing.

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: So if that happens, I’ll be happy, but I’m worried that it won’t be believable.

Micah: No, I agree with you. Like you said, it wasn’t powerful enough and maybe there is something after that point that we didn’t see that will lead to a little bit more of an argument, but...

Eric: Otherwise, I think it will dwindle.

Micah: Exactly.

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