GoF Screening
Someone was able to view the screening of the newest Goblet of Fire film, in Chicago this weekend. The one reporting this says they've not read any but the first book, so can't say how faithful the movie is to book though. The report is below:

The special effects weren't anywhere near done, and I thought it was fascinating to see what was essentially a work print, with many scenes in front of green screen, several effects in wire frame, colored dots on actor's faces, and flying scenes where the wires were not yet digitally removed. Without having read the book and not knowing anything about the plot, I was able to follow it fairly well. It made me want to read the book, to get more detail. The pace was good, the acting was good.
Harry, some big hulking Russian-type guy, a girl (both from another school) and another kid from Hogwarts were in the 3rd part of a wizard tournament. This consisted of finding a prize (a crystal goblet-like thing, I forget what they called it) in a maze. Harry saves the life of the other Hogwarts student and they reach for the goblet together and are both transported to a graveyard. The rat-like guy from the last movie was there, holding a thing that looked like a wizened baby. He cut off his own arm, and took blood from Harry's arm, and mixed them with some other things, dropped the baby-like thing in and out came Voldemort (these special effects weren't done yet). Voldemort and Harry get into a wand fight. His parents appear and help him get away. He grabs the kid who'd been killed by Voldemort and grabs hold of the goblet, then they appear back in front of the school where everybody is waiting. Harry is taken away by Brendan Gleeson, who turns out not to be Brendan Gleeson, but some guy's son who's helping Voldemort (Gleeson is being held prisoner in a series of locked trunks. Snape and not Richard Harris and Miss Brodie show up just in time to keep not Brendan Gleeson from killing Harry. Hermione tells Ron to just ask her to the dance next time, ok?
Ralph (Voldemort)was GREAT! Very scary. I don't know what he'll look like in the end, because Feinnes had green dots all over his face, so I'm sure they'll CGI something that looks pretty horrific.
A lot more happened than that (for instance, Malfoy's father was there at the graveyard too, no big surprise to me, even without having read the books). If anything though, it was too edited. I could have stayed in that graveyard longer. The whole movie could be longer and I wouldn't mind. The whole wizard world felt more dangerous, like someone actually could die (and someone did). I was amazed at the dangers that the wizard tournament put these students through.
They (Ron & Harry) become estranged, because Ron (and many other students) think that Harry put his own name into the Goblet of Fire, when the rules had stated that you had to be 17 to take part in the tournament.Miranda Richardson is a hoot as a reporter who keeps getting Harry's age wrong (she says 12, when he's actually 14). I get the feeling they cut her part down though. It seemed that she might have had more to do than just interview him once.