Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ****

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Brendan Gleeson, Robbie Coltrane, Miranda Richardson, Ralph Fiennes, Timothy Spall, David Tennant
Director: Mike Newell
Running Length: 2:37
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Harry Potter (Radcliffe) is back for his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry, and it is not going to be an easy year. First off, it is announced that there will be the Tri-Wizard Tournament, in which the three participating schools have a champoin chosen for them from the Goblet of Fire. Those champions will compete against each other in a series of challenges. When the names are chosen, not only is each school represented, but the Goblet also chooses a fourth champion: Harry Potter.

Forced to compete in the tournament, Harry soon finds that the tournament is very dangerous, and perhaps someone entered him into it in the hopes that he would be injured or even killed. If that is not enough, Harry is having dreams of Voldemort (Fiennes). It seems that the dark lord may be making a comeback, and that does not bode well for anyone.

"Goblet" is arguably the best of the Harry Potter movies so far. Filled with action and a key plot point - the return of Voldemort, it does not disappoint. The kids have come into their own and it is difficult to imagine anyone else filling those roles. Fiennes is perfect as Voldemort, bringing a creepy evilness that is just right for you know who. Director Mike Newell has taken the longest of the Harry Potter books, streamlined it, and made an entertaining motion picture. Only one and a half years to wait for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", and summer 2007 cannot come soon enough.

Enchanted ***1/2
Cast: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Susan Sarandon, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey
Director: Kevin Lima
Running Length: 1:47
MPAA Classification: PG

In the animated world of Andalasia, Giselle (Adams) dreams of falling in love with a prince. Fortunately, Prince Edward (Marsden) falls in love with her the moment he sees her. Of course, Edward’s evil step-mother, Queen Narissa (Sarandon) is not happy with the match, and banishes her to New York City – the real world. With the help of Nathaniel (Spall) and a talking chipmunk, Edward goes on a quest to return Giselle to their world. In the real world, Giselle is a fish-out-of-water who is rescued from wandering the streets by Robert (Dempsey), a single parent who doesn’t believe her story but is too nice to just leave her. If Edward is able to find her, she may have to decide who really is her true prince.

“Enchanted” is a great movie, capturing the spirit of Disney’s princess movies. Amy Adams is adorable as Giselle. She clearly has done her homework, and has the mannerisms down pat. She looks and acts like she just stepped out of a Disney cartoon. She is the reason that this movie is as good as it is. The rest of the cast fill their roles nicely. Marsden is good as the dopey prince, and Sarandon gets to have some fun as the evil Queen. “Enchanted” is an enjoyable film, and I highly recommend it.

The Last Samurai ****

Cast: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Tony Goldwyn, Timothy Spall, Koyuki, Hiroyuki Sanada, Billy Connolly, Shichinosuke Nakamura
Director: Edward Zwick

Civil War veteran Nathan Algren is hired by a Japanese delegation the teach modern warefare to the Emperor's army. It seems that a rebel samurai by the name of Katsumoto is causing some trouble for the Emperor, and they believe that Algren can help out. While training the troops in Japan, they are forced to prematurely face Katsumoto and his men, and they are overwhelmed. Algren is taken as a prisoner so that Katsumoto can "learn from his enemy". As the winter passes, Algren finds himself learning of the samurai way of life, and becoming friends with his captor. When winter ends, Algren finds himself considered an equal, and not an enemy. Now he must determine the path he will choose, as another confrontation is inevitable. Cruise and Watanabe are excellent as one time enemies that become allies. The ways of samurai life are very interesting, and the epic scope of the movie makes it highly entertaining.