Tonight...

[dreamflower]

Dinner at Red Lobster was yummy! The DH had the steak with shrimp and lobster combo; I had the parmesan crusted tilapia-- Oh, golly, was it good! Piping hot, and I had baked potato and broccoli for my sides. I LOVE their baked potatoes, and the broccoli was just right, not over or under- cooked the way it often is in restaurants. Then the two of us split a warm chocolate lava chocolate chip cookie (a giant chocolate chip cookie filled with melted chocolate and topped with ice cream. Way too much for one person, but just right for two.)

Then it was off to see the new Harry Potter. The theater was crammed with people, but I managed to snag us a couple of decent seats while the DH got our cokes. Good heavens! He paid $11 bucks for two of them.

Some spoilery bits behind the cut...

I thought they did a pretty decent job with the story overall. There were a few info-dump moments where characters were expositing on things that were revealed a bit more subtly in the books. McGonagall was MAGNIFICENT! And I adored Professor Flitwick! Loved the bit with the stone knights, though I don't recall that from the book. Neville! Oh, Neville really came into his own! There were several places when I teared up-- when I saw Lavender's body, when Snape died, and of course when the Weasleys were mourning Fred.

And there was spontaneous applause throughout the theater in two places: when Molly dusted Bellatrix, and when Neville decapitated Nagini!

The DH was funny. He's more of an HP fan than I am. He often teases me when I rant a little about some of the changes PJ made to LotR-- but he was in fine form on the way home this evening complaining about some of the changes in this movie, most particularly the last battle between Voldy and Harry, which was "different from the book", LOL! (Not that he didn't object to a couple of changes in LotR himself, particularly to the Faramir-taking-Frodo-to-Osgiliath part.)

End of spoilery stuff.

However, both of us agreed that the 3-D effects were much better in this than they were in "Avatar", which was the last 3-D movie we'd seen. They were more subtle-- there was depth without making us flinch at the perception of things flying out the screen at us, and any zipping and zooming seemed an actual part of the story and not just thrown in to impress. It seemed an enhancement rather than a gimmick. Maybe now that it's becoming more common it's going to be used that way more. It gives me hope for The Hobbit being in 3-D.

Comments

[ellynn-ithilwen.livejournal.com]

Good to hear that 3D worked fine. I don't like 3D much, I think that the technology and everything is simply not developed enough for now. Hopefully it will be better in the future.

Your dinner sounds fantastic! :)

[dreamflower]

It did work all right-- there weren't many times when I was thinking "Oh cool special effects!" rather than being into the story. (And when I did it was not so much about the 3-D.) I do think they seem to be improving with it.

Dinner was lovely.

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you both had a great evening.
Dinner and a movie is the perfect way to spend an evening.

[dreamflower]

It was very nice.

[addie71.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love the broccoli at Red Lobster! Very yummy.

I'm glad you enjoyed your night out. I hope to see the HP movie next weekend.

[dreamflower]

So many times at restaurants, the broccoli is hard as a rock or nothing but mush. They almost always get it right!

I think you will enjoy it.

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

I LOVE their baked potatoes,

Same here! I keep thinking I'm going to invest in a big box of kosher salt and start baking them that way myself but I haven't tried it yet.

I'm glad the 3D wasn't distracting. I usually have such a hard time with 3D, I think probably because I wear glasses... I think it keeps the 3D glasses a little too far away from my eyes and I end up squinting and headache-y by the end of even a short 3D film. And I imagine having progressive bifocals doesn't help my cause any. I'm glad that the 3D in this movie is there only to enhance, because I'll be seeing the 2D version, I imagine.

[dreamflower]

Yep. No steaming in foil for them! And the skin is soooo good!

I wear glasses-- mine are progressive too. The main problem I notice is that some smaller details are a little blurry with the 3-D glasses on (makes it hard to read any words on screen) but not much trouble beyond that.

We saw the Disney 3-D version of "A Christmas Carol" in 2-D (our local theater isn't set up for 3-D) and it was so distracting seeing the bits that were supposed to be 3-D. A lot of unnecessary swooping and zooming around that had nothing to do with the story.

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

A lot of unnecessary swooping and zooming around that had nothing to do with the story.

That's what I hope PJ *doesn't* do with "The Hobbit".

[dreamflower]

Well, that's why I said the new HP gave me hope. I am sure that by the time TH comes out, 3-D won't be so much of a novelty, and as I said, be used as an enhancement instead of a gimmick!

[shirebound]

Yay, glad you had a nice evening!

a warm chocolate lava chocolate chip cookie (a giant chocolate chip cookie filled with melted chocolate and topped with ice cream... OMG.

[dreamflower]

Yes indeed!

[aspenjules.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed INDEED!!!

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Your dinner sounds extra yummy! The chocolate lava chip cookie????? That sounds incredible! (And something that would be too rich for me probably and I would pay for with stomach pains later, lol, but totally worth it! :D)

[dreamflower]

It's amazingly rich and decadent! But I probably would have been sick myself if I had tried to eat all of it alone!

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

What a nice date night for you two.

[aspenjules.livejournal.com]

Didn't read the spoilery bits, but I'm looking forward to seeing it soon. Now that you've said that about the 3D being ok, maybe I'll suggest that to my DH.

Glad you had such a nice evening!! Date nights are the BEST!

[harrowcatliz.livejournal.com]

Went to see the film yesterday in 2d. Enjoyed it very much but there were a couple of times when I thought that an effect was put in for the 3d audience. Didn't spoil it though. The cost of snacks is now way beyond a joke! Next time I think that I will take my own popcorn.