Posted on Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 by Angie Han
With just one month left before the Harry Potter film series ends for good, it feels like we’re getting a some new bit of promotional material practically every day. At this point, I’ve lost count of just how many posters we’ve already seen for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. But as long as they look this fantastic, I’m not complaining. In the days since we last showed you the last batch of posters, featuring the heroes and villains looking dirty and bloodied, a handful of new posters have been released. Hit the jump to see the forces of good, an army of evil, and a huge-ass dragon.
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Posted on Monday, June 6th, 2011 by Angie Han
We can thank the MTV Movie Awards for the bounty of new videos today — in addition to that new Breaking Dawn trailer, which I’m sure you all loved, we also have brand-new clips from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and The Help. See them all after the jump.
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Posted on Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 by Angie Han
Last week, we showed you two new posters for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 — one featuring a roughed-up Harry and another showing a concerned-looking Hermione. Since then, Warner Bros. has released five more character posters, for Ron (Rupert Grint), Neville (Matthew Lewis), Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), Draco (Tom Felton) and Snape (Alan Rickman). Check out the images after the jump.
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Genrocks, the creator of acclaimed 270-movie 6-minute video compilation Filmography 2010, has returned with a look back at the Harry Potter film franchise. Harry Potter “Through the Pensieve” is a 4-minute video retrospective featuring clips from all eight films set to a mashup of John Williams’ “Hedwig’s Theme”, dredg‘s “Stamp of Origin: Take a Look Around” and “Down to the Cellar”. Genrocks writes:
Over the years, the Harry Potter series has had a very special place in my heart. With the final film coming out in 50 days, I thought it would be a good time to look back at the journey we’ve taken with the film versions of JK Rowling’s unforgettable characters. A retrospective spanning all eight films, this tells the story of the bravery of children, the folly of the powerful, and the overriding force of love.
Watch the video embedded after the jump.
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This Week in DVD & Blu-ray is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD and Blu-ray releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy and Fry’s.
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1
(Releases on Friday, April 15 — Blu-ray available as single-disc and Blu-ray+DVD+digital copy)
I’m still not convinced that the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise needed to be separated into two films, but perhaps that’s a discussion better reserved for Part 2. Is it fair to judge this as a standalone film, or should it be taken as only half of a whole (which in itself is only one seventh of an even greater whole)? Director David Yates seems to want it both ways, while also attempting to appease both hardcore fans of the books and more casual viewers of the movies. The effort is admirably ambitious, though not always successful, often servicing fans at the cost of narrative flow. I’ll hold off on casting any judgments on how the film fits into the grander story at play — something that could very easily make or break the film in retrospect — but as a continuation of what’s essentially evolved into a serialized big screen mini-series, this entry is as problematic as it is utterly compelling. As a devoted fan of the films, it’s fascinating to see how these characters (and actors) have grown and matured, and Yates does a tremendous job portraying the toll that these inherited responsibilities have taken on their relationships. Where the film falters is finding a satisfying way to properly set up and condense subplots from the book, leading to many awkward moments where characters and MacGuffins appear at random. I’m also terribly conflicted about the ending, because as much as I recognize the need to offer some sort of emotional climax, it doesn’t register as an organic progression, and is treated with such gravitas that it inadvertently undercuts a far more significant occurrence at the end of The Half-Blood Prince. Criticisms aside, I have to respect Yates for endeavoring a near impossible task and not losing sight of the characters and their journey amidst the commotion. There lies the strength of the film, and that’s exactly the way it should be.
Available on Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: Blu-ray – Includes a copy of the DVD and a digital copy of the film, as well as a sneak peek of an opening scene from the final film, a Maximum Movie Mode, Focus Points (“The Last Days of Privet Drive”, “Hagrid’s Motorbike”, “Amazing (or) Magical Tents!”, “Deatheaters attack Cafe”, “Creating Dobby and Kreacher”, “Godric’s Hollow”, “The Harry And Nagini Battle”, “The Frozen Lake”, “The Return of Griphook”), featurettes (“On the Green with Rupert, Tom, Oliver and James”, “The Seven Harry’s”, “Dan, Rupert, and Emma’s Running Competition”, “Behind The Soundtrack”), and additional scenes.
| BEST DVD PRICE |
| Target |
Best Buy |
Fry’s |
| $14.99 |
$13.99 |
N/A |
| Amazon – $14.99 |
| BEST BLU-RAY PRICE* |
| Target |
Best Buy |
Fry’s |
| $22.99 |
$22.99 |
$22.99 |
| Amazon – $22.99 |
*Does not include single disc edition, which costs $16.99 at Best Buy and Amazon.
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Sometimes the best April Fool’s jokes are great ideas masquerading as jokes. For example, ThinkGeek’s Star Wars Tauntaun sleeping bag from a few years back, originally just a joke, eventually became a reality because it was so clever. We can only dare to dream that this awesome April Fools joke has the same fate. IGN has created a one minute trailer for a fictional television series called The Aurors, a Harry Potter themed series on FX that follows “an elite unit of law enforcement agents within the Ministry of Magic.” Warning: If you are a fan of Harry Potter, watching this video and realizing it’s a fake will be insanely depressing. Check out the trailer after the jump. Read More »
UK’s Royal Mail has released a stamp set featuring “the world’s most famous wizards, witches and enchanters.” The set includes characters from The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Discworld, and Arthurian legend. I wish the US Postal Office would release a set of stamps like this. I guess I’ll have to settle for the upcoming set of Pixar stamps. Hit the jump to see the complete set.
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Posted on Friday, March 4th, 2011 by Angie Han
With only one Harry Potter film to go — this July’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 — I’m already anticipating some serious Harry Potter withdrawal. What can I say? J.K. Rowling’s first novel dropped in the U.S. roughly half my lifetime ago, and it’s weird to imagine a world where I’m not breathlessly awaiting the next installment of either the book or film series.
Thanks to today’s announcement by Warner Bros., though, I think I have a pretty good idea of where I’m going to get my next fix. We first reported last year that the film company was planning to turn its Leavesden studios in England into a Harry Potter-themed attraction, and an official press release was sent out today. The three-hour “The Making of Harry Potter” tour will be opening in Leavesden, where much of the film series was shot, next spring. Read more details after the jump.
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