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 HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
(DVD available as single-disc and 2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition)
The Harry Potter franchise has marked a rare occasion in cinema, or perhaps even a first. To my knowledge, there is no other long-running, self-contained film series in history where the later entries have improved considerably on their predecessors. As the young Harry Potter has matured, so too have the films depicting his wizarding adventures, turning what initially began as a family friendly adaptation of, essentially, fluff wish-fulfillment silliness, into an artistically rendered journey of kids attempting to balance their growth into adults against the never-ending onslaught of horrors that plague their lives. Cuaron’s Prisoner of Azkaban may remain the champion when it comes to telling the best Potter story that stands on its own, but considering that The Half-Blood Prince is clearly an intermediate chapter that was designed to align the necessary pieces for the final chapter, director David Yates should be applauded for the masterful way he’s managed to sidestep that issue by maintaining a strong focus on progressing the emotional core of the story instead of becoming bogged down in the notably less compelling central plot conflict, as well as gratuitous CGI-heavy action set pieces and wand battles. It’s because of this that, against all odds, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince turned out to be my favorite entry in the series yet, delivering a strangely perfect blend of character-based melodrama, genuinely hilarious moments of comedy, and a palpable sense of dread in every frame. If I wasn’t quite convinced that Yates was capable of tying up the films in a satisfying way after Order of the Phoenix, this most recent effort has convinced me that there’s no other man more qualified for the job.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: 2-disc DVD – Featurettes on the cast and crew and the life of author J.K. Rowling, additional scenes, a sneak peek at the Universal Orlando Resort’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, and a digital copy of the film. Blu-ray – Includes everything on the DVD, as well as a Maximum Movie Mode with the stars, director and producers.
| BEST DVD PRICE* |
| Target |
Best Buy |
Fry’s |
Walmart |
| $15 |
$15.99 |
$14.77 |
$9.98 |
| Amazon – $9.99 |
*Does not include 2-Disc Edition, which costs $19.99 at Fry’s and Amazon, $22.99 at Best Buy, and $26.99 at Target (see below).
| BEST BLU-RAY PRICE |
| Target |
Best Buy |
Fry’s |
Walmart |
| $19.99 |
$17.99 |
N/A |
$15 |
| Amazon – $15.99 |
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It seems like no critique of Michael Mann’s Public Enemies would be complete without discussing the high definition digital cinematography. It seems to really annoy some people (there was a long discussion on this week’s /Filmcast about this) while others believe that the technology adds to the realism of the moment.
On this week’s episode of The Totally Rad Show, they reviewed Public Enemies, complete with a discussion of the digital look. Alex Albrecht explained that the digital look didn’t work for him (watch the clip after the jump) because the story didn’t make sense to be presented in this way. For example, a film like Collateral works much better with the digital look because the look of the story, and the setting of downtown Los Angeles works for the digital aesthetic.
So I’m wondering, movie and story aside (lets not talk about the movie, we already did that) — were you bothered by the High Definition look of Public Enemies? Why did you think it didn’t work for you? Could it be that we’re just use to the film look and that kids growing up today might think that the digital look looks more realistic? Or is it like Alex suggests, a look that shouldn’t be used for certain types of stories, like period films? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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In this episode of the /Filmcast, David Chen, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley find out what this whole Mumblecore deal is all about, try to write the plot of the new Asteroids film, assess the career and etymology of Nimrod Antal, discuss the look of Public Enemies, and get excited about the trailers of Jennifer’s Body and The Informant. Special guest Dan Trachtenberg joins us from the Totally Rad Show.
You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com, or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us next Monday at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST at Slashfilm’s live page as we review Bruno.
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Michael Mann’s Public Enemies hits theaters today, and we want to hear what you thought of it. Is it more Miami Vice than Heat? Is the High Definition cinematography as annoying as some people claim it is? Or is this Mann’s best film in the last decade? What did you like, what did you hate? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Universal Pictures has released three nw character posters for Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, featuring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard. The film tells the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Johnny Depp)—the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. Check out the posters in higher resolution after the jump.
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Universal Pictures has released a second movie trailer for Michael Mann’s Public Enemies on MSN. The film tells the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Johnny Depp)—the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public.
A lot of people were complaining about the video-look of the film when the first trailer was released. I’ve found a lot less noticeable on my computer screen, especially in this second trailer. I’m under the belief that audiences could watch a film shot on 8mm film. If it was compelling enough, audiences could easily forget the weaknesses of the medium. And I think this second trailer does a lot with mood, tone and story which makes me forget about the digital look of the sequences presented in the trailer. Watch the trailer after the jump, and tell me what you think in the comments below.
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Steve from Collider is a good friend of mine. At least a few times a week we talk about upcoming movies, TV shows, what gossip each of us have heard, and anything else we might find exciting. Since a number of our conversations cover things you also might find interesting, we’ve decided to start recording certain conversations as video blogs. Past video blogs have included The Future of the Batman Film Franchise, The Box Office Prospects of Watchmen and thoughts on the first 46 Minutes of Pixar’s Up.
We were recently talking about some of the movies coming out this summer and realized we should do some video blogs about the 2009 Summer Movie season. We were a little too ambitious, and thought we could squeeze two months worth of films into one blog, but as usually happens, we ran out of time. So the first two parts of our Summer movie preview were posted last week (you can watch part one here and part two here). In part 3, we take a look at the movies of July 2009: Public Enemies, Bruno, I Love You Beth Cooper, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Funny People, 500 Days of Summer. Please leave your thoughts on the movies of July 2009 in the comments below.
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Posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 by David Chen
In this very special episode of the /Filmcast, David Chen, Peter Sciretta, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley are joined by writer/actor/director Kevin Smith to discuss Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. In this epic, 1 hour and 45-minute long discussion, the five of them delve into the faithfulness of the film adaptation, the effectiveness of the film’s soundtrack, the controversy surrounding the film’s ending, the sexuality of Rorschach, and the resemblance between Zack Snyder and Jesus.
Have any questions/comments/complaints/suggestions? Want to sponsor or advertise with the /Filmcast? You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us next Tuesday night at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST on Slashfilm’s live page as we review The Last House on the Left.
To hear the entire episode, you can download it here, or play it now in your browser:
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To hear just the segment where Kevin Smith reviews Watchmen with us, you can download it here or play it now in your browser:
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To subscribe to weekly episodes of the /Filmcast, where we review movies and discuss film news with actors/directors/webmasters from all over the internet, use the following links:
Update - Welcome Digg users! If you liked this episode of the /Filmcast, you might also enjoy the following:
Dan Trachtenberg from the Totally Rad Show talks soundtracks with David Chen
The /Filmcast Interviews Dave Gibbons (the original Watchmen illustrator)
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Universal Pictures has released the movie trailer for Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Johnny Depp)—the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. Depp vs. Bale? Sounds like my kind of Summer gangster movie. Watch the trailer after the jump, and tell me what you think in the comments below.
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Universal released a movie poster and 19-second trailer preview for Michael Mann’s Public Enemies earlier today. The trailer will hit the web on Wednesday or Thursday, but why wait when you can see this new 30-second preview which aired during tonight’s Entertainment Tonight (yes, 11 more seconds). Check the clip out, complete with annoying ET voiceover, after the jump.
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