Horse-drawn carriages can be seen making their way to the black castle of Hogwarts, drenched in thick fog and a glimmer of moonlight. Sheaths of rain torrent down into sloshing puddles on the cold earth. A single crow emerges into the scene and perches atop a sign in-frame that reads “Hogsmeade.” “Something wicked this way comes,” a choir of witches and wizards trills in unison, cradling big fat toads that croak along with the haunting, but jubilant tune.
Indeed, something wicked does come quite quick in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, a major franchise installment so drenched in distinct silky style laden with the comforts of a crisp fall day, it is regarded by many as the best film in the series due to director Alfonso Cuarón’s unique vision and genuine artistic flair. With the only director of any Harry Potter film to really lean into the standard sensibilities of a narrative marked by magic and ghosts, the film ends up reading as a love letter to October, to Halloween, and to the entire season of autumn.
Read More »
The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows.
In this edition, find out how to make your own Pumpkin Juice from Harry Potter just in time for your next Halloween party. Plus, take a tour of some famous London movie locations for a new edition of Reel Destinations with Focus Features, and listen to a dramatic reading of Green Eggs and Ham from the cast of the animated series adaptation coming to Netflix next month. Read More »
Harry Potter fans are going to wish they had a secret Gringotts vault filled with treasure left to them, unbeknownst, for decades. Because it’s about to get very expensive to prove you’re a Potterhead. A new Harry Potter subscription service is being offered by Warner Bros. and Pottermore as a premium addition to the Wizarding World app that launched in August. Called Wizarding World Gold, this $75 a year subscription offers key discounts and exclusive events for fans, similar to Disney’s D23 membership.
Read More »
Universal Studios Beijing is bringing the magic of the movies to China in the form of a huge new theme park, as well as the signature Universal CityWalk entertainment complex, and two new resort hotels. Today, the seven themed lands that make up the new theme park were revealed, and they include some Universal Studios favorites like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Jurassic World, but also lands for Transformers, Kung Fu Panda, the Minions of Despicable Me, and more.
Find out more about the Universal Studios Beijing lands below. Read More »
If you get bummed every now and then that you weren’t able to ship off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when you turned 11 years old, we’ve got something that might soften the blow a little bit.
Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima are the artists responsible for creating the graphic style of all the Harry Potter movies. That includes posters for the Hogwarts text books, the Marauder’s Map, The Daily Prophet, The Black Family Tree, and much more. Now you can bring some of their incredible work home to decorate your house in the form of some incredibly detailed and amazing Harry Potter wallpaper created by Mina and Lima themselves. It looks straight out of the wizarding world. Read More »
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you likely already know about the website Pottermore. Launched in 2011, it’s been the hub for all Harry Potter news, bonus stories, interactive experiences, and much more. But apparently Pottermore wasn’t working all that well as a brand, and now the site has been given a bit of a makeover and will now be called The Wizarding World. This will be the new home for all things Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, and will bring most of the stuff from Pottermore with it. Read More »
The hallowed halls of Hogwarts are both comfortably familiar and frighteningly strange to even the most hardcore Harry Potter fan. The twisting passageways and towering Gothic turrets seem like they’re forever changing and morphing through the seven years that Harry Potter and his friends spent in Hogwarts. And quite literally, they were.
Insight Edition’s new Harry Potter illustrated guide of Hogwarts reveals some insights into production designer Stuart Craig‘s process, including the tidbit that Craig felt a magical castle “could believably change over time,” giving him license to add new elements to the castle over the years. It’s one of the many fun bits of trivia in Harry Potter: Exploring Hogwarts: An Illustrated Guide. Written by Jody Revenson and illustrated by Studio Muti, Exploring Hogwarts is the latest illustrated guide into the Wizarding World from Insight Editions set to come out this October, following the September release of the diorama-style Harry Potter: Magical Places – A Paper Scene Book. And as a result, it doesn’t break much new ground.
Read More »
There are plenty of adults out there who still want to feel like a kid again, and a new Harry Potter-themed pop-up bar experience in Los Angeles hopes to bring a little childhood magic back to your grown up antics.
The Wizard’s Cauldron is an unofficial but cool lesson in magic and mixology that makes you feel like you’re taking a potions class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But in this case, the potions you’ll be making are a tasty hot mead and another kind of boozy concoction. Get more details below. Read More »
In this edition of Sequel Bits:
- Robert Rodriguez would be interested in directing an Alita sequel.
- Rambo: Last Blood might not take the “last” part of its title literally.
- Shaft director Tim Story wants to make another Shaft movie, presumably just called Shaft again.
- Shocking! Two Harry Potter actors who don’t have very big careers now would like to come back for more Harry Potter.
- While training for Bond 25, Daniel Craig shows off his muscles, and leg injury.
- There’s a Descendants 3! You must watch the trailer. No excuses.
- Downton Abbey character posters are posh as hell.
- The Sopranos prequel movie has wrapped.
Read More »
Cool Posts From Around the Web:
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opens on June 13, 2019 at Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios Florida, and we were able to get an early preview of the newest addition to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And we loved it – it’s the best Harry Potter ride to date.
Below, watch our video from the attraction and opening ceremony and get our full reaction to the new ride.
Read More »
