Movie scores are magic. Most of the time, we only experience that spellbinding effect from the other end of a speaker, months or even years after the orchestra has recorded them. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone In Concert is one of those rare events though that brings the magic alive, pairing the movie that started the film franchise with a live orchestra playing John Williams’ beautiful score right in front of you.
Harry Potter
In honour of next week’s release of Source Code on DVD and Blu-ray, and because it’s one of my favorite topics, this week for DVD Tuesday I’m counting down the ten best time travel movies. From science fiction, action, adventure, and horror, to comedy, and even a romantic comedy or two, these movies cover almost every genre, and I’m ranking them not just on how great the movie is, but also, how well they approach a time travel story.
Harry Potter fans bid their favorite hero goodbye this weekend as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II opens in theatres in 3D. Other new arrivals in theatres include Walt Disney’s animated Winnie the Pooh; and Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams.
Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom in the series, walked the “black carpet” at Toronto’s Casa Loma on Tuesday, July 12 to promote the eighth and final film in the massive franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Arriving this week on store shelves: Aaron Eckhart stars in the big budget alien invasion film, Battle: Los Angeles; two more Harry Potter films arrive in their gleaming Ultimate Editions for years 5 and 6 of the franchise; and a look at Point Break, which lands on Blu-ray, and Hall Pass.
New releases this week on Blu-ray and DVD: Daniel Radcliffe stars in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1; Gwyneth Paltrow and Garrett Hedlund show off their singing skills in the musical drama Country Strong; and Pixar’s animated adventure The Incredibles lands on Blu-ray for the first time with a pile of features.
Call me a media sucker, but I love a good event, and frankly, not many people throw an event as well as the folks at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment here in Canada. Last Thursday they threw an awards-themed celebration to promote their latest lineup of DVD and Blu-ray releases, and I can happily say I was pleasantly wined and dined by the end of the night.
New this week on Blu-ray and DVD: Adrien Brody fights for his life on an alien planet in Predators; Disneynature documents life under the waves in Oceans; and a look at four re-releases coming out on Blu-ray this week.
New this week on DVD and Blu-ray, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince debuts just in time to make onto your holiday shopping lists; Johnny Depp stars as bank robber John Dillinger in Public Enemies; plus a look at Julie & Julia, The Cove, and the fifth season of Lost.
Okay, this is officially my last Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince coverage, at least for the forseeable future, but I had to pass this along.
Going above and beyond the normal call of duty for film promo material, here’s Josh Powell‘s video for “Big Beat Repeat”, which appears on the film’s soundtrack.