“Harry Potter” Bollywood Brouhaha

The studio in charge of distributing those mega-popular Harry Potter films is no slouch when it comes to making money. Recently, Warner Bros. announced that the highly anticipated sixth installment in the blockbuster film franchise about the boy wizard, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” would no longer be in theaters in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Rather, in an attempt to capitalize on an open date during the busy (See: mega-profitable) summer season, the studio decided to sit on the film until July 17, 2009, when it would be released nationwide. Most movie critics call the move strategic given … Continue reading

Top Ten Movies of the Summer

Autumn is literally right around the corner and in some areas it’s already started to cool down. It feels wonderful outside right now, a balmy 70 degrees, but with the advent of autumn comes the fall release of the summer movies to DVD. Now’s as good a time as any to review what was great about the summer of 2007 at the movies! Summer Fun The following top ten movies are compiled not by sales or record breaking figures but by one attribute and one attribute alone: how much fun were they? 10. Spiderman 3 – Peter Parker won our … Continue reading

Stardust (2007)

A few years ago, I went into the bookstore and what to my delight should I find, but a new Neil Gaiman novel. Now you may not have heard of Neil Gaiman and if you haven’t, well I have a few books of his that I could recommend and I’ll link them below. For now, I want to talk about the film Stardust based on the novel of the same name. Stardust is rated PG-13 for some fantasy violence and risqué humor, but the risqué is just that and it’s not toilet humor. First and foremost, Stardust is a fairytale. … Continue reading

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

It’s been waited for expectantly all year long, ever since the date was announced back at the first of the year that the seventh and final Harry Potter book would be released on July 21st. I meant to get this review written and posted on Monday and for those of you, who might have been waiting, please accept my apologies. I received my copy at about 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 21st and I didn’t get to sit down and read it until about 12. I finished the book around 7:30 pm. It is 759 pages – but it’s ten … Continue reading

Waiting for Harry Potter

I am seeing more and more countdowns to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on blog sites, it newspapers, and even on the screen saver of one of our computers. Here are some fun things to do while you are waiting: Guess the last word of the last book. And no, it’s not scar. J.K. Rowling said she changed it in “the eleventh hour”. You can hold your own contest among your family and friends. Even if you don’t have prizes, it’s still fun to guess. Besides, true Harry fans will love debating the last word. Go shopping for some … Continue reading

Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (2007)

It’s official, Harry Potter is back. At 12:01 a.m. last night, we sat down in a theater to preview Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix. Normally, I wouldn’t go see a movie so late, but my daughter is so eager to see the film, I wanted to preview it first. She’s a huge fan of Harry Potter, both the books and the films. Please note that this review will contain major spoilers if you have not read the books first. Background At the end of Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire Harry came face to face with … Continue reading

Parker, Pirates & Potter: What A Summer Awaits Us

Yesterday, Spiderman 3 opened all over the country and kicks off what is likely to be a hot summer of great movies. It’s been many years since I saw a summer at the box office that awaits us this year. Among those top features are Peter Parker returning in the third installment of Spiderman, Harry Potter in the fifth film in this beloved series Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix and for Disney fans, already excited by Meet the Robinsons from earlier this spring will be delighted to see Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner coming back … Continue reading

Upcoming Movies for 2007

There are a slew of upcoming movies that look promising for family viewing. Please bear in mind that these aren’t reviews so not all movies mentioned may be appropriate for everyone, and some will be most suitable for young teens and up. The first upcoming movie is “Arthur and the Invisibles which stars Freddie Highmore (from the newest incarnation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”), Mia Farrow and the voices of Madonna, David Bowie and Snoop Dogg. It is the story of a young boy who journeys into a magical world in hopes of saving his family’s home. It is … Continue reading