harry potter Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Congrats to Our Halloween Costume Contest Winners!
Filed under: Fandom », Contests »
Thanks to the hundreds of you who submitted photos for Cinematical's Fifth Annual Halloween Costume Contest! We're happy to finally bring you the two winners of this year's contest in the adult and child category. As seen above, to the left we have our child winner in his ridiculously hilarious Headless Harry Potter costume, and to the right we have our adult winner with his very stylish homemade Iron Man costume. Major kudos to you both for your inspired movie-loving creativity! Once again, here's what these folks won:
Grand Prize Package: Adult Winner
Insignia Blu-Ray DVD player
Collection of 5 Magnolia DVDs (The Host, Donkey Punch, Shrooms, Splinter, The Signal)
Grand Prize Package: Youth Winner (entrants under the age of 18)
Note: This prize package contains DVDs for both kids and adults (we figured you parents deserved something for all your hard work, too).
Peanuts 1970's Collection Volume 1
Chop Socky Chooks: Volume One
Curious George A Very Monkey Christmas
Aussie & Ted's Great adventure
Tom and Jerry Greatest Chases V3
Scare Tactics Season 3 Part 1
Turner Classic Movies: Greatest Classic Horror Films
The Hills Run Red
Trick 'R Treat
Those still itching for more can view all 20 finalists (and their costumes) after the jump. See you next year!
Where's the Line Between Fandom and Studio Rights?
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Harry Potter »
The long arm of Warner Bros. law strikes again. For many years now, the studio has been known for being quite strict with their projects. I'm not sure if any property felt that quite so much as the television world of Buffy; numerous fan sites were shut down during the run of the show, and post-finale, the uber popular Musical events were nixed. Now it's happening to fans of our favorite young, big-screen wizards. The BBC reports that a woman planning a couple Harry Potter supper club nights for Halloween has been told to stop infringing on the studio's rights. Ms. Marmite Lover runs a small restaurant of sorts out of her home -- selling tickets and then making food for her guests, sometimes themed. For Halloween, she chose to make a Harry Potter-themed meal with a Diagon Alley entrance with password, a sorting hat, and food that includes butterbear and Fizzpop chocolate frogs. As part of their letter, Warner Bros. says: "We would therefore ask that you refrain from holding and/or offering for sale any tickets to the Harry Potter Nights and confirm to me by return email that the Harry Potter Nights will not go ahead as planned. Warner does not, of course, object to you holding a generic wizard/Halloween night at the Underground Restaurant."
She's since changed the name of the event, which is going on as planned, although I imagine Warner Bros. was probably expecting a little less Pottermania through the whole event (the Alley, hat, etc.). But how far should studios stretch their rights in cases like this?
The Perils of Being Named Harry Potter
Filed under: Harry Potter »
There's an Eric Snider who writes about music and movies for a paper in Florida, and an Eric Snider who developed the Solitaire game that was ubiquitous on computers in the 1990s, and I've occasionally been mistaken for both of them. My lot in life is easy compared to someone named, for example, Harry Potter. London's Daily Mail has an amusing story about one such fellow, an unlucky lad who also happens to have a scar on his forehead (not lightning-shaped, though) and is the same age, 20, as Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the boy wizard in the movies.Harry Potter was 9 years old when the first Harry Potter book came out, and what began as a silly coincidence became a major annoyance as the series' popularity grew. (As big a deal as Pottermania is in the United States, I understand it's even bigger in the U.K.) He says he has trouble whenever he fills out a job application, and he had to show his girlfriend his passport when he first met her because she didn't believe that was really his name. On the other hand, his girlfriend's name is Philippa, so I'm not sure who's really worse off here.
Oh, and he says: "I've heard all the puns about my wand." (Unrelated fun Harry Potter game: When you read the books, mentally replace every use of the word "wand" with "wang." It never gets old!)
The newspaper says that while fictional Harry Potter got his scar in a battle with Voldemort, the real "Mr Potter ran into a lamppost aged 15." Why it matters that the lamppost was 15 years old, I don't know. How would they even know that??
Villains We Love: Lucius Malfoy
Filed under: Fandom », Scenes We Love »
I love the Harry Potter series (books and movies), and I care about every teacher and child within Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. I shed tears whenever J.K. Rowling killed off another one of the good guys. But when inevitably my attention constantly strays back to the Death Eaters and while this post centers on Lucius Malfoy, I'm rather entranced by them all: Lucius' wife Narcissa, her sister Bellatrix, Severus Snape, and Igor Karkaroff. They have the best costumes, the nastiest lines, and some of the finest special effects. (The way they operate in black smoke makes even broomsticks seem dull.)
But my favorite Death Eater remains Lucius Malfoy. Chris Columbus' installments have been harshly dismissed by cinephiles, but I think it's time to back down from the cries of "Alfonso Cuaron saved the series!", because Columbus accomplished a very weighty task: He set the stage. Every director following Columbus has been able to dispense with "The Boy Who Lived" origin stories, details, and explanations (something even Rowling could never quite bring herself to do until #7) and plunge right into the best parts of the story. But most importantly, Columbus set the stage for the bad guys. His installments may have erred on the juvenile, but by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets even the smallest kid in the audience knew that Voldemort meant serious business. That's entirely due to the appearance of one Lucius Malfoy.
Cinematical Seven: The Best Big-Screen Geek Girls
Filed under: Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Lists »
We often tie our Tuesday Cinematical Seven picks with DVD releases, and this time, I was torn. On the one side, there was the out-to-lunch Hollywood science that allowed there to be identical cousins in The Patty Duke Show. But aside from the wonder of creating a girl with a crappy computer, a barbie, and some David Lee Roth personality, there wasn't much I felt could battle with cousins who look exactly alike. But then there's also the DVD release of the first two seasons of Felicia Day's famous web series, The Guild. Sold -- The Best Big-Screen Geek Girls.
Elisabeth's Geek Beat recently discussed what it means to be geek, and for the purposes of this list: It's on-screen characters who have smarts and delight in things that usual characters don't. They might love learnin', comics, computers, geek flicks, or even following around freaky people and collecting warped memorabilia. They're a little bit different, all sorts of kickass, and all sorts of worthy for the Best Big Screen Geek Girls. Check out the rundown after the jump and weigh in with your own picks!
Preview 2010's Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park!
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Family Films », Movie Marketing », Harry Potter », Images »
If you thought dirt-flavored jellybeans were a fun way to indulge your Harry Potter fandom, you're in for a treat. Mark your calendars for spring 2010, when muggles and aspiring wizards alike will have the chance to visit a veritable Harry Potter mecca: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! The fully-immersive theme park, part of Universal Studios Orlando in Florida, will recreate many of the most familiar scenes and settings of the Harry Potter franchise, from the Hogwarts Express train rollercoaster to the actual castle that is home to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Upon arriving in Hogsmeade Village, fans will get the chance to be "chosen" by a wizarding wand at Ollivander's wand shop, visit the Owlery, drink butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks, and buy candies like chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans at Honeydukes Sweetshop. (You know what this means: bring plenty of Wizard Money when you go.)
(Preview concept art for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter after the jump!)
Monday Night Poll: How Would You Grade Summer 2009?
Filed under: Fandom », Summer Movies », Polls »
If the unofficial end of summer arrives with Labor Day Weekend, then all we've got left are a few more days to discuss the summer that was before she rides off into the sunset with her billions in box office dollars and a few more sequels already green-lit. But how does she compare to the summers of the past? A quick glance shows us that, unlike 2008, this summer we didn't get a Dark Knight or an Iron Man ... though we did get a Star Trek and a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. We didn't get a Wanted, a Hellboy 2 or an Incredible Hulk, but we did get some smaller, smarter sci-fi films like Moon and District 9. Pixar came through yet again, but the rest of this summer's animation slate seemed pretty weak. Same goes for comedies, with the exception of The Hangover, which kinda made up for the disappointing Land of the Lost, Funny People, I Love You, Beth Cooper, I Hate Valentine's Day, The Ugly Truth and The Goods. Sam Raimi returned with a pretty awesome horror flick in Drag Me to Hell, though, and Harry Potter rolled in with what was perhaps his most entertaining installment of the franchise. G.I.: The Rise of Cobra surprised some with its fun, cheesy vibe, and Wolverine did just enough to score himself another go-round in Japan.
Discuss: Have Characters Lost Their Names?
Filed under: Fandom »
Indiana Jones ... Ferris Bueller ... James T. Kirk ... Harry Potter ... Freddy Krueger ... Sam Witwicky? This summer has certainly seen it's fair share of iconic characters returning to the big screen, most notably in Star Trek and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. And next year we'll see new incarnations of Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street and the titular Alice in Wonderland. More often, though, it seems that memorable characters have been crowded off the stage in favor of interchangeable "types" rotating through a stock collection of cliches. The robots were better defined in Terminator: Salvation and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen than the people. Where have all the great characters created expressly for the screen gone?
True, most of the great movie characters of the past sprang either from real life or the fertile imagination of novelists. Yet Charles Foster Kane, J.J. Gittes, Travis Bickle, Rocky Balboa, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, and Ferris Bueller were all original characters, even if they were influenced by various literary works. We still see larger-than-life characters that emerge fully-formed from the pages of a novel, like Harry Potter. And independent films are filled with indelible portraits of an incredible range of realistic characters. Why, then, have so few distinctive original characters entered into our popular consciousness from Hollywood studio productions in recent years?
Are Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Bruno the best we can hope for? Why can't we remember any other character's name from this year's crop of popular titles? Are event movies driving memorable characters from the screen in favor of CGI and action sequences? Are great original characters -- not based on a pre-existing property -- gone for good?
Buy This: Real Harry Potter Wands
Filed under: Fandom », Harry Potter », Summer Movies »
With Halloween practically right around the corner, there are probably many of you who are looking to put together that perfect Harry Potter costume. Perhaps you just want a magical gift for yourself or for a diehard Potter fan in your life. Either way, you can't go wrong with an authentic Harry Potter wand from Whirlwood.
There are a lot of replica wands floating around (Noble Collection being the foremost among them) but this is as close as you'll get to shopping at Ollivander's. Not only are they actually handmade of wood as opposed to resin, but they're also filled with unicorn hair, phoenix feathers, tarantula legs, crystals, and all the other totems that power up a wizard or witch's wand. If you're lucky enough to meet the Whirlwood gang in person, you can give the entire line a swish and flick. Otherwise, you'll have to visit the website where you can find wands replicating those found in the movies (Hermione's is absolutely lovely) or copying the description found in the books. You diehard fans will know the difference. Oh, and speaking of diehard fans -- you lovers of Robert Pattinson will find a Cedric Diggory design made just for you.
Read the rest on SciFi Squad
There are a lot of replica wands floating around (Noble Collection being the foremost among them) but this is as close as you'll get to shopping at Ollivander's. Not only are they actually handmade of wood as opposed to resin, but they're also filled with unicorn hair, phoenix feathers, tarantula legs, crystals, and all the other totems that power up a wizard or witch's wand. If you're lucky enough to meet the Whirlwood gang in person, you can give the entire line a swish and flick. Otherwise, you'll have to visit the website where you can find wands replicating those found in the movies (Hermione's is absolutely lovely) or copying the description found in the books. You diehard fans will know the difference. Oh, and speaking of diehard fans -- you lovers of Robert Pattinson will find a Cedric Diggory design made just for you.
Read the rest on SciFi Squad
Peep These Hobbit Holes!
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Peter Jackson », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Images », ComicCon »
Hey, LOTR fans! Even though The Hobbit isn't due until 2011, the crew in New Zealand has already started digging some holes for the hobbitses. TheOneRing, your source for all things hairy-toed, has some very cool pictures of the rebuilding of Hobbiton. So far we're only seeing roads, foliage, and the aforementioned hobbit holes, but it's whetting the proverbial whistle for what will hopefully be more Hobbit news out of the San Diego Comic-Con, which starts later this week. Producer Peter Jackson will be there to talk up the deliciously apocalyptic District 9, but rumors abound that there will be Hobbit-y deets leaking out from those insanely packed halls.So far Jackson's denied he will be announcing who will play Bilbo at SDCC. He told Empire, "We're starting to think about casting, but we're knee-deep in the script right now. And when we do go to actors, they're probably going to ask to see a script, so we're powering ahead with getting the first draft done." It's not like both he and Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro aren't already working on enough different projects to make my head spin, but a fanboy or girl can hope, right? Right now, the odds-on favorites are Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, Hot Scot™ James McAvoy, and David "Ten Inch" Tennant from Dr. Who. In turn, there are rumors that a Dr. Who movie will be announced at Comic-Con.
Stay tuned to Cinematical for the latest from Comc-Con! The crew there will be Tweeting it up from the convention floor.
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