I dragged it out for as along as I could, but after seven books, movie marathons, and Harry Potter-inspired 3D glasses, the Harry Potter series finally comes to a close this Friday with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two. Here’s what you need to know:
I can has 3D?
Twelve months ago, you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting a 3D flick. This year, theaters seem more receptive to our complaints (thank goodness) regarding the inflated ticket prices. The Harry Potter films have had an inconsistent relationship with the 3D phenomenon; most were filmed in two dimensions, with the later flicks undergoing post-production work. Truth be told, HP doesn’t need it. (Save your dollars for the boneheaded Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which was filmed with 3D cameras.) Keep an eye out for theaters that alternate between 2D and 3D screenings — they sometimes forget (or refuse) to remove the filter off the projector, making for a dim or blurry picture.
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IMAX to the max
It’s really exciting to see a film in IMAX, no matter what the movie is or how it was filmed. The caveat: It has to be a big screen. I go over this every summer: IMAX recently decided that the word “IMAX” refers to the “superior sound and projection,” not the size of the screen… so not all IMAX theaters have that soaring panorama we imagine. The biggest (legit) screen near us is the Palisades Center in Nyack. As for the rest, even if they advertise as IMAX, they just aren’t as big as we’re used to.
Wizard rock
I’ve mentioned the proliferation of Wizard Rock bands. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any of our local wizard rockers have gigs lined up in conjunction with the release of the movie. But… if you can keep the excitement going for a few weeks — and you’re willing to take a couple trains — Harry and the Potters (the best known of these nerdy outfits) is playing at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on July 31 (Harry’s birthday, of course).
Spoilers
Can’t wait ’til Friday? Cinema Blend shows eight clips from the new movie. It’s only about six minutes worth, so even by spoiler standards it’s not very much. Oh, what the heck, I’ll post one. Here’s a clip featuring trash-talking from one of my favorite characters, Neville Longbottom:
(Speaking of awesome, I just heard that there’s a trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. I’m almost as excited about that as I am about seeing the Potter movie.)
More stuff
Click on these links from The Guardian and Entertainment Weekly for some great oral histories of the series. EW’s isn’t online, but it does have extensive Harry Potter coverage on its Web site, including pics of the stars and how they’ve grown over the course of the films. (They’re pretty much zygotes in the first few.)
And since no good wizard can do anything without a wand, the Hollywood Reporter gives us fun tidbits about wands and other props used in the series.
So, are you going to see the movie? (And more importantly, are you dressing up?) Leave a comment!
