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This weekend sees the opening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which is great news for Lord of the Rings who will get to see plenty returning characters such as the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) aids a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and an assembly of dwarves in their quest to unseat the dragon Smaug from the treasure he's guarding. It's only the first of a three-part adaptation, which means there will be plenty more Gandalf to go around for the next few years, even if he will still be one appearance behind another literary-turned-cinematic wizard, Harry Potter's Dumbledore.
Speaking of Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (first played by the late Richard Harris and then by Michael Gambon), this week's arrival of Gandalf got us thinking about our two favorite, long-bearded wizards and which of the two would survive the cybernetic cage that is our Character Cage Match! No doubt, fans of either J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling may already have their minds made up, but we make a case for both and only you can decide which wizard will leave victorious!
check out the characters' strengths and weaknesses before voting >> Posted 12.14.12 by Ryan -
"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."
Fans of high fantasy — fantasy that takes place on an epic scale in an imaginary world in which otherwise supernatural creatures and forces are simply a part of the natural environment — were all but left out in the cold in 2012, while superheroes, aliens and secret agents were free to run amok on the big screen. Where were all of the wizards, dragons and elves? Except for animated movies and the pair of Snow White adaptations, high fantasy movies have been noticeably absent from the Cineplex of late.
Thankfully, fans of the fantasy sub-genre will not have to wait much longer with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opening in only a matter of days and Russian director Sergei Bodrov's (Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan) new fantasy adventure, Seventh Son — that's a begrizzled Jeff Bridges in the hood and cloak above, playing an aging knight who must train a new apprentice (Ben Barnes) to help him battle a malevolent witch (Julianne Moore) that seeks to destroy him — debuting next year. In anticipation of the return of magic to movie theaters, help us rate the best high fantasy movies of all time (beyond time).
Rate the Top 10 Best High Fantasy Movies >>
Image courtesy Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures
Posted 12.05.12 by BrentJS -
There are fans, and then there are fans. One extremely industrious Harry Potter fanatic put together a supercut of every spell in the franchise, starting from kids learning the basics in Sorcerer's Stone to young adults engaging in full on battle in The Deathly Hallows: Part 2. It includes successful spells, failed spells and one of the most tragic spells of all: the Avada Kedavra that killed Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson).
At nearly 18 minutes, it's a longer than most of the videos of this type, but there sure is a lot covered in that time. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) grow up before our very eyes, friendships are forged, loved ones are lost, and a tyrannical despot comes to power and is overthrown. This video also helps to make the point that what is really magical about the Harry Potter series has nothing to do with wand waving and has everything to do with really great story telling.
settle in and watch the supercut >> Posted 06.05.12 by Mandy -
All seven of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter titles have been available for purchase as an e-book for a little more than a month, and they will soon be available to borrow in an e-format as well.
Starting June 19, Amazon exclusively will be adding Sorcerer's Stone, Deathly Hallows, and all of the books in between to their Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Unlike a public library, there is no limit on the number of copies of an eBook that would be available to Amazon Prime subscribers, so there's never a waiting list for any particular title. Of course, also unlike a public library, there is a monthly subscription fee to have access to the library, as well as the purchase price of the Kindle itself. One thing is for sure, though: if you're wanting to take something along to read on a summer vacation, it's much easier to throw an e-reader in a bag than it is to schlep a 650-page copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince along on your travels.
And where better to go on vacation than a Harry Potter theme park? It turns out that there's another one on the way.
More Harry Potter News Posted 05.10.12 by Mandy -
For more than a decade, Harry Potterphiles visiting England have made their way to many of the real-life places that inspired the books' and movies' locales. Now they can add the Leavesden studio to their pilgrimage checklist. The Making of Harry Potter opened last weekend, taking fans behind-the-scenes and showcasing a huge array of the sets, costumes, and props. We'll have TV coverage of the Warner Bros. studio tour on an upcoming Hollywood Dailies. In the meantime, enjoy this photo sneak peek at J.K. Rowling's imagination brought to life.
Photo Tour of The Making of Harry Potter >>
Posted 04.05.12 by reelz -
Hey Potterphiles, do you have $350 burning a hole in your pocket? If so, then Warner Bros. have a deal for you! A new box set is available for pre-order on Amazon that includes a 31-disc set of movies and special features, collectible memorabilia, a map of Hogwarts, and one very cool box. There's no date given for when the Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet Digital set will be available, but it is promised to be released before the end of 2012.
Some may be wondering how eight movies get spread out across a 31-disc collection. Apparently the Harry Potter Wizards Collection contains 18 movie discs, including both the theatrical releases and the extended cuts of Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, and both 3D and 2D versions of Parts 1 and 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We're betting that the 40 Harry Potter fans that actually own a 3D TV are stoked about that! The other 13 discs contain special features, though only 5 hours of the special features are of the "never before seen" variety.
This is the first new box set to be announced since Warners decided last year that none of the previously released DVDs, Blu-rays or box sets would be shipped out to stores after Dec. 29, 2011. If the plan is to release box sets such as the Wizards Collection, it seems like it might be a good time to grab one of those $80 sets that haven't yet sold out.
Posted 03.02.12 by Mandy -
It's just shy of a week since the release of the final Harry Potter movie, yet fans everywhere are already in mourning. Not even the promise of Pottermore is enough to buoy some of them. What does the end of the 10-year movie era mean to them? One fangirl summed it up for us in the following letter. What did/does Harry Potter mean to you? Drop us a comment below.
Read "Farewell, Harry Potter" >> Posted 07.20.11 by Mandy -
As we count down the weeks until Part 1's November 19th release, we'll be bringing you weekly "Muggle Minute" segments from Hollywood Dailies and a blog from ReelzChannel correspondent Jeremy Parsons, who traveled to England earlier this year to tour Harry Potter locations and visit the Deathly Hallows set.
In his second blog, Jeremy visits the iconic staircase just outside the Hogwarts Great Hall.
see the "Muggle Minute" and Jeremy's Blog >> Posted 10.19.10 by reelz -
The ReelzChannel 100 began when we asked Leonard Maltin for his favorite Hidden Gems of the decade. His list led the web team into a general discussion about the best movies of the decade and — after no small amount of debate, arguing, and (we're not proud to say) some petty name-calling — we decided we'd better bring it to an end with a company-wide vote. Then it was just a matter of tallying up the votes and hoping for the best. Lucky for us, ReelzChannel is filled with a staff ranging from movie lovers to movie fanatics. What turned out isn't what you'll find on a critic's best of list — instead it's what movie fans really enjoyed.
In our final day of the ReelzChannel 100, we highlight 10 New Classics from the Decade.
Posted 01.01.10 by reelz -
Even though David Yates, the newest director to bring the Harry Potter mythos to life, took the franchise on a dark journey in the previous installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the tone is much lighter in the next movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Apparently, the new tone did not necessarily sit well with all of the cast members. In a recent interview, Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the titular character, said:
My favourite stuff is always the dark stuff. When I read scripts for the first time that's what I always lean towards and it's what I want to see included – even more so in Harry Potter movies, because we need the films to appeal to adult audiences. In fact one of the things I was disappointed about with the sixth Harry Potter movie was that there wasn't so much of that element.
Radcliffe said that he had a conversation with Yates about this and was told that it was important to give the audience some comedy. Radcliffe said:
There are huge opportunities for comedy in the sixth film and we use all of them, even though my natural inclination is not towards that. I love watching comedy but doing it is something else.
Yates will also be on board as director on the follow-up to Half-Blood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be split into two movies.
Posted 07.02.09 by BrentJS