New On DVD – December 8, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Blu-ray) CityNews.ca Pick of the Week – From the opening you can tell this isn’t your typical Harry Potter film. It’s modern day London and the Death Eaters are wrecking havoc on Muggles (people of the non-wizard type). They trash some apartments, cars and destroy the Millennium Bridge. From there we see Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) being hit on by a waitress in a diner. He arranges a date with her, checks his breath and fixes his hair. Young Harry is all grown up. Unfortunately before he can go on his date Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) shows up to take Harry on a time travel show-and-tell and of course a trip back to Hogwarts. This opening is very telling of what you can expect for the rest of the film. In an instant it can go from fun to dark and is what really sets Half-Blood Prince apart from the previous films and it’s hands down the best since the first. The Blu-ray release is visually gorgeous and packed with great features including the Maximum Movie Mode which has Daniel Radcliffe taking you on a tour of the filming process while you watch the movie. Other features include additional scenes, a look at the next Harry Potter film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, a featurette on a year in the life of author J.K. Rowling, a digital copy of the film and more. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).

Check out some other CityNews.ca stories on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Musings From The Harry Potter Press Conference

Hogwarts’ Bad Boy Tom Felton Talks Harry Potter

Love Is In The Air: Harry Potter Stars On The Budding Romance At Hogwarts

Julie & Julia (Blu-ray) – Meryl Streep gives another Oscar-worthy performance portraying famous cook Julia Child and Amy Adams holds her own as blogger Julie Powell. Based on Child’s book My Life in France (co-written with Alex Prud’homme) and Powell’s book Julie & Julia, the film seamlessly jumps between the two stories and shows us how Child got interested in becoming a cook and how Powell’s love for food (and Child herself) inspired her to blog about cooking all 524 recipes from Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Though they’re living in different eras the two women view food with such admiration and joy that it defines them and gives them hope. Eating, cooking, admiring and talking about food is a huge part of the film so be prepared to pause to go cook up a meal halfway through. For true fans of Child’s the Blu-ray release is your best pick. It includes exclusive content not on the regular DVD such as a tour of Child’s kitchen, the ability to collect and email Child’s recipes, cooking lessons, and a featurette of friends and family remembering Child. Film **** Blu-ray **** DVD *** (out of 5 stars).

Public Enemies (Blu-ray) – It’s amazing how director Michael Mann could screw up a film so badly. But that’s exactly what he did with Public Enemies. It’s the most disjointed, horribly edited, boring piece of fluff I’ve seen in the gangster genre since Mickey Blue Eyes. Maybe my expectations were too high (especially since Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are both in this) but after sitting through it one and a half times (I couldn’t even finish watching it on Blu-ray) I’ve added it to my list of worst films of 2009. Special features include commentary with Mann, a making of, featurettes on the real gangsters the film is based on, and a digital copy of the film. Film * Blu-ray ** (out of 5 stars).

The Dog Who Saved Christmas – An ex-K9 dog who has lost his bark is adopted by a family to protect their home before Christmas. When they find out the dog can’t bark they decide to return it to the pound, but before they do the dog stops two robbers from burglarizing their house. It’s like Home Alone with a dog voiced by Mario Lopez instead of Macaulay Culkin. The kids seem to like it and it’s easier for parents to sit through than Santa Buddies. Dean Cain also stars. Special features include doggy commentary and a behind the scenes featurette with Mario Lopez. Film ** DVD ** (out of 5 stars).

More new DVD releases this week: Lost: The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray), Objectified, The Cove, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (Blu-ray), The Skeptic, Alex Kovalev: Off Ice Training

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

Top image: A scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Courtesy Warner Bros.