Potter Still Making Magic

Quidditch gets swapped for bleak tone in penultimate film

(NEWSER) - The penultimate Harry Potter movie hits theaters today, and while reviews for Deathly Hallows: Part I range all the way from "best Potter movie ever" to "worst Potter movie ever," most critics are positive about it and are looking forward to next summer's grand finale. The movie currently has a 77% rating at Rotten Tomatoes .

• The Potter movies have gotten progressively darker, and this one is no exception, writes Brandon Fibbs at the Colorado Springs Gazette . "The mischievous and playful whimsy that defined the series in the beginning is now almost completely absent," he writes. "Deathly Hallows lacks almost all perceptible warmth, hope, and fun. And that is precisely what makes it great."

Film needs more controversy from young actors, says co-star

(NEWSER) - The young stars making magic in the Harry Potter series are far too nice, says co-star Jason Isaac. “The problem with Harry Potter,” the actor who plays Lucius Malfoy, father of Potter rival Draco, tells the Telegraph, “is that there is so little controversy.” They “should have rebelled.” More»

Daniel Radcliffe makes post-Hogwarts debut

(NEWSER) - The boy wizard is back—but this time, he's a 19th-century gentleman. Daniel Radcliffe is generally successful playing a spooked lawyer in The Woman in Black, a throwback haunted house thriller. What the critics are saying:

• The film "makes the most of its old-fashioned virtues," writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times . It "isn’t especially scary, but it keeps you on edge, and without the usual vivisectionist imagery." For his part, Radcliffe "has the haunted eyes of the eternal mourner."

Deathly Hallows Part 2 collects $475.6M globally in massive opening weekend

(NEWSER) - Harry Potter went out with a true bang: The final installment in the wizarding saga, the Deathly Hallows Part 2, notched almost half a billion dollars internationally, with an opening weekend take of $475.6 million. That shattered the previous record, Harry Potter and the Half -Blood Prince, which the Hollywood Reporter notes pulled in a not-so-paltry $394 million. On the domestic front, Deathly Hallows Part 2 pushed The Dark Knight out of the way by more than $10 million, with $168.6 million . More»

Cast burbles on last day in latest Warner Bros. film

(NEWSER) - Now it can be shown: The last day of filming of the last Harry Potter movie was not so magical. It was rather heartbreaking. Cast mates applauded one another, and burbled, and recalled their amazing time together and expressed grief that it was over. "How do I put into words such an incredible experience?" asks Emma Watson on a just-released Warner Brothers film of the Big Wrap. "I feel so blessed that I was chosen. I was given the chance to experience all this and have this be part of my life. We were the chosen ones. We were very lucky." More»