The Playlist

The obsessives' guide to contemporary cinema via film discussion, news, reviews, features, nostalgia, movie music, soundtracks, DVDs and more.

Interviews

Warner Bros. Pulls A Disney, Waves Wand To Make All 'Harry Potter' DVDs Disappear On Dec. 29th

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 24, 2011 11:01 AM
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For a while now, Disney has employed a home video strategy that has paid off in spades. The studio's "vault" system makes titles available for a short window of time on home video, before they are pulled from stores and kept locked up for years until Disney decides to re-release it to great fanfare and even greater sales. This fall the studio tried a new tactic, a 3D converted theatrical re-release before the home video bow. The result? A nearly $100 million domestic haul for "The Lion King (in 3D)" before it's latest BluRay bow and a huge wake-up call to the rest of the industry who suddenly realized there is all kinds of money to be made from rehashing beloved tentpole and franchise films.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 19, 2010 11:34 AM
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Next week, Americans will be getting on planes, trains and automobiles to make the trek back home for Thanksgiving. It's probably the ugliest travel time of the year, so perhaps a couple of new soundtrack albums will help ease your nerves in the event your flight is delayed.

By Drew Taylor
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November 17, 2010 2:58 AM
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And We Can't Wait For Part 2You're just a few minutes into "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1," when it becomes explicitly clear that, no matter how much the other entries in the franchise have flirted with "darkness," this will be a completely different experience. In the scene, Hermione (Emma Watson) is seen at her parents' home. Her parents, as we know, are human (or "Muggles") and therefore not entirely clued in to the apocalyptic doom that's been gathering, like very literal storm clouds, in the magical world. To protect her parents, she waves her wand over them, and she is instantly erased from all of the family photos. She's literally cast herself out of their lives. It's a small moment, and subtle too, but it sets up the stakes well... even if this is only half of the final chapter.