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As for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it's a strange animal. I'd almost consider it the black sheep of the Harry Potter family. In lieu of another engaging story, Rowling seemed to sidestep what we've come to expect from Harry and his buddies, and used the space as a mere stepping stone to the final book. Save for a few surprises near the end, not much happened for me. Even Harry's nemesis, Draco Malfoy, is distracted with other things. (Albeit major things).

The movie worked rather well, however, because much of the story that I found unnecessary was left by the wayside anyway. It was also surprisingly hilarious, as the film franchise has seemed to finally reach the point of poking fun at itself, or at the expense of its characters, instead of taking itself so seriously all the time.

Disc includes: Additional scenes, J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life featurette, Close Up with the Cast of Harry Potter featurette, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter sneak peek, What's on Your Mind? Q&A, Cast Members Sum Up Their Characters featurette, digital copy

For people who don't know how the FBI allegedly came to be: Public Enemies (Special Edition)

A movie that had the potential to be a heck of a lot bigger than it actually turned out to be, Public Enemies featured two of the biggest names working in Hollywood today – Johnny Depp and Christian Bale – working on opposites ends of the law. For Bale, this meant playing Melvin Purvis, a Bureau of Investigation agent who's bent on curbing crime in Chicago. His chief adversary: John Dillinger (Depp), a notable bank robber and dangerous criminal from the 1930s. Channing Tatum, Giovanni Ribisi and Marion Cotillard round out the cast.

Based on Bryan Burroughs' book, Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, the Michael Mann-helmed feature did OK with critics (67% percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and OK with audiences at the box office ($97.1 million in the States; another $108.4 million overseas). Had Public Enemies not opened in the wake of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I'd imagine it would have made even more dough for Universal. Chances are audiences got their action fix from the latter film, which opened a mere week before Public Enemies did. Either that, or people have decided to largely boycott any Christian Bale product that doesn't share a connection with The Dark Knight. (We saw a similar thing this summer with McG's Terminator Salvation).

Disc includes: Larger than Life: Adversaries featurette, audio commentary

For people who think Meryl Streep just may have a record 16 Oscar nominations in her sights: Julie & Julia

It's none too often when a lead performance by Amy Adams gets overshadowed. But such is the case of Julie & Julia, a movie that pitted Adams in a parallel-like storyline with Meryl Streep. And the 15-time Academy Award nominee (and two-time winner) decidedly took the cake with critics. (The same wasn't necessarily true in Doubt, where both actresses put in fantastic performances and each earned Oscar nods for their work).

Noted as the first major motion picture based on a blog, Julie & Julia is adapted from Julia Child's autobiography, My Life in France, and a memoir by Julie Powell, a thirtysomething from Texas who documented online her daily experiences of cooking all of the 500+ recipes in Child's fames Mastering the Art of Fine Cooking. For those like me whose knowledge around the kitchen hardly moves beyond adding water to X, Julie & Julia certainly includes a little education.

Disc includes: Secret Ingredients, Creating Julie & Julia featurette, audio commentary

December 8, 2009

Blu-ray
AC/DC: No Bull (Director's Cut)
The Alphabet Killer
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Coraline (Gift Set)
Cyclops
George Michael: Live in London
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Harry Potter: Years 1-6
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
Julie & Julia
Knut & Friends
Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon
Lost: The Complete Fifth Season
Lower Learning
Pink: Funhouse Tour Live in Australia
Public Enemies
Red Mist
Rush: R30 30th Anniversary World Tour
Sands of Oblivion
Talento de Barrio
UFC: The Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights
Walled In
While She Was Out
World's Greatest Dad

DVD
AC/DC: No Bull (Director's Cut)
Beasties Boys: Collectors B
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Coraline (Gift Set)
The Cove (Widescreen)
Friday: The Complete Animated Series
George Michael: Live in London
Get Smart: Season 5
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Ultimate Edition)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Special Edition)
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Harry Potter: Years 1-6
Humble Pie
Julie & Julia
Lost: The Complete Fifth Season
Lower Learning
Michael Jackson: Ultimate Collection (Widescreen)
Pink: Funhouse Tour Live in Australia
Public Enemies (Special Edition)
Rescue Me: Season Five, Volume Two
Rush: R30 30th Anniversary World Tour
Shank (Unrated Director's Cut)
The Wizard Of Oz (Collector's Edition)
World's Greatest Dad

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