Henry V: Branagh and the Bard

Photo: Renaissance Films When I was a teenager, my class was treated to a performance of Shakespeare’s ”Hamlet”. It was not a bad production; the young leading actors later became…

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The treacherous Snape (Alan Rickman) is now running Hogwarts while Harry, Ron and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson) try to find and destroy the Horcruxes, objects that control…

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 

When Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for another year, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) wants his help in trying to learn what a new teacher knows about Voldemort. Director David…

From Hell: The Ripper Unmasked (Again)

Johnny Depp. Photo: 20th Century Fox When I was 16 years old, I wrote a paper on Jack the Ripper. I suspect my teacher worried about my choice of subject,…

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

As the new leadership of Hogwarts turns increasingly fascist, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is angry to learn that few people are willing to believe that he did meet Voldemort. Many…

GoldenEye 

James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) must stop his former colleague and friend (Sean Bean) from getting his greedy hands on a dangerous satellite system. The 17th entry in this series came…

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is forced to participate in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament, something that will leave him face to face with Voldemort. That’s right, this fourth installment finally introduces…

Harry Potter: The Education of a Wizard

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Photo: Warner Some genius must have decided that American readers would be too stupid to understand J.K. Rowling’s original title for her hugely…