The Fans Own the Magic
By MANOHLA DARGIS and A. O. SCOTT
Center, Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Brothers Pictures; Other film stills from Warner Brothers. Clockwise from top left, Tim Boyle/Bloomberg News; Hiroko Masuike for The NYT; Kevin Kolczynsk/Reuters; Keith Bedford for The NYT; Getty Images; Chip Litherland for The New York Times.
Others may control the copyrights, the royalties and the theme park receipts, but they can’t keep Harry Potter’s wizardry out of millions of hearts.
Timeline: Harry Potter and the Billion-Dollar FranchiseA Rogue Film Festival Earns Respect (Sort Of)
By MIKE HALE
Shochiku
“Milocrorze: A Love Story,” Yoshimasa Ishibashi's genre-bending fantasy that features an elaborately staged sword-fight sequence, is one of 40 movies in this year's New York Asian Film Festival.
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the New York Asian Film Festival offers a solid blend of high-quality movies along with the hyperbolic and fantastic.
ArtsBeat Video: New York Asian Film Festival
Bruce Talamon/Universal Pictures
Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks in “Larry Crowne,” directed by Mr. Hanks.
In “Larry Crowne” Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are grown-ups who more or less act their age as they overcome monetary and emotional setbacks.
MOVIE REVIEW | ‘TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON'
One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Autobots
By A. O. SCOTT
Paramount Pictures
The villain Shockwave in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," the third film in the series.
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is among Michael Bay’s best movies and by far the best 3-D sequel ever made about gigantic toys from outer space.
Graphic: Welcome to Chicago, Just Don’t Kill UsMovie Reviews
MOVIE REVIEW 'MONTE CARLO'
Cinderella Goes to Europe, and Cute Meets Culture
By MANOHLA DARGIS
In “Monte Carlo,” Selena Gomez plays a Texas Francophile who travels to France and Monte Carlo with her eager friend and reluctant older stepsister.
MOVIE REVIEW 'TERRI'
Another Teenage Misfit Trying to Like Himself
By A. O. SCOTT
In “Terri,” directed by Azazel Jacobs, an isolated, misunderstood teenage boy finds a way to accept himself.
MOVIE REVIEW 'THE PERFECT HOST'
A Welcome to His World Is Accepted at Your Peril
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
In “The Perfect Host,” David Hyde Pierce plays a gentleman whose elegant dinner party is hijacked by a bank robber.
MOVIE REVIEW 'SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS'
Violence Close at Hand Shakes a Bucolic Setting
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
“Small Town Murder Songs” follows a born-again police officer with inner demons in rural Ontario.
MOVIE REVIEW 'AURORA'
Following in the Shadows of a Very Shadowy Man
By MANOHLA DARGIS
Cristi Puiu stars in and directs “Aurora,” an enigmatic feature about human relations in present-day Romania.
MOVIE REVIEW 'POLYTECHNIQUE'
A Fictional Killer of Women Who Is All Too Familiar
By A. O. SCOTT
In “Polytechnique,” the director Denis Villeneuve reconstructs events from 1989, when a disturbed young man went on a rampage against women at a Montreal technical school.
MOVIE REVIEW 'CRIME AFTER CRIME'
Seeking a Path to Justice
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
“Crime After Crime” favors the personal over the political, creating a no-frills portrait of a stoic and remarkably unembittered woman.
MOVIE REVIEW 'DELHI BELLY'
Indian Cinema With an Indie Sensibility
By RACHEL SALTZ
Starting with the pride of place given the digestive problem of the title, “Delhi Belly” thumbs its nose at propriety.
MOVIE REVIEW 'LOVE ETC.'
Exploring Love’s True Nature
By MIKE HALE
“Love Etc.” tries to explore the true nature of love in the city through the lives of eight New Yorkers.
More Reviews
Arts & Leisure
The Team Player Who Blends Into the Comedy
By JONAH WEINER
A former sitcom star and Teen Wolf, Jason Bateman has become a consummate ensemble player.
An Experiment That Evolved Into a Tragedy
By NICOLAS RAPOLD
A new documentary, “Project Nim,” retells the sad, absurd story of Nim Chimpsky, neither human nor ape.
We’re Holding Your Plot Device. If You Want It Back, Send Us ...
By FRANZ LIDZ
Lucas Belvaux’s French-Belgian hostage drama “Rapt” is the latest assignation in the film industry’s long, dark romance with ransom notes.
An Influential Director, Two Distinct Directions
By DAVE KEHR
The new Blu-ray releases of two films directed by Robert Aldrich are very different: “Vera Cruz,” and “Kiss Me Deadly.”
News & Features
COMMON SENSE
A Collision of Creativity and Cash
By JAMES B. STEWART
While Disney focuses on lucrative franchises, Pixar maintains it is devoted to the story. In “Cars 2,” Disney won.
Q&A
David Hyde Pierce Will Be Your Host
By STEVEN KURUTZ
The actor on his new movie, “The Perfect Host,” in which a bank robber interrupts a dinner party, and on his own travails in entertaining at home.
Elaine Stewart, Sultry 1950s Actress, Dies at 81
By DENNIS HEVESI
Promoted as a dark-haired Marilyn Monroe, Ms. Stewart appeared in films like “Brigadoon,” “The Bad and the Beautiful” and “The Adventures of Hajji Baba.”
This May Be Something Completely Different
By MICHAEL CIEPLY
Using a recording of Graham Chapman’s voice, the Monty Python troupe is planning a 3-D animated version of the comedian’s memoir.
Catch That Reference? There’ll Be a Quiz
By A. O. SCOTT
Films like “Super 8,” “X-Men: First Class” and “Midnight in Paris” capitalize on previous knowledge moviegoers have of the influences on them.
GRAPHIC: Dissecting a Frame From ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’
As the new “Transformers” movie poises for its opening, its director, Michael Bay, and visual effects supervisor, Scott Farrar, deconstruct a frame from it.
Creating an Adolescence for the Ages
By DENNIS LIM
Two independent films — Azazel Jacobs’s “Terri” and David Robert Mitchell’s “Myth of the American Sleepover” — revise and reinvigorate a cherished American genre.
A Lord of Fright Reclaims His Dark Domain
By JASON ZINOMAN
The horror director John Carpenter (the original “Halloween,” the remake of “The Thing”) returns to features with “The Ward,” his first big-screen effort in years.
The Italian Potboiler’s Master Chef
By DAVE KEHR
With the release of a new collection, Raffaello Matarazzo, the director of the 1950s Italian melodramas “Chains” and “Tormento,” may now earn some overdue attention.
How to Succeed in Hollywood Despite Being Really Beautiful
By EMMA ROSENBLUM
Brit Marling might have been just another starlet. Then she decided to write the roles she wanted to play.
MAIN COURSE
Growing Up With Two Icons
By CATHY HORYN
Though she’s a member of the Lena Horne-Sidney Lumet family, Jenny Lumet says, “I’m a pretty low-key person.”
Peter Falk, Rumpled and Crafty Actor in Television’s ‘Columbo,’ Dies at 83
By BRUCE WEBER
Mr. Falk, known for his signature role on television, had a wide-ranging career in comedy and drama in film and onstage.
Randall Adams, 61, Dies; Freed With Help of Film
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
“The Thin Blue Line” told the story of how Mr. Adams was wrongly convicted of murder and put on death row.
People, You Will See This Film. Right Now.
By XIYUN YANG
“You will see this movie!” seems to be the marketing strategy behind “Beyond the Great Revival.”
More News & Features
Political Plotlines in Liberal Doses
David Rayfiel, Screenwriter With Sydney Pollack, Dies at 87
As 3-D Falls From Favor, Director of ‘Transformers’ Tries to Promote It
Sometimes a Vegetable Is Just a Vegetable
Big Movies Coming in Short Packages
Global Auto Racing and Spy Chasing
Photos & Video
Harry Potter and the Billion-Dollar Franchise
A look at how Harry Potter evolved from a figment of a teacher’s imagination into the foundation of an entertainment empire.Artsbeat - June 30, 2011
Mike Hale interviews Grady Hendrix of the New York Asian Film Festival and Charles Isherwood reviews "Zarkana," the latest from Cirque Du Soleil.Critics' Picks: 'Sweet Smell of Success'
A. O. Scott looks at Alexander Mackendrick's 1957 film starring Burt Lancaster as a powerful gossip columnist and Tony Curtis as an ambitious press agent.Box Office Top 5
Photos & Video
Design for the Road in ‘Cars 2’
By MEKADO MURPHY
Pixar’s film takes the race-car Lightning McQueen and his tow-truck pal, Mater, to great world cities.Human Rights Watch Film Festival
Images of some of the films appearing in the festival, which runs June 16-30.Inside BAMcinemaFest
Images from some of the films playing at BAMcinemaFest, a Brooklyn festival that celebrates independent cinema.Mid-Century Mutants
A look at some of the sets of “X-Men: First Class” with commentary from the production designer Chris Seagers.Anatomy of a Scene
In this series, directors discuss ideas and techniques behind moments in their films.Summer Movies
The critics' take on girls in action movies, Maria Bello's tough dramas, Michael Fassbender on his rise from bit player to leading man and more.
