She Likes to Watch

Get ready for an atom bomb, Harry Potter fans.

Warner Brothers has just released a teaser trailer for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

In this teaser, Harry and his mentor, Professor Dumbledore, delve into Lord Voldemort’s dark past. We get glimpses of the evil wizard and hints of the danger yet to come.

Director David Yates sets an appropriately somber tone for “Half-Blood Prince,” the sixth book in J.K. Rowling’s groundbreaking series.

Here’s Rotten Tomatoes’ take on the trailer.

Meanwhile, Empire Magazine breaks down the trailer into just ten telling shots.

It’s more excellent detective work from the folks who brought you that first amazing shot of The Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

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And the fun doesn’t stop there.

There’s also a host of “Half-Blood Prince” featurettes available for viewing.

Check out WorstPreviews.com for the “Quidditch: Back in Style,” “Set Magic: Creating Wood’s Orphanage” and “Back to Hogwarts” featurettes.

You can find more here at TrailerAddict.com, including a”Bird’s Eye View” video showing the various sets used in the film, a trailer for the upcoming “Half-Blood Prince” video game and an interview with Rupert Grint, who plays Ron.

Readers can get the scoop on “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” with this site dedicated to the book and its mysteries.

Watch, read and enjoy!

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Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

Looking ahead at August’s big blockbusters

For movie studios, August is summer’s last gasp.

They typically choose this month to unload the last few action movies, big epics and comedies aimed at a younger crowd. Fall and winter? They belong to the adults.

This August, we’ve got a fantasy adventure flick, a couple of offbeat comedies, an animated film and an American rehash of a martial arts film. Let the games begin.

“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (Opens Friday)

When archaeologist Rick O’Connell discovers the tomb of China’s Dragon Emperor, he gets more than he bargained for: a terracotta army, a three-headed dragon and a yeti, all commanded by martial arts superstar Jet Li.

Fortunately, Michelle Yeoh is on hand to summon a skeletal army of her own. “So these are the good undead guys, right?” a character quips. Let’s hope so.

Brendan Fraser looks a mite rusty as Rick, but he’s still quicker with quips and a pistol than co-stars Maria Bello and Luke Ford — playing his wife and son.

We’ll see if Fraser can still balance humor with horror-lite.

“Pineapple Express” (Aug. 6)

After all the subpar material the so-called Frat Pack has been pushing lately (”Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Step Brothers,” “Drillbit Taylor”), “Pineapple Express” is a breath of pot-infused, ahem, fresh air.

Seth Rogan, that loveable schlub from “Knocked Up,” stars as a pothead process server who accidentally witnesses a mob hit. He goes on the run with his equally clueless dealer (James Franco, delightfully against type).

Count on Rogan and company to take stoner comedies to a whole new high. (Pun heartily intended.)

(A note: That catchy tune at the end of the trailer is M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.”)

“Tropic Thunder” (Aug. 13)

After all the buzz about Robert Downey Jr. in blackface, it’s hard to tell just how good “Tropic Thunder” might be.

Helmed by Ben Stiller and featuring an all-star cast including Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte and stand-up comic Brandon T. Jackson, “Tropic Thunder” certainly has an interesting premise:

Seeking more realism for his Vietnam War epic, a director dumps his cast in the midst of the real thing.

Is this a war movie spoof? A satire of Hollywood’s self-absorbed A-listers?

One thing’s for sure. The much-hyped Tom Cruise cameo — not shown here — is sure to be a highlight.

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (Aug. 15)

Bryan Adams’ brilliant animated series made life tolerable for “Star Wars” fans over the past decade.

While George Lucas turned our beloved franchise into a trio of cheesy, ill-conceived potboilers, the smart, slick-looking “Clone Wars” captured the best things about the “Star Wars” universe. It had compelling characters. Action-packed fight scenes. Deadpan humor.

Leave it to Lucas to ruin a good thing.

This computer-animated version of “Clone Wars” looks clunky and surprisingly flat. Is it a bad sign when few characters speak more than three words in a row?

“Bangkok Dangerous” (Aug. 22)

Somebody needs to tell Nicolas Cage to stop making action movies.

His latest attempt — which has a long-haired Cage playing as an international hit man struggling with personal demons — is just plain embarrassing.

Cage appears to be channeling John Cusack’s post-modern hitman in “Grosse Pointe Blank.” Instead of quips and heartache, however, we get boring, cheesy musings about the loneliness of a killer’s life.

Directed by the Pang brothers, “Bangkok Dangerous” happens to be a remake of their own 1999 flick.The difference? Cage’s character isn’t deaf-mute. And he certainly ain’t Thai.

Skip it.

“Babylon A.D” (Aug. 29)

It’s not quite a blockbuster, but I couldn’t resist including “Babylon A.D” in the mix.

Ol’ Chrome Dome himself, Vin Diesel, plays a tough-guy mercenary hired to transport a mysterious woman from Russia to America. This being the future, that’s presumably a tougher job than, say, hopping on a commuter flight.

Of course, there happens to be something very special about this particular girl.

“Babylon” comes to us courtesy of “Gothika” director Mathieu Kassovitz, who pairs his futuristic setting with some rather silly action sequences and painfully tin-eared dialog.

Recommended only for dedicated Vin Diesel fans (you poor souls).

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Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.

“American Beauty” takes a hard look at the fantasy and reality of modern life

Like the ruby-red roses that fill nearly every frame, “American Beauty” is much more than a pretty picture.

It’s a scathing portrait of suburbia. A drama beset with secrets and scandal. And, most importantly, an exploration of middle-aged desperation infused with one final flicker of hope.

From all appearances, Lester Burnham has the perfect life: a beautiful wife, a loving daughter, a nice house in a quiet neighborhood. It’s the middle-class American Dream.

In reality, he’s lonely, depressed and sex-deprived, an empty shell of a man suddenly feeling his age. He wants a change. He has a mid-life crisis.

So Lester (Kevin Spacey) quits his job and develops a crush on his teenage daughter’s hot friend, much to the chagrin of his family. As Lester rediscovers the good things in life — weed, working out, a 1970 Pontiac Firebird — his perfect world crumbles.

His wife Carolyn (Annette Bening), a Type A real estate agent, gets cozy with a rival. Meanwhile, their daughter (Thora Birch) becomes friends with the weird boy next door.

These are not nice people, at least in the classic sense.

Lester can be lazy and lecherous, an egotistical schmuck who cares more for his own comfort and amusement than his family. Carolyn, let’s face it, is a (b)itch.

And Janie and her friends? Despite the surly selfishness typical of teenagers the world over, they actually come across as human beings.

“American Beauty” walked away with five Oscars at the 2000 Academy Awards, including best picture, best director (Sam Mendes), best screenplay (Alan Ball) and best actor (Kevin Spacey).

It’s a moving, highly memorable film.

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“American Beauty” plays at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. tonight at The Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. Tickets are $7.50.

As you may have heard, an earthquake hit Southern California a few hours ago.

According to the Associated Press, the 11:42 a.m. quake made buildings sway and triggered a few evacuations . However, there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

The quake, estimated at magnitude 5.4, was centered 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills, the AP reported.

As it so happens, the quake shook the very spot where Profiles in History is preparing for its huge movie memorabilia auction.

Superman’s suit. James Bond’s cuff links. The Holy Grail from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” It’s all there.

Here’s an excerpt from the AP story by Robert Jablon:

Joseph Maddalena, who runs the historical documents and memorabilia dealer Profiles in History, was on the phone in his office in Calabasas, near Malibu, when the earthquake struck. He quickly put down the phone and ran to check on his 14-year-old son who had come to work with him as he prepared for a Thursday auction of 1,100 pieces of Hollywood movie memorabilia.

“Our building shook pretty good,” he said after discovering his son and his employees were unharmed and the building was fine.

“The window in my office kind of bowed out but it’s all right now. Everything is fine,” he said.

Pretty funny, huh?

Somehow I feel I might be responsible. I did write about the auction, after all.

It’s the Holy Grail of all auctions

Want to own a piece of Hollywood history?

This week, movie fans can bid online for props, costumes, scripts and posters ranging from The Lone Ranger’s pearl-handled revolvers (starting at $4,000 for the pair) to a mechanical Velociraptor from “Jurassic Park III” ($80,000).

The live Internet auction is being organized by Profiles in History of Calabasas, Calif.

How’d you like to get your hands on a phaser used by William Shatner in “Star Trek”?

What about a helmet from “CHiPs”? James Bond’s cufflinks? C-3PO’s feet from “Star Wars”? Or Lou Ferrigno’s prosthetic nose from “The Incredible Hulk” television series?

Even the Holy Grail used in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” is up for grabs. It’s a steal with bids starting at $20,000.

For as much as $50,000, you can purchase the “Ten Commandments” tablets that Moses himself (aka Charlton Heston) brought down from Mount Sinai.

Although most of the auctions items tend to run in the thousands of dollars, there are a few for relatively cheap. For instance, you could own a lobby card for 1962’s “Lolita” for a mere $200.

Click on this link for a closer look at the hundreds of items for sale. The auction ends 11 p.m. Thursday (Pacific Standard Time).

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You’ll notice that the same guy is modeling most of the men’s costumes up for auction, everything from Christopher Reeves’ “Superman” suit to the Sabertooth costume from “X-Men.” Lucky stiff.

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Photo courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com.