The latest instalment of the young wizard’s battles against the dark side see hormones racing at Hogworts Castle.
Young Harry is yearning for best pal Ron Weasley’s sister while Hermione’s burgeoning feelings for Ron face going unrequited as he garners rare attention from other quarters. Throw in a strong love potion and you’ve got yourself a whole heap of trouble. On more serious matters Dumbledore unlists Harry as he fears an end-game against old enemy Lord Voldemort is near, putting himself in jeopardy at the same time, while Harry finds an old potions book and begins to use it himself.
We know our main characters well and the main leads all peform to their usual standards, while there are enjoyable cameos from the likes of Helena Bonham Carter and David Thewlis. But despite coming in at a hefty two and a half hours, The Half-Blood Prince fails to gather any significant momentum and I found it a little lacking in real action set pieces. Merseyside director David Yates could have perhaps been a little sharper in the cutting room to make this wizard adventure really magic.
Gavin and Stacey - Series 3 (12)
The BBC have released the final instalment of the brilliant Welsh/Essex comedy on DVD after just two episodes have been screened on TV, in a rather blatant attempt to cash in on the Christmas market. I refuse to give up my weekly Thursday fix early but from the episodes screened so far it does look like it’s probably for the best that Ruth Jones and James Corden have decided this will be our final visit to the cultural meeting of Barry and Billarickey. Not that it’s in any way bad, just lacking a little of that old genius spark it arrived with, relying ever more heavily on Rob Brydon’s masterful turn as Uncle Bryn.
Mock the Week - Too Hot For TV 2 (18)
Host Dara O’Briain invites Frankie Boyle, Hugh Dennis, Russell Howard and Andy Parsons, plus some familiar faces, to cast a satirical eye over the week’s news headlines in a second compilation of unbroadcastable excerpts from the top notch BBC2 comedy panel show. The DVD also includes three episodes from the archives (The Anal Lube Show, The Leg Show, The Hedgehog Show), including more than 40 minutes of unseen material. The normal brilliance on show here from one of the best shows on TV although it does leave you wondering how the producers will ever replace its talisman, Scotsman Boyle, who has announced he’s leaving to pursue other projects. Never better than when forensically dissecting the more extreme characteristics of his own nation, he says the things no-one else would dare and all the better for that.
