Close up: Guardian film news, reviews and much, much more
The big story
Time flies … Harry Potter then and now
It was all about Harry Potter this week; from the UK premiere to the first official review. Even David Cameron went a little Potty, urging UK film-makers to try and emulate the boy wizard's lucractive formula (if they wanted to benefit from state funding). Many of you were appalled by the Prime Minister's statement on Wednesday that British films should aim to make money and lure tourists to our country; others thought he had a point; a few were amused. Earlier today, Stuart Heritage imagined a world in which Cameron's vision had come to fruition (readers with a Danny Dyer allergy shouldn't click this link). In other Harry Potter-related news this week; studios on both sides of the pond dealt with the consequences of being too frightened to release much in the run-up (here's Charles Gant's UK box office analysis, and here's Jeremy Kay's Hollywood Report).
Plus, Warner came down hard on the leak of 36 minutes online, and Helena Bonham Carter revealed to us that she doesn't want to be remembered as a sado-masochistic witch.
The big story half a century ago
Take cover … Michael Powell on set
Was the critics' damning of Michael Powell's Peeping Tom, which led to the film going underground and Powell not really working again, until Martin Scorsese rehabilitated his image in the late 70s. John Patterson ran us through the history; Peter Bradshaw had his own take on why the critics got so hot under the collar, and we had a gallery of behind-the-scenes photos.
In the news
Schwartzenegger speaks at De Laurentiis's funeral. Photograph: Reed Saxon/AFP/Getty Images

 Rubik's Cube movie heads for big screen
 Brad Pitt 'offers millions' for Chilean miners story
 Colin Farrell offered Schwarzenegger role in Total Recall remake
 Hollywood stars pay tribute at Dino De Laurentiis's funeral
Turkish James Bond enters dangerous waters to take on Israeli flotilla raiders
 Carey Mulligan is Baz Luhrmann's Daisy in remake of The Great Gatsby
Steven Soderbergh tipped to direct The Man From UNCLE film
 Terence Davies resurfaces to begin filming The Deep Blue Sea
 Amazon sets up movie studio 'without gate guards'
 Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen shot dead in car
 Is Nora Ephron the target of Alec Baldwin's attack on a divorcee?
On the blog
'Claustrophia and a dead body - this is a neurotic's jackpot' … Manhattan Murder Mystery
Clip joint pressed the button for lifts
 Stuart Heritage tried to work out what was happening in Nicolas Cage's head during the Season of the Witch trailer …
 … shortly after weighing up the pros and cons of a Goonies sequel
Bill Clinton's cameo in the Hangover 2. Good plan?
Other site highlights
Behind the scenes on Taxi Driver
 On this week's podcast, Jason Solomons spoke The American with Clooney's co-star Violante Placido, and also met the Hammer and Tongs team behind Son of Rambow
 Reel history tackled Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson's War
 On video we met the men behind Chico & Rita
 … and the man behind the behind-the-scenes book of photos on Taxi Driver
Coming up in the paper
Boonmee shake shake shakes Peter Bradshaw's roonmee
We've already launched Peter Bradshaw's three-star verdict on HP, but tomorrow you can also read his five-star rave about Uncle Boonmee, plus reviews of all the week's other releases, as well as Xan Brooks on movies that killed careers, and an interview with Machete star Danny Trejo, the man with the world's best face. Plus Jane Graham on little-seen Scot drama Donkeys and Anne Billson on why flats make spookier film sets than houses. In Saturday's paper there's a long essay by Patrick Keiller, the man behind the Robinson documentaries, and on Sunday a three page interview by Mark Kermode with Martin Scorsese.
Online tomorrow
In the Pinkie … Brighton Rock
Film 2010's Danny Leigh will be writing about Todd Haynes and his impending HBO mini-series version of Mildred Pierce, and Guy Lodge will be writing on why Jennifer Hudson's Winnie Mandela movie looks such a shocker. Xan Brooks's Reel review will tackle Harry Potter, plus we'll have video of Mark Kermode interviewing Martin Scorsese. Also stand by for the world exclusive trailer for Rowan Joffe's remake of Brighton Rock, starring Sam Riley as Pinkie.

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