Final 'Potter' is brilliant, a gold mine

If you haven't heard of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, you have most likely been on a 24-month long sail in the middle of nowhere. The final installment of Potter is really great and very important, and in more ways than one.

Hallows Part 2 is definitely one of my favorites from the entire series. I have read through the series numerous times and have listened to the spectacular audiobooks over and over again, too, so believe me when I tell you that this final film is an excellent way to leave Harry and his friends. Everything necessary from the book was included, and no extraneous information was added--I think this might have been one of my favorite films because they had such a little amount of book to put up on the screen. (OK, OK, not little, but not as much as Order or Half-Blood Prince.)

The acting was perfect, as usual, and the timing of everything was excellently executed. You'll most certainly cry during Snape's pensive scene and get your heart-racing every step of the way as Harry gets closer and closer to finally facing his fate. As the credits start rolling, you'll feel that bittersweet tinge of satisfaction at the ending, yet sorrow that the adventure with Harry is all over. (Although, as mentioned by Brandon in the comments, the epilogue wasn't very well done . . . it looked like Daniel and Rupert and Emma were playing dress-up.) This series really is the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings of this generation, and for good reason. It is an absolutely genius story full of whimsy, humor, courage, suspense, friendship, philosophical dilemmas, and, of course, heart. After reading the six books or seeing the 7 films leading up to the finale, you cannot help but root for Harry and his friends. The universe created by Rowling is so special and unique and just . . . wonderful.

Perhaps it is for all of those reasons that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is on its way to becoming the biggest movie ever. With $168.55 million on its opening weekend alone, Potter dethroned The Dark Knight as the biggest opening in box office history. It also set a record for midnight showings at north of $40 million, and an opening day gross of $92.1 million.

The Potter franchise has grossed $2.177 billion so far, which means that it most certainly has a chance at surpassing Star Wars' record $2.218 billion.

But will Part 2 be able to surpass Avatar as the biggest box office winner of all-time at $2.782 billion? I don't think so. After all, anyone who's into Harry Potter is going to most likely see it opening weekend. Word of mouth won't do much, since you aren't going to see the last movie of an eight-part series without having seen the first seven, which is the same reason that random moviegoers won't decide to see Potter on a whim. A year ago you knew whether or not you were gonna see Part 2, and you knew you were going to see it at the midnight showing, or at least opening day.

Potter just doesn't have that much staying power at the box office. The numbers from Part 1 speak for themselves:

Week 1: $169,969,028
Week 2: $57,531,613
Week 3: $21,687,764
Week 4: $11,512,852

As you can see, opening weekend was the biggest by far, so don't expect Deathly Hallows Part 2 to break anymore records . . .

Still, Harry Potter is a lasting franchise in both the literary and cinematic worlds. The universe that blossomed from J.K. Rowling's writing is one that will last for centuries--I'm sure of that. It is just too perfect and wonderful not to.

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'Pooh' Wrapped

As of this past Friday, February 10, Walt Disney Animation Studios' newest hand-drawn film Winnie-the-Pooh is in the can! Production has been wrapped, and now all that's left is a bunch of marketing and several months of waiting...

Although I don't entirely agree with their decision to release the film on the same day as the sure-to-be-blockbuster Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I think it's still gonna be a smash hit--everybody loves Winnie-the-Pooh and Eeyore and Piglet, and seeing the refreshing return to the classic animation of the beloved Pooh cartoons of decades ago will lure both young and old audiences to theaters. Even so, the film cost under $40 million to make, and therefore its apparent that Disney doesn't need (or, frankly, expect) it to come out number one at the box office; a modest opening will easily make the film's budget back.

As if the film by itself wasn't super awesome enough, John Cleese will be narrating, Tom Kenny (Spongebob) will be providing the voice of Rabbit, and everyone's favorite elderly Pixarian, Bud Luckey, will be doing the voice for Eeyore! This is a great cast. This movie cannot come out soon enough...

The film is being directed by Stephen Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) and Don Hall and is set to be released on July 15, 2011.

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The Ultimate Guide to 2009 Movies

Now that the Oscars have come to a close, we can now turn our gaze from the movies of 2008 to the movies of this year: 2009. Here is a complete list, in chronological order, of all movies being released this year. The guide features trailers, movie posters, release dates, plot synopses, and my prospective ratings of these movies:

I'd like to start this post off with the clip shows directly after the Oscars showing the movies of 2009 (to the new song by Beck which is a cover of an old Bob Dylan song):




MARCH:


Probably the most anticipated movie of this year, Watchmen will be released in only a few weeks on March 6. It is based on the very popular novel of the same name by Alan Moore. The plot, as stated by IMDb.com: When an ex-superhero is murdered, a vigilante named Rorschach begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion.

Hopefully the movie will do justice to the great graphic novel. Here's the trailer:



I think that this will be a great movie full of excitement, mystery, and romance, therefore I'll give it a 9.5 out of 10. I hope that it won't disappoint.


A remake of the original, live action Disney movie Escape to Witch Mountain, Race to Witch Mountain looks like it has potential. It has a star-studded cast (which doesn't really mean anything) of AnnaSophia Robb and Dwayne Johnson. The plot, as given by IMDb.com: A UFO expert enlists the help of a cabbie to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans. Here's the trailer:



I don't think that this movie will manage to be better than the original, but it shouldn't be too bad. I give this movie, for now, a 7 out of 10.


The next film being released by DreamWorks Animation is Monsters vs. Aliens, a film that utilizes all of the cheap animation gimmicks of the decade: a star-studded cast, cheap parodies and jokes that won't be funny in a few years, shallow characters, and, finally, 3D. I don't think that a star-studded cast adds anything to a movie, cheap parodies and jokes are simply stupid and worthless, and 3D adds nothing to a movie, and I believe that it is just a fad and will be gone in about 5 years or so. Here's the trailer:



Due to these silly gimmicks that, as you can tell, I have immense hostility towards, I give this movie a 4 out of 10.

APRIL:


Crank: High Voltage will be a very stupid, nonsensical, and awesome movie. It will have tons of plot holes, but will also be an exciting and fun action movie. You don't watch this kind of movie for plot or character development; you watch it to get your adrenaline pumping and to be entertained by car crashes and bullets being fired. Here's the exciting trailer:



Since it will make an entertaining, mindless action movie with Jason Statham, I will give it an 8 out of 10.


Robert Downey and Jamie Foxx sure won't disappoint in this movie which will be released on April 24. It should have a great story, and it seems like it has fantastic character development of both Downey's and Foxx's characters. I cannot wait to see this movie which has potential at next year's Oscars. Here is the trailer:



This movie will hopefully be a masterpiece of cinematic excellence, and, if not, it at least has Robert Downey Jr. in it. I'm giving it a 9 out of 10 for now.

MAY:


This should be a great performance by Hugh Jackman. I am excited to see this prequel to the successful X-men trilogy. Since Wolverine is my favorite character from the X-men series, I hope that this movie won't disappoint, and it doesn't look like it will. Here's the trailer:



Completely due to the "I'll cut your head off" segment in the trailer, I am giving this movie a 9 out of 10 for now.


I loved the first Night at the Museum. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams are some of my favorite actors. And since they, including Amy Adams and Hank Azaria, are starring in the new movie, it should be a great one. After looking over the above poster, I don't think you need too much more explanation. Here is the trailer:



Although the plot may not be the strongest, I think that this feel-good film will be a great one. I give it an 8 out of 10.


Pixar's next feature, Up, will not disappoint. I am sure that it will have wholesome and complete characters, awe-inspiring animation, and a heart-touching plot. There isn't much more to say other than it is a Pixar production, since Pixar has made a name for itself; a name that makes everyone think of quality in plot, characters and animation. Here's the trailer:



I cannot wait to see Pixar's next movie. It is sure to be another stunning production by the world's best animation studio. (To see a lot more about Up click here.) I give it a 10 out of 10 already.

JUNE:


Transformers was a great movie, and I don't think that the second installment will be any worse. It will still have car chases, mystery and romance embedded throughout, and therefore remain a great motion picture. Here is the exciting trailer:



I love this movie franchise already, so I will give this movie a 9 out of 10.

JULY:

One of the movies I am most excited for this year is Public Enemies. It will star Johnny Depp as criminal Dillinger and Christian Bale as the federal agent after him. There hasn't been much released about the movie, not even a poster or a trailer, but I am sure it will be entertaining to say the least. I am giving it a 9 out of 10 for now.


The previous 5 Harry Potter movies have done pretty well interpretting the fabulous books by J.K Rowling. I loves the book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and, as long as the film does the story justice and matches the greatness of the rest of the franchise, the movie should be a good one. Here's the trailer:



I'll give this one an 8 out of 10.


Everybody loves Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. They have never done a movie where they are both the leads, but I am excited to see it. Although it appears to have a sad premise (is the character development is done right), there should be some hilarious parts of the movie. And the fact that Judd Apatow is directing just makes me more confident that his will be a genuinely great movie. Here is the trailer for Funny People:



I'm gonna give this sure to be hilarious and heart-wrenching comedy/drama a 9.5 out of 10.

AUGUST:


This movie should be an interesting one. I already know that it will have a fantastic performance by Brad Pitt, as well as the rest of the cast. As given by IMDb.com, the plot is as follows: In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers. Here is the trailer:



It is worth noting that, interestingly, Mike Myers is going to be in the movie playing the role of General Ed Fenech. I'm going to, tentatively, give this film a 9 out of 10.

NOVEMBER:


This may be the most exciting release of 2009: Guy Ritchie's (one of my favorite directors') Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey, Jr., one of my favorite actors. This movie will be amazing. I can't even describe how perfect the mix of cast and crew are for this film; it will be a masterpiece. There isn't even a trailer or movie poster released yet, but I am sure this movie will be a hit. I give it a 10 out of 10.

Well, there are all of the major releases of 2009, with posters, ratings and trailers. I hope that now you are as excited for a year at the movies as I am!

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Film Pushed Back Almost 9 Months

Briefly: The film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was scheduled for release in November of this year. Today, however, Warner Bros. announced that the movie has been pushed back to a release in July of 2009! The 9-month push back was caused by multiple things, including the fact that Warner Bros. is still experiencing setbacks from the writers' strike, and they want to be apart of the summer movie season (which is the most lucrative time of the year for movies). Filming is done, but they just don't feel like this November is the right time to release, I guess. As you know, the preview is already out:

Source: Reuters

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer Released

The highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer was just released, and it looks amazing! This is the second to last movie in the series, and is followed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book was really good, and I hope that the movie does the book justice, although I haven't yet seen a Harry Potter movie that was better than the book... Here's the trailer:

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