It all Ends 15.7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The best possible end for the series that began a decade ago. A fitting finale and bittersweet good-bye to the boy wizard who is no longer a boy.

While yes splitting the final Harry Potter book into two movies may have been a risky propaganda from a narrative standpoint but financially and unsurprising move, given its history. If you have one movie that’s all slow, methodical character development and the second movie that’s all fast-paced action, then each movie could be monotonous because they’ve lost the other half of their story. Both of the Deathly Hallows parts i'm pleased to say avoid that problem.

Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was a slow, deliberately-paced and character-driven narrative that saw Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermoine (Emma Watson) struggle with their friendship, their lack of direction, and the ongoing war between Voldemort’s forces and the rest of the wizarding world. By contrast, Part 2 is a lean and focused final sprint as the trio hunts down the final horcruxes, major characters complete their arcs, and we come to the deadly showdown between Harry and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

Spanning two hours and ten minutes, Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is the shortest of all the Harry Potter flicks, but it feels as rich and full as the best films in the franchise. The movie isn’t just an endless barrage of set pieces. While yes a few sequences may feel not as interesting as the book portrays them but...well ahh... they in the long run serve as a delicious appetizer for what is to come. When you have a battle that covers the majority of the movie’s runtime, there’s a risk that you will wear out your audience. You can only have wizards shoot spells at each other for so long before viewers begin to lose interest. Part 2 avoids the problem with its tremendous pacing. The battles are paced so that you really start getting wrapped up in the action, but when matters become too heavy, someone can cut in with a joke or a beloved character can get their shining moment. And when it’s time to break away from the action entirely for serious drama, the transition is never jarring.

From the directorial style of franchise veteran David Yates to the melodic score by composer Alexandre Desplat, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 wisely remembers that while it is a movie, it is also the final link in an epic chain. As such, the film doesn’t make the mistake of being too overstated or assaulting you with mind-numbing arbitrary action, ear-shattering sounds or overly-dramatic music. 

When the battle at Hogwarts rages, Yates favors more picturesque photography – shots of bodies lying to and fro, familiar structures being destroyed, or characters we know engaged in battle, the focus squarely on their desperate, defiant, or despairing expressions. The music, while still containing familiar traces of epic Potter melodies of times past, also allows for a lot of quieter, more contemplative tunes, which enhance the resonance of all that is happening onscreen. The filmmakers thankfully remember that we’ve journeyed so far with these characters – through the books into the movies as well as throughout the movies up to now – and so they trust that we, the audience, will understand the poignancy and meaning of the events that are unfolding.

This same understated approach also works for the actors. By now, most people will be so deeply invested in these characters that they can pick up on the subtle nuances of their behavior, choices, expressions and banter, sparing the need for everything to be so pronounced or obvious. Watching Radcliffe, Watson and Grint is just moving, given where they began this franchise and how they’ve matured as young people, characters and actors since those early years. The trio close off their roles “brilliantly,” with Radcliffe in particular showing why he will likely have a long career that extends well beyond this franchise.

Yates does a fair job of keeping Harry and his emotions at the nexus of things, so that even if we don’t feel the impact of certain moments or developments, we can see and understand that he feels it.

The movie almost seems more affectionate towards Neville than it does for Harry and I believe that’s with good reason. Harry is the hero. He was always the hero. He was always brave, competent, and strong and the real shading he gets here is to courageously and tragically face the thing Voldemort fears the most. By contrast, Neville is the unlikely hero and even unlikelier leader, and he’s so lovable not only because of Lewis’ performance, but because there’s always the implication that Harry was destined for greatness but that Neville had to work for it.

Part 2 also marks the return of the full cast who all deliver emphatic performances, especially Helena Bonham Carter as the sadistic Bellatrix LeStrange, Maggie Smith as the warm yet deadly Minerva McGonagall and Julie Walters as the grief-stricken mother Molly Weasley. However, no one quite "stole the show" as much as Alan Rickman's final portrayal of Severus Snape; we finally see beyond the unscrupulous and cunning face of Snape as Rickman opens his character to the world as a brave yet broken and damaged man, permanently at conflict regarding his loathing of Harry and his never-ending love of Harry's late mother.

Also us audiences do get to enjoy the infamous epilogue from the final book...well yes it’s hard not to feel emotional. How often do you truly witness the end of an era, and how often does that feeling come while you’re watching a movie? Only a few times in a lifetime, I would bet (and i'm not ashamed to admit that I cried...yes i did) - which may coincidentally one day serve as a launchpad for an entirely new generation of wizards for future muggles to enjoy, possibly through Rowling’s newly announced Pottermore.com venture.

It all Ends 15.7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Hp7 part 2: It all ends 15.7.2011: Last hurray for the boy-wizard, Trafalgar Square and Fans Through-out the world rise to the Occasion

Everyone mark 15.7.2011 in your calenders - for it marks the closing of an era (one which I and a lot of folks around the world are not yet ready to say goodbye to). Potter Fans both in UK and the world turned up and bid farewell to our favourite boy wizard on Thursday.

In a lavish premiere, fans were treated to a magical evening ahead of the July 15 global release of the final chapter in Harry's life, The Deathly Hallows Part II - the eighth and the final motion picture of Jo Rowling's bestseller saga. The road linking Trafalgar Square with cinema district Leicester Square was transformed into Diagon Alley- the magical street invisible to non-magical eyes.

"For the last decade we've been gripped by the on-screen battle between Harry Potter and his arch enemy Lord Voldemort and this is one of the most eagerly awaited films in history," Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said in a statement. "As befits a great British triumph, I can think of no better venue than the iconic surroundings of Trafalgar Square in which to stage the most spectacular of send offs for this dramatic finale."

Everyone turned up for the occasion - the cast, crew, producers, directors, Miss Rowling, the trio (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint) and shared a moment of grief as the chapter closes on the "Harry Potter Era". The three main stars particularly – Dan, Emma and Rupert - found it pretty hard to say goodbye – “We have spent 12 years together,” said Radcliffe. “I think the bond is unbreakable.”

Each of the stars had something special to say to both J.K. and their audience. Watson, who plays the brainy Hermione Granger, expressed her thanks for writer Steve Kloves for giving Hermione her true, strong voice. Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, claimed that the film and those involved had “made the last 10 years the best half of my life.” Radcliffe, on a more sentimental note said: "while it may be the end of the films, the stories and the characters will live on because people will carry the story with them for the rest of their lives," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"It (the series) will be sorely missed," Yates said. "It's going to create a huge hole."

"We are delighted that our plans for the finale of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' will take place in such a spectacular venue," added Warner Bros. Pictures UK president and managing director Josh Berger. "We pride ourselves on the creativity of our premieres and the space within Trafalgar Square will lend itself to being a magical experience for both guests and fans."

The series is an unmatched phenomenon in the entertainment world. The books have sold millions of copies, been translated in 67 languages.

(Down below is the edited live premiere from youtube)

Hp7 part 2: It all ends 15.7.2011: Last hurray for the boy-wizard, Trafalgar Square and Fans Through-out the world rise to the Occasion

Hp7 part 1: The Game

Format: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC(version played), DS 

Developers: EA Bright Light 

Publisher: EA
Release date: 19/11/10 

Genre: Third person shooter

Players: Single player
My Score : 3/5

Death Eaters have infiltrated Hogwarts and Voldermort (yes that’s right, I named him and its not you-know-who guys its U-No-Poo the constipation sensation that is gripping the nation) is stronger than ever and is intent on taking Harry’s life. With no Dumbledore, it’s just Harry and company to find the Horcruxes if they want any hope of defeating You Know Who.

Straight away you notice you are less confined to the walls of Hogwarts as compared to the previous games, and offered the freedom of the outside world where cover-based battles form the focal point. There is however less emphasis on exploration, as the story takes a more direct and linear approach than before to cover all the main twists and turns.

You are sometimes offered a number of routes to take where you will be faced with different situations, but this seems rather pointless as you have to complete all the routes anyway to piece the story together. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know there’s a lot of content which has forced the game pace to be quick. This has led to some cutscenes being quite to the point where they could offer so much more depth and direction to the story.

As you’d expect, as you level up your current spells become stronger and you unlock new spells, but the limited hot keys make it frustrating and annoying to change between them in battle. So you will find yourself becoming reliant on two main spells to get the job done. In my case i was solely depended on Impedeminta and Confingro.

With Dumbledore out of the way and the Order of the Phoenix set to crumble you’d expect your good mates Ron and Hermione to fight beside and help you in your quest. Think again, the AI of both seem too lazy for your liking, Harry's character is left to do all the work while they just idle around. They don’t offer much help and occasionally stand in the way as you’re about to cast a Stupify spell. However, Ron does add some humour with his one-liners. For example, when I was under the invisibility cloak he says to Hermione: “these jeans are a bit tight.”

On the whole, the graphics are very good, but the storyline put the game’s presentation in a shadow. I didn't notice it at first but some of the characters’ voices are not authentic, which I suppose takes away a little realism, but the voice actors aren't that bad.

Looks like EA Games just handed the project to be done by whatever means possible to EA Bright Light to co-inside with the release of the movie and didn't care as to how it turned out. Given there is a final film and game to come, EA has one last chance to get everything right and leave us Muggles with a lasting impression from the Harry Potter series.

Hp7 part 1: The Game

Universal Studios Hollywood hoping to get their own Wizarding World

In case you haven't heard: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Orlando has been a huge hit.  Park attendance, quarterly revenue, and profits all skyrocketed at the resort since the themed area opened.

Unsurprisingly, we're now hearing murmurs that Universal Studios Hollywood wants to get in on the Harry Potter action as well.  From Screamscape - a popular theme park website:

While there has been a lot of talk lately about possible future attractions under development at Universal, there is one big fish in particular out there that the Hollywood park is just dying to get their hands on. The runaway success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida has many Hollywood execs convinced that getting their own version of the Potterverse in Hollywood would be akin to finding the Holy Grail. Normally the big question for Universal Hollywood is trying to determine just where they could put it, given their extreme lack of space. However, with the huge profit margins on record for the Florida version, the question isn’t so much where to put it, but rather what to demolish to make room for it. With those kinds of numbers, I’m told that Universal is ready to put nearly anything and everything under the wrecking ball to make it happen in California.

Just two weeks ago Universal Hollywood announced a 20-year plan, detailing lots of changes happening around the park in that time.  No mention of Potter is included, but we imagine any talks going on right now would be top secret.

In the mean time Universal Orlando may be considering an addition to their own Wizarding World.  As we reported a few months ago, there are already murmurs of an expansion into the existing Lost Continent area.

Universal Studios Hollywood hoping to get their own Wizarding World

Hp7 part 1: The End Begins

Everything that has a start will also have an end, its conclusion. Likewise, we humans are born we live our lives and then we die. Thus this co-relation between beginning and end not only exists for living creatures but non-living things as well.

As such after spanning for a whole decade the harry potter phenomenon is about to end. Starting November 19^th, 2010 the first part of the concluding book of the harry potter series written by J.K. Rowling was released. A divide that could mainly be considered a move to benefit the franchise’s pockets but the original reason being to give a fitting end to the decade spanning series, as all the loose ends throughout the series are finally tied. So, it would not be beneficial for us fan to go see the movie but ultimately not understand it all.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 isn’t the best Harry Potter film so far.  It’s not the funniest or the most action-packed although it has plenty of moments of levity and breath-taking excitement. But it’s the one film most deserving of audience respect and admiration because it’s the first Harry Potter to cast aside the comfort of Hogwarts.  In place of Good Times with Magic, Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is quiet, contemplative, and sorrowful.  What you’ve come to expect from a Harry Potter film is gone and in its place is a more difficult movie but one that is ultimately more rewarding.

 At the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) vowed that he would not return to Hogwarts for his final year.  Instead, he must now find and destroy five “horcruxes”, items which hold pieces of the soul of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and provide him with immortality.  If Harry can destroy all the horcruxes, then he’ll be able to defeat Voldemort and save the world.  This task is made slightly more difficult by the fact that the wizarding world is falling to Voldemort’s army of Death Eaters who are not only hunting Harry down, but also infiltrating the government.  Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine (Emma Watson) join Harry in his dangerous mission but their search puts the trio’s friendship to the test.

That friendship is the core of Half-Blood Prince.  There’s no more quidditch, magic classes, or supernatural creatures.  Like the book, Deathly Hallows is about the struggle to find your own way when you no longer have the structure that school provides.  While compacting the seventh book into one movie could have shaped the story into a more traditional mold, splitting the novel into two parts—while clearly done in an attempt to make more money from the franchise—also provides the largest challenge.  There’s not a lot of forward momentum in the plot and so director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves place the drama in the hands of the characters. Hats off to David Yates and Steve Kloves.

I’m once again grateful that this series never recast its lead actors.  While it’s possible that new actors could have done these characters justice, watching Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint make Harry, Hermoine, and Ron their own over the past decade pays tremendous dividends.  This film truly belongs to them as we see the trio pushed to the brink.  And yet the film isn’t afraid to stick to the pacing of the book and drop a character for a good chunk of the runtime.  It isn’t afraid to have a quiet scene where two characters just slowly dance (to a Nick Cave song, no less!) in an effort to lift their spirits.  Most remarkable, it isn’t afraid to juggle tones from comic to thrilling to melancholy all within a short time span.  And most remarkably: it all feels completely organic to the story. Yet I really would have loved to see that Harry - Remus confrontation when he states that Tonks was carrying his baby.

It’s to his great credit that Yates can keep these slow-paced scenes captivating and then easily switch to the comfort of a well-timed joke or intense action scene.  Despite an emphasis on these characters being lost, both directionally and spiritually, Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is still a movie that knows how to have fun.  It just always mixes in the thrills with the sorrow.  You can have a high-speed broom chase, but not everyone will make it out unscathed.  You can have a funny and thrilling heist scene, but there will be the undertones of Nazi Germany.  It’s a movie where a scene can begin with someone getting flushed down a toilet and end with a critical injury and yet somehow it all works.

However, Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is such a delicate balancing act that every wobble is a bit more pronounced than it would be in an earlier film that had a tighter structure and a faster pace.  There’s one scene that goes a bit too far in showing a character his deepest fears.  One character’s death is so rushed that it’s difficult to tell if he/she even dies.  Also, Deathly Hallows – Part 1 doesn’t really have a climax as much as it has a good stopping point.

Despite these minor missteps, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is a triumph.  It eschews the safety the series has brought so far not just in story but in tone.  David Yates and his leading actors have managed to tell a story steeped in uncertainty with the utmost confidence.

Thus, as its tagline “THE END BEGINS” says, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is a beautifully filmed, emotionally satisfying penultimate installment for the Harry Potter series. Having made it this far, the Potter faithful won't be deterred by "Part 1's" bleak, inconclusive tenor, spelling phenomenal returns and raising expectations for a truly spectacular finish.

Hp7 part 1: The End Begins

Harry Potter : A Look To The Past

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” Mind is the greatest tool for a human being, if the brain cultivates ideas of great potentials the human being is bound to see it to the end. If man hadn’t wanted to cross the water bodies, he would never have made those ships. If man hadn’t wanted to cross borders, he never would have thought of trains. If he hadn’t wanted to fly like a bird in the sky, airplanes may never have been invented. Imagination is what makes life full of possibilities.

By now I’m sure you all know what I am to trying to convey I these above lines. Also I think the title of the article “Harry Potter: A Look to the Past” is pretty much explanatory. When I say HARRY POTTER only one thing comes to mind “a simple yet effective imagery that captured the whole world in its wake”.

Yes, my dear fellows, I’m sure you all are acquainted with the inception of Harry Potter. In 1990, J. K. Rowling (the wonderful creator of this wonderful world) was on a crowded train from Manchester to London when the idea for Harry suddenly "fell into her head".

So what say Ladies and Gentlemen, shall we go on a journey into the magical world of Harry Potter and gain the knowledge as to how this wonderful world sprang from imagination and enchanted the whole world?

Yes we shall!!!!

Now you all know after Miss Rowling wrote the manuscript of the first book, she had a hard time finding a published, after submitting her scripts at 12 publishing house, she got a green signal  a year later by editor Barry Cunningham from Bloomsbury, a small British publishing house in London, England.

From there started the journey of a life time, after The Philosopher’s Stone, came The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince and finally ending the epic saga with The Deathly Hallows. Each book focusing on a particular year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry of the three lead characters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as they grow up and fight against the Dark Lord Voldemort (snake-face).

Not only does the story evolve with each book with a beautiful pace, but we readers grow as well. I personally feel that the Harry potter series is definitely a right to passage while coming of age, for I grew up and entered the gates of adulthood reading these books (those who still haven’t read it READ, you are missing some of the best moments of your life).

But the series did not only remain as books, the stories were brought to the silver screen as well. In 1997, producer David Heyman searched Hollywood for a children's book that could be adapted into a well-received film. His staff at Heyday Films then suggested Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which Heyman believed was "a cool idea." Heyman pitched the idea to Warner Bros. and the following year, Rowling sold the company the rights to the first four Harry Potter books. A demand Rowling made was that the principal cast be kept strictly British, nonetheless allowing for the inclusion of Irish actors such as Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and for casting of French and Eastern European actors in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where characters from the book are specified as such. Miss. Rowling was hesitant to sell the rights (a good decision too) because she "didn't want to give them control over the rest of the story" by selling the rights to the characters, which would have enabled Warner Bros. to make non-author-written sequels.

From there on began the journey of a lifetime, as each of the films released they became a world-wide phenomenon, growing in numbers as each of the them released. For me the first movie titled “The Sorcerer’s Stone” was what initiated me into the Harry Potter World, although yes my paternal uncle and a cousin of mine were the ones who suggested me the first as an interesting read, but naturally I dismissed the idea. But after watching the sorcerer’s stone when it was released in 2001, I knew I had to read it and I did but after second film The Chamber of Secrets came out. I started reading with the third novel The Prisoner of Azkaban and it soon became a tradition for me I would demand the next book every year on my birthday as a present.

Each book I’m happy to say was beautifully woven for the silver screen. The actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, the three leads as well as the cast and crew grew and evolved through the 10 years they spent filming the whole series and I dare say they did a marvelous job out of it as well. For they started young, grew up, saw marriages, child births, divorces, and deaths along this bumpy ride of a lifetime.

But the books and movies weren’t the only thing out there regarding this magical world, a whole lot of merchandise were also produced, clothing line, broomstick and wands from the series, a few side along books for comic relief, props used in the films were produced as merchandises, picture books, colouring books, pop-up books, and a very recent book on the whole production of the series of which I am a proud owner “Harry Potter Film Wizardry” and the video games based on every film released. These merchandises not only helped to create a wider fan base for the series but also provided for a whole new level of commitment toward the series of the boy wizard.

From these lines it is clear that the human mind is a powerful store house of ideas. A simple idea or an imagination can prove to be the foreword to a huge phenomenon. But the clocks have started to tick for the end has begun, for the end for this epic saga of the harry potter series that had enchanted the whole world.  

Harry Potter : A Look To The Past

Harry Potter Film Wizardry

Normally I don’t elaborate on products or production based book, but this one is good enough to do just that.

With the end of the Harry Potter film franchise nearing, it seemed the right time to go back and savour the highlights of the ten-year long series. Harry Potter: Film Wizardry does just that: a scrapbook that encompassed the decade-long saga, where everyone from the producers, directors, and production designer explain in details how they conceptualised some of the plot points and settings; and the actors, including the three stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, hit memory lane to disclose some of the best, funniest, and sometimes most uncomfortable times they had playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the films. 

The book begins with a foreward from Dan, Rupert, and Emma, who gush about how much of an impact the series made in their lives. Dan remarked on the journey both he and Harry endured in the ten years; Rupert took pride in playing brave Ron Weasley, the "ultimate ginger," in his words; and Emma voiced her respect for her young, annoying, brainy Muggle-born fictional counterpart she thought she had nothing in common with early in the series, but who she embraced with all her heart by the end. It then lead into the first of many producer's notes scattered throughout the book, where David Heyman, the man who read the first Harry Potter book, fell in love, and immediately insisted on making the films, explained how he began to piece the movies together well over ten years ago. 

Author Brian Sibley compiled the scrapbook with a combination of production notes, countless cast and crew interviews, set visits, knowledge of the book and film series, and production photos and movie stills to make the quintessential anthology of the Harry Potter film series. The book itself ended with a sneak preview of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, with nothing more than image captions under a dozen or so small photos from Gringotts and Hogwarts. Just enough of a teaser to make the reader wish there were a few more pages at the end, chronicling the end of the saga. 

One of best features of the book, however, was that it focuses on so many of the minor details fans could never have been expected to notice, and the production teams that worked endlessly to make them. Here you have clear shots of Daily Prophetarticles and issues, rooms filled with creatures like Buckbeak and thestrals, various angles of the Room of Requirement both from Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows: Part II, Privet Drive and Diagon Alley, and countless rooms, corridors, and facets from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (I definitely wished there were more photos than only the sneak-peek of Gringotts). 

"Everybody involved in these eight films knows that we have been part of something very special, and that there will never be another experience like this one," proclaims producer David Heyman in the introduction. He's right, of course, and while the people who made the movies were there for births, marriages, divorces and even deaths, fans have been along for the ride, hoping for a chance to sit in the front seat. This is finally it!

From tidbits like how Helena Bonham Carter perforated Matthew Lewis's eardrum with her magic wand in Order of the Phoenix, to grand designs like how the filmmakers created an entire Hogsmeade miniature village with intricately detailed micro-window displays the size of a £1 note, the book simply doesn't disappoint. It's the perfect mix of fact and -- as McGonagall would say -- "well-mannered frivolity."

On top of all that publisher Harper-Collins inserted over half a dozen prop replicas, like your very own sealed invitation to attend Hogwarts (addressed to Mr H Potter, The Cupboard under the Stairs, naturally), a Quidditch World Cup programme, and even a "real" Maurader's Map. There are also several fold-out pages, one of which contains the Black Family Tree Tapestry.

I highly recommend 'Harry Potter Film Wizardry' for any passionate Harry Potter fan, from one proud owner of this marvelous book to you all.

Harry Potter Film Wizardry

Top 10 movies on the 2011 waiting list

Vampires, werewolves, superheroes, pirates, aliens, the final chapter in the saga of everyone’s favorite boy wizard… and, oh, so much more! The 2011 box office forecast is booming with potential blockbusters.


Let's start from the back shall we:

#10 – “Super 8”
Starring: Elle Fanning, Kyle ChandlerDirected by: J.J. AbramsRelease date: Summer 2011

Why such excitement: A new sci-fi thriller from J.J. Abrams! Need we really say more i don't think so? OK, i’ll give you just a little bit. Written and directed by Abrams, the film follows a group of teens in the 1970s who capture footage of aliens in Area 51 while shooting on their – wait for it – Super 8 camera. And here you thought the film was about those low budget motels of the same name. The Air Force, the government and other various ominous suit-wearing types begin pursuit. Drama, explosions, suspense – and maybe even aliens – follow. Yes, please definitely on the list.

#9 – “Captain America”
Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo WeavingDirected by: Joe JohnstonRelease date: July 22, 2011

Why such excitement: For what will be Marvel’s final superhero installment leading up to 2012’s “The Avengers,” Chris Evans will don the stars and stripes as Steve Rogers/aka Captain America as he suits up for battle against the forces of evil in the WWII era-timed piece. Hugo Weaving (who, by the way, is it just my opinion, or was this guy born to play a movie villain?!?although a slight contradiction here; he played a positive role in LOTR) steps in as Nazi baddie Johann Schmidt/aka Red Skull, commander of HYDRA. While Evans previously joked to Access he’d be “the worst thing that ever happened to Marvel,” we have a feeling the man who once played the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch will do the red, white and blue proud.

                                                                  #8 – “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey RushDirected by: Rob MarshallRelease date: May 20, 2011

Why such excitement: Captain Jack is back (what more do you need?)– this time, with some new faces. Out are Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. In are Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane. There’s an argument to be made that if you’ve seen one “Pirates” film, you’ve seen them all. But with a combined gross of more than $2.6 billion at the worldwide box office, the Bruckheimer/Disney team is doing something right. 

#7 – The Fourth “Mission: Impossible”
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Josh HollowayDirected by: Brad BirdRelease date: December 16, 2011

Why such excitement: There’s an argument to be made that if you’ve seen one “Mission: Impossible” film… Wait, that’s already been used. Cruise is back as super-spy Ethan Hunt, and while many of the same faces return, joining the fray are newbies Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway and Paula Patton, and according to some recent information Anil Kapoor of Slumdog Millionaire fame all of whom should inject some exciting new blood into the latest chapter. Brad Bird makes his directorial debut, which means J.J. Abrams is out as director, but sticks around as a producer/writer. Truth be told, if J.J. wasn’t still involved, the clock may have run out on this box office “Mission.” But when it comes down to it, say what you will about Cruise, the man makes one heck of a movie.

#6 – “Green Lantern”
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter SarsgaardDirected by: Martin CampbellRelease date: June 17, 2011

Why such excitement: Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Blake Lively. Ryan Reynolds isn’t so bad either. Throw in a fanboy classic superhero tale and with these two beyond good lookin’ folks as the leads, look for the box office to definitely go “Green” in Summer 2011. Plus, who doesn’t love to say “Saaaaaaaaarsgaaaaaaard”?! Exactly.

#5 – “Thor”

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman

Directed by: Kenneth BranaghRelease date: May 6, 2011

Why such excitement: Yet another prequel cog in Marvel’s mighty “The Avengers” machine, easy-on-the-eyes Aussie actor Chris Hemsworth steps into the iconic Norse mythological title character comic book role. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film will follow Thor as he is cast down to earth for being an arrogant fighter, only to find himself battling the dark forces of Asgard and becoming a hero to the humans. Throw in the lovely Natalie Portman as Thor’s lady love Jane Foster, Anthony Hopkins as daddy Odin — oh, and did we mention Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir? What can we say, we’re a sucker for a good power tool!

#4 – “The Hangover 2”
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin BarthaDirected by: Todd PhillipsRelease Date: May 26, 2011

Why such excitement: Details are being kept under wraps for the sequel to the side-splitting original — which has forever put to shame every groom-to-be’s bachelor party past, present and future – but as long as those four funny guys are sticking around, so are we! And hey, if they want to bring back Mike Tyson too for another musical interlude, we’re not complaining. Call it comedic masochism if you will, but we’re ready to feel the burn of another “Hangover”!

#3 – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Starring: Rooney Mara, Daniel Crag, Christopher PlummerDirected by: David FincherRelease date: December 21, 2011

Why such excitement: Call it faith i saw the novel of this movie yesterday at a bookshop while browsing though the fiction section for a good novel for a college assignment. Well rising star Rooney Mara has scored one of the most talked-about roles in recent memory, nabbing the part of edgy hacker Lisbeth Salander in the U.S. big screen adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s literary set, The Millennium Trilogy. There has already been a Swedish film version of the trilogy. And, watch out soon for the announcement of a fourth book in the series. In the story, Mara and Daniel Craig (who will bring Mikael Blomkvist to life for American audiences) cross paths as they search for the missing niece of an ailing industrial tycoon. As the first installment in the series, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” sets the table for the drama and suspense to come throughout the much-buzzed about trilogy, the latter two parts of which will be rolled out in 2012.

#2 – “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part I”

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor LautnerDirected by: Bill CondonRelease date: November 18, 2011

Why such excitement: Why aren’t we excited is the better question. What better way to kick off the beginning of the end of “The Twilight Saga” then with a little vampire-human wedding & honeymoon action! Plus, we all know what happens on the honeymoon, right???… Room service! No? Hmm. OK, how ‘bout this — “There will be sex scenes – multiple sex scenes,” screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg previously told Access Hollywood of the romance we’ll see between Edward and Bella. Hey now! Summit has yet to announce exactly where the “Breaking Dawn” storyline will be split, but Part I will begin to put the bow on this pop culture-transcending saga, which has turned vampires and werewolves from cheap Halloween decorations to every kid’s favorite supernatural bestie. Whether you’re Team Edward or Team Jacob or even Team Whatever Happened To That Nice Rachelle LeFevere, grab your lawn chairs and get in line – there’s only 14 months until opening night – knowing the “Twi-Hards,” the good seats are probably already taken!

#1 – “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part II”

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Bill NighyDirected by: David YatesRelease date: July 15, 2011

Why such excitement: It takes quite a monumental occasion to bump anything “Twilight” from the top of any of our lists, but the final film in the saga of boy wizard Harry Potter is exactly that. With a $5.4 billion haul in its run at the box office (the highest grossing film series of all-time), the Harry Potter films have spanned an entire decade, capturing the imagination of pre-teen boys who can now legally buy booze and little girls who are already old enough to vote in the next election. Even the films’ stars themselves have gone from teenyboppers to twenty-somethings. A pretty impressive run to say the least. Once again, a story which has been cut into two parts – allowing for more excitement and, of course, more cash at the box office, the final chapter of “Deathly Hallows” sees our spellbinding wand-slingers engage in one last battle with the evil Lord Voldemort before Hogwarts’ prized pupils say goodbye to their beloved boarding school as students one last time – at least, those of them that make it through the “Deathly Hallows” alive.

Top 10 movies on the 2011 waiting list