Monday 30 April 2012

Product/Range/Distribution; Top films of 2011.



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman, David Barron, and Rowling. The story continues to follow Harry Potter's quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Principal photography began on 19 February 2009, and was completed on 12 June 2010, with the final day of reshoots taking place on 21 December 2010, marking the series' closure of ten years of filming. Part 2 was released in 2D, 3-D and IMAX cinemas worldwide from 13–15 July 2011, and is the onlyHarry Potter film to be released entirely in 3-D.
The film became a financial success and was one of the best-reviewed films of 2011. At the box office, Part 2 claimed the worldwide opening weekend record, earning $483.2 million, as well as setting opening day and opening weekend records in various countries. The film is currently the third highest grossing film of all time, the highest grossing film of 2011, the highest grossing film in the Harry Potter series, and the ninth film ever to gross over $1 billion.
The Blu-ray and DVD sets were released on 11 November 2011 in the United States and on 2 December 2011 in the United Kingdom. In October 2011, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was declared the highest pre-ordered Blu-ray and DVD ever by Amazon.com. The film was also released in the Harry Potter: Complete 8-Film Collection box set on DVD and Blu-ray, which included all eight films and new special features. Part 1 and Part 2 were released as a combo pack on DVD and Blu-ray on 11 November 2011 in Canada. 


The King's Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush. The men become friends as they work together, and after his brother abdicates the throne, the new King relies on Logue to help him make his first wartime radio broadcast on Britain's declaration of war on Germany in 1939.

Seidler read about George VI's life after overcoming a stuttering condition he endured during his youth. He started writing about the relationship between the monarch and his therapist as early as the 1980s, but at the request of the King's widow the Queen Mother, postponed work until her death in 2002. He later rewrote his screenplay for the stage to focus on the essential relationship between the two protagonists. Nine weeks before filming began, Logue's notebooks were discovered and quotations from them were incorporated into the script.

Principal photography took place in London and around Britain from November 2009 to January 2010. The opening scenes were filmed in Elland Road, Leeds (for the since-demolished Wembley Stadium), Buckingham Palace interiors in Lancaster House, and Ely Cathedral stood in for Westminster Abbey. The cinematography differs from other historical dramas: hard light was used to give the story a greater resonance and wider than normal lenses were used to recreate the King's feelings of constriction. A third technique Hooper employed was the off-centre framing of characters: in his first consultation with Logue, George VI is captured hunched on the side of a couch at the edge of the frame.
Released in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2011, The King's Speech was a major box office and critical success. Censors initially gave it adult ratings due to profanity, though these were later revised downwards after criticism by the makers and distributors in the UK and some instances of swearing were muted in the US. On a budget of GB£8 million, it earned over US$400 million internationally (£250 million). It was widely praised by film critics for its visual style, art direction, and acting. Other commentators discussed the film's representation of historical detail, especially the reversal of Winston Churchill's opposition to abdication. The film received many awards and nominations, particularly for Colin Firth's performance; his Golden Globe Award for Best Actor was the sole win at that ceremony from seven nominations. The King's Speech won seven British Academy Film Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Firth), Best Supporting Actor (Rush), and Best Supporting Actress (Bonham Carter). The film also won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Hooper), Best Actor (Firth), and Best Original Screenplay (Seidler).

The Inbetweeners Movie is a 2011 British bildungsroman teen comedy film based on the E4 sitcom The Inbetweeners, written by series creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris and directed by Ben Palmer. The film follows the misadventures of a group of teenage friends on holiday in Crete after the end of their final year at school together, and currently serves as an ending to the TV series. It stars Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a 2011 adventure fantasy film and the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Gore Verbinski, who had directed the three previous films, was replaced by Rob Marshall, while Jerry Bruckheimer again served as producer.
In the film, which draws inspiration from the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is joined by Angelica (Penélope Cruz) in his search for the Fountain of Youth, confronting the infamous pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). The film was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, and had its theatrical debut in release dates falling within May 18 and May 20, 2011. The release was presented in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3D, as well as in traditional two-dimensional and IMAX formats.
Writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott first learned of Powers' novel during the back-to-back production of Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, and considered it a good starting point for a new movie in the series. Pre-production started after the end of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, with Johnny Depp collaborating with the writers on the story design. Principal photography rolled for 106 days between June and November 2010, with locations in Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, and California. Filming employed 3D cameras similar to those used in the production of the 2009 film Avatar, and ten companies were involved with the film's visual effects.
On Stranger Tides broke many box office records upon release, and it stands as the 8th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide when not adjusting for inflation. Critical reviews were mixed to negative, with the film receiving criticism over the script-writing, excessiveness, and lack of originality; positive mentions were given on the acting, directing and visuals.

The Hangover Part II is a 2011 American comedy film produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and a sequel to 2009's The Hangover. Todd Phillips directed the film in addition to co-authoring the script with Craig Mazin, and Scott Armstrong. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha. The Hangover Part II tells the story of Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug as they travel to Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu takes no chances and opts for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things do not go as planned, resulting in another bad hangover with no memories of the previous night.
Development of The Hangover Part II began in April 2009, two months before The Hangover was released. The principal actors were cast in March 2010 to reprise their roles from the first film. Production began in October 2010, in Ontario, California, before moving on location in Thailand. The film was released on May 26, 2011 and, despite receiving mostly negative reviews from critics, it became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time.




The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is a 2011–2012 set of two romantic fantasy films directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The two-part film forms the fourth and final installments in the The Twilight Saga series. All three main cast members, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprise their roles.
Part 1, rated PG-13, was released on November 18, 2011, and Part 2 will be released on November 16, 2012. The first film has grossed over $705 million worldwide. Wyck Godfrey and Karen Rosenfelt served as executive producers for the film, along with the author of the series, Stephenie Meyer; the screenplay was written by Melissa Rosenberg, the screenwriter of the first three entries. Part 2 will be released by Lionsgate in the US, in consequence of the merge between Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment. Part 1 was released on DVD on Saturday, February 11, 2012 in the United States. There was a special midnight release event, with a sneak peek of Part 2, at participating Target stores.


Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a 2011 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. First released on June 23, 2011, it is the third installment of the live-action Transformers film series. Like its predecessors, Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the FallenTransformers: Dark of the Moon is directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film's story is set three years after the events of the second film, with the Autobots, during their collaboration with the NEST (Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers) military force, discovering a hidden alien technology in possession of humans, which had been found by Apollo 11 on the Moon 42 years prior. However, the Decepticons unveil a plan to use the technology to enslave Humanity in order to bring back Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers.

Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro reprised their starring roles, with Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving returning as the voices of Optimus Prime and Megatron, and Kevin Dunn and Julie White reprising their roles as the parents of the main protagonist, Sam Witwicky. English model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaced Megan Fox as the lead female character; the cast also saw the additions of Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, and Frances McDormand. This installment of the franchise, which director Bay originally announced would be his last, welcomed Keith Szarabajka, Ron Bottitta, John DiMaggio,George Coe, Francesco Quinn, James Remar, Greg Berg, and veteran science-fiction actor Leonard Nimoy to the voice cast. The script was written by Ehren Kruger, who also collaborated on the narrative of the second film of the series. Dark of the Moonemployed both regular 35mm film cameras and specially-developed 3-D cameras, with filming locations in Chicago, Florida, Indiana, Moscow, and Washington, D.C.. The film was rendered specifically for 3-D, and the visual effects involved more complex robots which took longer to render.

In May 2011, it was announced that Paramount Pictures would move Transformers: Dark of the Moon's release date of July 1 to June 29 in order to monitor an early response to footage. Exclusive early premieres in select 3-D and IMAX theaters took place June 28, 2011, one night before worldwide release in 2-D and 3-D (including IMAX 3D) formats--each featuring Dolby Surround 7.1 sound.
Critical reception of the film was mixed to negative, with several critics calling it better than Revenge of the Fallen and praising the film's visuals and 3D action sequences, but criticizing its writing, acting, and length. Dark of the Moon grossed $1.12 billion worldwide, and is currently the fourth highest-grossing film of all time, the second highest grossing film of 2011 (behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2), the highest grossing film in the Transformers series, and the tenth film to gross over $1 billion. The film was nominated for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing at the 84th Academy Awards. A sequel to the film, directed once again by Michael Bay, is scheduled for release in June 2014.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a 2011 British-American action mystery film directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, and Dan Lin. It is a sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The screenplay is written by Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law reprise their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, and several other actors appear as characters they played in the 2009 film. Holmes and Watson join forces to outwit and bring down their most cunning adversary, Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris. The film is specifically influenced by Conan Doyle's work The Final Problem, but it is an independent story rather than a strict adaptation.
Despite receiving generally mixed reviews from critics, the film became a box office success with a worldwide gross of over $534 million.

Bridesmaids is a 2011 American comedy film written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, directed by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, and Clayton Townsend. The plot centers on Annie (Wiig), who suffers a series of misfortunes after being asked to serve as maid of honor for her best friend Lillian (played by Maya Rudolph). Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, and Wendi McLendon-Covey co-star as Annie's fellow bridesmaids, with Chris O'Dowd and Jill Clayburgh—who died of leukemia in November 2010 before the film was released—playing key supporting roles.
Bridesmaids was both critically and commercially successful upon its opening release on May 13, 2011, in the United States and Canada. The film grossed $26 million in its opening weekend, eventually grossing over $288 million worldwide, and surpassed Knocked Up (2007) to become the top-grossing Apatow production to date. The film received a 90 percent overall approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes and served as a touchpoint for a discussion about women in comedy.
It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and received multiple other accolades. On January 24, 2012, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Melissa McCarthy and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. This made it the first Apatow film to be nominated for an Academy Award, as well as making Wiig the first female SNL cast member to be nominated, and the third overall.

Arthur Christmas is a British/American 2011 3-D computer animated Christmas fantasy comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Aardman Animations and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was released on November 11, 2011, in the UK and on November 23, 2011, in the USA. The film was directed by Sarah Smith, and it features voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen. Set in the North Pole, the plot tells about Santa's son Arthur Christmas, who must complete a mission before Christmas morning. It is Aardman Animations' first computer-animated cinema feature with Sony Pictures Animation.

Johnny English Reborn is a 2011 British spy comedy film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre. The film is the sequel to Johnny English (2003), and stars Rowan Atkinson reprising his role as the title character and directed by Oliver Parker. The film has a slightly darker tone than the previous film, but retains Atkinson's signature humour. Like its predecessor, it was met with mixed reviews, but has grossed a total of $160,078,586 worldwide.

Tangled is a 2010 American computer animated musical fantasy-comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is the 50th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The film features the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and Donna Murphy and is loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" in the collection of folk tales published by the Brothers Grimm. The film tells the story of a lost princess with long magical hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. Against her mother's wishes, she enlists the aid of a bandit thief to take her out into the world which she has never seen.
The film was originally titled and marketed as Rapunzel until it was changed to Tangled shortly before its release. Tangled spent six years in production at a cost that has been estimated at $260 million which, if accurate (and adjusted for inflation), would make it the most expensive animated film ever made and the second most expensive movie of all time. The film employed a unique artistic style by blending features of both computer-generated imagery (CGI) and traditional animation together, while utilizing non-photorealistic rendering to create the impression of a painting. Composer Alan Menken, who had worked on prior Disney animated features, returned to score Tangled.
Tangled premiered at the El Capitan Theatre on November 14, 2010, and went into general release on November 24. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, Tangled earned $590 million in worldwide box-office revenue, $200 million of which was earned in the United States and Canada. The film was well received by critics and audiences alike. Tangled was nominated for a number of awards, including Best Original Song at the 83rd Academy Awards. The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 29, 2011; an animated short sequel, Tangled Ever After, was released in 2012.
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