One reason to celebrate the New Year this weekend is on January 20, Kate Beckinsale returns to the Underworld universe in Underworld Awakening. To help you mark the occasion, Movie Fanatic has a few new stills from the upcoming film. Is it safe to say that there is a Selene pose? Beckinsale has the role of a lifetime in the Underworld series and in our first photo, she strikes a pose familiar to legions of fans. Her hand outstretched, gun in her grip, ready to extol justice... you know, the Selene pose!

Our second photo shows Beckinsale’s Selene avoiding a situation that appears to be a little hot. Stay with Movie Fanatic as the Underworld Awakening release date gets ever closer as we are all over this flick! And don't miss the latest Underworld Awakening trailer.

With its Christmas Day release, War Horse did not register on the weekend box office top 10. But it has made up for it since. War Horse has charged through the gate and earned an impressive $15 million in four days.

What else has been incredibly impressive is Tom Cruise’s latest turn as Ethan Hunt. Since Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol opened it has racked up $78.6 million at the domestic box office. Even more astounding are the numbers that Cruise’s latest pic has earned internationally. Ghost Protocol has taken in $218.6 million globally.

On Sunday alone, Spielberg’s War Horse came in third, behind Ghost Protocol and the second Sherlock Holmes film. Since Spielberg’s War Horse debuted, it has also earned the rare high grade on CinemaScore -- a service that tracks audience opinion. The picture is currently holding fast at an A-.

Where War Horse will finish, time will tell. But at this rate, War Horse is quickly making it one of Spielberg’s most popular films (don’t miss our Top 10 Steven Spielberg movies!).

As Warner Bros. rolled out their 2012 preview kit, Movie Fanatic has brought you new photos from Gangster Squad and The Dark Knight Rises. Today we have a pic of Ben Affleck from his next directorial feature, Argo.

Argo is a drama about the plot to rescue the Americans held at our country’s embassy in 1979 in Tehran, Iran.

What strikes us most about the new Argo still is, honestly, his beard. Now, beards appear to be making a comeback across the world, but they’re not as shaggy as Ben’s is in this still. There’s something very 1970s about it, no?!

We’re quite excited about Affleck’s next directing venture after his incredible work on The Town and Gone Baby Gone. Warner Bros. must have high hopes for the picture as well. It is being released in the midst of 2012’s Oscar season, on September 14.

After a seriously slow start, film 2011 produced an impeccable year of cinematic delights from all kinds of genres. In fact, when Movie Fanatic sat down to draft our Top 10 Movies of 2011, it was a Top 25. But, settling on 10 is the mission should I choose to accept it (paraphrasing a famous phrase from honorable mention movie Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and I have. Here are your Top 10 Movies of 2011.

Top 10 Films of 2011:

10. Tie: Midnight in Paris and The Artist
Woody Allen scored his biggest box office hit of his esteemed career with Midnight in Paris, not that tickets sold equals top movie of the year material. But, there is a reason that so many went to see Midnight in Paris in 2011. It is a fantastic film with clever humor weaved in with not so simple storylines that give lessons while simultaneously giving audiences joy beyond belief. Who would have thought that Owen Wilson could channel Woody Allen? He does so, impeccably.

Midnight in Paris Trailer

Meanwhile, two French stars make the silent, black and white The Artist an amazing piece of work. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are two silent movie stars on the opposite end of the shifting fame stick. Silent movies are on their way out as talkies begin their climb to the movie-going norm. Dujardin’s George Valentin lets pride blind him as Bejo’s Peppy Miller ingests change and comes out the world’s biggest movie star. Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius crafts a film in The Artist that is truly a piece of art.

The Artist Trailer

9. Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids not only showed that a film starring mostly women could score at the box office, but that that piece of work could be the funniest movie of the year and one of its best overall. Kristen Wiig co-wrote and starred in a gem that will forever be copied but never in the same league of greatness.

Bridesmaids Red Band Trailer

8. Drive
Ryan Gosling smoldered in Drive and the L.A. story was also a study in extraordinary filmmaking at its very best. Drive managed to make Los Angeles a character in the story of a man (Gosling) who is a part-time stunt driver, part-time mechanic, part-time getaway driver and full-time individual who is keenly aware of his surroundings and secular place in the order of things. Albert Brooks shocked the world as a gangster who strikes fear on every level while the Drive story compelled, crushed and consumed us.

Drive Red Band Trailer

7. 50/50
Not only did Seth Rogen give the performance of his career (hello Independent Spirit Award nomination) in 50/50, but the film featured one of the year’s most astounding scripts. The semi-true story of writer Will Reiser (inhabited on screen by Joseph Gordon Levitt) tackles the serious subject of cancer with a heavy hand of humor and life-affirming bravado.

50/50 Trailer

6. The Help
Between Bridesmaids and The Help, the summer of 2011 belonged to the female-centric story when it comes to the best films of the year. With The Help, not only did writer-director Tate Taylor bring a beloved book effectively to life on screen, but he crafted a movie for the ages that can be witnessed a century from now and still possess the same power. The Help’s story of the women who raised the children of Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s resonates profoundly. It possesses all the ingredients for an important moment in movie history, but also entertains… period.

The Help Trailer

5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the best film about 9/11 and its aftereffects that Movie Fanatic has ever seen. The film starring Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks makes the tragedy more personal than any previous seen. Thomas Horn has a star-is-born moment as a young boy who is reeling from his father’s death in the Twin Towers. The story and Horn’s performance do the impossible: Make us forget that Oscar winners Hanks and Bullock are even in the movie. 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Trailer 2

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Was it a fitting conclusion to an epic series? Yes. Could David Yates have made more of a stellar film in 2011? No. Note to all filmmakers seeking to bring a satisfying and mind-blowing conclusion to an adored series: Follow Yates' model! Deathly Hallows Part 2 does the astounding in that it works as a stand-alone movie that is among the year’s most commanding. At its core is the battle between right and wrong. Regardless of the fact that it took seven previous films to get to this point, if seen on its own, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will wow audiences in its wizardry on screen.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Trailer #2

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
One of the great mysteries of our time is actually so much more. A David Fincher film is worthy of a year’s top 10 attention regardless of its subject matter, merely on his talent merits alone. But author Stieg Larsson’s story has Fincher wielding his storytelling majesty with a novel that has enthralled millions. As such, Dragon Tattoo gives Fincher a palette to create one of his most astonishing pieces of pure cinematic beauty.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 8-Minute Trailer

2. The Descendants
The Descendants is only the number two film of 2011 by a hair. The pure cinematic scope of our number one is why it is the top film. George Clooney rose to the occasion that was appearing in an Alexander Payne (Sideways) film, but exceeded expectations and will likely win a Best Actor Oscar. Clooney is a father trying to hold together his family after his wife and his daughters' mother lands in a life-threatening coma. He discovers that his wife was having an affair at the time of the accident from his teenage daughter (Golden Globe nominee Shailene Woodley) and the journey he and his family then go on throughout their Hawaiian homeland is powerful and precise in its ability to show audiences why we go to the movies.

The Descendants Trailer 2

1. Hugo
The best of the best is what Hugo brings to the table. Our era’s best director, Martin Scorsese, has a story in Hugo that allows the auteur to spin a yarn that is pure platinum. At its heart, Hugo is a celebration of cinema. As such, Scorsese, the Dean of Moviemaking, is in his element and the recipient of that celluloid joy is the audience. Using 3D for the first time, Scorsese agonized over every frame and word out of his actors' mouths. The result is a movie experience that is not only the best of the year, but one of the best of the last decade.

The Trailer for Hugo

Honorable mentions (films that almost made the top 10): Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Puss in Boots, Shame, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, War Horse, Margin Call, Super 8, The Muppets, Hanna, Jane Eyre, Moneyball, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Beginners.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Stellan Skarsgard is as pleased as pie when Movie Fanatic sits down with him at the Crosby Hotel in New York City. He should be. Skarsgard has had an incredible year that was equally as successful for the actor as it was inspiring.

The Swedish actor starred in Thor, Melancholia and now Dragon Tattoo. That’s quite a year for the man who was trained on the stages of Sweden and now is an international movie star. Actors have no say when films get released, but the fact that Skarsgard has had three incredibly well-received films come out in one calendar year is something he looks on a bit differently than most. “I never would have thought of it as a great year, but I understand there’s been a lot of attention around these movies. I really concentrate on doing them. They are all very different, that’s what I live for, it’s food to me. But, it’s fun that it’s three movies where all three are good, and very different,” Skarsgard said. “I got to work with three really good directors. Getting to work with three incredible directors in one year, that’s not bad. It's very inspiring.”

In Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Skarsgard portrays Martin Vanger. He is part of the family that Christopher Plummer refers to in the Dragon Tattoo trailer as “the most detestable collection of people that you will ever meet.” Plummer has hired Daniel Craig’s Mikael Blomkvist to solve a forty-year-old murder involving his family. Skarsgard’s Martin is more than game to help Craig, and Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth Salander, catch a killer.

Portraying a character that is central to any mystery is a tricky endeavor for an actor. The possibility of revealing too much for the audience is always there. “You make your choices. But also, what we decided to do with several of the scenes is different levels of transparency in each scene. I played it a couple of times without revealing anything. And then some where you could feel something strange going on and some where you really feel the black undertow really popped off,” Skarsgard said. For him, the challenge is actually pure joy. “That’s fun to be able to do that. David Fincher does so many takes and he allows you to show different sides of the character. Then, it’s up to him to calibrate it when he edits.”

When it comes to director Fincher, he could have been filming Dr. Seuss and Skarsgard would have participated. “What I wanted to do was not Dragon Tattoo. What I wanted to do was work with Fincher. I really didn’t care what material he had. I knew it would be interesting,” Skarsgard said. Working with Fincher has its benefits. There are few directors working in 2011 that possess his uncanny vision. “In this case, I was sure that it was going to be a very intense film. I was sure it would have an atmosphere that would have enormous density. I was sure he would take care of the characters in the film -- he’s not only technically brilliant.”

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: New TV Spot

Fincher warned Skarsgard of his notorious shoots that can often mean dozens of takes per scene. “He said, ‘If you work with me, it’s not going to be fun. I do like 40 takes.’”

Skarsgard’s reaction to Fincher’s warning was not what the helmer expected. “I’m not working if it’s not fun. Doing 40 takes is fun to me,” Skarsgard said and laughed. “He uses the takes to create a scene that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. A lot of things happen because after 39 takes, you’re pretty tired. You start losing control. But, that also can bring out things that you never planned. Which is what life is… unplannable. But the atmosphere on the set is extremely concentrated, but extremely relaxed. There’s a lot of jokes going on, he has a great sense of humor.”

Being from Sweden where the country’s version of the film is a blockbuster, Skarsgard bucked what we thought when he informed us that his country sees another film being made of their beloved Stieg Larsson book as an honor. “I think that people in Sweden are extremely proud and happy that Fincher is making it. Also, that Fincher came to Sweden to film it there,” he said. “That means a great deal.”

Although he’s seen the Swedish film and is keenly aware of the Dragon Tattoo book, Skarsgard cautioned that when approaching any fresh material, one must stay true to what it is you are crafting. “It’s more about the script and the film you’re trying to make. For instance, I haven’t read the book yet. I saw the Swedish script and film and I knew the story. Everybody knows the story in Sweden by now. Every time you do something from a source, it is to a certain extent, you should be true to core,” Skarsgard said. “It has to be a piece of art that has to stand on its own legs. It was what I hoped the film would be like and a little more.”

When asked what moment of his career stood out, Movie Fanatic got the most personal of answers. “There was something that changed my attitude towards a lot of things. I did a film called Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg. I played Wallenberg, who saved Jews in Hungary during World War II. We were shooting in the old ghetto there, night shoots, freezing cold. Out of the houses came all these Jews that had lived there and had met Wallenberg. They came up to me and touched me and cried. Suddenly, it became something different for me. I didn’t care if this became a good film. I don’t care if my performance is a good piece of art. The only thing that is important is that in some essence or way, what I do is true to those people and their lives,” Skarsgard said.

“The strange thing was what came out of that was I suddenly could do pure entertainment films because they were just as unimportant as the serious films to me. In a way, it made me more lighthearted in my approach. I was not so pretentious. Now I’m doing the dark stuff and the light stuff and I’m having a good life [laughs].”

Relatively quiet on the DVD and Blu-Ray release front this last week of 2011. Three films make their way to home video including two fear fests and one bodacious comedy.

Final Destination 5: The best of the Final Destination series is its most recent. The scares are crisper and more original. The plotline smolders until its explosive conclusion. There’s even an ending that will send fans of the series over the edge with surprise. The extras only add to the thrills. Particularly awesome are the making-of features on the bridge collapse scene and the airplane crash. What Final Destination fan couldn’t use a few extra death scenes? In the DVD and Blu-Ray combo pack, you get just that, a series of alternative death scenes. It is pure gold.

Apollo 18: The story of a secret moon mission gone wrong is the premise of Apollo 18. The film failed to find an audience in theaters, but should do well on Blu-Ray and DVD. Apollo 17 was supposedly the final mission to the moon for NASA. But a secret Defense Department mission with NASA sent Apollo 18 to investigate some mysterious going-ons on the moon. What ensues is pure horror. Extras are sparse beyond the director commentary, 16 deleted scenes and alternative endings.

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy: We’d watch Jason Sudeikis in anything. A Good Old Fashioned Orgy is exactly how it sounds. A group of friends decide to have the most debaucherous of weekends before taking life a little more seriously. A Good Old Fashioned Orgy also stars Leslie Bibb and Lake Bell. The extras are minimal including the as expected deleted scenes and as comedies always do: Bloopers.

Fresh on the tail of The Hobbit trailer, Warner Bros. has given Movie Fanatic seven new character pictures. The Hobbit doesn’t arrive until late in 2012 and for those of you who have read the J.R.R. Tolkien book, the fact that we’re getting a glimpse at the dwarf warriors central to the story is hardly a surprise.

Peter Jackson is back at the helm of The Lord of the Rings prequel, and as he shared with us in his most recent Hobbit production video, work is still to be done.

The Hobbit’s first installment, An Unexpected Journey, is written by Jackson, his long time partner Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and legend Guillermo del Toro.

Is it us or do these warriors look especially fierce?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey also marks the return of Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis.

The story follows titular character Bilbo Baggins. His Hobbit is pulled into an epic quest whose effects were felt throughout The Lord of the Rings series.

Our heroes will once again battle Orcs and Goblins, but also Wargs, Shapeshifters and evil Sorcerers.

An Unexpected Journey arrives on screens December 14.

It was a banner year for movie trailers in 2011. Choosing the Top 10 Movie Trailers of 2011 was an almost impossible task. It was even more difficult than selecting our Top 10 Movies of 2011! The science of putting together a compelling teaser has become an art form. Many movies give away too much, but the best of the best know how to deliver nuggets of information coupled with the feel of the movie itself. When done brilliantly, sometimes it can be better than the film itself (hello Battle: Los Angeles).

We did the "hard" work of looking through hundreds of trailers that were released this year to present to you the Movie Fanatic Top 10 Movie Trailers of 2011.

10. The Muppets Parody Trailers
All The Muppets parody trailers were spectacular. Perhaps because we're such big Dragon Tattoo fans, we chose The Pig with the Froggy Tattoo Muppets trailer as our number 10 trailer of the year.

The Muppets: The Pig with the Froggy Tattoo

9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The international trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes could be thought of by some as what pushed people over the edge to go see this prequel to the iconic movie series and make it a smash of summer 2011. It builds and builds until you find yourself cheering for the apes, without fully knowing the entire story.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes International Trailer

8. Captain America
The first full length trailer for Captain America took our hero from tiny man who couldn't get into the Army to fight in World War II to the superhero leading our troops into battle.

Captain America: The First Avenger Full Length Trailer

7. The Hobbit
One of the most highly anticipated trailers of 2011 delivered and then some. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit has been a film with more questions than answers for a very long time. When the trailer for The Hobbit arrived, fans could not only breathe a sigh of relief, but relish in the mastery that awaits us when the film premieres in December 2012.

The Hobbit Trailer

6. The Avengers
Like The Hobbit before, The Avengers has fans buzzing with expectation. You can imagine the collective "yeahs!" exerted by fans of the Marvel superhero collective that is making its screen debut. All our favorite characters are represented, but the star of the trailer has to be Robert Downey Jr.

The Avengers Trailer

5. Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises trailer arrived with the fanfare of a conquering hero. Director Christopher Nolan has crafted a teaser that gives us just enough doses of our favorite bat and also introduces us to the villainy that is Bane.

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

4. Snow White and the Huntsman
Charlize Theron is what makes the Snow White and the Huntsman trailer our number four trailer of 2011. Her take on the evil queen to Kristen Stewart's Snow White is the stuff of legend. Plus, it does what a good trailer should do: Has us drooling for more.

Snow White and the Huntsman Trailer

3. The Hunger Games
Only a film of the weight of The Hunger Games could have a teaser to their trailer and have it become a hit. When The Hunger Games trailer actually debuted, the power it created as fans rushed to their computers to watch it reverberated through the world.

The Hunger Games Movie Trailer

2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Film trailers are usually 30 to 60 seconds, sometimes two minutes at the most. When David Fincher released his eight-minute trailer, he had done the impossible: Given fans a slew of visual images coupled with plot points and yet, not given away a thing.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 8-Minute Trailer

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
When the second Deathly Hallows Part 2 trailer premiered, it truly marked the beginning of the end. Seeing the shot of Harry Potter and Voldemort as Potter grabs him and pulls him off a ledge brought into focus the central theme of the final Potter chapter. Harry and he who shall not be named were in a battle to the death. Whether a trailer or not, these two and a half minutes were better than 50 percent of the films released in 2011!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Trailer #2

As Girl with the Dragon Tattoo continues to enthrall fans with the David Fincher-directed movie version, the powerful film also has something else going for it: Fantastic movie quotes.

The story of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist (Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig) and their journey to uncover the truth about a 40-year-old murder is one powerful tale. The fact that the book by Stieg Larsson has sold over 60 million copies and warrants a Swedish film version on top of an American version speaks to the international demand for all things Dragon Tattoo.

After witnessing the fantastic film, we have some pretty stellar Girl with the Dragon Tattoo quotes.

Henrik Vanger: The clock is ticking, I need your help.
Mikael Blomkvist: Doing what?
Henrik Vanger: Officially assisting with my memoirs. But what you'll really be doing is investigating thieves, misers and bullies -- the most detestable collection of people that you will ever meet -- my family. | permalink

Dirch Frode: Your report is light in another area -- his personal life. Anything you chose not to disclose?
Lisbeth Salander: He's had a long standing sexual relationship with his co-editor of the magazine. Sometimes he pleasures her -- not often enough, in my opinion.
Dirch Frode: You're right not to include that. | permalink

Henrik Vanger: Someone in the family murdered Harriet, and for the past 40 years, has been trying to drive me insane. | permalink

Lisbeth Salander: I've taken care of myself since I was ten.
Nils Bjurman: The state has taken care of you. | permalink

Lisbeth Salander: I've never done this before. Hold still or it'll get messy. | permalink

Mikael Blomkvist: Can I call you Lisbeth? I want you to help me catch a killer of women. | permalink

Lisbeth Salander: May I kill him? | permalink

Mikael Blomkvist: What has happened to you? How did you turn out this way? You know everything about me. I don't know (expletive) about you. Not a damn thing.
Lisbeth Salander: That's the way it is. | permalink

One of the top grossing movies of 2011 has announced its Blu-Ray and DVD release date. Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be coming home January 31, 2012 with almost four hours of extensive bonus features.

Transformers fans can get Dark of the Moon in several formats when it arrives January 31 including the four disc ultimate edition Blu-Ray 3D and the Blu-Ray and DVD combo pack. “This Blu-ray 3D of Dark of the Moon will blow you away. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get a 3D television, this is it,” director Michael Bay said. “For fans that’ve been waiting patiently to bring Dark of the Moon home, this Ultimate Edition release delivers the goods.”

Transformers: Dark of the Moon earned $1.1 billion at the global box office and rightfully so -- it is the best of the series.

Among the extras that are sure to compel is the two-hour documentary that takes fans inside the global trek that was making the third Transformers.

If that is not enough, Paramount Home Video is also releasing the entire series on a seven disc limited collector’s edition that features all three films, over 10 hours of extra footage and a plaque of movie images, signed by director Michael Bay.

The Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack has the following features:

Disc 1 (Blu-ray):
Feature film in high definition

Disc 2 (Blu-ray):
Above and Beyond: Exploring Dark of the Moon
Rising from the Fallen: Development and Design
Ready for Prime Time: Filming Across America
Battle in the Heartland: Shooting in Chicago
Attack of the Birdmen: Aerial Stunts
Shadow of the Sentinel: Post-Production and Release
Uncharted Territory: NASA’s Future Then and Now
Deconstructing Chicago: Multi-Angle Sequences
Previsualizations with optional commentary by director Michael Bay and previsualization supervisor Steve Yamamoto
Previsualizations/Final Shot Comparison with optional commentary by director Michael Bay and previsualization supervisor Steve Yamamoto
Visual Effects with optional commentary by visual effects supervisors Scott Farrar and Matthew Butler

Visual Effects/Final Shot Comparison with optional commentary by visual effects supervisors Scott Farrar and Matthew Butler
The Art of Cybertron, Autobots and  Decepticons

Disc 3 (DVD):
Feature film in standard definition
Digital Copy -- Compatible with iTunes and Windows Media

Movie Fanatic recently ran the Top 10 Pirated Movies of All Time and to follow up, we’ve got the Top 10 Pirated Movies of 2011. So, who’s number one?

Fast Five not only was a surprise hit for Universal, it takes the title as the most pirated film of 2011 with over 9.2 million downloads. It was the clear winner (loser?) of the pirated title over The Hangover II, which had 400,000 less downloads.

Coming in third is Chris Hemsworth’s debut as Thor with 8.3 million downloads. A fantastic film that we thought was overlooked in 2011 lands in fourth place. Guess it’s not so overlooked with Source Code’s 7.9 million downloads. Another under-appreciated film of 2011, I Am Number Four, took the last spot in the top five with 7.6 million downloads.

Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of 2011:

1. Fast Five
2. The Hangover II
3. Thor
4. Source Code
5. I Am Number Four
6. Sucker Punch
7. 127 Hours
8. Rango
9. The King’s Speech
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The story of Joey and Albert, horse and human caretaker, is expertly told on screen by Steven Spielberg in War Horse. His latest film is based on an iconic book and award-winning play of the same name about the relationship between a boy and his horse and how it’s impacted by the arrival of World War I. As War Horse picks up steam at the end of the year box office, Spielberg recently sat down to discuss War Horse, his passion for horses and why he undertook the difficult task of bringing a beloved story to the big screen.

The esteemed filmmaker was all too eager to delve into the history of World War I -- something he felt was ignored in classrooms. “Why didn’t I learn this in school?” Spielberg asked.

He and his production team headed to the Imperial War Museum in the U.K. and became WW I scholars. “They opened up all of their backroom exhibits that the public does not get to see on the First World War. And we were taken into the bowels of the museum into their archives. We went back there and we saw some things. We got statistics and learned so much that we didn’t know about. I wasn’t willing to bring it out in the film, because this wasn’t meant to be a history lesson. There’s nowhere in the film that says four and a half million horses were killed in the First World War. But it was important that we got to understand the jeopardy both Joey and his best horse friend, Top Thorn, were going to be in.”

Spielberg cautions that he never saw War Horse as joining the legions of his war films. “It didn’t hit the same button, didn’t trigger the same response in me that Saving Private Ryan did with me wanting to tell more stories about my father’s war,” the director said.

“It’s not one of my war movies. This is much more of a real story between the connections that animals achieve with people -- the way animals can actually connect people together. That’s what Joey does. Joey’s miracles are really in his great sense of optimism and hope and all the people he encounters. This was much more focused on the characters. The war certainly was a horrendous backdrop, created tremendous tension, drama, and the need to survive, but the war, unlike Private Ryan, was not in the foreground of War Horse.”

Illustrating that point is an emotionally powerful scene in War Horse where a German and British soldier come together to help the titular horse. “There’s a little moment where the Brit and the German are able to help Joey who’s trapped in barbed wire. It was a lovely moment in the play, a very fleeting moment in the play, but it made a profound impact on me,” Spielberg said.

War Horse Trailer

The scope of War Horse is vast and Spielberg needed to be at his best to never lose focus on whose story he wanted to tell. "One of the biggest challenges of keeping track of all the stories was never forgetting Albert (don't miss our exclusive interview with Jeremy Irvine, who plays Albert). I was so afraid that Joey’s experiences with other characters, both on the British and the German side, were going to erase the memory of the first act [with Albert],” Spielberg said. It was there that he turned to the famous novel, and not the award-winning stage play. “Unlike the play, [we] eliminate Albert from the entire second act of the film, which is what the book does, but not the play. The play has Albert connected throughout the entire experience on stage.”

After viewing War Horse, it’s clear that Spielberg has an affinity for horses. It’s easy to see why. “I live with 12 horses, because my daughter who’s just turned 15 is a competitive jumper and she travels the country in competition jumping her horses. Right now we have eight on the property living with us,” he admitted. “So, I’ve been living with horses now for about 15 years. So, when I saw War Horse [the play], I was maybe even more ready to tell this story. Sometimes a story just connects with me. When they really connect with me with such intensity, I have to make the movie. I have to direct a movie, not produce, but direct it.”

Easily one of 2012’s most anticipated movies, The Hunger Games has a little New Year’s present for its fans: A new still of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss.

The film based on Suzanne Collins’ book hits theaters on March 23 and we’re still getting over the arrival of the stellar Hunger Games trailer and its leaving us wanting more. Guess we’re not the only ones as demand for all things Hunger Games has produced this lovely shot of Lawrence as Katniss rising into the arena to meet her fate.

Note to Lionsgate, who is releasing the film, we need more… much more!

The Grey has already enthralled us with a thrilling trailer and hard-hitting TV spot. Now Liam Neeson and director Joe Carnahan (The A-Team) are taking Movie Fanatic readers behind the making of their stuck-in-the-cold thriller. The Grey hits theaters January 27, 2012 and follows a man (Neeson) who with his crew survives a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness. Great, right? Not so fast… They have landed in the middle of a pack of grey wolves’ territory. Guess who’s not happy?

The Grey: Behind the Scenes

Neeson and Carnahan re-team and after the actor’s box office success anchoring his own action films, Unknown and Taken, we would not be surprised if audiences also flock to The Grey.

Tom Cruise and his Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol are the kings of the world’s box office. Ghost Protocol has shot past $250 million in international box office sales as Cruise’s latest Mission is proving to be his best. What better way to remember a remarkable film than with some memorable quotes from a Mission we would like to revisit again and again?

Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt and so is Simon Pegg as Benji. New recruits for the fourth in the Mission Impossible franchise are Paula Patton as Jane and Jeremy Renner as Brandt. As you ready to pop the cork on that New Year’s Eve champagne, sit back and enjoy some explosive moments from our best Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol quotes.

Ethan: With great power comes great responsibility. | permalink

IMF Secretary: An hour ago, a bomb blew up the Kremlin. The President has initiated 'Ghost Protocol' -- the entire IMF has been disavowed. Now I've been ordered to take you to Washington where they will hang the Kremlin bombing on you and your team -- unless you were to escape after assaulting Brandt and me. But if anyone of your team is caught, they will be branded terrorists out to incite global nuclear war.
Ethan: So what happens now?
IMF Secretary: Your mission, should you choose to accept it... | permalink

Ethan: The Secretary is dead. The four of us are all that remains of the IMF. No safe house, no support, or extraction. Everyone connected with this man is an asset with valuable information. We come back with our target, or we don't come back.
Brandt: And uh, how do you propose that we do that?
Jane: We take him out.
Benji: Yeah, we'll take him out, but discreetly.
Brandt: Discreetly? | permalink

Benji: How come I'm Pluto? I'm not even a planet.
Brandt: There's always Uranus [grins].
Benji: Hah, that was funny, 'cause you said anus. | permalink

Ethan Hunt: Who are you really, Brandt?
Brandt: We all have our secrets. Don't we, Ethan? | permalink

Benji: Blue is glue.
Ethan: And when it's red?
Benji: Dead. | permalink

Brandt: The rope isn't long enough!
Ethan: No (expletive)!
Brandt: You’re not gonna make it!
Ethan: You're not helping. | permalink

Ethan: Mission accomplished. | permalink

Paramount Pictures has released a new terrifying clip from their upcoming horror film The Devil Inside. The clip, entitled Voices, continues the movie’s attack on the senses that began with the first Devil Inside trailer.

The Devil Inside Clip: Voices

The Devil Inside follows a daughter who is trying to help Vatican priests exorcise the titular being from her mother. Looks like January 7 is the day horror fans need to mark on their calendar from the looks of all the clips we’ve seen from Devil Inside. It appears smart and utterly terrifying.

The studio has also released a new image from the film that does nothing but add fear.

500 Days of Summer stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt want to know: What are you doing for New Year’s Eve? The two stars of the 2009 hit film have shot a YouTube video called What Are You Doing for New Year's Eve. The duo sings a song simply asking what your plans are as 2011 becomes 2012. Feel free to add yours in our comment section below.

What Are You Doing for New Year's Eve by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Gordon-Levitt is due to be seen in the most anticipated film of 2012, according to a poll of our readers. Want a clue to the actor’s part? The Dark Knight Rises recently released a photo of Gordon-Levitt in his Gotham PD uniform!

As for Deschanel, she’s charming viewers each week on the breakout sitcom hit of 2011, New Girl.

And from all of us at Movie Fanatic to all of you, a happy New Year's and may 2012 be the most amazing year of your life, of course filled with the finest in film!

To say we adore Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson is a gross understatement. When the two combine forces for The Adventures of Tintin, it is cinema at its best (as you can tell from our review). Movie Fanatic is beyond pleased to find ourselves in the national TV campaign for the film where we’re quoted as saying “Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson Have Created Pure Magic.” Just to be a part of anything Spielberg and Jackson is of the highest honor for Movie Fanatic.

Enjoy the video below!

Movie Fanatic in Tintin Commercial

Meryl Streep is without argument the greatest actress of her time and she further cements that point with her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Portraying a real life individual who was larger than life in the public consciousness is among the most difficult of tasks for any actor. Streep astounds and in fact, carries the film past the mediocre movie it would have been without her.

The Iron Lady is not your typical biopic and for that it should be saluted. This is not a history lesson into the life and times of the first female Prime Minister of the U.K. The film is instead a deeply personal view of one woman and her memories as they become more fleeting.

Director Phyllida Lloyd and screenwriter Abi Morgan begin our bio by following the individual who was once the most famous woman in the world as she goes to get a pint of milk. She is old and frail and seems confused at the slightest noise or distraction. We, the audience, immediately recognize her as a much older version of the woman who dominated TV news in the 1980s. Yet, in The Iron Lady, not one soul seems to notice. As she arrives home, her caretakers are in a tizzy that she got out of the house unsupervised.

Thus is established the vehicle for which this story will be told: Thatcher as an old woman who is seen being cared for in her home, talking to her long dead husband Denis.

The first flashback begins when she finally puts away her husband's clothes after nine years and with each suit she picks up, the memory of her youth is triggered.

Lloyd and Morgan have chosen a unique method for telling the life story of one of history’s most compelling women. By establishing our storyteller as someone who is slowly losing their mind, the memories are clear on screen. But one has to wonder if she’s treated as slightly off kilter by her daughter and hired help, than what are we to make of the memories that are used to tell her story? Many are well documented, but the personal moments left us with a raised eyebrow.

But, the filmmakers have so much going for them that The Iron Lady, overall, does work. First and foremost is Streep (could she win another Oscar?). We could watch her recite the alphabet for two hours and it would be a delight. With a character as meaty as Thatcher and her historical legacy, Streep dives in and shows why she is the best of the best. She is Margaret Thatcher. Through her, we see how difficult it was for Thatcher to break into the all-male world of British politics. Not only did she break in, she smashed the ceiling and ruled her entire country.

The Iron Lady Trailer 2

The rest of the cast matches Streep note for note, particularly Alexandra Roach as the young Thatcher. It must have been a tough task channeling Streep for Roach! We do not wish that effort on anyone, yet Roach rivets. Also taking his already A-game even higher is Jim Broadbent as Thatcher’s husband Denis. He provides much of the humor for The Iron Lady and further proves that no one quite nails comical wit like the British actor.

The other piece of the puzzle that sets The Iron Lady apart is Thatcher’s story. It would be hard to believe in 2011 that a woman from such humble beginnings would ascend to govern one of the most powerful nations in the world, much less in the 1970s and 1980s. That she ruled with such conviction is also shown in The Iron Lady. Audiences may disagree with her policies, but what is clear throughout the film is that Thatcher is a historical figure unlike we will ever see again.

2012 is looking to be a bang up year at the movies with some of the most anticipated movies of our time finally hitting screens. From The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man to The Dark Knight Rises, superheroes will have their say. Yet, there are also a slew of new tales to be told that have caught our eye as well… like Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and The Hunger Games.

Movie Fanatic asked you in a poll of what is your most anticipated film of 2012 is, and now we give you our Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2012.

10. Dark Shadows
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp reuniting? We’re in on that alone, but the fact that their latest is their take on the iconic television series about a family of vampires and we’re all the more excited for its May 11 arrival.

9. Django Unchained
If Quentin Tarantino can do for westerns what he did for World War II movies with Inglourious Basterds, than Django Unchained should be a thrilling, no-holds barred adventure for audiences. Then, there’s that cast! Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kurt Russell, Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz have us in a complete tizzy as to how good this film could be. Django Unchained arrives Christmas Day, Merry Christmas 2012 indeed.

8. The Amazing Spider-Man
We’ve seen the first stills from The Amazing Spider-Man and our first inclination that we don’t need a new Spidey adventure so soon after Tobey Maguire hung up his web slingers were quickly dashed. Andrew Garfield is a perfect Peter Parker/Spider-Man and we adore Emma Stone. To think she’s Gwen Stacy… count us in when Spidey returns July 3.

7. Prometheus
Ridley Scott redefined the sci-fi genre with his astounding Blade Runner and Alien. The fact that it’s been decades since he went into space alone would have tongues wagging in anticipation for Prometheus. When the first trailer debuted (below), audiences began to get a clearer picture of what this Scott sci-fi venture would be and Movie Fanatic is beyond eager to get into the theater when Prometheus debuts June 8. 

Prometheus Trailer

6. Snow White and the Huntsman
This is not your grandmother’s Snow White story. Kristen Stewart plays a heavily armed and armored Snow White who is trained by Chris Hemsworth’s Huntsman to do battle against Charlize Theron’s Evil Queen. Although we haven’t heard much of Stewart’s characterization of Snow White, Theron alone has us ready to get in line June 1 to get more of her devilishly delicious performance.

Snow White and the Huntsman Trailer

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy had been in development for what seems like forever. Once Peter Jackson -- director of the original films -- signed on, The Hobbit finally got going. Judging by the Jackson production videos, his newest vision for Middle Earth is going to match the majesty of his first three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s books when it arrives December 14. Combine that with the fact that much of the original cast is back, including Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood, and The Hobbit starts our top 5 most anticipated films of next year.

The Hobbit Trailer

4. Skyfall
Like The Hobbit before, the newest James Bond film ran into trouble from the get go. Lucky for us, Daniel Craig was able to go off and do The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (check out our review). Deals were signed, a title was announced -- Skyfall -- and Craig and company were back filming the 23rd movie in the Bond franchise. Craig is by far the best bond since Sean Connery, so we are thrilled that all the I’s got dotted and the T’s were crossed and we have a new bond film for 2012 with Craig wearing the tux once again. Look for it November 9.

3. The Hunger Games
Not since the Twilight Saga has a book series had such passion attached to it in terms of its coming to the big screen. The Hunger Games is Suzanne Collins’ masterwork and with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, fans of the book have an actress who can deliver as their beloved heroine. Everything from Hunger Games stills to its poster release has captivated the world. One can only imagine the fever getting hotter as the March 23 release date gets ever closer.

The Hunger Games Movie Trailer

2. The Avengers
All of our favorite Marvel superheroes in one film? We must have died and gone to heaven with the upcoming The Avengers. The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow will defend all that is good in the world when the bad guy from the Thor movie, Loki, sets his sights on destroying Earth. The Avengers release date, May 4, seems like years away. But with us celebrating New Year’s, at least the calendar year is finally the same as The Avengers’ arrival.

The Avengers Trailer

1. The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan has done incredible work bringing the Batman story into the 21st century. His last opus, The Dark Knight, was so brilliant, it barely missed the cut to be nominated for Best Picture, but it did win an Oscar for Heath Ledger as The Joker. The Dark Knight Rises picks up eight years later and finds our bat hero fighting a villain that appears to be even more horrible than Joker. Bane, as played by Tom Hardy, promises to destroy Gotham and bring it to its knees. Sounds like Nolan has upped the ante and that is why The Dark Knight Rises is our most anticipated film of 2012. Dark Knight Rises arrives July 22.

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

Bonus! There are so many fantastic films we’re excited for, here’s a list of what other films are floating our boat: Men in Black 3, Brave, World War Z, Gangster Squad, Battleship, This is Forty, Underworld Awakening, John Carter, GI Joe: Retaliation, The Dictator, Les Miserables, Wrath of the Titans, Total Recall, The Expendables 2, Gravity, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Jack the Giant Killer, Savages, 21 Jump Street, The Great Gatsby and The Bourne Legacy.