It could not be quieter at the Cineplex for new movies this final weekend of 2011 with only one film opening, The Iron Lady -- and that is only showing in Los Angeles and New York. Iron Lady will expand to a nationwide release in January, but this weekend will serve as an opportunity to get out there and catch up on some stellar movies that have arrived in the last several weeks for most of the country.

The Iron Lady: Meryl Streep sizzles as the first female Prime Minister in British history. The film is solid, albeit told from an off-kilter point of view, and should easily garner Streep another of those record-setting Academy Award nominations. Check out our Iron Lady review for more.

The Iron Lady Trailer 2

Already in theaters:

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol: Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in the best of the Mission movies, Ghost Protocol. Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton triumph in joining Cruise’s team, and Simon Pegg is his usual awesome self, returning as Benji. As we talk about in our Ghost Protocol review, the film is a must-see on the IMAX screen.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol TV Spot 2

Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows: There is no better team at the movies this weekend than Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The pair is back after their triumphant 2009 first film and have upped the ante by bringing Holmes’ best villain, Moriarty, into the fold for A Game of Shadows. Don't miss our Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows review.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows TV Spot

We Bought a Zoo: Matt Damon charms as a widowed father of two kids in We Bought a Zoo who uproots his family from a Southern California city to a nearby rural area where he... you guessed it, Bought a Zoo. We delve deeper in our We Bought a Zoo review.

We Bought a Zoo Trailer

War Horse: Steven Spielberg’s latest triumph takes the filmmaker back to telling a war story, but as Spielberg told us in our interview, this is not a war film. Joey is Albert’s horse and the two form a bond that no war can break. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, War Horse could easily find itself a Best Picture nominee. Check out our War Horse review for further insight.

War Horse Trailer

Hugo: Movie Fanatic’s movie of the year, Hugo, is from Martin Scorsese and is one of his top three films of his esteemed career. The story of an orphan living in a Paris train station in the 1930s will leave you breathless.

The Trailer for Hugo

The Adventures of Tintin: Steven Spielberg strikes again, directing The Adventures of Tintin. The Hobbit helmer Peter Jackson produces and together, the two create a piece of magical film that will not be easily forgotten. Based on the European character, Tintin hopes to add Americans to the legions of peoples who adore him and his trusty dog’s adventures. Check out our Adventures of Tintin review for more.

The Adventures of Tintin Trailer 2

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Author Stieg Larsson would be proud of the version of his book that director David Fincher has produced. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara are Mikael and Lisbeth and together they must catch a serial killer. As we say in our Dragon Tattoo review, the movie is thrilling, powerful and one of the best of the year.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 8-Minute Trailer

Puss in Boots was a delightful surprise in 2011 and is surely going to be one of the contenders for the Best Animated Feature Oscar in February. For those of you that missed the Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek-starring instant animated classic, good news: It’s coming on Blu-Ray and DVD February 24.

In Puss in Boots, Puss is joined on his adventure with Kitty Soft Paws (Hayek) and Humpty Dumpty (a hysterical Zach Galifianakis), as well as Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris).

The film banked over $391 million in global gross and should do quite well for itself when it comes home, not only on Blu-Ray and DVD, but also on the emerging format that is Blu-Ray 3D.

We do not have a list of the bonus features for Puss in Boots, but one thing you can count on that was a mesmerizing treat in the Shrek series' home videos are the animated bloopers. What else can you expect: How about the terrific Three Diablos animated short? Pretty good, no?

As the cinematic year 2011 comes to a close, we gave your our Top 10 Movies of 2011. Now, we give you those moments of brilliance from films big and small, funny and serious… Yes, that’s right, Movie Fanatic presents the best movie quotes of 2011.

Captain America
Peggy Carter: How do you feel?
Steve Rogers: Taller. | permalink

The Muppets
Miss Piggy: There’s only one Miss Piggy, and she is moi! | permalink

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Ethan: Mission Accomplished. | permalink

Breaking Dawn Part 1
Billy: Jacob, keep your shirt on.
Jacob: No! | permalink

Puss in Boots
Humpty Dumpty: You got any idea what they do to eggs in prison? I'll tell you this. It ain't over easy. | permalink

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

The Help
Aibileen Clark: You is kind. You is smart. You is important. | permalink

Thor
Thor: I have no plans to die today... | permalink

Paranormal Activity 3
Julie: Who's Toby?
Young Kristi: He's my friend.
Julie: I don't see him.
Young Kristi: He's standing right next to you. | permalink

Contagion
Dr. Ian Sussman: Blogging is not writing. It's just graffiti with punctuation. | permalink

The Hangover Part II
Mr. Chow: Holla, City of Squalor! | permalink

Crazy, Stupid, Love
Jacob: The skin under your eyes is starting to look like Hugh Hefner's ball sack. | permalink

Bridesmaids
Annie: I am ready to party! | permalink

Moneyball
Billy Beane: There are rich teams, and there are poor teams. Then there's 50 feet of crap. And then there's us. | permalink

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol continued its impressive box office run over the New Year’s weekend. The fourth Mission movie added another $31.3 million to its take, landing in first place once again.

Coming close behind Protocol was the second Sherlock Holmes film. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law’s A Game of Shadows sold another $22.1 million worth of tickets, to take second place. The third place film, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, landed in third place with $18.3 million.

War Horse continued its impressive run that began Christmas Day. The Steven Spielberg World War I drama about a boy and his horse banked $16.9 million with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo close behind in fifth with $16.8 million.

The box office top 10:

1. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, $31.3 million
2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, $22.1 million
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, $18.3 million
4. War Horse, $16.9 million
5. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, $16.3 million
6. We Bought a Zoo, $14.3 million
7. Adventures of Tintin, $12 million
8. New Year’s Eve, $6.7 million
8. The Darkest Hour, $4.3 million
10. The Descendants, $3.7 million

With a mere 297 days before the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, lands in theaters, the super spy has had his website relaunched. In anticipation of the 23rd James Bond flick, Sony Pictures has given 007.com a makeover and released a video to promote it.

Welcome to 007.com

There is not much to the new website… yet. It’s quite mysterious and all Bond. Skyfall producer Michael G. Wilson recorded the video to honor the website’s relaunch and it does nothing but get us excited for one of Movie Fanatic’s Most Anticipated Movies of 2012.

Skyfall brings back Daniel Craig as Bond and also stars Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw. The film is directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes.

James Franco is going in full lobbying mode for his co-star in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Andy Serkis, to receive an acting nomination. “What he does is real acting,” Franco said. “I got to work opposite Andy the whole time on the actual sets. We were back to one actor acting opposite another -- it was just that one of us was playing a chimpanzee.”

What Franco is lobbying against is the perceived Oscar resistance to nominating an actor for an Academy Award whose entire effort arose from motion capture acting. Serkis earned raves (including Movie Fanatic’s review) for his performance as the lead ape in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The Academy has long resisted honoring actors who do their entire performance in the motion cap suit, but Franco thinks it’s time that they embrace technology and, most importantly, the thespian bringing a character to life. “To me, it seems like such a shame that Andy doesn’t get recognized now, because this is the moment when he’s really broken through,” Franco said.

Serkis had some Oscar talk for his portrayal of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films, but it failed to materialize in an acting nod. Franco believes the time is now and if it doesn’t happen, it will be one of the Academy’s great snubs.

“He’s doing it better than anyone else on the planet,” Franco said of Serkis and his motion capture work.

What do you think, does Serkis deserve an acting nod for Rise of the Planet of the Apes?

Safe House stars Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington are front and center in the new poster for their upcoming thriller. The story of a renegade CIA agent who returns to the world after a decade in hiding debuts February 10.

In the film (check out the Safe House trailer), Washington portrays the agent who winds up in a South African safe house, protected by Reynolds. When the facility comes under attack, the two must go on the run in order to survive. Safe House also stars Sam Shepard, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Robert Patrick and Ruben Blades.

Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, is back on screen for the first time since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (one of our Top 10 Movies of 2011). In The Woman in Black, Radcliffe changes gears from fantasy to horror in the tale of a young lawyer who goes to a client’s house to settle her affairs after she has passed away. Soon after he arrives, Radcliffe realizes he may not be alone in the house after all.

Woman in Black TV Spot

As Radcliffe’s character Arthur Kipps works, he discovers that there are more than a few secrets that have been buried deep within the old house.

The Woman in Black lands in theaters February 3 and stars Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds (astounding in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), Janet McTeer, Liz White, Shaun Dooley and Victor McGuire.

Box office numbers were up for Christmas and New Year’s weekends thanks to Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. But overall, Hollywood took a massive hit in 2011. Ticket sales for 2011 were down 3.4 percent in 2011 as opposed to 2010. But, what is truly striking is that actual movie attendance is down. In 2011, 1.28 billion people went to movie theaters, as opposed to 1.33 billion the year before.

The 1.28 billion people that took in movies at the theaters in 2011 marked a 16-year low. Not since 1995 have theaters seen so few people attending flicks. But, there is some good news in between the lines.

Although domestic box office sales were dreadful, overseas markets hit an all-time high in 2011. Hollywood-based studios banked $13.53 billion in international markets, up over eight percent from 2010.

With an army of highly anticipated films in 2012, perhaps the trend will reverse. Let us know in the comment section below, did you go to the movies less this year and if so, will you see more in 2012?

Fresh off the hit Paranormal Activity 3, Paramount Pictures has said it will release Paranormal Activity 4 in 2012 and not wait a few years like they did between the first and second film.

When Paranormal Activity 3 finished its theatrical run in 2011, it had banked $202 million globally. So, it should hardly surprise that a fourth film has been put into high gear. When a film, like the third Paranormal Activity, only costs $5 million to make and banks the total gross it did, who can blame the studio for green lighting a fourth so soon?

No word has been released as to stars, director or even a script with plot points, but one thing is for sure: Halloween 2012 will likely be the release date for the fourth Paranormal film.

The Hunger Games scored high on our Most Anticipated Movies of 2012 and that famous saying that imitation is the highest form of flattery has never been truer than with this new Lego-themed Hunger Games trailer. Just for fun, Movie Fanatic presents The Hunger Games trailer, as imagined through the world of Legos. Enjoy!

The Hunger Games Trailer: With Legos!

The Hunger Games arrives March 23, and we have to tip our hats to the people behind the Lego trailer. It is a frame-by-frame recount of one of the best trailers of 2011, complete with the real voice-overs by Jennifer Lawrence and her entire Hunger Games cast.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows continues to rock the box office with each passing weekend. Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. light up the screen as one of 2011’s best duos that will certainly linger through the first weeks of 2012.

As directed by Guy Ritchie, and also starring Noomi Rapace as the gypsy Madam Simza Heron and Jared Harris as Holmes’ ultimate bad guy Moriarty, this latest Sherlock Holmes film gave us plenty of lines for the ages.

Here, without further ado, are the best of the best Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows quotes.

Sherlock Holmes: I told you not to open the box. | permalink

Dr. John Watson: I know you can hear me, you selfish bastard! | permalink

Sim: What do you see?
Sherlock Holmes: Everything. That is my curse. | permalink

Dr. John Watson: [As he watches Sherlock drinking Formaldehyde] You're drinking embalming fluid?
Sherlock Holmes: [Exhales] Yes. Care for a drop?
Dr. John Watson: You do seem...
Sherlock Holmes: Excited?
Dr. John Watson: Manic.
Sherlock Holmes: I am.
Dr. John Watson: Verging on...
Sherlock Holmes: Ecstatic?
Dr. John Watson: Psychotic. [Pauses] I should've brought you a sedative. | permalink

Dr. John Watson: How many times are you going to kill my dog, Holmes? | permalink

Sherlock Holmes: Slow and steady wins the race. | permalink

Professor Moriarty: Your clock is ticking. | permalink

Dr. John Watson: How did you know I would find you?
Sherlock Holmes: You didn't find me. You collapsed a building on me. | permalink

Professor James Moriarty: Are you sure you want to play this game?
Sherlock Holmes: I'm afraid you'd lose. | permalink

Dr. John Watson: It's not that he can’t ride horses... how is it you put it?
Sherlock Holmes: They're dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle... Why would I want anything with a mind of its own bobbing about between my legs? | permalink

Sherlock Holmes: By the way, who taught you how to dance?
Dr. John Watson: [Grinning] Well... that was you, Holmes. | permalink

Sherlock Holmes: Don't be rude to the woman who's invited us inside her tent... for hedgehog.
Dr. John Watson: Says the man who throws women off trains. | permalink

Meryl Streep is earning raves for her performance in The Iron Lady (check out our review) as the first female Prime Minister of the U.K., Margaret Thatcher. Movie Fanatic believes Streep may finally earn that third Academy Award for her role in Iron Lady. She is without question the most gifted actress working today, so to choose her top 10 films is one difficult task. First, we must separate -- however difficult that may be -- the great performances she has given versus the great films in which she has appeared. So, these are the Top 10 Meryl Streep Movies of all time.

10. Postcards from the Edge
Channeling Carrie Fisher, Streep not only turned in a stellar performance in this fantastic film, but also sang like an angel in the film’s final moments. The “fictionalized” story of Fisher’s relationship with her mother Debbie Reynolds is captured in Postcards from the Edge (based on Fisher’s book of the same title) and leads our list of top Streep cinematic moments.

9. Mamma Mia!
Speaking of a singing Streep, the actress soared in Mamma Mia. Based on the Broadway musical production that featured an all-ABBA soundtrack, Mamma Mia landed in a crowded summer of 2008 movie marketplace and became an instant smash. Streep is the central character who is staging a wedding for her only daughter (Amanda Seyfried) on the Greek isle where she owns a hotel. When three of her exes show up at the invite of her child, who is seeking to find her father, zaniness and people breaking into song ensue.

8. Out of Africa
Robert Redford joined Streep on the landscape of Africa and produced a modern classic. Director Sydney Pollack not only got one of Streep’s finest performances as a Danish woman having an affair in Out of Africa, but crafted one of the best movies of her career. It is another example of Streep tackling an accent, something many actors shy away from. Here, she listened to hours of tape of the book’s Danish author to nail her performance.

7. Bridges of Madison County
In 1995 Streep took on the, oftentimes, thankless task of bringing a beloved book to the big screen. In The Bridges of Madison County, Streep teamed with Clint Eastwood -- who starred and directed the picture -- and created a film that more than satisfied the legions of fans of the book.

6. Adaptation
In 2002, Streep starred with Nicolas Cage in the film based on writer Charlie Kaufman’s battle with writer’s block. Kaufman was charged with bringing The Orchid Thief to the big screen and his effort lies at the heart of Adaptation’s story. Director Spike Jonze achieved one of his dreams by working with Streep and not only got a subtle and resonant performance out of the two-time Oscar winner, but also allowed the actress to take a risk in an offbeat film that is not her usual bag.

5. Silkwood
With the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster fresh on Americans' minds in 1983, Streep scored in Silkwood as a woman who spoke up against a cover-up when a nuclear power plant had a meltdown. The true story of Karen Silkwood and her efforts to call out her employers at her local power plant landed the actress her fifth Oscar nod.

4. Sophie’s Choice
A year prior to Silkwood, Streep appeared in Sophie’s Choice. Many consider this Streep’s most seminal film. The gut-wrenching story of a woman and her experience during the Holocaust gave Streep her second Academy Award, this time for Best Actress. Once more, Streep had to nail an accent for the part that was a cross between German and Polish. And she triumphed… again.

3. The Devil Wears Prada
We think The Devil Wears Prada is one of Streep’s best performances and honestly her biggest Oscar snub. The rumored real life story of Anna Wintour, Streep portrayed Miranda Priestly, the publisher of one of the fashion industry’s most powerful mags. The depths of her evilness is uncanny, yet it is those quieter moments, specifically opposite Anne Hathaway, that Streep makes what could have been a caricature performance and elevated it into pure excellence.

2. The French Lieutenant’s Woman
The early 1980s were a fertile time for Streep films. The year 1981 brought Streep new recognition as a serious actress with her role in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Based on the novel of the same name, the film criss-crossed centuries (19th and 20th) in the telling of a story within a story and astounded in the process.

1. Kramer vs. Kramer
Although Streep’s role was small, Kramer vs. Kramer would not work as well as it did without the powerful acting chops of the actress in the part that would earn her that first Oscar. Streep scored the Best Supporting Actress trophy and announced to the world that she was a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Streep portrayed a woman who suddenly awakes one day and realizes that she wants a divorce from her husband (Dustin Hoffman), leaving her young son behind. It was a film way ahead of its time, showing the painful effort that is raising a child by a single father. When Streep returns to the screen later in the film, it is heartbreak in overload. Cue the tissues.

Sony has released a couple of new stills from their upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man focused solely on their leads. The first pic is of Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, who appears to be in the midst of something quite trying.

The second photo is of the amazing-in-her-own-right Emma Stone. Stone is Gwen Stacy, the love interest of Parker, and of course his alter ego, The Amazing Spider-Man.

Amazing Spider-Man arrives in theaters July 3 and Stone and Garfield headline a cast that includes Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field and Campbell Scott.

The latest TV trailer for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has arrived and shows more of the Nicolas Cage character taking care of business. Spirit of Vengeance (check out the first trailer) opens in theaters nationwide on February 17 in 3D and 2D.

Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance TV Spot

In the sequel to Ghost Rider, Cage’s haunted hero is still struggling with the fact that he is essentially the bounty hunter for the devil. He is in seclusion, somewhere in Eastern Europe, when he is recruited by the church to rescue a young boy from the hands of the devil (Ciaran Hinds). Cage’s character struggles with his curse, but eventually embraces it in order to save a soul.

Breaking Dawn Part 1 was one of the most successful films of 2011 and looks to be one of the best-selling DVD and Blu-Rays of 2012 when it comes home on February 11.

The story of Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) wedding and its aftermath lie at the heart of Breaking Dawn Part 1. As we explain in our Breaking Dawn review, the film should more than please Twilight Saga fans.

Breaking Dawn has banked $657 million (so far) internationally and as its two-disc special edition DVD and special edition Blu-Ray arrive on February 11, its earnings will continue to go through the roof.

Summit Entertainment released the specs for the upcoming home video release, and they are:

Special Features (2-Disc DVD & Combo only):

Six-part making-of documentary
Wedding video
Jacob’s Destiny feature
Edward Fast Forward and Jacob Fast Forward
Audio commentary by Bill Condon, director

Order Due Date: December 13, 2011
Pre-sell Date: January 3, 2012
2-Disc Special Edition DVD: $30.49

When the Producers Guild announced its 10 best films of 2011 to compete for its top honor, there was one picture that was notably absent. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 did not make the cut and that leaves us asking: Does that mean that the last Potter film will not get the Best Picture nod it is so hoping to earn?

In short, yes. History has shown that the films that make the list for Producers Guild nominations wind up on the list of Best Picture nominees. But, that does not mean that Deathly Hallows Part 2 is down for the count.

Warner Bros. has been pushing hard with advertisements all over Los Angeles asking Academy members for their consideration to make the final Potter installment a Best Picture contender. They are also pushing for David Yates and Alan Rickman to be considered for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will definitely see itself nominated for Oscar gold. But, if you were to bet, it would be getting nominations for technical awards, such as special effects and sound. Potter films have never earned nominations for anything other than those categories, even though its cast is filled with some of the best British actors working today.

Overall, it seems that Warner’s would welcome any acting nod for its cast. But what it is really pining for is that Best Picture nomination.

Given the fact that the Producers Guild included other blockbusters on its list in past years, including Star Trek in 2009 and The Town in 2010, perhaps it does mean the end of the road for Harry Potter’s chances for a Best Picture nod as the Guild does recognize big films.

In our opinion, Harry Potter is one of the 10 best films of 2011 and deserves to be honored as such. In light of the news this week, that is looking less likely.

Bradley Cooper was set to play the devil in Paradise Lost -- that is until the film hit production and budget issues and is currently on hold. Now that he has some free time, rumors are flying that he will make a cameo in Zach Snyder’s Superman reboot, Man of Steel.

Man of Steel has been shooting for months now (as seen in these production photos), so where does Cooper fit in to the mix?

Michael Shannon is currently playing General Zod, the resident bad guy in Man of Steel. (He tells us exclusively about it in our Shannon interview.) Is there room for one more villain with Cooper, perhaps, taking the role?

Insiders at Warner Bros. tell us that, yes, it is very possible that Cooper will appear in Man of Steel and that his role will be considered a cameo. But, more importantly, his role will be setting up the Hangover Part II actor as the villain for a future Superman movie.

Could Cooper be playing Lex Luther? Luther was supposed to be the villain in Snyder’s Man of Steel, but with Zod getting the gig, perhaps Cooper will be a periphery Luther character that could become the evil yin to Superman’s yang in future installments.

What do you think? Can you see Cooper as Lex Luther?

Star Trek 2 is adding a sci-fi veteran to its cast when it starts shooting any week now. Doctor Who star Noel Clarke is joining the J.J. Abrams film and according to Variety, “the details of Clarke’s role are being kept under wraps. He will play a family man with a wife and young daughter.”

We still don’t have an actor attached to play the villain (perhaps Khan), but the cast is coming further into focus with Peter Weller and Alice Eve previously announced to join Abrams' sequel to his highly successful Star Trek.

When a film makes $288 million internationally and only cost $32 million, studio executives are eager to see a sequel. But, what happens if the person largely responsible for that hit has no interest in reprising her role or even being a part of the second film? Such is the case as Universal has announced plans for a Bridesmaids sequel, and star and co-writer Kristen Wiig has stated that she would rather work on something new.

Bridesmaids is not only one of the best films of 2011, it is earning serious Oscar buzz with its honoring by the Producers Guild, SAG and Golden Globes. So, why wouldn’t Wiig return to the film that made her a superstar?

We guess it has a large part to do with integrity. Bridesmaids, in her mind, was never meant to be more than a one-off picture. With its success, sequel talk started immediately. But, Wiig is currently working with her Bridesmaids writing partner Annie Mumolo (both pictured above) on a completely different project. “Annie and I aren’t planning a sequel. We are writing something else,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Whether the rest of the cast, including Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey, will return is a huge question mark as well. Apparently the cast, including Wiig, was hugely disappointed with the $100,000 bonus the studio gave them to mark Bridesmaids' success. Given the fact that it made almost $300 million, we could understand their resentment. But, sometimes, casts earn that big payday by appearing in a successful film’s sequel as the Bridesmaids cast could with Bridesmaids 2.

With no Wiig, will they?

Regardless of the cast, Universal is saying that Bridesmaids 2 is a go and will move forward.

Will you see a Kristen Wiig-less Bridesmaids?