Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol also known as Mission: Impossible IV is an upcoming 2011 action film, the fourth based on the spy themed television series Mission: Impossible starring Tom Cruise who reprises his role of IMF agent Ethan Hunt. The film will be directed by Brad Bird. J. J. Abrams, who directed the third film in the series, will be writing the script for the film, alongside André Nemec and Josh Appelbaum who had all previously worked together on the 2004 television series Alias.He will also be an executive producer alongside Cruise and series producer, Paula Wagner.It will be released in the United States on December 16, 2011. The film co-stars Ving Rhames, who will reprise his role of Luther Stickell, as well as series newcomers Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway and Mikael Nyqvist.

So we have a title, but no real plot yet, only that Cruise will be supervising a younger agent, played by the recently cast Jeremy Renner. Presumably it will involve him sprinting somewhere full tilt at some point during the film.

I'm excited for this, I really am. Yes, in part because of Brad Bird and JJ Abrams' involvement, but I'm also still a Cruise fan after all these years and his couch jumping and Xenu bullshit. People say KNIGHT AND DAY was an indicator that his star was fading, I say it was an indicator that KNIGHT AND DAY sucked balls, and nothing about that was his fault, other than picking the project in the first place. In any case, I have high hopes for MI4, I mean GHOST PROTOCOL.

Avatar is a 2009 American epic science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron, and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, and Joel David Moore. The film is set in 2154, when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora, a lush moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system.The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na'vi—a humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. The film's title refers to the genetically engineered Na'vi-human hybrid bodies used by a team of researchers to interact with the natives of Pandora.

Development on Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page scriptment for the film.Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999,but according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film.Work on the language for the film's extraterrestrial beings began in summer 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006.Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million. Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion.The film was released for traditional 2-D viewing, 3-D viewing (using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D, and IMAX 3D formats), and "4-D" viewing.The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a breakthrough in cinematic technology.

Avatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and was released overseas on December 16 and in the United States and Canada on December 18, to critical acclaim and commercial success.The film broke several box office records during its release and became the highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. and Canada and also worldwide, surpassing Titanic, which had held the records for the previous 12 years.It also became the first film to gross more than $2 billion.Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director,and won three, for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction. The film's home release went on to break opening sales records and became the top-selling Blu-ray of all time. Following the film's success, Cameron signed with 20th Century Fox to produce two sequels, making Avatar the first of a planned trilogy.

Knucklehead is a comedy film starring WWE Superstar Big Show. Its was released on October 22, 2010 in select theatres.

The film centers on a fight promoter deeply in debt to his crooked rival. Desperate for a new fighter that will help him win back everything he owes, the promoter catches a break when a 450-pound church handyman who has spent his entire life in an orphanage agrees to wrestle on behalf of his fellow orphans. 

Thor is an upcoming American superhero film based on the comic book of the same name appearing in Marvel Comics. The film will star Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Jaimie Alexander and Anthony Hopkins with Kenneth Branagh directing a script by Mark Protosevich, Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne.Thor will be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is scheduled to be released on May 6, 2011.The film is scheduled to be released in 3-D.

The project of a film adaptation of Thor was in development an held for several years before Marvel Studios signed Protosevich to write its script in 2006. Matthew Vaughn was to direct the film in late 2008 for a release in 2010. Branagh replaced Vaughn in late 2008, and the film's release was rescheduled into 2011.

Thor which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young scientist, Jane Foster, has a profound effect on Thor, as she ultimately becomes his first love. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

It appears that a significant portion of the film will take place on Earth which counters some early reports indicating that the entire film will take place on Asgard with only the end on Earth. That of course, would be a waste of the talent of Natalie Portman so I am not surprised by this.

While on Earth, expect to meet some familiar faces and heroes including Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D Nick Fury and maybe a cameo by Tony Stark/Iron Man. If fans get their wishes, there’s still that rumor out there that Oscar-nominated Jeremy Renner could play Hawkeye who, according to the actor, would likely first appear in Thor. With the attention this actor has gotten in recent months, he would be an incredible addition to Marvel Studios’ line-up of onscreen heroes.

While keeping in mind what we know about Thor, our own Kofi Outlaw points out the possible downside in having some of the Marvel solo character movies spending time leading into The Avengers. Hopefully, and as we expect from Kenneth Branagh and co., this movie will act as a well-established and structured standalone epic that will work its own first and foremost, and as a sort of lead-in to the epic team up we all await.

That’s not all though; If you’re as excited as I am about the Kenneth Branagh production of Marvel’s God of Thunder, then check out this set report by writer/director Keri Collins who had the opportunity to shadow Branagh on set recently.

Robin Hood is a 2010 American/British adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2010, after premiering at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, and was released in the United States on May 14.

It is 1199 and Robin Longstride is a common archer in Richard the Lionheart's army. A veteran of the Third Crusade and Richard's war against Philip II of France he now takes part in the siege against Chalus Castle. Following the death of Richard the Lionheart, Robin and two other common archers, Alan A'Dale, Will Scarlett, as well as soldier Little John, attempt to return to their homeland, having spent ten years fighting abroad. Along the way they come across an ambush of the Royal guard by Sir Godfrey, an English knight with French allegiance. Philip of France had ordered Sir Godfrey to assassinate Richard. Having discovered the King is already slain, Sir Godfrey is chased off by the arrival of Robin and his companions. Aiming to return to England safely and richer in pocket than when they left it, Robin and his men steal the armour of the slain knights and head for the English ships on the coast under the guise of noblemen. Before leaving the scene of slaughter Robin promises a dying knight, Robert Loxley, to return a sword to the man's father in Nottingham.

Upon arriving in England, Robin is brought to London and chosen to inform the Royal family of the King's death and witnesses the coronation of King John, who is the younger brother of the recently-deceased Richard. The arrogant King John shows no remorse to his poor Kingdom and demands harsh taxes to be collected, sending Sir Godfrey off to the North with the task of raising revenue. Unbeknownst to King John, Sir Godfrey is an agent of the French King and uses this Royal Decree to stir up enough unrest, using French Troops, to cause Civil War in England.

Robin and his companions head to Nottingham, where Loxley's old and blind father Sir Walter asks him to continue impersonating his son, in order to prevent the family lands being taken by the crown. Loxley's widow, Lady Marian, is initially distrustful of Robin, but soon warms to him when he recovers taxed grain for the townsfolk to plant.

Meanwhile, Godfrey's actions have stirred up the northern Barons, who march to meet King John, and demand the signing of a charter of rights. Having realized Godfrey's deception, and knowing he must reunite his people in order to meet an imminent French invasion, the King agrees. A battle follows shortly where Godfrey's men are interrupted while ransacking Nottingham, and chased off by Robin and the northern Barons. In the midst of the battle, Sir Walter is slain by Godfrey.

The film climaxes with an invasion on England's south coast by the French, who are met as they land by the English army. The English are victorious in the ensuing battle. Godfrey attempts to flee on horseback, but Robin puts an arrow through his throat from long distance, presumably killing him. However, King John perceives the French surrendering to Robin, rather than to himself, as a major threat to his power. In the final scenes, King John reneges on his word to sign the Charter of the Forest, burns it, and declares Robin to be an outlaw. In response to this, Robin moves to Sherwood Forest with Lady Marian and his friends to form what will become the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest.

In December 2009, director Joe Johnston said he plans to start filming in April 2010. In a separate interview that month, he described the film's pre-production: "Rick Heinrichs is production-designing and we're set up down in Manhattan Beach California. We have eight or ten really talented artists, and we all just sit around all day and draw pictures and say, 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we could do this?' It's that phase of the production where money doesn't matter: 'Let's put all the greatest stuff up on the wall and then later see what we can afford.'" The film, he said, will begin "in 1942, 1943" during World War II. "The stuff in the '60s and '70s comic books we're sort of avoiding. We're going back to the '40s, and then forward to what they're doing with Captain America now." Johnston confirmed that the Red Skull would be the film's primary antagonist.



Born during the Great Depression, Steve Rogers grew up a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy’s earnest plea, General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment… Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the ‘Super-Soldier Serum’ and bombarded by ‘vita-rays.’ Steve Rogers emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain America. Armed with his indestructible shield and and battle savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil both as a sentinel of liberty and leader of the Avengers.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, commonly referred to as Eclipse, is a 2010 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2007 novel, Eclipse. It is the third installment of The Twilight Saga film series, following 2008's Twilight and 2009's New Moon. Summit Entertainment greenlit the film in February 2009.
Directed by David Slade, the film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively.Melissa Rosenberg, who penned the scripts for both Twilight and New Moon, returned as screenwriter. Filming began on August 17, 2009, at Vancouver Film Studios, and finished in late October, with post-production began early the following month. Bryce Dallas Howard was cast as Victoria, replacing Rachelle Lefevre who previously played her.

The Plot begins as Riley Biers is attacked and bitten by Victoria , in order to begin creating an army of newborns set to destroy Bella Swan. Back in Forks, Edward Cullen and Bella discuss the complications of becoming an immortal vampire. At 18 years old, one year older than the age Edward was when he became a vampire, Bella expresses her aversion to the idea of marrying so young, though Edward refuses to turn her until they're married and she's had various human experiences she would otherwise miss. While Charlie Swan  investigates the disappearance of Riley Biers, Edward suspects his disappearance was caused by the newborn vampires. Furthering his suspicions is the intrusion of Riley into Bella's room.

Although Edward fears for her safety, Bella insists that Jacob Black and the rest of the werewolf pack would never harm her, but Edward is still not convinced. Bella goes to La Push to see Jacob, and returns home unharmed. During one of her visits, Jacob confesses that he is in love with Bella, and forcefully kisses her. Mad, she punches him and breaks her hand, and Edward later threatens to break Jacob's jaw. Bella even revokes the invitations of Jacob and his pack members to her graduation party, but when Jacob apologizes for his behavior, she forgives him.

Meanwhile, Alice sees a vision that the newborn army is attacking Forks led by Riley Biers. Jacob, accompanied by Quil and Embry overhear this, which leads to an alliance between the Cullens and Wolf pack. Later, the Cullens and the wolves agree a meeting place and time to train and discuss strategy. During the training Jasper explains to Bella that he was created by a vampire called Maria to control a newborn army. He hated his original existence and upon meeting Alice, joined the Cullens with her. Bella sees the true bond between a mated vampire pair and begins to understand Jasper better. Despite her reluctance to marry, Bella realizes that spending eternity with Edward is more important to her than anything else and agrees to marry him. Edward and Bella camp up in the mountains to hide Bella from the bloodthirsty newborns. During the night, Bella overhears a conversation between Edward and Jacob, in which they temporarily put aside their hatred towards each other. In the morning, Jacob overhears Edward and Bella discussing their engagement and becomes very upset. Before he can run off to get himself killed in the fight with the newborns, Bella desperately asks him to kiss her, and she realizes that she has fallen in love with him. Edward finds out about the kiss but isn't angry, as Bella says she loves him more than Jacob.

Victoria eventually finds Bella's hiding spot, and Edward kills her while Seth kills her partner Riley. The Cullens and the Quileute wolves, meanwhile, destroy her "army", though Jacob is injured saving Leah Clearwater from a newborn. Several members of the Volturi arrive to deal with the newborn army. They also see that the Cullens are guarding the newborn, Bree Tanner, who had refused to fight and surrendered to Carlisle. Jane tortures Bree to get information, then instructs Felix to kill her, despite the Cullens' efforts to spare her. When Jane notes that Caius will find it interesting that Bella is still human, Bella informs her that the date for her transformation has been set. Bella visits the injured Jacob to tell him that even though she is in love with him, she has chosen to be with Edward. Sad by her choice, Jacob reluctantly agrees to stop trying to come between her and Edward.

Bella and Edward go to their meadow, where she tells him she has decided to do things his way: get married, make love, then be transformed into a vampire. She also explains that she never has been normal and never will be; she's felt out of place her entire life, but when she is in Edward's world she feels stronger and complete. They then decide they need to tell Charlie about their engagement.

Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey Jr., who reprises his role as Tony Stark. In cinematic canon, it takes place six months after Iron Man, and directly before The Incredible Hulk.

The movie starts out as russian television shows Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark  revealing his identity as Iron Man to the world. Ivan Vanko Mickey Rourke, whose father, Anton Vanko , has just died, sees this and begins building a similar weapon.

Six months later, Stark has used his Iron Man armor to help maintain world peace. He re-institutes the Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows to continue his father Howard's legacy. Senator Stern Garry Shandling demands that Stark turn over the Iron Man technology to the government. Stark refuses, claiming that foreign nations and business competitors are decades away from successfully recreating his achievements, and that the armor is in fact his own property.

The palladium core in the arc reactor that keeps Stark alive and powers the armor is slowly poisoning him, and he has failed to find a substitute. Growing increasingly despondent and reckless due to his impending death, and choosing not to tell anyone about his condition, Stark appoints his personal assistant Pepper Potts Gwyneth Paltrow CEO of Stark Industries, and replaces her with Stark employee Natlalie Rushman Scarlett Johansson.

Vanko attacks Stark while racing at the Circuit de Monaco, using an arc reactor of his own powering whip-like energy weapons. Stark defeats Vanko with the aid of his portable briefcase armor. He learns that Vanko is the son of his father's old partner, Anton Vanko. Anton collaborated with Howard on the first arc reactor, but was deported to his native Soviet Union following his attempts to profit from the technology and died in poverty, explaining Vanko's desire for revenge on the Stark family. Rival defense contractor Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) fakes Vanko's death and recruits him to perfect a line of armored combat suits to upstage Stark.

At what he believes is his last birthday party Stark gets drunk while using the Iron Man armor, forcing his friend, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes Don Cheadle, to intervene. Rhodes dons Stark's Mark II armor and after battling him, delivers the armor to the military. Nick Fury Samuel L. Jackson, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., approaches Stark, revealing Rushman as undercover agent Natasha Romanoff and that Howard Stark was a S.H.I.E.L.D. founder that Fury knew personally. Fury gives him some of his father's old material; a hidden message in the diorama of the 1974 Stark Expo proves to be a diagram of the structure of a new element. With the aid of his computer J.A.R.V.I.S. voiced by Paul Bettany, Stark synthesizes it. Vanko reveals to Stark that he is still alive and seeking revenge so Stark uses the untested element, removing his dependency on the palladium.

At the Expo, Hammer unveils Vanko's armored drones, led by Rhodes in a heavily weaponized version of the Mark II armor. Stark arrives in his new armor to warn Rhodes, but Vanko seizes control of both the drones and Rhodes' armor and attacks Iron Man. Hammer is arrested while Stark's bodyguard Happy Hogan Jon Favreau and Romanoff attempt to capture Vanko. He escapes, but Romanoff returns control of the Mark II armor to Rhodes.

After defeating his drones Stark and Rhodes confront Vanko himself, now in a new, very powerful suit of armor. Neither can match Vanko, but Vanko is ultimately defeated when they fire repulsor rays at each other, causing a large explosion. With his suit too damaged to continue the fight Vanko ignites his suit and his drones' self-destruct mechanisms, apparently killing himself in the process. Stark saves Potts from the exploding drones' remains. Potts quits as CEO, but she and Stark kiss.

At a debriefing, while showing news footage of the Hulk's rampage, Fury informs Stark that while Iron Man is a suitable candidate for the "Avengers Initiative", he himself is not. Stark agrees to be a consultant if Senator Stern presents himself and Rhodes with their medals for bravery.

The Green Hornet is an upcoming 2011 action-comedy film, based on the character of the same name created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Directed by Michel Gondry, the film stars Seth Rogen in the title role, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Evan Goldberg. Supporting actors include Jay Chou as Kato, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz, Edward James Olmos, David Harbour and Tom Wilkinson.

The film will be released in the United States on January 14, 2011 and the United Kingdom April 8, 2011 which will also include RealD Cinema and IMAX 3D.

The story Line is as follows. Pursued by police as a wanted criminal, the masked vigilante Green Hornet is actually Britt Reid, owner and publisher of muckraking journal the Daily Sentinel. Reid's dual identity is known only to his secretary and the city district attorney. The Hornet spends his off hours thwarting criminals with his Black Beauty, a souped-up crime-fighting vehicle and guns that fire non-lethal knockout gas and steel-piercing stingers. So far as police are concerned, the Hornet is himself a criminal; this misunderstanding enables Reid to operate "outside the law" to battle criminals and racketeers with his faithful valet Kato, the only living person who knows the true identity of the Hornet.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final of the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The book was released on 21 July 2007, ending the series that began in 1997 with the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This book chronicles the events directly following Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005, and leads to the long-awaited final confrontation between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publishing, in the United States by Scholastic, in Canada by Raincoast Books, and in Australia and New Zealand by Allen & Unwin. Released globally in ninety-three countries, Deathly Hallows broke sales records as the fastest-selling book ever. It sold 15 million copies in the first twenty-four hours following its release, including more than 11 million in the U.S. and U.K. alone. The previous record, nine million in its first day, had been held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The novel has also been translated into numerous languages, including Ukrainian,Swedish, Polish and Hindi.

Several awards were given to the novel, including the 2008 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award, and it was listed as a "Best Book for Young Adults" by the American Library Association. Reception to the book was generally positive, although some reviewers found the characters to be repetitive or unchanging. A two-part film based on the novel is in the works, with part one's release date in November 2010.

Plot introduction

Throughout the six previous novels in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the inherent difficulties of adolescence along with being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Lord Voldemort, a powerful evil wizard, murdered Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after attempting to kill Harry. This results in Harry's immediate fame, and his being placed in the care of his muggle, or non-magical, relatives Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.

Harry re-enters the wizarding world at age 11, enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is soon confronted by Lord Voldemort, who is trying to regain power and a body. Returning to school after summer break, there are several attacks on students after the legendary "Chamber of Secrets" is thought to be opened. Harry ends the attacks by killing a Basilisk and defeating Lord Voldemort's "memory" stored in an enchanted diary. The following year, Harry hears that he has been targeted by escaped murderer Sirius Black. Despite stringent security measures at Hogwarts, Harry is confronted by Black at the end of his third year of schooling and Harry learns that Black was framed and is his godfather. Harry's fourth year of school sees him entered in a dangerous magical competition called the Triwizard Tournament. At the conclusion of the Tournament, Harry witnesses the return of Lord Voldemort to full strength. When the next school year begins, the Ministry of Magic appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. After forming an underground student group in opposition to Umbridge, Harry and several of his friends face off against Voldemort's Death Eaters, a group of Dark witches and wizards, and narrowly defeat them. In Harry's sixth year of school, he learns that Voldemort has been using Horcruxes to become immortal. Horcruxes are fragments of the soul that are placed within an object so that when the body dies, a part of the soul remains and the person can be regenerated or resurrected. However, the destruction of the creator's body leaves the wizard or witch in a state of half-life, without corporeal form. When returning from a mission to discover a Horcrux, Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the school and Harry's mentor, is murdered by Severus Snape, a teacher at the school with whom Harry is consistently at odds and who Harry has suspected of being a Death Eater. At the conclusion of the book, Harry pledges not to return to school the following year and to search for Horcruxes instead.
Plot summary

Following Dumbledore's death, Voldemort has completed his ascension to power and gains control of the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drop out of school to find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. They isolate themselves to ensure the safety of their family and friends. They do not have much knowledge about the remaining Horcruxes except the possibility that two of them are objects that belonged to Hogwarts founders Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, and that the third is Nagini, Voldemort's snake familiar. The locations of the two founders' objects are unknown, and Nagini is presumed to be with Voldemort himself. As they search for the Horcruxes, the trio learn details about Dumbledore's past, as well as Snape's true motives.

The trio recovers the first of Voldemort's Horcruxes, Salazar Slytherin's locket, by infiltrating the Ministry of Magic. They recover the Sword of Godric Gryffindor; it is one of a few objects that can be used to destroy Horcruxes being dipped in Basilisk venom, and they use it to destroy the locket. In their travels the trio comes across a strange symbol, which an eccentric wizard named Xenophilius Lovegood father of Luna tells them represents the mythical Deathly Hallows. The Hallows are revealed to be three sacred objects: the Resurrection Stone, a stone with the power to recall the dead to the world of the living; the Elder Wand, an unbeatable wand; and an infallible Invisibility Cloak. Harry learns that Voldemort is seeking the Elder Wand, but is unaware of the Hallows and their significance. The trio decides that discovering Voldemort's Horcruxes is more important than procuring the Hallows for themselves. They break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at the Wizarding Bank Gringotts to recover another Horcrux, the cup of Helga Hufflepuff. Harry learns that another Horcrux is hidden in Hogwarts, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter the school. They find this Horcrux, the Diadem of Ravenclaw, and successfully destroy the cup and the diadem.

The book culminates in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, in conjunction with students and members of the wizarding world opposed to the rise of Voldemort, defend Hogwarts from Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and various magical creatures. Several major characters are killed in the first wave of the battle. Harry discovers that Voldemort inadvertently made Harry a Horcrux when he attacked him as a baby, and that he will have to die to destroy Voldemort. Harry surrenders himself to Voldemort, who attacks Harry with the Killing Curse, sending Harry to a sort of Limbo between life and death. There, Harry meets Dumbledore who explains that because Voldemort used Harry's blood to regain his full strength, Harry is protected from any harm that Voldemort could commit against him, meaning that the Horcrux inside Harry is destroyed, but Harry can return to his body despite being hit by the Killing Curse. Harry then returns to his body, the battle resumes, and after the last remaining Horcrux is destroyed, Harry is able to defeat Voldemort.

As they’d say in Boston, “The Town” is easily one of the best films of the year, it succeeds in its quest to appeal to everyone from townies to “toonies” in telling a familiar cops-and-robbers tale in remarkably inventive ways.

What you take from it, though, is a new appreciation for Ben Affleck’s dexterity as a filmmaker and actor. He lifts both facets of his career to unprecedented levels of excellence in adapting Canton novelist Chuck Hogan’s “Prince of Thieves” into a thoroughly engrossing yarn, rife with intense action, great acting and vibrant characters.

Above all, it’s a twofold romance between a man and woman, and a man and the city he grew up in. Affleck is at the center of both, most obviously as the handsome, charismatic bank robber, Doug MacRay, who – darn the luck – falls for the one woman who could land him and his crew in the same federal penitentiary as his bitter, angry father, played by Chris Cooper in the year’s most riveting cameo. But it’s Affleck’s love for the Hub, and its many landmarks and traditions, that sets the heart racing.

With the erstwhile assistance of director of photography Robert Elswit “There Will Be Blood”, he paints a robust portrait of a city whose many pleasures and faults can be encapsulated in one of its most blue-collar neighborhoods, Charlestown.

According to the opening titles, the densely populated square mile surrounding the Bunker Hill Monument is home to more bank robberies per capita than anywhere in the nation.

Affleck duly shows us why, as Doug and his gang cleverly carry out a handful of daring heists, with Jon Hamm and Titus Welliver’s doggedly determined FBI agents in hot pursuit.

But Affleck also smartly takes the time to show us the ins and outs of Charlestown’s criminal culture, while deftly juxtaposing the neighborhood’s physical beauty especially the scenes along the waterfront with its seedier underbelly, namely its notorious public housing projects.

And although the film’s ending is somewhat ludicrous and the Bahston accents are hit or miss with Jeremy Renner of “The Hurt Locker” and Blake Lively of “Gossip Girl” representing opposite ends of the “arr”-dropping spectrum, Affleck goes out of his way to inject his movie with heavy doses of realism.

That includes the seemingly implausible romance Doug strikes up with a neighborhood “toonie” Charlestown vernacular for carpetbagging yuppies named Claire, who’s played by the beautiful Brit, Rebecca Hall.

It’s easy to understand why this hardened criminal would suddenly go soft in her presence. She’s everything a bank robber dreams about. But because she’s the manager of the lending institution Doug and his three masked pals just knocked over, she’s also his worst nightmare.

He pursues her, knowing that if and when she discovers he really isn’t the sand-and-gravel professional he claims to be, she could rat him out to Hamm’s stern, but persuasive, Special Agent Frawley.

Affleck and his co-scripters, Aaron Stockard and Peter Craig, do a marvelous job of creating a romance that is as passionate as it is tenuous, as you wait nervously for the other shoe to drop. And one of the reasons it’s so compelling is the strong chemistry between Affleck and Hall.

The same is true of Affleck and Renner, playing Doug’s hair-triggered and dimwitted compadre in crime, Jem. You believe that they would do anything for each other, including serve time, as Jem once did after going to bat for his bud, who may – or may not – be the father of the baby popped out by Jem’s younger sister, Krista, played by a tarted-up Lively.

While the story is sustained by the various relationships and the underlying themes of loyalty and legacy, its Affleck’s well-honed gift for directing action that provides the movie with its juice.

That includes three terrifically constructed robbery sequences, including an armored car heist that ends with an exciting chase.

But the climactic caper involving Fenway Park, or as Pete Postlethwaite’s elderly crime boss refers to it, “The Cathedral of Boston.” No fair giving anything away, but suffice to say the scene, like the rest of the movie, is guaranteed to knock your Sox off.