Silva Screen Music is a class outfit, they release really good music and great collections from some of the top composers and movies of today. In the past we looked at their collections of music from Hans Zimmer and James Horner, as well as a well put together a great best of album from the Transformers trilogy. Today we take a peak at their big end of the year release, ‘Film Music 2011′.

This collection, performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic and London Music Works, is a highlight reel from the most high profile film scores of the year. The music chosen for this set  isn’t necessarily the very best music of the year, but it is certainly a snap shot of what 2011 was for film and film music. We are in award season, so we will have plenty of lists and collections of the “best” music, but in this album you will find tracks that rank among many fan’s “favorites” of the year.

Interestingly enough, many of the movies represented on this album are scores I have previously reviewed, but only twice are one of my favorite tracks actually on this album. At first this caused me to roll my eyes and dread the listening experience. Not because I disliked the tracks, but because I felt they were passing over the better tracks for more obvious and less interesting choices.

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It turns out, after tons of doubt that Captain America: The First Avenger would undertake the final Harry Potter film in the box office on the biggest nerd weekend of the year, San Diego Comic-Con, we were all wrong.

In reality, the film actually did just that, and took the #1 spot for the weekend, totaling an impressive $65.8 million here in the US. While this is excellent news for the new films from Marvel Studios and Paramount, the real story here is how much of a drop Harry Potter had.

From last weekend’s $169 million opening to a mere $48 million this weekend, the film dropped over 70% in just a week. Either everyone who was going to see this film saw it in the first weekend, or the word of mouth wasn’t as good as the folks at Warner Bros were hoping for.

Also opening this weekend, the R-rated version of No Strings Attached, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis and titled Friends With Benefits managed to stay in the top 3 with an estimated $18 million. Just a simple million less than the one that starred Kutcher and Portman.

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As if it was much of a surprise to anyone who has seen the films or read the books, or even casually knows of the phenomenon surrounding J.K. Rowling’s characters, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the final film in the franchise, broke records worldwide this weekend and made the top of the list in terms of opening weekends in history.

At a record-smashing $168 Million in the first three days, the film went on to break even more records overseas, and tolled upwards of $475 Million worldwide. Surely a huge break for both the recurring cast of the film, and Warner Bros. in general. This make make that Green Lantern sting feel a little less harsh.

Also opening this weekend, another children’s classic as Disney and Buena Vista tried to breath life back into the Winnie The Pooh franchise. The only problem was its timing, as the film was in half as many theaters as HP, but only pulled in $8 million in the domestic box office, and $14 million worldwide.

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This is going to be a very difficult review. There is some splendid music on the album, and it plays well within the context of the film.

Ah, but it isn’t that easy, this isn’t just some film. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 is the final chapter in a generational defining cultural goliath, for over a decade the story of the boy who lived has captivated the world. The score as it plays in the film is enhanced by cues from the past, making the music in this movie a more complex, and ultimately satisfying, adventure.

Alexandre Desplat had a very difficult task when he came on board for the final two movies. The series started on the strength of the maestro, John Williams, who wrote amazing themes that stand up to this day.

Then came Patrick Doyle and Nicholas Hooper who both valiantly contributed to the franchise, but even then those talented composers came under fire for not having the same magical quality of Williams. Desplat brings the biggest pedigree since Williams left and brought with him huge expectations for an epic sound, does he deliver in the climax?

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As sad as it may be the inevitable is about to happen. The final Harry Potter film adaptation of the phenomenally successful book series is set to arrive this week.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will mark the end of the saga and bring to a close one of the most successful film franchises in history. To commemorate that milestone, some talented folks have put together a little restrospective of the series and its characters.

In this video you get to see the progression of Harry, Hermione, Ron and the rest of the characters as they go through all the films. It’s really pretty interesting to see how things have changed over the years.

Check out the video after the break. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Opens on Friday.

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Harry Potter has been a generation defining cinematic event. Never before has a film franchise gripped the collective imaginations of so many for nearly an entire decade. Since 2001 there have been 8 Harry Potter movies, all of them have been well received, some are bordering on classic of an age. Today Warner Bros. released the latest and likely last trailer for the final chapter.

Apple has the new trailer and it delivers on just about every note. Showcasing large battles, epic moments and even some love sprinkled in for the ladies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is primed to be the most exciting Potter movie yet.

The trailer plays heavy on the idea that this is not just the last movie in a series, but it is the finale of one the biggest things ever on the big screen. There are elements of past films in the trailer that really sell the notion that something bigger than a standard blockbuster is at play here. Also seeing as many of the side characters as possible getting screen time in the trailer is such a fitting way sell the best cast fantasy franchise this side of middle earth.

Check out the trailer after the jump.

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In what will come as no surprise to anyone, except maybe my mom, the MTV Movie Award nominations have been released and the most popular and creatively vacant film franchise this side of middle earth leads the pack. That’s right,  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is on top with eight nominations.

The news is not all bad though as both Inception and Harry Potter are also lead contenders. In fact, aside from the obvious Twilight nominations, most of the nominations are not so bad. Many of the better films from 2010 are represented, including Kick-Ass, which has gone mostly forgotten in the retrospective hoopla.

Aside from the traditional Best Movie and Best Kiss, this year also brings a brilliant new category to the world of cinematic awards: “Best Line From A Movie.” This is not only a genius category for the shallow festivities of MTV, but it is something that all award shows should consider in the future.

In the world of cinema fandom movie quotes are often a defining factor in the quality of a film. The more quotable the movie, the more likely it will find a home in the hearts of film geeks the world over.

The nominations for Twilight are to be expected from MTV, but the nominations for Harry Potter are a little more of a surprise. Up to this point in time the Harry Potter movies didn’t really make a dent in the target audience of MTV.

Of course the franchise remains popular the world over, but for MTV, known for immature, shallow drama and sex appeal, to acknowledge the penultimate Potter film in so many categories shows that the Potter is still relevant to pop culture in general.

Check out the full list of nominations after the jump.

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Harry Potter fans, listen up! Or, at the very least read carefully as we’re doing a giveaway to celebrate Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 coming to On Demand, download and on Blu-ray today. And believe us, you want to win.

Just be ready on our Twitter feed sometime this afternoon and able to correctly answer a Harry Potter trivia question. Two lucky winners who answer the trivia questions correctly will get all this amazing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 swag:

• iTunes download of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
• T-shirt (adult size)
• Keychain
• iPhone sticker skin

Amazing, right? So be ready and glued to our Twitter feed for your chance to win. Also, be sure to check out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 available today via On Demand, download at iTunes and other places and on Blu-ray.

Plus, don’t forget the official Harry Potter podcast, available via iTunes right here.

Also, in case you’ve forgotten (but how could you?) here’s the official synopsis of the film and a clip to get you even more excited. After the break, of course.

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Often, it’s difficult for actors to make the transition from one role they are hugely famous for into other roles. That’s especially true if you’ve grown up playing one character. People often have a hard time thinking of you as anything else.

Case in point is actor Daniel Radcliffe who will, almost certainly, always be thought of by many as Harry Potter. However, that hasn’t stopped the actor from trying to branch out and leave Harry behind. One of those attempts is a new project from Momentum Films and Exclusive Media Group’s Hammer called The Woman in Black.

In the film, Radcliffe plays a young lawyer who travels to a mysterious house to settle the affairs of the spooky mansion’s owner. Of course, we’ve got a teaser from the film to show you right now.

Click through to check out the teaser. The Woman In Black is currently shooting for a February, 2012 release.

So, what do we think? Can Radcliffe move on to other, more mature roles or will he always be Harry Potter to you? Sound off in the comments!

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The final flick from the long-running Harry Potter series hits theaters this summer and the official Facebook page is abuzz following the release of the official movie poster. The 7th movie in the ‘Potter’ series wraps up the events contained in the final novel by J.K. Rowling entitled Deathly Hallows, having been split into two parts to better do justice to the dark and dangerous tale.

The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemort’s final horcruxes, but when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.

Directed by British filmmaker David Yates (Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince) and with a script written by Steve Kloves (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Half-Blood Prince), Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 arrives in theaters everywhere on July 15th.

Be sure to hit the jump for the full-sized official movie poster!

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While the very first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is quickly climbing the ranks and close to making $1 Billion worldwide since it’s release in November, fans everywhere are looking forward to the final culmination in Part Two hitting theaters this July.

In it, we are expected to get (without spoiling anything) a pretty amazing wizard battle between Harry and his noseless nemesis, Voldemort.

In this new featurette, we get a little bit of that face-off, but plenty more footage and even some candid moments with Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson give some insights on what we can expect in this final (and only 3D) installment.

Check out the footage after the jump and see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in theaters on July 15th.

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Harry Potter held off a fair haired princess to eke out a win over the weekend.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows made $50.3 M, bringing its ten day total to $220 M.  If you count the entire Thanksgiving weekend (Wednesday through Sunday) the five day total was over $76 M, making it the fourth best Thanksgiving total on record.

It was hardly an easy task. Disney’s new princess caper Tangled performed very well, and made $49.1 M for the weekend;  $69 M over the five days.  This Thanksgiving opening take is second only to Toy Story 2, back in 1999.  When actual grosses come in on Monday, Tangled very well could top the box office.  It also got the first “A+”  from Cinemascore for the entire year. Audiences absolutely loved it.

Megamind is still performing very well.  It only dropped 19% in its fourth weekend for an additional $12.8 M.  It has now made $130 M, finally matching its reported budget. The Cher/Christina Aguilera musical Burlesque played well to audiences, and received a surprising “A-” from Cinemascore exit polls.  It placed fourth with $11.8 M ($17.2  M five-day total).

Denzel Washington’s Unstoppable was just a tad behind, in fifth place. Another new release, Love and Other Drugs, came in sixth with $9.8 M.  It should be noted that the film played on about a thousand fewer screens than the top three films this week.  Faster (starring Dwayne Johnson) came in just behind it.

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