With the summer movie season of 2009 drawing to a close, it’s time to look back at the ten films that made us laugh, cry, howl and above all entertain us. Now bear in mind while films like The Hurt Locker and Moon saw release over this summer, they won’t be included here as this focuses more on the blockbusters than it does some films that had play at festivals. Enough babble, onto the films.

10. GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST

Some are going to have films like Land of the Lost, The Proposal, or dare I utter Year One on their top ten lists, but I’m going to opt to put this one on there. Oh yes, it’s a shock this shows up here but the film was actually a decent little romantic comedy. It’s more a comment on how this summer has been, but let’s not discredit a movie that actually took the time to develop the leading characters and moved rather briskly. Matthew McConaughey is more than tolerable as Michael Douglas steals every scene he’s in. May 1st started blockbusters off on the wrong foot with Wolverine, but romantic comedies started off well with this fairly underrated movie.

Current Grade – 7/10

9. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

Potter die-hards snatched this film up and drank every last drop of it, others (like yours truly) felt it did just enough to be considered good, but lacked an explosive action scene present in most blockbusters. Word on the street is the book has a climatic battle that could have been present here helped the picture. Instead this remains a decent Harry Potter picture that shows the growth and talent of the leads and might be considered one giant build up for the final two films. If it is, it’s a well done ad for Deathly Hallows and did get me interested to see where this is going to end up.

Current Grade – 7/10

8. G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA

First, this by no means has anything in it resembling a good, even decent film. However, the film spoke to the child inside me and for that I enjoyed the hell out of it. Besides when you’re a kid playing with your action figures you don’t care about your Boba Fett or Batman action figure on a deep quest to find themselves. No, you want them to take out everyone in the room and engage in an all-out war, plot be damned. While the effects are spotty in some spots, it doesn’t matter in the end as Stephen Sommers gets the tone of G.I. Joe right and gave us the blockbuster Terminator Salvation, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen promised but failed to deliver.

Current Grade – 7/10

7. DRAG ME TO HELL

Look for this in something I’ll concoct at the end of the year called “Films I Was Wrong On.” It’s still not one of the films of the year, the movie is a nice mish-mash of new and old Raimi while the director just has a blast making a nice throwback film. Like another film on this list, it gets a little too self-indulgent for it’s own good and Raimi’s slapstick style doesn’t always work, but who doesn’t love an anvil taking out a demon. The performances were a little better than expected as well, the best of whom comes from Dileep Rao. Oh yeah, and I’ll still stand by it being one of the best horror films of the decade, credibility be damned.

Current Grade – 7/10

6. THE HANGOVER

You have to applaud this film for being the one to debunk Warner Brothers’ “no more tentpole R” films as this went on to become one of the highest grossers of the year. As far as the funny goes, this film brought it in spades with a decent plot and some great comedic performances. In fact, most of the random things these characters end up in are plausible considering this is supposed to be the craziest Vegas hangover ever. Ed Helms was terrific both on the piano and as “Dr. Douchebag” as Zach Galifiankis made up for his turn in What Happens in Vegas. It loses it’s way toward the end, but it still comes out as one of the funniest films of the year.

Current Grade – 7.5/10

5. STAR TREK

Most have called this ‘the film to beat this summer.’ While the film has some really big plot problems, overall J.J. Abrams brings it all together to craft one of the most entertaining and best films not just of the summer, but the year. This one also furthers the destruction of the “even-good odd-bad” theory that Nemesis helped to take care of. I may be the only one, but I still feel Chris Pine gave a better Kirk than Shatner (flame me below) but Karl Urban so sneakingly steals the film away from everyone, he should be arrested for it. It was action-packed, featured wonderful characters and while fun, wasn’t completely dumb. Oh, and it’s fourth best of the entire Trek series.

Current Grade – 8/10

4. DISTRICT 9

Boy, science fiction sure is having a wonderful year with Moon, Star Trek, Watchmen, and now this. It doesn’t insult it’s audience’s intelligence, the action is coherent and shot well, and the performances are just as powerful and moving as anything you’ll find this year (Sharlto Copely deserves at least a nomination.) One of the most original pieces of the year, District 9 remembered what it was that made summer such a gold mine for films in the first place. It’s tough to talk about anything in the film as the less you know going in the better but just know this: District 9 is the summer blockbuster we deserve and hopefully it’s a success so studios take notice that we want our movies to have some form of intellect behind them. Leave now, go see it.

Current Grade – 9/10

3. PUBLIC ENEMIES

I love Michael Mann, and will worship pretty much any film he makes (hey, I’ll at least admit it.) Public Enemies is another great one of his, and is the equivalent of Picasso painting a masterpiece or Mozart conducting another classic. That won’t work for some as Mann follows the beat of his own drum but at least here it ended up being one of the best flicks of the summer. It’s the 1930′s through the eyes of Michael Mann, and seldom has it ever been this stylish or cool. Public Enemies also has the best shootout this year with the cabin shootout and one of the most beautiful scenes that Mann’s ever filmed with Dillinger’s last moments. It’s poetry, pure poetry.

Current Grade – 9/10

2. UP

Pixar just outdoes themselves every year, even though WALL*E made a case that the trend had ended. Well, it doesn’t as Up edged the robots out to take the crown. Ten minutes in, Up gives one of the best directed scenes ever in ANY film and doesn’t let go from there. There’s likely not going to be a more deserving animated film to break the barrier and be nominated for Best Picture. It still overwhelms me how terrific this film is, from how subtle it is with telling it’s characters to making Ellie a character without her being there and not making Russell an annoying little kid. All that, and we’ve yet to talk about the story is pure bliss. In short, it’s Pixar’s finest hour to date.

Current Grade – 9.5/10

1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

If I were a history teacher, I’d be teaching this film in history classes as fact. Tarantino has crafted a movie that’s his best since Jackie Brown, and no that’s not an overstatement. The journey might have been a long one for the Basterds to get to the screen but it was well worth it. Brad Pitt is at his finest and way, way better than he appeared in last year’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button namely because he as a personality in this one. The big winner of this is Christoph Waltz who should go on to bigger things thanks to his performance as Col. Hans Landa. For Tarantino, he does self-indulge like he did in Death Proof, but doesn’t go overboard and uses the dialogue to build tension during scenes. Also unlike that film, there’s no fat to be cut as everything moves the film along briskly. The results are magic, and as the writer/director himself puts it, a “masterpiece.”

Current Grade – 9.5/10

So there you have it, these are the films that took summer 2009 by storm. Sure things started off bumpy with Wolverine and there were pot-holes along the way in Terminator Salvation, Year One, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but this summer didn’t limp to the finish line. In fact it went out with a big bang and turned in some fun and two seriously great pictures. In fact, that may as well define the summer as one that showed promise, faltered, then delivered big time in the clutch. Here’s to a great end of the year with The Lovely Bones and Black Dynamite still to come.

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' (C) Warner Bros.

Online ticket sales for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince have been huge and are outpacing the top-grossing movie of the summer –a little film entitled Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

According to the online ticket merchant Fandango, more than 1,000 showings of Harry Potter 6 have already sold-out and has become one of the fastest-selling films in the company’s nine-year history. Currently, Potter represents 96% of total sales for the online firm.

“Harry is tracking to match last year’s juggernaut, The Dark Knight, in advance ticket sales,” said Fandango COO Rick Butler. “Showtimes are selling out at a very fast pace, and it’s clear that the film’s wider blockbuster appeal, solid word-of-mouth and positive Internet buzz on Half-Blood Prince are helping fuel the demand.”

The Harry Potter franchise is also looking to become the highest-grossing series in history, bypassing the long-running James Bond series. The past five Potter films have grossed $4.48 billion wordwide, putting the boy wizard story right story behind the beloved spy series which is holding onto the record with $5 billion.

The first installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, debuted at the box office in 2001, while James Bond has been saving damsels and fighting madmen since 1962 in Dr. No. The franchise currently has 22 films to its name.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is due out in theaters tomorrow.

While you wait, here’s the review.

PHILIP BARRETT: The beauty of the Harry Potter films is that as the actors have aged, their talents have vastly improved. It’s been a nice thing to watch especially for someone like me who’s not exactly a fan of Harry Potter. Regardless, they’re exceptionally made films that feature great fantasy and incredible special effects. Certainly the series isn’t terrible but it’s just one of those that never captivated me like Batman or Star Wars. With this in mind, I liked, didn’t love the new Harry Potter.

MICHAEL DENNOS: I’m a die-hard Potter fan myself.  I’ve read the books and seen the movies countless times, so I walked into Half-Blood Prince with high expectations.  What a delight it was to find that Half-Blood Prince excels above and beyond any of the previous installments and takes its well-deserved crown as Best Potter Movie to Date.  Everything about this film won me over; from its beautiful cinematography, delicately woven storytelling and its extremely heartfelt performances.  David Yates and company deserve a resounding round of applause for this simply magical accomplishment that is easily one of the best of the year.

MATTHEW SNIDER: I would agree with Phil about the actors aging well. Both their looks and their skills have grown in many different ways. Their acting is more believable for such a stretch of a world in which they live. The sixth installment by far is head and shoulders above the rest of the series. This hits on so many different points and doesn’t grow old at all. This would be in the top 2 films of the year so far for me, possibly in slot number 1!

PHILIP: And as much as you agree with me, I would agree with Michael that the cinematography is spectacular. Dozens of times in this film it was as if one gazes upon the Mona Lisa or any of the works by Michelangelo. Take for instance the opening scene where the Death Eaters tear through London. It’s a beautiful and thrilling sequence that feels like an amusement park ride, and I mean that in the best way. I was afraid the film would have a very washed out blue and green look to it, but thankfully this is one of the best looking films of the year. Hogwarts has seriously never looked better.

MATTHEW: I cannot disagree at all. The photography, the direction – all of it was breathtaking. I even loved some of the harsher transitions from a dark place at Hogwarts to a barren snowy train ride. The over all feel of the film was a big WOW. The look and feel was something I would possibly put in Baz Lurhman’s hands. Well close enough. I am looking forward to this on Blu-Ray in all its glory and it just hit theaters yesterday!

MICHAEL: Indeed, I was mesmerized by the look of this film.  David Yates and his cinematographer Bruno Delbonel provide an intoxicating look into the world of Harry Potter, and I’m not afraid to say that it just might be Oscar-worthy.  But I want to get back to the acting for a bit.  Yes, by now the trio have obviously grown comfortable in their respective roles and it shows.  Emma Watson especially gives a very tender and compassionate performance as her character Hermione has to contend with her growing feelings for Ron.  Which brings me to the romance in the film; even though I don’t agree with the pairings J.K. Rowling chose, I must concede that in this film they are handled with extreme care and end up feeling very authentic.  Kudos to screenwriter Steve Kloves for making me forget my Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione skepticism for 2 1/2 hours.

PHILIP: I know both Michael and Matthew will discuss how great it is (and they should, the film is by no means terrible) but I want to discuss some things I felt hurt the movie. Now heed my warning for die hard fans, I am not saying this movie sucks as again, I did like it and will watch it again come IMAX. However, the last hour or so drags on. I get that this installment is a giant set up for the last two films but it deserved more of a climax. Without any real spoilers, the ending doesn’t have too much of a build-up to a pretty huge event in the series. Maybe this is more my fault that the film’s, but I expected a little more than what was given.

MATTHEW: I agree with this, this is the one thing lacking in the film. The ending was just that an ending. It just stopped. Nothing huge that happened besides the obvious, but it just sort of trailed off with a storyline waiting to be finished. Phil is correct though, the next step is on to Book 7, a two part film, coming to us in 2010 and early 2011. I by no means want to write this off as a reason not to see this film, but it does bring up the question of “I just sat through this entire movie for this?”. While this is a question that I am sure some will have, the die hard fan will ask this question “Why do I have to wait till November 2010 to see his continue?”. Hang tight the last 35 minutes or so as the movie is well worth it, even if just to watch Hermione and her new found love for Ron bubble up.

MICHAEL: Well, the lack of a climax was intentional.  The producers felt like since Deathly Hallows has a penultimate battle inside Hogwarts, much like the climax of the HBP novel, they didn’t want to repeat themselves.  Personally, I see their point and the ending still worked for me.  It put more focus on the characters and their emotions, and the scene that deals with the immediate aftermath of a main character’s death has to be the most emotionally wrenching scene in the film series thus far.  And in regards to the running time, it certainly felt like 2 1/2 hours, but not once was i thinking ‘Oh, they could’ve trimmed this”, but I guess that’s my Potterphobia showing.  Fellow fans will be too enraptured in the film’s events to worry about length.

PHILIP: For what the film is and being marketed as, we need that pay off though. It might have been intentional, but even Two Towers graced us with a giant battle at Helms Deep to at least keep things moving. Now again, I’ve never read the books but another thing that was troublesome is that the movie doesn’t focus on the Half-Blood Prince. There’s no reveal of who or what he is other than a throwaway line at the end. It’s still a shock, but the other films still made time for character moments while still pushing forward “We have to find the Sorcerer’s Stone” or “We must get to the Chamber of Secrets.” Here, the Half-Blood Prince just drops out of the narrative for no particular reason other than the story calls for him so Harry can get close to Professor Slughorn.

MICHAEL: Ah, I knew that would be brought up.  Yes, if I had to pick one thing to complain about the most, it’s the fact that the Half-Blood Prince is given a secondary narrative focus.  At least the book constantly reminded us we needed to be working out the mystery of who the Half-Blood Prince is.  But again, I want to discuss the acting, particularly the grown-ups.  Michael Gambon is absolutely riveting as Dumbledore this time around.  Fans will no doubt know what happens in his character’s arc, and thankfully, Gambon more than delivers.  Then there’s Alan Rickman as the sniveling Snape; Rickman has always brought this sardonic air to the character that I just love and in this film, he’s given much more to do.  Personally, I hung on to every pause between words and devoured every subtle facial expression. And this film’s new face is Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, the new teacher with a fetish for cozying up to popular students in order to score some popularity points in the Wizard world.  Quite frankly, Broadbent captures the spirit of Slughorn perfectly and slips into the role with natural ease.

MATTHEW: That really wasn’t in the forefront of my mind to be honest. Yes the movie is named this, named after the book with it in it’s title, but I wasn’t needing to find out who the Half-Blood Prince was. Even after the revealing of who it was, without reading the books, it only leaves more questions. On to the acting, you have so many good performances in this film it’s hard to complain about any one. The acting of the newest addition to the teaching team at Hogwarts by Jim Broadbent was fabulous. Radcliffe and Watson also put in great performances and rarely let me loose focus on the film itself. Michael hit Rickman on the head – his pausing is awesome! The way he brings Professor Snape to life is brilliant and gets better with each passing film. Watch the movie but also make sure to see the performances along with it

MICHAEL: And before i forget them: Tom Felton and Jessie Cave.  Felton really surprised me; he gets to show off his true acting chops as Malfoy here as his character is given a mission by the Dark Lord and starts to tread the thin line between doubt and allegiance.  Jessie Cave, well, she is wonderful as Ron’s leech-like girlfriend Lavender Brown.  She provides a lot of the film’s comic relief and successfully convinces you that she’s a dim-witted ditz concerned only with making Ron’s lips chap from so much kissing.

PHILIP: Rickman is just gold in whatever he does, although I keep waiting for Harry Potter and the Die Hard. Seriously though, Gambon has really made this role his own and is on par, if not better than the late Richard Harris. He never feels like a creepy pedophile but someone who does love Harry as a son and wants to watch over him. Equally as tremendous is Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn. He doesn’t ham it up but feels like a real person amidst all of this fantasy. The leads though have come into their own and really make this whole thing effortless now. Where before they had trouble balancing humor and character, now the transition is flawless. Even Tom Felton, who bothered me to no degree in the previous installments, finally shows his stuff and delivers.

MICHAEL: And speaking of comic relief, this Harry Potter film is the most humorous.  Most of the first two hours is replete with perfect, well-timed comedy.  This is the most I’ve ever laughed during a Potter film, and it seems appropriate since Half-Blood Prince is basically the calm before the storm that is Deathly Hallows.  Unlike Transformers 2, where most of the humor was very forced most of the time, the humor in Harry Potter is woven naturally into the film.  Particular scenes of note include any scene with Lavender, Ron’s unfortunate overdose of love potion and Harry’s hour of pure luck by way of Felix Felicis, not to mention countless perfectly-delivered one-liners.

MATTHEW: Well said, a great combo between drama and comedy. Great job on the balancing.

PHILIP: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is not perfect, and I can see where fans will likely be disappointed with it. With that in mind, none should come away hating the film as it doesn’t resemble anything terrible. The film works in a lot of spots and is even outright brilliant at times, with some gorgeous visuals and special effects that are second only to the giant robots. Like the series, the film is a wonderful achievement that deserves the attention it will likely get from everyone. Certainly it’s debatable if it was worth the wait, but overall everyone delivered a solid entry into the franchise. Bring on the finale.

MATTHEW: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes close to movie of the year for me. A great balancing act of comedy and drama, superb acting by all involved, and a great behind-the-camera force, all adds up to a great movie. While a tad long, I have nothing to be negative about after watching this movie. I would love to be able to watch it again and again as I am sure the 2nd and 3rd runs will work just fine. If you are a lover of the books or like me, a lover of them movies, you won’t be disappointed. This is the best of the series so far and I look forward to be once again amazed with the 2 part finale coming in the next few years!

MICHAEL: What I’m about to say is something you hear every time a new Potter film is released, but I haven’t said this since Prisoner of Azkaban, so here it is: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the best in the series so far.  Sure, there are the usual changes from the book but his is the first time I’ve ever been completely fine with them.  David Yates has certainly grown more confident in his work since Order of the Phoenix, and I can’t wait to see how he handles Deathly Hallows.  Sporting great cinematography, intense action, superb acting and flawless special effects, Half-Blood Prince might just be (my Potterphobia be damned) my favorite movie so far this year.  What a terrific movie.  Transformers, your time is up.

Philip’s Grade =

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

All right, for many of you who are summer movie going fans, you cannot tell me that this is on your radar as one of the more anticipated flicks to come out during this July. That’s right folks, I’m talking about J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince that’s ready to apparate itself into theaters on July 15th everywhere. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson and directed by David Yates, the Muggle and Wizard world are both in danger thanks to Voldermort and his Death Eaters. Is Harry the Chosen One that everyone believes he will be in order to take them all down? Take a gander at HBO’s First Look on the boy with the scar on his forehead right here:

Check out the 2 part HBO First Look below.

Thanks from the awesome people at Screen Rant, here is your first peek at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. No, this is not official pictures but they are pictures of the three main stars on set. If your as big of a Harry Potter fan as I am, even a little glimmer of what is to come with the last installment will keep you bubbling with anticipation for the 6th film (coming out July 15th from Warner Bros Pictures) and even more for the two part finale. Yes, Harry Potter 7 (if you want to make it short) will be split into two films. The first of the two will be released on November 19, 2010 with the last piece coming out on July 15, 2011. I know, horribly long wait. But for the time being feast your eyes on Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson below.

Not to worry, all my fellow Potter phobes, the theatrical release for the long-awaited “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” still remains July 15th, but those planning on experiencing the sixth installment in IMAX 3-D will have to wait two extra weeks to do so.  This time, if you’re looking for someone to blame, take it out on Michael Bay and those darn Transformers.

This two week delay is the result of IMAX Corp. previously agreeing to let Paramount have an entire month where they can show the big-budget “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen” on IMAX screens.  Since this agreement was made back when “Half-Blood Prince” was still scheduled to hit the market in November 2008, and due to the fact that that month-long window overlaps into Harry’s new July 15th release, Warner Brothers graciously acquiesced by moving Harry’s 4th IMAX debut to the 29th.

However, if you live in either New York or Los Angeles, you’re in luck, because Harry’s sixth big-screen adventure will still premiere on two IMAX screens in those cities on July 15th.  Everyone else…well, you get the point by now.

At least WB didn’t mess around with the theatrical release again.  But personally, I think Harry Potter trumps Optimus Prime any day of the week, and that view seems to be solidified by the fact that “Prince” contains 12 minutes of 3-D awesomeness.  Awesomeness only available through the IMAX screenings.  Even though “TF 2″ was partially filmed with IMAX cameras, they still weren’t 3-D cameras, were they?

So while Harry Potter may return to work is magic in theatres on July 15th, he won’t be able to cast his spell over IMAX screens until two weeks later.  Hey, at least it’s not another 8-month delay.

New TV Spots from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Released

The good people at Warner Bros. have released two new TV spots for its upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Jim Broadbent, the sixth installment in the boy-wizard franchise hits theaters July 15th.

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

With an large number of trailers so far for the untimely pushed film, we (the Harry potter fans) are itching for some Harry Potter action.Even though its brief, we do see a new side of Harry in the latest released TV Spot from WB. With TV Spots hitting the boob tube, is only means one thing:

Harry Potter is coming and coming soon!!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is directed by British filmmaker David Yates.

This is the sixth book in J.K. Rowling’s billion dollar empire! Warner Brothers finally give us Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on July 15th.

Check out the Spot below.

Make sure you swing back by for our thoughts and continued coverage of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.