Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 ***1/2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hit theaters on November 19th 2010 grossing 61.2 million dollars opening day in the United States alone. I went to see the movie the day after with my little sister and a few family friends, and i must say that i was pleasantly surprised. I have seen the other 6 movies and this one by far was the best. First and foremost, this movie was a lot darker than the others with a definite sense of desperation in the air. This proves that the movie has reached a wider audience and not just little kids or nerds like myself. I know many of you haven't seen the movie yet so i won't give too much away.

The premise of the film is as old as time itself and has to deal with the battle of good vs evil. Yes, we've heard that story before but that didn't stop the film from making 205 million dollars in its first weekend. But lets get on with the film.

It's cloudy in the wizard world and it looks like rain. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was in fact one book written by J.K. Rowling, however it is made into two films. The first part deals mainly with both the side of good and evil preparing for war. Each side is making the necessary preparations in order to readily equip themselves for an inevitable battle. The three main characters from the good side are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermoine Granger. Each of them have their own strengths and each of them are on a quest to destroy objects known as Horcruxes. The Horcruxes were created by the leader of the bad side who's name is Lord Voldemort. Essentially these Horcruxes allow the creator to split their soul in an attempt to remain invincible or cheat death. When a horcrux becomes destroyed, it allows the creator to become closer to death. The evil side is preparing for the war by trying to find something known as the Deathly Hallows, when one holds the Deathly Hallows they become a master of death. That is the basic plot of the movie, each side is trying to obtain or destroy things that will enable them to win the war.

I thought the movie was the best of the other movies in the series and one thing i liked about it is that you don't really need to see the films or know the back story to enjoy it. I recommend you go watch it, this film earned a 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

Watch the trailer: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1 trailer

See the box office charts for this week: This Weeks Box Office

Back to the Future 25th Anniversery! ****

Back to the Future, now considered a classic, celebrated its 25th anniversary recently. I know that we usually blog about new movies, but i felt as if this would be an interesting tangent. In honor of its release, the movie was aired one time in one theater at the Puente Hills Mall. Interestingly enough, part of the movie was shot at the same mall. The scene features Marty McFly first discovering the flux capacitor's ability to time travel was indeed shot at the Puente Hills Mall, known in the film as Twin Pines Mall.

Many nerds, including myself, young and old gathered to watch the movie in theater. Most of us reciting the lines as they were said. Before the movie began, Claudia Wells, the actress who plays Jennifer Parker in the first Back To The Future actually graced us with  her presence and answered a few questions from the fans. After all the questions were answered the movie began and at the end of the movie each member of the audience got specialty posters as well as fliers that stated "Save the Clock Tower". It was interesting watching the movie in theaters considering i wasn't alive when it came out. But even though the film was made in 1985 it could have been written last month and still be considered progressive.

This movie has indeed stood the test of time, ironically. When it came out in 1985, it catered to a rapidly changing generation. As Marty Mcfly did in the film, no one could really put themselves in the shoes of their parents generations. Perhaps that's why so many people could connect with the characters in the film. Teenagers saw themselves in Marty and parents relived what they remember from their high school days in George and Lorraine's characters. 25 years later, our new generation has connected with the film just as the previous ones have.

This film was a critical and box office success when it was released 25 years ago and today it still has a special place in audiences hearts. This film will always have a solid 4 out of 4 rating in the past, present, and future.

Watch the trailer: Back to the Future 25th Anniversary trailer