Harry Potter Reunion: What Are The Actors Best Movies Since The Wizarding Franchise Ended?

 

The 10 Best Movies From The Stars Of Harry Potter

What is Harry Potter?

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's struggle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people).

Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, on 26 June 1997, the books have found immense popularity, positive reviews, and commercial success worldwide. They have attracted a wide adult audience as well as younger readers and are often considered cornerstones of modern young adult literature.^[2] As of February 2018, the books have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, making them the best-selling book series in history, and have been translated into eighty languages.^[3] The last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history, with the final instalment selling roughly 2.7 million copies in the United Kingdom and 8.3 million copies in the United States within twenty-four hours of its release.

The series was originally published in English by two major publishers, Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. All versions around the world are printed by Grafica Veneta in Italy.^[4]

A play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, based on a story co-written by Rowling, premiered in London on 30 July 2016 at the Palace Theatre, and its script was published by Little, Brown. The original seven books were adapted into an eight-part namesake film series by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is the third-highest-grossing film series of all time as of February 2020. In 2016, the total value of the Harry Potter franchise was estimated at $25 billion,^[5] making Harry Potter one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

A series of many genres, including fantasy, drama, coming of age, and the British school story (which includes elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, horror, and romance), the world of Harry Potter explores numerous themes and includes many cultural meanings and references.^[6] According to Rowling, the main theme is death.^[7] Other major themes in the series include prejudice, corruption, and madness.^[8]

The success of the books and films has allowed the Harry Potter franchise to expand with numerous derivative works, a travelling exhibition that premiered in Chicago in 2009, a studio tour in London that opened in 2012, a digital platform on which J. K. Rowling updates the series with new information and insight, and a pentalogy of spin-off films premiering in November 2016 with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, among many other developments. Most recently, themed attractions, collectively known as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, have been built at several Universal Parks & Resorts amusement parks around the world.

How to watch the Harry Potter reunion

Emma Watson says she felt "quite overwhelmed" before reuniting with members of the original cast of the Harry Potter movies for a one-off TV special.

But the actress, who played bookworm Hermione Granger, ended up being "pleasantly surprised" to relive the years spent making the eight-film series.

The movies, which took 10 years to film while Watson and her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint were mostly teenagers, propelled the youngsters to international fame.

In a clip released by HBO Max, which produced the special, she said: " Some of us haven't seen each other for years.

"It's just been a joy, an unexpected joy. I really didn't know how it would feel.

She added: "I felt quite overwhelmed this morning and I've just been quite pleasantly surprised by just getting to relive it all.

In an earlier clip, she said: "It feels like no time has passed and loads of time has passed." 

When is the programme on?

In Return to Hogwarts, which airs on Sky and streaming service Now TV from New Years Day, Watson is filmed being reunited with Radcliffe, Grint and a host of other famous faces on the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first film in the series.

They joined the director of the first two films, Chris Columbus, to discuss the beloved movies and explore their creation.

Since the films were released, the author of the books on which they are based, JK Rowling, has attracted controversy over her comments on transgender identity, including from stars Watson, Radcliffe and Grint.

For The Love Of Jennifer Lawrence: Pictures Of The Sexy Hollywood Superstar

 

10 Times Jennifer Lawrence Made Us Go Weak At The Knees

Actresses Sarah Tither-Kaplan And Toni Gaal Said The Star Was "Blind About Power Dynamics".

Lawyers for two of the women accusing actor James Franco of sexual misconduct have said his admission that he had sex with students from his acting school is "completely insensitive".

The statement, given to US media by lawyers for actresses Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, said the star was "blind about power dynamics".

They called the drama school a "sham".

Franco told a podcast earlier this week that while teaching, he "did sleep with students, and that was wrong".

The actor was nominated for best actor at the 2011 Oscars for Danny Boyle's 127 Hours and is also known for his roles in Milk and the Spider-Man films.

He agreed to pay $2.2m (£1.6m) in July after being sued for engaging in "sexually-charged behaviour towards female students".

A statement from two law firms added: "It is unbelievable that even after agreeing to a settlement he continues to downplay the survivors' experiences and ignore their pain, despite acknowledging he had no business starting such a school in the first place.

"In addition to being blind about power dynamics, Franco is completely insensitive to, and still apparently does not care about, the immense pain and suffering he put his victims through with this sham of an acting school."

They said his behaviour "wasn't a misunderstanding over a course name, it wasn't the result of him being overworked - it was, and is, despicable conduct".

They added that "nobody should confuse this interview with Franco taking accountability for his actions or expressing remorse over what happened", calling it a "transparent ducking of the real issues released just before a major holiday in hopes that he wouldn't face any scrutiny over his response".

Tither-Kaplan said on Twitter: "Platforming abusers while excluding survivors causes even further harm. Survivor blacklisting is still a very real problem."

Spider-Man: No Way Home: First Pandemic-Era Film To Top $1bn

The latest instalment of the Spider-Man franchise has become the first pandemic-era movie to make more than $1bn (£750m) at the global box office.

Spider-Man: No Way Home also took the title of highest-grossing film of 2021.

It beat out Chinese-made Korean War epic The Battle of Lake Changjin, which has grossed more than $905m worldwide.

The last movie to gross more than $1bn was 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, according to media data analytics firm Comscore. 

No other Hollywood production has come near to reaching that box office milestone since the pandemic began two years ago.

Over the weekend, global box office takings for the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film reached $1.05bn.

The co-production between Sony and Disney hit its milestone less than two weeks after its premier even as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has spread rapidly around the world, raising fresh concerns about indoor events.

The film has not been released in China, which is currently the world's biggest cinema market.

Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Tom Holland return as the third iteration of Peter Parker alongside Zendaya's MJ and Benedict Cumberbatch as the sorcerer Doctor Strange.

The franchise's 2019 offering Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first Spider-Man film to break the $1bn mark at the box office and is currently the highest-grossing movie in the franchise with $1.132bn in global ticket sales, according to Comscore.

The latest film follows on from Far From Home, in which the villainous Mysterio unmasked Parker before dying.

The series is a collaboration between the Disney's Marvel Studios and Sony.

In 2015, Disney, Marvel Studios, and Sony agreed to share the film rights for Spider-Man, which led to a new iteration of the character being introduced and integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Before No Way Home, MGM's latest James Bond movie No Time to Die, which made $774m at the box office globally, was the highest-grossing Hollywood film of both 2021 and the pandemic.

Best Movies Of The Matrix Resurrections Star Keanu Reeves

 

The top 10 action movies of Keanu Reeves' career. 

Keanu Reeves biography courtesy of biography.com

Actor Keanu Reeves has starred in the movies 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,' 'Speed,' 'The Matrix' and 'John Wick,' among many other projects.

Who Is Keanu Reeves?

Keanu Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon, and was raised in Toronto, Canada. He first gained attention for his performance in River's Edge, while the comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, brought him major recognition. Reeves has developed an eclectic film roster that includes the action flick Speed and the sci-fi blockbusters The Matrix and its sequels, as well as more art-house fare like My Own Private Idaho and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Reeves made his directorial debut in 2013 with Man of Tai Chi.

Movies

'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'

Reeves was featured in U.S.-oriented teen movies such as Youngblood (1986), starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze, and River’s Edge (1986). More television and film roles followed before Reeves joined the ensemble cast of the scandalous period drama Dangerous Liaisons (1988), starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. The following year marked the release of a film for which the young actor would become associated with for quite some time — Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Co-starring Alex Winter, the popular comedy followed two high school students and their time-traveling high jinks, eventually spawning a 1990 animated TV series and the 1991 movie sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.

'My Own Private Idaho,' 'Point Break,' 'Speed'

Though Reeves would often face criticism for his deadpan delivery and perceived limited range as an actor, he nonetheless took on roles in a variety of genres over the ensuing decade, doing everything from introspective art-house fare to action-packed thrillers.

My Own Private Idaho (1991), directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring River Phoenix, chronicled the lives of two young sex workers living on the streets, while Point Break (1991) turned the actor into an undercover FBI agent who gets caught up in the criminal lives of surfing bank robbers. Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), co-starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins, saw Reeves embodying the calm resoluteness of character Jonathan Harker. 1994 saw the actor starring opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit action flick Speed, followed by work that included the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (1995) and the supernatural thriller Devil’s Advocate (1997), co-starring Al Pacino and Charlize Theron.

'The Matrix' 

At the close of the decade, Reeves starred in a sci-fi film that would become a genre game changer — The Matrix. Directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, the 1999 movie followed Reeves as prophetic figure Neo, slated to lead humanity to freedom from an all-consuming simulated world. Known for its innovative fight sequences, avant-garde special effects and gorgeous fashion, The Matrix was an international hit. Two sequels were filmed together and released in 2003 to a more mixed reception, though the second instalment, The Matrix Reloaded, was a bigger financial blockbuster than its predecessor.

In summer 2019, 16 years after the release of The Matrix Reloaded, it was announced that a fourth film in the franchise was in the works, with Reeves set to return as Neo.

'Something's Gotta Give,' 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'

Even with mainstream success, Reeves continued working in different genres, as seen with his roles as an abusive man in The Gift (2000), starring Cate Blanchett, a smitten doctor in Something’s Gotta Give (2003) opposite Diane Keaton, and a Brit demon hunter in Constantine (2005). Reeves returned to sci-fi as alien Klaatu in the 2008 remake of the classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, co-starring Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith. 

'Man of Tai Chi,' 'John Wick,' 'Toy Story 4'

The following decade saw the actor making his directorial debut with Man of Tai Chi (2013). Martial arts–based themes continued in Reeves' next feature, the widely panned 47 Ronin (2013), which was followed in 2014 by the more critically well-received John Wick, co-starring Willem Dafoe and John Leguizamo and its sequel John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). After co-starring with Winona Ryder in the rom-com Destination Wedding (2018), Reeves faced a busy 2019 with the release of the sci-fi thriller Replicas; a return to action fare in John Wick 3: Parabellum; a supporting role in the Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe and his entry into a major animated franchise as the voice of stuntman Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4.

Daughter

In 1999 Reeves and his girlfriend Jennifer Syme had a daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, born eight months stillborn. The loss of their daughter devastated the couple and caused the end of their relationship.

Two years later, Jennifer was involved in a fatal car accident where she rammed into three cars and was thrown out of her vehicle. It was later reported she was on anti-depressant medication.

Other Interests

His artistic aspirations not limited to film, Reeves co-founded the band Dogstar in the early 1990s. Dogstar enjoyed modest success, releasing two albums during Reeves' decade-long run as its bass player. He later played bass for a band called Becky for about a year. 

Reeves is also a longtime motorcycle enthusiast. After asking designer Gard Hollinger to create a custom-built bike for him, the two went into business together with the formation of Arch Motorcycle Company LLC in 2011. 

Reported to be one of the more generous actors in Hollywood, Reeves helped care for his sister during her lengthy battle with leukemia, and has supported such organizations as Stand Up To Cancer and PETA.

In August 2018, while promoting Destination Wedding with Ryder, Reeves seemed surprised to learn that he may be legally married to his co-star. Ryder said it was the result of filming their wedding scene for Dracula, as a real Romanian priest had conducted a full marriage ceremony. 

Background and Early Career

Keanu Charles Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. Of Chinese-Hawaiian heritage on his geologist father’s side, Reeves’ first name translates from Hawaiian to English as “cool breeze over the mountains.” Reeves’ mom worked in entertainment as a performer and later a costume designer. Upon his parents’ split, the youngster moved with his mother and sister to New York and then Toronto. Reeves developed an ardor for hockey, though he would eventually turn to acting, garnering TV roles and making his big-screen debut in the 1985 Canadian feature One Step Away.

The 1980s Greatest Christmas Movies

The Best 1980s Christmas Movies - what's number one from the decade?

What are the best Christmas films of the 1980s? What are your favorites? Scrooged? Gremlins? Die Hard?

Maybe your favorite Christmas movie of the 1980s is Lethal Weapon?

From CinemaBlend:

Does Lethal Weapon Meet The Standards Of A Christmas Movie?

Knowing what we know about Die Hard, we can begin to look into just what makes Lethal Weapon a Christmas movie more effectively. Is the film set at Christmas? Like most, if not all of writer Shane Black’s filmography, yes it is. Does the film have a message of selfless devotion to duty and family togetherness? Danny Glover’s Roger Murtaugh exemplifies those values perfectly, and we see that through his relationship with his own family around Christmas time.

But the one big thing that really ties Lethal Weapon into the Christmas movie canon, besides the opening usage of “Jingle Bell Rock,” or even the fact that the film has an action set piece set in the middle of a Christmas tree lot, is Mel Gibson’s Martin Riggs. A suicidal mess who’s a loose cannon, Riggs isn’t exactly the jolliest cop on the LAPD beat when we meet him.

And yet, through the caper that throws him together with Murtaugh as a partner, Riggs goes through a Christmas Carol style journey that helps him become a better man. Making a friend in Roger Murtaugh, Martin Riggs eventually becomes a better person after a harrowing Christmas, and even spends Christmas with the entire Murtaugh family; allowing him to give a symbolic gift that proves he’s a changed man. Does Lethal Weapon meet the standards of a Christmas movie? It absolutely does, and to help prove that fact we have evidence provided by none other than Die Hard writer Steven de Souza, who freely admits that thanks to Lethal Weapon, Die Hard was inspired to become a Christmas classic in the making!

The eighties definitely brought us some of the best Christmas films!

For The Love Of Margot Robbie - Hollywood's Hottest Actress

Ask any red-blooded man who the hottest Hollywood star is, they'd likely pick from a small handful of sexy actresses that would include 50 Shades of Grey sex bomb Dakota Johnson or the saucy Jennifer Lawrence. Giving those two a run for their money for hottest Hollywood female is my personal favourite - Margot Robbie. 

For the love of Margot Robbie