Today I have added nine new scripts as Focus, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. and Overture have brought their award sites online.

If you are interested, the Focus Features site is incredibly involved and quite fancy. It features not only the scripts for A Serious Man, 9, Coraline and Sin Nombre but also the complete scores/soundtracks in 192kbps .MP3 quality. Carter Burwell's score for A Serious Man is worth the visit alone. Warner Bros. also features the scores for The Informant, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Where the Wild Things Are while Wild Things is currently the only script not yet available.

Below you will get links to the award sites as well as links to each screenplay, with the newest scripts marked as such. Remember to bookmark our The Contenders section and/or subscribe to the Contenders RSS Feed for continuous awards updates.

• A Serious Man
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!
• Coraline
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!
• 9
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!
• Sin Nombre
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!
• The Informant!
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!

• Precious
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!

• The Men Who Stare at Goats
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!
• Sunshine Cleaning
  • Download the Script andlaquo; NEW!

• Public Enemies
  • Download the Script
• Funny People
  • Download the Script

Considering this is the Internet, the most discussed placement is sure to be The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the 25th spot while the Harry Potter filmed franchise comes in three spots earlier at 22.

Unfortunately, I haven't read many of the books from this list, but I have seen all but a few of the films. I will say I am far more partial to Stephen King's "The Shining" than I was to Kubrick's adaptation and I hardly remember the Harry Potter books well enough to even say if I think they are great adaptations as much as I have simply enjoyed both the films and the books. I never read Thomas Harris's "Silence of the Lambs" although I did read "Red Dragon," "Hannibal" and "Hannibal Rising". My reasoning there was the fact The Silence of the Lambs was so good I didn't need any additional information or description.

I would say I actually enjoyed David Lean's Great Expectations more than the book, but Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is a personal favorite of mine, and no matter how much I enjoy Legosi as Dracula the book will always come in #1 for me.

Of course, there is one thing I want to point out, before offering her list, Telegraph's Melissa Katsoulis points out these are the "25 films that made it from the book shelf to the box office with credibility intact," which tells me she made a list of what she deemed to be the best adaptations and then ranked the films in order not based on how good the adaptation was, but based on how good the films were. This is to say she could believe Trainspotting was the best adaptation of a book for the screen, but the film (with all factors considered) comes in at #17 on the list. So before you go getting all upset in the comments, keep that in mind.

With all that said, check out the list and leave your thoughts in the comment section below. If nothing else this is a great list of films you should add to your Netflix queues if you haven't seen them already.

1. GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946)
2. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
3. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
4. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
5. THE LEOPARD (1963)
6. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
7. DANGEROUS LIAISONS (1988)
8. THE BIG SLEEP (1946)
9. THE 39 STEPS (1935)
10. THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE (1969)
11. MOBY-DICK (1956)
12. BRIGHTON ROCK (1947)
13. DRACULA (1931)
14. THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (1973)
15. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
16. EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)
17. TRAINSPOTTING (1996)
18. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
19. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
20. THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993)
21. THE SHINING (1980)
22. THE HARRY POTTER SERIES (2001-2011)
23. THE HEIRESS (1949)
24. SCHINDLER�S LIST (1993)
25. THE LORD OF THE RINGS SERIES (2001-2003)

What about you? Did you see Inglourious Basterds? Were you surprised a 2.5 hour film that was 70% subtitled was able to win a weekend? And what do you make of District 9's prospects going forward? Is it 50 percent drops from here on out? Lastly, give a little love to Harry Potter. Lord knows we don't want Warner Bros. mad at us, those guys have the Batman 3 passes.

So what happened to Bandslam? Is the G.I. Joe result actually decent? And is District 9 set up for financial success. Let me have it, and feel free to bust out any other questions or knowledge you might be sitting on.

Who you got? Anyone daring enough to pick against District 9? Will G.I. Joe prove me wrong? And what do you make of Bandslam? Comment now... or forever hold your peace.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/latest-mpaa-ratings-bulletin-no-2082
Here are the new MPAA ratings from BULLETIN NO: 2082.

UPDATE: A representative from Warner Home Video replied to my earlier email regarding the mention of an extended version of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone in the MPAA release bulletin. I asked whether they had any additional information such as a release date, whether it will be both DVD and Blu-ray and if there are any plans for releasing extended versions of the other Potter films and the reply didn't give much, but it at least should let you all know something is brewing:

Although we've not announced [it yet], all Harry Potter films are being planned to get special upcoming releases!

You will notice in this release a mention of an extended version of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone. The MPAA bulletin listed Warner Home Video as the distributor and I have an email out to Warner in hopes of obtaining any additional information, but as of right now all I have is the below rating.

What do you think? Am I giving Funny People too much credit? Not enough love for G.I. Joe's action quotient? And what's up with Harry Potter? Comment early, comment often.

What do you think? Am I too low on G.I. Joe? Or too high on Julia and#038; Julia? It's going to be a slow weekend at the theaters, but that's no reason not to get involved. ]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/box-office-wrap-up-jul-31-aug-2-2009

Any surprises for you? Did you go to the movies, or were you part of the apparently large crowd that stayed home? Will Apatow be forced into more obvious comedy from here on out? Many questions abound, drop an egg of knowledge on us.

You know the drill. Where did I go wrong? Can you see Knocked Up numbers for Funny People? Am I sleeping on Aliens in the Attic? Drop your predictions and witty insight posthaste. ]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/box-office-wrap-up-jul-24-jul-26-2009

Am I being too hard on Kat Heigl? Do you see G-Force stealing the crown? Am I giving Potter too much credit? Weigh in with your thoughts and predictions below! ]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/film-adaptations-and-their-source-material-how-faithful-should-they-be Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince isn't a page-by-page faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling�s book. A couple of the comments registered on my review read as follows:

"Poor adaptation came across as a sickly romance/comedy rather than a suspense thriller. The only thing that saved this film is the acting." ~ Kassey Colton

"It was nothing like the book and I don't think there is a way for the seventh one to be saved." ~ Carousel Girl

Six times? Well of course you aren't going to be happy. At that point nothing will make you happy. Anonymous' Friend then took it to the next level starting their next paragraph saying, "On another note, I do not believe that Dumbledore is gay." Not sure what this has to do with anything related to Half-Blood Prince, but these are the details superfans concentrate on, and when someone messes with their franchise they take it personally -- even if it means taking on the author. This is the nature of fandom, and it's a fanbase that appears to be extremely hard to please. When it comes to the Harry Potter films I have a hard time believing someone like "Anonymous' Friend" could be happy with any of the films released so far. None of them have stuck strictly to the narrative.

However, I use this merely as a recent example and a jumping off point. An endless number of books have been adapted into feature films and I can't say there's ever been one I have seen that was able to stick strictly to the book's narrative. Whenever I ask people if there is a film adaptation of a book that managed to exceed the written word they most often point to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I have only read "The Hobbit" and never picked up "LOTR" so I can't say, but it seems to be a popular answer.

The best example for myself concerning the subject would be Stephen King as I have long been a rabid fan of his works, but have rarely been impressed with the films adapted from his horror tomes. Of course we have seen the fantastic Shawshank Redemption and the decent adaptation of The Green Mile and The Running Man, but when it comes to horror films from the "Master of Horror" a lot is left to be desired. I'm not sure if people would say Carrie or The Shining are the best horrors based on a King novel, but I can tell you this, The Shining is not the book King wrote.

But I would say there is a difference between adaptations of Stephen King's horror novels and something like Harry Potter, since most people tend to agree on the quality of the bad King adaptations, but when it comes to Potter the films enjoy massive success and critical favor. If it was more than just the die-hard Potter fans complaining about Half-Blood Prince it would make sense, but the film is one of the best reviewed of the franchise, but those reviews are looking at the movie as a movie, not as a filmed adaptation.

Most of the comments I see around the web seem to look at the film and say it's a bad adaptation of the novel and begin citing things that are left out. Is it the filmmaker's job to make sure every aspect of the novel is in the film or to simply make sure they are telling an entertaining story?

Earlier this year we saw an extremely faithful adaptation of "Watchmen" and it suffered for it, with many people (myself included) citing Snyder's film as almost too faithful in such a way that it prevented him from realizing what was important and what was unnecessary. I have since watched the film again and found other factors that weigh more heavily on the film's problems, but there's no doubt the film lacks a satisfying narrative flow as a result of its dedication to the graphic novel.

Moving on, how about when we watch a movie and find things wrong with it that the book got right? One example for me would be last year's award season contender Revolutionary Road, a film I felt forgot it needed to rely on its supporting characters for more than just moments of indiscretion and outbursts and paint them as actual characters. The novel by Richard Yates did this, the film did not and in my opinion suffered for it.

However, looking at a filmed adaptation this way is different than it appears the Potter fans are looking at Half-Blood Prince. I am not saying Revolutionary Road had to deal with the supporting characters the same way Yates did in his book. I am saying I wish it had dealt with them more... period. The supporting characters in that story gave the audience another way of connecting to the leads played by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio and without that connection a facet of the story was lost.

I am sure some will say my argument is no different than the one posted by Potter fans, and that's fine, it's a difference of opinion, but it's a fascinating question nonetheless. How faithful should filmmakers be to their source material? Do they owe the legions of readers that made a story popular in the first place or do they simply owe the greater population to tell what they believe is the best adaptation of that story?

I'm not saying anything revelatory here when I say film is not the same as paper and to adapt a book exactly is virtually impossible. A scene in a book can be written to take up to five hours, but to show the same thing in a movie for more than five minutes could topple the entire picture. Subtleties written on the page can linger in a reader's head for days while on screen they can come off as forced character traits that become laughable rather than necessary to a character's personality. Adapting a book into a film is tricky work and a lot of the time changes must be made or you are going to lose your entire audience as opposed to just the fanatics.

What do you think? What are your favorite and least favorite film adaptations? Do you think a film owes the readers and should filmmakers stay as close to the source material as possible? Or do you go into a movie fresh, expecting a whole new experience each time only to be pleasantly satisfied when something you remember from the book is accurately represented on the big screen?]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/box-office-wrap-up-jul-17-jul-19-2009

You've got to like Potter, right? But how much will it fall? Will our new "fan frontloaded" maxim come into effect? While you're answering those questions, throw in a number for The Ugly Truth, G-Force and Orphan if you're feeling brave.

So where am I off? Am I too high or low on Potter? Do you feel an impassioned plea entering your fingertips after one of my dismissive comments? Here's your chance. Comment now and comment hard. ]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-opens-with-58-4-million Wednesday/Thursday predictions had Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opening to the tune of $60.1 million with expectation the film would earn $34.7 million on Thursday. It appears he wasn't too far off.

After earning a record-breaking $22.2 million in midnight shows the film has rolled to a $58.4 million opening day from 4,275 theaters, well ahead of the $44 million earned by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix reports Variety's Pamela McClintock.

McClintock goes on to say predictions for the five-day weekend range from $125-150 million, which will have it still falling short of the $198.2 million Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned earlier this year, second only to The Dark Knight's $203.8 million. However, this is based purely on previous installments and seeing how this is Harry Potter's first PG-rated film since Prisoner of Azkaban back in 2004 and a film that still carries an 88% rating at RottenTomatoes we may be able to expect much more.

Of course, as Steven Zeitchik points out based on Potter's past, "Over its five previous installments, the series has shown a remarkable immunity to reviews. In fact, not only do strong reviews not matter -- they're correlated to fewer dollars." The two highest grossing Harry Potter films are the first two, the two that have the lowest RottenTomatoes scores at 78% and 77% with the others ranging from the mid-to-high-80s.

Who knows how it will all turn out, but I can tell you Laremy will take a stab at it. Stay tuned, later today he will have his three-day box-office predictions... Play along and see if you can beat him. Looking back at our Wednesday/Thursday estimate article I see "athar" came closest with a $58.5m prediction while "NackAttack" and "Topy" came a close second with $58m predictions. Good on yah folks.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/half-blood-prince-takes-down-the-dark-knight-and-star-wars-for-midnight-record UPDATE: USA Today is reporting the midnight number for Half-Blood Prince as $22.2 million.

Well, how do you think the Wednesday/Thursday box-office results for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince are going to shake out now that it is being reported the film pulled in a record $20 million in midnight showings alone to beat The Dark Knight's previous record of $18 million and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith's $17 million?

Just yesterday our Box-Office Oracle, Laremy Legel, got his predictions in just under the gun and estimated a whopping $60.1 million for Wednesday and another $34.7 million for Thursday. Such ambitious predictions have it besting the $91.1 million two-day haul of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen... Will it be so? Revenge of the Fallen is already $4 million in the hole if we go off midnight screenings alone with its $16 million earned earlier this year.

To date, the highest grossing Harry Potter film remains the first one, which took in $317 million domestically and $974 million worldwide. Can Half-Blood Prince top that? I have heard people discussing the $1 billion worldwide possibility, but I am also already seeing a lot of complaining from fans regarding changes from the book to the film. It will be interesting to see how it all fleshes out.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/in-my-opinion-ranking-the-first-six-harry-potter-films

I ranked the Potter films back in July 2007 following the release of Order of the Phoenix, and at that time Goblet of Fire came out on top. However, a new installment has graced our big screens which demands a second look and after watching all five movies in an effort to put together the five Harry Potter quizzes that were featured last week (if you missed those click here) I can guarantee a shake-up. Here's how my rankings broke down last time around:

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

	I don't believe there has ever been a time I actually looked at Chamber of Secrets and actually thought it was all that good. Of course, the way it ties into the overall Potter storyline does give it some added weight, but not enough to move it from once again occupying my bottom spot on this list. While a lot of information is let loose in this, the second film in the franchise, the film has a hard time actually being all that entertaining. Watching it a second time, did allow me to have a little fun with Kenneth Branagh as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, but beyond that this one is really a dud in my mind.

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (2001)

	Where Chamber of Secrets comes in as a dud, Sorceror's Stone is just a bit too childish. This doesn't make it a bad film, it just means I have grown out of it, and I am not entirely sure I ever grew into it as this one was only a so-so effort when it was released. It definitely did a good job of introducing audiences to the world of Harry Potter, even if pretty much everything Chris Columbus introduced in his first two films has been changed tonally and others never looked back at the colorful world of Hogwarts as the darkness began to roll in.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

	My previous #1 drops all the way to #4. Goblet of Fire is still a solid film, but I can't see myself turning to it all that often as better films have found their way into the franchise leaving little room for those that find their way to the happy middle. Goblet of Fire probably has the best action of the series, but in terms of story and pacing it just doesn't hold up as well over time -- that is until the showdown at the end, which I enjoy quite a bit.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

	I'm still a bit upset Warner Bros. screened this film one day before reviews were to be posted giving me little time to actually think about the film and formulate a better and more thought out opinion. I am a firm believer a film has to sit with you over time and only then will you truly realize just what you think of it as opposed to rushing to judgment. Who knows, perhaps this installment will one day find its way to the top of my list, but I doubt it. As entertaining as Half-Blood Prince is as a character piece it doesn't necessarily hold up well on its own from a story perspective, which is the main reason it got a "B" from me. For example, I can't see myself returning to this film all that often without watching Deathly Hallows immediately afterward once the two-part finale is on home video. There is little to this story and it is probably my least favorite of Rowling's "Potter" novels merely for its lack of story.. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Half-Blood Prince, which is visually spectacular and the writing is a lot of fun. Best of all, it keeps you intrigued and if you are anything like me it has you hotly anticipating Deathly Hallows.
	andnbsp;

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2003)

	Prisoner of Azkaban is a film that bounces in and out of my top spot depending on my mood. It was the Harry Potter film that allowed the franchise to turn the corner. When it came out plenty of the die-hard fans hated it and when conversation would arise as to whether or not Alfonso Cuaron would return to the franchise to direct another film the fanatics would cry out loudly in disdain. Of course, on the opposite end of the spectrum critics were applauding the film and to this day many still believe it is the best of the bunch as I have seen several critics debating whether Prisoner of Azkaban or Half-Blood Prince top their list. Azkaban still stands tall for me and we all owe Cuaron a debt of gratitude because if it wasn't for his vision who knows what the Potter franchise would look like now.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

	Order of the Phoenix is a perfect example of how an opinion on a film can be fleshed out after seeing it more than once. Back in 2007 I saw this film about a week-and-a-half prior to its release and wasn't particularly bowled over, but as circumstance would have it I was granted a second opportunity to see it before it was released and enjoyed it so much more the second time around, enough to where I can now call it my favorite of the franchise to date, but that isn't to say I expect it to stay there for long... My guess is Deathly Hallows is going to blow us away and I wouldn't be surprised if the ending of Half-Blood Prince was toned down simply in an attempt to build-up expectation for the big finale.

So there you have it, that's my ranking of the first six Harry Potter films and I am assuming most of you don't agree as I know many didn't particularly enjoy Order of the Phoenix, at least not enough to even consider it the best in the series. So weigh in below with your rankings and perhaps a couple words as to why you feel the way you do.

Finally, if you own a Blu-ray player and would like the first five Potter films on Blu-ray for cheap, Amazon is selling the Blu-ray box set for a limited time at the price of only $56.99, click here to get in on the deal.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/predicting-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-wednesdaythursday-box-office

Doesn't it figure Brad would hit me up for a Harry Potter Wednesday and Thursday prediction piece nine hours before audiences will begin filling theaters for sold-out midnight screenings? Of course, I am a sucker for this kind of stuff and having loved Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince I am more than willing to talk about it a little more and open up the discussion as to just how high it will go.

The way I see it, we have two potential benchmarks when trying to ascertain how much Half-Blood Prince will rake in on Wednesday and Thursday. First off is the opening of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix two years ago:

Wednesday: $44.2m
Thursday: $18.4m

The latest Transformers must also be taken into consideration, if only because it's the most recent big-name Wednesday opening.

Wednesday: $62.0m
Thursday: $29.1m

Bear in mind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen pulled off this trick against poor reviews as pre-sales that essentially guaranteed it huge cash.

Now then, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is not getting anything nearing poor reviews. It sits at a plum 98 percent on RottenTomatoes, the notoriously difficult grader Brad gave it a healthy "B", and I personally found it to be the best in the series. Right now it's 22 percent higher than Order of the Phoenix, so if people needed an extra reason to buy up every ticket around they've certainly got one, and according to MovieTickets.com that's just what they're doing as more than 1,300 showtimes are sold-out as of Monday afternoon. As a matter of fact, The Hollywood Reporter brings word Half-Blood Prince has already destroyed the $12 million in midnight box-office Order of the Phoenix brought in with a chance at $18 million.

Next we've got to factor in theater counts. Half-Blood Prince will get approximately 4,300 theaters according to BoxOfficeMojo's current tally. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen maxed out at 4,234. Michael Bay's film was rated PG-13, while the latest Potter comes in at a very bankable PG. Factor in the fact it's been six weeks since a non-animated family-friendly summer film was released (Night at the Museum II). Finally, throw in a weak (almost comically) non-family winner in Bruno last weekend and you've got the witches' brew for a huge Potter opening.

Potential caveat #1: Transformers 2 banked $14m in IMAX sales ... whereas Potter won't open in full-on IMAX for two weeks.

Caveat #2: Will families not support the film until the weekend? These are the questions that definitely haunt me, but the fact the film has been delayed about eight months already leads me to believe people are ready to see it.

We can assume Thursday's numbers will be anywhere from 30 percent to half of Wednesday's monster opening. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's Wednesday opening of $62m represents almost complete saturation on the sold tickets front so there's not a little of wiggle room to go up there. Where I think Potter thrives is on Thursday... and overall. We're looking at a billion dollar (worldwide cume) film here, folks. If pressed I'd say $1.14b total, giving it second place on the old non-adjusted for inflation chart. The last one made $938m, and I believe this one is going to rock it.

I was $20m under on my previous Wednesday call, and I very well could be $20m over on this one, but we're going for it anyway. Hold me to it, my Wed/Thurs prediction for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:

Wednesday: $60.1m
Thursday: $34.7m

If you feel you've got some additional knowledge how's about you drop it on us in the comments section? Plenty of y'all are proficient at this so let me know where my logic has gone horribly wrong, or if, gasp, you sort of agree with me that this Potter this is going to be big.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/movie-review-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-2009

Don't let the PG-rating fool you into thinking this film shies away from the darker elements of J.K. Rowling's sixth book, in fact, in terms of presentation this is the darkest Potter film to date. Death is around every corner and anyone could be next. However, as a counter-balance, and to ensure the 153 minute run-time isn't a complete funeral procession, Half-Blood Prince has some of the most comical writing the franchise has offered so far.

The story begins just moments after the battle between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) at the end of Order of the Phoenix. With confirmation the Dark Lord has returned, Voldemort's faithful subjects (known as Death Eaters) aren't afraid to let themselves be known by raising havoc across the land. At the same time Harry has been recognized as the Chosen One, a.k.a. the one that must face Voldemort in an epic battle of magic, and as a result his fame has grown, but he has duties he must attend to. Duties designated by Dumbledore as well as by his maturity.

While Dumbledore and Harry bounce around time and space through the use of stored memories detailing clues from the past, and manipulation to get the information they need to learn of Voldemort's secret for eternal life, Half-Blood Prince is a story of maturation. Harry's quiet fascination with Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) is instantly noticeable all while the untold desires Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) share for one another continue to blossom. There's a whole lot of "snogging" as love-potions enchant the mind and jealousy bubbles to the surface causing tears and bedside comforting. I would go so far as to say Yates could have actually cut back on the relationship story-telling a tad as it does get a bit repetitive, but if he had he wouldn't have been left with much as "Half-Blood Prince" is one of the more sparse novels in Rowling's Potter stories. This story serves as more of a developmental and maturation place-holder for her characters rather than a fantasy epic of spells and curses, but that isn't to say those don't have a place here.

The newest and most notable addition in this installment is Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn. Broadbent is a welcome newcomer just as is every new participant in this franchise with casting that has never skipped a beat. A perfect example would be Evanna Lynch as the colorful Luna Lovegood, a character and performance even better than it was in Order of the Phoenix, making me wish she were the more prominent female in the franchise rather than Hermione. Speaking of characters I would like to see more of, Alan Rickman as Severus Snape (in my opinion the greatest character in the Potter universe) has more to do this time around and, as always, Rickman delivers his lines with his typical gruesome pauses, making them all the more memorable.

Beyond acting and directing, Half-Blood Prince is a marvel in terms of cinematography and production design. The sets are gorgeous and CGI landscapes don't stand out as much as they blend in without a second thought. A wide shot toward the end of the film featuring Harry and Snape is as ominous as it is beautiful and this film is packed with similar settings. More than once I sat back and marveled at the scenery and whole-heartedly enjoyed the opening moments as Death Eaters swarmed into frame as spindly black clouds that would put any 3-D film I have ever seen to shame. While I don't believe Half-Blood Prince is the most engaging story in the Potter franchise, what it lacked in story it made up for in spectacle and character moments.

Everything said, I never thought J.K. Rowling's sixth book would make for all that captivating of a feature film. This story serves as more of a character building go-between prepping us for the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows rather than an action-based feature as the prior installments have been. This isn't to say it's necessarily a bad thing. I did enjoy myself and expect fans of the book to enjoy it as well, and those that get riled up by the personal relationships of Harry, Ron and Hermione will truly have a blast and perhaps dub this the best Potter yet.

Even though I wasn't bowled over, Half-Blood Prince never felt like it was two-and-a-half hours long and I would have gladly sat through another five hours if parts one and two of Deathly Hallows were ready right now... As far as that goes, November 2010 can't get here soon enough.

As of the publishing of this post here are how the percentages work out for the four previous quizzes:

• Year One - 34.9% of you got 10/10
• Year Two - 37.6% of you got 10/10
• Year Three - 24.4% of you got 10/10
• Year Four - 11% of you got 10/10

Check out the sample question below or click here to get started:

I remember back on January 7 when I first reported the news Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had been rated PG by the MPAA for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality, and the mild online stir the news caused. Harry Potter dedicated fansites were emailing me constantly asking if the news was true since I get MPAA ratings about a day before they are added to the MPAA's official site. However, as we all now know the rating is indeed PG and McClintock wonders if this will be an issue citing the last two PG-13 installments as box-office improvements over Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was the last of the PG-rated Potter films and the lowest grossing installment to date.

She also points out how a PG-13 rated film carries the perception a film is cool and slightly more grown-up, a perception studios expect will draw in teenagers whereas a PG rating may be viewed as too family friendly or juvenile.

With the growth of movie conversations across the Internet every aspect of a movie is looked at closely. I report weekly on the latest MPAA ratings every Wednesday (look for one later today by the way). Other sites focus on script reviews. Some focus on who will be scoring a film and each trailer released is looked at under a microscope across the board. MPAA ratings, to me, have always been fascinating, if not equally maddening. For example, I just got home from watching this week's upcoming release Bruno and I'm not at all surprised it originally received an NC-17 rating and honestly am a little shocked they got away with what they did in this R-rated cut -- but that's about it -- unless a film truly surprises me afterward I really don't think much on the rating. Do you?

I can understand walking into a horror movie and seeing a PG-13 versus an R and then having certain expectations, and the same goes for a teen sex comedy, but the ratings for action and fantasy movies have never really concerned me that much. The Dark Knight got away with quite a bit and I also believe the Lord of the Rings trilogy bumped up against a possible R rating with the level of violence they displayed. However, when it comes to Harry Potter I have never thought any of the five previously released films did anything to deserve anything more than a PG. There isn't any foul language outside of Ron occasionally saying "bloody hell," any sexual aspect is limited to a kiss and the violence is all done with wands and sparks of light. Sure, some of the characters are a bit frightening and the photography has gotten much darker, but is it really warranted of a PG-13?

I have not read any of the early reviews and I am not seeing Half-Blood Prince until next Monday, but from what I understand this latest installment is just as dark as the previous two, which lives up to the extraordinarily dark trailers I have seen.

Personally I don't think a PG rating will hurt the film whatsoever and I don't think many people (other than those looking out of concern for their children) even look at the ratings unless it is in that horror/thriller or sex comedy genre I mentioned earlier. The only legitimate concern I have heard over these final three Potter films is the possibility the fact new books are no longer being written lessens the awareness. I don't think it will have an effect, but it is a more sound argument in my mind than concern over the MPAA rating.

I'm curious, do any of you concern yourselves with film ratings beforehand and make decisions to a see a film based on them?]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/quiz-get-your-harry-potter-ph-d-year-three

Anyway, all jokes aside, things have gotten a bit tougher this time around and I am anxious to see if I can finally start to get those perfect scores to begin dropping.

For now, check out the sample question below or click here to get started:

Of course, we are always open to giving you a chance to do better in the next quiz, but if you score low you may want to try studying a little harder next time... Perhaps one of these options will satisfy as suitable study material?

For now, check out the sample question below or click here to get started:

The Harry Potter Ph.D. program is a five day program that begins today, July 6, and will run all week ending on Friday with your "Year One" exams. These initial ten "Year One" questions should be of little challenge, but as things progress things are going to get much, much harder. After all, you don't think it's easy to earn a Harry Potter Ph.D. do you?

Of course, we are always open to giving you a chance to do better in the next quiz, but if you score low you may want to try studying a little harder next time... Perhaps one of these options will satisfy as suitable study material?

For now, check out the sample question below or click here to get started:

I put a brief bit of info on each gallery next to the title list below. You can check out all the galleries by clicking on the movie title in the list below, which will open up a new browser window/tab. Once you are done looking at the pics, close that window to return back to this post.

Enjoy, and remember you can stay up-to-date on all the latest images added to the site either on the homepage, on the movie stills homepage or by simply adding the RSS feed to your feed reader and you will never miss a pic.

• G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (Added five character posters and the official one sheet)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Added 7 new images)
• Love Happens (Added the first 7 images to the gallery including the poster)
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (14 pictures have been added)
• Death in Love (Added the poster)
• Shorts (Added the poster)
• The Time Traveler's Wife (Added the poster)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Added 5 behind-the-scenes pictures)
• 9 (Added the international and domestic poster)
• Iron Man 2 (Added a hi-res version of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash)

Photo: The Weinstein Co.

Next comes a brief note from MTV in which Robert Rodriguez tells the music website he hopes to start shooting his live-action The Jetsons feature "next year." This production has been around for some time and Rodriguez says, "We're writing the script right now."

The Rodriguez train continues in talking about the Predators reboot that was recently announced along with rumors Arnold Schwarzenegger's character from the original would be featured in some way. Rodriguez squashes such a rumor telling AICN, "We�re still writing a new script, and although I know Arnold personally and he�s the coolest person on the planet, I have not contacted him about this at all at this time."

The Playlist is reporting secondhand news from their Entertainment Weekly which discusses the recently talked about Alien prequel feature Ridley and Tony Scott are setting up with Carl Rinsch directing. However it appears Fox isn't interested in Rinsch and they want Ridley back at the helm. Rinsch, who is apparently involved romantically with Ridley's daughter Jordan, may be falling into the same situation Peter Jackson and his protege Niell Blomkamp fell into with Halo at Universal. I mean, who wants the understudy if you can net the big kahuna?

The new Scream trilogy is still being talked about with Digital Spy catching up with director Wes Craven. The original Scream helmer tells the site, "Bob Weinstein (The Weinstein Company co-chairman) has talked to me, he�s interested in me directing it. I had a brief conversation with Kevin [Williamson], I know that Kevin is writing. What I�ve said to Bob is I�m not closed to it, I�m not open to it, I�ll be perfectly happy to read a script and tell him what I think. That�s where it�s at and I�m not expecting a script until August. I don�t know what the premise is or anything."

Top top the Scream talk off, last week after running a story on the new films I received an email from someone claiming to be Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson saying, "No remake -- it's a brand new trilogy that involves all of the surviving characters and lots of new ones." Someone claiming to be Williamson said something similar on Twitter. I never reported it because there is no way to verify, but since it was brought up over at SlashFilm I thought I would add my own bit on it to the mix.

Next comes a small bit of news from Jim Hill Media reporting from the Las Vegas International Licensing Fair saying a Monsters, Inc. sequel is being planned. What else is there to the story? Nothing.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/new-video-potter-6-featurette-bandslam-trailer-and-burning-plain-intl-trailer the last one.

This time around we start with an international trailer for Guillermo Arriaga's (Babel, 21 Grams, Amores perros) The Burning Plain thanks to a heads up from Awards Daily. Arriaga scripted the three films you see next to his name, but this time he steps behind the camera for a film that shot out of the gate at last year's Venice Film Festival only to fizzle shortly thereafter and still is without distribution as a result.

The film stars Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger and Joaquim de Almeida and weaves together two storylines taking place in the past and present. Basinger plays Gina, the mother of Theron's character as seen in childhood. Theron will play Sylvia, who tries to find common ground with her parents after a turbulent childhood. The two narratives eventually converge.

Check out the international trailer directly below.

Next comes Bandslam, which stars Vanessa Hudgens and will be released by Summit on August 14. As expected, the film is just some musical mumbo-jumbo stereotypical hoo ha, but I am sure it will strike a cord with the younger "American Idol" fanatics out there.

Below is the first trailer.

Finally is a new featurette for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince featuring new footage, interviews and the what not of muggles, wizards and snitches. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters on July 15. You can click here for our gallery of 72 images and much more.