Most Expected Movies Of 2011

Cheer up, moviegoers! This is just the year to indulge yourself with movies which are likely to hit the box office. The expectations for movies in 2011 is rather optimistic, there will surely be the movies to satisfy each viewer including kid audience. So, let's have a closer look at what we are expecting to see on screens this year.
The most expected movie in 2011, both long-awaited by men and women, is of course "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2". This is the final part and the viewers certainly expect it to be the most impressive. No doubt, it will hit the box office, as all the previous parts did.
Next in the list of movies coming in 2011 is the sequel of The Hangover - The Hangover 2. Todd Phillips seems to be an inexhaustible source of ideas and comic situations, he is not likely to take a break for a year or two.
There is a good news for kids and the fans of animated movies - after five year of expectations we are going to enjoy Cars 2 produced by Pixar. This movie 2011 will compete with another sequel part of the cult movie - Kung Fu Panda II - for the title of the best animated movie of 2011. This is going to be a hard choice! On the other hand, this is going to be a real fun to watch both of them in 3D.
The greatest mystery among new movies of 2011 is the science fiction film 'Super 8' directed by arguably the most talented film director Steven Spielberg. The filmmaker refused to reveal the plot and there is nothing left but to watch the teaser trailer and thrill with expectations of the new movie 2011.
An “incompatible combination” and one of the new movies coming on 2011 is “Cowboys and Aliens”. Jon Favreau, known by his “Iron Man” and its sequel, this time applied only a part of iron to his character (a bracelet), but this was enough to attract aliens to come to the Earth. Every great adventurous movie wouldn't be great without Harrison Ford, probably this is a good sing for this new 2011 movie.

Cowboys And Aliens (July 29)

Directed by Jon Favreau, this film comprises a mixture of two absolutely different civilizations: human beings and aliens. The film is based on the known graphic novel “Cowboys & Aliens”, where the aliens came to the Earth at the time of cowboy era. The spaceship arrived to the planet with the initial goal - to subjugate the Earth, and Arizona appeared to be the starting point. But there were some brave cowboys and Apachi people who joined their efforts and six guns to resist the invasion. Film release is scheduled on July 29.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (June 30)

According to online polls, the film mostly anticipated by women in 2011 is “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1”. It's not an easy thing to make a difficult decision, especially if one has to choose between strong friendship and such a tender feeling as love. Will Bella choose immortal life with Jake? Or will she marry Edward? There is a range of questions the fans of this movie are eager to answer, but they have to wait till film release which is scheduled on June 30.

Super 8 (June 10)

From iconic producer Steven Spielberg and the creator of “Cloverfield” J.J. Abrams, this Sci-Fi will surely hit the box office. Little do we know about the plot, as Abrams decided to keep it in secret and make the moviegoers thrill with excitement looking forward to official film release. What is known is that the U.S. Air Force closed down a section of Area 51 and were transporting all the materials to Ohio. But the train came off the rails and a group of kids accidentally videofilmed this event. Moreover, they noticed something strange coming out of one of the carriages. What it was we will see on June 10.

Sherlock Holmes 2 (December 16)

Death is only the beginning! Two close friends Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are about to continue their dangerous yet exciting quest of Professor Moriarty, the quest they started in the prequel. In addition to winning over millions of fans all over the world, the first part of “Sherlock Holmes” appeared to be the biggest Guy Richie's box-office success, becoming a very promising basis for its sequel “Sherlock Holmes 2”. Official film release is scheduled on December 16, probably to become a nice present for Christmas.

The Hangover Part 2 (May 26)

Wow! Now we know all the truth about hangover parties, when awaking in the morning one can find a tiger in his bathroom, or a baby in the closet, or even loose a groom five hours before his wedding! Todd Phillips is the master of showing how things may go awry just in one night. But this is not the end of the story, and “The Hangover Part II” will display one of the funniest stories of the wedding party ever. Bangkok, hold on! Doug, Phil, Stu and Alan are coming. We'll see the sequel of this amazing comedy on May 26.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 27)

Master Shifu had to believe the unbelievable to reveal awesome Po's talent, regardless lack of inclination though, for Kung Fu. Po was the one to defeat the fiercest of all Kung Fu fighters Tai Lung. This time we'll see Po to be a Master. Again a panda bear will confront the evil enemy - this time this is Lord Shen, an armed peacock. The forces are unequal and Po, Master Shifu and the Furious Five have to join another group of Kung Fu masters. It will be the greatest fight ever you will be able to see on May 27.

Battle: Los Angeles (March 11)

Are you aware of what awaits us in future? Jonathan Liebesman has his own idea and he assumes this is alien invasion, which he named “Battle: Los Angeles”. This Sci-Fi will display us what can happen when aliens come to the Earth. For years people have noticed UFO in different places all over the world, but in 2011 unknown forces come to attack the planet. While the rest of the cities are defeated by enemies, Los Angeles becomes the last hope for the whole mankind. The result of this terrific battle will see on March 11.

Real Steel (October 7)

Steel gets real in “Real Steel” directed by Shawn Levy. Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a former fighter who lost his last battle to steel robots. After that an idea to create his own robot and get to the rock bottom never left him. It took years to pick up scrap metal to create real bots which can resist tough opponents. This was his son Max who helped Charlie train and build robots for their final yet most spectacular fight. Come to see it on October 7.

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (December 21)

When the film is the adaptation of an award-winning novel it seems to be doomed to success - this is probably what David Fincher thought when he started shooting “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel of the same name. Indeed, so mysterious and confusing, this is going to be a great crime movie. Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Robin Wright and Stellan Skarsgard are starring in this movie hopefully to make it a box-office hit. The film will be released on December 21.

X-Men: First Class (June 3)

Before Professor X and Magneto were just the boys Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr respectively, who discovered their unnatural power. They are not infants already but mature enough to use their power as each of them thinks best. While one preferred to serve for good, another one chose the path of evil. “X-Men: First Class” is the first film of the second trilogy and is claimed to be a resemblance of Harry Potter but with more matured content. The film is expected for release on June 3.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never is the inspiring true story and rare inside look at the rise of Justin from street performer in the small town of Stratford, Ontario to internet phenomenon to global super star culminating with a dream sold out show at the famed Madison Square Garden in 3-D.                     

Android 3.0 on Motorola Xoom

The February 24 launch of the Motorola Xoom tablet isn’t exactly a secret anymore and neither are the details that include a confident $800 price tag. The Xoom has also been featured in a Super Bowl 2011 commercial lineup that was filled with references to Apple products and tablets. If the commercial is any indication, then we know that Motorola will seek the direct confrontation with Apple and will aim to exploit every piece of negative perception of the Apple empire. However, Motorola may shot itself in the foot already.

Motorola Xoom

The hints to Apple’s control over its devices could not have been more subtle, yet very obvious. A lone Xoom user trapped in an endless mass of uniform people in white clothing wearing white earphones stands out and dares to walk against the stream. There aren’t any hints of the Xoom’s feature set beyond the usual -- a camera, an onscreen keyboard -- but the protagonist opens the commercial with an ebook -- George Orwell’s 1984.
We take this as a hint to Apple’s walled garden (in an environment that closely resembles the public environment described by Orwell) as well as its big brother approach to control its ecosystem and users as far as the use of applications are concerned. In Motorola’s view, the Xoom is “the tablet to create a better world.” There are small notes of Google and Android integrated in the commercial, which leads us to believe that Google may have participated in the creation of the commercial. In the end, Google used the Xoom to introduce Android 3.0 a few days ago.
The Xoom will be Google’s first strike weapon in an upcoming tablet war against the iPad. However, it won’t be easy, especially if those pictures showing an $800 price tag are accurate -- which is extremely high despite the 32 GB of integrated memory as well as two cameras and 4G LTE capability.  The leaked Best Buy ad includes a surprising note that the Xoom supports Wi-Fi, but only if you subscribe to Verizon’s data service for at least one month (there is no contract obligation). The data plan pricing ranges from $20 per month for a 1 GB volume to $80 per month for 10 GB (“data allowance”). They must be kidding.
This first strike weapon seems to be a dead fish in the water. $800 is way too high. A Wi-Fi feature you have to pay for is a really smart idea, Motorola. Really smart. Now you only have to find people dumb enough to accept it.

Suggestions for saving Nokia

To: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop
Re: Nokia's turnaround
Dear Stephen:

It's clear from your "burning platform" memo--where you compared Nokia to a man on an oil platform in the North Sea who wakes to explosions and fire, but who survives after choosing to leap into the icy sea--that you're upset. And I don't blame you.
While Nokia is still the No.1 seller of mobile handsets in the world, its lead is quickly eroding, especially at the high end of the market. Research firm Gartner reported today that smartphone sales rose 72 percent last year compared with the year before. But Nokia's share of that market fell to 28.9 percent. Last year you had 36.4 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, according to Gartner.
Meanwhile, Google Android phone sales have increased by nearly 10 times what they were a year ago. Gartner said that worldwide, Nokia's Symbian operating system remained slightly higher than Android, but only slightly. Other market research firms say Android actually outsold Symbian in the fourth quarter. Yikes.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop.

(Credit: Nokia)

As you eloquently pointed out in your own memo, Android is only two years old. And with such strong momentum, these numbers are likely to be even higher next year and the year after.
As for Apple, after three and a half years of iPhone mania, Nokia still has nothing that even comes close to providing the same kind of experience. Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. operator, is getting ready to sell the iPhone 4 starting tomorrow. This is a device that has been on another carrier already for nine months, and people all around the country are still expected to line up outside stores to buy it on Verizon.
Then there is Nokia: Still, the largest cell phone maker in the world, but nowhere near where it was at its peak a few years ago. Honestly, I thought your recent memo would have stirred up more concern among consumers that it has. But that's what is so sad. No one is particularly fired up about this. And the reason is simple: the once mighty Nokia has become an afterthought, particularly in the U.S. wireless market.
I'm sure you've been getting tons of unsolicited advice on what you should do to turn things around. And I know you will be announcing some big strategy shifts in London on Friday. But if I may, I'd like to chime in with some advice.
Get serious about the North American market
The days when the U.S. was considered a laggard in wireless are long gone. Unfortunately for you, Nokia unwisely pulled back in the U.S. several years ago, and instead focused globally on the high-volume low end of the market.
The company saw a big opportunity to leverage its global scale to address the untapped developing markets. And to be fair, this strategy has yielded some success. But it's hard to maintain high profit margins in a low-cost, high-volume business. You already mentioned competition at the low end of the market from Chinese manufacturers, such as Huawei and ZTE. But I'm afraid that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Nokia has said in the past that it wants to get back into the U.S. market. But this time you have to mean it.

Companies that specialize in tool kits for designing cell phones will make it possible for anyone to manufacture ultracheap cell phones. Soon cell phones made in China or India will dominate the low end of the market. Unless you're willing to shut down your manufacturing in Finland and Eastern Europe and move your operations to Asia, you won't stand a chance competing there.
Meanwhile, the smartphone market, where profit margins are much higher, is blossoming in more developed markets. The U.S. has nearly 300 million cell phone subscribers, according to the CTIA Wireless Association. Of those 300 million subscribers, only about 63 million of them owned a smartphone at the end of 2010, according to ComScore. In the past year, the number of people in the U.S. with a smartphone grew 60 percent, up from about 38.7 million at the end of 2009. What this means is that there's still a large untapped smartphone market in the U.S.
Nokia has said in the past that it wants to get back into the U.S. market. But this time you have to mean it. First, do some house cleaning. Get rid of your North American management team. You don't have to move the company's headquarters to Silicon Valley, as some reports have suggested. But this time you need a new strategy in the U.S. and new blood to execute that strategy. As Albert Einstein once said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. It's time for a real change, which means you can't simply reshuffle executives anymore.
Listen to North American carriers
If you take my advice and you recognize that the North American market is critical to Nokia's future, then you have to accept that carriers still call the shots in the U.S. I know this is a hard pill to swallow for many long-time Nokia executives and engineers who like to do things their way. But if Nokia has any hope of getting traction in the U.S., you need to give wireless carriers what they want. And what they want right now is a smartphone platform that has a consistent look and feel and offers Web-enabled apps that will help increase subscriber revenue.
I was happy to read in your memo that you believe the mobile market is about "ecosystems," and that Nokia needs to find a way to be part of an ecosystem. But the reality is that today's ecosystem for smartphones is all about Google Android.
Nearly 30 percent of smartphone owners in the U.S. now have an Android device, according to ComScore. And that figure is likely to grow as more Android devices come on the market. AT&T, the second largest wireless operator in the U.S., is only now just launching its Android push.
Of course, Android has its issues. There is a lot of fragmentation among different flavors and releases of software. But Android is here today, and it's a huge success. If you have any doubts about the power of Android, look at your competitors. Motorola was on the brink of disaster two years ago. Now the company has built a solid brand of "Droid" phones. And a tiny unknown cell phone maker, HTC, has now become a household name.

I realize that Nokia is coming to the Android party late, but what have you got to lose?

I realize that Nokia is coming to the Android party late, but what have you got to lose? Nokia's smartphone market share doesn't even register in most reports. U.S. consumers find Symbian a cumbersome mess. And U.S. carriers have no interest in throwing their weight behind the platform. MeeGo, which may be a worthy OS in the future, is not ready for prime time today.
Some people have suggested that Nokia use Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 to get back into the game. I know you have ties to Microsoft. And I will be the first to admit that Windows Phone 7 is a cool operating system. But the developer ecosystem is still small. So I don't think that Windows Phone 7 alone can be the bridge you need to carry you until MeeGo is ready for prime time.
So my suggestion is why not do both? Release some Windows Phone 7 devices and some Google Android phones. Focus these devices on the North American market only. U.S. carriers and customers may hate Symbian, but the platform is still widely used and supported overseas. (You might as well milk Symbian for all its worth elsewhere.) If the Android and Windows Phone 7 strategy takes off in the U.S., you can always expand the strategy outside the states.
Keep innovating, but don't try to reinvent the wheel
I understand Nokia's reluctance to turn to Google for software innovation. How can Nokia differentiate its products from Motorola's and HTC's if it's using the same software as everyone else? And I agree with you. That is a problem.
And it's why I don't think Android is the solution to Nokia's long-term problems. The company still needs to innovate.
So continue working on MeeGo. The mobile handset market will not be won or lost based on a single piece of hardware, as you pointed out in your memo. Software and the ecosystem of application developers surrounding these devices have become hugely important. But it's also important not to push products into the market before they are ready. If MeeGo isn't ready--and from what I have heard it won't be for a while--then lean on something you know does work.
Focus, focus, focus
Finally, my last suggestion is that Nokia needs to keep its focus. That means getting rid of any initiatives and products that take away from the singular goal of getting back into the high-end smartphone market in the U.S.
This means abandoning the Ovi services initiative. Let's just admit it: Ovi was a flop. The Comes With Music service sounded interesting on the surface, but at the end of the day people don't want a subscription music service. They want to own the music.
As for the rest of the Ovi services, the plan was doomed from the start. It reminded me of an Internet portal circa 1999. Do wireless customers really need another e-mail client or cloud-based file storage? Again, the service offered nothing particularly unique.
Nokia is a 150-year-old multinational corporation. It was around years before cell phones were even dreamt of. And it's the pride of Finland. I would never predict its demise. After all, if Motorola can mount a turnaround, there's no reason Nokia can't. But now is the time for action. I look forward to hearing your future plans during the investor conference Friday. Good luck.