Hollywood Fever

The coming year aims to be a power-packed one with an eclectic mix of adventure films like Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2,Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Cowboys And Aliens; highly-anticipated sequels like The Hangover 2,Kung Fu Panda 2,Happy Feet 2,The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and multi-starrers like Cowboys And Aliens and The Whistleblower.

Reputed filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese will be treading new grounds and making films on popular children books with Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn and Hugo Cabret.

Popular comic book superhero Captain America will entertain audiences in Captain America: The First Avenger while famous puppet characters The Muppets will be immortalised on the big screen in a film by the same name.

Prequels of popular movie franchises The X Men series and Planet Of The Apes will make for interesting viewing. So get ready to grab a tub of popcorn and experience the magic of big-budget,larger-than-life movies!

Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn

When Academy Award winners Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson come together,you can expect sheer magic. The filmmakers are collaborating for the first time on Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn,their most ambitious project till date.

The film,based on Herges popular comic character,is helmed by Spielberg and co-produced by Jackson.

Interestingly,The Jurassic Park director has been an avid fan of Tintin comics since 1981. Though it was finalised in 1984 that Spielberg will film the comic,it is only now after over two decades that movie buffs will be able to see the iconic comic character on celluloid.

Watch out for: After the stupendous success of Avatar,this is the second time an entire film has been made with 3D animation and Motion Capture technology where actors are shot with live action and later blended with a computer-generated environment. This is also the first time Spielberg is shooting any film digitally. It would be interesting to see Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot fame as Tintin and the uber-sexy Daniel Craig as the villain,Red Rackham.

Captain America: The First Avenger

He has entertained us through various forms of media since the 40s. Popular superhero Captain America has appeared in a slew of comics,animation films,serials and feature films. But for the first time the tale of this scrawny kid who transforms into a super soldier,fights evil and emerges as the leader of the Avengers Earths mightiest heroes will be told in 3D. Chris Evans of Fantastic Four fame is playing the protagonist. Bigwigs like Samuel L Jackson,Stanley Tucci and Hugo Weaving play pivotal roles in the film that is touted to have a healthy mix of fantasy,action and humour.

Watch out for: Joe Johnston,who has earlier provided visual effects for blockbusters like Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope and Raiders Of The Lost Ark and directed Honey I Shrunk The Kids and Jumanji is helming this film. We cant wait to see how this filmmaker will add his magical touch to this superhero movie.

Cowboys And Aliens

When you have the likes of actor and filmmaker Jon Favreau best known for directing Iron Man and its sequel,veteran actor Harrison Ford and the unconventional Daniel Craig on board,you can expect something exciting and unusual. Cowboys And Aliens,based on a 2006 graphic novel of the same name,aims to be just that. Set in 19th century Arizona,it revolves around warring cowboys and Apaches who join forces to fight an invasion by space aliens. When the films trailer was released recently,it garnered a stupendous response from the public. Touted as a potential blockbuster,viewers couldnt stop laughing at the seemingly serious film. Though Favreau had stated categorically when he took on the film that it will be a by-the-book Western movie,the audience expects it to be a complete entertainer.

Watch out for: The prospect of Indiana Jones and James Bond coming together to battle aliens in a sci-fi adventure flick sounds out of this world!

Happy Feet 2

It made us laugh,it made us cry and it entertained us with its heart-rending story of a penguin who is blessed with a unique talent. The sequel of the Oscar winner Happy Feet will be back this year to regale us.

This time the story will have the famous tap-dancing penguin,Mumble,teaching his son to find his groove and saving the penguin nation too. Though Elijah Wood and Robin Williams are reprising their roles in the sequel,Australian stars Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman who played Mumbles parents in the earlier movie are not a part of this film.

Watch out for: The computer-animated movie is now returning in a glamorous 3D avatar with a whole load of stars. The dishy Brad Pitt,Matt Damon and Hank Azaria are a part of the project. The late Brittany Murphy had lent her voice for Mumbles love interest Gloria in the original. Punk star Pink Alicia Moore will now play Gloria and also sing a song. Talk about being star-packed!

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The epic fantasy film franchise has entertained us for a decade. Next year its final instalment will hit the theatres. The story will follow Harry Potter and his friends quest to find and destroy Lord Valdemorts secret to immortality.

Apart from Daniel Radcliffe,Rupert Grint,Emma Watson,Ralph Fiennes,Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman comprise the rest of the cast. This is the second installment of a two-part film based on Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.

The first part that released this year created history of sorts after grossing 24 million in the United States and Canada during its midnight shows.

Watch out for: Movie buffs all over the world cant wait to catch their favourite teen hero for the last time on the big screen! This last film in the series promises to be a bloodier and grittier version with the final face-off between Harry Potter and Lord Valdemort.

Hugo Cabret

The man,who has given us path-breaking films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull,will be walking off the beaten track with his new film Hugo Cabret.

Martin Scorsese,is attempting a 3D film based on Brian Selznicks best-selling children8217;s historical fiction book The Invention Of Hugo Cabret. The movie,starring an eclectic cast of Ben Kingsley,Sacha Baron Cohen,Chloe Moretz,Christopher Lee and Jude Law,promises to be a visual treat for kids. After all,the book was the first novel to win the 2008 Caldecott Medal,which recognises the best works in illustrations.

The story is about an orphan Hugo who leads a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. When he encounters a broken machine,an eccentric girl and a reclusive man,he is caught up in a magical adventure that could jeopardise all his secrets.

Watch out for: An Oscar-winning director,an acclaimed book and a vibrant cast8230; Hugo Cabret has all the makings of a blockbuster! We cant wait to watch Scorsese who is known for hard-hitting movies attempting a Tim Burton and presenting a fantasy adventure in 3D!

Kung-Fu Panda 2

He enthralled us with his antics as the playful Po in 2008s Kung-Fu Panda. Now,he will be back in 2011 with his entourage the Furious Five in a sequel.

This time the story will be about how Po joins hands with another group of Kung-Fu masters and fights against Lord Shen,a peacock. Apart from Jack Black,Jackie Chan,Dustin Hoffman,Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu,who will reprise their roles,the sequel will also feature Gary Oldman,Michelle Yeoh and Jean Claude Van Damme.

Watch out for: You can catch the sequel in 2D as well as 3D. Apart from video games for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360,a 3DS version will also be released. Its an innovative game console that will be launched next year,which can produce 3D effects without the need for any special glasses using a novel technology.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Superstar Tom Cruise is synonymous with Mission Impossible. The actor-producer not only gave a twist to the popular 60s television series by adapting it into a film franchise but also introduced viewers to a whole new world of espionage.

He will be back in 2011 with his team of agents. Though the plot is still under wraps,like the earlier movies of the franchise,Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol will be a globetrotting adventure that will be shot at Prague,Dubai and Vancouver.

Apart from Cruise and Ving Rhames from the original cast,this movie will see many new faces. Jeremy Renner best known for The Hurt Locker,Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist and French actress and model Lea Seydoux comprise the rest of the cast.

Watch out for: Apart from the high-adrenaline action sequences and the dishy Tom Cruise,we are looking forward to this film thanks to Anil Kapoor.

After being catapulted in the global limelight with Danny Boyles Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire and following it up with his stint in popular American show 24,Kapoor will be seen as one of the main antagonists in the film. He will be playing a corrupt Indian billionaire Brij Nath. We cant wait to watch Kapoor holding his own against Cruise!

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Captain Jack Sparrow is back with his adventures in the fourth instalment of Pirates Of The Caribbean series. This time,the

formidable Johnny Depp teams up with Penelope Cruz,who plays a woman from his past,in the quest for the fountain of youth.

Unlike the earlier movies that were directed by Gore Verbinski,Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is being helmed by Rob Marshall,best known for musicals Chicago and Nine. This is also the first time that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley the hit pair of the earlier three films will not be seen in the fourth part.

Watch out for: Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will be the first Pirates film to be released in 3D. It will be released in Disney Digital 3D where it can be presented using any digital 3D technology,including RealD,Dolby 3D and Imax 3D,as well as in traditional two-dimensional format.

The irresistible Depp and the beautiful Cruz will be seen on the big screen after over a decade. Now that will be one crackling chemistry!

The Hangover: Part II

The guys are back with their oddball comedy. Bradley Cooper,Ed Helms,Zach Galifianakis,Justin Bartha and Ken Jeong reprise their roles in the sequel of The Hangover that was the surprise hit of 2009. This time the story follows their adventures in Thailand.

Liam Neeson and former US president Bill Clinton play cameos in the film. Neeson replaced Mel Gibson after the cast objected to the actors presence in the film following rumours that he had assaulted his girlfriend.

Watch out for: Remember how you just couldnt stop laughing while watching the first part? The sequel promises to be even funnier. The Hangover: Part II will definitely attract viewers but what remains to be seen if it will be able to sustain them and prove the critics wrong that the first part was not just a fluke.

The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made

The eclectic yet lovable bunch of muppets,who made us laugh with their antics in Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock,will now entertain us on the big screen. Directed by Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother fame,the story is the Muppets reuniting after a huge fallout to save The Muppet Studios in Hollywood from an evil Texas oil tycoon. The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever made is the first film on the muppets that will hit theatres after over a decade. The last movie was called Muppets From Space and failed miserably.

Watch out for: Segel has taken it upon himself to restart this franchise. He is writing,acting and assembling a bunch of celebrity oddballs,including Zach Galifianakis and Amy Adams. It remains to be seen if the film is as entertaining as the television series.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Sex,violence and murder have been the staple ingredients of Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larssons award-winning novels. Fans of the author will now be able to see all this and much more in David Finchers The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,a film adaptation of the novel of the same name.

The movie explores how a middle-aged journalist and a young eccentric computer hacker team up to solve the disappearance of the niece of a multi-millionaire. Daniel Craig will be the journalist while Rooney Mara,who was last seen in The Social Network,will play the female protagonist.

Watch out for: David Fincher,who has earlier helmed acclaimed movies like Fight Club,Panic Room,Zodiac,The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and The Social Network,is directing this film. The sizzling chemistry between Craig and Mara is another thing to watch for!