It all started with Harry Potter. As soon as Warner Bros. announced they were moving their tentpole holiday release to next summer, rival studios scrambled to take advantage of the hole left in the remaining 2008 release schedule. As of the posting of this article, this is where the dust has settled so far.

As tMF takes a comprehensive look at the remaining films of 2008, let us know which films you are most looking forward to this year.

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We all love happy endings maybe because we want to get away from it all, but there are movies that can challenge us to face the painful realities of life while at the same time making us laugh and smile.

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The story: A wry coming-of-age comedy about twenty-something Art (Robert Pattinson) who gets dumped by his girlfriend, moves back in with his parents and hits a quarter-life crisis. Art uses inheritance money to indulge in retail and new age therapies only to end up enlisting the help of an eccentric self-help guru, Dr. Ellington (Powell Jones). Art's painfully funny journey to define his existence brings to the fore the dysfunctional relationship he has with his parents and the importance in his life of his odd-ball friends.

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The first thing I noticed about Oliver Irving’s ‘How To Be’ is the filmmaker’s intention to give us more than just a glimpse into the life of its main character, Art. He wants us to understand Art - how he looks at himself, what he wants to do with his life, how he handles rejection, how he deals with his family and friends, and in the process we can actually judge him for what he is - someone who needs help.

The Latest on McNulty: If you've just discovered Matthew, then Paul Morrison's upcoming Little Ashes is the perfect movie to watch out for. Apart from the movies he makes, the guy is simply admirable. He looks great and he knows what it takes to impress viewers with what he says during interviews, without being overly conscious about it. Says McNulty:

When I was young I never really ever said ‘I want to be an actor’ because it just wasn’t a realistic option. So although my family knew I had an interest in acting, it was never really encouraged because it was seen as just a hobby. I don’t feel bad about that because the odds of an average lad from a council estate outside Manchester ever making it as an actor were ridiculously slim. My mum died when I was 18 just before I started thinking about acting seriously, but she always came to watch my shows in college and I know she’d have encouraged me all the way. I think I got my performance gene off her, she was a great singer. I suppose the moment I encountered any sort of intervention was when I decided to study Film and Theatre at Uni.

My dad is a very practical man, he was in the army for 22 years and he thought, probably rightly so (because I never finished it) that I was wasting my intelligence doing this type of degree. Where would it lead? He never ever told me not to do it, but I know he could never see that it would end in an acting career so he always suggested I take up a backup course in accountancy or something (I was good at math), just being a typical dad really. Despite this, he always trusted I’d do what was right for me so was never a real pressure. Now that I am a relatively successful actor, I know he couldn’t be prouder. All my family is proud of me, and I hope my mum is too.

Get to know more of Matthew McNulty in our exclusive interview at the Little Ashes promotional website.

Charlotte Rampling will star alongside Daniel Bruhl and Anna Friel in London-based The Producers'  First World War dark comedy Angel Makers, which Jon Amiel will direct.

Benno Furmann, Moritz Bleibtreu, Anne-Marie Duff and John Hurt round out the key cast. The Producers principal Jeanna Polley is producing and is currently scouting for locations. Ellen Wander's Santa Monica-based Film Bridge International is overseeing the financing and will handle worldwide sales on the project, which Amiel will begin shooting in January 2009.

The story centres on women in a Yorkshire farming community who fall for German POWs and hatch a murderous plot when their husbands return from the trenches.

Some more background info: According to wikipedia, "The Angel Makers of Nagyrév" were a group of women living in the village of Nagyrév, Hungary who between 1914 and 1929 fatally poisoned an estimated 300 people. They were supplied with arsenic and encouraged to use it by a midwife or "wise woman" named Julia Fazekas and her accomplice Susi Olah (Zsuzsanna Olah).

British actor Sam Riley is set to star in an upcoming US remake of 2005's 13 Tzameti titled '13' which is to be directed and written by Georgian-French director Géla Babluani, who also wrote and directed the original film.

13 Tzameti was probably one of the most harrowing yet powerful movies I have ever watched. It was shot in black and white, which added a certain dark mood to the film. It's something totally different. Wiki says that Babluani intends to "change a lot of the storyline" to avoid reshooting the original film. He has also indicated that he intends to shoot the '13' remake in color.

More from Variety about the upcoming remake, '13':

"While the original was deliberately not contextualized in a specific time or place, his remake project will unmistakably be set in contemporary America, said Babluani, who is reworking some of the storyline. "The movie is about a game. So the rules of the game will essentially stay the same. But I really want to introduce new characters and situations."

Here's the synopsis of the original film:

A clean-faced 20-year-old, Sebastien, leads an impoverished life with his immigrant family, constantly struggling to find the money for their next meal. When hired to repair the roof of the morphine-addicted Godon (Philippe Passon), Sebastien eavesdrops on a conversation which appears to offer a quick and easy solution to his money troubles.

When Godon suddenly falls dead, Sebastien decides to follow the instructions, meant for the recently deceased addict, in a desperate bid to secure some income for himself and his family.

He then becomes embroiled in what appears to be a wild goose chase, taking on the identity of Godon and following a series of clues which lead him ever closer to his impending fate. The trail eventually leads Sebastien into the heart of the French countryside and brings face to face with a ring of clandestine gamblers who bet on human lives. From this point on there is no turning back.

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Every Monday, tMF gives you a rundown on who's making the biggest buzz among the current crop of young talents, based on the hottest news about upcoming movies, awards and nominations, magazine covers and interviews, and special appearances on festivals, talk shows and upcoming TV series or just from anything that make fans more excited about movies!

Quite a hectic week for tMF, as we have to narrow down the list to three, when there are so many young stars in the news: Michael Cera goes romantic comedy in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Dominic Cooper makes waves in The Duchess and Jamie Bell's Hallam Foe (aka Mr. Foe) will hit the moviehouses next week. Not to mention the young talents making waves in Toronto - Paul Dano, Zac Efron, the Culkin brothers (Rory and Keiran) and Anton Yelchin. Let's have it!

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The Buzz: Definitely a favorite among casting agents, Sturgess wowed the Toronto Film Festival crowd with his powerful portrayal of a spy who infiltrated the ranks of the IRA in the political thriller, Fifty Dead Men Walking.

Adding more buzz to the movie is the legal action being pursued by Martin McGartland, the very same person Sturgess played in the film. But after some careful negotiation, McGartland settled his case and the film was shown. Here's what they said about Jim's performance:

Jim Sturgess (dynamic in last year's Across the Universe) turns in a star-making performance opposite Ben Kingsley in Fifty Dead Men Walking, a sweeping political thriller that gives a face to what Northern Ireland wryly calls “The Troubles.”

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Down a notch into second place is last week's leader, Daniel Radcliffe. With two Details mag cover to his credit and numerous interviews, he's definitely the darling of the press.

The Buzz: His play Equus will open on 25th September, and while people are waiting anxiously to watch, the vultures have begun making money on Radcliffe by posting his nude photos across the net. Reports Aceshowbiz: "The play's writer Sir Peter Shaffer is furious over the posting of the pics on the Internet. The 82-year-old man said, "It's very, very bad behavior. Whoever did it is a creep." Stage technician Rachel Juozapaitis additionally branded the person who leaked the pics to have turned "art into pornography." He said, "It's just wrong, he still has to do some more Harry Potter films for the kids."

Bad news aside, Radcliffe was quite forthcoming about his decision to play the controversial role. Says the actor:

For me, it seemed I would have to be really moronic not to take the part... The stage is much more a test of nerve (than film) and seeing what you are made of. It would be very easy to do simple stuff. It doesn't really interest me that much. Every actor has limits. It's sort of testing out where they are. Luckily, I haven't found them yet. I suppose the thing I've learned is that I think I am more capable than I thought I was... There are a lot of actors who think you can just go on stage and do it - you can't.

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The Buzz: After being cut-off unceremoniously at the MTV VMA awards, Pattinson showed us the kind of gentleman he is, never losing his grace and posture for a moment. A furious fan told tMF that the only reason she decided to watch the show was to see Rob and the cast of Twilight, but she was so disappointed by how it turned out. What do you expect from a show that believes that  promoting shock value is cool?

As evidence of Pattinson's growing popularity, the paparazzi has started to target the young actor. Working side by side with these amazing paps is TMZ which posted a video showing Rob and his friends after a night of club-hopping. What makes this incident quite amazing is that Pattinson managed to come out the big winner - - teasing the paps with his dry British humour and leaving them scratching their heads. There was even a drunk female fan who wanted to kiss the young actor. But Rob, in the most charming of ways, prevented the scene from becoming ugly by being nonchalant and accommodating. That's what you call class!

But here's the biggest reason why he's at number one: tMF just confirmed what we already expected - - Robert's portrayal of Salvador Dali in Little Ashes is his most impressive performance yet. The film is "stylish and first-rate" and the cast is just "outstanding". [ more news coming up! ]

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What's on your mind? Do you think we got it right? Are there other young actors we should have mentioned and ranked among the top 3? Tell us who they are!

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I’m not an authority. Nor have I ever presented myself as such. The lists I do each week are simple matters of personal preference designed specifically for the purpose of discussion. I don’t base my selections on what the readers will like any more than I base them on what will create the most controversy.

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I just pick my own personal favorites. Regardless of the list, it would be impossible for everyone to agree on the five selections, let alone the rank order - and they are not supposed to agree - what would be the fun in that?

With their newest film, Burn After Reading, being released this weekend, the topic of this week's list may be an obvious choice, but the contents may be the most debated yet. Why? People who like movies can almost unanimously agree that Joel and Ethan Coen have made some great movies, but that unified front is quickly dissolved when you ask them to pick their favorite. As much of a common thread most of their films have thematically, the type of films they make is all over the place; from madcap comedy (Raising Arizona, O Brother, Where Art Thou?) to film noir (Miller’s Crossing, No Country for Old Men), to the just plain ridiculous (The Big Lebowski). It’s a tall order, but after much reflection here is my list.

tMF TOP FIVE: Best Coen Brothers Movies

Starring: John Malkovich, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Release Date: September 12, 2008
Running Time: 96 min
MPAA Rating: R
Distributor: Focus Features

Burn After Reading opens with a view that seems to be from outer space, pinpointing the east coast of America--the land of opportunity. As it slowly descends and creeps closer, eventually delving into Virginia's CIA Headquarters, we realize that this view might be from a bomb; a Coen Brothers bomb that extracts moral values from its characters, twisting and turning them before they’re all led blindly to a state of misanthropy. Humans have no regard for other’s emotions. What means the most to one person means absolutely nothing to the next. An evil world indeed, but it is a Coen world where the outside world pales in comparison as far as evil goes.