ASP.NET Web Application inquiry/questions

ASP.NET Web Application inquiry/questions

I am embarking on the long journey of creating a website from scratch, and
would like to ask some questions to the friendly StackOverflow community.
I have done some development in the past, but nothing to the extend of
this project. Basically I want to create a website that is a directory of
sorts for Sci-Fi Films. The site will have many pages and will allow users
to add films, characters, and actors to the sites database if logged in.
The first question I have is what tools should I use for such an ambitious
project? I want to use Visual Studio 2010, but am uncertain what to use
for a database that will have thousands of entries. I believe the build in
SQL Express wont be enough, so would SQL Management Studio be a good
choice to partner with VS? I am also uncertain of what template I should
use in Visual Studio. Since I will be using CSS and JavaScript/JQuery I am
thinking it should be a new 'ASP.NET Web Application' project in C#.
Lastly, do I have to turn on IIS to publish and test my VS site?
I am also curious as to if there are certain things I should use Visual
Studio controls for. For instance, I am under the impression that I should
use custom CSS to create my navigation Tab Strip as it will offer more
flexibility than the standard 'asp:menu' control. However, I am uncertain
if the out-of-box Login form created in a new Web App. project is
acceptable or if I should make one from scratch.
I apologize if this question is unreasonable, but I really want to have
everything mapped out before I start designing and coding my masterpiece!
Many Thanks,
Drew