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Director: Jason Friedberg Aaron Seltzer Stars: Carmen Electra, Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker (Full Cast) Studio: Lionsgate The Plot: Over the course of one evening, an unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings find themselves bombarded by a series of natural disasters and catastrophic events.
THE BUZZ: Hey, who ordered another project from the Date Movie guys? I certainly didn't, and I thought Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's diminishing spoof returns (Date remains their most successful endeavor) might have reached their end with Meet the Spartans. Alas, the sophomoric-comedy duo have managed to churn out another 2008 mid-level hit that will probably double its investment after two weeks in general release. And I have to give them some sort of credit for making Carmen Electra a genuine movie star ... right? Take that, Nicole Kidman! Message Boards: Who else saw this trailer in.... | TEEN MOVIE - coming soon! Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Mathieu Kassovitz Stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry (Full Cast) Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation The Plot: Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop (Diesel) takes a high-risk assignment where he must escort a woman out of Russia. His client, however, is carrying a synthetic virus -- one that could bring about the end of humankind. Making his mission extra-difficult is the cult that has designs on what rests inside the young woman's body.
THE BUZZ: Dudes, random casting abounds for Vin Diesel's return to the sci-fi genre. But if it wasn't for this Michelle Yeoh fansite, we would have known next to nothing about the project while it was in production. The best buzz we've heard about the project? District B13 star David Belle has choreographed parkour fight scenes for both Diesel and Yeoh! And the worst? Uncooperative weather and powerplays between Diesel and director Mathieu Kassovitz first caused a production delay, sending producer Ilan Goldman (the man behind the two Crimson Rivers movies) on the hunt for snowy locales and replacements for several vital crew slots. Then, Diesel's manager apparently had to go coax Kassovitz back from a reported nervous breakdown, only to watch the director distance himself from the entire mess come red-carpet time. Seriously! And while this level of drama used results in a hot pile of celluloid garbage, the trailer is looking hot, even if the awareness for this one is strangely low. P.S. We can overlook the Kronos Quartet composition that no one should ever have used after Requiem for a Dream ... Message Boards: Horrible | question about the music during the preview Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff Stars: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, David Clark (Full Cast) Studio: Overture Films The Plot: FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) heads up a conspiracy investigation which initially susses out a prime suspect: Samir Horn (Cheadle), a former special ops officer with strong ties to Afghan rebels in the Middle East. As Clayton chases Horn around the world, however, a tangled web of contradictory evidence is revealed.
THE BUZZ: Five fine actors guide this conspiracy thriller from The Day After Tomorrow writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff into theaters at the end of the summer-movie season. Oddly enough, Steve Martin came up with this premise back in 2002, when he was working on Bringing Down the House with producer David Hoberman, and even though it reminds me of Lennie James's character's arc on "Jericho," one interesting thing to chart here is the rise of Overture Films, the distributor that turned The Visitor into a hit this year and has optioned a handful of original screenplays for 2009/2010. Message Boards: not tim meadows like i thought.... | When I think action movie... Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Deb Hagan Stars: Drake Bell, Kevin Covais, Andrew Caldwell (Full Cast) Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) The Plot: A wild weekend is in store for three high school seniors who visit a local college campus as prospective freshmen.
THE BUZZ: They took the word right off of Blutarsky's sweatshirt, and then they made (what we expect will be) an unmemorable, Superbad-lite comedy for Generation YouTube. The only person who might benefit from this road trip is star Drake Bell, who is beginning to dirty-up his Nickelodeon sheen -- even though Josh Peck out-cooled him with The Wackness. Short-film director Deb Hagan (Pee Shy) makes her feature debut, which gives us an idea: why not make this a story about three females instead of males? As Amy Poehler has said, all you need to do is change the names from female to male, and you've resolved the issue of how to write comedy for women. Message Boards: Wrong Target Audience | SERIOUS QUESTION ABOUT USER COMMENTS Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Takashi Miike Stars: Hideaki Ito, Koichi Sato, Quentin Tarantino (Full Cast) Studio: First Look International The Plot: A revolver-wielding stranger (Tarantino) crosses paths with two warring clans who are both on the hunt for a hidden treasure in a remote western town. Knowing his services are valuable to either side, he offers himself to the clan who will offer up the largest share of the wealth. THE BUZZ: Takashi Miike serves up a Spaghetti Western parody co-starring one of his biggest supporters, who has been in the news lately as Inglorious Bastards heads toward its October start date. While I don't think the attention will translate into a crossover success for Miike's latest, his cult audience will either embrace or spit out his hyper-stylized comedy, which features a Japanese cast speaking phonetic English against painted backdrops. Message Boards: Does anyone have a copy of this? | spaghetti western? not really. Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Sandra Goldbacher Stars: Emma Watson, Yasmin Paige, Lucy Boynton (Full Cast) Studio: Koch Entertainment The Plot: In 1930s London, three orphans -- Pauline (Watson), Petrova (Paige), and Posy (Boynton) -- are adopted by an eccentric explorer and given the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. THE BUZZ: Just as the news hit about Hermione's next adventure being delayed until 2009, Emma Watson pops up in a 2007 made-for-BBC movie that's received a polish for an exclusive theatrical run in the U.S. You have to wonder, however, if Kit Kittredge's recent unspectacular run bodes well for this family drama. Note that the movie is set for an August 26th release in select cities; look here to see if it's heading your way. Message Boards: Everyone talks about Emma being a bad actress | book v movie **possible spoilers... Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Ben Stiller Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. (Full Cast) Studio: DreamWorks Distribution The Plot: While shooting a big-budget war movie, a group of actors (Stiller, Black, Downey Jr., and others) are forced to become soldiers in a real-life conflict. User Rating:
THE BUZZ: Want to get people to forget about Owen Wilson dropping out of this project? Easy, just put the formerly troubled Robert Downey Jr. in some eyebrow-raising make up, create a cameo that will potentially revive a star's career, spread around a now-standard red-band trailer, and generate some last-minute controversy and suddenly Pineapple Express seems so PG-13. Message Boards: Your 'Only person to laugh in the theater' moment | Downy Jr. is racist. Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Fred Wolf Stars: Anna Faris (Full Cast) Studio: Columbia Pictures The Plot: A Playboy bunny (Faris) who was recently booted from the mansion winds up becoming the new house mother for a sorority in jeopardy. User Rating:
THE BUZZ: Can you plagiarize yourself? That's the question that screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith seem to be positing with this comedy, which lifts so much from Legally Blonde that we wouldn't be surprised if Bruiser the dog made an appearance. This is even so much like LB that we bet it's the talented star who makes it watchable. And while we love Faris to pieces, and are glad she's getting the lead roles these days.... something a little different wouldn't hurt on the resume! Message Boards: i'm sorry...did feminism not happen? | Will this movie just come out already?!?! Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Stars: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson (Full Cast) Studio: Universal Pictures The Plot: Former NASCAR champ Jensen Ames (Statham) is framed for the murder of his wife, and subsequently sent to a notorious prison overseen by a warden (Allen) who has created the country's most popular sport: a kill-or-be-killed car race in which her inmates compete for their freedom. User Rating:
THE BUZZ: Whoa, the Transporter faces off against Jason Bourne's oppressor? One good thing is: since this is set in a Paul W. S. Anderson universe, Jason Statham and Joan Allen will probably make out at some point. Here's another: At least Sly Stallone didn't lobby to star in this re-envisioning of his 1975 cult action flick. First Showing has a first look (actually, they just reprinted Empire Magazine's photospread) at the action, which we imagine Anderson is envisioning as a potential franchise. And check out the curiously sexy trailer, complete with a sequence that makes me realize how Anderson is getting to make his proposed Spy Hunter movie after all ... Message Boards: Twisted Metal? | Why this movie will FAIL, like Rollerball. Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Christopher Nolan Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart (Full Cast) Studio: Turner Network Television (TNT) The Plot: The Caped Crusader (Bale) teams ups with Gotham's Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) to take on the city's newest villain -- The Joker (Ledger). User Rating:
THE BUZZ: Capitalizing on one of the most effective online viral campaigns of all time, it's no wonder theaters are piling on additional screenings (with 3am & 6am showtimes!?) and estimating an opening weekend north of $130 million. Nolan's previous Batman gave the familiar franchise a much needed ka-blam by ditching the vivid Technicolor and rubber cod pieces for softer sepia tones and a beefed-up Bale. Now, we've got a new Rachel Dawes (Gyllenhaal), a wicked new Joker (Ledger, in one of his two final roles) and more websites than we can keep track of (Gotham Cable News, Remembering Gina and Why So Serious? to name a few). With apologies to Iron Man, Hancock and The Incredible Hulk (don't want to get him angry), this will likely be the superhero movie event of the summer. Message Boards: Two-Face: Dead | Maggie looks bad and cant act Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Dave Filoni Stars: Matt Lanter, Nika Futterman, Tom Kane (Full Cast) Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures The Plot: Filling the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, this animated tale chronicles the on-going intragalactic battle involving the Jedis of the Republic and the battle droids of the Trade Federation. User Rating:
THE BUZZ: Warner Bros. releases this kid-friendly SW filler as the studio's Dark Knight prepares to eclipse the original Skywalker classic as the #2 box-office champ of all time. We love irony more than animation, but that doesn't mean diehards won't line up for some further Clone Wars backstory, no matter how much Harry Knowles hated it. Message Boards: I liked it | If your going to make another star wars movie.. Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: David Gordon Green Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole (Full Cast) Studio: Columbia Pictures The Plot: After mega-stoner Dale Denton (Rogen) witnesses a corrupt cop commit a murder, he and his dealer (Franco) hit the road in an attempt to outrun the squad of police officers who want them dead. User Rating:
THE BUZZ: M.I.A.'s incredible single "Paper Planes" is one of the many amazing components of P.E.'s redband trailer, an instant Internet phenomenon and the first testament we have to the rather brilliant bag of talent that is director David Gordon Green (making his big-studio debut), co-stars Seth Rogen (who co-wrote/exec-produced with his crony Evan Goldberg) and James Franco (taking a much-needed comedic turn), and producer Judd Apatow (who can safely put Walk Hard behind him). Add hottie Amber Heard, Bill Hader (who we think is playing a cop ... again), Gary Cole, and Rosie Perez to the mix, trim the leaves and stems, and keep the marketing on high until August, and you have Superbad's raunchier big brother ... Message Boards: I hated Superbad, will I like P.E.? | KEEP IT ILLEGAL Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Alexandre Aja Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart (Full Cast) Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation The Plot: An ex-cop (Sutherland) and his family are the target of a evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home. User Rating: THE BUZZ: This unspeakable evil found a crack in Fox's summer schedule, and while I think Alexandre Aja's latest assault on the senses might come and go faster than an episode of "24," the movie's best bet for traction with late-season audiences might be this boundary-pushing red-band trailer. Click on it only if you want to see Amy Smart pull apart her face. Message Boards: lt's still Jack Bauer we see up there. | I don't get the ending of the film....(spoilers) Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Phyllida Lloyd Stars: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried (Full Cast) Studio: Universal Pictures The Plot: In an attempt to suss out her father's identity, a bride-to-be (Seyfried) invites three likely candidates to her wedding, resulting in a wild familial encounter that incorporates the hits of ABBA. User Rating:
THE BUZZ: Mamma Mia! / Here we go again / An-o-ther / Musical a-dapta-tion! / Mamma Mia! / Will folks show again? / Why, why? / Maybe Streep can make it happen!
Message Boards: Stellan Skarsgård | Pierce Brosnan's 'Singing' Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Rob Cohen Stars: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello (Full Cast) Studio: Universal Pictures The Plot: In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick (Fraser) and Alex O'Connell (Ford) unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin (Li) -- a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard (Yeoh) centuries ago. User Rating:
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