|
|
Title:
Tropic Thunder
Stars:
Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.
Studio:
DreamWorks Distribution
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.
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.
|
|
Title:
The House Bunny
Stars:
Anna Faris
Studio:
Columbia Pictures
Plot:
A Playboy bunny (Faris) who was recently booted from the mansion winds up becoming the new house mother for a sorority in jeopardy.
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!And total US Weekly babe alert: "American Idol"'s Katharine McPhee and celeb progeny Rumer Willis too?! OMG -- where do we pick up the free L'Oreal make-up bags?
|
|
Title:
Death Race
Stars:
Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson
Studio:
Universal Pictures
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.
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 ...
|
|
Title:
The Dark Knight
Stars:
Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Studio:
Turner Network Television (TNT)
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).
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.
|
|
Title:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Stars:
Matt Lanter, Nika Futterman, Tom Kane
Studio:
Warner Bros. Pictures
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.
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.
|
|
Title:
Pineapple Express
Stars:
Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole
Studio:
Columbia Pictures
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.
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 ...
|
|
Title:
Mirrors
Stars:
Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart
Studio:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
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.
Buzz:
This unspeakable evil found a crack in Fox's summer schedule, and while I think Alexandre Aja's latestassault 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.
|
|
Title:
Mamma Mia!
Stars:
Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried
Studio:
Universal Pictures
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 incorporatesthe hits of ABBA.
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!As expected, Amanda Seyfried (can you ask for an awesomer new It Girl?) and company stormed Europe last week, where they dazzled audiences and danced away with a few million dollars. In a femme-friendly year for movies, look for this fairy tale to register on this side of the Atlantic. As deals for Seyfried roll in these next few weeks (we imagine), catch her next in Jennifer's Body, Diablo Cody's Juno follow-up!
|
|
Title:
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Stars:
Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello
Studio:
Universal Pictures
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.
Buzz:
We never thought we'd see Stephen Sommers as an artiste, but when you replace him with Rob Cohen, he starts looking a little like Coppola, don't you think? Even with Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh on board, this feels like one expensive pay-per-view flick (okay, okay, the first trailer looks cool). Rachel Weisz weisz-ly dropped out, leaving poor Maria Bello to replace her. We hope Ms. History of Violence gets a nice down payment and a call from David Cronenberg soon. As for Mr. Fraser -- doesn't he have a sitcom deal yet? His summer of love up on the big screen can't last.
|
|
Title:
The Longshots
Stars:
Ice Cube, Keke Palmer
Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Plot:
Eleven-year-old Jasmine Plummer (KeKe Palmer) looks to become the first female to play in the Pop Warner football tournament in its 56-year history.
Buzz:
Fred Durst directs Ice Cube in a family comedy? That's fine, but Durst better never don a red ballcap and chinos again, and Ice Cube is fully aware that his street cred is long gone. So let's turn our attention to KeKe Palmer, the endearing star of Akkelah and the Bee who takes center stage here and is -- wait for this -- attached to portray Roxanne Shante, the legendary disser/rapper in the indie Vapors. Suddenly she's more bad-ass than her co-star and her director combined. Here's the trailer, which looks perfectly harmless and all, but still makes me wonder if girls will be attracted to this story.
GO>>
movie, MovieTimesOnline.net you'll probablyfall in love with. 
