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Director: Andrew Fleming Stars: Steve Coogan, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener (Full Cast) Studio: The Plot: High school drama teacher Dana Marschz (Coogan) looks to bring his Shakesperian sequel to the stage despite the obstacles in his path -- namely, a classroom full of disinterested students, potential budget cuts, and his own lack of talent.
THE BUZZ: One of few buzz-generating films at Sundance earlier this year, H2 grabbed headlines for its pricey acquisition and warmly received reviews. Having seen the film, I can assert that it's worth seeing as another example of Coogan's ability to rise above any material he's handed, but its by-the-numbers story arc and surprisingly unfunny songs (seeing that "South Park"'s Pam Brady is the co-writer) certainly don't add up to anything all that memorable. Coogan pushes the envelope; sadly, he's mostly alone in the endeavor, except for a ballsy turn by Elisabeth Shue, playing an alternate-future version of herself. However, something tells us this could be a hit with the younger generation. Message Boards: Originality is out in Hollywood... | Why is this movie so inoffensive? 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.
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: No points for pedestrians | Is this a remake of the 1975 movie 'Death Race 2000'? 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.
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: It Looks like | i'm sorry...did feminism not happen? Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Fred Durst Stars: Ice Cube, Keke Palmer (Full Cast) Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) The 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. THE 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. Message Boards: Fred Durst? Fred Freakin' Durst? | The concept of 'straight to DVD' .... Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Peter Cattaneo Stars: Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad (Full Cast) Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation The Plot: Two decades after he was kicked out of his famous rock 'n' roll group, Robert 'Fish' Fishman (Wilson), an over-the-hill drummer, pounces on a second chance at coercing his way into a garage band fronted by his newphew (Gad).
THE BUZZ: Before seeing this movie's awesome trailer, I thought the concept would best be served by a digital short starring Andy Samberg. But then? Said trailer arrived, and I noticed the screenplay was co-written by one of the creative minds behind The Larry Sanders Show (Maya Forbes) and one of Wes Anderson's cronies (Wallace Wolodarsky). Maybe August isn't the summer dumping ground it used to be. Message Boards: Rainn Wilson Kidnaps Jenna Fischer | does anyone think this movie will bomb? Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Patrick Creadon Stars: (Full Cast) Studio: Roadside Attractions The Plot: A documentary that outlines and examines the U.S.'s rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for America, its citizens, and its international alliances.
THE BUZZ: Wordplay director Patrick Creadon is back, but this time he isn't playing games; he's looking at how our national debt numbers add to, well, doom. Call it Another Inconvenient Truth or whatever comes to mind, though we prefer Variety's label: "stat-studded geekfest for accountants and economics majors." Read their review here. Message Boards: Where's the DVD? | Sundance Film Festival Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Jirí Menzel Stars: Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser, Julia Jentsch (Full Cast) Studio: Sony Pictures Classics The Plot: After being released from his 15-year prison sentence, Jan Díte looks back on his life, and how he went from being a waiter at Prague's most-celebrated hotel with dreams of being as wealthy as his diners, to becoming a millionaire himself, only to watch his fate take a turn as Hitler's army began to break apart his native Czechoslovakia. THE BUZZ: Chances are you're reading about the winner of this year's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Director Jirí Menzel won said award 42 years ago with Closely Watched Trains, and with his first film in 12 years -- a WWII-set romantic comedy, no less -- one almost has to have sympathy for his competition. Especially when one considers that Menzel adapted the novel by his longtime friend Bohumil Hrabal, who passed away last year. P.S. Hrabal also wrote the novel Closely Watched Trains ... Message Boards: I really enjoyed this movie but... | subtitles!!! Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Stars: (Full Cast) Studio: Hot Ticket, The The Plot: A live Cirque du Soleil performance featuring remixed music, visuals, musicians, singers, and dancers. THE BUZZ: Delirium is the first release from the Hot Ticket, Sony's new artsy distribution arm that has Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway on deck for September. To see if the Cirque is playing near you -- Delirium is a 4-days-only exclusive engagement -- check out the listings over at the official site. Message Boards: THIS WAS SO COOL!!! | Prices for tickets 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: Blackface is not funny people... | Walked Out Because It Was Not That Funny 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: Batman's voice was really distracting | How Many Times Have you Watched TDK? 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: The Clone Wars worse than Holiday Special? | 'SkyGuy', 'Snips', 'Artooy' and 'Punky Muffin' 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: From the maker of High Tension???! | THIS was not necessarry..... 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: Favorite 'munchies' after you smoke | Opening scene location and end scene location scene question 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:
THE 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. Message Boards: The Mummy 4: Rise of the Aztec - 2010 | SAVE THE MUMMY FRANCHISE! 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: Singing in the movie vs. Soundtrack | Mamma Mia's boxoffice success Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews | |||||
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Director: Sanaa Hamri Stars: America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn (Full Cast) Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures The Plot: Best friends Lena (Bledel), Carmen (Ferrera), Bridget (Lively) and Tibby (Tamblyn) -- all of whom are having different experiences during their first year of college -- reunite in a Grecian seaside town in order to locate their missing pair of magical jeans. User Rating:
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