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Title:
The Blind Side
Stars:
Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw
Studio:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Plot:
A disadvantaged teenager is taken in by a conservative family who see tremendous promise in the young man. Despite certain obstacles, the attention and inspiration he receives helps him mature into an athletically and academically successful NFL prospect.
Buzz:
This is the true story of Michael Oher, whose first season in the NFL will be underway by the time Sandra Bullock blitzes (?) the big screen with her third movie of the year. If Oher and the Baltimore Ravens, who selected the young man in the first round of this year's draft, are both performing well, some sort of uncharted cultural zeitgeist could occur at the box office. This is also great counterprogramming for all the non-Twilight moms out there.
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Title:
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Stars:
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Studio:
Summit Entertainment
Plot:
When Bella's blood is shed at her birthday celebration, Edward's intense reaction to the event causes his parents to pull up stakes andleave Forks, Washington for the sake of the young lovers. Heartbroken, Bella finds a form of comfort in reckless living, as well as an even-closer friendship with Jacob Black (Lautner). Danger in different forms awaits.
Buzz:
There's nobody hotter on IMDb -- or anywhere in general pop culture? -- than Edward and Bella. Even their real-life counterparts, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, are making indie-cool choices which make them appealing to those of us who might not be the biggest fans of Stephenie Meyer's novels, or their adaptations. Boosting the appeal of Twilight is the studio behind the franchise, Summit Entertainment, who listens to their fan base (We heart Jacob Lautner!) and is pulling a Disney move by investing in their stars (Kristen Stewart will co-star in the biography of seminal 1970s all-female rock band The Runways, while Robert Pattinson is shooting Remember Me) after New Moon wraps). We're interested to see how underdog director Chris Weitz meshes with this material, and, whether or not this second installment will boost its appeal to non-U.S. audiences.
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Title:
Brothers
Stars:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire
Studio:
Lionsgate
Plot:
Sam Cahill (Maguire) returns from being held as a prisoner-of-war in Afghanistan to find that his ex-con brother (Gyllenhaal) has become the man, of sorts, of the household where Sam's wife, Grace (Portman) had been living under the assumption that she was a widow.
Buzz:
Hollywood types love Danish director Susanne Bier; the industry has tried to remake a couple of her films, mostly noticeably is/was Zach Braff's on-again/off-again attempt to craft a version of Bier's Open Hearts into his second film as a director. (Remember when Z.B. was a promising filmmaker?) Anyway, it's not hard to imagine that Lionsgate is measuring their Oscar chances with this film, with Jim Sheridan calling the shots, Kite Runner screenwriter David Benioff handling the adaptation, and two of the best American actors under thirty in starring roles. Plus, Tobey Maguire! (He's 34 and, yes, awesome.) Just no "I can't quit you" jokes here, okay? And Natalie Portman knows how to iron?! We don't believe it.
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Title:
A Christmas Carol
Stars:
Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth
Studio:
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Plot:
An animated retelling of the Charles Dickens novel about Ebenezer Scrooge (Carrey), a Victorian-era miser who is taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.
Buzz:
Could it be that Robert Zemeckis has finally found source material that perfectly suits his creepy mo-cap fantasies? Initially we were unsure, but ever since Comic-Con we've been behind this movie way more so than our affection for Monster House and Beowulf combined. However, this does not mean we're behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2 ...
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Title:
Old Dogs
Stars:
Robin Williams, John Travolta, Seth Green
Studio:
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Plot:
Ben (Williams) is a successful businessman whose professional and personal life is altered when an old flame re-enteres his life -- with her two children (twins!) in tow. Finding himself temporarily in charge of their welfare, he enlists his best friend and colleague (Travolta) to co-parent.
Buzz:
I love it when weirdos like Seth Green are cast in family movies. And he seems to steal scenes in the way-too-revealing trailer. Looks like another win for suddenly mainstream director Walter Becker (Wild Hogs), and continued momentum for Travolta, who received great reviews for the underperforming Pelham 1 2 3 and will next be seen inPierre Morel's Taken follow-up, From Paris with Love.Update: If you're unaware of the current climate at Disney, it's refreshing to read words from a movie executive who thinks a movie such as this one missed out on the idea of appealing to women's tastes and likes.
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Title:
2012
Stars:
John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Studio:
Columbia Pictures
Plot:
Academic researcher Jackson Curtis (Cusack) leads a group of people in a fight to counteract the apocalyptic events that were predicted by the Mayan calendar.
Buzz:
After 10K BC's middling success, Roland Emmerich probably sensed that movie-going audiences worldwide prefer him in present-tense mode, heavy on apocalyptic imagery. I've heard rumors that 2012's script, which Emmerich wrote with composer-turned-screenwriter Harald Kloser, contains an incredibly cheesy twist of Shyamalanian proportions, but I'm not one to seek out (or deliver) spoilery goods. I will say that part of me hopes this end-of-the-world scenario could mint Emmerich as the slightly higher brow Uwe Boll, if only he thought to cast Tara Reid as an anthropologist here. Said differently: This A-and-B-list cast is slumming! P.S. Have you heard the one about Emmerich's planned 2012 TV spin-off?
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Title:
Armored
Stars:
Columbus Short, Matt Dillon, Laurence Fishburne
Studio:
Screen Gems
Plot:
A newbie guard for an armored truck company is coerced by his veteran coworkers to steal a truck containing $42 million. But a wrinkle in their supposedly foolproof plan divides the group, leading to a potentially deadly resolution.
Buzz:
Did you know that distributor Screen Gems has invested in Columbus Short to the tune of a three-picture deal? Truth be known, so he's the guy I'm figuring will churn the plot here. Director Nimrod Antal offers up his second English-language picture after Vacancy proved a sleeper hit worthy of a DVD sequel (check out his bizarro Kontroll, too), and I can guarantee the man will deliver all the butch action that genre fans require. He might even do so without an endless barrage of gunfire, too!
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Title:
Ninja Assassin
Stars:
Rain, Rick Yune, Naomie Harris
Studio:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Plot:
Raizo (Rain) is a rogue ninja who comes to the aid of Mika Coretti (Harris), a Berlin-based Interpol agent who has linked the shadowy Ozunu Clan, a secret society of assassins who trained Raizo, to a series of murders. Most dangerous to them both is Takeshi (Yune), Raizo's former ally and the assassin leading the charge of Ozunu killers to Berlin.
Buzz:
Despite the somewhat redundant title, I'm looking forward to ninjas being brought front and center in director James McTeigue's follow up to V for Vendetta. What's more, I'm hoping Naomie Harris will get the chance to showcase her fighting/survival skills, which really haven't found an outlet since 28 Days Later (by the way, Ms. Harris says she's down for a proper sequel to the film, just so you know ...). Perhaps a pop-culture phenomenon will occur this weekend, if boys put down their video-game controllers, and the hordes of teenage girls who idolize Rain also head out to the movies ...
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Title:
Planet 51
Stars:
Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Jessica Biel
Studio:
TriStar Pictures
Plot:
The inhabitants of Planet 51 live in fear of alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Chuck Baker (voice of Dwayne Johnson) arrives from Earth. Befriended by a young resident, he has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and try to return home.
Buzz:
A trio of videogame directors are handling this story from one of the dudes who wrote Shrek. Powered by Sony worldwide, we think audiences will embrace the human-as-alien spin here, especially since rendering here reminds us of an animated Pleasantville. Blockbuster? We don't think so. Solid performer that won't annoy you in the SUV Hybrid? You bet.
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Title:
Everybody's Fine
Stars:
Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell
Studio:
Miramax Films
Plot:
A widower (De Niro) takes an impromptu road trip in order to reconnect with his grown children, only to discover that his family members are living far from perfect lives.
Buzz:
An actor (De Niro) takes a role in a project run through software guaranteed to generate Oscar nominations (Everybody's Fine) ... Less crankily, here's hoping this remake of the nearly two-decades-old Italian film will fare better than The Last Kiss and similar-in-theme Oscar hopefuls from the recent past, such as Last Chance Harvey.
