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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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Stars:
Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton
Studio:
Lionsgate
Plot:
In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen (Sidibe) who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.
Buzz:
Mo'Nique is going to win the Best Supporting Actress for her role in this terrifying realistic drama from Lee Daniels. (Or maybe she won't?) A pivotal scene between Mo' and star Gabby Sidibe literally made crowds gasp at Sundance earlier this year, and it is sure to illicit similar reactions from general audiences this winter. What Daniels has done here is rather remarkable: His take on the hardships faced by the titular character is only semi-sentimental, and it implies that a person's conviction is the one thing that remains when their circumstances are remarkably bleak. Amazingly, his story is also funny. This is, quite simply, a great film. And if you need your mood lightened while watching it, squint just a bit and Mariah Carey's mustache really comes into focus.
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Title:
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Stars:
George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray
Studio:
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Plot:
Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, look to get rid of their opponent and his family. Based on the book by Roald Dahl.
Buzz:
While some of the media is slam-booking Wes Anderson, we're choosing to let his nuanced clutch of films speak for itself in advance of Mr. Fox's arrival. We admittedly were a bit anxious about the look and feel of the first trailer, but the supplemental featurettes and clips eased us into Anderson's make-believe world (and we were realigned by this feels-similar video by electronic brother-sister duo The Knife). We still wonder, however, if this is another Where the Wild Things Are in it's ability to resonate with adults, but not so much with kids.
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Title:
The Men Who Stare at Goats
Stars:
Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey
Studio:
Overture Films
Plot:
In Iraq, reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), whose seemingly wild claim - that he's a member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions - causes Wilton to join Cassady's hunt for the battalion's founder, whose gone missing.
Buzz:
I like it when Clooney has a full-fledged character to play and isn't just in leading-man mode, and Kurt Wimmer's book is too against-the-grain for any established studio to be interested in the adaptation, which is being handled by Clooney's producing partner, Grant Heslov (his second picture as director). Enter Overture Films, who's gunning for awards-season recognition with this project as well as Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. Meanwhile, over at Sony, Clooney and Heslov will develop more mainstream fare after severing their decade-old relationship with Warner Bros. back in June.
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