April Movie Releases

 

 

“Give ‘Em Hell Malone” – Thomas Jane. Ving Rhames. Elsa Pataky. A private eye fending off thugs from loot. All done Seventies-style. From the director of “Highlander” and “Resident Evil: Extinction.” Opens April 1, 2009

 

 

 

 

“The Fast and the Furious 4” – Vin Diesel. Paul Walker. Michelle Rodriguez. Jordana Brewster. Fast cars. Fourth movie. Opens April 3, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Gigantic” – Paul Dano is single, and a mattress salesman trying to adopt a baby from China. He falls for Zooey Deschanel and in the down time tries to keep from getting killed by a homeless guy. Comedy. Opens April 3, 2009

 

 

 

 

“The Ugly Truth” – Gerard Butler is a chauvinistic TV host and Katherine Heigl is his new producer. He tries to help her romantically with a “new guy,” but his work has unexpected results. Opens April 3, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Dragonball Evolution” – Based on the video game. A young boy named Goku must find all seven dragonballs in order to prevent the Earth from being taken over. Opens April 8, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Hannah Montana: The Movie” – Fairly explanatory. Opens April 10, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Observe and Report” – Seth Rogen is a mall security guard who has to stop a streaker and requires help from surly detective Ray Liotta. Opens April 10, 2009

 

 

 

 

“17 Again” – Matthew Perry is a 37-year-old whose life hits rock bottom and wishes he was twenty years younger. He wakes up as 17-year-old Zac Effron, and is able to re-write his high school life. Hope he doesn’t wind up in a musical… Opens April 17, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Crank 2” – Jason Statham returns as Chev Chelios. This time around his heart has been replaced with an artificial one and as in the last, he has to keep his energy up (which includes using a car battery and jumper cables). Also stars Amy Smart, Bai Ling, Dwight Yoakum, and Corey Haim. Opens April 17, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Lymelife” – A story centering around two dysfunctional families, lyme disease, war, and divorce, set in the 70’s. Stars Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton. Cynthia Nixon, and Emma Roberts. Opens April 17, 2009

 

 

 

 

“State of Play” – Russell Crowe is a journalist researching the death of a woman tied to his best friend and Congressmen (Ben Affleck). Also stars Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams. Opens April 17, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Earth” – From Disney’s Disneynature series. Narrated by James Earl Jones. Opens April 22, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Fighting” – Channing Tatum is living on the streets of New York City when a scam artists Terrance Howard inducts him into the world of streetfighting. Opens April 24, 2009

 

 

 

 

“Obsessed” – An office professional (Idris Elba) is married to Beyonce Knowles but is being cougar’d by Ali Larter. Think “Fatal Attraction.” Opens April 24, 2009

 

 

 

 

“The Soloist” – Robert Downey, Jr. is a journalist who discovers a homeless man (Jamie Foxx) who happens to have been a former musical prodigy. Opens April 24, 2009

 

 

Movie News and Views July 18, 2008 Poster Edition

 

 

Hey everybody! I’m in the middle of working on a video project and have lagged behind on entertainment news. I know, shame on me. Anyways, here’s the rundown ‘til I can catch up next week:

 

–         A live-action movie is being made based on the comic book and video game property, “Turok.”

–         A new “Three Musketeers” movie. Yay.

–         Now on the “TV-to-Movie” block: “I Dream of Jeannie.”

–         Billy Bob Thornton to play a manure salesman in a comedy set in the 1960’s.

–         Now on the “Anime-to-Hollywood-Movie” block: “Robotech.”

–         Werner Herzog has caught the “remake” fever as well, deciding to remake “Bad Lieutenant,” with Eva Mendes and Nicolas Cage.

–         Warner Bros. is still trying to produce a “Justice League” movie.

–         Another “Video Game-to-Movie”: “Gears of War”

–         Timur Bekmambetov, director of “Night Watch,” “Day Watch,” and the current “Wanted,” says he has no plans on making “Dusk Watch” (the third in the series). WTF? Dude, I LOVED “Night Watch.”

–         Sam Raimi will be doing a movie adaptation of “The Given Day,” a novel by author Dennis Lahane (“Gone Baby Gone,” “Mystic River”)

–         Speaking of Bekmambetov and “Wanted,” yes, a sequel is already in the works…

–         JJ Abrams was bought the rights to make a movie about an apartment that has secrets and codes to find, discover, and decrypt.

–         Quentin Tarantino has been shopping his “Inglorious Bastards” script around Hollywood. He hopes to direct it and have a premiere at Cannes Film Festival.

–         A “Donnie Darko” sequel is in the works, this time focusing on Donnie’s sister.

–         “Hostel III” in the works, but without Eli Roth.

–         “Bourne 4” will begin filming next summer.

–         And a “Kung Fu Panda” sequel…

–         And a “Cloverfield” sequel…

–         And a “300” prequel…

–         “King Lear” has signed Naomi Watts and Anthony Hopkins.

–         Eddie Murphy is probably retiring after he does “Beverly Hills Cop 4.”

–         The TV show “Friends” is set to come to a theatre near you.

–         A Tale of Two Sherlocks: Sacha Baron Cohen will play Sherlock Holmes in a comedy by Judd Apatow, and Robert Downey Jr. will play Holmes in a movie directed by Guy Ritchie.

 

More to come! Check out the posters!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

 

 

“Indiana” Jones gets an “X-File.”

 

Starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LeBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent. Directed by Steven Spielberg.

 

Good, not great. Worth watching, but not the wait.

 

It’s been 19 years since “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” and I’m thinking… that may have been a little too long of a wait. The year is 1957, and the story kicks off with a convoy heading into the infamous Area 51. The convoy is Russian headed by Stalin-loving psychic Dr. Irina Spalko (Blanchett). She is holding “Indy” and his friend “Mack” (Winstone) hostage in order for Indy to guide her to a box taken from the Roswell crash site. Following a double-cross by Mack and a derring-do escape from the military warehouse, he goes from the frying pan into the fire as he winds up in the small town about to be “nuked.” He escapes inside a refrigerator and is later questioned by the FBI as to his “possible” Communist ties, nevermind the fact that he served in the War (and is now “Colonel” Jones).

 

Back at the college Indy is teaching when Dean Sanforth (Broadbent) asks him to take a reprieve due to the FBI looking through Indy’s office. Little does he know that Indy is being followed by the Feds as well as the Russians. Added to that is a visit by ‘Mutt’ Williams (LeBeouf), a stereotypical 50’s “greaser” (looking like Brando) who tells Indy that an old acquaintance, Professor Oxley (Hurt), has been kidnapped when he was looking for a mythical “lost” city and a “crystal skull.” Williams’ mother Marion apparently knows Indy and had Mutt give him this information.

 

CUT to the plane dissolved with a map, tracking their movement to South America. From there it’s the quest to find the crystal skull (which looks like H.R. Giger designed it) and for return. Indy meets with Marion Ravenwood-Williams (Allen) and finds that Oxley is alive as well as insane. The Russians seem to meet them at every turn as well, with Spalko wanting the crystal so she can harness all the knowledge in the known universe. And last but not least is Mack, who can never decide whose side he’s really on.

 

I’ve been trying to figure out what is missing from this movie and the answer is… danger. Whatever event happens to Indy isn’t IMPERATIVE; everyone chugs along from scene to scene, basically acting out the story. There’s no real tension or DANGER, just scrapes and skirmishes. But enough of that.

 

What I did enjoy the movie is solid Spielbergian filmmaking. Sure, it’s not the greatest story ever told but whatever he tells, he tells it well. There were long and medium shots as opposed to close-up vs. close-up. The actors had to ACT, which worked well for the most part.

 

Another thing missing: a rousing John Williams score. The initial “Raiders” theme is present but is unheard until maybe the 30 minute point. In fact, most of the music is subdued.

 

The writing works for most of the movie, but “Indy 4” gives more than a nod to “Temple of Doom.” If “Indy 2” is really disliked as much as Spielberg lets on, he didn’t show it. Also the ending is reminiscent of “X-Files: Fight the Future.” Hope that doesn’t ruin it for you…

 

Finally, mention is made for Marcus Brody and Henry Jones, Sr. as their characters have “passed on.” No kudos for Sallah, though.

 

Why to see this movie: well it’s enjoyable, watchable, you can take your kids (or parents) to see it, and nostalgic. In regards to nostalgia, when I was leaving the theatre a guy exclaimed, “You know what? Russians are no substitute for Nazis.” True enough.

 

My grade: B