Release Date: June 12, 2009 Genre: Action, Thriller Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, James Gandolfini Director: Tony Scott Producers: Todd Black, Tony Scott Studio: Sony Pictures Plot: In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the trains passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But theres one riddle Garber can\'t solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape? [More] [Less]
Release Date: Feb 13, 2009 Genre: Drama Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Moni Moshonov, Isabella Rossellini, John Ortiz Director: James Gray Writers: James Gray, Richard Menello Studio: Magnolia Pictures Plot: Set in the insular world of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, TWO LOVERS is a classic romantic drama, with Joaquin Phoenix giving a raw and vulnerable performance as Leonard, a charismatic but troubled young man who moves back into his childhood home following a recent heartbreak. While recovering under the watchful eye of his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov), Leonard meets two women in quick succession: Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a mysterious and beautiful neighbor who is exotic and out-of-place in Leonard\'s staid world, and Sandra, the lovely and caring daughter of a businessman who is buying out his family\'s dry-cleaning business. Leonard becomes deeply infatuated by Michelle, who seems poised to fall for him, but is having a self-destructive affair with a married man. At the same time, mounting pressure from his family pushes him towards committing to Sandra. Leonard is forced to make an impossible decision between the impetuousness of desire and the comfort of love or risk falling back into the darkness that nearly killed him. [More] [Less]
Release Date: 2009 Genre: Foreign, Horror Cast: Clovis Cornillac, Gabriella Wright, Alexandra Ansidei Director: Franck Vestiel Studio: Magolia Pictures Plot: In this French frightener, a man (Clovis Cornillac) wakes up to find himself at the bottom of a cavern. But this is no ordinary cave; it appears to be the abandoned labs of a company called Eden Log. However, the underground labyrinth isn\'t entirely empty. A creature prowls the halls, and the man must do all he can to escape its clutches. [More] [Less]
Release Date: Oct 24, 2008 Genre: Foreign, Thriller Cast: Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist Director: Tomas Alfredson Writer: John Ajvide Lindqvist Studio: Magnolia Pictures Plot: A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boy\'s wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him with her father. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn\'t seem affected by the freezing temperatures. Coinciding with Eli\'s arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. One man is found tied to a tree, another frozen in the lake, a woman bitten in the neck. Blood seems to be the common denominator and for an introverted boy like Oskar, who is fascinated by gruesome stories, it doesn\'t take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire. But by now a subtle romance has blossomed between Oskar and Eli, and she gives him the strength to fight back against his aggressors. Oskar becomes increasingly aware of the tragic, inhuman dimension of Eli\'s plight, but cannot bring himself to forsake her. Frozen forever in a twelve-year-old\'s body, with all the burgeoning feelings and confused emotions of a young adolescent, Eli knows that she can only continue to live if she keeps on moving. But when Oskar faces his darkest hour, Eli returns to defend him the only way she can ... [More] [Less]
Release Date: May 15, 2009 Genre: Foreign, Comedy Cast: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Ryunosuke Kamiki Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto Studio: Magnolia Pictures Plot: A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Daisatos job involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high who is entrusted with defending Japan from a host of bizarre monsters. But while his predecessors were national heroes, he is a pariah among the citizens he protects, who bitterly complain about the noise and destruction of property he causes. And Daisato has his own problems an agent insistent on branding him with sponsor advertisements, an Alzheimer-afflicted grandfather who transforms into a giant in dirty underwear, and a family who is embarrassed by his often cowardly exploits. A wickedly deadpan spin on the giant Japanese superhero, BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrait of a pathetic but truly unique hero. [More] [Less]
Release Date: July 24, 2009 Genre: Comedy, Kids/Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Animation Cast: Gary Oldman, John Cleese, Dwayne ´The Rock´ Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long Director: Jorge Blanco, Marcos Martinez Writers: Joe Stillman, Etan Cohen Studio: Sony Pictures Plot: Planet 51 is a galactic sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles \"Chuck\" Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he\'s the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion \"Rover\" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum. [More] [Less]
Release Date: Jan 16, 2009 Genre: Comedy Starring: Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Keir O\'Donnell, Bobby Cannavale Director: Steve Carr Studio: Sony Pictures Plot: In Columbia Pictures\' comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Kevin James stars as the title character, a single, suburban dad, trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. Though no one else takes his job seriously, Paul considers himself on the front lines of safety. When a heist shuts down the megaplex, Jersey\'s most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day. [More] [Less]
Back in the 50\\\'s and 60\\\'s, this is what they would run at the Drive in between features, to advertise the snack bar fare, and to let you know how much time you had to get back to your car. Campy, nostaligic, and fun.
Release Date: June 12, 2009 Genre: Action, Thriller Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, James Gandolfini Director: Tony Scott Producers: Todd Black, Tony Scott Studio: Sony Pictures Plot: In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the trains passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But theres one riddle Garber can\'t solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape? [More] [Less]
Release Date: Feb 13, 2009 Genre: Drama Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Moni Moshonov, Isabella Rossellini, John Ortiz Director: James Gray Writers: James Gray, Richard Menello Studio: Magnolia Pictures Plot: Set in the insular world of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, TWO LOVERS is a classic romantic drama, with Joaquin Phoenix giving a raw and vulnerable performance as Leonard, a charismatic but troubled young man who moves back into his childhood home following a recent heartbreak. While recovering under the watchful eye of his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov), Leonard meets two women in quick succession: Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a mysterious and beautiful neighbor who is exotic and out-of-place in Leonard\'s staid world, and Sandra, the lovely and caring daughter of a businessman who is buying out his family\'s dry-cleaning business. Leonard becomes deeply infatuated by Michelle, who seems poised to fall for him, but is having a self-destructive affair with a married man. At the same time, mounting pressure from his family pushes him towards committing to Sandra. Leonard is forced to make an impossible decision between the impetuousness of desire and the comfort of love or risk falling back into the darkness that nearly killed him. [More] [Less]
Release Date: Jan 16, 2009 Genre: Comedy Starring: Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Keir O\'Donnell, Bobby Cannavale Director: Steve Carr Studio: Sony Pictures Plot: In Columbia Pictures\' comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Kevin James stars as the title character, a single, suburban dad, trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. Though no one else takes his job seriously, Paul considers himself on the front lines of safety. When a heist shuts down the megaplex, Jersey\'s most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day. [More] [Less]
Release Date: Oct 24, 2008 Genre: Foreign, Thriller Cast: Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist Director: Tomas Alfredson Writer: John Ajvide Lindqvist Studio: Magnolia Pictures Plot: A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boy\'s wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him with her father. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn\'t seem affected by the freezing temperatures. Coinciding with Eli\'s arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. One man is found tied to a tree, another frozen in the lake, a woman bitten in the neck. Blood seems to be the common denominator and for an introverted boy like Oskar, who is fascinated by gruesome stories, it doesn\'t take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire. But by now a subtle romance has blossomed between Oskar and Eli, and she gives him the strength to fight back against his aggressors. Oskar becomes increasingly aware of the tragic, inhuman dimension of Eli\'s plight, but cannot bring himself to forsake her. Frozen forever in a twelve-year-old\'s body, with all the burgeoning feelings and confused emotions of a young adolescent, Eli knows that she can only continue to live if she keeps on moving. But when Oskar faces his darkest hour, Eli returns to defend him the only way she can ... [More] [Less]
Release Date: May 15, 2009 Genre: Foreign, Comedy Cast: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Ryunosuke Kamiki Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto Studio: Magnolia Pictures Plot: A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Daisatos job involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high who is entrusted with defending Japan from a host of bizarre monsters. But while his predecessors were national heroes, he is a pariah among the citizens he protects, who bitterly complain about the noise and destruction of property he causes. And Daisato has his own problems an agent insistent on branding him with sponsor advertisements, an Alzheimer-afflicted grandfather who transforms into a giant in dirty underwear, and a family who is embarrassed by his often cowardly exploits. A wickedly deadpan spin on the giant Japanese superhero, BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrait of a pathetic but truly unique hero. [More] [Less]
Discovering covert and faulty intelligence causes a U.S. Army officer (Damon) to go rogue as he hunts for Weapons on Mass Destruction in an unstable region.
Buzz:
Entertainment writers are worked up about (1) Universal's box-office slump and (2) the studio's decision to move Green Zone out of the 2009 Oscar zone. To me, this is a sign that the movie actually might be entertaining and not some bore, a la most every other recent Iraq War picture aside from The Hurt Locker.
A romantic drama centered on two new lovers: Tyler (Pattinson), whose parents have split in the wake of his brother's suicide, and Ally (de Ravin), who lives each day to the fullest since witnessing her mother's murder.
Buzz:
You know, RPattz's Little Ashes performed well given its subject matter and lack of major-studio muscle. It's quite possible a romantic story with a relatable premise (sorry, How to Be) from the studio that brought us Edward Cullen could lure plenty of the Twilight audience into theaters over Valentine's Day weekend and beyond. Good thing there was a seasoned cast and crew on what was widely reported as a difficult NYC shoot, given the thousands of fans who tracked R.P.'s every move. I'm also interested to see what Rachel Getting Married screenwriter Jenny Lumet has to say in her second outing.
A guy (Baruchel) lets his insecurities pick away at his fledgling relationship with the perfect gal (Eve).
Buzz:
Someone please help me understand why DreamWorks/Paramount execs think that a romantic comedy with no known stars, a green director, and a screenplay from the guys behind Sex Drive is a money-making idea. (Note: We'd love to be surprised about this movie's quality and proved wrong about its chances for success.)
The weeks leading up to a young couple's wedding is comic and stressful, especially as their respective fathers (Whitaker and Mencia) try to lay to rest their long-standing feud.
Buzz:
Not to oversimplify things here, but it's surprising how long it has taken other studios (aside from Lionsgate) to reach the audience that Tyler Perry entertains once or twice a year. The relatable premise, combined with a cast of big- and small-screen stars and the savvy marketing of Fox Searchlight could yield a wintry blockbuster.
When her mentally handicapped son is accused for the rape and murder of a young woman, a mother begins her own investigation into the crime in hope to clear her child's name.
Buzz:
Bong Joon-ho's latest work has more in common with his Memories of Murder than his better-known effort, The Host, but, like all of his films, Mother has earned accolades for its mood, cinematography, and doses of slapstick humor. Reviews are strong (check here and here) and the film will hopefully expand quickly, even if some guys already are touting its availability as an import DVD.
