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Title:
Tropic Thunder
Stars:
Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.
Studio:
DreamWorks Distribution
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.
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.
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Title:
Babylon A.D.
Stars:
Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry
Studio:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Plot:
Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop (Diesel) takes a high-risk assignment where he must escort a woman out of Russia. His client, however, is carrying a synthetic virus -- one that could bring about the end of humankind. Making his mission extra-difficult is the cult that has designs on what rests inside the young woman's body.
Buzz:
Dudes, random casting abounds for Vin Diesel's return to the sci-fi genre. But if it wasn't for this Michelle Yeoh fansite, we would have known next to nothing about the project while it was in production. The best buzz we've heard about the project? District B13 star David Belle has choreographed parkour fight scenes for both Diesel and Yeoh! And the worst? Uncooperative weather and powerplays between Diesel and director Mathieu Kassovitz first caused a production delay, sending producer Ilan Goldman (the man behind the two Crimson Rivers movies) on the hunt for snowy locales and replacements for several vital crew slots. Then, Diesel's manager apparently had to go coax Kassovitz back from a reported nervous breakdown, only to watch the director distance himself from the entire mess come red-carpet time. Seriously! And while this level of drama used results in a hot pile of celluloid garbage, the trailer is looking hot, even if the awareness for this one is strangely low. P.S. We can overlook the Kronos Quartet composition that no one should ever have used after Requiem for a Dream ...
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Title:
The Dark Knight
Stars:
Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Studio:
Turner Network Television (TNT)
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).
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.
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Title:
The House Bunny
Stars:
Anna Faris
Studio:
Columbia Pictures
Plot:
A Playboy bunny (Faris) who was recently booted from the mansion winds up becoming the new house mother for a sorority in jeopardy.
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!And total US Weekly babe alert: "American Idol"'s Katharine McPhee and celeb progeny Rumer Willis too?! OMG -- where do we pick up the free L'Oreal make-up bags?
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Title:
Traitor
Stars:
Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, David Clark
Studio:
Overture Films
Plot:
FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) heads up a conspiracy investigation which initially susses out a prime suspect: Samir Horn (Cheadle), a former special ops officer with strong ties to Afghan rebels in the Middle East. As Clayton chases Horn around the world, however, a tangled web of contradictory evidence is revealed.
Buzz:
Five fine actors guide this conspiracy thriller from The Day After Tomorrow writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff into theaters at the end of the summer-movie season. Oddly enough, Steve Martin came up with this premise back in 2002, when he was working on Bringing Down the House with producer David Hoberman, and even though it reminds me of Lennie James's character's arc on "Jericho," one interesting thing to chart here is the rise of Overture Films, the distributor that turned The Visitor into a hit this year and has optioneda handful of original screenplays for 2009/2010.
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Title:
Death Race
Stars:
Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson
Studio:
Universal Pictures
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.
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 ...
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Title:
Disaster Movie
Stars:
Carmen Electra, Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker
Studio:
Lionsgate
Plot:
Over the course of one evening, an unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings find themselves bombarded by a series of natural disasters and catastrophic events.
Buzz:
Hey, who ordered another project from the Date Movie guys? I certainly didn't, and I thought Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's diminishing spoof returns (Date remains their most successful endeavor) might have reached their end with Meet the Spartans. Alas, the sophomoric-comedy duo have managed to churn out another 2008 mid-level hit that will probably double its investment after two weeks in general release. And I have to give them some sort of credit for making Carmen Electra a genuine movie star ... right? Take that, Nicole Kidman!
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Title:
Mamma Mia!
Stars:
Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried
Studio:
Universal Pictures
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 incorporatesthe hits of ABBA.
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!As expected, Amanda Seyfried (can you ask for an awesomer new It Girl?) and company stormed Europe last week, where they dazzled audiences and danced away with a few million dollars. In a femme-friendly year for movies, look for this fairy tale to register on this side of the Atlantic. As deals for Seyfried roll in these next few weeks (we imagine), catch her next in Jennifer's Body, Diablo Cody's Juno follow-up!
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Title:
Pineapple Express
Stars:
Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole
Studio:
Columbia Pictures
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.
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 ...
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Title:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Stars:
Matt Lanter, Nika Futterman, Tom Kane
Studio:
Warner Bros. Pictures
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.
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.
