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Title:
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Stars:
Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley
Studio:
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Plot:
The Pevensie children return to Narnia one year after their first adventure in the magical land. Soon after entering the kingdom, however, they learn that 1,000 years has passed here, and all is not well since an evil king ascended to the throne. The children and allies both old and new band together to help restore the kingdom to its rightful heir, Prince Caspian (Barnes).
Buzz:
Remember how popular The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was -- how it literally was twice as successful as the Golden Compass worldwide and, of course, how the "Lazy Sunday" video reignited "Saturday Night Live"'s creative streak? How exactly Prince Caspian has failed to generate much advance hype is a question for marketing types to research and blogger types to get snarky about, but I will assert that Wardrobe was a slow, unmemorable movie, and that might be part of the reason there's a general lack of excitement for Caspian. That said, the second chapter's ratcheted-up action might help reignite the franchise, even if Disney's thinking of ending the story after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ... I have to imagine there'll be lots of talk about future Narnia adventures soon after Caspian's opening-weekend numbers are announced.
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Title:
Iron Man
Stars:
Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard
Studio:
Paramount Pictures
Plot:
While in captivity, industralist Tony Stark (Downey) creates a high-tech suit of armor which he first uses to fight his way to freedom, and then to prevent a dark-minded scientific genius from carrying out his nefarious plot against humankind.
Buzz:
After 15+ years in development, the comic hero first based on Howard Hughes is refashioned as a contemporary industrialist whose technology is being used in the Middle Eastern war effort. (Funny, we can't compare him to any present-day eccentrics, just a list of bad guys come to mind.) Director Jon Favreau was the first name talent associated with project, and any doubt as to his ability to bring in a polished, smart-looking film should have been erased by not only the principal cast he got to sign on, but also his plan for the first film of a proposed trilogy (we hear Downey, Paltrow, and Howard signed 3-picture deals). Here's what we know: Stark is taken prisoner is Afghanistan, and that's where he builds the suit; both the grey suit and the red and gold suit will appear; Stark's alcoholism won't be addressed during the first go-round. And a note to old-school comics fans: It's kind of cool that Stark's old split book counterpart,Steve Rogers (a.k.a Captain America) was greenlighted soon after IM began pre-production. While that project seems to be languishing in development-heck, we imagine IM's initial returns might help get the red, white, and blue balls rolling.
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Title:
What Happens in Vegas...
Stars:
Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher
Studio:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Plot:
Joy (Diaz) and Jack (Kutcher) meet while on a Las Vegas bender, where their drunken nuptials are only part of a larger problem: What to do when Jack wins $3 million with Joy's quarter, and they are forced to spend six months as wife and husband if they are to see a penny of their winnings.
Buzz:
Let's just skip over Ashton (I mean, really) and address the real sad story here: Ms. Diaz, who used to be a movie star and not just someone you see in magazines and print ads, has been absent from the top of the box office in quite some time. Unlucky in work and love, we guess. (Whoa, she's like America's own Nicole Kidman!) And now she and Ashton have to star in a by-the-numbers romantic comedy, the kind that reveals its entire hand in its trailer. Was this even filmed in Las Vegas?
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Title:
Speed Racer
Stars:
Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, Christina Ricci
Studio:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Plot:
Speed Racer (Hirsch), a skilled young car driver who belongs to a family of gearheads, is blackmailed by the head of the nefarious corporation Royalton Industries to participate in The Crucible -- the annual cross-country rally that claimed his brother's life years ago. Behind the wheel of the Mach 5, his father's greatest invention, Speed goes head-to-head with his chief rival, the mysterious-yet-familiar Racer X (Fox).
Buzz:
In an earlier iteration of this project, Vince Vaughn was attached; in another Alfonso Cuarón was set to direct Johnny Depp as the man behind the wheel of the Mach 5 ... The main question mark here is whether Andy Wachowski and his still-a-man brother Larry can make a family film that they themselves would go see? (Our answer: of course, since there's no pressure for the plot to make a shred of sense.) We're definitely not worried about cool visuals, but there a lot of writers present here.
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Title:
Made of Honor
Stars:
Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan
Studio:
Columbia Pictures
Plot:
Tom (Dempsey) is a consummate ladies' man. Hannah (Monaghan) is his best friend and the one constant in his life. But when Hannah leaves town for a six-week business trip, allowing Tom to realize his love for her runs deeper than he ever knew, how does he deal with conveying his feelings -- especially when she returns with an engagement ring on her finger, and a request for him to be in her wedding?
Buzz:
Patrick Dempsey is getting the roles that Hugh Grant will no longer consider and for which Hugh Jackman has become too spendy. And we guess this makes Michelle Monaghan the new Sandra Bullock? Anyway, will MoH revive the rom-com genre's failing heart? It's hard to say, especially when the movie will battle Iron Man, which we hear is tracking well with the ladies (not hard to imagine, given the presence of the Gwyneth and RDJ's beefed-up frame). P.S. Whoever first called this 27 Dresses for Guys is clever.
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Title:
Baby Mama
Stars:
Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sigourney Weaver
Studio:
Universal Pictures
Plot:
A career-driven single woman (Fey) hires a surrogate mother (Poehler) to carry her child to term.
Buzz:
Sorry, Jimmy Fallon, but this is the "Weekend Update" reunion we've been waiting for. After proving themselves week-in and week-out behind the SNL news desk (the last time that program was truly worth watching), it's about time these ladies get their big-screen due. (Not that we're asking for an Amber, the One-Legged Hypoglycemic movie or anything.) We love the supporting cast here, which includes Greg Kinnear as a juice-shop owner and Maura Tierney as Tina Fey's sister; Sigourney Weaver adds to her ever-diversifying recent character choices as the owner of the surrogate agency. Our baby is kicking as we speak. Though it's too bad Ms. Fey didn't write Mama's screenplay ... maybe that's why the reviews have been less than stellar ...
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Title:
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Stars:
Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd
Studio:
Universal Pictures
Plot:
Peter (Segel) jets off to Hawaii for a vacation that is supposed to help him deal with his recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah (Bell). Little does he know Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex ... and she's bringing along her new boyfriend.
Buzz:
The magical name of Judd Apatow hangs over this film, as the Knocked Up comedy guru is producing, with Apatow acolytes Nicholas Stoller (directing) and Jason Segel (writing and starring) on board. Who's Segel? He's the lovable lunk on the did-I-ever-watch-that-I-think-I-did-and-it-was-funny-I-think CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." Most exciting, however, is the post-Veronica Mars appearance of Kristen Bell as famous girlfriend Sarah, leaving us all atwitter. Do you think she'll remember we used to be friends... a long time ago...?
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Title:
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Stars:
John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris
Studio:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Plot:
Aboard their flight to Amsterdam, Harold (Cho) and Kumar (Penn) are caught trying to sneak a bong onboard, the first step in a misadventure that finds them mistaken for terrorists and sent to Guantanamo Bay.
Buzz:
Why New Line didn't release this film on Sunday, April 20th is beyond us, but we all know the troubles the once-powerful studio has had of late (and if you aren't aware, here's a primer). May H&K's ever-growing cult bring some cheer to those left at the studio, and we hope the movie's suer-shot success will serve as a blueprint for New Line's future projects (we understand they'll be focusing on smaller-budget comedies and genre pics).H&K 2 rocked the SXSW festival this year -- right alongside recent box-office champ 21 -- and fans should be stoked to hear that very few instances of the naughty stoner antics were trimmed for the theatrical release. So get ready for plenty of nude women, bong toting, and Neil Patrick Harris chasing unicorns while 'shrooming.
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Title:
The Forbidden Kingdom
Stars:
Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano
Studio:
Lionsgate
Plot:
A discovery made by a kung-fu obsessed American teen (Angarano) transports him back to ancient China, where he joins up with a band of martial-arts warriors in order to free an imprisoned king.
Buzz:
Jackie Chan and Jet Li unite for the first time for a kung-fu family comedy based on the Chinese legend of the Monkey King. A lot of people are asking who Michael Angarano is and why he was selected for the role (maybe the producers had foreknowledge of Shia LaBeouf's coming fame - he and Angarano look like brothers from the same mother); others are asking why Chan and the I'm-retired-from-kung-fu-films Li have come together for something so PG-13 (easy: both of them have officially cashed in on their global fame). Still, I think the trailer looks fun; a sort-of update on Time Bandits and The Karate Kid?
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Title:
The Visitor
Stars:
Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira
Studio:
Overture Films
Plot:
College professor Walter Vale (Jenkins) travels to New York to attend a conference and finds a young couple -- a Syrian guy (Sleiman) and a Senegalese woman (Gurira) -- living in the apartment he keeps there. The surprise leads to unexpected friendships, and a much-needed new lease on life for Vale.
Buzz:
Thomas McCarthy's long-awaited follow up to The Station Agent (still awesome five years later) has earned near-rapturous reviews from the festival circuit primarily for two reasons: the writer-director's nuanced feel for creating friendships between equally nuanced characters, and star Richard Jenkins's (you'll know the face) breakout performance in a leading role, after spending most of his career as a character actor. What most critics go on to say is that McCarthy wisely avoided addressing the Arab-in-America theme with a heavy hand, though at times he does come close to getting on that particular soapbox ...
