Superheroes, trilogies dominate film year
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Steve Salles
Standard-Examiner movie critic
I
'm sure numerologists are already salivating, but I have to admit to being a little freaked by the constant reminders of the number 3 in movie titles this year. "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third," "Rush Hour 3," the third "Pirates of the Caribbean movie," the third "Bourne" thriller, "The Number 23," "3:10 to Yuma," "300," "Ocean's 13," "30 Days of Nights" -- it's everywhere!
And here's the ultimate -- 2+0+0+7 = 9 divided by 3! -- OK, that one's a bit of a stretch. But aren't you feeling that chill running down your spine, perhaps along your third vertebrae?
Well, maybe you don't care about that nonsense and are simply excited, as I am, about the potential for good movies this year.
So, here are 50 (although I considered doing 33) of some of the anticipated films for 2007.
February
NORBIT
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Thandie Newton, Eddie Griffin and Cuba Gooding Jr.
The Plot: A nerdy guy engaged to an overpowering woman meets the real woman of his dreams, but does he dare make the switch?
The Lowdown: Does Eddie Murphy play half of the parts to save money or because he thinks he's that good? Heaven help us if he wins that Oscar.
GHOST RIDER
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott and Peter Fonda
The Plot: A stunt motorcyclist trades his soul to become a superhero and take on the forces of evil.
The Lowdown: Comic-book freak Cage has been dying to don a costume -- any costume. Fans are hoping he doesn't come off looking like clown shoes.
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA
Stars: AnnaSophia Robb, Josh Hutcherson, Zooey Deschanel and Robert Patrick
The Plot: Two friends learn life lessons from an enchanted kingdom in the woods.
The Lowdown: With the huge success of "Narnia," Disney and Walden Media hope to mine more gold from another award-winning fantasy-adventure children's book. The "Epic Movie" bloodsuckers will be first in line.
MUSIC AND LYRICS
Stars: Drew Barrymore, Hugh Grant, Brad Garrett and Kristen Johnson
The Plot: Has-been singer teams up with a plant caretaker to write a hit song for the next overnight sensation. Hilarity ensues.
The Lowdown: Art imitates life as Hugh Grant also tries to find his romantic comedy bearings again after that silly chatter about retiring.
THE NUMBER 23
Stars: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Danny Huston and Logan Lerman
The Plot: A man becomes obsessed with the number 23 after reading a book that suggests its existence is more than a coincidence.
The Lowdown: Occasional serious actor Carrey is even more encouraged when he discovers "I'll take that damn Oscar now!" uses 23 letters. Ooohhh.
March
300
Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham and Dominic West
The Plot: A handful of Spartans take on a million Persians in the legendary three-day battle of Thermopylae.
The Lowdown: This graphic-novel adaptation not only looks cool, but these Greeks may be some of the toughest hombres ever to pick up a bloody sword.
SUNSHINE
Stars: Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne and Michelle Yeoh
The Plot: Some astronauts are sent to try to relight our dying sun as Earth's last hope for survival.
The Lowdown: I suggest we ignore the obvious science question on this one and see what gifted filmmaker Danny Boyle has up his sleeve. I'm guessing he's packing one huge Bic lighter.
PREMONITION
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Julian McMahon, Nia Long and Peter Stormare
The plot: A husband dies in a car wreck one day, but is in bed with his wife the next. Was it just a premonition or did it really happen?
The Lowdown: What's with Bullock and these time-shifting storylines? This has the feel of a very dark and creepy Groundhog Day.
MEET THE ROBINSONS
Stars: The voices of Steve Zahn, Tom Selleck, Laurie Metcalf, Kelly Ripa and Harland Williams
The Plot: A brainiac kid invents a memory scanner to search for the mom he never knew.
The Lowdown: This looks harmless enough, like a "Jimmy Neutron" meets the Rugrats' Pickles family.
BLADES OF GLORY
Stars: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnet, Amy Poehler and Craig T. Nelson
The Plot: Rival men's figure skaters, banned from singles competition for poor sportsmanship, find a way to return to the ice as a pairs team.
The Lowdown: This looks like it could be hilarious, but we'll have to wait and see how the French judges score it.
TMNT
Stars: The voices of the late Mako, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ziyi Zhang, Patrick Stewart and Kevin Smith
The Plot: The Turtles have drifted apart, but a new danger to New York City will force them to reunite.
The Lowdown: It's a mystery why the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have suddenly resurfaced, but I'm gonna guess it has something to do with fleecing a new generation of action-hungry kiddies.
April
GRINDHOUSE
Stars: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Kurt Russell and Rosario Dawson
The Plot: It's two movies back-to-back with Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" taking out zombie-like critters and Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof," featuring a stuntman in a killer car.
The Lowdown: These two merchants of mayhem are sure to delight their legions of loyal, salivating fans (of which I am one). At least these two kill creatively.
PERFECT STRANGER
Stars: Halle Berry, Bruce Willis and Giovanni Ribisi
The Plot: A friend's death demands a woman go in search of the killer, even if she has to use herself as Internet bait.
The Lowdown: This seems to have the steely eeriness of "What Lies Beneath" with a twist of "You've Got Eek!-Mail."
THE KINGDOM
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper
The Plot: FBI agents investigate a mass killing at an American facility in Saudi Arabia.
The Lowdown: Having to tiptoe around a skittish ally on foreign soil may be the only difference between this and "24: The Movie."
NEXT
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel and Peter Falk
The Plot: A Las Vegas huckster has the gift of seeing a few minutes into the future. His talents will be recruited when a terrorist group tries to blow up Los Angeles.
The Lowdown: I may have jumped the gun on describing the last movie. This film really DOES sound like "24: The Movie," with a hint of "Deja Vu."
May
SPIDER-MAN 3
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace
The Plot: Peter Parker discovers Uncle Ben's true killer and becomes obsessed with seeking revenge. New villains Venom and Sandman will create a few roadblocks, while Harry Osborn finally avenges his own father's death.
The Lowdown: I hate to get too excited here, but this one looks every bit as good as the previous two. Long live the Webslinger!
28 WEEKS LATER
Stars: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau and Catherine McCormack
The Plot: The Rage Virus appears to have run its course as American troops arrive to try to restore order in a decimated London. But not so fast. The virus may have some kick left in it.
The Lowdown: The virus may have some kick left, but I'm not sure this sequel will, especially without the original writer and director.
SHREK THE THIRD
Stars: The voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas
The Plot: King Harold looks to step down from the throne, but Shrek isn't interested in the job. The ogre tries to back another prince, but old Charming is up to his old tricks and covets the crown for himself.
The Lowdown: Let's hope they don't run this delightful franchise off into the swamp. Word of a future "Puss in Boots" spinoff in 2010 could be cause for a hairball or two.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLDS END
Stars: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, Bill Nighy, Chow Yun-Fat and Geoffrey Rush
The Plot: Captain Barbossa, Will and Elizabeth face three powerful enemies determined to destroy Jack Sparrow and his less-than-loyal crew.
The Lowdown: Johnny Depp could be reading the IRS tax code and fans would still flock in droves to see him in this last of the popular trilogy.
June
KNOCKED UP
Stars: Katherine Heigl, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd and Stormy Daniels
The Plot: A young man discovers he's impregnated a woman with whom he had a one-night stand.
The Lowdown: In the hands of writer/director Judd Apatow, who brought us the surprisingly funny "40-Year-Old Virgin," I expect nothing short of hilarious. Early word suggests it just might be.
OCEAN'S THIRTEEN
Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Bernie Mac and Don Cheadle
The Plot: Looks like the old gang is up to its familiar tricks, thankfully back in Vegas, but this time it appears Andy Garcia is in on the con, going after Al Pacino. Only question -- where's Julia and Catherine?
The Lowdown: This has GOT to be better than that last sequel, where all those pretty boys sat around in jail trying not to sweat in those designer duds. Boring!
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Doug Jones and Julian McMahon
The Plot: Looks like there's a new sheriff in town; the Fab Four are humbled before the superpowers of the Silver Surfer. Also something about a gizmo that eats planets? That can't be good.
The Lowdown: I'm hoping this will come together a little better than the original as the cast hits its stride. At least we can expect a rock-solid performance from the steady Chiklis.
EVAN ALMIGHTY
Stars: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, Wanda Sykes and John Michael Higgins
The Plot: Former anchorman, now congressman, Evan is commanded by God to build an ark, much to the concern of his family and colleagues.
The Lowdown: Carell is funny, but an ark? Let's hope this comedy boat can float and hasn't already set sail.
RATATOUILLE
Stars: The voices of Patton Oswalt, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm and Brian Dennehy
The Plot: A rat with a discerning palate risks life and limb to dine at the finest restaurants in Paris.
The Lowdown: It's Pixar. Need I say more?
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
Stars: Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Maggie Q, Justin Long, Jeffrey Wright and Kevin Smith
The Plot: Right-place-wrong-time detective John McClane battles with Internet terrorists threatening to shut down the United States.
The Lowdown: Just being able to say "John McClane is back" is enough for me. Big fan. Can't wait.
July
TRANSFORMERS
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and Jon Voight
The Plot: It seems the alien Autobots and the Decepticons are having an intergalactic war. The bad news is, they're using Earth as their kitty litter box.
The Lowdown: My first reaction was -- ah, how cute, little toys transform into cranky little robots. Then I saw the kick-butt trailer -- wow!
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Robbie Coltrane
The Plot: Harry and Dumbledore are in trouble with the Council of Wizards as a new power tries to take over Hogswart. And of course, ever lurking is the eminent return of Lord Voldemort.
The Lowdown: My how our little Harry has grown up. Expect the script to do the same. My only concern is the inexperienced director who's taken the helm.
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY
Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Jessica Biel and Dan Aykroyd
The Plot: Two macho firemen pretend to be a gay couple so they can get benefits as domestic partners.
The Lowdown: This will be sliding on thin comedic ice, which can either be very funny or painfully stereotypical. I'm trusting Sandler and James to make it work.
HAIRSPRAY
Stars: John Travolta, Nicole Blonsky, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah and Amanda Bynes
The Plot: A return to '60s Baltimore has a plus-sized teen winning a spot on a popular TV dance show.
The Lowdown: Travolta plays her large-and-in-charge mother. Wait until you see Mr. Dance Fever as an oversized woman. I'm hoping there'll be more to this than that.
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
Stars: The voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria
The Plot: For some reason, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening hasn't revealed a single plot point on his super-secret movie. Whhhyyy? Whhhyyy?
The Lowdown: Who cares about the plot -- it's the Simpsons. Have they ever let us down in the 100 years they've been on TV?
August
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
Stars: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine and Joan Allen
The Plot: A gun battle in Moscow. Government agents still trying to silence the elusive Jason Bourne, and the poor guy can't figure out who he really is.
The Lowdown: Damon's in good hands with "United 93" director Paul Greengrass, but we could do with a little less hurky-jerky camera work this time around.
UNDERDOG
Stars: Peter Dinklage, Patrick Warburton and the voices of Jason Lee and Amy Adams.
The Plot: Lab accident turns ordinary beagle into a superhero that vows to protect Capitol City from the evils of Simon Barsinister.
The Lowdown: Classic cartoon becomes live-action, big-screen adventure? I'm getting a bit of a whiff on this woofer. Step lively.
RUSH HOUR 3
Stars: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Max von Sydow and Vinnie Jones
The Plot: Detectives Lee and Carter apparently get caught in the middle of a Chinese mob feud in Paris. And from the stills, it seems they'll have to save a lovely French woman from the clutches of an evil Max von Sydow.
The Lowdown: I'm still bristling that Tucker is getting a reported $25 million (but that's for RH3 and RH4).
THE INVASION
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam and Jeffrey Wright
The Plot: A D.C. shrink discovers a mysterious worldwide infection may be coming from another planet.
The Lowdown: This looks like another "Body Snatchers" redo, and given the recent car-crash incident, I think one of the "pod people" was driving the stunt truck.
September
THE WATERHORSE
Stars: Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey and Alex Etel
The Plot: Every boy needs a pet. This one comes in the form of a sea creature from Scottish legend. From the look on the dad's face, I'm guessing its appearance is a wee bit of a shock.
The Lowdown: Fantasy adventure from the accomplished director of "My Dog Skip?" I'll bet on that horse.
MICHAEL CLAYTON
Stars: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack and Ken Howard
The Plot: A N.Y. defense attorney faces the repercussions of years of helping free his scumbag clients.
The Lowdown: George Clooney gets all GQ'd up for this role. After all, he is the sexiest man alive -- again.
LUST, CAUTION
Stars: Tony Leung and Joan Chen
The Plot: Based on an Eileen Chang short story (she's into epic romances), this film has "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee taking us to China for a World War II spy drama.
The Lowdown: No word yet on whether the line, "We'll always have Shanghai" is actually in the script. I'm pretty sure, "I can't quit you," won't be, but you never know.
MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY
Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Willem Dafoe, Karel Roden and Max Baldry
The Plot: Tired of making a mess out of London, Mr. Bean takes a much needed vacation to the south of France, where he can torture those people for a while.
The Lowdown: Bean picked up where the old "The Pink Panther" left off. His slapstick antics are second to none. Taking it to the French should make it even funnier.
October
THE HEARTBREAK KID
Stars: Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan, Jerry Stiller, Carlos Mencia and Rob Corddry
The Plot: He thought he married the perfect woman, until they went on their honeymoon, where he meets a woman he thinks is the genuinely perfect woman. What to do?
The Lowdown: This was hilarious in 1972 with Charles Grodin. No reason to doubt it won't be as funny (although possibly much cruder with the Farrelly brothers involved).
VANTAGE POINT
Stars: Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, Dennis Quaid, Signourney Weaver and William Hurt
The Plot: An attempted assassination on the president is told from five different perspectives, a narrative style made famous by Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon."
The Lowdown: Star power, plus interesting plot device could make this the thriller to see in the fall.
3:10 TO YUMA
Stars: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster, Gretchen Mol and Peter Fonda
The Plot: An outlaw tries to get into the head of a rancher who agrees to watch over the bad man while waiting for the next train to Yuma.
The Lowdown: The intense buildup 50 years ago with Glenn Ford was incredible, I expect nothing less with Russell Crowe. Better yet, yeehaw, the Western returns!
30 DAYS OF NIGHT
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Ben Foster, Melissa George, Danny Huston and Manu Bennett
The Plot: Vampires need darkness, so it only seems natural that they would migrate north to a small Alaskan town where the sun doesn't shine for six months.
The Lowdown: Since it's based on another comic book, I'd guess this story will get down and dirty rather quickly, with good ol' Josh trying to save the day -- or, in this case, the night.
November
AMERICAN GANGSTER
Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin and RZA
The Plot: A drug dealer in the '70s uses the coffins of American soldiers returning from Vietnam to smuggle his heroin into New York City. Based on a true story.
The Lowdown: Denzel gets to play a bad guy again while Crowe tries to shut him down as a New York detective. Two heavy hitters in the same movie means box-office bonanza.
BEE MOVIE
Stars: The voices of Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman and Chris Rock
The Plot: A bee graduates from college, but is less than thrilled that his only choice of a career is making honey. That is, until he learns humans eat honey. Now he has a basis for a lawsuit.
The Lowdown: So this is what Seinfeld's been doing with his leisure time? This had better "bee" funny or he'll "bee" forced to live off those paltry billion-dollar residual checks.
FRED CLAUS
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Kevin Spacey and Kathy Bates
The Plot: Everyone has a pesky, embarrassing relative and Santa is no exception. Meet his loser brother Fred.
The Lowdown: The trailer of Giamatti and Vaughn fighting like little kids on the couch looks promising. We're hoping there's more to back that up.
BEOWULF
Stars: The voices of Angelina Jolie, Crispin Glover, Robin Wright Penn, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich and Ray Winstone
The Plot: It's the classic story of a Scandinavian warrior who takes on the village-wrecking monster Grendel and its equally cranky mother.
The Lowdown: Robert Zemekis is said to have taken his real-life image animation to new heights with this latest project. It's supposed to make his work on "Polar Express" look like kids stuff. We'll see.
December
HIS DARK MATERIALS: THE GOLDEN COMPASS
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Dakota Blue Richards and Adam Godley
The Plot: The first of three books, this is a fantasy adventure involving a young girl and a parallel world filled with extraordinary creatures.
The Lowdown: The books were award-winning and dark; let's see if the movies measure up.
I AM LEGEND
Stars: Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Alice Braga, Thomas J. Pilutik and Charlie Tahan
The Plot: As the last man alive and not infected, Robert Neville scurries around by day to prepare to fight off the nocturnal creatures that stalk him nightly.
The Lowdown: Yes, this was a book, then the Vincent Price movie "Last Man on Earth," then Charlton Heston took a swipe at it with "The Omega Man -- and now Will. The others were good -- why not this one?
NATIONAL TREASURE: THE BOOK OF SECRETS
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel
The Plot: Moving on from the Declaration of Independence, our intrepid truthseekers attempt to solve a burning question surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
The Lowdown: Nothing like a good, hot popcorn history mystery to liven up the holidays.
CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR
Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and John Slattery
The Plot: A slimy Texas congressman gets his hand caught in the cookie jar trying to help Afghanistan in its war with the Soviet army.
The Lowdown: Can Tom Hanks play a womanizing creep? He is a fine actor, but we may not be ready for our all-American boy to go that far to the dark side. Maybe we will by the end of what should be a very exciting movie year.
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