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2011 FALL PREVIEW |
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With the underwhelming Summer spending into oblivion, now come the so-called serious movies. A couple of animated features look to challenge "Rango" for best cartoon, Clint Eastwood tosses his hat in the ring with another biopic, there are a few remakes again, a couple of Christmas flicks,
more sequels, and a few originals that will contend for Oscars! Halloween is anear so look for horror schlock galore. |
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If the story is have as good as the trailers, look for something at awards time |
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SEPTEMBER 2: "THE DEBT" (August 31) - Nearly a year late for release Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington and Tom Wilkinson's hunt down a Nazi war criminal in the Ukraine. May be good enough for buzz. "COLUMBIANA" - Zoe Saldana is a trained assassin who goes hunting for the drug lords who killed her parents. Could be retitled stick figure killer. "SHARK NIGHT 3D" - House on the lake turns out to be the house on the shark infested lake. So move, right?
"A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY" - Jason Sudeikis and Taylor Bell in another R rated comedy that sounds like "Risky Business" revisited. This time after getting keys to his dad's Hampton's house, a guy throws a adult oriented party. "APOLLO 18" - Another one of those found footage films this time goes to the moon to reveal alien life. Blame this on "Paranormal Activity". |
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A Hollywood all-star cast is brought in by CDC to take on a deadly disease in "Contagion" |
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SEPTEMBER 9: "CONTAGION" - Steve Soderbergh revisits the big cast disaster genre with this half of Hollywood's A-list including Matt Damon, Marion Cotilrd, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburn and others. This time
an outbreak of a disease requires an all star cast to quash it. Why does this sound like "Outbreak"? "WARRIOR" - Last year's "Fighter" won too many accolades to get away without a copycat. This time Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte star in Gavin O'Connor's take on the mixed martial arts circuit. "BUCKY LARSON: BORN TO BE A STAR" - Adam Sandler continues his rude and crude ways as a Midwestern boy whose parents were porn stars and decides to pursue the career himself. Somehow Sandler's Happ Madison production Company conned wonderful actress Christina Ricci to make an appearance. "THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967 - 1975" - A startling documentary chronicling the beginnings and the ending of the Black Power movement. By Swedish director Goran Hugo Olsson who found footage in a basement pieced this together for an editing trophy at Sundance; features intimate looks
at Angela Davis and Stokely Carmichael SEPTEMBER 16: "DRIVE" - This is interesting not as an action vehicle for Ryan Gosling but as a serious departure for Carey Mulligan who rides shotgun in this speed thriller. "I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT" - Douglas McGrath - better known for "Infamous" and "Nicholas Nickleby" guides this yawner with Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, and Kelsey Grammer about Parker in her post Sex in the City life. The real question is will anyone care? |
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Can James Marsden replace Dustin Hoffman's role in "Straw Dogs"? |
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"STRAW DOGS" - Yet another remake changes locals from England to the South and changes acting to action. James Marsden takes over Dustin Hoffman's role as a displace husband defending his wife (Kate Bosworth) from locals. "RESTLESS" - Gus Van Sants' (Milk) latest with Mia Wasikowska as a terminally ill girl who falls for a a guy (Henry Hopper) who enjoys funerals. They stumble onto the ghost of a dead Japanese Kamikaze pilot. SEPTEMBER 23:"MONEYBALL" - Bio-pic about mercenary Oakland A's General manager Billy Beane who literally put the bean in bean counting by opting for undervalued players to build his one-time contending team. "ABDUCTION" - Taylor Lautner plays Nathan, a young man who learns that he was kidnapped and raised, gets to the bottom of the incident. "MACHINE GUN PREACHER" - Gerard Butler in a serious role as former crook who helps hundreds of Sudanese children who've been forced to become soldiers. The question is will he utter: WE ARE STARTA! |
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Gerard Butler gets serious in the biopic "Machine Gun Preacher" |
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"KILLER ELITE" - Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro star in the actioner that has Statham coming to rescue his captured mentor's (DeNiro) career. "DOLPHIN TALE" - A boy comes to the rescue of a dolphin who lost its tail in a trap. Inspired, people come together to build a prosthetic tail fro the big fish. With Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Harry Connick Jr. SEPTEMBER 30:WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER "" - Anna Faris in yet another dingbat film that has her contemplating if one of her old beaus was the love of her life. If so, which one. Chris Evans, Mike Vogel, Aziz Ansari or Martin Freeman? "50/50" - Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in this comical look at a 27-year old with cancer. Seth Rogen, Anjelica Huston, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anna Kendrick also star - wait did we say Seth Rogen. Yikes! "DREAM HOUSE" - Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz carry a film about a man and his family who move into a home with a deadly past. "MARGARET" - Anna Paquin is a New York woman feeling guilty about a fatal crash in which she feels responsible. She tries to make things right but... doesn't this sound eerily like "Another Earth"? | |
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Is he nuts or is a man seeing visions of the apocalypse in "Take Shelter" |
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"TAKE SHELTER" - Michael Shannon plays a guy having visions of an apocalyptic storm and isn't sure if he's nuts or should shelter his family - who thinks he's nuts. "TUCKER & DALE vs EVIL" - Hillbilly slackers run afoul with college kids in the woods in this horror-comedy that grew legs at Sundance. "COURAGEOUS" - Another faith based flick from Alex Kendrick about four policemen faced with faith challenges after tragedy strikes close to home. OCTOBER 7: "REAL STEEL" - Disney follows up last years "Tron" with a movie about giant Rock 'em-Sock 'em Robots. Hugh Jackman is a bowing promoter who finds a discarded robot and the perfect man to operate it. |
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George Clooney returns as director and actor with an all Oscar cast in "The Ides of March" |
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"THE IDES OF MARCH" - The very busy Ryan Gosling teams with George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Marisa Tomei under Clooney's direction in this political drama about dirty politics. "WANDERLUST" - Jennifer Aniston sacrifices her career further with Paul Rudd about a Manhattan couple that moves to a hippie commune. Green Acres on drugs? "DIRTY GIRL" - Two teens (Juno Temple and Jeremy Dozier) hit the road to escape his deployment to military school. OCTOBER 14: "THE THING" - Yup, this is the third time around for this sci-fi/horror classic about a frozen alien life in the Arctic. I'm sure director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. thinks he's hit on a unique idea here.
"FOOTLOOSE" - That's right, count 'em, two remakes in one week...the third time this year. This time Kenny Wormald (who?) gives his take on the role that made Kevin Bacon famous. "THE SKIN I LIVE IN" - Antonio Banderos plays surgeon Robert Ledgard who conducts experiments on a human subject (Elena Anaya) to invent an artificial skin for his sick wife. |
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Yet another remake of a not long ago flick, "Footloose" |
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"THE BIG YEAR" - Owen Wilson gives another turn this time with Jack Black and Steve Martin as bird watchers out to find a rare bird. It would be a rare bird if this one flies. "TRESPASS" - Nick Cage and Nichol Kidman are kidnapped and held for the ransom of a good script. OCTOBER 21: "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3" - The unknown eerie plot involves the American Dream of making lots of money while spending very little on talent, production or anything for that matter. "THE THREE MUSKETEERS" - "Resident Evil" and "AVP: Aliens vs Predator" director Paul Anderson gets the nod on this umpteenth remake of the Alexandre Dumas about D'Artagnan and his clique. |
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Kevin Spacey and Stanley Tucci in a financial drama concerning modern financial crisis in "Margin Call" |
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"MARGIN CALL" - J.C Chandor directs Stanley Tucci, Kevin Spacey and Zachary Quinto (young Spock form "Star Trek) in this drama based on a financial crisis. There is buzz. "MARTHA MARY MAY MARLENE" - A brainwashed woman (Elizabeth Olsen) escapes a cult back to her family but her acute paranoia tells her that the cult is lurking. This psychological thriller was well received at Sundance. "RED STATE" - Kevin Smith goes at it again, this time with horny teens accepting an online invite for an orgy; little do they know there is a sinister plot behind the invite. OCTOBER 28: "IN TIME" - Sounding oddly like "Logan's Run", Justin Timberlake lives in a world where people only live to 26 years old but seek immortal youth. With "Gattaca" director Andrew Niccol helming this may be interesting; Timberlake's body of work is steadily improving. "THE RUM DIARY" - This film was actually started prior to production of the first "Pirates of the Caribbean", but ran into more obstacles than a minefield including over years in post. Johnny Depp plays a writer in 1950s Puerto Rico during a transitional period. With Aaron Eckhart and Amber Heard and lots of buzz.
"ANONYMOUS" - The obligatory period piece zeroes in on the Essex Rebellion during the Elizabethan era. Rhys Ifans and Vanessa Redgrave star in a plot about a Shakespearean author. "JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN" - "Bean" star Rowan Atkinson is a British agent assigned to save a Chinese leader. Atkinson's films are always fun and this looks like a interesting cousin to "Austin Powers". "SAFE" - Jason Statham must rescue a Chinese gal while the rest of the world chases - natch!
"LIKE CRAZY" - Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin star as lovers torn apart when she overstays her visa and is deported back to London (as if that would actually happen) - they try to maintain their very long distance relationship. "SLEEPING BEAUTY" - Booed out at Cannes, Emily Browning ("Sucker Punch" and "The Uninvited") plays a college student who signs on for a lurid sex game.
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Antonio Banderas voices the charismatic cat from "Shrek" once again in "Puss in Boots" |
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NOVEMBER 4: "PUSS IN BOOTS" - A prequel to "Shrek" focuses on the popular cat voiced by Antonio Banderas and his exploits leading up to his encounter with the ogre. Could there be a donkey movie coming up? It seems they won't let Shrek go, even though this should be amusing. "A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS" - The two idiots burn down Harold's father's Christmas tree and have to find another in 3D. Ho-hum.
"TOWER HEIST" - An interesting cast with Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Tea Lioni, Matthew Broderick, Gabourney Sidibe and Alan Alda as revenge seeking investors go after a Ponzi schemer (Alda) before he gets away. "MY WEEK WITH MARILYN" - Docudrama set during the filming of Marilyn Monroe's 1956 "The Prince and the Showgirl"; she engaged in tense relations with Sir Laurence Olivier. NOVEMBER 11: "11/11/11" - Timothy Gibbs stars in a horror/thriller about creatures coming to earth through heaven's 11th gate on November 11th. Is this the best they could do for my birthday? "IMMORTALS" - Henry Cavill plays Theseus who is chosen by Zeus to go after King Hyperion (Micky Rourke) who is pounding Greece in an effort to rule humanity. We aren't Sparta.
"J EDGAR" - Clint Eastwood takes a behind the scenes look at the late FBI head who was once considered the most powerful man in the country, but was also a closet cross-dresser. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lead who carries on an affair with Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). Obvious Oscar buzz. "MELANCHOLIA" - Kirsten Dunst in a film involving strained family relations just before another planet makes solar dust out of Earth. "JACK AND JILL" - Happy Madison Productions resident director Dennis Dugan directs Sandler in yet another yawner about relatives who won't leave. NOVEMBER 18: "THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - Part 1" - Trying to emulate Harry Potter with splitting on book into two parts, we have Edward and Bella about to have a baby the wolfpack and rival vampires would like dead. "HAPPY FEET 2 IN 3D" - Follow-up to the 2006 charmer revisits Mumbles (Elijah Wood) who now has a son - togethre with some singling and dancing they solve yet another threat to their environment. The first one had terrific animation already, the use of 3D only points out how profitable it is to get audiences to pay $3 more.
"TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY" - Gary Oldman and Colin Firth star in this spy thriller set during the Cold War. Look for acting accolades and lots of Oscar buzz. THANKSGIVING: "HUGO" - Martin Scorsese takes a shot at a child oriented flick with this take on a boy who lives within the walls of a Paris train station. Asa Butterfield from "The Boy in Striped Pajamas" and Chloe Moretz from "Kick Ass" star with Jude Law, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley, Ray Winstone, and Sacha Baron Cohen - is there any way possible this isn't set up for an Oscar Run? "THE MUPPETS" - Disney rekindles the Muppet madness; this time with kermit and his friends fitting to save Muppet Theater from a wealthy oilman. It's easy being green when the green is money. "THE DESCENDANTS" - George Clooney finds out the hard way that his wife - now in a coma - was having an affair and decides to confront the stud she was seeing. "THE ARTIST" - Jean Dujardin plays a silent movie star who is worried about losing his career when talkies come about. With John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller, James Cromwell, and Malcolm McDowell in a Michel Hazanavicius directed film that was extremely well received in Cannes. "PIRANHA 3DD" - Follow up to the 2010 bloodfest has the piranhas returning (as we knew they would) bigger an badder and into the plumbing around Lake Victoria. Christopher Lloyd and Ving Rhames return; Elizabeth Shue bailed. "ARTHUR CHRISTMAS" - Santa dons a British accent in this toon about Santa's youngest son gets into the high tech toy factory. Aardman Animation's first venture since the ill fated "Flushed Away" chased away American studio money. |
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COPYRIGHT 2011 BY AFROTREK TRAVEL NEWS LLC |
