June

From the creators of Over The Hedge (2006) and Shrek (2001) comes this film about a lazy Panda who must become a martial arts master. Jack Black voices the panda, and he’s joined on the mic by Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu. From the previews, it looks like Dreamworks is going to have another animated hit on their hands when Kung Fu Panda (2008) spin-kicks it’s way into theaters June 6th.

Edward Norton takes on the role of scientist Bruce Banner - who happens to have the biggest attitude problem on the planet, as he turns into everyone’s favorite big green guy (sorry, Jolly Green Giant) when he’s angry. This one’s shaping up to blow away any lasting effects of The Hulk (2003) - not to mention give Marvel (who’s already making money hand-over-fist with Iron Man (2008)) one of their most profitable summers yet. The Incredible Hulk (2008) smashes it’s way into theaters June 13th.

Pixar, having become the summer animated film staple of recent years, is back again with a robot that resembles Johnny from Short Circuit. With previews that make you laugh out loud, and the fact that no words are actually spoken for most of the film, this one already has enough buzz going to guarantee this is going to be THE animated film of the summer. We’ll definitely be in the crowd when WALL-E (2008) hits theaters June 27th.

It looks like Pixar’s got some competition, however. Director Timur Bekmambetov, who gave us the stylish Day Watch (2007) last year, adapts his own film for American audiences this June - and pulls in Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie to star. With it’s mix of action and stunning special effects (including bullets that curve), this one looks like it’s an adrenaline junkie’s dream come true - and 2008’s version of The Matrix (1999). Get ready for a rush when Wanted (2008) explodes into theaters June 27th.

Also in June: You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (2008), The Happening (2008), Get Smart (2008) and The Love Guru (2008).

Related Posts

• April 25, 2008 -- Summer Movie Preview 2008, Part I: May
• November 20, 2007 -- Wanted (2008)
• November 7, 2007 -- WALL-E (2008)
• September 26, 2006 -- Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Synopsis:

Severly wounded in combat, Col. Clauss Von Stauffenberg (Cruise) returns from Africa to join the German resistance and help create Operation: Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler’s once he’s dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edge central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation’s government…he must kill Hitler himself.

Our Thoughts:

After a bit of hiatus from the movie biz (apparently focusing instead on couch-jumping, marrying Katie Holmes, trashing Brooke Shields and The Church of Scientology, not neccessarily in that order), Tom Cruise is back for the upcoming Bryan Singer-directed Valkyrie - and it looks good!

While Cruise’s off-screen antics have pushed away a lot of his fanbase lately, it also sets him up pretty well to play a Nazi officer. But, will his fans return to see him, or has he pushed them too far?

With Bryan Singer at the helm, the film could be great (like his extremely popular X-Men (2000), or the impressive The Usual Suspects) or an utter waste of film (see our review of Superman Returns (2006)).

With Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson and Terrence Stamp also on hand, a “based on true events” tagline and an engrossing preview added to our fascination with the abhorrence that was Hitler’s reign, things are definitely looking up for Valkyrie.

Will Bryan Singer and star Tom Cruise pull it together for Valkyrie, or will their faults come the forefront and give us another Superman Returns (2006)?

Either way, it’s likely everyone will be talking about Valkyrie next February. If you miss it, you’ll be left out of the water cooler conversation - and you wouldn’t want that, now would you?

Related Posts

• May 27, 2007 -- Michael Clayton (2007)
• February 21, 2007 -- Lions For Lambs (2007)
• October 22, 2005 -- Batman Begins (2005)
• May 7, 2008 -- Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans (2009)
• May 5, 2008 -- The Golden Compass (2007)

Synopsis:

Larry (Stiller), apparently still a night museum security guard - although he’s now working at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. - has more historical figures come to life during his job in this sequel to Night At The Museum (2006).

Our Thoughts:

Night At The Museum (2006) was a hilarious film, and after it’s success (it debuted at #1 - then topped it’s sales the next week), it’s inevitable that they were going to come out with a sequel. That day is coming in 2009, so prepare yourselves for Night At The Museum 2: Escape From The Smithsonian.

Half the fun of the first film, however, was watching Stiller’s character deal with the inhabitants of the museum while he refused to believe the exhibits were actually coming to life. Now that he’s got that experience under his belt, chances are he’s going to be a bit more jaded when exhibits start moving around again.

Still, with Stiller backed up by a tremendous supporting cast that now includes Hank Azaria and Amy Adams along with old friends Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais and Dick Van Dyke, chances are this one could still be worth the price of admission.

And with Ben Stiller hopefully flying high after the success of Tropic Thunder (2008) and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), we could be seeing the dawn of a new Stiller era - one where he doesn’t force the jokes as much - an era that will hopefully make films like Night At The Museum (2006) and Zoolander seem more like his very funny norm rather than the hilarious exceptions they are now.

Night At The Museum 2: Escape From The Smithsonian is one sequel - at least on paper -that’s shaping up to be just as good as the original - let’s hope it stays that way when it makes it’s way to the big screen May 22, 2009.

Related Posts

• May 20, 2007 -- Night At The Museum (2006)
• March 29, 2008 -- Underdog (2007)
• March 26, 2008 -- Tropic Thunder (2008)
• February 3, 2008 -- Stardust (2007)
• January 16, 2008 -- Drillbit Taylor (2008)

Synopsis:

In this prequel to Underworld (2003), a young Lycan named Lucian (Sheen) joins forces with Sonja (Mitra) and rallies the werewolves to rise up against their vampire enslavers, headed by Viktor (Nighy).

Our Thoughts:

Good and bad news coming your way. Yes, there is another sequel to Underworld (2003) hitting theaters in 2009 - and no, Kate Beckinsale isn’t in it. This might spell doom for the series.

Kate Beckinsale made the first two so exciting! Clad in that leather outfit, she was the center of the Underworld, er, world. Without her, it doesn’t sound so exciting. It’s like having another Resident Evil (2002) without Milla Jovovitch or another Terminator without Arnold Schwarzenegger (oh wait…they are doing that).

Can Bill Nighy and series newcomers Michael Sheen and Rhona Mitra be able to make Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans a decent entry in the series even without Kate Beckinsale?

True, they probably are going to have the impressive special effects to back them up, and it is going to still be werewolves vs. vampires, but Kate’s absence is going to leave a gaping hole that will be hard to fill.

Without Kate along for this third trip into the Underworld, we’ll have to wait until we see a preview to find out if we’re going to see this one in the theaters - or if we’re waiting for the DVD.

Related Posts

• January 11, 2004 -- Underworld (2003)
• June 30, 2006 -- Underworld: Evolution (2006)
• May 9, 2008 -- Valkyrie (2009)
• January 15, 2008 -- Doomsday (2008)
• September 23, 2007 -- The Number 23 (2007)

• Kofi Kingston, CM Punk, Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore def. Deuce N’ Domino, Elijah Burke & Shelton Benjamin in an 8-Man Tag Team Match
• Chavo’s special enforcer from ECW 04.08.08 is named as Bam Neely.
• Kane and The Undertaker are backstage, and Kane says Chavo has made a big mistake.
• Kelly Kelly wins the Diva Dance Off
• Tommy Dreamer, accompanied by Colin Delaney, is about to take on Mike Knox when Estrada changes things, sending Dreamer to the back and ordering Delaney to take on Knox.
• Mike Knox def. Colin Delaney
• Backstage, The Miz & John Morrison say that Kane & The Undertaker aren’t ready for their match, after their brutal battle on SmackDown 04.11.08. Morrison then says the man to start things off, the one who will stand up and look The Undertaker in the eye…is The Miz.
• The Undertaker & Kane (”The Brothers Of Destruction”) def. John Morrison & THe Miz in a Tag Team Match

Related Posts

• May 6, 2008 -- RAW 04.14.08
• May 6, 2008 -- SmackDown 04.11.08
• May 5, 2008 -- ECW 04.08.08
• April 28, 2008 -- RAW 04.07.08
• April 22, 2008 -- SmackDown 04.04.08

• JBL comes into GM William Regal’s office and berates Regal for allowing John Cena & Triple H into his Championship Match at Backlash. JBL says Regal should charter him a plane so he fly back to New York City.
• Regal says JBL isn’t going home because tonight, for the first time ever, JBL is going to be in a one-on-one match with Triple H!
• Shawn Michaels comes to the ring. He recaps his feud with Batista, then says it takes more than back-stabbing to get anywhere in this business, before talking about the back injury that almost ended his career. Michaels says he’s not proud of everything in his past - but he’s sick and tired of apologizing for it.
• Ric Flair’s music hits - and out walks Chris Jericho. Jericho says he apologizes for misleading Michaels, but he wanted to make a point. Jericho says he’s been thinking about the whole thing, and he thinks that Batista believes Michaels is a phony - and that Michaels enjoyed ending Flair’s career. Jericho says he thinks Batista is being irrational, but he doesn’t totally disagree with him. When Jericho suggests that Michaels may have mentioned the Flair retirement clause to Vince McMahon, Michales superkicks Jericho.
• Carlito & Santino Marella def. Paul London & Brian Kendrick in a Tag Team Match to become the #1 Contenders for the World Tag Team Championship
• After the match, Carlito & Santino call themselves “International Superstars”.
• Mickie James def. Beth Phoenix thanks to a quick roll-up to become the new Women’s Champion
• After the match, Todd Grisham asks Mickie how she feels. Mickie says she’s so happy words can’t describe it, then kisses Todd Grisham.
• Back in the GM’s office, Mike Adamle asks Regal - who’s warming up - why decided to take on Randy Orton. Regal says he did it to prove he could beat the best.
• Jericho comes in, and says he wants Regal to make the Batista/Michaels match a Triple Threat Match - instead, Regal says Jericho can be the special guest referree of the match. When Jericho says that’s not good enough because he wants to wrestle, Regal tells Jericho he will face Umaga tonight - and Jericho’s Intercontinental Championship will be on the line
• Cryme Tyme’s JTG def. Trevor Murdoch
• Randy Orton def. William Regal despite Regal actually dropping Orton on his head during the match
• Chris Jericho def. Umaga to retain his Intercontinental Championship
• Paul Burchill def. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
• Backstage, Todd Grisham asks Triple H what his strategy is for his match tonight against JBL. Triple H tells him he’s not going to reveal his game plan, but he will say that he’s going to win the WWE Championship at Backlash. As for JBL, Triple H tells him he should have kept his “cushy” announcing job, because for the first time tonight, JBL is going to “play the game”.
• Triple H vs. JBL ends in No Contest when Orton attacks Triple H outside of the ring.
• Triple H fights back and gets Orton set up for a Pedigree, only to fall to a boot from JBL. JBL and Orton gang up on Triple H, letting Orton deliver an RKO. JBL then tells Orton to go for a head kick on Triple H - but clotheslines Orton before he can. Triple H gets up, but is felled by another clothesline by JBL - leaving JBL, the only one still standing, holding the WWE Championship

Related Posts

• May 6, 2008 -- ECW 04.15.08
• May 6, 2008 -- SmackDown 04.11.08
• May 5, 2008 -- ECW 04.08.08
• April 28, 2008 -- RAW 04.07.08
• April 22, 2008 -- SmackDown 04.04.08

• The Great Khali is in the ring, surrounded by Indian dancers. The Big Show comes out and is offered “Water From The Gods,” “scotch,” a chicken and a goat as peace offerings from The Great Khali.
• Shaking Khali’s hand, The Big Show says he can’t describe how he feels, but he can show Khali - and then knocks Khali down and out with a single punch.
• The Miz & John Morrison def. Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore in a Tag Team Match
• Throughout the show, Edge and Vickie Guerrero are seen at a day spa, getting everything from massages to matching pedicures, while Teddy Long looks on in disgust.
• Finlay def. Matt Striker after a distraction by Hornswoggle allows Finlay to get in a shot with his shillelagh.
• After the match, Hornswoggle delivers a Tadpole Splash to Striker.
• Victoria introduces the latest Diva, the same one who attacked Michelle and Cherry on SmackDown 04.04.08: Natalya Neidhart, the daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. Natalya says she’s putting all the Divas on notice, because “if you mess with the best, you go down like the rest.”
• Victoria def. Michelle McCool thanks to interference from Natalya
• Michael Cole is in the ring, recapping the Shawn Michaels/Batista feud. Batista and then Shawn Michaels make their way to the ring as Cole exits.
• Shawn tells Batista that the anger he has at Michaels isn’t about what Michaels did to Flair - Batista just doesn’t like Michaels.
• Batista says that’s true, but what Michaels did to Flair opened his eyes to the fact that Michaels hasn’t changed. He says he doesn’t like how Michaels rose to the top - by stabbing people in the back - and it’s obvious nothing has changed.
• Michaels says he did whatever he could - then tells Batista he’s going to knock his teeth down his throat at Backslash. Michaels goes for a superkick, but Batista dodges and goes for a Batista Bomb. Michaels slips out of the hold and backs away from the ring.
• Vladimir Kozlov def. Matt Logan
• Matt Hardy def. Chuck Palumbo as MVP joins Michael Cole and Coach on commentary
• After the match, MVP refuses to get in the ring with Hardy, despite Hardy’s attempts.
• In the locker rooms, Eve asks Jesse how Festus is feeling while Festus looks on, in a stupor as usual. Jesse says he’s nervous, because he’s not sure if Festus is ready to go up against The Undertaker.
• The Undertaker def. Festus when the ref calls for the bell after Festus doesn’t tap to The Undertaker’s submission move

Related Posts

• May 6, 2008 -- ECW 04.15.08
• May 6, 2008 -- RAW 04.14.08
• May 5, 2008 -- ECW 04.08.08
• April 28, 2008 -- RAW 04.07.08
• April 22, 2008 -- SmackDown 04.04.08

Synopsis:

Klaatu (Reeves), a humanoid alien, arrives on Earth accompanied by an indestructible, heavily armed robot and a warning to world leaders that their continued aggression will lead to annihilation by species watching from afar. A remake of the 1951 film.

Our Thoughts:

Usually, a film wants a buzz when it’s release date is still more than half a year away. Unfortunately for the upcoming remake of the ‘51 sci-fi classic, the Keanu Reeves-starrer The Day The Earth Stood Still is getting nothing so far but negative buzz.

With fans of the original film crying that Keanu and Hollywood are going to destroy their beloved classic, I figured, as someone who’s never seen the original, that I’d jump in with my two cents.

Let’s start with all the whining over Keanu. A lot of his naysayers will tell you that he can’t act his way out of a paper bag - and then these same people will go off and enjoy the latest Vin Diesel flick. All I’m saying is, there’s no accounting for taste.

Personally, I think Diesel is one of the worst actors still in business today - but has that stopped people from clamoring to see him play another thug? Nope. As for Keanu, I’m not his biggest fan, but every time I think he’s down and out, he comes back with a hit (like The Matrix (1999)) to change my mind.

As for remakes, well, that’s just inevitable, so get over it. People are saying Hollywood is running out of ideas, but I think it’s a lot simpler. To the execs at Hollywood, it’s all about the bottom line. If a film has developed a cult following over the years, why wouldn’t they want to milk as much as they can from it?

And, if the movie tends to lend itself to an update that includes the latest hot button cause (in this case, changing Klaatu’s message from “stop killing each other” to “stop killing your planet”), then it’s all the better! Why wouldn’t Hollywood want to go ahead with a remake?

With Keanu’s recent success with sci-fi, it’s only natural they would pick him to star in the film.

The only thing I can’t figure out - why Scott Derrickson? While The Exorcism Of Emily Rose (2005) was decently done, it’s quite a leap from that into redoing a sci-fi classic. Guess he knew the right people.

Of course, all this backlash on the remake could help the film - after all, the same was said about War Of The Worlds (2005), and look at how much that ended up grossing!

But will the combo of sci-fi directing newcomer Derrickson and the much hated Keanu be too much for audiences to overlook? Or will Keanu be able to pull another one out of his hat and throw all the doubters for a loop once again?

Basically, is The Day The Earth Stood Still going to turn out more like The Matrix (1999) or Johnny Mnemonic?

Guess we’ll have to wait for December to find out.

Related Posts

• May 5, 2008 -- The Golden Compass (2007)
• February 19, 2008 -- Street Kings (2008)
• February 8, 2008 -- The Matrix (1999)
• January 13, 2008 -- Golden Globe Winners 2008
• June 3, 2007 -- Fred Claus (2007)

• John Morrison comes out to sit at the announcer’s table during the first match. He ends up trying to distract CM Punk a number of times before he is eventually rejected from ringside by the ref.
• CM Punk def. The Miz
• Backstage, Colin Delaney again asks GM Estrada about a WWE contract. Estrada starts berating Colin, and Tommy Dreamer steps in to defend him. Estrada decides to give Colin another chance at a WWE contract tonight, by placing him in a match…against Tommy Dreamer! If Colin wins, he gets his WWE contract - but if Tommy Dreamer loses, he gets fired!
• Estrada comes to the ring for the official contract signing of the ECW Championship Match at Backlash.
• Chavo Guerrero makes his was to the ring, accompanied by Curt Hawkins and Zach Ryder, then turns to watch Kane make his way to the ring.
• Chavo and Kane sit down at the table set up in the ring. As Kane goes to sign the contract, Chavo asks him if he really wants to do that, since he’s basically signing away his ECW Championship. Chavo says Kane won’t be able to attack him from behind at Backlash because Chavo is going to have some backup in his corner.
• A newcomer comes to the ring and helps Chavo, Curt & Zack gang up on Kane, before delivering a shot to Kane’s head with the championship belt. Kane goes down, and Curt and Zack prop Kane on the table, allowing Chavo to deliver a Frog Splash. Chavo then gets up and signs the contract, and tosses it onto Kane’s unmoving form.
• Elijah Burke def. Nunzio
• Kofi Kingston def. Domino
• Backstage, Eve is talking to Kelly Kelly. Layla shows up. Kelly says that Eve has something to tell them, but Layla doesn’t let her, instead insulting Eve and then leaving.
• Tommy Dreamer def. Colin Delaney while GM Estrada watches from ringside.

Related Posts

• May 6, 2008 -- ECW 04.15.08
• May 6, 2008 -- RAW 04.14.08
• May 6, 2008 -- SmackDown 04.11.08
• April 28, 2008 -- RAW 04.07.08
• April 22, 2008 -- SmackDown 04.04.08

After the disappointment of having pock-faced Craig picked as the new Bond, then having to sit through the atrocity that was Casino Royale, I for one couldn’t imagine paying the big bucks to see any movie with him in it. No matter how good it may look in previews, he would proably end up making it atrocious.

Now that The Golden Compass has hit DVD, however, I was much less reluctant to see it - and since we visited our local Blockbuster armed with a free movie rental coupon, I could rent the film without any qualms about wasting money on it.

Would my fears go unfounded, and The Golden Compass would turn out to be something I would regret not seeing on the big screen, or would Daniel Craig’s appearance make me glad I hadn’t actually spent any money renting this dud?

Dakota Blue Richards picks up the reigns for The Golden Compass as it’s young first-time star, and turns in a decent - if slightly irritating - performance. While she manages to make it through her scenes without any real bungling, she doesn’t have any sort of on-screen presence either.

Thankfully, the filmmakers thought ahead a bit on this one, and provided themselves with a backup plan. If their young star’s presence isn’t being felt, interject some well-versed actors to take up the spotlight, and use your main character as more of a foil for these more versatile actors.

Surprisingly, not much of this spotlight is directed at Daniel Craig. Instead, he puts in a couple of brief appearances, then disappears from the screen (although his character is spoken about quite a bit, the viewer only has to suffer brief glimpses of him for the rest of the film).

Instead, the spotlight is focused mostly on Nicole Kidman, whose character is highly reminiscent of the old wicked witch characters in every way - except appearance, of course. Despite her “wicked witch” persona, Nicole Kidman squeezes herself into some tight form-fitting clothing and sashays her way onto the screen.

Unfortunately, those tight fitting clothes seem to have affected her performance, as she comes off less impressive than usual. She still manages to capture the spotlight in the scenes she’s in, but it’s
with less of a commanding presence than viewers are used to from this veteran actress.

The real scene stealers appear later in the film: Sam Elliott as a wise-beyond-his-years “aeropilot” named Scoresby and Ian McKellen as the commanding voice of Iorek, one of the armored polar bears. Elliot’s easy charm and kind-hearted personality help the viewer form an immediate attachment to his character, while Ian’s recognizable voice is able to humanize the bear without making him any less forbidding. These two steal every scene of The Golden Compass they are in, and make at least their sequences entirely enjoyable.

While the storyline of The Golden Compass is easy enough to follow at it’s base, the film tries to toss too many new character groups at it’s audience for them to even try to keep up. By the time the filmmakers have introduced the Gyptians (not even halfway into the film), the viewer is already beginning to get confused over all the character names, and so have started distancing themselves a bit from the film.

This distancing makes the special effects, while impressive, seem much less spectacular. Although the viewer never once wonders if what they’re seeing on screen is real or just special effects, they also don’t care as much as they would have if they were more engrossed in the film. The fights would be more impactful and the whole film more tense - instead, it seems a bit dull with only occasional sparks that keep the viewer from giving up on the film entirely.

All in all, The Golden Compass has a lot of potential, but unfortunately, never really lives up to most of it. With too many characters clouding up the viewer’s field of vision, the viewer quickly loses interest in the film, only really coming back occasionally for Nicole Kidman. The inclusion of Sam Elliott and Ian McKellen’s scene-stealing performances helps the viewer stick through to the end, but even they can’t raise this film up to be what it should have been.

Related Posts

• October 3, 2007 -- Rambo (2008)
• March 2, 2008 -- The Invasion (2007)
• November 30, 2007 -- Barnyard: The Original Party Animals (2006)
• November 21, 2007 -- One Missed Call (2008)
• September 19, 2007 -- The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)