Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I Love You, Man

Peter Klaven is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey, discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward "man-dates," before meeting Sydney Fife, a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peter's relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancee and his new found "bro," in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a "friend."

Trailer

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Sarah Burns, Jaime Pressly
Directed by:
John Hamburg
Genres: Comedy
Running Time: 110 min.

MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, including crude and sexual references
Yahoo! Critics: B+
IMDb Users Rating: 7.7/10
My Rating: &&&&&

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D

The sub zero heroes are back. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever elusive nut, while maybe finding true love. Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth. Diego the saber toothed tiger wonders if he's growing too soft and Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs. On a mission to rescue the hapless Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle flora and fauna, run amuck and meet a relentless, one eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck.

Trailer

Starring: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg
Directed by:
Carlos Saldanha, Michael Thurmeier
Genres: Comedy, Kids/Family, Animation and Sequel
Running Time: 1 hr. 27 min.

MPAA Rating: PG for mild humor and peril
Yahoo! Critics: C
IMDb Users Rating: 7.3/10
My Rating: &&&&&

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn't counted on Romilda Vane's chocolates! And then there's Hermione, simmering with jealousy but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Trailer

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by:
David Yates
Genres: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Adaptation and Sequel
Running Time: 2 hr. 33 min.

MPAA Rating: PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality
Yahoo! Critics: B+
IMDb Users Rating: 7.8/10
My Rating: &&

Mr. Bean's Holiday

In his latest misadventure, Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson)-goes on holiday to the French Riviera and becomes ensnared in a European adventure of cinematic proportions. But his trip doesn't go as smoothly as he had hoped when the bumbling Bean falls face first into a series misfortunes. Wrongly thought to be both kidnapper and acclaimed filmmaker, he has some serious explaining to do after wreaking havoc across the French countryside and arriving at his vacation spot with a Romanian filmmaker's precocious son and an aspiring actress in tow.

Trailer

Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Willem Dafoe, Emma De Caunes, Jean Rochefort, Karel Roden
Directed by: Steve Bendelack
Genres: Comedy, Adaptation and Sequel
Running Time: 1 hr. 28 min.
MPAA Rating: G
Yahoo! Critics: C+
IMDb Users Rating: 6.1/10
My Rating: &&&&

Friday, July 24, 2009

Four Weddings and A Funeral

Romantic comedy about Charles, a noncommittal Englishman who meets Carrie--the American girl of his dreams--at a mutual friend's wedding and proceeds to awkwardly woo her through one funeral and three more weddings--one of which happens to be her own. Finally Charles discovers himself standing at the altar on his own wedding day, betrothed to a woman he has no desire to spend the rest of his life with.

Trailer

Starring: Hugh Grant, James Fleet, Simon Callow, John Hannah, Kristin Scott Thomas
Directed by:
Mike Newell
Genres: Comedy and Romance
Running Time: 1 hr. 56 min.

MPAA Rating: R
Yahoo! Users Rating: B-
IMDb Users Rating: 7.1/10
My Rating: &&&&

Friday, July 10, 2009

Duplicity

CIA officer Claire Stenwick and MI6 agent Ray Koval have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first. For their employers--industry titan Howard Tully and buccaneer CEO Dick Garsik--nothing is out of bounds. But as the stakes rise, the mystery deepens and the tactics get dirtier, the trickiest secret for Claire and Ray is their growing attraction. And as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can't cheat their way out of: love.

Trailer

Starring: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti, Rick Worthy
Directed by:
Tony Gilroy
Genres: Drama
Running Time: 2 hrs. 5 min.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language and some sexual content
Yahoo! Critics: B
IMDb Users Rating: 6.6/10
My Rating: &&

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

Noxeema Jackson, Vida Boheme, and Chi Chi Rodriguez are gonna show America a thing or two about being fabulous. Dressed to kill, with their Dynel tresses tossing in the breeze behind them, these three stars of New York's drag-queen beauty pageant circuit have hit the open road in a 1967 Cadillac convertible. Destination: Hollywood. But the trio is in for a detour when the car breaks down in the tiny midwestern town of Snydersville, where drag queens are about as common as August snowstorms. Up to now Snydersville has been a lot more like a graveyard than a town. That's all about to change. The local citizenry is going to get an infusion of flash and glamour the likes of which it's never seen. During the course of one incredible weekend, eyes will be opened, broken hearts healed, and hair teased within an inch of its life.

Trailer

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing, Blythe Danner
Directed by:
Beeban Kidron, Andrew Mondshein, Christopher Woods
Genres: Comedy and Gay
Running Time: 1 hr. 48 min.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
for subject matter involving men living in drag, a brief scene of spousal abuse and some language
Yahoo! Users Rating: B-
IMDb Users Rating: 5.7/10
My Rating: &&&&&

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Watchmen

In an alternate 1985 America, costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the watchmen?

Trailer

Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Genres: Action/Adventure, Thriller and Adaptation
Running Time: 162 min.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language
Yahoo! Critics: B-
IMDb Users Rating: 7.9/10
My Rating: &&&&

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Kiss the Bride

In high school, Matt and Ryan were best friends. More than friends, actually. But in the ensuing ten years, they've lost contact. So when Matt receives an invitation to Ryan's wedding he's surprised--especially that Ryan is marrying a woman! Matt interrupts his ideal alternative lifestyle to return to his hometown. He plans to rescue his former love from whatever "she-devil" has trapped him into this huge mistake. On the other hand, Ryan's perky fiance Alex takes quite the liking to Matt. Is she very cunning, disarmingly ditzy, completely adorable--or all three? As Matt tries to rekindle the old flame, Ryan is intent on putting out any sparks. Ryan dismisses their old romance as just a high school thing, but Matt realizes Ryan may still be the love of his life. All the while, Matt must deal with "his new best friend" Alex, the two families, and a hometown he thought he'd left entirely in the past. As the wedding day fast approaches (like a meteor hurtling toward ground zero), old feelings resurface and secrets are revealed. Each of them must balance the past with the present, and make a choice that will determine the rest of their lives.

Trailer

Starring: Tori Spelling, James O'Shea (II), Philipp Karner, Amber Benson, Brooke Dillman
Directed by:
C Jay Cox, Vanessa Parise
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Gay and Romance
Running Time: 1 hr. 55 min.
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content and language

Yahoo! Users Rating: B
IMDb Users Rating: 5.4/10
My Rating: &&&&

Friday, July 3, 2009

The Haunting in Connecticut

The astounding, well-documented story of a family forced to relocate near a clinic where their son was being treated for cancer. Strained financially and emotionally, the family discovers their recently renovated home was a former mortuary with a dark history. After experiencing violent supernatural events both inside and out of the house, the family seeks the help of ghost hunters and the Catholic Church, which performs an exorcism.

Trailer

Starring: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew, Martin Donovan
Directed by:
Peter Cornwell
Genres: Drama, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Suspense/Horror and Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 32 min.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of terror and disturbing images
Yahoo! Critics: C-
IMDb Users Rating: 5.8/10
My Rating: &&&&

24 Nights

Jonathan is a gay, 24 year-old college dropout who works in a bookstore in Greenwich Village. He spends his free time smoking pot and writing letters to Santa Claus in request of a new boyfriend. Jonathan is convinced Santa has granted him his wish when handsome Tony is hired by the bookstore. Although Tony has a live-in boyfriend, Jonathan is determined to win him over -- even if he has to ruin the lives of those around him in his single-minded pursuit of his fantasy man.

Trailer

Starring: Kevin Isola, Aida Turturro, Stephen Mailer, David Burtka, Robert Bogue
Directed by:
Kieran Turner
Genres: Comedy, Gay and Romance
Running Time: 1 hr. 36 min.
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Yahoo! Users Rating: B-
IMDb Users Rating: 6.4/10
My Rating: &&&&

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Knowing

In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead. Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule's contents and the girl's cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler. But it is Caleb's father, professor John Koestler, who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As John further unravels the document's chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events -- the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve John and his son. When John's attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place. With the reluctant help of Diana Wayland and Abby Wayland, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies, John's increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster -- and the ultimate sacrifice.

Trailer

Starring: Lara Robinson, Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, Ben Mendelsohn
Directed by:
Alex Proyas
Genres: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller
Running Time: 2 hrs. 1 min.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for disaster sequences, disturbing images and brief strong language
Yahoo! Critics: C
IMDb User Rating: 6.7/10
My Rating: &&&

It's My Party

Nick Stark is a Los Angeles architect graced with vitality, good looks, loyal friends, a thriving career, a down-to-earth attitude, and an irreverent sense of humor. Lately, however, Nick's vision and memory have been short-circuiting, and his headaches won't go away. Although he looks healthy, he has been fending off AIDS-related illnesses for years. And now, just before Christmas, his doctor tells him that untreatable lesions (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy) will decimate all his faculties within days. He might die quickly, or linger in a vegetative coma, never to recover. Nick decided long ago that he would never linger; his friend Tony, a former health professional, will help him die with dignity. But Nick, who has always known how to live, intends to savor his remaining time by gathering everyone he loves for a two-day farewell party.

Trailer

Starring: Margaret Cho, Bruce Davison, Lee Grant, Devon Gummersall, Gregory Harrison
Directed by:
Randal Kleiser
Genres: Comedy, Gay and Drama
Running Time: 1 hr. 49 min.
MPAA Rating: R

Yahoo! Users Rating: A-
IMDb Users Rating: 6.7/10
My Rating: &&&&