Posted on: Friday, February 23, 2007
Premieres, through June
Washington Post
What's opening when? Here's a schedule of movie releases through June, but, as usual, subject to revision by the studios.
MARCH 2
"Wild Hogs" is being billed as a "biker comedy," and stars Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy as a bunch of friends who deal with middle age by taking to the road on a flotilla of motorized vehicles that have "overcompensation" written all over them.
"Zodiac" revisits one of the most notorious serial murder cases, at the hands of Mr. Serial Murder himself, David Fincher ("Se7en"). As unsavory as the setup looks, the cast is intriguing: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chloe Sevigny, Robert Downey Jr.
MARCH 9
"300" is the live-action version of Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae, in which King Leonidas and his Spartan troops fought the Persian forces of King Xerxes.
"The Ex" stars Zach Braff as an underachiever whose slacker ways are put to the test when his high-powered wife (Amanda Peet) gets pregnant and decides to step off the career fast track.
MARCH 16
"I Think I Love My Wife" stars Chris Rock, who also directs, as a married man whose fantasies about other women suddenly take real-life form when he encounters the former mistress of an old friend. With Kerry Washington and Gina Torres. A remake of the French classic "Chloe in the Afternoon."
"Premonition" stars Sandra Bullock as a woman whose husband dies in a car crash, but when he reappears, she realizes the event is really a foreshadowing of things to come and tries desperately to prevent the tragedy from happening.
"Shooter" stars Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg as Army sniper Bob Lee Swagger, who leaves the military after a mission goes awry, but is pulled back in — only to be caught up in a rotten-to-the-core double-cross.
"Sunshine," sci-fi thriller from Danny Boyle ("28 Days Later ..."), takes us into the apocalyptic galaxies 50 years hence, where the dying sun prompts a desperate — and bumpy — space mission.
MARCH 23
"TMNT" stands for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and yes, they're back in this cartoon comedy in which they must stop an army of ancient monsters from taking over the world.
"Pride" stars Terrence Howard as swim coach Jim Ellis, who in the 1970s created a championship swim team in one of Philadelphia's roughest neighborhoods. Based on a true story.
"Reign Over Me" stars Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle as college friends who run into each other five years after one has lost his wife on 9/11; meanwhile the other is feeling overwhelmed by his responsibilities as a husband and a father. From Mike Binder ("The Upside of Anger").
"The Hills Have Eyes II" and didn't we get the point in "The Hills Have Eyes" I? A sequel to the horror hit finds a National Guard unit in New Mexico heading into the hills in response to a distress signal.
"The Last Mimzy," based on the Lewis Padgett short story, is about two kids who find a cache of toys that when played with, impart superior intellectual capabilities; the Mimzy in question is a stuffed rabbit. Directed by Bob Shaye, best known as the suit who heads New Line Cinema.
MARCH 30
"The Reaping" stars Hilary Swank in a supernatural thriller about a former Christian missionary who loses her faith after her family is killed, then spends the rest of her life disproving religious phenomena. David Morrissey ("Basic Instinct 2") co-stars.
"Blades of Glory" — Banned from the men's singles competition, two rival Olympic ice skaters (Will Ferrell and Jon Heder) find a loophole that lets them compete as a pair. Behold, the spandexy outfits!
"Meet the Robinsons" tells the story of an orphan who dreams of finding a family, and whose journey takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious stranger named Wilbur Robinson whisks him away to a world where anything is possible. CGI animation. Voiced by Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck and Laurie Metcalf.
APRIL 4
"Firehouse Dog" is about a top Hollywood dog who gets lost but finds a more meaningful role as the mascot — and four-legged angel — of a fire station. The cast includes Josh Hutcherson and Bruce Greenwood.
APRIL 6
"Are We Done Yet?" answers its own question: Ice Cube is not nearly done, with this sequel to the family comedy "Are We There Yet?"
"Grindhouse" is actually two films: Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez salute long afternoons spent at B-movie double bills with Tarantino's slash-'em-up "Death Proof" (starring Kurt Russell as a psycho killer) and Rodriguez' zombies-gone-wild "Planet Terror."
"The TV Set" shows us an aspiring TV writer (David Duchovny) who learns a development deal is less than it seems.
"Wedding Daze" looks like a "Wedding Crashers" redux, with a supporting player from that movie, Isla Fisher, playing a waitress proposed to by an unlucky-in-love guy (Jason Biggs) on a dare. Directed by Michael Ian Black ("Ed," "Crank Yankers").
APRIL 13
"Disturbia," a thriller, stars Shia LaBeouf ("Holes") as a withdrawn teen living under house arrest who believes he has found a serial killer in the neighborhood.
"Penelope," a contemporary fairy tale, stars Christina Ricci as a rich young woman whose enormous pig nose is the result of an ancient curse. James McAvoy plays a rich, compulsive gambler who may be the only suitor who can undo her spell.
"Perfect Stranger," a psychological thriller, asks the question, "How far would you go to keep a secret?" The real question may be "How much of Halle Berry will we see vs. Bruce Willis?"
"Spring Breakdown" follows three lifelong geek-pals (Amy Poehler, Parker Posey and Rachel Dratch) who find themselves reliving the bad old days when they are forced to take care of a teen during spring break.
"Vacancy" is a creepy peep show in which a married couple (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson) realizes they may be the involuntary stars of their own snuff porn movie.
"Year of the Dog" stars Molly Shannon as a dog owner whose grief over her pooch's demise triggers a life transformation. Featuring Regina King, Peter Sarsgaard, John C. Reilly and Laura Dern.
APRIL 20
"In the Land of Women" stars "The O.C.'s" Adam Brody as a brokenhearted scriptwriter who returns home to Detroit and develops a special relationship with the family across the street. Featuring Olympia Dukakis and Meg Ryan.
"The Nanny Diaries," from the same-titled best-selling book, follows a working-class Jersey girl (Scarlett Johansson) and her travails as a nanny for a wealthy, dysfunctional Manhattan family (including Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti). Scripted and directed by "American Splendor" filmmakers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.
APRIL 27
"The Condemned" mixes "Rollerball" with reality TV in this actioner about an American (wrestling pro "Stone Cold" Steve Austin) who's sprung from a Central American prison only to find himself an involuntary gladiator for Internet viewers.
"Fracture," a cat-and-mouse drama, stars Ryan Gosling ("Half Nelson") as a young district attorney bedeviled by a manipulative man (Anthony Hopkins) who beats an attempted murder charge on a technicality.
"The Invisible" follows the ghostly return of a murdered writer (Justin Chatwin) who's determined to find his killer.
MAY 4
"Lucky You" turns poker into a metaphor for life and vice versa, as card player Eric Bana must get over his longtime enmity toward his card-playing father (Robert Duvall) so he can win big — metaphor alert — at the game of love (with Drew Barrymore).
"Spider-Man 3" throws Spidey (Tobey Maguire) into a webby dilemma: How to exploit the dark powers of his mysterious new suit to whup the villainous Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and Venom (Topher Grace), yet retain his dwindling humanity as alter ego Peter Parker. Kirsten Dunst returns as Mary Jane.
MAY 11
"Delta Farce" air-drops Larry the Cable Guy over Mexico. The standup comedian plays an unsuspecting reservist who thinks he's headed for Iraq only to find himself tangling with a Mexican warlord (Danny Trejo) across a more local border.
"Georgia Rule" finds Lindsay Lohan as a hard-drinking hellion who's sent away to her God-fearing Midwestern grandmother (Jane Fonda) to get over herself. Felicity Huffman plays Lohan's exasperated mother.
"28 Weeks Later" — a sequel to 2002's "28 Days Later," but without its helmer Danny Boyle or lead cast — picks up six months after an apocalyptic virus has destroyed Britain. Refugees return only to learn one of them still has the deadly bug.
MAY 18
"Fay Grim," an espionage satire from wry stylist Hal Hartley, stars Parker Posey as an estranged wife trying to track her novelist-husband (Thomas Jay Ryan) who's been missing for seven years, and whose terrorist-oriented novel has become interesting to a CIA agent (Jeff Goldblum).
"Shrek the Third" finds Shrek (the voice of Mike Myers) and his posse in Far, Far Away when King Harold (John Cleese) falls ill. Justin Timberlake voices a new character, Artie.
MAY 25
"Paprika," a sci-fi animated feature from renowned Japanese animator Satoshi Kon, is about the panic that ensues when a machine that infiltrates people's dreams is stolen.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," third in the franchise, brings back Johnny Depp (as swaggery pirate Jack Sparrow), Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush and the wonderful Bill Nighy. Look for Rolling Stone Keith Richards — the inspiration for Depp's character — who plays Sparrow's dad.
JUNE 1
"Knocked Up," a romantic comedy from writer-director Judd Apatow ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), follows a one-night stand that leads to an unwanted pregnancy for an entertainment reporter (Katherine Heigl) and an underachieving dude (Seth Rogen).
"Mr. Brooks" is a psychological thriller in which a character played by Kevin Costner is tormented — and driven to violence — by his mayhem-loving alter ego, played by William Hurt.
JUNE 8
"Hostel: Part II" is the answer to the question: When can we see more travelers getting tortured and slaughtered in Slovakia — just like Eli Roth's 2005 "Hostel"? The victims this time are American women, played by Lauren German, Bijou Phillips and Heather Matarazzo.
"Ocean's 13" reunites neo-Rat Packers George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and others for the third — and supposedly final — adventure. Also stars Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin.
"Surf's Up" continues the penguin-centric trend of family movies with this animated comedy about teenage rockhopper penguin Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf), who tries his flippers at professional surfing. Also features the voices of Jeff Bridges, Jon Heder and James Woods.
JUNE 15
"Evening," inspired by Susan Minot's novel, stars Vanessa Redgrave as a dying woman taking stock of her life and her family. Natasha Richardson, Toni Collette and Claire Danes also star.
"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" marks another tough day at the office for superheroes Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), Susan "Invisible Woman" Storm (Jessica Alba), Johnny "The Human Torch" Storm (Chris Evans) and Ben "The Thing" Grimm (Michael Chiklis) as the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones) gets busy with his globally destructive agenda.
"Nancy Drew" features America's oldest teenage girl detective in this adventure centered on the mysterious death of a Hollywood star. Emma Roberts ("Aquamarine") plays Nancy, and Tate Donovan's her widowed father.
JUNE 22
"A Mighty Heart" revisits the traumatic experience of Mariane Pearl (Angelina Jolie) when her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl (Dan Futterman), was abducted and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan. It's directed by Michael Winterbottom.
"Evan Almighty," a sequel to "Bruce Almighty," switches God's appointee from Jim Carrey to Steve Carell, who plays a congressman instructed by the Supreme One (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark loaded with the world's animals.
"Slow Burn" stars Ray Liotta as a district attorney whose attempts to understand a homicide case are complicated by conflicting assertions from his assistant (Jolene Blalock) and an elusive stranger (LL Cool J).
JUNE 29
"Live Free or Die Hard" calls Bruce Willis back to action as Beretta-toting cop John McClane — his mission this time, to stop an Internet-savvy terrorist organization from shutting down the government's computer capabilities.
"Ratatouille," a computer-generated feature from Pixar Animation, features a rat named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who shocks his rodent family by insisting on scavenging exclusively from the kitchen of a fine Parisian restaurant. Brad Bird ("The Iron Giant") directs.
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