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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, January 9, 2009

MOVIES TO COME
A popcorn list for '09

By Scott Bowles
USA Today

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Coraline (center, voiced by Dakota Fanning) tries to get the attention of her harried parents (voiced by John Hodgman and Teri Hatcher) in the stop-motion animated 3-D adventure "Coraline."

Focus Features

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

"Watchmen".

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

"Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience".

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

"G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra".

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Hugh Jackman stars in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".

20th Century Fox

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) return on the Starship Enterprise in "Star Trek".

Paramount Pictures

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Michelle Rodriguez, left, is Letty and Vin Diesel plays Dominic Toretto in the latest installment of "Fast and Furious".

Universal Pictures

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There aren't as many obvious hits lined up in 2009 as there were last year, but the calendar still has plenty of options. USA Today looks at a few prospects.

Note: The release dates may change, particularly for when they play at theaters in Hawai'i.

"Bride Wars" (today):

"Coraline" (Feb. 6): The 3-D animated parade gets into full swing with this cartoon about a young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who walks through a secret door to discover an alternate version of her life.

"Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience" (Feb. 27): It worked for Hannah Montana, so why not for the crooning teen idols?

"Watchmen" (March 6): No comic-book movie has more expectations on its shoulders than this dark Zack Snyder adaptation about a band of dysfunctional superheroes.

"Race to Witch Mountain" (March 13): Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson continues his transition to family film leading man with this remake of the Disney classic about two kids with paranormal powers on the run from aliens and shady government agencies.

"Duplicity" (March 20): Julia Roberts and Clive Owen team up as a pair of corporate spies plotting a con job on their respective bosses.

"Fast and Furious" (April 3): Vin Diesel and Paul Walker return to the franchise about men who just can't drive 55.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (May 1): Summer kicks into high gear with the latest installment of the mutant franchise, this time anchored by Hugh Jackman's hairy hero with long nails and a short fuse.

"Star Trek" (May 8): J.J. Abrams revisits the Enterprise with an origins story.

"Angels & Demons" (May 15).: "Da Vinci Code" star Tom Hanks returns (with better hair) as inquisitive symbologist Robert Langdon.

"Battle of the Smithsonian" (May 22): Ben Stiller just can't get enough of exhibits that come to life, and this time infiltrates the Smithsonian.

"Land of the Lost" (June 5): Hollywood loves dead TV shows, and Will Ferrell stars in this adaptation about a group that stumbles into a land of dinosaurs and Sleestaks.

"The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" (June 12): Denzel Washington and John Travolta star in this remake of the Walter Matthau caper about robbers who target a subway train.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (June 26): The shape-shifting robots are back and bigger than ever in this bombastic sequel.

"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (July 1): Our favorite prehistoric animals return for a third installment of a $1.2 billion franchise, this time with a film produced completely in 3-D.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (July 17): The book series may be finished, but the film series has a few installments still to go.

"G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra" (Aug. 7): Brendan Fraser stars in this story about the heroic squadron in constant battle with the arms-dealing Cobra organization.

"Fame" (Sept. 25): A remake of the 1980 musical about aspiring students at the New York Academy of Performing Arts.

"Shutter Island" (Oct. 2): Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Departed") reunite for this story about a U.S. marshal investigating a murderess who escaped from a mental hospital.

"The Wolfman" (Nov. 6): Benicio del Toro dons the furry costume in this action film about the monster with full-moon anger-management issues.

"Sherlock Holmes" (Nov. 20): Robert Downey Jr. becomes the plucky British detective whose sidekick Watson (Jude Law) remains by his side.

"The Lovely Bones" (Dec. 11): Peter Jackson leaves the Shire to direct this drama about a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family and her killer from the great beyond.

"Avatar" (Dec. 18): In his first feature film since "Titanic," James Cameron returns with a sci-fi epic about a band of scientists and astronauts who discover a planet populated by diverse life and deadly ammonia-breathing life forms.

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Robert Downey Jr. plays the famed detective "Sherlock Holmes," out Nov. 20.

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Optimus Prime teams up with the U.S. military to take on the evil Decepticons in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen".

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"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" returns this year.