Movies Update

Here, Norbit director Brian Robbins re-teams with Murphy on a film that tells of a crew of miniature human-looking aliens whose human-looking spaceship walks around Earth doing funny things. Though, originally, they set out to save their planet, problems arise when their spaceship (in the form of Eddie Murphy) falls for a regular Earth girl (Elizabeth Banks).

Murphy looks to be using a combination of his Coming to America accent and his usual shtick for the spaceship character, and then he also plays the miniature alien operating said spaceship. Cue up a ton of fish out of water jokes, a few raunchy set pieces and a good amount of special effects — and, well, Meet Dave.

A about a year ago there was talk of breathing new life into the franchise with a good script and some other “straight-man” types to play off of like in the first two. This was in hopes to make everyone forget or at least forgive the cluster that was the third BHC movie. He may still be able to do it, but his window is slowly shrinking. One more over-the-top, multi-character, family flop and he can kiss any chance he may have goodbye. If Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson can do it Eddie so can you!

Release Date : July 11, 2008

Studio : 20th Century Fox

Director : Brian Robbins

Screenwriter : Rob Greenberg, Bill Corbett

Starring : Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union, Ed Helms, Judah Friedlander, Pat Kilbane

Genre : Comedy, Sci-Fi

Rating : Coming soon

Official Website : MeetDavemovie.com

Movie Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/meet_dave-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

Adventure games in general tend to be more linear than CRPG’s, and Journey to the Center of the Earth is no exception. It’s impossible to miss the vast majority of this game– if you don’t complete a conversation, finish a quest, or notice a meaningful detail, you generally aren’t allowed to leave the area until you rectify this.

Journey to the Center of the Earth is inspired by Jules Verne’s classic novel of the same name, but if you haven’t read it, don’t worry: The game’s story stands on its own (even if it’s very wobbly on its narrative feet). Taking part in a popular adventure game trend, Journey puts you in the shoes of a young female character, in this case a photojournalist named Ariane. Ariane is poorly fleshed out, though, and certainly won’t make you forget better-written adventure game heroines like Nico Collard, April Ryan, or Kate Walker.

An exciting adventure based on the classic Jules Verne novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D” stars Brendan Fraser (”Crash,” “The Mummy”) as a science professor whose untraditional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community. But on an expedition in Iceland, he and his nephew stumble upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth’s surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures. “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D” is directed by Academy Award-winning visual effects veteran Eric Brevig (”Total Recall,” “Pearl Harbor”) from a screenplay by Michael Weiss and Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin. The film is a co-venture between New Line Cinema and Walden Media. “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D” is scheduled for a July 11, 2008 release.

Release Date : July 11, 2008

Studio : Warner Bros. Pictures

Director : Eric Brevig

Screenwriter : D.V. DeVincentis

Starring : Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem

Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rating : Coming soon…

Official Website : Journey3Dmovie.com

Movie Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/journey_to_the_center_of_the_earth-202𝗬.jpg

Trailer :

Based upon Mark Millar’s explosive graphic novel series and helmed by stunning visualist director Timur Bekmambetov — creator of the most successful Russian film franchise in history, the ‘Night Watch’ series — ‘Wanted’ tells the tale of one apathetic nobody’s transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. In 2008, the world will be introduced to a hero for a new generation: Wesley Gibson.

25-year-old Wes (James McAvoy) was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut.

Until he met a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie).

After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad’s death by unlocking his dormant powers. As she teaches him how to develop lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, Wes discovers this team lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: carry out the death orders given by fate itself.

With wickedly brilliant tutors — including the Fraternity’s enigmatic leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman) — Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny.

Star(s) to watch : Angelina Jolie (”Mr. &amp Mrs. Smith”, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”, “The Bone Collector”, “Taking Lives”, “Original Sin”) as Fox, &amp Morgan Freeman (”Lucky Number Slevin”, “Bruce Almighty”, “Seven”, “Deep Impact”) as Sloan.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thriller, Adaptation.

Release date : June 27, 2008

Rating : Coming soon…

Official website : http://www.wantedmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wanted-194×300.jpg

Wanted Movies Trailer :

In today’s episode of Boing Boing tv, Xeni visits with John Gaeta, the Academy Award-winning Visual Effects supervisor of the Matrix trilogy, to learn more about his digital craft in the new film Speed Racer. This latest Wachowski brothers project reinterprets the classic 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name, and opens in theaters nationwide on May 9.

According to HR, the big screen adventures of Speed, Racer X, Trixie and the gang have been ?tracking unimpressively in prerelease surveys. People, apparently, aren’t saying they are super excited about seeing this movie and that may result in a box office of ‘only’ $25 million to $35 million during the opening weekend. Since Iron Man made almost $100 million last weekend, it has a good chance of finishing first this weekend and keeping Speed Racer in, gasp, second place. It?s all downhill from there.

Still, it might not be as dire for the Racer family as it seems. Family films are tough to track before opening, so moms, dads, and their kids might give Hollywood the old middle finger and go see this anyway. Even a paltry $35 million dollar opening will put the film on track to be profitable, so that will make the studio happy and allow them to make more movies without coming up with any new or fresh ideas. Warner Brothers executives sound very optimistic. President Dan Fellman said, ?this is the first real family movie of the summer, and we?re going to give it out best.? Actually, that doesn?t sound very optimistic at all.

Star(s) to watch : Emile Hirsch (”The Girl Next Door”) as Speed X, &amp Matthew Fox (”Vantage Point”, “Smokin’ Aces”) as Racer X.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adaptation.

Release date : May 9, 2008

Official website : http://speedracerthemovie.warnerbros.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/speed_racer1-200×300.jpg

Trailer :

SUNDAY AM: Here are the official blockbuster numbers — Paramount Pictures release of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man, in 4,105 theaters,’made an estimated $35,125,000 on Friday 5/2, an estimated $37,500,000 on Saturday 5/3, for an estimated 3-day weekend box office of $100,750,000.’Advance screenings in select locations, about 2,500 venues, from 8:00 PM to midnight on Thursday 5/1 contributed an additional $3,500,000.’With this addition, the total estimated box office is $104,250,000. The estimated international box office for the weekend is $96,750,000 from 57 territories.?The total combined estimated global box office for Marvel Studios’ Iron Man is $201,000,000.

The remarkable tally stands as the second biggest opening day in box office history for a non-sequel trailing only the $39.4M of fellow Marvel Comics super hero Spider-Man from this very same weekend in 2002. Tony Stark and pals edged out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone which launched in November 2001 with $32.3M on its opening Friday. That figure however, would amount to roughly $40M at today’s ticket prices. Still, Iron Man could not be in better company given that the character is not as universally known as Spider-Man, Batman, or Superman. Audience feedback has been very positive too as the Paramount release has earned a solid A- average from over 3,000 users of Yahoo Movies.

The Marvel comic book character’s suit embodies a futuristic technology that may enhance human capabilities in war, but the current battlefield belongs to a growing swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and robots that could someday give even Iron Man a run for his money. UAVs clocked more than 500,000 hours in the air by the beginning of 2008, performing many of the tasks normally done by piloted aircraft.

Star(s) to watch : Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart, Gwyneth Paltrow (”Seven”, “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”, “Shallow Hal”) as Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Terrence Howard (”The Brave One”) as Jim Rhodes, Jeff Bridges (”Blown Away”, “Jagged Edge”) as Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger, & Robert Downey Jr. (”The Shaggy Dog”, “A Scanner Darkly”) as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Adaptation.

Release date : May 2, 2008

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.ironmanmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/iron_man-212×300.jpg

Trailer :

Gang-du (SONG Kang-ho) works at a food-stand on the banks of the Han River. Dozing on the job, he is awakened by his daughter, Hyun-seo (KO A-sung), who is angry with him for missing a teacher-parent meeting at school. As Gang-du walks out to the riverbank with a delivery, he notices that a large crowd of people has gathered, taking pictures and talking about something hanging from the Han River Bridge. The otherwise idyllic landscape turns suddenly to bedlam when a terrifying creature climbs up onto the riverbank and begins to crush and eat people. Gang-du and his daughter run for their lives but suddenly the thing grabs Hyun-seo and disappears back into the river. The government announces that the thing apparently is the Host of an unidentified virus. Having feared the worst, Gang-du receives a phone call from his daughter who is frightened, but very much alive. Gang-du makes plans to infiltrate the forbidden zone near the Han River to rescue his daughter from the clutches of the horrifying Host…

Genre : Sci-Fi, Thriller, Comedy.

Release date : March 9, 2007

Rating : 8/10

Official website : http://www.hostmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/the_host-221×300.jpg

Trailer :

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he’ll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

“Stardust″ is set principally in a world known as Stormhold, an alternate reality of magic and marvels that lies across a stone wall from a small English village. A son of that village, Dunstan Thorne, once traveled illegally across the wall and sired a son, Tristran, who was left on his doorstep and raised in ignorance of the true story of his birth. Now Tristran is 18 and in love with a haughty local beauty. One night, courting her in a field, he vows to fetch for her the star that has fallen beyond the wall. And by so doing he braves harms he can′t imagine.

The star means different things to different people. It is a token sent into the world by the dying king of Stormhold as a challenge to the sons who wish to inherit his crown. It is a potential source of life to a trio of witches who hope to gain immortality by devouring it. And it is, most anomalously, in earthly form, a beautiful, saucy girl at whose side Tristran suddenly appears and whom he is intent on dragging back to his village. And so a chase begins: Tristran drags the unwilling star back home, the king’s sons race to fetch the jewel around the star’s neck, and the cruelest of the witches wants to capture the star and rip out the star’s heart for her vain purposes.

Star(s) to watch : Robert De Niro (”The Score”, “Heat”) as Captain Shakespeare, Sienna Miller as Victoria, & Ben Barnes as Young Dunstan Thorne.

Genre : Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi.

Release date : August 10, 2007

Rating : 8/10

Official website : http://www.stardustmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/stardust-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

Spider-Man 3 is the third film in the Spider-Man film series and is scheduled to be released on May 4, 2007. The movie is directed by Sam Raimi. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Dylan Baker, and J. K. Simmons are the confirmed returning cast members from the previous two Spider-Man movies.

So Spider-Man 3’s action is superb and its theme fairly weighty. Then why does it feel a letdown from its predecessor? Nearly all the blame rests with director Sam Raimi, who’s taken the success of some light slapstick moments in Spider-Man 2 as a cue to get even sillier.

This is another word you don?t want to see in a review. Bigger isn?t always better, this is Spider-Man, not porn. The movie feels like the producers were actually trying to make it as difficult as possible for there to be a sequel made (A big possibility, When production started on this, the license was supposed revert to Marvel & they were supposed to make Spidey 4, 5, & 6. Is this true?

Star(s) to watch : Tobey Maguire (”Cats & Dogs”) as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Topher Grace (”Ocean’s Eleven”) as Venom/Eddie Brock, James Franco (”The Wicker Man”) as New Goblin/Harry Osborn, & J. K. Simmons (”The Jackal”, “The Ladykillers”) as J Jonah Jameson.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adaptation, Sequel.

Release date : May 4, 2007

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spidermaя/site/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/spiderman_3-201𝗬.jpg

Trailer :

An orphan who dreams of someday finding a family to call his own finds his fate taking an unexpected turn when a mysterious stranger named Wilbur Robinson transports him into the future. Based on the book A Day With Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce, Meet the Robinsons tells the story of a boy with a lifelong wish to belong, and shows what happens when he meets an incredible collection of characters who just might have the power to make his wildest fantasies come true. The film’s all-star cast of vocal contributors — including Angela Bassett, Kelly Ripa, Tom Selleck, Adam West, Steve Zahn, and Laurie Metcalf — brings the world of the future to life as never before seen on the silver screen.

In the United Kingdom, the 3D version was released on March 23, 2007. It was released in standard and Disney Digital 3-D versions in the United States and in its standard version in the UK on March 30, 2007. It is based on the book A Day with Wilbur Robinson, by William Joyce. The film originally had the same title as the book. The film was rated G by the MPAA. It was released on DVD-Video and Blu-ray on October 23, 2007.

Lewis, a 12-year-old genius is a boy who has no luck in being adopted because of his constant ‘quest’ to find his birth mother. When he is struck by an idea after being turned down by a family (for the 126th-literally-time), he invents a memory scanner, a device which scans your cerebral cortex to project your memories onto a screen. Whe this project goes awry at a science fair (really the work of the evil “Bowler Hat Guy” and his robotic hat, “Doris”), Lewis is discouraged.

Genre : Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Animation, Adaptation.

Release date : March 30, 2007

Rating : 8/10

Official website : http://www.meettherobinsons.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/meet_the_robinsons-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

Director Tim Story’s original Fantastic Four movie received a critical crapping, and the second one is fairing no better. That’s not an indictment of his movies, it’s just the way things turn out. The Fantastic Four gets no respect for the same reason comedies don’t win Oscars and Michael Bay gets treated like the anti-christ. In their rush to justify their profession by setting film up as a penultimate art form, most critics have no room for movies as entertainment. Art they may be, but the ability to deliver pure, light-hearted fun is an underrated talent. It’s not as easy as it seems, and so many movies get it completely wrong. Say what you want about the Fantastic Four, but Tim Story’s movies get fun right.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is as energetic and full of pep as the original, and if you liked that one then you’re going to love this. These are men in tights after all, there’s nothing wrong with ditching the tears once in awhile for a simple romp through the clouds with a guy who can light himself on fire. That’s what Fantastic Four is all about and Rise of the Silver Surfer delivers in precisely the same way as the original by refusing to take itself too seriously.

Rise of the Silver Surfer isn’t a huge improvement, and it doesn’t even try to reinvent the wheel, but its minor upgrades here and there make a cumulative difference. For starters, there are much-improved special effects. The effects in the first one looked kind of cheap, probably because the studio was trying to keep the budget down. Since it ended up making crazy money at the box office and on DVD, FOX clearly had no problem springing for some better CGI this time around. The Silver Surfer is particularly cool, as is the new Fantastic Four plane that figures prominently in one action scene.

Star(s) to watch : Chris Evans (”Cellular”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, Jessica Alba (”Sin City”, “Into the Blue”) as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Julian McMahon (”Premonition”) as Victor Von Doom/Dr. Doom, & Vanessa Minnillo as Johnny’s Wedding Date.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adaptation, Sequel.

Release date : June 15, 2007

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.fantasticfourmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/fantastic_four-202×300.jpg

Trailer :