Resident Evil: Extinction
In the first film, Alice (Milla Jovovich) wakes up in a locked, underground facility faced with the task to fight off scientists and dogs that have mutated into flesh-eating monsters. Her friends turn and she's forced to kill them all, except for one who gets kidnapped by the Umbrella corporation who released the disease. In the second film, subtitled Apocalypse, the mutation spreads to Raccoon city, giving Alice more room to play. She manages to keep her new friends alive, along with a little girl, Angie. But her pal from the first movie shows up--mutated to the nth degree, Terminator-style--and they have a showdown. Even though he sacrifices himself to save them, the helicopter crashes and Alice is presumed dead. Now, in this third installment--by the way, does anyone even play the video game anymore?--the survivors of Raccoon city are lead by Ali Larter ("Heroes"), traveling through the Nevada desert to get to Alaska for a safe haven. Lucky for them Alice shows up to provide some extra back up, since Las Vegas is covered in sand and homicidal corpses. The Umbrella corporation is having no luck with the Alice clones they've created and are hunting her down. They're calling it the female Mad Max, which is a nice primer before the release. Aside from the fact that Ashanti is in it and the little girl Angie isn't, I'm excited to watch Milla kick some zombie ass.
Good Luck Chuck
The only time that Jessica Alba has ever made me laugh was when she played a big-breasted ditz in Never Been Kissed. The only time Dane Cook is funny is when he's doing stand-up. So, why would these two opt for a romantic comedy--in Cook's case, again (Employee of the Month)? I guess Alba's trying to broaden her resume. Who says pretty girls can't do slapstick? While Cook is playing the ultimate cock blocker, a guy who only has to sleep with a woman once for her to stumble upon her true love the next day, Alba plays a terminal clutz, who probably only has to go on one date with a guy to almost kill him. They're both cursed in the matters of the heart...awww. Even though she knows about the curse she doesn't believe in it and even though he's dying to sleep with her, he doesn't want to lose her. In order to enjoy this movie you'll have to decide whether or not you believe Cook could ever score a girl like Alba. As far as I'm concerned, I'm ready to see her do something other than look pretty. So I'm in.
Sydney White
Look, I liked She's the Man. As a modernization of Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night, it was funny. But you can't go around modernizing fairy tales. In theory, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would be funny if the dwarfs were given iPods and taught how to IM. But maybe it would be funnier if it were actually written by a comedic writer, not some guy (Chad Creasey) who got one credit on Studio 60, a show that got canceled. You're not twelve anymore Amanda Bynes. It's time you start making some adult decisions that are more similar to Hairspray and less like Lovewrecked. That said, Bynes plays the title-role, a girl who wants to carry on her deceased mother's sorority legacy, but finds herself clashing with the vapid, prissy bitches of the coven. A geek fraternity takes her in and she begins a revolution against the sorority's head sister, Rachel (Sara Paxton from Aquamarine), while falling for the cutest frat guy on campus, Tyler (Matt Long from "Jack and Bobby"). Sounds like a laugh riot.
Into the Wild
Sean Penn bought the rights to adapt this novel. He tapped the promising Emile Hirsch (Lords of Dogtown) for the lead to tell the story of a college grad who runs away from his family drama, forfeits all his possessions, and goes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. The characters that he meets along the way help him find who he really is. I don't know whether I should be more surprised that Vince Vaughn plays a supporting role or that the critics are loving a film directed and co-written by an actor. If I'm not mistaken, George Clooney, who won many awards at the Venice Film Festival for Good Night, Good Luck, seems to have paved the way for more actors--even Ben Affleck--to be taken seriously as directors. Not to say that Penn needed too much help. His last feature film, The Pledge, was critically lauded. Be prepared for a journey into what it means to be free.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
If you got a kick out of the action-packed, dramatic, and sometimes witty 3:10 to Yuma, then maybe you wouldn't mind a grittier and darker western. Brad Pitt plays the elusive outlaw who's idolized by many, including a man named Robert Ford, played by Casey Affleck. In Ocean's Thirteen, both actors have a silly side, but in this film there's only philosophizing, suspicion and double crosses. Affleck slides into the shoes of a character not unlike Matt Damon's in The Talented Mr. Ripley--first worshiping his hero, then wanting to be him, and ultimately killing him, in order to absorb his greatness. If the fact that Pitt won best actor at the Venice Film Festival is any indication of how well done this tale is, then saddle up and take a gander into the soul of an envious murderer.
The Jane Austen Book Club
Screenwriter of Memoirs of a Geisha, Robin Swicord, takes a crack at feature film directing, while adapting this quaint novel about six Californians who form a club that'll review the masterpieces of the prestigious Austen. What sets it apart from a regular Austen-inspired film is that each of the members are assigned a book and each of the plots start to resemble their everyday lives. If you've read an Austen book or seen an adaptation, you know that the women usually go through an evolution, and so we are treated to six-times the fun with a modern twist. Maria Bello (A History of Violence), who is in charge of Emma, does possess the cupid-like qualities of the title character. She lures Hugh Dancy (Evening), who's sporting an American accent, to the club so she can challenge him on the rules of love as Emma would do. Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada), who's in charge of Mansfield Park, a tale about a scandalous affair, is married to a workaholic (Marc Blucas from First Daughter) and lusting after a younger guy (Kevin Zeggers from Transamerica) who is a great deal more attentive. Amy Brenneman ("Private Practice"), who is in charge of Persuasion a tale about a woman who feels she's destined to be a spinster, is involved with a cheater (Jimmy Smits from "Cane"), who dumps her for a younger woman. Maggie Grace ("Lost") has Pride & Prejudice and Kathy Baker's ("Boston Legal") is a mystery. Essentially, their mission is to figure out what Jane would do, because whatever they've been doing hasn't been working.
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