Its time for the round up of new trailers..once again.

X-Men Origins:Wolverine
To start off the brand new trailer of X-Men Origins has hit the internet. I get the feeling that this one is going to be epic. There is also a flash of young Cyclops in there. Wonder how thats gonna turn out.

Plot: Wolverine lives a mutant life, seeks revenge against Victor Creed (who will later become Sabertooth) for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program.


Star Trek
A new trailer of Star Trek has been released. I've never been a Star Trek fan and as a matter opf fact I positively hated the only movie I've seen(Star Trek: Nemesis). But from the looks of this trailer I may like this one.

Plot: A chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members.



Public Enemies
Johnny Depp and Christian Bale- Do I need to say more? May be the director Michael Mann(The Heat, The Insider, The Last oh the Mohicans) ring a bell.

Plot: The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.



17 again
A new trailer of 17 again is up at YouTube. This sounds pretty similar to "13 going on 30" but just the reverse. But from the trailer this can be entertaining. A good family entertainer I guess.

Plot: About a guy whose life didn't quite turn out how he wanted it to and wishes he could go back to high school and change it. He wakes up one day and is seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

Judd Apatow's Funny People
I think nobody needs an introduction to Judd Apatow. The guy who brought us Knocked Up, Pineapple Express and The 40 year old virgin comes a new movie with Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler as the lead actors.

Plot:George is a very successful stand up comedian who learns that he has an untreatable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira is a struggling up-and-coming stand up comedian who works at a deli and has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One night, these two perform at the same club and George takes notice of Ira. George hires Ira to be his semi-personal assistant as well as his friend.



Chocolate HD Trailer
I don't know if any of you have heard about Tony Jaa. I'm not really a martial arts kind of guy but this guy made me watch all his films even though they had like zero plot. The action of this guy is something else. No strings, no stunt doubles and 100 % real action. Chocolate is along the similar thread and by the same guy who made Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong, but with a female lead. From the trailer this one also promises a load of action- Muay Thai style.

Plot: An autistic woman with powerful martial art skills looks to settle her ailing mother's debts by seeking out the ruthless gangs that owe her family money



12 Rounds HD Trailer
Have any of you seen "The Marine", the action film by John Cena. I laughed so much that I was on the floor watching that. Well, after that disaster John Cena is starring in another "action" movie 12 rounds. The only consolation is that the director of this movie is a pretty decent one who gave us Die Hard 2, and an array of mediocre films. Atleast this won't be as bad as The Marine. From the trailer the movie sounds like a mix of Die Hard action and Die Hard 3 style "chasing after the clues".

Plot: Detective Danny Baxter (Cena) discovers his girlfriend (Scott) has been kidnapped by a ex-con tied to Baxter's past, and he'll have to successfully complete 12 challenges in order to secure her safe release.

Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen
A new very short teaser trailer aired yesterday and from the looks of it Transformers 2 will be one hell of an action packed movie with things getting blown up and destroyed right and left. Oh man!!!

Plot:Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.



Up
From the makers of Incredibles, Wall-E, Finding Nemo, Monsters.Inc and many more thoroughly enjoyable animation movies comes a new movie "Up" made exclusively by Pixar and distributed by Disney.

Plot:By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn’t alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.



G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra
Just saw the sneak peek of G.I Joe:Rise of the Cobra and I'm stumped. I thought G.I Joe was gonna be one of those "shoot all you want with your guns" movies but I wasn't prepared for this. This looks awesome and I'm sure to catch this movie in the theater. I live in India and G.I Joe is not that popular here; may be that's why I'm unfamiliar with it.

Plot:An elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer.


Angels and Demons
I have posted a trailer of this movie earler, but this one has something more I guess. Anyways check it out.



Race to Witch Mountain
I've always been amazed at how well Dwayne Johnson or "Rock" as we all know him do comedy. Looks like Disney has adopted him for its "tough guy part" in their Family movies. This one looks interesting and funny and coming from Disney I'll probably love it.

Plot: A UFO expert enlists the help of a cabbie to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans.



Land of the Lost
The name Will Ferrel definitely scares me and approach this movie with caution. But from the trailer it looks pretty decent. But you know what they say-"Never judge a movie by the trailer".

Plot: Three adults inadvertently stumble into a mysterious land populated by dinosaurs and other creatures, including the mysterious and dangerous race of Sleestak.



Monsters vs Aliens
I have posted another trailer for this movie too over here. But this is a new one and I'm sure you all will enjoy.



Star Trek
Looks like a Star Trek movie I will finally love. The new trailer gives us much more of the much awaited Star Trek and teases us with incredible visual effects and action.

Plot:A chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members.

If you know Guy Ritchie only as Madonna's husband, then you probably won't have seen Lock,Stock and Smoking Barrels, and Snatch. Guy Ritchie is known for his quirky lines, convoluted plot lines and stylish cinematography. But he went wrong somewhere down the line and ended up with Swept Away which is as low as one could go. But with the new movie Rock'n'Rolla Guy Ritchie is on a comeback. This movie is a definite step in the right direction.

Plot: In London, a real-estate scam puts millions of pounds up for grabs, naturally attraction the attention of some of the city's scrappiest tough guys (Butler, Elba) its more established underworld players (Wilkinson), and others -- all of whom are looking to get rich quick.

Review: You have to be in a certain kind of mood to view a Guy Ritchie movie. I was in that mood the other day and couldn't resist Rock'n'Rolla. This movie is the same kind of frenzied whacked out hyper-plotted adventure through the darker side of London. As usual, the cast of characters is huge. And everyone is screwing everyone else. I won't even try to synopsize the plot. Just know you can expect a lot of twists and shady characters. This was a bit tamer than the previous two movies mentioned above. It was a little more cerebral.

Rock'n'Rolla is pretty much Guy Ritchie showing us all that he hasn't lost it. One thing that's instantly improved to his Swept Away piece is the fact that he's got a flawless casting this time, a plot that is untouchable as is the script and a killer Soundtrack that had me bobbing my head in rhythm to it. His stylish direction (using freeze-frames, voice-over, captions and snappy editing) expertly juggles the different characters and story lines until everything begins to fall into place for the final act. That is exactly what Guy Ritchie is good at and he is at his best in this movie. There's a dance scene between Thandie & Gerard that's one of the coolest segments within the film, using Graphic Novel-esque subtitles as they talk and dance, pure genius.

Rock'n'Rolla is not a film for everyone and forget understanding the movie if you don't have subtitles or you understand the very British accent well. But no harm in trying, you may as well fall in love with Guy Ritchie's movies- I know I did. There may be many instances that you won't get the British argot(some of them are hilarious) but unless you are a really passive viewer you can figure out what they mean in a minute.

The performances are excellent but the ones that standout is Toby Kebbell, who steals the entire film with a terrific turn as Johnny, the Rock'n'Rolla of the title and Mark Strong as Archie. I mean this actor(Archie)seems to have something cheeky about him that always produces a wry smile with me. And he carries himself in that dignified manner but yet radiate an amount of cockiness. The performances are also a testament to Ritchie's direction that he manages to get decent performances out of three of cinema's most irritating actors(Gerard Butler, Tom Hardy and Thandie Newton).

My Verdict: Rock'n'Rolla is a nonstop parade of improbable dastardly characters, assorted incompetent criminals, burned-out rockers, wigged-out junkies, criminal masterminds and dimwitted hoods—and that’s not even taking into account "unkillable" Russians, an ice queen of a duplicitous accountant, gay gangsters and the gangsters they make nervous. Its a joy to find Guy Ritchie at the top of his game and this makes me look forward to "The Real Rock'n'Rolla" the sequel to this movie. It's class, it's violent, it's funny and more importantly it's dark, rich and satisfying.

The Sequel:
The Real Rock'n'Rolla is the sequel to "Rock'n'Rolla", Ritchie has implied it has already been written and it's ready to go as soon as his next project is over with. Also depending on the box office of the first movie it could have many more installments. Without giving too much away from the first film part two will include Johnny Quid, Archie and the Wild Bunch. This may not be as funny as Snatch and Lock Stock but these characters are just as lovable.

Guy Richie who is best known for his fast paced, slightly comical and wildly stylish, brain twisting British crime thrillers, Lock Stock and Smoking Barrel and Snatch being his best. I've been a fan of his works and loved his style of film making( I'm conveniently forgetting Swept Away)and been looking forward to a good movie from him. I saw Rock'n'Rolla couple of days back and I think Guy Ritchie is in the right direction for a comeback after the disastrous Swept Away. This made me take a more detailed look at his new adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. I've heard about the project and it struck me as odd that Guy Ritchie will choose such a topic for a movie and was apprehensive about it. What I didn't think of was the possibility that instead of Guy Ritchie conforming to Sherlock Holmes, he might just modify Sherlock Holmes to his style.

I saw an article and a still from the movie in NewYork Times that completely put things in perspective.
I think the picture speaks for itself. Thats Sherlock Holmes we see in the movie with blood on his bare chest and Robert Downey Jr showing off his well chiseled abs. Well for all those who pictured Sherlock Holmes as a quite, passive, think tank Guy Ritchie's version of Sherlock Holmes is gonna give a rude shock. I for one think it is absolute genius using Sherlock Holmes' boxing and sword fencing background to good use. Here is a little excerpt from the article:

IN a filthy, dank labyrinth of rooms below the streets of the East End, Sherlock Holmes was solving a case. That is, Robert Downey Jr., playing Holmes in the forthcoming film “Sherlock Holmes,” was engaged in hand-to-hand, foot-to-stomach combat with a very big and very bad villain (Robert Maillet). Bam! Pow! Ouch! Both characters would end up knocked out on the floor, along with Holmes’s trusty sidekick, Dr. John Watson, played by Jude Law.

Filmed in December, the scene presented a sharp corrective to the popular cinematic view of Holmes, at least the one propagated by the old films featuring the wonderfully named British actor Basil Rathbone. That Holmes occasionally wielded guns, leapt out of carriages and rushed through the fog with Errol Flynnesque panache, but mostly he was a giant brain inside a tweed suit, sexlessly debonair in the way Hollywood liked its leading men in the 1930s and 1940s. His Watson, played by Nigel Bruce, was a lumpy, good-natured, birdbrained foil for Holmes’s brittle brilliance.

The Sherlock Holmes of “Sherlock Holmes,” which is scheduled for release on Nov. 13, will not be wearing a deerstalker hat. Nor will he be wearing an Inverness overcoat, the kind with the dashing cloak that hangs over the shoulders as extra protection against the English rain. Sometimes — as in one fight scene — he will not even be wearing a shirt. (This gives Mr. Downey a chance to show off his admirably chiseled abs.)

Sure, he will still be smarter than everyone within a three-planet radius, and he will retain his uncanny ability to intuit whole life stories from the tiniest speck of dust on a shoe. But he will do those things while being a man of action, a chaser, shooter and pummeler of criminals — “like James Bond in 1891,” Joel Silver, one of the film’s producers, said last fall.

This might me the Sherlock Holmes that the new generation like and love. Just the idea is exciting. A movie in which we can see incredibly amazing deductive abilities of Sherlock and a little bit of action too along the way. Die Hard Sherlock fans will most probably hate this, and those who are already familiar with him will find it difficult to adapt to this new Sherlock, but the new minds-those who are unfamiliar with the concept of Sherlock holmes will most probably love this one. Can't wait for this movie to release.

Dance Flick - Releasing on 14 August 2009
The plot is simple- A satirical jab at musical/dance films focusing on a naive girl who uses dance to achieve her dreams, and the street smart guy who helps her along the way.

As if we don't have enough really bad spoofs already, Wayans Brothers are back with another spoof Dance Flick. And to think anyone will give money to the guys who brought us Little Man and White Chicks to make a movie in the spoof genre which is already cluttered with garbage. I just hope its not as bad as some of the spoof movies that has been releasing lately.



Dragonball Evolution- Releasing on 8 April 2009
Plot-"Dragonball Evolution" is adapted from the manga created by Akira Toriyama; the work was also turned into a Japanese anime series that played all over the world. It tells the story of an alien sent to destroy Earth, who has a change of heart and decides to join the humans in their fight against various aliens and bad guys

I don't expect anyone except the fans of the manga will look forward to watching this one, especially after seeing the trailers. The cgi effects looks pretty decent but thats not a movie is all about is it. Cheezy acting, horrible lines and even the martial arts doesn't look convincing in some of the scenes. Lets just hope the die hard fans won't be disappointed with the movie rendering of the manga.



Fired up - Releasing on 20 February 2009
Plot- Shawn Colfax (Nicholas D'Agosto) and Nick Brady (Eric Christian Olsen), the stars of the Gerald R. Ford High School football team, are dreading the prospect of another summer at football camp. After Nick hatches a scheme for the two to join their schools cheerleaders at cheer camp instead, they find themselves awash in a sea of gorgeous young women. It all goes great until Shawn falls for Carly (Sarah Roemer), the beautiful head cheerleader who sees right through them.

Of the three movies listed here, this one is by far the most decent looking and have a high probability of turning out to be a "one time throw away" type of enjoyment. The plot looks interesting, some of the jokes got me chuckling, and the acting doesn't seem to be so bad. But at the same time looking at the debut writer and director this premise, that is in no way original, can well be rendered into a mess that many like to call comedy these days. We'll have to wait and see.

Its time to review the latest trailers in sci-fi and keep or break our hopes for a bright future for cinema.

I was watching The Pirates of the Caribbean the other day on television and I realized that you can watch the movie many times and still be entertained by it. I've watched it many times(all the three parts) but found myself laughing heartily at Johnny Depp and his antics. Suddenly an acute need for more Pirates of the Caribbean came up and was searching for a sequel in no time. Its almost time to bring out a new sequel to such a successful franchise, at least a rumour.


And guess what I did find that happy news- Disney recently confirmed the new edition in the franchise(although rumours were galore even as back as June, 2007. In June, 2007 CinemaBlend reported a rumour from a "source" .

“the ending of Pirates 3, the fountain of youth story might not be the only story they might used the next pirate’s film. The fountain story could used in another form to introduce the story for Pirates 4… the next film might be a departure from the same formula of the last three movies as well, meaning that Jerry Bruckheimer could be planning to enter the realm of Science Fiction this time around and it could be the heart of a new trilogy with Jack Sparrow and his crew of misfits. Some of the brainstorming going around involves some Jules Verne type of scenarios involving some pretty big flying machines, a man who wants to rule more than just the ocean, a encounter with the most famous and dangerous pirate of all, a race to get to a lost world (Hint, Hint) and Jack and his crew going to where no pirate has gone before (No, its not space but Disney had made animated movie about this place before with Michel J Fox voicing one of the characters).”

They stress pretty strongly that this is just a rumour and nothing more. The Michael J. Fox movie their source is referring to is almost certainly Atlantis, which would tie in the Jules Verne and science fiction elements mentioned. But all this may turn out to be false.

Director Gore Verbinski, who was in charge of the first three opus of Pirates of the Caribbean, is rumoured to return at the helm of the movie. He has said "I would start fresh and focus on the further adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow." Guess That means more Jack Sparrow, and thats always a good thing for Pirates of the Caribbean lovers
Another rumour floating around is that Tim Burton may be at the directors seat for the next edition, which is unlikely in my opinion.

One thing we know for sure is that the new movie is going to focus on Jack alone, no Will or Elizabeth to steal screen time from Johnny Depp. It has been reported that Keira Knightley does not wish to continue playing her character of Elizabeth Swann, she prefers to commit to different projects. Johnny Depp has officially signed on for Pirates of the Caribbean in September 2008. He is the single factor that made this franchise this popular and apparently he knows it too (he got $56 million for the new film)


British tabloid The Sun now reports "Brand is thrashing out a deal to appear in Pirates of The Caribbean 4 — as Captain Jack Sparrow's brother. The deal to play Jonathan, younger brother of Johnny Depp's character, could be worth ?5million." An unnamed source informed the paper, "There couldn't be a role more perfectly suited. There's a lot of Jack Sparrow in his mannerisms and behaviour. Depp's accent isn't a million miles away from Russell's either. Russell joining the Sparrows alongside Johnny and Keith Richards as their dad will complete the ultimate on-screen pirate family." Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) is also rumored to be in the movie.

And to add the the melee some sequences of the movie is even going to be shot in 3D for IMAX goes another rumour. Rumours galore on the next installment of this successful franchise, one thing is sure- Johnny Depp is reprising his crazy, lovable character Captain Jack Sparrow. The movie is said to hit the theaters in 2011, so plenty of time for new rumours to come up.

The year is coming to an end and its time for the top ten lists which are bound to pop up in almost every niche. On the risk of being left out, I decided to join the party with a top ten list with a difference(or so I think). This year a lot of really good as well as bad movies released. Some movies with apparently unknown cast and crew turned out to be great and at the same time some movies with a promising crew turned out to be disasters. Here is a list of those movies.

Top 10 Bad Movies with Great Star Power(that I have had the misfortune to see.)

10. What Happens in Vegas (IMDB)
At the number 10 spot its the Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher starrer "What Happened in Las Vegas". A full length sitcom which begs us to take it seriously as a film. Two outrageously stupid and selfish characters whom you can't get to like no matter how hard you try. It does have its moments here and there but no definitely worth a watch in the theaters.Its not a horrible movie but better rent it in a DVD and watch it when you have nothing else to do.

9. 10,000 B.C.(IMDB)
Snatching the number 9 spot is the epic(or supposed to be epic) movie set in 10,000 B.C with woolly mammoths, saber toothed tigers, cavemen, and what nots. The director of Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow had a lot to live upto and fell flat on his face trying to do so. The plot and screenplay was too silly for a movie of that scale. The visual effects and costumes, one of the plus points of the movie, along with some moments here and there saved the movie from a fatal drop to the forgetful chasm of Hollywood crap.

8. The Happening(IMDB)
The number 8 slot is adorned by M. Night Shyamalan's latest "scary thriller" ,The Happening. A strange, horrible and unprecedented crisis begins in Central Park. A high school science teacher, his wife and a young girl do what they can to survive it and so do we. The tagline for the movie says "We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening". That is absolutely spot on about Shyamalan's film-making abilities. We sensed it with "Village", We've seen the signs in "Lady in the Water". And now its Happening. How ironic ?

7. Rambo(IMDB)
Rambo snatched the no. 7 spot with Sylvester Stallone returning as Rambo to bring out the worst movie(to date?) in the series. I am not a big fan of Rambo movies except for First Blood which I loved. After First Blood it became just another American Hero blowing up foreign "terrorists" by hundreds. Rambo only needs a patch of ground where evil men terrorise women, children and hard-working peasants, before his damaged hero blows them away by the truckload. But the new Rambo sunk to even lower levels by making the movie into something that is nothing more than a mindless shoot-fest. Forget the story, forget the character, forget emotions, hell,even forget excitement. This movie got nothing except a couple of moments(one of which is a flashback to First Blood) which gave it a place ahead of Mummy 3. Little more than a cartoon, Rambo caters only for those still smitten by the rat-a-tat of continuous gunfire

6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor(IMDB)
The latest installment of the Mummy franchise settled for the number 6 spot after fighting with Babylon A.D fiercely. In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick and Alex O'Connell unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin - a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard centuries ago. How many times have we seen that before? Isn't is time fictional character Rick O'Connel learned not to mess around with Mummies? Isn't it time for Brendan Fraser to say no to such movies? Rachel Weiz said no and good for her. The third Mummy entry is a headache-inducing mess that piles on unimpressive special effects to stretch a slight and often incomprehensible storyline. The only good thing in the movie is the performance by Jet-Li who absolutely sizzles the screen playing sinister emperor and saving the movie from a no. 5 spot in my list.

5. Babylon A.D.(IMDB)
The latest sci-fi action thriller from Vin Diesel, Babylon A.D, well deservedly gets the no. 5 spot. Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop takes the high-risk job of escorting a woman from Russia to America. Little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah. I can name a couple of movies that this movie borrows from right off the top of my head- Children of Men, Minority Report. There may be many more. The plot makes absolutely no sense rendering a nihilistic nonsense with no particular plus points. The ending is more incomprehensible than the "meaning of life". I strongly suspect the editing team screwed up and accidentally deleted the last part of the movie. Vin Diesel should really choose better projects if he wants to stay in Hollywood.

4. Righteous Kill(IMDB)
Righteous Kill bags the no. 4 spot with some really uninspiring screenplay, direction, acting, and anything that's left in making a film. Russel Gewirtz, the writer, should be ashamed of himself for bringing out such a work, especially after he has written a brilliant Inside Man. I have just one question for two of the greatest actors of all time- Why oh why did you take this project? Didn't you at least leaf through the screenplay before signing up? The movie tries to inflate itself on the iconic star power of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro but falls flat on its face.

3. You Don't Mess With the Zohan(IMDB)
Adam Sandler with his latest juvenile comedy "You Don't mess with Zohan" bags the no. 3 spot. I've never really liked him nor hated him. This movie has given me a really strong motivation to hate him.A comment at Rotten Tomatoes says it all-"The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine isn’t exactly the obvious choice of topic for a comedy – which is perhaps why this film is about as funny as a suicide bombing". I saw Judd Apatow's name was on the writers list and I was like- What is a guy who has written 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Pineapple Express doing in this film?You don't mess with Zohan, You don't even mess with the film. Just leave it alone.

2. The Love Guru(IMDB)
Mike Myers, the voice behind Shrek, the irresistibly funny Austin Powers, brings out Love Guru which quite easily grabbed the no. 2 spot. Mr. Myers, a writer and producer as well as the star, seems to have lost his touch, his jokes not funny anymore some bordering on obnoxious. It did get a couple of laughs at the first but soon it became a pain that I endured only cause I was with a friend and we were making fun of the movie. There is a part where Pitka(Myers) and his arch rival is shown to be in a fight with urine soaked mops, and that too as part of some Indian spiritual teaching lesson. If you find that funny, be my guest. I found the movie as a whole un-funny, and even offensive to my Indian psyche.

and finally... the movie that topped the list
1. Step Brothers(IMDB)
At the no. 1 spot we find "Step Brothers" lying on the gross and repulsive shoulders of Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly with all its disgusting glory. One cannot consider Will Ferrel to be star power, but the hype it got and the popularity surely counts for something. I can't understand what made critics give this piece of (for lack of a better word) crap a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Who really wants to see the unbearably repulsive antics of two 40 year old adolescents who are given a leash-free romp in the movie? This is not anything remotely like 40 year old Virgin, which was a movie I enjoyed. I cannot find even one reason why anyone would enjoy the film, but still many do. If you can somehow overlook the disgusting antics of the lead characters, then comes an unimaginative plot that is so predictable that you will slap yourselves for even thinking something different can be expected.

If you have any more movies that should have been introduced in the list feel free to post a comment about it.

Knowing - Releasing 20 March 2009
"Knowing is Everything..."

Academy Award Winner Nicolas Cage stars in KNOWING, a gripping action-thriller of global proportions about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future and sets out to prevent them from coming true. From the director of i,Robot comes anotehr action drama with an interesting theme.

Synopsis
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 capsules contents and the girls cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Myles. But it is Caleb's father, professor Ted Myles (Nicolas Cage), 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 Ted further unravels the documents 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 Ted and his son. When Teds 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 Whelan and Abby, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies, Teds 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 1


Trailer 2


The Proposal - Releasing 12 June 2009
"Here comes the bribe... "

Anne Fletcher returns after a very lovable 27 Dresses and an upbeat Step Up with a new Romantic Comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. A pushy boss(Sandra Bullock) forces her young assistant(Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

Synopsis
When high-powered book editor Margaret (Sandra Bullock) faces deportation to her native Canada, the quick-thinking exec declares that she’s actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), who she’s tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own. The unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family (Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White) and the always-in-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration official on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to the plan despite the precarious consequences.

I woke up today and what do I see first thing in the morning??.. That's right. The first look at the trailer of the much awaited movie "X-men Origins: Wolverine" is out. Man oh man am I excited. I can hardly sit straight in a seat now.

Wolverine is the classic bad boy of the X-Men. The hunk of the lot, and my favorite X-Men. All those who have seen even one of the past three X-Men films will have an idea on how great Wolverine is. And when I heard that I get to see the antics of Wolverine alone for a full movie I was damn excited.



Or watch in high quality (highly recommended)


Trailer Explained
The new trailer shows the movie to range from his childhood to manhood including his love interest, his military experience, his family, his roots- in short how he became Wolverine. The trailer shows us his fathers death, his time in World War 2, Vietnam, his love who is killed by Sabertooth, and how he eventually decides to enroll in the special program which changes him to what we now see as Wolverine. It is also interesting to see Silver Fox, who is shown to be Wolverine's love interest and more importantly dead in the earlier part of the trailer, appears once more in the trailer putting a fair degree of intrigue into the fans' minds which is further more aggravated by seeing her second death.

Soon he escapes from the military facility and the chase begins. The central conflict in the movie is shown to be between Wolverine and Victor Creed(Saber Tooth). Another main character in the movie is Gambit, who can charge an object with kinetic energy. A lot of high adrenalin combat scenes are shown which are sure to get us high on action. A glimpse of what might be Baby Storm is also seen in the trailer. The trailer ends with what might me a final stand off between Wolverine and Creed. "Do you even know how to kill me?" asks Creed. "I'm going to cut your head off, see if that works," replies Wolverine. May seems so far away now.

Talking about the movie Hugh Jackman says

"I can guarantee you there are going to be surprises. David Benioff, who wrote the script, is one of the great writers in Hollywood, and he is the biggest comic book fan in the history of the world. There is not an issue of Wolverine or X-Men that he doesn't own. When he first pitched me the idea, he had such a brilliant idea that was his little twist on events. He's written it smartly. He knows what the fans want."

I'm having high hopes for the movie.

A brand new trailer for the new Terminator sequel has released a couple of days back.I have never been a fan of Arnold, personally I believe he can't act. But I loved the Terminator 2:Judgment Day nonetheless. So imagine taking away Arnold and putting the ever so talented Christian Bale in the lead role; it can only get better.

The film's plot sees Connor(Bale) heading the human resistance in the war against the machines in 2018, where he and his supporters are outnumbered and outgunned by the machine hordes and facing extinction. In the trailer John Connor and his troops are fighting, and losing, to SkyNet’s machines when amnesiac Marcus (Sam Worthington) comes into their lives. John Connor is shown to be having a face off with Marcus who may or may not be a Terminator.

Some high octane action sequences are shown to exist via the trailer. And considering the franchise and the scope of it, that is no surprise. Christian Bale is shown to have the same intensity as he played Batman in Dark Knight. No matter what he will do he is going to be compared to Dark Knight and he better live upto it. Some other characters that are introduced in the trailer as well.

The star of the trailer is no other than Christian Bale, upon whom the movie relies heavily for its marketing, and fresh off the phenomenal hit Dark Knight he might as well pull it off. The only question that remains is that "Will McG be a worthy successor to James Cameron?" . We shall wait and see. I, for one, will watch the movie solely cause of Christian Bale and the Terminator Franchise cause I've had bad experience with McG before(Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle).



The movie releases on 22 May 2009.

For other Upcoming movies that you should look out for see this.

It looks like Crank 2 is on the cards now for a while and Jason Statham is going on about it at many promotional "Death Race" tours. For those of you who haven't seen Crank yet, Crank is a totally ridiculous, unbelievable, exhausting, and pretty much just plain stupid, but still a thoroughly entertaining and fun movie which moves at supersonic speeds and ends with the main character falling out of a helicopter, hitting a car on the streets, and still with his heart beating. The directors and writers pushed the envelope of believability and turned out a mindless, end-of-summer thrill ride with no pretensions to be anything more.(Buy it here at Amazon)



One would wonder how on earth the movie makers are planning for a sequel, after the main character falls through many thousands of feet from a helicopter. But that exactly is what Crank is all about. Director writer Taylor when asked about the sequel said-"Crank 2 will pick up exactly where Crank one ends,” says Taylor. “It’s a true sequel. Jason Statham will return. It’s not a prequel, it’s not his brother, it’s not a dream sequence. It’s going to be more sexual, more violent — more of everything". Most probably Statham will scrape himself off the street, roadrunner style, and carry on with the movie because thats how unbelievingly outrageous the Crank franchise is.

Having miraculously survived his plummet from a helicopter in the previous chapter, our hero Chev Chelios(Jason Statham) now face a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working. If it was Adrenalin to keep his heart going in Crank its electricity in Crank 2. This is going to be great.

TotalFilm asked Jason Statham about the movie here is an excerpt:

“It’s from the fucking stratosphere," he said. "It’s so out there, it’s so wacky, it’s so unbelievable.”

Despite the lunacy, Statham was impressed with High Voltage's writer/directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor's approach.

“They write very, very quickly and they sent me the script and I was thumbing through it with a box of tissues just laughing and crying, going, ‘This is absolutely silly. When do we make it?’”

In another interview to io9 he said Crank 2 is to be the most offensive, outrageous movie ever

"High voltage is an understatement,” he said about the movie.

"They locked themselves in a room for three days with five bottles of tequila and wrote the most offensive, outrageous script I’ve ever read."

"Poor Amy Smart, that’s my concern. There is a very indulgent sex scene on a race track. I don’t want to give too much away."

"They have all the capabilities of making it the crazy action movie that they wanted. It’s like Crank 1 but times 1,000."

Amy Smart is back to help out with getting those jolts , and so is country singer turned actor Dwight Yoakam. They are joined by Corey Haim , Efren Ramirez, Bai Ling, and Clifton Collins Jr.

I have just one advice to all of you are going to see the movie which is to be released on 17th April 2009 -"Pack your brains home and enjoy the fun ride across the realm of unrealistic action".

Traitor is probably the most under-rated film of 2008. The movie starring Don Cheadle, whom we last saw in Ocean's Thirteen, and Guy Pearce has been directed and written by new guy Jeffrey Nachmanoff. This international spy thriller is best described by a user in IMDB- "a thinking man's spy thriller".

Based on an idea by Steve Martin (that's right, the grey haired comedy actor himself), this contemporary and intelligent action thriller centers on Samir Horn (played by the excellent Don Cheadle), a Muslim American of Sudanese descent who, as a child, saw his father killed in a terrorist attack. Moving to the States, Horn serves in the military, where he later becomes entangled in covert operations and shadowy terrorist networks. Enter by-the-book FBI agent Roy Clayton (another impressive performance by Guy Pearce) and his offsider Max Archer (Neal McDonough), who head up an investigation into an international terrorist outfit that Horn may or may not be tangled up in.

Of all the post 9/11 films dealing with terrorism, Traitor is the movie which understands what Terrorism is. Jeffrey Nachmanoff's crackling screenplay breathes a new life into this espionage thriller. This is not just another Bourne Ultimatum considering the amount of emotional conflict in the protagonist and its heavy understanding of Terrorism. I was pleasantly surprised Hollywood turned out a movie dealing with terrorism which does not blame Muslims as a whole, rather shows them is a good light barring a few.

Considering the highly volatile topic of the movie, it could have easily turned into a cliched action thriller in which an American hero shoots up a lot of Muslim Terrorists and save the world. Instead the movie chooses to tread the more humane and sensible path dealing with the internal conflicts of an undercover agent(which is no surprise since the name of the movie is Traitor). The research that went into the movie is commendable. The modus operandi of the terrorists is very deftly explained from the way they exchange messages without interception to how a terrorist organization works.

The most striking thing was the deep understanding of Terrorism by the Director-Writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff. He really brings out what terrorism is all about. In the movie a character says "Terrorism is Theater. And Theater is always performed for an audience". The character continues to say that they need to make the people feel "nowhere is safe". This is exactly what the terrorists in our world have been doing. They grab attention.

The director also exhibits a considerable understanding of the Quran, Islamic holy book. The terrorists use the Holy Book and interpret it the way they want and use those interpretations to brain wash people and eventually join the Jihad. The people who are selected to die are told that they would go to heaven and will have 72 virgins when they reach there. People are lured with the promise of heaven to become martyrs for Jihad. But all through the movie we can see Samir, a devout Muslim, quoting the Quran and rubbing it in the faces of the Terrorists. He quotes many instances and brings out the false way Terrorists interpret the Holy Book. At on point on of the Terrorists justifies the fact that he drinks alcohol(which is forbidden according to Islam) by citing a reason called Taqiyya. At that point Samir refutes the claim and explain what really Taqiyya means citing the Holy Book. Many other instances are abound in the movie.

The movie also brings out subtly the comparison between the Terrorists, and the Government who is trying to catch them. There is a scene is which Amir meets with his Intelligence Handler after it is decided that Samir is to help with the bombing of 30 buses across America. He meets with his handler and the handler asks him to go along with the bombing of 30 buses to get to the leader of the Terrorists. Then Samir asks "How far are you willing to take this? We've got blood on our hands. We've killed innocent people". Handler responds by saying "Yeah, and if we stop now, they will all have died for nothing. This is a war. You do what it takes to win". This piece of conversations makes it clear of how similar the mindsets of the terrorists and the authorities are. The metaphorical ramifications of this particular conversation are numerous. One of the easily identifiable ones is a direct message to the Government of America. Samir's words serves as a finger pointed directly at the American Government for its atrocities in Iraq.

The movie also succeeds in bringing a human charm to the fanaticism. Its a welcome change from the stereotypical portrayal of crazy fanaticist. The movie takes into account the fact that fanaticism doesn't really mean crazy. The fanaticist are as normal as any of us are, but with their perspective screwed with by Islamic fundamentalists who present a wrongly interpreted version of Quran and thus bind them to Jihad by means of religion. Omar, with whom Samir strikes up a bond is shown to be a human at heart and who is used by his leader for the Jihadi cause.

Considering the seriousness of the theme, its not surprising to see the intensity in the performances of the actors . Don Cheadle plays up to the intensity of Samir and pulls it off beautifully. Guy Pearce also plays his character with determination and style making his FBI agent a single minded intense character. Said Taghmaoui(Omar) is also very impressive and succeeds in giving the terrorists a different dimension.

My Verdict- I couldn't have picked a more apt time to watch this movie. In the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks this movie presented to me an insight into terrorism like no other movie in recent times has. Of all the post 9/11 Hollywood films dealing with terrorism, Traitor is the movie which understands what Terrorism is. I was pleasantly surprised Hollywood turned out a movie dealing with terrorism which does not blame Muslims as a whole, rather shows them is a good light barring a few. Considering the highly volatile topic of the movie, it could have easily turned into a cliched action thriller in which an American hero shoots up a lot of Muslim Terrorists and save the world. Instead the movie chooses to tread the more humane and sensible path dealing with the internal conflicts of an undercover agent(which is no surprise since the name of the movie is Traitor). Don't expect another Bourne movie filled with high octane action sequences from start to end, but expect a decent spy thriller which treads a fine line between intelligent cinema and commercial action movie. At least watch it to get a more deep understanding of what terrorism is and how they operate.




Buy the DVD at Amazon :

Traitor DVD

Traitor [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy

After a long wait, I finally had a chance to watch the much talked about Mongol, which recently bagged the Best Foreign Language award by the The National Board of Review. The movie, directed by Sergei Bodrov, tells us the childhood and early manhood of the Mongolian Ruler, Genghis Khan, who ruled half of the known world in the 1200's.

The movie opens with a Mongolian proverb- "Do not scorn the weak cub, For he may turn out to be a son of a tiger". We follow Temudgin, which was his real name before he was bestowed the ceremonious title of Khan, right from when he was 9 years old. The directors firm belief that to understand a man you have to understand the child is reflected well here. We see 9 year old Temudgin being taken to the Merkit clan by his father to choose his bride. They stay over at a friend's clan overnight and Temudgin ends up choosing 10 year old Borte as his wife, and thus sparking the fuse to violence which scars most of his childhood.

The enmity provoked by Temudgin choosing Borte sparks off a series of events which led to the poisoning of his father on the way back, and the usurping of the Khan title by the old man's rival Targutai. Targutai vows to kill Temudgin once he gets older and thus begins a life on the run, and a cycle of capturing and escaping which scars his childhood.

After a quick leap in time we meet Temudgin, who is a young man now, who finds his wife, Borte after long years. But their happiness is soon cut short by the Merkit showing up and capturing Borte. Temudgin soon turns to his childhood friend, Jamukha, to help him win Borte back, in spite of Jamukha's advice to get a new woman and forget about Borte. With the help of Jamukha he goes on to rescue Borte, and then through a series of events become the "Khan of Khans" in Mongolia.

It isn't easy to change the face of a known historic figure so drastically and actually pull it off. The fist thing that comes to our mind when we hear about Genghis Khan is an image of a barbaric despot who kills everybody kin and enemy alike. Till now every director who has tackled the subject of Genghis Khan has pictured his to be a maniacal barbarian who doesn't even have an ounce of mercy. But Sergei Bodrov shows us the other side of the man we know as Genghis Khan- the undying romantic, the caring father, the loyal friend.

Temudgin is portrayed as a doting husband to Borte. He is seen treating her as an equal, listening to her advice, and putting love before career in many occasions. He accepts her children, begot by other men raping her, without even an angered face. He is seen as a caring and loving father to his children enlightening us on the possibility that contrary to the popular portrayal of Genghis Khan, he might as well be a "man" after all.

Since it is a Genghis Khan movie, the battle scenes, blood and gore are unavoidable. The director treats the battle scenes with just the enough amount of style to get us excited and at the same time avoiding the battle overshadow the characterizing he has done deftly. The cinematography is simply breathtaking utilizing the desolate, yet beautiful, spots in Mongolia. Black horse-riding mongols riding across the horizons of beautiful Mongolia is a sight in itself to behold. The rise of Temudgin to Genghis Khan is shown with uncanny ability. Temudgin, who is shown to be different in his steely stubbornness and pride which makes him surrender to no one, captures your heart just like Mel Gibson did in his epic Braveheart.

My Verdict - The movie, directed by Sergei Bodrov, tells us the childhood and early manhood of the Mongolian Ruler, Genghis Khan, who ruled half of the known world in the 1200's. It isn't easy to change the face of a known historic figure so drastically and actually pull it off. The cinematography is simply breathtaking utilizing the desolate, yet beautiful, spots in Mongolia. Black horse-riding mongols riding across the horizons of beautiful Mongolia is a sight in itself to behold. Temudgin, who is shown to be different in his steely stubbornness and pride which makes him surrender to no one, captures your heart just like Mel Gibson did in his epic Braveheart. But don't go in to see another Braveheart cause in Mongol, the human side of the story is given more weightage over the battle. What this movie does to the barbaric image Hollywood was so glad in stamping Genghis Khan is yet to be seen. If anyone who doesn't know anything about Genghis Khan goes into the theater to see this movie, he will have a whole new image of Genghis Khan- stubborn, prideful, excellent strategist, caring father, loving husband.



Buy the DVD and watch it at home, or store away in your collection. It is a movie worth that position. You can buy it here at Amazon

Eagle Eye is a "summer action blockbuster" accidentally misplaced among the October lot of movies. D.J Caruso's newest flick borrows heavily from other superior films but still hold our attention with fast moving car chases and non-stop action.

Two strangers (LaBeouf and Monaghan) become the pawns of a mysterious woman they have never met, but who seems to know their every move. Realizing they are being used to further her plot for a political assassination, they must work together to outwit the woman before she has them killed. This is basically the plot. But we all know a plot is of no significance in such a movie.

The movie is in no way original, and sometimes its even cheezy and preposterous. But if you keep your logic aside and watch the movie as a mindless action flick you won't be disappointed. Joshua Rothkopf sums it up very nicely in "Time Out" -

"After being falsely accused of high crimes (North by Northwest), our heroes find the whole of modern technology turned against them (Enemy of the State) except for one helpful voice on a cell phone (The Matrix), while a twangy federal agent chases them through government buildings (The Fugitive) and an ominous, red-orbed computer (2001:A Space Odeyssey) makes evil plans to take out the President (The Manchurian Candidate). To call Eagle Eye derivative is an understatement."

D.J Caruso,the director, returns after "Disturbia", also with Shia LaBouf, which I really liked(may be cause I haven't see Hitchcock's "Rear Window" from which Disturbia borrows heavily"). With Eagle Eye he lets us know that he doesn't want to be a Hitchcock but more of a a "Michael Bay". Shia LaBouf was engaging as usual and with Bob Thornton the cast pulls off a decent job. Some of the action scenes was ruined with choppy editing and fast camera which rendered the sequence of events incomprehensible. But that won't affect you much if you want to see this movie.

My Verdict- If you are looking for a genuine story with gripping plot Eagle Eye is not for you. On the other hand if you just want a mindless action flick you will find Eagle eye very rewarding. The movie took a beating from the critics suffering a meager 27% from Rotten Tomatoes. But common people are different from critics aren't they?. Give the movie a chance if you have the capabilities to turn your brain off and just watch the movie.

My Rating- 2/5

In the second part of the Trailer Time series some other interesting trailer I came across.

1. Watchmen- I had posted a trailer to this movie in a previous post.A new Watchmen trailer hit the net sometime ago. The more I see the trailers that are coming out the more I'm expecting big things from the movie. Hope the "300" director won't disappoint us.
Release Date: March 9, 2009


or Watch it in High Quality

2.Argentine and Guerrilla - The "Argentine" is a 2008 biopic about Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Benicio del Toro as Che. The film covers the Cuban revolution, depicting how Guevara and other revolutionaries under the leadership of Fidel Castro, toppled the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. The film comprises the first half of a two part examination of Guevara's revolutionary saga, with the second part Guerrilla. In the second movie "Guerrilla" after helping overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba, Guevara moved on to foment revolutions in Africa and South America, eventually being captured and killed by counter-insurgency rangers in the mountains of Bolivia, backed by the CIA. Both films were screened together at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, as one four hour motion picture entitled Che.
Release Date: 24th January, 2009




3.Star Trek - I was never a Star Trek fan and was positively appalled by the only movie I saw of the Star Trek- Star Trek:Nemesis. But saw the new trailer and it looks really good. Its a chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members.
Release Date: 8th May,2009