Most Watched Trailers (10/18/08) |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST With 2008's KUNG FU PANDA, the talking-animal CGI film enters a new era, one that makes room for both painterly artwork and fierce martial-arts action. Po (voiced by Jack Black), a clumsy and ever-hungry panda, is a huge kung fu fan, but seems destined to sell noodles like his father, Mr. Ping (James Hong), who inexplicably happens to be a goose. When Po literally crashes a ceremony involving martial-arts masters Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) and their pupils, the Furious Five--which includes Tigress (Angelina Jolie, in a surprisingly small part) and Crane (David Cross)--he ends up being selected by the latter elder as the revered Dragon Warrior. As the skeptical Shifu reluctantly trains the hapless Po, his former star pupil, Tai Lung (Ian McShane), escapes from a high-security prison, setting up a collision course between the bumbling bear and the powerful villain. <br><br>One of the finest animated films released under the Dreamworks banner, KUNG FU PANDA deftly avoids many of the pitfalls of the genre (i.e. cheesy musical sequences), juggling action, heart, and humor in a highly entertaining way. While Black (in endearingly restrained mode), Hoffman, Kim, and McShane voice their characters with verve, the real stars of PANDA are directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson and their animators, who lovingly depict ornate Chinese chambers and vast mountainous vistas, as well as blazing kung fu battles. A movie with remarkably wide appeal, KUNG FU PANDA delivers on its quirky, high-concept title with gleeful aplomb. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST Loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, WANTED, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, follows anxiety-prone office drone Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) as he is inducted into the Fraternity, a clan of powerful killers that counted his father as a member. Pursued by rogue agent Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), Wesley is trained by the sleek, sexy Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the charismatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman), among others, to be just as proficient and deadly as his father. Once Wesley becomes a master assassin, he must confront Cross, and contend with the stunning ramifications of that encounter.<br><br>Straying rather far from the WANTED comic's supervillain-centric premise, WANTED runs with the edgy Eastern European aesthetic of Russian helmer Bekmambetov, who garnered international recognition with the stylish vampire epic NIGHT WATCH. While Jolie is a gleefully destructive presence in her action-heavy scenes, the film belongs to McAvoy, who transforms from milquetoast to manhunter with verve and charm. And like the similarly themed THE MATRIX before it, WANTED also showcases some eye-catching special effects, most notably in the loopy concept of "curving bullets." Though devotees of the WANTED comic may be dismayed with the many liberties taken with the story, the movie is undeniably energetic and entertaining, making it fun summer blockbuster fare. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock. With great power comes great responsibility -- everyone knows that -- everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock's well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough -- as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn't the kind of man who cares what other people think -- until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey, and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock's greatest challenge yet -- and a task that may prove impossible as Ray's wife, Mary, insists that he's a lost cause. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST The continuing adventures of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda as they live their lives in Manhattan four years after the series ended. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST Tony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST SUPERBAD's Greg Mottola directs this comedy about a floundering college grad (Jesse Eisenberg) who decides to work at an amusement park when his post-graduation plans fall through. ADVENTURELAND's talented cast includes Kristen Stewart (INTO THE WILD), Ryan Reynolds (DEFINITELY, MAYBE), and KNOCKED UP cast members Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Martin Starr. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST In this romantic comedy, Renée Zellweger stars as Lucy Hill, a powerful businesswoman who feels right at home in glamorous Miami. But soon a business opportunity takes her to small town America, and she realizes that she may have found more there than just another way to climb the corporate ladder. Harry Connick Jr. costars as the object of Lucy's affection, and JUNO's J.K. Simmons also plays a role. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST Osamu Tezuka's classic character finds a home on the silver screen with this CG-animated film. Freddie Highmore (THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES) voices Astro Boy, a robot who is a disappointment to the man who created him to replace his dead son. Astro Boy leaves his home in the high-tech Metro City and has an incredible adventure, but he must return to save both his relationship with his father and the citizens of Metro City. ASTRO BOY also features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Billy Nighy, and Eugene Levy. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST THE FOUNTAIN's Darren Aronofsky directs this drama about a past-his-prime wrestler who tries to regain his earlier fame. Mickey Rourke (SIN CITY) continues a career revival of his own as the fighter, while Oscar winner Marisa Tomei costars. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST Inspired by national headlines, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH follows the plight of Rachel Armstrong, a Washington, D.C., reporter (Kate Beckinsale) who reveals the name of an undercover agent (THE DEPARTED's Vera Farmiga). Though the prosecutor (Matt Dillon) and the judge (Floyd Abrams) both pressure her to reveal her source, Rachel stands strong. This drama also stars Angela Bassett, Noah Wyle, David Schwimmer, and Alan Alda. |
| Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy revisit their roles from UNDERWORLD in this prequel to the horror-action hybrid. Sheen (THE QUEEN) stars as Lucian, a werewolf who battles vampire Viktor (Nighy, the Pirates of the Caribbean films), despite his love for Viktor's daughter Sonja. Kate Beckinsale might have departed the series, but fellow dark-haired beauty Rhona Mitra (DOOMSDAY) fills fans desires for a sexy heroine in her role as Sonja. |
| Curious Case of Benjamin Button Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST "I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2008 02:04 AM CST Hardworking Oscar winner Clint Eastwood releases his second film in 2008 (after THE CHANGELING) with this drama. Eastwood also stars as Walt Kowalski, an older man who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his neighborhood and the world around him. |
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