Last week’s $42 million take for the remake of Friday the 13th made it the best horror movie opening ever and helped push Hollywood to its highest-grossing Presidents Day weekend. But heading into Sunday’s Oscar telecast, wide-release pickings this weekend are pretty slim.
Cheerleader comedy Fired Up features Eric Christian Olsen, known among web-o-tainment fans for pretending to be Paris Hilton’s loser brother in a series of Funny or Die videos. The teen flick faces competition from Atlanta-based mini mogul/female impersonator Tyler Perry, who’s bringing Madea back to the big screen.
Opening This Weekend
Fired Up Synopsis: Two high-school football stars (Nicholas D’Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen) in search of girls join a summer cheerleading camp and get more than they bargained for. Sarah Roemer co-stars. TV scribe Will Gluck (The Loop) directs. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Sony
Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail Synopsis: Madea returns as the gun-toting grandmother who needs an attitude adjustment. This time she blows up at a judge after a high-speed freeway chase and gets tossed in jail, where she befriends prostitute/addict (Keisha Knight Pulliam). Perry stars, writes and directs, with Derek Luke as the hard-driving DA. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Lionsgate
Now in Theaters
The International Synopsis: Clive Owen portrays a tough Interpol agent who teams with a Manhattan assistant DA (Naomi Watts) to bring down The International, a "dirty" bank involved in money laundering, arms trade, terror cells and murder. The duo follows the money trail through New York, Berlin, Istanbul and Milan. Germany’s Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) directs. Rated: R Photo courtesy Sony
Friday the 13th Synopsis: Remake of the 1980 horror flick revisits Crystal Lake, where Clay (Jared Padalecki) searches for his missing sister (Amanda Righetti) in the woods. Hockey-masked Jason Voorhees’ (Derek Mears) awaits. Marcus Nispel (2003’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre) directs the script from Freddy vs. Jason co-writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon. Danielle Panabaker co-stars. Rated: R Photo courtesy New Line Cinema/Paramount Pictures
Gomorrah (limited) Synopsis: Italian hoodlums wreak mayhem in crime-saturated Naples as director Matteo Garrone follows five loosely interwoven stories. The Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner is presented by Martin Scorsese. Rated: R
Under the Sea 3D (IMAX only) Synopsis: Jim Carrey narrates this documentary that dives deep beneath the surface in Southern Australia and New Guinea to photograph rarely seen marine life. Shown only at IMAX venues. Rated: G
Confessions of a Shopaholic Synopsis: Romantic comedy features Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers) as a shopping addict who climbs out of credit card debt with a little help from her handsome colleague (Hugh Dancy). P.J. Hogan (My Best Friend’s Wedding) directs. Joan Cusack, John Goodman and John Lithgow co-star. Rated: PG
Two Lovers (limited) Synopsis: Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow play Brooklyn neighbors who form an unlikely attraction. James Gray (We Own the Night) directs. Rated: R
Coraline Synopsis: Director Henry Selick’s (A Nightmare Before Christmas) helms the world’s first 3-D, stop-motion animation feature. Based on the storybook classic by writer Neil Gaiman (DC Comics’ Sandman series) the fairy tale/nightmare unfolds as discontented Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) walks through a secret door in her new house to find a trippy alternative universe — until her "Other" parents decide to keep her there forever. Teri Hatcher voices the mothers, John Hodgman does the fathers. Ian McShane co-stars as Mr. Bobinsky. Rated: PG Photo courtesy Focus Features
Review: Coraline’s Stop-Motion Surrealism Dazzles, Terrifies Director Henry Selick wraps Neil Gaiman’s novella in an astonishing 3-D world. The eye-pleasing adaptation wows with whimsy even as it delivers a dark message about modern life. Rating:
Slideshow: The Handmade Tale: Coraline‘s Inventive DIY Effects See how the moviemakers brought the book’s amazing imagery to the big screen.
Video: Gaiman Calls Coraline the Strangest Stop-Motion Film Ever In an exclusive interview with Wired.com, the American Gods author praises the movie’s creative team.
Push Synopsis: A shadowy government agency uses superpowered humans to destroy civilization. Telekinetic "mover" Nick (Chris Evans), hiding in Hong Kong, joins forces with a young "watcher" who can see the future (Dakota Fanning). They race against time to escape their own foreseen deaths with help from rogue "pusher" Kira (Camilla Belle), who can manipulate thoughts. Djimon Honsou co-stars. Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin) directs. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Summit
Fanboys (limited) Synopsis: Set in 1998, Fanboys follows Star Wars geeks who take a cross-country trip from Ohio to George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch on a mission to filch a print of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace six months ahead of its release date. The comedy stars Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Folger, Jay Baruchel and Kristen Bell, and includes cameos from Carrie Fisher, William Shatner and Billy Dee Williams. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy The Weinstein Company
The Pink Panther 2 Synopsis: Steve Martin returns as bumbling French inspector Jacques Clouseau with a new boss (John Cleese) and fresh assignment: Find stolen treasures including the Pink Panther diamond. International detectives (Jean Reno, Andy Garcia and Alfred Molina) join the inspector, while Emily Mortimer plays the object of his clumsy affection. Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks) directs. Rated: PG Photo courtesy Sony
He’s Just Not That Into You Synopsis: Based on a best-seller by Sex and the City TV writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, the movie follows a group of Baltimore singles look for love in all the wrong places. Ensemble cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Justin Long, Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Warner Bros.
Taken Synopsis: Liam Neeson plays an ex-CIA agent who chases a gang of Albanian thugs through the streets of Paris after they kidnap his daughter for the sex-slave trade. Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen co-star. Written by Luc Besson (Fifth Element, La Femme Nikita) and Robert Mark Kamen (Fifth Element), the action piece is directed by Transporter cinematographer Pierre Morel. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Fox
New in Town Synopsis: Romantic comedy casts Renee Zellweger as an ambitious Miami executive who trades in her high heels for snow boots when she’s instructed to close down a manufacturing plant in a frozen-over Minnesota town. Instead, she’s swept off her feet by a blue-collar guy (Harry Connick Jr.) Rated: PG Photo courtesy Lionsgate
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Synopsis: In this prequel to two previous Underworld movies, werewolf Lycans are enslaved by medieval aristocratic vampires, aka Death Dealers. When young Lycan Lucian (played by Michael Sheen) tries to break free, he gets help from the daughter (Rhona Mitra) of the evil king (Bill Nighy). The goth fantasy is directed by special-effects veteran Patrick Tatopolous (Underworld, I, Robot). Rated: R
The Uninvited Synopsis: A young woman (Emily Browning) returns home from a mental ward following her mother’s death. Familial friction ensues when mom’s ghost tells her to stop dad (David Strathairn) from marrying the household’s domineering nurse-in-residence (Elizabeth Banks). Produced by the team behind The Ring and Disturbia, The Uninvited is based on 2003 Korean horror film Janghwa, Hongryeon. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Paramount/DreamWorks
The Class (limited) Synopsis: Oscar-nominated French film portrays a year in the life of a rough-and-tumble Parisian school. The movie stars Francois Bégaudeau, who wrote the script based on his own experiences as a teacher. Rated: PG-13
Paul Blart: Mall Cop Synopsis: Kevin James stars as a single dad/security cop who dispenses justice at the suburban mall as mall rats young and old berate him. When a gang of crooks takes hostages at the shopping center, the chubby Everyman gets off his Segway and saves the day. The comedy, which James co-wrote with Nick Bakay, co-stars Jayma Mays and Keir O’Donnell. Rated: PG Photo courtesy Sony
Hotel for Dogs Synopsis: A 16-year-old girl and her younger brother are put in a foster home with a strict no-pets policy. Desperate to find a hiding place for their dog, Friday, they make over an abandoned hotel as a resort for dogs. Neighbors and cops object. Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow and Don Cheadle star. Based on the book by Lois Duncan. Rated: PG–13 Photo courtesy DreamWorks/Paramount
Defiance (expanding) Synopsis: True story of the Bielski Brothers, who flee the Nazis in 1941 and set up an encampment of refugees in the Belarussian forest. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star for director Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond).
Rated: R
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Synopsis: Brad Pitt re-teams with Fight Club director David Fincher to play a man who ages backward. Born in 1918 looking like a wrinkly old man, he falls in love, fights in World War II, travels to Paris, then heads toward infancy while the love of his life (Cate Blanchett) ages. Tilda Swinton and Jared Harris co-star. Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) adapted the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Paramount
Valkyrie Synopsis: Tom Cruise portrays a Nazi colonel determined to assassinate Hitler. Code-named Valkyrie, the plot, based on an actual incident, involves conspirators within the German army who try to plant a bomb at Hitler’s headquarters. Bryan Singer (X-Men) directs the thriller, written by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and Nathan Alexander. Supporting cast includes Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Eddie Izzard. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy United Artists
Revolutionary Road (limited, Dec. 26) Synopsis: Sam Mendes (American Beauty) directs Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as an unhappy 1950s couple. Married with children, bewildered by how they wound up in suburban New Jersey, they plan a move to Paris to get away from it all. Based on Richard Yates’ 1961 novel. Rated: R Photo courtesy Paramount Vantage
Waltz With Bashir (limited) Synopsis: Flash-animated movie tells the story of a man who’s haunted by surreal images from his experience as a draftee during the Israeli army’s invasion of Lebanon in the ’80s.
Rated: R
Yes Man Synopsis: High-concept comedy ensues when Jim Carrey, starting out as a cynical banker, gets swept up in a self-help movement. He decides to say yes to all requests, and winds up falling for quirky stranger Allison (Zooey Deschanel). Peyton Reed (The Break-Up) directs. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Warner Bros.
Mini review: Carrey’s sad-sack working stiff works best when he skips the funny faces and weird voices perfected in previous roles. Fortunately, Carrey only goes over the top a few times in this uplifting romantic comedy, which benefits mightily from Terence Stamp who plays a self-empowerment huckster and Deschanel as the bubbly love interest who’s open to anything. — Lewis Wallace Rating:
The Wrestler (limited) Synopsis: Mickey Rourke plays a washed-up wrestler itching to get back in the ring after a heart attack. Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood co-star for director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream). Rated: R
Doubt (limited)
Synopsis: Director John Patrick Shanley adapts his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) suspected of abusing students at a private Catholic school in the Bronx. Meryl Streep and Amy Adams co-star as nuns.
Rated: PG-13
The Reader (limited) Synopsis: Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes appear in this Holocaust-themed coming-of-age drama from Stephen Daldry (The Hours), which features David Kross as a smitten German student circa 1958. Rated: R
Frost/Nixon (limited) Synopsis: Director Ron Howard re-creates the 1977 post-Watergate interview between talk show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) and disgraced President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). Rated: R
Milk (limited)
Synopsis: Sean Penn plays San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay man to be elected, who was assassinated in 1978. The Gus Van Sant-directed biopic also features James Franco and Josh Brolin.
Rated: R
Quantum of Solace Synopsis: Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in this sequel to Casino Royale. Trying to get over the loss of Vesper, his late girlfriend, Bond sets out to squash a villainous entrepreneur (French actor Mathieu Amalric) from monopolizing Latin America’s natural resources. Judi Dench is back as the formidable boss M with Olga Kurylenko as the new Bond girl. Mark Forster (Finding Neverland) directs the script by returning Casino writers Paul Haggis, Neil Purvis and Robert Wade. Rated: PG-13 Photo courtesy Sony
Review: Quantum of Solace: Bad Title, Good Bond: Surrounded by tough girls, amoral businessmen and revved-up action sequences, Craig’s muscular Bond shows a flash of compassion between his kills. Rating:
Slumdog Millionaire (limited) Synopsis: When a former street kid from Mumbai becomes a contestant on India’s TV game show version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire., he flashes back to his ghetto childhood for the correct answers. On the verge of winning the big jackpot, the uneducated "slumdog" prompts suspicions among cops and society at large. Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto star for director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). Rated: R Photo courtesy Fox Searchlight
Previously Reviewed
Burn After Reading
The Dark Knight
Death Race
Hancock
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Hellboy‘s Mike Mignola Talks ‘Language of Monsters’
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Pineapple Express
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Wall-E
Wanted
Read Underwire’s movie ratings guide.
Now in Theaters
Slumdog Millionaire (limited) Synopsis: When a former street kid from Mumbai becomes a contestant on India’s TV game show version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire., he flashes back to his ghetto childhood for the correct answers. On the verge of winning the big jackpot, the uneducated "slumdog" prompts suspicions among cops and society at large. Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto star for director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). Rated: R Photo courtesy Fox Searchlight
Previously Reviewed
Burn After Reading
The Dark Knight
Death Race
Hancock
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Hellboy‘s Mike Mignola Talks ‘Language of Monsters’
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Pineapple Express
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Wall-E
Wanted
