“Watchmen” headlines the movie slate for winter, spring
“Watchmen”
My colleague George Lang and I compiled this story on the movies coming up at Oklahoma City theaters during winter and spring. It covers today through the last weekend in April; look for our wrap of the summer blockbuster season in spring. All trailers are embedded here courtesy YouTube. A version of this story also appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Winter/spring film wrap
Quality movies tend to be a little slow out of the gate in January, but a rush of first-rate “awards season” films such as “Frost/Nixon” and “The Wrestler” kept Oklahoma City moviegoers warm during these icy days.
And now that “Watchmen” is confirmed for release after intra-studio legal maneuvering, the upcoming movie season is looking positively super-powered.
The following is a list of major films set for release through early May. All dates are subject to change as the season moves forward and studios jockey for prime opening-weekend positions.
“Taken” trailer:
Today
A young woman (Emily Browning) is warned by her mother’s ghost about the murderous motives of her stepmother-to-be (Elizabeth Banks) in “The Uninvited.”
Kristin Scott Thomas plays a former convict reunited with her sister in the French import “I’ve Loved You So Long.”
Liam Neeson plays an ex-government agent hunting in Paris’ underworld for his kidnapped daughter in “Taken.”
“New in Town” stars Renee Zellweger as a tough, Miami, Fla.-based business consultant who meets with a frosty reception when she’s sent to a small Minnesota town to supervise the restructuring of a local manufacturing plant.
“Coraline” trailer:
Feb. 6
Young psychics (Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans) try to end the government program that gave them their powers in “Push.”
Greg Behrendt’s best-selling, comedic self-help book becomes a star-studded romantic comedy featuring Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Connelly in “He’s Just Not That Into You.”
Steve Martin searches again for the elusive titular pink diamond in his role as Inspector Clouseau in “Pink Panther 2.”
Director Henry Selick (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”) returns with “Coraline,” Neil Gaiman’s story about a young girl (voiced by Fanning) who discovers an alternate-reality family living in the walls of her rambling house.
“The International” trailer:
Feb. 13
An Interpol agent (Clive Owen) and a New York district attorney (Naomi Watts) take on a global banking power in “The International.”
Hockey-masked killer Jason gets a new lease on life – and death – in “Friday the 13th.”
A pathological purchaser (Isla Fisher) tries to get a job at her favorite fashion magazine in “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”
Director Ari Folman reconstructs his memories of an Israeli army mission during the first Lebanon War through animation in “Waltz With Bashir.”
“Fired Up” trailer:
Feb. 20
Two popular high school football players ditch the pigskin to become cheerleaders in “Fired Up.”
Tyler Perry’s petulant granny dishes out some caged heat in “Madea Goes to Jail.”
“Jonas Brothers” trailer:
Feb. 27
Kristin Kreuk of “Smallville” leaps into action in the video-game adaptation “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li.”
The brotherly boy band of the moment delivers its first live performance film in “Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Movie.”
“Watchmen” trailer:
March 6
While creator Alan Moore disowns all film versions of his work, the buzz is huge for “Watchmen,” “300″ director Zack Snyder’s adaptation of `Moore’s dystopian graphic novel about masked avengers solving the murder of one of their own in 1985, during Richard Nixon’s fifth term in office.
“Miss March” trailer:
March 13
A young man awakens from a four-year coma to discover that his high school angel is a centerfold in “Miss March.”
Dwayne Johnson helps re-launch a classic Disney live-action series in “Race to Witch Mountain,” in which two teens with supernatural powers lead a Las Vegas cabbie through a bizarre adventure.
“Duplicity” trailer:
March 20
Julia Roberts and Clive Owen (“Closer”) reunite for “Duplicity,” writer-director Tony Gilroy’s (“Michael Clayton”) caper about corporate spies with a sexy past hooking up to con their companies.
In “Sunshine Cleaning,” a cash-strapped single mom (Amy Adams) and her slacker sister (Emily Blunt) start a crime-scene cleanup service.
After alarming predictions encased in the time capsule at his son’s school prove true, a professor (Nicolas Cage) tries to stop the other forecasts from happening in “Knowing.”
And in “I Love You, Man,” a friendless groom (Paul Rudd) goes on a series of man-dates to find a best man for his wedding, which gains him a best friend (Jason Segel) but threatens his bond with his fiancee (Rashida Jones).
“Monsters vs. Aliens” trailer:
March 27
In “Monsters vs. Aliens,” monsters locked away in a secret government compound must save the Earth when space aliens attack. The 3-D animated movie features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Colbert and more.
Writer-director Greg Mottola (“Superbad”) flashes back to summer 1987, when a recent college graduate (Jesse Eisenberg) takes a dead-end job at an amusement park that prepares him for life in “Adventureland.” The film also stars Kristen Stewart and Ryan Reynolds.
In “12 Rounds,” a detective (John Cena) must complete 12 challenges to save his kidnapped girl-friend (Ashley Scott).
And Ice Cube and Mike Epps star as shady concert promoters who find trouble when their plan to book a star rapper (Young Jeezy) goes wrong in “Janky Promoters.”
“Fast & Furious” trailer:
April 3
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (2001′s “The Fast and the Furious”) reprise their respective roles as an ex-con and federal agent with a shared love of fast cars in “Fast & Furious,” the latest flick in the franchise.
“Dragonball: Evolution” trailer:
April 8
Based on Akira Toriyama’s popular manga series, “Dragonball: Evolution” follows a warrior (Justin Chatwin) and his master (Chow Yun-Fat) trying to save the Earth from evil alien forces.
“Hannah Montana” trailer:
April 10
The smash-hit Disney Channel show gets the film treatment with “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” starring Miley Ray Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus and Emily Osment.
And look out “Paul Blart,” Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Ray Liotta and Patton Oswalt star in “Observe and Report,” a comedy about a bipolar mall security guard (Rogen) and a cranky cop (Liotta) who team up to catch a flasher.
“State of Play” trailer:
April 17
The political thriller “State of Play,” based on the BBC series of the same name, stars Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Viola Davis, Robin Wright Penn, Jeff Daniels and Jason Bateman.
Matthew Perry and Zac Efron play the same guy at two different ages in “17 Again,” a comedy about a disappointed man who reverts to his teenage self.
And in “Crank 2: High Voltage,” assassin Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) again races for his life, this time in pursuit of the mobster who has stolen his high-tech heart.
“Earth” trailer:
April 22
The Disney documentary “Earth,” based on the TV series “Planet Earth,” follows the migratory paths of four animal families.
“The Soloist” trailer:
April 24
Based on a true story, “The Soloist” centers on a musically gifted homeless man (Jamie Foxx) and the reporter (Robert Downey Jr.) who befriends the man and discovers his talents.
In “Obsessed,” a stalker (Ali Larter) targets a well-heeled businessman (Idris Elba) and his lovely spouse (Beyonce Knowles).
And in “Fighting,” an experienced con artist (Terrence Howard) introduces a young crook (Channing Tatum) to New York City’s underground street fighting scene.
“The Hurt Locker” trailer:
Spring
The Iraq War thriller “The Hurt Locker” follows an elite U.S. military bomb-detonating unit. (No release date set.)
-BAM
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