Star Trek, Harry Potter, X-Men and more coming to cinemas this summer
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”
Matthew Price of Nerdage, George Lang of Static and I toiled for days on it, and now we present the Oklahoma City 2009 summer movie roundup. Here it is, complete and pristine until the studios decides to start messing with it. Sigh.
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Summer’s flicks to pack action
Blockbusters include “Star Trek,” “X-Men,” “Harry Potter”
Hollywood’s summer features potential blockbusters based on comic books, toy lines, TV shows and even (gasp!) history. Also on the way are high-profile sequels and even a handful of brand-new ideas.
From the clawed mutant of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” to the shape-shifting robots of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” action will be at the forefront of Summer 2009. But summer also has time for love, with “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” starring Hayden Hayden Panettiere, and the “(500) Days of Summer” with Zooey Deschanel.
The following are some of the summer’s high points expected to hit local theaters. Studios often shift opening dates, so check movie listings before heading to the theater.
MAY 1
Battle for Terra
Oklahoma’s James Garner is among the voice talent for this animated movie, which sees humans invading an alien world.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Celebrity photographer Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) is taken on a mystical journey through the ghosts of his past relationships in this “Christmas Carol”-inspired tale.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Hugh Jackman stars as Wolverine, the clawed mutant from the “X-Men,” whose origins are explored in this release, which also features Gambit and Deadpool, popular characters from the comic books.
“Star Trek”
MAY 8
Star Trek
J.J. Abrams (”Lost”) reinvents the spacefaring saga for the current generation. Chris Pine (”Bottle Shock”) and Zachary Quinto (”Heroes”) take on the roles of the Earthman James T. Kirk and the Vulcan Spock, who must come together to save mankind.
Next Day Air
Two small-time hoods (Mike Epps and Wood Harris) think they’ve hit the jackpot when they mistakenly receive a package of grade-A cocaine in this action comedy. But when they try to sell it, things go from bad to worse.
MAY 15
Angels and Demons
Tom Hanks returns as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon in this sequel to “The DaVinci Code.”
12
In this remake of “12 Angry Men,” 12 jurors must decide the fate of an 18-year-old Chechen accused of murdering his step-father.
Management
Jennifer Aniston plays an art saleswoman who has a chance meeting with a goofy hotel manager (Steve Zahn) who develops a crush on her.
“Terminator Salvation”
MAY 21
Terminator Salvation
Christian Bale (”The Dark Knight”) stars as John Connor, the man destined to lead the humans against Skynet in a post-apocalyptic 2018.
May 22
Dance Flick
Damon Wayans Jr. stars in this over-the-top parody of dance movies.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Ben Stiller returns in this sequel to 2006’s “Night at the Museum” – which this time around, is set at the Smithsonian.
“Up”
MAY 29
Drag Me to Hell
Director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy, Evil Dead series) returns to horror with this film starring Alison Lohman and Justin Long. Lohman stars as an ambitious L.A. loan officer who is cursed after denying an extension to a mysterious woman.
Up
Pixar’s latest features an elderly balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who ties thousands of balloons to his house to take a journey to South America. But he discovers an unexpected stowaway: a 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer.
Entertainment Insider: Summer movies and Flaming Lips’ fracas
The Oklahoman/NewsOK entertainment staff – Gene Triplett, Matt Price, George Lang and myself – talk about summer movies and the Oklahoma House vs. The Flaming Lips state rock song spat in this week’s Entertainment Insider.
-BAM
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” film release date moved again
Warner Bros. has again moved the release date for the film adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” But fans shouldn’t worry – this time the movie’s release is moving up.
” Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ” now is opening Wednesday, July 15, two days earlier than its previous release date , Warner Bros . head of distribution Dan Fellman told the Associated Press today.
This is the second date change for the sixth film based on J.K. Rowling’s mega-popular seven-book series. “Half-Blood Prince” was originally scheduled to come out last fall.
-BAM
Anticipated movies of 2009
My colleagues Matt Price and George Lang and I compiled the list of our 16 most anticipated movies of 2009. This story also ran in the Friday Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Most anticipated films of 2009: Flash-forward
From Captain Kirk and Harry Potter to Wolverine and the Transformers, movie-goers will welcome several blockbuster franchises back to the multiplexes in 2009.
Hollywood came close to setting a second-straight box-office record in 2008, with the runaway success of “The Dark Knight” pushing domestic revenues to $9.63 billion for the year, just short of 2007’s record-breaking $9.68 billion.
Those big box-office bucks prompted the studios to delay some high-profile releases, including “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and the “Star Trek” reboot, to this year. The anticipation from antsy fans is sure to intensify now that the new dates for these films are finally in sight.
Here are 16 movies we can’t wait to see this year, along with their estimated (and subject-to-change) release dates.
1. “Star Trek” (May 8 )
Thanks to a slamming trailer and a great casting retrofit, buzz over J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” is traveling light years beyond the series’ core following. Abrams, the plot-twisting wizard behind “Lost,” “Alias” and “Fringe,” supplies an all-new cast playing the classic characters from the 1966-69 series, including Chris Pine as James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto (”Heroes”) as Spock. The look of “Star Trek” pays homage to the original, but by most accounts, Abrams has made a “Star Trek” film that will beam up both Trekkies and Starfleet newbies.
2. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (July 17)
The Boy Who Lived begins his sixth year at Hogwarts and discovers a volume that sheds light on the dark early life of Tom Riddle, the misfit who grew up to be Lord Voldemort. Director David Yates, who delivered the creative jolt behind 2007’s “Order of the Phoenix,” will finish out the films, and trailers featuring Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as Riddle reveal a series that is darkening, deepening and catching a case of the serious creeps in the final stretch.
3. “Watchmen” (March 6)
Based on one of the most popular graphic novels of all time, “Watchmen” is directed by Zack Snyder (”300″). When a former superhero is murdered, the investigation by the vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earl Haley) uncovers a conspiracy against all the masked adventurers. A lawsuit threatens to derail “Watchmen,” and Alan Moore, the author of the original graphic novel, wants nothing to do with film adaptations. But despite the negatives, the buzz is strong on this film, snippets from which played to a packed room at Comic-Con.
4. “Avatar” (Dec. 18)
Writer and director James Cameron makes his long-awaited return with “Avatar,” starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez. This 3-D futuristic science fiction tale will use a mix of live-action, motion capture and computer animation.
5. “Public Enemies” (July 1)
The name of the movie may be woefully nondescript, but check out the names of the talent involved in director Michael Mann’s (”Heat”) 1930s crime drama about federal efforts to take down gangsters such as John Dillinger. Christian Bale stars as FBI bureau chief Melvin Purvis, Johnny Depp as Dillinger and Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover.
6. “Up” (May 29)
Can the brilliant minds at Pixar make it 10 critically acclaimed blockbusters in a row? Don’t bet against it. The animation powerhouse this year aims “Up” with a colorful tale of a septuagenarian (voiced by Edward Asner) who ties thousands of balloons to his house to make a long-awaited trek to see the jungles of South America. But after liftoff, he discovers a stowaway: an eager explorer 70 years his junior.
7. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (May 1)
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine from the “X-Men” films gets a solo spin-off, directed by Gavin Hood (”Rendition”). This film will introduce some new players from the X-Men mythos, including Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Gambit (Taylor Kitsch).
8. “Terminator Salvation” (May 22)
Though he cut his teeth (and rotted ours) with bright and happy Sugar Ray videos in the ’90s, director McG (”Charlie’s Angels”) gets deep into the grisly battle between humans and the Skynet machines in this new Arnold Schwarzenegger-less sequel. The new installment could bring along “The Dark Knight” followers, since Christian Bale is playing John Connor and the script’s final draft came from that film’s co-writer, Jonathan Nolan.
9. “Where the Wild Things Are” (Oct. 16)
Writer-director Spike Jonze (”Being John Malkovich”) has been working on his adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic – and notably thin – children’s story since 2006. It was originally slated for fall 2008 release, and rumors of turmoil on the set and with the studio swirled when it was delayed. But new photos and the latest buzz are promising, and with talents such as Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara and James Gandolfini involved, hopes are high that the film will evoke some of the book’s mystery and wonder.
10. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (June 26)
The sequel to 2007’s “Transformers” again stars Shia LeBeouf (Sam Witwicky) and Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes). The Transformers are the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons, both alien robots who can change form and mimic Earth vehicles. The Decepticons need to capture Sam after he finds out a secret about the origin of the Transformers.
11. “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra” (Aug. 7)
Along with the “Transformers” sequel, “Rise of Cobra” is the second film based on action figures from toymaker Hasbro set for 2009 release. “G.I. Joe” is a special military force that combats Cobra, a terrorist organization. Dennis Quaid stars as General Hawk and Ray Park is the silent ninja Snake Eyes. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Cobra Commander), Christopher Eccleston (Destro) and Sienna Miller (The Baroness) headline the bad guys.
12. “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (sometime in 2009)
A new film from writer-director Terry Gilliam (”Brazil”) always sparks curiosity, but none more so than this fantastical morality tale starring the late Heath Ledger in his final role. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell famously stepped in to finish Ledger’s scenes as the mysterious Tony, who encounters Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), a magical theater troupe leader who has made a pact with the devil (Tom Waits).
13. “Inglourious Basterds” (August)
Quentin Tarantino returns with his much-delayed “World War II Spaghetti Western” – what, you were expecting a Kate Hudson/Matthew McConaughey romantic comedy? “Inglourious” focuses on a group of Jewish-American soldiers (led by Brad Pitt, Eli Roth and B.J. Novak) dispatched to brutally kill Nazis, striking fear in the black heart of the Third Reich.
14. “Sherlock Holmes” (Nov. 20)
He proved he could become “Iron Man,” now Robert Downey Jr. takes on the role of literature’s most famous detective. Guy Ritchie, whose 2008 crime flick “RocknRolla” flopped, directs Holmes’ latest film outing, also featuring Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan and Jude Law as Dr. Watson.
15. “The Road” (sometime in 2009)
This adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning apocalyptic novel stars Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as a father and son walking through a destroyed and dangerous America. Directed by John Hillcoat (”The Proposition”), “The Road” features set design by the same team that made “Children of Men” so chillingly realistic.
16. “New Moon” (Nov. 20)
After Summit Entertainment scored a late ‘08 blockbuster with “Twilight,” the first movie based on Stephenie Meyer’s popular four-book series, the fledgling company fast-tracked the first sequel. Chris Weitz (”The Golden Compass”) takes the helm for “New Moon,” in which Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is heartbroken when her vampire boyfriend, Edward (Robert Pattinson), leaves her. She takes solace in her friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner in “Twilight,” though casting for this role hasn’t been confirmed), who turns out to be a werewolf.
-BAM
J.K. Rowling’s “Tales of Beedle the Bard” goes on sale Thursday
British author J.K. Rowling releases Thursday “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” a follow-up to her beloved Harry Potter saga.
“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is a collection of five fables mentioned in the seventh and final book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
Today, “Beedle the Bard” was already ranked No. 1 on Amazon’s British and U.S. Web sites, according to the Associated Press. Amazon is printing 100,000 copies of a leather-bound collectors’ edition priced at $100 in the United States, or 50 pounds in the U.K., and expects sell out.
The book’s global print run is 8 million copies. That sounds big – and undoubtedly seems like magic to hard-hit retailers - but compare it to “Deathly Hallows,” which sold 8 million copies in just its first 24 hours, according to AP. The Harry Potter books have sold more than 400 million copies and been translated into 67 languages worldwide.
Rowling has called the book a goodbye to the Harry Potter world. She wrote “Beedle the Bard” after “Deathly Hallows” was published. Initially, just seven handwritten copies were produced; six were given to friends and one auctioned for charity.
The author, who has become a billionaire with the Harry Potter books, is donating her royalties to the Children’s High Level Group, a charity she co-founded to support institutionalized children in Eastern Europe, according to AP.
Although “Beedle the Bard” has drawn the kind of mania that accompanied the Harry Potter books, fans of the boy wizard are undoubtedly hungry for a contact point with Rowling’s magical world, especially since Warner Bros. moved the release of the latest film adaptation, ”Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” from this fall to next summer.
-BAM
New releases
One of the most anticipated books of the year, J.K. Rowling’s ”The Tales of Beedle the Bard” will be released Thursday.
The fables, which play an integral part in the seventh and final Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” are augmented with commentary and footnotes from Albus Dumbledore.
Harry Potter fans will want to be sure to add the book to their collection.
Here is a list of the new CDs, DVDs and books from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
CDs
Britney Spears, “Circus.”
Neil Young, “Sugar Mountain – Live At Canterbury House 1968″ (CD/DVD set).
Akon, “Freedom.”
Original soundtrack, “Cadillac Records” (deluxe edition).
Panic! at the Disco, “Live in Chicago” (CD/DVD set).
DVDs
Bam Margera Presents: Where the #$&% is Santa?
Casablanca (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Fly Me to the Moon
Law & Order: The Sixth Year
The Longshots
Lower Learning
Metalocalypse: Season Two
Saturday Night Live: The Complete Fourth Season
Step Brothers
Wanted
The X Files: I Want to Believe
Books
“The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Harry Potter Series)” by J. K. Rowling.
“Body With Soul: Steady Your Sugar, Cut Your Cholesterol, and Get a Jump on Your Best Health” by Randy Jackson.
“Charlemagne Pursuit: A Novel” by Steve Berry.
“Cruel Intent (Ali Reynolds Series No. 4)” by J.A. Jance.
“Scarpetta” by Patricia Cornwell.
“Wishful Drinking” by Carrie Fisher.
-BAM
Video: New “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” trailer
For fans of J.K. Rowling’s phenomenal “Harry Potter” series, today was supposed to be the big day. It was supposed to be the release date of the sixth film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
But then “The Dark Knight” made a bajillion dollars, and Warner Bros. decided they didn’t need any more money this year but might like to have a big, fat blockbuster bankrolled for next summer. So, they moved it.
Of course, that cleared the way for “Twilight,” the movie version of the first in Stephenie Meyer’s mega-popular book series, to take today’s prime opening date during the weekend before Thanksgiving. It also allows the first movie in what seems sure to become a franchise to corner this fall’s market on book-to-film adaptations combining supernatural elements and teenage anst. (It’s a lot wider category than maybe it appears on the surface, trust me.)
For those of you still missing the Boy Who Lived, at least we have a new trailer for “Half-Blood Prince” that was released this week. It’s looks pretty darn awesome, and it starts with a great zinger from Harry to Dumbledore.
The trailer appears here courtesy YouTube and Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch blog. Watch it, love it and try not to think about how far away July 17, 2009 seems.
-BAM
