What do a stripper, a weatherman and the last Earthling have in common? This spring, each will be the focus of films destined for theaters. However, the question is: Will anybody want to watch? With the deadline for films eligible for February’s Academy Awards over and the glut of summer movies still months away, there seems to be a lack of blockbusters on the horizon.
Kara Griswold, assistant manager at Cinemark Hollywood U.S.A., notes the scarcity of big movies in the upcoming months. “I can’t really think of any all-encompassing movies coming out that are going to be sold out for several weekends,” Griswold said. “There always seems to be more business in the fall.”
Aaron Bryant, theater usher at Cinemark and senior renewable natural resources major at Texas A&M, has a theory for why more tickets would be sold in the fall.
“More students go home in the spring (on weekends),” Bryant said. “During the fall students stay for weekend football games. After the game what are they going to do? They go to the movies.”
Griswold is personally looking forward to “Hide and Seek,” a supernatural thriller staring Dakota Fanning and Robert DeNiro, opening Jan. 28. He plays a widower who, along with his daughter (Fanning), moves to the country where they must battle an invisible presence.
“‘Hide and Seek’ looks really good,” Griswold said. “(Fanning) is a really good actress for being so young.”
On his popular film Web site, Aint-it-cool-news.com, Austin-based film critic Harry Knowles has listed his top twenty anticipated films of the next year. Making its way at number 10 is “Sin City.” Opening on April Fools’ Day, co-directors Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino invite audiences on a tour of Sin City, a crime-infested slum taken from the popular underground comic book series of the same name. Filmed in black-and-white and featuring an anthology-like format, “Sin City” features a smorgasbord of actors including Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba and Mickey Rourke.
“After that trailer, who isn’t dying to see what Robert Rodriguez has cooked up with Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino?” Knowles said. “It has, hands down, one of the best casts I’ve ever seen. Cinematically, it is daring and feels right. That I know there’s prime nudity contained … that I know the violence is brutal beyond belief … and that I know the source material and the passion that all involved poured into this … yeah, I’m ready for multiple trips to Sin City.”
While audiences may not have chosen a clear winner, there are quite a few films scheduled for release in the next few months.
Here is a preview:
February On Feb. 11, Will Smith and Eva Mendes star in the romantic comedy, “Hitch.” Will Smith is a man who excels at telling other men how to perform on dates but finds trouble in his own love life. On Feb.18, Jamie Kennedy stars in “The Son of the Mask,” the sequel to 1994’s Jim Carrey comedy. Also due out on Feb. 18 is the adaptation of the DC comic book character “Constantine,” starring Keanu Reeves as a modern day sorcerer. Based on the underground comic book series “Hellblazer,” the film deals with an impending war between heaven and hell and the man (Reeves) stuck in the middle. On Feb. 25, the long delayed horror film “Cursed” finally arrives in theaters. Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the “Scream” team has created a modern day werewolf thriller staring Christina Ricci. Also due out on Feb. 25 is the Tommy Lee Jones comedy, “Man of the House.” In this Austin-filmed laugher, Jones stars as an FBI agent who must protect a group of University of Texas cheerleaders from criminals.
MarchOn March 4, John Travolta returns to the role of Chili Palmer in “Be Cool,” the sequel to the Elmore Leonard penned “Get Shorty.” Travolta plays a former loan shark who gets entangled in the world of pop music. On March 11, Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry and Robin Williams lend their voices to “Robots,” the computer animated comedy. On March 18, “The Ring Two” creeps into theaters. Starring Naomi Watts and Sissy Spacek, the sequel picks up six months after the original film’s events. On March 25, the popular Clive Cussler adventure novel “Sahara” rides into theaters. Matthew McConaughey stars as Dirk Pitt, an adventurer who must uncover long-buried secrets about America’s history and stop global pollution caused by a West African tyrant. “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous” also glides into theaters on March 25. Sandra Bullock returns to the role of a dolled-up FBI Agent who must rescue a pair of beauty pageant participants.
AprilOn April Fools’ Day, Nicholas Cage stars in the drama, “The Weather Man.” Cage plays a disenfranchised weatherman dealing with inner emotional and family drama. Also due out on April 15 is the horror-themed remake, “The Amytville Horror.” Starring Ryan Reynolds as a father who moves his family into a haunted house, this scare-fest is reportedly based on actual events. Also set for release on April 15, Jennifer Anniston and Kevin Costner headline the “Graduate” sequel/remake, “Rumor Has It,” about a woman who discovers her family was the basis for the novel/film “The Graduate,” and finds herself repeating history when she is seduced by an older man – Costner. Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman headline “The Interpreter,” a political thriller set in the United Nations embassy. This Sydney Pollack-directed film arrives in theaters on April 22. For more information on these films, visit www.imdb.com