The good, the interesting and the Spielberg
Although Hollywood may be a bit disordered as the screen writers remain on strike, there is no shortage of new movies for 2008.
There are sequels, movies that have been anticipated for years and a few new gems to look forward to this year.
“Horton Hears a Who!” (March 14)
Directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, this animated picture is based on Dr. Seuss’ story of the same name. The movie features the voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carrell and Dane Cook among others.
“21” (March 28)
Inspired by a true story, this film centers around six MIT students who become experts in card counting to win millions of dollars in Las Vegas. The professor, played by Kevin Spacey, convinces the students to play in Vegas and organizes the team. This movie features Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix Trilogy) and Jim Sturgess (“Across the Universe”) as Ben Campbell, the main character.
“Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay” (April 25)
The sequel to 2004’s hilarious adventure to White Castle follows the duo when they are accused of being terrorists for attempting to hide a bong in their carry-on luggage on their way to Amsterdam. John Cho and Kal Penn reprise their roles as Harold and Kumar along with Neil Patrick Harris, who makes another guest appearance.
“Speed Racer” (May 9)
The Wachowski Brother’s (The Matrix Trilogy) acid-trip remake of the Japanese animated series from the 1960s is on its way to the big screen. This part-live, part-animated story follows the life of Speed, a young teen racer out for glory. This movie definitely has a unique style that some will love and some will likely hate.
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (May 16)
The stars of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” return to Narnia 1000 years later to find out things in Narnia have changed – the evil king Miraz rules. They must once again help fight off evil and restore order to the kingdom by putting Prince Caspian back to his rightful throne.
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (May 22)
Not much is known about the fourth Indiana Jones movie from Steven Spielberg, but most of the old cast returns (with the exception of Sean Connery), and some new members are added including Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf.
“Get Smart” (June 20)
Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson star in this remake of the 1965 TV series starring Don Adams (“Inspector Gadget”). Maxwell Smart (Carrell) must team up with Agent 99 (Hathaway) in order to stop KAOS from taking over the world.
“Wanted” (June 27)
Director Timur Bekmambetov directs a story that originated as a comic book about a loser with a dead-end job and no future who transforms into a rogue and assassin. When an important assassin dies, Sloan (Morgan Freeman) sends Fox (Angelina Jolie) to retrieve the man’s son, Wesley (James McAvoy). Together they turn Wesley into the assassin that his father used to be so their organization can continue enforcing justice its own way.
“Wall-E” (June 27)
Pixar’s new animated film follows around Wall-E, a robot living on a planet full of garbage. After hundreds years, the robot comes into contact with an alien spaceship and begins an adventure. The tagline for the film reads “After 700 years of doing what he was built for – he’ll discover what he’s meant for.” This film features the voices of Fred Willard and Jeff Garlin.
“The Dark Knight” (July 18)
The much anticipated sequel to Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” continues the story of Batman’s fight for justice in Gotham. Most of the original cast returns for the sequel, including Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman. New to the cast is Maggie Gyllenhaal, who replaces Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, the recently deceased Heath Ledger as The Joker and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. This film revolves around The Joker as well as Harvey Dent and his transformation into Two Face, which is most likely going to be continued in a third installment.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (November 21)
The original cast returns for the sixth Harry Potter film. In this one, Harry discovers an old book and learns more about Lord Voldemort’s past. Not only does Harry have to deal with Voldemort being back in power, but he must also handle typical teenage angst. Like in the previous Harry Potter films, expect stunning visuals and lots of scenes missing that are in the book.
“Choke” (Release date TBA)
This movie, based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), follows the story of a con-man sex addict. In the effort to pay for his mother’s hospital bills, Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell), devises a plan to choke on food at a restaurant, hoping that the people who save him will feel responsible for him and give him money. All the while he spends his time going to sexual addiction workshops and working at a theme park.
Contact Campus Press Online Director Jason Bartz at jbartz@thecampuspress.com.
