Must-see films for 2009
Here are the movies to watch out for in 2009:
Watchmen (March)
Who's in it: Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley
Who's making it: Zack Snyder, the gifted stylist behind 300.
The lowdown: Part conspiracy-thriller, part murder-mystery, it follows a group of reunited costumed crime-fighters after one of their own is murdered.
Why watch the Watchmen? The 1986 graphic novel is considered the Citizen Kane of comics. Can Snyder's film retain the source material's sex, violence and psychological depth? One more note: As of press time, the film's release was still in jeopardy because Fox is contesting Warner Bros.' rights to the property.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May)
Who's in it: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston
Who's making it: Gavin Hood, who directed the thriller Rendition.
The lowdown: Jackman reprises his X-Men role in this prequel that reveals the character's mysterious past.
A furry, fanged Schreiber turns up as sociopathic Sabretooth.
Evolve or die: X-Men: The Last Stand raked in more than $200 million in May 2006. Should it perform as well as expected, look for Fox to greenlight more X-prequels (X-Men Origins: Magneto is on the launchpad).
Star Trek (May)
Who's in it: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana and some dude named Leonard Nimoy.
Who's making it: Geek god J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost, Alias and Fringe.
The lowdown: A Romulan (Bana) travels back in time to assassinate a youthful James T. Kirk (Pine). Quinto plays young Spock while Nimoy turns up as the character's elder pointy-eared incarnation.
The new -- or final -- frontier? This $150-million Trek will have to beam up young moviegoers, and lots of them, so that this four-decade-old franchise can live long and prosper.
Terminator Salvation (May)
Who's in it: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington
Who's making it: McG, hoping to prove he has the cajones to direct more than Charlie's Angels movies.
The lowdown: Set after Judgment Day, Christian Bale's John Connor encounters a mysterious survivor named Marcus (Worthington) while battling various incarnations of Terminators.
Guess who won't be back: Arnold Schwarzenegger and creator James Cameron. Although there's a chance we might see Schwarzenegger's mug digitally grafted -- a la Benjamin Button -- onto the odd cyborg.
Public Enemies (July)
Who's in it: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale
Who's making it: Michael Mann, director of Heat.
The lowdown: Set during the crime wave of the 1930s, Depp stars as famed bank robber John Dillinger. Bale plays Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent who hunted Dillinger down.
Why we care: Depp. Bale. And Mann, who's better than anybody at playing cops 'n' robbers.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July)
Who's in it: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson
Who's making it: David Yates, the Brit who directed Order of the Phoenix.
The lowdown: The teen wizard learns new secrets about his nemesis Lord Voldermort.
Big Harry deal: A Potter flick is cause for celebration -- particularly for Warner Bros., which bumped its release back six months so it could prop up a flimsy summer schedule.
Sherlock Holmes (November)
Who's in it: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams
Who's making it: Guy Ritchie, looking to expand his range beyond dark comedies about snarky London gangsters.
What's it about: Holmes (Downey Jr.) and Watson (Law) must save England from a new nemesis with a combination of intellect and brawn.
Elementary appeal: Downey couldn't be hotter right now, thanks to his other franchise Iron Man. Ritchie says audiences can expect a more action-oriented Sherlock than they're used to. McAdams is always welcome.
The Lovely Bones (December)
Who's in it: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and Saoirse Ronan.
Who's making it: Peter Jackson, returning to Heavenly Creatures territory.
What's it about: After her brutal rape and murder, a 13-year-old girl (Ronan) observes her family -- and her killer -- from heaven. Based on the acclaimed novel by Alice Sebold.
Sounds heavenly: Jackson courts Oscar once again with a tale that demands a mastery of both emotion and visual effects.
THE BEST OF THE REST
From vampires to real American heroes to dinosaurs to musicals, here are more of the movies coming to a multiplex near you over the next 12 months:
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Jan. 23)
Kate Beckinsale has hung up her rubber catsuit for good, so the equally-gorgeous Rhona Mitra (playing a new character) anchors this medieval prequel.
Pink Panther 2 (February)
Steve Martin's Inspector Clouseau meets his match in a team of detectives as inept as he is.
Friday the 13th (February)
From the recyclers who brought us new, lesser versions of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hitcher.
Race to Witch Mountain (March)
The Rock -- sorry, Dwayne Johnson -- plays a cabbie tasked with protecting two kids with paranormal powers.
Duplicity (March)
Julia Roberts and Clive Owen are corporate spies conspiring to con their bosses. From Michael Clayton director Tony Gilroy.
Adventureland (March)
Twilight's Kristen Stewart stars in this teen comedy set in 1987 and directed by Superbad's Greg Mottola.
The Ugly Truth (April)
Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler square off in battle of the sexes comedy from the maker of 21 and Legally Blonde.
Fast and Furious (April)
Will Vin Diesel and Paul Walker get their careers back on track by returning to the car-racing franchise that made them famous?
State of Play (April)
After Brad Pitt bailed, Russell Crowe signed on as a Washington reporter investigating a murder with links to a politician (Ben Affleck) who just happens to be his dearest friend.
The Soloist (April)
Jamie Foxx is a musical prodigy discovered living on the streets of Los Angeles by Times reporter Robert Downey Jr.
17 Again (April)
When Matthew Perry wishes he could be a teenager again, he wakes up 17 years old -- and looking just like Zac Efron.
Angels and Demons (May)
Tom Hanks, sans the mini-mullet he sported in The Da Vinci Code, tackles yet another ancient conspiracy.
Up (May)
Pixar's summer entry finds a grumpy old codger taking to the skies and seeking adventure after tying his house to hundreds of balloons.
Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (May)
Ben Stiller is joined by Amy Adams for this sequel, set in D.C.
The Proposal (June)
Hard-driving boss Sandra Bullock and beleaguered employee Ryan Reynolds pretend they're engaged so she can get a green card.
Land of the Lost (June)
Big-budget fantasy-comedy starring Will Ferrell, based on the 1970s TV show.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June)
The Autobots face an ancient threat while the Decepticons are again in hot pursuit of Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.
Inglorious Bastards (TBD)
Brad Pitt leads the ensemble of this pulpy Second World War action yarn from Quentin Tarantino.
Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs (July)
The third instalment in the hugely popular Ice Age series.
2012 (July)
The director of Independence Day is laying waste to the world again. John Cusack stars.
Funny People (July)
Judd Apatow directs Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Eric Bana in this dramedy about stand-up comics.
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (August)
The 1980s toy line charges to the big-screen under the direction of Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing).
The Taking of Pelham 123 (August)
Denzel Washington is the transit cop and John Travolta the subway highjacker in this Tony Scott thriller.
The Informant (September)
Matt Damon packed on extra weight to play a corporate whistleblower in Steven Soderbergh's comedy.
Shutter Island (October)
Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese reunite for this Hitchcockian psycho-drama set in a mental institution for the criminally insane.
The Princess and the Frog (November)
Disney's return to 2D traditional animation concerns a princess who kisses a frog, then winds up an amphibian herself.
Nine (December)
Daniel Day-Lewis can act, sure, but can he carry a tune? We'll find out when this musical from Chicago director Rob Marshall hits screens at the end of the year.
The Surrogates (December)
Bruce Willis hunts a killer in a futuristic world in which all human interaction happens between robotic surrogates.
CBC time-travel comedy relives 90's
TORONTO - If only she knew then what she knows now, things could have turned out so differently.
So begins the quirky time-travelling series "Being Erica," an hour-long dramedy that follows the neverending growing pains of thirty-something underachiever Erica Strange.
Fired from her mediocre job, dumped by her Lavalife boyfriend and berated by her family for her string of failures, Erica traces her woes to mistakes made in her past.
She's offered a second chance to get things right when her mysterious new therapist actually sends her back in time to relive the moments she regrets most.
But despite the sci-fi leanings, the show is much more than its "Back To The Future" premise, insists star Erin Karpluk, noting that each episode delves into universal neuroses over friends, family and relationships.
"The time-travel element is there more as catalyst for her learning these lessons and going back in time," says the bubbly Karpluk, who starred in the 2005 comedy-drama "Godiva's."
"I'm hoping that people identify with her because I think anyone, regardless of age, sex, race, class, gender, has regrets. I think there are times in everyone's life where they wish that they could go back and have a do-over."
A great deal of the show's charm is the hearty embrace of each year that's portrayed, says Karpluk, who's forced to don outrageouly dated hairstyles and fashions each week.
The CBC series kicks off Monday with Erica thrown back into high school, circa early 1990s - and the "90210" fashions and Shannen Doherty bangs are enough to give anyone who lived through that era a shameful dose of regret. The hit-laden soundtrack helps set the tone with past gems by Nirvana and Fine Young Cannibals.
Later episodes include one set in the Y2K era - with Erica dolled up like "Sex and The City" fashionista Carrie Bradshaw - and one set in the 1970s, before Karpluk's character was born.
The clever premise also means the misfit heroine is continually sent on a rollercoaster of emotions through youthful traumas and life lessons - other episodes see Erica relive the death of her brother, the loss of her virginity (involving sex in a canoe), and what she recalls as her perfect day.
"And you think that (perfect day) would be fun but as a 32-year-old woman in a 17-year-old body it becomes a lot more complicated than she had originally hoped," says Karpluk, whose mysterious therapist is played by Michael Riley of "This is Wonderland" fame.
Even though the slick "Being Erica" has yet to officially air, CBC programming executive Kirstine Layfield says the ABC-owned cable channel Soapnet picked it up for broadcast in the United States while BBC Worldwide picked up international rights to the series.
Karpluk says it's a smart show that should have wide appeal.
"It never wraps up in a neat little bow, it's never like, she's learned not to be bullied and that's it for the rest of her life. Or not to care what people think about her because that's not what life is," says Karpluk, originally from Jasper, Alta.
"Life is very messy and awkward.... You can't change the past, and in her situation, even if theoretically you can change the past, you still can't change the past. But what she learns is that she can change the present by making smart choices and shaping her futu re."
"Being Erica" airs on CBC-TV on Monday.
Q&A WITH RICHARD BELZER - THE UNCONVENTIONAL ACTOR/COMIC/WRITER (PHEW) TALKS DOGS, ANCIENT HISTORY AND BEING TOO FUNNY FOR THE ARMY
Richard Belzer is best known for playing detective John Munch on "Law and Order: SVU" (and on any other series that'll have him - he's played Munch on more shows than any actor has played the same character in TV history). But his start in show biz was on the stage. Belzer is known for his unconventional attitudes - he proudly embraces the term "conspiracy theorist" - and this has made him one of the top comedians throughout the '70s. Last year, Belzer brought his comic sensibility to publishing with "I Am Not A Cop!" a book that featured an actor named Richard Belzer who plays a TV detective named John Munch. But for those who'd like to see that sensibility in its original habitat, Belzer appears with Richard Lewis at Town Hall on January 17.
You've played Detective John Munch on 10 separate tV shows. At this point, do shows want Munch on just because of the record?
I think it's more flattering than that. People are so enamored of the character that when they see in a script, "detective," they think, let's bring Belzer in. They did that on "The X-Files," on "Arrested Development," on "Sesame Street." It's been so much fun.
You recently released a novel with yourself as the main character. Why did you take that approach?
I've always been fascinated by the confluence of celebrity and reality, and I'm a big fan of film noir. I wanted to combine all those elements into a kind of 21st-century, noir-mystery comedy. The idea that I'm an actor who plays a detective on TV who gets caught up in a real crime appealed to me because it gives me fictional license, but I can use a lot of reality. It's kind of a reality novel.
You started your movie career in the cult classic "The Groove Tube," from the early '70s , which was druggie and raw. Can you imagine a movie like that succeeding today?
No. We laid out the joke in a very prosaic way because we were kind of the first people to do satire of movies and television at that level.
The "Weekend Update" format for "SNL" and the "Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow" tag line came out of "The Groove Tube," didn't they?
Yes. One of Lorne Michaels' direct influences in creating "Saturday Night Live," by his own admission, was "The Groove Tube."
It's hard to imagine, but you were in the Army. How did you get along there?
I was discharged - under honorable conditions - for being non-adaptable to military service. I was deemed too funny to carry a gun. I was in for seven months, went through basic training, got a top secret clearance to become a radio intercept operator, went AWOL once. I was too funny for words and was asked to leave. I didn't want to kill anybody. Call me crazy.
How did having testicular cancer change your life?
There are a lot of cliches about near-death experiences, how they make you appreciate life more. I think they're much exaggerated. It was very sobering and you do learn to value things you hadn't before, but life is so complex. You still have to earn everything. I wouldn't recommend having cancer for the wisdom.
* "[Bob] Cousy was one of the early players to dribble behind his back and do behind-the-back passes. He was a legendary ball player in the '50s and early sixties that I tried to copy."
* "I take photos. I shoot a lot of landscapes and flowers, people and animals. I'm getting ready to publish a book of my photographs. I'm using Panasonic Lumix with a Leica lens. It's a small digital camera that takes incredible pictures, and it's become an opiate for me. It gives me hours of unending joy."
* "If you Google my name and 'Bebe,' there's thousands of entries of my dog on red carpets. The photographers will say, 'Bebe, over here!' They don't care about me anymore."
* "I have a house in Bozouls, in the southwest of France. It's a little farming village. [My wife and I]have a beautiful 500-year-old stone mill house on a waterfall. The day-to-day lifestyle of French country living is totally antithetical to anything I do in America."
* "I'm a big, big fan of black and white film noir. Films like 'Out of the Past' and 'Murder, My Sweet.' The idea that the films of the '30s and '40s were coming out of the Depression and World War II, I'm fascinated by the psychology of what purpose they filled. Some of them were light and frothy, some were anti-prison-abuse films, and Hollywood was really raw and evolving."
* "I'm a bag fan of Roman history, particularly the period prior to and after Julius Caesar's reign. On some level they were so incredibly advanced and yet barbaric at the same time. Things haven't changed much."
SOUNDING OFF IN '09 - U2, SPRINGSTEEN AND MORE REV UP A FULL-THROTTLE YEAR
This year's music mantra is: Gimme something fine in 2009 . . . an album, and not just a piddling ringtone riff or a catchy single featuring Akon.
So far, the artists ready to meet that challenge include veterans like Springsteen and U2, newcomers such as the seductive Erin McCarley and even last year's chart busters Coldplay. Here's a rundown of some albums to groove to in the coming months.
"Love, Save the Empty," Erin McCarley (Jan. 6): This California girl, transplanted to Nashville, will easily have the best album of the year when it's released Tuesday. She may only hold that record a week, but her songs - reminiscent of a young Tori Amos or Fiona Apple - will stay with you for much longer. Bonus: Hear her live on "Letterman" Tuesday.
"Already Free," The Derek Trucks Band (Jan. 13): At 29, slide master Trucks is the youngest ace on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time . . . and he deserves the slot. He proves it again with his sixth CD, an album where he spreads his wings as a songwriter. The record's first single, currently available on iTunes, is a searing cover of the Dylan/Band collaboration "Down in the Flood," from "The Basement Tapes."
"The Empyrean," John Frusciante (Jan. 20): Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist Frusciante describes his introspective concept album as a CD where "the story takes place within one person." RHCP fans take note: Bassist Flea is on the record along with ex-Smiths keys player Johnny Marr, so expect the music to be a psychedelic experience. Lower the lights and pump up the volume.
"Working on a Dream," Bruce Springsteen (Jan. 27): If the Boss' "Magic" was too dark for you, the optimistic Jersey rock of "Working on a Dream" might match the hope-for-change attitude of the United States of Obama. In fact, the title track debuted at one of the President-elect's campaign rallies. Springsteen's 16th record is born to run up the charts, getting a post-release boost from his halftime gig at the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
"Tonight: Franz Ferdinand," Franz Ferdinand (Jan. 27): After more than a year in a Glasgow recording studio, Scotland's FF is done with their third studio disc. Similarly to Vampire Weekend's rock infused, sub-Saharan rhythms disc, this record also pays homage to African influences, making it a natural for the dance floor.
"The Fray," The Fray (Feb. 3): After debuting as background music on "Grey's Anatomy" two years ago, they've since become Warp Tour stars. Their second disc, while similar, is said to be more extreme than the first. Frontman Isaac Slade says, "The quieter stuff is a little quieter and the rock stuff is a little rockier." How extreme, indeed.
"No Line on the Horizon," U2 (March 2): The buzz on this disc is it incorporates hand-played arrangements that rely heavily on electro elements. Translation? Bono has said, "The songs show a real departure from the themes of the last two albums, with trance influences." Veteran U2 producer Daniel Lanois says the album will "push the limits of the sound arena much like 'Achtung Baby' did." The best news? A new record means a U2 tour this summer.
"Quiet Nights," Diana Krall (March 31): On her 12th album and first full-length release since 2006's acclaimed crossover jazz disc "From This Moment On," Mrs. Elvis Costello imports Brazilian sway to her regular and romantic West Coast jazz stylings. To this end, the record features three covers of songs by bossa nova legend Antonio Carlos Jobim.
"Relapse," Eminem (TBD): It's been four years since Em released his last solo album and almost half that since he started talking about this new one. But alas, the wait for Slim Shady's latest is almost over. The rapper claims the album's already been recorded, but the holdup is because he and Dr. Dre are still deciding on song selection and track sequencing. Expect "Relapse" by the spring thaw.
Also in the coming year: new tunes from Coldplay and the Dave Matthews Band. Matthews hasn't cranked a disc since 2005, and Chris Martin's outfit wants to "Viva la Vida" while the band's iron is blazing hot.
'Marley & Me' remains top dog with $24M weekend
LOS ANGELES – Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson and their little dog have not lost their box office bite.
The family tale "Marley & Me," starring Aniston and Wilson as owners of an adorably mischievous pooch, took in $24.1 million to finish as the No. 1 movie for a second-straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The 20th Century Fox flick raised its total to $106.5 million since opening Christmas day.
With no new wide releases, the weekend shaped up largely like the previous one, with Disney's Adam Sandler comedy "Bedtime Stories" in second place with $20.3 million.
Rounding out the top five again were Paramount's Brad Pitt romantic drama "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" with $18.4 million, MGM's Tom Cruise World War II saga "Valkyrie" with $14 million and the Warner Bros. Jim Carrey comedy "Yes Man" with $13.9 million.
In a season loaded with wartime stories, two more Nazi-themed films opened in limited release.
Paramount Vantage's "Defiance" debuted with $121,000 in two theaters for a whopping average of $60,500 a cinema. By comparison, "Marley & Me" averaged $6,862 in 3,505 theaters. "Defiance" stars Daniel Craig in the story of Jewish brothers who form a band of freedom fighters against the Nazis in Eastern Europe.
ThinkFilm's "Good" opened with $9,300 in two theaters, averaging $4,650. The film casts Viggo Mortensen as an upright German academic gradually seduced into the Nazi fold as World War II approaches.
Hollywood finished 2008 with solid returns. Domestic movie revenues totaled $9.63 billion for the year, just shy of the $9.68 billion record set in 2007, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
Factoring in 2008's higher admission prices, the number of tickets sold fell to 1.35 billion, down 4.3 percent from the year before.
That was a solid result given hard economic times, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.
"The movie industry is totally holding its own in the face of the recession, increased competition from other entertainment options and emerging technologies," Dergarabedian said.
The new year was off to a good start, with the top 12 movies taking in $130.1 million, up 7.4 percent from the same weekend in 2008.
"Marley & Me" remained the pet picture for audiences looking to relax and unwind over the holidays, said 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston.
"A picture doesn't stay No. 1 for two weeks without getting great word of mouth," Livingston said. "It's a feel-good movie. That's what people want to see right now."
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Marley & Me," $24.1 million.
2. "Bedtime Stories," $20.3 million.
3. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," $18.4 million.
4. "Valkyrie," $14 million.
5. "Yes Man," $13.9 million.
6. "Seven Pounds," $10 million.
7. "The Tale of Despereaux," $7 million.
8. "Doubt," $5 million.
9. "The Day the Earth Stood Still," $4.9 million.
10. "Slumdog Millionaire," $4.8 million.
John Travolta "heartbroken" over son's death
NASSAU (Reuters) – John Travolta broke a two-day silence over the death of his 16-year-old son Jett on Sunday, saying he and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, were "heartbroken" by their sudden loss.
Jett, who had a history of seizures, was found unconscious in a bathroom at his family's home at the Old Bahama Bay resort on Grand Bahama Island on Friday morning.
He was pronounced dead after being taken by ambulance to Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport and an autopsy to determine the cause of death is due to be performed in the Bahamas on Monday.
"Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered," Travolta said in a statement posted on his website www.travolta.com.
"We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time that we had with him for the rest of our lives."
The statement did not refer to Jett's medical history or possible cause of death. But it offered thanks from the Hollywood star, his wife and their 8-year-old-daughter, Ella, for "many messages of condolence from around the world."
Travolta has said previously that Jett became very sick when he was a toddler and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which leads to inflammation of the blood vessels in young children.
Travolta's publicists have declined to comment on autopsy or funeral plans for the actor's teenage son and could not be reached for comment on Sunday.