Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

Whether it's a quirky romantic comedy or a sci-fi thriller, this fall brings a plethora of promising films. But for some of us skeptics, the trailer has to look pretty darn good if we are going to spend close to $15 for a ticket. So peruse this section of notable trailers and make a movie date. And, what the hell, spring for a Coke and popcorn (or Sour Patch Kids, in my case).


Coming to Theaters in August
District 9
Peter Jackson (the producer) and Neill Blomkamp (director) bring us a fantastic film that forces one think on many levels. In their imaginative Johannesburg, aliens have landed and the humans don't like that they are asking for help. After being delegated to the slums, aliens become shunned, hated, and ultimately kicked out of town. But one man is caught in the middle after unforeseen circumstances. This film is a must-see (I saw it this weekend and was blown away. Review to come this week).




Paper Heart
Limitedly released on August 7, this documentary-style film about being a skeptic of love hits mainstream cinema. It has been receiving great buzz from the likes of Peter Travers (Rolling Stones). "Charlyne Li [who not only stars in the film, but is the co-writer] is an enchantress." Not to mention, Michael Cera (Arrested Development) provides a charming prince for Li's character.




Gentleman Broncos
Jared Hess, the director who brought us Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre is at it again. Gentleman Broncos is about a boy whose ambition to become a successful writer is thwarted by a pompous author who steals the boy's book and passes it off as his own. The shinning star of the trailer goes to Jermaine Clement's genius dialect.




Coming to Theaters in September
The Invention of Lying
Anything starring Ricky Gervais has got to be good. Add Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, and Tina Fey and you have an originative comedy about a man who lives in a world without lies. But things go awry when he suddenly develops this deceptive trait. P.S. Gervais also directs the film with Matthew Robinson.




Jennifer's Body
For those who like scary movies that rely more on their future cult classic status than popcorn throwing special effects, well Jennifer's Body is for you. Written by Diablo Cody, whose impressive Juno script caught the eyes of the cinema (and mainstream) world, this film stars Megan Fox as a demon trapped in a hot girl's body. But her character doesn't maintain that hot bod by eating right and exercising. No, she kills boys, and lots of them. Intrigued?




Extract
Leave it to director Mike Judge to always find humor in a work environment. Jason Bateman plays the owner of an extract plant who has many personal (a wife with a penchant for sweatpants) and professional problems (a temp with a penchant for pretty).




9
This animated film appears to be something we have never seen before. Set in a post-apocalyptic world with no humans, character 9 (Elijah Wood) sets out to find the other eight creations like him. But the real struggle arises when all nine must come together in hopes of saving their kind, and the world. Other voices include Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, and Crispin Glover.




Coming to Theaters in October
The Road
What was a gritting book by Cormac McCarthy about a father and son's journey through post-apocalyptic land is now coming to the big screen. The good news: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, and Guy Pearce are among the actors in the film. The bad news: the film has been postponed for over a year, never a good sign...




Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese brings on the scary in this thrilling tale of a murderess who escaped from a mental institution and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island. Leonardo DiCaprio leads a stellar cast of Mark Ruffalo, Emily Mortimer, and Michelle Williams. Just the names Scorsese and DiCaprio could get people to the box office.




Couple's Retreat
Where do you go to ignite the love lost in a marriage? A couple's retreat in Tahiti, of course. Director Peter Billingsly (remember eager Ralphie Parker from A Christmas Story? Yeah, that's him) takes lovable and complicated characters played by Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, and Jason Bateman on a whirl wind of hilarity with their respective wives. Looks cute and the scenery (filmed at the St. Regis Hotel in Bora Bora) is stunning.




The Informant!
The exclamation on the end says it all. This film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a kooky and quirky look at an undercover informant in the corn industry. Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a man who has no idea what he is doing, yet he thinks he does. Oh, and The Soup's Joel McHale also stars in the film. Score (EXCLAMATION POINT)!!!




Whip It!
Drew Barrymore goes behind the camera to direct a movie revolving around a roller derby league in Texas. With Ellen Page, Jimmy Fallon and Kristen Wiig in the film, much comedy is sure to ensue.




Where the Wild Things Are
Spike Jonze has taken a beloved children's book and turned it into a thing of beauty on the big screen. This trailer is full of whimsical creatures and wondrous backdrops that draw you in and leave you wishing it was already October. Not to mention, you will want to download Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" ASAP.




New York, I Love You
Eleven directors from Brett Ratner to Shekhar Kapur to Natalie Portman (yes, that Natalie Portman) collaborate to tell individual stories of finding passion, excitement, and love in New York. Actors such as Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Blake Lively, Orlando Bloom, and Rachel Bilson star in these various segments.




Coming to Theaters in November
Nine
For those looking for another great musical, director Rob Marshall (Chicago) is at it again. Nine stars Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman, and Kate Hudson. It centers around the famous film director Guido Contini and his struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives. Since Lewis is very picky on what he chooses to star in, just his name on the marquee gives this film an abundance of clout.


Nine-Trailer - These bloopers are hilarious


A Christmas Carol
Jim Carrey is transformed into Ebenezer Scrooge in Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol. But don't expect heavy makeup and prosthetics. No, this film is done with the same CGI technology of Zemeckis' Beowulf and The Polar Express. Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Robin Wright Penn round out the voices. Here is a clip from the film.




New Moon
For all you Twilight fans (closeted or not), the next installment of the series promises to be all your little tween hearts have hoped for. Edward takes on less cinema time, making room for Taylor Lautner and his biceps. The CGI of the wolf in this trailer looks a little cheesy, but I will still be in line on opening day.




2012
Director Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow) is bringing another end-of-the-world scenario to theaters. 2012 revolves around actual prophecies surrounding the end of the world on December 21, 2012. It is a story of human's struggle to survive. The special effects are stunning and look all too real... The film stars John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and Danny Glover.




Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson + stop-motion animation = brilliance. Based on a Roald Dahl book, this story begins with Mr. Fox and his fantastic life. But when his existence is tested, he joins forces with other lovable creatures in order to fight back. With voices like George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson, this movie could be, well, fantastic.




Coming to Theaters in December
Brothers
This is a chilling story about a husband (Tobey Maguire) who goes off to war. When news travels that he has been killed in action, his wife (Natalie Portman) begins to move on--into the arms of her husband's brother (Jake Gyllenhaal). But their lives are turned upside down when the husband returns alive, yet with a piece of himself missing.




Sherlock Holmes
Christmas Day marks the release of this gritty action film from director Guy Ritchie (Snatch). Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law play the notorious Sherlock and Watson while Rachel McAdams is the dame caught in the middle.




The Lovely Bones
Based on the novel of the same name, this film, directed by Peter Jackson, centers around a murdered teen who posthumously watches over her family--and her killer--from heaven. From just the trailer's two minutes, it's evident that Jackson has captured the ethereal and mystic air of the novel. Also, he has rounded up a stellar cast, including Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, and Susan Sarandon.




Did You Hear About The Morgan's?
Hugh Grant and rom-com go hand in hand. And with Sarah Jessica Parker by his side, this just might be one worth watching. Did You Hear About the Morgan's? is based on an unhappy couple who are forced into a witness protection program after they witness a murder.




Coming to Theaters: TBD
The Imaginatium of Doctor Parnassus
The eccentric mind of director Terry Gilliam (Brazil) never disappoints. He is a true visionary in the cinema world and paints whimsical pictures on the big screen. This movie is a notable one, because Heath Ledger was filming it when he died. Actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell came in to fill his role, honoring both Ledger and Gilliam's vision.