Hollywood Releases Preview – March, 2009
by HELEN GEIB
The theatrical releases currently scheduled for general release in March, 2009 are listed after the break. Title links are to the film’s page in the internet movie database.
March 6
Watchmen – Adaptation of the popular graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons; directed by Zack Snyder (300) and featuring Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, and Matthew Goode. Add a great-looking trailer to the mix and you have a lot of people excited about this one.
March 13
The Last House on the Left – Remake of the 1972 horror film of the same title. To the extent it matters, the cast includes Garret Dillahunt, Monica Potter; and Tony Goldwyn; directed by Dennis Iliadis.
Miss March – Sex comedy/roadtrip/buddy movie. Title refers to the pinup object of lust. Written by, directed by, and starring Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore, so there’s no question who’s to blame, er, the creative dominant force.
Race to Witch Mountain – From Disney, a souped up adaptation of the well-regarded young adult novel “Escape to Witch Mountain” by Alexander Key slash remake of the studio’s earlier 1975 film inspired by the book. I don’t remember the book having car chases and explosions, but then it has been a really long time since I read it. Directed by Andy Fickman and starring AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig as the young siblings on the run and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson and Carla Gugino as the adults who become their allies.
March 20
Duplicity – Writer-director Tony Gilroy’s follow-up to his fine Michael Clayton is a con-game movie starring Clive Owen and Julia Roberts as sometime lovers and mistrustful partners-in-crime. Also features Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti as feuding CEOs of the targeted rival companies.
I Love You, Man – Male-bonding comedy directed and co-written by John Hamburg and starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones.
Knowing – A “forestall the coming apocalypse” movie starring Nicolas Cage and directed by visual stylist Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City, I, Robot).
March 27
12 Rounds – A police officer is forced to engage in a battle of wits, bullets, and gore with a psychopath who has kidnapped his girlfriend. Directed by Renny Harlin, who has made good movies before and starring pro wrestler John Cena, who has not. I am not optimistic about which camp this one will fall into.
Adventureland – Dorky young man learns about life and love working a summer job at a run-down amusement park in the late ‘eighties. Directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad) and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristin Stewart, and Ryan Reynolds.
The Haunting in Connecticut – A horror film that’s not a remake about a family that learns the hard way that you should never move into any house you would want to live in and yet can actually afford to buy in suburban Connecticut. Stars Virginia Madsen and Martin Donovan as the parents and Kyle Gallner as their possessed teenage son; directed by Peter Cornwell.
Monsters vs. Aliens – Dreamworks animated comedy co-directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) and Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2). Continues the recent practice in animated films of filling out the voice cast with familiar faces, in this instance, including among others Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Hugh Laurie, and Kiefer Sutherland.
