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These are the best bets to beat the winter doldrums …
JANUARY
Bride Wars (pictured)
Who: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway
What: Two BFFs (Hudson and Hathaway) see their friendship tested when their dream weddings at New York’s Plaza Hotel are mistakenly booked on the same day.
Why: Sneaky, conniving, all-out-war cat fights, what else?
When: Jan. 9
My Bloody Valentine 3-D
Who: Jaime King, Jensen Ackles, Kerr Smith
What: A deranged murderer kills those who celebrate Valentine’s Day. Again.
Why: Check out how the guy throws a pickaxe at the audience. Bring on the blood and guts in 3-D, please!
When: Jan. 16
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Who: Kevin James, Keir O’Donnell
What: A single, suburban dad (James) tries to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall — a job he takes verrry seriously.
Why: Two words: Kevin James. It’s been a while since his Kings of Queens went bye-bye — and we miss him.
When: Jan. 16
Inkheart (pictured)
Who: Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis, Paul Bettany
What: Mo Folchart (Fraser) and his 12-year-old daughter share a passion for books. What they also share is an extraordinary gift for bringing characters from those books to life when they read aloud.
Why: What a great way to start off the year with another children’s fantasy book series brought to life on the big screen.
When: Jan. 23
Killshot
Who: Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Thomas Jane, Rosario Dawson
What: When a husband and wife (Lane and Jane) witness a shakedown, they discover that the Witness Protection Program is no match for a pair of ruthless killers who want them dead.
Why: Rourke’s on the comeback trail, and seeing him play a bad guy should be intriguing.
When: Jan. 23
The Lodger
Who: Hope Davis, Simon Baker, Alfred Molina
What: When Malcolm Slaight (Baker) rents her guest house, Ellen Bunting (Davis) becomes enamored by the charm and eccentricities of this mysterious Lodger. Meanwhile, a copycat killer is ripping up prostitutes on the Sunset Strip — right near the Bunting home. Coincidence?
Why: Baker is the hottest thing on TV, thanks to The Mentalist; this is the remake of a Hitchcock classic.
When: Jan. 23
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans (pictured)
Who: Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Rhona Mitra
What: Depicts the origins of the centuries-long blood feud between two powerful and immortal tribes, the aristocratic Vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans, a line of fierce werewolves. Let the games begin!
Why: Even without Kate Beckinsale, we want to see more vampires and werewolves squaring off against one another. Two movies just wasn’t enough.
When: Jan. 30
Taken
Who: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen
What: A former government operative (Neeson) comes out of retirement and uses his extensive training to rescue his daughter (Grace) from a slave trade operation.
Why: Human trafficking? Shiver
When: Jan. 30
KEEP READING: February Movies …
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FEBRUARY
Fanboys (pictured)
Who: Dan Fogler, Kristen Bell, Jay Baruchel
What: In 1998, four extreme Star Wars fans and childhood friends drive across America to Skywalker Ranch in order to sneak a peek at the yet unreleased Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Why: It’s for all those Star Wars fanatics everywhere. And for those who want to make fun of them.
When: Feb. 6
He’s Just Not That Into You
Who: Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson — who isn’t in this movie?
What: Interconnecting story arcs deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior.
Why: Kind of reminds us of Love Actually, which gathered a fine cast of British (and some American) actors to pretty much act out the same theme.
When: Feb. 6
Pink Panther 2
Who: Steve Martin, John Cleese, Jean Reno
What: Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Martin) teams up with a squad of international detectives who are just as bumbling as he is. Their mission: Stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts.
Why: We may be a glutton for punishment. Just kidding! The first one was a nonstop, MacDonald hamburger-eating funfest, so why not more?
When: Feb. 6
Push (pictured)
Who: Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou
What: The action packed sci-fi thriller involves a group of young American ex-pats with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities, hiding from a clandestine U.S. government agency in the safe haven of Hong Kong’s crowded streets.
Why: A bunch of psychics, eh? That’s intriguing enough — but maybe it’s more about seeing how little Dakota has grown, cursing up a blue storm and everything.
When: Feb. 6
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Who: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy
What: Rebecca Bloomwood (Fisher) is a sweet and charming New York City girl, who has a tiny, little problem that is rapidly turning into a big problem: she’s hopelessly addicted to shopping and drowning in a sea of debt.
Why: We are hoping Fisher’s effervescent personality brings a new, different kind of Sex and the City freshness to the big screen.
When: Feb. 13
Two Lovers
Who: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow
What: A Brooklyn man (Phoenix) is torn between a family friend his parents wish he would marry and the beautiful but volatile new neighbor (Paltrow) with whom he falls in love. Seems like he’s already made up his mind.
Why: A romance, huh? Now that Phoenix has announced he is retiring from the acting biz, one is curious to see what he’s chosen as his swan song.
When: Feb. 13
Friday the 13th (pictured)
Who: Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo and the new Jason, Derek Mears
What: Sound familiar? It takes place at Camp Crystal Lake, where a group of young adults discover it boarded up — and stalked by Jason (Mears).
Why: Horror remakes are all the rage, that’s why. It never gets boring seeing young, pretty people getting chopped up by a maniac in a hockey mask in the woods. Never.
When: Feb. 13
Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail
Who: Tyler Perry, Keisha Knight Pulliam, Derek Luke
What: After a high-speed freeway chase puts Madea (Perry) in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and land her in jail. Oh, but that’s not the end of it, lord no!
Why: Madea is back, large and in charge! Perry has the Midas touch when it comes to his films, and this big-screen reincarnation of Perry’s hit play should continue the trend.
When: Feb. 20
Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert
Who: Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas
What: The brothers in concert. In 3-D.
Why: Well, it made gazillions for Hannah Montana.
When: Feb. 27
KEEP READING: March Movies …
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MARCH
Watchmen (pictured)
Who: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson What: Based on the wildly popular graphic novel, it follows a group of costumed superheroes in an alternate 1985 America, where the past and present collide.
Why: Have you seen the trailer? It looks freaking awesome! Let’s just hope Fox doesn’t hold up its release with a silly lawsuit against distributor Warner Bros.
When: Mar. 6
All About Steve
Who: Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper
What: Bullock plays a crossword-puzzle constructor who becomes obsessed with a CNN cameraman (Cooper).
Why: America’s former sweetheart, a little older and wiser, is once again charming us in romantic comedies with this and the upcoming The Proposal (June 12), co-starring Ryan Reynolds. Oh, Sandy, we’ve missed you!
When: Mar. 6
Race to Witch Mountain
Who: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino
What: Siblings, who possess special, otherworldly powers, go on the run from a diabolical group of men who wish to exploit their abilities. And who better to help them than The Rock, as a Las Vegas cab driver?
Why: Because many of us remember how much fun the original 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain was and want to recapture those old Disney live-action moments. Or maybe because The Game Plan’s Johnson is cornering the market on Disney family films these days.
When: Mar. 13
Sunshine Cleaning
Who: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn
What: A single mom (Adams) and her slacker sister (Blunt) — who are biohazard removal and crime scene clean up specialists — stumble upon a very unexpected path toward potentially realizing their dreams in this Little Miss Sunshine-esque family dramedy.
Why: This sounds just peculiar enough to work, especially starring these two capable actresses. Let’s see if Adams steers away from the innocent lamb act.
When: Mar. 13
I Love You, Man (pictured)
Who: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Jon Favreau
What: Peter (Rudd) is about to marry Zooey (Jones), but he doesn’t yet have a best man. After a series of best-man dates, he settles on Sydney (Segel). Before long, they become so close that it threatens the impending marriage.
Why: Bromance between Rudd and Segel? Sign us up!
When: Mar. 20
Duplicity
Who: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti
What: A pair of corporate spies who share a steamy past hook up to pull off the ultimate con job on their respective opposing bosses.
Why: Are you kidding? Seeing Roberts and Owen together again (Closer being their first outing), in far more steamier scenes, is the way to go.
When: Mar. 20
This Side of the Truth
Who: Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, Jason Bateman
What: Gervais, making his film directorial debut, plays a writer who seizes an opportunity for personal gain by telling a lie in a contemporary world where no one has ever fibbed.
Why: With Ghost Town, Gervais proved he isn’t just another funny Brit whose best work is in a TV Office or as an Extra.
When: Mar. 20
Adventureland
Who: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr
What: Set in the summer 1987, this coming-of-age comedy centers on a recent college grad (Eisenberg), who takes a seemingly meaningless job at his local amusement park, only to discover that it’s the perfect way to prepare him for what lies ahead.
Why: Moody Stewart and sweet geek Eisenberg could be the next Ellen Page/Michael Cera quirky pairing. That is, if Stewart can shake off her Twilight vampire boyfriend in the meantime.
When: Mar. 27
The Accidental Husband (pictured)
Who: Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Firth
What: In this long-delayed romantic comedy, Thurman stars as Dr. Emma Lloyd, a radio-show host/love adviser who inadvertently messes up a firefighter’s (Morgan) relationship — and then has the tables turned.
Why: Morgan and Thurman sparring and falling in love could be just the fun, rom-com eye candy we need.
When: Mar. 27
Monsters vs. Aliens
Voices of: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd
What: When a meteorite from outer space strikes a California girl (Witherspoon) and turns her into a giant monster, she is whisked away by the military and taken to a secret government compound where she meets fellow monsters who’ve been rounded up over the years.
Why: We all loved Monsters, Inc., right? Sounds like this should follow suit.
When: Mar. 27
