| NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SPEAK UP! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| EXTRA! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| GALLERIES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| FEATURES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| TIME OUT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| EVENTS & PROMOS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ADVERTISING |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thu, 02 Sep 2010
|
 |
|
|
 TIME OUT :: Entertainment |
|
Hollywood movie fantasy
The studios hope this summer’s slew of exciting films will help them to another record season
by Andy Goldberg
 |
|
Iron Man 2 | THE INK is barely dry on the Oscar certificates, but Hollywood is already thinking of summer. Buoyed by the box-office success of films like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, movie executives hope that a combination of 3D movies, sequels and franchise films will help the studios to another record season.
Summer begins early when Paramount releases Iron Man 2 on the first weekend in May. The sequel follows up the Robert Downey Jr film of 2008, which earned almost US$600 million (RM1.9 billion) worldwide.
Other potential blockbusters set for May release include a new Robin Hood film starring Russell Crowe and the next 3D spectacular, Shrek Forever After.
Also set for cinemas in May are Disney’s Prince of Persia, starring Jake Gyllenhaal in a video-game spinoff, and something for the ladies with Sex and the City 2.
Altogether, the summer will feature at least 11 sequels and franchise reboots, according to The Hollywood Reporter, two more than last year and four more than in summer 2008.
 |
|
The Twilight Saga | The hope in Hollywood is that relying on a diet of tried-and-tested films together with the demand for 3D will enable the major studios to at least match last year’s record season of US$4.34 billion (RM14.4 billion) in ticket sales in the US and Canada.
“There are plenty of really important 3D movies coming,” Disney executive Chuck Viane told The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re not the only guys out there, and this is going to be a summer where 3D really shines. The pictures are spread out well enough that they all should get pretty good 3D screen counts.”
June will see films like The Karate Kid starring Jackie Chan, Toy Story 3, in 3D, naturally, and the Cameron Diaz-Tom Cruise spy comedy Knight and Day. There will be two comic adaptations:
Marmaduke and Jonah Hex, which stars Josh Brolin and Megan Fox in a tale of a butt-kicking Old West bounty hunter.
The fun continues with the film version of the hit 1980s TV series The A-Team, while teenagers in need of a Twilight fix can see the almost guaranteed blockbuster The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
 |
|
Jolie in the CIA thriller, Salt | Movie fans who like a little more subtlety with their star power will be looking forward to July 16 when Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight, lines up stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Caine, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the sci-fi action film, Inception.
Another sci-fi action flick set for July is Predators, the third sequel in the alien-mayhem franchise, while Angelina Jolie will play a sexy spy in the CIA thriller, Salt.
Lighter family fare will be provided by Warners’ 3D sequel Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore;
Despicable Me, voiced by the likes of Steve Carell; and Nicolas Cage in Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
The fun continues in August with films like dance-movie sequel Step Up in 3D, the Will Ferrell-Mark Wahlberg cop comedy The Other Guys and the Michael Cera comedy Scott Pilgrim vs the World.
Slightly more grown-up comedies include Going The Distance, with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, and The Switch, about a woman played by Jennifer Aniston who learns something unnerving about the sperm donor who made her pregnant. This bawdy caper may be the hit of the month.
But there’s also a more serious contender – Eat Pray Love – starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem in the film version of the inspirational bestseller. – dpa
|
Updated: 03:14PM Fri, 19 Mar 2010
|
|
Printable Version
|
Email to a Friend
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
1.gif)
08052009NEW.gif)
.jpg)