March 2007
(as seen in the Scottsdale Airpark News)
Movies in theaters are alive and well as Hollywood
continues to release some very exciting films. Why see these films
in a theater instead of at home on your great home theater system?
Some movies are best experienced on a massive screen with amazing
sound, with audience interaction, or maybe that guilty pleasure
-- with hot liquid butter poured all over that big bag of popcorn.
There could be one annoyance though -- deciding just what to see,
given there are often five or more new movies released every week.
So with your busy life, if you could see just one newly released
movie per week plus an extra one for St. Patrick’s day,
which six in March should they be?
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For the weekend of March 2nd, it is “Wild
Hogs” starring Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence,
John Travolta, William H. Macy, Ray Liotta and Marisa Tomei.
A comedy adventure, rated PG-13.
The plot: Four successful middle-aged biker wannabes from
suburbia (Allen, Lawrence, Travolta, Macy) find themselves
frustrated with the pace of daily life. Their one collective
dream has been to become a group of bikers, and after some
hesitation, they all decide to throw caution into the wind
and go looking for adventure. All geared up, they hit the
road on their Harleys, sometimes learning the ropes as they
go. The fun soon takes a turn when the foursome stumbles onto
a real motorcycle gang and their leader (Liotta).
There are five other new releases this weekend: Black
Snake Moan, Full of It, Two
Weeks, Wild Tigers I Have Known,
and Zodiac. |
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For the weekend of March 9th, it is “300”
starring Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera), Lena Headey
(The Brothers Grimm), David Wenham (The Proposition) and Dominic
West (The Wire). An action / historical war drama, rated R.
The plot: In 480 BC, the King of Persia sends his massive
army to conquer all of Greece. Against insurmountable odds,
Spartan King Leonidas (Butler) assembles his army of 300 courageous
warriors to lead Greece in the defense of the country. Aided
by Leonidas’ wife Queen Gorgo (Headey), he is able to
inspire his men to march into what seems like a suicide mission.
They will engage the Persians in battle at Thermopylae, a
narrow canyon where the invaders cannot take full advantage
of their army of hundreds of thousands.
There are five other new releases this weekend: Maxed
Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders,
The Exterminating Angels, The Host,
The Namesake, and The Ultimate Gift. |
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For the weekend of March 16th, it is “Sunshine”
starring Cillian Murphy (Red Eye), Chris Evans (Fantastic
Four), Michelle Yeoh (Memoirs of a Geisha) and Rose Byrne
(Casanova). A science fiction / thriller, rated R.
The plot: 50 years in the future, the sun is dying, and the
earth and its inhabitants are dying with it. After an initial
space mission headed by a team of scientists fails due to
some unexplained events, eight new scientists are sent to
complete the mission, representing earth’s final hope.
They are carrying a massive bomb, which will be used to reignite
a part of the dying sun. Deep into their journey, the group
begins to behave oddly, only to be followed up by a mysterious
distress signal.
Editor's Note: Since publication, the studio changed the release
date to Sep. 14.
There are seven other new releases this weekend: Behind
the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Dead
Silence, Nomad, Premonition,
I Think I Love My Wife, The Wind
That Shakes the Barley, and Tortilla Heaven. |
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One extra this month for St. Patrick’s
day March 17th, it is “Shooter”
starring Mark Wahlberg, Danny Glover, Ned Beatty and Michael
Pena (The Shield). An action thriller / drama, rated R.
The plot: Bob Swagger (Wahlberg) is one of the finest snipers
in the U.S. Army, but he retreats into a self-imposed exile
in the Arkansas wilderness after a disastrous mission. When
a former superior (Glover) attempts to lure him back into
service to help out with an important mission, he reluctantly
accepts. The task is to utilize his expert knowledge to scope
out potential spots where an attempt to assassinate the U.S.
President could take place, and to help the military stop
any such efforts. But when Swagger gets double-crossed, he
tries to find those guilty of framing him with the aid of
a FBI agent (Pena). |
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For the weekend of March 23rd, it is “Reign
Over Me” starring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle,
Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Robert Klein and Cicely Tyson.
A drama, rated R.
The Plot: Charlie Fineman (Sandler) has completely shut himself
off emotionally from the outside world. During the September
11th attacks, he lost his wife and daughters and has been
barely been able to cope with the daily intricacies of life
since. An unexpected reunion with Alan Johnson (Cheadle),
Charlie’s old college roommate, changes things. The
two rekindle their friendship and suddenly there seems to
be hope that Charlie may recover from his grief after all.
Since college, Alan has become a doctor and quickly gets determined
to help his old friend find a way out of his depression.
There are seven other new releases this weekend: Color
Me Kubrick, First Snow, Offside,
Pride, The Hills Have Eyes II,
The Last Mimzy, and TMNT. |
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For the weekend of March 30th, it is “Meet
the Robinsons” starring the voices of Tom Selleck,
Angela Bassett, Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne), Nicole Sullivan
(The King of Queens), Adam West (Batman), Daniel Hansen, Stephen
J. Anderson and Wesley Singerman. An animated comedy / family
science fiction adventure, rated PG.
The Plot: Twelve-year-old Lewis (Hansen) has spent most of
his life in an orphanage, desperately attempting to impress
potential parents with some of his brilliant inventions. With
his latest and most ambitious gadget, the memory scanner,
he hopes to look into his own past to find out about his birth
mother. After his device is stolen by the mysterious Bowler
Hat Guy (Anderson), Lewis meets Wilbur Robinson (Singerman),
a boy from the future who may have all the answers that Lewis
seeks. Together, they travel forward in time to a mesmerizing
metropolis where Lewis meets Wilbur’s eccentric family,
then hunt for the stolen invention and save the future.
There are five other new releases this weekend: After
the Wedding, Blades of Glory, Live
Free of Die, Peaceful Warrior, and
The Lookout. |
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And now a look back to February, a must see
film before it leaves theaters: “Ghost Rider”
starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, and Sam Elliott. A fantasy
/ action thriller, rated PG-13.
The plot: Based on the Marvel comic book character, former
stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze (Cage) makes a deal with the
devil where his body becomes host to a vengeful spirit, one
that literally turns him into Hell on wheels, all in order
to fight a powerful villain and secure the safety of his true
love (Mendes). |
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If you miss any of these in the first few weeks
of release at the big multiplexes in the Airpark area including
Harkins, AMC or United Artists / Regal, you might catch some of
them at Farrelli’s Cinema Supper Club where you can have
a full dinner or drinks served from a bar with your big screen
/ sound movie. Furthermore, gong to the movies still gives you
the most entertainment “bang for the buck” when compared
to a similar two hour venture at any professional sporting event,
play or music performance.
See you at the movies!
Note: While the release dates & ratings for
these movies were correct at the time of printing, studios sometimes
make last-minute changes. If this happens, we apologize for any
inconvenience.
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