May 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 Memorial Day, which five
in May should they be?
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For the weekend of May 4th, it is “Spider-Man
3” starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst,
James Franco (Flyboys), J.K. Simmons (The Closer), Thomas
Haden Church (Sideways), and Topher Grace (That 70’s
Show). A fantasy / action / adventure, rated PG-13.
The plot: After the oppressive truth about his double life
has finally emerged, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man (Maguire),
is set to start a real relationship with his beloved Mary
Jane Watson (Dunst). Parker’s relentless boss (Simmons)
is angered by Mary Jane’s decision to leave his son
for the clumsy photographer and hires an investigative reporter
(Grace) to track Parker and dig up any juicy secrets. In
the meantime, Spider-Man takes interest in escaped convict
Marko (Church). After a dreadful mishap transforms him into
a shape-shifting sand creature with superhuman strength,
Marko becomes Spider-Man’s newest foe, the Sandman.
While at the scene of the accident, a black substance fuses
with Spider-Man’s costume, spawning a new hero with
superior abilities. To make matters worse, his former best
friend, Harry Osborne (Franco), is still bent on destroying
Spider-Man after the web-crawler killed his father. Equipped
with his dad’s tricks and disguises and partnered
with the Sandman, Osborne sets out to create chaos and kill
Spider-Man in the process.
There are seven other new releases this weekend: Away
from Her, Civic Duty, Lucky
You, Paris, je t'aime, The
Flying Scottsman, The Treatment,
and Waitress.
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For the weekend of May 11th, it is “The
Flock” starring Richard Gere and Claire Danes.
A crime drama / action / thriller, rated R.
The plot: A hyper-vigilant federal agent (Gere) must track
down a missing girl that he is convinced is connected to a
paroled sex offender he's investigating, while at the same
time training his young female replacement (Danes). Working
against the clock, they unravel the twisted details to track
the potential killer. The film is directed by Andrew Lau,
who is best known as the director of the very successful Hong
Kong crime thriller "Infernal Affairs" and its two
sequels. "The Flock" is his first English language
movie.
There are nine other new releases this weekend: 28
Weeks Later, Blind Dating, Day
Night Day Night, Delta Farce, Georgia
Rule, Home of the Brave, The
Ex, The Hip Hop Project, and The
Salon. |
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For the weekend of May 18th, it is “Shrek
the Third” starring the voices of Mike Myers,
Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett,
John Cleese, and Justin Timberlake. An animation / comedy,
rated PG.
The plot: When we last saw him, King Harold (Cleese) had turned
into a frog. Now that he has fallen ill, his daughter, Princess
Fiona (Diaz), and her husband Shrek (Myers) are the next in
line to rule as the Queen and King of Far, Far Away. Since
he finds difficulty in the new position and longs to return
to his swamp, Shrek is delighted to hear that he may have
a way out of this predicament. There is one other person who
could rightfully claim King Harold’s throne –
Fiona’s troublesome cousin Artie (Timberlake). With
his friends Donkey (Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Banderas) beside
him, Shrek sets out to find the rebellious teen. Suddenly,
the jilted Prince Charming (Everett), who was thrown out of
Far, Far Away last time, makes his way back to the kingdom,
looking for revenge. Together with a group of fairy tale villains,
he hopes to seize back the castle and the throne. Fiona assembles
a band of princesses to help her stop the Prince’s assault,
but with Shrek away on his mission, the kingdom is in grave
danger.
There are five other new releases this weekend: Even
Money, Fay Grim, Once,
Severance, and The Wendell Baker
Story. |
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For the weekend of May 25th, it is “Pirates
of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End” starring
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush,
Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Yun-Fat Chow, and Tom Hollander.
A fantasy / comedy / action / adventure, not yet rated.
The plot: Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), Will Turner (Bloom)
and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) return for one last decisive
battle. In the conclusion to the Pirates of the Caribbean
trilogy, the heroes join together and must face a powerful
alliance formed by Lord Cutler Beckett (Hollander), Davy Jones
(Nighy), and Admiral James Norrington (Davenport). With the
help of an unlikely friend - Captain Barbossa (Rush), the
trio will fight to protect the freedom of all pirates around
the world. A titanic showdown at the other side of the world
will also bring a new and even more deadly enemy, the dreaded
pirate Captain Sao Feng (Chow).
There are five other new releases this weekend: Angel-A,
Bug, Golden Door, Paprika,
The Boss of it All. |
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One extra this month for Memorial Day May
28, it is “Lucky You” starring
Eric Bana (Munich), Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall, Debra Messing
(Will & Grace), Jean Smart (24), and Robert Downey Jr.
A comedy / drama, rated PG-13.
The plot: Huck Cheever (Bana) is a young and talented poker
player hindered by his personal demons. When he comes to Las
Vegas in search of a World Championship, he meets struggling
singer Billie Offer (Barrymore). As she grows to care for
him, she becomes determined to help him resolve his problems.
Ultimately, Huck must tackle his fears all at once as he heads
for a poker showdown with his estranged father (Duvall). |
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And now a look back to April, a must see
film before it leaves theaters: “Fracture”
starring Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling (Murder by Numbers),
and David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck). A thriller,
rated R.
The plot: A position with a high-profile law firm is only
a few weeks away for a young hotshot District Attorney (Gosling).
His final case before the transition, however, may also be
his most difficult, even with the help of his boss (Strathairn).
When a devious and dangerously clever defendant (Hopkins)
has to stand trial for an attempted murder of his wife, he
declines access to a lawyer and defends himself. Thanks to
a series of technicalities, he is able to evade sentencing,
angering his ambitious prosecutor. The DA’s ego will
not let him rest until he has brought the guilty man to justice,
and soon he and the accused are fierce adversaries in a dangerous
cat and mouse game. As the two struggle to outwit each other,
someone must come away on top and the prosecutor’s excessive
drive to finish the job may be his eventual downfall. |
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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 cocktails, and Thursdays are Classic Movie night.
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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