August 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, which five in August should they be?
| |
|
 |
For the weekend of August 3rd, it is “The
Bourne Ultimatum” starring Matt Damon, Julia
Stiles, Joan Allen, David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good
Luck), and Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz). An action / adventure
/ suspense / drama, not yet rated.
The plot: Rogue agent Jason Bourne (Damon) is still being
hunted by the very people at the CIA that transformed him
into a killer. Still suffering from amnesia and determined
to finally learn of his true identity, he is lured out of
hiding to make contact with journalist Ross (Considine),
who has been following his story. Throughout his research,
Ross has gathered up valuable information about Bourne and
Treadstone, the organization that trained him. That’s
rather inconvenient for Vosen (Strathairn), who is looking
to start up a new organization under the codename Blackbriar
that would follow in Treadstone’s footsteps. With
intent to kill Bourne and the journalist before they expose
the program’s embarrassing secrets, he sends agent
Landy (Allen) to lead the search effort. Simultaneously,
one of the remaining few living Treadstone assassins, is
dispatched to take both Bourne and Ross out. In order to
finally learn of his true origins and find some inner peace,
Bourne will have to evade, outsmart, and outmaneuver the
deadliest group of highly-trained killers yet.
There are six other new releases this weekend: Underdog,
El Cantante, Hot Rod,
Becoming Jane, Bratz,
and The Ten.
|
| |
|
 |
For the
weekend of August 10th, it is “Rush Hour 3”
starring Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, Max Von Sydow, and Roman
Polanski (Chinatown director). An action / adventure / comedy,
rated PG-13.
The plot: Hong Kong Police Chief Inspector Lee’s (Chan)
latest assignment is to escort and protect a Chinese Ambassador
as he delivers a major address before the World Criminal Court
Summit in Los Angeles. In his speech, the Ambassador is expected
to reveal important findings on the world’s biggest
crime syndicate, the Chinese Triads. While delivering his
address, however, he is shot and nearly killed. Meanwhile,
former LAPD Detective Carter (Tucker), who has recently been
demoted to a far less flattering position of a traffic cop,
just happens to be listening in on the radio when the tragedy
occurs. He rushes to the scene of the crime to help, but instead
interferes with Lee’s pursuit of the culprits. Determined
to reclaim his Detective status, Carter teams up with Lee
once again to help track down the assassins. With the trail
leading the duo on a chase to Paris, France, both will find
themselves in unfamiliar territory. With the infamous city
also chosen as the site of the next World Criminal Court Summit
and additional lives at stake, the two will be forced to battle
the French police, the Triads, and the foreign culture if
they are going to solve the mystery in time.
There are seven other new releases this
weekend:
Stardust, Skinwalkers, Rocket
Science, Daddy Day Camp, Descent,
2 Days in Paris, and Inside Paris. |
| |
|
 |
For the weekend of August 17th, it is “The
Invasion” starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig
(Casino Royale), and Jeremy Northam (A Cock and Bull Story).
A suspense / science fiction / thriller, rated PG-13.
The plot: The country is threatened by a mysterious epidemic
that alters human behavior. When Carol (Kidman), a Washington
D.C. psychiatrist, unearths that the origins of the plague
are extraterrestrial, she attempts to warn others of her discovery.
With the help of her colleague and friend Ben (Craig), Carol
examines further mysterious details of the conspiracy. She
soon comes to the realization that her own son might hold
the key to stopping an alien invasion and must fight to protect
him.
There are four other new releases this weekend: Superbad,
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters,
Death at a Funeral, and The Last
Legion. |
| |
|
|
For the weekend of August 24th, it is “The
Last Legion” starring Colin Firth (Nanny McPhee),
Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai (Bride and Prejudice), and Thomas
Sangster (Love Actually). An action / adventure / period war
drama, rated PG-13.
The plot: As the Roman empire crumbles around him and barbarians
descend upon his land, young soldier Romulus Augustus (Sangster)
flees the city and embarks on a perilous voyage to Britain
to enlist a legion of supporters that will help save his emperor.
There are eleven other new releases this weekend: War,
Mr. Bean's Vacation, Illegal Tender,
The Nanny Diaries, Resurrecting the
Champ, Dedication, The Hottest
State, The 11th Hour, September
Dawn, Closing Escrow, and Right
at Your Door. |
| |
|
|
For the weekend of August 31st, it is “Death
Sentence” starring Kevin Bacon, Kelly Preston,
John Goodman, and Aisha Tyler (Ghost Whisperer). An action
/ drama, rated R.
The plot: When John Hume's (Bacon) son is killed by a group
of gang-bangers his life is torn apart. His one salve is that
the killer was caught at the crime scene, but when the justice
department offers up 6 months in prison as retribution, he
knows there must be something better, something that will
allow his family to move on. Surprising himself, he retracts
his testimony as the lone witness, essentially killing the
case, and begins to look for another means for justice. It
comes to him in the form of violence, which simultaneously
gives him the relief he's looking for and puts his family
on a path towards death, as the rest of the gang comes looking
for their revenge.
There are eight other new releases this weekend: Halloween,
Balls of Fury, Death Sentence,
The Nines, Self Medicated,
Ladrón que roba a ladrón, Deep
Water, and Exiled. |
| |
|
 |
And now a look back to July, a must see film
before it leaves theaters: “Transformers”
starring Shia LaBeouf (Disturbia), Megan Fox (Hope & Faith),
John Turturro (The Good Shepherd), Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas),
Jon Voight, Tyrese Gibson (Annapolis), Anthony Anderson (The
Departed), and Bernie Mac. An action / adventure / science
fiction, rated
PG-13.
The plot: Cybertron is the home of a race of shape-shifting
robots, with each one having the ability to transform into
some machine that serves as his disguise. The Transformers
are made up of two warring groups, the freedom loving Autobots,
led by Optimus Prime whose disguise is a big 18-wheel semi
truck, and the evil Decepticons, led by Megatron who transforms
into an airplane. Endlessly in conflict, the Autobots and
Decepticons are only concerned with attaining Energon –
the mysterious life force and fuel that keeps them going.
Their constant battles, however, have completely obliterated
Cybertron and have released the last supplies of Energon into
space. By a twist of fate, the Energon has found its way to
earth, which means that the Transformers and war will soon
follow. On earth, The Decepticons are bent on destroying anything
or anyone in their path, but the Autobots will fight not only
for the Energon, but also to preserve human life. Both will
utilize their incredible disguise forms, leaving humans caught
in the middle and at a tremendous disadvantage, with their
weapons nearly powerless against the formidable robots. |
| |
|
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.
|
®
