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JULY 10th: Opening This Week | Top 10

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Director: Larry Charles
Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures

The Plot: Flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter Bruno (Cohen) travels the world in search of the latest style trends.

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THE BUZZ: Diss all you want about Cohen's lesser-than-Borat creation from "Da Ali G Show," but we can't get enough of the Bruno sightings: from fashion runways and cage fights to baggage claim carousels and political rallies. The sneak preview killed at SXSW.

Message Boards: NOT OFFENSIVE TO GAYS!!! | Black censor bars

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Director: Chris Columbus
Stars: Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

The Plot: The last night of high school takes an unexpected turn after geeky grad Denis Cooverman declares his love for hottie cheerleader Beth Cooper in his valedictorian speech.

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THE BUZZ: We're just as surprised as you that Michael Cera's not in this. No McLovin' either. And, while this would've been the perfect material for John Hughes to stage his comeback, familiar '80s filmmaker Colombus will totally give this the right retro teen feel. For those unfamiliar with lead dweeb Paul Rust, YouTube him. He's no stranger to the sketch-comedy world.

Message Boards: going to be better than twilight! | Saw screening... SPOILERS

Blood: The Last Vampire [limited]

Director: Chris Nahon
Stars: Gianna Jun, Allison Miller (Full Cast)
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

The Plot: A vampire named Saya, who is part of covert government agency that hunts and destroys demons in a post-WWII Japan, is inserted in a military school to discover which one of her classmates is a demon is disguise.

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THE BUZZ: Give me female fighters and swords over Shia and Hasbro anyday. I think this import would work well sandwiched between showings of Night Watch and The Heroic Trio.

Message Boards: The bad cgi demon? | Why is everyone saying this is bad? (small spoilers)

Soul Power [LA/NY]

Director: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte
Stars: Muhammad Ali, James Brown, Don King (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

The Plot: A documentary on the legendary soul music concert staged in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974, which was staged to compliment the Rumble in the Jungle, the rematch between boxers Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

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THE BUZZ: No offense to hardworking documentarians, but Soul Power and The Cove are the only documentaries we have on our radar ... until The September Issue comes out this fall. We're also primed for the debut of indie super-producer Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, even if he did just use a lot of cut-out footage from When We Were Kings, the Oscar-winning doc Levy-Hinte edited over 10 years ago (!).

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Humpday [NYC, Seattle]

Director: Lynn Shelton
Stars: Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore (Full Cast)
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

The Plot: Andrew (Leonard) reunites with Ben (Duplass), his college pal who has become, in Andrew's mind, too domesticated. Offering him an alternative, the two guys hit a party at a sex-positive commune, where they are inspired to consider taking on a boundary-pushing art project: a gay sex film, starring them both.

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THE BUZZ: This may be your last chance to not see a Mark Duplass film, since he and the rest of his Mumblecore compatriots are going major (studio) league, which should inevitably cause a spike in the DVD rentals of Hannah Takes the Stairs, Baghead, etc. Meanwhile, I am wondering if Lynn Shelton, Humpday's director and star, will allow her road to diverge into Hollywood, or if she will align herself with the Kelly Reichardts of the movie-making world. Ummm, not that those are her only options, though. Also, is this indie counterprogramming to Brüno?

Message Boards: So do they....you know....do it? | Writer?

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel (Full Cast)
Studio: DreamWorks SKG

The Plot: Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

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THE BUZZ: Nearly two years to the day after the original Transformers was released, it's interesting to note how the personalities involved here have changed. Shia LaBeouf has gone from an up-and-comer to full-fledged star, with attendant backlash and ego bursts; Megan Fox one upped her co-star by becoming a more credible Hollywood bad boy; Michael Bay is still as huffy as producer Don Murphy is angry, though they both do an admirable job of bringing movies news, insights, misdirections, and angry rants to the TF universe. What do we really know about the project? Highlights: A boosted budget (a reported $200 million, which excludes marketing and all that) allowed the creation of some 40 Autobots and Decepticons, who will receive more screen time; LaBeouf will likely channel Mutt Williams a bit, given the ancient-world tie-ins here (hint: Egyptology reveals the origins of TF life?!); rabid worldwide fanbase + four-barrel marketing attack + IMAX footage = biggest film of the year? KIT with TF2 via cheat sheets and spoiler logs. P.S. When is the last time a coloring book spoiled a plot?

Message Boards: OPPOSING THREAD BUMP IF IT WASNT AWESOME | To ALL the Bitchers!!!!

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Director: Carlos Saldanha Mike Thurmeier
Stars: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Animation

The Plot: When Sid gets into some trouble, it's up to Manny, Ellie, Diego, and Scrat to save their friend. Their mission leads them to an underground world where encounter dinosaurs, flora, and fauna -- as well as a one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck.

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THE BUZZ: Animation studio Blue Sky might just fulfill their promise to help Twentieth Century Fox bring Pixar-level quality to family audiences this year, as they look to resuscitate this franchise after the touchy, feely, Dr. Phil-y Ice Age: The Meltdown. (Admittedly, we are more primed for their other 2009 offering, Wes Anderson's The Fantastic Mr. Fox.) With just the teaser trailer and other shreds of evidence available, we say prepare for Scrat, and his new lady companion, to be positioned a bit toward the front and center, delivering true entertainment while they possibly distract from the revisionist history taking place.

Message Boards: NO dinosaurs with Ice Age Mammals | This Movie Blows - don't waste your money

Public Enemies

Director: Michael Mann
Stars: Christian Bale, Johnny Depp (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures

The Plot: FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) sets his sights on American gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and others in an attempt to curb a rampant Chicago crime spree during the 1930s.

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THE BUZZ: Gangster junkies rejoice! Not since Tony Soprano went bada-boom, bada-bye-bye have fans of the crime genre had a reason to get so excited. Bale and Depp teaming up with Mann to tell one of the most famous 1930s gangland tales has easily created one of the most anticipated movies of the year and will probably generate enough fireworks for you to skip out on that picnic this weekend and catch a matinee.

Message Boards: 'Heat' is better version of Dillinger's story | Disappointed.

The Proposal

Director: Anne Fletcher
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Plot: A publishing executive (Bullock) forces her assistant (Reynolds) to marry her so she can avoid deportation back to Canada.

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THE BUZZ: Step Up director Anne Fletcher is making strides in her career, and she's looking to spotlight "Sandy's" physical-comedy skills here, which will most likely pale in comparison to Ryan Reynolds's innate ability to make annoying behavior somehow charming. Thing is: Both Reynolds and Bullock's respective partners are exponentially hotter than this on-screen pairing, but we sense that 2009 is turning into the Year of the Cougar.

Message Boards: Sandra Bullock too old for Ryan Reynolds. Who should have been Margaret? | Why are so many people upset that Sandra Bullock is older?

The Hangover

Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Plot: In Las Vegas, three groomsmen lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, forcing them to retrace their steps in order to find him before the church bells ring.

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THE BUZZ: Hmm, did Ashton and Cameron's success in Vegas influence director Todd Phillips to finally pick his first project since the woefully misguided School for Scoundrels remake? Whatever the case, Phillips and Warner Bros. are keeping it low budget here, with a B-list cast (at best) that should keep this comedy in the black.

Message Boards: unbelievable | the only truly witty movies from the ..

Director: Pete Docter Bob Peterson
Stars: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Plot: By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

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THE BUZZ: Pixar takes to the skies again, this time with buddy-story specialists Pete Docter and Bob Peterson bringing the charm to us in 3D (in "select" theaters, anyway). These days, I support anything that strips away my senses of irony and sarcasm, and Up's teaser trailer (located above) is wonderfully restorative. At Comic-Con last year, Docter described how the movie was influenced by an unreachable range of Venezuelan mountains, and a septuagenarian 's wish to fulfill the dreams he made with his now-departed wife when he was a younger man. I got misty. Plus, Docter went on to say that his movie will have some easter eggs for upcoming Pixar projects. More news as Pixar/Disney leaks it.

Message Boards: A REAL OPINION?! from a child? yup. | Entertaining for 2 1/2 year old?

My Sister's Keeper

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Stars: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin (Full Cast)
Studio: New Line Cinema

The Plot: Anna Fitzgerald (Breslin) looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents (Diaz and Patric) who until now have relied on their youngest child to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Vassilieva) remain alive.

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THE BUZZ: Nick Cassavetes wants to bum you out. Again. Following up Alpha Dog with this adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel, a story that is almost as depressing as Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, is destined to make your heart (and Abigail Breslin's kidneys) break. I'm like: Why is this being released in the middle of sunny summer, when it feels predestined to fit into the fall/winter film schedule?

Message Boards: Kate's dress | Her lips were distracting

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, John Travolta (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures

The Plot: Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garbe (Washington) into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime (Travolta).

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THE BUZZ: It's Deja-Vu all over again as Scott and Denzel reunite for this remake of a remake. I can't help but wonder if the hijackers in this version will still ask for one meeee-lee-ion dollars or if today's New Yorkers would seriously sit in a subway car with these goons for an hour (even if one of 'em looked like an aging Tony Manero). Somehow, I don't think so.

Message Boards: Box-Office Flop? | WORST / BEST REMAKES

Year One

Director: Harold Ramis
Stars: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures

The Plot: When a couple of lazy hunter-gatherers (Black and Cera) are banished from their primitive village, they set off on an epic journey through their ancient world.

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THE BUZZ: The Superbad set will be stoked for a 2/3 cast reunion here, while those of us who actually came of age in the late 1970s/early 1980s will note the reemergence of Year One writer-director Harold Ramis, who has a Meatballs remake and Ghostbusters 3 in development. We imagine at least one of these projects will be filming by this summer, and since news of a third Ghostbusters adventure immediately earned more press than this time-traveling comedy, here's a link to a dirt-spreading article on the project, which has direct ties to the production of The Year One.

Message Boards: I LIKED YEAR ONE | What went wrong?

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Director: Shawn Levy
Stars: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Amy Adams (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

The Plot: Security guard Larry Daley (Stiller) infiltrates the Smithsonian Institute in order to rescue Jedediah (Wilson) and Octavius (Coogan), who have been shipped to the museum by mistake.

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THE BUZZ: Similar ideas abound for this sequel, but even naysayers might admit that a better cast has been assembled around Ben Stiller for his second Washington, D.C. adventure. (It's pretty amazing that Stiller has three active franchises going, if you believe reports that Little Fockers is getting made). Here's a first look at the film, and a glimpse at how much Stiller has aged over the past couple years. P.S. Is it just me, or does Amy Adams seem kind of annoying as Amelia Earhart? Granted, she's probably way less irritating than Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, who returns for the sequel (along with two handfuls of new faces), but pinched and snippy just aren't her colors.

Message Boards: Night at the Museum 3 | One thing that bothered me the entire movie

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