Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Courtesy of Kingsgate Films [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures [Click to enlarge]

Last year, film fanatics were treated to a very exciting cinematic year. Between giant fighting robots, epic pirate battles and a psychotic killer by the name of Anton Chigurh, audiences had all the thrills and chills they needed to be sufficiently entertained. But as is always the case, a new year means new movies and this year has all the promise last year carried.



The first part of the year is basically dump time for Hollywood. Nothing great comes out; studios drop their worst and most unmarketable movies from January to about mid to late April. "Cloverfield" and last March's "300" are exceptions.



One movie of possible note this year during the "dump season" is "10,000 B.C," the latest from the makers of "Independence Day." It is a sprawling epic set in the titular time period but it lacks any big name actors. Another is "Dr. Suess' Horton Hears a Who!" starring Jim Carrey and Steve Carell. Both come out in March.



Another possible exception is "Harold and Kumar 2," which comes out in April. This sequel finds the weed-smoking pals heading to Amsterdam. A serious hitch comes up when they are mistaken for terrorists and sent to the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison. Kal Penn and John Cho return, as well as NPH himself, Neal Patrick Harris.



After the dumping is over Hollywood begins summer blockbuster season. This period begins in May and goes right on through to somewhere around the middle or end of August. Now, obviously, May is part of spring not summer. But Hollywood has no respect for seasons and would have you believe otherwise. Anyways, this summer season looks to be a gigantic one.



Beginning with May, there are five major box office heavyweights contending for your dollars. "Iron Man," "Speed Racer," "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and the long delayed "Sex and the City: The Movie" all come out one week after another.



"Iron Man" is directed by Jon Favreau of "Swingers" fame and stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard. The preview has everyone buzzing over Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark and the design of the Iron Man armor.



Harrison Ford finally returns to his iconic role as the scruffy Indiana Jones. His latest, and probably last, adventure has him teaming up with it-boy Shia LaBeouf and Karen Allen who returns as Indy's love interest, Marion Ravenwood. Cate Blanchett and Ray Winstone also star.



In June, Steve Carell looks to score a box office hit with "Get Smart," a remake of the goofy 60's spy show. Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, and The Rock also star. Hopefully the rumors of re-shoots do not mean that the movie will be unfunny.



The Hulk franchise will get a reboot when the release of "The Incredible Hulk." Edward Norton will play the big green guy while Liv Tyler takes on the role of his love interest Betty Ross.



Probably the biggest June release will be Pixar's "Wall·E" about the last robot on Earth. It certainly looks to be one of the cutest films the studio has ever made just because of the timid little robot's tentative movements and his big shiny teardrop eyes. It's certainly a guaranteed box office hit.



July will be very big. "Hancock," in which Will Smith plays a reluctant superhero, "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," and "Mamma Mia!" will all vie for the public's $9.50.



"Hellboy II" finds Ron Perlman returning as the red antihero who is up against an entire underworld of fantasy creatures this time. Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) returns to direct.



"Mamma Mia!" is the theatrical adaptation of the hit Broadway musical which takes all its tunes from the library of Abba and stars Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard.



July's biggest release is "The Dark Knight." Besides Christian Bale returning as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Gary Oldman returns as Lt. Jim Gordon, Michael Caine returns as Alfred, and Morgan Freeman will play Luscious Fox once again, Batman's go-to gadget man. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes and Aaron Eckhart will come on as Harvey Dent, the man who will become Bat-villain Two Face.



The most awaited aspect of the movie, though, will be the late Heath Ledger's take on one of the most iconic comic book bad guys ever, the Joker. Ledger blew audiences away in the trailer released late last year with his creepy grin and growling raspy voice.



August will see the releases of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which is the third in the series, and the latest from the Judd Apatow gang, "Pineapple Express."



After the summer there is a lull between the end of August and the end of October. It's usually not as bad as the beginning of the year but right now there isn't much to talk about except for "Punisher: War Zone," which is another reboot. There is a new Punisher played by "Rome's" Ray Stevenson while Lexi Alexander directs.



After the fall lull, the holiday movie season begins. It isn't as loud and explosive as the summer, but it will still be very exciting. It basically runs from the beginning of November right up until Christmas, sometimes a little after.



November's "Quantum of Solace," which is the 22nd James Bond movie, finds Daniel Craig returning to the legendary role he made his own in 2006's "Casino Royale." Dame Judi Dench will reprise her role as M. The new Bond villain will be played by Mathieu Amalric, who is earning a lot of critical praise for his work in "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Olga Kurylenko, who made her stateside debut in last year's "Hitman," will play the new Bond girl.



"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will join Bond in November. It is the sixth outing based on the sixth book in the record-breaking book series. It will obviously be a box office smash and everyone will go see it; we've seen the results five times already.



Finally in December comes J.J. Abrams' reboot of "Star Trek." The film will be one of the first adventures of a young Enterprise crew. Not much else is known of the hush-hush plot but there is speculation that time travel will be a big player because Leonard Nimoy will appear as an older Spock. Chris Pine will play Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto will play the young Spock and Karl Urban will play Leonard "Bones" McCoy. John Cho and Simon Pegg will play Sulu and Scotty respectively. Others involved include Eric Bana, Winona Ryder, and Tyler Perry.



This year is certainly shaping up to be a big one. Blockbusters abound this summer and the holiday season will also be exciting. Hollywood is in for a great year. See you at the movies.

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