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SEX, GREED AND TOOTH FAIRIES Don’t worry, Hollywood hasn’t abandoned traditional moviemaking. Here are 10 of the most promising 2D prospects for 2010: TOOTH FAIRY
A minor league hockey player (Dwayne Johnson)with a penchant for tooth-loosening getsideal comeuppance when he’s forced to serve–wings, tutu and all–as a tooth fairy for a week. 20th Century Fox, Jan. 22 THE WOLFMAN The classic horror story revisited, this time even darker and sharper, with Benicio Del Toro in the title role, Anthony Hopkins as his estranged father and Emily Blunt as the love interest. Universal Pictures, Feb. 12 SHUTTER’S ISLAND Director Martin Scorsese teams once more with Leonardo DiCaprio for this menacing psychological thriller involving a creepy, secluded hospital-cumprison for the criminally insane and an escaped inmate (Emily Mortimer). Paramount Pictures, Feb. 19 GREEN ZONE Director Paul Greengrass, who so successfully led Matt Damon through the mazes of the second and third Bourne instalments, re-teams with Damon for this tale of a rogue offi cer who deserts the U.S. Army to conduct a solo search for weapons of mass destruction. Universal Pictures, March 12 REPO ME N In a world where human organs are openly bought and sold, it is Remy’s (Jude Law) job to repossess the goods when recipients fall behind on their payments. But will he lose his own heart if he can’t pay? Universal Pictures, April 2 WALL STREET 2:MONEY NEVER SLEEPS Greed is still good as disgraced mega-broker Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) returns to the world of high fi nance to help a young colleague (Shia LaBeouf) investigate a murder. 20th Century Fox, April 23 IRON MAN 2 Set six months after the original, the sequel fi nds Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), now publicly acknowledged as Iron Man, coping with a slew of new arch-enemies. But his biggest battle may be one with the bottle. Paramount Pictures, May 7 SEX AND THE CITY 2 Same city. Same gal pals. More sex. Plus an assortment of guest stars that ranges from the sublime (Penélope Cruz) to the potentially ridiculous (Miley Cyrus, Liza Minnelli). HBO Films, May 28 ECLIPSE In the third instalment of the gold rush known as the Twilight Saga, vampires and werewolves unite to protect Bella (Kristen Stewart). Meanwhile, irony of ironies, poor Bella’s heartstrings are being pulled in opposite directions by vampire Edward (Robert Pattison) and werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner). Summit Entertainment, July 2 SALT Taking over a role originally intended for Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie stars as a CIA agent who, falsely accused of being a defector, must elude capture until she can clear her name. Columbia Pictures, July 23 |
Remember a gem called Bwana Jungle? Truth told, there wasn’t, in terms of storyline or star power, anything too memorable about it.
But the 1952 jungle epic is a Hollywood landmark of sorts, since it was the fi rst commercial fi lm released in 3D. Back then, the promise of Technicolor tigers leaping out of the screen was aimed specifi cally at the millions of Americans who were suddenly bypassing their local cinema, preferring to stay at home and enjoy snowy, black-and-white images of Lucille Ball, Jack Benny and an impossibly youthful Philadelphia deejay named Dick Clark.
3D fi lms burned bright for a while, garnering the cover of Life magazine (an iconic shot of a theatre fi lled with patrons, all sporting the green-and-red cardboard glasses required to capture the 3D effects) and even luring director Alfred Hitchcock, who used 3D, and Grace Kelly, to great effect for the scissors-in-the-back climax of Dial M for Murder. But by decade’s end, the fad had faded.
Fast-forward a half-century. In early 2005, the fi rst rumblings of a 3D resurgence were ignited by the successive release of three animated 3D features– Chicken Little, Monster House and The Ant Bully–all featuring vastly improved picture quality.
The movement gained momentum through 2008, though remained primarily focused on animated fi lms aimed at younger viewers. Then, in 2009, the mew progressed to a roar, with 13 major 3D releases hitting the big screen, culminating with the Christmas release of James Cameron’s Avatar, a half-billion-dollar roll of the 3D dice that Pat Marshall, vice-president, communications and investor relations at Cineplex Entertainment, aptly describes as “game changing.” Thanks at least in part to Avatar, says Marshall , “moving forward, you’ll see a lot more adult-focused fi lms in 3D, and then the next thing you’ll see is 3D sports coming to the big screen.”
And, unlike the 1950s when 3D proved little more than a gimmicky blip, Marshall believes “3D is now here to stay.
“The technology has evolved substantially and will continue to evolve. It makes the viewing experience more immersive and interactive. It is every fi lmmaker’s dream to be able to take you into their story, and that’s what 3D does.”
True to Marshall’s forecast, this year’s 3D slate already includes more than a dozen major releases, spanning multiple genres and audience segments, and involving an equally wide spectrum of A-list actors, directors and producers. Chronologically, the list includes:
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
What wee Alice (Mia Wasikowska) fi nds down the rabbit hole is sure to be wild and wonderful as crafted by boldly imaginative director Tim Burton. Adding to the vibrant 3D frivolity are perennial Burton favourites Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the decapitation-favouring Red Queen.
Rounding out the colourful cast: Ann Hathaway as the White Queen, Little Britain’s corpulent Matt Lucas in the twin roles of Tweedledee and Tweedeledum, and Stephen Fry as The Cheshire Cat. Walt Disney Studios , March 5
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Lilo & Stitch co-directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanderson ignite the fi ery tale of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third (voiced by Jay Baruchel), charged with the onerous task of taming a ferocious dragon. Dreamworks/Paramount , March 26
PIR ANHA 3-D
Elizabeth Shue is the luckless sheriff who must fi gure out how to protect her lakeside resort town from thousands of fl esh-hungry pir anha in what promises to be a blood-spurting remake of the 1978 original. Dimension Films/Alliance , April 16
SHREK FOREVER AFTER
What’s an ogre to do when his once happily feral ways are squelched by routine domesticity? Make an unwise pact with the duplicitous Rumpelstiltskin. Dreamworks/Paramount, May 21
TOY STORY 3
How times fl ies! Little Andy is all grown up and off to college, so he leaves Buzz, Woody and the rest of his talkative toys to fend for themselves at an untamed day-care centre. Count on a sharp script from Little Miss Sunshine scribe Michael Arndt. Walt Disney Studios, June 18
DESPICABLE ME
He may be a master of evildoing, but is the relentlessly sinister Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) any match for three orphaned sisters who think he just might make a dandy new dad? Universal Pictures (its inaugural 3D CGI animated feature) and Illumination Entertainment, July 9
STEP UP 3 -D
The New York street performers of the fi rst two instalments step up to the global arena, with Luke (Rick Malambri) and Natalie (Sharni Vinson) competing against the world’s best hip-hop dancers. Walt Disney Studios, Aug. 6
GUARDIANS OF GA’HOOLE
Based on the popular series of children’s books by Kathryn Lasky, this charming fantasy reveals the story of the titular creatures, a brave band of winged warriors caught up in a raging battle to save the world’s owls from harm. WarnerBrothers, Sept. 24
ALPHA AND OMEGA
A-type she-wolf (voiced by Heroes’ Hayden Panettiere) has little time for free-spirited he-wolf (voiced by Justin Long), until the pair fi nd themselves thrown together by park rangers. Classic romcom, but with more fur. Maple Pictures, Oct. 1
MEGAMIND
What is an arch-villain to do if he actually manages to kill his superhero nemesis? Such is the predicament the dastardly Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell) fi nds himself in. Solution? Create a new superhero to menace. Ah, but what if your freshly crafted opponent decides he prefers evil to good? Dreamworks/Paramount, Oct. 1
RAPUNZEL
The tower-bound lass (voiced by Mandy Moore) with the impressive locks is re-imagined as a feisty teenager, eager for, um, hair-raising adventures in this animated, musical romp featuring songs by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken. Walt Disney Studios, Nov. 24
TRON LEGACY
A quarter-century after his father’s disappearance, tech expert Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) fi nds himself navigating a visually dazzling but dangerous cyber universe in an attempt to rescue dad (Jeff Bridges). Walt Disney Studios, Dec. 17
YOGI BEAR
It’s back to Jellystone Park to fi nd out if Yogi (voiced by Dan Akroyd) is still smarter than the average bear. Actually, the smart money is on his trusty sidekick Boo-Boo (who happens to now sound just like Justin Timberlake). Warner Brothers, Dec. 17
