The House Bunny (2008)

Shelley Darlington has lived at the Playboy mansion for the last nine years. She is Hef's favorite and acts like a den mother to the other girls. On her birthday, she is unceremoniously evicted from Hef's pad for 'being too old.' Homeless and without essential skills, Shelley wanders around L.A. until she finds a new job--the housemother at the most unpopular sorority on campus

Starring:

Anna Faris,Katharine McPhee, Emma Stone
Directed by:
Fred Wolf
Produced by:
Anna Faris, Karen McCullah, Kirsten Smith
Genres:
Comedy
Release Date:
August 22nd, 2008
Distributors:
Sony Pictures Releasing
U.S. Box Office:
$14,533,702

The Longshots (2008)

Curtis Plummer -- a down-on-his-luck former high school football star -- turns his niece, Jasmine, into the quarterback of the local team, the Minden Browns, and gets his stride back when he becomes the team coach. With Curtis as their new leader and their pigtail-wearing star player, this team of misfits wins its way to the Pop Warner Super Bowl and the small city of M

Go To: Actors Directors Writers Producers Camera, Film & Tape Editors Casting Executives Production Management Art Department Wardrobe, Hair & Makeup Sound Physical Effects Engineering, Electrical & Grips Publicity Props Worldwide Distributors

Actors:

IceCube, Keke Palmer, Tasha Smith, Jill Marie Jones
Genres:
Drama and Sports
Running Time:
1 hr. 34 min.
Production Co.:
CubeVision
Studios:
Dimension Films
Filming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles, California, USA
Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
Produced in:
United Statesinden, Illinois, is ignited with team spirit, town pride and the glory it once knew.

Death Race (2008)

Terminal Island, New York: 2020. Overcrowding in the U.S. penal system has reached a breaking point. Prisons have been turned over to a monolithic Weyland Corporation, which sees jails full of thugs as an opportunity for televised sport. Adrenalized inmates, a global audience hungry for violence and a spectacular, enclosed arena come together to form the 'Death Race', the world's biggest, most brutal sporting event. Five-time NASCAR champion Jensen Ames is a man who has become an expert at survival. After eight years of hard time, he has only six weeks before reuniting with his family. But when Weyland demands a driver to headline the big game, Ames is forced to submit. Donning the costume of mythical rider Frankenstein, the racer becomes an instant crowd favorite, an unequaled sporting superstar. His face hidden by a metallic black mask, one convict will be put through a brutal three day challenge, with the trophy being the ultimate prize: freedom. The only catch is that he must survive a gauntlet of the most vicious criminals in this post-industrial wasteland to claim it. Driving a monster car outfitted with machine guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers, Ames must now kill or be killed to win the most treacherous spectator sport on Earth: 'Death Race'.

Also Known As:
Death Race 3000
Production Status:
Released
Logline:
In the year 2020, a series of race car drivers compete in an ultraviolent race using heavily armed cars.
Genres:
Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller and Sports
Running Time:
1 hr. 29 min.
Release Date:
August 22nd, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating:
R for strong violence and language.
Distributors:
Universal Pictures
Production Co.:
Cruise/Wagner Productions (C/W Productions)
Impact Pictures, Relativity Media
Studios:
Universal Pictures, United Artists Films
Filming Locations:
Japan
Los Angeles, California, USA
Produced in:
United States

‘Thunder’ weathers new flicks at box office

LOS ANGELES - The action comedy "Tropic Thunder" weathered a rush of new movies to remain No. 1 for a second-straight weekend with $16.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Paramount-DreamWorks release — starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black as actors caught up in real battle while shooting a war movie — raised its 12-day total to $65.7 million.

"Tropic Thunder" came in just ahead of Sony's campus comedy "The House Bunny," which debuted in second place with $15.1 million. "The House Bunny" stars Anna Faris as an ostracized Playboy bunny who becomes den mother to a sorority of campus misfits.

Sex scenes with DiCaprio awkward for Winslet

Winslet's husband, Sam Mendes, directs the couple in ‘Revolutionary Road’

NEW YORK - It was more than a little awkward for Kate Winslet to film sex scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio in front of husband Sam Mendes, who directed the stars in the upcoming drama “Revolutionary Road.”

“I just kept saying, ‘This is too ... weird,”’ Winslet tells Entertainment Weekly magazine. “And Leo was like, ‘Oh, get over it.’ And I’m going, ‘Yeah, a little reminder: You’re my best friend. He’s my husband. This is a bit weird.”’

Mendes, who directed “American Beauty” and “Road to Perdition,” says, “I will admit it was quite bizarre to direct my wife in how to make love. But it’s difficult whether you’re married to a person or not.”

It’s been 11 years since Winslet and DiCaprio co-starred in the Oscar-winning blockbuster “Titanic,” and Winslet says a spark remains between them.

“I hadn’t realized how much my chemistry with him since ‘Titanic’ would still stick,” says the 32-year-old actress. “It’s great to discover we can just slip right into it, like muscle memory.”

They play suburban couple Frank and April Wheeler in “Revolutionary Road,” based on Richard Yates’ 1961 novel. It is slated for release in December, just in time for Oscar consideration.

“We knew that if we were going to do something again, it had to be something big and emotional,” Winslet says. “‘Revolutionary Road’ is so painful and beautiful to read, simply because of the brutality of the honesty that Frank and April end up experiencing together.”

Winslet was eager to bring DiCaprio on board, and set up a sneaky way to do it: She arranged a meeting with the 33-year-old actor in March 2007, but sent Mendes in her place.

“Leo and I have such a history together and I couldn’t imagine not being able to apply that to this story and these characters,” she says. “So I played this very clever cat-and-mouse game to get my husband and then my best friend involved.”

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

On the front lines of an intergalactic struggle between good and evil, fans young and old will join such favorite characters as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala, along with brand-new heroes like Anakin's padawan learner, Ahsoka. Sinister villains--led by Palpatine, Count Dooku and General Grievous--are poised to rule the galaxy. Stakes are high, and the fate of the Star Wars universe rests in the hands of the daring Jedi Knights. Their exploits lead to the action-packed battles and astonishing new revelations.

Production Status:
In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres:
Science Fiction/Fantasy and Animation
Running Time:
1 hr. 38 min.
Release Date:
August 15th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating:
PG for sci-fi action violence throughout, brief language and momentary smoking.
Distributors:
Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Produced in:
United States

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)

Lifelong friends embark on separate paths for their first year of college and the summer beyond, but remain in touch by sharing their experiences with each other as they always have--with honesty and humor. Discovering their individual strengths, fears, talents and capacity for love through the choices they make, they come to value more than ever the bond they share and the immeasurable power of their friendship.

Also Known As:
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II
Production Status:
In Production/Awaiting Release
Logline:
The sisterhood wear the traveling pants again and embark on their second summer together.
Genres:
Kids/Family, Adaptation, Sequel and Teen
Running Time:
117 min.
Release Date:
August 6th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for mature material and sensuality.
Distributors:
Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Production Co.:
Alcon Entertainment, Martin Chase Productions, Alloy Entertainment
Studios:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Filming Locations:
Santorini, Greece

"Dark Knight" reclaims box-office heights overseas

By Hy Hollinger

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Warner Bros.' "The Dark Knight" regained the overseas box-office lead -- even as it relinquished the No. 1 domestic position after a four-week stand -- reaching a foreign gross of $328.6 million with its weekend take of $42.4 from 7,775 screens in 61 markets.

Universal's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," the international champ for two successive weekends, eased into second place but maintained a hot pace by grossing $29.1 million and lifting its cumulative revenue to $193.5 million.

Universal's musical entry "Mamma Mia!" passed the $200 million mark as it pulled in $17.6 million from 2,679 playdates in 25 countries. Disney/Pixar's "WALL-E," meanwhile, added $13.2 million and raised its international gross to $145.8 million.

Joining the top foreign grossers this weekend was Sony's Adam Sandler-starring comedy "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," which racked up $11.2 million thanks to key dates in the U.K., Germany and Brazil.

Warner Bros.' CG-animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" opened to $7.4 million from $3,260 in 22 markets, arriving at No. 6 in the U.K. with $1.6 million from 419 screens, No. 2 in Mexico with $1.2 million from 678 and No. 4 in Australia with $1.2 million from 267.

SUCCESSFUL CRUSADER

For "Knight," it was a vindication of its ability to attract foreign moviegoers. The best the Caped Crusader previously had done overseas was $166.5 million for 2005's "Batman Begins."

"Knight's" return to foreign dominance was fueled by top bows in France ($9.5 million from 850 screens), Spain ($7.1 million from 570) and Russia ($3.5 million from 610). In second-weekend action in Korea, "Knight" ($5.2 million from 373) held off the debut of two local films and reached a total of $14.3 million. The second weekend in Japan, however, grossed just $1.6 million for a cumulative take of $8.7 million.

Jaan welcomed "Mummy" in the No. 2 spot ($7 million from 326 screens) behind Hayao Miyazaki's animated tale "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" ($7.7 million from 481), which has dominated the local box office five weeks in a row for distributor Toho, with a total to date of $90 million.

"Mummy" has reached an international gross of $193.5 million thanks to strong holdovers in the U.K., Germany and Taiwan as well as solid openings in Belgium ($1.2 million from 62) and Vietnam ($177,000 from 18).

As "Mamma Mia!" climbed to $205.9 million, Universal trumpeted that it was the first of the studio's films to pass $200 million this year despite the fact that they still have "more than 35 territories yet to release." The film's only new weekend opening was in Spain, which tallied $4.8 million from 352 screens.

"WALL-E" opened in three small markets, with Thailand recording $783,000 from 119 screens, called the second-biggest Disney animated opening in the market. Top box-office receipts to date include the U.K. with $37.9 million in four weeks; France, $16.9 million in two; and Mexico, $16.9 million in six.

"Zohan" opened at No. 1 in Germany with $5.1 million from 593, No. 3 in the U.K. ($3 million from 392) and No. 3 in Brazil ($880,000 from 121).

New weekend openings included Paramount's "Tropic Thunder," $2.6 million from three markets; Fox's "Mirrors," $661,746 from 11 markets, and Fox's "Taken," $3.3 million from Australia, Italy and Spain.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Tropic Thunder (2008)

A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film. But after ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

Production Status:
In Production/Awaiting Release
Logline:
Everything goes wrong during the making of a big budget war movie and the actors end up becomming the commandos they are playing.
Genres:
Comedy
Release Date:
August 13th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating:
R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material.
Distributors:
DreamWorks SKG
Production Co.:
Red Hour Films
Studios:
DreamWorks SKG
Produced in:
United States

‘Pineapple Express’ is bong-gone hilarious

Stoner epic keeps bringing the funny even when bullets start flying

Review
By Alonso Duralde
Film critic
MSNBC contributor

One might expect Judd Apatow’s cavalcade of coming-of-age films — about guys who should have come of age years earlier — would be running out of steam by now. With “Pineapple Express,” however, the hit-making producer delivers another brilliantly funny comedy about man-children who finally decide to get their act together. As with “Superbad” — also written by “Pineapple” scribes Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg — Apatow and company uncover lots of laughs by working past gay panic to explore the furthest reaches of buddy-movie bonding.

Rogen stars as Dale Denton, a pothead process server who has the misfortune of witnessing a murder committed by drug kingpin Ted (Gary Cole) and crooked cop Carol (Rosie Perez), who are fighting over territory with Asian gangsters. Dale speeds away from the scene but unfortunately leaves behind a roach featuring the hard-to-find Pineapple Express weed, which can easily be traced to Dale’s spaced-out dealer Saul (James Franco). Before long, Dale and Saul are on the run for their lives, evading Saul’s connection Red (Danny McBride) and two of Ted’s gunsels, Budlofsky (Kevin Corrigan) and Matheson (Craig Robinson of “The Office”).

On paper, this sounds like just another action-packed comedy, but Rogen and Goldberg’s script give us a wonderfully oddball bunch of characters. From Dale’s love of high school girls and talk radio to Red’s genuinely odd obsessions with Buddhism and his deceased cat, “Pineapple Express” may hit the expected plot beats but it never travels from Point A to Point B via a predictable path. (Even the friendship between Dale and Saul is colored by the fact that Saul is Dale’s dealer, and Dale hates having to pretend like he’s buddies with a guy just to get him to sell him some grass.)

Director David Gordon Green (“George Washington,” “All the Real Girls”) pulls off a very delicate balance, particularly when bullets start flying and blood starts spurting in the film’s final act. Usually, the laughs disappear when the violence starts getting heavy, but “Pineapple Express” never ceases to bust the audience’s guts, even when the characters onscreen are getting shot in theirs. It’s one thing to be able to get laughs with Three Stooges–style physical antics; when a fight looks painful and hilarious at the same time, you know you’ve got a deft conductor of comedy behind the camera.

While Rogen’s ubiquity was beginning to get a little wearing this year — he provided voices for “Kung Fu Panda,” “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and “Horton Hears a Who!” — his inspired performance here reminded me all over again what a comedy treasure he has become. Whether he’s having ridiculous, ganja-fueled arguments with Saul or turning on a dime from weepy affection to bitter self-awareness during a phone conversation with his adolescent main squeeze, Dale is a layered and brilliant comic creation.

The performances here are uniformly strong — Franco has never been better, while both McBride and Robinson are very much keeping their stars on the rise — but the entire film rests on Rogen’s shoulders, and he bears the burden with aplomb.

You don’t have to be high to laugh non-stop at “Pineapple Express.” Prepare to make room for the DVD on your stoner-comedy shelf between “Up in Smoke” and your hackey-sack collection.

Mamma Mia!

Running Time:Unknown
Release Date:July 18, 2008
MPAA Rating:PG-13 for some sex-related comments Complete Movie Details
Starring:Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters
Directed by:Phyllida Lloyd

What's The story ?

Swedish songsters ABBA inspire a musical feast that's both sweet and surprisingly spicy. Sophie Sheridan is about to be married to her true love, Sky, but has no father to give her away. What's a bride to do but go poking through Mom's past for answers? In the pages of an old diary she finds a shocking secret: any of three men could be her father. She sends a letter to each one, hoping to discover who has the right to escort her down the aisle... and throwing a big fat Greek monkey wrench into Mom's life.

Three Good Reasons

1 The legendary, luminous Meryl Streep scores points for 50+ women everywhere by stealing

the show from her equally gorgeous onscreen daughter (Amanda Seyfried of Mean Girls).

2 Fans of the stage show may have thought there was no way to improve on it, but the Greek

scenery (including Pelion and Skopelos) provides a breathtaking backdrop for the tale.

3 This is the type of musical where you go into the theater humming the songs. So grab your

friends and go prove to the world that disco never died.

Bet You Didn't Know

The region of Mt. Pelion, where parts of this movie were filmed, has also been graced by another legendary wedding. Tradition names it as the site of the marriage of Thetis and Peleus, parents of the mythical hero Achilles.

Wanted (2008)

25-year-old Wes was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut. Until he met a woman named Fox. After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad's death by unlocking his dormant powers. As she teaches him how to develop lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, Wes discovers this team lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: carry out the death orders given by fate itself. With wickedly brilliant tutors--including the Fraternity's enigmatic leader, Sloan--Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny

Also Known As:
Wanted
Wanted (Universal Pictures)
Production Status:
In Production/Awaiting Release
Logline:
The tale of one apathetic nobody’s transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice.
Genres:
Action/Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller, Crime/Gangster and Adaptation
Running Time:
1 hr. 48 min.
Release Date:
June 27th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating:
R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality.
Distributors:
Universal Pictures Distribution
Production Co.:
Kickstart Productions, Marc Platt Productions, Top Cow Entertainment
Studios:
Universal Pictures
Filming Locations:
Prague
Chicago, USA
Produced in:
United States

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

What's the Story ?

For two thousand years, the Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have slumbered in terra cotta, a grand army of destruction captured in harmless clay. Enter adventurer Alex O'Connell, who is to mummies what car alarms are to city-dwellers. When Alex realizes he's awakened an ancient evil, he does what any dashing young hero would do: he runs to tell Mom and Dad. And so it is that Rick O'Connell and his wife Evelyn get pulled into yet another perilous adventure, with their wayward spawn in tow.

Three Good Reasons

1. Two words: Rick O'Connell. Or is that three words? At any rate, the witty, good-natured,

courageous adventurer played by Brendan Fraser always shows audiences a good time.

2. China is awesome. Director Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious) agrees, and the chance to

shoot on location there was a driving force behind his interest in the film.

3. With kung fu icons Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in the cast, it's safe to say there will be more

leaping, kicking, and smashing heads than in any Mummy movie to date.

Bet you didn't know

The ancient Egyptians immediately pulled out and discarded the brain before beginning the mummification process, because they considered the strange goopy substance to have no important purpose. This may explain the behavior of most movie mummies.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

Explorer Rick O'Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex, wife Evelyn and her brother, Jonathan. And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service. Doomed by a double-crossing sorceress to spend eternity in suspended animation, China's ruthless Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent terra cotta army. But when dashing adventurer Alex O'Connell is tricked into awakening the ruler from eternal slumber, the reckless young archaeologist must seek the help of the only people who know more than he does about taking down the undead: his parents. As the monarch roars back to life, our heroes find his quest for world domination has only intensified over the millennia. Striding the Far East with unimaginable supernatural powers, the Emperor Mummy will rouse his legion as an unstoppable, otherworldly force... unless the O'Connells can stop him first.

Also Known As:
The Curse of the Dragon
The Mummy 3
The Mummy III
The Mummy Returns sequel
Production Status:
In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres:
Action/Adventure and Sequel
Release Date:
August 1st, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for adventure action and violence.
Distributors:
Universal Pictures Distribution
Production Co.:
The Sean Daniel Company, Sommers Company
Studios:
Universal Pictures
Filming Locations:
China
Montreal, Quebec Canada
Produced in:
United States