DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT
Starring: Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Anita
Briem,
Peter Stormare & Taye Diggs
Peter Stormare & Taye Diggs
Directed by Kevin Munroe for distribution by Freestyle
Releasing
The Plot: A private eye
to the undead must track down a mysterious artifact before a war breaks out
over it among the supernatural forces of New Orleans.
The Final Word: Brandon Routh,
who aside from a recurring role on “Chuck,” has by and large stayed out of the
mainstream, since his ill-fated “Superman Returns” flopped in theaters.
Although don’t forget that fans don’t blame Routh for the train-wreck of a
reboot and could be willing to give his next prospective franchise a chance.
Freestyle is trying to adapt the popular Dylan Dog comic to the mainstream, but
this is a stacked weekend at the box office which could prove difficult for the
debut release. Then again, the studio probably knows that and would be happy
with a modest premiere.
FAST FIVE
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana
Brewster,
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Tyrese Gibson,
Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, & Matt Schulze
Directed by Justin Lin for distribution by Universal
The Plot: Backed into a
corner in Rio de Janeiro, the “Fast & Furious” crew (Diesel, Walker, et.al)
must pull off one more heist to reclaim their lives, but at the same time must
contend with a new tough as nails federal agent (Johnson) assigned to bring
them down.
The Final Word: This franchise
literally never seems to run out of gas in their tank (and yes pun intended).
After the success of 2009’s “Fast & Furious,” Universal couldn’t greenlight
a fifth film fast enough. Once again reteaming a number of “FF” alums, the
familiar faces will add Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson into the mix making this an
even more star-studded cast.
HOODWINKED TOO! HOOD VS. EVIL
Starring (voices): Hayden
Panettiere, Glenn Close, Joan Cusack, Bill Hader,
Amy Poehler, David Alan Grier, Andy Dick, Brad
Garrett,
Martin Short, Patrick Warburton, Cheech Marin &
Tommy Chong
Directed by Mike Disa for distribution by The
Weinstein Company
The Plot: Red
(Panettiere) returns to active duty with the Happily Ever After Agency (HEA),
after a wicked witch (Cusack) kidnaps two innocent children, who happened to be
named Hansel (Hader) and Gretel (Poehler).
The Final Word: Similar to how
“Shrek” re-invented the fractured fairy tale world; the “Hoodwinked” series
takes audiences in the same direction. After the modest success of the first
movie, most of the original voice cast (sans Anne Hathaway) will return for the
sequel, which looks to try and build up a new franchise.
PROM
Starring: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, Danielle
Campbell, Yin Chang,
Kylie Bunbury, Nicholas Braun, Jared Kusnitz,
Jonathan Keltz, De’Vaughn Nixon,
Nolan Sotillo, Cameron Monaghan, Joe Adler, Janelle
Ortiz, Raini Rodriguez
Directed by Joe Nussbaum for distribution by Walt
Disney
The Plot: As one school’s
prom slowly approaches, a series of inter-connecting tales play out leading up
to the most memorable night in the life of a high school student.
The Final Word: Originally “Friday
Night Lights” star Aimee Teegarden was really the only well-known actress
attached to the cast, but as it turns out the ensemble will also feature
another rising TV star in Cameron Monaghan, who has a starring role in Showtime’s
“Shameless.” While Teegarden’s character still is more of the lead, it is
interesting how fast Monaghan’s stock has risen in just four months. It’s also
entirely possible that a number of other actors in the cast will soon be
hitting it big as well as Disney is historically a launching pad for new stars.
Previewed next week: Something Borrowed, Thor
