New In Theaters - June 22, 2012

BRAVE

Starring (voices): Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly,

Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson & Robbie Coltrane

Directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman for distribution by Disney/Pixar

The Plot: The impetuous daughter of royalty, a young princess and skilled archer breaks with tradition and ends up embroiled in a quest to save her kingdom.

The Final Word: After taking a detour with last year’s “Cars 2,” Pixar is back to doing what it does best; original storytelling with heart. Along with another stellar voice cast headlined by “Boardwalk Empire’s” Kelly MacDonald, “Brave” should re-elevate Disney and Pixar back to the awards caliber level it was add coming off of “Toy Story 3.”

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

Starring: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead,

Jimmi Simpson, Robin McLeavy, Alan Tudyk & Rufus Sewell

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov for distribution by 20^th Century Fox

The Plot: Upon finding out vampires are planning on taking over the country, President Abraham Lincoln sets out a mission to destroy the undead before they enact their plan.

The Final Word: Yes, we actually just wrote the above! Based the very successful book by Seth Grahame-Smith, this unique spin on America’s past has been slowly building up buzz throughout the year. This will also mark director Timur Bekmambetov’s first feature since his 2008 summer hit “Wanted,” which should also draw in audiences.

SEEKING A FRIEND AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Adam Brody,

Rob Corddry, Gillian Jacobs, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey,

T.J. Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt & William Petersen

Directed by Lorene Scafaria for distribution by Focus Features

The Plot: With just weeks until an asteroid crashes into the Earth, a jilted insurance salesman embarks on quest to re-unite his high school sweetheart, along with help from his extroverted wild child neighbor.

The Final Word: While Steve Carell can clearly do slapstick style comedy, he has shown he also has the ability to branch out as well (i.e. the underrated “Dan In Real Life”).  This film falls in the latter category as it comes from Lorene Scafaria, who wrote the brilliant screenplay for “Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist.” If Scafaria, who is also making her directorial debut on the project, can re-capture any of “Playlist’s” unique style, this could be another well-received film. Unfortunately, these types of films, while well done, don’t normally translate well at the box office.

New In Theaters - June 15, 2012

ROCK OF AGES

Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand,

Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman,

Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin & Tom Cruise

Directed by Adam Shankman for distribution by New Line Cinema (WB)

The Plot: The story of a relationship between a small town girl and a city boy in Hollywood plays out with some of rock’s best known anthems woven into the mix.

The Final Word: Based on the long-running Tony-winning musical of the same name, “Rock Of Ages” has a who’s who of Hollywood elite among its ensemble capped off by Tom Cruise. Given how well past musical film adaptations such as “Chicago” and “Hairspray” have done in recent years at the box office, there’s no reason to think this won’t be as successful.

THAT’S MY BOY

Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, James Caan,

Eva Amurri, Susan Sarandon, Milo Ventimiglia, Will Forte,

Colin Quinn, Todd Bridges, Vanilla Ice & Ian Ziering

Directed by Sean Anders for distribution by Columbia Pictures (Sony)

The Plot: A deadbeat dad re-enters his son’s life on the eve of his wedding and causes havoc in the process.

The Final Word: While “Jack and Jill” was a complete miss, the fact remains Adam Sandler still sells tickets and he does so especially well during the summer. This isn’t going to make any critic’s best-of lists at the end of the year, but it should do well enough to make people forget about Sandler in drag; we hope.

New In Theaters - June 8, 2012

PROMETHEUS

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce,

Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green & Charlize Theron

Directed by Ridley Scott for distribution by 20^th Century Fox

The Plot: A team of scientists head to a distant part of the world to explore what they believe are clues to the origins of the universe and come face to face with unspeakable terror.

The Final Word: Whether this is really a prequel to the Ridley Scott’s thriller “Aliens” or not remains to be seen, but you have to hand it to 20th Century Fox who have gone out of their way to make sure the movie stands on its own. Through a viral campaign on the level with Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” audiences are already buzzing about this movie even though they have no real idea what it is about outside its vague logline. One thing’s certain though; if you’re going to see this movie, you have to see it in IMAX 3D.

MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED

Starring (voices): Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith,

Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Andy Richter,

Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, Martin Short & Bryan Cranston

Directed by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon for distribution by DreamWorks

The Plot: Still trying to make their way home Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe take refuge with a European circus where they quickly reinvent themselves in their own unique style.

The Final Word: DreamWorks has always had a strong number of franchises in their stable and with “Shrek” retired, “Madagascar,” now becomes their longest running. Now the studio is taking the recognizable franchise back to theaters and back to the summer timeframe where the original debuted back in 2005. While it’s up against the big budget and highly buzzed about Prometheus, it’s also a kids movie and during the summer those do extremely well.

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Kristen Bell,

Jenica Bergere, Jeff Garlin, Karan Soni, Lynn Shelton, Mary Lynn Rajskub

Directed by Colin Trevorrow for distribution by FilmDistrict

The Plot: A classified ad involving time travel intrigues three cynical Seattle reporters to reach out to the person who placed it, only to realize he may not be as crazy as he sounds.

The Final Word: Believe it or not this is based on an actual event, although while the ad itself was actually placed in “Backwoods Home Magazine” in 1997, the film’s plot is made up. While the person who placed this ad ("Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed.") has since admitted it was a joke, the filmmakers decided to use it as a jumping off point for what could have been and so far it’s been very warmly received. 

New In Theaters - June 1, 2012

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth,

Sam Claflin, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Eddie Izzard & Bob Hoskins

Directed by Rupert Sanders for distribution by Universal

The Plot: A new take on the classic “Snow White” fairy tale finds the “fairest of them all” teaming with the very same huntsman hired to kill her by the land’s evil queen.

The Final Word: Earlier this year, audiences were treated to Relativity’s under-performing lighter version of “Snow White” with “Mirror Mirror,” but where that movie wasn’t able to succeed, “Huntsman” may have some luck. This is darker take on the well-known story and has the star power of “Twilight’s” Kristen Stewart and “Avenger’s” lead Chris Hemsworth. Paired with Oscar winner Charlize Theron as the aforementioned evil queen, the trio could surprise at the box office given the lack of competition.

PIRANHA 3DD

Starring: Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, Chris Zylka, David Koechner,

Meagan Tandy, Paul James Jordan, Jean-Luc Bilodeau,

Hector Jimenez, Adrian Martinez, Clu Gulager, Gary Busey,

Katrina Bowden, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames, 
Paul Scheer & David Hasselhoff

Directed by John Gulager for distribution by Dimension (Weinstein Company)

The Plot: The small but deadly piranhas are back and ready for more blood!

The Final Word: Following the events of the original, “Piranha 3DD” is back with even more of same over the top carnage that made it mini-hit a few years back. While it didn’t set the box office on fire, “Piranha” didn’t really have to as it didn’t cost that much to make. Still, this is an example of a studio coming right out and not trying to spin a project something it’s not, which is incredibly refreshing.  Dimension isn’t expecting to win any awards for this picture, they just want to give audiences fun escape during the summer.

New In Theaters - May 25, 2012

MEN IN BLACK 3

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin,

Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson,

Nicole Scherzinger, Alice Eve & Michael Stuhlbarg

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld for distribution by Columbia Pictures (Sony)

The Plot: In order to save the life of his friend and partner, Agent J of the “Men In Black” travels back in time to change the past while accompanied by a younger version of Agent K.

 The Final Word: Believe it or not, it’s been a decade since Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones slipped on their trademark black suits and hit cinemas worldwide. Now the pair is back with new addition Josh Brolin, who plays a dead-on younger version of Jones’ Agent K. With “The Avengers” beginning to come back to Earth, audiences are looking for that next big tent-pole based on material they are familiar with and this will more than likely be it.

CHERNOBYL DIARIES

Starring: Devin Kelley, Jonathan Sadowski, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal,

Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jesse McCartney, Nathan Philips &Dimitri Diatchenko

Directed by Brad Parker for distribution by Warner Brothers

The Plot: Six tourists looking for a thrill hire an “extreme” tour guide who takes them to the abandoned city of Pripyat and the remnants of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, where they quickly realize they aren’t the only ones there!

 The Final Word: Found footage films have made a major comeback as of late, but Oren Peli, who was heavily responsible for that resurgence, is ready to try something different. The “Paranormal Activity” director is going in a new direction with this thriller/horror/mystery flick that has the potential to be the sleeper surprise of the summer.

New In Theaters - May 18, 2012

BATTLESHIP

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Alexander Skarsgard,

Rihanna, Asano Tadanob & Liam Neeson

Directed by Peter Berg for distribution by Universal

The Plot: A fleet of US Navy ships are forced into battle with a species of unknown origin who have their sights set on world domination!

 The Final Word: Based on the Hasbro board game (yes, you read that right), “Battleship” has been the focus of many jokes since it was officially announced. Yet, after blowing the competition out of the water in foreign markets, Universal is gaining increased confidence it could do just as well domestically. Taking the ridiculous of the plot out of the conversation, the film actually has a solid cast (including the very bankable Liam Nesson) and is being directed by “Friday Night Lights” guru Peter Berg, so the studio could end up getting the last laugh here.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford,

Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid,

Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Falcone, Joe Manganiello & Thomas Lennon

Directed by Kirk Jones for distribution by Lionsgate

The Plot: The lives of five couples intertwine as they go through the ups and downs of pregnancy in this film based on the best-selling novel of the same name.

 The Final Word: With an all-star cast that includes Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid and Chris Rock (among many others) this should have appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Although coming off the box office bomb that was “New Year’s Eve,” it looks like audiences could be tiring of this ensemble approach to comedy. Then again, after weeks of superheroes, vampires and alien ships, viewers may be begging for a comedy.

THE DICTATOR

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley,

Megan Fox, John C. Reilly & J.B. Smoove

Directed by Larry Charles for distribution by Paramount

The Plot: A dictator risks his life to ensure that democracy never comes to the nation he “lovingly” oppressed.

The Final Word: Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the big screen with his latest crazy creation in a comedy that has the potential to be as successful as his 2006 hit “Borat.” For months Cohen has promoted the film in character as the self-absorbed leader of the fictional country of Wadiya and the buzz seems to be ready to pay off.  Still, Cohen took an ego hit when his “Bruno” essentially crashed and burned at the box office, so experts still aren’t sure how this picture will play. Conservative estimates place it somewhere between the two features.

New In Theaters - May 11, 2012

DARK SHADOWS

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter,

Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Eva Green &  Chloë Grace Moretz

Directed by Tim Burton for distribution by Warner Brothers

The Plot: A vampire escapes from his decades long imprisonment and returns to his family home only to realize his eccentric descendants need his help.

The Final Word: Based on the long-running TV series, the remake will mark director Tim Burton’s eighth collaboration with Johnny Depp and his seventh with Helena Bonham Carter (who’s also his wife).  The interesting thing here will be the audience’s reaction as the original series was more serious than this film version. A lot of the humor from the show actually was un-intentional and the result of network refusing to do retakes, whereas here it is all scripted. Still it is Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, so you can bet audiences will line up to see their spin on it.