A trash-compacting robot learns there's more to life than cleaning up the planet that humans polluted when he falls for a sleek, female droid, then sets out on an intergalactic journey to be with her.
Buzz:
Number Five is alive and animated. According to legend, this film is the last of the leftover projects the Incredibles crew chewed over during an infamous lunch date back in 1994 that spawned several Oscars for Pixar and Disney. Now the 'toon twosome are poised for another box office return that's out of this world (and hopefully still doing lunch together). P.S. Audiences will be treated to the short film Presto before heading out into space.
Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) is rescued from his miserable existence by the gun-toting Fox (Jolie), a member of the Fraternity, a group of assassins to which Wesley's recently murdered father belonged. As their new recruit, Wesley learns he's truly a chip off the old block as he is trained by Fox and the Fraternity's leader, Sloan (Freeman) -- but what secrets are they hiding?
Buzz:
Timur Bekmambetov's English-language debut is similar in theme to his criminally mismarketed Night Watch, except Wanted is spun off from a pottymouthed comic serial darker in nature than V for Vendetta and Sin City combined. While the buzz surrounding this has simmered, initial reviews have stoked the flames, as have the reports that Universal already has a sequel in development. Bekmambetov might just break through in the U.S., but if not, it's not like his career is hurting in his native Russia.
Maxwell Smart (Carrell), Agent 86 for CONTROL, battles the forces of KAOS with the more-competent Agent 99 (Hathaway) at his side.
Buzz:
Hmmm... Mel Brooks and Buck Henry as reinterpreted by the guys who wrote Failure to Launch.... Where's KAOS when you really need them? Still, we give courageous snaps to the nice casting, but weren't Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 supposed to be romantic foils? Carell, handsome as he is, seems more suited to playing Hathaway's father than her boyfriend. We'll be watching "Office" reruns and the Devil Wears Prada DVD instead, thanks.
Po (Black), a reluctant panda bear, is recruited by a team of Kung Fu masters and trained in the ways of the ancient martial art in order to protect the Valley of Peace from an evil snow leopard.
Buzz:
Just when you thought it wasn't possible to out blitz Bee Movie's ad nauseam marketing crusade for an animated movie lacking green ogres, penguins or Pixar, this cuddly black-and-white slacker comes along and starts telling us to turn off our cell phones before every single movie! Okay, we get it, build awareness, create interest. But really, aren't pandas and kung fu pretty interesting on their own already? Still, gotta hand it to D'Works for booking another Stiller, er, stellar voiceover cast. Black's got skills for drawing in the JanSport set and Jolie can finally take Shiloh and Maddox to see mommy on the big screen.
Geneticist Bruce Banner (Norton) takes flight in order to understand -- and hopefully cure -- that the condition that turns him into a monster. Complicating his situation is the military initiative that wants him captured and controlled, as well as the arrival of a more-deadly nemesis: The Abomination.
Buzz:
One of the reasons the Marvel Universe is the hottest Hollywood territory is because of their note-perfect casting. With Edward Norton ascending to the role he almost nabbed the first time around, we can finally let Ang Lee's Hulk rest and consider this movie the first in a sure-shot franchise. Transporter director Louis Leterrier is working off a screenplay by Zak Penn (who is now working on the Captain America and Avengers scripts), so we knew from day one that the action will be ratcheted way up (uhh, check!), without sacrificing too much characterization. But because this is an Internet-supported movie, there's very little we don't know about it sight unseen. So, what can we ask? Well, did you hear that the film's third act will include a 26-minute Hulk vs. Abomination fight sequence? (Leterrier let's it rip here.) Ummm, did you also read that CHUD article that let it be known there's a handful of easter-egg characters to be found throughout the film? P.S. If you were following the whole screenplay drama, Norton's no longer getting credit for it, just Penn is.
Pitka (Meyers) an American raised outside of his country by gurus, returns to the States in order to break into the self-help business. His first challenge: To settle the romantic troubles and subsequent professional skid of a star hockey player (Malco) whose wife left him for a rival lover (Timberlake) before the NHL Stanley Cup.
Buzz:
This level of character-based humor might expose Meyers as a player whose time has come and gone. And don't get us started on Guru's convoluted premise and the fact that the trailer doesn't take the time to let you know how Jessica Alba fits into the story. The only things that excite us here: (1) The presence of "Weeds" standout Romany Malco (even if he's styled like a Delirious-era Eddie Murphy) and (2) Justin Timberlake looking ready to steal scenes.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Stars:
Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf
Studio:
Paramount Home Entertainment
Plot:
Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones (Ford) is called back into action to stop a Soviet plot to uncover and use ancient artifacts in order to take over the world.
Buzz:
Remember how big May was last year with the third installments of Spider-Man, Pirates, and Shrek all coming out within weeks of one another? While we don't think Tony Stark, Aslan, and Indy will ultimately generate the same box office sensation worldwide, they have a bit more to offer in terms of surprise, delight, and most of all, mystery (barring Prince Caspian?). IJ4 is perhaps the most enigmatic of the trio, what with its official site (launched, it seems, before production even began), formerly-well-hidden plot details, spoiler-spilling extras, and splashy world premiere at Cannes. Now that we essentially know these details, we're marinating on the idea of Shia "Mutt" LaBeouf inheriting the franchise for a rumored fifth chapter. Don't chuff, Spielberg wants it!
A family is on the run after natural disaster threatens the entire planet.
Buzz:
If tinfoil hats shield people from the effects of electromagnetic fields, alien mind control and watching Lady in the Water, then Shyamalan fans have nothing to worry about here. 'Cause aside from the alleged troubles he faced trying to get this script off the ground, M. Night's bigger obstacle may be getting audiences to forget about those silly scants and snarfs. But the second trailer definitely has my attention (and the redband trailer nearly made me cover my eyes), and we can agree that Mark Wahlberg can turn the weakest sauce into something tasty. Plus, indie queen Zooey Deschanel will attract hip boys and girls alike. Then there's John Leguizamo, who deserves a fat paycheck. Will Shyamalan earn street cred with a gritty, hard-won success? And though we know Wahlberg is an Academy Award-trademarked nominee and a Serious Actor these days, we can't help but find this our favorite moment in the new trailer: Anonymous Train Guy: We've lost contact... Mark Wahlberg: With whom?! Whom! We love it!
Set four years after we last saw the ladies, Carrie (Parker), Samantha (Cattrall), Miranda (Nixon), and Charlotte (Davis) negotiate their friendships, romances, and careers in New York City. At the center of it all is Carrie's pending nuptials to Mr. Big (Noth) ...
Buzz:
Sorry if this is obscure (or annoying) but if there's one thing Strangers with Candy the movie taught me, it's this: Don't watch the big-screen versions of your favorite television shows in theaters; experience them at home on DVD, either alone or with your pals ... essentially, however you watched the show when it was on TV. There's something in a transfer such as this that numbs the overall experience. Yes, we're excited for Carrie & Co. to strut the streets of NYC again (and we're glad that SJP and KC are BFFs, or at least acting like it), but we see no reason to pick out a cute theater-going outfit when you can relax at home in your matched separates by Bitten, surrounded by your own personal Stanford Blatches and/or Steve Bradys, sipping on a Fanta Orange and cough syrup cocktail, waiting to see how the gals look in close-ups. Speaking of close-ups, we didn't think that Cynthia Nixon would be the one to appear as though she had the most work done since 2004 ...
A Mossad agent (Sandler) orchestrates a scenario that will allow him to move to New York City and reinvent himself as a hairstylist.
Buzz:
Sounds like a Sacha Baron Cohen concept to us, but really this is a comedy triangle formed by Sandler, his go-to director Dennis Dugan, and He Who Makes It Funny, Judd Apatow, who wrote Zohan with Sandler and Robert Smigel. Sure, the premise sounds wafer thin and potentially offensive to both secret agents and hair stylists, but, hey, is that a Mariah Carey sighting? Expect the comedy here to go from gross-out to soft-and-matured in three acts.
Montgomery mom recalls little of SUV rolling over toddler
Montgomery County's Vanessa Beier has trouble recalling many of the details of last month's rollover accident that left her and her 15-month-old daughter trapped under the family's sport utility vehicle.
Lego robots to seize imaginations at Children’s Museum (with photos)
The Woodlands Children’s Museum’s newest program, RoboVenture, will use Legos as a common denominator to teach attendees about engineering, energy and robotics.
Renovation efforts under way for Memorial Park (with photos)
Demolition is expected to begin after July 4 on the fountain at Montgomery County War Memorial Park to make way for a plaza honoring the county’s fallen soldiers.
Students can expect higher prices at the cash register when Montgomery County school districts up their cafeteria prices in response to rising costs for food staples and gasoline.
Houston parents hire summer tutors to give kids an edge
Some parents are hiring tutors, experts say, because they're feeling the pressure of looming high-stakes tests, which begins in Texas with the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills for third-grade children. Others are thinking about college.
Over the next four years, Planned Parenthood intends to open two more suburban clinics to serve the organization's primary targeted group - poor and uninsured women - as well as more affluent, paying patients.
Where ice rink was, Town Center expands parking options
A new temporary lot is under construction on the site of the Ice Rink at Town Center to serve a nearby office building during the day and shoppers at night and on the weekends.
Woodlands Township Board appoints former leader to vacant seat
Bob Kinnear, a former chairman of the Town Center Improvement District, was approved Wednesday to fill an eleventh seat on The Woodlands Township Board, but not without a fight.