Columbia has moved Michel Gondry’s upcoming adaptation of TV’s The Green Hornet back two weeks to accommodate Denni Dugan’s comedy, Grown Ups. Green Hornet will be moving from June 25, 2010 to July 9, 2010 while Grown Ups moves from March 12th to a spiffy new June 15th date.
Columbia is hoping to rake in some cash before the third entry in the tween vampire series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, drops in to swoon suburban goth girls.
The Green Hornet stars Seth Rogen as newspaper publisher Britt Reid. When not working to save his daily from the evil of the economy, he puts on a green mask and saves damsels.

Fuzzy face.

Dugan’s Grown Ups stars the fabo cast of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider and the lovely Ms. Salma Hayek. The story is about five best friends from high school who reunite 30 years later on a Fourth of July weekend.

Dugan has also directed Big Daddy and Happy Gilmore.

Thanks to ERC via /Film

Well now we begin what I like to know mainly as the box office waltz, where each summer movie at this moment that gets released (and is big time) gets a slice of the number one spot. It doesn’t happen all summer though, usually lasts until the start or mid-June, but the latest Ron Howard movie Angels & Demons continued the trend as they graced their way in opening weekend to a whopping 48 million. Despite it’s religiously questioning premise of a secret organization trying to take down the Vatican and all its inhabitants in her, people still rushed their way to theaters to see this clock ticking mystery.

"We have beaten you Trekkies." *Laughs evily*

Despite the nice amount of bank Angels and Demons raked in, hot behind it’s tail was the J.J. Abrams Star Trek, only missing the mark by only five million. This might just be myself guessing, but personally last night I went to check out the movie once again and there were a considerable amount of Trekkies in my movie theater making their second or third trip to watch Chris Pine and others jump onto the Enterprise.

The rest of the flicks have been holding up fine, surprisingly so with Obsessed making way more than people thought it would (raking in 62 with a 20 mil budget) as well as films making their ginormous budgets back such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Monsters Vs. Aliens. Here below is the rest of the top ten stats from this previous weekend.

Weekend Box Office (May 15-17)

1. Angels & Demons  ($48 Million)
2. Star Trek  ($43 Million)
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine  ($14.8 Million)
4. Ghost of Girlfriend’s Past  ($6.8 Million)
5. Obsessed  ($4.5 Million)
6. 17 Again  ($3.4 Million)
7. Monsters Vs. Aliens  ($3 Million)
8. The Soloist  ($2.4 Million)
9. Next Day Air  ($2.2 Million)
10. DisneyNature’s Earth  ($1.6 Million)

The slow weekend of movies quickly comes to an end as the big guns start to come out. Terminator: Salvation, The Hangover, Dance Flick and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian storm their way into theaters for this coming weekend. Stay here on Atomic Popcorn as well for Terminator: Retrograde as reviewer Philip does a day-by-day review on each one of the previous Terminator films following up to the final review on the latest one from director McG.

Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters Vs. Aliens, as great as it is, feels like a step backwards for DreamWorks Animation. With Kung Fu Panda the studio made a film that could contend with some of Pixar’s work, which is why it’s kind of painful that their latest effort couldn’t keep pace. It’s not a bad film by any stretch, in fact, for the most part it’s very enjoyable. At the end of the day, that’s really all it needs to be.

Monsters Vs. Aliens begins with Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) ready to get married to Derek (Paul Rudd, surprisingly). Unfortunately she’s hit with an alien asteroid that contains “quantonium” that causes her to grow 50 feet. She’s abducted by the government and informed by General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) that monsters have existed since the 50’s but the government has kept them underground in an effort to protect the public. Susan then meets B.O.B (Seth Rogen, a parody of The Blob), Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie’s take on The Fly), The Missing Link (Will Arnett does The Creature of the Black Lagoon) and Insectosaurus (a parody of the ToHo Monsters.) They’re called upon by the government to be freed to due battle with Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) who plans to take over the earth with his clones.

While it’s not as classic as Akira or WALL*E, Monsters Vs. Aliens brings it in spades with entertainment. The plot is very simple and the film really is more concerned about the characters than it is with telling a grandiose story. It still entertains better than any animated flick since robots fell in love. The standout is Insectosaurus, who is on his way to being the “cute, cuddly” character of the picture. Truly, it’s hysterical to watch him – ready to eat everything one minute then struck dumb when a bright light is shined in his eyes. He’s a nice throwback to the ToHo monsters, and that can be said for the rest of the characters as well. The references are really a testament to the filmmakers’ willingness to keep the adults in the audiences interested. The kids won’t get it, but B.O.B.’s introduction has a scene very similar to The Blob. Even The Missing Link’s appearance is what The Creature of the Black Lagoon would look like if Disney got their hands on him. They’re nice little touches that show the filmmakers care for the material they’re taking on, something that can’t be said about a certain vampire phenomenon.

DreamWorks tends to get all-star ensembles for their animated pictures and this is no different. Leading the way is Reese Witherspoon, who unfortunately isn’t very good here. At times she’s tolerable but frequently comes off painfully annoying. She seems like a child actress who just got their first voice acting role and doesn’t hit the right emotional notes. As a supporting character it wouldn’t matter too much but as a lead it hurts the film. Joining her is Stephen Colbert who voices the President. He’s genuinely unfunny, broad, and everything around him that evokes laughter are the gags around him and not what Colbert does with the character. The rest of the cast is great, including Seth Rogen, surprisingly. B.O.B. comes off as the stereotypical goofy character that all these films have but B.O.B. manages to not annoy. It’s half how he’s handled and half how Rogen delivers him, which is well-intentioned but genuinely stupid creature.

The performance that will probably go underrated is Hugh Laurie’s turn as Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. He’s overconfident and charming, which is almost the polar opposite of how Laurie is on “House, M.D.” He’s not the most badass character (that goes to either The Missing Link or Ginormica) but he’s the most enjoyable of the bunch. Will Arnett would be right behind him with his Missing Link. Part of me wishes these two could have a standalone film where they’re partners. The Missing Link does some of the coolest stuff and has some pretty killer lines. Kiefer Sutherland was a treat as General W.R. Monger. Who better than Jack Bauer to be a 90-year-old running a secret government operation? He’s emulating R. Lee Ermey, sure, but that doesn’t matter since that’s what his character requires.

The animation in this is nothing short of stunning, and it’s dressed to the nines in 3-D. This is where I strongly suggest that to get the full experience you trek out to your IMAX theater and enjoy this in IMAX 3-D. I won’t lie that seeing a ball fly at at me added to my enjoyment of the film. It was filmed in Tru3-D which really immerses you in the world. Many times I was so wrapped up in the film where I felt like I was a part of an animated world. You know it’s bad when you exit the theater and do a double take. I’m of the belief no words are going to do the animation or 3-D justice and that it needs to be seen rather than me babbling on about it. Again, 3-D IMAX is the only way to experience this film and it is worth the voyage.

Which is why it’s disheartening the plot isn’t as good as it could have been. The film is very much a “look at how cool I am” type and yes it does entertain in droves. I’m also glad there’s some simplicity here but Pixar sets the bar high and things seemed to be going in the right direction with Kung Fu Panda. Monsters Vs. Aliens is not as atrocious as Shrek the Third or Ice Age: The Meltdown but it still feels like a step backward. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter, as the film will entertain the kids and still should be enjoyable enough for adults. As a 3-D IMAX experience, I’d give this four out of five stars but as a regular film…

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Monsters vs. Aliens Review

Dreamworks presents Monsters vs. Aliens, and they truly hit the spot with this one. Kids and adults alike were enjoying this at the 3D IMAX presentation I was invited to. Prior to the start of the movie there was a kids’ contest for the best movie-related costume, which was great in and of itself.

To begin the 3D experience we are face to face with a scientist (probably a lab rat) who has one of those annoying paddles with the bouncing ball which comes directly into the audience, causing moviegoers to instinctively sit back in their seats. This is a throwback to the old-school 3D that most folks know about. This was actually my second time experiencing 3D; the first was not long ago at Coraline. The 3D experience was excellent. Coupled with IMAX – hard to beat.

The story was pretty crazy, but it is a Monsters vs. Aliens movie, after all. When a meteorite from outer space hits one Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) and turns her into a giant woman, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets the ragtag team of monsters: The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., (Hugh Laurie), and of course everyone’s favorite, B.O.B. (Seth Rogen). The source of Susan’s tremendous growth lies in the meteorite, which another being has its eyes on. Gallaxhar (voiced by Rainn Wilson) wants nothing more than this special material, and comes to earth to get it no matter what stands in his way. Under the guidance of General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), on a desperate order from the President of the United States (Stephen Colbert), the ragtag crew of monsters is called into action to hit Gallaxhar where it counts and save the world from destruction!

As we have all come to know, most Dreamworks animated films are spectacular in the visual department. This movie is no different. The visuals and attention to detail was phenomenal. From the space scenes to the hair on Dr Cockroach’s chin, it was well done. It’s no wonder these films take so long to make.

The storyline was solid, the laughs were many, but I wondered if it was for kids. I am not one for kids being in any movie that could be over their heads with humor or content, but a lot of the things I laughed at, the hundreds of kids around me didn’t. Was it out of their league? Is my humor now becoming more like my grandfather’s….

Overall, Dreamworks accomplished what they set out to do. Entertain us by providing a visually stimulating environment with laughs aplenty. Families, don’t worry about your kids being scared by this movie, but it may feel a little long for them even though it only weighs in at around 90 minutes.

If you get the chance to see it in 3D and IMAX do NOT miss it! The combination of audio and video on IMAX was fabulous.

Great film, great voice acting by all, and pretty damn funny.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

It’s now March which means the NCAA Tournament is on the horizon (YES!), St. Patrick’s Day is close (UH OH!) and the spring movie season is in full swing. Over the past few years, the spring season has become pretty lucrative thanks in large part to films like 300. Today we’re gonna break down the movies that lead us into May and give you six flicks to watch this Spring Season.

MARCH 6

WATCHMEN

Pretty amazing most people are looking forward to this more than most of the summer blockbusters this year. Zack Snyder takes on the impossible task of faithfully adapting Alan Moore’s masterpiece onto film. Early buzz is dividing people right down the line (which any special film should) and it’s going to be very interesting to see how the general audience takes what isn’t exactly user friendly. If anything, the fact Snyder got this faithful, this far is a feat in and of itself.

MARCH 13

RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN

The People’s Champ, THE ROCK (Dwyane Johnson as he likes to be called now) stars in this remake of the 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain. With 2007’s The Game Plan being a hit among the childrens, it makes sense Disney would cash in on their next bankable star. However, everything released makes this look like it’s made just as much for adults as it was kids, something The Game Plan can’t say.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT

Wes Craven continues his success remaking all of his past films with this epic. The premise is the same, but gone are the dual murders and the urban setting. Can’t really tell if Wes remaking all of his catalogue is good or bad, but it worked for The Hills Have Eyes so why not? The only question, how many more years before Scream is remade?

MISS MARCH

Ever wonder what it would be like if your sweetheart turned out to be a Playboy model? Now what if you were in a coma for four years before she took on said job? Would you try to win her back? Those really aren’t questions but rather the plot to Miss March from 2/5 of the Whitest Kid’s U Know Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore. Buzz isn’t really strong on this film and they pretty much all but give away the plot in the trailers. Say hello to the $5.50 bin at Wal-Mart in two years.

MARCH 20

KNOWING

Oh Alex Proyas, ye so talented, but ye pick terrible projects. Actually, Knowing does have a good premise and has the pieces in place to be promising. The only bothersome thing is that it looks like it borrows too much from The Number 23 and The DaVinci Code with it’s “numbers” game gimmick. But it is Alex Proyas who did wonders with what he was given for I, Robot so there’s some hope.

DUPLICITY

Tony Gilroy writes and directs Clive Owen and Julia Roberts about two spies with a steamy past who hook up for the ultimate con. Gilroy’s perfected the spy genre being the man behind the Bourne trilogy but this looks much more cheerful. What we can hope for is a strong box-office take from this one so we can get Clive Owen back to leading man status. If not, then it’s probably time for Julia Roberts to do her next Richard Gere/Gary Marshall fiasco.

I LOVE YOU, MAN

Bro-mance comes full circle in this comedy from John Hamburg who gave us 2004’s Along Came Polly. Apatow regulars Paul Rudd and Jason Segel star in this flick about a friendless man trying to find a best man for his wedding, but his new BFF might put the strain on his relationship. True, the Apatow roots are there but this looks to be taking on it’s own life.

MARCH 27

ADVENTURELAND

Superbad director Greg Mottola directs this comedy about a man (Jesse Eisenberg) who takes a nothing job at an amusement park to realize it will get him ready for the real world. Mottola did a perfect job taking on the awkward stage with his previous film and even though Kristen Stewart is in this (who contributed to slapping the film world in the face with that horrid vampire film), the same should be expected. The question is can it duplicate Superbad’s success?

MONSTERS AND ALIENS

Seth Rogen does another animated film and joining him is Stephen Colbert, Reese Witherspoon and Rainn Wilson. Dreamworks finally made a film that could compete with Pixar’s best in Kung Fu Panda so it’s hard not to trust them with this. It’s also not gonna hurt that this is in 3-D either.

THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT

I’m pretty sure I remember this film being titled The Amityville Horror. That reveal all trailer didn’t help matters either

12 ROUNDS

John Cena and Renny Harlin is a duo that causes nausea to children in Africa. Actually, the only interesting thing about this flick is Aiden Gillen, who was perfect as Mayor Tommy Carcetti on TV’s “The Wire” (the greatest show ever.) The plot of this film is a little reminiscent of Die Hard With A Vengeance with Cena’s other film The Marine mixed in. If there’s justice, Witch Mountain will destroy this film, box office wise.

APRIL 3

FAST AND FURIOUS

As someone who thought the last three Furious films were complete crap, color me excited for this one. The trailers have been slick and Tokyo Drift director Justin Lin teams with the original cast in what is essentially a “re-imagining” of the first film. Only with something resembling a plot, and much, much better action.

APRIL 8/APRIL 10

DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION (April

There’s a world of problems surrounding this film, be it that the lead has no asian bone in him, Emmy Rossum looking bored, or the plot not even trying to honor the original. Aside from one or two die-hards (or people who won’t admit this will be bad), the fans have all but damned this film from the beginning. Two other films are planned, but those might end up being straight to DVD releases, considering the other film this one has to go up against.

HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE

So what I’ve watched a few episodes or thirty of this show. Who cares if I’ve got “Nobody’s Perfect” on my iTunes? The film is the best way to send off this show seeing as Disney trashes their shows after 63 episodes and Miley is all but ready to mature. It’s that which really makes the film autobiographical in a sense, although given the great job Billy Ray has done with his child (and truly, he has) it’s tough to think Miley would throw a shoe at Tyra Banks. Still, the Zack Snyder version of this film would pull in more bank than the film is already going to get.

OBSERVE AND REPORT

On the heels of Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Seth Rogen being the comedy golden boy comes this flick about a mall security guard trying to stop a flasher from turning the mall into his playground. Unlike the other security guard film, this will be more crude and (reportedly) a nice follow up to The Foot Fist Way. Is it good or bad Rogen is starting to star in films that feature full frontal male nudity?

CASE 39

Renee Zellweger looks to continue the trend of struggling actresses teaming with foreign directors for a re-imagining. She plays a social worker who tries to defend a girl from her abusive parents, but gets more than she bargains for. Ian McShane is on tap as well which may be this film’s only redeeming factor.

APRIL 17

CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE

If there’s one film I’m looking forward to more than Watchmen, it’d be this. Crank is one of the most entertaining films you’ll find and this one looks to ramp up everything great about the first film. What made the first so great is that it just didn’t care who it offended and played on that. Plus, any film that has a shotgun being literally stuck up a guy’s ass has to be great, yes?

17 AGAIN

Maybe this should have been called Big Jack Going On 17. Matthew Perry plays a man who’s lived life full of regrets and suddenly changes into Zac Efron, much to the delight of Leslie Mann. She’s supposed to be confused, but realistically, I think any of Perry’s dates would be thrilled if he transformed into Troy Bolton (nor would they care.)

STATE OF PLAY

Based on the 2003 BBC series, State of Play features Ben Affleck as a man on the rise in the political world, til his mistress and research assistant is murdered and Russell Crowe snoops around into a conspiracy that gets them all in over their heads. The Last King of Scotland director Kevin Macdonald hemls this which should be the tout April thriller we seem to get every year (i.e. – The Interpreter, Insomina, Identity, Inside Man, etc.)

APRIL 24

OBSESSED

The only appealing thing in this flick is Idris Elba who (much like Aiden Gillen) was perfect as Stringer Bell on “The Wire: The Greatest Television Show Ever”. In this, he seems to take the logical choice of Ali Larter over the overrated mess that is Beyonce Knowles. Then again, how logical is it when the former is a psychotic ‘obsessed’ maniac? The only way this film wouldn’t be a complete rip off is if Beyonce has a song and dance with Ali Larter in a cover of “The Boy Is Mine”. That, or Omar Devone Little shows up.

FIGHTING

Audiences get a taste of G.I. Joe leading man Channing Tatum in this flick which looks like a much more faithful adaptation of Street Fighter than the recently released “adaptation”. The film also features Luis Guzman and Terrence Howard who should give the film some form of entertainment.

THE SOLOIST

Robert Downey Jr. portrays Steve Lopez, a reporter who befriends troubled yet brilliant Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) who lives on Skid Row. It’s not bad buzz that this was pushed from it’s scheduled October released date to now. The film is helmed by Atonement director Joe Wright, features two of the best actors working today, and should have a nice script that tells a triumphant tale. It will end the spring well.

Now, officially spring isn’t over but in the movie world, the summer starts in May. Having said that, here are my Top Six Most Anticipated Spring Films:

1. WATCHMEN
2. CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE
3. THE SOLOIST
4. RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
5. MONSTERS AND ALIENS
6. FAST AND FURIOUS

Enjoy the spring season that kicks off on Friday with Watchmen. My video and text reviews will follow.

Monsters vs. Aliens

A brand new featurette from DreamWorks for their upcoming animated Monsters vs. Aliens has been released. The video is a behind the scenes look at some of the monsters along with how they go about making a gorgeous animated feature like this.

Check out the 5 minutes of Monster goodness below. Don’t forget to tell us what you think.

Susan Murphy aka Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon), is a modern-day California girl who has the bad luck to be hit by a meteor on her wedding day and grows to be 49 feet, 11½ inches tall. Ginormica is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years. As a last resort, under the guidance of General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), on a desperate order from The President, the motley crew of Monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction!

Check out the Monsters vs. Aliens: Meet the Monsters featurette below.

Aside from Reese Witherspoon and Sutherland, other actors joining the film include Hugh Laurie (Dr. Cockroach, PhD), Seth Rogen (the jellylike B.O.B.), Will Arnett (the half-ape, half-fish – Missing Link), Stephen Colbert (the president), and finally, Rainn Wilson (the evil alien Gallaxhar).

The animated film is directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon, of Shark tale and Shrek 2 respectively.

Monsters vs. Aliens will hit the theaters on March 27, 2009.

DreamWorks Studios has let out of the bag the second full-length trailer for their upcoming  Monsters vs. Aliens. From the creative minds behind Kung Fu Panda and Shrek 2 comes a very comedic animated movie that is sure to make us all laugh.

Before checking out the trailer below, make sure you check out our Monster vs. Aliens gallery here.

Paramount gives us  Monsters vs. Aliens in both IMAX 3D and regular theaters on March 27th, 2009 next year. I will be front and center, well not front but center for this one in IMAX.

What do you all think so far about this?

The latest featurette for Monsters vs. Aliens directed by Rob Letterman(who directed Shark Tale) and Conrad Vernon (who directed Shrek 2), two very experienced DreamWorks team members.

Stay tuned for more info on Monsters vs. Aliens as we have a sneak peak of 30 minutes of the film on Friday. Make sure to stop back by for that update!!

Monsters vs. Aliens can been seen in theaters on March 27th 09.