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Director: James Wong
Stars: Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Yun-Fat Chow (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

The Plot: Upon discovering he was sent to Earth to carrying out a sinister plan, a humanoid alien named Goku (Chatwin) looks to fulfill his dying grandfather's wish: Prevent the evil Piccolo (Marsters) and his alien forces from collecting seven mystical artifacts which would allow him to take over our planet. In order to fend off the attackers, Goku must find Master Roshi (Chow), who is the one person who can set him on the right path.

THE BUZZ: Speed Racer' misfortunes have not stopped Hollywood from aggressively pursuing anime/manga titles to turn into feature films; Dragonball is only the first in a series of movies, which includes Ninja Scroll, The Last Airbender, and Akira (James Cameron has plans for Battle Angel Alita, too). Genre fans wrinkled their noses at just about every Dragonball announcement, save the casting of Yun-Fat Chow as Master Roshi and James "Spike" Marsters as Lord Piccolo, but the any publicity is good publicity cliché applies here, since anime purists have dissected everything from a leaked trailer to a 16-second clip that aired on Japanese TV in an attempt to get a definitive look at the direction in which Final Destination creator James Wong is taking the story. Many indicators tell me that movie fans at large won't be pulling a Watchmen here and running out to the comic-book shop in order to brush up on this story.

Message Boards: Why did this get the green light? | maybe they will show the new 35min animated dbz movie before this

Hannah Montana: The Movie

Director: Peter Chelsom
Stars: Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Billy Ray Cyrus (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Plot: As Hannah Montana's popularity begins to take over her life, Miley Stewart (Miley Ray Cyrus), urged on by her father (Billy Ray Cyrus) takes a trip to her hometown of Crowley Corners, Tennessee to get some perspective on what matters in life the most.

THE BUZZ: If one takes into consideration this story's thematic elements and combines them with Miley's real-life trials and tribs, one might assert that the young star is boxing up her alter ego and preparing for the next chapter in her career. Affirming this notion is the fact that novelist Nicholas Sparks (he of Notebook fame) is customizing his first-ever screenplay to suit Ms. Cyrus, and the project is tentatively set to arrive around the time of her 18th birthday. Aiding the transition here is adult-fare specialist, director Peter Chelsom (Shall We Dance).

Message Boards: Fly on the Wall music video (official one) stills!! | New Season Love Interest was second choice for movie

Case 39

Director: Christian Alvart
Stars: Renée Zellweger, Ian McShane, Jodelle Ferland (Full Cast)
Studio: Paramount Pictures

The Plot: A social worker (Zellweger) fights to save a girl from her abusive parents, only to discover that the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected.

Photos (see all 2 | slideshow)

THE BUZZ: One trend that will not go away: Struggling A-list actress goes for a reinvention with a creepy-sounding thriller, typically helmed by a foreign director. (Jodie did it with Flight Plan, Nicole had her Invasion, and even renegade Jennifer Connelly went Brazilian with Dark Water.) With the way the trend's going, you'll understand if our enthusiasm for Ms. Z's turn has us a bit dampened. The upside here? The presence of Ian McShane and "Battlestar"'s story-arc-stealer Callum Keith Rennie.

Message Boards: 2009?!? | Partial Recall

Crank 2: High Voltage

Director: Mark Neveldine Brian Taylor
Stars: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Corey Haim (Full Cast)
Studio: Lionsgate

The Plot: When we last saw Chev Chelios (Statham), it appeared as though the assassin had met his maker. Wrong. As his story continues, Chelios hunts down the mobster who stole his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.

Photos (see all 3 | slideshow)

THE BUZZ: Just two movies in, and the Neveldine/Taylor filmmaking duo have a legion of fans who appreciate their hyper-visualized sensibilities. Clearly they have more detractors, but with Jason Statham in your pocket, who cares about critics? Returning alongside Statham and Amy Smart in the sequel are Dwight Yoakam and Efren Ramirez; climbing aboard for the first time is an inspired cast of supporters, including Corey Haim and Bai Ling, who, let's face it, should have been the primary villain.

Message Boards: How he survived: | Why don't people realise...

17 Again

Director: Burr Steers
Stars: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann (Full Cast)
Studio: New Line Cinema

The Plot: Mike O'Donnell (Perry) has lived a life full of regrets. Suddenly, he reverts back to his 17-year-old self (Efron) who looks to navigate high school and create a path that leads to a better adult existence.

Videos (see all 2)

Mike O'Donnell (Perry) has lived a life full of regrets. Suddenly, he reverts back to his 17-year-old self (Efron) who looks to navigate high school and create a path that leads to a better adult existence.

About a guy whose life didn't quite turn out how he wanted it to and wishes he could go back to high school and change it. He wakes up one day and is seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

THE BUZZ: The highlights of this body-switching comedy: Director Burr Steers is the guy who made Igby Goes Down and the presence of Leslie Mann, who can turn any bit part into a memorable performance. Here Mann plays Perry's confused wife, when her husband's adult self appears in the form of Zac Efron. (Good luck with assuming Perry's behaviors, Zac, and let me know if you need a liver transplant, because I LOVE YOU!!!!) This blog is a one-stop destination for all things 17, with a definite focus on the HSM star, who's also garnering critical acclaim for his role in Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles.

Message Boards: Soo father seduces daughter in high school? | I don't know what to think about myself...

State of Play

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Stars: (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures

The Plot: Picture-perfect U.S. congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) seems to be the rising star in the world of politics -- until his research assistant, who was also his mistress, is murdered. And then the secrets start coming out... It's up to star reporter Cal McCaffrey (Russell Crowe) and his co-hort Della (Rachel McAdams) to uncover the truth, but there are three things that complicate matters: 1) Cal's friendship and loyalty to Stephen; 2) their ruthless editor (Helen Mirren); and 3) a conspiracy that goes far, far deeper than they thought.

THE BUZZ: You couldn't ask for a better cast for this thriller: Affleck is spot-on, Crowe finally gets to flex his acting muscle without mugging (in a role that was considered for Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks), McAdams finally gets to act period, and Mirren is every reporter's worst nightmare boss. The original 2003 BBC miniseries was fantastic television (once you could understand everyone's accents) and if they don't mess it up, this could be stellar, especially once you add in director Kevin Mcdonald (The Last King of Scotland). Our only question: why the April release? This could be a perfect adult option for the sequel-friendly days of summer.

Message Boards: Why on earth make a remake of this miniseries??? | Russell Crowe involved in additional shoots/re-shoots???

The Soloist

Director: Joe Wright
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener (Full Cast)
Studio: DreamWorks SKG

The Plot: In Los Angeles, reporter Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) befriends Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), a brilliant but troubled musician and one-time Julliard student who currently lives on Skid Row. In a series of revealing articles, Lopez draws attention to Ayers's remarkable story, while Ayers still dreams of a grand performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Photos (see all 3 \| slideshow)	Videos (see all 3)

THE BUZZ: In mid-October of last year, Paramount made the decision to push Jamie Foxx and Co. from their movie's Oscar-friendly berth to this new date. Why? Crowded marketplace, I'm assuming (for now, though I'm digging for more info). Reports indicate P'mount might still let the film qualify for Oscars with a quiet, awards-qualifying release at year's end, which, provided some nominations come through, could turn this into a springtime hit. Either way, it should be quite something to watch Atonement director Joe Wright deftly move between time periods in to tell Ayers's remarkable story (get some background here). Bank on top-notch performances from Foxx, Downey Jr., and Keener (who plays Steve Lopez's wife), as well as a layered screenplay from Susannah Grant (Erin Brokovich).

Message Boards: song in trailer | Music at the last of the trailer?!!!

Fighting

Director: Dito Montiel
Stars: Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard, Luis Guzmán (Full Cast)
Studio: Rogue Pictures

The Plot: A young ticket scalper (Tatum) is introduced to the world of underground street fighting.

THE BUZZ: The secret weapon here is not Channing Tatum's untapped potential to be violent; rather, it's writer-director Dito Montiel, who coaxed out Tatum's lone well-received performance in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (it's the chiseled young star's Shattered Glass, if you will). Let's also consider the presence of Terrence Howard and Luis Guzmán, two performers who could make lesser actors better by default. With the right underdog characterization, action choreography, and editing, this one might not be as bad as even I, or you, think.

Message Boards: dumbest title for a movie ever | They know it's Garbage

Earth [4/22]

Director: Alastair Fothergill Mark Linfield
Stars: Patrick Stewart (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Plot: A documentary that follows the migration paths of four animal families.

Photos (see all 5 \| slideshow)	Videos

THE BUZZ: Planet Earth watchers might experience déjà vu here, and for good reason: upstart, green-minded distributor DisneyNature whittled their inaugural offering from the BBC series, and swapped in James Earl Jones for one-time narrator Patrick Stewart. Also reduced were the number of animal families in peril, from four to three. Talk about extinction ...

Message Boards: is this coming to theatres? | What a shock, the US is the last to get this....

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