By Rick Grant
Winter in Northern Florida is mostly cool and enjoyable, with a few cold spells that require heavy coats and a sweater on my Chihuahua Pepe. Take a hike in the country during the day and catch a newly released movie at night.
There are many exciting movies to be released this winter. Here are a few of the highlights:
Fantasy is big this year with such films as The Spiderwick Chronicles and In the Name of the King.
Incredibly, Sylvester Stallone (“Yo, I’m old as dirt.”) is back with another Rambo. This time, Rambo, using a heavily armed walker, saves a gaggle of senior citizens being held hostage by Social Security protesters (ha!).
Teen and twenty-something viewers can’t get enough of the horror genre with films such as The Orphanage and One Missed Call.
And, the mainstay of the dating crowd, romantic comedies, is well represented with such films as The Accidental Husband. February 8th, the adventure romance genre movie, Fools Gold opens.
In the middle of March, the obligatory Spring Break comedies open, Spring Breakdown and College Road Trip.
The ancient past will come to life with the epic 10,000 B.C., opening March 7th.
Fortunately, the writers strike has not affected the movie business yet, but if it goes on, it could shut down productions. More worrisome, though, the Directors Guild’s contract runs out soon, and they could strike if they can’t come to terms with the studios. Everyone loses in a strike, so hopefully it can be avoided.
As one would expect, there are movies for every taste along with a few art house indie films for the few people who will go to see them.
Incredibly, Sylvester Stallone is back playing Rambo. Now long in the tooth, John Rambo travels to Thailand where he assembles a group of mercenaries and leads them up the Salween River to a Burmese village where a group of Christian aid workers are being held hostage by Burmese rebels. Rated R
FBI Agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) is tasked with hunting down a seemingly untraceable serial killer who posts live videos of his victims on the Internet. Frustrated by lack of leads, Marsh discovers that the killer is targeting her as his next victim. He hacks into the FBI computer system and learns every detail of her life. He’s smart and plays games with the FBI and drives Marsh into hiding. Rated R
Captures 14-year-old singing sensation, Miley Cyrus, in concert at several venues on her 2007 54-city tour. She performs as both a solo artist and as her popular television character, Hannah Montana. Rated G
A wilderness-themed TV show is losing its ratings, so two animal researchers go to the Andes in search of Bigfoot. The two hapless explores get more than he bargained for while hunting for the mythical creature. From the start the ambitious expedition is beset with disasters. Along the way, the hapless crew will have to survive near-death encounters with overzealous border guards, an amorous turkey, flesh-eating fish, murderous natives and a host of other obstacles that more than live up to the name "Strange Wilderness." Rated R
Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey co-star in this action/comedy/romance about a lost treasure that rekindles a married couple’s sense of adventure and their estranged romance. Rated PG-13
Michael Clarke Duncan and Martin Lawrence co-star in this comedy about a successful talk show host who leaves Los Angeles to reunite with his family in the Deep South. Rated PG13
A genetic anomaly allows a young man to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries. Suddenly, he finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between “Jumpers” and those who have sworn to kill them. Starring Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson. Rated PG13
This is an elaborate fantasy involving two brothers Jared and Simon Grace, who, along with their sister Malloy, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of fairies and other creatures. Rated PG
Jerry (Jack Black) is a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant that he believes is melting his brain. But when his plan goes awry, the magnetic field that he creates accidentally erases all of the videotapes in a local video store where his best friend Mike works. In order to satisfy the store’s most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films, which include Back to The Future, Lion King, and Robocop using cheap sets, poor quality cameras, and bad acting. The films develop a cult following as a goof. Rated PG-13
A rich kid (Anton Yelchin) becomes the self-appointed psychiatrist to the student body of his new high school. His amateur psychology leads to many comedic situations. Also starring Kat Dennings and Robert Downey, Jr. Rated PG-13
A young photographer and his girlfriend find ghostly images in his photographs as well as around them while on their honeymoon in Tokyo. Starring Rachel Taylor and Joshua Jackson. Rated PG13
Forest Whitaker and Dennis Quaid co-star in this intrigue thriller. When there is an attempted assassination of the President, the story is told from five different perspectives. Rated
PG13
Larry, a small town sheriff witnesses what he believes is a kidnapping and rushes to rescue a woman in this comedy starring Jenny McCarthy, Eric Roberts, Joe Mantegna, and Larry the Cable Guy. Rated PG-13
Two ferociously ambitious sisters, Mary and Anne Boleyn, are rivals for the bed and heart of the 16th century English king Henry VIII. Starring: Natalie Portman, Eric Bana and, Scarlett Johansson.
Rated PG13
Will Farrell stars as Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of the American Basketball Association’s Flint Michigan Tropics, rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true. Rated R
This prehistoric epic follows a young mammoth hunters journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe. Rated PG-13
Uma Thurman plays a talk radio host Emma Lloyd who advises one of her listeners to break up with her boyfriend. When the boyfriend gets the brush-off, he’s furious and starts plotting his revenge on Emma. Co-starring Colin Firth. Rated PG13
An over-achieving high school student decides to travel around the country to choose the perfect college. Her overprotective cop father decides to accompany her in order to keep her on the straight and narrow. She devises a plan divert her dad’s attention while she parties. Starring Raven Symore and Martin Lawrence. Rated PG-13
Three adult women vacation together at a popular travel destination for college co-eds on spring break. They get caught up in the chaos and wild parties. This comedy stars Parker Posey, Missi Pyle, and Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia).
Horton the Elephant struggles to protect a microscopic community from his neighbors who refuse to believe it exists. Jim Carey voices Horton and Steve Carell voices The Mayor of Who-ville. Rated PG
This is a saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City Police officers. The Family’s moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law (Colin Farrell). Rated R
This is another Tyler Perry vehicle. A single mom (Angela Basset) takes her family to the funeral of her father –a man she never met. There, her clan is introduced to the crass, fun-loving Brown family. Rated PG-13
In this comedy, two kids hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them from the playground bully. But they get more than they bargained for and their scheme unravels in many comedic ways. Starring Owen Wilson. Rated PG13
Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a disaffected, cube dwelling workaday drone. His girlfriend ignores him routinely and his life plods on interminably, and he’s his boss’ whipping boy. His life changes drastically when he meets a sexy woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie) who recruits him into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his father’s death by unlocking his dormant powers. Rated R
A rotund guy leaves his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day only to discover that , five years later, that she is his one true love. Now that he is trim and fit he wants her back but has to compete with her boyfriend. His belated proclamations of love fall on deaf ears but he’s not discouraged. Rated PG13
Based on a real-life gambling scheme setup by MIT students to outsmart the blackjack dealers in Vegas. Six MIT students were trained to become experts in card counting and took Vegas casinos for millions of dollars. Starring Kevin Spacey. Rated PG13
Back home in Texas, after fighting in Iraq, a soldier refuses to return to battle despite the government mandate requiring him to return to his unit. His legal battle becomes an unintentional anti-war manifesto. Rated R
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