“Shrek the Third”

Dreamworks Animation

Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Justin Timberlake, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Eric Idle
Director: Chris Miller, Raman Hui
Story: When King Harold (Cleese) falls ill, it’s up to Shrek (Myers) to either find a suitable heir to take his place or give up his favorite swamp-home for the throne. With the help of Donkey (Murphy) and Puss (Banderas), Shrek sets out to get Fiona’s (Diaz) rebellious cousin Artie (Timberlake) to become the rightful heir. But when Prince Charming (Everett) tries to take the throne for himself, it’s up to Fiona and her band of princesses to stop him.
Buzz: Directors Miller and Hui take over for Adamson (who had co-directors for the first two films). There was some disappointment that “Shrek 2” felt too much like a rehash of the first film. Perhaps the fresh directing and writing crew can solve some of those problems. Regardless, this movie will rake in the dough. Former tabloid couple Timberlake and Diaz should have “fun” on the press junket.
Web site: http://www.shrek.com/main.html

“Shortcut to Happiness”

Carolyn Kaster / Ap File

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dan Aykroyd, Kim Cattrall, Ken Murton, John Savage, Jason Patrick
Director: Alec Baldwin
Story: In this remake of the 1941 film “The Devil and Daniel Webster,” Hopkins stars as Webster, a down-and-out writer who sells his soul to the devil (Hewitt) in exchange for fame and fortune.
Buzz: This film was originally shot in 2001, but due to some financial problems that allegedly involved bank fraud, the FBI seized investors’ assets, including the film. At one point, Baldwin reportedly no longer wanted to be credited as the director. None of this bodes well for the film.
Web site: NA

“The Wendell Baker Story”

Thinkfilm

Starring: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Eva Mendes, Seymour Cassel, Jacob Vargas, Harry Dean Stanton, Kris Kristofferson, Eddie Griffin
Director: Andrew Wilson, Luke Wilson
Story: When Wendell Baker’s (Luke Wilson) latest scheme lands him in jail, he vows not only to make the most of his time behind bars, but to turn his life around. Upon release, he finds a job at a nursing home run by evil head nurse Neil King (Owen Wilson). He befriends the residents (Stanton, Cassell and Kristofferson), and tries to win back the love of his ex-girlfriend (Mendes).
Buzz: Andrew and Luke Wilson make their directing debuts with this feature, and Luke wrote the screenplay. The small-scale sweetness of this film is reminiscent of brother Owen’s work with Wes Anderson on “Bottle Rocket.” The Hollywood Reporter’s John Defore wrote that the film feels “like a good-natured throwback” to 1970s films. 
Web site: http://www.wendellbaker.com/

“Captivity”

Lionsgate / After Dark Films

Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Laz Alonso, Michael Harney
Director: Roland Joffe
Story: A well-known model (Cuthbert) is kidnapped by a psychotic fan and locked in an unknown location. There she meets a chauffeur (Gillies) who is also being held prisoner. As they try to survive, the two of them fall in love.
Buzz: It’s hard to reconcile the cheesiness of this movie’s plot with Academy Award-winning director Joffe (“The Killing Fields,” “The Mission”) — although he did also direct the Patrick Swayze clunker “City of Joy” and the bodice-ripping Demi Moore version of “The Scarlet Letter.” How far the mighty have fallen. Writer Larry Cohen is the man behind the scripts for “Cellular” and “Phone Booth” — meaning mediocre thrillers are his specialty. Cuthbert is known best for her role as Kim Bauer (the Bauer you love to hate) on “24.”
Web site: NA

“Even Money”

Yari Film Group

Starring: Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger, Nick Cannon, Forest Whitaker, Carla Gugino, Ray Liotta, Kelsey Grammer
Director: Mark Rydell
Story: This film tells “Crash”-style intertwining stories of gambling addiction. Basinger plays a woman who hides her addiction from her husband (Liotta) by pretending to work on a novel. Whitaker is a man so in debt to bookies that he begs his basketball-playing brother (Cannon) to throw games. DeVito co-stars as a fledgling magician, while Grammer plays a 40s-style detective.
Buzz: Variety’s John Defore doesn’t mince words with his review: “Overlong and overstuffed with cliches, the movie doesn't seem to realize how close it comes to comedy.” You can’t say it much more plainly than that.
Web site: NA

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