Holy summer movies, Batman!

“Red Eye”
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brittany Oaks, Kyle Gallner, Laura Johnson
Director: Wes Craven
Story: From horror master Wes Craven comes this scary tale of a woman (McAdams) who has a chance encounter with a man (Murphy) in an airport only to find out that he’s her seatmate on the plane. It turns out that Murphy is plotting to kill a businessman and that she is the key to his plan’s success. If she doesn’t cooperate, Murphy threatens to kill her father. What is she supposed to do while trapped on a plane surrounded by strangers?

DreamWorks

Buzz: This almost sounds more like an episode of “24” than a Wes Craven movie. McAdams is definitely turning into an “It” girl with good performances in two wildly different movies last year, “The Notebook” and “Mean Girls.” Murphy (“28 Days Later”) is also definitely a star on the rise year with his performance here and as The Scarecrow in “Batman Begins.”
Web site:  http://www.redeye-themovie.com/

“The 40 Year Old Virgin”

Universal Pictures

Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Romany Malco 
Director: Judd Apatow
Story: Steve Carell (“The Office”) stars as Andy, a 40-year-old man, who’s into comic book and action figures and works in an electronics superstore — but, one catch, he’s never had sex. When he meets Trisha (Keener), a mother of three, his friends get excited that he may finally have do it, but Trisha and Andy have decided to have a “no sex” policy in their relationship.
Buzz: Carrell basically stole “Anchorman” from Will Ferrell, which was no easy feat, and “Daily Show” fans probably still miss his appearances on that show. Apatow, who directed “Anchorman,” is probably best known as the creator of the much-loved but short-lived TV series, “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared.” Keener, who is one of the funnier comic actresses around (“Being John Malkovich”) should be fun to watch here. Let’s hope this film’s terrible title doesn’t ruin its chances for success.
Web site: NA

“Valiant”

Walt Disney Pictures

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jim Broadbent, Rupert Everett, Hugh Laurie, John Hurt, Ricky Gervais, John Cleese, Tim Curry, Olivia Williams
Director: Gary Chapman
Story: This CGI-animated film tells the story of carrier pigeons during World War II. McGregor voices Valiant, a clumsy pigeon who overcomes his small size and lack of qualifications to take on one of the toughest duties of the war: delivering messages from the French to the Allied Forces who are about to storm the beach at Normandy. Kingsley provides the voice of  the evil leader of the German falcons.
Buzz: With its “Toy Story”-style of animation, this film will definitely find an audience with kids and adults. Interestingly, this is one of the few recent Disney films that was not created by Pixar. Will it possess the magic that all the Pixar films seem to have? This is Chapman’s directorial debut.
Web site: NA

“Romance and Cigarettes”

United Artists/MGM

Starring: James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Kumar Pallana, Christopher Walken, Mandy Moore, Aida Turturro, Mary-Louise Parker, Eddie Izzard
Director: John Turturro
Story: Described as “Pennies from Heaven” meets “The Honeymooners,” this big-screen musical tells the story of a Bensonhurst patriarch (Gandolfini) who has an affair with a beautiful redhead (Winslet) and almost destroys his relationship with his wife (Sarandon) and daughters. When the characters can’t find words to express themselves they burst into song.
Buzz: The idea of this film seems vaguely reminiscent of Woody Allen’s “Everybody Says I Love You,” in which actors like Goldie Hawn and Edward Norton burst into song. Turturro (“Mac”) calls the film, “fashionably unhip.” Can Gandolfini, Sarandon and Winslet  — not to mention Buscemi — carry a tune? Only a viewing of this experiment will tell the tale. Mandy Moore is on board to lend some singing assistance. 
Web site: NA

“Domino” (note: this film has been pushed to Nov. 4)

New Line Cinema

Starring: Keira Knightley, Mena Suvari, Christopher Walken, Lucy Liu, Mickey Rourke, Macy Gray, Jacqueline Bisset, Edgar Ramirez, Mo'Nique, Shondrella Avery, Dabney Coleman, Delroy Lindo
Director: Tony Scott
Story: Based on the true story of Domino Harvey (Knightley) and how she rejected her glamorous life as a Ford model and the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey to become a bounty hunter. Domino’s latest case has her pursuing thieves who’ve stolen $10 million while being filmed by a “Cops”-like reality TV show. Edgar Ramirez and Mickey Rourke co-star as her partners.
Buzz: Scott’s films (“Man on Fire,” “Spy Game”) have a distinctive look — almost washed-out lighting with lots of fast cuts and slow motion. With a great performance in “Sin City,” Rourke may be on his way to career recovery — it couldn’t happen to a better guy. Although, she’s slight in build, Knightley possesses a believable toughness which could serve her well here. Look for Walken to do a bit of scene stealing. This could be one of the late-summer sleeper hits.
Web site:  http://www.dominomovie.com/

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