Spring Break
May movie previews (in order of my anticipation)
JULIE LEUNG
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: Out & About
STAR TREK
premieres May 8
Ever since 2002's not-so-successful "Trek: Nemesis," people wondered about the viability of the Star Trek franchise.
Sure there are legions of fans, some with copies of "Hamlet" written in Klingon. (Don't believe me? Google it.) But after a 10th film installment and volumes of books, what's left to explore? What hasn't been covered by Patrick Stewart's "Picard" or William Shatner's "Kirk"?
Well, if you can't sequel it in Hollywood, you reboot it. Telling the story of a young Kirk and his shipmates, "Star Trek" is the hotly anticipated origins story directed by "Lost" creator J. J. Abrams. With Chris Pine ("Smokin' Aces") starring as Kirk, the cast is fleshed out with hefty names such as Simon Pegg (Scotty), John Cho (Sulu) and Eric Bana (Nero).
A personal favorite, Zachary Quinto, who plays the serial killer Sylar in NBC's "Heroes," will step in Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan shoes as Spock.
Extra: William Shatner is a bit miffed that he wasn't included in the film, guess he's not quite the negotiator Priceline would have you believe.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
premieres May 1
Alas, two franchises that usually involve the very refined and utterly British Patrick Stewart are premiering in May and he's nowhere to be found.
Sure to contend with "Star Trek" for eyeballs, "X-Men Origins" focuses on James Logan (a.k.a. Wolverine) and tells of his life before he met up with the rest of the X-Men.
Directed by Gavin Hood ("Rendition"), the film will tackle Wolverine's motives behind agreeing to the adamantium operation that gives him his super-sharp claws.
Hugh Jackman reprises the lead role for a fourth time and is joined by Liev Schreiber ("Defiance") as Sabretooth. Other notable persons showing up for face time are Will.I.Am. (Black Eyed Peas) and Dominic Monaghan ("Lost" and "Lord of the Rings").
Let the mutant smackdown begin already! (Assuming you haven't already cheated and watched a leaked copy.)
Extra: Hugh Jackman on the leaked copy of the film (according to Time magazine), "It's like a Ferrari without a paint job."
Angels & Demons
premieres May 15
Robert Langdon, last seen unraveling Christianity's darkest conspiracies, is back onscreen in the second Dan Brown-penned thriller turned movie, "Angels & Demons."
As the very attune and knowledgeable Langdon, Tom Hanks gets embroiled in a reawakened war between the Catholic Church and the super-secret Illuminati brotherhood.
Though written as prequel to Brown's polarizing bestseller "The Da Vinci Code," producers of "Angels & Demons" have reformatted the movie version as a sequel to the events relayed in "Da Vinci."
Intrigued or incensed, there's no denying the publicity a substantial religious uproar can bring to a probably pedestrian film.
Extra: Still tetchy about "Da Vinci," the Vatican banned producers from filming at its historical sites. Director Ron Howard had to recreate much of the settings used in "Angels & Demons" using CGI. (from The UK Telegraph)
premieres May 8
Ever since 2002's not-so-successful "Trek: Nemesis," people wondered about the viability of the Star Trek franchise.
Sure there are legions of fans, some with copies of "Hamlet" written in Klingon. (Don't believe me? Google it.) But after a 10th film installment and volumes of books, what's left to explore? What hasn't been covered by Patrick Stewart's "Picard" or William Shatner's "Kirk"?
Well, if you can't sequel it in Hollywood, you reboot it. Telling the story of a young Kirk and his shipmates, "Star Trek" is the hotly anticipated origins story directed by "Lost" creator J. J. Abrams. With Chris Pine ("Smokin' Aces") starring as Kirk, the cast is fleshed out with hefty names such as Simon Pegg (Scotty), John Cho (Sulu) and Eric Bana (Nero).
A personal favorite, Zachary Quinto, who plays the serial killer Sylar in NBC's "Heroes," will step in Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan shoes as Spock.
Extra: William Shatner is a bit miffed that he wasn't included in the film, guess he's not quite the negotiator Priceline would have you believe.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
premieres May 1
Alas, two franchises that usually involve the very refined and utterly British Patrick Stewart are premiering in May and he's nowhere to be found.
Sure to contend with "Star Trek" for eyeballs, "X-Men Origins" focuses on James Logan (a.k.a. Wolverine) and tells of his life before he met up with the rest of the X-Men.
Directed by Gavin Hood ("Rendition"), the film will tackle Wolverine's motives behind agreeing to the adamantium operation that gives him his super-sharp claws.
Hugh Jackman reprises the lead role for a fourth time and is joined by Liev Schreiber ("Defiance") as Sabretooth. Other notable persons showing up for face time are Will.I.Am. (Black Eyed Peas) and Dominic Monaghan ("Lost" and "Lord of the Rings").
Let the mutant smackdown begin already! (Assuming you haven't already cheated and watched a leaked copy.)
Extra: Hugh Jackman on the leaked copy of the film (according to Time magazine), "It's like a Ferrari without a paint job."
Angels & Demons
premieres May 15
Robert Langdon, last seen unraveling Christianity's darkest conspiracies, is back onscreen in the second Dan Brown-penned thriller turned movie, "Angels & Demons."
As the very attune and knowledgeable Langdon, Tom Hanks gets embroiled in a reawakened war between the Catholic Church and the super-secret Illuminati brotherhood.
Though written as prequel to Brown's polarizing bestseller "The Da Vinci Code," producers of "Angels & Demons" have reformatted the movie version as a sequel to the events relayed in "Da Vinci."
Intrigued or incensed, there's no denying the publicity a substantial religious uproar can bring to a probably pedestrian film.
Extra: Still tetchy about "Da Vinci," the Vatican banned producers from filming at its historical sites. Director Ron Howard had to recreate much of the settings used in "Angels & Demons" using CGI. (from The UK Telegraph)
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